Month: April 2019

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won’t come to theaters until December, but it reportedly already has a sequel and a spin-off featuring an all-female cast of Spider-Man characters in the works.

Broken by The Hollywood Reporter, the report notes that Joaquim Dos Santos, known for his work on Justice League Unlimited, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, is being tapped to direct the sequel. Details are scarce, though THR reports that “seeds have been planted” in the first film for a sequel.

Lauren Montgomery, who also worked on the two Avatar series’ as well as Voltron, Green Lantern: First Flight, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, and more, is reportedly in negotiations to lead the charge for an untitled project that will “gather the female heroes in the Spider-Man universe of characters in one adventure.”

Bek Smith will reportedly write the film’s script. Though no specifics are set, Spider-Gwen will likely make a return, and other characters like Spider-Girl, Spider-Woman, Madame Web, Silk and even Black Cat could be featured.

Both projects will reportedly be produced by Amy Pascal. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who developed and produced Into the Spider-Verse, are expected to be involved as well.

For more on Into the Spider-Verse, check out how much the film is tracking to open with, and our impressions of the film from NYCC. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hits theaters on December 14.

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

A loophole in proposed air passenger rights regulations could allow airlines to get off the hook for compensation and put air travellers at risk, says a passenger rights company.

In an open letter to the government Thursday, AirHelp wrote that the rules impose no obligation on airlines to pay customers for delays or cancellations if they were caused by technical problems discovered on the tarmac.

“If you incentivize them to not have any problems at the pre-flight check, you decrease the risk of undiscovered issues,” AirHelp’s chief legal officer Christian Nielsen said in an interview.

Watch: Six key points in Canada’s airline passenger bill of rights

Mechanical malfunctions identified during regular maintenance and causing prolonged delays would lead to compensation. “But the issue is that aircraft that are part of regular maintenance are not operating, they’re not in the rotation, so they will almost never lead to a delay of a scheduled flight,” Nielsen said.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau has insisted that airlines won’t mess around with safety and dismissed the idea they will look for ways to avoid compensating passengers. He has pointed to the European Union as having similar regulations.

Nielsen disputed that defence, blaming the airline industry for having “misinformed” the minister.

“Under EU law, all mechanical malfunctions that lead to a delay of more than three hours trigger compensation. The idea here is that you penalize airlines that are not properly maintaining their fleet,” he said.

Garneau spokeswoman Delphine Denis said the government is “standing up for Canadian travellers and ensuring that air travellers are treated with fairness and respect.”

“We are establishing clear standards of treatment and possible compensation for passengers in common situations like delays, denied boarding, lost baggage, and tarmac delays,” she said in an email.

Barring the loophole, the government’s passenger bill of rights would see passengers who are bumped from overbooked flights or forced to sit through long delays receive up to $2,400 in compensation.

The proposed compensation will use a sliding scale, with larger airlines and longer delays requiring bigger compensation payments. Payments to passengers whose flights are delayed will max out at $1,000 and cancellations at $2,400.

In addition to compensation, the proposed rules would also require airlines to provide delayed passengers with food, beverages and accommodation.

‘Toothless’ legislation

Passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs called the new rules “watered down” and “toothless.”

He pointed to an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Hawaii on Christmas Eve that turned back mid-flight for maintenance reasons. That would qualify as a delay or cancellation, Lukacs said, on par any other prolonged flight hold-up prompted by mechanical issues identified during a pre-flight check.

“Under the proposed legislation, nobody in those situations would get anything in the way of monetary compensation.” In the EU, however, passengers would be owed 600 euros each, he said.

Public consultation on the proposed rules is slated to run until Feb. 20.

Heads up, Canada: there are more heatwaves coming at ya this last month of summer. Can’t handle the sweatshow? Skip that over-crowded street fest, crank up your AC and settle in with a mojito while ramping up your Netflix and chillin’ game.

Season two of “Ozark,” “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Homeland” are back just in time for your long weekend binging. Eminem is also back with “8 Mile,” and we’re just a bit excited about Matt Groening’s new animated series, “Disenchantment.”

