Month: September 2021

Late Monday afternoon, news broke that actor Michael K. Williams had been found dead in his New York City apartment. Friends, colleagues, and fans of the actor, who was 54 years old, immediately took to Twitter to express their sincere grief over the loss of one of Hollywood’s most singular talents. And a man who, by all accounts, was as authentic as the characters he portrayed over the past 25 years—most notably as Omar Little, the Robin Hood-esque stick-up man on The Wire.

On Monday evening, many of Williams’ former The Wire colleagues shared their thoughts and memories of the actor on Twitter. Among them was Wendell Pierce, who played the just-as-beloved homicide detective William “Bunk” Moreland, who went to the same high school as Omar, and who shared one of the series’ most poignant onscreen moments with Williams.

Pierce wrote a truly moving tribute to his former co-star, who he called “the kindest of persons,” and shared his grief about the loss of such a unique talent and human being, writing:

The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss. A[n] immensely talented man with the ability to give voice to the human condition portraying the lives of those whose humanity is seldom elevated until he sings their truth.

If you don’t know, you better ask somebody. His name was Michael K. Williams. He shared with me his secret fears then stepped out into his acting with true courage, acting in the face of fear, not in the absence of it. It took me years to learn what Michael had in abundance. He was proud of the artist he had become, asking for my advice long after he had surpassed any incite I could have shared. Always truthful, never inauthentic. The kindest of persons. Like two mischievous kids, we would laugh & joke whenever we would meet…

The Wire brought us together and immortalized Omar & Bunk in that “scene” on a park bench. But for us we aimed to take that moment in time together and say something about Black men. Our struggle with ourselves, internally, and each other. For me & Mike we had nothing but respect. So to you, my brother Mike, there is a small comfort that I know, you knew how much we loved you.

Pierce then went on to share a quote from Arthur Miller, which painted a wonderful picture of the respect and love the actor had for Williams, both as a performer and a friend.

There is a certain immortality involved in theater, not created by monuments and books, but through the knowledge an actor keeps to his dying day that on a certain afternoon, in an empty and dusty theater, he cast the shadow of a being that was not himself… but the distillation of all that he had ever observed; all the unsingable heart song the ordinary man may feel but never utter, he gave voice to. And by that somehow joins the ages.

Mike…….you joined the ages.

Farewell my friend,
Love Wendell

While Williams’ most recent roles have included parts in HBO’s Lovecraft Country and Netflix’s When They See Us, Omar Little will remain his legacy. Regularly (and rightfully) cited as one of the greatest characters in television history, it’s hard to imagine there are many, if any, other actors who could turn a shotgun-toting thief into a series’ unexpected moral compass. But as Omar often reminded us, “a man has got to have a code.” And with that, he forever changed the face of TV tough guys.

When Louisville and Ole Miss kicked off in Atlanta on Monday night, the college football world was anticipating a high-scoring affair. Ole Miss had one of the nation’s best offenses a year ago and neither defense was known for being stout, which led to oddsmakers putting the point total at a generous 75.5.

Betting an Under, in general, requires a very specific mindset to be able to ride the vast swings college football can throw at you, as long scoreless droughts that put you ahead of pace can quickly be erased by a flurry of scores that turn what looks like a surefire winner into a torn up ticket. In a game with two prolific offenses and defenses with a propensity to give up big plays, you really have to trust the process. One bettor at the Wynn in Las Vegas trusted that more than anyone as he had the Under on Monday night as the final leg of a 14-game college football Under parlay that, somehow, had arrived to the final game still intact.

At halftime, things looked great as Ole Miss led 26-0 and Louisville looked completely stumped on offense, but it got a touch sweaty late as the final score was 43-24, leaving just 8 points of wiggle room (which is plenty but still a bit scary). As such, the bettor turned $10 into nearly $80,000 in one of the craziest parlay hits in betting history.

It should be noted that there’s a reason the official WynnBET account is celebrating this and touting the parlay win, because there is no area that sportsbooks make more money on than parlays despite sometimes handing out high five-figure payouts. The buildings are tall and shiny for a reason, but at least in this case, a bettor got the best of the book and that’s worth celebrating.

It’s not often that something involved with legendary Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman breaks the internet, but that’s what happened over Labor Day weekend. Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac were at the Venice Film Festival, there for their HBO miniseries remake of Scenes from a Marriage, Bergman’s classic about a couple slowly, over several years, unraveling. And a moment on the red carpet was so charged, so intense, so hot that people could not take it.

