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“Language is not merely a set of unrelated sounds, clauses, rules, and meanings; it is a totally coherent system bound to context and behavior.” — Kenneth L. Pike

The web has accents. So should our design systems.

Design Systems as Living Languages

Design systems aren’t component libraries—they’re living languages. Tokens are phonemes, components are words, patterns are phrases, layouts are sentences. The conversations we build with users become the stories our products tell.

But here’s what we’ve forgotten: the more fluently a language is spoken, the more accents it can support without losing meaning. English in Scotland differs from English in Sydney, yet both are unmistakably English. The language adapts to context while preserving core meaning. This couldn’t be more obvious to me, a Brazilian Portuguese speaker, who learned English with an American accent, and lives in Sydney.

Our design systems must work the same way. Rigid adherence to visual rules creates brittle systems that break under contextual pressure. Fluent systems bend without breaking.

Consistency becomes a prison

The promise of design systems was simple: consistent components would accelerate development and unify experiences. But as systems matured and products grew more complex, that promise has become a prison. Teams file “exception” requests by the hundreds. Products launch with workarounds instead of system components. Designers spend more time defending consistency than solving user problems.

Our design systems must learn to speak dialects.

A design dialect is a systematic adaptation of a design system that maintains core principles while developing new patterns for specific contexts. Unlike one-off customizations or brand themes, dialects preserve the system’s essential grammar while expanding its vocabulary to serve different users, environments, or constraints.

When Perfect Consistency Fails

At Booking.com, I learned this lesson the hard way. We A/B-tested everything—color, copy, button shapes, even logo colors. As a professional with a graphic design education and experience building brand style guides, I found this shocking. While everyone fell in love with Airbnb’s pristine design system, Booking grew into a giant without ever considering visual consistency.  

The chaos taught me something profound: consistency isn’t ROI; solved problems are.

At Shopify. Polaris () was our crown jewel—a mature design language perfect for merchants on laptops. As a product team, we were expected to adopt Polaris as-is. Then my fulfillment team hit an “Oh, Ship!” moment, as we faced the challenge of building an app for warehouse pickers using our interface on shared, battered Android scanners in dim aisles, wearing thick gloves, scanning dozens of items per minute, many with limited levels of English understanding.

Task completion with standard Polaris: 0%.

Every component that worked beautifully for merchants failed completely for pickers. White backgrounds created glare. 44px tap targets were invisible to gloved fingers. Sentence-case labels took too long to parse. Multi-step flows confused non-native speakers.

We faced a choice: abandon Polaris entirely, or teach it to speak warehouse.

The Birth of a Dialect

We chose evolution over revolution. Working within Polaris’s core principles—clarity, efficiency, consistency—we developed what we now call a design dialect:

Constraint	Fluent Move	Rationale
Glare & low light	Dark surfaces + light text	Reduce glare on low-DPI screens
Gloves & haste	90px tap targets (~2cm)	Accommodate thick gloves
Multilingual	Single-task screens, plain language	Reduce cognitive load

Result: Task completion jumped from 0% to 100%. Onboarding time dropped from three weeks to one shift.

This wasn’t customization or theming—this was a dialect: a systematic adaptation that maintained Polaris’s core grammar while developing new vocabulary for a specific context. Polaris hadn’t failed; it had learned to speak warehouse.

The Flexibility Framework

At Atlassian, working on the Jira platform—itself a system within the larger Atlassian system—I pushed for formalizing this insight. With dozens of products sharing a design language across different codebases, we needed systematic flexibility so we built directly into our ways of working. The old model—exception requests and special approvals—was failing at scale.

We developed the Flexibility Framework to help designers define how flexible they wanted their components to be:

Tier	Action	Ownership
Consistent	Adopt unchanged	Platform locks design + code
Opinionated	Adapt within bounds	Platform provides smart defaults, products customize
Flexible	Extend freely	Platform defines behavior, products own presentation

During a navigation redesign, we tiered every element. Logo and global search stayed Consistent. Breadcrumbs and contextual actions became Flexible. Product teams could immediately see where innovation was welcome and where consistency mattered.

The Decision Ladder

Flexibility needs boundaries. We created a simple ladder for evaluating when rules should bend:

Good: Ship with existing system components. Fast, consistent, proven.

Better: Stretch a component slightly. Document the change. Contribute improvements back to the system for all to use.

Best: Prototype the ideal experience first. If user testing validates the benefit, update the system to support it.

The key question: “Which option lets users succeed fastest?”

Rules are tools, not relics.

Unity Beats Uniformity

Gmail, Drive, and Maps are unmistakably Google—yet each speaks with its own accent. They achieve unity through shared principles, not cloned components. One extra week of debate over button color costs roughly $30K in engineer time.

Unity is a brand outcome; fluency is a user outcome. When the two clash, side with the user.