So what are you going to watch on Netflix Canada in August? Check out highlights below and find our selections under the gallery:

Movies:

“8 Mile” — Available August 1

The real Slim Shady is standing up 16 years after “8 Mile” hit theatres. This musical drama stars Eminem as Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith, a white, blue-collar worker who dreams of making it as a hip-hop star.

“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” — Available August 17

A high schooler keeps a stash of love letters she’s written to all the boys she’s had major crushes on … until those letters go missing one day. Rah-roo. It’s all good though, because she inadvertently falls in love IRL while trying to figure out what her crushes know. (If you’re reading this, Kevin D, I’m still crushing on you hard)

“Sully” — Available August 6

Shortly after takeoff, an Airbus 320 crash-lands on the Hudson River. There are no fatalities, but the captain faces scrutiny and the glare of fame.

TV:

“Disenchantment” — Available August 17

Matt Groening, the beloved creator the Simpsons, brings you this new animated-for-adults show. It takes place in the “crumbling medieval kingdom” of Dreamland, which features imps, trolls, walruses, and “human fools.” This human fool can.not.wait.

“Follow This” — Available August 23

An insider’s look at the Buzzfeed newsroom, this weekly, short-form doc series follows the culture site’s reporters. Episode one centres on journalist Scaachi Koul (also a former HuffPost alum) as she explores the rapidly growing world of autonomous sensory meridian response videos.

“Marching Orders” — Available August 3

Remember Beyonce’s jaw-dropping Coachella performance earlier this year that honoured Black colleges, including their hype marching bands? Get ready to see some equally incredible marching band performances in this behind-the-scenes look at Bethune-Cookman University’s Marching Wildcats.

“Homeland” Season Six — Available August 15

CIA analyst Carrie Mathison struggles with mental health and family issues while leading the war against terrorism in this political thriller series.

“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” — Available August 1

After a devastating betrayal, kind-hearted queen Freya unleashes wicked powers and wages war against love, which warriors Eric and Sara fall victim to.

“Ozark” Season 2 — Available August 31

The Byrdes face danger from every side as the cartel, the Snells and the Langmores all threaten to bring down the new life they’ve built in the Ozarks.

“Outlander” Season Three — Available August 10

Centuries apart, Claire and Jamie struggle to move forward with their lives while haunted by memories of their lost love.

“How to Get Away With Murder” Season Four — Available August 22

Brilliant criminal defense attorney and law professor Annalise Keating, plus five of her student, become involved in a twisted murder case.

What’s going:

We all know that a new month means some TV shows and movies will be leaving Netflix. Here’s what we’ll be saying goodbye to from Netflix Canada in August 2018:

August 1:

“Apollo 13”

“Belle”

“The Fault in Our Stars”

“Finding Dory”

“How to Be Single”

“In Good Company”

“The Time Traveler’s Wife”

August 3:

“The Truman Show”

August 11:

“Scarface”

August 5:

“Gangs of New York”

Aug 17:

“Minority Report”

Aug 23:

American Hustle

Aug 24:

“School of Rock”

“Sixteen Candles”

Aug 26:

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”

Aug 27:

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2”

Earlier on HuffPost Canada:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following an undefeated run to its third straight Great Lakes Valley Tournament (GLVC) title, Missouri-St. Louis is ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history in this week’s NFCA Division II Poll, announced by the Association on Wednesday.

 

The Triton’s (44-6) entered the GLVC tournament as the top seed and posted three shutouts in its four-game run to the championship. Gathering 12 first-place votes and 395 points, UMSL triumphed over Rockhurst (9-0), Truman State (6-4), Lewis (3-0) and No. 10 Indianapolis (2-0 in 8 inn.) in the title game. The shutout against Rockhurst was highlighted by junior Hannah Perryman’s second perfect game of the week, sixth of the season and seventh of her career, matching Texas All-American Cat Osterman and Division III All-American, Salisbury’s Rachel Johnson, for the most in NCAA history.

