Here’s everything to know about Leon Thomas III, from his early days and creative collaborations today.
He Got His Start on Broadway as a Child
Leon began performing at a young age, showing his talent long before he became a familiar face on TV. Born on August 1, 1993, in Brooklyn, New York, he made his Broadway debut at just 10 years old as Young Simba in The Lion King.
He went on to appear in several stage productions, including Caroline, or Change and The Color Purple, earning early praise for his powerful vocals and stage presence — skills that would later define his music career.
He Rose to Fame on Nickelodeon’s Victorious
Leon became a household name after landing the role of Andre Harris on Nickelodeon’s hit series Victorious, which ran from 2010 to 2013. His character — a talented musician and loyal best friend to Tori Vega (played by Victoria Justice) — showcased Leon’s real-life musical ability, as he often performed original songs on the show. The role not only made him a fan favorite but also helped him transition naturally into a recording and producing career after the series ended.
He’s Nominated at the 2026 Grammys
Leon’s hard work in music has officially paid off. His 2024 album MUTT earned him multiple Grammy nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards, including nods for Best Progressive R&B Album and Best R&B Performance. The project has been praised for blending neo-soul, alternative, and modern R&B influences, solidifying Leon as one of the most exciting new voices in the genre.
He’s Also an Acclaimed Songwriter and Producer
Outside of his own music, Leon is a Grammy-winning producer and songwriter with credits spanning some of today’s biggest hits. As part of the production duo The Rascals, he has co-written and produced tracks for Grande, Post Malone, Kehlani, and Giveon. Most notably, he earned a Grammy Award for his work on SZA’s hit single “Snooze.”
He’s Collaborated With Artists Like Drake and SZA
Leon’s creative fingerprints are all over modern R&B and hip-hop. He collaborated with Drake on the song “Pipe Down” from the rapper’s 2021 album Certified Lover Boy and has continued working closely with SZA, contributing both vocals and production to several of her projects.
A beautiful country has been named among the friendliest in the world and is 28C in December. South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa, with a coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
The country offers both domestic and international tourists a wide variety of options, among others the picturesque natural landscape and game reserves, diverse cultural heritage and highly regarded wines. South Africa has also been named the friendliest country in the world, according to a survey from American-based payments group Remitly.
The country scored 34.63, beating Greece, Croatia, and Mexico to the top spot. The survey had 3,000 participants from around the globe and higher scores showed that people were friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others. It is also the perfect spot for a winter getaway. In the country’s summer (November to February), there is an average daily maximum temperature of 28C, and an average low of 16C.
February is the hottest month of the year as well as the least humid and one of the driest months, with up to 10 hours of sunshine a day. For most of the country, rain falls mainly in the summer months with brief afternoon thunderstorms. The exception is the Western Cape and its capital city Cape Town, where the climate is Mediterranean.
South Africa is a dream for wildlife fans. Among the large mammals found in the northern bushveld (including Kruger National Park and Sabi Sand Game Reserve) are lions, leopards, cheetahs, white rhinoceroses, blue wildebeest, kudus, impalas, hyenas, hippopotamuses, and giraffes.
It is also great for history lovers, with some of the oldest archaeological and human fossil sites in the world. Archaeologists have recovered extensive fossil remains from a series of caves in Gauteng Province, branded “the Cradle of Humankind”, which have become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Cape Town is the capital city, known for its round harbour and landmarks. The city has six main attractions: Table Mountain, Cape Point, Groot Constantia vineyard, Robben Island, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and the Victoria and Albert Waterfront.
Table Mountain, the most popular sight, sits in a national park overlooking the city with visitors hiking to the top or taking the cableway. Cape Point sits on the edge of the national park, home to wildlife such as penguins, baboons, seals and birds.
But the city isn’t all wildlife and hikes, there are also lots of streets to explore with independent shops, award-winning restaurants and a number of museums and galleries.
