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Cynthia Jade is proving she’s not afraid to get down and dirty in her latest hobby, which has overtaken her social media feed.
Fans may remember that back in 2025, the content creator revealed she was renovating her 7,000-square-foot Colorado home, including building a custom soundproof studio to keep her work separate from the rest of the house.
Months later, Cynthia is still embracing home improvement projects. From repainting the house and planting hundreds of flowers to learning how to use power tools, she’s been giving followers a behind-the-scenes look at what has become an unexpected new hobby.
According to Cynthia, renovating the property has become an unexpected hobby.
“We are currently painting our entire house and I recently planted over 20 roses! And over 100 other plants!” she shared.
As for her growing collection of tools, she already has a favorite.
“My favorite tool is a brad nailer because it’s the least scary tool out of all the ones I’ve used!”
Her latest social media posts show she’s been gradually becoming more comfortable tackling projects herself, even if a few of them still make her nervous.
One recent video featured Cynthia asking her dad for help as she worked on patching holes throughout the family’s Colorado home.
“Dad, Dad, Dad, I need your help to fill all the holes, please,” she said.
Her father pointed her toward the filler before joking, “You know what? I have my own holes to fill somewhere else.”
The comment immediately made Cynthia recoil.
“Eeeeewwwwww!” she replied, laughing at the unexpected joke.
After the lighthearted exchange, Cynthia reminded viewers that the task was no small undertaking.
“I am actually filling all these holes on a house that’s like 7,000 square feet,” she explained, highlighting the scale of the renovation project.
She captioned the clip, “I’m traumatized,” poking fun at her dad’s cheeky sense of humor and the massive DIY job she had taken on.
While Cynthia has embraced home improvement, some tools still leave her feeling anxious.
In another video, she attempted to cut a piece of wood using a power saw, carefully talking herself through every step.
“I’m gonna be sick. I’m gonna be sick. I’m so nervous. Terrified of that,” she admitted before successfully making the cut.
Once the job was finished, she celebrated with her trademark humor.
“Okay, well, this is my stick… Yeah, I’m practically a carpenter now,” she joked.
She has also shared clips of herself trimming tree branches with a chainsaw, operating a skid steer around the property, and taking on other outdoor maintenance projects, giving followers a glimpse of just how much work goes into maintaining the sprawling Colorado estate.
While Cynthia is best known for glamorous photo shoots and modeling content, her recent posts have showcased a much different side of her personality.
Whether she’s planting more than 20 roses and over 100 additional plants, patching walls, repainting the house, or learning how to use power tools, Cynthia has been documenting both the successes and the learning curves.
The projects mark the latest chapter in her ongoing Colorado home renovation, which first made headlines in late 2025 when she shared plans for a custom-built soundproof studio. Now, followers are seeing that the renovations extend far beyond a single room, as Cynthia continues transforming the property one DIY project at a time.
Young and the Restless 2-Week Spoilers for July 20 – 31, 2026 begin with Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) spiraling. And when he sees an ex-wife doing something very sketchy, he may actually relapse. Also, Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) is scrambling with threats to her business in a tempting offer that could save her.
Also, during the two weeks of July 20th through the 31st, we’re going to see Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) get her bandages off and we find out if her eyesight is working. There’s a big secret that Jill Abbott (Lauren Koslow) is keeping and Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland) is going all out for family. Let’s get right to it.
On Monday, July 20th, we have got Matt Clark (Roger Howorth) telling Noah Newman (Lucas Adams) and Sienna Bacall (Tamara Braun), Nick and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), that he is leaving town. Noah lectures him on forgiveness and Matt snaps that Noah slept with his wife and never apologized. Then Nick gets in Matt’s face and asks what is his next move. Matt wants to leave Genoa City, make a life, find somebody to love. Sounds nice. Sharon wants Matt gone and she offers to help him pack.
Matt doubts that Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) will let him go, but Nick says he’ll take care of that. And Sienna agrees it’s best for everybody if Matt leaves town. He wishes Sienna and Noah good luck with the Shadow Room. Says sorry for all the pain he caused. And Matt walks out.
Meanwhile, Nikki asks Victor if he’d even be speaking to her if she wasn’t blind. Nikki knows he’s furious that she went to see Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) in the hospital. And Nikki tells Victor that Jack is her friend, but he tells Nikki she’s got to cut Jack out of her life. Nikki claps back about him letting Matt live on the ranch and then treating her best friend like this. Nikki walks away but stops to tell Victor she’ll always love him despite what he has done.
He’s mad and that’s when Matt shows up to tell Victor he can’t get the dirt on Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) and just wants to leave Genoa City. Victor says no and then he threatens him. Matt says the rest of his family wants him gone. Walks out and then Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) meets up with Matt after he leaves the new ranch very upset and he’s telling Phyllis he just wants to leave town. He is tired of being emotionally kicked and always being the villain. But Phyllis also refuses to let Matt go, just like Victor.
Elsewhere, Sally is looking at nursery paint colors as Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) strolls up. He reminds her the color that she was going to paint their baby Ava’s nursery. And then Adam proposes a plan to take care of Newman Media so that Victor won’t try and destroy her and Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver).
Adam says that Victor will never take Sally’s offer to sell to him. So, Adam suggests that he will secretly pay her for Newman Media. Sally will sign it over to him and then Adam will tell Victor that he yanked it away from her just like his dad wants to do. And Adam says Victor will think he won. And Sally asks why Adam is willing to risk his father’s eye over this. And he says Victor shut him out of Newman Enterprises.
So, he promises Sally that only her and Audra and him and Chelsea Newman (Melissa Claire Egan) will know about this deal. Sally doesn’t want to owe Adam, but he says he’s the one who owes Sally, and he always will. It’s very sweet. I miss them together as a couple.
Across town, Noah checks on Sharon, who wishes that Nick would just let Victor handle Matt because Sharon’s afraid that this is too much on Nick and he may relapse. Victor and Nick talk about Matt wanting to leave town, and Victor asks Nick if he was in charge of Matt’s fate, what would it be?
Then on Tuesday, July 21st, Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) and Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) share secrets with each other. And I wonder if Kyle drops the bombshell that Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) rolled over on Victor and is going to give the DA evidence that her dad orchestrated all of this madness done to Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) and Jack. We don’t know if that’s the deal that Kyle made with Patty. I know it’s the deal he wants. So maybe we’ll find out that he made it happen.
And speaking of them, Diane is thrilled that Jack is now at home, but he’s still recovering. But at least Diane gets to cuddle with him. And she wants loose ends tied up, particularly with Dr. Markham. She wants that guy behind bars so she can breathe.
So, Diane presses Traci about Martin Laurent (Christopher Cousins), who of course is Tracy’s sociopathic ex. Diane thinks Martin may have a clue how to find Markham, who had tons of Alan Laurent (also Christopher Cousins) books on his shelves. But Traci tells Diane that Martin will never talk to her. But Traci admits that Martin would talk to her. And of course, Traci never wanted to lay eyes on that creep again, but she is willing to do it for Diane. So, we’ll have scenes of Christopher Cousins as Martin talking with Traci soon.
Then on Wednesday, July 22nd, Victor promises Nikki something as she is up at the doctor’s office. Victor’s there with her. The doctor takes off Nikki’s bandages and then Victor holds her hand and the doctor says to Nikki, “It’s time to open your eyes.” I would be shocked if she can see. There should be more to this story. Phyllis is watching Matt like a hawk. Phyllis does not want Matt to leave Genoa City, and she may tempt him to stay by seducing him on Young and the Restless.
Because this week, Phyllis has Matt in her room at the GCAC. She’s in sexy blue satin pajamas that are practically falling off of her as she flirts. And we know that Nick is going to catch Matt and Phyllis in a compromising position soon. And that could be what sends him spiraling back to drugs. Also, it’s just gross to see a woman seducing a man who assaulted her friend. I’m sorry. It’s awful. Josh Griffith needs therapy.

