Month: October 2021

Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.

Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of October below.

Mouse Rat — The Awesome Album

Mouse Rat is one of the most beloved bands to ever come out of Pawnee, Indiana, and now the Parks And Recreation group has an actual album out. Furthermore, it’s available on vinyl and features hits like “5,000 Candles In The Wind (Bye, Bye Li’l Sebastian)” and “The Pit.” Even if Chris Pratt isn’t super on board with the project, this is an essential release for all vinyl-collecting Parks And Rec stans.

Get it here.

Superchunk — Here’s To Shutting Up (20th Anniversary Reissue)

Superchunk had an extremely prolific stretch in the ’90s and early ’00s, and during the latter half of that window came 2001’s Here’s To Shutting Up, which turns 20 years old this year. So, to commemorate the anniversary, the band gave it a spiffy new reissue. Included in all editions (CD, vinyl, and limited edition orange swirl vinyl) come with Bestial Warning, a bonus CD that features 13 previously unreleased demos.

Get it here.

Ernie K-Doe — Ernie K-Doe (Reissue)

Tipitina’s Record Club has a fascinating proposition for all lovers of New Orleans music: Join the club and every two months, you’ll get an exclusive release, whether it’s something fresh or a rarity that’s been out of print for decades. The current release is the self-titled album from New Orleans R&B icon Ernie K-Doe, with this edition representing the album’s first reissue since 1972.

Get it here.

R.E.M. — New Adventures In Hi-Fi (25th Anniversary Reissue)

25 years ago, R.E.M. released New Adventures In Hi-Hi, the band’s most recently released Platinum-certified album and, for many, an underrated classic So, Michael Stipe and company have opted to reissue the project, and there’s a lot here to sink your teeth into. The 2-LP vinyl edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl replicates the original gatefold packaging, making this release about as close to the original as you can get today.

Get it here.

The Beatles — Let It Be (Special Edition)

The Beatles don’t really need much introducing and neither does Let It Be, one of the group’s most iconic albums. Now it has gotten a massive reissue in a number of different editions, and within those are goodies like the newly remastered album, a 105-page hardcover book (with a foreword from Paul McCartney), and more that make this perhaps the most comprehensive edition of Let It Be, all offered in beautiful packaging.

Get it here.

Wye Oak — Civilian + Cut All The Wires: 2009–2011

It was a big month for vinyl reissues, and that’s true for Wye Oak, too, as their album Civilian turns ten years old this year. They’re marking the occasion with Civilian + Cut All The Wires: 2009–2011, which, as the title suggests, encapsulates more than just the album. Most excitingly, there’s also an entire lost album of unreleased tracks and demos from the era.

Get it here.

Mac Miller — Faces

Mac Miller’s albums don’t tell the full story of his career, as he released a bunch of mixtapes, too. A lot of those aren’t easily available due to the challenges of bringing mixtapes to a state of commercial viability, but one of his classic releases, Faces, is now available. While there are some changes from the original online release, the 3-LP vinyl edition is nothing to scoff at.

Get it here.

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

People love the movie Drive for a variety of reasons, and one of those is the soundtrack, which is anchored by Cliff Martinez’s score but also features music from Chromatics and other artists. Now it has a tenth-anniversary vinyl edition, which is pressed on stunning “neon noir splatter” vinyl, making this Drive OST a conversation-starter fit for any vinyl library.

Get it here.

The Rolling Stones — Tattoo You (40th Anniversary Edition)

The Rolling Stones has been pumping out music for a long time, and now they’re looking back at a beloved release, 1981’s Tattoo You, with a new vinyl reissue. The newly remastered collection includes nine previously unreleased songs from the era, which were newly enhanced and completed by the band with new vocals, guitar parts, and other loose ends tied up.

Get it here.

Usher — Confessions, Clipse — Hell Hath No Fury, Gram Parsons — Grievous Angel (Vinyl Me, Please Reissues)

We often highlight a Vinyl Me, Please reissue in this column, sometimes even two. They absolutely knocked it out of the park with their slate of November releases, though, so we’re going with three: Usher’s Confessions, Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury, and Gram Parsons’ Grievous Angel. As usual, all come freshly remastered, pressed on beautiful vinyl, and with some sort of worthwhile extras that give VMP releases the extra oomph they always seem to deliver.

