Month: April 2021

Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw has the best character arc of anyone in the Fast & Furious series. Heck, maybe the best character arc in any movie. In the Fast & Furious 6 post-credits scene, we learn that he’s the one who crashed into and killed Han in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift; in the next movie, Furious 7, he blows up Dominic Toretto’s house. But by The Fate of the Furious, he’s part of the Furious family after being recruited by a government agent played by Kurt Russell. He even attends the group picnic and holds Dom’s son! Also, his mom is Helen Mirren, and that’s just cool.

Deckard isn’t expected to appear in F9 after getting a spinoff movie, but Statham hopes to eventually return to the franchise — especially now that Han is back. “They better bring me back, because I need to put out that fire,” Statham told Entertainment Weekly. “If he’s got any score to settle, it’s with me.” Deckard v. Han: when?

“I’m game,” Statham said with a smile. “I love Justin Lin, he’s a great director. It’s a shame because when I joined the franchise all those years back, he went on to do something else and all I did with Justin was a little tag at the end. I need to do a movie with him. And I’d love to see all the Fast crew, Vin and everybody, they’re all great people. I have a lot of affection for them.”

The #JusticeForHan will commence on June 25 when F9 comes out.

(Via EW)

Pete Davidson delivered one of Saturday Night Live‘s more memorable music-adjacent moments from recent months when he impersonated Eminem for a PS5-themed parody of “Stan” back in December. He revived his Eminem parody in March when he once again adapted an Eminem song to be about a relevant cultural topic, this time transforming “Without Me” into a song about NFTs with help from Jack Harlow. Now Eminem himself has offered a response to the latest sketch while also teasing a related new venture.

On Monday, Eminem shared a video of the sketch and simply added a thinking emoji. That turned out to be a set-up for a tweet yesterday, which completed the emoji narrative with a lightbulb symbol. That was tagged onto a Tweet Eminem shared from NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway, which reveals that Eminem is set to sell an NFT on the platform. It’s not clear yet exactly what Eminem is selling, but whatever it is, it will be available on Sunday, April 25.

Meanwhile, Eminem pulled off an impressive feat recently: “‘Till I Collapse” has eclipsed one billion Spotify streams, making it the first ever non-single to do so.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There was a lot of celebrating on Tuesday, as the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd almost a year ago, ended with him being found guilty on all counts. To many, it was a huge relief, especially considering how rare it is for juries to convict cops. But the feeling was bittersweet, for there’s also an innocent man who shall remain dead, and a rough road for those seeking long-lasting police reform.

Stephen Colbert opened that night’s The Late Show by addressing the verdict, but it was a somber affair, respecting the weight of what just happened, as well as what lies ahead. “After 10 hours of deliberation, a jury in Minneapolis decided that it’s illegal for the police to murder people — that Black lives matter,” Colbert said. He continued:

It’s hard to celebrate, because a man is still dead. But there is a sense of relief that at least this one injustice was not compounded with indifference. It could easily have gone the other way. No matter what you saw on that tape, this nation does not have a great track record on this subject. But at least in this case, this man faces accountability. But justice is a far more difficult goal. America still has a problem of over-policing and systemic racism, but hopefully this is a step toward a future where police being held accountable for their actions isn’t headline material, and a hope that accountability today is a deterrent tomorrow.

Colbert also acknowledged the Black Lives Matters protests that have been demonized by conservative commentators but, in their persistence and their force, helped keep the nation aware of issues that need addressing. “Today is one stop on a journey that began last May, and led to protests calling for that accountability in every town and every city in America,” he said. “But this is just one stop. There is more work to be done. And it’s work that all of us should be committed to, because, as Ben Crump, the Floyd family lawyer, reminded us today, “Justice for Black America is justice for all America.”

You can watch the full video above.

They say never meet your heroes, but Jimmy Kimmel might be sharing a bed with the MyPillow guy as soon as next week.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live host spent much of his monologue on Monday talking about Mike Lindell, the pillow tycoon-turned-sweaty free speech pioneer. He even invited him to appear on the show under two conditions: “Number one, he has to actually come into our studio. I need to see him in person. I want to smell the Knackwurst in his mustache. And number two, I would like to conduct our interview in a bed, surrounded by pillows, just me and Mike, snuggled up side by side in a California king, surrounded by sacks of goose feathers.” Lindell read a transcript of Kimmel’s monologue out loud during his endless “Frank-a-Thon” and agreed to Kimmel’s invitation, “but not the goose feathers,” he yelled. “Goose feathers are bad for you… You need my pillow’s patented fill.”

“I’m going to try to make the whole interview about geese,” Kimmel cracked. Lindell will “absolutely” do the interview; he’ll even bring pillows for the studio audience. “I am excited,” Kimmel said. “I’m not even sure I believe he’s real. I haven’t seen most of my friends for 13 months. I’m gonna be spooning with the MyPillow guy next week.”

