Should You Get a Flu Shot? Ask Google!

Annie D'Souza
Nov 07, 2014

With flu season upon us, Google is trying to keep you healthy. They’ve recently updated their Google Flu Trends formula, which makes weekly predictions on flu cases around the world using search indicators. When it first launched in 2008, this product seemed promising and a prime example of how big data can be used for social good. However, since launching, the data has been off. In the 2012-2013 season, Google overshot by 95%. And the following year by 75%.

It takes a big (gigantic) company to admit when they are wrong, and Google has been working since to figure out a more accurate algorithm. The new algorithm is just as mysterious as the old, but it will integrate CDC data continually with Google’s search trends on both the flu and dengue fever. This area of research is very new, and so is the idea that big data doesn’t have to be this scary thing — it can actually help protect people and even give them the info they need to stay healthy.

The Wall Street Journal uses Global Pulse, the United Nation’s big data project, as an example. Global Pulse crawls through Twitter data to identify potential international crises before they happen. They are also working with a large telephone company to find patterns surrounding the spread of diseases like malaria and HIV, as well as determining if mobile phone data can provide more accurate poverty indicators.

There’s still plenty of work to be done, and we’re anxious to see how Google’s improved Flu Trend effort fares this year.

How would you use big data for good? Are you flu-phobic? Sound off below!

Here's Your First Look At Nicola Coughlan In Family Adventure 'The Magic Faraway Tree'

If you grew up on fantasy books, you’ve probably dreamed of taking classes at Hogwarts and escaping to Narnia more times than you can count. But for the niche group of The Magic Faraway Tree readers who wish they could visit the Land of Birthdays in real life, living out your fantasies isn’t such a faraway concept anymore — Enid Blyton’s classic British children’s series is officially being adapted for the big screen!

The Magic Faraway Tree is an upcoming family adventure film about three children who climb a magical tree, meet the wonderful creatures who live inside, and travel to fantastical lands. It’s the kind of movie that will give you alllll the nostalgic feels even if you didn’t grow up on the books (though its absolutely stacked cast probably did!). The film is currently in production, with principal photography having started in June.

Here’s everything we know so far about The Magic Faraway Tree movie.

Your First Look At Nicola Coughlan In 'The Magic Faraway Tree'

Parisa Taghizadeh/Courtesy of Neal Street Productions and Elysian Film Group

Nicola Coughlan is in her fairy era, and this first look at Nicola as Silky in The Magic Faraway Tree is just as, well, magical as I hoped. Just a glimpse of her long blonde hair and those stunning eyes pique my curiosity. And TBH, where Nicola leads, I follow.

What is the main plot of The Magic Faraway Tree?

Amazon

The Magic Faraway Tree Plot

When the Thompson family moves to the English countryside, the three children — Joe, Beth, and Frannie — “discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents, including treasured characters Moonface, Silky, Dame Washalot, and Saucepan Man," according to Variety. When they reach the top of the tree, the children "are transported to spectacular and fantastical lands and, through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learns to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years.”

When is the Magic Faraway Tree coming out?

Obregonia D. Toretto/Pexels

The Magic Faraway Tree Release Date

The Magic Faraway Tree is currently filming, which means we could see it in the fall or winter of 2025. This would be the perfect movie for the holiday season!

​Who is starring in the movie?

Joe Maher/Amy Sussman/Robert Okine/Getty Images

The Magic Faraway Tree Cast

Joe, Beth, and Frannie’s actors have yet to be announced, but the adult cast is chock-full of familiar names. Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy are set to play the children’s parents, Tim and Polly. (The film’s screenwriter cheekily said, “I mean, even Enid Blyton might be impressed we got Spider-Man and the Queen.”) Nicola Coughlan will be playing a woodland fairy named Silky, and Rebecca Ferguson will be playing one of the film’s villains, Dame Snap.

Nonso Anozie, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, and Dustin Demri-Burns are also in the cast.

Who is writing and directing the movie?

Joe Maher/Getty Images

Fans of the Faraway Tree series can breathe a sigh of relief — the film is in great hands. The Magic Faraway Tree’s screenwriter, Simon Fanaby, is no stranger to adapting beloved British children’s classics from page to screen. He’s one of the pens behind Wonka and Paddington 2, which is a great sign that The Magic Faraway Tree is sure to be as whimsical and fun as the books it’s adapting.

A less familiar name (unless you’re a fan of BBC’s Black Ops) is Ben Gregor, who has been tapped to direct the film. According to his talent agency, Gregor specializes in making comedies with visual flair. This writer/director combo is magical.

​Will The Magic Faraway Tree be a franchise?

