Ten minutes into Seth Rogen’s Netflix stand-up special, it’s clear that the loveable comedian, who’s built a blockbuster-studded career off playing a relatable weed savant on screen, isn’t joking around.
Well no … he is. And he’s recruiting names like Nick Kroll and Ike Barinholtz for bits about vaping through one’s genitals and having life-changing epiphanies in hell with the help of a Mark Wahlberg-stanning Satan. But beneath the lineup of “alt penises” and Rogen’s exaggerated stoner persona, there’s a strong desire to affect real change in the fight against a disease most people are still largely in the dark about.
Rogen’s Netflix special, Hilarity For Charity, dropped on the streaming platform two years ago. Named after the nonprofit he started with wife Lauren Miller – which now just goes by HFC – the organization’s goal is to raise money for Alzheimer’s research and in-home care. The special may be fans first encounter with Rogen’s passion project but HFC’s been around since 2012 and it’s raised over $13 million dollars for Alzheimer’s research in that time, awarding over 290,000 hours of in-home care relief to family caregivers through a specialized grant program.
As mind-blowing as those numbers might be, HFC had relatively humble (and personal) beginnings. Just a year after the comedian started dating his now-wife, Miller’s mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She was only 55-years old.
Miller had experienced the disease before – her grandfather was diagnosed when she was 12 and her grandmother lost her battle with it when Miller was in high school – but Rogen, who was just starting his movie career following the cancellation of Judd Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks, was a bit blindsided by it.
“Every time I visit my mother-in-law, I’m shocked that what I’m seeing is the result of this disease,” Rogen told InStyle in 2017. “Alzheimer’s is brutal. I mean, it’s associated with losing your memory, but you don’t just forget who people are; you also forget how to talk, how to eat, how to do everything. That’s hard to wrap your head around until you actually see it.”
Both Miller and Rogen struggled with how to help her mom for years. There was shame and stigma attached to the diagnosis that kept them from talking about it, and the lack of government funding meant a cure or even a therapeutic treatment for those suffering was basically non-existent. It wasn’t until a friend of theirs suggested they put on a variety show and donate the proceeds to Alzheimer’s organizations that they found a way to use something they both love – comedy – to benefit those in need.
Rogen would go on to star in films like Knocked Up, Superbad, and Pineapple Express as his fame grew. Miller, an actress, writer, and recently director of the Kristen Bell-starring comedy Like Father, would pop up in indie hits like Call For A Good Time. But both dedicated more and more energy to confronting the disease, especially as her mother’s condition worsened.
“Around the time when I was getting old enough and famous enough to actually understand that I should probably be using that fame to draw attention to something is around the time that all this started to happen,” Rogen told InStyle. “In [my] 20s, I was aware that other people were doing charitable things, but it was not on the forefront of what I was thinking about, nor did I have a cause or anything that I felt that strongly about, or would be able to intelligently talk about. So it really was a moment where this was happening in my personal life, and at the same time, I was like, ‘I could actually really help bring attention to this thing.’”
The duo launched Hilarity For Charity which has grown into a national non-profit and wellness initiative. Their goal isn’t just to raise money for Alzheimer’s research – though that’s the main priority and an incredible need in the space – but to also educate and support people facing this disease. That means creating grants to in-home care relief for family caregivers, people like Miller’s father who spent 15 years looking after her mother before her death in February of this year so that they can practice some self-care. A trip to the movies. A family vacation. A doctor’s appointment of their own. Small necessities that fall to the wayside when your full-time job becomes caring for a loved one who can’t eat on their own, who doesn’t recognize their surroundings or even remember themselves.
But HFC’s work isn’t just reactionary. The organization has expanded its reach, chartering new paths in the fight against Alzheimer’s by focusing on preemptive changes people can make that might stave off the worst effects of the illness.
Research shows that Alzheimer’s can reside in the brain decades before any physical effects manifest so Rogen and Miller are using their nonprofit in a more proactive way, crafting brain-health programs that teach younger generations (millennials like themselves) how to take care of their body in order to hopefully better their odds.
“When my mom was diagnosed, brain health was in a completely different space,” Miller told Refinery 29. “I was very aware of brain disease, but unaware of how to prevent brain disease.”
Along with caregiving tutorials and online support groups – which have become all the more important thanks to the current pandemic – HFC is also teaching people how to engage and enrich their brain, partnering with doctors and organizations to offer everything from articles and podcasts to short films to hammer home the importance of things like nutrition and cognitive fitness.
And yes, the work is important, but what’s even more impressive is how authentic Rogen’s approach to doing good has been. Instead of attaching his name to a charity he had no emotional ties to, the comedian has gone all-in on a mission he’s personally invested in, harnessing his talent for making people laugh with his signature brand of raunchy, good-natured humor to bring about change.
All those dick-vaping jokes are just a Trojan horse for his more essential work: beating Alzheimer’s, but instead of focusing on the dark and depressing subject matter, Rogen and Miller use their celebrity and their talented social circle to lighten the mood which, inevitably, leads to more support, more money, and more press.
Press around inventive charitable endeavors like their annual Halloween parties headlined by people like Snoop Dogg. Or Bar Mitzvahs for James Franco hosted by Miley Cyrus. Or weed-smoking adults-only carnivals with booths manned by names like Ilana Glazer, Ben Feldman, Josh Gad, and Casey Wilson. These parties are filled with over-the-top ridiculous levels of fun, but at their core, they’re about creating meaningful memories and actionable change when it comes to a truly devastating illness – at least for people like Superstore actor Feldman, whose mother suffers from the disease and who has helped organize events in the past.
“My mom is in a memory care place here in Los Angeles, but when she was a little more functioning, she’d come to these events with me,” Feldman told The Hollywood Reporter last year. “I have a video of my mom in a mosh pit dancing with weed glasses on to Seth and Snoop Dog rapping onstage. It’s the greatest video I’ve ever gotten of her.”
