Entertainment
5 things you may have missed about Apples AirPods Max 2
It took Apple six years to properly update the AirPods Max, and at first glance, it might seem like a fairly minor update. After all, the new AirPods Max 2 still look the same, come with the same case, and are even sold in the exact same five colors as their predecessor.
The new features mainly revolve around Apple’s H2 chip, which has unlocked several smart features, as well as improved active noise cancellation (check our initial coverage for a rundown of what’s new).
Having browsed through Apple’s official tech specs, however, we’ve found that the new AirPods Max 2 have quite a bit new functionality that might not be apparent at first glance. Here’s five hidden features we’ve found:
1. It’s ‘Siri’ not ‘Hey Siri’
When you need to invoke Apple’s smart assistant on the new AirPods Max 2, you can just say “Siri” to do so. On AirPods that sport the old H2 chip, you need to say “Hey Siri.” It’s a small difference, but it saves time (for some, at least; I’ve gotten so accustomed to the “hey” part that I’ll probably just keep saying it).
The buttons are the same as before. But you might not need to touch them as often, as Siri Interactions are now supported.
Credit: Apple
You can now also respond to Siri via head gestures; just nod or shake your head for a “yes” or “no” answer.
2. Loud Sound Reduction
The Loud Sound Reduction feature, already present in the latest AirPods Pro, helps you prevent exposure to loud environmental noise, such as a car horn.
While Apple highlighted this one in its press release accompanying the AirPods Max 2 launch, we’re mentioning it here because it does not show up in Apple’s comparison tool. It is, however, listed in the official tech specs for AirPods Max 2.
Mashable Light Speed
The Loud Sound Reduction feature is on by default in Transparency and Adaptive Audio listening modes.
3. Bluetooth 5.3 vs. 5.0
The AirPods Max 2 come with Bluetooth 5.3, as opposed to Bluetooth 5.0 on the AirPods Max with USB-C. In theory, this should mean lower power usage, improved connectivity, and quicker connections with other devices. Wireless audio latency has also been reduced, which is great news for music creators and gamers.
4. New high dynamic range amplifier: Yes, but, what can it do?
Apple mentioned that the AirPods Max 2 have a new high dynamic range amplifier, but the company only said this enables “even cleaner audio while maintaining the incredible sound signature of AirPods Max”.
Cleaner sound at higher volumes.
Credit: Apple
While that’s pretty vague, we can tell you that the high dynamic range amplifier’s job is to amplify an audio signal while keeping noise and distortion low. We can also take a look at the latest AirPods Pro 3, which also feature a new, custom high dynamic range amplifier. In our review, we found they sound significantly better than their predecessor.
Based on that, and given that the AirPods Pro 3 also feature Apple’s H3 chip, we can predict that the AirPods Max 2 will not only have cleaner audio, but also an improved soundstage, accurate sound reproduction at higher volumes, and the benefits should also be audible in Spatial Audio.
If you dig into Apple’s “learn more” bits on the AirPods Max 2 official page, you’ll find an explanation that matches the above. “Modeled after those in high‑end floor‑standing speakers, the driver’s dual‑neodymium ring magnet motor minimizes total harmonic distortion across the entire audible range. With the new high dynamic range amplifier, the result is consistently clear playback, even at higher volumes,” it says.
5. Your old case still fits
Perhaps the worst, or at least most divisive, features of the AirPods Max are their odd, bra-like case that doesn’t really do a great job of protecting the headphones. Yes, you get it included in the price, but it’s just…odd. Fortunately, there’s a number of great, third-party cases that are compatible with Apple’s sleep mode, meaning the AirPods Max won’t drain too much battery when they’re in the case.
If you have the old AirPods Max and are thinking of upgrading, and you’re wondering whether your old third-party case will fit the new ones, we’ve got good news. We’ve compared the weight and size specs for the AirPods Max 2 and the original AirPods Max headphones, and they’re exactly the same: 187.3 x 168.6 x 83.44 mililmeters, weighing exactly 386.2 grams. We’d prefer it if Apple shed some of that weight, but at least your old case will fit.
