Month: August 2021

Netflix’s You pulled off some marvelous twists in its second season, and by the end, Penn Badgley’s Stalker Joe felt his entire foundation ripped out from underneath him. He’s now stuck with Love Quinn, who’s arguably even more sociopathic than Joe himself, and they’re expecting a child. Joe found himself feeling trapped by the situation, even as he noticed that he might want to start stalking his neighbor, and one can expect the batsh*t crazy vibe to keep coming at amplified rates. With that said, the show released a teaser that expressed Joe’s hesitant approach to parenthood, namely because he’s fearful that the kid will be, uh, also a homicidal maniac.

Given the fact that the baby’s been born to two serial murders, yup, I’d say that’s a justified fear. Poor kid doesn’t stand a chance, nor does society. Surprisingly, the kiddo isn’t named Forty (after Love’s late brother) but something less dramatic: Henry. This appears to be a purposeful blanding-out move, as Joe suggested with a voiceover.

“People these days will name their kids anything to get attention,” Joe declared. “And despite your mother’s background and your Glamma’s [yes, that’s right] determination to refer to you as Forty reincarnated, I know better. A boy is not what we expected, and I would be lying if I said the thought of a mini-me was purely exciting and not without challenges. Let’s just say, I’m hoping you’ll do as I say, not as I do.”

Good luck with that, Joe. You (which now includes Scott Speedman in the cast) returns on October 15, a very spooky and potentially devilish date.

The View won’t be the same without Meghan McCain (or her hair).

The conservative voice of the daytime talk show left the program in August, calling it a “really wild ride [for] the past four years of my life” and adding that the experience was “honestly the best of times and the worst of times in all ways.” Instead of hiring a full-time replacement for McCain right away, The View will pull a Jeopardy! and have a “rotating cast” of co-hosts.

The confirmed temporary hosts are former Utah congresswoman Mia Love, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, former Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson, and cable news fixtures S.E. Cupp, Eboni K. Williams, Alyssa Farah, Mary Katherine Ham, and Cameran Eubanks. Mike Richards must have had his invitation revoked. The Hollywood Reporter has more:

In addition, all of The View‘s former co-hosts have been invited to appear on “Flashback Fridays” throughout the season. Former panelist Star Jones will be the first former co-host to make an appearance on Sept. 10. It is not yet clear whether Barbara Walters, who created the show, will appear during the season.

It takes nine conservatives to replace the takes of one Meghan McCain. Her power. The View will have a very different energy next season, which begins on September 7.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Kim Kardashian showed up to all three of Kanye West’s Donda listening parties, but she played an especially large role in the recent Chicago event, where she took the stage in a wedding dress. Now that Donda is actually out, Kardashian shared a video for “Come To Life,” which features footage of her on-stage wedding dress moment, as well as of West on fire.

This doesn’t seem to be an official video for the song, as it only appears on Kardashian’s page. Rather, it appears to be something she made or had somebody make, to capture a moment of which she’s fond.

She also took to her Instagram Story to share what seem to be some of her favorite Donda moments, which include the title track, “Come To Life,” “Lord I Need You,” “Hurricane,” and “Ok Ok Pt. 2.”

As for Kardashian and West, there have been reports in recent days that the two are apparently working on repairing their relationship. This comes after a June Keeping Up With The Kardashians reunion special in which she said of the cause behind their relationship issues, “I honestly don’t think I would even say it here on TV, but it was not one specific thing that happened on either part. I think it was just a general difference of opinions on a few things that led to this decision.”

Watch the “Come To Life” video above.

Soulja Boy is still pretty miffed about being left off of Donda, judging from the stream of enraged tweets he’s been posting for the last hour.

On Sunday, Soulja originally expressed his discontent in a series of tweets telling Kanye to essentially lose his number after discovering that the verse he recorded for the song “Remote Control” went unused. This morning, after a tweet that seemed like he was letting it all go, Soulja instead launched into another tirade calling Kanye “weird,” encouraging the producer to stop hitting his phone, instructing Kanye’s estranged wife Kim to call him, and recalling a similar situation while recording “Robocop” for 808s & Heartbreak.

“Learn to be done,” read the first tweet. “Not mad, not bothered, just done. Protect your energy at all costs.” However, it seemed he had trouble following his own advice, posting a video of him recording the unused “Remote Control” verse and apparently getting mad all over again.

