HBO’s House of the Dragon has slowly but surely been settling into its stride, even though many may agree that it is time for a change. The adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Targaryen history, Fire & Blood, took its time setting up the generational trauma that was necessary to tell this story.

Even so, Season 3 is fast approaching, and the Dance of the Dragons has not reached its pace. Though the Targaryen civil war has had battles, the war itself has been a long time coming. Performances from Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith have kept viewers locked in, but House of the Dragon is about to see the end of an era as it finally discards the long-standing tradition that has defined the show for two seasons.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 1 and 2 Was a Slow-Burn Set-Up

House of the Dragon’s predecessor, Game of Thrones, made its mark with an expansive ensemble cast and a high-stakes world that got to blood and guts pretty early on. House of the Dragon was meant to be the antithesis after the long-running fantasy series came to a close. There needed to be a change to separate the two George R.R. Martin creations, and House of the Dragon did this by introducing a slow-burn drama that would go on to inform the highly anticipated Dance of the Dragons.

Constant warfare takes a backseat to the political intrigue and building of drama that fans of A Song of Ice and Fire understand will come to a boiling point. House of the Dragon cleverly starts when the infamous Half-Year Queen is a teenager. Portrayed by Milly Alcock, Rhaenyra Targaryen lives a comfortable life until her mother dies, and her father marries her best friend, Alicent. Because Rhaenyra is the only heir to King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and female, this is almost designed to lead to a civil war.

Indeed, Alicent has male heirs, but the genius of House of the Dragon is that it wasn’t a death sentence on its own. What would eventually cause the Targaryens to wage war against each other were years of hostility and parents passing on their hatred and prejudices to their children. Parental abuse causes the civil war, not dragons, which is a fascinating way for the spin-off to differentiate itself from Game of Thrones. HBO wins this one as the tension was effectively built. However, Season 3 is ready to dive headfirst into the war that fans have all been waiting for once and for all.

‘House of the Dragon’ Is Ready for the Battle of the Gullet to Explode

The deaths of the Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys, and Meleys were heartbreakers for Team Black, but these were small battles in House of the Dragon Season 2. Even the brutal strike against Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) manhood was a small price to pay in the greater scheme of things. Fans want to see Criston Cole (Fabien Frankle) get his just deserts and for Daemon to saddle up. Especially after the baffling decision to keep the Rogue Prince in a fever dream for the large extent of Season 2, it’s time to take up arms.

House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal promises that it’s about to happen. The Game of Thrones spin-off is apparently leaving this slow-burn storytelling behind and starting a new era of guts and glory. The bloody battle from Fire & Blood, known as the Battle of the Gullet, is reported to take place in Episode 1 of the third season. In the book, this is a huge strike against the Blacks, but it results in heavy casualties on both sides. This is the moment that everyone has been waiting for and will herald in a new age of the long-awaited Targaryen civil war.

This conflict is known as the bloodiest war in Westeros history and is blamed for the eventual extinction of the dragons. It is so monumental that it is referred to many times in Game of Thrones, though with differing perspectives. With only one more season confirmed to close out Rhaenyra’s story, the time to strike is now. House of the Dragon has had fans waiting for some time to see this war come to fruition, and it looks like fire and blood are finally here.

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Release Date

August 21, 2022

Network

HBO

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Showrunner

George R.R. Martin

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Directors

Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel

Writers

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Gabe Fonseca

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  Fabien Frankel

  Ser Criston Cole

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Footage of Rihanna dippin’ it low for A$AP Rocky during their night at Magic City strip club is turnin’ heads online.

RELATED: Aww! Rocki Irish Steals The Show As Rihanna Shows Off Her Baby Girl In New Video That Has Fans Obsessed (WATCH)

Footage of Rihanna Dippin’ It Low For A$AP Rocky During Night At Magic City

On the evening of Sunday,June 14, The Shade Room obtained footage of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky during their apparent date night at Magic City strip club in Atlanta, Georgia. In the clip, Rihanna was seen hitting the pole and dropping it low.

The Footage Is Turnin’ Heads

Social media users slid in TSR’s comment section, droppin’ reactions to Rihanna dippin’ it low for A$AP Rocky.

Before Footage of Rihanna Dippin’ It Low For A$AP Rocky At Magic City, She Already Had The Internet Talkin’

As The Shade Room previously reported, Rihanna already had the internet talkin’ before dippin’ it low for A$AP Rocky. Last week, footage surfaced of her doing ‘fit check while on the street. In the clip, she shouted Rocky out a few times, calling him her “baby daddy” and dropping some spicy words.

Click here to see the NSFW video.

