Month: January 2021

Before speaking to Jac Schaeffer, the head writer and an executive producer of WandaVision, I had a feeling there was a deep cut of a television show that was, at least, partially driving the influences here. It couldn’t all be the more obvious show like Bewitched or The Brady Bunch. In other words, there just had to be a show in Schaeffer’s childhood that was an influence for WandaVision that might not exactly be mainstream. A show that if she went around saying, “Well, it’s based on this,” people would be confused.

Out of this World premiered in 1987. It was a weird show that aired during weird parts of the day, which differed depending where you lived. 1n 1987, NBC-owned stations tried starting prime time a half-hour early and Out of This World was part of this one-season experiment. After, it continued on in syndication for three more seasons. The plot was about a 13-year-old girl named Evie who learns that her father is an alien, so, being half-alien, she has alien powers that get he into a lot of wacky situations. In retrospect, it was a very weird show. And in retrospect, yes, it makes total sense how a show like that could have at least some influence on a show like WandaVision.

Ahead, Schaeffer tells us all about how the weird intricacies of out of this World helped her shape WandaVision. Also, she looks ahead to the future episodes and, without giving any story details away, takes us through a lot of the shows of the 1980s that will inspire what we are going to see on WandaVision very soon.

WandaVision so far is reminding me of a time when I had no real choice in what I watched, I just watched whatever was on after school. I’ve seen almost every episode of Hazel, a show that ended well before I was born, because it “was on.”

Yeah, that was my experience, whatever was on. I watched whatever used to come on at 8:00 and 8:30 every weeknight. I used to know that schedule. And then, also, the movies that I watched were whatever was playing on TBS and TNT, and then syndication after school.

We know the influences from Bewitched or The Brady Bunch, but what’s a deep cut show that you brought some of that to this?

Here’s a deep cut. Do you remember Out of this World?

I do.

So do you remember the pilot episode when she gets her powers?

I actually think I do.

It’s really a really weird moment. You’re in this silly little sitcom and everything is very twee and unexpected. And then I think she’s holding something. I want to go back and look at it. She’s holding cards or something, and she suddenly drops them and then puts her hands together, and it’s really weird and creepy. And that was a big influence on me, with the rupture of the sitcom tone.

So what from Out of this World did you put in WandaVision?

Just that everything could be so canned. And then also, and this is me projecting, but when she got her powers, it was her birthday and I think it was her 12th or 13th birthday? So there was a kind of a subversive, reaching puberty thing that I sort of put on it. And so there was a psychological element to it. So, yeah, all of that is part of the fabric of the weirdness of WandaVision, from the role that I had in it.

I remember Small Wonder was on around the same time, which was another really weird show that was similar.

Like ALF and My Secret Identity and the sitcoms that dealt with the supernatural were always a little funny. Because, with this show it was my greatest hope – and it seems that we have achieved it for some people – that it would hit on a subconscious level. And those shows did that to me. Like watching whatever – Growing Pains and Family Ties – that’s just fine and great and you’re enjoying it. But that sort of supernatural stuff, I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but I would love to speak with those creators and know if they were trying to be weird.

On Family Ties, Nick may have been supernatural.

[Laughs] Have you seen, this is a real test, have you seen… was it called My Valentine?

Wait, yes, but his name is Scott Valentine. The movie…

This interview is getting weird fast, probably because I’m tired, but yeah, I love that you know that movie. It’s a weird one. [Note: the movie is My Demon Lover]

They made a spin-off of Nick’s character. He got his own show. I think for one episode. It was just a pilot. And then he came back to Family Ties.

We missed the airing.

So in the trailer for WandaVision we see Kathryn Hahn wearing the eighties aerobic gear. We haven’t seen that episode yet. Is that this Friday?

You’ll have to wait and see.

Okay, fair enough. So how does it end? How does the whole show end? Just tell me.

Okay, that I can tell you.

Can you say what show the aerobics outfit ’80s show is mostly based on?

Oh, well, all the sitcoms are amalgamations of a lot.

But which ones for you were your main influences?

Well, the eighties, that’s my zone. It’s everything. You’ll recognize all the pieces, from the production design, things from Family Ties and Full House and Growing Pains and Who’s the Boss?

I’ve got my fingers crossed for It’s Your Move. Remember It’s Your Move?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it’s got Roseanne and Just the Ten of Us, which [WandaVision director] Matt [Shakman] was on.

I talked to him about that. I don’t think he believed me when I said I had seen every episode of Just the Ten of Us. But, what else was I going to watch?

At this moment, I believe you.