Governance Without Gates

How do you maintain coherence while enabling dialects? Treat your system like a living vocabulary:

Document every deviation – e.g., dialects/warehouse.md with before/after screenshots and rationale.

Promote shared patterns – when three teams adopt a dialect independently, review it for core inclusion.

Deprecate with context – retire old idioms via flags and migration notes, never a big-bang purge.

A living dictionary scales better than a frozen rulebook.

Start Small: Your First Dialect

Ready to introduce dialects? Start with one broken experience:

This week: Find one user flow where perfect consistency blocks task completion. Could be mobile users struggling with desktop-sized components, or accessibility needs your standard patterns don’t address.

Document the context: What makes standard patterns fail here? Environmental constraints? User capabilities? Task urgency?

Design one systematic change: Focus on behavior over aesthetics. If gloves are the problem, bigger targets aren’t “”breaking the system””—they’re serving the user. Earn the variations and make them intentional.

Test and measure: Does the change improve task completion? Time to productivity? User satisfaction?

Show the savings: If that dialect frees even half a sprint, fluency has paid for itself.

Beyond the Component Library

We’re not managing design systems anymore—we’re cultivating design languages. Languages that grow with their speakers. Languages that develop accents without losing meaning. Languages that serve human needs over aesthetic ideals.

The warehouse workers who went from 0% to 100% task completion didn’t care that our buttons broke the style guide. They cared that the buttons finally worked.

Your users feel the same way. Give your system permission to speak their language.

Today’s web is not always an amiable place. Sites greet you with a popover that demands assent to their cookie policy, and leave you with Taboola ads promising “One Weird Trick!” to cure your ailments. Social media sites are tuned for engagement, and few things are more engaging than a fight. Today it seems that people want to quarrel; I have seen flame wars among birders.  

These tensions are often at odds with a site’s goals. If we are providing support and advice to customers, we don’t want those customers to wrangle with each other. If we offer news about the latest research, we want readers to feel at ease; if we promote upcoming marches, we want our core supporters to feel comfortable and we want curious newcomers to feel welcome. 

In a study for a conference on the History of the Web, I looked to the origins of Computer Science in Vienna (1928-1934)  for a case study of the importance of amiability in a research community and the disastrous consequences of its loss. That story has interesting implications for web environments that promote amiable interaction among disparate, difficult (and sometimes disagreeable) people.

The Vienna Circle

Though people had been thinking about calculating engines and thinking machines from antiquity, Computing really got going in Depression-era Vienna.  The people who worked out the theory had no interest in building machines; they wanted to puzzle out the limits of reason in the absence of divine authority. If we could not rely on God or Aristotle to tell us how to think, could we instead build arguments that were self-contained and demonstrably correct? Can we be sure that mathematics is consistent? Are there things that are true but that cannot be expressed in language? 

The core ideas were worked out in the weekly meetings (Thursdays at 6) of a group remembered as the Vienna Circle. They got together in the office of Professor Moritz Schlick at the University of Vienna to discuss problems in philosophy, math, and language. The intersection of physics and philosophy had long been a specialty of this Vienna department, and this work had placed them among the world leaders.  Schlick’s colleague Hans Hahn was a central participant, and by 1928 Hahn brought along his graduate students Karl Menger and Kurt Gödel. Other frequent participants included philosopher Rudolf Carnap, psychologist Karl Popper, economist Ludwig von Mises (brought by his brother Frederick, a physicist),  graphic designer Otto Neurath (inventor of infographics), and architect Josef Frank (brought by his physicist brother, Phillip).  Out-of-town visitors often joined, including the young Johnny von Neumann, Alfred Tarski, and the irascible Ludwig Wittgenstein. 

When Schlick’s office grew too dim, participants adjourned to a nearby café for additional discussion with an even larger circle of participants.  This convivial circle was far from unique.  An intersecting circle–Neurath, von Mises, Oskar Morgenstern–established the Austrian School of free-market economics. There were theatrical circles (Peter Lorre, Hedy Lamarr, Max Reinhardt), and literary circles. The café was where things happened.

The interdisciplinarity of the group posed real challenges of temperament and understanding. Personalities were often a challenge. Gödel was convinced people were trying to poison him. Architect Josef Frank depended on contracts for public housing, which Mises opposed as wasteful. Wittgenstein’s temper had lost him his job as a secondary school teacher, and for some of these years he maintained a detailed list of whom he was willing to meet. Neurath was eager to detect muddled thinking and would interrupt a speaker with a shouted “Metaphysics!” The continuing amity of these meetings was facilitated by the personality of their leader, Moritz Schlick, who would be remembered as notably adept in keeping disagreements from becoming quarrels.

In the Café

The Viennese café of this era was long remembered as a particularly good place to argue with your friends, to read, and to write. Built to serve an imperial capital, the cafés found themselves with too much space and too few customers now that the Empire was gone. There was no need to turn tables: a café could only survive by coaxing customers to linger. Perhaps they would order another coffee, or one of their friends might drop by. One could play chess, or billiards, or read newspapers from abroad. Coffee was invariably served with a glass of purified spring water, still a novelty in an era in which most water was still unsafe to drink. That water glass would be refilled indefinitely. 