Video surfaced of the two posing for photographers as they promoted a show about two people who gradually realized their marriage was a mistake. He rests his hand on her shoulder. His eyes catch her bicep. He gently kisses it. She pushes him away. Eventually she clasps his face with both hands and they laugh it off. And it’s all in sexy slo-mo.

Mind you, the two go way back. They met at Julliard at have remained friends ever since. They’ve acted together before; they played husband and wife in the 2014 drama A Most Violent Year. They’ve also both played villains in X-Men movies. They’re also both married, to other people.

Still, the moment left social media hot and bothered.

Scenes from a Marriage updates Bergman’s original, which aired as a miniseries in Sweden in 1973 and was cut into a lengthy movie for America. It starred frequent Bergman collaborators Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson. It’s not clear how closely the revamp will follow the original, but if so, America is in for quite a ride. You can find out when it kicks off its five-episode run on September 12.

(Via Esquire)

It’s one of the happiest places on earth: Waffle House, the breakfast-leaning chain that occupies much of the South, has long fed late night eaters and roadside travelers. (Still, it has its detractors.) But a new viral video shows it’s not always so peaceful. Over Labor Day weekend, social media was entranced with footage of a brawl that broke out in an Atlanta outpost — and which could have been much worse had one of the cooks not shut it down.

The video first shows some female customers arguing with a male customer. What they say is difficult to ascertain, but you can hear one woman saying, “You should never say that.” She later says “let it go” after another woman starts engaging with the man.

The video then cuts to a Waffle House cook pulling the man from his seat. That’s when things get real. The man throws the first punch, but the remaining several more punches are thrown by the cook, who reluctantly brings the pain, over and over again.

The video received millions of views, as well as tons of joke reactions over Twitter. Some joked that all Waffle House employees are strong fighters.

One former Waffle House employee confirmed that take.

Others made jokes about Waffle House job interviews.

And others were reminded of Anthony Bourdain’s visit to Waffle House, where he declared the institution to be awesome.

(Via NY Post)

There are much longer novels than Frank Herbert’s Dune, but it’s still a bit of a hike. And it’s dense — so dense that the filmmakers decided to divide it into two movies, the first one covering only the first half-and-change. Thing is, they didn’t film both parts back-to-back. Part 2 (which will reportedly feature even more Zendaya) is contingent on it being a success. But when/if it’s greenlit, its director, Denis Villeneuve, swears it won’t take that long for him to get back in action.

In a recent interview (as reported by IGN), Villeneuve — whose credits include Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049 — assured journalist that, should everything go as planned, he’d get Part 2 going “as soon as possible,” considering he’d have to resume work on a super-expensive blockbuster that requires reconvening a massive all-star cast.

“I would be very ready to go quite quickly,” he said. “To go quickly in a movie of that size, you still need to make sets, costumes, so we are talking about months. But if ever there’s enthusiasm and the movie is greenlit sooner than later, I will say that I will be ready to shoot in 2022 for sure.

“I am ready to go, and I will say that I would love to bring it to the screen as soon as possible,” he added. “The first film, I really had time to make sure that it was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I would love to have the same feeling when I make the second part. That would be the priority. Quality will be the priority.”

Villeneuve also described Part 1, which hits theaters and HBO Max on October 22, as an “appetizer” for Part 2, which he swears will be crazier than the first. He described the first film as him laying out Herbert’s incredibly complex world. “Once this is done, it becomes an insane playground. It will allow me to go berserk.”

Reviews for Dune have already come in, and they are truly all over the map, with critics everywhere from bored to mesmerized. Herbert’s series have yielded mixed results in the past. David Lynch’s career was briefly destroyed after he made his pricey version in 1984; it’s since turned into a cult item, beloved for slipping freaky, sometimes disturbing imagery into a mainstream blockbuster. Aughts-era miniseries, which covered the first three novels, fared better, though they also lack Sting.

(Via IGN)

Time was that Trump Tower was one of the swankiest buildings in New York City. The structure — a big, black rod shooting straight up out of Fifth Avenue in Midtown, mere blocks from a former Trump property, the Plaza Hotel — once held sway to if not one of the country’s most successful businessmen, then arguably its most famous (or most frequently televised). High-end retailers had cartoonishly lavish establishments there. No more. One tumultuous (and costly) presidency later — plus a still ongoing public health crisis that has devastated the city’s office building culture — and it’s reportedly a shadow of its former self.

