Month: May 2021

Rand Paul is pointing the finger at a 1980s pop star, who he believes inspired someone to send a mysterious package to his Kentucky home. That’s quite a sentence, and certainly, no one should condone violence; and Paul has already been the victim of violence outside his home, way back in 2017 when a neighbor attacked him and broke six of the senator’s ribs in what appeared to be some sort of curb-appeal dispute. Four years later, Paul is calling out Richard Marx (the 1980s crooner with hits including “Right Here Waiting” and “Don’t Mean Nothing”) after a package containing white powder arrived at his Bowling Green residence.

The accusation, of course, has to do with Twitter, as do many feuds these days. It must also be mentioned that Rand Paul has put himself forth as a polarizing figure during this pandemic, and this week, the physician-senator declared that he won’t be taking the COVID vaccine because he caught the virus. That’s a stance that other medical professionals are warning is both wrong and dangerous. This may or may not have anything to do with the suspicious package, and this is all a muddled mess, during which Marx tweeted, “If I ever meet Rand Paul’s neighbor I’m going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume.”

That tweet isn’t in great taste, obviously. And then there’s Fox News’ report that the suspicious package contained a threat (“I’ll finish what your neighbor started, you m*therf*cker”) while referencing (in an illustration) the aforementioned 2017 attack. Well, Paul’s statement (as revealed by Washington Post) singled out Marx’s tweet: “Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this powder filled letter.”

In response, Marx sarcastically wrote on Twitter (in response to a Rand Paul supporter who came for him), “Yeah… I’m the only person on Twitter who’s ever referenced Rand Paul’s neighbor. Must have been me. This was also a day after that traitor made a public showing of refusing the vaccine.” Marx also tweeted a link to an article about Rand Paul testing COVID-positive last year after hanging out at the Senate gym and attending luncheons: “You know who actually put multiple people’s lives at potential risk?”

Marx has continued tweeting while referring to hardcore Trump fans as the “nameless, faceless, gutless” and the “ultimate snowflakes.” Paul was one of several Republican senators who publicly opposed the second impeachment effort against Donald Trump following the January 6 insurrection. And there are no winners here.

Dave Grohl has more projects to promote right now than just about anybody. There’s the What Drives Us documentary, the From Cradle To Stage TV series he made with his mother, his upcoming memoir The Storyteller, and of course, Foo Fighters’ latest album, Medicine At Midnight, was just released a few months ago. One late-night TV guest appearance apparently wasn’t enough to get all that across, so last night, he co-hosted The Tonight Show alongside Jimmy Fallon.

On the program, Grohl did typical late-night things, like join Fallon for the opening monologue and make jokes about current events like the pandemic, Phil Mickelson’s historic PGA win, and news oddities. Elsewhere, he and Fallon played a game called “Off Songs, Song Off.” Grohl and Fallon had to identify what popular song The Roots were performing, but the catch was the band changed something about the songs to make them harder to identify.

He also sat down for a more traditional interview, where he spoke about his various upcoming projects and bringing his mom on tour with him.

Furthermore, he and Fallon interviewed Lil Nas X about his SNL wardrobe malfunction, and Grohl performed the repetitive meme version of Foo Fighters’ “Best Of You.”

This actually wasn’t Grohl’s first time hosting a network late-night show: In 2017, he guest-hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Check out clips from Grohl’s Tonight Show guest-hosting stint above and below.

This first came up in an interview with Joel Edgerton. Talking about his return as Owen Lars in the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, I asked if he gets an “It’s me!” moment like so many other characters seem to get when they make a dramatic return to the Star Wars galaxy. (Edgerton, for his part, confirmed that if they give him two seconds to get his moment in the sun, he will turn it into four.)

But the Star Wars movies have a lot of “It’s me!” moments. (And I call them “It’s me!” because, in Return of the Jedi, Han Solo literally says, “It’s me,” even though that particular moment isn’t technically an “It’s me!” moment under these rules. The “It’s me!” moment is that little beat a returning fan-favorite character gets where they appear on screen for maybe just an extra second or two, just to visually announce to the audience, “Hey, look, it’s me! I’m back!”