South African cuisine is diverse and reflects the country’s multicultural heritage, incorporating influences from indigenous African, Dutch, British, Indian, and Cape Malay culinary traditions.
Traditional dishes include bobotie, a curried minced meat dish with an egg-based topping; bunny chow, a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry, originating in Durban; and potjiekos, a slow-cooked stew prepared in a cast-iron pot over open flame.
Street foods such as vetkoek, gatsby sandwiches, samoosas, and biltong (air-dried cured meat) are widely consumed. Popular desserts include milk tart and koeksisters.
Those wishing to visit can take the direct 11-hour flight from London to Cape Town. There are indirect flights from Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. There are countless accommodation options on offer across the country, with hotels, Airbnbs, hostels, holiday lets and more available to stay in.
Three years after the reinvigorating franchise entry Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg is back with Predator: Badlands. The standalone film opened in theaters on November 7, 2025, introducing new characters played by Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. With new characters and a fresh story, it’s only fitting that Badlands alters its setting from Prey, which took place in the Great Plains in the 1700s.
With Predator: Badlands set on a distant alien planet in the future, fans can expect an entirely new environment and a distinct sense of world-building. Yet, once viewers spot a particular sequence involving a recognizable mountain range, fans of the multi-billion-dollar, Oscar-winning franchise The Lord of the Rings are sure to feel a sense of déjà vu. With that in mind, let’s take a look at where Predator: Badlands was filmed.
Where Was ‘Predator: Badlands’ Filmed?
20th Century Studios
Under its working title of Backpack, principal photography on Predator: Badlands commenced in August 2024 and wrapped in October. Although Trachtenberg brought back Prey‘s cinematographer, Jeff Cutter, the filming location was very different from the 2022 film. Prey was filmed mainly on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation land in Alberta, Canada. With the indigenous storyline involving Naru (breakout star Amber Midthunder), filming in the area made logical narrative and thematic sense.
For Predator: Badlands, it was imperative that Trachtenberg and his crew find an otherworldly location that could mirror the distant alien planet on which the story takes place. To do so, the production settled on remote areas in New Zealand to film the vast outdoor landscapes. In addition to replicating New Zealand on studio sound stages, the cast and crew filmed on location in Auckland and Rotorua.
Auckland is one of the most modern and densely populated cities in New Zealand, known for its breathtaking architectural marvels and access to the sea and the mountains. Some scenes in Predator: Badlands were filmed on a sound stage in Auckland, including the wreckage of a Predator Yautja spaceship and a Weyland-Yutani research base. Outside of Auckland, the majority of the movie was filmed in New Zealand’s verdant wild, including the all-too-familiar-looking Rotorua.
Situated on the Bay of Plenty on New Zealand’s North Island, Rotorua is a picturesque city next to Rotorua Lake, known for its “unique geothermal activity” and its gorgeous Pink and White Terraces. According to Letterboxd, Trachtenberg was keen on filming in Rotorua because the geothermal and otherworldly forest atmosphere looks and feels so different from the jungle setting Predator is known for. With its rolling hills and volcanic activity, Rotorua is also much different from the American Great Plains, which set the stage for Prey.
‘Predator: Badlands’ Shares a Filming Location With ‘The Lord of the Rings’
20th Century Studios
Predator: Badlands was filmed in the same general areas as Peter Jackson’s landmark Lord of the Rings franchise. The epic Lord of the Rings franchise, adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s celebrated novels, grossed over $6 billion worldwide and won 17 Academy Awards, including a record-tying 11 for the final entry, The Return of the King.
Both Predator: Badlands and The Lord of the Rings trilogy were filmed near the Bay of Plenty outside Rotorua. Most significantly, Tongariro National Park was used in The Lord of the Rings to set scenes at Mount Doom, Black Gate, and Gollum’s Forbidden Pool. Elsewhere, the areas surrounding Hobbiton were filmed at Okahune, not far from Rotorua. With the region’s distinctly mountainous topography, those watching Predator: Badlands on the big screen are sure to recognize the Lord of the Rings‘ landscapes.
