#BreakFree - "Empire's" Jussie Smollett Guest Stars in Critically Acclaimed Hit Series "Underground"

Jussie Smollett as Josey in WGN America's "Underground." (PRNewsFoto/WGN America)

"Empire's" Jussie Smollett will guest star in WGN America's critically acclaimed hit series "Underground," marking the first time in 20 years that Smollett will appear in the same series as his younger sister Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Rosalee). Smollett will play Josey, a wild-eyed runaway, in the upcoming episode, "Firefly," premiering Wednesday, March 30 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on WGN America.

In the all-new fourth episode of "Underground," John and Elizabeth Hawkes come face-to-face with Josey in a traumatic confrontation and test of wills. The Macons realize Noah and Rosalee are missing and enlist August Pullman to help find the runaways. Meanwhile, Ernestine tries to cope with her daughter's absence and the others debate whether they should run. Cato enacts a daring plan that has immediate repercussions on the plantation, while Pearly Mae makes an extremely difficult personal decision.

The Trailer:

From creators and executive producers Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, and executive producer and Academy Award-winner John Legend, the 10-episode, hour-long program tells the unflinching story of a group of courageous men and women who band together for the fight of their lives – for their families, their future and their freedom...

"Underground" features an acclaimed cast including: 

• Jurnee Smollett-Bell ("True Blood," "Friday Night Lights") as Rosalee 
• Aldis Hodge ("Straight Outta Compton") as Noah 
• Christopher Meloni ("Sin City: A Dame to Kill For") as August Pullman 
• Alano Miller ("Jane The Virgin") as Cato ‎
• Jessica de Gouw ("Arrow," "Dracula") as Elizabeth Hawkes 
• Marc Blucas ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as John Hawkes ‎
• Adina Porter("The 100") as Pearly Mae 
• Mykelti Williamson ("Justified," "24") as Moses ‎
• Amirah Vann ("Girls," "And So It Goes") as Ernestine 
• Johnny Ray Gill ("Rectify") as Sam 
• Chris Chalk ("Gotham") as William Still 
• Reed Diamond ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.") as Tom Macon 
• Theodus Crane ("The Walking Dead") as Zeke 
• Renwick Scott ("Treme") as Henry 
• James Lafferty ("One Tree Hill") as U.S. Marshall Kyle Risdin 
• Jussie Smollett("Empire") as Josey.

Produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios, "Underground" is created by Misha Green ("Sons Of Anarchy," "Heroes") and Joe Pokaski ("Daredevil," "Heroes,") who executive produce alongside Academy Award-winner Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind," "I Am Legend") of Weed Road Pictures; and Joby Harold ("King Arthur," "Edge of Tomorrow") and Tory Tunnell ("King Arthur," "Holy Rollers") of Safehouse Pictures.  

Visionary artist and producer John Legend, an Academy Award, Golden Globe and multi-Grammy Award winner, and his Get Lifted partners Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius, executive produce. Additionally, Get Lifted oversees all elements of the show's music.  

Anthony Hemingway ("The Wire," "Treme") directs and serves as executive producer for the first four episodes. 

Amirah Vann as Ernestine in WGN America's "Underground." (PRNewsFoto/WGN America)

"Underground" Cast on Twitter:

• Jurnee Smollett-Bell @jurneesmollett
• Aldis Hodge @AldisHodge
• Christopher Meloni @Chris_Meloni
• Alano Miller @AlanoMiller
• Jessica de Gouw @jessdegouw
• Amirah Vann @amirahvann
• Marc Blucas @marcblucas
• Reed Diamond @reeddiamond
• Johnny Ray Gill @JohnnyRayGill
• Theodus Crane @theoduscrane
• Mykelti Williamson @mykeltiwmson
• Adina Porter @AdinaPorter
• Jussie Smollett @jussiesmollett 
• Christopher Backus @_cbackus
• PJ Marshall @ThePJMarshall
• James Lafferty @ThisIsLafferty 
• Chris Chalk @chalkchris

"Underground" Creative Team on Twitter:

• John Legend @johnlegend
• Misha Green @mishatrillXXL
• Joe Pokaski @JoePokaski
• Anthony Hemingway @shinybootz
• Akiva Goldsman @AkivaGoldsman
• Mike Jackson @mikemjackson312
• Ty Stiklorius @tystiklorius

WGN America Logo (PRNewsFoto/WGN America)

SOURCE: WGN America

Can We Replace Politicians With Robots?