And these “It’s me!” moments usually cause the audience to erupt in applause. But that’s the thing, it has to be the return of a fan-favorite character. (So, in the first Star Wars, Alec Guinness dramatically removing his hood when he looks up at R2-D2 doesn’t count, even though it’s totally an “It’s me!” moment, but that was Guinness saying, “Hey, look, it’s me! The legendary actor! Alec!,” as opposed to, “It’s me, your old pal Ben.”)

These are effective scenes! But some are better than others. Tuesday is the 44th birthday of the original Star Wars so, why not, let’s rank all the best “It’s me!” moments in the Star Wars films.

14. Anakin Skywalker, Return of the Jedi

For some reason, George Lucas thought Hayden Christensen needed to be inserted into the last scene of Return of the Jedi, replacing Sebastian Shaw. And this is nothing against Christensen, it’s just this change makes absolutely no sense, even in the context of the story. But, Christensen is most definitely looking at the camera saying, “It’s me!,” but with an added twist of, “Yeah, I can’t believe it either.”

13. Chewbacca, Revenge of the Sith

We see Chewbacca before this moment, at least we are pretty sure it’s him. But this, when Yoda says Chewbacca’s name, is Chewbacca’s true “It’s me!” moment in the movie. And it’s still very weird Yoda and Chewbacca hung out: to the point that Yoda is riding around on Chewbacca’s back. I still wonder if this ever came up between Ben and Chewbacca in the cantina. “Oh, we’re in luck! This Wookiee knows Yoda!”

12. Darth Maul, Solo

Another bizarre moment, especially since most people watching Solo just assumed Darth Maul was dead, since we all saw him die in The Phantom Menace. Beyond that though, the dramatic removal of his hood does make for a pretty good, “It’s me!” moment.

11. Darth Vader, Rogue One

It was a minor surprise we saw Vader at all in Rogue One, so his long, dramatic walk towards Krennic was a nice, “It’s me!” moment for the audience.

10. R2-D2, The Phantom Menace

It may not seem like it now, but this moment got a massive amount of applause when The Phantom Menace was in theaters. First of all, R2 rams himself right into Jar Jar Binks and is called, “rude.” Then R2 gets his true moment as he turns around fully for the audience. Then R2 gets a whole other moment a few minutes later when they read his name out loud for saving the crew and, once again, the audience applauded.

9. Boba Fett, Return of the Jedi

This happens when Boushh (who we don’t yet know is Leia, which later becomes its own “It’s me!” moment; Jabba’s palace is filled with “It’s me!” moments) enters Jabba’s palace with Chewbacca as a prisoner. We see Boba Fett first react in a hostile way, but eventually gives Boushh a nod of approval, which also serves as Fett’s official “It’s me!” moment.

8. Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Phantom Menace

Lucas knew what he was doing when both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon dramatically turn around at the same time and remove their hoods. Then, of course, Obi-Wan gets to say the fan favorite line, “I have a bad feeling about this,” which for all intents and purposes is, “Hey, it’s me!” Though, since it’s not the same actor returning, this had to go to a special outside committee to make sure this scene qualified as an “It’s me!” moment, but the scene got the green light from our panel of judges, so it’s included.

7. C-3PO, The Force Awakens

Based on the look on Harrison Ford’s face alone, this is the funniest of the “It’s me!” moments.

6. Leia Organa, Return of the Jedi

Up until this point, we still thought this was a mysterious bounty hunter who had captured Chewbacca. (Well, sort of, spoilers were not really a big deal in 1983.) Instead, it’s Leia who gets a dramatic, “It’s me!” moment, even though she probably shouldn’t have taken off her helmet here. I wrote about this when I tried and failed to figure out Luke’s whole plan to rescue Han from Jabba (it literally makes no sense), but imagine if Leia and Han had successfully got away at this point. How would that have gone? Han would have said, “Thanks for coming to get me. I’m glad we are all safe.” And Leia would have had to tell Han, “Oh, no, actually Jabba has C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca now.”

5. Yoda, The Last Jedi

Yoda gets the only “It’s me!” moment to start out from just seeing the still very recognizable shape of his head from behind. This is truly one of the great moments of the Sequel Trilogy and also a scene we probably don’t talk about quite enough. In theaters, this was less the sound of applause and more the sound of one giant gasp. Yoda truly earns his, “It’s me!” moment here.

