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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Mega-Yachts (and Their Owners)

Question number one: do they need more friends.

Yacht-setters, i.e. the maritime equivalent to jet-setters, circle the globe on mega yachts, the price tags of which can easily equal the yearly-budgets for a small nation. But don’t think it’s easy being rich — these gazillionairs have their yachting woes . The Biggie: when their mega yacht breaks down in a foreign port.

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I asked Sean Blue, Head of Global Watercraft for AIG Private Client Group (which represents the owners of more that 300 80-foot-plus super yachts worldwide), to tell me about mega yachts and their owners .

Who are the owners of super yachts? I can’t divulge our clients, but I can share that mega yacht owners include CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, captains of industry, entertainers, engineers, inventors, rulers, owners of manufacturing companies, billionaires, and generally people who are leaders in their fields. Mega yachts are generally defined as yachts greater than 100 feet or longer, all the way up to the current largest yacht in the world — AZZAM, which is 180.6 meters long (594 feet).

Tell me about the distances these yachts can navigate. This depends on the specifications of the yacht and what it was designed for . Some are not designed to travel long distances and instead are built for speed, or for local cruising, or with maybe enough range to make a trans-Atlantic crossing safely. But others are built with an incredible amount of range in mind and can travel some 8,000 nautical miles without refueling, while others are designed to explore arctic regions, or both. Circumnavigations are not uncommon and large yachts regularly make ocean transits — whether cruising from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, or en route to Fiji across the Pacific. The only real limitations are time and money. And for most mega yacht owners, it’s just time.

Are these really ships — how do you differentiate a yacht from a ship? Some of them really are ships and are built that way, but the difference lies in how they are used. A yacht is a vessel built for the pleasure of her owner. The best yachts are built to commercial ship standards in terms of seaworthiness, safety, and technology; often times even a higher standard.

How about the price tag for these yachts? $1,000,000 a meter is the rule of thumb, but this can vary depending on the design, builder, systems, interiors and a great many other things. The largest yacht currently in the world, AZZAM, is reported to have cost over $700M to build. In addition to the yachts themselves are the interior décors and furnishings, wine collections, fine art collections, and its “toys” and tenders (support vessels).

What happens when a yacht breaks down on the other side of the globe? Mega yachts are managed and run by highly trained professionals from the captains and crews to the yacht managers that are often hired to manage all the aspects of owning and running a yacht. Not unlike the world of aviation, maintenance is ongoing, so an all-out breakdown on the water whereby you have a dead ship is a relatively rare occurrence. Fire aboard a yacht is actually a little more common, which is the primary source of large losses on yachts that AIG has seen, and something to which we pay a lot of attention by providing shipboard fire training for crews and local firefighters in seaside communities. Whether it’s a breakdown or a fire, after the initial response to save lives and property, the yacht may call for assistance from a neighboring ship or vessel and in some cases call a towing or salvage company for assistance to get the yacht back to the nearest safest port to evaluate damage and decide on next steps. That is usually when specialty insurers are called to facilitate the logistics and repairs.

What if it just needs work? Most of the work performed on a super yacht is performed by its crew. If there is need beyond that, specialists can be flown in from all around the world. Larger yachts are like big commercial buildings with air conditioning systems, watermakers, plumbing, electrical, hydraulics, refrigeration, and virtually any mechanical system you can imagine. If expertise is not available locally, you get the experts to come to you.   

Where do they go for repairs? The best local place they can find that can address the yacht’s specific need. There are numerous facilities around the world that can accommodate and repair mega yachts, but as you get farther from the Western world, these facilities may not specialize or deal with yachts everyday and may be more directed toward commercial work and a more industrial level of care and finish quality. Often in these situations, repairs are made for the safety and seaworthiness of the yacht and cosmetics are handled at a later date at a facility specializing in the high level of yacht fitting and finish.

Does work need to be done on dry land? Some works can be accomplished while the yacht is in the water , even if it involves work to the bottom or propulsion or stabilizer equipment and that may sometimes be a safer and less expensive route if it’s feasible, but some maintenance and repair does require a haul out on land or dry dock.