Thursday, July 23rd, Nick makes a confession to Sharon, and I wonder if it’s Nick saying out loud, actually confirming that he wants Matt dead. Then again, Nick may tell Sharon that he popped a pill and needs a meeting. Sally and Audra consider their options. I’m sure Sally’s going to run to Audra and tell her about Adam’s offer. They may feel like they have no choice but to accept.
Chelsea and Adam try to impress Victor with a power move they are planning. I expect Adam and Chelsea to lie and to tell Victor that he’s right. They need to get back Newman Media, but they’re going to take care of it. They’re going to snatch it from Sally. They’re going to be ruthless. I am guessing that Victor will be skeptical about their reversal of attitude.
Then on Friday, July 24th, Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) and Sally find out Jill’s keeping a secret from them. Could be about business with Victor. Maybe she’s investing in Chancellor to help Cane or it could be something about her heart condition and Billy finds out his mom is dying.
And if Cane finds out first, Billy will have a meltdown. We also have Cane driving a hard bargain with somebody on Friday. Could be about Billy and the whole deal for him to work at Chancellor or it could be something fun and flirty with Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) because they are sparking every time they’re together these days.
Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) and Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) find common ground. I’m sure that’s about Abigail and Dominic. And I wonder if Devon will open up to Ashley about his anger issues. Maybe he’ll get some good advice from his mother-in-law.
Then the week of July 27th through the 31st, we could see Nick popping some pills because he’s ramping up to deliver the fate that he and Victor agreed Matt should face. Nick seeing his ex-wife Phyllis in Matt’s arms might push him over the edge towards violence and possibly also drugs. We’ll find out more about Jill’s big secret and how it’s going to affect Billy and Cane and many others. Sally and Audra let Adam know what they decided about his sneaky scheme to trick Victor.
And Tracy’s probably going to have some PTSD after having to see her ex-fiancé Martin. And we’ll find out if he has any idea where to find Dr. Markham or if he knows that his dead brother Alan Laurent and Dr. Markham perhaps knew each other. I also expect Ashley to leave town again now that Jack is on the road to recovery. We’ll find out if Kyle cut a devil’s bargain with Patty that will make Victor face consequences at last. And we’ll get more on Nikki’s health struggle and find out the extent of what Victor did with Patty and whether Nikki can live with that or not.
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated

“Yesterday’s Enterprise” isn’t just a great episode of The Next Generation; it’s arguably in the running for the best Star Trek episode ever made. The story takes our characters to a much darker place than they have ever been before, all while emphasizing the need to fight for a better universe. As the cherry on top, the writers used the timey-wimey nature of this episode to bring back a beloved character who had died back in Season 1: Tasha Yar, who lost her life fighting an evil oil slick named Armus. In the altered reality of “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” that never happened, and Yar was very much alive.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last very long. The Tasha of this universe decides to travel back in time, leading the crew of the Enterprise-C on a suicide mission into the past. She succeeds in restoring reality, but this ultimately comes at the expense of her own life. At the time, it seemed shocking that Star Trek: The Next Generation had brought a popular character back just to kill her off again. Why did they do that? According to one of the show’s greatest writers, they wanted to give Tasha Yar a “heroic sacrifice” and make up for the crappy way she died in the first season.

