Updated at 6:12 p.m. ET Andy Serkis, the physically nimble actor largely known for his CGI-assisted roles, did some quarantine reading, performing the entirety of The Hobbit in a livestream on Friday. On a Gofundme page established for the event, Serkis wrote that he would conduct the 12-hour marathon reading of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved fantasy novel to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts. Depending on his copy, that's some 300 pages of Bilbo Baggins' adventure from his humble hobbit hole in the Shire to the mountain lair of the fearsome dragon Smaug – and back again, read and performed by Serkis. The actor began reading the novel at around 10 a.m. in the United Kingdom (that's 5 a.m. ET). "Together we'll face the might of the trolls, journey to the magical Rivendell, encounter the giant spiders in the labyrinths of Mirkwood, and the evil goblins living among the roots of the Misty Mountains, until we meet the dragon Smaug, and see the Battle of the Five Armies," Serkis wrote on

Beanie Feldstein does not like the way teenage experimentation and growth gets dismissed as just a phase. "There tends to be the sort of stigma or judgment," she says, whether it's about dress, mood, makeup, or music choice. What she loves about her latest film, How to Build a Girl, is that it gives teen phases the respect they deserve. "Those phases matter ," she says. "It doesn't mean they're going to last, but they do matter. ... I think we could all be reminded of that lesson — especially adults." How to Build a Girl is a film adaptation of Caitlin Moran's 2014 semi-autobiographical novel about an awkward teen turned music critic. Feldstein stars as Johanna Morrigan, a 16-year-old growing up in England in the 1990s. Johanna "hasn't found her people yet," says Feldstein, and her closest confidants are her heroes (Julie Andrews, Freud, Sylvia Plath, Karl Marx) whose pictures are taped to her bedroom wall. Feldstein admits she sometimes felt nervous during filming, but found thinking

Samanta Schweblin is not a science fiction writer. Which is probably one of the reasons why Little Eyes , her new novel (translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell) reads like such great science fiction. Like Katie Williams's 2018 novel Tell The Machine Goodnight before it, Little Eyes supposes a world that is our world, five minutes from now. It is a place with all our recognizable horrors, all our familiar comforts and sweetnesses, as familiar (as if anything could be familiar these days) as yesterday's shoes. It then introduces one small thing — one little change, one product, one tweaked application of a totally familiar technology — and tracks the ripples of chaos that it creates. In Tell The Machine , it was a computer that could tell anyone how to be happy, and Williams turned that (rather disruptive, obviously impossible) technology into a quiet, slow-burn drama of family and human connection that was one of my favorite books of the past few years. Schweblin, though, is more

Die EU-Kommission hat wegen der Corona-Pandemie eine Verlängerung des Einreisestopps nach Europa um einen weiteren Monat empfohlen. Zuletzt gab es immer mehr Forderungen, Deutschland solle die Kontrollen an den Grenzen zu seinen Nachbarländern aufheben.

Die EU-Kommission will eine Verlängerung des Einreisestopps nach Europa bis zum 15. Juni. Die Lage in Europa und weltweit bleibe wegen der Corona-Pandemie instabil. Entscheiden muss aber letztendlich jedes Land für sich.

In den USA haben allein im April 20 Millionen Menschen ihren Job verloren, infolge der Corona-Pandemie. Präsident Trump versucht, durch Optimismus gegenzusteuern, und zweifelt die Zahl der Todesopfer an.

In der Fleischfabrik Westfleisch in Coesfeld hat sich das Corona-Virus in den letzten Tagen rasant verbreitet: Mindestens 151 Mitarbeiter sind infiziert. Trotzdem ist lange nichts passiert.

Die Coronavirus-Pandemie bestimmt weiterhin das Leben überall auf der Welt. Laut Robert-Koch-Institut liegt die Reproduktionszahl in Deutschland derzeit bei 0,83 – ein leichter Anstieg zu den vergangenen Tagen. Sehen Sie alle Entwicklungen hier live.

Wer eine Reise nicht antreten will, hofft, dass sein Geld von der Rücktrittsversicherung zurückerstattet wird. Doch die zahlt nur bei nachgewiesener Krankheit – und nicht bei Pandemien wie dem Coronavirus. Vor allem ein Vorgehen ist riskant.

Die allgemeine Reisewarnung ist die höchste Eskalationsstufe der Hinweise des Auswärtigen Amts. Normalerweise wird sie nur für Kriegsgebiete und besonders gefährliche Regionen ausgesprochen – jetzt gilt sie weltweit. Was Reisende wissen müssen.