For his part, even though Rogen acknowledges the work HFC is doing is vital and often life-changing, he rarely shoulders that burden with any self-inflated sense of seriousness. He’s just as happy to host a guided meditation with Keegan-Michael Key to raise money as he is to speak on Capitol Hill and call out lawmakers who aren’t doing enough for Alzheimer’s research, as he did in 2014.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the federal government has allocated between six and 10 times more funds for cancer research and HIV/AIDS than Alzheimer’s despite the fact that Alzheimer’s kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined and that, by 2050, the disease will cost the U.S. an estimated 1.1 trillion dollars. When Rogen spoke in front of a committee, pleading for more funding to help manage and perhaps one-day cure the disease, only two senators stayed for his testimony. He addressed the slight, and how it points to a larger issue within Congress and our country later on Twitter.
All those empty seats are senators who are not prioritizing Alzheimer’s. Unless more noise is made, it won’t change. pic.twitter.com/xDW6tlMHmH
So yes, Seth Rogen is a comedian who has a limitless supply of dick puns that he’s happy to wield against Alzheimer’s. He likes making people laugh and bringing some humor to a rather depressing diagnosis. He’s happy to use his brand of comedy to further that goal, to attach his name to all kinds of weird out-of-the-box fundraisers and events to direct the spotlight onto bigger issues.
But don’t think he doesn’t take this work seriously.
Donald Trump may want to “wreck” Fox News with his own digital media empire, but like a spurned lover still checking his ex’s Instagram every five minutes, he can’t stop watching Fox and Friends (when he’s not golfing, that is). That’s why co-host Brian Kilmeade spoke directly to the president during Wednesday morning’s episode.
“Here’s the thing, I think for the president of the United States, while he continues to fight on, and this is probably going to be the end of the week for Pennsylvania if they don’t produce something,” he said, via Mediaite (they won’t produce “something,” no matter how loud Rudy yells). “I think it’s going to, in the country’s best interest, if he starts coordinating on the virus, starts coordinating with security with the Biden team. And just brief them, because, on the virus, we’re going to be able to get this out as soon as two weeks. We need to coordinate on the transportation and implementation, and you’ll see how thorough the planning has been so we don’t drop the ball in a little while.”
It’s a solid message, but before giving Kilmeade too much credit, however, note that he’s still humoring Trump’s false belief that “I WON THE ELECTION!” Plus, later in the episode, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany dropped by to compare Americans wearing masks to protect themselves from dying from COVID-19 to… 1984?
Watch that part of the segment below.
WH Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany learned a new word with respect to COVID: “I think a lot of the guidelines you’re seeing are Orwellian … The American people know how to protect their health … It’s Orwellian.” pic.twitter.com/uZC2Z8T0s4
The longest NBA Draft cycle in recorded history comes to an end on Wednesday, Nov. 18. While it certainly isn’t the fault of any prospect or team that this particular class has been in the public consciousness for an extended period of time, the anticipation is significant to turn the page and kick-start what is certain to be a fast and furious offseason for the league as a whole.
At this juncture, there is still drama at the top of the heap, with genuine disagreement in some circles as to how to rank the top prospects available. While that is at least somewhat unusual, it does add drama to the proceedings, with virtually every team drafting near the top of the draft involved in some level of trade buzz. Still, most believe the consensus top three will arrive in some order, even if trades shake up the teams making those selections.
Our last foray into the world of mock drafts was DIME’s annual “what every team should do” projection but, this time around, we’re back to the basics of making actual projections based on intel and rational thought. Without further delay, here is the final mock draft of 2020:
As noted above, this isn’t a given. In fact, it is a tiebreaker of sorts that leads us here, as it appears as if Ball is the most likely to be the No. 1 pick, in part because other teams may be targeting him in a trade-up scenario. The Wolves could absolutely pull the trigger on Ball and, candidly, he is my No. 1 prospect overall. Minnesota could just as well take Anthony Edwards, though, and that wouldn’t be a crazy reach at the top.
2. Golden State Warriors – James Wiseman (C, Memphis)
As a general rule, we don’t predict trades here. The Warriors could absolutely move this pick but, if they don’t, virtually everyone believes that it will be Wiseman. That is especially true if Ball goes off the board at No. 1, as he does in our scenario. Wiseman does have detractors, but Golden State seems to like him, and there is no denying his physical tools and impressive profile.
3. Charlotte Hornets – Anthony Edwards (G, Georgia)
It isn’t a secret that the Hornets like Wiseman, and he is a (very) obvious choice for Charlotte if available. In this mock, he’s off the board, and the Hornets simply go with the best player available. Edwards isn’t perfect, but he is a big-time athlete with shot-making potential. If nothing else, the Hornets can sell themselves on his star equity in a way that no other player available can bring.
4. Chicago Bulls – Tyrese Haliburton (G, Iowa State)
Avdija has real buzz with Chicago, too, but the Bulls are such a mystery with a first-time front office that it is tough to nail down. Haliburton frequently comes up with the Bulls, and it is undisputed that he has a ton of fans with teams across the league. It might be odd with Coby White and Zach LaVine on-board, but Haliburton is much more of a complementary player and he can fill in the gaps as a high-character player.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers – Deni Avdija (F, Maccabi Tel Aviv)
The Cavs could go a number of ways here, but there is smoke that they really like Avdija and would be thrilled if he was available. In addition, other teams might also look to move up to snag him. Avdija doesn’t have any elite traits to speak of, but he’s pretty good at basically everything. Throw in quality size and pedigree, and you have a player that many seem to like.
6. Atlanta Hawks – Isaac Okoro (F/G, Auburn)
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This could be Haliburton or Avdija if available. It could also be Onyeka Okongwu. Beyond that, the Hawks are a team frequently linked to trade possibilities, and it should surprise no one if another team is picking at No. 6 by Wednesday night. Still, Okoro checks a lot of boxes for Atlanta, as a top-flight defensive prospect with local ties that also fits the organization’s recent profile of defense-first wings to build around Trae Young.