In the basement of one café, the poet Jura Soyfer staged “The End Of The World,” a musical comedy in which Professor Peep has discovered a comet heading for earth.

Prof. Peep: The comet is going to destroy everybody!

Hitler:  Destroying everybody is my business.

Of course, coffee can be prepared in many ways, and the Viennese café developed a broad vocabulary to represent precisely how one preferred to drink it: melange, Einspänner, Brauner, Schwarzer, Kapuziner. This extensive customization, with correspondingly esoteric conventions of service, established the café as a comfortable and personal third space, a neutral ground in which anyone who could afford a coffee would be welcome. Viennese of this era were fastidious in their use of personal titles, of which an abundance were in common use. Café waiters greeted regular customers with titles too, but were careful to address their patrons with titles a notch or two greater than they deserved. A graduate student would be Doktor, an unpaid postdoc Professor.  This assurance mattered all the more because so many members of the Circle (and so many other Viennese) came from elsewhere: Carnap from Wuppertal, Gödel from Brno, von Neumann from Budapest. No one was going to make fun of your clothes, mannerisms, or accent. Your friends wouldn’t be bothered by the pram in the hall. Everyone shared a Germanic Austrian literary and philosophical culture, not least those whose ancestors had been Eastern European Jews who knew that culture well, having read all about it in books.

The amiability of the café circle was enhanced by its openness. Because the circle sometimes extended to architects and actors, people could feel less constrained to admit shortfalls in their understanding. It was soon discovered that marble tabletops made a useful surface for pencil sketches, serving all as an improvised and accessible blackboard.

Comedies like “The End Of The World” and fictional newspaper sketches or feuilletons of writers like Joseph Roth and Stefan Zweig served as a second defense against disagreeable or churlish behavior. The knowledge that, if one got carried away, a parody of one’s remarks might shortly appear in Neue Freie Presse surely helped Professor Schlick keep matters in hand.

The End Of Red Vienna

Though Austria’s government drifted to the right after the War, Vienna’s city council had been Socialist, dedicated to public housing based on user-centered design, and embracing  ambitious programs of public outreach and adult education. In 1934 the Socialists lost a local election, and this era soon came to its end as the new administration focused on the imagined threat of the International Jewish Conspiracy. Most members of the Circle fled within months: von Neumann to Princeton, Neurath to Holland and Oxford, Popper to New Zealand, Carnap to Chicago. Prof. Schlick was murdered on the steps of the University by a student outraged by his former association with Jews.  Jura Soyfer, who wrote “The End Of The World,” died in Buchenwald.

In 1939, von Neumann finally convinced Gödel to accept a job in Princeton. Gödel was required to pay large fines to emigrate. The officer in charge of these fees would look back on this as the best posting of his career; his name was Eichmann.

Design for Amiability

An impressive literature recounts those discussions and the environment that facilitated the development of computing. How can we design for amiability?  This is not just a matter of choosing rounded typefaces and a cheerful pastel palette. I believe we may identify eight distinct issues that exert design forces in usefully amiable directions.

Seriousness: The Vienna Circle was wrestling with a notoriously difficult book—Wittgenstein’s Tractus Logico-Philosophicus—and a catalog of outstanding open questions in mathematics. They were concerned with consequential problems, not merely scoring points for debating. Constant reminders that the questions you are considering matter—not only that they are consequential or that those opposing you are scoundrels—help promote amity.

Empiricism: The characteristic approach of the Vienna Circle demanded that knowledge be grounded either in direct observation or in rigorous reasoning. Disagreement, when it arose, could be settled by observation or by proof. If neither seemed ready to hand, the matter could not be settled. On these terms, one can seldom if ever demolish an opposing argument, and trolling is pointless.

Abstraction: Disputes grow worse when losing the argument entails lost face or lost jobs. The Vienna Circle’s focus on theory—the limits of mathematics, the capability of language—promoted amity. Without seriousness, abstraction could have been merely academic, but the limits of reason and the consistency of mathematics were clearly serious.

Formality: The punctilious demeanor of waiters and the elaborated rituals of coffee service helped to establish orderly attitudes amongst the argumentative participants. This stands in contrast to the contemptuous sneer that now dominates social media.  

Schlamperei: Members of the Vienna Circle maintained a global correspondence, and they knew their work was at the frontier of research. Still, this was Vienna, at the margins of Europe: old-fashioned, frumpy, and dingy. Many participants came from even more obscure backwaters. Most or all harbored the suspicion that they were really schleppers, and a tinge of the ridiculous helped to moderate tempers. The director of “The End Of The World” had to pass the hat for money to purchase a moon for the set, and thought it was funny enough to write up for publication.