The plot of “Yesterday’s Enterprise” is that when the Enterprise-C travels forward in time instead of getting destroyed, it alters history for the worse. The Federation is now losing a bitter war with the Klingons. Thanks to information from Guinan, Captain Picard authorizes a risky plan to send the Enterprise-C back in time, where it was destined to be destroyed while defending a Klingon outpost. He hopes that this will restore the timeline, saving countless lives from pointless slaughter. Ironically, this plan involves sacrificing someone who should already be dead: Tasha Yar, who leads the Enterprise-C back into the past after its captain is killed.
For audiences watching this Star Trek: The Next Generation episode at home, seeing Denise Crosby’s Tasha Yar on the screen again was a very pleasant surprise. This character had died in the Season 1 episode “Skin of Evil,” fighting a living oil slick named Armus. It was sudden and unexpected, and she died the same ignominious kind of death as the various redshirts of The Original Series. Her death added tension to the show, of course; if a main character could suddenly be killed off, then nobody was safe. Still, many thought it would have been better if Tasha Yar’s death had a bit more meaning to it.

Interestingly, this included the TNG writers who were hired after Season 1. Ronald D. Moore, the veteran Trek writer who went on to create the Battlestar Galactica reboot, described the writing staff’s motivation for bringing Yar back in “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” On the Season 4 DVD special features, he claimed, “We brought Denise back to kill off Tasha Yar a second time. It was a great opportunity to send the character off in a big heroic sacrifice because nobody was really happy with the way she left the series in the first season.” Continuing, he said, “Nobody on the show really liked it, the fans didn’t like it, I’m not sure even she really liked it. So ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’ was a chance to kill her right.”
Fortunately, Moore and the other writers succeeded in this task. Tasha Yar died to save billions of lives throughout the galaxy by restoring reality and ending a pointless war. “Yesterday’s Enterprise” implied that the Enterprise-C would be destroyed as soon as it returned to the past, killing everyone on board. Later, the two-part episode “Redemption” clarified that the attacking Romulans took a handful of prisoners, including Tasha Yar. Later, she was betrayed by her own half-Romulan child and killed. That child was Sela, who grew up to be one of the scariest threats Picard and the Enterprise-D crew would ever face.

Arguably, “Redemption” ruined Tasha Yar’s act of self-sacrifice. Sure, she still saved an entire reality, but instead of dying in battle, she died at the hands of the evil aliens who captured and violated her. However, one person who had no problem with this retcon was Denise Crosby, who now had another reason to return to the show that she had left back in Season 1. Of course, it’s fair to say her character was having more fun in that first season. Instead of saving the galaxy or forcibly bearing Romulan kids, she was cozying up to a drunken android and performing a job much more rewarding than security chief: Data entry.
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Sure, jeans pair well with basic tops, but on days when you’re looking for something a bit more elevated, Reese Witherspoon‘s outfit is the perfect source of inspiration. Her classy blouse style begs to be worn with denim, and we found a near-identical, expensive-looking design on Amazon, on sale for only $13!
Witherspoon recently took to Instagram to share a photo of herself in front of a large American flag. Her look was classic, featuring a white flutter-sleeve blouse, a straw hat and rich mom sunglasses. While we couldn’t see the star’s pants, we really didn’t need to. Her white top stole the show, and since the photo was posted for Independence Day, we could easily envision it styled with jeans or cutoffs.
Get the Astylish Ruffle-Sleeve Blouse for $13 (was $15) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
This Astylish Ruffle-Sleeve Blouse has the same fluttery cap sleeves that flatter the arms, plus a loose, breezy fit that skims rather than hugs. The budget pick even has ruffles framing your neckline, ensuring it’s crisp, romantic and feels straight out of a Nashville boutique.
It’s easy to picture this top styled a number of ways, whether you’re letting it hang loose with your favorite jeans and adding gold hoops or keeping it breezy by tucking it into wide-leg linen trousers. Even if you knot it over a slip skirt, you’ll find yourself reaching for this elevated basic over and over, rocking it for brunches, book club meetings and dinners with your boo, then shrugging it on for errands the next day.
One five-star fan wrote, “The material is very lightweight, cool and really comfortable. It looks good with jeans and shorts and also looks good with a skirt.”
Better yet, shoppers swear the piece is extremely flattering. “Makes me look 10 pounds slimmer, and the material is thin for the summer,” one happy customer wrote.
If you’re searching for a box-checking, celebrity-approved blouse style that makes you look and feel your best, this sleeveless top is it. It’s ideal for pairing with jeans, but honestly, just like Witherspoon showed Us, it won’t even matter what you wear on the bottom!
Get the Astylish Ruffle-Sleeve Blouse for $13 (was $15) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more summer blouses and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
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After competing on Big Brother and The Amazing Race, Rachel Reilly now has her eyes set on another CBS reality show.
“Yes, I would love to do Survivor,” Rachel, 41, exclusively shared with Us. “That’s, like, oh my gosh, my dream. I talk about it all the time with my husband Brendon [Villegas].”
Both Rachel and Brendon, 46, competed on season 12 of Big Brother in 2010. Although they came into the game as complete strangers, they fell in love while filming and are now married with two kids.
“Brendon is in the process of teaching me how to get a really good fire going,” Rachel shared with Us. “What else did you say you’re going to work on with me?”
Brendon replied, “Eating one handful of rice a day. Building a shelter.”
Although Rachel is confident that she knows “how to do that,” her husband of more than 10 years remains doubtful.
“OK, let’s see,” he said with a laugh. “Hey, we’re in Alabama. We got plenty of stuff to practice with out here. Surviving mosquitoes for 10 minutes.”
During the season 28 premiere of Big Brother, host Julie Chen Moonves revealed Survivor alums Dee Valladares and Rick Devens would be competing this summer.

