Four Reasons Why Homeland's Carrie Mathison is One of Our Favorite TV Leads

Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland. (© 2018 Showtime Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved)

Since its premiere in 2011, the American thriller Homeland has gone on winning both the hearts of viewers and accolades from the entertainment industry. The first season was met with near universal acclaim and was named the best show of 2011 by TV Guide. 

To date, Homeland (which is available on FOX+) has won Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, and Writing Emmy awards across the span of its run.

The show centers on CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and U.S Marine Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis). 

The premise of the first season focused on agent Mathison's obsession with Brody's potential "threat" to the US after he had come home from being captured by Al-Qaeda.The series then evolves from this main storyline as new seasons came in.

Fans and critics have praised the show's exhilarating plot and gripping writing, but many have also credited the series' success to Claire Danes' performance as Carrie Mathison. 

Here are a few reasons why this agent is one of our favorite TV leads:

1.  She follows her instincts and gets things done

Part of why Carrie Mathison does so well as an agent is because even though constantly being doubted by her colleagues and peers, she takes the initiative to do things on her own. 

In the first season, she trusted her gut and conducted her own investigations, which led her team to helpful answers.

2.  She goes to great lengths to help those she loves

Without revealing too many spoilers, one of Carrie Mathison's most defining traits is what she will do to help out a colleague or someone she cares for -- whether it's protecting them, helping prove their innocence, or saving them from terrorists.

3.  She is flawed and deals with her own demons

Many viewers enjoy Carrie Mathison as a character because of how real, raw, and human she is. A lot of this can be chalked up to how often she makes mistakes on the show, how her flaws are often flaunted, and how she deals with it -- even makes the best of it -- anyway. 

From a dark family past to her constant struggle with her bipolar disorder to choices she's made that cost the lives of others, there is a lot of humanity and pain in her.

4.  She always puts the mission first

Despite all the setbacks and character flaws that Carrie is burdened with, one big reason why she is so riveting to watch and why audiences feel invested in her is because she has a true sense of determination and purpose. 

Throughout the series, her convictions are always being tested but the fire in her to do what is right and complete her missions always bring her through.

SOURCE: FOX+

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Hyundai Preps for the All-New Veloster's Appearance in Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp with a Fully Integrated Marketing Plan

The all-new Hyundai Veloster will be making its Hollywood debut in Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp and Hyundai is suiting up to give fans an action-packed experience...

The all-new Hyundai Veloster will be making its Hollywood debut in Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp and Hyundai is suiting up to give fans an action-packed experience. Leading up to the July 6 release, Hyundai is tapping into Ant-Man's superpowers with a fully integrated marketing plan that includes new commercials, an interactive sweepstakes and much more.

"Having our all-new Veloster immersed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a great way to entertain consumers and showcase the vehicle's stylish design and performance capabilities to a massive audience," said Dean Evans, CMO, Hyundai Motor America. "We wanted to take full advantage of this collaboration by engaging fans and providing them with experiences beyond the big screen."

"There's so much fun to be had with this film, which is why we're elated about the approach that Hyundai has taken with their campaign," said Mindy Hamilton, Marvel's SVP of Global Partnerships & Marketing. "The humor is there, the heart is there, and the creativity is firing on all cylinders because they're experimenting with the same sizing and scale gags that our heroes encounter all throughout the movie."

Hyundai's Ant-Man and The Wasp Broadcast Creative: 
Starting on June 11, Hyundai will air the new Ant-Man and The Wasp-inspired ad "Stoplight Standoff" on U.S. broadcasts. 

"Two police officers and a Veloster driver exchange in a very awkward standoff at a stoplight, as they each think the other is suggesting a race. Little do they know, a tiny Veloster based on the vehicle featured in the movie is the cause of confusion and is burning rubber between their cars, showcasing the car's cool and aggressive look." 

Still from the Ant-Man and The Wasp-inspired ad "Stoplight Standoff"

The new spot was shown for the first time globally at Hyundai's display at the Busan Motor Show in South Korea on June 7.