How much does a typical yacht weigh? There really is not a typical yacht, and the weight can vary greatly. Yachts are generally measured in gross tonnage, which is a volumetric measurement.  A yacht at the smaller end of the Mega Yacht segment, such as a 112-foot Westport, displaces 275,000 pounds and carries a gross tonnage of 207 gross tonnes. AZZAM, the largest yacht in the world, which is  590 feet long and was built by Lurssen in Germany, is reported to be over 13,000 gross tonnes.  

Are there places in the U.S. that repair yachts? The U.S. is blessed with many great facilities around the country and on every coast that are capable of repairing and refitting yachts and mega yachts.   Some are boat and ship yards that are also involved in building yachts, while some are mixed between private and commercial work, and others cater exclusively to the mega yacht community. South Florida is certainly an area of concentration for these facilities, but not the only region where one can find them.

Are there cranes capable of lifting these heavy yachts? Travel lifts can accommodate some pretty large yachts, but at a certain size, a dry-dock might be necessary and in these cases, this can certainly limit your options on where your yacht can be hauled and repaired.

An aside: Marine Group Boat Works in San Diego caters to mega yacht owners. Its six-story traveling crane is capable of lifting 665-tons. Each tire (there are 16) stands a foot taller than a grown man.  The crane is said to be the strongest mobile crane in the U.S. It made record books when the 626 ton mega-yacht Ronin (previously owned by billionaire Larry Ellison – now owned by Venezuelan banker Victor Vargas ), became the largest private yacht ever to be lifted by a moving crane.

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See Mark Zuckerberg’s glossy new $300M, 287-foot superyacht ‘Launchpad’

All aboard S.S. Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly gifted himself a $300 million megayacht, dubbed “Launchpad,” ahead of his 40th birthday.

The staggering 387-foot-long vessel was seen floating at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after arriving at its berth earlier this week, The Sun reported Thursday.

The multi-layered luxury ship’s sleek exterior was designed by Espen Øino International and boasts a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure, according to SuperYacht Times.

Reportedly ranking as the 45th largest yacht in the world, the interiors are just as aesthetically pleasing and reportedly executed by Zuretti Interior Design company, a France-based company specializing in unique and custom yacht design.

The breathtakingly beautiful floater stands out with a navy blue theme matching an American flag perched proudly on its wood-paneled stern.

There are several outdoor areas where the social media maven will be able to relax with his family and the indoor levels feature glass paneling allowing for tons of natural light.

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There also appears to be a helipad perfect for whenever the Facebook co-founder wants to travel to his vessel by air.

The Feadship-built yacht, built in 2022, can comfortably fit 24 guests aboard, requires a crew of 48, and is said to cost $30 million a year for upkeep and usage, according to Superyachtfan.com .

Boatworld insiders have been buzzing with speculation that Zuckerberg is the owner of the newly minted mega-cruise ever since it made its main voyage from the Netherlands last week.

The tech titan was spotted touring the Russian-commissioned megayacht in early March, though the impressive boat didn’t arrive stateside until this week due to sanctions, according to The Sun.

The website reported that Zuckerberg purchased the pricey yacht – along with its own $30 million partner boat — most likely as an early 40th birthday present to himself.

The boat reportedly traveled to Florida after being granted special permission to be imported just weeks ahead of Zuckerberg’s birthday on May 14.

Zuckerberg’s yacht is just 30 feet shorter than the length of fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos’ 417-foot megayacht Koru, which the Amazon boss snagged for a whopping $500 million.

Zuckerberg’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

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Conservative media voice matt walsh goes undercover as dei trainee in ‘am i racist’ doc.

Walsh attends anti-racism workshops, crashes private dinner parties and conducts sit-down interviews with experts and everyday Americans while playing "a bumbling, zealous DEI trainee," per Daily Wire.

By Chris Gardner

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Conservative politico, podcaster, media personality and provocateur Matt Walsh is on a mission to answer a complicated question in the forthcoming documentary Am I Racist?

The Justin Folk-directed film, described as a “social experiment,” comes from the Daily Wire and Digital Astronaut and will mark the company’s first theatrical launch for an in-house production with distribution handled by SDG Releasing.