While Rachel made a surprise appearance on the July 9 episode, her visit was cut short when she was pushed by a velociraptor into a volcano and, ultimately, her fiery death.
Back home in Alabama, Rachel and her husband make quite the team as they raise their two kids. While Brendon may be considered the “fun” parent, Rachel said she is likely the “strict” and “mean” one.
“Brendon’s a really good dad,” she told Us. “I’m so lucky. I love watching him with the kids.”
Brendon added, “It’s really fun. We love being parents. It’s really cool because you get to relive all of your favorite things that you got to do growing up and do it with the kids.”
When asked about a return to reality TV, Brendon said he has his hands full working full-time as a medical physicist. If his wife got the call to compete in a show, however, he’d make it work.
“She’s made me be a soccer coach. She was signed up to be a soccer coach, and then she went on Traitors and was like, ‘Oh yeah, hey, can you take over the soccer?’” Brendon recalled. “I was like, ‘You went to one game, and you’re making me coach the entire season.’”
Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
George R.R. Martin‘s world of Westeros has had its fair share of busy eras. From the Doom of Valyria to Aegon Targaryen’s Conquest of Westeros, backed by his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, to The Dance of the Dragons, the Blackfyre Rebellion, and eventually, Robert Baratheon’s rebellion, which would ultimately cripple the House from Dragonstone. Outside the world of fantasy, Westeros has become exceedingly busy well beyond the bounds of the original Game of Thrones series. HBO and Warner Bros. have embarked upon an effort to expand the franchise beyond its previous limits of novels and television.
A franchise expansion that now includes film and gaming comes on the back of House of the Dragon Season 3, currently delivering the next devastating chapter of the civil war that effectively began the decline of Westeros’ most powerful House. With a lesser emphasis on war, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is preparing to adapt more of Martin’s beloved Dunk and Egg novellas as we get to enjoy Westeros from the countryside and not the confines of castles and great halls. In film, it has been officially announced by Warner Bros. that an Aegon’s Conquest feature film exploring the Targaryen invasion of Westeros is on the way — and we can’t wait to see Balerion the Black Dread onscreen.
However, beyond television and film, the franchise has expanded its influence into gaming. Video games like Game of Thrones: Dragonfire, which allows fans the opportunity to be dragon riders, and the strategy game, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, which gives fans the chance to fix Game of Thrones‘ controversial ending, show a growing portfolio in gaming. Sadly, War for Westeros, which represents Jon Snow’s return to the franchise, which was originally scheduled to release later this year, has since been delayed. However, the franchise’s gaming collection continues to grow even further, as a brand-new release coming out on July 22 called The North Bannerman Duel Festival is set to enthrall hardcore fans (via Netmarble). At the moment, gamers can explore the Westerosi universe through two notable titles: the aforementioned Dragonfire and the free-to-play RPG Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, which has just begun its first season, Frost and Steel, which includes the newly announced Duel Festival event. However, it is important to note that the event is currently limited to APAC regions, with no confirmation of a global release.
It is amazing just how detailed Martin’s fantasy world is, and as such, it presents an incredible amount of opportunity to explore even more stories. An Arya Stark-led show bringing back Maisie Williams to the iconic role was confirmed earlier this year, and that in itself is great news. But the level of attention, intrigue, and detail woven into crafting Westeros’ history and its many houses, both major and minor, offers ample opportunity for those clever enough to craft a new story. A series on the Blackfyre Rebellion, showcasing Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), the firstborn son and heir of King Daeron II Targaryen, in the prime of youth, might be interesting. So would other spin-off options, like Nymeria and the 10,000 Ships and The Sea Snake, focused on Corlys Velaryon. There might still be some hope for a Jon Snow spin-off, with Kit Harington admitting recently that “there was something left to say” regarding Jon Snow.
Check out new episodes of House of the Dragon every Sunday night on HBO Max and stay tuned to Collider for more Game of Thrones updates and coverage.
For every television revival that finds a second life, there are plenty more that mistake nostalgia for a creative direction. Too often, reboots either recreate familiar stories beat for beat or lean so heavily on legacy characters that the new cast never gets a chance to stand on its own. Netflix’s upcoming A Different World sequel doesn’t appear to be falling into either trap.