Entertainment
Raunchy, Unrated Comedy Will Make You Hate Your New Neighbor
By Robert Scucci
| Published
If you’ve ever taken a creative writing class, you know how hard it is to use simple language to get your point across. Written, published words are forever, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of overcomplicating things. Mark Twain famously said, “Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.” As much as I wanted to enjoy 2020’s The Mimic, written and directed by Thomas F. Mazziotti, I mostly felt like I was back in college workshopping an overzealous undergrad’s short story that was clearly written with the help of a well-worn thesaurus.
It’s not that the movie isn’t funny at times, or that the characters aren’t great. It is, and they are. The problem is that nobody talks like this, and dialogue meant to sound witty often makes the whole thing play like a prolonged episode of Gilmore Girls. The Mimic certainly tries to be a smart and witty comedy, but I’d enjoy it more if it didn’t feel like it was constantly reminding me how smart and funny it was.
The Kid Is A Sociopath
The plot for The Mimic would make for a great sketch or even a sitcom episode, but its 81-minute runtime becomes tiresome once you get to know the principal characters. Our protagonist, simply billed as The Narrator (Thomas Sadoski), is a widower and a writer (it’s all starting to make sense now). When The Kid (Jake Robinson) becomes a presence in his life, The Narrator immediately suspects he might be a sociopath. His reasoning is simple: The Kid copies everything he does and seems to have no personality of his own. The Kid never breaks eye contact while conversing, suggesting he’s constantly sizing up whoever he’s interacting with.
The Kid also has a number of odd hobbies, including ducks (in general), wild mushrooms, and talking about a wife who is never seen on screen. Fascinated by The Kid, and eager to prove his theory, The Narrator consults a woman known only as The Librarian (Jessica Keenan Wynn) so he can learn more about sociopathy. His ultimate goal is to write a story about The Kid and impress the women who work at the local paper, who constantly “bicker over semicolons.” As the two men get to know each other better, it slowly dawns on The Narrator that he and The Kid aren’t so different after all, raising the very real possibility that The Narrator himself may also be a sociopath.
All of the above scenarios make for a solid comedy if done right, but the standout moments that truly made me cackle, like The Kid’s awkward, impromptu bathroom escapades with Gina Gershon’s “Woman at the Bar” character, are few and far between.
That’s It. That’s The Whole Thing
Being married to a woman who was a teenager when Gilmore Girls was the talk of the town, the only thought I had while watching The Mimic is that The Narrator and The Kid are basically male versions of Rory and Lorelai Gilmore. Every single conversation becomes a rapid-fire deluge of pop culture references, psychological ramblings, and gotcha-style exchanges that force the viewer to keep up with them, despite the fact that most of these exchanges don’t drive the story at all.
What’s unfortunate is that there are some tremendous zingers here, but you’ll probably miss them while trying to unpack every single line of dialogue in real time.
Circling back to that Creative Writing 101 vibe, The Mimic falls into all the familiar traps. Mazziotti is too precious with his jokes and doesn’t always know when to trim things down. Given the film’s 81-minute runtime, it often feels like there simply wasn’t enough story to stretch the premise into a feature-length film. It makes you wonder how much better this might have worked if the whole thing had been trimmed to a sharp 20 or 30 minutes.
Things get even more convoluted when the perspective zooms out and we learn that two characters known as The Director (M. Emmet Walsh) and The Writer (Doug Plaut) are actively writing the script for The Mimic, arguing about motivation and how much of each character’s backstory should be revealed to the audience. The whole thing smells like an undergrad’s notebook. The kind of smell you get when the PB&J they packed a week ago and forgot about breaches the Ziploc bag and leaks all over the first draft right before peer review.
The Mimic, as a concept, has a lot of promise. As a feature-length film, though, it ends up feeling like all flash and no smash. I wouldn’t mind spending more time with these characters because they’re genuinely fun and riff well off each other, but I wish we got a more distilled, cohesive version of what Mazziotti was trying to accomplish.
As of this writing, The Mimic is streaming for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Disney Executive Sues Company For $40 Million Over Blatant Discrimination
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
The Disney Corporation has experienced a lot of upheaval so far this year. First, Bob Iger announced he was stepping aside. Then Josh D’Amaro taking his place was overshadowed by the huge promotion of Dana Walden from Head of Entertainment to Chief Creative Officer. Now, Disney is being sued by another top exec for racial discrimination.