Indeed, there’s one noticeable moment in Badlands when Thia and Dek run across a mountain to evade a clan of Predators. As if ripped right from a Lord of the Rings background, the sequence looks and feels like it was filmed in the same mountain range as Peter Jackson’s beloved adaptation. Even those unfamiliar with The Lord of the Rings’ mythical lore are sure to recognize the sprawling green mountainside and water below. It’s as if Thia and Dek took a side quest to The Shire really quickly before heading back home. Speaking about the decision to film in New Zealand, Trachtenberg told Letterboxd:
“I’ve always wanted to have a reason to come shoot something here. This has been a great reason to, just because the landscape here, I think, is… We are very accustomed to seeing it in a fantasy setting, and I wanted this to not feel as sci-fi as we usually see. We’ve seen a lot of Predator in the jungle.
There’s a more unique forestry landscape here that is this weird combination of bits of jungly things, but also forest and woodland, and redwoods exist here. It’s all just super-breathtaking. A huge drive for me is for it to feel like we’re in nature, in the wilds, and peppering that with alien elements as opposed to being all on a stage and it being entirely fabricated.”
If push came to shove for territorial dominance, the real question becomes: who would win in a fight between the Predator and Sauron? Leaving that up to debate for another time, fans can see a new and familiar setting with Predator: Badlands.
‘Predator: Badlands’ Is Now in Theaters
20th Century Studios
Written by Patrick Aison and Brian Duffield, Predator: Badlands is the ninth installment in the long-running sci-fi/horror franchise. Following his admirable work on the prequel, Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg has returned to helm Predator: Badlands. Fusing elements from the Alien/Predator crossover series, Badlands tracks Thia (Elle Fanning), a synthetic being created by the Weyland-Yutani corporation.
Upon landing on a remote extraterrestrial planet, Thia meets and forms an unlikely bond with Dek (Schuster-Koloamatangi), an adolescent Predator ostracized from his herd for being a runt. In a dual role, Schuster-Koloamatangi also portrays Dek’s father, Njohrr, a vicious Apex Predator who wants to see his son die.
As Njohrr sends his clan of predators to hunt and kill Dek, the young Predator turns to his older brother, Kwei (Mike Homik), to survive and learn how to hunt. Meanwhile, as seen with the fully AI synthetics in Alien: Earth, Thia uses her artificial intelligence to help Dek and Kewi fend off the attack and stay alive. Predator: Badlands is now playing in theaters.
Release Date
November 5, 2025
Runtime
107 minutes
Producers
Brent O’Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt
The Hulk is one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, but there are multiple versions of the character in Marvel Comics that haven’t yet been seen onscreen. Some even possess more power than others, with The Immortal Hulk arguably ranking among the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel Universe. Since his original debut in 1962’s The Incredible Hulk #1, these are the variants proving to be the strongest version of Hulk in history.
15
Gray Hulk (The Original)
Incredible Hulk #1 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman, Artie Simek
Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby during their historic creative run early in the Marvel Universe, the first Hulk possessed superhuman strength but wasn’t very fast or agile. He also lost all of the brainpower of Bruce Banner when he transformed, rendering him a mindless brute easily manipulated by villains like Loki.
The dichotomy between the intellect of Banner and the brawn of the Hulk dominated the evolution of the character going forward, and much more stronger Hulk forms integrated both brains and brawn.
14
Ultimate Hulk (Ultimate Universe)
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #2 by Brian Michael Bendis, Phil Hester, Ande Parks, Wes Abbott
The Ultimate Hulk ripped the adamantium-laced Wolverine in half, easily cementing his status among the most powerful Hulks in the comics. Despite this, the Earth-1610 Hulk tops out in power and ability well below his Earth-616 counterpart. He lost major battles to Hercules and Thor, two characters the main Marvel Universe Hulk fought to a standstill.
