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Get a massive 85-inch Sony Bravia 7 4K TV at its lowest-ever price on Amazon

Mashable - Mon, 11/18/2024 - 09:22

SAVE $801.99: As of Nov. 18, Sony's 85-inch Bravia 7 4K TV has dropped to $2,498 at Amazon. This is a 24% discount from its $3,299.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony Bravia 7 85-Inch 4K TV $2,498.00 at Amazon
$3,299.99 Save $801.99 Get Deal

Black Friday is a great time of year to invest in a new TV. Several retailers offer incredible discounts on them during this time, so you can save big on some high-end models. While their official Black Friday sale hasn't kicked off yet, Amazon has quite a few TV deals available now that are still worth your time, like this discount on a massive Sony Bravia 7 TV.

If you've been looking to upgrade to an even bigger TV, look no further than this discount on the huge 85-inch Sony Bravia 7 4K TV. It's currently marked down to $2,498 at Amazon, 24% off its list price of $3,299.99. This also marks the lowest-ever price for this TV, according to price tracker camelcamelcamel, which is a massive bonus.

SEE ALSO: Kohl's Black Friday ad: The best deals you can buy online

It's got the specs to make it worth the price tag, too. Alongside its extra large size, which is perfect for those who want a cinematic experience for their next movie night, it also features QLED technology and XR Triluminos Pro, alongside 4K resolution, to bring you crisp and colorful images across your screen.

Not to mention, you're also getting smart features with this TV as it comes with Google TV. With this, you can access all of your favorite apps in one place, which is incredibly convenient. And since its a Sony TV, it's also a perfect pairing with a PlayStation 5 console, offering Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode for better picture quality.

Deals like this one don't come around often. Amazon even has it listed as a "limited-time deal," so jump on this 85-inch Sony Bravia 7 4K TV offer before it's gone.

If you're curious when the official Black Friday sales kick off at Amazon, you can expect to see the first wave of deals drop on Nov. 21. Retailers like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart are also offering some early discounts that are worth checking out ahead of the big Black Friday sale event. Keep your eyes out for even more deals dropping over the next week.

Beyoncé to perform at Netflix's first NFL Christmas Gameday

Mashable - Mon, 11/18/2024 - 08:17

Beyoncé fans, consider this your Christmas gift. Say thank you.

The music monarch and Cowboy Carter icon is set to headline Netflix's first-ever NFL Christmas Gameday, announced by the streaming service on Instagram on Sunday.

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Netflix will show two NFL games on on Dec. 25 from 1 p.m. ET — Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens — with Beyoncé performing at 4:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 GMT between them.

In an absolute treat for fans, Beyoncé will perform songs from her latest album live from Houston, Texas; the first time the 11-time Grammy-nominated Cowboy Carter has been performed live. Plus, special guests featured on the album are set to join, with names TBC. It's being produced by Netflix and Beyonce's own Parkwood Entertainment.

Beyonce has plenty of NFL history on the shelf already; she headlined Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 with Destiny’s Child joining her onstage, and also Super Bowl XV in 2016, with Bruno Mars and Coldplay. It's not her first Netflix foray either, with the artist landing a three-project deal with Netflix worth $60 million in 2019. Her 2018 Coachella performance behind-the-scenes film Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé still one of the best music documentaries on the platform.

The Netflix Christmas Day games will also stream through the NFL+ app and air on broadcast TV in team cities. It's a major sports move for Netflix, which has announced NFL games for 2025 and 2026. The platform just streamed the high profile boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which saw issues during the match but nonetheless saw a reported 60 million households tuning in.

'Heartbreak High' Season 3 set visit: School's out forever

Mashable - Mon, 11/18/2024 - 07:27

It's the last year of school at Netflix's Heartbreak High, with the bell soon set to ring for the series' third and final season. Even so, it looks as though the social lives of Hartley High's students won't be getting any less complicated as they approach graduation.

