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‘Avengers,’ ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Lead Off Nerdy Summer Movie Season

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“The Avengers” is just one week away. You know what that means: Aside from being the big payoff for years and years and years of waiting on the part of Marvel Comics fans, “Avengers” is also the opening act in what’s sure to be one of the biggest summer movie seasons in quite some time. Batman, Spider-Man, Agent J and more are back in theaters after far too long a wait, while others — David 8, Roadblock, Alex Hopper — are showing up for the first time.

It’s a crowded landscape to be sure; you’ll want to spend your hard-earned theatergoing cash wisely if you want to weed out the fantastic, can’t-miss movies from the fugly, must-miss ones. That’s why the nerds at MTV News used this week’s edition of Talk Nerdy to guide you through the upcoming blockbuster months with which movies you need to see, which ones you can skip, and which ones shouldn’t slip under your radar.

Do Not Miss
» “Marvel’s The Avengers”: The movie that launches the summer season could very well be the biggest, greatest blockbuster of them all. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk and more, all together on one big screen with geek god Joss Whedon to guide them — how can it go wrong? Spoiler: It doesn’t. It goes incredibly, incredibly right.

» “The Dark Knight Rises”: Likewise, how can Christopher Nolan‘s final Batman movie be anything but spectacular? It’s hard to imagine anything topping “The Dark Knight” both critically and commercially, but if any summer movie can do it, it’s “Rises.” Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt … with a cast of Gotham City newcomers like that, and a trilogy-concluding story to boot, there is no room for failure.

» “Prometheus”: As I’ve said repeatedly, “Prometheus” is the movie I’m looking forward to more than any other this year. Ridley Scott returning to the “Alien” universe — heck, to science fiction period — for the first time in three decades? Yeah, that’s an event worth tuning in for. Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and others only further cement this sci-fi flick’s potential status as a classic in the making.

Proceed With Caution
» “The Amazing Spider-Man”: If “Avengers” is the Marvel movie to beat this summer, where does that leave your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? It leaves him in a land of uncertainty. Expectations are high for Marc Webb’s “Spider-Man” reboot. Confidence in his vision? Considerably lower. Even with a compelling cast led by Andrew Garfield in tow, “Spider-Man” has more than a few obstacles to overcome if it wants to stand out as one of the summer’s can’t-miss flicks.

» “Dark Shadows”: Tone, tone, tone. It’s something that fans are very divided over when it comes to Tim Burton and Johnny Depp‘s latest collaboration. Some “Dark Shadows” purists are pining for a film that’s more faithful to the spirit of the original gothic soap. Others are through the moon happy with Burton and Depp’s whimsical approach. As for Team Nerdy, perhaps we have a bit of Burton-Depp fatigue, because we’re not overly wild about this one.

» “Total Recall”: Between “Fright Night” and now “Total Recall,” Colin Farrell is quickly becoming the King of the Remake — but are these remakes that anyone’s particularly clamoring for? In the case of the August-debuting “Recall,” there is no Mars, and not a Schwarzenegger in sight. Not great signs for the upcoming remake, at least not by Nerdy co-host Brian Phares’ standards.

Watch Closely
» “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”: Forget “Rise of Cobra.” Dwayne Johnson, the franchise savior, is doing what he does best in “Retaliation”: stepping in to restore the real American heroes to glory. Every single photo and bit of footage we’ve seen has us convinced that “Retaliation” will be one of the greatest action movies of the summer. But can it overcome the bad reputation it earned after “Rise of Cobra” hit in 2009? We’ll see in June.

» “Battleship”: Just because there are no new “Transformers” movies coming out this summer doesn’t mean theaters won’t be populated by robots in disguise. In a surprising turn of events, the big-screen adaptation of the board game “Battleship” contains aliens. Lots of ‘em. Taylor Kitsch looks to the stars for the second time this year, hoping for a much better outcome this go-around than the commercial bomb known as “John Carter.” Smart money says “Battleship” will fare much better at the box office. How it does critically? That’s another story for another day.

» “Men in Black 3″: Do not — I repeat, do not — discount Will Smith’s box-office appeal. The man is a hit-making machine. Four years after his last starring role, Smith’s back with his biggest franchise of all time. Anyone who expects this movie to do anything other than make an otherworldly amount of money is in for a rude awakening, production horror stories be damned.

Which summer movies are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out everything we’ve got on “The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises”.

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

Francis Lawrence Chosen To Direct ‘Hunger Games’ Sequel

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08cde lawrence Francis Lawrence Chosen To Direct Hunger Games Sequel

Gary Ross has left Panem, but a new face for the rebellion has been selected: none other than filmmaker Francis Lawrence.