A robot for an MP – who’d vote for that? (Shutterstock/Mombo)

By Frank Mols, The University of Queensland and Jonathan Roberts, Queensland University of Technology

If you had the opportunity to vote for a politician you totally trusted, who you were sure had no hidden agendas and who would truly represent the electorate’s views, you would, right?

What if that politician was a robot? Not a human with a robotic personality but a real artificially intelligent robot.

Futures like this have been the stuff of science fiction for decades. But can it be done? And, if so, should we pursue this?

Lost trust
Recent opinion polls show that trust in politicians has declined rapidly in Western societies and voters increasingly use elections to cast a protest vote.

This is not to say that people have lost interest in politics and policy-making. On the contrary, there is evidence of growing engagement in non-traditional politics, suggesting people remain politically engaged but have lost faith in traditional party politics.

More specifically, voters increasingly feel the established political parties are too similar and that politicians are preoccupied with point-scoring and politicking. Disgruntled voters typically feel the big parties are beholden to powerful vested interests, are in cahoots with big business or trade unions, and hence their vote will not make any difference.

Another symptom of changing political engagement (rather than disengagement) is the rise of populist parties with a radical anti-establishment agenda and growing interest in conspiracy theories, theories which confirm people’s hunch that the system is rigged.

The idea of self-serving politicians and civil-servants is not new. This cynical view has been popularised by television series such as the BBC’s Yes Minister and the more recent US series House of Cards (and the original BBC series).

We may have lost faith in traditional politics but what alternatives do we have? Can we replace politicians with something better?

Machine thinking
One alternative is to design policy-making systems in such a way that policy-makers are sheltered from undue outside influence. In so doing, so the argument goes, a space will be created within which objective scientific evidence, rather than vested interests, can inform policy-making.

At first glance this seems worth aspiring to. But what of the many policy issues over which political opinion remains deeply divided, such as climate change, same sex marriage or asylum policy?

Policy-making is and will remain inherently political and policies are at best evidence-informed rather than evidence-based. But can some issues be depoliticised and should we consider deploying robots to perform this task?

Those focusing on technological advances may be inclined to answer “yes”. After all, complex calculations that would have taken years to complete by hand can now be solved in seconds using the latest advances in information technology.

Such innovations have proven extremely valuable in certain policy areas. For example, urban planners examining the feasibility of new infrastructure projects now use powerful traffic modelling software to predict future traffic flows.

Those focusing on social and ethical aspects, on the other hand, will have reservations. Technological advances are of limited use in policy issues involving competing beliefs and value judgements.

A fitting example would be euthanasia legislation, which is inherently bound up religious beliefs and questions about self-determination. We may be inclined to dismiss the issue as exceptional, but this would be to overlook that most policy issues involve competing beliefs and value judgements, and from that perspective robot politicians are of little use.

Moral codes
A supercomputer may be able to make accurate predictions of numbers of road users on a proposed ring road. But what would this supercomputer do when faced with a moral dilemma?

Most people will agree that it is our ability to make value judgements that sets us apart from machines and makes us superior. But what if we could program agreed ethical standards into computers and have them take decisions on the basis of predefined normative guidelines and the consequences arising from these choices?

If that were possible, and some believe it is, could we replace our fallible politicians with infallible artificially intelligent robots after all?

The idea may sound far-fetched, but is it?

Robots may well become part of everyday life sooner than we think. For example, robots may soon be used to perform routine tasks in aged-care facilities, to keep elderly or disabled people company and some have suggested robots could be used in prostitution. Whatever opinion we may have about robot politicians, the groundwork for this is already being laid.

A recent paper showcased a system that automatically writes political speeches. Some of these speeches are believable and it would be hard for most of us to tell if a human or machine had written them.

Politicians already use human speech writers so it may only be a small step for them to start using a robot speech writer instead.