"We're huge Marvel fans, so we immediately recognized that our goal was to integrate Hyundai in a way that felt organic and paid homage to the comedy inherent in the films," said Joe Reynoso, associate creative director and Alvaro Soto, senior copywriter, both from Hyundai's agency of record, INNOCEAN USA, who helped develop the integrated Ant-Man campaign.

World Premiere: 
During the world premiere of Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp, the Veloster from the film will be dressed as a packaged toy car that has been enlarged and displayed at the red-carpet event. 

Hyundai will also be sponsoring the premiere livestream that runs on Marvel's digital platforms. During the livestream, two segments will be dedicated to Hyundai and hosted by Marvel's on-air personalities as they explore more of the backstory behind Hyundai's placement in the movie as well as fan reaction to what's happening on the carpet.

Still from the Ant-Man and The Wasp-inspired ad "Stoplight Standoff"

Sweepstakes and Exclusive Screening: 

Marvel fans will have a chance at an early screening, as Hyundai will be placing around Los Angeles tiny toy versions of the Veloster, which will serve as movie passes to an exclusive showing. 

Hyundai will drop clues on its Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat channels about the mini-car locations. Participants will also be encouraged to post about the scavenger hunt on their social channels, using #HyundaiVeloster. 

⏩ The scavenger hunt will take place in late June.

The screening event will give attendees a special experience with Hyundai and Marvel, and a shareable night out at the movies. The event will have fun photo ops, gift bag giveaways, custom artwork posters and a Hyundai Veloster display. Roughly 500 people will be able to attend the exclusive screening, which takes place on July 3 in Los Angeles, three days before the theatrical release. Seating at the event will be first-come, first-served for those that find a car. Advantage is helping manage the experiential screening event for Hyundai.

Hyundai will also implement the movie car into the trim section area on HyundaiUSA.com's Veloster landing page where guests can enter to win tickets to see Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp. Additionally, weekly mini-ads highlighting the Hyundai Veloster will be placed within Marvel comic books from June 20 to July 25. Multiple versions of this creative will subtly appear at the bottoms of various other advertisements that are promoting the biggest upcoming Marvel Comics releases.

Finally, select Hyundai hand-raisers and owners will receive mail with custom artwork from Marvel artists of the Veloster that gives recipients exclusive early access to a behind-the-scenes featurette. The artwork will also be sent to all Hyundai dealerships to leverage in their showrooms.

"Ant-Man and The Wasp" - Imax poster 

About Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp:

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Ant-Man and The Wasp, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he's confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pymwith an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.

Ant-Man and The Wasp is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip "T.I." Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas.

Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard are producing with Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Charles Newirth and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Chris McKenna& Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari wrote the screenplay. Ant-Man and The Wasp hits U.S. theaters on July 6, 2018.

SOURCE: Hyundai Motor America

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"Ant-Man and The Wasp" - Trailer:

A Guide To Different Zombies in Pop Culture

A Walking Dead walker. (c) 2017 AMC Film Holdings LLC. All Rights Reserved.

A Walking Dead walker. (c) 2017 AMC Film Holdings LLC. All Rights Reserved.

For the past decade, the world has been entranced with the idea of zombies. From books to video games to TV, fans everywhere can't get enough.

The origins of the word 'zombie', according to the English Oxford Dictionary, come from West Africa. It's compared to the words 'zumbi', meaning 'fetish', and 'nzambi', meaning 'god'. The first recorded modern use of the word was by the poet Robert Southey in 1819, where he used it as 'zombi'.

It took a few decades for zombies to become mainstream -- the first known introduction of the zombie to popular media being the 1932 movie, White Zombie,which was inspired by Haitian myth involving voodoo. Since then, the living dead have come a long way, with it becoming difficult to keep up with all the zombie-related media cropping up. Of course, there are fan favorite standouts such as the Resident Evil franchise, Night of the Living Dead, and The Walking Dead series.

With all the love that zombies have been getting in pop culture, we've seen more and more kinds of them crop up. 