Openness: All sorts of people were involved in discussion, anyone might join in. Each week would bring different participants. Fluid borders reduce tension, and provide opportunities to broaden the range of discussion and the terms of engagement. Low entrance friction was characteristic of the café: anyone could come, and if you came twice you were virtually a regular. Permeable boundaries and café culture made it easier for moderating influences to draw in raconteurs and storytellers to defuse awkward moments, and Vienna’s cafés had no shortage of humorists. Openness counteracts the suspicion that promoters of amiability are exerting censorship.

Parody: The environs of the Circle—the university office and the café—were unmistakably public. There were writers about, some of them renowned humorists. The prospect that one’s bad taste or bad behavior might be ridiculed in print kept discussion within bounds. The sanction of public humiliation, however, was itself made mild by the veneer of fiction; even if you got a little carried away and a character based on you made a splash in some newspaper fiction, it wasn’t the end of the world.

Engagement: The subject matter was important to the participants, but it was esoteric: it did not matter very much to their mothers or their siblings. A small stumble or a minor humiliation could be shrugged off in ways that major media confrontations cannot.

I believe it is notable that this environment was designed to promote amiability through several different voices.  The café waiter flattered each newcomer and served everyone, and also kept out local pickpockets and drunks who would be mere disruptions. Schlick and other regulars kept discussion moving and on track. The fiction writers and raconteurs—perhaps the most peripheral of the participants—kept people in a good mood and reminded them that bad behavior could make anyone ridiculous.  Crucially, each of these voices were human: you could reason with them. Algorithmic or AI moderators, however clever, are seldom perceived as reasonable. The café circles had no central authority or Moderator against whom everyone’s resentments might be focused. Even after the disaster of 1934, what people remembered were those cheerful arguments.

The Hidden Tax Savings in Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Listen to the full episode Episode Overview In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch interviews Peter Holtz, founder of Peter Holtz CPA and a former Big Four accountant and multi-company CFO. Peter explains why most business owners are unknowingly overpaying taxes and how proactive tax planning can legally reduce tax liability—sometimes […]

The Hidden Tax Savings in Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Listen to the full episode

Episode Overview

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch interviews
Peter Holtz, founder of Peter Holtz CPA and a former Big Four accountant and
multi-company CFO. Peter explains why most business owners are unknowingly overpaying taxes
and how proactive tax planning can legally reduce tax liability—sometimes by tens or even
hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Peter breaks down the difference between traditional tax compliance and strategic tax
planning, sharing why the majority of tax preparers simply fill out forms rather than
actively looking for opportunities to save their clients money. He discusses common tax
strategies that many businesses miss, including the Augusta Rule, employing children in the
business, maximizing depreciation, and properly structuring entities.

The conversation also explores the mindset many entrepreneurs have around profit, the
importance of building tax strategy into business planning, and how a CFO-level financial
perspective can help business owners make smarter long-term decisions.

If you’re a business owner who only talks to your CPA at tax time, this episode reveals why
that approach could be costing you significantly—and how to fix it.

Guest Bio

Peter Holtz is a CPA and former CFO who helps business owners keep more of
what they earn through proactive tax strategy. He has built and advised multi-8-figure
companies, leads an Inc. 5000 and IPA Top 500 accounting
firm, and is known for reframing taxes as a long-term wealth decision rather than a
once-a-year task.

With decades of experience in tax accounting and CFO advisory, Peter specializes in helping
entrepreneurs legally reduce their tax burden through year-round tax planning and strategic
financial guidance.

Key Takeaways

1. Most CPAs Focus Only on Compliance

While over 1.2 million professionals are licensed to prepare taxes in the U.S.,
only about 1,100 are certified tax planners. Most accountants simply enter
numbers into forms rather than actively looking for tax-saving opportunities.

2. Waiting Until Tax Season Costs Businesses Money

Tax strategy should happen throughout the year. Many tax-saving moves—such as purchases,
depreciation strategies, or entity structuring—must be implemented before December 31
to affect that year’s taxes.

3. Business Owners Miss Common Tax Strategies

Peter frequently sees entrepreneurs miss legal deductions and strategies like:

• Home office reimbursements
• The Augusta Rule (renting your home to your business)
• Employing children in the business
• Proper asset depreciation
• Correct entity structuring

These missed opportunities can add up to significant tax overpayments.

4. Shifting Expenses from After-Tax to Pre-Tax Is Powerful

One of the most effective strategies is converting personal expenses into legitimate business
expenses when appropriate. The more expenses you can move from after-tax dollars to
pre-tax dollars, the more you reduce taxable income.

5. Profit Must Be Treated as a Priority

Many entrepreneurs only aim to “pay the bills,” rather than intentionally building profit
into their business model. Peter emphasizes the importance of planning for profit, retirement,
healthcare, and future financial goals as part of the business structure.

6. Financial Strategy Requires Asking Better Questions

A great tax advisor doesn’t just prepare returns—they ask deeper questions about your
business, goals, assets, and family situation to uncover opportunities most accountants miss.