Mashable visited Heartbreak High's set at South Sydney High School in late October to observe day three of filming for Season 3, wandering the grounds, having lunch with the cast, and learning what made the production uniquely Australian. Fittingly, there was a pervasive sense of sentimentality akin to a real school graduation, with both the cast and crew reflecting on their growth since first coming together to film Season 1 in 2021.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 'Territory' review: 'Yellowstone' meets 'Succession' in the Australian outback Heartbreak High sends you back to Hartley High School one last time Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

Located in Maroubra, South Sydney High School was only at two thirds capacity during Heartbreak High's first season, which left many areas open for the production's use. Executive producer Carly Heaton speculates that most local students opted to attend one of the many private schools in the area, the public school being located in Sydney's affluent Eastern Suburbs.

"Public school is very well subscribed in this country, it's just particular socioeconomic bands [have different preferences], as I'm sure it's the same everywhere," says Heaton.

Enrollment at the school has risen in the years since, leaving Heartbreak High's crew with less room to work with for its final season. Fortunately, the production is now well-practiced at filming while class is in session and has become a familiar sight on school grounds, forgoing the large fences which cordoned off the production in Season 1. They also try to film outside school hours as much as possible.

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"We're a little bit more integrated with how the school works [compared to Season 1], but just being really sensitive right now," Heaton tells us, noting that South Sydney's Year 12 students are currently in the middle of doing their final Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams.

Heaton credits South Sydney's principal Janice Neilsen with helping Heartbreak High's production run smoothly without disrupting the school's normal operations. Neilsen also inspired some aspects of Hartley High's principal Woodsy (Rachel House), her pet dog serving as the basis for the character's own pup Joan of Bark. 

Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

Real South Sydney students in green and white uniforms enjoy their lunch break as we walk through the school, some playing on half of the astroturfed volleyball court while the other side is taped off for the film crew. Children play handball in the concrete quad, one of the key features that solidified the production team's choice of South Sydney as Heartbreak High's set.

"I think for us it was getting it to be quintessentially Australian," says Heaton. "And for us that was a concrete quad. Sounds ridiculous, [but] that's the memory we all have as kids."

'Heartbreak High's third season aims to tackle even more classic elements of Australia's education system, specifically those relating to graduating.

Heartbreak High's third season aims to tackle even more classic elements of Australia's education system, specifically those relating to graduating. When the series left off last season, the students were at the end of their second term in Year 11. Season 3 jumps forward to the beginning of Term 4 in Year 12, with the group about to go through the rites of passage that come with leaving school.

This includes taking their HSC exams, but also more enjoyable activities such as Muck-Up Day, when graduating students get to play pranks and go a little wild (Nerf guns will certainly be involved, with Hartley High's students set to cause some chaos). There's Schoolies as well, when graduates take off for wild, alcohol-fuelled celebratory trips with their friends.

Then there's looking towards the future, whether it's applying to university, considering trade schools, entering the workforce, or whatever else fresh graduates may choose to do.

"All the different characters will have a journey they want to go on," says Heaton. "Something we're trying to be really conscious of is not dictating the hierarchy of choices for after a school career, and that's something that the cast will grapple with, is what they want to be, what they want to do, and what the path is to get there, and do they have to decide now?"

Heartbreak High's final season is about consequences and class Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

Every season of Heartbreak High focuses on a theme, with Season 1's being consent and Season 2 examining toxic masculinity. Bucking the trend, Heaton tells Mashable that the series' third season actually has two themes: consequences and class.

"In Season 3, we're like, 'What are we going to talk about? What's current? What's pertinent for kids?’" says Heaton. "So at the end of the year, what is that experience like when you realise it's going to come to an end and you're not going to see these people every day. And what does that mean in becoming an adult and what are the consequences?"

"The other big driver was class," Heaton continues. "That was a key driver of the original series, and something we hadn't touched on too much yet. We had a little bit with the [St.] Bruno's private school stuff, but that plays more of a role in this season. As you know, we ended the previous season with a bit of a school fire. So there's a bit more reliance from the public school on the private school for resources."

Unlike the U.S. or UK, Australian universities don't offer generalist degrees. Prospective students must decide on a major during the application process, meaning Australian high school graduates' choices carry a different weight. Of course, graduates' choices will vary greatly depending not only on their personal interests, but also upon their differing individual circumstances. 