7. Detroit Pistons – Patrick Williams (F, Florida State)
Personally, this is a little bit high for Williams. The Pistons may feel differently, though, and the murmurs about Williams being a favorite of Detroit’s new front office are getting (very) loud. Detroit certainly should consider a lead guard like Killian Hayes, but in terms of actually projecting, we’ll roll with Williams. The league seems to be quite excited about his future.
8. New York Knicks – Obi Toppin (F/C, Dayton)
Toppin is a CAA client, which should inspire some jokes about the CAA-centric front office in New York. But, more seriously, Toppin is also worthy of this investment. He could go in the top five on draft night, and Toppin’s offensive tools are genuinely impressive. There are significant questions about his defense, but the Knicks could go a number of ways, and Toppin is one of them.
9. Washington Wizards – Onyeka Okongwu (C, USC)
The Wizards have to at least plan as if Okongwu won’t be available, and he certainly could be gone. If he falls to No. 9, though, this should honestly be an easy choice. He’s arguably the best player available and a great fit on a team that needs a defensive anchor. Call it in.
Phoenix is suddenly in win-now mode with Chris Paul on board, and that could change the calculus here. Even if it doesn’t, Vassell is more than worthy of this pick as an elite off-ball defender that can knock down shots. He is often compared to Mikal Bridges, and the two could cause havoc on the wings. In addition, the Suns now have something of a need on the wing with Kelly Oubre Jr. heading to Oklahoma City.
11. San Antonio Spurs – Saddiq Bey (F, Villanova)
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This is a touch high for Bey in my view, but he has big fans in league circles. The Spurs are pretty loaded in the backcourt right now, but they could use a forward that can space the floor. From there, San Antonio could coax improved defense from Bey and, if that happens, he becomes a highly valuable role player that can grow alongside the team’s other young players.
12. Sacramento Kings – Killian Hayes (G, Ulm)
I have to be honest and say that I genuinely don’t understand why the league seems to be lower on Hayes. He’s a top-five prospect for me but, at some point, a mock draft is supposed to be about projection and teams just don’t appear to see him that way. At any rate, the Kings are a team that is rumored to like Hayes, and he could be a “best player available” pick that also could (theoretically) play alongside De’Aaron Fox.
13. New Orleans Pelicans – Kira Lewis (G, Alabama)
The Pelicans are now in an interesting position, with myriad guard options on the roster. Eric Bledsoe and George Hill may not be part of the long-term plan, but New Orleans also has Lonzo Ball, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Josh Hart to consider. As such, Lewis may not be the pick here, but New Orleans doesn’t necessarily have their “point guard of the future” and he could be it.
14. Boston Celtics (via Memphis) – Tyrese Maxey (G, Kentucky)
Boston is probably making a move of some kind but, in this mock, we aren’t flat-out projecting trades. Maxey would be a great fit with what Boston currently has, and they have the developmental structure to allow him to grow. Evaluators are split on Maxey, but this would be a soft landing spot.
15. Orlando Magic – RJ Hampton (G, New Zealand Breakers)
The Magic might do cartwheels of Lewis falls to No. 15, but Hampton is the other prospect with big-time upside in the backcourt. Unlike Lewis, Hampton isn’t a pure point guard, but he gives Orlando some juice with the ball in his hands, and that is something the Magic desperately need in the future.
Good luck trying to figure out what Houston might do here. I’m plugging in Nesmith as a best player available choice, and he would also give the Rockets a knock-down shooter if they continue to try and compete. If this is a rebuild in the near future, there may be better options, but everyone is guessing.
Achiuwa is a polarizing prospect, but there are some rumblings about Minnesota. It makes sense in that Karl-Anthony Towns is perhaps the best three-point shooting center of all-time, but he also struggles a bit defensively. Achiuwa may be a small-ball center in the future but, for the Wolves, he could utilize his defensive versatility and be the rim-runner when Towns is spacing the floor.
18. Dallas Mavericks – Aleksej Pokusevski (F/C, Olympiacos B)
Pokusevski has fans in the league, with some murmurs about Oklahoma City trying to snag him. That very well may happen, but the Mavericks might also see a path to intrigue by swinging for the fence. Pokusevski is the ultimate gamble in this year’s draft, and this is the point on the board where it may be too juicy to pass.
19. Brooklyn Nets (via Philadelphia) – Josh Green (F/G, Arizona)
Brooklyn is clearly all-in for this season and the near future. That makes any draft pick difficult but, if they make the selection, Green brings defense and potential versatility. He probably won’t help them a ton right away, but Brooklyn’s roster might look very different by the end of the week anyway.
20. Miami Heat – Desmond Bane (G/F, TCU)
The Heat could go with one of the myriad ball-handlers available, but Bane also makes sense. Miami has enjoyed success with hard-working players, and Bane is well-known for his tenacity. From there, he’s a very good shooter that can handle the ball a bit and also defend at a solid level.
21. Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City) – Isaiah Joe (G, Arkansas)
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In 2019, it was widely known that the Sixers were in love with Matisse Thybulle, to the point where Philadelphia was prompted to give up an extra asset to select him. In 2020, the rumblings are that the Sixers may have given Joe a promise, either at No. 21 or at No. 34. To be fair, Joe isn’t quite this high on most mainstream boards, but it wouldn’t be totally unreasonable for Philadelphia to select him here. Throw in the (loud) whispers about a promise, and this projection makes the most sense, even if No. 34 may be the “real” promise.
