Entertainment
SNL opens with another Pete Hegseth press conference
Saturday Night Live returned from a brief hiatus Saturday with a cold open depicting a joint press conference between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel, with “Master of None” creator Aziz Ansari playing the latter.
Colin Jost’s Hegseth hit the familiar beats at the podium — performative machismo, military bravado, and repeated jabs at the secretary’s well-documented drinking habits. This time, Hegseth arrived at the mic hauling an oversized pitcher of scotch, which he assured the room was his one for the day. He then fielded questions from the press about the administration’s handling of U.S. strikes on Iran, dismissing each reporter with the particular brand of smug confidence that has become central to Jost’s portrayal of the character.
Ansari’s Patel proved to be the sketch’s standout, arriving to defend his tenure at the FBI and proceeding to do so poorly. The bit’s centerpiece involved Patel simultaneously denying and admitting that he had locked himself out of his work email for 36 hours after forgetting he had changed his password to “kashmeoutside69.”
Funnily enough, Patel was reportedly locked out of his FBI email in real life and believed, at least momentarily, that he was being fired. As the sketch demonstrated, the distance between SNL’s Cold Open and the actual news cycle has rarely felt smaller.
Entertainment
This $35 ChatGPT-powered app makes writing a non-fiction book easier than ever
TL;DR: If you have a book idea, Youbooks AI Non-Fiction Book Generator can make it a reality with this lifetime subscription, on sale now for just $34.97 (reg. $540).
Want to add published author to your resume? If you have an idea for a non-fiction book, Youbooks AI Non-Fiction Book Generator can make it happen in a matter of hours. You can even continue to write books forever with this lifetime subscription, on sale now for only $34.97 through.
It’s 2026, and while we don’t yet have flying cars, at least the book-writing process is a whole lot easier. Gone are the days of researching, writing, and drafting. Youbooks AI Non-Fiction Book Generator makes the process painless and turns it from a months-long effort into a completed manuscript in hours.
Mashable Deals
With Youbooks, you provide a detailed description of your book’s subject, and it gets to work. You can set the tone and style, upload your own writing samples so it can emulate your tone, and upload your own supporting documents so it can be based on your own research.
Youbooks is powered by AI models ChatGPT, Gemini, Llama, Claude, and more. This means your final product includes the most up-to-date facts, statistics, and news, as it can do real-time web searches as it writes your book.
When your manuscript is finished, you can choose between DOCX, EPUB, or Markdown and make the publishing process even easier.
Your lifetime subscription to Youbooks AI Non-Fiction Book Generator provides you with 250,000 credits each month. Each credit is equivalent to one written word or uploaded source word. You’ll also have full commercial rights, so you have no publishing restrictions, and you keep all the profits.
Mashable Deals
Lock in a lifetime subscription to Youbooks AI Non-Fiction Book Generator for only $34.97 now.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Books
Entertainment
Anyone who wants to learn piano should see flowkey’s best price so far — just $56 for 5 years
TL;DR: Get flowkey’s five-year Classic Plan for $55.99 with code JULY30 (reg. $899) — its lowest price ever.
Future and current pianists who would love some lesson flexibility without sacrificing growth, flowkey has never been cheaper, and this price is not likely to come around again in the near future.
Through July 5, you can get the flowkey Classic Plan (five-year subscription) for just $55.99 (reg. $899) with code JULY30 — the lowest price we’ve seen on this piano learning app.
If learning piano has been living on your someday list, this is a good time to move it up.
Flowkey is designed to make practicing feel approachable instead of intimidating. Whether you’re sitting at a keyboard for the first time or returning after a long break, the app guides you through each lesson at your own pace. It even listens while you play, offering instant feedback so you know when you’ve nailed a note — or when it’s time to try again.
Mashable Trend Report
The Classic Plan includes access to more than 1,000 classical and public-domain songs, featuring composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Bach, Debussy, Liszt, and Brahms. You’ll also unlock every course and exercise, covering everything from reading sheet music and learning chords to proper hand positioning and rhythm.
Helpful tools like Wait Mode, Slow Motion, Loop, and separate hand practice make difficult sections easier to master without feeling rushed. Because your subscription works across phones, tablets, and computers, it’s easy to fit practice into your schedule.
With five years of access at the lowest price ever, this is an easy opportunity to start building those piano skills while this offer is still available.
Get a five-year subscription to the flowkey Classic Plan for a one-time $55.99 (reg. $899) through 11:59 p.m. PT on July 5 with code JULY30.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Farscape Breakout Stars Showed Off Their Hidden Talents On Screen
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published

By the time most actors show up on screen they have already spent a lifetime working in entertainment. There are levels talent and creativity on any set that the audience never gets to see. Musical theater, gymnastics, dancing, martial arts, the list goes on and on, which is why it’s always cool when they get to show off with the cameras rolling. Farscape found time for its cast to work in their real-life talents into their characters giving us great moments on-screen, and a celebration of the raw talent on display behind the scenes.
Chiana’s Fire Dance

Gigi Edgley played Chiana in what was supposed to be a one-off appearance in Season 1. She did such a great job as the cat-like alien that the writers changed their plans and she became a part of the main cast, and eventually, the face of the series. Chiana showed off a lot of hidden talents over the course of her time on the Moya, but one came directly from Gigi’s performance background. Season 3, Episode 13, “Stratch’n’Sniff,” during their time on a pleasure planet Chiana and Jool have a bet about who can entertain a crowd the best. Jool does a flip, Chiana dances with firesticks.
The moment was written in after Gigi was spotted twirling fire off set. Turns out, she’s a talented flow artist, having picked up the skill from the circus. Her family has been in the circus business since the 1930s and the Edgley’s are credited for bringing the Moscow State Circus to Australia. It wasn’t only Chiana who constantly surprised the crew of the Moya with her talents, it was Gigi Edgley surprising the cast and crew of Farscape with hers.
Scorpius Rocks Out

Scorpius is one of the greatest villains in sci-fi history. His distinctive black leather outfit and haunting, whispered threats made him an immediate hit from the first moment he appeared in the hidden Peacekeeper base. Wayne Pygram, like Gigi Edgley, was never intended to be part of Farscape’s main cast. Fortunately, he was the perfect man for the role and turned Scorpius into the recurring archenemy of John Crichton. He did so good, that the producers decided they needed a way to keep Scorpius as a threat without watering him down.
That led to the creation of Harvey, a part of Scorpius inside Crichton’s head. Harvey appeared wearing a Hawaiian shirt and was again, an immediate hit. Season 2’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” features multiple Harvey/Scorpius avatars, including one playing the drums. Wayne Pygram didn’t need a stunt double for that as he’s an accomplished drummer in real life. He taught percussion to students at high schools in Australia, and alongside his Farscape co-star Anthony Simcoe (Ka D’argo), played in the band Signal Room.
Farscape is filled with talented performers, including the puppeteers who brought Pilot and Rygel to life in every episode Virginia Hey didn’t only play Zhaan as a spiritual guide, she’s one in real life, and has spent decades leading spiritual wellness retreats and seminars. The success of the small Australian sci-fi series makes sense once you see the incredible talent responsible for giving us one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time.
Farscape is currently streaming for free on Pluto, Tubi, The CW, Sling TV, and The Roku Channel.