Amazon

The Magic Faraway Tree seems to be a standalone film at the moment. The book series it’s based on is made up of four books total: The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree, and Up the Faraway Tree. Although the movie gets its name from the second book, its plot seems more similar to that of the first book. It’s very possible that the movie will incorporate all four books in one since plans for a franchise have yet to be announced.

I may be in my twenties, but I’ll happily be joining elementary schoolers at AMC on opening night when The Magic Faraway Tree hits theaters! Can't get enough of all things fantasy? Check out the latest Wicked movie news.

This post has been updated.

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Kate Winslet And Leonardo DiCaprio's Latest Reunion Is A True Treasure

There are few celebrity friendships as iconic and long-lasting as Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio's. The actors met while filming Titanic in 1996, but unlike their characters Jack and Rose, Kate and Leo’s relationship survived long after the ship hit the iceberg and the press tour came to an end.

Kate and Leo put the whole “guys and girls can’t be friends” claim to bed, but according to her, their friendship has endured precisely because they've kept it platonic. “I think the reason that friendship works is because there was never any romantic thing,” Winslet told Marie Claire UK (via Huffington Post). “It’s so disappointing for people to hear that because in the soap opera of the Kate and Leo story, we fell in love at first sight and had a million snogs, but actually we never did.”

The story of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s friendship spans over 25 years. Check out these defining moments of their friendship timeline, from Titanic to today.

Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images

1996 — Kate and Leo meet on the set of Titanic.

We all know and love the friends-to-lovers trope, but Winslet and DiCaprio are the poster children for the lovers-to-friends trope. The actors met while playing love interests in Titanic. Although their onscreen relationship has never come to fruition offscreen, Winslet says the pair immediately clicked as friends.

“He was just very free with himself, and he had this effervescent energy that was really magnetic,” she said in a 2023 Titanic re-release featurette. “And I remember thinking, 'Oh, this is gonna be fun. We're definitely gonna get along.' And we just really did. We just really did.”

1998 — They walk the red carpet together at the Golden Globes.

If you Google “young Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet,” there’s a 99 percent chance the first pictures will be from this red carpet, mostly because Winslet’s look is sooo ’90s. In an interview with ET, DiCaprio says they absolutely came together, but clarifies that they’re “good buddies.”

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

2008 — They join forces on screen again.

The first movie Winslet and DiCaprio did together post-Titanic was Revolutionary Road, where they play another couple who doesn’t work out because one of them dies by the end of the movie (quite a specific niche to fall into, no?). Unlike Jack and Rose, their characters in Revolutionary Road have a tense relationship, which Winslet said made working on the film “an immensely emotionally challenging experience” for both of them.

“There’s just a trust factor there. We both know that we have the best intentions for each other, but we also know that we can push each other’s limits,” DiCaprio said in an interview for the film. “There’s probably no other actress out there that I would feel as comfortable attacking, and I know she can give every bit of it right back to me.”

2009 — Kate shouts Leo out in her Golden Globes acceptance speech.

Winslet won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama for her role in Revolutionary Road. She gave a heartfelt speech that included some very kind words for her costar and best friend.

“Leo, I’m so happy I can stand here and tell you how much I love you and how much I’ve loved you for 13 years. Your performance in this film is nothing short of spectacular. I love you with all my heart, I really do,” Winslet said. DiCaprio blew her multiple kisses as she spoke. Feel free to join in the audience’s aww-ing; this moment is just too sweet.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

2012 — Leo walks Kate down the aisle.

A source told Us Weekly that DiCaprio walked Winslet down the aisle at her wedding to Ned Rocknroll (whose real name is Edward Abel Smith, in case you were worried) in December 2012.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

2016 — Kate Winslet cries at Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar speech.

When Leo finally won his first Oscar in 2016 for The Revenant, the camera cut to Kate tearing up and clasping her hands in front of her face during his speech. She was also spotted giving him a quick, friendly kiss on the cheek during a commercial break.

2017 — They have dinner in Saint-Tropez.

Pictures blew up over the internet of DiCaprio and Winslet “vacationing” together in Saint-Tropez, but Winslet later revealed that they were there on business. “Leo did his annual fundraiser for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. He and I went together and we auctioned off dinner with Jack and Rose and actually raised $1.35 million. It was extraordinary,” she told E!.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

2021 — They reunite for the first time since the pandemic hit.

Winslet revealed that she cried the first time she saw DiCaprio after the pandemic began. “I’ve known him for half my life! It’s not as if I’ve found myself in New York or he’s been in London and there’s been a chance to have dinner or grab a coffee and a catch up,” she told The Guardian. “We haven’t been able to leave our countries. Like so many friendships globally, we’ve missed each other.”

2023 — Winslet reflects on her friendship with DiCaprio on Titanic’s re-release featurette.