22. Denver Nuggets (via Houston) – Cole Anthony (G, North Carolina)
Anthony’s stock has tumbled, but Denver isn’t shy about aiming for the ceiling. Gone are the days when he was in pre-season contention for the No. 1 overall pick, but Anthony remains talented and could pair well with Jamal Murray if things work out. If anything, Anthony’s supporting traits (shooting, defense) might be underrated, and the Nuggets would be just banking on talent.
23. Utah Jazz – Robert Woodard (F, Mississippi State)
Woodard checks a ton of boxes while not being elite in any one area. He’s 6’7 with a 7’2 wingspan, though, and there is a path to relevance as a do-everything forward. Utah could use more role players in that mold, and he fits the bill cleanly.
24. New Orleans Pelicans (via Indiana, then Milwaukee) – Jalen Smith (C/F, Maryland)
As noted above, the Pelicans are in flux after a big trade, and their roster could change even more in the coming days. Smith is both a bet on talent and a bet on potential fit. New Orleans did invest a lottery pick in Jaxson Hayes, but Smith is a (much) different player. He’s a floor spacer that could pair with Zion Williamson and give the Pelicans a different look.
In practicality, this makes a ton of sense. In reality, McDaniels could be gone by now, especially with chatter that teams are buying into his pre-college sample and could pounce in the top 15. Alas, the Thunder love to pick players with impressive measurables, and McDaniels was a five-star prospect for a reason.
26. Boston Celtics – Xavier Tillman (C, Michigan State)
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Boston’s trio of picks could be on the move at any moment, but the Celtics do need a center. Preferably, that player could help immediately, and Tillman profiles as exactly the kind of rookie that could have a positive impact in a winning situation. His basketball IQ is off the charts, he is a brick wall defensively, and Tillman won’t have any problem fitting into a modern offensive scheme with his short roll passing and low-usage profile.
27. New York Knicks (via LA Clippers) – Grant Riller (G, Charleston)
If the Knicks don’t go with a guard in the lottery, they will probably add one late. It may not be Riller, though, as this is a class that has a bunch of similarly graded collegiate performers in the backcourt. Riller is perhaps the most intriguing from an upside perspective, with off-the-charts metrics as a three-level scorer.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Los Angeles) – Tyrell Terry (G, Stanford)
The Thunder could use a backcourt complement to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Terry might be it. He is a shooter, first and foremost, but some NBA teams like Terry’s other traits as well. This is a solid value for a team that is firmly in asset accumulation mode.
29. Toronto Raptors – Isaiah Stewart (C, Washington)
Stewart has plenty of fans in the NBA, and he is known as a hard-working young man with a great motor. His skill translation is up for debate but, in Toronto, Stewart would be properly utilized and developed. Even with some reasons for pessimism, the widespread belief is that he’ll be a first round pick somewhere.
30. Boston Celtics (via Milwaukee) – Leandro Bolmaro (G, Barcelona)
We’ve reached the end and Boston has another pick. The Celtics likely won’t make all three of their picks but, if they do, a roster crunch dictates that one of them kind of needs to be a draft-and-stash. Bolmaro is the best player that fits that archetype, with first round talent and a place to develop without being on Boston’s cap sheet.
NPR’s storied Tiny Desk Concert series has been different for the majority of 2020. While they got some performances in pre-pandemic, the majority of their offerings this year were filmed not in the NPR offices, but from various spaces around the world. For example, the latest performer in the series is Adrianne Lenker, and instead of cramming behind a tiny desk, she crammed into a tiny wheeled home.
Lenker gave her performance from a camper trailer parked in the famous Joshua Tree National Park. Seated at a tiny table, Lenker tenderly played five songs from Songs: “Zombie Girl,” “Two Reverse,” “Dragon Eyes,” “Anything,” and “Ingydar.” A camper in Joshua Tree is like a Western US version of the Massachusetts cabin where Lenker recorded these tunes, so the setting was appropriate and worked to great effect here.
Lenker previously said of recording Songs and companion album Instrumentals, “I had a handful of songs that I was planning on recording, but by the time [engineer Phil Weinrobe] arrived I was on a whole new level of heartsick and the songs were flying through my ears. I was basically lying in the dirt half the time. We went with the flow. A lot of the focus was on getting nourishment from our meals. We cooked directly on the woodstove, and we went on walks to the creek every day to bathe. […] I’m grateful that this music has come into existence. These songs have helped me heal. I hope that at least in some small way this music can be a friend to you.”
In a year that has produced a critically-acclaimed album in Future Nostalgia, an appearance in FIFA 21, multiple award show nominations, and more for Dua Lipa, the pop singer now has a new accomplishment to flaunt on her resume. Sharing the news on her social media platforms, Dua Lipa announced that she is the latest brand ambassador for Puma. The singer joins names like J. Cole, Neymar, Marcus Smart, and others on the shoe brand’s celebrity roster. Puma revealed she would work with the company to help inspire women all over the world through various campaigns and initiatives.
clearly very excited to announce that i’ve joined the @PUMA family as their new brand ambassador!!! Can’t wait for u to see what we have in store for ya pic.twitter.com/hL3y1YtwTU
The singer shared a post on Twitter celebrating her latest accomplishment. “Clearly very excited to announce that i’ve joined the @PUMA family as their new brand ambassador!!!” she said. “Can’t wait for u to see what we have in store for ya.” Next year, Dua Lipa will headline Puma’s upcoming “She Moves Us” campaign, which aims to uplift and empower women through sports. The brand will also sponsor the singer’s “Studio 2054” virtual performance as she rock clothes and pieces from Puma’s collection.
The news comes after Dua Lipa announced a b-side collection for her Future Nostalgia album would arrive next year. The singer will also appear on Miley Cyrus’ upcoming album, Plastic Hearts, which drops on November 27.