The same applies to policy-makers responsible for, say, urban planning or flood mitigation, who make use of sophisticated modelling software. We may soon be able to take out humans altogether and replace them with robots with the modelling software built into itself.

We could think up many more scenarios, but the underlying issue will remain the same: the robot would need to be programmed with an agreed set of ethical standards allowing it to make judgements on the basis of agreed morals.

The human input
So even if we had a parliament full of robots, we would still need an agency staffed by humans charged with defining the ethical standards to be programmed into the robots.

And who gets to decide on those ethical standards? Well we’d probably have to put that to the vote between various interested and competing parties.

This bring us full circle, back to the problem of how to prevent undue influence.

Advocates of deliberative democracy, who believe democracy should be more than the occasional stroll to a polling booth, will shudder at the prospect of robot politicians.

But free market advocates, who are more interested in lean government, austerity measures and cutting red-tape, may be more inclined to give it a go.

The latter appear to have gained the upper hand, so the next time you hear a commentator refer to a politician as being robotic, remember that maybe one day some of them really will be robots!


About Today's Contributors
Frank Mols, Lecturer in Political Science, The University of Queensland and Jonathan Roberts, Professor in Robotics, Queensland University of Technology


This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

Holy Infographic, Batman! - Wayne Manor Vs Fortress of Solitude

For decades (since they both first appeared in comics, really), people have been debating over who is better, Batman or Superman... 

Today's (quite funny and full of interesting info) infographic is taking the debate to a brand new level by asking "who has the best home?"

Our friends at Cast Iron Radiators 4u have put themselves into the mind of a realtor in the DC Comics universe to try and figure out which of these two giants of the comic book world has the coolest bachelor pad. 

To do this they’ve looked at the history of the Fortress of Solitude and Wayne Manor (and the Batcave, obviously) to see which has the most impressive features, the best location, and the most potential for the non-superhero buyer.

Enjoy...

Loup Dargent

Batman's Manor (and Batcave) Vs Superman's Fortress of Solitude

The Infographic

Wayne Manor vs Fortress of Solitude by Cast Iron Radiators 4u.

More Batman and Superman Stories

For more Batman related stories, click here...

For more Superman related stories, click here...

"LONDON HAS FALLEN" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album Released on Back Lot Music

Album Includes New Music by Emmy-Winning Composer Trevor Morris

Back Lot Music has now released the soundtrack album to Gramercy Pictures' London Has Fallen, the sequel to Olympus Has Fallen, via all major digital and select physical retailers. Like its predecessor, the movie's soundtrack album features a new score by two-time Emmy Award-winning composer Trevor Morris.

When discussing his score for London Has Fallen and working with director Babak Najafi, Morris says,

"When I started to collaborate with Babak, the process was instant and effortless. It really felt like we had worked together on many movies before this, despite having just met. Babak has a very immediate response to music and how it works with the narrative. I would send him scenes or reels, and get the e-mail back from him: 'You made me very happy today.' As a composer, that's the moment, that's the reward for me in my process: knowing that you told a great story through music, and that you and your director are in sync."

Morris has composed the music for more than 15 feature films, 25 prime-time television series and 5 interactive game titles. He is largely known for his period TV work on such shows as The Tudors, The Borgias and, presently, Vikings; the first two earned him Emmy Awards for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. He is currently working on Of Kings and Prophets for ABC as well as Emerald City for NBC. He recently completed the third installment of the Dragon Age video game franchise for EA, which was awarded Video Game of the Year in 2015. Morris also conducts his own scores, including London Has Fallen, at the iconic Abbey Road studios in London.

About the Film
The sequel to the worldwide smash hit Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen is a non-stop, suspenseful action thriller that delivers high-octane excitement through a heightened sense of authenticity. The visceral intensity springs from a timely premise: after the British Prime Minister passes away, his funeral becomes a target of a terrorist organization to destroy some of the world's most powerful leaders, devastate the British capital, and unleash a terrifying vision of the future. The only hope of stopping it rests on the shoulders of the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart) and his formidable Secret Service agent (Gerard Butler), and a British MI-6 agent (Charlotte Riley) who rightly trusts no one. Morgan Freeman also stars as the Vice President of the United States. MPAA-rated "R."