The plaintiff is Jay Ong, Head of Disney Games Group. His job has been to oversee the production, marketing, and sales of games that fall under the Disney umbrella. This includes not only Disney IP, like the Toy Story games, but also Marvel and Star Wars games, such as Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, which was announced in December at the 2025 Game Awards. The Disney games are performing above expectations right now, but Ong has taken a huge pay cut in the form of bonuses and incentives.
Suspicious Pay Cuts Despite Stellar Performance
The trouble started in February 2025, when Vice President of HR Natalia Strauch told him in an evaluation meeting that he was a “poor cultural fit” for the company. He was also told he was getting a pay cut, losing roughly $40,000 in bonuses and $150,000 in incentives. His work was called “exceptional,” but he was told he was taking the cut anyway.
Meanwhile, he alleges in his suit, Strauch also contacted his executive coach behind his back, which is against company policy. He claims this contact led to the reductions in his bonus and incentives, and that Strauch was trying to “dig up dirt” on him.
The discrimination, Ong contests, is against Asian employees at Disney. He alleges that the meeting with Strauch, the contact with his executive coach, and the reduction in compensation were all intended to drive him out of the company by embarrassing him. His suit alleges “such treatment is part of a broader pattern at Disney whereby those of Asian descent – the few which Disney deigns to hire – are discriminated against.”
On this basis, Ong is suing Disney for $40 million.
Ong’s History With House Of Mouse
While Ong is certainly not poor, the fact is that he has overseen the release of several successful Disney games during his tenure. Before managing the entire Disney library of video games, he was head of Marvel games for a decade. Since even HR admitted that his performance in his position was “exceptional,” the House of Mouse is going to find themselves in serious trouble if it turns out they’re actually discriminating against Ong and other Asian executives. It is clear the company’s treatment of Ong was unfair, given that the video game department is the only segment of Disney that hasn’t suffered under its recent leadership struggles.
At this time, Ong still lists Disney as his current employer. However, Disney has seen a lot of its executives depart recently, and a discrimination suit might lead to the departure of yet another. This time, though, it’s someone who was actually succeeding at his job, leading to a net loss for the Magic Kingdom.
Entertainment
Larry David's New Show Is Just Curb In Costume, Here's The Trailer
By TeeJay Small
| Published
The 2026 South by Southwest Film and TV Festival kicked off over the weekend, with a variety of new projects announced. Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David was in attendance with a first look at his next project as well, which has been given the extremely wordy title Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America. According to a report in Variety, the series is shaping up to be quite a star-studded event, with guest stars including Bill Hader, Jerry Seinfeld, Kathryn Hahn, and even former President Barack Obama.
The first look trailer for the series reveals that Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness will have a lot in common with Curb Your Enthusiasm. The series appears to share the same comedic sensibilities, improvisational style, and even the same director, Jeff Schaffer. Most of the key Curb actors are set to return in some capacity as well, including Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, and the inimitable J.B. Smoove. Schaffer reportedly joked that the new show could be retitled “Curb in costume.”
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness will present a variety of period piece sketches, which will unfold over the course of seven episodes. These sketches will serve as a retelling of significant events in American history, with a Seinfeldian sardonic twist. Bill Hader is credited as portraying Abraham Lincoln in one sketch, while TV legends Jon Hamm and Sean Hayes will appear as the Wright brothers in another. For now, there’s no word on who Barack Obama will portray, though it is confirmed that he will be a performer in front of the camera.
Obama has made numerous headlines in the television and film world since retiring from politics, though he rarely appears in his own productions. He and First Lady Michelle Obama have formed a production company called Higher Ground, which seeks to elevate important stories with themes of resilience and freedom. According to Variety, the former Oval Office occupant even tried to give Larry David a few notes on his Pursuit of Unhappiness scripts, prompting a humorous back-and-forth.
David recalls Barack Obama expressing, “When I was in the White House, I used to take notes from my advisers, and I was the President of the United States,” while critiquing a script. The Curb creator then indignantly replied, “I’m President here.” If you’re a major fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm and you’ve been having withdrawals since the series concluded in 2024, it sounds like Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America will be the exact series to scratch your itch. The series will debut on HBO on June 26.
Raunchy, Unrated Comedy Will Make You Hate Your New Neighbor
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