You can read Dua Lipa’s announcement in the post above
Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This past Saturday, the hip-hop community was surprised by the news of Gucci Mane and Jeezy putting their differences aside for a head-to-head matchup on Verzuz. With that battle just days away, fans of the online platform already have their eyes set on another possible battle, which also finds another pair of rappers duking it out despite not seeing eye to eye at the moment. Supporters of Verzuz are hoping that 50 Cent and The Game would be able to sit down for a matchup and when the New York rapper was asked about the possibility, he delivered an answer that many might not have expected.
During an interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood, 50 Cent was asked if he would consider participating in Verzuz and he said, “If you think about, from my time period, there’s nothing that can match that run.” Big Boy pushed the rapper further on the Verzuz topic and asked who he would face and 50 replied with The Game, but only under one condition. “You know what? Look,” he said with a grin on. his face. “Okay, he can’t play no records with my voice on it.” He also admitted that the West Coast rapper had “some hits.”
“As much as we argued and fought in the early stages, I would rather see him benefit from the momentum than someone else,” 50 Cent said. “He was still part of G-Unit and is gonna be a part of the legacy of — overall. Even if you just want to focus on the break up.”
You can watch 50’s interview above and fast forward to the 13-minute mark to hear his conversation about The Game and Verzuz.
Last month, Diplo was caught in a web of social media rumors after many believed the producer was romantically involved with 19-year-old influencer Quenlin Blackwell. While Diplo confirmed that Blackwell lived in a property that also serves as a studio space for him, they both denied their relationship was anything more than platonic. Nearly a month later, the producer is now facing accusations of revenge porn from a Los Angeles woman who has also filed a restraining order against him. According to The Daily Beast, the woman is hoping to block Diplo “from distributing revenge porn” which she claims is “designed to humiliate her and to scare other women out of coming forward.”
The woman, who is represented by high-profile attorney Lisa Bloom, posted a thread of tweets that accused Diplo of filming sexual content of her without her permission. “I SPECIFICALLY asked him not too & his reply was ‘fuck it. I’m recording this,’” she wrote while calling him “a huge manipulating liar / gaslighter who PREYS young women of ALL races (to be honest) but primarily young naive women of color.” She also claims the producer hired a private investigator to scare her after an argument that she labeled as “disgusting.” According to her, the investigator claimed to know her address, her workplace, and her parents’ address.
In response to the allegations, Diplo’s attorney Bryan J. Freedman shared a statement with Pitchfork:
Unfortunately, this individual has been harassing my client and his family for more than a year and has repeatedly refused to stop doing so. To be clear, in no way has my client violated any law. In fact, he has repeatedly made it clear that he wants nothing whatsoever to do with this person—and simply needs her ongoing harassment of his family to end.
On The Mandalorian, Gina Carano plays one of the good guys — or one of the few people our once-mysterious bounty hunter hero (Pedro Pascal) actually trusts. As seen-it-all mercenary Cara Dune, the former MMA fighter-turned-screen badass is one of the best parts of the show, finally getting a role she can sink her teeth into. It was almost a decade ago that Steven Soderbergh first tried to turn her into a screen star with Haywire, so it’s about time! And yet some Star Wars fans want Carano gone, and it’s not because of her acting.
Judging from her tweets, Carano is one of a small number of Hollywood players who are, if not fully on board with America’s ongoing president, then outspoken about supporting some of the things he believes. For instance, she thinks wearing masks to prevent yourself and others from contracting a highly contagious disease is stupid.
Carano also believes that voter fraud is happening, despite all evidence to the contrary (and all the “evidence” supplied by Trump minions being roundly debunked).
We need to clean up the election process so we are not left feeling the way we do today. Put laws in place that protect us against voter fraud. Investigate every state. Film the counting. Flush out the fake votes. Require ID. Make Voter Fraud end in 2020. Fix the system.
Throw in her making fun of pronouns and shilling for Parler — the “free speech” social media site that has become a hornet’s nest of conspiracy theorists, assorted bigots, and other people who would too easily be suspended from Twitter — and you have the makings of the “#FireGinaCarano” hashtag. Only three episodes into the new season, and the movement has gained some traction.
Gina Carano actively promotes hateful, bigoted views, has tweeted misinformation +conspiracies about the American election, doesn’t support wearing masks/treats COVID like a hoax, liked tweets about shooting protesters… this woman is not part of the Rebellion #FireGinaCaranopic.twitter.com/4u52pqI3vo
— newceo of kanera, axevanth, dinaxeNaNoWriMo! (@targaryenjedii) November 15, 2020
“But free speech and she’s a woman, you just want her fired for her different opinions blahblahblah” yeah if those opinions are racist, invalidating people’s existence, spreading harmful lies and propaganda and wishing ill upon people, then yeah, she doesn’t belong in Star Wars.
They fired James Gunn for jokes but she still had a job after all the crap on her timeline? Asking people to join Parler which is just a bunch of Right wing racists on there #FireGinaCarano@Disneyhttps://t.co/ekQ91bt9ZW
this isn’t just a difference in political opinions, what she has done and continuing to do is violent and harmful. she is supporting and defending white supremacists and their extremist ideals whilst voicing her own. #fireginacaranopic.twitter.com/bWg8bDNHzw
being a racist, transphobic, pandemic denying bigot are not “awkward” opinions, they’re harmful and dangerous but thanks for helping the hashtag reach the trending page #FireGinaCaranohttps://t.co/FWoec2YIdJ
Some pointed out that Carano was aligning herself with the same people who made life hell for Star Wars colleagues like John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran.
It’s really disgusting how John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran were viciously attacked by racist and sexist people, resulting in reduced roles and zero support from Disney, and Gina Carano gets a major role while associating herself with those very same people. #FireGinaCarano
Of course, these kinds of grass roots social media campaigns rarely lead to actual firings, so Carano can likely rest easy. (Besides, there’s still five episodes left in Season 2, so who knows what happens.) But if this one effect real change, at least Carano will get to spend more time hanging out with, uh, far right weirdos like Charlie Kirk.