Great Moments From the Episode

• 00:02 — Introduction to Peter Holtz
  John introduces Peter Holtz and his background as a Big Four accountant and founder of a rapidly growing CPA firm.
• 01:05 — The Cost of Waiting Until Tax Season
  Peter explains how delaying tax planning until March can cost businesses tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• 02:05 — Why Most CPAs Don’t Do Tax Strategy
  Peter breaks down the difference between compliance accountants and certified tax planners.
• 03:26 — How the Tax Code Incentivizes Economic Activity
  Discussion on how government tax policies encourage investments like real estate and infrastructure.
• 06:51 — The Most Common Tax Savings Business Owners Miss
  Peter highlights overlooked strategies including the Augusta Rule, home office reimbursements, and paying children through the business.
• 11:09 — Diagnosing Tax Problems vs Cash Flow Problems
  Peter explains how reviewing tax returns and balance sheets quickly reveals missed opportunities.
• 12:27 — When Businesses Need CFO-Level Thinking
  The conversation shifts to financial strategy and how CFO insights help business owners make smarter growth decisions.
• 14:55 — The Misunderstood Relationship With Profit
  John and Peter discuss why many entrepreneurs treat profit incorrectly and how that mindset hurts long-term success.
• 20:12 — How Far Should Businesses Push Tax Strategy?
  Peter shares a real example of pushing tax law boundaries legally and successfully defending it with documentation.
• 24:14 — Where to Learn More
  Peter shares resources and a free tax strategy session available for business owners.

Memorable Quotes

“If you’re not planning your taxes year-round, you’re almost certainly paying more than you need to.”

“The more you can shift expenses from after-tax dollars to pre-tax dollars, the more money you keep.”

“Most accountants focus on putting numbers into boxes. Strategic tax planning starts with asking the right questions.”

Resources & Links

Website:
peterholtzcpa.com

Exclusive Resource for Duct Tape Marketing Listeners:
Tax Strategy Playbook & Tax Audit – A self-assessment and strategy review designed to help business owners identify gaps in their current tax approach and determine whether their structure is aligned with how their business is growing.

Get the exclusive resource here

Connect with Peter Holtz

• Instagram: @peterholtzcpa
• Facebook: Peter Holtz CPA
• X (Twitter): @peterholtzcpa
• LinkedIn: Peter Holtz CPA

 

Even the most meticulously crafted films aren’t immune to mistakes. Sometimes props are out of place, actors flub lines, or continuity errors sneak past the editor. Here are fifteen movie mistakes that somehow made it all the way to the big screen, whether by accident or because no one caught them in time.

The post 10 Movie Mistakes That Went Right Through to the Big Screen appeared first on Den of Geek.

After two years and a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of the second novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, will finally hit our screens. And AMC is leaning hard into the rock star agenda, dropping a new song, some extremely campy opening credits, and a date for when we can expect the tour, er….the new season to officially begin.

The series will follow Lestat de Lioncourt as he takes center stage in his own narrative, an attempt to set the record straight after the release of Daniel Molly’s infamous book, Interview with the Vampire. That he does this by deciding to embark on a multi-city tour with his new rock band is perhaps the most Lestat-coded choice ever, but it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. Billing the titular character as the “world’s first immortal rockstar” in the press materials promoting the show’s return, the network is promising “a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma” as Lestat tours the nation and is haunted by various “muses” from his past.

Anne Rice readers already know that this adventure won’t be for the faint of heart. While it recounts Lestat’s life as a mortal and his early years as a vampire, the novel also introduces key figures from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept, who all have a major role to play in the franchise’s future.

In addition to confirming that The Vampire Lestat would officially premiere in June, AMC also dropped the series’ new opening titles, which feature another would-be banger from Lestat’s musical catalog. The slightly shortened track, called “All Fall Down,” is composed by Daniel Hart and performed by series star Sam Reid. Like Lestat’s previous single, “Long Face,” the track is now available on all major streaming platforms, with the promise of even more songs from everyone’s favorite immortal rocker to come.

In the new credits, “All Fall Down” plays over a montage of various character images and possible Easter eggs from the forthcoming season. (No idea what’s up with the ice cream scoop, but those random road signs are definitely going to be song titles. Bet.) 

Everything we’ve seen about this season thus far is dripping with glam rock, full-on brat prince vibes, right down to the supposed quotes from the man (vampire) himself slagging off his production partner (“Predictable”) as the show blurs the line between fictional character and real-life celebrity. How much crazier will this get in the lead-up to the premiere? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s bound to be a wild ride.

The Vampire Lestat will premiere June 7 on AMC and AMC+. 

The post The Vampire Lestat’s Tour Will Hit AMC This Summer appeared first on Den of Geek.

