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Which John Wick Theory Will Become The Real Ending to the Franchise?

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In 2014, avid action movie viewers got introduced to a new Keanu Reeves movie, John Wick. The first movie gives viewers a taste of the action sequences that will come in the next two films. The 2nd chapter, John Wick 2, explores the concept of the High Table and builds the world that the characters are part of. And in 2019, the latest, John Wick 3: Parabellum, we see an immediate continuation of John Wick’s actions and consequences. It doesn’t end there. It was also announced that two more sequels are coming: John Wick 4 and John Wick 5, with the fourth getting a 2022 release. But with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) still in the middle of his revenge plot against the High Table, how can the franchise end? Read more about each John Wick theory that fans have explored.

Warning: Potential spoilers ahead.

John Wick Theory 1: He Destroys the System and Finds a New Purpose

John Wick 3: Parabellum ends with John Wick falling off a building, suddenly disappearing from the street, and appearing bloody in front of the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). And with both characters having lost in different ways, it seems likely they’ll have a team up to get revenge in the upcoming movie. With the treatment they both received from the High Table, they have no choice but to go against the system that has made them suffer.

This John Wick theory is a likely but predictable ending to the John Wick franchise. After all, Wick has had to endure endless beatings and shootings after coming out of “retirement.” The Baba Yaga might even defeat the 12-seater High Table and end up with John Wick living peacefully. He could even adopt an orphan and help that orphan find a purpose alongside him and his unnamed dog. It will become a “happy ending” for Wick and those bound to the system.

Theory 2: He IS the New High Table

It seems that John Wick is impossible to kill, and his alliance with the Bowery King may further increase his strength. But once they defeat the High Table, what would happen next? This John Wick theory explores the idea that the protagonist will become the NEW High Table. The dreaded Baba Yaga may become the new High Table leader and have a new assassin following.

Once he and the Bowery King exterminates the High Table, John Wick could take the leadership role and create new standards. He might even allow assassins to leave a peaceful, everyday life and settle down. However, this theory may become unfortunate for John Wick. For someone who wants freedom from the High Table, taking the leadership position may become a fate worse than death for him.

Theory 3: He Knows He Can’t Leave a Peaceful Life

This John Wick theory explores the Kubler-Ross model– the five stages of grief. To refresh your memory, it’s:

  • Denial (John Wick doesn’t want his idyllic life to end)
  • Anger (John Wick goes on a rampage)
  • Bargaining (John Wick “bargains” with The Elder)
  • Depression
  • Acceptance

If the model were to follow the release of each John Wick movie, John Wick 4 might tackle depression. And with John Wick 5 announced, the protagonist may accept that he would no longer have a peaceful life.

In this case, John Wick will have to understand that he’ll no longer go back to a life where he can live “normally” as he did with his late wife, Helen. Eventually, John Wick may realize that he might only achieve peace when he dies. And as an experienced assassin, John Wick knows that death would be his way out.

Theory 4: He Dies

If peace seems impossible for John Wick, there’s only one way for him to be “free” from the chains of the High Table: Death. He knows that dying is a better option than following the rules of the High Table blindly. Plus, having gone against crime families, it’s likely that viewers will see John Wick at the end of his journey.

Once the High Table is gone, Winston (Ian McShane), the head of the New York Continental, may assume his position as head of the High Table. He would eventually create a fairer system for other assassins. Plus, he might even pay tribute to Wick once the Baba Yaga rests in peace. It’s easier said than done to say that John Wick will die. Since the first movie, he’s been fighting enemies, and it looks like he’s nowhere near done.

Theory 5: A Longtime Ally is the REAL Villain

John Wick 3: Parabellum introduces its viewers to the antagonist of the franchise, the head of the High Table: The Elder. But, for someone who would be the antagonist, it doesn’t seem too surprising. The Elder’s past remains a mystery, especially his ascent to power and why people are quick to follow him. It may seem, however, the real villain set-up would be Winston, the possible actual leader of the High Table.

As manager of the New York Continental, Winston isn’t one to falter. During the Continental siege, he was hiding inside his vault with John Wick’s unnamed dog. He even helped supply John Wick and concierge Charon, weapons to wipe out the High Table’s fighters. However, by the end of the movie, we saw him shooting John Wick off the Continental, seemingly killing the title character. And this ploy may only be the beginning of Winston’s schemes,  setting him up to become the likely villain in the upcoming movies.

For other interesting stories, check out more articles here in Owner’s Mag.

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Entertainment

FN Meka, the world’s first AI rapper, gets booted out by record label

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fn meka

It’s not unusual for companies to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create artist personas. In the 2022 VMAs, Eminem and Snoop Dogg performed in the metaverse with their digital alter egos. And AI rappers are no different. In April 2019, FN Meka debuted as the world’s first AI-powered rapper. 