4. Lando Calrissian, Return of the Jedi

This is a personal favorite because, in the context of the story, it makes no sense. There is absolutely no reason for Lando to pull his mask down and reveal his entire face to the rest of Jabba’s palace. The only reason to do this is to show the audience, “It’s me! Lando!” (Though, I’d still watch a full movie about how Lando got that guard job at Jabba’s palace in the first place. Did he go to his interview with that mask on? Or does Jabba realize he hired Lando, but just doesn’t realize he’s working with the Rebellion? That maybe Lando is just down on his luck these days after losing his gig at Cloud City and needs to earn a few credits on the side? Anyway, either of these two scenarios seems equally plausible.)

3. Luke Skywalker, The Force Awakens

As it turns out, The Force Awakens is filled with “It’s me!” moments. Which, being the first direct sequal to Return of the Jedi, makes sense. Though, of all the moments in all the movies, no actor is trying harder to make a “It’s me!” gesture and “It’s me!” face than Mark Hamill. I would not be surprised to learn that Mark Hamill had to physically be stopped from saying, “It’s me!”

2. Han Solo and Chewbacca, The Force Awakens

What’s remarkable about this scene is that it was heavily used in the marketing for The Force Awakens and yet it still killed when it played in theaters, in context with the rest of the movie. For the purposes of this list, seeing Harrison Ford as Han Solo for the first time in 32 years isn’t quite as good as the number one choice, but as far as pure adrenaline, this one is hard to beat.

1. Bail Organa, Rogue One

Of course, not as popular of a character as Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke, Leia, or Lando, but this is the epitome of the “It’s me!” moment. This is what every actor returning to Star Wars should strive for. This is the moment you want: out of the shadows, the score swells, all the other characters are looking around dramatically, and then, boom, “It’s me!” Plus, Rogue One is a movie where we are following basically a fresh slate of new characters. So having our friend Bail (and Leia’s adopted father) from Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith show up made us all feel pretty good. This is “It’s me!” perfection.

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The third season of Amazon Prime’s The Boys has been in production for a few months now, and in that time, showrunner Eric Kripke has kept us apprised of several details to expect from the forthcoming installment of the superhero series. We’ve seen a picture of Homelander’s super crotch, Kripke has teased his response to the production meeting discussing the Herogasm storyline, and we’ve gotten a glimpse of an almost unrecognizable Jensen Ackles playing Soldier Boy.

This week, Eric Kripke teased the third-season premiere, which is currently being edited. The episode is called “Payback,” and is written by executive producer Craig Rosenberg. “Payback” could refer to revenge, or more likely, it refers to the superhero team that predated The Seven, which is led by Soldier Boy (and also included Aya Cash’s Stormfront). After the (possible) death of Stormfront, the Payback superhero team could be looking for revenge, which allows the word to work on two levels.

In either respect, Eric Kripke has seen the director’s cut of that episode, and suffice to say, his mind was blown.

The official account for The Boys added that the “editing room is fully covered in gore already and they’re only working on episode 1,” while Antony Starr — who plays Homelander — has weighed in as well, adding, “I feel like that’s not an abnormal statement. Is that weird?”

Given the level of gore we’ve seen through two seasons, including an exploding whale, there is nothing atypical about a few heads exploding. Bring it on.

No official premiere date has been set for the third season.

Last weekend, Lil Nas X enjoyed one of the biggest moments of his young music career when he was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. One of the songs he performed was his hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” but that didn’t go without incident: While dancing, he ripped his pants. He later addressed the incident, writing on Twitter, “i know i do a lot of planned sh*t but ripping my pants on live television is not one of them.” Now, he has discussed the performance in greater depth, chatting with Jimmy Fallon (and guest host Dave Grohl) on The Tonight Show.

He broke down what was going through his head when it happened, saying:

“I was pretty much going down the pole, you know, doing my little sexy drop-down, and boom: I feel air. I was like, ‘OK, there’s definitely a breeze going on.’ And I also feel, like, some popping still happening while I was down there. I was like, ‘Oh god, I hope it’s not…’ I was like, ‘Just please don’t be on TV already,’ you know? And SNL is actually live, so… You know what the worst part is? At the end of the performance, the dancers are supposed to touch me and tug on me or whatever, and they were tugging on the pants, and I was like, ‘Please stop.’ […] I couldn’t say it because I would ruin the performance, like, ‘Guys, stop, please,’ but I couldn’t say it.”