Incredible Hulk #1 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman, Artie Simek
Hulk fights Bi-Beast atop Sky City in Marvel Comics
The Hulk’s color changed in the second issue of the series in 1962 because the colorist, Stan Goldberg, had trouble realizing the gray color given the limitations of the era. Still, differences exist between the gray and green versions. The Incredible Hulk generally packs more punch than his gray predecessor, and is also much more agile and can jump enormous distances.
The green Hulk proved his incalculable strength early on when he fought Hercules to a stalemate. Comic book fans know Hercules possesses god-like strength, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Hulk in their first encounter in Tales To Astonish #79.
12
Infernal Hulk
Deadpool Annual #1 by John Layman, Juan Doe, Fabio D’Auria, and Clayton Cowles
A lot of people consider the Hulk a monster, but the Hulk of Earth-11638 was an actual demon. After Bruce Banner became the Sorcerer Supreme, he used his incredible magic to tear the Hulk personality from his mind and banished Hulk to Hell. Unfortunately, Hulk only grew stronger in the fires of Hell and transformed into a demon. Hulk wanted nothing more than revenge on Bruce Banner for casting him out, and after years of being banished to Hell, he was eventually able to break out and return to Earth as the Infernal Hulk.
Infernal Hulk was massively powerful and went on a rampage as he tried to locate Bruce Banner. Eventually, Infernal Hulk was stopped by trapping him inside another version of Bruce Banner and then snapping that Banner’s neck before Infernal Hulk could take over again.
11
Hulk 2099 (The Future Hulk)
2099 Unlimited #1 by Evan Skolnick, Chris Wozniak, Chris Ivy, Marie Severin, and Steve Dutro
Hulk 2099 possesses the general strength, stamina, and endurance of the regular Hulk, with additional physical attributes like razor-sharp claws capable of slashing through solid steel and a long tongue. He also retained his intelligence and could transform back and forth at will from the Hulk to his human alter-ego John Eisenhart.
Hulk 2099 in some ways shared more in common with She-Hulk than his 21st-century namesake, being an attorney practicing law in a dark, dystopian future.
10
She-Hulk (The Cousin)
Savage She-Hulk #1 by Stan Lee, John Buscema, Chic Stone, and Joe Rosen
Marvel Comics’ She-Hulk flexing her biceps.
Jennifer Walters received a blood transfusion from Bruce Banner, giving her most of his powers. Unlike him, she retains her intellect in the Hulk form and her super strength in human form, giving her a slight advantage in terms of power potential. Since her power stems from how angry she gets, like him, the limits to her strength and endurance remain largely unknown.
The Hulk at times proved he was stronger than She-Hulk, especially during World War Hulk, but both have since leveled up considerably, leaving the question open for debate in the comics and the Disney+ She-Hulk: Attorney At Law series.
9
Spider-Hulk (The Hybrid Heavyweight)
Web of Spider-Man #70 by Gerry Conway, David Michelinie, Alex Saviuk, Keith Williams, Bob Sharen, and Rick Parker
Spider-Man Hulk Comic Cover
Several Spider-Hulks exist within the Marvel multiverse in the comics, but they all share a powerful quality. Spider-Hulk combines Hulk’s unimaginable strength with Spider-Man’s superlative reflexes and agility. Armed with Spider-Sense, this Hulk anticipates threats before they occur, making him even more powerful than before.
A Spider-Hulk likely appears in the MCU as The Multiverse Saga progresses, and could draw from any version, including the original who first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #70 back in the 1990s.
8
Weapon H (The Hulkverine)
Totally Awesome Hulk #21 by Greg Pak, Robert Gill, Nolan Woodard, and Cory Petit
Weapon H is not just one of the most dangerous Hulk variants, he’s one of the most dangerous characters in the Marvel Universe. Born from a program designed to create the ultimate mutant killer, Weapon H is the perfect fusion of the Hulk and Wolverine. Naturally, by fusing two of the most dangerous characters in Marvel, the result was a being with unmatched pure destructive power.
