Entertainment
Stephen King Adaptation Star Says The Author Doesn't Live Up To The Hype
By Douglas Helm
| Published
Everyone is familiar with Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel The Shining, but there is also the lesser-known 1997 miniseries that starred Steven Weber in the role of Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson in the Kubrick film. Weber appeared on an episode of the Inside of You podcast in 2023, where he recalled a slightly disappointing moment he had with King himself.
In the interview, Weber said, “There was a portion of the book that I couldn’t understand… and I asked [Stephen King] what it meant,” adding, “And I thought, ‘Great, I’ve got a living author downstairs. What does this mean, Steve?’ And basically, he was, like, ‘Yeah, this line is about a bottle of wine, and this is because I was standing over a carpet that had a color that intrigued me, and this — I was drunk.’ And I was, like, ‘Oh. Thanks, Steve.’”
Of course, Weber laughed about the anecdote and went on to say that King is a great guy, but it’s funny to learn that even iconic lines in iconic books don’t always have the most profound meanings behind them.
King’s Prolific Output
King is a highly prolific author with an incredibly consistent output quality despite the number of books he releases. Understandably, his writing style doesn’t necessarily lend itself to poring over each and every line, and moments like this offer a glimpse into how instinctive some parts of his process can be.
The Shining miniseries is an interesting entry in Hollywood history, as it was always going to be compared to the cultural phenomenon that was Kubrick’s adaptation. Famously, Stephen King wasn’t a fan of the Kubrick adaptation, so it wasn’t surprising that he wanted a more faithful version of one of his most iconic novels. King took it upon himself to write the TV miniseries adaptation, which Mick Garris directed.
Stephen King’s version of The Shining aired on ABC in 1997 and was met with fairly decent reviews, with fans of the book appreciating the more faithful adaptation of the source material and the high production values. Steven Weber also brought his own unique flavor to the role of Jack Torrance, and his performance was praised.
Of course, it would never become as big as the Kubrick film, but it’s still worth a watch to see the differences between the two and understand what King wanted out of an on-screen version of The Shining.
More Stephen King Adaptations Are Always In The Works
While Stephen King may not have been satisfied with Kubrick’s version of The Shining, he has had a long and varied relationship with adaptations of his work. There have been a ton of TV shows and movies adapted from his work, and there are always more on the way.
Rather than a fixed number of projects in development, the reality is that King’s catalog is in near-constant rotation in Hollywood, with movie adaptations of The Monkey, The Long Walk, and The Running Man seeing 2025 releases. New films and series, like It: Welcome to Derry are regularly announced, with major filmmakers and showrunners continuing to put their own spin on his stories.
It remains to be seen which of these projects ultimately make it to the screen, but one thing is clear: there is no slowdown when it comes to adapting Stephen King’s work.
Stephen King’s The Shining is currently streaming on Tubi.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 19, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re constantly changing.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Small change
The words are related to changes.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe fine-tuning.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is There I Fixed It.
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NYT Strands word list for April 19
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There I Fixed It
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Adjust
-
Modify
-
Alter
-
Improve
-
Tweak
-
Refine
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 19, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you can never sit down.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
To rise.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
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Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
STAND
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for April 19, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
The edge.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
BRINK
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Hurdle Word 2 hint
Moody.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
POUTY
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Hurdle Word 3 hint
America’s bird.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
EAGLE
Hurdle Word 4 hint
A platform.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
FORUM
Final Hurdle hint
Cheapskate.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
MISER
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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