Soulja blamed Kanye’s falling out with both Kim and Jay-Z on Kanye’s bipolar diagnosis, ridiculed Kanye’s failed presidential campaign, wondered why Kanye would even invite him to record if he didn’t plan on using the recording, which Soulja considered a waste of his time, and even threatened to fight the mercurial producer, all while calling him “lame” and insisting “He needs help seriously.” You can see the full thread below.

Over the past few weeks, FX has ramped up its promotion of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming series, Impeachment: American Crime Story, which will tackle the infamous Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. However, that process has resulted in viewers getting a first look at Sarah Paulson‘s portrayal of Lewinsky confidante/backstabber Linda Tripp, which has sparked considerable backlash over the actress’s use of a “fat suit,” for lack of a better term.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Paulson responded to the criticism, and it appears that the actress agrees that it wasn’t the best creative choice. According to Paulson, she originally planned to naturally gain weight for the role, but later, opted to use the fat suit. While she ultimately blames the responsibility of actors to embody their roles with every tool at their disposal, she wouldn’t make the same choice again. Via IndieWire:

Paulson added that she “regrets” not thinking more about the harm of wearing a fat suit prior to making the decision. “I also know it’s a privileged place to be sitting and thinking about it and reflecting on it, having already gotten to do it, and having had an opportunity that someone else didn’t have,” the actress told the Times. “You can only learn what you learn when you learn it. Should I have known? Abso-f*cking-lutely. But I do now. And I wouldn’t make the same choice going forward.”

Paulson also argues that the big question is “Was she supposed to say no [to the part]?” Considering the end-product ended up barely looking like Linda Tripp anyway… maybe? Probably? We get that she’s Ryan Murphy’s muse, but we’re pretty sure there were tons of people involved in Bill Clinton’s impeachment who Paulson could’ve played.

Impeachment: American Crime Story premieres November 2 on FX.

(Via Los Angeles Times)

Lady Gaga has announced a Chromatica remix album coming September 3. Titled Dawn Of Chromatica, the BloodPop-executive produced remix album features reworkings by Arca, Dorian Electra, Charli XCX, A.G. Cook, Mura Masa, and lots more.

Released in May 2020, Gaga’s sixth studio album marked something of a return to the dance floor for its creator, who launched her career via electropop bangers like “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance.” Talking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe around the time of Chromatica‘s release, Gaga said, “I think that the beginning of the album really symbolizes, for me, what I would call the beginning of my journey to healing, and what I would hope would be an inspiration for people that are in need of healing through happiness, through dance.”

Find the Dawn Of Chromatica art and tracklist below.

1. “Alice” (Lsdxoxo Remix)
2. “Stupid Love” (Coucou Chloe Remix)
3. “Rain on Me” (With Ariana Grande) (Arca Remix)
4. “Free Woman” (Rina Sawayama & Clarence Clarity Remix)
5. “Fun Tonight” (Pabllo Vittar Remix)
6. “911” (Charli XCX & A. G. Cook Remix)
7. “Plastic Doll” (Ashnikko Remix)
8. “Sour Candy” (with Blackpink) (Shygirl & Mura Masa Remix)
9. “Enigma” (Doss Remix)
10. “Replay” (Dorian Electra Remix)
11. “Sine From Above” (with Elton John) (Chester Lockhart, Mood Killer & Lil Texas Remix)
12. “1000 Doves” (Planningtorock Remix)
13. “Babylon” (Bree Runway & Jimmy Edgar Remix)
14. “Babylon” (Haus Labs Version)

Dawn Of Chromatica is out 9/3 via Interscope Records. Pre-order it here.

Following the passing of legendary actor Ed Asner, his Cobra Kai co-stars William Zabka and Ralph Macchio both paid their respects and gratitude for Asner gracing the show with his presence. The late actor played Sid Weinberg, the emotionally abusive step-father to Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence, and recently popped up in Season 3.

“Devastated to hear this news,” Zabka wrote on Twitter. “What a legend. What a beautiful human and special friend. I learned so much from him. My love and deepest condolences to the Asner family #RIP Dear Ed”

Macchio also offered his condolences. “So saddened by this news,” the Karate Kid star wrote. “A legend and icon in the acting world. Endless respect for his body of work on so many levels. Ed had graced the Cobra Kai series and am grateful to have had a moment or two to meet and connect with him. An absolute privilege. #RIPEdAsner”

In addition to Zabka and Macchio’s tributes, Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg issued the following statement to Deadline:

“What performer could more perfectly embody the love/hate nature of playing Johnny Lawrence’s father than Ed Asner? When we dreamed up the character, there was no discussion – it was only Ed.”