Instead, it’s making a series of smart decisions before the first episode even premieres. Rather than rebooting one of television’s most influential sitcoms from scratch, it’s telling the next chapter. It’s keeping Hillman College at the center of the story, surrounding the new generation with the people who shaped the original, and handing the keys to a showrunner who’s already shown she understands how to update beloved television without losing its identity. If those choices are any indication, Netflix already understands what made A Different World special in the first place.
The biggest reason to feel optimistic about the new series is that it isn’t pretending the original never happened. Instead of introducing a brand-new group of students with only a passing reference to Hillman College, the sequel follows Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), as she begins her freshman year at her parents’ alma mater — a far more compelling starting point than another modern retelling because it immediately creates stakes that only this series can have.
Deborah is entering a campus where her parents are legends, meaning she’ll spend her first semester trying to build an identity that isn’t defined by one of television’s most beloved sitcom couples. Just as importantly, the decision allows the original series to remain intact. Nothing is being overwritten or reimagined.
The history of Hillman matters because the characters still remember it. New viewers can jump in through Deborah’s perspective, while longtime fans get the satisfaction of seeing what became of the people they spent six seasons with instead of watching younger actors recreate familiar moments, which is a much harder creative path than simply remaking the original, but is also the one that respects it most.
Of course, continuing the narrative remains possible only if those engaged in this production have a clear understanding of why audiences may have related to Hillman. Debbie Allen is amongst the few people who meet the required qualifications. Although A Different World started off as a spin-off sitcom from The Cosby Show that introduced us to Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), it came into its own only when Allen took over after the first season. Drawing on her college experience at Howard University, Allen elevated the sitcom, making it more than an ordinary sitcom by addressing college-related themes. Thanks to her endeavors, Hillman has become a place where characters can discuss not only love and friendship but also important issues related to race, class, sexual harassment, HIV/AIDS, and identity, and it seems this creativity is being carried over to Netflix’s sequel.
Allen returns as an executive producer and will direct the premiere, while original stars Guy, Hardison, Cree Summer, Darryl M. Bell, Dawnn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Charnele Brown, and several other familiar faces are reprising their roles. Original writers Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood are back as executive producers as well, giving the sequel something many revivals never manage: genuine continuity behind the camera, not just in front of it.
Just as significant is the decision to keep Hillman itself as the setting. The fictional HBCU has always been more than a backdrop because, for many viewers, Hillman represented possibility. The original series inspired countless students to consider historically Black colleges and universities, turning a fictional campus into one of television’s most meaningful institutions. Returning there feels like the only place this story could happen.
Legacy television is difficult to modernize because audiences usually want two contradictory things at once. They want something that feels familiar, but they also don’t want to watch the same show again, and that’s where Felicia Pride’s hiring stands out. Her work on Bel-Air demonstrated that she understands how to revisit recognizable material without becoming trapped by nostalgia. That series didn’t copy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air scene-for-scene. Instead, it used the original as a foundation for telling stories that reflected a different era and different conversations.
A Different World requires a similar balancing act, as the original series became groundbreaking because it constantly evolved. After a shaky first season, it grew into one of television’s smartest ensemble comedies precisely because it refused to stay frozen in time. It reflected what college students were actually experiencing instead of presenting an idealized version of campus life.
If the sequel hopes to honor that legacy, it can’t simply recreate late-’80s and early-’90s television with updated wardrobes and smartphones. It has to ask what Hillman looks like for today’s students, what conversations belong on campus now, and what issues deserve the same honesty that defined the original. The new series introduces an entirely fresh student ensemble while surrounding them with characters who understand Hillman’s history. Deborah’s journey is rooted in legacy, but the future of the show clearly belongs to her generation. It’s a difficult balance to strike, yet it’s one the creative team appears to be embracing rather than avoiding.
No reboot succeeds on paper alone, and A Different World will ultimately have to prove itself once classes begin at Hillman again. The foundation is unusually strong, though. Netflix is treating the original series like a story worth continuing. After 39 years, that’s exactly the approach this sitcom deserved.
By Joshua Tyler
| Published
Below is what you think South America’s Aztec pyramids look like.

