Entertainment
Warner Bros Kneecaps Clint Eastwood's New Movie
By TeeJay Small
| Published
Warner Bros has been under fire from general audiences nonstop for the last few years, due to a series of decisions from the top brass that seem to spit in the face of creative filmmakers and consumers everywhere. As you may already know, the studio has shelved a series of long-awaited films that were already fully completed and ready for release, stripped many beloved projects from their streaming homes, and generally gave WGA and SAG-AFTRA union workers an incredibly rough time during last year’s combined strikes. Now, according to a write-up in The Guardian, Warner Bros has kneecapped the success of Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2, by preventing the film from getting a wide release across the United States.
Juror #2 Won’t Get A Wide Release
The situation with Warner Bros and Juror #2 is extremely bizarre, as the film should be a big winner for the studio, at least on paper. The movie touts writing and direction from an acclaimed filmmaker with decades of tenure in the Hollywood space, an eye-catching cast, and a shocking narrative that centers on a family man serving as a juror, presiding over a crime that he may have committed himself.
Despite these positive indicators, David Zaslav and company seem committed to preventing the film from succeeding at the box office, by restricting it to screen in fewer than 50 theaters within the country.
Warner Bros. Buries The Clint Eastwood Film
Despite the slow-roll strategy for Juror #2 in American theaters, the film has already opened in more than 300 cinemas across the UK. Given the movie’s exceptionally American presentation, it seems odd that Warner Bros would alienate such a large chunk of Juror #2‘s potential audience. To make things even stranger, it’s looking like the studio won’t even be submitting the movie for Oscar attention, further signaling a general lack of faith in the film’s projected performance.
Warner Bros has also pulled a bizarre and nigh-unprecedented move by choosing to obfuscate the box office earnings of Juror #2. Such a practice is almost exclusively done by movies that premiere direct-to-streaming. To an outside observer, these moves look like damage control from a studio with absolutely no faith in the success or quality of their project- but what could possibly install Warner Bros with such trepidation for this film?
Eastwood’s lengthy career has consistently churned out financially successful hits, even when they’re lacking in critical praise, so there really should be no reason for Warner Bros to show such a lack of confidence in Juror #2. Perhaps the filmmaker, aged 94, is having internal issues with execs at Warner Bros, and his film is being punished for it. This theory has been floated by fans ever since Eastwood refused to attend Juror #2‘s initial premiere, though neither party has said anything to confirm the existence of a behind-the-scenes beef.
Clint Eastwood’s Last Film
Even still, many fans seem to believe that Juror #2 will be Clint Eastwood‘s final outing, considering his advanced age, meaning the film really should be treated with some level of respect. Whether you’re a fan of Eastwood’s work or not, it should absolutely ring alarm bells that Warner Bros is treating their own financial investment in Juror #2 so poorly. This serves as one in a long list of examples that paint Warner Bros as an incompetent, money-driven outfit headed by petty investors who have no understanding of art nor the film business overall.
Source: The Guardian
Entertainment
The Edit: J.Crew’s August Drop
What are you wearing these days? Half of me is still in summer-vacation mode, and the other half is already pining for layers. J.Crew just released their August drop, and IT IS SO GOOD — think: slip dresses, chunky knits, and bright greens. Here are my favorite picks, and I’d love to hear what you think…
This reversible sweater is a two-for-one: Wear it buttoned in the front as a cardigan, or flip it around so it’s a rollneck. How would you style it?
And, of course, we love J.Crew’s classic rollneck — I got my first one when I was 18 and heading to college! I love the slouchy fit and 80s/90s vibes. The new colors are great, especially these stripes.
These silky pieces are actually made of cupro (also known as “vegan silk” — how cool?). It’s light and fluttery, and has just a hint of sheen. The best part is you can toss everything into the washing machine.
Wouldn’t these drawstring Luna pants be perfect for traveling? They’re 100% cotton and loose enough for a long flight or a squishy car ride, but they still have a tailored look. This vibrant green looks crisp and fun, and they have corduroy ones that are perfect for fall.
Oh my gosh, I love, love, love this canvas car coat. You could wear it over anything — sweaters, jeans, dresses — and it would even pair well with Wellington boots (it’s water-resistant). Makes me excited for drizzly days and puddle jumping.
Finally, ballet flats are forever-cool and so easy for fall. They have a ton of colors, but I’m into this bright red and this green lizard-embossed leather.
Thoughts? What would you wear? See all J.Crew’s new arrivals here. And how cute is this dress for the end of summer?
P.S. Three beauty products our editors are loving, and Nicki Sebastian’s eyeliner trick.
(This post is sponsored by J.Crew, a brand our family has worn for decades. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Cup of Jo running.)
Entertainment
Lego and Olivia Rodrigo just kicked off a global vinyl hunt — how to find one of 333 hidden records
TL; DR: Lego and Olivia Rodrigo surprised 100 fans at LA’s Licorice Pizza Records, turning the store into a life-sized Lego build featuring her Guts World Tour Concert Moon. It kicked off a global hunt for 333 limited-edition brick-built Lego vinyl records hidden in stores worldwide, with clues dropping on social media over the coming weeks.