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“Growing up in the ‘90s, you never thought much about race. Sure, you noticed but it never really seemed to matter that much — at least not to me,” Walsh says in a voiceover as the trailer opens. Then Walsh is seen speaking to a woman who reminds him that being a white, straight, cisgender man means he’s at the top of the pile. He then asks a group of people, “Am I racist?”

As a way to find an answer, Walsh sets off on his undercover mission. “If I’m going to sort this out, I need to go deeper undercover. If I want to be an ally, I need to look like one.” Walsh then dresses the part by putting on a tweed blazer, changing his glasses and wearing a wig with ponytail in a ensemble that makes him appear academic.

Am I Racist? marks Walsh and Folk’s second doc for the Daily Wire, following their collaboration on What Is a Woman? That 2022 release tackled “the changing concepts of sex and gender in the digital age, particularly the transgender rights movement, anti-transgender bigotry and what it means to be a woman.” Am I Racist? is produced by Charlotte Roland, Brian Hoffman, Walsh and Folk. Sean Hampton and Benyam Capel serve as co-producers, with Dallas Sonnier, Jeremy Boreing, Caleb Robinson and Ben Shapiro taking executive producer credits.

The film is scheduled to hit theaters Sept. 13.

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Sergey Brin's life and career, from USSR refugee to billionaire Google cofounder

• Sergey Brin and Larry Page founded and launched Google from a dorm room near Stanford University.
• Since then, Google has become the world's most popular search engine and the company has evolved.
• Here's everything you need to know about Brin, who is now worth about $134 billion.

Sergey Brin has amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune after co-founding Google .

Brin teamed up with Larry Page at university in 1998 to launch what would become one of the world's most powerful search engines. Brin also spearheaded many of Google's innovative projects beyond search before stepping down from Alphabet, Google's parent company , in 2019.

But his influence is still clear. Sundar Pichai , Alphabet's current CEO, reportedly began meeting with Brin and Page throughout 2023 to strategize the development of Google's Gemini to rival OpenAI's chatGPT.

Outside his career, Brin enjoys extreme sports and attending music festival Burning Man . He has been married twice; he filed for divorce from his second wife in January 2022.

Brin's early life

Brin might have a sizable net worth now, valued at $134 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, but the tech mogul comes from humble beginnings. He was born in the Soviet Union during the summer of 1973.

Brin's father was an economist who had bigger aspirations than the USSR allowed at that time. His father dreamed of being an astrophysicist, but his Jewish background and the USSR's antisemitism kept him from those ambitions.

Brin's family managed to get exit visas and flee the country when Brin was 6. But his family's stressful, troubled experience left him with a lasting appreciation for democracy and freedom.

The Brin family ended up in Maryland, where the Google cofounder was enrolled in a Montessori school — like Larry Page — that emphasized independence and fostering creativity.

Brin didn't revisit Moscow until he was 17, during a class trip led by his father. "Thank you for taking us all out of Russia," Brin told his dad, a former math professor at the University of Maryland.

Spurred on by a blossoming defiant streak, he threw pebbles at a police car while in Russia and almost got in serious trouble when the officers inside noticed.

Brin and Larry Page create Google

Brin earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science at the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford.

There, his love of high-adrenaline exercise flourished: he tried out skating, skiing, gymnastics, and even trapeze.

Brin met Google cofounder Larry Page at Stanford in 1995.

The two reportedly found each other "obnoxious" at first, but they later became classmates and close friends who geeked out about computer science.

Brin and Page started collaborating in 1996 on a search engine they initially called BackRub.

Before Google, Brin was more focused on making an algorithm for personalized movie recommendations or finding a way to automatically detect copyright infringement cases.

Brin's résumé from back in 1996, as he was working toward his Ph.D. at Stanford, is still available online.

The pair registered the domain Google.com in September 1997. Brin and Page had a mission to organize the world's information and dropped out of Stanford the following year to work on their search engine. The rest, as we now know, is history.

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That same year, the pair created the first Google Doodle .

Both Brin and Page are "burners," meaning they're devout fans and attendees of Burning Man, the freewheeling art festival in the middle of the Nevada desert. They made the first Google Doodle to let people know they weren't around to do damage control if the site broke while they were at the event.