The “I Am Legend” and “Water for Elephants” director has been tapped by Lionsgate to direct their upcoming “Hunger Games” sequel, “Catching Fire.” Lawrence wins the hotly coveted job over an incredible assortment of industry vets including “Moneyball” director Bennett Miller, “Children of Men” director Alfonso Cuaron, and so on. He’s not necessarily my favorite pick for the job — I still maintain that a Steven Soderbergh-directed “Catching Fire” would be out-of-control levels of awesome — but it’s nice to see the project moving forward all the same.

Now Lawrence has the difficult task of adapting the second novel in Suzanne Collins‘ series for the big screen. It’s no small feat for any director: “Catching Fire” is a very different story than “Hunger Games,” one that’s certainly not as easily adaptable. The action isn’t so heavy throughout the piece, the mood is (if you can believe it) even darker, and there are, eventually, some scenes that are going to require even more budget and creativity than the first “Hunger Games” movie. With the studio banking on shooting as soon as this summer, Lawrence and his team are going to have their work more than cut out for them in making sure Katniss’ second trip to cinemas is just as worthwhile as the first.

Before the final decision was announced, we debated which director — Miller or Lawrence — would be the best man for the “Catching Fire” gig on this week’s Talk Nerdy. See what we had to say in the video below.

Tell us what you think of Lawrence as the “Catching Fire” director in the comments or on Twitter!

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‘Prometheus,’ Hologram Tupac Proof-Positive Of Nerd-tastic Future

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The future is now — just ask Tupac or Michael Fassbender.

Earlier in the week, nerd culture scored two big victories: one, the arrival of Hologram Tupac, who performed from beyond the grave at the Coachella music festival. Shortly thereafter came the announcement of David 8, a new line of androids from Weyland Industries set to launch on the upcoming “Prometheus” voyage.

Frankly, both sound like ridiculous sci-fi concepts that could only occur in the far-off future. But one of those things actually happened. Even if you’re not a hip-hop fan, the fact that a walking, talking, swear-slinging Tupac Shakur appeared before Coachella attendees for nearly five full minutes 16 years after his death should illicit an avalanche of geek-gasms. It certainly did for “Talk Nerdy” co-host Eric Ditzian.

“Holo-pac is the beginning of something very new,” Ditzian said in Splash Page’s latest Hero of the Week column. “It’s a sci-fi nerd’s dream come true, in a sense — a game-changing technology no longer part of a fictional realm but in our own.”

He’s right, of course. For years, we’ve watched men, women and aliens alike appear via holographic image on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, as an urgent message issued through the eternally adorable R2-D2 and so on. Messages from fully formed individuals based in another place, perhaps even in another time, coming our heroes’ way through the inexplicable powers of science fiction. None of that was real, of course, because let’s be serious: Did we ever expect to see these kinds of things happen anywhere other than in Space, the Final Frontier or in the land of a Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Away? I certainly didn’t.

Tupac — with a little help from Dr. Dre and friends — proved me wrong.

But it says a lot that even with the newfound discovery of Holo-Pac, I remain equally obsessed, if not more so, with “Prometheus.” Ridley Scott‘s first science-fiction film since 1982′s “Blade Runner” is easily my most anticipated film of 2012. That says a lot, considering this is the same year that sees Earth’s mightiest heroes together onscreen for the first time, the same year that Bane might break the Bat on behalf of Christopher Nolan. The first two “Alien” films are permanent fixtures in my otherwise evolving list of all-time favorite movies, but it wasn’t until I saw the David 8 advertisement — a viral video that sees Michael Fassbender‘s cybernetic character explain his own capabilities and uses as a robot, eerie and fascinating and beautiful in every sense of those words — coupled with Tupac’s digital return, that I realized why I’m so excited for “Prometheus.”

Maybe it’s the power of a good Guy Pearce speech. Or maybe I’ve just binged on one too many geek movies in my day. But I look at the list of achievements accomplished by Pearce’s “Prometheus” character — Sir Peter Weyland, a pioneer in many fields including terraforming and robotics — and I can’t stop thinking that maybe, just maybe, we’re not so far off from having a Broca Dialectical Implant (the first language tool that requires absolutely no learning on the user’s part) or developing faster-than-light space exploration vehicles.

No, at the moment, there are no functional hoverboards as promised by the movies, and the Nike Air McFlys do not yet lace themselves up without assistance. And maybe we’ll have to wait a bit longer than 70 years to meet an android with the same emotional depth as David. But right now, we do have a long-deceased music legend performing from beyond the grave via hologram. If we brought Tupac back in 2012, then what can’t we accomplish by 2073?