This is what they actually look like.

What the Aztecs actually built was so shoddy it dissolved in the rain after the Conquistadors showed up. The impressive, long-lasting structures you’ve been attributing to them weren’t built by the Aztecs or any other Native American culture. They predate them by thousands of years, and no one knows for sure who built them. The Aztecs found them in the jungle, moved in, and started using them to perform horrific human sacrifices.
You believe something different because of Hollywood’s persuasive ability. It’s a process that’s been happening since the dawn of film, and it began with the books of Zane Grey.

If you know Zane Grey at all, it’s as the author of cheap cowboy books your Dad used to read before bed. But his work wasn’t always viewed that way. In the early 1900s, he was one of the pet authors of America’s elites, who had recently become enamored with a trendy ideology suggesting we had the American Indians wrong.
These ideas had been around since the mid-1800s, but never gained any traction. The elites continued circulating them, though, lapping up books which supported their unpopular view of American Indians as victims.
So Zane Grey wrote a book called The Vanishing American, in which he reframed American Indians as morally superior and European descendants as inferior murderers. The elites loved it. However, no one else did. The average American of the time, perhaps with the recently heard horror stories of their grandparents’ real experiences fighting them in their heads, still thought of Natives as brutal savages who had it coming.
Around that same time, movies were just starting to become a thing. But the movie industry was viewed as low-class, and it was sneered at by those same Zane Grey fanboy elites.

So, in what would become a pattern for the film industry, in 1923 Hollywood cynically adapted Zane Grey’s The Vanishing American into a movie, specifically to access the investment capital of the American upper class. This strategy worked and was one of the first steps toward legitimizing the film industry.
Despite being turned into a movie back in the days when there weren’t many movies, The Vanishing American didn’t change the minds of anyone outside that upper crust. While Hollywood had made the movie, it hadn’t made them true believers in its ideology.

Hollywood spent World War II cranking out government-mandated content showcasing Germans as crazed demon worshippers and the Japanese as evil caricatures. When the war was over, the head honchos in Hollywood, who were by then on their way to becoming the new elites, had begun to adopt those early-1900s elitist views.
Yet the war hadn’t changed the minds of average Americans, who returned from fighting Nazis with their belief in the superiority of their own culture not only intact, but fortified by their experience battling repugnant Nazi culture. So in 1950, Hollywood set out to change those average American minds, starting with their favorite and long-time cultural villain: the American Indian.
20th Century Fox hired director Delmer Daves to adapt a book by Elliot Arnold called Broken Arrow, a book that fictionalized the signing of a peace deal between the Apache Chief Cochise and the American government. Daves’s explicitly stated purpose in making the film was to make it Pro-Indian, something which was at the time basically unheard of.

To play Broken Arrow’s native loving crusader, he hired the most sympathetic actor who has ever lived: Jimmy Stuart. To play the chief Cochise, Daves hired a white man. In fact, all the Indian speaking roles are played by white actors in brownface, actors who talk in plain English rather than attempting some semblance of an accent.
That was Broken Arrow’s chief trick. Daves wanted his caucasian audience to think of Native Americans as being no different from them. This isn’t a guess; the movie explicitly states that as its primary goal. So Broken Arrow painted some Californians brown and called them Indians, while doing little to make them seem like Native Americans.
This is Familiarity Laundering.
Familiarity Laundering is the process of making a person, group, idea, or culture seem safer and more acceptable by stripping away the traits that make it feel foreign, difficult, alien, or threatening. It’s like changing the cover of a book and pretending that has somehow also changed its contents.

The native characters’ costuming is minimal. Feathers are nowhere to be seen, and most of the natives Jimmy Stuart encounters look more like day laborers hanging out in a Home Depot parking lot than they do fierce Apache warriors.
Of course, the real Apaches didn’t speak English and didn’t act like Europeans at all, but in this movie they do, and Broken Arrow papers over that factual inaccuracy at the outset with an announcement claiming everything you’re about to watch is totally factual and truly how it happened.
It’s a clumsy and obvious attempt at audience manipulation, but it worked. After decades of trying, public opinion started to shift. The myth of the noble savage began to grow among the media class.

Average Americans continued to resist. Schools still taught the Plains Indians as savages and their Mesoamerican counterparts as doubly so, while the Conquistadors were still taught as heroes.
So the now fully convinced media doubled down on the noble savage myth, with crying Indians and rock songs about how cool they were. They had limited success, but it wasn’t until 1990 that it finally, fully took hold and became the common view. It was Kevin Costner who made it happen.
1990 was the year Dances With Wolves arrived in theaters, made half a billion dollars at the box office, and cleaned up at the Oscars. In it, Costner plays Union soldier John Dunbar. He becomes a war hero by accident and uses his reward to escape to a remote frontier post.
He finds his post abandoned, but stays anyway. Alone with his horse and a curious wolf, Dunbar slowly comes into contact with a nearby Lakota Sioux tribe.

What begins as fear turns into trust, helped by Stands With A Fist, a white woman raised by the tribe. Her entire family was slaughtered by the Lakotas she lives with, but the film glosses over that by only showing it in a flashback with slow motion and careful cutaways, so the audience never sees any of the true brutality.
Stands With A Fist is played by Battlestar Galactica’s Mary McDonnell, and she’s a key component. Until this movie, most people believed women taken by natives were kept as slaves or worse. But Dances With Wolves uses her to “prove” the Lakota are kind and caring. She loves her life there; is treated like an equal, and doesn’t want to leave.
Costner’s Dunbar learns their language, joins their hunts, fights beside them, and begins to understand that the “savages” he was taught to fear are not the threat. The audience is made to believe that real danger on the frontier isn’t the natives; it’s the army coming west behind Dunbar.
This is an Identification Reversal
Identification Reversals are something we’ve talked about a lot on Screenwashed. If you want to see how it’s used in other movies, check the link! It’s a psychological technique in which an audience is initially encouraged to identify with one character, viewpoint, or emotional response, only for that identification to gradually shift to an opposing or contrasting figure as the story progresses.