Weapon H has the absurd strength and durability of the Hulk, which is also magnified by Wolverine’s healing factor and adamantium claws. But his powers don’t stop there. Weapon H also can shapeshift between different Hulk forms, such as Red Hulk and even the Leader. This allows Weapon H to grow wings or even gain psionic abilities for a short time. This makes him the most versatile Hulk on this list.
7
Kluh (The Reverse Hulk)
Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #4 by Rick Remender, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Edgar Delgado, and Chris Eliopoulos
The Gray Hulk emerged again in the form of Kluh, a supremely powerful version of the character that the Hulk had long repressed in his psyche. All anger and raw power, Kluh defeated one of the strongest Avengers rosters ever during the AXIS comic book event back in 2014.
Kluh could also regenerate – something that would become key in later versions – and use telekinesis. He proved immune to telepathic attacks and like some other Hulks in the comics, perceives astral forms. This allows him to see figures in Doctor Strange even when no one else can.
6
Green Scar (The Planet Hulk Gladiator)
The Incredible Hulk #92 by Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan, Jeffrey Huet, Chris Sotomayor, and Randy Gentile
Bruce Banner’s Green Scar persona hunched over in The Immortal Hulk.
Hulk used the alias Green Scar while he was living and fighting as a gladiator on the planet Sakaar. He became one of the strongest Hulks during his time on the alien world, where his strength and power increased along with his fighting prowess in the arena.
Green Scar eventually fought his way to the throne of Sakaar, defeating many powerful alien beings along the way. He emerged in the iconic Planet Hulk storyline, which later inspired aspects of Thor: Ragnarok.
Ever since the ascent of BTS, the Grammys have been K-pop-curious, but not typically in its marquee categories. This year marks a notable change — several acts with roots in K-pop have major-category nominations, which suggests the Academy has embraced the genre as a staple part of pop music.
First off, while the success of “KPop Demon Hunters” and its flagship soundtrack single, “Golden,” might need a qualifier for being a piece of film music for a fictional band, the tune’s nomination for song is a milestone. It caps a huge year for the animated ladies of Huntr/x — they also scored nods in pop duo/group performance, remixed recording and song written for visual media. Whatever comes next for the human artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami and “Golden” co-songwriter Mark Sonnenblick, it’s part of a big moment for K-pop in the Grammys’ top categories.
They’re far from alone there, though. Rosé of Blackpink had a monster hit with Bruno Mars on “Apt.,” which scored even more Top 4 nods in record and song and pop duo/group performance. The snazzy Motown rocker was one of the year’s undeniable singles, hitting No. 3 on the Hot 100.
These nods showed just how far the Blackpink members’ solo careers can reach into the broader music and entertainment industries — including TV, major festivals, the Hot 100 and now the Grammys elite categories.
A K-pop act finally got a new artist nod as well, with the polyglot girl group Katseye landing alongside Addison Rae, Lola Young and Sombr. The band was conceived as a global twist on what constitutes as K-pop, given the members’ varied backgrounds (they hail from the United States, the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland, and trained under BTS’ parent label, Hybe, in the United States).
“Beautiful Chaos” hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and the group’s “Gabriela” also got a nomination for pop duo/group performance, so the experiment clearly resonated with Academy voters on its own terms.
While Grammy voters have often looked upon K-pop as a fandom phenomenon more than a musical one, this year’s class suggests the genre has been taken on its own terms like any piece of pop, which can only bode well for its future at the Academy.
Jelly Roll has been forced to cancel the final date of his debut Australia and New Zealand tour, citing illness, just hours before the headline show was set to kick off.
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The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist announced via Instagram on Friday (Nov. 8) that he would not be performing at The Outer Fields at Western Springs in Auckland, New Zealand, as originally scheduled for tonight.