Soon enough, he gained a huge following on Tiktok for his Hypebeast aesthetic and larger-than-life personality. In 2021, his Tiktok ballooned to 10 million followers. His popularity prompted Capital Records to sign him on August 14 this year. But, internet users began pulling up records of his questionable online behavior. Ten days later, his label booted him out.

Here’s how it happened. 

Apparently, AI rappers exist. 

FN Meka’s concept isn’t a true original. In fact, when it comes to virtual rap avatars, you’d probably think of British rap group Gorillaz first. 

Brandon Le created the AI rapper avatar to sell non-fungible tokens. However, executive Anthony Martini led the avatar to new heights. Martini signed the rapper to Factory New, a record label he made for virtual artists. 

His first single, “Florida Water,” features Gunna and Cody “Cix” Conrod, a Fortnite player. On the day FN Meka signed the deal, the single was released.

The rapper is the first artist to sign in Factory New. 

The downfall

A few days after his new record deal, Industry Blackout, an online activist group, called out FN Meka over his questionable actions. 

For one, the AI rapper had used the N-word in several of his songs, including his first single. He also mocked police brutality and posted a picture of himself being beaten up by the police. 

Plus, FN Meka was criticized for racially stereotyping Black people because of his appearance and aesthetic. Furthermore, rumors began circulating that no actual Black people were involved in his creation in the first place. 

Other news outlets also criticized the AI rapper for collaborating with Gunna, who is in jail for racketeering. 

The record company has since dropped him. In a statement, the record label offered “their deepest apologies to the Black community.” Because of FN Meka’s actions, the label has cut ties with him “effective immediately.” 

More and more problems

It doesn’t end there.

Kyle the Hooligan has come forward as the voice behind FN Meka. And the rapper has dropped new information on the issue. He alleges that the company did not pay him for the first three songs he made for the AI rapper. He also claims to have been ghosted by the creators at around 2021, when FN Meka just started gaining traction.

Of course, this comes as a surprise. Factory New claims that the AI writes the song while the humans only perform it.

Kyle doesn’t know who currently voices FN Meka, and he hasn’t probed it. What we know for sure, though, is that the rapper is based on other trendy rappers like Ice Narco, Lil Pump, and 6ix9ine. 

On August 28, Kyle the Hooligan announced that he would file a lawsuit against Brandon Le and Factory New. 

There’s a sort of irony in FN Meka. The AI rapper, voiced by a Black artist, is the product of white creators. And some activists and critics even call the AI rapper a new form of blackface. Here, critics argue that anyone can use and adopt Blackness without being Black. Today, a majority of FN Meka’s music and videos have been deleted from TikTok. Martini has also walked away from Factory New and FN Meka, leaving the rapper’s fate hanging in the air.

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How Diddy Turned a Nothing Vodka Into a Success

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You remember the early 2000s, right? All about the flip phones, rented tapes from Blockbuster, those low-rise jeans I could never pull off, and of course, a music revolution. 

Pretty much every decade had its unique flavor of popular music. But from 2000 to 2010, while garage rock was making a comeback, we also saw the uprise in amazing hip-hop tracks. One of the big artists from that era was Sean Combs. Better known as  P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Love, or whatever you wanna call him. 

Diddy; you’ve probably heard of him. He’s responsible for the hit tracks such as Bad Boys for Life, I’ll Be Missing You, and I Need A Girl (Parts 1 and 2). He’s also known for being the face of a well-known vodka company.  Although Ciroc is one of the most coveted beverage brands, things weren’t always so easy for them.   You might be surprised to learn that Diddy is the sole reason you know the name in the first place.

About Ciroc

From the Spruce Eats

 Ciroc is a French brand that produces alcoholic beverages.  Established in 2003, it mainly creates different flavors of vodka. But it also sells brandy as well. Ciroc is different from other vodkas in that it sources its alcohol from grapes rather than grain or potatoes. Its quality is, well, questionable. Well, it generally has good reviews some have claimed otherwise. According to Wine experts, the fruit used for Ciroc and many other beverages is Trebbiano grapes. They’re known as an unsophisticated grape; the type that doesn’t cost much and tends to produce undistinguished alcohol. 

Well, wine experts, I hate to break it to you, but most people don’t care. As long as the alcohol tastes good and does its job, then people will buy it. The success of alcohol depends mainly on marketing. And nothing is better proof of this than Ciroc. 

