By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 1 hour ago

Stargate SG-1 debuted in 1997, in the shadow of Star Trek literally, as Deep Space Nine and Voyager were airing, and figuratively, as the series had to show how it was different. Both shows use a military structure to support exploring beyond where anyone has gone before, and both use the same sci-fi character archetypes.

However, Star Trek has the Prime Directive that dictates how they are not to interfere with less developed civilizations, and Stargate doesn’t. The SG-1 team made careers out of actively interfering with other planets and cultures. Season 1’s fourth episode, “The Broca Divide,” is an example of why, sometimes, getting involved in other people’s business is the right thing to do. 

Stargate SG-1 Doesn’t Turn A Blind Eye To Injustice

“The Broca Divide” starts off with the team emerging from the stargate into a dark forest where they are quickly attacked by what looks like cavemen. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) spots a normal(ish) looking human woman with them, prompting Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) to theorize that the cavemen are forcibly breeding. Carter’s reaction is complete disgust about how that’s wrong, and they should put a stop to it. No debate about the evolution of primitive cultures, no questioning the biology of the humanoids, she knows it’s wrong and wants it put to an end. 

Nothing’s ever quite that simple in the world of Stargate SG-1, and the team quickly learns it’s not a primitive caveman society, but a more advanced Bronze Age, city-dwelling society suffering from a disease that devolves them back into their animalistic genetic ancestors. The planet is divided between the “Touched” who suffer from the disease, and the “Untouched,” which fascinates Jackson and Carter, but O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and Teal’c (Christopher Judge) want to bail as soon as they learn the Gou’ald haven’t been there in a generation, if at all. 

Upon returning, General Hammond (Don S. Davis) makes it clear that scientific inquiry has been added to their mission, right before Stargate Command soldiers start to devolve, and it’s clear that the disease impacting the alien planet has come with them. Through some trial and error, Dr. Frasier (Teryl Rothery) figures out the cure is simple antihistamines synthesized into a dart-delivery system. The unaffected of the team go back and cure the Touched, uniting the alien civilization for the first time in generations. 

Two Different Approaches To Exploring The Galaxy

Stargate SG-1 could have ended with the disease being wiped from Cheyenne Mountain, and the alien world being quarantined to progress naturally. If they were bound by anything similar to Star Trek’s Prime Directive, that’s exactly what they would have done. When they first landed on the planet and were referred to as Gods, Jackson commented that they should get used to that. To Starfleet, that’s a violation of the Prime Directive, to the SGC, that’s business as usual. 

The Prime Directive to not interfere with the natural development of a civilization sounds good, but it can also result in turning a blind eye to injustice, disease, and tyranny. While it often exists in Star Trek only to be broken (looking at you, Kirk), it’s satisfying to see the SG-1 team decide to step in, help, and leave worlds better off than they found them. Sometimes. 

Taking a far more proactive approach to spreading peace across the universe helps differentiate Stargate from Star Trek, even today, years after the show’s initial run came to an end. Stargate SG-1 is available to stream on Netflix, and it’s the perfect binge for fans who want to explore the underrated 90s series for either the first or the 20th time. 

Jessica Simpson shut down rumors that she drops some serious cash to maintain her sun-kissed glow.

Simpson, 45, opened up about always having the perfect tan in a new Elle interview published on Thursday, April 2. When asked about the age-old rumor that she used to spend $1,000 weekly to keep her skin freshly bronzed, she laughed and said, “No, $1,000? Gosh. I’d rather have lain out in the sun.”

“Maybe it depends if you’re going to factor in a vacation with that budget,” Simpson added. Now, she views a vacation as an opportunity to get a “healthy” tan. “I am somebody who likes to lay around and hang out with my friends and we flip like rotisserie chicken,” Simpson joked, noting that she and her gal pals actually “take turns” applying sunscreen to each other.

Simpson shared that as a true “born-and-bred Texan” native, she’s naturally a “sun lover.”