Valdosta State, which received two first-place votes, slipped to No. 2 after bowing out of the Gulf South Tournament in two games. Hosting the tournament, the Blazers (46-7) were defeated by eventual champion Shorter (3-5) and then No. 11 Alabama-Huntsville (3-6).

The final eight spots in the top-10 remained the same. No. 3 West Texas A&M and No. 4 Dixie State each recorded one first-place vote. The Lady Buffs (44-9) claimed the Lone Star Conference title with victories over RV Cameron (10-3) and Texas Woman’s (9-6). The Red Storm (44-7) closed out their regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Holy Names (9-1 / 12-0).

No. 5 Cal State Monterey Bay went a perfect 3-0 to take home the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament title. The Otters (3-0) trumped Chico State 7-6 in 10 innings and knocked off then-No. 15 Humboldt twice (5-3 / 2-0) for the crown. 

No. 6 North Georgia and No. 8 Georgia College finished play last week, while No. 7 St. Mary’s (42-9) won the Heartland Conference championship, defeating Newman (6-3) and St. Edward’s twice (8-2 / 2-1).

Rounding out the top 10 are conference tournament runner-ups, No. 9 Augustana (S.D.) in the Northern Sun and No. 10 Indianapolis in the GLVC.

Every program in the top-10 will be hosting a respective regional with UMSL (Midwest), Valdosta State (South), West Texas A&M (South Central), Cal State Monterey Bay (West), North Georgia (Southeast) and Augustana (Central) garnering top seeds. Joining that group as No. 1 region seeds are No. 14 Caldwell (East) and No. 21 California (Pa.) (Atlantic), which won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) titles, respectively.

Rounding out the ranked NCAA Regional host teams- No. 15 Southern New Hampshire (#2 East), No. 19 North Alabama (#3 South), No. 20 Central Missouri (#2 Central) and No. 22 West Virginia Wesleyan (#2 Atlantic).

The 21^st-ranked Vulcans and No. 23 Shorter (Gulf South Champions) enter the top-25 this week.

Following the NCAA Tournament, the final Top-25 poll will be announced shortly after the National Champion is crowned.

The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. 2015 records and previous week’s rankings are shown with first-place votes in parentheses.

NFCA Division II Softball Poll – May 6, 2015

 

Rank

Team

2015 Record

Totals

Prev. Rank

1

Missouri-St. Louis (12)

44-6

395

2

2

Valdosta State (2)

46-7

375

1

3

West Texas A&M (1)

44-9

369

3

4

Dixie State (1)

44-7

359

4

5

Cal State Monterey Bay

47-10

334

5

6

North Georgia

44-7

318

6

7

St. Mary’s (TX)

43-8

307

7

8

Georgia College

42-9

276

8

9

Augustana (S.D.)

50-9

265

9

10

Indianapolis

42-12

244

10

11

California Baptist

40-9

229

12

12

Alabama-Huntsville

39-14

225

11

13

Winona State

46-12

219

14

14

Caldwell

34-12-1

173

17

15

Southern New Hampshire

31-6

161

24

16

Humboldt State

41-17

150

15

17

Southern Indiana

37-9

143

13

18

Metro State

42-14

135

18

19

North Alabama

35-12

129

16

20

Central Missouri

44-14

103

22

21

California (Pa.)

35-10

89

RV

22

West Virginia Wesleyan

35-8

60

19

23

Ashland

38-8

46

20

24

Shorter

36-15

33

RV

25

Anderson

39-13

28

23

 

Dropped Out: No. 21 Angelo State, No. 24 West Chester

New to Poll: No. 21 California (Pa.), No. 24 Shorter

 

Others Receiving Votes: Cameron (17), Sonoma State (13), Angelo State (9), Rollins (9), Catawba (8), Henderson State (7), West Chester (5), Armstrong State (5), Gannon (5), Missouri Western (1).

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada left its interest rate unchanged today and says the timing of future hikes will depend on factors such as how long the oil-price slump lasts, how well business investment picks up its pace and how much room the economy still has left to grow.