“Dear Auckland, I’ve done everything I can,” he wrote on Instagram. “I just can’t shake it. It breaks my heart, I’ve probably missed three shows in the last decade. I pride myself on showing up no matter what. Just couldn’t do it this time. Please forgive me.”
Fans reported that they didn’t discover news of the cancellation until arriving at the venue. The late notice left many frustrated and disappointed, particularly as some had travelled long distances to attend Jelly Roll’s first-ever New Zealand performance.
The cancelled concert was set to wrap Jelly Roll’s tour across Australia and New Zealand, which marked the country-rock star’s first-ever visit to the region. The run included back-to-back shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena (Oct. 28–29), a sold-out night at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena (Nov. 4), and an Adelaide show at AEC Theatre (Oct. 26). He also headlined the inaugural Strummingbird Festival on the Sunshine Coast (Oct. 25), followed by dates in Newcastle (Nov. 1) and Perth (Nov. 2).
In 2023, his album Whitsitt Chapel peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and in 2024, his follow-up Beautifully Broken debuted at No. 1 — marking his first chart-topping release on the all-genre tally. He has also earned eight consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, including fan favourites like “Heart of Stone,” “I Am Not Okay,” and “Liar,” the latter of which held the top spot for six weeks.
Live Nation have issued a statement on the show’s cancellation, saying: “We regret to announce the Jelly Roll Down Under 2025 Tour tonight at The Outer Fields at Western Springs in Auckland will no longer go ahead due to illness.
“All ticket holders will receive an automatic full refund. For any further refund enquiries please contact your point of purchase. We thank the fans for their understanding, and we look forward to welcoming Jelly Roll in future.”
Season 16 of Gold Rush begins with Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets, and Rick Ness returning to the Yukon, each aiming for ambitious gold totals amid record-high gold prices.
Parker faces early equipment and staffing challenges but secures a strong first weigh-in, while Tony’s crew narrowly avoids disaster with a truck accident and achieves a lucrative early gold haul.
Rick Ness struggles with permit issues at Duncan Creek, considers alternative sites, and ultimately decides to pursue mining at Lightning Creek after advice from Parker and Tony.
[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Gold Rush Season 16.]
Our favorite miners are back in the Yukon for Season 16 of Gold Rush on Discovery Channel. With the price of gold continuing to surge to upwards of $3,500 an ounce, Parker Schnabel, Rick Ness, and Tony Beets look to cash in a big way. The two-hour season premiere on Friday, November 7 kicked off with a quick interaction between Tony and Parker.
The latter eyed an aggressive 10,000 ounces this year and years to come. Tony was looking to build on momentum from last season. “I’m glad you’re doing well,” Parker said. Tony said the same to him. Parker replied, “Hopefully, the wars are behind us.” We’ll see if things will stay cordial between the prodigy and the “King of the Klondike.”
Parker Schnabel
The 31-year-old sunk a ton of money into his monstrous Dominion Creek claim. He counted on four wash plants to deliver better results than last year, which brought some disappointment. Parker sat down with his two foreman Mitch Blaschke and Tyson Lee before the work got underway. The mine boss didn’t sugarcoat things by warning them, “It’s going to be a stressful year for you two.” Mitch was assigned to finish up at Sulphur Creek over the 10 weeks Parker had a water license for it. Tyson had the pressure of running Dominion. A strong finish could mean Parker and his crew bring in $35 million.
Before Tyson could hit any paydirt at Dominion, the crew had to deal with the water that flooded the cut over the winter. Pay was buried with three feet of solid ice. Parker wanted to get wash plant Bob sluicing over the week. Adding more issues, the feed chain system on the prewash conveyer was down. Mechanics worked feverishly to repair it, which gave them three days to sluice.