Related: Jessica Simpson Shows Off Her Fit Figure in a Tiny Skims Bikini

It’s getting hot in here! Jessica Simpson has kicked off bikini season.  The 42-year-old singer took to Instagram on Tuesday, April 25, to show off her fit figure in a sexy swimsuit by Kim Kardashian’s intimates label Skims. The bright green number included a triangle top and racy string bottoms. Simpson teamed the sultry getup […]

“My birthday is in July and every birthday party I had was in the pool. My buns were always tan,” she said of her famous curves. “I don’t remember wearing much sunscreen. I remember accelerator, Sun-In, and lemon juice for blonder hair. I had really great moments of worshiping the sun,” Simpson added.

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Now, she protects herself from the sun’s harmful rays. “But I definitely love a good tan,” she clarified.

Back in 2005, Simpson felt her most “confident” when she had some color. “When I was playing Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard, I had to be tan and that was a four-month shoot where I was damn near naked the whole time.”

“But I also didn’t want it to be too orange, so I had to have a base tan,” she explained. “It was all thought out. I used to be the type of person that would put an SPF 15 on my stomach, but I would put an SPF 50 on my knees because I didn’t want them to wrinkle. I would do that math in my head.”

Real estate influencer Caleb Simpson is opening up about his difficult childhood, claiming he grew up in a cult-like environment.

“I’m the middle of nine children. I have eight other brothers and sisters from the same parents,” Simpson began in a TikTok video shared Thursday, April 2. “I grew up in North Carolina at the end of a long gravel road in a farmhouse. I grew up extremely religious and homeschooled.”

Simpson explained that his father was taught Mennonite beliefs and other religious teachings, which he combined and applied to his own family. (Simpson’s dad, who has not been publicly identified, died in 2015.)

“Me and my siblings joke around that we were involved in a cult with no followers because my dad believed that he was chosen by God,” Simpson alleged in his lengthy TikTok video. “He just kept us all up in this house and, because the environment was so crazy and chaotic, I was rejecting it most of my childhood.”

Related: Celebrities Who Have Complicated Relationships With Their Parents

Over the years, stars including Jennette McCurdy and Macaulay Culkin have discussed hitting rock bottom with their parents. Jennette broke down the abuse she faced because of her mother, Debra McCurdy, in her memoir, I Am Glad My Mom Died. “Of course, there are moments where I fantasize that my mom would’ve apologized or that […]

He added, “My mom had to wear a long dress and have long hair. We never celebrated holidays. I didn’t celebrate my first birthday until I was, like, 18 years old. [We had] no Christmas, nothing.”

Simpson further claimed that his father would allegedly “abuse physically and mentally” the eldest children still living in the family compound.

“He would make them an example to all of us, and we were kept on the couch, screamed at and berated on a daily basis,” the influencer alleged. “If any of us grew the balls to say anything, you were hit and abused, yelled at more. We all just learned to fall in line.”

Simpson, who is known for uploading real estate tours in New York City via TikTok, further noted that he felt he “lost [his] voice” while growing up.

@calebwsimpson

♬ original sound – CALEB SIMPSON

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“I’ve [worked hard] to find it, you know?” he tearfully added on Thursday. “When I was about 12 years old, we moved into town, and in town we were exposed to more. It was harder for my parents to keep as much control. They became a little bit more lax, but not really ‘cause my oldest brother was kicked out and then my sister left because she couldn’t take it anymore.”

According to Simpson, he and his remaining siblings were unable to contact his exiled brother and sister.

“We weren’t allowed to ask for help [and were told] that money’s bad, people are evil, accept no help,” Simpson claimed of his parents’ rules. “So, for most of my life, I fell back into a freaking corner and it all felt so impossible all because of how it started.”

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Simpson left his rural hometown for New York City in September 2015, around the same time that his dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer and given “six months to live.”

“I was here in New York. I didn’t know what to do, so my sister called and I flew home. Then, he died,” Simpson recalled. “I drank a whole bottle of whiskey that night, and then I felt so f***ing free. I know this is f***ed up, but I felt so free ‘cause I didn’t feel like I was under someone’s thumb and I didn’t like the psychological games that were played with me for most of life and my siblings’ lives were so insane that it’s stuff that we’re still dealing with today.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. 