The central bank is holding its trend-setting rate at 1.75 per cent in a decision that follows a quarter-point increase at its previous policy meeting in October.

Earlier: The Bank of Canada is taking a more aggressive approach to future rate hikes. Story continues below.

The bank has been on a gradual rate-hiking path for more than a year thanks to a strengthening economy and has already raised the benchmark five times since the summer of 2017.

The bank says it will keep a close eye on the evolution of several recent developments as it considers the timing of its next rate hike — including a steep slide in oil prices that it predicts will reduce activity in Canada’s energy sector.

It also says recent data show that the economy has less momentum heading into the final quarter of 2018 related to factors such as a drop in business investment that the bank largely connects to trade uncertainty last summer.

Eventual rate range still ‘sufficiently uncertain’: Poloz

The bank also notes it will be watching for positive developments such as signs the economy can still expand without stoking inflation.

The central bank can raise the interest rate to prevent inflation from climbing too high. Many market watchers had expected governor Stephen Poloz to wait until at least January before his next rate increase.

The Bank of Canada has estimated it will no longer need to increase the interest rate once it reaches a level of between 2.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent, but Poloz has said this destination range remains “sufficiently uncertain” and could move up or down.

By IGN Staff

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COLUMBUS, Ga. – The first day of the 2015 NFCA NAIA Leadoff Classic is in the books and eight teams completed the day undefeated. Auburn Montgomery, Reinhardt, Lindsey Wilson, LSU-Alexandra, Campbellsville, Thomas, Belhaven and Central Methodist all finished 2-0. The three-day tournament is being contested at South Commons Softball Complex. 

Behind the dominance of Cassie Daniels, the defending NAIA champion Warhawks posted 2-0 and 4-0 wins over Bellevue (RV) and Park, respectively. Daniels tossed a pair of two-hit complete-game shutouts, striking out 26 and walking four in 14 innings of work. No. 3 Reinhardt used a five-run sixth-inning comeback in an 8-6 triumph over No. 13 Olivet Nazarene and then scored 12 unanswered runs to topple Friends, 12-2 in five innings.

Fourth-ranked Lindsey Wilson and seventh-ranked LSU-Alexandria used power and pitching in their undefeated day. In a 3-2 victory over No 2 William Carey, Sydney Fourmon provided all the offense with a two-run and a solo home run. Lyndsey Parden tossed a one-hitter with three strikeouts as the Blue Raiders rolled to a 9-0 five-inning victory against No. 21 Oklahoma Baptist. The Generals picked up a pair of run-rule wins against Park, 13-0, and Bellevue (RV), 8-0. Against Park, Marci West tossed a two-hit five-inning shutout and the offense produced 16 hits led by Kaylee Prather, who went 5-for-5 with a double, three RBI and four runs scored. Kaycee Spears twirled a two-hit, six-inning shutout against Bruins with five strikeouts.

Campbellsville’s Neely Quint and Victoria Decker tossed three and two-hit gems in 6-1 and 2-0 wins over Lindenwood-Belleville and Georgia Gwinnett (RV), respectively. Thomas scored 18 runs as its run-ruled Friends in six innings, 11-2, and held off Olivet Nazarene, 7-4.

No. 11 Belhaven cruised to an 8-0 win over Corban (RV) and then edged No. 19 William Woods, 3-1. No. 16 Central Methodist cruised to a pair of wins over William Carey, 8-0 (5) and Oklahoma Baptist, 10-4.

Each team will play their final pool play game tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Following the end of those contests, the teams will be seeded and start bracket play at 4:30 p.m. The top eight programs will play at 4:00 p.m. in the first round of the gold bracket, while the second eight will start at 6:30 p.m. in the silver bracket. The final four squads will take part in the copper bracket beginning at 4:00 p.m.

The tournament concludes on Sunday with first games beginning at 9:00 a.m. and last games at 1:00 p.m.

For links to teams, scores, updates and other pertinent information check out our Tournament Central page.