RELATED: That’s How You Feel? Rihanna Drops Spicy Comments About A$AP Rocky In New Clip (VIDEO)

By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 31 seconds ago

Repo: The Genetic Opera started its life in 2002 as a stage play that was then turned into a 2008 musical film by writer and star Terrance Zdunich. It was never a mainstream hit due to a very limited theatrical release, even earning supporting actress Paris Hilton a pair of Razzies for her performance, but Repo became a cult classic for its ensemble cast, catchy music, and compelling story. It was also very prescient, both for its cyberpunk worldbuilding and for its predictions about humanity and the pursuit of perfection.

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The movie takes place after an epidemic has struck the world, skyrocketing the megacorporation GeneCo to public prominence as they lease out organs similar to the way dealers lease cars. Should someone not be able to pay for their organ, the Repo Man is sent to collect the body part, regardless of the consequences. With all the medical operations going on, cosmetic surgery has also become insanely popular, but the pain of repeated surgery has created an addiction to the painkiller Zydrate.

But GeneCo’s CEO, Rotti (Paul Sorvino), is terminally ill in a way that no money can fix. His three children, Luigi, Pavi, and Amber Sweet, bicker King Lear-style over the inheritance of the company, but Rotti doesn’t want to leave it to any of them. Instead, he wants to leave the company to Shiloh (Alexa Vega of Spy Kids fame), the daughter of Nathan and Rotti’s ex-fiancée Marni. Shiloh has a rare blood disease that she inherited from Marni.

Marni died years ago from Rotti’s murderous and jealous meddling and has been blackmailing Nathan (Anthony Stewart Head) ever since by framing him for the death. Nathan is his head Repo Man, a fact that Shiloh is unaware of. Rotti’s blackmail doesn’t end there, either. Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman) is a famous singer and the spokesperson for GeneCo, held hostage by eyes provided to her by Rotti. She was Marni’s best friend and wants to retire, but leaving GeneCo means a visit from the Repo Man, and Nathan doesn’t want to do the job.

Shiloh sneaks out of her sickbed and becomes more aware of the real world around her, and she is guided by GraveRobber (Terrance Zdunich), a wily Zydrate dealer who knows all the ins and outs of the city. As the swirling whirlpool of life under GeneCo begins to suck everyone in, secrets kept for generations find their way to the surface. Blind Mag’s final show brings everyone together as the future of the company hangs in the balance, affecting not just Shiloh and Rotti’s feuding heirs, but the fate of everyone’s organs and lives.

Unfairly Underrated Modern Classic

As a film, Repo: The Genetic Opera is a work of art that deserved better than an arthouse release in only seven theaters. Zdunich presented audiences with a rich world of visual despair and economic scarcity. It has the vast scale of an opera, its setting oscillating between wealthy urban dwellings and the dark spaces of a city built on the bones of the dead. The story is intimate in scope, following the struggle between two men grieving over a long-deceased woman, while also being grand in scope, by making those men a king and his chief enforcer. Their personal clash affects more than just their own lives, with fallout affecting all of humanity.

Zdunich’s cyberpunk vision hits us at our deepest core by making our very organs a commodity and our bodies a palette that can be altered at will. The poor struggle to stay healthy while the wealthy try to ward off aging and make themselves as beautiful as they can. Everyone is addicted to painkillers to ward off not only the physical pain but the agony of the world around them. If this all sounds familiar, that’s not an accident.

Yet somehow, this operatic tragedy manages to be uplifting through its rock music soundtrack. Each song illustrates the character singing it, from the nearly sinister GraveRobber to the conflicted Nathan and the angry Shiloh. Rotti is grave and majestic in his secretive and nefarious plans, and Brightman’s performance as Blind Mag intertwines love, determination, and awareness of her own mortality in a moving mosaic.

Paris Hilton Knew The Assignment

As a viewer and a fan of this film, I was surprised to find out for this article that Hilton’s performance as the cosmetic surgery-obsessed Amber Sweet was so disliked as to earn her Razzies. The celebrity is indeed largely playing herself: the spoiled daughter of a rich father, using her inherited wealth in an attempt to promote her own fame. However, Hilton turns up the heat in her onscreen appearances, portraying a woman who is as desperate for perfection as she is flailing to be a sultry seductress and pop singer.

Even at her worst, the real-life Hilton has never been as cunning or as selfish as her portrayal of Amber Sweet. Her performance and singing are actually really good, especially in the self-deprecating Shakespearean climax, and her scenes are some of the most memorable in a movie stuffed with incredible visuals and songs. It seems to me that she was awarded the Razzie more because of who she was than how she performed.