Wenn der Rasen nur langsam wächst und sich Moos breit macht, könnte es am pH-Wert der Erde in Ihrem Garten liegen. Ist die Erde „sauer“, hat also einen niedrigen pH-Wert, hilft die Zugabe von Kalk. Was Sie darüber wissen müssen.

Ein dichter und widerstandsfähiger Rasen braucht viel Pflege. Daher sollten Sie mindestens ein Mal im Jahr Ihren Rasen vertikutieren. Was Sie dabei beachten sollten, erfahren Sie hier.

Im März startete der Unterhaltungsgigant sein Streaming-Angebot in Deutschland. Kunden können dann Disney-Klassiker, „Star Wars“ und die Marvel-Helden anschauen. Doch der Erfolg ist noch ungewiss – und es wird einige Verlierer geben.

Ob Pflastersteine, Gartenteich oder Hausfassade – er meistert alles. Der beste Hochdruckreiniger hängt ganz von Ihren Bedürfnissen ab.

Brückenteilzeit heißt das neue Schlupfloch, das Privatversicherten den Wechsel in die gesetzliche Krankenversicherung ermöglicht. Die Flucht aus dem teuren PKV-Tarif funktioniert unter ganz bestimmten Bedingungen.

Sattgrün und dicht. Ihren Rasen pflegen Sie richtig, wenn Sie diese vier Regeln befolgen: Ihren Rasen vertikutieren, kalken, düngen und lüften.

Wer sich einen schönen Rasen wünscht, braucht ein schlaues System für die Bewässerung. Doch wie geht es richtig und welche technischen Hilfen gibt es? Hier erfahren Sie, worauf Sie achten müssen.

Zahlungen per Karte oder Handy nehmen in der Corona-Krise stark zu, manche Experten sagen schon den finalen Tod des Bargelds voraus. Doch so schnell wird das nicht gehen. Nach Covid-19 könnten Scheine und Münzen ein Comeback erleben.

Ein TV-Stick ist die Lösung für all jene, die keinen Smart-TV besitzen, aber auch auf ihrem Fernseher auf Netflix, Amazon Prime & Co. zugreifen wollen.

Viele Privatversicherte bereuen ihren Eintritt in die PKV und suchen nach einer Möglichkeit, sie wieder zu verlassen. Normalerweise ist das extrem schwierig. Doch die Corona-Krise ermöglicht einen solchen Exit. WELT erklärt, wer jetzt die Chance dazu hat.

Viele Senioren möchten mobil telefonieren und Apps zur Organisation des täglichen Lebens nutzen. Allerdings sind moderne Smartphones häufig auf jüngere Nutzer zugeschnitten. Doch es gibt Ausnahmen. Hier erfahren Sie, worauf Sie beim Kauf achten sollten.

Ein satter, grüner Rasen ist der Traum jedes Hobbygärtners. Ein solcher Rasen braucht dafür sehr viel Pflege und das Rasen lüften ist dabei ein wichtiger Teil. Wir zeigen Ihnen, wie einfach das geht.

Spaß macht es nicht unbedingt, aber wer einen Garten hat, muss regelmäßig den Rasen mähen. Vom Rasentraktor bis hin zum Mähroboter – hier erfahren Sie, welcher Rasenmäher zu Ihnen passt und welches das beste Modell ist!

Updated at 4:04 p.m. ET $600 per week. That's what the federal government is now offering to people who've lost their jobs because of the coronavirus. For many workers and employers, that money is a godsend — a way to keep food on the table while also cutting payroll costs. But the extra money can create some awkward situations. Some businesses that want to keep their doors open say it's hard to do so when employees can make more money by staying home. "We basically have this situation where it would be a logical choice for a lot of people to be unemployed," said Sky Marietta, who opened a coffee shop along with her husband, Geoff, last year in Harlan, Ky. Their goal was to provide good coffee, good Internet service and some opportunity in a community that has been starved of all three. "We're very committed to helping to transform the downtowns and main streets in eastern Kentucky," Marietta said. When the couple advertised for workers, nearly 100 people applied for just a handful of

Editor's note: This is an excerpt of Planet Money 's newsletter. You can sign up here . US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images As the global economy shuts down, the U.S. Federal Reserve has begun sending billions of dollars to central banks all over the world. Last month, it opened up 14 " swap lines " to nations such as Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Norway. A "swap line" is like an emergency pipeline of dollars to countries that need them. The dollars are "swapped," i.e., traded for the other country's currency. The Fed has also started allowing around 170 foreign central banks that hold U.S. Treasury bonds to temporarily exchange them for dollars. Sending billions of dollars abroad in the middle of a historic economic crisis might seem crazy: As America's economy crumbles, why are we moving our precious dollars *out* of the country? The answer has to do with the Fed's unique position in the global economy. Dollars are the lynchpin

