Month: November 2021

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly six years since the world lost David Bowie. One of the most tragic aspects of his death at 69 is he was in the middle of a career resurgence after releasing the critically acclaimed albums “The Next Day” (2013) and “Blackstar” (2016) just days before his passing.

In a rare, revealing interview on “The Today Show,” Bowie’s widow, retired supermodel and entrepreneur Iman, 66, discussed why it’s taken her six years to properly grieve the loss.

The couple were married in 1992 and have a 21-year-old daughter, Lexi Jones, together. Bowie and Iman both have a child from previous marriages.

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Iman finally began to grieve properly in 2020 after returning to the couple’s estate during lockdown. In the intervening years, she had neglected her feelings to focus on helping her daughter through the monumental loss.

“I had a daughter who was a teenager when her father passed away, so I was really more concentrated in helping her go through her grief,” Iman said on Today. “But I thought, oh yes, I did go through my grief, but I actually did not.

“Last year, I went to my house estate, this beautiful property that I haven’t spent time there since my husband passed away, and there I was stuck for the year and I was forced to deal with it,” she said. “All of a sudden grief knocked on the door and became a companion. And I went through all of it, and now it is the joy that I remember.”

u201cThis was truly the love of my life.u201dnn@hodakotb speaks with supermodel, philanthropist and entrepreneur @The_Real_IMAN about her marriage with the late David Bowie and the new fragrance she is releasing in his honor.pic.twitter.com/VPM2xS6JG1

— TODAY (@TODAYshow)
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Iman is happy that she’s reached a point where she can finally embrace the joyous aspects of her 24-year marriage to Bowie.

“I think there are days that are harder than others,” she said. “I don’t think it will ever go away, but the acceptance of it, and the remembrance of the joy, rather than saying every memory that, ‘Oh, I wish he was here, I wish we could experience this together.’ Now I remember the 26 joyful years I had with my husband.”

Iman had an immediate response when her daughter asked if she’d ever get married again.

“No,” she told Hoda Kotb. “People say to me when they talk, ‘Oh I loved your late husband,’ and I said, ‘He’s not my late husband, he’s my husband,’ so that’s how I feel about it. This was truly the love of my life, and I just wait until I meet him again.”

u201cAt the end of our days, the only thing we will have, if we are lucky, is our memories.u201dnn@The_Real_IMAN brings @hodakotb to tears discussing David Bowie.pic.twitter.com/irikivJCLU

— TODAY (@TODAYshow)
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Bowie isn’t around any longer, but Iman cherishes the memories the two were able to create and holds them close to her heart.

“I think at the end of our days, the only thing we will have if we are lucky is our memories,” she said to a crying Kotb. “That’s the thing that we will have and will sustain us after the person passes away.”

Young Dolph died on Wednesday afternoon in a shooting in his hometown of Memphis. The news was originally reported by Jeremy Pierre of the local Fox affiliate, and soon after, authorities confirmed that Dolph, born Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was shot outside of a bakery after going inside and buying cookies. TMZ added to the reporting of the incident, saying that “Dolph went into the store, and a vehicle pulled up, firing through a front window and striking the rapper.” He was 36 years old.

The music world was devastated over the loss, something that applied to a number of NBA players, too. In the aftermath of Dolph’s death, basketball players took to Twitter and offered up their prayers and condolences.

Dolph had mentioned on multiple occasions that he was contemplating retiring from rap, but said earlier this year that he was unable to get to a place where he felt he could walk away, saying “I can’t do it, real talk. I can’t do.” Dolph released a number of mixtapes, EPs, and full-length albums over the years, most recently the 2021 release Dum and Dummer 2 alongside Key Glock. One year prior, Dolph dropped Rich Slave, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the highest-charting release of his career.

Marvel’s Hit-Monkey: Season 1 (Hulu series) — Hulu is crushing the game when it comes to adapting offbeat Marvel titles these days, as evidenced by the thoroughly enjoyable M.O.D.O.K., which gave us a better villain than we’ve ever seen in the MCU. Here, Jason Sudeikis, George Takei, and Olivia Munn voice the lead roles in a story about a Japanese snow monkey who somehow joins forces with an American assassin’s ghost, and they end up tearing up the Yakuza’s little underworld. This ain’t Ted Lasso, but since Sudeikis is onboard, it’ll be hard to escape that winning charm.

Tiger King: Season 2 (Netflix series) — This Joe Exotic stuff is still happening, somehow, even though he’s sitting in prison. The big-cat-owner saga keeps unfurling to show fallout from fame while more revelations surface, and that includes motivations and secrets of frenemies that include Jeff Lowe, Tim Stark, Allen Glover, and James Garretson, all while Carole Baskins maneuvers in the background.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (CW, 8:00pm) — The time machine goes bonkers and leaves the Legends stranded in a remote forest with no clues on their whereabouts.

The Wonder Years (CW, 8:30pm) — Lillian attempts to confront Michael’s parents after a bullying incident, but Dean’s upset by the action outcome of this action.

Batwoman (CW, 9:00pm) — Renee Montoya’s on the scene with a terrifying theory, even as she attempts to put Gotham on high alert to ensure its safety.