Of course, it is the interplay between Head and Vega that takes center stage. Vega was a perfect choice at that point in her career, transitioning as she was from Spy Kid to grown woman. She portrays Shiloh’s growth from a coddled young girl to an independent woman with all the growing pains that such a transition causes. Not a little girl anymore, she rages through punk and metal styles before evolving into an adult, just like a typical teenager, but also mature enough to carry the ending of her story. She clashes with Head, seeing only a father who doesn’t understand her and not the secrets beneath.

Nathan, meanwhile, is a heart-wrenching bundle of regret for his lost love, hatred for his job, and desire to protect Shiloh at all costs. Head’s performance as the titular tragic figure in the story is a stark reminder that the recently deceased actor was more than just Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nathan is very well aware that he is one of the villains of the story, and Head performs this inner conflict as deeply through his singing as his acting. His tribute to Marni is emotionally one of the strongest songs in a film that tugs at the heart at every moment.

REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA SCORE

Repo: The Genetic Opera is a cult classic whose soundtrack finds its way around, drawing more people to the movie. It is an underrated film that deserves a wider audience, especially in honor of Anthony Stewart Head. Fortunately, it is available for free on Tubi as of this writing, and once the songs get stuck in your head, you can listen to the soundtrack on Spotify.

Star Wars fans have been treated to two new projects so far in 2026, one on Disney Plus and one on the big screen. The first Star Wars project to emerge from hyperspace was Maul — Shadow Lord, the critically acclaimed Disney Plus series starring Sam Witwer as the famous Dark Side Force user. Maul — Shadow Lord was renewed for Season 2, and Witwer has since confirmed that fans won’t have to wait too long before a new batch of episodes is streaming on Disney Plus. Star Wars fans have also been returning to the theater for the first time since 2019 thanks to the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is well on its way to becoming the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie ever. It was thought that Ahsoka would premiere before the end of 2026, but it has since been confirmed that the show will return in early 2027.

In addition to Rosario Dawson in the lead role of Ahsoka Tano, the first season of the hit Disney Plus show also starred the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll and Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati. Sakhno is expected back in Season 2, but Stevenson has been recast with long-time Game of Thrones star Rory McCann, famed for his role as The Hound. However, one Ahsoka Season 1 star who has officially confirmed she will not be back in Season 2 is Claudia Black, who portrayed Mother Klothow. During an interview last year with Bleeding Cool, Black explained her departure from the show, saying that Disney refused to pay her a fair salary as a single mother:

“I’m going to be transparent. They picked up Season 2, they picked me up with it, and then Disney, which is structuring things differently these days, could not pay me what I needed to be paid as a single mother to keep all my responsibilities going at home in Los Angeles, because they were filming in London. It was not something that I could make happen, and therefore, I had to bow out for Season 2. It was very sad for me.”

What Else Do We Know About ‘Ahsoka’ Season 2?

Practically nothing is known about the plot of Ahsoka Season 2 at this time. Hayden Christensen is confirmed to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in the series, as well as other members of the Rebels gang, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. The show was written and created for TV by Dave Filoni, who has now assumed the role of President at Lucasfilm.

Check out the first season of Ahsoka on Disney Plus and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Season 2.

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Release Date

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August 22, 2023

Network

Disney+

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Directors

Steph Green, Jennifer Getzinger, Peter Ramsey, Rick Famuyiwa

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Summer is officially glow season, but some of your favorite warm-weather habits could actually be sabotaging your skin.

To find out what not to do this summer, ET caught up with celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. John Layke, who shared the biggest skincare mistakes he sees during the hottest months of the year and how to avoid them.

First up: Overdoing it with heavy active ingredients.

“During the peak summer months, skin is more sensitive to the sun when using retinol, so decrease the frequency of usage to 3 days per week and ensure multiple reapplications of sunscreen,” Layke says.

But that doesn’t mean you should break up with retinol altogether just because the sun is out. Layke recommends reaching for the ProRetinol Age Rewind from his Beverly Hills MD line with Dr. Payman Danielpour to help maintain a smooth complexion.

“It helps increase cellular turnover, leading to fresher, healthier skin,” the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Group doctor explains.

And while everyone loves a good serum, sunscreen like his brand’s Sheer Radiance SPF Drops remains the foundation of any summertime skincare routine.

“Appropriate sunscreens, which contain protective actives like zinc oxide can mechanically protect the skin from overexposure of UV rays, especially when using a retinol. … Some of the biggest mistakes I see is the lack of reapplication when being in the sun, especially during peak hours of 10am and 2pm, when UV rays are strongest,” he explains.

And if you’ve been putting off a laser treatment until fall, you may not have to.