Soon Dunbar, as the audience representative, turns traitor and joins the Lakota in fighting his own people. The film justifies this by portraying American civilization as collapsing and corrupt. Every part of it Dunbar encounters is a mess.
American medicine is quackery; American forms of government are frauds; American frontier living is so terrible that people are literally committing suicide to escape it. It’s so cartoonish and ridiculous that your brain never questions it. You accept it as, ok, this is what history must have really been, because obviously no one would invent something this silly.

This is an Absurdity Bypass.
An Absurdity Bypass is a persuasion trick where an idea is made so extreme, exaggerated, or openly ridiculous that the audience stops applying ordinary skepticism and accepts it as part of the premise.

It’s an intellectual clown show, but Dances with Wolves looks and feels beautiful. It was all anyone could talk about that year. The world fell in love, and whatever remaining anti-Indian sentiment was left after decades of screenwashing totally evaporated.
Now Americans were clearly the evil ones, and Native Americans were a great and proud civilization which had somehow been conquered by a totally inferior one. None of that makes any sense, but that’s how it felt to audiences walking out of Dances With Wolves. That feeling has only intensified, pushed by further and continuous screenwashing being used on the public ever since.

Dances With Wolves finished the job Broken Arrow started, by fully flipping popular sympathy toward Native Americans and transferring the stereotype of violent savage Indians over to the soldiers who’d previously been portrayed as defenders of civilization.
That stereotype reversal was then transferred to all native cultures. Suddenly Aboriginal bushmen became noble, and the Aztecs invented an advanced civilization with a polite and peaceful culture that definitely didn’t ritually murder millions of children. Even those cannibalistic tribesmen in Papua New Guinea probably weren’t actually so bad. Sure, they may have eaten Michael Rockefeller back in 61, but have you seen a picture of him? That guy looked delicious.
For you see, my fellow Americans, you were the bad guy all along. Enjoy your fake Aztec pyramids, everyone; you’ve been screenwashed.
Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello has been suspended by the WNBA for one game after making an “inappropriate comment” about Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese.
Brondello, 57, was overheard calling Reese, 24, a “protected species” during the Tempo’s game against the Dream on Friday, July 17.
While issuing an apology on Sunday, July 19, Brondello, who is Australian, attempted to explain that the phrase is frequently used in Australian sports circles and she did not intend to be racist.
“Have a ton of respect for her, but I wanted to make sure that [she knows] it was an emotional statement,” Brondello told reporters. “It’s a statement that’s very common in Australia, it wasn’t directed at Angel. I’d never do that to any kind of player. That’s not the kind of coach I am or player back in my day. It was just unfortunate. I was pretty emotional with [Tempo player] Nyara [Sybally], her being injured again. I made a comment that, Australians, we say all the time.”
She continued, “Unfortunately, I should have took a breath and realized where I am in America because I know racism is such a big issue here. I’ve been in this league for 27 years and, obviously, I never had any issues like this because these are all my teammates and I’ve learnt so much from the Black players that I’ve coached and that I’ve had on staff.”
Brondello will serve her suspension on Monday, July 20, when the Tempo host the Las Vegas Aces.
“I know I’m not racist, so it’s a really unfortunate situation,” Brondello insisted. “So, I wanted to apologize whenever Angel is ready. I have reached out to their organization. Very sincere because I never want that to happen to anyone. It’s so much in this WNBA and I felt mad at myself because I’m a part of the solution, not the problem.”