"There's a lot of fear and I think tension around those end of year exams everywhere around the country," says Heaton. "And [the show portrays] how they deal with it, and [asks] do you need to have it all sorted out at that age?"

Sitting at the cool kids' table at Heartbreak High Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

We sit with the cool kids at lunch — or rather, they sit with us. Heartbreak High cast members Ayesha Madon, Chloé Hayden, and James Majoos join our aluminium picnic table for a casual chat as we take advantage of the on-set catering, the rice, chicken, and gado gado undoubtedly more nutritious than the meals from my old high school's canteen.

Dressed in full costume as their characters Amerie, Quinni, and Darren respectively, the trio reminisce about getting started on Heartbreak High when they were comparatively less experienced actors.

"I feel like what was so cool and why we had that lightning in a bottle moment here was because [the production was] so willing to take a chance on new talent," says Madon, wearing a cute green bodycon dress unlikely to fly in a regular high school. "Like, we learned to act on camera almost. Which was so vulnerable, but so amazing. I feel like the fact that it was all of our first thing, we weren't jaded, we were so excited, and everyone was so dedicated to making this thing work."

"There's something really nice and comfortable about sitting with a character for five or so years and sitting with a show that's really broken into some really cool spheres that we never expected globally," says Majoos. "We're such a close ensemble cast, and it’s really set the standard, I think, for whatever the next job will be."

Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

Majoos emphasises the collaborative nature of Heartbreak High's production, noting that while the writers are open to hearing the actors' thoughts, the cast has faith they will do the characters' justice.

"I think we feel really heard, and also we really trust our writers as well to sort of lead the way," says Majoos.

This collaborative spirit extends beyond the writing room, demonstrated by the production's consultation with Hayden on other aspects of the show as well. Hayden is a passionate disability rights activist who, like her character Quinni, has autism. Heartbreak High's representation of autism has been widely praised, with viewers finding it a frank, authentic depiction of people who have the disability.

"The way that I describe living with autism is, imagine if you're at a rock concert next to the speakers but you couldn't turn it off, it was just constant," says Hayden. "I've always said that, like, autism isn't a disability in the sense where we are disabled because of who we are. We're disabled because of what society [has been created to be]. If society was created for autistic people instead of neurotypical people, you guys would be the disabled ones."

Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

Madon and Hayden are eventually whisked away to makeup, presumably for touch-ups since the latter is already sporting some very cool heart-shaped eye makeup. Spider's actor Bryn Chapman Parish quickly takes their place, and is much more pleasant than the jerk he portrays on screen. 

"From the start, [the writers have] always been like, if there's any line that kind of sticks in your mouth, doesn't sound right, doesn't sound like, I guess, young enough, youthful enough, then let us know," says Chapman Parish, agreeing with his castmates' statements on collaboration at Heartbreak High. The actor originally auditioned for the roles of Darren then Ca$h (Will McDonald), Heaton noting that "we knew we wanted him [but] we weren't quite sure what for."

Heartbreak High has been a learning experience for us as well," says Majoos. "We're graduating with these characters and moving on into the unknown, and I think there's a lot of that uncertainty that we can bring into this season, which I'm actually looking forward to.

"Everyone's been learning together, which has been really, really, beautiful. It's cliche, but unfortunately it's so true: it has been an educational experience."

Heartbreak High ditches school uniforms Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

Along with concrete quads, uniforms are an integral part of Australian high schools. Even so, Netflix's Heartbreak High chose to follow the original '90s series, ditching ties and blazers for more creative wardrobe options.

"The original didn't have it, that was the main reason [Hartley High doesn't have uniforms]," says Heaton, noting that they wanted to remain loyal to the first series in this regard. "But also it is quite aspirational, you know, seeing kids not have uniforms. Mind you, there is an Australian public school debating topic that's perennial, I'm sure you've heard it in school, 'Is it better to have uniforms or not?' I think most people think it is better because you don't have to think. You're not judged."

