By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 25 seconds ago

There’s a war brewing on the internet, and chances are, you’re unaware of it, but fan fiction authors are readying for battle. The latest generation wants to monetize their fan fiction, encouraged by the success of E.L. James with 50 Shades of Grey (originally Twilight fan fiction), Anna Todd’s After series (originally Harry Styles fan fiction), Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones (originally Harry Potter fan fiction), and Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One (not fan fiction, but able to reference every fan property under the Sun).

The older generation of fan fiction writers is trying to warn them that this is a bad idea, and the best example they can cite is Anne Rice’s legal crusade that nearly ended fan fiction, a period so fraught that it changed how fan fiction was written forever. Now the kids are stepping onto legal landmines despite the clear red flags on every fan fiction website. 

Anne Rice’s War On Fan Fiction

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire kicked off a frenzy among fan fiction writers of the 90s following the success of the Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt film, with her brilliant characterizations of Louis and Lestat, who, of course, were often paired up in fan fiction stories. The standard disclaimer before any fan fiction story, that it’s a “non-profit, amateur effort not intended for sale,” wasn’t enough to stave off Anne’s lawyers, who fiercely defended her intellectual property. Webmasters would warn users not to write anything based on Anne Rice’s characters, or the fan fiction author could, and likely would, get sued. What makes it worse for fan fiction authors is that Rice had every right to defend her work this way. 

Copyright law can be incredibly tricky and requires copyright holders to actively defend against every infringement, or the courts will treat it as abandoned. Anne Rice took it a little further due to her attachment to her own characters, as she couldn’t imagine anyone else ever writing about Louis, Lestat, Armand, Akasha, etc., and took it personally when fans developed their own stories. The other problem is that if she ended up writing a story that matched a fan fiction, she could be sued for plagiarizing her own characters. 

Fan Fiction Exists In A Grey Area

Fan fiction has always existed in a grey area, legally speaking, ever since the Romans filed the names off the Greek pantheon. Dante’s Inferno, the only part of the Divine Comedy that anyone ever reads, is now considered one of the earliest self-insert fan fictions of what else, the Bible. That explains the entire chapter about his local Italian politicians being burned in caskets for all eternity. The biggest defense fan fiction authors have had is that they aren’t profiting off the creations of others. Even fan fiction authors whose works have been widely published and adapted into Hollywood hits have done enough work to turn the fan fiction into a wholly original piece of fiction. 

Anne Rice mellowed as she got older and stopped defending her work so vigorously, but other authors, including George R.R. Martin and J.K. Rowling, have occasionally had to sue fan fiction creators. What’s happened now is that 20 years after Rice’s crusade started to fade, new fan fiction authors have begun a push to allow monetization of their works on popular fan fiction platforms, including AO3 (Archive Of Our Own), one of the largest and oldest fan fiction communities. The argument is that they’re telling their own story, so what if the parts are borrowed from someone else? It’s largely their creative work. That argument terrifies the older, more experienced authors, who know that if one person starts monetizing, the entire fan fiction community could come crashing down overnight. 

The Push For Monetization

Around the time of the Covid lockdowns fan fiction authors started printing their works and creating physical, bound collections of their stories that some ended up trying to sell. Those quickly resulted in lawsuits for every single cent of profit and penalties for copyright violations, and if an author who sold a collection wasn’t sued, they got lucky and kept quiet. 

The current controversy in the fan fiction community will eventually settle down, and hopefully, everyone will realize why the “no monetization” rule is in place before someone has to be made an example of. Fan fiction is a major part of what keeps fandoms alive during lulls and can bring in new fans of the original work. When left on their own, fan fiction authors are among the largest fans of an author and will happily act as guides and cheerleaders for newbies to a fandom. They’ve fought the battles, they’ve been in the trenches, they’ve seen con artists and hacks enter their communities, and they don’t like it. If the new generation doesn’t change course quickly, we may never get another masterpiece like 50 Shades of Grey, and copyright attorneys will be able to start looking at blueprints for their new vacation home. 

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 39 seconds ago

The only thing stranger than science fiction is science fact. Dark Matters: Twisted But True, a short-lived documentary series hosted by genre legend John Noble, took this to the extreme in 2011.