Zombies! (image via LoupDargent.info)

⏩ Here's a basic guide to the different kind of zombies you may encounter in popular media:

1. Voodoo Zombies

These zombies are the earliest known versions of the modern horror staple. These are essentially bodies that have been reanimated by some sort of spell or voodoo by either priests or necromancers. Unlike the modern zombie, they didn't eat human flesh but were used to do the bidding of their masters or as an incredibly frightening army. 

Voodoo zombies can be seen in relatively early films like White Zombie or I Walked with a Zombie.

2. The Romero Zombie AKA the "Walkers"

The father of probably the most classic and popular zombie concept is writer-director George Romero, who created the idea of the slow moving, groaning, flesh-eating monsters we all know and love. 

His 1968 film Night of the Living Dead and 1978 film Dawn of the Dead propelled zombies into mainstream media.  Since then, his concept of the zombie has been a template for future zombie-creators to follow, be inspired by, and deviate from -- the following zombies on this list not being too far from his original ideas. 

Today, the most popular home of the slow zombie is in the hit TV show, The Walking Dead.

3. The Runners

If Romero zombies are slow moving shufflers, runners (as the name implies) are zombies who will sprint to attack their victims. These make them incredibly more threatening and terrifying. Another slight difference from the slow zombies is that while slow zombies usually work and attack in hordes, it's no uncommon for runners to break away from the pack in order to attack. 

Runners can be seen in World War Z, Dawn of the Dead, and the video game Left 4 Dead.

4. The Crawlers

While this could be considered a sub-type of zombie, it's worth noting simply because not all zombies can turn into crawlers. Crawlers are essentially zombies that have lost their lower appendages and will instead crawl with their arms towards their victims, innards spilling galore. They're usually depicted as low-profile but also incredibly important to keep an eye on. 

One of the most iconic portrayals of a crawler is in the premiere of The Walking Dead.

5. Zombies with Special Skills

Writers in recent years have gotten creative with the idea of the zombie, which resulted in giving them horrifying yet entertaining power-ups. 

While the variations are almost endless, the more common ones we see are screaming zombies (allowing them to attract their co-corpses), puking zombies (whose vomit can hurt and or infect), bursting zombies (who at one touch, could burst and infect), and armored or tank zombies (who have super strength and are impervious to regular attacks).

‘Lucille’, the baseball bat of the Walking Dead villain Negan (Image via LoupDargent.info)

This list covers the only the basics of zombie categories, so there is a whole world of variations and permutations to be seen out there. These include infection type, intellect levels, and origin. But no matter what variant the zombie may be, one thing is for sure: zombies are a staple in some of the world's most beloved media. 

⏩ You can now get your fill of zombies with The Walking Dead on FOX+.

SOURCE: FOX+

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Rules-based Trade Made The World Rich. Trump's Policies May Make It Poorer

Trump against the world? (Jesco Denzel/German Federal Government via AP)

Nations sell goods and services to each other because this exchange is generally mutually beneficial.

It’s easy to understand that Iceland should not be growing its own oranges, given its climate. Instead, Iceland should buy oranges from Spain, which can grow them more cheaply, and sell Spaniards fish, which are abundant in its waters.

That’s why the explosion in free trade since the first bilateral deal was penned between Britain and France in the mid-1800s has generated unprecedented wealth and prosperity for the vast majority of the world’s population. Hundreds of trade agreements later, the U.S. and several other countries established an international rules-based trading system after World War II.

But now the U.S., which has played an integral role in bolstering this system, is actively trying to subvert it. At the recent G-7 summit in Quebec, for example, the Trump administration objected to even referring to a “rules-based international order” in the official communique – and the president ultimately refused to sign it.

My research in international economics tells me that trade policy – because it is inherently forward-looking and global – requires three interrelated attributes to be successful: It needs to reduce uncertainty, ease long-term decision-making, and be legal and credible.

President Donald Trump’s recent trade policy fails all three tests.