For more info/details, visit: www.londonhasfallen.com | www.trevormorris.com

The Trailers:

Track List (all tracks by Trevor Morris):
1.) London Has Fallen
2.) Spotting Barkawi
3.) Bourbon and Poor Choices
4.) Nursery
5.) Scotland Yard
6.) President Arrives in the UK
7.) Motorcade / Marine One Lands
8.) London Attacked
9.) London Goes Dark
10.) Marine One Crash
11.) Jacobs' Death
12.) Not Much of a Talker
13.) How Bad Is It?
14.) I'm Not Going to Die on YouTube
15.) Don't Jinx Me
16.) Right Under Our Noses
17.) Rescuing Asher
18.) Hand Fight and Hand Grenade
19.) Let's Get Outta Here
20.) I Hate Funerals 
21.) Traitor
22.) Reciprocity
23.) Resignation Letter
24.) End Titles / Credits

SOURCE: Back Lot Music

What Would Brexit Really Mean For The UK's Fishing Industry?

Pitamaha / shutterstock

By Bryce Stewart, University of York and Griffin Carpenter, Oxford Brookes University

Fish is as tasty and popular as ever, but no one seems to like the policies that regulate the industry behind it. For decades, European management of fisheries has been lambasted by fishers, conservationists and scientists, including us.

The centrepiece of this system, the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, is particularly unpopular. Some scientists even argue it is designed to fail. Opponents blame it for not only mismanaging Europe’s highly productive seas, but also for giving away “our fish”, with the subject recently taking centre stage in an unlikely viral Brexit campaign video.

You might think that the chance to take back control of the fish in UK seas would be one of the most solid reasons to vote “Out” in June’s referendum on EU membership. So what’s the catch?

First, the idea that fish in British waters have been fished into near-extinction by pesky foreign boats simply doesn’t match up with reality. At least not anymore.

Yes, fish numbers aren’t what they were in the time of Moby Dick. However, a recent analysis of 118 years of statistics revealed the vast majority of the decline occurred prior to the Common Fisheries Policy’s implementation in 1983. In fact, the policy is now overall helping, not harming, the country’s fisheries.

Since EU policy was reformed in 2002, the health of many fish stocks has improved. By 2011 the majority of assessed fisheries were considered to be sustainably fished. Take the case of North Sea cod: once the “poster child” for overfishing and all that was wrong with European policy, it is now recovering strongly and likely to be certified as sustainable next year.

The EU is now phasing out the discarding of unwanted fish and setting quotas more in line with scientific advice. The aim is to ensure maximum sustainable yield of all stocks by 2020.

Who actually owns “our” fish?
Ownership of UK fishing quotas is controversial and often misunderstood. After total EU fishing limits are decided by the Council of fisheries ministers, it is up to each member state to distribute its share among its own fleet.

The Cornelis Vrolijk catches a good portion of the UK’s entire fish quota.(AlfvanBeem)

This is not an EU decision. The fact that a single giant Dutch-owned vessel nets a quarter of the English quota (6% of the UK total) might be shocking, especially considering the UK’s quota is in theory shared between more than 6,000 vessels, but the UK government could easily change how it allocates fish. In fact, the alternative allocation systems suggested by some pro-Brexit groups are already in place elsewhere in Europe.

Your plaice or mine?

Britain has to share with its neighbours. (Inwind / wiki)

Another common argument for Brexit is that it would give the UK sole control of the fish in its waters. However, these fish are not “British”; they don’t respect national boundaries. 
Mackerel, herring, cod and other commercial species are all highly mobile, and move easily across borders, especially in places such as the North, Celtic and Irish Seas, where “exclusive economic zones” are jammed together like sardines in a can.

So unlike more isolated countries such as Iceland and Norway, the UK was always going to have to share its fish with its neighbours, especially as we moved into an era of global maritime regulation.

Fencing out foreign fishermen
A post-Brexit UK might still have to agree quotas with its neighbours, but could it prevent foreign boats from fishing in its waters? Maybe. But only with huge investment in monitoring and control public bodies such as the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) – organisations which are being cut at present.