Elsewhere during the interview, Fallon showed a clip of Lil Nas X’s dress rehearsal performance, so the world could see what the rapper’s choreography would have looked like had it not been thrown off course.

Check out the interview above.

The Office fans are mourning the death of Mark York, the 55-year-old actor who had a recurring role as Scranton Business Park property manager Billy Merchant between the sitcom’s second and fifth seasons. According to Variety:

Following a brief and unexpected illness, York died early in the morning on May 19 at the Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed his death, although the exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

While, over the course of nine seasons and 201 episodes, The Office was never short on bit players, York stood out—and turned his role into a recurring one—by being one of the few people who called Michael Scott (Steve Carell) out on his bullsh*t. York’s first appearance on the show was a particularly cringe-y moment: In the season 2 episode “The Injury” (you know, the episode where Michael gets his foot stuck in a George Foreman grill… then Dwight sustains a concussion while attempting to save him), Michael invites Billy to pay a visit to the “CONFERENCE ROOM!!” with the sole purpose of comparing lightly toasting his foot with an As Seen on TV cooking device to be a nearly lifelong wheelchair user.

York’s comedic timing in the scene was impeccable, and his frustration with having to answer Michael’s idiotic questions about using a wheelchair resulted in the kind of blow-up we didn’t often see from the characters Michael pestered. At one point, the scene cuts to a confessional interview with Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), in which he admits that he wants “to clamp Michael’s face in a George Foreman grill.” Don’t we all?

According to York’s obituary, “Even though he has been paraplegic since 1988, he had such an outgoing, uplifting, positive attitude and personality. He always tried to look at what he could accomplish and do, not what he couldn’t do. He had experienced many travel opportunities and many dreams for the future. In the past several years, he had been working as an inventor, and had obtained two patents for his inventions.”

No word on whether one of those inventions was for a face-shaped George Foreman grill.

You can watch York’s first, and arguably most memorable, appearance on The Office above.

(Via Variety)

Between their successful albums, beloved singles, and upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Foo Fighters have cemented their place in rock history. The band also has a notable place in meme history. Back in May 2005, the band released In Your Honor highlight “Best Of You” as a single, and it went on to become their highest-charting song in the US, a title it still holds today. A few years later, in 2008, some internet hero shared an edited version of the song’s music video, which they modified so Dave Grohl repeatedly shouts “the best” for minutes. The meme was a memorable one, so much so that Dave Grohl has finally re-created it in real life.

Grohl joined Jimmy Fallon yesterday to co-host The Tonight Show, and on the program, Fallon and Grohl discussed the meme. Fallon then convinced Grohl to perform it live. So, backed by The Roots, Grohl grabbed a guitar and started singing “Best Of You.” When it came time for the iconic hook, though, instead of going through the song like normal, he did as the meme does and repeated “the best” over and over, with Fallon jumping in to alternate lyrics with Grohl, presumably to save Grohl’s throat so it wasn’t toast for the rest of the show.

What happened last night is a tremendous moment in meme history, so check it out above.

Though the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers match up in a 4/5 series in the West, the Clippers entered the series as substantial betting favorites. That flipped on its head, at least to some degree, after Game 1 when the Mavericks secured a 113-103 road victory to take the series lead.

Dallas was keyed, as they often are, by Luka Doncic, who finished the series opener with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Doncic was in complete control and, on a night in which the Clippers struggled with their shooting efficiency, he was also able to convert 5-of-11 from beyond the three-point arc. The Mavericks scored at a lofty rate of 1.3 points per possession for the game, with Tim Hardaway Jr. adding 21 points (and five three-pointers) and Dorian Finney-Smith burying four of his five long-range attempts.

The Mavericks were also able to produce defensive stops, albeit with help from the Clippers. Los Angeles was only 11-of-40 from three as a team and, aside from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, offense was difficult to come by for the home team. Still, the Clippers were the NBA’s best three-point shooting team during the regular season, and they should be expected to bounce back, at least to some degree.