Every episode documented the real history behind strange scientific experiments and breakthroughs, from the origins of lobotomies to brain transplant experiments, and even how the origins of the rocket were tied to the Occult. After catching a few episodes, you’ll think that science fiction doesn’t go far enough. 

The Occult And Cheating Death Are Only Part Of The Series

Dark Matters: Twisted But True stuck to a formula, an introduction by Noble, historical images, and reenactments combined to tell a twisted story, and then the final wrap-up that was, typically, tragic or horrifying and often, both. The Season 3 finale tells the story of John Parsons and the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), which developed the first rocket engine. In an effort to boost his research, Parsons started taking the teachings of Aleister Crowley very seriously, converting to Thelema and using sex-magic rituals to empower his experiments. It worked until he pushed too far, losing his standing in the academic community, his marriage, and all of his money. 

The first episode included a segment on the Philadelphia Experiment, the alleged disappearance of the USS Eldridge, which has served as the basis for movies and even Stranger Things. It’s a tame story compared to another Season 2 episode focused on Dr. Robert Cornish, a researcher in the 1930’s convinced the dead could come back to life, though his human experiments never worked. The lengths men and women of science went to prove a theory or to push the boundaries of human knowledge sound ripped from the pages of a dime-store novel, but they’re true. 

John Noble’s gravitas adds to each segment of Dark Matters: Twisted But True; no matter how ridiculous the experiment is or how insane the researcher has become, his soothing yet oddly unsettling tones elevate each reenactment. Once you start watching, you’ll keep going through the entire series in one night. There’s something oddly hypnotizing about the dark science tales you don’t hear about in school. 

On The Verge Of Being Lost Forever

With the rise of true crime docuseries in the last decade, it’s clear that there’s a massive audience out there for real stories that aren’t afraid to show how bizarre early science could get. New standards and closely monitored research make it unlikely that there’s anyone out there experimenting with brain transplants or trying to bring back the dead, but for centuries, science was the wild west. There’s no telling how many bizarre stories are out there. 

Dark Matters: Twisted But True aired 19 episodes between 2011 and 2012, and currently, only Season 3 is available for digital purchase. It’s a shame that the series is close to becoming lost media, and more of a shame that there have been no new episodes in the last 14 years. Dark Matters: Extra Twisted, a series of remixed episodes with more scenes, more information, and “deeper insights,” was briefly aired on the Science Channel as well, but it has since vanished into the digital aether. If you can find it, the series is a fun binge despite the disturbing content. If nothing else, John Noble’s portrayal of Fringe’s mad scientist Walter Bishop makes a lot more sense when you realize the long, sordid history of insane researchers who’ve shaped our understanding of the universe.                      

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 39 seconds ago

As a franchise, Godzilla is in a weird place right now: films like Godzilla vs. Kong have breathed fiery life back into this killer kaiju, but those movies are part of an increasingly complex cinematic universe. Many fans wanted the franchise to get back to basics, and that’s exactly what happened with Godzilla Minus One, a film that combines earnest, emotional storytelling with spectacular visual effects. If you’re ready to check out arguably the best Godzilla film in decades, this Academy Award-winning masterpiece is now available for streaming on Netflix.

The premise of Godzilla Minus One is that a kamikaze pilot survives both World War II and an attack by Godzilla, subsequently eking out a living while managing his survivor’s guilt. However, Godzilla grows stronger and begins attacking Japanese forces, and the country’s military seems helpless to stop the creature’s wrath. The defense of the country and possibly even the world may ultimately come down to one pilot’s quick reflexes, but unless he can get over his death wish, everyone and everything may be completely doomed.

Giving The Fans What They Want

Godzilla Minus One was a refreshing return to formula for the franchise, and fans rewarded the film with plenty of Godzilla’s favorite color: green. Against a budget of $10-$15 million, it earned a kaiju-sized $116 million at the box office. After all this financial success and major awards (more on this soon), a sequel got the green light, and Godzilla Minus Zero should be stomping its way into theaters later this year.

When Godzilla Minus One came out, it made a kaiju-sized impact on film lovers around the world. It had a whopping 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising how the movie balances genuinely compelling scenes of human drama with bombastic scenes of monster-mashing action. This praise is well-deserved, and Godzilla Minus One is the rare action epic where you’ll care about the human characters just as much as you care about everyone’s favorite lethal lizard.