By Robert Scucci
| Updated 15 seconds ago

Reboots are a dime a dozen these days, and in most cases they feel like unnecessary cash grabs. While it makes sense to revitalize an intellectual property that has proven profitable in the past, it doesn’t make much sense if nothing new is being added to the franchise. That’s how I felt going into 2025’s Anaconda, starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd. I had a change of heart when I realized I was watching a meta-reboot that never once takes itself seriously, playing out more like Tropic Thunder than the 1997 film that inspired it.

Anaconda is essentially a parody about a creature feature being made by its own protagonists. Everything falls apart spectacularly, some enemies become friends, and some friends become enemies. Most importantly, the CGI snake antagonist that terrorizes everybody still looks awful, but that’s part of the charm, and I have reason to believe that this was an intentional creative choice.

Super 8 And Tropical Thunder Energy

2025’s Anaconda follows similar beats to 2008’s Tropic Thunder and 2011’s Super 8, using the original Anaconda film as its launching point. Its similarities to the latter show up in the dynamic between childhood friends Doug McCallister (Jack Black) and Ronald “Griff” Griffin (Paul Rudd), who used to make movies in their backyard with whatever equipment they could get their hands on. Now middle-aged, Doug technically works in film, but he’s stuck in an unfulfilling job shooting wedding videos and gender reveal announcements. Griff is technically an actor, but he’s little more than a glorified extra on S.W.A.T.

Griff approaches Doug with the opportunity of a lifetime, claiming he owns the rights to the Anaconda franchise. The idea is simple. They’ll travel to the Amazon rainforest with their friends Kenny (Steve Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and film their own spiritual sequel. Doug is tired of dreaming and ready to make something happen instead of settling for mediocrity. They get their finances together, meet boat operator Ana (Daniela Melchoir) and snake handler Carlos (Selton Mello), and set everything in motion. The problem is their tamed snake escapes, Ana’s intentions may not be as pure as they seem, and they run into a series of obstacles they never once considered.

A Solid, Self-Referential Reboot

Just as they find their groove, they run into two major problems. First, there’s actually a massive anaconda on the loose, and it’s just like the one from the original film, laughably bad production values included. Second, they encounter another crew filming their own Anaconda movie, which means Griff doesn’t actually have the rights after all. Not only is the group in mortal danger because the snake can swallow humans whole, they may have to deal with something even worse: copyright disputes.

Just when you think things are about to spiral completely out of control, you remember this is a farcical, PG-13 reboot of a 90s creature feature starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, so you already know it’s heading toward a somewhat wholesome ending. The fun comes from how it gets there. While you might expect Jon Voight to show up, he doesn’t, but two unexpected Anaconda alums pop in and clearly have a great time poking fun at themselves.

If you’re looking for an update on a campy creature classic that the whole family can enjoy, Anaconda is a safe bet. It’s funny enough for adults to get behind, and the violence is over-the-top and deliberately fake enough not to traumatize your kids. It’s no surprise it’s the number one movie on Netflix as of this writing. 

Former “Summer House” star Paige DeSorbo has broken her silence on the drama surrounding her friend, Ciara Miller, and her ex, West Wilson. On a recent episode of her podcast, DeSorbo and her co-host, Hannah Berner, showed their support for Miller, who recently learned that Wilson has been in a relationship with her former friend, Amanda Batula.

Paige DeSorbo, Hannah Berner Break Silence On ‘Summer House’ Drama

“Obviously, we’re live. We see the internet, we know what’s going on,” DeSorbo said on the April 3rd episode of “Giggly Squad.”

DeSorbo continued, “Ciara is our real friend, in real life. So we have been talking to her, consoling her. We are behind her 100%. We would never capitalize or monetize off of our friend’s heartbreak.”

Berner also chimed in to offer support to Miller, whom she met during season 5 of the show in 2021. “We love you, Ciara, as the one and only guest that’s ever been on Giggly Squad,” the comedian said.

As the episode continued, DeSorbo called Miller “strong [and] intelligent” before revealing the reality star would “speak her truth when it is her time.”

Wilson And Batula Spark Chaos Among ‘Summer House’ Viewers

DeSorbo and Berner’s comments come days after Wilson sparked chaos among “Summer House” viewers after confirming his relationship with Miller’s former friend, Batula.

“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” Wilson and Batula said in a joint statement. “It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we need a little space to process things privately before speaking on it.”