It’s not a robot … but we’re getting pretty damn close.

Early ‘Avengers’ Reviews Point To Fan And Box-Office Gold

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“The Avengers,” apparently, rules.

After a string of Los Angeles screenings, nerdy tastemakers have been squealing all over Twitter about what director Joss Whedon has delivered for this loooooong-in-development superhero all-star flick. “Like, double plus awesome,” declared Seth Green. “Lost” guru Damon Lindelof came up with a Twitter hashtag that’s a little too colorful to reprint here without a tweaking: .

To Lindelof, I say right back: F—yeah! Because, honestly, what a relief! For a while now on “Talk Nerdy,” Brian Phares and I have been expressing worries like:

» There are too many heroes! With Iron Man fighting for screen time with Captain America, with Thor potentially chaffing against Loki as much in a brother-vs.-brother brouhaha as in matters of plot-point development, “Avengers” is simply going to be overstuffed. No character or storyline will be given room to breathe.

» Is the Hulk going to look hokey? Can the CGI beast hold his own next to his flesh-and-blood compatriots and not come off looking like a cartoon?

» Are 2011′s good-but-not-great Marvel installments (“Captain America” and “Thor”) a sign of good-but-not-great things to come?

And so on. Now, though, our cautious, please-Joss-don’t-hurt-us approach to the film appears to be unfounded. “Avengers” hasn’t yet screened in New York, so we can’t throw our own nerdy support behind the film, but the future is looking superheroically bright.

Moviegoers are taking notice too. Early box-office tracking suggests the movie will open north of $125 million over the first weekend in May. That’d be double what both “Thor” and “Captain America” reeled in last year. The question is whether “Avengers” can top the $128 million opening weekend of “Iron Man 2″ in 2010. If Tony Stark can collect all that cheddar on his own, one would expect a film assembling so many Marvel heroes and villains on one screen would eclipse that mark. Based on the early geek buzz, it does seem like “Avengers” can pull it off. And it’s the buzz that Whedon is counting on.

“We really put the characters through it,” he told MTV News recently, “and we want the audience to be with them every step of the way and come out of it going, ‘That was an extraordinary experience, and now I want to pay to see it again.’ ”

Are you planning on seeing “The Avengers”? Leave your comment below!

Check out everything we’ve got on “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

First ‘Avengers’ Clip: Joss Whedon Perfects Black Widow

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Five films and years upon years of buildup later, “The Avengers” is finally happening.

The movie that was first teased back in 2008 will assemble in front of theatergoers everywhere May 4, less than one month from now, though several questions still linger: Who are the aliens Loki’s bringing to Earth? What’s the deal with that massive dragon-spaceship thing tagging along? Which of our beloved heroes is going to die? (Because, as I already wrote elsewhere, this is a Joss Whedon movie; we’re all but guaranteed to lose someone along the way.)

What’s less unclear, however, is how Whedon plans to approach some of his characters — specifically Black Widow. The fiery-haired S.H.I.E.L.D. agent first introduced in “Iron Man 2″ now has full-fledged membership among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and the very first “Avengers” clip, released earlier this week, shows exactly how actress Scarlett Johansson and her director plan to tackle the heroine: by fully embracing her inner (and outer) badass.

In the clip, Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) is on the receiving end of a harsh interrogation, tied to a chair and seemingly helpless. Her captors allow her to field a phone call from fellow agent Coulson (fan-favorite Clark Gregg), who wants to pull her from the current situation, implied to be something of a deep-cover assignment. When he explains the severity of the circumstances demanding her attention, Widow promptly places Coulson on hold and, still confined to her chair, proceeds to beat the ever-loving daylights out of her interrogators. All in a day’s work for an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Personally speaking, I applaud the choice to have the first “Avengers” clip showing us something beyond the core four heroes we’re most looking forward to: Cap, Iron Man, Thor and Hulk. Instead, we’re treated to something firmly in Whedon’s sweet spot. As the creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Dollhouse,” Whedon is nothing if not an expert in crafting badass women who can stand shoulder to shoulder (if not taller) than any man. Buffy, Echo, even River Tam of “Firefly” fame stick out as some of the greatest heroines in recent popular culture. Under Whedon’s vision, it looks as though Johansson’s Widow — a character who didn’t have much impact in her previous “Iron Man” appearance beyond one truly memorable hallway fight scene — will have a big personality to back up her butt-kicking superspy skills. I approve.

