"The Seychelles has become a major tourist destination for beachgoing and scuba diving, but it’s not only humans that are beginning to flock to this island.
In what marine biologists have described as a “phenomenal finding,” a survey of whales around the territorial waters of this archipelagic nation revealed the presence of blue whales—over a dozen.
It’s the first time they’ve been seen in these warm seas since 1966, and it’s a wonderful milestone in a long and increasingly successful recovery for the world’s largest animal.
The Seychelles are located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa, and they were historically a stopover point for Soviet whalers en route to Antarctica. The years 1963 to 1966 were particularly difficult for whales here, and many were taken before the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling put an end to the practice of hunting baleen whales in 1973.
Since 1966, no dedicated investigation of whales in the Seychelles had been made until 2020, when a partnership of four universities conducted an acoustic survey over the period of two years.
They made five different sightings of groups of up to 10 animals.
“This was a phenomenal finding,” Jeremy Kiszka, a co-author of the paper from Florida International University, wrote in The Conversation. “We were prepared to not see any blue whales due to the high level of hunting that occurred fairly recently and absolutely no information was available since the last blue whale was killed in the region in 1964.” ...
The team behind the survey sent images taken of the whales’ dorsal sides to a database to see if any of them had been recorded before, and amid the reel, not a single one was a match with any other photographed whale.
This, the team suggests, means they have probably never been seen before, which for a species that big might seem strange, but along with there being only 5,000 to 15,000 on Earth, they migrate vast distances while diving deep, making recording their movements incredibly challenging.
The survey identified 23 whale species in total using hydroponic mics over 2 years with peak activity coming between December and April. This is a fascinating finding that suggests something about the seas around the Seychelles makes for excellent whale habitat."
-via Good News Network, April 30, 2024
931 notes
·
View notes
Complete list of Entrants for the Magnificent Musketeer Tournament
D’Artagnan
Douglas Fairbanks (The Three Musketeers 1921, The Iron Mask 1929)
Aimé Simon-Girard (Les Trois Mousquetaires 1921 - film serial)
Max Linder (Dart-In-Again) (L'Etroit Mousquetaire/ The Three Must-Get-Theres 1922)
Gene Kelly (The Three Musketeers 1948)
Jean-Paul Belmondo (Les Trois Mousquetaires 1959)
Jean-Pierre Cassel (Cyrano et D'Artagnan 1964)
Jeremy Brett (The Three Musketeers - TV 1966-1967)
Michael York (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974, The Return of the Musketeers 1989)
Jean Valmont (Les Quatres Charlots mousquetaires 1974)
Mikhail Boyarsky (D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers USSR 1978, Musketeers Twenty Years After 1992)
Chris O’Donnell (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Gabriel Byrne (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Hugh Dancy (Young Blades 2001)
Logan Lerman (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Luke Pasqualino (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Olivier Dion (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Tamaki Ryou (All for One - D'Artagnan and the Sun King 2017)
Pierfrancesco Favino (Moschettieri del re - La penultima missione 2018)
Malachi Pullar-Latchman (The Three Musketeers 2023)
François Civil (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Athos
Oliver Reed (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974, The Return of the Musketeers 1989)
Keifer Sutherland (The Three Musketeers 1993)
John Malkovich (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Heino Ferch (D’Artagnan et les Trois Mousquetaires 2005)
Matthew Macfadyen (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Tom Burke (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Brahim Zaibat (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Uzuki Hayate (All for One - D'Artagnan and the Sun King 2017)
Vincent Cassel (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Aramis
Richard Chamberlain (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974, The Return of the Musketeers 1989)
Igor Starygin (D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers USSR 1978, Musketeers Twenty Years After 1992)
Charlie Sheen (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Jeremy Irons (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Callum Blue (Young Blades 2001)
Luke Evans (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Santiago Cabrera (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Damien Sargue (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Miya Rurika (All for One - D'Artagnan and the Sun King 2017)
Jake Meniani (The Three Musketeers 2023)
Romain Duris (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Porthos
Brian Blessed (The Three Musketeers - TV 1966-1967)
Frank Finlay (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974, The Return of the Musketeers 1989)
Oliver Platt (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Gerard Depardieu (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Ray Stevenson (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Howard Charles (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
David Bàn (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Pio Marmaï (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Milady
Lana Turner (The Three Musketeers 1948)
Faye Dunaway (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974)