Rumors about Wilson and Batula’s relationship began circulating in March 2026 after an online blog shared a tip about them.

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In their statement, the pair added, “We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, long-standing friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”

Wilson Told Andy Cohen There Was Nothing Going On With His ‘Summer House’ Co-Star

As speculation about Wilson and Batula grew, the former initially denied there was something between them on an episode of Andy Cohen‘s “Watch What Happens Live.”

“We were just hanging out in New York. She’s single, I gotta show her the streets a little bit,” Wilson told the Bravo figurehead. “But if it’s not clear, that’s a very important person to me, and I care about her a lot.”

Batula’s ex, Kyle Cooke, whom she separated from in January 2026, also addressed the rumors during a “WWHL” appearance, calling them “kinda shocking” and “outrageous” before saying he didn’t believe they were true.

“It would certainly catch me by surprise and feel a little reckless, and I think I’d probably be the last person people would be worried about. I think Ciara would probably have something to,” Cooke said.

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How Is Bravo Navigating The Situation?

It’s unclear exactly how Bravo plans to move forward with the cast of “Summer House” or its upcoming spin-off, “In The City.”

A source, however, told Page Six that the network’s primary focus is on the cast’s well-being due to the severity of the situation.

The season 10 reunion is scheduled to film in mid-April 2026, according to Cohen, who vowed to address the scandal during the meetup.

On his radio show, “Andy Cohen Live,” he also took a moment to ask fans to be mindful of how they interact with the cast in the coming months.

“I do think it’s worth reminding all the passionate fans of the show that these are real people involved,” he said. “And so, these are real people involved.”

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Public Figure Speaks Out About Situation

Cohen’s request hasn’t stopped the public from sharing their strong reactions to the latest “Summer House” scandal, according to The Blast.

On social media, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy called Batula a “treacherous snake” and slammed her for wronging her friend. “I guess Amanda in interviews [says], ‘Ciara is my most loyal friend,’” he said.

“That’s on Amanda,” he said. “That’s how I see it.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Netflix is raising its monthly prices again, as it’s a trend that nearly every streaming service has adopted. Although it was initially thought that the ad-supported tiers might have been exempt from the price hikes that affect the higher tiers, as the lower-cost subscription plans become more popular, Netflix was never going to not incorporate them into its overall strategy. The message that Netflix is putting out is one of confidence, which is justifiable considering that it is still leaps and bounds ahead of any of its competitors. Even if 2026 will see some of Netflix’s most anticipated shows returning, the rising prices serve as a promise to subscribers that they won’t want to miss out on something that has become a necessity.

Netflix may have failed in its attempt to buy Warner Bros., which is now being merged with Paramount, but Netflix still has the largest library of any streaming service, and continues to churn out more content on a monthly basis than any of its competitors. At a time when other streamers are having to either cut costs or cancel shows that don’t have potential, Netflix has launched an ambitious 2026 plan that includes interactive content, gaming endeavors, blockbuster-scale films, and a further incorporation of live programming. Since the service has ensured that it will have something on at any given moment that is worth tuning in to, there’s no opportunity for Netflix subscribers to sit and wait for their favorite shows to return. Those who subscribe to multiple services might need to cut down, but Netflix is too dominant to ever fully eliminate.

Netflix Is Solidifying Its Place in the Streaming Ecosystem

Although company spokespeople have been cagey on whether the service will ever commit to broad theatrical runs, Netflix has made itself the only destination for many original films, which it has begun producing on a much more consistent basis. Even if awards contenders like Frankenstein or Train Dreams screened at film festivals before appearing in a limited number of theaters, Netflix only offers repeat viewings to subscribers, given that a vast majority of its original material has never been released on home video.

Although Netflix used to put out only a few major blockbuster films each year, 2026 has already seen the debut of The Rip, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, War Machine, and People We Meet on Vacation, with Apex, Thrash, and Remarkably Bright Creatures all coming in the next few months. These films represent the types of genres that the theatrical business has all but forgotten about, such as romantic dramedies, monster thrillers, original science fiction, and mysteries. Given the rising price of theater tickets, a Netflix subscription is cheaper than testing one’s luck on a new release every weekend.