Then again, that’s just my opinion. On this week’s “Talk Nerdy,” co-hosts Brian Phares and Eric Ditzian both admitted to feeling lukewarm about the Widow-heavy “Avengers” clip, with Ditzian describing the scene as straight out of Drew Barrymore’s “Charlie’s Angels” playbook. Screw that — if anything, this is out of the Sidney Bristow playbook, and if that’s the rip, it’s more than OK by me. All in all, I am very happy with this briefly glimpsed Widow, and I think many an “Avengers” fan would agree with me.

“Avengers” was a heavy point of conversation in this week’s “Talk Nerdy,” but it wasn’t the only topic to come up. Other highlights include:

» The confirmation of Liam Neeson’s involvement in “Dark Knight Rises” moved our panel to a rare unanimous decision: No matter how Ra’s al Ghul resurfaces, having Neeson back onboard is nothing short of excellent. Ditzian likened his return to the burrito philosophy: Tasty though it might be on its own, a burrito is always enhanced with the addition of hot sauce. Ladies and gentlemen, Neeson is that hot sauce.

» Speaking of food, we’re always hungry for more “Hunger Games,” though some of us are more worried about the sequel than others. That’s because director Gary Ross is reportedly not locked for “Catching Fire,” the planned follow-up to the massive Lionsgate hit. Will salary disputes stand between Ross and Panem? Perhaps the fire is not as dire as you think …

» Finally, at the box office this weekend, everything old is new again: “American Reunion” brings the East Great Falls gang back together for one more hard-partying weekend. (New addition to the cast: Jason Biggs’ penis. This is not a joke.) In other revivals, “Titanic” is back in theaters as well with an all-new 3-D twist. Just like Rose, “Nerdy” co-host Ditzian still hasn’t been able to let go — find out why in this week’s episode.

Tell us what you think of this week’s “Talk Nerdy” in the comments section!

Check out everything we’ve got on “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

The Muppets Join MTV In This Week’s Talk Nerdy

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Stop whatever you’re doing right now, because we’ve got the best video you’re going to watch on the Internet all day. Kermit the Frog and Walter recently stopped by the MTV News office to promote the upcoming DVD release of “The Muppets,” and they were kind enough to sit down with us for the latest edition of Talk Nerdy.

Yes, it is as amazing as it sounds. The pair talk “The Avengers,” “The Hunger Games,” “Twilight” and plenty of “The Muppets” with MTV Movies Blog editor and resident nerd Josh Wigler. Walter points out that Disney could have saved an awful lot of money on “The Avengers” by just casting Kermit as the Hulk and himself as Captain America, and we’ve got to admit, we agree (sorry Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans, you’re great too).

And we agree one hundred percent with Walter when he said, “I think that’s the problem with a lot of movies, is they need more Muppets. That’s my motto.” Could you even imagine?

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‘Avengers’ Trailer Decoded: Hulk, Beasts And More

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“The Avengers” trailer is hero of the week in the eyes of our fellow bloggers at MTV Splash Page, and we can’t say we disagree. After a predictable (and mediocre) Oscars last Sunday, the movies community needed a pick-me-up in a big way. Cue Joss Whedon and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, who brought us earth’s mightiest trailer to awaken our senses.

From Hulk and Iron Man’s tender moment to the massive dragon-like menace lurking about at the end, we rounded up all of our thoughts on the “Avengers” trailer in the video below. Check it all out in this week’s Talk Nerdy.

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‘Avengers’ Teaser: Earth’s All-Time Mightiest Trailer?

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Help me out here, guys: Am I really the only one out there who thinks the new “Marvel’s The Avengers” trailer is the best superhero trailer of the past year?

Sure, we’ve had excellent spots for “Dark Knight Rises” and “Amazing Spider-Man” in recent months, but did either of those feature the Incredible Hulk running full-sprint toward the sky to catch a battered and broken Iron Man? No, they didn’t — yet somehow, I’m the only person on Talk Nerdy who seems really, truly psyched for everything “Avengers” has to offer.

As you’ll see in this week’s episode of Talk Nerdy below, my friends and co-hosts Eric Ditzian and Brian Phares are nowhere near as jazzed about “The Avengers” as I am. In fact, they’re quite worried about the Marvel movie. I share some of their concerns, sure, but more than anything, I’m seriously bummed that their levels of excitement are so low after watching the newest trailer for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Their reactions got me thinking: Am I losing my mind? Am I alone in my “Avengers” fan fever dream? I reached out to several colleagues and pals in the film and comic book space to get their opinions on the new trailer, and thankfully for my mental health, it seems I’m not alone in my copious praise.