Whether the UK would want this sort of escalation is a different question, as it would also mean British boats could no longer fish in the waters of other European nations. This is a major concern in the fishing industry as 20% of the fish caught by the UK fleet is landed elsewhere in the EU.

Dutch herring fleet in the North Sea, c1700, protected by a naval vessel. (Pieter Vogelaer)

The reality is that a Brexit would require a complete re-negotiation of fishing rights, with uncertain outcomes. Some of these rights extend back to the Middle Ages and banning foreign vessels from UK waters may well be incompatible with international law.

Such negotiations may harm trading relationships with Europe. At present the UK exports around 80% of its wild-caught seafood, with four of the top five destinations being European countries.

Remaining in the EU also has big benefits for the marine ecosystems that the fishing industry ultimately relies on. The Habitats Directive protects key habitats and species such as reefs and Atlantic salmon, while the Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive commit EU members to restore and protect the environment. It seems unlikely that the UK’s current Conservative government, at least, would continue similarly progressive measures after a Brexit.

It’s no surprise the “In” campaign is gaining support from a range of environmental groups – the weight of evidence is on their side. In contrast, many fishermen have strong feelings about the EU, but the main industry organisations and decision makers are remaining neutral.

We’ve come a long way since the bad old days of excessive quotas and widespread illegal fishing. As things become more sustainable, fish numbers are rebounding, leading to increasing UK fishing quotas and growing profits (now the highest in the EU).

The history of the EU’s fishing policy is one of criticism and improvement. It is therefore unclear why the UK would want to abandon ship at this point.


About Today's Contributors
Bryce Stewart, Lecturer in Marine Ecosystem Management, University of York and Griffin Carpenter, Visiting Lecturer in Environmental Economics, Oxford Brookes University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

Ex-Britain's Got Talent Star Connie Talbot Turns Stunning Singer-Songwriter With New Album Out Now

Britain's Got Talent child star Connie Talbot's stunning transformation (PRNewsFoto/Evolution Ltd.)

Connie Talbot's fifth album Matters To Me coming today March 25 under Evolution Music Group label with over half of the songs written or co-written by her.

Connie Talbot makes a comeback with her jaw-dropping transformation from the gap-toothed 6-year-old on Britain's Got Talent to a stunningly beautiful, talented singer-songwriter.

Britain's Got Talent child star Connie Talbot recording in 2007 (PRNewsFoto/Evolution Ltd.)

Connie, now 15, releases her fifth album Matters To Me on March 25th, 2016. Connie takes a major role in writing this career-defining album which shows her musical diversity and development as a singer, songwriter and musician.

The co-written song Shut Up (Move On) has created a buzz from fans and media across Asia, where Connie has a huge following.

Last week, Connie delivered another powerful and teary performance of the original song I'm Over You, written solely by Connie herself. The heartfelt and emotional MV went viral in UK media, all in amazement of how grown up Connie is now. 

Video-Clip: "I'm Over You"

The rest of the 13 songs on the album include Dream Out Loud, co-written with hit songwriter/producer Toby Gad (co-writer of All of Me, If I Were A Boy), an Afro-electronic rendition of Katy Perry's smash hit Roar, a solemn and touching original ballad This is Home, and a crisp acoustic rendition of Friends theme I'll Be There For You. The album packs a load of surprises and reveals the hard work Connie puts into her natural gift of music.

It looks like we can have great expectations for the album and for Connie to become the next-generation singer-songwriter.

Connie Talbot releases her fifth studio album Matters To Me (PRNewsFoto/Evolution Ltd.)

Track List:

1. Shut Up
2. Roar
3. I'm Over You
4. Dream Out Loud
5. Those Days
6. When I Fall In Love
7. Inner Beauty
8. Teenage Chemistry
9. I'll Be There
10. Gravity
11. Vincent
12. Matters To Me
13. This Is Home
14. P.S. (iTunes only)

Connie Talbot - Online

www.connietalbot.asia

Spotify, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo

SOURCE: Evolution Ltd.