Special Effects That Won an Academy Award

On top of that high critical praise, Godzilla Minus One took home an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. This reward was very well-deserved, as this movie looks incredible: despite its low budget, the film has more breathtaking visuals and majestic imagery than your average Marvel film. To this day, the movie is held up as an example that big budgets are required to create amazing films as long as you have the right script and the right talent in the director’s chair.

When I first saw Godzilla Minus One, I knew the movie only by its kaiju-sized reputation. I have enjoyed various movies in this legendary lizard’s franchise, but deep down, part of me didn’t like that this character had become synonymous with camp. Personally, I regard the original Godzilla as one of the most effective horror movies ever made, one that was never afraid to treat its titular monster like a credible threat to all of humanity.

The Greatest Movie Monster In Hollywood History

To my surprise and great delight, Godzilla Minus One carries on in this tradition, portraying Godzilla himself as more a force of nature than anything else. Much of the film’s story focuses on characters figuring out how to stop the creature, but it’s clear that they might as well be trying to stop a hurricane. The movie portrays Godzilla as an unstoppable force that people are lucky to ever survive, which helps inform the main character’s guilt over surviving an earlier kaiju encounter.

Speaking of him, I was quite impressed at how much I enjoyed our protagonist, who is in the midst of dealing with some serious emotional trauma when he is called to serve his country once more. In my experience, most Godzilla movies are like most Transformers movies: the human characters are just an annoying distraction while we wait for the titular behemoths to show up. But in Godzilla Minus One, I was fully invested in every inch of this very human drama, and I found the resolution to his story to be emotionally moving on a very deep level.

A Monster Movie With Real Human Drama

Godzilla Minus One is, ultimately, a film that simultaneously appeals to both hardcore fans and more casual audiences: longtime lovers of the franchise are sure to enjoy its return to form with a movie that (unlike films such as Godzilla vs. Kong) is grounded in the horrific realism of the first film. Meanwhile, casual audiences can sit back and enjoy this self-contained adventure, one you can appreciate even if you haven’t seen another film in the franchise. Even if you’re a casual moviegoer who doesn’t like creature features, trust me when I tell you the sheer human drama of Godzilla Minus One will move you to tears.

Will you agree that Godzilla Minus One is the ultimate monster mash, or would you rather drop this movie in the midst of an atomic bomb testing site? The only way to find out is to stream it in all its killer kaiju glory for yourself. Afterward, you can join the rest of us in waiting with bated, bluefire breath for the upcoming sequel.

Just because there’s a three-day holiday weekend because of President’s Day doesn’t mean we’ll be short on new streaming content this week.

In fact, the second week of February brings with it some fantastic new shows and movies hitting platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video.

This week features a fantastic lineup of streaming debuts like 56 Days and Eternity and returning shows like The Night Agent.

Read on for Watch With Us’ full weekly streaming guide.

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‘The Night Agent’ Season 3 — Netflix

The first season of The Night Agent hooked audiences from the get-go, and we couldn’t be more excited for what’s in store in season 3. Season 1 followed FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) as he was thrown into a wide-reaching conspiracy involving a mole embedded within the highest levels of the United States government. To save the country, Peter embarked on a mission to smoke out the mole, while at the same time protecting tech entrepreneur Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), who sought Peter’s aid after the murder of her aunt and uncle — both of whom were agents.

Season 2 saw Peter, now a highly trained Night Agent, taking on a mission in Thailand involving a deadly conspiracy, and according to Netflix, season 3 will follow him as he tracks a rogue treasury agent in Istanbul. If you still aren’t on The Night Agent train, there’s no better time than the present. The espionage thriller is kinetic, stylish and excitingly written; the page-turner version of a television show.

Stream The Night Agent season 3 on Netflix February 19.

‘Urchin’ (2025) — Hulu

Harris Dickinson‘s feature directorial debut stars British actor Frank Dillane as Mike, a young homeless man in London struggling with substance abuse. While a smart and savvy person, Mike seems incapable of escaping his circumstances because of his sheer impulsivity. Trapped in what seems like a never-ending cycle of self-destruction, he manages to find opportunities for second chances, as well as run-ins with the law.