It was a spinoff of Growing Pains. It’s Coach Lubbock.

I was in. There was a lot of hair aspiration with those young women. That’s what I stood up for.

Are there any other deep-cut shows coming? Because Out of this World, that’s a pretty good deep cut.

I feel like I nailed it with that one.

Yeah, I was very happy to hear that.

And that’s on an inspiration level. I’m not saying that there’s like any kind of one-to-one, that is just is my personal experience.

That would be quite a scandal if someone took it the other way.

[Laughs] Yeah. So don’t do that! But, I did have other sitcoms. I mean, I loved Designing Women and Golden Girls.

Designing Women was amazing. Golden Girls, obviously, but we don’t talk enough about Designing Women.

I agree with you. I really loved that show. There was an episode where Suzanne Sugarbaker, Delta Burke, she was off the show for reasons. And they said she had Dutch Elms disease. Oh, man, was that funny. What a ridiculous concept, that she has Dutch Elms Disease. I remember my parents laughing. And when I was younger, everything for me was about trying to unlock comedy, and I didn’t get the joke entirely. And they had to explain to me that it was a disease of trees and that’s why it was funny. Oh God.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Fans eagerly awaiting the release of Doja Cat‘s third album may end up having to wait for it. The “Say So” star recently noticed a discrepancy in the lyrics of her verse on Saweetie’s “Best Friend” on streaming services and wants it fixed pronto, or she says Planet Her is never coming out.

In the song’s lyrics, Doja describes her bestie’s tendencies, noting her BFF is “off her fifth shot, I said, ‘Mm-mm don’t go there.’” However, the lyrics that have been appearing on various sources from YouTube lyrics videos to Spotify give the bar as, “She off her fish, I said, ‘Mm-mm don’t go there,’” which as Doja notes, doesn’t make any sense.

Actually, Doja put it a little differently in her all-caps tweet. “SHE OFF HER FISH DON’T MAKE NO F*CKIN SENSE,” she raged. “COME HERE SO I CAN BEAT YOUR F*CKING ASS, GUMBY.”

Of course, her fans, well accustomed to trolling the rapper back-and-forth, have been sending her pics of her head photoshopped onto a fish, prompting her to start putting them “on timeout.” “I’m sending you to your grandparents,” she told one. “No chips or soda, no video games, no social media, no $ for chores. you’re GROUNDED.”

The issue will most likely be corrected soon enough, but her frustration is understandable. Before the song’s official release, Saweetie fumed that an incomplete version was mistakenly released early on Apple Music after months of buildup. Hopefully, the rest of her and Doja’s album rollouts go smoother.

Check out Doja’s reactions to her erroneous lyrics above.

Earlier this month, it was Netflix showcasing its 2021 slate of films, including Don’t Look Up with Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio and Red Dot with The Rock, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. Now it’s Warner Bros. turn to show HBO Max subscribers (and theater-goers) what they have to look forward to this year.

The “Same Day Premieres Trailer” begins with footage from Dune, but we’ve seen Timothée Chalamet looking dramatic in the sand before. What we haven’t seen is Margot Robbie eating an apple as Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga busting demons (not ghosts; that’s another studio) in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and Michael Gandolfini as Anthony Soprano — a.k.a. James Gandolfini’s real-life son as the young Tony Soprano — in The Sopranos prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark. The sizzle reel also highlights Godzilla vs. Kong, Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho, King Richard (in which Will Smith plays Venus and Serena Williams’ dad), Space Jam 2, Mortal Kombat, and although there’s no clip, The Matrix 4.

Here’s the full list of Warner Bros. 2021 releases:

The Little Things (January 29)
Judas and the Black Messiah (February 12)
Tom & Jerry: The Movie (February 26)
Godzilla vs. Kong (March 31)
Mortal Kombat (April 16)
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4)
In the Heights (June 18)
Space Jam: A New Legacy (July 16)
The Suicide Squad (August 6)
Malignant (September 10)
The Many Saints of Newark (September 24)
Dune (October 1)
King Richard (November 19)
The Matrix 4 (December 22)
Cry Macho (TBD)
Reminiscence (TBD)
Those Who Wish Me Dead (TBD)

NBC has dropped the first official trailer for it’s upcoming series Young Rock, which focuses on the early life of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as he lifts and hustles his way to wrestling superstardom before setting his sights on Hollywood. But in a new twist, the trailer also reveals that the show will focus on The Rock’s future where he’s set his sights on Washington. While The Rock has teased fans with his presidential ambitions before, Young Rock takes that dream to a whole new level by actually showing The Rock running for office in 2032.

