Month: November 2021

You know what’s a good movie? Blade. You know what’s an even better movie? Blade II. If you haven’t watched Blade II in a while, you should change that. It rules, which is why it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Wesley Snipes as the human-vampire hybrid… or so I thought until Mahershala Ali was announced as the new Blade for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Oscar winner is a great choice and even has Snipes’ support.

In response to a Twitter user who wrote, “Best of luck to Mahershala Ali who’s gonna smash it I’m sure as blade but he’s gonna have a hard time outdoing Wesley Snipes,” Snipes wrote, “He will do great,” along with the prayer hands emoji.

Ali (who made his MCU debut in SPOILER) also spoke to Empire about his excitement for getting to play Blade. “That Marvel world is obviously the biggest in film, and just to get my little introduction to that – starting with the Comic Con a couple years ago, and now the very early stages of stepping into the shoes of that character – it felt special and really cool,” he said. “I’m excited to get going and do more.”

Blade does not currently have a release date, but filming is expected to begin in July 2022. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) will direct, while Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen, Pen15) is writing the script.

(Via Empire)

Move over, QAnon Shaman and Jenna Ryan, there’s a new Capitol rioter making headlines for wishing a little too late that he never listened to Donald Trump. New Jersey gym owner Scott Kevin Fairlamb has officially been handed the longest prison sentence yet, three and a half years, for his participation in the MAGA riot that attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election by stopping Congress from certifying votes through force and/or hanging Mike Pence.

Fairlamb was one of the first batch of rioters picked up by federal authorities thanks to a bunch of social media activity that made him very easy to find and prosecute. Via Gothamist:

According to the Department of Justice, “After arriving on Capitol grounds, Fairlamb climbed the scaffolding on the West Terrace, where he recorded and posted a video to Instagram in which he stated, ‘We ain’t f****** leaving either! We ain’t f****** leaving!’”

A tipster reported to the FBI that Fairlamb said in a video posted to (and later deleted from) Facebook, while carrying a police baton, “What Patriots do? We f****** disarm them and then we storm the f****** Capitol,” before entering the building.

During the sentencing hearing, Fairlamb denounced his QAnon ways, which has become a recurring theme amongst rioters like the Shaman and Ryan, who both had a change of heart when faced with the consequences of their actions.

“That is not Scott Fairlamb. That’s not who I am. That’s not who I was raised to be. I truly regret my actions that day. I have nothing but remorse,” he told the judge, according to the Washington Post.

(Via Gothamist)

Well, here’s something you don’t see every day. Or, um, ever.

The New York City Marathon took place this past Sunday, as 33,000 runners of all shapes and sizes ran the 26.2 miles from Staten Island to Central Park. Among them was a runner no one would have expected—an energetic white duck named Wrinkle.

Wrinkle’s owner shared her triumphant running videos on TikTok and YouTube, which highlight Wrinkle’s daily doings, and people have been sharing them with great joy on social media. Who can blame them? Ducks are adorable. Ducks in shoes are super adorable. And a duck in shoes running in a marathon is too adorable to handle.

I mean, watch this and try not to smile.

Wrinkle’s owner wrote on the video share on YouTube:

Wrinkle the duck is more than just a beautiful pekin duck,

she is a full grown adult human child

She is fast

She is speed

She is zoom

She is wrinkle

Still fast as duck boiiii

The video of Wrinkle running in the marathon has garnered more than 4 million views on TikTok and thousands of comments.

One commenter wrote, “I know this may seem silly, but I’ve been so deeply depressed lately and seeing this little lady running has actually made me smile.”

Wrinkle responded: “As an official emotional support duck hearing this makes me feel like I’m doing my job well. Wrinkle loves you.”

Some famous brands got in on the comments as well.

Duolingo—the language app with an owl for an icon—wrote, “That’s my cousin!”

Adidas wrote, “Sending this to our design team to petition for a new duck shoe collection.”