Brennan Ruault/Discovery Channel
Mitch felt under the gun alone on the job at Sulphur. The good news is it wasn’t for long as in an unexpected turn of events Parker poached Brennan Ruault from Kevin Beets in a shocking move. Brennan had previously walked out on Parker after disagreements and reappeared working for Tony Beets’ son. Now after five years, he came back to Parker’s operation after breaking the news to a stunned Kevin and his partner Faith Teng. “Christmas came early,” said Mitch, as he reflected on the shocking switch.
There was some disagreement between Mitch and Parker. Mitch wanted to focus on the ditch to dig to get rid of water, which went against Parker who wanted immediate panning. Parker laid down the law, “you have two options: find some virgin ground or else you can leave.” They finally drained the cut and exposed what could be their first hidden pay pocket. Parker panned and found encouraging gold. The Parker crew get together to meet up for their first weigh. Tyson’s result at the Bridge Cut ultimately brought in 125.80 ounces worth more than $440,000. A nice start, but Parker grounded the team, “we have long ways to go.”
Tony Beets
Tony Beets/Discovery Channel
Tony and family had already started sluicing two weeks into the season. He hoped for a quick score at the Early Bird Cut. There was already a weigh-in with 417.56 ounces from Indian River worth $1.5 million. Tony aimed for 6,500 ounces worth $22 million this season. His son Mike was directed to run Paradise Hill while Monica oversaw the gold room cleaning what would be coming in. Mike had the deadline to hit pay dirt by the end of the week. This was a proving opportunity. Mike worked to strip more ground and extend the cut. He had six new trucks to use. One of those $750,000 pieces of equipment flipped over with the driver Graham stuck inside. The truck hung on the edge of what could have been a 200-foot drop. The crew broke the top of the window so Graham could get outside. A dozer got the truck upright with the excavator used to keep it from falling off the cliff. Tony decided not to fire the crew member, but Mike was now down a truck. They do hit pay at Paradise Hill and could get sluicing.
Kevin Beets
Kevin Beets/Discovery Channel
At Scribner Creek, Kevin has started round 2 in his journey as a mine boss. He had a nice start sluicing early as well. Kevin poured his life savings into jumpstarting this operation last year. He hoped to double his return this time around with a goal of 2,000 ounces. Kevin and Faith were floored, losing Brennan. “I think we should go poaching too,” Kevin said. Despite the setback, he moved forward and depended more on others of his team. Kevin’s parents paid a visit as they were leasing the ground with a 10 percent cut. They weighed from one week of pay and came up at 57.04 ounces worth $200,000. It added up to being $60,000 more than the same amount was worth last year. Now it was about hiring another foreman.
Rick Ness
Rick Ness/Discovery Channel
The underdog sat on a pile of gold at his Duncan Creek claim worth more than a million dollars. That’s because he still didn’t have a water license. He can’t mine there until that goes through. Rick explored the idea of venturing to a different piece of land while things get worked out. He headed to Lightning Creek to prospect if there was gold to mine. The claim was owned by his old landlord Troy Taylor. It was the man who sold him the Duncan Creek claim. Troy felt bad about the water license and hoped offering this opportunity would be a makegood.
Rick questioned if he could trust him. Rick ran a spot check to see if the juice was worth the squeeze. He and the team weighed the small sample and wished to get a gram on the two-yard run. It came in at .525, just half of what Rick was hoping for. Rick doesn’t think it’s worth it. “We’re screwed,” he declared.
Rick joined Parker and Tony in Dawson City where a local union has been working with miners without a no water license. Rick thought it was a waste of time. Rick, Tony, and Parker met for a drink and to reminisce. Parker and Tony thought he should reconsider the Lightning Cut. Based on their insight, Rick decided to make a run at Lightning Creek after all.
One thing this blog made clear, he noted, “is that agentic buying should be seen as a broad process and not just about executing the transaction; there is discovery, selection, comparison, negotiation, and so forth, and we are already seeing AI and agents being used in the process.”
However, he observed, “I think we have seen more effort from agents on the sell side of the process. For instance, Amazon can help someone discover products with its AI. Salesforce discussed how its Agentforce Sales now enables agents to help customers learn more about an offering. If [they] click on a promotion and begin to ask questions, the agent can them help them through a decision-making process.”