You can watch the rest of the clip, including Kimmel comparing Lindell to Saul Goodman (“He had a funny supporting role in one of the most incredible dramas of all-time, but now that he’s got his own show, you really appreciate what a character he is”), above.

Dave Bautista wants to play Batman villain Bane. That’s no secret. He’s dropped hints for years. Back in April 2019, when John Cena was initially reported to be joining James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad relaunch, Collider reported that Gunn wanted to cast Bautista, but obviously, none of the film’s promotion has actually suggested that Bane is making some sort of surprise appearance, and in January 2021, Bautista told Entertainment Weekly that he turned down The Suicide Squad (the role in question isn’t clarified) to star in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead for Netflix.

Still, Bautista has been fanning the Bane flames for years, and apparently Twitter-campaigned for the role in 2018. His obsession has been so great that, as flagged by Collider, Bautista declared at last weekend’s Justice Con that he essentially demanded the role during a Warner Bros. meeting, and they weren’t even casting Bane:

“Oh, it would be Bane all day long. I’ve made no secret about this. I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros., had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door and said, ‘I want to play Bane.’ I’m not kidding. They were a little like ‘Woah, we’re not even casting Bane.’ I was like ‘I don’t care, I’m playing him.’”

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with putting one’s desires out into the universe. Manifesting, if you will. And you never know, Bane could surface in some other reboot, relaunch, or reimagining, and Bautista could put his own spin on the role that was embodied by Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises. Until then, he’s still Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy, which ain’t too shabby.

(Via Collider)

What does it take to be ousted from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association? As Phil Berk, a 44-year veteran member and former president of the organization responsible for the Golden Globes, found out this week: a racist email will do it.

On Sunday, Berk sent an email to several of his fellow HFPA members in which he shared an article from Frontpage Magazine, a conservative publication, titled “BLM Goes Hollywood.” The article, which heavily hinted at financial improprieties on the part of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors—seemingly because she bought “a $1.4 million home in the mostly white Topanga Canyon”—described BLM as a “hate group” and its supporters as “race rioters [who] burned buildings and terrorized communities.”

The article’s author really drove his point home when describing Cullors’s home as being “down the road from one of the homes involved in the Manson murders which seems only appropriate since Manson wanted to start a race war. And Black Lives Matter is carrying on Manson’s work.” Berk seemed surprised when his email, which was shared with his colleagues, was met with an immediate backlash.

Gregory Goeckner, the HFPA’s COO and General Counsel, replied:

“Phil—it is not appropriate to circulate material such as this, which many members and staff find deeply offensive, to all members and staff as though it is a matter of Association business. Please do not circulate this type of material again.”

Fortunately, not all of Berk’s colleagues were as measured in their responses. In addition to being called a “racist” (obviously), others described his email as “vile” and one deemed him “a thundering disgrace.” Berk, not quite ready to take his ball and go home, replied that he “only intended to illustrate the hypocricy [sic] that engulfs us I forwarded it as a point of information I had no hidden agenda I now regret having sent it.”

By Tuesday, both NBC (which broadcasts the Golden Globes) and MRC (the parent company of Dick Clark Productions, which produces the broadcast) released statements calling for Berk’s removal, noting that: “While we continue to await the details of HFPA’s upcoming plan for reform, swift action on this front is an essential element for NBC to move forward with the HFPA and the Golden Globes.”

While the organization’s practices have long been questioned by Hollywood insiders, they’ve come under closer scrutiny in recent months. When it was revealed earlier this year that the 87-person group has not one Black member, the organization’s president responded by admitting that there hasn’t been a Black HFPA member in nearly 20 years.

Berk, meanwhile, has been a very public troublemaker for the group. In 2014, he took a “voluntary” leave of absence after publishing a memoir in which he spilled all sorts of dirt on his HFPA colleagues. Even more infamously, he was taken to task in 2018 when Brendan Fraser told GQ about being groped by Berk in 2003. Though the group professed to have launched an investigation into the claim, but they refused to share any of their findings with Fraser and dismissed it as “a joke.” When GQ reached out to Berk in 2018 to ask if he had faced any disciplinary measures over the matter, he replied “Not at all.”

While Berk has yet to issue any personal statement on his parting with the HFPA, something tells us he won’t stay quiet for long.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter, People)

Tuesday was a huge day for Zion Williamson. While the New Orleans Pelicans were unable to pick up a win in their game against the Brooklyn Nets, Williamson made waves earlier in the day by becoming the latest Jordan Brand athlete to get their own signature sneaker, the Jordan Zion 1.

It usually takes players a long time to get a signature kick, but Williamson is obviously someone Jordan believes is going to be a gigantic star, something that is easy to see when you watch his ultra-explosive style of ball. And after the Pelicans’ game, Williamson was asked about his family’s role in helping him get to that point, giving a heartfelt answer about his mother, his brother, and his stepfather for how they kept him motivated and sacrificed to help get him to where he is today.