Get Usher’s Confessions here. Get Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury here. Get Gram Parsons’ Grievous Angel here.

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

Most celebrity memoirs are, let’s face it, not very good. There’s too much self-mythologizing and not enough dirt. Brian Cox is bringing the dirt. In his memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, the Succession actor is not afraid to name names.

About his The Glimmer Man co-star Steven Seagal, Cox wrote, “Steven Seagal is as ludicrous in real life as he appears on screen. He radiates a studied serenity, as though he’s on a higher plane to the rest of us, and while he’s certainly on a different plane, no doubt about that, it’s probably not a higher one.” He said he finds Quentin Tarantino’s movies to be “meretricious” and “all surface,” adding, “Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of Pulp Fiction.” That being said, if Tarantino called Cox with an offer to be in Kill Bill: Vol. 3 or whatever, “I’d do it.”

Here’s his thoughts on Johnny Depp:

“Personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated. I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Let’s face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face make-up, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently, he’s done even less.”

Cox isn’t amusingly grumpy about every actor, though: he called Keanu Reeves a “seeker” who has “actually become rather good over the years” and referred to the late Alan Rickman as “one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest, and most incredibly smart men I’ve ever met.” As someone who has seen Super Troopers approximately 47 times, I hope he has nice things to say about Farva, too.

In an interview with Esquire UK, Cox explained his decision to write the memoir (he expects to never “hear from some people again”). “Some people do memoirs far, far too young. Why are you doing your memoir now when you’re only 32? There’s no life! Getting to where I’ve got to, you’re looking more at the end than the beginning, and you have to just be as honest as you can be without causing offense,” Cox said. “If I was going to be tough with people I had to be equally tough with myself, and not be vainglorious, in order to create a balance.”

Putting the Rabbit in the Hat comes out in the U.S. in January 2022.

(Via the Big Issue and Esquire UK)

A new animated film about sneaker culture has added some all-star level voice talent, according to Deadline. Sneaks is being produced by Laurence Fishburne, who also has a voice role, and has a star-studded cast featuring the voices of NBA player Chris Paul, Grammy winners Ella Mai and Roddy Ricch, and five-time Grammy nominee Swae Lee. In addition, LA hitmaker Mustard is signed on as the music producer.

The film revolves around a lost pair of sneakers trying to find their “sole mate” in New York City. Mai plays an oxford, Macy Gray plays a stiletto, and Swae Lee plays a “gifted young athlete” as they try to help out and stop a pair of villains, the forger played by Roddy Ricch and an evil collector played by Fishburne. Meanwhile, Chris Paul will voice himself, hosting a sneaker convention. To ensure the authenticity of the sneaker culture seen throughout the film, the legendary Bobbito Garcia serves as an advisor.

Fishburne offered this quote: “Our film will illuminate and pay homage to the forever growing and popular sneaker culture that continues to inspire and be inspired by musicians, athletes, and artists alike, and I’m thrilled by the cast and crew who have decided to join us on the journey.” Mustard said, I really see the music in this film as a crucial part of the storytelling. As the first family animated feature film to be steeped in sneaker culture, I am honored to draw from my expertise as a producer and artist, and my love of sneakers, to create moments that really connect. The added bonus is that this is a film that I’ll be able to enjoy with my family and kids.”

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

Texas favorites Spoon are in the midst of one of the longest between-album gaps of their career: Hot Thoughts came out in early 2017, making it well over four years old now. Well, the drought is about to end: The band’s tenth album, Lucifer On The Sofa, is set for release on February 11, 2022. Alongside that announcement, the band shared the single “The Hardest Cut,” a pure rocker driven by a forward-moving and upbeat riff.

The band’s Britt Daniel told NME of the song:

“‘The Hardest Cut’ was the first song that Alex [Fischel, keys and guitar] and I wrote when we moved back to Texas to work on this album. He had some chords and then I came up with this sort of drop D riff that we called ‘the Texas riff,’ because that’s what it sounded like to us. We called the song ‘Texas Riff’ for a while, until I got some words to it. I always wanted to have a Spoon song that had the vibe of ‘Run Run Run’ by The Who. So it was the combination of three things; Alex’s chords, my riff, and ‘Run Run Run.’ And then we had it — ‘The Hardest Cut.’”