From a betting view, Game 1 went Under the total of 217.5 points and Dallas covered the closing point spread of 6 points as an underdog.

Game 2 TV Info

Tip Time: Tuesday, May 25; 10:30 p.m. ET
TV Network: NBA TV

Game 2 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Clippers (-159), Mavericks (+128)
Spread: Clippers -6 (-110), Mavericks +6 (-110)
Total: Over 216 (-112), Under 216 (-109)
Money Line: Clippers (-245), Mavericks (+200)

Game 2 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Kristaps Porziņģis O/U 19.5 Points (Over -113/Under -113)
Kawhi Leonard O/U 26.5 (-117/-109)
Patrick Beverley O/U 6.5 (-113/-113)
Dorian Finney-Smith O/U 9.5 (-124/-103)
Tim Hardaway Jr O/U 16.5 (-115/-110)
Paul George O/U 26.5 (-106/-121)
Marcus Morris O/U 12.5 (-115/-110)
Maxi Kleber O/U 7.5 (+106/-134)
Ivica Zubac O/U 7.5 (-105/-122)
Luka Doncic O/U 28.5 (-115/-110)

From brocade blazers to sequined harnesses, Timothée Chalamet has never met a bold fashion statement he couldn’t make work. Which might have given him a leg up on the competition when it came to landing the role of Willy Wonka in Wonka, an upcoming origin story focused on the eccentric candymaker’s early days. Wonka—who has shown a penchant for purple velvet blazers, brown top hats, and spontaneous summersaults in previous iterations of the character played by Gene Wilder in 1971 and Johnny Depp in 2005—has as distinctive a personal style as Chalamet does.

While the only real details known about the movie are that it will focus on Wonka in his younger days, Deadline reports that it will be the first Willy Wonka film not to feature Charlie Bucket. It will also reportedly allow the 25-year-old Oscar nominee to show off his musical chops and bust out his dancing skills, as the film—which is being directed by Paul King, who has earned three BAFTA nominations for his work on Paddington (2014) and world’s-greatest-movie Paddington 2 (2017)—will feature a handful of song-and-dance numbers.

While Chalamet, who will next be seen in Dune, might be one of the most in-demand actors working today, he wasn’t the only person in consideration to play the inventor of the Everlasting Gobstopper. Back in 2018, Ryan Gosling, Donald Glover, and Ezra Miller were all reportedly contenders for the part, while several outlets are claiming that the role ultimately came down to Chalamet versus Tom Holland. The more interesting choice has definitely triumphed.

(Via Deadline)

The Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, are the team that contenders did not want to see in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Still, the Lakers did enter the postseason as the No. 7 seed and, with a Game 1 loss to the Phoenix Suns on the road, the reigning champions enter Game 2 with a sense of urgency on Tuesday.

Los Angeles struggled to score in the series opener, failing to generate more than 25 points in any single quarter. Part of that can certainly be attributed to a stellar Suns defense, but Los Angeles also shot just 7-of-26 from the three-point line and 17-of-28 at the charity stripe in the game. The Lakers also did not receive top-shelf performances from either James or Davis, with the pair combining to shoot just 11-of-29 from the floor for 31 points in 75 combined minutes of action.

On the Phoenix side, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton were tremendous in the opener. Booker led all scorers with an efficient 34 points, and he added eight assists as the team’s No. 1 option on a day when Chris Paul was limited. Ayton out-dueled the Lakers’ frontcourt with 21 points and 16 rebounds, reminding observers of his substantial upside. Still, the Suns can expect to take the best punch of what could be a desperate Lakers team in Game 2, and they must be prepared for that kind of inspired effort.

From a betting view, Game 1 went Under the total of 214 points and Phoenix covered the closing point spread of 2.5 points as a favorite.

Game 2 TV Info

Tip Time: Tuesday, May 25; 10:00 p.m. ET
TV Network: TNT

Game 2 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Suns (-117), Lakers (-106)
Spread: Lakers -1.5 (-112), Suns +1.5 (-110)
Total: Over 208.5 (-112), Under 208.5 (-109)
Money Line: Lakers (-121), Suns (+102)