The New York Rangers hockey team wrote, “She’s a runner, she’s a track star” (a reference to the song “Track Star”—of course, several commenters chimed in to correct it to “quack star”).

Peloton wrote, “You’re hired your first class will be a 20 min Hip Hop Waddle.”

The Anaheim Ducks hockey team: “Legendary duck.”

(Aflac, surprisingly, missed the opportunity.)

Undoubtedly, Wrinkle did not run the entire 26.2 miles, but however much she ran was totally worth it. If you’re wondering how Wrinkle trained for her five minutes of fame, check this out (with the sound up, please):

Okay, wrinkle. You’ve won us over with your cute widdle waddle and the pitter patter of your widdle footsies. The shoes are really just icing on the cake.

In a world filled with division and strife, perhaps we can all agree on the delight Wrinkle the emotional support duck brings to us all.

Follow Wrinkle’s adventures on TikTok and YouTube.

If the audible groan was any indicator, Matthew McConaughey was not looking forward to discussing a possible vaccine mandate for children.

“Right now I’m not vaccinating mine, I’ll tell you that,” McConaughey told New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin during an interview at the virtual DealBook summit.

Though it’s a bit of a controversial stance, there’s no conspiracy theories driving McConaughey’s decision. Being vaccinated himself, he stressed to Sorkin that he thought scientists are “trying to do the right thing,” and even argued that wearing masks should have been a “quick and easy mandate,” saying it would be “a small inconvenience for a possible long-term freedom.”

But when it comes to enforced vaccination for youngsters, McConaughey admits his resistance, explaining, “I couldn’t mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids. I still want to find out more information.”

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He also mentioned that his family has always been “slow on vaccinations,” even before COVID, and he noted that the Pfizer shots were “just”recently approved, making it difficult to get totally onboard just yet for his children. Instead, Matthew and his family have been strict about quarantining and getting tested regularly, which he acknowledged not everyone is in a position to do so.

McConaughey’s remarks incited pushback from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who argued that the vaccines were more of an opportunity for protection, rather than something to be feared. Murthy told CNN:

“I would encourage parents to recognize that Covid is not harmless in our children. Many kids have died. Sadly, hundreds of children ― thousands ― have been hospitalized. And as a dad of a child who has been hospitalized several years ago for another illness, I would never wish upon any parent they have a child that ends up in the hospital.”

Addressing the science, he continued, “and the vaccines have shown, in these trials for children 5-11, they are more than 90% effective in protecting kids from symptomatic infection, and they are remarkably safe as well.”

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy responds to Matthew McConaughey saying he doesn’t want to vaccinate his children just yet:

“COVID is not harmless in our children … [vaccines] are remarkably safe, as well.” pic.twitter.com/d8WKwratNy

— The Recount (@therecount) November 10, 2021

The current vaccine for kids is one-third of the normal dose, making the side effects about as severe as a sore arm. And though COVID infections tend to be milder, even asymptomatic in children, there is still the risk of secondary transmission. Someone like McConaughey’s immunocompromised mother, for example, could be at risk of infection from one of his children.

Until there is a mandate, which won’t happen until at least one vaccine has been granted full government approval, the choice of whether or not to vaccinate a child is completely up to the parent. And let’s face it, no one wants to put their child at risk, regardless of where they weigh in politically. But with the CDC reporting more than 170 COVID related deaths in children, parents have to ask themselves which is more of a gamble.

According to vaccine expert Stanley Plotkin, some level of risk is unavoidable. He recently told Insider “I could understand a parent saying that ‘I will wait until the vaccine is fully approved.’ I wouldn’t consider that attitude to be crazy. But if you postpone that choice, it means that your child remains susceptible and could be infected.”

Even McConaughey, while hinting that he might vaccinate his children eventually, commented that “there’ll come a time where you’re going to have to roll the dice one way or the other.”