“As long as people are aware that protecting the skin is paramount, microneedling or laser resurfacing can be done at any time of the year. This means no direct exposure for 6 weeks following the treatment to avoid any untoward hyperpigmentation that may occur in the healing skin,” he notes.

For those seeking an instant refresh, Layke points to HydraFacials as a seasonal favorite.

“It will improve the texture of the skin temporarily and leave a noticeable glow.”

If you’re seeking something beyond a quick glow-up, Botox remains a popular option year-round, though summer plans may impact the longevity of your results.

“This is related to the increase in outdoor physical activity, which has been shown to decrease the longevity of neurotoxins due to an increase in the metabolism of this purified protein.”

But before you head inside after a day at the beach or pool, don’t forget one simple step: rinse off.

“Excess chlorine exposure in a pool, or salt exposure to the skin can cause irritation and dryness. Make sure to rinse soon after swimming to avoid.”

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Veteran ABC 7 anchor Bill Ritter is opening up about the frightening first symptoms that led to his early-stage Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and the emotional reality of stepping away from the anchor desk after more than two decades. Just days after announcing his retirement from WABC-TV, Bill Ritter revealed he initially dismissed troubling memory changes before ultimately realizing something more serious was going on.

Appearing on “Good Morning America” on Monday, Ritter shared that he first noticed symptoms nearly two years ago. “I realize I was forgetting people’s names and places,” Ritter recalled. “Didn’t know why this was happening.”

The longtime journalist said his wife, Kathleen, noticed changes as well, though he initially believed his demanding work schedule was likely to blame. In an effort to reduce stress and improve his sleep, Ritter began scaling back his responsibilities at ABC 7, first stepping away from the station’s 11 p.m. broadcast and later exiting the 5 p.m. newscast so he could focus solely on anchoring the 6 p.m. show.

“I was sleeping for the first time at night; for the first time in 25 years,” Ritter explained. “Finally getting a decent night sleep and it wasn’t getting better.”

That’s when Ritter decided it was time to seek answers. “We said, ‘I gotta get tested,’ ” he recalled. “And that really was an important thing. A lot of people say, ‘I’m fine, don’t worry about it, I’m going to be fine.’ No. You gotta go do this.”

Ritter Says He Was ‘Scared’ After Diagnosis

Ritter admitted his diagnosis immediately brought thoughts of his father, who died with Alzheimer’s disease in 1998. “My first reaction was, I thought about my dad,” Ritter said. “That was immediate. He just popped into my head.”

“And then a couple of seconds later, I was scared,” he continued. “I don’t mind saying that. It was scary. Because it was like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m supposed to be doing this. What’s going on here?’ ”

The Emmy-winning broadcaster said his focus quickly shifted to his family and how the disease would affect them moving forward. “I quickly moved into husband/dad place,” Ritter said. “Because Alzheimer’s really affects the family most. As a dad and a husband, I said, ‘I gotta deal with this. This is my family. And that’s what I’m really worried about.’ ”

“They’re the real tough ones in this,” he added. “My kids say, ‘Dad, you’re so brave in all this.’ And I’m not the one who is brave. It’s my kids and my wife who are the brave ones. That’s really the real case here.”

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Bill Ritter Says Honesty Led To His Retirement Announcement

Ritter first revealed his diagnosis during Friday’s Eyewitness News at 6, announcing it would be his final night anchoring the program. “After a series of tests, my doctors have told me I have Alzheimer’s,” Ritter told viewers. “It’s ‘early stage’ Alzheimer’s, and they say the treatments I’m getting are keeping it at bay. For now. But there is no guarantee, because there’s no cure yet for Alzheimer’s. So, unless someone finds an amazing cure, and soon, tonight will be the last newscast I anchor.”

The longtime ABC 7 personality became emotional while explaining why he chose to be transparent with viewers. “My job as a journalist is to speak honestly to the public,” Ritter said. “Truth and facts is what we deal with. I figured I owed it to the viewers to be honest about this.”

Ritter Isn’t Leaving Journalism Behind

Although Ritter is stepping away from the anchor desk, he made clear he has no plans to retire completely. Instead, the veteran broadcaster will remain with ABC 7 in a new role focused on covering Alzheimer’s disease and other related illnesses, including the financial and emotional toll they take on families.

“I think we have an opportunity,” Ritter said while reflecting on the overwhelming response he received after sharing his diagnosis publicly. “There was such an outpouring this weekend of love and support. This disease, obviously, doesn’t care what your politics are because we’re all in this together.”

Bill Ritter Plans To Raise Alzheimer’s Awareness In New Role

Looking ahead, Ritter said he hopes to continue using journalism to bring awareness to the disease while helping others feel less alone.