Birth of modern free trade
Britain and France signed the first post-Industrial Revolution trade agreement, dubbed the Cobden-Chevalier treaty, on Jan. 23, 1860.

In it, both countries agreed to either reduce or eliminate import barriers and grant the other most favored nation status, which means any trade concessions offered to another nation would automatically apply to them as well.

Within just 15 years, various countries inked 56 more bilateral treaties. Thus began the first wave of globalization, which lasted from 1870 until 1914, the beginning of two destructive world wars.

From those ruins emerged a rules-based international trading system, known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT, which came into force in 1948. Its goal was to eliminate the kind of harmful trade protectionism that had sharply reduced global trade during the Great Depression with the aim of quickly restoring the global economy’s health after so much devastation.

Almost a half century of negotiations to improve the agreement culminated in the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995. The lynchpin of the modern rules-based international trading system, the WTO now includes 164 nations that together conduct more than 96 percent of the world’s trade.

Until very recently, the U.S. was a leader in free trade, such as in 1996, when G-7 leaders including former President Bill Clinton met a little more than year after establishing the World Trade Organization. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Three key attributes
This system has worked so well for so long because the WTO and its biggest champions, such as the U.S., made three interrelated attributes integral to their trade policies. That is, its members:

1. reduced uncertainty by creating predictable trade policies
2. created an environment that facilitates decision-making – particularly in the long term – by consumers and producers and
3. placed credible and legal directives that are clearly understood by allies and by those who are not.

Even though the U.S. played a salient role in the creation of both the GATT and the WTO, Trump’s trade policy has not followed these guidelines. To me he seems more interested in wreaking havoc with the current global trading system than with ensuring its continued viability. And he’s frequently – and very recently – intimated that he might even withdraw the U.S. from the WTO.

Trump seems to think that by issuing tariff threats, being unpredictable, and viewing foreign countries – even allies – as rival businesses he can extract concessions from trading partners. Instead, such tactics are proving to be counterproductive.

Sowing uncertainty
Perhaps more than anything else, Trump’s policies have created a lot of uncertainty among U.S. trade partners.

His steel and aluminum tariffs are a case in point. In March, the administration announced across-the-board tariffs on imports of the metals of up to 25 percent to punish nations – particularly China – for subsidizing their own industries and dumping their production on U.S. shores.

After key allies including Canada, the European Union and Mexico complained, the administration granted some countries temporary exemptions to the tariffs. But just a few months later, on May 31, it reversed course and began to impose the tariffs on those countries as well, leaving heads spinning. Only a week later, at the G-7, Trump was threatening to cut off all trade with his counterparts one minute, suggesting that everyone eliminate all tariffs the next.

Another recent example of fostering uncertainty is the curious case of the Chinese phone manufacturer ZTE. In March 2017, Trump’s Commerce Department fined ZTE US$1.19 billion for violating U.S. sanctions law by selling technology containing U.S. components to Iran and North Korea. This past April, the agency said ZTE was still violating U.S. law and barred American companies – most importantly chip-maker Qualcomm – from selling anything to ZTE, which led to an announcement that it was shutting down less than a month later.

Within days, however, Trump appeared to have an abrupt change of heart and tweeted that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping were working getting ZTE “back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!”

Flip-flops like these make it hard for trade partners to predict what the U.S. government is going to do, breeding enormous uncertainty.

Trump turned heads when he said he wanted to save Chinese tech giant ZTE, shortly after his administration helped bring it to its knees. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Decision-making
Consider the situation faced by an American businessman who produces high-level industrial equipment that is exported to many countries around the world.

His company’s equipment is made using aluminum and steel and, as a result of Trump’s new tariffs, this businessman will have difficulty predicting what the cost of the metals will be in the future. This will have clear implications for the pricing of his products. In addition, if the U.S. gets into a trade war, this businessman will also not know whether some or all foreign buyers might look elsewhere for similar but cheaper alternatives.

Such thinking affects not just individual business people but also companies.