“I just have one word to describe the new trailer: BIG!” MTV Geek editor Valerie Gallaher said. “To see the core Avengers characters together and in action on such a colossal playing field is just a dream come true. And Hulk looks great and believable, which is a real relief for me.”

“The new footage showcasing Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was invincible; the glimpse of Stark Tower, exquisite; and the promise of more Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, incredible. We even got a quick look at Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill,” offered Steve Sunu with Comic Book Resources. “While the trailer didn’t really defy any expectations for Earth’s Mightiest Movie, it certainly met them — and piqued our interest as to why the Avengers are fighting Decepticons to the soundtrack of ‘Inception.’ ”

Of course, my buddy Steve is referring to the giant monster/ spaceship seen at the end of the trailer. Popular theories are pointing to the creature being a Marvel Studios variation on Fin Fang Foom, the massive, shape-shifting space dragon from comic book lore. Jordan Hoffman offered some opinions on the mystery antagonist in his latest Planet Fanboy column for NextMovie, and also added his assessment of the “Avengers” trailer.

“Will there be a better movie than ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ this summer? Maybe … probably,” he said. “I mean, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘Prometheus’ are looking outrageous. Will there be a trailer that draws more breath from the daydreams of comic-reading fanboys? I strongly doubt it.”

Exactly my point. “Avengers” might not be the best geek movie coming out in 2012, but I’m hard pressed to identify a trailer with more geekgasm-worthy material. As Comics Alliance‘s senior editor Caleb Goellner put it: “The new ‘Avengers’ trailer was essentially what every fan has been waiting for since Nick Fury broke into Tony Stark’s pad after the ‘Iron Man’ credits. Previous promotions did well with broadcasting the film’s human drama, but admittedly had me worried about its special effects budget. The new trailer slayed my concerns. The Hulk didn’t just catch Iron Man in this thing; the dude caught my heart.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Caleb.

What did you think of the “Avengers” trailer? Tell us in the comments section or let me know on Twitter @roundhoward!

Check out everything we’ve got on “Marvel’s The Avengers.”

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

‘Harry Potter’ Leaves Oscars With Nothing But A Tax Joke

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The only thing “Harry Potter” got during the Oscars ceremony was a joke from host Billy Crystal saying that, despite how much money the series has made in the box office, it’s only had to pay 14 percent in income taxes. It certainly was a poor send-off for one of the most beloved and highest-grossing movie franchises in movie history.

The series has never been honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Sunday night’s (February 26) three losses — for art direction, makeup and visual effects — brought the total number of losses to 12 for the eight films.

“Potter” star Evanna Lynch took to Twitter to express her frustration, writing, “Agggghhhh this is infuriating… Bloody muggles. #oscarfail”

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″ lost twice to “Hugo” (a fellow children’s film) and once to “The Iron Lady.” “Harry Potter” leading man Daniel Radcliffe gave his take on the lack of respect for the big screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s franchise in a recent interview.

“There’s a certain amount of snobbery [in the Academy],” Radcliffe said. “It’s kind of disheartening. I never thought I’d care. But it would’ve been nice to have some recognition, just for the hours put in.”

He added, “I don’t think the Oscars like commercial films, or kids’ films, unless they’re directed by Martin Scorsese. I was watching ‘Hugo’ the other day and going, ‘Why was this nominated and we’re not?’ I was slightly miffed.”

The Academy didn’t even offer “Harry Potter” a series achievement award like the BAFTAs did last year. Some “Potter” fans had expected the series to rewarded by the Academy for its many years of financial and critical acclaim the same way Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy was. Unfortunately, that did not end up being the case.

Despite a lack of love from the Academy, we at MTV News decided to honor the series in this week’s edition of Talk Nerdy.

The MTV Movies team has the 2012 Oscars covered! Keep it locked at MTV.com all night and beyond for updates on the night’s big winners and the best red-carpet fashion. Join the live conversation by tweeting @MTVNews with the hashtag #Oscars.

‘Harry Potter’ Snubbed By Oscars, But Not By Nerds!

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The Oscars might be the biggest night of the year in Hollywood, but it’ll lack a whole lot of magic thanks to the Academy’s regrettable decision to to snub “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” The conclusion to the “Potter” saga was more than deserving of a Best Picture nomination at the very least, if not a full-scale win. So, in our small way of compensating, we honored the fallen “Potter” film (as well as a bunch of 2011′s other nerd-friendly movies) in this week’s edition of Talk Nerdy. Check it out in the video below!

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