He also said of the album more broadly, “It’s a record we decided we wanted to make when we were touring the last one. We toured Hot Thoughts longer and with more shows than any other album we’ve ever done, which is saying a lot. While we were out there, we kept discovering that we were playing the songs from the last album better on the road than they were on the record. So the idea was to take that energy that you get from playing songs live and being on the road and hashing out the songs, using that energy first. So you’re not starting with a demo and building on it; you’re actually getting in a room and experiencing that sound together and working from there. You’re not figuring out the song as you record it: You figure it out, then you record it. That was a big part of it. […] It’s just fun — a record for some good times.”

Watch the “The Hardest Cut” video above and find the Lucifer On The Sofa art and tracklist below.

1. “Held”
2. “The Hardest Cut”
3. “The Devil & Mister Jones”
4. “Wild”
5. “My Babe”
6. “Feels Alright”
7. “On The Radio”
8. “Astral Jacket”
9. “Satellite”
10. “Lucifer On The Sofa”

Lucifer On The Sofa is out 2/11/2022 via Matador Records. Pre-order it here.

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

10. (tie) The Voyeurs (Amazon Prime)

What we have here is an old-school erotic thriller — think Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction — with White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney as one half of a curious couple who spends a not-insignificant amount of time spying on their exhibitionist-type neighbors. Things get weird and twisted and steamy, as they do in these kinds of movies, which were super popular in the 1980s and 1990s and have since just about disappeared. Might be worth it to give it a try, but think about closing your own blinds first. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

10. (tie) Black Widow (Disney+)

Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff finally gets a proper send-off in this actioner that aims to go back-to-basics but succeeds more on a personal level. The film fills in plenty of blanks following the events of Captain America: Civil War, but more importantly, we receive butt-kicking ladies in well-choreographed fight scenes and an emotionally resonant story that introduces us to the inner Natasha, as witnessed by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. She’s perhaps the only person in the world who’s allowed to tease Natasha, and their dynamic (and the chemistry between Scarlett and Florence) rules. The film also allows David Harbour to perform grunt-filled face work with a wild accent while the ladies swirl around him in hand-to-hand combat. It’s a winner. And it’s now available to subscribers with no extra fee. Watch it on Disney+.

9. The Velvet Underground (Apple TV+)

The Velvet Underground is one of the most influential bands of all-time. But unlike other iconic 1960s groups like, say, the Beatles, there’s not a ton of footage of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Moe Tucker performing. To get around this, director Todd Haynes has made a documentary that captures the “idea” of the VU rather than a Wikipedia summary. Don’t walk, but “run run run” to watch The Velvet Underground! Watch it on Apple TV+.

8. Malignant (HBO Max)

James Wan, he of the Saw and Insidious and Conjuring movies, is back with a new horror film. This one focuses on a woman who has terrifying visions of brutal murders, which are ruining her life a little (as terrifying visions of brutal murders will do) and are also –surprise — actually happening in the real world (which is bad). None of it sounds like a good time for her. For you, though? Maybe. Watch it on Netflix.

7. Muppets Haunted Mansion (Disney+)

Good news: The Muppets are back. Everyone’s favorite collection of fuzzy rascals take to Disney+ with a new spooky Halloween story about a haunted mansion. The Haunted Mansion, if we’re being technical. It might be a nice opportunity to fall down a Muppet rabbit hole again. There’s never a bad time to watch The Great Muppet Caper, after all. Watch it on Disney+.

6. The Many Saints of Newark (HBO Max)

The Sopranos are back. Kind of. The Sopranos are kind of back. Series creator David Chase’s long-rumored, long-awaited prequel movie about New Jersey’s most famous fictional crime family is finally here. What do we got? Well, for one, we’ve got Michael Gandolfini filling the role of a Tony Soprano and playing a younger version of the character his father made famous. We’ve also got a bunch more Moltisantis and 1960-70s fashion all against the backdrop of the 1967 riots in Newark. There’s a lot going here. You’ll probably want to check it out, if only to bask in a little nostalgia for a while. Watch it on HBO Max

5. Night Teeth (Netflix)

The dark spirits compel us to remind you that Megan Fox has a horror-comedy coming to Netflix this week. It’s likely this reminder is retribution for how terribly we treated Fox’s other terrific horror entry, Jennifer’s Body. Will this one be as good? Who knows? It looks promising enough though, with Fox and Sydney Sweeney hamming it up as two LA-based Goth queens who mix a bit of human blood into their green smoothies. Lucy Fry and Debbie Ryan take up the most screen-time, playing a pair of hard-partying undead millennials that look to be the worst Uber passengers you’ll ever meet. It’s a wild noir-infused romp through the city that doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. Watch it on Netflix.

4. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (Paramount+)

The spooky business all gets rebooted here, with the franchise focusing in on a collection of teens, one of whom is on a mission to discover what happened to her mother. Does she uncover a secret? Is the secret described in the preview materials as “a terriying truth”? Buddy, you know it is. We’ve all see enough of these movies to know that. But it doesn’t make them any less fun. Watch it on Paramount+.

3. Army of Thieves (Netflix)

Netflix bet on dead with Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, and that bet apparently paid off handsomely, which is a good thing because there’s already a prequel in the can. Matthias Schweighöfer returns to the franchise as Dieter, a then-bank teller who’s recruited by Nathalie Emmanuel (who promises “a life less ordinary”) to begin his heisting career. Of course, this prequel isn’t entirely devoid of zombies, but the focus is on those safes, which are cracking. Watch it on Netflix.

2. Halloween Kills (Peacock)

Halloween Kills is a direct sequel to 2018’s Halloween, which was a sequel to 1978’s Halloween that ignored all the previous sequels in the franchise. It’s confusing, but really, all you need to know is that it’s a Halloween movie with Jamie Lee Curtis, “The Shape,” and an eerie score from John Carpenter. ’Tis the season (to watch horror movies). Watch it on Peacock

1. Dune (HBO Max)

At long last, Dune is here. Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic starring everyone you like (including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa) should probably be seen on the biggest screen possible. But it’ll still look darn good at home. Watch it on HBO Max.

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

Get more streaming recommendations with our weekly What To Watch newsletter.

10. (tie) The Haunted Museum (Discovery+)

Eli Roth has so much going on over at Discovery+ this month (following his recent real-life horror/Shark-Week film on the streamer) that one has to wonder… is he running the joint? It’s a valid question, but more to the point, he’s teaming up with Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans for this scripted anthology series, in which they illuminate nine of the world’s most cursed artifacts. These relics are actually in display in Bagans’ Vegas museum, but here, you’ll get the historic commentary in addition to having the pants scared off of you.

10. (tie) I Know What You Did Last Summer (Amazon Prime)

Sure, you remember the 1997 film and perhaps you’re aware that that was based upon the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, but this Amazon Studios collaboration with Sony Pictures Television wants you to relive the nightmare once more. Obviously, this version doesn’t have Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, or Freddie Prinze, but these teens seem more twisted by nature than the O.G. bunch, so perhaps that will add some shading to justify reviving their shared dark secret as they aim to survive. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

10. (tie) The Next Thing You Eat (Hulu)

Need to shake up your food game? Join the club. Chef David Chang teams up with director Morgan Nevill for six episodes that follow seismic changes in the way we eat. There’s a global perspective, and expect to see robots and lab-grown food and more surprising paths to tastiness. Watch it on Hulu.

9. Maid (Netflix)

Margaret Qualley (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) stars in this heartbreaking adaptation of Stephanie Land’s New York Times best-selling memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive. This will, clearly, be a difficult watch, but Qualley’s raw portrayal (of a woman who flees an abusive relationship to go through exceedingly difficult times to break the cycle for her daughter) yields a burgeoning star. Watch it on Netflix. Watch it on Netflix.

8. Invasion (Apple TV+)

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: Apple TV+ is winning the space race. This latest drama from the streamer imagines an alien invasion of Earth as told from different perspectives of people on different continents around the world. Sam Neill is one of those – he plays a small-town sheriff on the verge of retirement when these other-worldly guests arrive. X-Men producer Simon Kinberg is behind the series, so expect the show to have some terrific visuals and compelling storylines. Watch it on Apple TV+.

7. What We Do In The Shadows (FX/Hulu)

Well, well, well. Guillermo turned out to be a vampire killer, which sure as heck came as a surprise to Nandor, Nadja, and Laszlo, and Colin. The four Staten Island roommates must figure out how to handle this conundrum, along with tackling the other challenges of this season. Those include dealing with wellness cults and gym culture, along with gargoyles, werewolves who play kickball, casinos, and more. In other words, this is still one of the funniest shows on TV. Watch it on FX and Hulu.