Kate Winslet revealed that when she and Leonardo DiCaprio call each other, they pick up the phone right away. “There’s no like, ‘Hang on, I’ll call you tomorrow.’ It's instant,” she told ET Online. Think about that next time your bestie gives you an impromptu ring.

The actress also got a bit more sentimental about her long-standing friendship with Leo. “You know, if you think about it, in the world that we live in now, to have friendships that bind you, and that shared history, it’s really something,” she said.

One thing’s for sure: if the Titanic had actually gone down in 1997, Kate would have definitely made room for Leo on that dang door.

Paramount Pictures

November 4, 2024 — Kate Winslet Praises Leonardo DiCaprio and Revolutionary Road

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kate Winslet recalls just how difficult it was bringing Revolutionary Road to life. The story follows Frank and April Wheeler as they struggle with both the cracks in their marriage and their 1950s suburban reality.

"The thing that people say is, 'You got to work with Leo again.' Then they go off on the whole Leo tangent, which I totally understand," she says. "But Revolutionary Road — f—king hell, it just knocked us all sideways. Unbelievably difficult material. I was very proud of that film and what Leo and I were able to create as Frank and April. It was so brutal."

November 19, 2024 — Leonardo DiCaprio Supports Kate Winslet's Lee

Leo made a special screening of Kate Winslet's Lee even more special by showing up to support her! The two were photographed hugging in front of the poster and it's truly the push I needed to get through the week :').

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This post has been updated.

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Blake Lively Low-Key Saved 'Deadpool 3' With This Note For Ryan Reynolds & Shawn Levy

Following in the footsteps of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness, literally EVERYONE obsessed over the cast for Deadpool 3 (officially titled Deadpool & Wolverine). Rumors were circulating for quite awhile about names like Channing Tatum, Elizabeth Olsen, and Taron Egerton making cameos in the new Marvel movie, but there's one potential casting that had Twitter going crazy: Taylor Swift.

Thanks to Harry Styles' appearance in Eternals, the popstar to superhero pipeline is something we know all too well. Even though the popstar didn't end up making an appearance, we were even happier to see (or rather, hear) Blake Lively in the movie!

Here's the latest news on Deadpool & Wolverine — AND Blake Lively's involvement in the movie.

Is Blake Lively Lady Deadpool?

Blake Lively/Instagram

Yes! Blake Lively makes a cameo as the masked Lady Deadpool, while Inez Reynolds appears as Kid Pool and Olin Reynolds makes their onscreen debut as Baby Pool. But Blake doesn't only act in the movie — she also ended up helping behind the scenes! Director Shawn Levy revealed that a note from Blake about the Deadpool 3 ending ended up changing the movie.

“Credit where credit is due. It used to be that there was no suspense, that the power room blew up, and our heroes had survived,” Shawn told Games Radar. “It was Blake Lively who said to us, ‘You know, I’ve been with you this whole movie. I want to sit in the fear that they’re lost. Let me be in that place of suspense so the triumph of their survival is more emotional and visceral.’”

“We did just a day-and-a-half of reshoots on the movie, which we’re very proud of," Ryan Reynolds adds. "These kinds of movies typically involve weeks of reshoots. But this speech that Matthew has is one of the pieces that we reshot. And he is miraculous.”

20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios

In an Instagram post celebrating Deadpool & Wolverine, Blake Lively revealed the first time Ryan Reynolds told her about "meta" superhero Deadpool was when they were working on The Green Lantern.

"We understood in theory, but how it would come together for an audience was murky, for everyone but [Ryan]. It wasn’t a real dream. The movie was never gonna happen," she says. "Just before all this in 2010, [Rob Liefeld] drew an unmasked Lady Deadpool for the first time." Lady Deadpool is an alternate universe's version of the famed superhero.

"12 years later I read Rob’s post," she continues. "A year after that, @deadpoolmovie 3 was filmed...The universe has such a magical sense of humor sometimes."

Some fans immediately jumped to the conclusion Blake is in the new Deadpool movie, especially after she rocked a Lady Deadpool-esque 'fit + high pony to the premiere alongside BFF Gigi Hadid.

Is Deadpool and Wolverine streaming?

Marvel Studios/Disney

Yes, you can rent Deadpool & Wolverine on platforms like Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime! There's nothing like fighting the universe's biggest and baddest in the comfort of your own home.

Is Taylor Swift in Deadpool 3?

Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp

No, Taylor Swift is not in Deadpool 3. But this dazzlingfan art will have to tide us over until she decides to make an appearance!

In a new interview with Fandango, Ryan Reynolds addressed the cameo rumors...kind of. “There’s so much speculation about so many people that might end up in the film,” Ryan says. “I saw one that was convinced that Elvis is in the movie. Anything can happen and that’s sort of what I love about this universe. Surprises are the essence of Deadpool.”