Far from hypothetical, companies are already warning about this. Ford and Toyota North America have both complained about the negative impacts of Trump’s metals tariffs on costs and on the ability to make sound investment decisions.

Act credibly and legally
Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs have also raised questions about their legality and credibility.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have both asserted that these tariffs are illegal. As such, the European Union has filed a suit against the U.S. at the WTO. It’s unclear whether the American national security justification will sway the WTO judges.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was the target of a post-G-7 Trump tweetstorm, has wondered how Canada could possibly be a national security threat to the U.S. Even Defense Secretary James Mattis is reported to have pointed out the implausibility of the national security argument for the tariffs.

This gloomy state of affairs shows that even some of our long-standing friends believe that the Trump administration’s recent actions are illegal and, more generally, that these same allies cannot make head nor tail of the administration’s trade initiatives.

Trump’s policies are irking two of the U.S.‘s most important allies, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Justin Trudeau. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A key lesson
The U.S. is the world’s richest and most powerful nation, in part because of its embrace of a rules-based international order that includes the present treaty-based global trading system.

Rather than build on that success, President Trump’s trade actions thus far have created chaos, which has not led to any noteworthy success either in terms of extracting concessions from trade partners or creating the “great” agreements he touts in his book “The Art of the Deal.”

In negotiating deals, trade or otherwise, Trump seems to like to break all the rules. He needs to learn: That’s not what made America great.

About Today's Contributor:
Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard Help Jimmy Celebrate an Entire Week of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" on "The Tonight Show"

Jurassic World: "Fallon" Kingdom on The Tonight Show. (PRNewsfoto/Universal Pictures)

⏩ The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Universal Pictures today announced that next week will be the inaugural Jurassic World: "Fallon" Kingdom on The Tonight Show.  

With a week-long series of events to celebrate all things Jurassic, Jimmy welcomes to the show guests including the film's stars, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. 

Starting on Monday, June 11, The Tonight Show set will be transformed into Jurassic World: "Fallon" Kingdom for a weeklong series of fun Jurassic World-themed comedy skits and surprises, culminating with appearances by Chris Pratt appearing on Thursday, followed by Bryce Dallas Howard on Friday's show.  

The stars will be on hand to guide Jimmy through the perils of shooting on Isla Nublar and the difficultly of working with the T. rex on set.  

Pratt's appearance will also see him square off with Jimmy in a head-to-head battle of the beloved game Box of Lies.

⏩ Don't miss Jurassic World: "Fallon" Kingdom, on air starting next Monday at 11:35 p.m. EDT/10:35 p.m. CDT.

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" - Banner (image via septin911.net)

About "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom":

It's been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment.  Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.

When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.  

Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who's still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission.  Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.

With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before.  

"Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom." 

Stars Pratt and Howard return alongside executive producers Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.  

They are joined by co-stars James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Justice Smith, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall and Isabella Sermon, while BD Wong and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles.

Directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible), the epic action-adventure is written by Jurassic World's director, Trevorrow, and its co-writer, Derek Connolly.  Producers Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley once again partner with Spielberg and Trevorrow in leading the filmmakers for this stunning installment.  Belén Atienza joins the team as a producer.  

About "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon":

As of Feb. 17, 2014, The Tonight Show returned to its New York origins as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon made its broadcast debut from Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center.  Emmy Award- and Grammy Award-winning comedian Jimmy Fallon brings a high-tempo energy to the storied NBC franchise with his welcoming interview style, love of audience participation, spot-on impersonations and innovative sketches.

The critically praised Grammy-winning group The Roots serve as the house band.  From Universal Television and Broadway Video, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is executive produced by Lorne Michaels.  Producers include Gerard Bradford, Mike DiCenzo and Katie Hockmeyer.  Jamie Granet-Bederman produces.  The show tapes before a live studio audience from Studio 6B in 30 Rockefeller Center.

SOURCE: Universal Pictures and JurassicWorld.com

Jurassic World - Alive (Image via JurassicWorldaAive.com)

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