Rolling the dice is never the ideal when it comes to protecting children, but it seems to be the theme we have all become accustomed to. Though by no means should we look to celebrities as health experts, I think that McConaughey’s stance, and Murthy’s response, really exemplify how the predicament is so far beyond a political debate. No matter what decision parents make for their kids regarding this issue, no choice is going to come without a price.

Thundercat has come a long way since he released his debut album in 2011. The bass player’s debut project introduced fans to his endlessly groovy sound, clever lyrics, and love of manga. Since then, Thundercat has gone on to drop several more albums, the latest of which, the 2020 LP It Is What It Is, earned him his second Grammy Award for best Urban Contemporary Album. Now celebrating a decade of music, Thundercat is plotting a deluxe vinyl edition of his debut, The Golden Age Of Apocalypse.

Not only is the deluxe version of The Golden Age Of Apocalypse repressed on a translucent red vinyl and has brand new cover art, but it also unearths some new music. The track listing includes two never-before-heard bonus tracks, “$200 TB” and “Daylight (Reprise).” The release is set to be available in participating stores on Record Store Day later this month.

At the time, The Golden Age Of Apocalypse was executive produced by Thundercat’s longtime musical partner Flying Lotus. The LP was also a hands-on effort featuring some of the musician’s talented LA collaborators who would go on to find solo success, like Kamasi Washington.

The Golden Age Of Apocalypse (Deluxe) is out Record Store Day on 11/26 via Brainfeeder.

With a handful of albums and big-name features to their name, prolific LA-based rap duo BlueBucksClan are already making waves in the industry. Proving their knack for breezy rhymes and polished delivery, BlueBucksClan fire off a stoic performance for Uproxx Sessions.

Once again taking over Uproxx studios, BlueBucksClan are back with a captivating rendition of their Clan Virus 2 album opener “She Busy.” The performance sees the pair trading smooth verses back-and-forth, proving just how tangible their musical chemistry is. With each line, BlueBucksClan jump off each others’ laid-back rhymes while further flexing over an effortless beat.

The performance arrives following one of the hottest years for BlueBucksClan to date. They’ve been dropping music and building up a steady following since 2019, but the duo’s recent album Clan Virus 2, which came in March, shows just how far the pair have come. The album saw features from hip-hop’s top heavy-hitters like Lil Yachty, Quavo, and Hit-Boy, as well as their Out Of The Blue labelmate Bino Rideaux.

Watch BlueBucksClan’s performance of “She Busy” on Uproxx Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

While a lot of contestants on The Masked Singer are celebrities you wouldn’t expect to see on stage belting it out, they get a lot of actual singers on the program. In just the current season, some of the singers who have been unmasked include Natasha Bedingfield, Tyga, and Toni Braxton. Well, now a punk legend has been added to the list, as it was revealed that Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon) of the Sex Pistols was the jester character. He went out with a bang, covering Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” before being eliminated from the program.

Rotten told Billboard his appearance on the show was mostly for his wife’s benefit, saying, “Someone contacted my manager and we discussed it and I thought it would be really good because it meant my lovely wife, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, might get a great sense of fun out of it if she managed to guess who it was. We’ve lived together for 47 years, Nora and I, so she must have some clues as to who I am and what I can get up to.” He later added, “This is a giggle, which I don’t mind sharing with the general public, but mostly because I want to see my wife happy. Alzheimer’s is a very, very challenging illness. Any connection I can have to bring joy into her life I’m more than happy to do that. Those are my motives.”

As for what a young rebellious Rotten would think of his older self appearing on a reality singing show, present-day Rotten said, “‘What a handsome dude,’ he would have said. ‘If only I could grow up to be as professional, skillful, beautiful, well-weathered, and manicured as him, well, I might have a career!’ You can quote me on that!”

Watch some clips from the show above.

Here are a few things that happen in the trailer for the record-breaking 15th season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, posted above.