6. Inside Job (Netflix)

Lizzy Caplan and Christian Slater star in this adult animated comedy show that revolves around a shadow government that’s all up in global conspiracies. There are secret societies and orgies and shapeshifters and psychic mushrooms, along with an idealistic agent who hopes that she can make a difference in a world filled with unhinged characters. Watch it on Netflix.

5. You (Netflix)

If you find yourself commiserating with Penn Badgley’s obsessive serial killer Joe Goldberg when You’s third season drops this week, don’t take it personally. Relocating to a small town and having to interact with mommy bloggers and uber-masculine tech-daddies sounds like hell, sure, but it’s what he deserves. The show’s latest installment picks up where season two left off — with Joe and his new wife Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti at her best here) moving to the suburbs and trying to curb the worst of their shared homicidal tendencies. A new baby, new romantic distractions, anti-vaxxers, feminist wine retreats, and bro trips that end rather bloody all threaten their planned quiet life. And really, no amount of couple’s therapy can save a marriage when one spouse is constantly fantasizing about murdering the other. Happily ever after just isn’t in the cards for these two — but more dead bodies piling up in their basement certainly is. Watch it on Netflix.

4. Squid Game (Netflix)

Netflix’s most popular show in, well, ever continues to burn up the discourse, and internet bandwidth all over the world. It’s been a while since we had a full-on phenomenon like this one. Get in there if you haven’t yet, or maybe get in there again if you have, if part to enjoy (?) all the class-based cynicism and murderous children’s games, and in part so you have something to talk about with your family during the quickly-approaching holiday season. Watch it on Netflix.

3. Love Life: Season 2 (HBO Max)

Love Life ended up being the HBO Max original show to launch the service, and a new anthologized story is upon us with Anna Kendrick’s Darby passing the baton to a new unlucky-in-love protagonist, Marcus, who will be portrayed by William Jackson Harper (i.e., Jacked Chidi in The Good Place). Darby’s still in the show a little bit, but she got married, so this is all about Marcus finding himself launched from a long-term relationship and into the hell hole known as the dating world. Godspeed, Marcus. Watch it on HBO Max.

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

It’s a mitzvah in a world like this to turn the other cheek, bite the tongue, and generally disregard the impoliteness, ridiculousness, and stupidity of others. But wow, what a lift. Perhaps that’s why it’s so freeing to see Larry David and a cavalcade of stars and familiar faces push against the minutiae of polite culture with serial honesty. Who else could reject someone’s plea to pray for a sick relative without getting stabbed or mock the fakery of gazing deeply into someone’s eyes during a toast when all you want to do is freaking eat? Larry is no hero. He’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole and he’s back for another round of Curb. Watch it on HBO.

1. Succession (HBO Max)

Everyone’s favorite collection of monsters is back, once again, this time for a slightly delayed third season. Things left off with the Roy family in turmoil, as always, although this time from friendly fire, thanks to noted screw-up and amateur rapper Kendall making a big move. The new season should get ugly in the best possible way, so hop on board week-to-week if you’re already a fan or load up a binge and get caught up to see what everyone’s yammering about all fall. Watch it on HBO Max.

Gwyneth Paltrow stopped by Red Table Talk to promote her new Netflix series, Sex, Love & goop, on Wednesday. Or at least that was the initial plan because things took a turn when Jada Pinkett Smith once again started airing her issues with husband Will Smith. Although, to Jada’s credit, she did keep the discussion on topic because her grievances were about sex, and how it’s not going so well after being married for so long. Via E! Online:

“It’s hard,” Jada said. “The thing Will and I talk about a lot is the journey. We started in this at a very young age, you know, 22 years old. That’s why the accountability part really hit for me because I think you expect your partner to know [what you need], especially when it comes to sex. It’s like, ‘Well, if you love me, you should know. If you love me, you should read my mind.’ That’s a huge pitfall.”

As for Paltrow, she didn’t add much to the conversation except to say, “Isn’t it weird, though? It’s like someone doesn’t read your mind and we feel crushed.”