When the time came to find an outside CEO for Google, they approved the hire of Eric Schmidt in 2001 after learning he had attended the festival. They then brought Schmidt to Burning Man to "see how he would do."

Brin led Google's ambitious moonshot projects

Some of Brin's projects at Google include self-driving cars now known as Waymo , smart contact lenses, and smart glasses.

As Google ballooned from simply a search engine to a massive corporation with dozens of diverse projects, Brin became the mastermind behind some of its most ambitious ones as the head of Google X, the company's innovative moonshot factory.

Brin was a big proponent of Google Glass — Google's failed attempt at launching smart glasses.

For a long time, you couldn't spot Brin without the computerized Google Glass smart glasses.

Brin reportedly played a big role in the product's rocky launch in 2012, but famously, it was rushed into the world before it was ready for public scrutiny.

Brin also worked on Google's now-dismantled social network, Google Plus.

He admitted onstage in 2014 that he should have never worked on it because he's "kind of a weirdo" and not very social.

"It was probably a mistake for me to be working on anything tangentially related to social to begin with," Brin said in 2014.

He has maintained an eclectic presence at Google since its beginning.

Brin's fashion style is well-known around the Google campus

Even as Google grew into a multibillion-dollar company, Brin maintained the freewheeling spirit of the early days. Around Googleplex, Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, Brin typically wore workout clothes and Vibram barefoot shoes, and he was frequently seen zipping around the office on Rollerblades, doing yoga stretches during meetings, or walking around on his hands for fun.

The Economist once dubbed Brin the "Enlightenment Man" for his dedication to using reason and science to solve huge world problems.

Brin's personal life

In 2007, Brin married Anne Wojcicki, the CEO of the genetics company 23andMe.

She's the sister of early Google employee — and former YouTube CEO — Susan Wojcicki. For the wedding, the couple invited guests to a secret location in the Bahamas and wore bathing suits for the ceremony, which reportedly took place on a sandbar.

Brin and Wojcicki have two children together. Both kids have the last name Wojin, a portmanteau of their parents' last names.

Parkinson's runs in Brin's family, so he does what he can to lower his likelihood of getting the disease. Brin and Wojcicki donated hundreds of millions of dollars to charity, including to Parkinson's research. A test through 23andMe revealed that Brin has a genetic mutation that makes him predisposed to the disease.

To lower his chances of developing it, Brin started exercising even more intensely and drinking green tea twice a day. Due to his health regimen and scientific progress, he estimated in 2010 that he now has only about a 10% chance of getting the disease.

Brin's marriage to Wojcicki hit the rocks in 2013, and the couple separated. Around the time of his separation with Wojcicki , Brin had reportedly started an affair with a Google employee who was also in a relationship with another high-level Google executive at the same time.

Brin and Wojcicki officially finalized their divorce in June 2015 after eight years of marriage.

The 2018 book "Valley of Genius" described Brin as " the Google playboy " during the company's early days.

"He was known for getting his fingers caught in the cookie jar with employees that worked for the company in the masseuse room," a former employee said. "He got around."

In 2018, Brin married Nicole Shanahan , a lawyer and the founder of a legal-tech startup. The couple met in 2015 at a yoga retreat. They had a baby girl together the same year they wed.

Four years later, Brin filed for divorce from Shanahan. The filing came after rumors swirled that his wife at the time was having an affair with Elon Musk , the billionaire Tesla CEO .

Their divorce was finalized in 2023. Both Musk and Shanahan have denied the cheating allegations.

Brin stepped down from his role as Alphabet president in 2019

In August 2015, Brin's title got a major upgrade when Google underwent a major restructuring.

Brin transitioned from director of special projects at the moonshot division, Google X, to become the president of Alphabet, Google's new parent company. Page was named Alphabet's CEO.

Then, in December 2019, Brin and Page shocked the world: They announced in a joint statement that they were stepping down from their respective roles at Alphabet.

Since leaving, Brin has stayed busy with exercising, philanthropy, and an airship startup.

"We've never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there's a better way to run the company," they wrote. Both Page and Brin remain members of Alphabet's board of directors .

Brin's life outside Alphabet

Meanwhile, Brin and Page had become billionaires several times over.