You may recognize Dickinson from such movies as Babygirl, The Iron Claw and Triangle of Sadness, but it looks like the British actor isn’t just your usual “actor looking to direct a film just to feed their ego.” Critics were extremely impressed with the confidence and style of Dickinson’s sensitive, gripping feature film, sporting the type of clear-eyed introspection one might observe from a seasoned professional. The unflinching performance from Dillane was also highly praised, and the collaboration signifies a perfect match-up between actor and artist.

Stream Urchin on Hulu February 17.

’56 Days’ Season 1 — Amazon Prime Video

This erotic thriller series stars Avan Jogia and Dove Cameron as Oliver Kennedy and Ciara Wyse, two young people who meet by chance at the supermarket and quickly enter into an intense relationship. However, when authorities discover a horrifically murdered, unidentifiable corpse 56 days later in Oliver’s apartment, the dark secrets from Oliver and Ciara’s turbulent romance are brought to light.

Based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Howard, this eight-episode series looks to be the perfect post-Valentine’s Day, anti-romance viewing, and also a gripping psychological thriller that can be binged instantly. Both Jogia and Cameron are recognizable from their roots as child actors on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, and it’s exciting to see them move into more adult fare. 56 Days was developed by creatives behind Prison Break and ER, and we love seeing veteran talent attached to new shows.

Stream 56 Days on Amazon Prime Video on February 18.

‘Eternity’ (2025) — Apple TV

In this unconventional A24 rom-com that takes place in the afterlife, a humorous love triangle emerges between three deceased spirits. After Larry Cutler (Miles Teller) succumbs to death by choking on a pretzel, he arrives in the afterlife as a young man, where his assigned “Afterlife Coordinator” Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) explains that he has to decide where he wants to spend eternity or be banished to the void. Larry decides to wait for his wife Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), who soon passes from terminal cancer, but she arrives as a young woman accompanied by Luke (Callum Turner) — her first husband. Joan finds herself in a strange situation: she must choose which man she wants to spend her death with.

With a clever, charming premise and some refreshing embrace of screwball humor, Eternity is a funny, touching exploration of typical themes of love, life, memory and mortality while giving a fresh spin on the romantic comedy genre. The movie is surprisingly philosophical and showcases some gorgeous production design and cinematography, plus standout performances from Randolph and John Early.

Stream Eternity now on Apple TV.

‘Being Gordon Ramsay’ (2026) — Netflix

Love him, hate him, or a little of both, you can’t deny Gordon Ramsay‘s impact on popular culture. The feared and revered chef from series like Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares offers a behind-the-scenes look at his personal and professional life, as he juggles his family, his impressive career and a launch unlike any other: the opening of five culinary experiences all inside one of London’s tallest buildings. Being Gordon Ramsay takes a look at the man behind the screams, behind the “idiot sandwich,” and reveals the only slightly less abrasive, real human being.

The compelling documentary allows Ramsay to look back on his career as a chef, his status as a media personality and his working-class upbringing, plus an intense period as an apprentice under chef Marco Pierre White. Of course, the documentary is filled with plenty of Ramsay’s trademark cursing and histrionics, but what would he be without them?

Stream Being Gordon Ramsay on Netflix February 18.

Former America’s Next Top Model judge Miss J Alexander revealed he still can’t walk after suffering a debilitating stroke that left him comatose.

In Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model docuseries, streaming now, Miss J, 67, discussed his time on the show with Tyra Banks, Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel. It wasn’t until the final minutes of the three-part special that Miss J opened up about a health scare he battled away from the public eye.

“Everything changed. On December 27th of 2022, I had a stroke,” he revealed. “I didn’t know where I was other than in the hospital. I spent five weeks in a coma and I couldn’t walk and I couldn’t talk. And I thought to myself, what was I going to do?”

Miss J’s personal footage from his hospital room revealed he lived there for at least “one year and five months” because he “couldn’t walk and couldn’t speak.”

“It was emotional. I cried. I am not ashamed to say that I cried. Then once I was in the hospital, Jay and Niguel came to visit,” he recalled. “I thought back to how we used to do shows together. I cry because I just miss them so much.”

