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2 • March 15 - 21, 2020 • Brainerd Dispatch By Rachel Jones TV Media N othing says the Old West like robots, right? It's certainly true for Season 3 of HBO's hit se- ries, "Westworld," premiering Sunday, March 15, on the premi- um cable channel. In the fictional amusement park of Westworld, a troupe of eerily lifelike AI called "hosts" are programed to play the roles of townsfolk and gunmen for the park's guests. The series en- tered the HBO lineup in 2016 and stars Evan Rachel Wood ("Frozen II," 2019) as Dolores Abernathy, the oldest host in the park, and a rancher's daughter-turned-robot revolutionist. In this western-themed adult playground run by a company called Delos Destinations, there are no consequences. Guests are allowed to indulge their darkest fantasies, and the AI hosts have their memories wiped regularly, often after dying at the hands of a guest. But the hosts begin to evolve. A few particularly astute and tena- cious beings learn who they really are, and, more importantly, start to remember, even after their memories are supposedly wiped. The series makes you wonder if there is more humanity in these machines than in the people who oversee them. In Season 2, the hosts (who have become self-aware) set out to take control over the park. Tes- sa Thompson ("Thor: Ragn- arok," 2017) plays Char- lotte Hale, the executive director of Delos, but in the Season 2 finale, a major plot twist has her playing Dolores as well. No worries, though, Wood is back as Delores for Season 3, in the body the es- caped host pieced together in last year's season fi- nale. As Season 2 wrapped up, it seemed like the hosts had accom- plished their mis- sion. What more could they do? HBO is notori- ously tight- lipped, but the trailers for this new season unveil a whole new adven- ture for these sentient androids. This time, it's outside the park. This gripping show is actually based on a 1973 movie of the same name, written by Michael Crichton, author of "Jurassic Park," "Congo," "Timeline" and many other page-to- screen success stories. It starred Yul Brynner ("The Ten Command- ments," 1956) as an an- droid in the park, with Richard Benjamin ("Goodbye, Colum- bus," 1969) and James Brolin ("Traffic," 2000) as guests. In this version, the theme park actu- ally housed three alter- nate worlds with vary- ing themes: Western World, Medi- eval World and a Roman World. While the film was popular in its time, HBO's take on the story is inventive and fresh. Critics can't help but compare this 21st century version of "West- world" to HBO's other smash hit, "Game Of Thrones." The fantasy- drama series ended in 2019 after an eight-season run that had an enormous following. Odds are, if you enjoyed "Game Of Thrones," you'll get hooked on "Westworld." Hopefully, this foreshadows a nice long run for our ranching robots. The show itself is full of big names who consistently turn in stel- lar performances. The cast so far has included Anthony Hopkins ("The Silence of the Lambs," 1991), Jeffrey Wright ("Shaft," 2000), James Marsden ("Dead to Me"), Thandie Newton ("Beloved," 1998) and Ed Harris ("Apollo 13," 1995). Oh, and if you look closely, you can even catch NFL star running back Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Se- ahawks making a guest appear- ance. This season, Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad"), Lena Waithe ("Master of None"), Tommy Flana- gan ("Sons of Anarchy"), Michael Ealy ("Stumptown"), Vincent Cas- sel ("Black Swan," 2010), Kid Cudi ("How to Make It in America"), John Gallagher Jr. ("The News- room") and more join the cast. HBO has gone all out to make this experience truly immersive for fans, even developing a Virtual Reality ex- perience with Survios, the interactive content studio. Taking it a step fur- ther, HBO created a dystopian- themed website run by a fake com- pany, Incite Inc. Within the site, HBO tucked away two additional trailers for the show. It's a virtual treasure hunt for "Westworld" fans. The hidden trailers are dark and dramatic and suggest that Dolores' journey to freedom will come at a steep price. After two intense trailers full of murder and explosions, No. 3 is a complete surprise. It reveals Dolo- res' budding relationship with a new character, Caleb (Paul), and frames it as a romantic comedy. The two of them order milkshakes, take long strolls on a pier and ride off into the sunset on horseback. The trailer promises that Season 3 will be "35% more romantic." The tongue-in- cheek humor is a nice break from the intensity of the hosts' fight for free- dom. Breaking free Season 3 of 'Westworld' ventures out into the real world Cover Story this week Tessa Thompson in "Westworld" Conan The WNBA is guaranteeing maternity leave for its players. In response, the NBA said, "If we offered our players paternity leave, there'd be no NBA." "1917" was predicted to win Best Picture [at the Oscars] and it didn't. The producer was furious and said, "We fought World War I for nothing." A Little Late With Lilly Singh Gamers are better role models than basketball players because you can't cheat on your wife if you've never talked to a girl. Did you know that Saudi Arabia gave a robot named Sophia citizenship? Looks like in Saudi Arabia you can have more rights as a robot than a woman. "Frozen 2" is out six years after the original, which, coincidentally, is the exact amount of time it took to get "Let It Go" out of our heads the first time! So let's get this straight: In Eastern Asia, everyone wants to be whiter; in North America, everyone wants to be tan. So, it turns out that the only thing everyone on Earth has in common is low self-esteem. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Attorney General William Barr said that the president's tweets make it impossible for him to do his job. Meanwhile, Trump's tweets make it very possible for me to do my job. I wanna wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! If you and that special someone agreed that you're not exchanging gifts this year, right now you're probably realizing that was a trap. Police in Scotland were called after thousands of people signed up to a massive game of hide and seek in Ikea. It only should have taken them 20 minutes to assemble a team, but since it was Ikea, it took them seven hours. Late Laughs Downloadthe"VistBrainerd"App intheAppleorGooglePlayStores. Events,lodgingandthingstodo inthepalmofyourhand. VISITBRAINERD PlanningYour VisittoBrainerd JustGotEasier. TheOfficialDMOforBaxterandBrainerd,MN EntertainmentGuide_July_2x4.indd 1 6/26/2019 12:42:53PM 218-829-5278 321 South 7th Street Suite 105 • Brainerd, MN 56401 Sunday, June 28, 2020 10 am to 4 pm Located in Gregory Park Brainerd MN 56401 JOIN US! Come See Some Amazing Art Talents At Work! (Artists, Food Vendors, Family Activities, Guitarists & Singer/Song Writers) Truth Lutheran Church 501 Kingwood Street, Brainerd, MN (Corner of 5th & Kingwood) truthlutheranchurch.com An LCMC Congregation …Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ SUNDAY WORSHIP • 9 AM Fellowship and Sunday school following worship WEDNESDAY LENTEN SERVICE • 7 PM Soup and Sandwiches from 6:00 pm - 7:00pm

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