The rumor that Taylor Swift will appear as Dazzler (which has been on the internet since Taylor tooka picture with the cast and crew of 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse) gained traction after a video from The DisInsider. The mutant, a singer who can turn sound into light, has been one of MCU boss Kevin Feige's favorites for a long time.

"Many years ago I asked Kevin Feige if he were to ever direct his own Marvel movie, which character would he want to focus on," Fandago's Eric Davis tweeted. "He said Dazzler. He’s a big fan."

In addition to manipulating sound and light, Dazzler (whose real name, Alison, also happens to be Taylor's middle name) can also create holograms. "The louder the source, the more powerful the output," says Marvel's official site. "She can also shoot bursts of light out of her fingers, hands, eyes, and other parts."

Not only would the character's popstar similarities make sense, but Taylor is also good friends with Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively. Their kids have been included in Taylor's music (like the intro to Reputation's "Gorgeous" and the names of folklore's fictional characters). Ryan lent Taylor his Deadpool suit for Halloween and both the Deadpool 3 announcement and All Too Well: The Short Film were filmed in Ryan and Blake's house.

On February 16, the official Australian Marvel Entertainment account posted a photo of some Deadpool and Wolverine friendship bracelets, in addition to a rainbow bracelet confirming the July 25 release date. "Besties," the caption reads. Considering Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has become known for friendship bracelets, and she was in Australia at the time.

Who's in the Deadpool & Wolverine cast?

Marvel Studios/Disney

In addition to Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, we'll see Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Stefan Kapičić as Colossus, Brianna Hildebrand as Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Owen Wilson as Mobius (who became a fan favorite after Loki), as well as Succession's Matthew Macfadyen and The Crown's Emma Corrin.

As far as cameos, Deadpool & Wolverine did not disappoint! We also see Jennifer Garner as Elektra from 2003's Daredevil and 2005's Elektra, Chris Evans as the original Fantastic 4's Johnny Storm, Wesley Snipes as Blade, and Dafne Keen as Laura/X-23 from Logan. Channing Tatum also appears as Gambit.

What's the Deadpool 3 release date?

Marvel Studios/Disney

Deadpool 3 hits theaters July 26, 2024. The movie was originally scheduled for May 3, 2024, but because of the strikes happening in Hollywood, it became one of many delayed movies.

What is Deadpool & Wolverine about?

Marvel Studios/Disney

Ryan Reynolds announced Deadpool & Wolverine with a hilarious Instagram post on September 27, 2022. "[Deadpool's] first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special," he says in the video. (The first Deadpool was distributed by 20th Century Fox). "We need to stay true to the character." He goes on to joke that despite all his brainstorming, he has no ideas for the film — except bringing back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

"Hey Hugh," Ryan says as Hugh crosses the background of the video. "You want to play Wolverine one more time?"

"Yeah, sure Ryan," Hugh responds.

The announcement immediately started trending on social media (Ryan's original post currently has 3.8M likes), and while we don't have many official plot details yet (Marvel loves to keep their surprises, well, surprising), we do know that time travel will play a role.

Watch the hilarious, gory, and unhinged Deadpool 3 trailer here! The movie brings the classic funny-yet-gory story we've come to expect from Ryan Reynolds, but it also introduces newer MCU details like the TVA from Loki and the next chapter of superheroes thanks to Wolverine! We haven't seen the X-Men in the MCU before and I cannot wait to see how they make their mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Is there a Wolverine variant in Deadpool & Wolverine?

Marvel Studios/Disney

Yes, Deadpool 3 shows us multiple Wolverines — not just Hugh Jackman's version. We also see Henry Cavill! After the introduction of the TVA, the multiverse, and series like What If? (not to mention Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness giving us John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic!!), literally anything is possible when it comes to casting in the MCU these days.

Is Deadpool's girlfriend alive in Deadpool 3?

Marvel Studios/Disney

Yes, it appears that Vanessa is alive in Deadpool 3 — what?! Turns out, Wade used a time device (with a little help from Warhead and Yukio) to go back and save her before she met her untimely end. However, it looks like that one decision gets him trouble with the Time Variance Authority (TVA). TBH, he shouldn't be surprised. They don't mess around.

Why is Deadpool 3 part of the MCU?

Joe Lederer/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/IMDb

After Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019, characters like the X-Men, Deadpool, and the Fantastic Four joined the MCU. Hugh Jackman's involvement in Deadpool 3 marks Wolverine's introduction to the MCU. And we finally got official word that our Fantastic Four will be played by The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal, The Crown's Vanessa Kirby, Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn, and The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Talk about a star-studded cast!

Are you excited about the cast for Deadpool 3? Let us know in the comments and check out the rest of this year's Summer Movies!

This post has been updated.

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