However, Paltrow should’ve been prepared for the Red Table Talk experience to veer into awkward amounts of tea spilling about Will and Jada’s marriage. Soon after the episode hit, people started losing their minds on social media over the fact that, once again, Jada was airing Will’s dirty laundry. She quickly became a trending topic thanks to an avalanche of hilarious reactions, which you can see below.

(Via E! Online)

North Carolina Republican Madison Cawthorn has developed quite a reputation for himself (much like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene) as a highly radical, far-right freshman congressman. He has insisted that MAGA rioters were simply “normal people” who were “kind of wandering in,” which suggests a severe departure from reality. He’s been called out for his anti-vaxxer stances, including insisting that Americans have a “constitutionally protected” right to hop on an airplane. Cawthorn also got into a screaming match with fellow Republican David McKinley, so yeah, he’s doing about as well as Boebert and Greene.

Madison decided to step in it on Wednesday night during ongoing Congressional debates about the so-called bipartisan infrastructure bill. The congressman didn’t explain the context of what he was upset about, but he’s apparently referring to Biden’s promise to only raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans (meaning .0005% of the population) to pay for the bill. Cawthorn selectively interpreted this as “Biden said that the $3.5 TRILLION spending bill will cost zero dollars.” He then (presumably rhetorically) inquired, “What’s the biggest lie a politician has ever told?”

Well, people had some ready answers for him, particularly his own falsehoods — regarding his accident and his claim that he’s was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy and multiple Ivy League universities — that Cawthorn has told as part of his villain origin story (the Washington Post published a thorough article on the subject, and it is an enlightening read). Trump’s lies (about COVID, the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and the Big Lie) also popped up in replies to Cawthorn’s tweet. He’s been thoroughly owned.

Don’t ask questions that you don’t want answered, right? At least Lauren Boebert can breathe easy at not having all the lie-attention focused on her today, but she might have a zinger coming later, too.

Asghar Farhadi, arguably Iran’s greatest living filmmaker, is one of the few directors who has won Best International Feature Film twice: the first time for 2011’s masterpiece A Separation, and again in 2016 for The Salesman. He’ll go for the trifecta with A Hero, which has already been selected as Iran’s entry for the 94th Academy Awards.

A Hero, which won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, is about a man named Rahim (Amir Jadidi) who is in prison because of an unpaid debt. “During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor (Mohsen Tanabandeh) to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don’t go as planned,” reads the official plot summary.

“I don’t perceive being local and being universal as opposites,” Farhadi told Deadline about his film’s theme being universal. “You can be extremely local and addressing only very specific local issues and being understandable and interesting for anyone from any other culture, as you can have very universal and general intentions and ambitions and not being understood by the closest person to you.”

A Hero, which also stars Fereshteh Sadrorafaii, Sahar Goldoust, Maryam Shahdaie, Sarina Farhadi, and Saleh Karimai, comes out in theaters on January 7, 2022, and Amazon Prime Video on January 21.

If Tucker Carlson had his way, farting in public might be punishable by death by firing squad. Earlier this week, the Fox News host got very, very serious when he shared not one but two—count ‘em, two—videos of Joe Biden coughing… then suggested with a straight face that the president had committed a crime. By coughing. Jimmy Kimmel was not about to let the Fox News host’s diatribe go without comment.

On Wednesday night, Kimmel reminded viewers that “Even though [Donald] Trump announced we’d rounded the corner [on COVID] more than a year ago, and his Fox friends enthusiastically agreed, actually he infected his inner circle—and vice versa—with COVID. Some people, like Tucker Carlson, are still working hard to criticize Joe Biden for the way he’s handling [the COVID pandemic].” Which is how we got to the cough heard ’round the world.

Kimmel shared some clips of Carlson showing Biden coughing, then bafflingly claiming that “no one from the CDC arrested Joe Biden that day. No one ever will. The people who make the rules don’t have to follow them.” There’s also the fact that the CDC doesn’t have the authority to arrest anyone, not to mention that coughing isn’t a crime. “Where are those CDC police when you need them?,” Kimmel wondered, then added: “What a soppy bag of phlegm he is.”

Kimmel also proposed that from here on out we refer to the male version of a “Karen” as a “Carlson,” which sounds like a perfectly relevant equivalent—even if not all of the Karens of the world deserve it.

You can watch the full clip above; the Biden bit starts around the 5:30 mark.