Maxwell Kirsner used to build sets for a company that staged big events in New York City. Those events dried up suddenly in mid-March. "I was laid off on Friday the 13th," he recalls. The timing actually turned out to be fortunate, as Kirsner was able to apply for and start receiving jobless benefits before the huge wave of layoffs that soon followed, overwhelming unemployment offices. His fiancée, Natalie Borowicz, and others who worked for the same company got pink slips a few weeks later. When we spoke, some were still waiting for their benefits to begin. "They're struggling to pay rent and buy food and all that," Kirsner said. "We're all in the same boat, but we're all on different seats on that boat." He's grateful that his bosses and coworkers continue to check in on one another regularly, and he hopes to return to work someday. "The light at the end of the tunnel is that it's New York City, and eventually, events have to come back," he said. "So, part of me has faith, but part

There's a call Laura Jean Truman is dreading, and she's convinced it's just a matter of time before it comes. Truman, who's a server at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta, says the source of her angst is the fear that sometime in the next few weeks her boss is going to call and say it's time to go back to work, putting her in the position of having to make a choice between her safety and being able to pay the bills that continue to arrive despite the coronavirus. "Right now, everyone who is not working at restaurants is able to be on unemployment," she told NPR. "But once restaurants decide to open, and if we decide that we don't feel safe going back into those restaurants, we then are no longer eligible for unemployment because then we have a job opportunity that we're turning down," Truman explained. "It's a tremendously scary thing to have to think about," she said. The predicament is one in which millions of people receiving state unemployment benefits along with federal dollars from the

The private sector slashed a record 20.2 million jobs between March and April — a somber preview of Friday's monthly jobs report. That's up from the 149,000 private jobs cut a month earlier. The ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday was not surprising, given that more than 30 million people have filed for unemployment benefits as the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the economy. But the latest numbers are stunning nonetheless. "Job losses of this scale are unprecedented," said Ahu Yildirmaz, co-head of the ADP Research Institute. "The total number of job losses for the month of April alone was more than double the total jobs lost during the Great Recession." Small businesses cut 6 million jobs, medium businesses 5.3 million and large businesses nearly 9 million, ADP said. The service sector cut 16 million jobs — including 8.6 million in leisure and hospitality. Manufacturing jobs fell by 4.3 million. The Labor Department's official report for April, which also

Very briefly, at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020, there were slightly more women on American nonfarm payrolls than men. That's no longer true. The historically disastrous April jobs report shows that the brunt of job losses fell on women. Women now account for around just under half — 49% — of American workers, and they accounted for 55% of the increase in job losses last month. One way of looking at why that matters that is to look at the gap that opened up between women's and men's unemployment last month. The below chart shows women's unemployment rate minus men's unemployment rate since 2007. Usually, the line bumps around near or just below zero — meaning men's unemployment is usually near or slightly higher than women's. But that spike on the far right shows how women's unemployment leapt to be 2.7 points higher than men's in April. Women had an unemployment rate of 16.2% to men's 13.5% last month. That's uncommon for a recession. The below chart is a longer view, and the

Ihr Liebhaber zeigt ein angeschlagenes Selbstwertgefühl oder Angst vor Nähe? Überlegen Sie sich gut, ob er der richtige ist – denn er könnte irgendwann auch Sie betrügen.

Vergeben – das fällt vielen Menschen schwer: Es braucht Kraft und vor allem auch Zeit, um aus tiefer Überzeugung heraus wirklich verzeihen zu können. Doch der Weg lohnt sich, sagen Therapeuten.

„Nicht länger als eine Woche benutzen“, warnt jeder Apotheker beim Verkauf von Nasenspray. Doch viele Betroffene bleiben jahrelang abhängig. Ein HNO-Arzt erklärt, wie das Spray unwiederbringlich die Schleimhäute zerstört.

Selbsterkenntnis, das klingt gut – nur sind wir schlecht darin. Wir halten uns ständig für besser, klüger und lustiger als wir sind. Schlimm? Nein, sagt Psychologe Steve Ayan. Er glaubt: Unser falsches Selbstbild tut uns gut.

Trennungen müssen kein Zeichen des Scheiterns sein, sie können auch richtig und wichtig sein. Dennoch sind sie schmerzhaft und erfordern Mut und Kraft – besonders wenn Kinder mit betroffen sind.