In 2005, they bought a 50-person plane together.

Brin owns real estate in both New York City and California.

He's invested a lot of money in Los Altos, where he owns property, through a real estate investment firm called Passerelle Investment Co. The investments reportedly went toward helping mom-and-pop, kid-friendly stores and cafés spring up or stay in business.

Brin has tried to learn several Olympic sports, runs a family foundation supporting Parkinson's research and education, and has been working on an airship startup called LTA Research .

In 2023, the company received an airworthiness certificate for its Pathfinder 1 airship to begin test flights. The massive vessel is almost 400 feet long and about 66 feet wide at its widest point.

And Brin is no stranger to flashy modes of transportation. The mogul owns a collection of watercraft that his friends call the " Fly Fleet ." It includes a 40-meter superyacht called Butterfly and 73-meter megayacht known as Dragonfly. He bought Dragonfly in 2011 for $80 million.

Brin was also been rumored to be writing a physics textbook in 2022, but there's no sign it's been published yet.

Brin and Page's return to Google

At the beginning of 2023, reports emerged that Alphabet tapped Brin and Page to help Google compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT in the race to dominate the artificial intelligence space.

By the end of the year, Google confirmed that Brin was a key factor in bringing its AI model Gemini to fruition. In the white paper explaining Gemini's capabilities , Brin is listed as a "core contributor."

When he spoke at San Francisco's AGI House in March, Brin said he "kind of came out of retirement just because the trajectory of AI is so exciting."

He also addressed criticism of Gemini by defending the text generation feature but conceding that Google "definitely messed up on the image generation."

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Comic-Con 2024 Photos: Best Of Panels, Cosplay & Convention Floor

By Robert Lang

Robert Lang

Photo Editor

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The San Diego Comic-Con kicked off its 2024 edition this week, the premiere event for super fans of all things comics, movies, television, gaming, and book enthusiasts.

This event is renowned as the largest comic convention globally and has seen its popularity soar over the years, attracting creators, actors, and industry professionals.

UFC and WWE champion, Ronda Rousey opened the panels with actor Dave Bautista as they discussed Ronda’s debut graphic novel Expecting the Unexpected and their journeys after stepping out of the ring. Eisner Award-winning artist Mike Deodato, Jr., and AWA chief creative officer Axel Alonso joined in to celebrate the book’s Kickstarter launch and the innovative creative process behind this powerful project.

Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment panel for Transformers One, included Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Keegan-Michael Key, along with the director, Academy Award-winner Josh Cooley, and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura.

The cast of Peacock’s horror-thriller Teacup offered a sneak peek at the upcoming series. The show follows a group of strangers in rural Georgia who must unite to survive a mysterious threat. Starring Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman, and Chaske Spencer, Teacup is a terrifying tale of survival. Later, the cast of the Disney+ YA series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians , joined a panel moderated by Jay Duplass to discuss the show’s successful first season.

Downtown San Diego transforms into a pop culture wonderland with carnivals, factories, pop-up restaurants, activations, and more as studios unveil their latest projects.

Last year’s convention had a markedly different atmosphere due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA dual strikes, which prevented talent from attending and promoting their work. The actors will be out in full force as celebrations kick off Wednesday, July 24 through Sunday, July 28.

Check back for the latest photos and updates from the mecca of conventions.

Marvel Studios: The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life

(L-R) Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman

(L-R) Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Dafne Keen, Jennifer Garner, Chris Evans, Channing Tatum and Wesley Snipes speak onstage during Marvel Studios: The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 25

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 25: (L-R) Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Dafne Keen, Jennifer Garner, Chris Evans, Channing Tatum and Wesley Snipes speak onstage during Marvel Studios: The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 25

(L-R) Hugh Jackman, Shawn Levy, Emma Corrin, Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios attend Marvel Studios: The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 25

(L-R) Dafne Keen, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Shawn Levy, Emma Corrin, Ryan Reynolds, Wesley Snipes, Channing Tatum, Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios and Chris Evans

(L-R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman speak onstage during Marvel Studios: The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 25

2024 San Diego International Comic-Con – Day 1 – Panels

The Marvel Drone Show after the “Marvel Studios: The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life” Panel 