The presidential subplot will be boosted by Rosario Dawson and Randall Park, who both appear in the new trailer. According to Entertainment Weekly, Dawson plays General Monica Jackson, an “unrivaled force whose respected ethics and values are introduced as a very integral key to Dwayne Johnson’s presidential campaign.” As for Park, who was happy to reunite with showrunner Nahnatchka Khan after working together on Fresh Off the Boat, he plays a future version of himself who’s pivoted from acting to TV reporting.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Young Rock” is a single-camera comedy that tells the story of the wrestling star, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and actor’s colorful early years. From growing up in a strong and resilient family, to being surrounded by the wild characters of his professional wrestling family, to playing football at the University of Miami, the show will explore the crazy roller coaster that has shaped Dwayne into the man he is today and the larger-than-life characters he’s met along the way.

Young Rock premieres February 16 on NBC.

(Via NBC)

Kristen Stewart is not the first person that comes to mind when you think actresses who could play Princess Diana. For one thing, she’s not British. There is no second thing, because to many, that’s enough to disqualify her; that would be like having an American become the next James Bond (I’m 95 percent certain there would be another Revolutionary War if that happens). Thankfully, director Pablo Larraín is not part of that “many.” The Jackie filmmaker cast Stewart, fresh off a very good comedic performance in Happiest Season, to play the People’s Princess in his new movie, Spencer.

And based on the first image released from the film, it was good casting.

Yup, looks like Diana. Spencer takes place in December 1991, when “the Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold,” according to the official plot description from Neon. “Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.” Stewart described the film as “a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life. It is a physical assertion of the sum of her parts, which starts with her given name; Spencer. It is a harrowing effort for her to return to herself, as Diana strives to hold onto what the name Spencer means to her.” Let’s see if Diana’s family likes Spencer more than The Crown. I’m guessing not!

Spencer, which was written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and also stars Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), is expected to come out in fall 2021.

Rudy Giuliani’s bad week continues. He’s already been sued by Dominion Voting Systems for $1.3 billion over his part in spreading the “Big Lie,” within which he relentlessly accused Dominion of switching Trump votes in favor of Joe Biden. Now, Rudy’s losing all of that sweet, sweet, ad revenue from YouTube, and that’s after Trump apparently decided not to pay his legal fees.

Yep, matters keep growing worse for America’s (Former) Mayor and the Borat Subsequent Moviefilm star. All of those bizarre videos that he uses to push cigars and gold coins while ranting about the “Biden Crime Family” (and likening them to the Corleones) might push a few people to his website to buy those cigars, but they won’t be earning any ad dollars on YouTube. Rudy’s been (at least) temporarily removed from the Partner Program for spreading misinformation, and ex-President Trump’s ban has been extended. Via The Independent:

YouTube has suspended Rudy Giuliani from its Partner Program, preventing former president Donald Trump’s lawyer from making money from his videos. The Google-owned platform also extended Trump’s channel suspension indefinitely after he was initially banned for one week for flouting its content policies.

“In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the Donald J. Trump channel will remain suspended,” a YouTube spokesperson said. “Our teams are staying vigilant and closely monitoring for any new developments.”

In response to this move, Rudy told Washington Post that YouTube has made a “predatory” and “dangerous” move, which he calls a “seductive road to authoritarianism” and potential violation of antitrust laws. Rudy might want to go back to the continuing legal education books, but that would have also been a wise move before his Total Landscaping farce and filing lawsuits in endless states in an effort to help Trump dismantle representative democracy.

(Via The Independent & Washington Post)

In recent months, Doja Cat and Ariana Grande have become regular collaborators. Doja got a featured spot on Positions with her appearance on “Motive,” and more recently, she joined Grande and Megan Thee Stallion on a remix of “34+35.” So, it would be fair to guess that Doja and Grande have gotten to know each other fairly well. That seems to be true based on how spot-on Doja Cat’s impersonation of Grande is.

During a recent Instagram Live broadcast, she prefaced her impression by saying, “I’m going to do the impression, but I’m going to do it very short. I will do my Ariana Grande impression, but I’m not going deep, I’m not going deep.” After taking a second to get into character, she let out a quick “yeah” as Grande before bursting into laughter and quickly exiting frame. She re-entered and exclaimed, “Don’t… don’t get mad!” Doja then tried a couple more “yeahs” before concluding, “That’s it, that’s all you’re getting, that’s all.”