Mike Will Made-It, Metro Boomin, and Mustard are three of the most influential hip-hop producers of the last decade. And yet the three producers feel slighted by Digital Service Providers like Spotify, Apple Music, etc., due to their failure to include production work on their individual artist pages. Mike Will started the discussion on a now-deleted post to his Instagram story, where he said, “If a producer has a DSP page we shouldn’t have to force ourself on a song as a feature to have it be linked with our page it feels corny or like a reach or forced.” He added, “It should just standardly be linked like an artists ‘Featured On’ section a producer artist should have produced on section.”
Wills continued into a second Instagram post, which read, “All producers catalogs should be hyperlinked with their artist page on all DSP’s.” Shortly after, Metro Boomin and Mustard reposted Mills’ second post on their own Instagram pages, implying that they were in agreement with the Atlanta producer.
Will’s comments come after he tapped Nicki Minaj and YoungBoy Never Broke Again for his new single, “What That Speed Bout?!” It marks the first time the producer worked with Nicki since 2019’s “Runnin,’” from the Creed II soundtrack. The song will also appear on his upcoming album, Michael, which is set to arrive at some point in 2021.
Amazon Prime is way more than just a way to get your electronics and books in two days or less. There’s a wide breadth of good movies and TV shows out there to choose from if you know what you’re looking for.
To help you out, we’ve rounded up the 35 best movies on Amazon Prime right now. From new Oscar winners to classic titles, you might be surprised as to what the service has available.
Christopher Nolan’s imaginative sci-fi adventure will most likely be remembered as one of the best genre films in cinematic history, and for good reason. The movie — which stars everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy to Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine — is the ultimate heist flick, following a group of thieves who must repurpose dream-sharing technology to plant an idea into the mind of a young CEO. DiCaprio pulls focus as Cobb, a troubled architect with a tragic past who attempts to pull off the impossible so that he can return to his family.
Awkwafina stars in this dramedy from director Lulu Wang that got a fair amount of Oscar buzz this season. The story follows a Chinese family, who discovers their beloved grandmother has only a short time to live. Instead of telling her, they keep the news to themselves, planning a wedding so that everyone can gather to say their goodbyes. It’s a dark comedy to be sure, but it’s given heart by some brilliant performances including Shuzhen Zhao as the central Nai Nai.
Nauseating. Disturbing. A total mindf*ck. Those are all fitting descriptions of Ari Aster’s Hereditary follow-up, a sophomore outing that gleefully embraces the very worst of humanity and shines an unforgiving light on those universal flaws. It’s a horror story, sure, but it’s a relationship drama at its core, flavored with pagan rituals, brutal killings, unsettling imagery, and all-consuming grief. Florence Pugh gives a career-defining performance as Dani, a young woman reeling from a terrible familial tragedy who accompanies her distant, disinterested boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his college bros to a small Swedish village to celebrate the summer solstice.
Leonard DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and Alec Baldwin star in this crime thriller from Martin Scorsese about an undercover cop and a mole in the police department who attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in Boston. DiCaprio plays the good guy (or as close as he can) with Billy, a disturbed officer playing the part of a criminal to get close to Nicholson’s kingpin, Frank. Damon plays the rat, Sullivan, who serves as a police officer on the force, but really works for Frank. The two unknowingly thwart each other at every turn, playing a thrilling game of cat and mouse before their secrets eventually come out.
An early work of director Sofia Coppola, this film based on a 1993 novel of the same name, follows the story of the Lisbon sisters, five girls aged 13-17 who make a suicide pact after their youngest sibling kills herself. A sense of mystery and aloofness adds to the girls’ appeal when it comes to the neighborhood boys, through whom much of the story is told. Confined to their house after the death of their sister, the girls find ways of communicating with the outside world through secret phone calls and late-night trysts. Eventually, the sisters make good on their pact, but Coppola chooses to find a sense of freedom and validation in their decision to commit suicide, one that paints the end of the film in a strangely victorious light.
George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson star in this period comedy, playing a trio of escaped convicts on the hunt for buried treasure. While they try to find their ticket to riches and freedom, a dogged detective pursues them, forcing the group to come up with imaginative, ridiculous ways to evade the law. Look, this movie’s great, but let’s not kid ourselves — we’re here for the soundtrack.
Robert De Niro stars in this boxing drama from Martin Scorsese playing famed fighter Jake LaMotta. LaMotta succeeded in the ring because of his infamous temper and violence, but those same traits are what led him to ruin away from the mat. De Niro plays LaMotta with a kind of swagger and ruthlessness that’s magnetic on screen, even though the character see-saws between hero and villain in his own story.
The mind-boggling success of the Marvel Universe this decade makes it easy to forget it’s humble, fantastically-written origins. We’re talking about the first Avengers team-up, a modest affair in comparison to the universe-spanning, dimension-hopping Endgame, but one that still holds up as a worthy outing for our O.G. heroes. This film marked the first time Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, and Clint Barton shared any real screentime and while most of the fighting is done in-house, the team pulls it together to take on a scheming Loki and his invading army of earth-destroying space monsters in the end.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in this sci-fi thriller about a woman on the run who must return home to the family she abandoned once word of her supernatural abilities spreads. Mbatha-Raw plays Ruth, a woman whose seizures trigger earthquakes. Her mother and young daughter also have telekinetic abilities and when Ruth comes home to escape a dogged scientist determined to experiment on her, she begins trying to understand her powers with their help while also staying under the radar.
Jimmie Fails plays himself in this semi-autobiographical drama about a young man’s attempts to reclaim his childhood home. Fails and his best friend, Mont (Jonathan Majors), visit the old Victorian house where Fails grew up, only to find it in disarray. When the current tenants find themselves embroiled in a fight for ownership, forced to move out while the battle plays out in court, Jimmy and Mont move in, fixing up the place and fighting to restore some of the neighborhood’s old school charm.