IMDboat At San Diego Comic-Con 2024

(L-R) Gaius Charles, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Željko Ivanek and Eli Jorne attend the IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 at The IMDb Yacht on July 25

Kristen Schaal and Kyle Newacheck at the “What We Do in the Shadows’ Farewell Tour Kick-Off” Panel 

Paul Simms, Matt Berry, Mark Proksch, Kristen Schaal and Kyle Newacheck at the “What We Do in the Shadows’ Farewell Tour Kick-Off” Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25

2024 San Diego International Comic-Con – Day 1 – Cosplay

A cosplayer dressed as Springtrap from “Five Nights at Freddy’s”

Cosplayers dressed as Spock (L) and Kruge from “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” 

Cosplayers dressed as characters from “Baldur’s Gate 3” 

Tom Kenny and Mark Hamill at the “Celebrating 25 Years of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants” Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25

Kel Mitchell, Marc Ceccarelli, Vincent Waller, Doug Lawrence, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Bill Fagerbakke and Tom Kenny at the “Celebrating 25 Years of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants” Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25

2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego

(L-R) Actor Mark Proksch, producer-writer Paul Simms, actors Kristen Schaal, Kyle Newacheck and Matt Berry promote FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows” during Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, July 25

Paramount Animation Presentation of “TRANSFORMERS ONE” At 2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego

(L-R) Keegan-Michael Key, Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry at the Paramount Animation Presentation of “TRANSFORMERS ONE” HALL H PANEL at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 on July 25

Keegan-Michael Key, Brian Tyree Henry and Chris Hemsworth at the Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment “Transformers One” Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25

Chris Hemsworth at the Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment “Transformers One” Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25

Brian Tyree Henry and Chris Hemsworth at the Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment “Transformers One” Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25, 2024

(L-R) Paul Feig and Sh*tty Pinky attend the IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con 2024

2024 San Diego International Comic-Con – Day 1 – Press Lines

Jojo Macari, Jonah Leach, Sara Martins, Iwan Rheon, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas and Moe Hashim of “Those About to Die” 

A cosplayer dressed as El Pollito

Cosplayers dressed as Mario and Luigi from “Super Mario Bros.” 

Cosplayers dressed as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

Fearless activation 

The Bear activation 

(L-R) Peter Macon, Owen Teague, Freya Allan and Kevin Durand of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25

(L-R) Jonathan E. Steinberg, Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri and Dan Shotz attend the IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 at The IMDb Yacht on July 25

Aryan Simhadri, Leah Jeffries and Walker Scobell of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25, 2024 in San Diego

2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego – Peacock’s “TEACUP” Press Room

(L-R) Chaske Spencer, Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Ian McCulloch attend Peacock’s “TEACUP” press room during 2024 Comic-Con International at Hilton Bayfront on July 25, 2024 in San Diego

2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego – Peacock’s “Those About To Die” Press Line

A view of atmosphere at Peacock’s “Those About To Die” press line during 2024 Comic-Con International at Hilton Bayfront on July 25,

(L-R) Shamon Brown Jr., Brady Noon, Alanna Ubach, Nicolas Cantu and Micah Abbey attend the IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 at The IMDb Yacht on July 25

David Dastmalchian attends the IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 at The IMDb Yacht on July 25

Dave Bautista and Ronda Rousey at “Ronda Rousey’s Comic Debut with AWA” Panel

Dave Bautista, Ronda Rousey, Mike Deodato Jr. and Axel Alonso at “Ronda Rousey’s Comic Debut with AWA” Panel 

Ronda Rousey at “Ronda Rousey’s Comic Debut with AWA” Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 25, 2024 in San Diego, California

SpongeBob SquarePants | San Diego Comic Con

L-R) Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke attend SpongeBob SquarePants | San Diego Comic Con on July 24

2024 San Diego International Comic-Con: Preview Night

Cosplayers dressed as Lucy and The Ghoul from “Fallout” at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con Preview Night on July 24, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Celebrities & Press Preview Planet Of The Apes Experience At San Diego Comic Con