Climbing into the wardrobe trailer, we're met with a long row of colourful outfits that are far more fashionable than most Aussie teenagers could realistically dream of. Heartbreak High has worked with Australian designers across the country such as Emily Watson, Sorry I'm Busy, Fantastic Baby Shakalaka, and Flux 2.0, making Hartley High's students some of the most well-dressed teens in Sydney.

Darren even sported a fetching white corset top from well-known Australian designer Dion Lee during Season 1, a pricey garment that's even beyond the budget of many full-time workers. ("[They] op-shopped it!" quips Heaton. "It was a good find!")

"Collaborating with different designers is…a big part of it, and really trying to celebrate Australian designers and smaller designers," says costume designer Rita Carmody. "From Melbourne to Adelaide, people have lent us their collections, and it's been really joyful to sort of be able to play with it all."

The time jump between seasons from Term 2 in Year 11 to Term 4 in Year 12 also allowed Carmody to evolve the students' fashion sense.

"I think we have to really honour the inherent nature of each character, but then let them grow a bit and let the actors have more to explore," says costume designer Rita Carmody. "So that's the main part of the process — a lot of referencing and going through the old seasons."

Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

In addition to plain T-shirts bearing students' scrawled farewell messages (an Australian custom), Carmody proudly presents a forest green garment covered in iron-on patches — Hartley High's leaver's jacket. Another Heartbreak High take on a classic Australian high school tradition, these garments were historically rugby jumpers with students' nicknames on the back, but have since evolved to more closely mimic American varsity jackets. 

Heartbreak High finds an even more stylish in-between, Carmody collaborating with a Melbourne designer to customise one of his preexisting jackets "because all the ones from the uniform shops just look really average." The result is fashionable enough that teens would probably still happily wear it outside of school events. No prizes for guessing what Amerie's jacket says.

"Everyone's got their own custom name [and an] Aboriginal flag on each one but in different places," says Carmody, pointing out a patch of a "bin chicken," a slang term for the Australian white ibis birds which are ubiquitous in Sydney. "So every jacket has different patches."

Farewell Heartbreak High Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable edit: Netflix

We end our visit by watching the cast film a scene from Season 3, monitoring them through screens and headphones as they joke around between takes. The production is shooting in an area of the school dressed to look like a burnt out and off-limits construction site, the perfect place to hide from disapproving teachers' eyes. It seems even their impending graduation isn't enough to keep Hartley High's students out of trouble.

While there is some concern that South Sydney students could leak details about Heartbreak High, a ban on phones was introduced in Australian public schools before filming began, offering the added benefit of helping keep the production's secrets under wraps. Hartley High's students are rarely seen on their phones either, with social media deliberately excluded from Heartbreak High to keep the drama and emotion in real life.

"Every day we're having a little moment, a little tear about [it being] our last first whatever," says Heaton. "'This is our last cast read through!' 'This is our first last day!' It's like it's one every day."

According to Heaton, even those who weren't with the production from the beginning recognise the camaraderie they've fostered on set. She specifically noted first assistant director Tony Gilbert, who hadn't been involved in Netflix's Heartbreak High reboot prior to its final season, but had worked on the original series in the '90s.

"Everyone was going around getting all teary, and [Gilbert said], 'I don't have that in stories obviously, it's my first season. But I worked on the original, and it was the same,'" Heaton recounts. "And he goes, 'You guys are such a tight knit unit. I got a call from one of the cast members from the original the other day, and we're still like that. And that's what differentiates productions.'"

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High school romances often don't last, while friendships can dissolve absent routine binding them together. In reality, it wouldn't be unlikely that Hartley High's graduating class eventually lose touch as they launch themselves into life beyond concrete quads and canteens. 

Even so, these unruly students have proven they have no issue with bending the rules. Heartbreak High's cast and crew seem similarly determined to preserve the camaraderie they've found, proudly boasting of each other's growing lists of achievements while nurturing their friendships off set.

And of course, regardless of how Heartbreak High ends, high school breakups aren't necessarily forever. Heaton, for one, would eagerly return for a Hartley High school reunion.

"Yeah!" Heaton exclaims at the idea. "It'd be hilarious."

Heartbreak High Season 3 is coming in 2025. The first two seasons are streaming on Netflix.