Margarita Terekhova (D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers USSR 1978)
Rebecca de Mornay (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Milla Jovovich (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Maimie McCoy (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Emji (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Mollie Hindle (The Fourth Musketeer 2022)
Preeya Kalidas (The Three Musketeers 2023)
Eva Green (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Constance
Marguerite de la Motte (The Three Musketeers 1921, The Iron Mask 1929)
June Allyson (The Three Musketeers 1948)
Raquel Welch (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974)
Julie Delpy (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Tamla Kari (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Megan Lanquar (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Lyna Khoudri (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Richelieu
Nigel de Brulier (The Three Musketeers 1921, The Iron Mask 1929)
Vincent Price (The Three Musketeers 1948)
Charlton Heston (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974)
Bernard Haller (Les Quatres Charlots mousquetaires 1974)
Aleksandr Trofimov (D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers USSR 1978)
Tim Curry (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Christoph Waltz (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Peter Capaldi (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Christophe Héraut (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
James Cosmo (The Three Musketeers 2023)
Éric Ruf (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Rochefort
Guy Delorme (Les Trois Mousquetaires 1961)
Christopher Lee (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974, The Return of the Musketeers 1989)
Boris Klyuev (D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers USSR 1978)
Michael Wincott (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Mads Mikkelsen (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Marc Warren (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Raynaldo Houy Delattre (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Anne of Austria
Angela Lansbury (The Three Musketeers 1948)
Geraldine Chaplin (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974, The Return of the Musketeers 1989)
Catherine Jourdan (Les Quatres Charlots mousquetaires 1974)
Gabrielle Anwar (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Anne Paurillard (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Sheena Easton (Young Blades 2005)
Juno Temple (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Alexandra Dowling (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Victoria Sio (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Vicky Krieps (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
King Louis XIII
Hugh O’Conor (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Freddie Fox (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Ryan Gage (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Florian Cléret (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Louis Garrel (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Treville
Hugo Speer (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Marc Barbé (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Duke of Buckingham
Simon Ward (The Three Musketeers 1973)
Orlando Bloom (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Golan Yosef (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Planchet
Roy Kinnear (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974, The Return of the Musketeers 1989)
James Corden (The Three Musketeers 2011)
Régis Truchy (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Grimaud
William Phillips (The Three Musketeers 1948)
Matthew McNulty (The Musketeers 2014-2016)
Jussac
Ángel del Pozo (The Three Musketeers 1973)
Paul McGann (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Antoine Lelandais (Les Trois Mousquetaires, le spectacle musical 2016)
Alain Grellier (Les Trois Mousquetaires 2023)
Felton
Michael Gothard (The Three Musketeers 1973, The Four Musketeers 1974)
Madame Chevreuse
Sophie Craig (The Three Musketeers 2023)
Madame Coquenard
Jennifer Matter (The Three Musketeers 2023)
Girard
Paul McGann (The Three Musketeers 1993)
Febre (The Man in Black)
Tim Roth (The Musketeer 2001)
Louis XIV
Louis Hayward (The Man in the Iron Mask 1939)
Richard Chamberlain (The Man in the Iron Mask 1977)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Robert Sheehan (Young Blades 2005)
Manaki Reika (All for One - D'Artagnan and the Sun King 2017)
Philippe
Louis Hayward (The Man in the Iron Mask 1939)
Richard Chamberlain (The Man in the Iron Mask 1977)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Maria Theresa
Joan Bennett (The Man in the Iron Mask 1939)
Vivien Merchant (The Man in the Iron Mask 1977)
Kristina Krepela (La Femme Musketeer 2004)
Cardinal Mazarin
Gigi Proietti (D'Artagnan's Daughter / Revenge of the Musketeers 1994)
Gerard Depardieu (La Femme Musketeer 2004)
Michael Ironside�� (Young Blades 2005)
Raoul
C. Thomas Howell (Return of the Musketeers 1989)
Peter Sarsgaard (The Man in the Iron Mask 1998)
Lousie de la Valliere
Jenny Agutter (The Man in the Iron Mask 1977)
Mordaunt
Michael Gothard (Further Adventures of the Musketeers 1967)
Kim Cattrall (Justine de Winter) (Return of the Musketeers 1989)
8 notes
·
View notes
The Hollywood Reporter
Telluride: Don’t Bet Against Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong’s Oscar Prospects for Trump Origin Story ‘The Apprentice’
The actors play Donald Trump and Roy Cohn, respectively, in Ali Abbasi's film, which had its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on Saturday night.