But not all is bleak. A new Washington Post piece points out that while a number of wealthy tenants have fled (as well as the Secret Service, paid for by taxpayer money), for one reason or another, there is one that is still paying the rent: the Make American Great Political Action Committee, dedicated to the future political aspirations of former president Donald J. Trump. The PAC now operates out of what was once Trump’s campaign offices, paying $37,541.67 a month.

And where are they getting their rent money? From Trump supporters, who keep funneling money into his PAC’s coffers, hoping he’ll make America great again (again). But it’s long been reported that the Trump team has been using that cash for other purposes.

The Post spoke with campaign finance experts, who deemed that, like much of Trump’s dealings over his long career, this isn’t necessarily illegal but it definitely toes the line. “He’s running a con,” Paul S. Ryan, of the watchdog group Common Cause, said straight-up. “Talking about political expenses — but, in reality, raising money for self-enrichment.”

Not so, says Liz Harrington, a spokesperson for the ex-president’s PAC. “We are paying market rate for leased office space used to help President Trump build a financial juggernaut to help elect America First conservatives and flip both the House and Senate to the Republicans in the midterm elections,” she said.

As of the first quarter of 2021, the most recent data available, Trump Tower’s commercial spaces are 75% occupied, which is lower than any of the occupancy rates going back to 2013 — two years before Trump decided to run for office. One business that still remains is the Trump Grill, which continues to be open for business. But for that, we direct you to Vanity Fair’s memorable 2016 review.

(Via The Post)

On Monday, the world was shocked by the sudden passing of Michael K. Williams. The beloved actor, best known for playing Omar Little on The Wire — widely hailed as one of television’s greatest characters — was only 54 years old. Details are still under investigation, but as soon as the news broke, an avalanche of remorse descended upon social media, with people alternately expressing alarm as well as love for someone who was both larger than life and all too human.

There were memorials from colleagues of his most famous work, The Wire, David Simon’s epic chronicle of a broken Baltimore. Williams, who had been in movies and television since the mid-‘90s, filed one of the great “who is that?” turns when he first appeared as iconoclastic yet principled drug dealer Omar.

Fellow performers told stories or simply praised his craft.

Williams was far, far more than Omar, though. And some wanted everyone to know that.

It was pointed out that no less than Tupac Shakur gave Williams one of his first movie roles.

People shared his best moments, including, of course, from The Wire.

Others chose other projects.

People dug out a video he made, in which Williams discussed his typecasting…with himself.

Some reminded people of one of his more recent triumphs: his tribute to DMX, who passed earlier this year.

Williams wasn’t just an entertainer. He used his profile to help people. And he didn’t just quietly pay it forward. He put time in on the ground.

There were stories of people meeting him.

And there was joyful footage of Williams in real life, such as his visit to the famed Criterion Closet, which features a little ode to Charles Chaplin.

And there was footage of a sometime choreographer dancing for fun.

Some dug up older interviews, in which he reflected on how lucky he was to have such a blessed life.

There was also one of his last social media posts, in which he simply showed an older interview with Tracy Morgan, in which he points out that others have it worse than he has. “Don’t cry for me. Cry for others man,” Morgan says in the video. “My grandmother told me when you think you’re doing bad, there’s somebody else out there who’s worse.”

“You know what true happiness is?” Morgan asks. “Having something to look forward to.”

Rest in peace, Michael K. Williams.

A video game company is dealing with the fallout of its creator offering up support for a highly controversial abortion law passed in Texas last week. On Saturday, Tripwire Interactive studio head John Gibson tweeted praise for the law that bans abortions after a woman has been pregnant six weeks as well as other measures that aim to legally target people who aid women in getting reproductive healthcare including abortions.

“As an entertainer I don’t get political often,” Gibson wrote. “Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.”

Subsequent reporting revealed, however, that Gibson had put his own band into a game the studio made, Killing Floor 2, which included anti-abortion lyrics.

That set off a wave of outrage among gamers that has resulted in the studio’s business being impacted directly. As The Wrap detailed, a partner studio subsequently canceled its relationship with Tripwire Interactive as a direct result of the comments via a statement the company released on Sunday.

“While your politics are your own, the moment you make then a public matter of public discourse you entangle all of those working for and with you,” Shipwright Studios said in a a statement released Sunday.“We know it is difficult for employees to speak up or act out in these scenarios, and they many not feel comfortable to speak their minds. It is regrettable, but we feel it would be doing ourselves, your employees, your partners, and the industry as a whole a disservice to allow this pattern to continue without comment.”