(L-R) Kevin Durand, Owen Teague, Freya Allan and Peter Macon attend the Celebrities & Press Preview of Planet of The Apes Experience at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 24

2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego – Preview Night

Spongebob Squarepants voice actor Bill Fagerbakke (L) poses with his character Patrick during Preview Night

A general view of the atmosphere during Preview Night for 2024 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center

A general view of the atmosphere during Preview Night

Atmosphere at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con Preview Night on July 24

San Diego Comic-Con – Preview Night

A cosplayer dressed as Deadpool

Cosplayers dressed as Krieg and Mad Moxxi from “Borderlands” 

Atmosphere at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con Preview Night

A cosplayer dressed as Fairy Godmother from “Shrek” 

A cosplayer dressed as Mister Sinister from “X-Men” 

A cosplayer dressed as Beetlejuice 

A cosplayer dressed as Just Pizza 

Atmosphere at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con Preview Night 

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Hend Sabri on Starring in and Producing Arabic Adaptation of ‘The Good Wife’: ‘It’s Crucial to Have Such a Nuanced Character in This Part of the World’

By Nick Vivarelli

Nick Vivarelli

International Correspondent

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Tunisian-Egyptian star Hend Sabri is moving the cultural needle in the Middle East when it comes to playing female characters. 

Sabri is the star of “Moftaraq Toroq,” the Arabic adaptation of “ The Good Wife ” that launched in June to top ratings across the Middle East on leading regional network MBC’s Shahid premium streamer.

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You are the protagonist in these big series in which you play female characters that push boundaries in Middle Eastern culture. In what ways is it a balancing act?

Yes, the shock doctrine doesn’t work in this region. I don’t think it works when you shock the audience or take them away from what they know, from their values and beliefs. But if you take them on a journey from a place they know to a place maybe they don’t, then they start thinking or approaching it differently.

What were the main challenges in placing “The Good Wife” protagonist Alicia Florrick within an Arabic cultural context?

The show is actually very similar to the original. But there are a few changes that were made. Some before I came on board the project, others afterwards. I had discussions with the producers and the writers about some very tricky moments in the characters’ life concerning social judgment over a married woman being in love with another man. We had to be very, very careful about how to navigate that and how to introduce this dichotomy or this kind of dilemma that she’s in.

How did you make Alicia’s character more Arabic?

How groundbreaking is “The Good Wife” in the Arab world?

For me, it’s crucial to have such a nuanced character in this part of the world. It’s probably the first time we see a woman trapped in so many crossroads. And, by the way, the title of the Arabic adaptation is “Crossroads.” There are so many crossroads in her life at an age where she’s not in her prime – she’s not 20, she’s getting middle-aged. Nobody talks about middle-aged women in this region. And the fact that she’s torn between being a good wife and living her real life, and being torn between her authenticity and what society dictates — this is super essential for this region. So I thought [the tweaks] were actually good for me as an actress and good for what I want, or the impact I want to have through my work in the region.

Any other cultural differences?

In the American version, Alicia is a very strong character. She chooses – in a society that could have allowed her to do otherwise – to put herself in second place. But she could have chosen differently. Here [in the Arabic version], we have a character who didn’t really have a choice. Amira has a brilliant husband, she has to live in his shadow. And once she goes back to being a lawyer and to the firm and to having her own life, the way she negotiates keeping that life is different from how an American character negotiates keeping that life. And we had to be very subtle in building that, or else she would’ve come across as a character who is a social outcast and someone who chose to cheat on her husband.

How can you tell when you’ve gone too far?

These things are very tricky in our region. Because of my experience, because I’ve been playing so many characters in this region, my nose always tells me. I have a flair for these things, I know when we’re crossing the line and when it’s OK to do so. Going back to what I was just saying about Amira, I had to go back a few times and tell the writers, “I don’t think that’s going to pass.” With Amira, I think we needed to underline the fact that she had no choice and that she was a victim. Not just of that man [her husband], but of society as a whole. And that now that she wants to keep that freedom, wants to maintain her independence, it cannot be only because she fell in love. Otherwise, it’s going to be interpreted as her being a woman who changes her mind very easily, which is still not very well accepted [in the Arab world]. It’s a game. It’s a dance with the audience.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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