MetroNews Hotline

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo joins Dave Weekley fresh off writing his review of The Mandalorian and Grogu, and he's not pulling punches. Despite being a lifelong Star Wars fan who has attended eleven franchise premieres, Lussier finds the film a two-hour plot delivery vehicle that fails to meaningfully develop its characters or justify its existence as a theatrical release — arguing that nothing in the movie makes it essential viewing before a potential Mandalorian season four. The two discuss whether the built-in Star Wars audience will show up regardless, how much the film's reception reflects on Pedro Pascal's recent run following Fantastic Four, and what Lussier would tell the franchise's creative team. Dave opens the segment with breaking news of the Cincinnati Reds trading Reese Hines to the Miami Marlins and West Virginia's Alec Manoah being outrighted to Triple-A by the Angels.

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo joins Dave Weekley to cover a packed entertainment slate. Lussier shares his review of Mortal Kombat 2, calling it action-packed fan service that course-corrects several decisions from the 2021 original — including a conversation with the film's writer about why those changes were made. The discussion moves to Melissa Barrera's absence from Scream 7, with Lussier recapping how her firing over social media posts led to a wave of cast and crew departures, eventually forcing the studio to bring her back, and whether her continued public commentary is helping or hurting her standing in Hollywood. The segment closes with Disney's better-than-expected quarterly earnings and Lussier's firsthand account of the chaotic ticket sale for Star Wars Celebration 2027 in Atlanta — the first U.S. edition in five years and the 50th anniversary of the franchise — which sold out over the course of roughly six hours.

Sports injury analyst Will Carroll of Injury Territory joins Dave Weekley to break down several notable baseball injuries. Carroll diagnoses Reds reliever Emilio Pagan's hamstring injury as a grade two strain — explaining the three-grade muscle tear scale and why the 15-day IL designation reflects roster management rather than an expected return timeline. The conversation moves to Jackson Holliday, whose hamate bone recovery has stalled due to lingering wrist complications, with Carroll noting the wrist's complex anatomy and limited blood flow make it one of the most difficult areas to fully rehabilitate. Carroll closes with an update on Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who faces loose body removal surgery on his elbow — a procedure Carroll frames as treating a symptom rather than the underlying cause — and argues the timing, while unfortunate ahead of free agency, is unlikely to significantly damage Skubal's earning potential.

Tech reporter Abrar Al-Heeti joins Dave Weekley for their latest tech news segment, opening with Apple's $250 million settlement over unfulfilled Apple Intelligence promises made during the iPhone 16 launch — with eligible device owners able to claim between $25 and $95 per device. The conversation moves to a UK study finding that roughly half of children surveyed said age verification tools on social platforms are easy to bypass, including with something as simple as a drawn-on fake mustache, leading to a broader discussion on the privacy trade-offs of AI-based age detection tools like Meta's proposed bone structure analysis. The two close with the Academy's new rule barring AI actors and AI-written screenplays from Oscar consideration, debating what the decision says about the evolving definition of art, and touch on OpenAI's new ChatGPT platform designed specifically for clinical use by healthcare providers.