America’s Next Top Model, a competition series where aspiring models competed for a chance to begin their career in the modeling industry, aired from 2003 to 2018 on several networks. Banks hosted the show, while Jay served as the creative director and Miss J and Nigel, both 53, served as judges.

The trio remained on good terms after they were fired, and according to Miss J properly reconnected amid his severe health scare.

“I don’t know whether he even wanted me to see him that way. I was going to go see him. That was just such a terrible shock and really upsetting and horrifying and scary,” Nigel said in the Netflix doc. “When he saw me, he was happy to see me and the two of us cried together and I held him.”

Jay, meanwhile, said Miss J initially struggled, adding, “I could feel how upset he was for sure. I can only imagine where he was in his mind.”

Miss J was asked whether Tyra, 52, visited him in the hospital after his stroke. (Tyra was interviewed for the docuseries but no footage of her discussing Miss J’s health issues was included in the final cut.)

“No, not yet. She just sent me a text that she wants to come and visit me,” Miss J replied. “But no … not yet.”

In the docuseries, Jay, Miss J and Nigel were seen spending time together between filming. Jay and Nigel comforted Miss J, who was still emotional about being in a wheelchair, which the viewers didn’t see until the end of Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.

“It has been a journey and you’re speaking so much better now,” Jay said, to which Nigel added, “You are batting through. When we first saw you in that hospital, you could hardly move, hardly talk. Now you’re sitting up doing an interview, chatting, talking, rolling your eyes and making us laugh.”

Nigel continued: “It is a long journey but you are going to get there. I know it has been really hard.”

In his own confessional, Miss J discussed his progress, saying, “I miss being the queen of the runway. I am the person who taught models how to walk and now I can’t walk. Not yet. I am determined to walk. I am sure you are going to see me again. It’s not over for me yet.”

Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is currently streaming on Netflix.

Former Bachelor Jake Pavelka is engaged!

The season 14 Bachelor, 48, is set to wed his girlfriend of two years, Aimee, he revealed to People in an interview published on Saturday, February 14.

Jake and Aimee matched on dating app Bumble in January 2024. Jake popped the question to Aimee at their home in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 2025, he said.

“We went and had a great dinner and laughed and had champagne,” Jake told People. “Then we took an Uber back to our apartment. I had rose petals on the ground and a table set up with candles. We walked in the apartment and she was like, ‘What’s going on here? Did somebody break into our apartment?’ She was looking at a table trying to figure out how a candle got lit.”

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“When she turned around, I was down on one knee with a really pretty ring, and I asked her to marry me,” Jake said. “She kind of gasped and then muttered yes. It was sweet and intimate. I definitely made the right choice keeping it private. It was a really special moment.”

Jake admitted to having some frayed nerves before he proposed to Aimee.

“We live in a high-rise in Dallas, so on the way to dinner, I walked Aimee to the elevator and then I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, I forgot something. I got to run back to the apartment real quick,’” the former reality star said. “I frantically ripped a bag of rose petals open, I pulled the table away from the wall and set a battery-operated candle on there. I sprinkled the roses everywhere and decorated real quick, got back to the elevator and she was like, ‘What did you forget?’ I was like, ‘I needed to get a drink of water.’ I couldn’t even think of a good lie.”

The former pilot previously gushed about meeting Aimee on Bumble in an October 2024 interview on the “Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast.

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“We matched in, like, the 15 minutes I turned it on,” he said of swiping right after a flight from his Dallas home base to Santa Barbara, California. “I said, ‘I’m not looking for a long-distance relationship’ and she said something kind of fun, like, ‘Well, you couldn’t handle it anyway.’ I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ This is probably the girl. She’s so wonderful.”

Jake first appeared on screens during Jillian Harris’ season of The Bachelorette in 2009. He was the star of The Bachelor season 14 the following year. Jake proposed to Vienna Girardi in the season finale, which aired in March 2010, however, the couple went their separate ways by June that same year.

The exes had a tense showdown during a July 2010 episode of The Bachelorette as then-host Chris Harrison sat down with the pair to discuss what went wrong.

“When we were at home [it was] lonely,” Girardi said at the time. “I just wanted him to be around me and talk to me and kiss me like a normal relationship. My impression was that you were a pilot and we would go back to Dallas and live a normal life. All of a sudden, you were in LA and you were pursuing an acting career.”