Movies may look polished and effortless on screen, but the reality behind the camera is anything but. Film productions involve massive crews, complicated stunts, demanding schedules, and unpredictable conditions. Over the years, some sets have been marked by serious accidents, dangerous disagreements, unexpected injuries, and even tragic deaths. These stories remind us that filmmaking carries real risks, especially when safety standards were weaker than they are today.

The post 15 Movies With Some Unsettling Facts from Behind the Scenes appeared first on Den of Geek.

After two years and a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of the second novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, will finally hit our screens. And AMC is leaning hard into the rock star agenda, dropping a new song, some extremely campy opening credits, and a date for when we can expect the tour, er….the new season to officially begin.

The series will follow Lestat de Lioncourt as he takes center stage in his own narrative, an attempt to set the record straight after the release of Daniel Molly’s infamous book, Interview with the Vampire. That he does this by deciding to embark on a multi-city tour with his new rock band is perhaps the most Lestat-coded choice ever, but it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. Billing the titular character as the “world’s first immortal rockstar” in the press materials promoting the show’s return, the network is promising “a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma” as Lestat tours the nation and is haunted by various “muses” from his past.

Anne Rice readers already know that this adventure won’t be for the faint of heart. While it recounts Lestat’s life as a mortal and his early years as a vampire, the novel also introduces key figures from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept, who all have a major role to play in the franchise’s future.

In addition to confirming that The Vampire Lestat would officially premiere in June, AMC also dropped the series’ new opening titles, which feature another would-be banger from Lestat’s musical catalog. The slightly shortened track, called “All Fall Down,” is composed by Daniel Hart and performed by series star Sam Reid. Like Lestat’s previous single, “Long Face,” the track is now available on all major streaming platforms, with the promise of even more songs from everyone’s favorite immortal rocker to come.

In the new credits, “All Fall Down” plays over a montage of various character images and possible Easter eggs from the forthcoming season. (No idea what’s up with the ice cream scoop, but those random road signs are definitely going to be song titles. Bet.) 

Everything we’ve seen about this season thus far is dripping with glam rock, full-on brat prince vibes, right down to the supposed quotes from the man (vampire) himself slagging off his production partner (“Predictable”) as the show blurs the line between fictional character and real-life celebrity. How much crazier will this get in the lead-up to the premiere? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s bound to be a wild ride.

The Vampire Lestat will premiere June 7 on AMC and AMC+. 

The post The Vampire Lestat’s Tour Will Hit AMC This Summer appeared first on Den of Geek.

Even the biggest fans of the Friday the 13th franchise have to admit that the series isn’t on the cinematic vanguard. Creator Sean S. Cunningham saw the big returns generated by John Carpenter‘s micro budget Halloween and put his own holiday-themed horror movie into production, announcing the title long before he had a cast, a […]

The post Friday the 13th: Jason’s 10 Best Kills, Ranked appeared first on Den of Geek.

After two years and a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of the second novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, will finally hit our screens. And AMC is leaning hard into the rock star agenda, dropping a new song, some extremely campy opening credits, and a date for when we can expect the tour, er….the new season to officially begin.

The series will follow Lestat de Lioncourt as he takes center stage in his own narrative, an attempt to set the record straight after the release of Daniel Molly’s infamous book, Interview with the Vampire. That he does this by deciding to embark on a multi-city tour with his new rock band is perhaps the most Lestat-coded choice ever, but it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. Billing the titular character as the “world’s first immortal rockstar” in the press materials promoting the show’s return, the network is promising “a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma” as Lestat tours the nation and is haunted by various “muses” from his past.

Anne Rice readers already know that this adventure won’t be for the faint of heart. While it recounts Lestat’s life as a mortal and his early years as a vampire, the novel also introduces key figures from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept, who all have a major role to play in the franchise’s future.

In addition to confirming that The Vampire Lestat would officially premiere in June, AMC also dropped the series’ new opening titles, which feature another would-be banger from Lestat’s musical catalog. The slightly shortened track, called “All Fall Down,” is composed by Daniel Hart and performed by series star Sam Reid. Like Lestat’s previous single, “Long Face,” the track is now available on all major streaming platforms, with the promise of even more songs from everyone’s favorite immortal rocker to come.

In the new credits, “All Fall Down” plays over a montage of various character images and possible Easter eggs from the forthcoming season. (No idea what’s up with the ice cream scoop, but those random road signs are definitely going to be song titles. Bet.) 

Everything we’ve seen about this season thus far is dripping with glam rock, full-on brat prince vibes, right down to the supposed quotes from the man (vampire) himself slagging off his production partner (“Predictable”) as the show blurs the line between fictional character and real-life celebrity. How much crazier will this get in the lead-up to the premiere? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s bound to be a wild ride.

The Vampire Lestat will premiere June 7 on AMC and AMC+. 