Chris Hemsworth stars in this Whedon creation directed by Drew Goddard that’ll make you wary of ever going on a mountain retreat again. Hemsworth plays one of a group of five friends who head to the woods for some R&R. The remote cabin they stay at quickly becomes a hellish prison they struggle to escape from.
Before FX gave us some spectacular follow-up formatted for TV, the Coen brothers introduced us to the cold, weirdly-accented world of murder and cover-up in Fargo, a thriller continues to stand the test of time. The premise is probably familiar by now: a criminal mastermind’s plan goes awry thanks to the ineptitude and bungling of his henchman and the persistence of a dogged policewoman (the unfairly-talented Frances McDormand). Still, it’s worth a rewatch.
This cult comedy from director Cameron Crowe has earned a dedicated fan following amongst rock-and-roll lovers. Based on Crowe’s own experiences as an underaged music journalist for Rolling Stone, the film follows a 15-year-old kid named William Miller, who goes on the road with rock band and becomes entangled in their exploits. Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand also star, but it’s Kate Hudson, who plays the magnetic groupie Penny Lane, who really steals the film.
Another Dunst/Coppola team-up, this period drama is a visual feast that gives Dunst two hours to play, in costume, as France’s once most-hated woman, Marie Antoinette. Born to marry the French King Louis XVI, the ill-fated queen lived lavishly, died tragically, and in-between, shouldered the burden of making a marriage to an apathetic man work while carving out her own bit of freedom.
James Stewart stars in this holiday flick about a down-on-his-luck businessman who laments his suburban life. George Bailey wishes for a different, more successful life, one unencumbered by a wife and kids but when his wish is granted and an angel shows him what life would be like without him, Bailey must figure out how to make the most of the present. Stewart is magnetic in the role and though it’s thought of as a Christmas classic, this film can and should be enjoyed year-round.
This film by Destin Daniel Cretton (the guy Marvel’s tapped to direct Shang-Chi) marks the first leading role for Brie Larson. Long before her Captain Marvel days, Larson was playing Grace Howard, a young woman navigating life as a supervisor of a group home for troubled teens. Other soon-to-be stars like Lakeith Stanfield and Rami Malek also have a role in this thing but it’s Larson’s vehicle and she’s in full command of it.
Jonah Hill’s directorial debut is a nostalgic ode to growing up in the 90s. The film follows a 13-year-old kid named Stevie who spends one summer in L.A. navigating between his troubled home life and a new group of friends that push to him to test his own boundaries. The movie is heavy in skater culture, a scene L.A. was known for at the time, but it’s also an introspective look on making the transition from boyhood to adulthood, and how perilous that time can be.
Call us jaded, but few movies that are as hyped up as this Rian Johnson whodunnit actually live up to the hype. You’ve got an A-list cast that’s somehow managing to share the screen and carve out singular moments for their characters despite a packed plot. You’ve got a story with twists and turns and darkly comedic gags you could never see coming. And you’ve got Johnson, who managed to make an original film that actually competed with, and surpassed, some established franchises at the box office. Something’s got to be wrong with this movie, right? Wrong. It’s as layered and nuanced and perfect as Chris Evans’ waffle-knit sweater. Enjoy.
Toni Collette stars in this terrifying nightmare by first-time director Ari Aster. The film charts the grief and shared trauma of the Graham family. Annie (Collette) is mourning the loss of her secretive mother, worrying over her inherited mental health issues and her children. When her son Peter accidentally kills his sister, hauntings begin happenings. Malevolent spirits, possessions, a seance gone wrong — this is pure nightmare fuel people.
Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz, and Eli Roth star in Quentin Tarantino’s imaginative World War II drama about a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers with a plan to assassinate Hitler. The film flip-flops between Pitt’s Southern-accented Lt. Aldo Raine’s mission to scalp Nazis and blow-up an exclusive event for SS officers in Paris and French actress Melanie Laurent, who plays a theater-owner with a devious plan of her own. It’s full of mesmerizing performances and Tarantino’s unique brand of humor — oh, and a lot of Nazi killing.
When filmmaker Kurt Kuenne’s childhood friend Andrew Bagby is killed and his suspected killer/ex-girlfriend reveals she’s pregnant, Kurt decides to make a documentary chronicling Andrew’s life. While largely a love letter to a man who touched the lives of many for Zachary, the son he never met, Dear Zachary also tells the starkly bitter side of a broken Canadian legal system that directly endangered a baby. We follow the drawn-out custody battle between Andrew’s parents and Zachary’s mother, interspersed with loving snapshots into the Bagby family. The story sucks you in, but it’s also the at times comedic, fast-paced, and downright enraging documentary style of the film that breaks up the emotional tale.
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson team up for this comedy that imagines the grit and humor it takes to lead a late-night talk show as a woman. Thompson plays Katherine Newbury, an accomplished TV personality who fears she may lose her talk show because of declining ratings and competition from a younger, male comedian. She hires Molly (Kaling) a comedy writer with little experience to diversify her team, and the two women weather hilarious mishaps and a few scandals to bring the show back on track.
Comedian Bo Burnham’s directorial debut looks at the social anxieties of a young girl on the cusp of her high school career. Elsie Fisher plays Kayla, a pre-teen in her final week of eighth grade. She’s virtually friendless, choosing to spend her time creating inspiring Youtube videos that no one sees. When she decides to venture from her computer screen, attending pool parties and hanging out with older kids, she’s thrust into situations she’s not entirely ready for. The film is a painfully honest look at the pressure of growing up, the loss of innocence, and how social media can contribute to feelings of anxiety and isolation in teens, especially young girls who are forced to grow up much more quickly than their male counterparts.