By Scott Feinberg
September 1, 2024
The Apprentice, the Donald Trump origin story that everyone in the film community and beyond has been talking and speculating about, had its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival’s Galaxy Theatre on Saturday night. The stateside unveiling comes three months after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and just days after Briarcliff Entertainment acquired its U.S. distribution rights amid legal threats from the Trump campaign, with plans to release it in theaters on Oct. 11, less than a month before the presidential election.
Interest in the film among those who missed it on the Croisette has been through the roof, to the extent that Telluride’s 10 p.m. Saturday night screening — which was added to the fest’s schedule only a few hours before it took place — attracted a full house of 500 people, with many others turned away. Post-screening reactions were, not unexpectedly, divided. But my own impression from finally seeing the film (I had to return from Cannes before it screened there), and the degree to which the people who like it really like it, is that it should not be counted out of the awards race — particularly its lead actor Sebastian Stan, who plays young Trump, and its supporting actor Jeremy Strong, who plays the man who became his consigliere, Roy Cohn.
The Apprentice was written by Vanity Fair’s longtime Trump chronicler Gabriel Sherman and directed by Border and Holy Spider helmer Ali Abbasi, in his English-language film debut. It covers the period from 1973, when New York businessman Trump, then 27, first crossed paths with power lawyer Cohn, through 1986, shortly after Cohn died (under circumstances that you should not Google if you don’t already know them), and shortly before the publication of The Art of the Deal, the book that helped to elevate Trump from a braggadocious businessman to a full-fledged celebrity.
Trump supporters have assumed that the film would be a Hollywood hit job. That’s partly because most of them have heard only about a brief scene in which Trump is shown forcing himself on his first wife, Ivana (Borat Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova), which, in fact, is based on an accusation that Ivana herself made and then, perhaps under pressure, recanted. But the truth is that The Apprentice — which opens with a disclaimer that a few aspects of its story are imagined, but the vast majority of it is documented — is not some mocking caricature of Trump; it’s actually a portrayal that some Trump haters will find too sympathetic.
It is neither a puff piece nor a hit job, but is, as the Iranian-born Dane Abbasi said during his pre-screening introduction, an outsider-to-America’s effort to hold up a “mirror” to our society and force us to look at it anew. It shows the man who would become president as a young, handsome, charming and promising businessman, as well as someone who was emotionally damaged by his father, steered down a dark path by Cohn, and, consequently, became vain, selfish and occasionally very cruel.
Stan nails Trump’s look, mannerisms and unusual way of speaking — which must have been a daunting assignment, given how many other people have done impersonations of Trump — and Strong captures the dead-eyed look and coiled-snake physicality that Cohn possessed going back to his early years as Joseph McCarthy’s henchman.
One doesn’t have to like a character — or even a film — to appreciate an actor’s guts and abilities. Indeed, in recent years the Academy’s actors branch has nominated numerous impressive portrayals of polarizing people in polarizing movies — among them Megyn Kelly, Richard Nixon, Tammy Faye Bakker, George W. Bush, Lynne Cheney and Dick Cheney, and J.D. Vance’s grandma, none of whom are particular favorites of the Hollywood community.
The Apprentice’s distributor, Briarcliff, is relatively new to the scene, but its chief, Tom Ortenberg, is not new to the awards game, having overseen, during his days at Lionsgate, the campaign for Crash, and during his days at Open Road, the campaign for Spotlight — both of which went on to win the best picture Oscar. He — in partnership with James Shani’s Rich Spirit, which was instrumental in helping free up the film’s domestic rights — has also already retained a number of highly capable awards consultants to help execute a push for The Apprentice. And the talent behind the film is on the ground at Telluride supporting it. So, much like it would be unwise to count out Trump in 2024, I believe that it would be unwise to count out The Apprentice.
6 notes
·
View notes