The statement concluded. “We started Shipwright with the idea that it was finally time to put our money where our mouth is. We cannot in good conscience continue to work with Tripwire under the current leadership structure. We will begin the cancellation of our existing contracts effective immediately.”

The backlash continued through the weekend, with many people suggesting people upset by the support work to “ignore” games from Tripwire on platforms like Steam.

[via The Wrap]

Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space: (Netflix limited series) — Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon missions have seen some typical setbacks with some atypical ones (the pandemic, obviously), but on September 15, they’ll launch off on the Inspiration 4 mission, and this limited series is here to help people prepare to observe the three-day orbit trip. They’ll travel higher than the International Space Station, and this marks a new era of civilian space exploration.

Reservation Dogs: (FX on Hulu) — Taika Waititi’s FX on Hulu followup to What We Do in the Shadows brings us a comedy series that’s co-written by Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. Yes, the lead quartet in this show rocks suits that look strikingly similar to the characters of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, yet they’re four Indigenous teens who fight crime and also commit it. The show (which has some Atlanta vibes) was shot in and near Okmulgee, Oklahoma (the home of the Muskogee Creek tribal headquarters) — where excitement is lacking. Not for long, though. This week, it’s hunting time for Willie Jack and Leon.

My Life Is Murder: Season 2 Premiere (Acorn TV) — Xena: Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless is back with less action in the sophomore season of this Australian detective drama. She’s caught between her old boss and a young charge, a police data-analyst who’s in the market to be mentored. No matter what Lucy’s character, Alexa, wishes to do, she’s always caught up in solving crimes.

Roswell, New Mexico (CW, 8:00pm) — Everyone is in danger because of Liz’s botched plans, and it’s confession time for Eduardo with Isobel and Michael in danger.

The Republic Of Sarah (CW, 9:00pm) — This show follows the ending of tranquility of Greylock, N.H., after a stash of valuable coltan leads to new overlords, and a rebellious teacher (Sarah Cooper) steps in to halt the madness. Greylock becomes a sovereign nation, and this week, Sarah and Greylock might actually gain international recognition.

In case you missed these weekend picks:

Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles (Disney+ film) — Billie Eilish headlines this concert film that follows her newest album, Happier Than Ever, with an intimate performance from the Hollywood Bowl stage. Robert Rodriguez and Patrick Osbourne co-direct, and expect some dreamlike and animated elements as Eilish celebrates her Los Angeles roots with help from singer-songwriter FINNEAS.

Only Murders In The Building: Season 1 (Hulu series) — Only a few short years ago, Selena Gomez stood awkwardly in a designer gown alongside t-shirt clad co-stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James at a photocall, and let’s just say that her current co-stars would never. Here, she stars alongside the legendary Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the three portray NYC neighbors who aim to unravel an apparent murder inside their apartment building. Yes, they’re all podcasting because everyone does it (duh), and before long, the killer might be after them, too. Martin hasn’t written a feature film since the Pink Panther movies and Shopgirl, and I don’t wanna come out and call this trio a “much cooler Three Amigos” update, but Martin wrote that, too, so why not?

The Philadelphia Phillies were in Milwaukee on Monday afternoon to face the Brewers in a critical game for Philly as they look to continue their hot streak and move ever-closer to the Atlanta Braves at the top of the NL East.

The Phillies (70-66) came in just two games back of the Braves (72-64) as baseball enters its stretch run before the playoffs, and facing a Brewers team that boasts the third best record in the National League (and is 13 games up in the NL Central) presented a litmus test of sorts for Philadelphia. With the Phillies in town, the Brewers press box decided to offer up a Philly cheesesteak to give the folks from the City of Brotherly Love a taste of home, a nice gesture that turned out to be disastrous when this ended up being what was served, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

This is, truly, an upsetting sandwich. It appears to be just a slab of meat (and, by the looks of it, not exactly the finest cut) thrown onto a bun with a couple Kraft singles, onions, and peppers. While the thought was nice from the Brewers, the execution here is abysmal and if anything their cheesesteak only proved to upset their visitors, as the Phillies were as appalled as everyone else in Matt Gelb’s mentions.

I’m not saying this is the reason the Phillies jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first four innings, but it’s possible that word traveled to the clubhouse and they had a little added motivation to defend their city’s good honor after what the Brewers did to its iconic sandwich.