Asner was clearly a beloved presence on set. Just a few months ago, Zabka had stopped by Marc Maron’s WTF podcast where he shared an anecdote about how the very first words Asner said to him was “Oh go f*ck yourself” after being asked if he needed anything.

“He did it in character,” Zabka told Maron, “and he rattled me, and he got me in this place, and I’m like, ‘Sh*t! Did Ed Asner really say that to me? But no, he was doing this device, which he does all the time off-camera.”

(Via William Zabka on Twitter, Ralph Macchio on Twitter, Deadline)

Billie Eilish has become one of music’s biggest stars in recent years, and like many ambitious people, Eilish has multiple interests. For example, if the situation is ever right, she’s like to give acting a show.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Eilish was asked about her potential acting ambitions, and she responded, “If I fall in love with something, I would love to act in it. It would only have to be the right thing because I’m not an actor and I’m not… It’s not my calling, but I’ve always loved acting. I loved acting as a kid. I would have to really, really feel a connection and have a moment of just, I don’t know, love for it.”

If Eilish got into acting, she wouldn’t be the first person in her family to do so. Finneas has a solid film and TV resume, which includes multi-episode roles in Modern Family, Glee, and Aquarius, as well as an appearance in the movie Bad Teacher. On top of that, he and his mother Maggie Baird starred in Life Inside Out together. Speaking of Baird, she is an actor as well who has had roles in As The World Turns, Seinfeld, Bones, The X-Files, and a number of other recognizable shows, movies, and video games.

Check out the full Eilish interview here.

For a minute, put yourself in the shoes of Destin Daniel Cretton. For the most part, his films have been critical hits and usually, like Short Term 12 and Just Mercy, revolve around the emotional bonds between human beings. None of his films come close to being anything that would ever be described as “action.” When he tells the story of how he even came to be the director of a Marvel movie, he admits he wasn’t sure this was the right time in his career to take on such a big movie like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (which is arriving in theaters on September 3). But after what sounds like some informal meetings with Marvel turned into very serious formal meetings where this might actually happen, he decided, alright, it’s time to do this.

Then a couple things happened. Cretton’s wife, Nikki, told him they were going to have their second child only two months into production. And then a month after that, the pandemic hit. So, now, here’s this huge movie that Cretton debated about doing under normal circumstances, and he’s making it under some of the most unusual circumstances in the history of cinema. Anyway, yes, for our whole interview, Cretton had this kind of smile on his face. It’s the kind of smile that you only really get to have after something like this particular situational feat is accomplished.

In Shang-Chi, the title character (Simu Liu) most cope with his past and one again face his father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), who happens to be the leader of an international crime syndicate called the Ten Rings and, also, he is the owner of the mystical Ten Rings, which gives him unbelievable powers. It’s also important to note that Wenwu is a new character, not from the comics. (In the comics Shang-Chi’s father is, well, complicated and bad and too much to get into right here.) Wenwu, at times, has also gone by the name The Mandarin, among many other names. Yes, it’s all potentially confusing.

What’s interesting here is what Cretton is doing is trying to take the parts of The Mandarin from the comics that are interesting, then disposing of the parts that are dated or stereotypes or all around awful. And, no, the movie does not forget how Iron Man 3 dealt with The Mandarin, and Cretton explains why he decided to salvage certain aspects. Cretton also talked to us about an almost forgotten 2014 Marvel One-Shot, in which Trevor (Ben Kingsley) from Iron Man 3 learns that The Mandarin may not be made up after all.

This is my joke: as someone who has seen your past movies, there’s something just a little different going on in this one. At least, there are a lot more fights.

Could you find any similarities between them?

Your movies deal with the bonds of friendship and family, which I think run through a lot of your movies and certainly this one. Even Glass Castle, that is a fraught family.

Right. Yeah. It’s funny, because, I mean, obviously I’ve never done anything like this before. But what I found throughout the process was how familiar it felt. Yes, it was daunting to step into making the decision to do this movie. But, throughout the process, it really didn’t feel like a creative process that I was not used to. It was actually very fun.

