FIRST LOOK
The Force appears to be alive and well in the first glimpse of the new Star Wars movie.
The much-anticipated arrival of the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the first new addition to the billion-dollar film franchise since 2005.
Running 98 seconds, the trailer opens with a shot of a sprawling desert and an ominous voiceover stating, “There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?”
The trailer then cuts to English actor John Boyega, attired in a traditional Imperial Stormtrooper uniform, looking dazed and more than a little frightened against the desert backdrop.
Next comes a series of blackout shots showing what appears to be an impish miniature droid riding through the desert atop a soccer ball and actress Daisy Ridley racing across a barren landscape on a futuristic space-bike.
Along with Boyega and Ridley, the new Star Wars film will also feature appearances by franchise originals Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill – none of whom appear in the trailer.
The trailer does, however, seem to attempt to keep diehard Star Wars fans happy courtesy of a rapid succession of instantly recognizable images, including fleeting clips of X-Wing fighter ships and the Millennium Falcon itself streaking through space.
The scene that should really get fans talking: The introduction of a new T-shaped lightsaber, which is shown being wielded by a cloaked figure in a brief image.
Directed by J.J. Abrams, the seventh movie in the Star Wars saga is set three decades after the events that transpired in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is slated for theatrical release on Dec. 18, 2015.
PAIN KILLER
Scientists have discovered an “off-switch” in the brain capable of shutting down pain. A recent study focusing on chronic nerve pain in male and female rodents focused on a chemical stimulator named adenosine that binds to brain receptors to trigger a biological response. Researchers discovered that by activating the adenosine receptor in the rodents’ brains and spinal cords, the receptor was subsequently able to prevent or reverse pain from nerve damage. “Harnessing the potent pain-killing effects of adenosine could provide a breakthrough step toward an effective treatment for chronic pain,” said study author Dr. Daniela Salvemini.
Source: International Business Times
HANDS OFF
Parents in Peterborough, Ont., are protesting a bylaw that prevents children from high-fiving crossing guards on their walk to school. Earlier this week, a crossing guard from Prince of Wales Public School was told by school officials to stop handing out high-fives to students while on duty. The guard was told that the high-fives were in violation of a city ordinance that prohibits any physical contact between the guards and children. A group of parents and crossing guards plan to express their frustration with the bylaw in the form of a rally scheduled to take place midday Friday outside Peterborough City Hall.
Source: CTV News
RAMBLING ON
Creed frontman Scott Stapp has reportedly been placed on psychiatric hold in the wake of his strange behaviour. TMZ reports that the singer recently told police in Madison County, Fla., that he was a marked man after they found him on the side of a road on Nov. 13. According to Stapp’s wife, Jaclyn Stapp, who filed for divorce last month, the singer says he hears voice in his head and worries that their daughter will be attacked by the terrorist group ISIS. On Thursday, Stapp posted a video to his Facebook page in which he said he was homeless and penniless and was forced to go for several days without eating.
Source: TMZ
GONE TOO SOON
Former reality-TV personality Ryan Knight has died at 29, reportedly after a hard night of partying. Best known for his 2010 turn on the MTV reality series The Real World: New Orleans, Knight was found dead by friends on Thanksgiving morning. Two weeks ago, Knight’s fellow Real World alumnus Diem Brown passed away suddenly at 32 following a battle with ovarian cancer. The day after Brown’s death, Knight tweeted, “She’ll fly the highest and shine the brightest. And without a doubt she’ll be dancing over us. Love ya DB.”
Source: Us Weekly
SHIA’S BACK!
Hold the phone: Shia LaBeouf is acting strange again. Earlier this week, the Transformers star conducted a bizarre interview with Dazed and Confused magazine in which he chose not to talk and instead let his eyes do the talking. The sitdown resulted in an hourlong video in which LaBeouf and interviewer Aimee Cliff, both with video cameras attached to their heads, stare at each other in near-total silence (both parties erupt in nervous laughter several times). Before the interview, LaBeouf sent an e-mail to Cliff saying in part, “I like the idea that we meet in person with a go pro [sic] photographic record, but no interview.”
Source: CNN