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First Click: Google I/O, a XXX reality series, and more in the week ahead

May 16th, 2016

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Can you feel it? That husky trembling you feel in your gut is anticipation for Google I/O… or irritable bowel syndrome. But as readers of The Verge I’d wager the former. Wednesday marks the opening keynote to Google’s biggest show the year. An event that will showcase Android and a selection of apps, OSes, hardware, and services from the Alphabet syllabary. We’ll have a full preview of the event up shortly to help check those expectations.

You can also expect a deeper dive into Vizio’s 2016 P series of TVs and Senheisser’s HD 800 S headphones in what promises to be a huge week in tech.

Just before I/O we’re expecting a Tuesday release of that Super Mario-themed Minecraft for the Wii U. The free update will include a pre-made Mario world with 40 different character skins, and 15 pieces of Super Mario 64 music.

On the entertainment front, we’ll have music reviews for Chance the Rapper’s new mixtape, and for the latest releases from Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony, and even Meghan Trainor because as long as we’re going there, it might as well be all the way.

We’ll also be reviewing Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film, The Lobster which opened in the US on Friday and stars Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz.

The very NSFW reality series The Sex Factor debuts on Thursday. It stars eight women and eight men competing to be America’s next top porn star. And $1 million. It’s quite possibly the greatest thing to happen to America since Donald Trump.

The Nice Guys opens on Friday starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. Oh, and so does The Angry Birds Movie, for whatever that’s worth.

And finally, you can already read our thoughts on The Preacher which makes its series debut on AMC Sunday with a pilot episode directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Bryan Bishop calls it "a bizarre mix of shock gore, adolescent humor, and shattered faith that tees up what could be an oddly compelling TV series."

But that’s all to come. First let’s get caught up on the weekend that was.

  1. Google plans to start blocking Flash in Chrome this year

    Flash's death has been slow and painful, and now Google is planning to deal it another blow. Google has detailed plans to start blocking most Flash content with Chrome, with the change targeted...

  2. Nintendo plans to release movies within a few years

    Nintendo is in talks with various partners about developing movies and other video content based on its popular IP. In an interview with the Asahi Shimbun, CEO and president Tatsumi Kimishima says...

  3. Faraday Future says its electric car could be more powerful than Tesla's

    Since I was in Las Vegas this week to attend the Hyperloop's first public demonstration, I thought I'd check in on everyone's favorite secretive electric car company, Faraday Future. If you read T...

  4. Amazon may soon sell its own food and baby products

    Amazon may be about to start selling food and baby products under its own private labels. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon will begin offering house-branded coffee, nuts, and spices, as...

  5. Grace and Frankie is the secret weapon in Netflix's comedy lineup

    Netflix’s programming landscape has changed a great deal in the year between Grace and Frankie’s first and second seasons. It became one of Netflix’s first original comedies when it premiered in...

  6. Google reportedly faces record fine for abusing search monopoly in Europe

    Google may soon be hit with a record fine by the European Commission, as it seeks to punish Google and discourage other tech giants from taking advantage of their dominant market position. The...

  7. Sheryl Sandberg just gave an incredible, emotional speech to college grads

    Earlier today, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg gave a stirring, emotional, and inspirational commencement speech to graduating students at UC Berkeley. The speech was focused on...

  8. Watch and listen to Matthew McConaughey making bizarre sounds

    You've got your high art YouTube compilations, and then there are the videos that contain nothing but Matthew McConaughey making unintelligible noises for four entire minutes. You can thank the...

  9. How to be human: how do I find emotional intimacy without a relationship?

    You’re a person who likes emotional connection. I think you are trying to be honest with your partners, but I also think part of the problem is that you’re not being entirely honest with yourself. It’s not simply personalities that turn you on, it’s personalities in people with whom you are able to feel comfortable and intimate and close. But that’s scary because that’s relationship territory...

  10. The Verge Review of Animals: the sea cucumber

    This column is part of a series where Verge staffers post highly subjective reviews of animals. Up until now, we've written about animals without telling you whether they suck or rule. We are now...

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