You say “step in the decision.” What does that mean? Do you pitch Marvel? Do they come to you? Because I could see that going either way.

I mean, there’s a point, sometimes, it starts with a conversation. In this case, it started with a conversation. Where I went in to just kind of chat with Jonathan Schwartz, the producer of this movie, and find out what they’re up to. But I wasn’t thinking that I would even get to a pitching point. But there’s a point when that conversation turned into two and then three. And then he asked me to come in and pitch what I would do for the movie, if I wanted to direct it.

Why did you not think it would get to a pitching point?

I wasn’t sure I wanted to get to a pitching point. I honestly didn’t think at this point in my career that I wanted to go and do a giant movie like this. But my conversations with Jonathan and the team at Marvel was actually very inspiring and really fun. And so, it kind of got me excited to go in and actually try to get the job. So that’s when I put together the pitch of what I would actually do in the movie. And I mean, I didn’t think I would land it, but I did. But I was very happy that I did.

So you weren’t sure you wanted to make a giant movie. Then you go for it, then the pandemic happens, and I know you had your own scare. This seems like an extraordinarily difficult situation.

Yeah. It was like so many things were piled onto my plate that it just became laughable. And my wife, Nikki, we would just sit and laugh sometimes at the number of things that we were juggling. After I actually got the job for Marvel and knew when we were going to go shoot, my wife started laughing when she told me, “Surprise! We’re pregnant! And we’re going to be having a baby two months into production.” And that child, our second child, was born one month before the pandemic hit. And we all found ourselves together in a house in Sydney for three months when production shut down. And it was like everyone in the world were just shifting their lives to push through it. And it actually, coming out the other side of this movie, I felt in a lot of very aligned with the emotional ride of Shang-Chi and his journey of learning to redefine the hard parts of his life: The pain of his life, the difficulties. And redefine them and refocus them and turn them into his super powers. And that, I think, is something we’re all kind of striving to do right now.

I remember interviewing Jon Favreau for Iron Man 2 and him saying The Mandarin wouldn’t work at that point and, “The Mandarin would probably need to be interpreted with a large degree of creative license because it will not look like what’s in the comics.” Then Iron Man 3 turned a version of that character upside down. In Shang-Chi, it feels like you took parts of that character, like the Ten Rings, and forged it into something that can work.

Yes. I mean, that was the number one challenge of this creative process, was redefining and giving a clear context to the questions that were posed in previous movies around the Ten Rings and this idea of “The Mandarin.” As soon as we decided to go out to an actor like Tony Leung, I think that was the tone setter for what we wanted to do. And the caliber of the character that we needed to create, in order to get somebody like Tony, needed to be a character that was breaking stereotypes, not contributing to them. Showing people a version of this character that they have heard of and surprising them, in a way, with how human they are – how much they might actually relate to this villain of our movie. And I’m so excited for people to see what Tony brought to this character.

I’m curious how much the One-Shot All Hail the King fed into Shang-Chi. In that, “we can really play off this and do some interesting stuff,” just based on that short they set up seven years ago?

We definitely. … I mean, I know Drew [Pearce] and I love that One Shot that he wrote and directed. And it was a sharp film and that’s part of the MCU. And so, we want to be true to that story as well. And including that storyline in this movie I think was not only just really fun, I think it’s essential to hear that character admit how ridiculous that whole situation was.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

At 71 years of age, iconic singer-songwriter Elton John is crossing the globe for one last time on his farewell tour.

U.K. retailer John Lewis & Partners is celebrating his life and music with a Christmas ad that takes viewers on a two-minute journey through his entire life.

For the past decade, John Lewis’ memorable Christmas ads have become a part of the holiday tradition in the U.K.

According to The Standard, “The annual advertising campaign from the department store has become so ingrained in the public consciousness since its launch in 2007 that some believe the festive season only truly starts when it has been released.”

John Lewis Christmas advert 2018 featuring Elton John

www.youtube.com

The ad begins with current-day John tinkling the ivories and reflecting on his past. We see how his hit, “Your Song” has evolved from John’s current-day performances back to its original recording in 1970.

The ad also boasts some spectacular effects. It perfectly recreates John’s iconic performance at Dodger Stadium in 1975 and features uncanny CGI versions of John through his various looks and phases as an artist.

But what does it have to do with Christmas? You’ll see in the end.

Here’s what people are saying about the ad on Twitter.