“After this interview, I’m going to go to our Monday morning meeting at 9 a.m. … and then I’m going to go to my desk and have day one of the new job,” Ritter said. “And that will be to bring people into the tent, because I think that’s what we want.”

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Actor Oscar Isaac has had a role in just about every franchise. From Star Wars to Marvel, it seems like he has just about done it all. However, he faced a few new challenges while filming season 2 of the hit Netflix series, “Beef,” which could potentially earn him an Emmy, considering the success of the show’s first run. Ahead, learn what Isaac found “humiliating” about playing the volatile character.

Season 2 of “Beef” opens with a brand new set of characters. Isaac plays Josh, the struggling general manager of an exclusive country club. He stars opposite Carey Mulligan, who plays Lindsey, an interior designer from a privileged background who is also experiencing a midlife crisis. Things take a turn for the worse when two younger employees, Ashley and Austin, witness a violent argument between the couple.

Fortunately, this isn’t the first time that Isaac and Mulligan have worked together. They collaborated together on Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” and the Coen Brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis,” but this is the first time that they’re playing a couple trapped inside a failing marriage.

Oscar Isaac Admits It’s ‘A Humiliating Thing To Do This Stuff’

Their long history of collaborations helped foster a safe environment for some of the show’s most volatile scenes. For example, there was one scene where Josh threw his wine glass during an argument. However, Mulligan said that it didn’t feel right because “statistically, a woman will just shut it all down and back off” if a man displays physical violence. “It felt like it had to be Lindsay who throws the wine glass first,” she added. 

Isaac noted that it’s “a humiliating thing to do this stuff” during the scene and compared it to a “live wire act.” He went on to say, “To have someone you can trust so completely and there’s no judgement… it’s incredibly valuable and it’s freeing and it allows for a lot of fun.” 

Mulligan Agrees That The Scene Was ‘Uniquely Humiliating’

Mulligan agreed with Isaac’s assessment and called parts of the scene “uniquely humiliating.”

“There were so many elements to this that were risky and more embarrassing, and I did feel like we were taking swings here and there, and this is hard to do with someone you don’t completely trust,” she said.

However, because of the trust they placed in each other as actors, they were able to give the scene their all.

“We felt this onus on us to get that bit right,” Mulligan said. “And it was a tricky thing because you are meant to meet them at that point where it could be like a fork in the road. It could have been the end.” 

Why Oscar Isaac Joined Season 2 Of ‘Beef’

This isn’t the first time that Isaac has opened up about his role on the Emmy-winning series. He previously told Entertainment Weekly that he was a big fan of season 1 of “Beef.” There was a key moment in the show’s first season featuring Steven Yeun’s character, Danny, that convinced him to join the show.

“It was the first season. I remember I was really intrigued by the first couple of episodes. But it was episode 3, when [Steven Yeun’s] character goes to the church, and the singing starts happening, and he starts sobbing,” he explained, adding, “It was both so moving and so hilarious at the same time.”

He went on to praise “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin and his ability to create a “razor-thin tone that I thought was really fascinating — between embracing the cringe of the moment, but also the compassion for that character and the situation. That was it.”

Lee Sung Jin Worked With Isaac To Craft The Character

Isaac went on to reveal that he had “these very long sessions” with the “Beef” creator in order to develop the character. “Sunny and I, it felt like a men’s group of two, like a therapy session. We would talk about all sorts of subjects that kind of related, even sometimes very loosely, to the script,” he explained.

“That felt like, ‘Oh, this is a real investigation of something,” he continued. “This is not just showing up to deliver some idea.’ That became really exciting.”

Season 2 of “Beef” is available to stream on Netflix.

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

The newest Green Lantern has arrived! After previously confirming in April that Season 3 of the DC animated hit My Adventures With Superman would introduce Jessica Cruz, the latest member of the Green Lantern Corps, before sending her off on her own spin-off adventure, Entertainment Weekly has now confirmed who will be playing her. Auli’i Cravalho, best known as the voice behind Disney’s Moana, will don the ring in Episode 2 of the Clark Kent-centric show and lead the forthcoming My Adventures With Green Lantern whenever it premieres. Additionally, EW shared the first look at the young recipient and some new details about what her series will entail.

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Release Date

July 7, 2023

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Network

Adult Swim

Showrunner

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Jake Wyatt

Directors

Diana Huh, Jen Bennett, Kiki Manrique

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Writers

M. Willis, Angela Entzminger, Aman Adumer, Brendan Clogher, Cynthia Furey, Jake Wyatt, Josie Campbell

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  Clark Kent / Superman (voice)

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  Alice Lee

  Lois Lane (voice)

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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.