- A behind the scenes look at how the Sphere is handling the sounds of Oz
Sphere Entertainment has pulled back the curtain to give a behind the scenes look at the audio technology at work for the upcoming The Wizard of Oz show at the Sphere. Newly discovered archival material from the 1939 film is being leveraged alongside the classic score to give audiences a fully immersive step into Oz.
To take advantage of Sphere Immersive Sound’s 167,000 programmable speakers, and ability to direct sound anywhere in the venue, the original film’s mono score was re-recorded to take on new clarity via Sphere Immersive Sound, while preserving the casts’ vocal performances. The mono audio had to first be separated into individual stems of vocals, dialogue, and sound effects. This process, a collaboration between Sphere Studios and Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, used advanced audio technologies to create the individual components without distortion or artifact. Inside Sphere, the stems are being layered together to create a sound mix that reveals a depth and clarity unheard in the 1939 film.
- Darth Vader’s primary lightsaber is going up for auction
Before it hits Propstore’s auction block, Darth Vader’s main, screen-matched lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is going on a press tour through London, New York, and Beverly Hills, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. It is the only lightsaber from the original Star Wars trilogy to ever go to auction, and is expected to sell for anywhere between $1-3 million.
“Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honored to present this historic artifact in our September sale,” says Propstore COO Brandon Alinger. “It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world.”
For context, Propstore auctioned off a miniature X-wing fighter model created for the original Star Wars, which wound up selling for over $2.3 million. In its upcoming press tour, Darth Vader’s lightsaber will be joined by other iconic movie artifacts up for auction, including the whip used by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Sauron’s helmet featured in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
- Bluetooth vulnerabilities enable unauthorized eavesdropping
Common Bluetooth devices may be highly vulnerable to security breaches, according to German cybersecurity company ERNW. At this year’s Troopers IT conference, the security provider reported its findings that three vulnerabilities exist in the Airoha chipset, commonly used in wireless Bluetooth headphones. This security risk affects devices made by several major manufacturers, including Sony, JBL, Marshall, Jabra, and Bose.
According to ERNW, these vulnerabilities mean that attackers within Bluetooth range could potentially eavesdrop, as well as steal sensitive information including call history and contacts from a connected phone. The good news is that, in addition to needing to be within Bluetooth range, any attacker would need to possess a “high technical skill set.”
“Yes — the idea that someone could hijack your headphones, impersonate them towards your phone, and potentially make calls or spy on you, sounds pretty alarming,” says ERNW. “But this kind of attack only makes sense for high-value targets: Journalists, diplomats, political dissidents, and people in sensitive industries.”
- Tomorrowland’s main stage destroyed by massive fire before festival
A massive fire broke two days before the Tomorrowland music festival in Brussels, completely decimating the festival’s main stage. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the fire was a monumental setback for the festival, which commonly draws over 400,000 attendees. Remarkably, the festival was able to proceed as scheduled, with organizers posting the following message hours before the event’s doors opened:
“Dear People of Tomorrow, WE ARE READY FOR YOU! Our teams are working day and night, with heart and soul, to turn the impossible into reality: Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 will open doors at 14:00. An alternative setup for the beloved Mainstage is planned to open at 16:00, pending any last-minute changes. All artists will perform as scheduled on all other stages as from 14:00. Tomorrowland will unite, stronger than ever!”
The festival was able to make use of Metallica’s European stage, which was airlifted to the event from a storage unit and assembled on-site, as reported by Rolling Stone. A DJ booth and massive LED video wall made up the remainder of the last-minute main stage, which stood in front of the visible, charred remains of the blaze.
- Six Flags to close down California’s Great America park
Six Flags California’s Great America will be shuttering its doors after 50 years of operation. First opening in 1975, the Santa Clara theme park has changed ownership several times, with Six Flags (then Cedar Fair) purchasing the park in 2006. The land the park is on was sold by Cedar Fair to real estate company Prologis in 2022, and, as part of the sale, the historic attraction is required to close down by June 30, 2028.
Six Flags has confirmed that they will be keeping the park open through 2027, and though technically the company has the option to extend its lease and further delay the park’s eventual closure, it is unlikely. “Unless we decide to extend, and exercise one of our options to extend that lease, that park’s last year without that extension would be after the ’27 season,” commented Six Flags Entertainment CFO Brian Witherow during the recent Six Flags Investor Day.
- Intel CEO says it’s “too late” to catch up in the AI race
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan had sobering words for his company in a leaked internal conversation.
“Twenty, 30 years ago, we were really the leader,” said Tan in a Q&A session with Intel employees. “Now I think the world has changed. We are not in the top 10 semiconductor companies.”
These remarks come after Intel ended its 25- year run on the Dow Jones last year. The company was replaced by NVIDIA, whose early adoption of chips targeted at AI skyrocketed profits. Intel, who once considered acquiring NVIDIA for $20 billion, has since had a rocky path forward.
Tan also commented on NVIDIA’s dominance in AI training, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT powered exclusively with the rival company’s GPUs. “On training, I think it is too late for us,” said Tan. Instead, the CEO highlighted alternatives, including the emerging fields of edge AI and agentic AI, which forgo the cloud entirely. Tan hinted that the company is planning to capitalize on these fields with upcoming acquisitions: “Stay tuned. A few more people are coming on board.”
Derek Wiley is the content producer for Sound & Contractor and TWICE. Chiefly having a production background, Derek is quickly becoming a Pro AV enthusiast. When not writing, he enjoys all things gaming, music, and live events.
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