Grande previously said of Doja, “I love her. I was able to work with her earlier this year on this song that I want to save for whenever it’s time again, to drop. But I love her so much. I love her personality. I love what she brings to the table musically. She’s just such a breath of fresh air. I think she’s brilliant and so talented.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tucker Carlson and Mike Lindell is a match made in hell. The MyPillow CEO dropped by the conservative host’s Fox News show on Tuesday to share his most bonkers theories for why he was booted from Twitter. It had nothing to do with his spreading misinformation and trying to talk former-President Trump into enacting martial law. It’s because he’s the only one brave enough to tell the truth, according to Carlson.

“He’s one of our biggest sponsors, and we are grateful for that,” Carlson said, praising Lindell (he’s lost most of his other advertisers). “He is sponsoring free speech. But of course, the enforcers of orthodoxy are not impressed, they are enraged. For the crime of having different opinions, Mike Lindell has been banned from Twitter.” After ranting about being attacked by bots, Lindell got into what happened before he was suspended from Twitter.

“This time, about 17 days ago, when someone put up on the internet actual new machine election fraud, I retweeted it, and they took my Twitter down. Now when they took it down, this is interesting, they didn’t take it down all the way,” he said. “I just couldn’t do anything and they were running my Twitter like they were me. My friends are going, ‘You’re not tweeting very much and when you do…’ I said, ‘I’m not doing that!’ So I try to take it down and I got a tweet, a thing from Germany saying these are Twitter rules and you cannot do this, take anything down. So they ran my Twitter for 14 or 15 days.” Lindell then accused Dominion Voting Systems of… I dunno, something.

The MyPillow CEO then baselessly accused Dominion of hiring “hit groups and bots and trolls” to go after his vendors before decrying “cancel culture.”

“I thought the rules were if you think someone is saying something incorrect, you explain how it’s incorrect and you convince his audience that actually you’re right and he’s wrong,” Carlson said. “When did that go away? When did we decide force was the only answer to disagreement?”

Lindell also dared Dominion “to sue me because then it would get out faster. They don’t want to talk about it. They don’t want that.” Carlson added, “They’re not making conspiracy theories go away by doing that… You don’t make people calm down and get reasonable and moderate by censoring them. You make them way crazier. Of course!” Not that Carlson or Lindell know anything about crazy theories.

(Via Mediaite)

On occasion over the past few years, Violet Grohl has popped up to perform and prove that her father, Dave Grohl, passed his exemplary music genes on to her. Now, in a sense, the 14-year-old is officially a professional musician: She sang some backing vocals on the upcoming Foo Fighters album Medicine At Midnight.

In a BBC interview, Grohl described renting and recording the album in a “funky old house down the street from where I live” in Encino, California. This led to Violet being featured on the album, as Grohl said:

“At around two or three o’clock, I would take a break and go pick her up from school. Sometimes she’d want to come back to the house and she’d sit on the couch and do her homework. One day, [producer] Greg Kurstin said, ‘Hey Violet, would you like to do a back-up vocal?’ And she got behind the microphone, she did a few takes, and on the chorus of ‘Making A Fire,’ that’s Violet’s high vocal in there.

It seemed very natural [but] it didn’t seem official until my accountant called a few months ago and asked where she should deposit Violet’s check. And I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ She said, ‘Well, she sang on the album so she has to be paid for playing on the record.’ And I said, ‘You can take that money and give it to me, and I’ll put it in an account for Violet that she can open when she’s 18 years old!’”

Find the full interview here.

Though local outlets like KCRW have already been singing Jensen McRae’s praises, it wasn’t until a joke about an imaginary Phoebe Bridgers “cover” that many in the music industry sat up and took notice. Last week McRae tweeted a joke about the intro to Phoebe’s third album in 2023, hypothesizing it would be about getting vaccinated at Dodgers Stadium. Then, she went ahead and wrote the first verse for good measure. Hey, it’s a pandemic, we’re all trying to entertain ourselves as we can.

Thing is, McRae’s “cover” was so spot on — and actually a really good song — so of course Phoebe herself shared it with the simple exclamation “oh my god.”

After that, the internet did its thing and the song became an instant social media hit. So Jensen decided to give the people what we want, and wrote through the whole song, naming it “Immune” and sharing it tonight. While it’s great that this viral incident put McRae on the map, keep in mind that she’s much more than just someone having fun on the internet, she’s an fledgling musician herself on the cusp of releasing a debut album, and has already released incredible original songs like “Wolves” and “White Boy.” Like Phoebe, McRae is a Los Angeles native; she was born in Santa Monica and raised in Woodland Hills in a Black and Jewish family. She received a full ride to USC’s Thornton School of Music and graduated with a degree in popular music performance. Check out “Immune” above and look for a lot more coming from Jensen soon.