At first, Ciroc had a stupidly tough time establishing itself within the American markets. For a while, they collaborated with some no-name athletes. Earl Little was one of the first to promote it. They soon introduced Ciroc to various nightclubs with minimal success. Still, they were the 50th-ranked premium vodka. They were struggling just to sell 40000 cases. Something needed to change; they needed to do something drastic in order to become a success. 

How Diddy Elevated It

From Fortune

In 2007, Diddy was recruited to be a spokesperson for Ciroc. He was sort of a last resort, as the company decided they didn’t have much to lose. In typical Diddy fashion, he took this unknown brand and made it really cool. He took over Ciroc’s marketing in the United States, applying his unique salesmanship to it. And by that I mean, he was shocking. 

Here’s a good example. In the early 2000s, one of the key events of the decade was Obama’s run for president. Meanwhile, Diddy began calling himself  “Ciroc Obama,” basing much of his promotion on that one pun. 

Aside from the jokes, Diddy would also give the company free product placement and his music videos. He went on to create endless flavors for Ciroc Vodka, promoting it whenever he had the chance. His advertisements emphasized the “sexiness” of using grapes as the source of alcohol. He made it clear that no other vodka was like it. Over time, Diddy’s name became intrinsically tied to the brand. Within a few years, Ciroc skyrocketed to #2 on the premium vodka listings.

Nowadays, Diddy still creates flavors and promotes Ciroc in his own unorthodox way.

Featured image from Rolling Stone

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Is The “Death” Of Choco Taco A Marketing Ploy?

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Guys, I have bad news. On July 25, 2022, Klondike made a devastating announcement:

Over the past two years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide.

“A necessary part of this process is that we sometimes must discontinue products, 

“even a beloved item like Choco Taco.

“We know this may be very disappointing, but we hope you’ll try one of our other great products, including–

Shut up! I don’t care about your other lame products! We want Choco Taco!

I don’t get it, Klondike. You’ll drop Choco Taco but keep Klondike Shakes?! This is the saddest ice cream news since Coldstone Creamery insisted on making their employees sing as a means to distract consumers from their inadequate business model. 

But I digress…

This Doesn’t Make Sense

What’s this about, Klondike? Why discontinue an ice cream truck staple? Were sales really lagging that much? Why do you have to make room for other products? You have, like, four other things. You can’t hang onto the iconic Choco Taco?

None of this makes sense. Unless, of course, it’s all a marketing scheme. 

After the announcement, Twitter had an eruption of expletives (what’s new?). 

Why would the Klondike brand make a decision like this? Either this is a marketing scheme to create surge profits down the line. Or Klondike is being run by a bunch of morons. 

The Klondike brand is owned by Good Humor-Breyers Corp. which is owned by Unilever, a British multinational consumer goods company. Fun fact: Unilever is the largest producer of soap in the world. 

We have ice cream decisions being made by a bunch of limey soap-hawking suits. 

Unilever’s YTD stock is down, though they’ve had a teeny tiny upward trend in the last month. Could this giant international conglomerate be faking the discontinuation of a beloved summer treat in order to regain profit? Unlikely.

Still, one has to wonder whether the discontinuation of Choco Taco is a simple marketing ploy to increase sales. Why not? 

There’s a Precedent for Bringing Back Discontinued Products

Plenty of products have been discontinued only for them to later return. Notable products include Dunkaroos, Waffle Crisp, 3D Doritos, and Crystal Pepsi. Planters, known for their immortal mascot, brought back their Cheez Balls after a public campaign for their return

Perhaps the most famous of these is the McDonald’s McRib. The irresistible boneless pork sandwich molded into the shape of ribs was first introduced in 1981 but discontinued in 1985 only to be brought back later that year and discontinued again in 2005. Now the McRib is available here and there as a limited edition option

It’s the “limited edition” that makes consumers salivate the most, isn’t it? The very idea that something could only be available only for a short while increases desire. A sudden sense of exclusivity or rarity makes something immediately valuable. It’s a classic supply-and-demand tactic. We want what we cannot have. 

We see you, Klondike/Good Humor-Breyers/Unilever. 

Will Choco Taco Return?

Maybe one day. For now, there will be ice cream fiends hoarding and rationing out Choco Tacos, trading them like currency in an increasingly dystopian society. 

Reddit user FilthyGunger eloquently wrote

I thought it would be here forever, and I always told myself I’ll have one later but later is here and a choco taco is not.

“It’s [sic] like losing a dog, but instead of a loving animal, it’s an ice cream-filled taco topped with chocolate and nuts. 

“Honestly, if there was anything I could say about its passing, I would say that the world didn’t just lose an ice cream taco, it lost its way.

RIP Choco Taco. For now.

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