In vielen Ländern wird darüber diskutiert, Immunitätsausweise auszustellen. Sie sollen Menschen, die eine Infektion hinter sich haben, endlich wieder Urlaub und damit eine Rückkehr in den Alltag ermöglichen. Was sagen Immunologen und die WHO dazu?

Eine Beziehung, die – aus welchem Grund auch immer – geheim bleiben muss, macht den Partner attraktiver. Dafür leidet diese Art Partnerschaft allerdings unter anderen Problemen.

Sorgen, Ängste, Einsamkeit: Die Einschränkungen während der Corona-Pandemie belasten fast alle Menschen psychisch. Forscher untersuchen die Auswirkungen – und haben einen Rat, wie man weniger Stress bei Mitmenschen auslöst.

Ärzte aus mehreren Ländern beobachten in der Corona-Krise eine seltsame Häufung von Hautveränderungen an Füßen und Händen. Vor allem ansonsten symptomlose Kinder und junge Erwachsene sollen betroffen sein. Was hat es mit den Symptomen auf sich?

Seeking uptempo male/female country songs. Please submit your best tracks for consideration.

Bandwagon Red is a music publishing and artist development company based in Nashville, Tennessee. Does Nashville need another company to do what is being done all over town? The short answer is "No". However, what Nashville and nearly every other industry needs is a revitalization of how their products are produced.

- A&R Team - Bandwagon Red

Artistry Worldwide is seeking full songs (not just beats) for major artist placements. We specialize in Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B, but are open to all genres if you have an original sound that we have to hear. We have relationships with UMG, WB, Sony, BMG,Live Nation, AEG, Azoff, Roc Nation, Beyonce/Parkwood, Itunes, and more. Artistry Worldwide and founder/CEO Max Gousse have worked with some of the top names in the music industry including Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rihanna, Rick Ross, Jamie Foxx, Tyrese, YG, Ty Dolla $ign, DJ Mustard, Kieran Alleyne and many more. Please submit your best track(s) for consideration.

Artistry Worldwide is a new media company headed by Max Gousse based out of Los Angeles with a hub in emerging markets such as Toronto, Dubai, London, and Seoul. The mission for Artistry Worldwide is quite simple: to become the number one brand in developing new talent in media worldwide.

- Artistry Worldwide

Deal Type: Song Placement
Decision Maker: Selected tracks will be pitched for final decision
Deal Structure: Exclusive once placed
Compensation: $1,000+ based on placement
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready

Artistry Worldwide is looking to sign writers and producers to publishing deals. We are looking for writers with catchy melodies, and really great lyrical content. For producers we are looking for uniqueness, originality, and out of the box thinking. We specialize in Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B, but are open to all genres of writers and producers if you have an original sound that we have to hear. Please submit your best track(s) for consideration. We look forward to hearing your submissions.

Artistry Worldwide is a new media company headed by Max Gousse based out of Los Angeles with a hub in emerging markets such as Toronto, Dubai, London, and Seoul. The mission for Artistry Worldwide is quite simple: to become the number one brand in developing new talent in media worldwide.

- Artistry Worldwide

Deal Type: Publishing Deal
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Exclusive
Compensation:$1,000+
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready, Rough Mixes Writers Only

Artistry Worldwide is looking for amazing artists to sign to our management division. We specialize in Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B, but are open to all genres if you have an original sound that we have to hear. Please submit your best track(s) for consideration. We look forward to hearing your submissions. We have relationships with UMG, WB, Sony, BMG,Live Nation, AEG, Azoff, Roc Nation, Beyonce/Parkwood, Itunes, and more. Our approach is ‘Artistry first,’ and we stand behind the statement: “Works of art make rules. Rules do not make works of art”

Artistry Worldwide is a new media company headed by Max Gousse based out of Los Angeles with a hub in emerging markets such as Toronto, Dubai, London, and Seoul. The mission for Artistry Worldwide is quite simple: to become the number one brand in developing new talent in media worldwide.
- Artistry Worldwide

Deal Type: Management Signing
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Exclusive
Compensation: $1,000+
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready

Arkatech Beatz has a long history of producing for some of Hip Hop's greatest and most notable artist (Big Pun, Nas, Raekwon, Game, Mya, Max B, Meek Mill, Jadakiss, Waka Flocka, Shawty Lo, Killer Mike, etc). We are currently looking for the next talented artist/producer to help reach the next level in their career. Drop your best song/track for us to check it out and we'll provide feedback and advice.

