Good Morning Youtinians.  We are back on a different day this week after the long holiday weekend in the United States. The NBA playoffs are racing toward The Finals, with the Celtics sweeping their series to represent the Eastern Conference and the Timberwolves holding on down three games to one.  Last week, we asked who you were rooting for in the NBA conference finals. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a strong lead, with the Dallas Mavericks right behind in the poll.

— Corey Helton & JG Carse

Star Wars Publishing June Releases

There are a ton of June Star Wars releases that we’ll definitely be reading, but here are the top three that we absolutely can’t wait to get our hands on:

• The High Republic: Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton: This adult novel is the second of Phase III of The High Republic, and it will be the first to follow the debut of the first High Republic-era TV show, The Acolyte. We genuinely cannot wait to experience Avar Kriss’s trips across Nihil Space into the Occlusion Zone in this book, and thankfully, it will be released pretty soon — June 11th.

• The High Republic (2023) Phase III Vol. 1: Children of the Storm by Cavan Scott and Ario Anindito: Also coming out on June 11th, we have even more High Republic-era reading with the first trade paperback of The High Republic (2023)! We’ve been on the edge of our seats following Keeve Trennis’s story since Phase I, and it is both exhilarating and terrifying to see what fate has in store for her now.

• Darth Maul: Black, White, & Red #3 by Erica Schultz and Leonard Kirk: You might remember our excitement for issue #2 (which comes out tomorrow!) in last month’s Star Wars publishing Dispatch, and we are continuing the party this month as well. We’ve still got a while to wait as issue #3 won’t hit comic store shelves until June 26th, but the horror vibes of issue #1 promise that there is a lot of good still to come in this miniseries.

We're all fine here now — how are you? These are just a few of the Star Wars reads we can’t wait to check out next month. Take a look at the Youtini Release Schedule to stay up to date on all things Star Wars publishing! And let’s talk about what you’re reading in the Youtini Discord!

George Lucas Receives Honorary Palme d’Or

George Lucas was honored with an Honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival's closing ceremony. Joined by his longtime collaborator Francis Ford Coppola, Lucas received a standing ovation from the crowd. Coppola congratulated Lucas, emphasizing the pride felt by friends and the entire cinema community. Lucas expressed gratitude for the award and thanked Coppola and the festival. 

Lucas has had a longstanding relationship with Cannes since his film THX-1138 premiered there in 1971. The festival praised Lucas for his thematic exploration and groundbreaking work in creating the Star Wars franchise, which has become a cultural phenomenon. Lucas reflected on his career, highlighting his determination to control his films creatively.

Context: The Palme d'Or, the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival, was established in 1955, replacing the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. After the Grand Prix's brief return in 1964, the Pame d'Or came back for good in 1975. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry.

The festival introduced the "Palme des Palmes" in 1997 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Since 2002, it has awarded an Honorary Palme d'Or to directors or actors who have made significant contributions to cinema but have not won a competitive Palme d'Or.

Interviews: George sat down for several interviews for this honor. First, check out this official interview from the Cannes Film Festival. Brut FR, a media company, also interviewed George, which you can see here.

NCAA Power 5 to Pay Atheletes

The NCAA and its five power conferences agreed to settle three federal antitrust cases in a multibillion-dollar agreement allowing schools to pay players directly for the first time. Over ten years, the NCAA will spend over $2.7 billion in damages to past and current athletes. It has also agreed to a revenue-sharing plan that allows each school to share up to $20 million annually with its athletes.

This is a significant reform for college sports aimed at providing benefits to student-athletes, thus ensuring clarity across all divisions. According to NCAA President Charlie Baker and the power conference commissioners, the settlement is a big step in creating the future of college athletics, working in tandem with student-athlete leadership groups.

Context: This settlement is available to all Division I athletes since 2016. In exchange, they give up the right to sue the NCAA for other antitrust violations and drop existing complaints in three other ongoing cases. The settlement terms need approval from Judge Claudia Wilken; it could take until fall 2025 before revenue sharing begins.

Looking Ahead: While college leaders widely acknowledge that they must develop a compensation system, more needs to be discussed about how to implement it. Smaller conference administrators are angry at being left out of settlement talks and have concerns over disproportionate costs.

At the same time, a Colorado judge refused the NCAA's request to transfer another antitrust case, Fontenot v. NCAA, to the same California court. Athletes can opt out if they believe the Fontenot case offers better compensation, which could impact Judge Wilken's final ruling on the settlement.

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

• The Legends Lookback crew continued their roundtable series, this time delving into Greg Keyes's Edge of Victory duology. Jared and Rick shared their insights on what they believe to be some of the most underrated Star Wars books. 

• The Cosmic Force discussed Mace Windu's finale and the new High Republic Phase III comic news as the initiative nears its end. 

• The Acolyte is around the corner, and we have a guide to everything you need to know before watching the show. Steven guides readers through what we know from the High Republic cross-media initiative and bits of Sith lore that may influence The Acolyte.

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

• The first excerpt for Temptation of the Force was released. The excerpt is pulled from the first chapter and highlights the heroes on the cover, Avar and Elzar. 

• A new Marvel series focusing on Vision has been greenlit, with Paul Bettany reprising his role. Not much is known besides a goal to release in 2026, and Star Trek: Picard executive producer Terry Matalas has been hired as the showrunner.

• Deadpool & Wolverine broke the record for Day 1 pre-sales for an R-rated movie. Two months before release, the film made $8 million in sales on its first day of sales. 

• Charles Leclerc won at the Monaco Grand Prix, breaking his home race curse. This was his fifth victory in his career. After the red flag on lap 1, the rest of the field remained calm, allowing Lecrerc to secure his monumental win. 

• For the second year in a row, Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500. It came down to the final lap with Pato O’Ward in the lead, but Newgarden made the pass to secure the victory.

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