– The Gang frets about being doomed to “have sex with only old people” in the world’s most disgusting bathroom

– Dennis gets chili (?) thrown in his face

– Frank vomits up something that I hope is soup

– Charlie bonds with the Irish version of himself who’s into “ghouls and cheese”

– Someone is dressed as the QAnon Shaman

– Dee blames the feminists for ruining “everything,” including trading sex for acting roles

– Frank reveals he was in business with Jeffrey Epstein

– Mac wants to become a Catholic priest (and looks like this)

– And The Gang goes to Ireland

I missed these lovable monsters. Here’s what else to expect:

In the seismic wake of Covid-19 and all things 2020, The Gang stands at a crossroads in this strange new world. The rules are changing quicker than anyone can keep up with, despite herculean efforts from Mac (Rob McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito) to continue business as usual. Now, they must face the music and decide who they’ll become in the cultural upheaval that is 2021. Across the span of eight episodes — and the Atlantic Ocean — we find them answer in a way only they could think to.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns to FXX on December 1.

It’s been nearly two decades since 13 Going On 30 hit theaters back in 2004, and Christa Allen — the actress who played 13 year-old Jenna Rink alongside Jennifer Garner in the hit romcom — is at long last 30, flirty, and thriving. As of today, the star known for her breakout role in the charming comedy is now 30-years-old, and while she might not be celebrating with a killer “Thriller” routine, she is having a bit of fun with the momentous occasion.

Four days ago, Allen took to TikTok to upload the first of a scripted, five-part mini-series titled Vienna, a reference to the Billy Joel song that plays during her character’s lowest point in 13 Going on 30. In the series, Allen plays herself as she is confronted by her own 13-year-old self (played by Lana Fleischli) who forces her to do some introspection and confront the lessons romcoms teach women, such as the age-old myth that women can either be professionally successful or a loving mother. She also offers 30-year-old Christa some other pieces of sage advice: be present, be patient, and only you can complete yourself.

As of right now, only the first four-minute-long episodes have been uploaded to Allen’s TikTok, with the fifth and final clip expected to hit the video-sharing service later today. In addition to Allen and Fleischli, actor Mark Dohner appears in the short film as Allen’s not-so-potential love interest. Vienna was written by Heidi Clements, with filmmaker Nick Cho directing. Oh, and if you’re looking to celebrate Allen’s birthday with another great watch, you can always catch 13 Going on 30 over on Hulu.

To commemorate Thursday’s one-day-only theatrical release of Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago – The Ultimate Director’s Cut (yes, it’s really called that), Sylvester Stallone dropped a whopping 90-minute long documentary on the making of the ’80s classic that essentially distilled the Cold War into a boxing match, as was the custom of the time. In the behind-the-scenes video, Stallone reveals a fascinating nugget regarding the film’s iconic fight with Dolph Lundgren‘s Ivan Drago, namely that the Swedish actor — playing Russian, because… sure — punched Stallone so hard that the Rocky star nearly died.

According to Stallone, the situation was so dire that he had to be flown on an emergency flight that had nuns on-board in case he didn’t make it. Via IndieWire:

“The first thing we shot [was] my entrance, [Lundgren’s] entrance, and the introductions and then I got really injured during the fight and I had to be flown into intensive care to California from Canada,” Stallone said. “[Lundgren] pulverized me. And I didn’t feel it in the moment but later that night my heart started to swell. My blood pressure went up to 260 and I was going to be talking to angels. Next thing I know I’m on this emergency, low-altitude flight. I’m in intensive care surrounded by nuns and then after that, I had to go back and finish the fight.”

As Stallone goes on to reveal, he was in the hospital for four days after getting pummeled by Lundgren, but he was adamant that the shot that nearly killed him be used in the final cut of the film. “How could you take that out?” Stallone quipped in the documentary that’s practically its own movie.

(Via Sylvester Stallone, IndieWire)