Netflix certainly has some 2026 films that could end up being breakouts, as The Adventures of Cliff Booth is a sequel to one of the highest-grossing R-Rated films of all time, and could also find itself in the awards conversation. However, Netflix has a skill at putting its library to its advantage, particularly with how films from Sony and its other partners are made available on the service shortly after they exit theaters. It’s a perfect option for those who aren’t regular theatergoers, and Netflix has also found a way to bring older titles out of obscurity. Films that would have otherwise been forgotten about often end up on Netflix’s weekly top ten charts, suggesting that their cultural resurgence comes from their accessibility.

Netflix Has Become a Cultural Necessity

Netflix has found a way to make “event television” once again, which is increasingly rare given how stratified viewing habits are. The return of shows like Bridgerton, One Piece, Beef, Nobody Wants This, and The Diplomat isn’t just a reminder for fans to check out the new seasons, but a teaser that intrigues non-viewers to go back into the streamer’s catalog. One of the most impressive aspects of the Stranger Things performance is the record-high viewership for previous seasons in the lead-up to the grand finale. Even if Netflix has cancelled many of its best shows far too soon, it has still amassed a library of original material that can sustain subscribers with enough to watch. It also benefited from an influx of library content from other sources. Ironically, Paramount+ has licensed some of its shows to Netflix, even though they beat them to acquire Warner Bros.

Although Netflix continues to sign major deals with A-list talent, the notion of discoverability is one that only exists on its service. There isn’t another streamer that could take a low-profile show like Baby Reindeer or Adolescence and turn it into a true phenomenon, despite not receiving a significant marketing push. At the same time, shows with a demonstrable amount of controversy, such as Monster: The Ed Gein Story, inspire enough inflammatory headlines that it results in a net win for Netflix. Anyone who considers themselves to be a connoisseur of culture requires a Netflix subscription to be a part of ongoing conversations, even if they only consume a portion of its overall slate of content. The price hikes aren’t just a sign of its dominance in the streaming space, but a promise of consistency. There’s no other streamer that is involved in as many areas and is guaranteed to have something worth engaging with on such a regular basis.

Team USA hockey hero Jack Hughes was thrilled to be at Yankee Stadium for its 2026 Opening Day between the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins — and he had a brand new smile to prove it.

Hughes, 24, joined women’s hockey goaltender Aerin Frankel to throw out ceremonial first pitches in the Bronx on Friday, April 3, six weeks after each player led their USA hockey teams to gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal for Team USA, famously celebrated the gold-medal win with missing front teeth and a bloodied mouth after taking a hit to the face by a stick from Canada’s Sam Bennett in the third period.

Throwing from the base of the mound, both Hughes and Frankel, 26, reached their targets behind home plate on the fly, avoiding the notoriously tough Yankee Stadium boo birds.

“When everything went down, this was the one thing I was wondering if it would happen,” Hughes, an avid Yankees fan, told reporters while showing off his pearly whites. “I knew a lot of things were coming but this is the one thing I was always wishing slash hoping for.”

He added that he was able to talk to Yankees captain Aaron Judge before the game. Judge, 33, also captained Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which played out shortly after the Olympics ended.

“Pretty cool with the timing, us winning, then [the WBC] right after,” Hughes continued. “So we were pretty tuned in on that, they were tuned in on us. That was just pretty cool. They were locked in and we were locked in, so we get to share that and obviously we’re pumped to watch them in the Olympics in a couple years.”

A week after getting one of his front teeth knocked out and others chipped during the gold medal game, Hughes assured fans that he planned to get his teeth fixed.

“I can promise you, this won’t be my thing,” Hughes said with a smile during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

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Hughes added, “It’s funny, because, like, since we’ve been back in the U.S., we feel the love like crazy, like so much support. But when people are coming up for a picture, they’ll be like, ‘Smile.’”

Hughes’ mother, Ellen, a former hockey player herself, added that she is “so happy he wears a mouth guard.”

“I can’t even imagine how many more teeth he would have lost without a mouth guard. But it was right in front of us and I can tell you that Quinn, his brother, was on the ice and he saw the teeth go down,” she said during a February appearance on Today. “We saw him picking them up, and I was glad it was teeth and nothing more.”