- Mike D. / Arkatech Beatz

Big Fuss Records is looking for amazing artists who have created radio ready, unique Corona Diaries songs for new compilation. We specialize in Pop, Rock, Adult Contemporary and Alternative; Christian, Folk, Country and New Age Inspirational music; Soul and R&B. Please submit your best track(s) for consideration. We look forward to hearing your submissions.

We are a positive music label and believe in bringing inspiration and hope into the world through music. We stay away from dark, death metal artists and explicate lyrics. Our tag line represents how we feel about our artists. We Make a Big Fuss Over You!

We stand for new ideas in the new music industry and work in tandem with artists we represent. We have been in business since 2002. We are selective in bringing the best music to the forefront of the music industry. Our deals are 50/50 splits.

- Kristin Pedderson - CEO/Director - Big Fuss Records LLC

Deal Type: Label Roster Consideration
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Negotiable
Compensation: $10,001 - $25,000
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Coldplay, Lorde and others

Movement Music is seeking artists for management, publishing/licensing, and label roster consideration.

All submissions will be reviewed by our A&R team for release opportunities with us or our partners and publishing/licensing opportunities for commercial sync. Available artist projects will be also be considered by our management team. Movement Music is a record label, publishing, and management company founded in 2016 and based in Los Angeles.

- Zael E. - CEO - Movement Music

Deal Type: Management, Publishing/Licensing, Label Signing
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Negotiable
Compensation: $1,500 - $2,000
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Blackbear, Cashmere Cat, Louis The Child, Major Lazer, Calvin Harris, Marian Hill

Overdrive Productions is looking for cutting edge EDM/Dance Tracks/writers/vocals for new artist Jaclyn Walker.

Jaclyn Walker's current release is getting tons of radio spins around the U.S.A., Top 50 on the Mediabase Dance Radio Charts, top ten Billboard Dance Club Charts and Top 100 on the Japan Shazam Charts. We are looking for her next single to be more edgy and more of an EDM club banger.

Check Jaclyn Walker out HERE

We aren’t paying advances but will be using a Radio campaign promotion budget to release the record and you will receive your back end royalties as well as credit.

Looking for finished songs or demos. No HIP-HOP. Please submit your best track(s) for consideration.

- Jared Overeem / Overdrive Productions

Deal Type: Song Placement
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Negotiable
Compensation: $500+ (Back-end Royalties)
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Chainsmokers - "Roses", Tritonal "Blackout", Major Lazer - "Lean On", Don Diablo & Steve Aoki - "What we Started", DJ Snake - "Middle", Alesso - "I wanna know"

I'm seeking extraordinary singers and/or singer/songwriters with superstar quality for management. These singers must submit their hottest music to me on this platform only for a management signing with Dreamwire Entertainment.

Bobby Springsteen started as a recording artist then went on to become an A&R for several labels. He's now Founder/CEO of Dreamwire Entertainment Inc. managing artists, producers, songwriters, and screenwriters. He consults with publishing companies and has been instrumental in developing Notting Hill Publishing and its urban catalogue, as well as Royalty Network.

- Bobby Springsteen / Dreamwire Entertainment

Deal Type: Management Signing
Decision Maker: We are the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Exclusive
Compensation: $1,000+
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready

We are seeking Rock/Hip Hop songs with clean lyrics and no uncleared samples. High quality productions please. Think along the lines of Beastie Boys - Sabotage.

This opportunity is for a non-exclusive contract - all submissions must be 100% owned by the writer/writers. We look forward to your submissions.

Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate.

- Mark Garfield / Pop-Up Music Uk Limited

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Beastie Boys - Sabotage

Rock Mafia is an American record production/songwriting team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have worked with artists such as Demi Lovato, Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Green Day, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Flo Rida, Ellie Goulding, A Great Big World, Tokio Hotel, Bebe Rexha, Armin van Buuren, and Laura Marano. Rock Mafia have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. We are seeking the best new artists, songwriters, and producers to add to our growing team to help with new projects. Please submit your best track(s) for consideration.

- Rock Mafia

Deal Type: Label / Management Signing / Collaboration
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Negotiable
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Demi Lovato, Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Green Day, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Flo Rida, Ellie Goulding, A Great Big World, Tokio Hotel, Bebe Rexha, Armin van Buuren, and Laura Marano

We are seeking vibrant indie-pop songs that have global elements. Lots of drums, percussion and world instruments. A good reference would be tUnE-yArDs.

All songs must be owned by the writer - no samples please. We look forward to your submissions.

Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate.

- Mark Garfield / Pop-Up Music Uk Limited

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: tUnE-yArDs