The post The Vampire Lestat’s Tour Will Hit AMC This Summer appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article appears in the new issue of DEN OF GEEK magazine. You can read all of our magazine stories here. For centuries, our ideas about the future have been shaped by science fiction. From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey to Isaac Asimov’s robots, we have imagined technology as a moral force that […]

The post Tech in the Year 2050: What AI Means for Work, Art, and the Environment appeared first on Den of Geek.

After two years and a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of the second novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, will finally hit our screens. And AMC is leaning hard into the rock star agenda, dropping a new song, some extremely campy opening credits, and a date for when we can expect the tour, er….the new season to officially begin.

The series will follow Lestat de Lioncourt as he takes center stage in his own narrative, an attempt to set the record straight after the release of Daniel Molly’s infamous book, Interview with the Vampire. That he does this by deciding to embark on a multi-city tour with his new rock band is perhaps the most Lestat-coded choice ever, but it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. Billing the titular character as the “world’s first immortal rockstar” in the press materials promoting the show’s return, the network is promising “a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma” as Lestat tours the nation and is haunted by various “muses” from his past.

Anne Rice readers already know that this adventure won’t be for the faint of heart. While it recounts Lestat’s life as a mortal and his early years as a vampire, the novel also introduces key figures from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept, who all have a major role to play in the franchise’s future.

In addition to confirming that The Vampire Lestat would officially premiere in June, AMC also dropped the series’ new opening titles, which feature another would-be banger from Lestat’s musical catalog. The slightly shortened track, called “All Fall Down,” is composed by Daniel Hart and performed by series star Sam Reid. Like Lestat’s previous single, “Long Face,” the track is now available on all major streaming platforms, with the promise of even more songs from everyone’s favorite immortal rocker to come.

In the new credits, “All Fall Down” plays over a montage of various character images and possible Easter eggs from the forthcoming season. (No idea what’s up with the ice cream scoop, but those random road signs are definitely going to be song titles. Bet.) 

Everything we’ve seen about this season thus far is dripping with glam rock, full-on brat prince vibes, right down to the supposed quotes from the man (vampire) himself slagging off his production partner (“Predictable”) as the show blurs the line between fictional character and real-life celebrity. How much crazier will this get in the lead-up to the premiere? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s bound to be a wild ride.

The Vampire Lestat will premiere June 7 on AMC and AMC+. 

The post The Vampire Lestat’s Tour Will Hit AMC This Summer appeared first on Den of Geek.

Few filmmakers follow their bliss quite like Boots Riley. The Bay Area writer/director burst onto the movie scene with 2018’s Sorry to Bother You, a surrealist romp that blended elements of magical realism with political commentary on an exploited labor class. He followed that up in 2023 with the Prime Video TV series I’m a […]

The post I Love Boosters Review: Boots Riley Blends Fashion With Surreal Sci-Fi appeared first on Den of Geek.

After two years and a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of the second novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, will finally hit our screens. And AMC is leaning hard into the rock star agenda, dropping a new song, some extremely campy opening credits, and a date for when we can expect the tour, er….the new season to officially begin.

The series will follow Lestat de Lioncourt as he takes center stage in his own narrative, an attempt to set the record straight after the release of Daniel Molly’s infamous book, Interview with the Vampire. That he does this by deciding to embark on a multi-city tour with his new rock band is perhaps the most Lestat-coded choice ever, but it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. Billing the titular character as the “world’s first immortal rockstar” in the press materials promoting the show’s return, the network is promising “a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma” as Lestat tours the nation and is haunted by various “muses” from his past.

Anne Rice readers already know that this adventure won’t be for the faint of heart. While it recounts Lestat’s life as a mortal and his early years as a vampire, the novel also introduces key figures from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept, who all have a major role to play in the franchise’s future.

In addition to confirming that The Vampire Lestat would officially premiere in June, AMC also dropped the series’ new opening titles, which feature another would-be banger from Lestat’s musical catalog. The slightly shortened track, called “All Fall Down,” is composed by Daniel Hart and performed by series star Sam Reid. Like Lestat’s previous single, “Long Face,” the track is now available on all major streaming platforms, with the promise of even more songs from everyone’s favorite immortal rocker to come.

In the new credits, “All Fall Down” plays over a montage of various character images and possible Easter eggs from the forthcoming season. (No idea what’s up with the ice cream scoop, but those random road signs are definitely going to be song titles. Bet.) 

Everything we’ve seen about this season thus far is dripping with glam rock, full-on brat prince vibes, right down to the supposed quotes from the man (vampire) himself slagging off his production partner (“Predictable”) as the show blurs the line between fictional character and real-life celebrity. How much crazier will this get in the lead-up to the premiere? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s bound to be a wild ride.

The Vampire Lestat will premiere June 7 on AMC and AMC+. 

The post The Vampire Lestat’s Tour Will Hit AMC This Summer appeared first on Den of Geek.

Sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen, and we call them miracles. So says the Eleventh Doctor back in Doctor Who season 5 episode “The Pandorica Opens”. But it’s very applicable to how many fans are likely feeling, now that two more classic episodes thought to have been lost forever have been rediscovered.  One of […]

The post Two of the Most Sought After Missing Doctor Who Episodes Found at Last appeared first on Den of Geek.

After two years and a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of the second novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, will finally hit our screens. And AMC is leaning hard into the rock star agenda, dropping a new song, some extremely campy opening credits, and a date for when we can expect the tour, er….the new season to officially begin.

The series will follow Lestat de Lioncourt as he takes center stage in his own narrative, an attempt to set the record straight after the release of Daniel Molly’s infamous book, Interview with the Vampire. That he does this by deciding to embark on a multi-city tour with his new rock band is perhaps the most Lestat-coded choice ever, but it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. Billing the titular character as the “world’s first immortal rockstar” in the press materials promoting the show’s return, the network is promising “a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma” as Lestat tours the nation and is haunted by various “muses” from his past.

Anne Rice readers already know that this adventure won’t be for the faint of heart. While it recounts Lestat’s life as a mortal and his early years as a vampire, the novel also introduces key figures from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept, who all have a major role to play in the franchise’s future.

In addition to confirming that The Vampire Lestat would officially premiere in June, AMC also dropped the series’ new opening titles, which feature another would-be banger from Lestat’s musical catalog. The slightly shortened track, called “All Fall Down,” is composed by Daniel Hart and performed by series star Sam Reid. Like Lestat’s previous single, “Long Face,” the track is now available on all major streaming platforms, with the promise of even more songs from everyone’s favorite immortal rocker to come.

In the new credits, “All Fall Down” plays over a montage of various character images and possible Easter eggs from the forthcoming season. (No idea what’s up with the ice cream scoop, but those random road signs are definitely going to be song titles. Bet.) 

Everything we’ve seen about this season thus far is dripping with glam rock, full-on brat prince vibes, right down to the supposed quotes from the man (vampire) himself slagging off his production partner (“Predictable”) as the show blurs the line between fictional character and real-life celebrity. How much crazier will this get in the lead-up to the premiere? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s bound to be a wild ride.

The Vampire Lestat will premiere June 7 on AMC and AMC+. 

The post The Vampire Lestat’s Tour Will Hit AMC This Summer appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can you stop him?” asks Jessica Jones at the end of the latest teaser for Daredevil: Born Again‘s second season. The question comes after a series of images reminding us of everything that Matt Murdock will have to deal with this time, including an ascendent Mayor Wilson Fisk outlawing all masked vigilantes and sending an […]

The post Daredevil: Born Again Teaser Reveals Two More Returns from the Netflix Show appeared first on Den of Geek.

After two years and a title change, the third season of Interview with the Vampire, now rebranded as The Vampire Lestat in honor of the second novel in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, will finally hit our screens. And AMC is leaning hard into the rock star agenda, dropping a new song, some extremely campy opening credits, and a date for when we can expect the tour, er….the new season to officially begin.

The series will follow Lestat de Lioncourt as he takes center stage in his own narrative, an attempt to set the record straight after the release of Daniel Molly’s infamous book, Interview with the Vampire. That he does this by deciding to embark on a multi-city tour with his new rock band is perhaps the most Lestat-coded choice ever, but it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. Billing the titular character as the “world’s first immortal rockstar” in the press materials promoting the show’s return, the network is promising “a sexy pilgrimage across space, time, and trauma” as Lestat tours the nation and is haunted by various “muses” from his past.

Anne Rice readers already know that this adventure won’t be for the faint of heart. While it recounts Lestat’s life as a mortal and his early years as a vampire, the novel also introduces key figures from his past, including Gabrielle, Magnus, Marius, Nicolas, and Those Who Must Be Kept, who all have a major role to play in the franchise’s future.

In addition to confirming that The Vampire Lestat would officially premiere in June, AMC also dropped the series’ new opening titles, which feature another would-be banger from Lestat’s musical catalog. The slightly shortened track, called “All Fall Down,” is composed by Daniel Hart and performed by series star Sam Reid. Like Lestat’s previous single, “Long Face,” the track is now available on all major streaming platforms, with the promise of even more songs from everyone’s favorite immortal rocker to come.

In the new credits, “All Fall Down” plays over a montage of various character images and possible Easter eggs from the forthcoming season. (No idea what’s up with the ice cream scoop, but those random road signs are definitely going to be song titles. Bet.) 

Everything we’ve seen about this season thus far is dripping with glam rock, full-on brat prince vibes, right down to the supposed quotes from the man (vampire) himself slagging off his production partner (“Predictable”) as the show blurs the line between fictional character and real-life celebrity. How much crazier will this get in the lead-up to the premiere? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s bound to be a wild ride.

The Vampire Lestat will premiere June 7 on AMC and AMC+. 

The post The Vampire Lestat’s Tour Will Hit AMC This Summer appeared first on Den of Geek.