Lego and Olivia Rodrigo surprised 100 fans on Monday with a takeover of Licorice Pizza Records, one of LA’s most iconic record stores, transforming it into a full-scale Lego build to mark the arrival of the new Lego Editions Olivia Rodrigo collection.
The highlight of the takeover was a giant Lego version of the floating moon Rodrigo performed on during her Guts tour, built from 77,000 Lego bricks. She actually sat on top of it and answered fan questions. More than 110,000 Lego bricks went into transforming the whole store, and it took over 500 hours to build.
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Then came the bigger surprise: Rodrigo kicked off a global scavenger hunt for 333 limited-edition, brick-built Lego vinyl records, hidden inside record stores around the world. Over the next couple of weeks, Lego and Rodrigo will drop clues across their social channels, pointing fans toward where these vinyls are hidden, and fans who track one down are being asked to share their find using #FindAStoryInEveryPiece.
This all ties into the Lego Editions Olivia Rodrigo collection, which we covered when it launched — five collectible sets inspired by songs, performances, and moments from the Sour, Guts, and You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love eras.
Credit: The Lego Group
The collection was developed in close collaboration with Rodrigo, with each set designed to hide references and details that fans can dig into. Julia Goldin, Lego’s Chief Product & Marketing Officer, said the Vinyl Hunt was built to take that idea of discovery “one step further,” turning it into a real-world event that brings fans together in record stores and communities globally.
The Lego Editions Olivia Rodrigo collection is available to pre-order ahead of its global launch on Aug. 1 at Lego, Lego stores, and select global retailers.
Entertainment
The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 launch with better battery life and a lower price point than their predecessor
Table of Contents
The ex-Bose employee-designed Ozlo Sleepbuds were instrumental to waking up the sleep earbuds market (pun very much intended).
Though the earbuds had an impressive pedigree and solid performance, they also fell into the traps of a first-generation product — some missing features and a price point that didn’t quite match the performance. Ozlo took the feedback in stride and is back with an improved experience in the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2.
The new sleep earbuds are available at Ozlo’s website as of July 28 for $279. They’re cheaper than their predecessor, yet come with key improvements and more sleep features overall. I’ve been testing the Sleepbuds 2 over the past couple of weeks, and can confirm Ozlo has taken a step in the right direction.
Ozlo Sleepbuds 2: Key features and price
As mentioned above, the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are available for $279.99. It’s an especially impressive price point compared to the first-generation buds for two reasons. One, the original Sleepbuds are $349 at full price. However, they launched at $299, but fell into the wave of tech products that received tariff-related price bumps last spring.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Then there’s the fact that Soundcore’s sleep earbuds with active noise cancellation (Mashable’s top pick for sleep earbuds) cost $229.99. Ozlo’s narrowing of the gap between the two price points feels essential and much more accurate to the discrepancy in the user experience between the two earbuds.
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Key features
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Battery life: 14 hours per charge, with case holding up to three nights of sleeps per charge
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Alarm: Set and schedule multiple private alarms
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Controls: Smart case button for phone-free controls, including Sleep Sound playback or alarm snoozing
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Sleep tracking: Biometric and environmental tracking from the earbuds and smart case, with detailed reports available in app
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Ear tips: Four sizes of silicone ear tips
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Sleep modes: Customization between different kinds of audio playback and sleep timers customized to user experience
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Phone-free features: Can use sleep sounds and alarm without a phone connection
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Sleep Shield: Feature set that blocks incoming notifications, calls, and streaming while you sleep
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Sleep sounds: Library of over 30 soundscapes and masking sleep sounds
What’s new
While Ozlo retains some of the best parts of the original earbuds (the comfortable design and great sleep soundscapes), they’ve upped the ante with a much longer battery life (14 hours compared to 10 hours), the addition of sleep tracking analytics, sleep modes, and the smart case button.
Ozlo Sleepbuds 2: Overall impressions
You can find my detailed thoughts in my full review of the Sleepbuds 2, but as an overview, here’s what worked and didn’t work:
What I liked: Ultra comfortable wear, balanced and varied sleep sounds with great volume variety, longer battery life, lower price point than first generation, the incredibly detailed sleep analysis (which included graphs depicting phases of sleep, room temperature, room sounds, etc.), easy connectivity, and easily navigable app
What I didn’t like: The smart case button, which replaces on-ear earbud touch controls, the case battery life compared to Soundcore’s case battery life, and no active noise cancellation
The takeaway: Overall, I much prefer the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 to the original Sleepbuds. Though the improvements weren’t drastic, they were needed, and the brand implemented customer feedback where it mattered most. While I wouldn’t say an upgrade is essential for folks who already own these Sleepbuds, it may be worth taking advantage of the launch promotions.
Ozlo Sleepbuds 2: Early deals and where to buy
The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are $279 on Ozlo’s website. For a limited time after launch, orders will include a complimentary Ultra-Soft 3D Blackout Ozlo sleep mask and Ozlo Travel Case. Existing Sleepbuds customers will have access to a 30-day upgrade offer that brings the price of the Sleepbuds 2 down to $229.
Where to buy the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2
The Edit: J.Crew’s August Drop
Ozlo’s Sleepbuds 2 build on Bose’s sleep earbud legacy