“All those countless hours in the gym, all those dreams, all the wins, all the losses, the crazy journey, moving a lot, they saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Williamson said. “I’m just forever grateful for that, I’m thankful for that. At any point, I could have been in a different situation where maybe I wasn’t playing basketball, or maybe I gave up on it, but they stuck with me. I’m forever grateful for that.”

Basketball fans, particularly ones in New Orleans, are certainly grateful for this, too.

Aaron Rodgers’s two-week-long reign as Jeopardy!’s guest host may have officially come to an end on April 16, but the Green Bay Packers quarterback still has reason to celebrate his run behind the podium. As The Wrap reports, Rodgers led ABC to a viewership victory with a 5.6 household rating—up 14 percent from the previous guest host (Dr. Oz).

While Rodgers couldn’t best Jeopardy! GOAT Ken Jennings, who scored a 6.2 rating during the first of his two-week guest host gig, the Super Bowl XLV MVP brought a much-needed boost—both in ratings and host likability—after Dr. Mehmet Oz’s disastrous turn at the helm of the beloved game show. Though some fans were initially skeptical about how Rodgers might fare, especially following on the heels of TV veterans like Jennings and Katie Couric, his everyman appeal worked in his favor. Rodgers endeared himself to viewers when he showed off the Post-it notes he had stuck to the podium, which he had written to remind himself to “Slow Down,” Relax,” and “Stand Up Straight.” Jeopardy! producer Mike Richards (who followed Jennings as a guest host) even said that Rodgers could have a successful second chapter as a host. But what viewers seemed to enjoy most about Rodgers was that he wasn’t Dr. Oz.

Even before Oz had uttered his first “The answer is…,” Jeopardy! fans began protesting the so-called health expert’s attempt to fill Alex Trebek’s shoes. Oz, who began his career making guest appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, has spent the past 20 years peddling pseudoscience, including making baseless claims about the benefits of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19. In fact, a 2014 study claimed that half of all Dr. Oz’s medical advice was wrong. More than 600 former contestants signed a petition objecting to Oz’s guest stint. Though the complaints weren’t enough to prevent Oz’s gig from going forward, his lack of popularity was apparent in his ratings. The only accolade his 5.2 household rating earned him was Least Watched Guest Host.

As for Rodgers: His hosting days are over, at least for the moment—but who knows what the future holds. For now, CNN’s Anderson Cooper will be in the Jeopardy! host’s chair until April 30.

(Via The Wrap)

Lil Nas X has faced a lot of backlash for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” both the song and its controversial video. On top of that, there was that line of “Satan Shoes,” which added fuel to the fire. For the most part, the singer has stuck to his trolling ways, but things took a turn when some people questioned his sexuality, claiming it was a front. That prompted Lil Nas to take to Twitter to set the record straight.

“Y’all love saying i’m being gay for success but can’t name 5 successful gay male artists in the last 10 years to save your life,” he said in one tweet. The responses piled up. One person claimed Lil Nas was dissing other artists, but the singer quickly denied that. “I’m not dissing anyone,” he said. “I’m acknowledging the fact that we aren’t usually as successful as our peers. what’s not clicking starbucks spellman.” Another hopped in and took a shot at Lil Nas and his “Montero,” but once again, he had another great response for it.

“It’s a million n****s in the industry that make nothing but songs about women and y’all don’t complain,” he wrote. “But i make my first song about a n**** and now it’s my entire artistry. y’all crack me up man.”

For many, the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial was a blessing — a rare instance in which a violent cop, who had been caught on video murdering George Floyd, was prosecuted for his wrongdoings. But for conservative commentators, it was a nightmare. Tuesday night saw one pundit after another losing their stuff. There was Greg Gutfeld blurting out his bizarre, “selfish” reason for liking the verdict. There was Ben Shapiro trolling. There was Tomi Lahren spouting nonsense. (For the record, Nancy Pelosi said some dumb stuff, too.)

Naturally, Tucker Carlson was not a disappointment. The Fox News star devoted a good chunk of his night’s show to the verdict. He claimed that the jury only voted guilty because they were afraid of Black Lives Matter protesters. He gave airtime to Candace Owens. He also spoke with Ed Gavin, a former corrections officer from New York City, but their chat ended prematurely when Gavin dared criticize Chauvin’s actions.

Gavin said he thought Chauvin’s actions were “excessive” — a word that set Carlson off. He quickly interrupted him, saying, “The guy who did it looks like he’s doing to spend the rest of his life in prison. I’m kind of more worried about the rest of the country, thanks to police inaction, which if you haven’t noticed is boarded up.” He then abruptly launched into laughter that can only be called maniacal. He then suddenly cut Gavin off as he tried to elaborate, saying, “Nope. You’re done.”

The exchange prompted some unkind words for Mr. Carlson.

Some were concerned. Sort of

To others, though, it was a blast.

Eventually someone singled out Carlson’s mad laugh.

And some postulated that perhaps Carlson doesn’t believe any of this, that it’s all performative, played for viewers for whom he has nothing but contempt.