Shia LaBeouf writes and stars in this semi-autobiographical tale of his time as a child star. Noah Jupe plays the younger version of himself while LaBeouf plays his controlling, often abusive father. The two live in motel rooms in L.A. while Otis (Jupe) works on a popular kids TV show. Their relationship becomes strained as Otis ages, and his dad James (LaBeouf) grows resentful of his son’s success. Lucas Hedges plays an elder Otis, who struggles with all kinds of addictions because of his rough, unconventional upbringing. It’s a tough watch but one that feels refreshingly honest, and you can’t deny LaBeouf’s talent and courage in telling such a raw, intimate story.
Based on a historical crime novel set in Victoria-Era England, Park Chan-wook’s lavish, mesmerizing thriller focuses on two young women fighting to escape oppression by the men in their lives. Chan-woo has traded the stuffy British countryside for Japanese-occupied Korea, telling the stories of Lady Hideko and her handmaiden Sook-hee in three parts, weaving a tale of passion, betrayal, dark secrets, and revenge with grander themes of imperialism, colonial rule, and patriarchal corruption. The two women are the draw of the film with both resorting to illicit, illegal, morally compromising schemes in order to gain their freedom, but love is an unintended consequence that leaves the third act — one you might think you have figured out halfway through the film — completely unpredictable.
Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon drew from their own unusual love story for their script about a Chicago comic named Kumail (Nanjiani) who falls in love with Emily, a woman (Zoe Kazan) who falls into a coma while in the midst of a rift in their relationship created by the expectations of Kumail’s traditional parents. The funny, moving romantic comedy also features strong supporting work from Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as Emily’s parents, who form an awkward bond with Kumail as they wait for Emily’s recovery.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as a troubled hitman with a dark past in this thrilling crime flick from Lynne Ramsay. Phoenix plays Joe, a gun for hire, former military man and FBI agent, who spends most of his time rescuing victims of sex trafficking. He’s recruited to save a Senator’s daughter from a brothel that caters to high-end clientele, but the job thrusts him into the center of a conspiracy that costs him everything and ends in blood and tragedy. It’s a relentless slog to be sure, but it works because Ramsay is more interested in profiling the man, not the hits he makes.
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe star in this truly bonkers period drama from Robert Eggers. It’s a beautifully shot portrait of two men slowly driven to the brink of insanity by their choice in career — they’re stuck alone on a slab of rock, looking after a crumbling lighthouse. Pattinson masturbates to visions of mermaids, and Dafoe gets drunk and does a jig. To say anything more would be spoiling the fun.
Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet star in this heartbreaking drama about a father trying to save his son from a drug addiction that’s slowly eating away at his family. Carell plays David, a New York Times writer who struggles to help his son Nic (Chalamet) after he falls victim to a worrying drug habit. He has moments of sobriety, attending college, living with his mother in L.A., and working at a drug clinic to help others battling the disease. Yet eventually, his addiction returns, and Nic is powerless to fight it. David is forced to choose between sacrificing his family and his own sanity or continuing to help his son. Both Carell and Chalamet give powerful performances that elevate what essentially is an emotionally restrained look at father-son relationships and the landmines they navigate.
A portrait of a particular moment in music history, when the folk revival found young musicians discovering their voices in old styles and old songs, Inside Llewyn Davis stars Oscar Isaac as a singer/songwriter who can never quite translate his talent into professional success. Joel and Ethan Coen both exactingly recreate early ‘60s New York and use it as the site of one of an affecting tale of the clash between artistic impulses and the needs of the material world, a theme they’d previously explored with Barton Fink and would pick up again with Hail, Caesar!.
Dwayne Johnson and Lena Headey star in this family drama about a pair of siblings with dreams of making it in the WWE. Only one, Florence Pugh’s Saraya, actually makes it, but the road to wrestling stardom is riddled with fake friends, sexism, parental drama, and self-doubt. There’s plenty of great matchups here — body slams, cage matches and the like — but the real draw is Pugh, who completely disappears in the role.
Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton), who’s unwilling and unable to properly care for her troubled son Kevin, watches her life unravel as her husband (John C. Reilly) ignores their problems and Kevin grows more and more sociopathic and violent. The story jumps around in time, showing Swinton’s character as both a new mother who blames her son for ruining her life and as a woman who eventually blames herself for what becomes of her son. Swinton proves once again that she’s the actress that indie movies need for complex characters that live their lives in grey areas. At its core, We Need To Talk is about the importance of proper parenting, communication, and probably therapy. And it’s not for the faint of heart.
Ten years after his last Ocean‘s entry, Steven Soderbergh revisits the heist genre, this time centering on a pair of unlucky brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) working a scheme to rip off a big NASCAR race. Memorable side characters, rapid-fire dialogue, and charismatic performances keep the story from becoming too predictable even for a twist-filled heist tale. Soderbergh was even able to cut out major studios and keep complete creative control over the movie, thanks to streaming services and international distribution. It’s a largely light-hearted movie, and frankly, that’s necessary sometimes.
A mysterious pawnshop owner (Won Bin), whose only friend is a child that lives next door, tears the local criminal presence apart after she’s kidnapped. This South Korean thriller from Lee Jeong-beom follows a similar format to such films as Léon: The Professional and Man On Fire of “guy with a shady past protects little girl”, but The Man From Nowhere still crafts an original tale of a heartbroken man out to save the only thing he has left in this world. The action sequences are bloody and intense, and Bin’s stoic performance brings a painful depth to the brutal savior.
Coherence is one of those low-budget sci-fi stories that is extremely tough to explain without either giving too much away or requiring an extended entry. Essentially, a group of friends sifts through their own issues and insecurities during a mind-bending paradoxical experience. Taking place almost entirely in the same room on a single night, the characters struggle to find answers just as much as the viewer. It’s a challenging yet enthralling film, perfect for those who love to overthink things.
Recent Changes Through November 2020:
Removed: The Terminator, First Reformed
Added: Inception, Inglorious Basterds
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Can’t wait for u to see what we have in store for ya 
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