Caution urged
On the buy side, he said, “we are not at the agent stage quite yet, but I am very sure that AI and chatbots are playing a role in commerce already. For instance, I am sure that procurement teams out there are already using chat tools to help winnow down vendors before issuing RFIs or RFPs. And probably using that same tool to write the RFP. On the consumer side, it is very much the same, as comparison shopping is a use case highlighted by agentic browsers like Comet.”
IKEA has officially announced its range of Matter-compatible smart home products. The Swedish furniture store is releasing 21 new items under the tentpoles of lighting, sensors and control. IKEA teased these releases back in July.
Part of the roll out will include updates to existing categories in order to work with Matter, an open source smart home standard. “We’re upgrading our most-appreciated products while also adding new ones to solve even more everyday challenges,” Stjepan Begic, product developer at IKEA. “Our focus has been on keeping things simple from setup to daily use, so it’s easy for people to start, use and grow a smart home.”
As for the products themselves, 11 come as part of the KAJPLATS smart bulb range. They will have a mix of shapes and sizes, along with dimming functionality. Then there’s the five smart sensors., starting with an indoor and outdoor motion sensor called MYGGSPRAY, which automatically turns on lights. Similarly, there’s MYGGBETT, which sends a notification when a door or window gets opened or closed.
On the more technical safety side are sensors like TIMMERFLOTTE, which monitors temerature and humidity. Then there’s ALPSTUGA, an air quality sensor and KLIPPBOK, a water leakage sensor.
Finishing the lineup is a range of remote controls and one smart plug, GRILLPLATS, which works with regular lamps and appliances to turn them on and off, along with tracking energy use. Then there’s the four BILRESA products, starting with a dual button remote control that can turn lights on and off, adjust the brightness, and create a preset scene. Meanwhile, the remote control with a scroll wheel does similar functions, along with dimming. Two kits of three controls each are available for each type.
IKEA doesn’t include exact pricing or release dates, noting that it might vary market to market. In its July teaser, the company said these products would be available come January next year.
The new products will further bolster IKEA’s smart home lineup, which often alternates between hot and cold. For instance, the company’s DIRIGERA smart hub debuted as far back as 2022, but the Swedish furnishing giant and Sonos dissolved their partnership earlier this year, despite the fact that many users (including us) found them to be an affordable alternative to more pricey Sonos-branded options.
Update Nov. 7 2025, 3:56PM ET: Added more context, including links to coverage of IKEA’s earlier forays into the smart home market.
If you have watched or listened to any mainstream media during the government shutdown, you have heard Democrats get asked why they won’t open the government.
The Democrat then has to give the mainstream journalist a basic math lesson that explains that since Republicans are in charge of the House, Senate, and White House, it is their responsibility to find a solution to the government shutdown.
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Trump has spent days trying to convince Senate Republicans to blow up the filibuster, so that they can fund the government without Democratic votes. Senate Republicans have refused.
After what was at least the 15th failed vote in the Senate to reopen the government based on Speaker Mike Johnson’s clean CR, Senate Democrats did something shrewd.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on the floor:
After so many failed votes, it’s clear we need to try something different. What the Senate is doing isn’t working for either party and isn’t working for the American people.
Democrats have said we must address the healthcare crisis. But Republicans have repeatedly said they won’t negotiate to lower healthcare costs until the government reopens. So, let’s find a path to honor both positions.
Democrats would like to see an end to this shutdown and we want to respect Leader Thune’s desire not to negotiate on ACA until after the government reopens. Therefore, we’d like to offer a simple proposal that would reopen the government and extend the ACA premium tax credits simultaneously, and then have the opportunity to start negotiating longer term solutions to healthcare costs. Let’s do all three.
Keep reading below to see what Democrats offered and how Senate Republicans responded.