Roblox launches numerous new safety features

Mashable - Mon, 11/18/2024 - 07:00

The gaming platform Roblox announced a suite of new safety features aimed at protecting young users and giving parents more control over their children's accounts.

In a blog post published Monday, the company said that children under age 13 will no longer be able to directly message other Roblox users, outside of the games or experiences they play.

Roblox is also debuting a new built-in setting that restricts users younger than 13 from directly messaging other users in games and experiences, which parents can choose to change. Users under 13 will be able to share public broadcast messages in games or experiences by default.

Previously, this age group could send direct messages, both inside and outside games, and public broadcast within a game. Now, under 13 users can only do the latter. Online child safety advocates have argued that direct-messaging capabilities can make young users vulnerable to predation.

SEE ALSO: Why teens are telling strangers their secrets online

Parents and caregivers will also now have access to what Roblox describes as remote management. Instead of adjusting parental controls through their child's account, adults who manage these settings can now link their own Roblox account to their child's.

In order to link the two accounts, the adult has to verify themselves using government-issued identification or a credit card. Once verified, a parent will be able to manage their child's settings via a parental control dashboard, from their own device and account. New options in that dashboard include the ability to review and approve requests to play certain categories of games based on their content maturity label, set screen-time limits, and monitor a child's friend list.

The new parental controls dashboard lets parents review their child's screen time and friends list. Credit: Roblox

"We believe that these built-in protections are a critical part of our goal of making Roblox safe for all users, by default," Dina Lamdany, Roblox's senior product manager for user settings and parental controls, said in a briefing for reporters.

Lamdany noted that the changes were part of a years-long effort to enhance safety on Roblox.

Roblox worked with the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) and the National Association for Media Literacy Education, among other partners, on creating the new features.

In a statement provided by Roblox to the media, Stephen Balkam, CEO of FOSI, described the enhanced parental controls as a "considerable leap forward."

"By offering robust tools for non-intrusive monitoring and privacy, Roblox is providing families with the confidence they need to foster a secure and enriching online environment," Balkam said.

Concerns about child predators on Roblox

Roblox, however, has also been under fire for disturbing revelations about predation and grooming that occurred or began on the platform.

Last November, a group of families filed a class-action lawsuit against Roblox for exposing underage users to inappropriate or explicit content and allowing them to engage in inappropriate encounters. The company disputed the allegations.

This summer, extensive reporting by Bloomberg Businessweek revealed how easy it can be for predators to meet and groom minors on Roblox. While the platform's policies already prohibit sexual content, as well as romantic and flirtatious gestures, bad actors have developed strategies for coercing minors into sending them explicit child sexual abuse material. They also know how to evade moderation- and filter-based detection.

In one case, a 15-year-old girl met a popular Roblox game developer on the platform, in January 2022. The girl communicated with and received gifts from him over a period of months. In May, she left her home and was transported across state lines to meet him. The 22-year-old man, later identified as Arnold Castillo, sexually assaulted the teen multiple times before police rescued her.

In the wake of that case, Roblox implemented new safety practices and created roles related to child safety investigations and child exploitation moderation, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman told reporters in a briefing about the new safety features that they were not in response to a specific incident, and that the company regularly updates its policy and safety systems. He noted that Roblox had introduced more than 30 improvements in 2024 so far.

Parents can set the content maturity level for their child. Credit: Roblox Minors will see a restriction notice if the content maturity level exceeds their setting. Credit: Roblox

The new safety features also include content labels that describe the maturity level of each game, instead of age-based labels. But users 13 and younger will encounter age-gating for certain experiences, based on user behavior sometimes demonstrated in those games.

Additionally, users under 13 won't be able to access experiences designed primarily for socializing with users who are not on their friends list, or that allow free-form writing or drawing.

To access the platform's most mature content, such as profanity, users have to declare themselves as 17 or older and verify themselves using a government ID.

If you are a child being sexually exploited online, or you know a child who is being sexually exploited online, or you witnessed exploitation of a child occur online, you can report it to the CyberTipline, which is operated by the National Center for Missing Exploited & Children.

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