Sandy Brondello and Angel Reese Getty Images (2)
She added, “Hopefully I can have that chat and she gets to know me and my heart. I think everyone else that I’ve coached in this league, they know that and what I’m about. I’ll try to be better as I move forward. I did make a mistake and I’ll try and keep my Australianisms, I suppose, out. But it was never meant to be personal. So, I am truly sorry and, you know, hopefully she’s doing OK.”
Reese addressed the situation before the Dream’s victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday.
“First, I appreciate Sandy’s apology, but I also appreciate the love and support that I’ve had for the last 48 hours,” Reese said. “It has been very overwhelming with a lot of love and also other things. But I am grateful that the league did take action.”
She continued, “There is no place for discrimination or hate in this league from anyone — from fans to coaches to players. And I’m just grateful that we are able to move on from the situation and just play winning basketball. The WNBA is supposed to be positive and we are going in a great light right now, so I just want to continue that and move forward.”
Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, Disney’s latest live-action remake, Moana, and Minions & Monsters might’ve all struggled at the box office in recent weeks, perhaps released too close to the dominant Toy Story 5. But this past weekend’s biggest arrival certainly hasn’t struggled. Christopher Nolan‘s latest epic, The Odyssey, hopes to follow in the footsteps of his 2023 biographical thriller Oppenheimer, which exceeded expectations at the box office by grossing nearly $1 billion worldwide. With an impressive start to theatrical life, there’s nothing to suggest The Odyssey can’t hit those impressive heights. With many having now watched the historical epic, what should they be watching now? Here’s a list of three movies you should stream on Netflix this week.
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix.
Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.
The freshest movie on Netflix is also one of the most poignant, as its acclaimed teen series comes to an end in feature form. Alice Oseman‘s young-adult series Heartstopper has been unstoppable during its run on the streamer, breaking boundaries and melting hearts in the process.
Late last week, Heartstopper Forever delivered a two-hour final installment in the young love story between Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), with the former on the cusp of university and the reality of adult life beginning to dawn. Other fan-favorite faces, including William Gao, Yasmin Finney, Corinna Brown, and more, also feature in this heartwarming, joyous option for your week.
The remarkable Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos have paired up on several acclaimed projects, and in 2025, they made their most accessible yet. A remake of Jang Joon-hwan‘s 2003 South Korean comedy Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia follows Stone’s high-powered CEO Michelle, whose life is changed after being kidnapped by Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis), who suspect her of being from another planet.
A fascinating, thought-provoking tale that is as absurd as it is grounded, Bugonia is one of the most underrated movies of the past year. Each of Stone, Plemons, and Delbis is electric throughout, with Stone earning yet another Academy Award nomination in the process. From its pulse-racing opening to a mind-blowing finale, Bugonia will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Just four years before George Lucas changed sci-fi forever with the first of the Star Wars franchise, he nailed the coming-of-age genre with one of its finest earlier examples. American Graffiti, set against the gorgeous backdrop of California’s central valley in the ’60s, follows a group of teenagers on the edge of adulthood as they spend one final chaotic night together.
The cast for American Graffiti is stacked, including the likes of Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Harrison Ford, and more. Add to this a brilliant screenplay, some gorgeous cinematography, and the inclusion of Francis Ford Coppola as executive producer, and a recipe for genius is born. This is a movie everyone should watch once.
August 1, 1973
110minutes
George Lucas
George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
A new video of Chrisean Rock and Blueface is making its rounds online. It shows Blue seemingly firing off flirty comments at his ex-girlfriend while she confronts him over publicly disowning her son, Chrisean Jesus. Now, social media users are split as they debate Rock and Blue’s comments and body language in the viral video.
Streaming has been at an all-time high, especially with Kai Cenat’s exclusive Streamer University underway. That said, over the weekend, Chrisean Rock and Blueface appeared in a stream together. They appeared to be on a yacht.
In one video, Chrisean speaks directly to her ex, asking, “What’s all that, that’s not your baby?” He shoots back, “What’s all that G-A-Y?” Rather than answer his question, Rock doubled down. She asked, “What all that, that’s not your son? Oh, aight. Yeah, kill it. You know what you be doing.” After slightly turning away, Blue attempted to change the topic, saying, “You look good, though. I like your lil’ outfit.” After she seemingly brushed off his comment, he then pointed out her “lil’ Blueface tattoo,” calling it popping. After saying that tatt isn’t on her face, Rock told Blueface, “Why you clip-farming?” But he doubled down on his compliments. “You look good, I said you look good. Little ponytail and sh*t,” Blueface said. He later attempted to get her to do a 360-turn for him, which she refused.
Chrisean went to CONFRONT Blueface about not claiming their child, but FOLDED once he started FLIRTING with her 💀
“You look good”
“Lemme get a 360” pic.twitter.com/6uVtbvpJuM
— ClipCloud (@clipcloud) July 20, 2026
In another clip posted by LiveBitez, Chrisean Rock said her beef with Blueface isn’t over until he starts claiming his son and until they spar and she “whoops” him. “All that stuff he be doing, we could pray a million times, with no action…,” Chrisean said.
Another circulating video shows Rock popping off on Blue after he asks her to make him a plate of food. She again accuses him of “clip-farming” her. “Why you say make a plate, like I’m one of these 304s bro…that’s all you deal with.” Later, she again brought up them catching a fade.
Things got HEATED between Chrisean Rock and Blueface after he tried to be manipulative and make her run an ERRAND during their reunion. 😳
“Make you a plate? Why are you trolling? Like I’m one of your 304s, ‘cause that’s all you deal with.” pic.twitter.com/PdPQkT9qxE
— Tante 🎬 (@tantehenia) July 20, 2026
On X, formerly Twitter, the stream clips of Chrisean Rock and Blueface are taking over the timeline. Nearly 3,000 posts involving the ex-couple have been made on the platform in 14 hours. Over on Instagram, the comment sections are also popping off!
However, for those not keeping up with the Chrisean Rock-Blueface story, here’s the context. In March, Blueface hopped online, denied he’s the father of Chrisean Jesus and suggested the child’s dad is her late ex-boyfriend Ronny Doe. She later called him out for the denial, adding that Blueface was trying to provoke her amid her falling back from being around him. As for Blue’s “G-A-Y” reference in the yacht stream, it appears to stem from a 2023 rant from Chrisean in which she reportedly accused him of being bisexual.
While Chrisean Rock is asking Blueface to stop disowning Chrisean Jesus, he’s openly embracing another child. He’s expecting his first child with his on-and-off-again boo, Nevaeh Akira. They’re expecting a son they’ve already named Solar Porter. Over the weekend, fans got a glimpse of the couple’s maternity shoot. Blueface was seen cheesing as he, Nevaeh and her young son posed in cowboy attire near a horse. In some photos, he’s cradling her baby bump.
Meanwhile, Jaidyn, the mother of Blueface’s eldest children, seems to have moved on from him as she recently hard-launched a new bae.
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