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Michael Keaton, John Wilson, The War On Drugs

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Lin-Manuel Miranda, Roman Reigns, Big Boi, Sleepy Brown

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Adam Driver, America Ferrera

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Benedict Cumberbatch, Latto, Nate Smith

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Kirsten Dunst, John Cho

In case you missed this pick from last week:

Passing (Netflix film) — Ahead of a theatrical release, you can watch this Sundance-acclaimed black-and-white movie that follows opposite stances of the New York 1929 color line. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga portray two Black women (and childhood friends) who can pass as white, and they decide to take different routes during the Harlem Renaissance. They later have a chance encounter and soon find themselves deeply intwined in each other’s lives, which transforms the action into a story about obsession and repression while also exploring racial identity, along with sexuality and femininity.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is currently under an intense spotlight after an investigation by the Wall Street Journal unveiled serious allegations against not only him but his knowledge of sexual misconduct within companies under the Activision umbrella, such as Sledgehammer Games and Blizzard. Following the report, multiple employees within the Activision umbrella staged a walkout demanding Kotick’s resignation.

These demands have so far not been met and it doesn’t appear that the board of directors is behind them. They posted a statement standing behind Kotick. Kotick and the company have officially pushed back against the report calling it “inaccurate” and “misleading.”

One person that is clearly not happy with Kotick and Activision’s response to The Wall Street Journal report is PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier is reporting that Ryan sent out an email to PlayStation employees while linking to the Wall Street Journal report and made it clear that he was not happy with how Kotick and Activision have responded so far.

In an email to employees reviewed by Bloomberg, Ryan linked to the Wall Street Journal’s Tuesday report. He wrote that he and his leadership were “disheartened and frankly stunned to read” that Activision “has not done enough to address a deep-seated culture of discrimination and harassment.”

“We outreached to Activision immediately after the article was published to express our deep concern and to ask how they plan to address the claims made in the article,” he wrote. “We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situation.”

Ryan’s influence in this situation can not go understated. As CEO of one of the three major video game console publishers, Ryan works very closely with many of the companies that publish games under the PlayStation banner. Activision and PlayStation have had a relationship as far back as the first PlayStation console so it’s a very big deal that Ryan is choosing to criticize them in this kind of scenario.

Before he became one of the longest-running Saturday Night Live cast members ever, Kenan Thompson made a name for himself on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That. Just a few years into its run, the show managed to secure a pretty amazing guest star who was no stranger to live sketch comedy: legendary comedian Chris Farley. In 1997, the SNL and Tommy Boy star appeared in a sketch with Thompson, who recently reminisced about the moment on the PEOPLE in the ’90s podcast.

“It was one of the greatest days I’ve ever seen,” Thompson said before praising Farley as a professional who, in just a few short hours, taught the young Nickelodeon star a “wealth of career knowledge” that would prepare him for his own SNL run. Via Entertainment Weekly:

“When you walk through those doors and are around those people, you’re on. It’s time to be funny. It’s not time to just be there. It’s time to prove why you’re there,” Thompson said. “[On the set of All That] Chris was immediately funny, giving everybody what they expected. That part of being a professional goes a long way because we still talk about him being one of the greatest to this day. And that takes serious dedication.”

Sadly, Farley would die of drug overdose the same year as the All That episode, but over two decades later, his memorable performances are still some of the best the comedy world has to offer. So thank you to Kenan for reminding us of this one.

(Via PEOPLE in the ’90s)

Adele’s divorce was a major inspiration behind her upcoming album 30, but that doesn’t mean she’s sour on the idea of marriage. In fact, the singer recently told John Mayer that he ought to get hitch and noted that she actually misses being married.

Mayer shared a teaser clip of an interview that he and Adele conducted for SiriusXM before it premieres in full on Friday. In it, Mayer asked flat out, “Should I get married?”

Adele was intrigued by the question but answered quickly, saying, “Oh… yes, you should get married.” She then elaborated, “I think it is a really incredible thing, marriage. And I know that some people probably think that I wouldn’t think that, you know, and like, I gave up on it. Yes, I think you should. I can’t really say why. I’m definitely open to marriage again. I definitely am. The feeling that I had in being married was the safest feeling I’ve ever had in my life. Sadly, it didn’t work out. But, you know, I miss being married.”

Mayer was touched by Adele’s answer, as he let out an “aww” and said, “I’m going to get myself married, one of these days,” to which Adele responded, “You should.”

Mayer wrote when sharing the clip, “I interviewed my friend @adele for @siriusxm, and her answer to this question was as evolved, honest and insightful as the rest of what she shared in our conversation. It airs Friday morning on Hits 1 at 7am ET. Her new album ‘30’ drops Thursday at midnight. It is exquisite, profound, and will surely soften the world’s heart. Thank you, Adele.”

Watch the video above.

Alex Cameron has never been afraid to march to the beat of his own drum, most recently on 2019’s Miami Memory, where he wrote songs about stepdads, broken homes, and porn. Now for the first time since then, he’s released a new song in “Sara Jo” with a can’t-miss video.

Set on a chilly Croatian shore, the clip is directed by Cameron and sees him shifting from cabana wear to skin tight Speedo swimsuit and Chaco sandals as he dances to the beat. The delightfully weird Cameron sings about his dysfunctional family, “Who pulled the curtains? Who broke the screen? Who told my brother that his kids are gonna die from this vaccine? Who told my mother that she’s never gonna find no love, nobody? Who told my father that he doesn’t have to pay for counseling?”

Over upbeat drums, synths, and of course a sprinkling of saxophone from his longtime “business partner” Roy Malloy, the song sets the stage for a new motif of disillusionment from the singer. That’s surely something we can all relate to in these new roaring ’20s we’re living in. But in presenting it as audaciously as he does — while gyrating in a Speedo — Cameron continues to show that he’s a master of not taking himself seriously.

Watch the video for “Sara Jo” above and check out Cameron’s European tour dates here.

For the past several years, Jason Sudeikis and his longtime friend Billy Brimblecom have organized the musical charity event Thundergong!, celebrating the Kansas City-based nonprofit Steps Of Faith, which works to provide prosthetic limbs to people who need them. This year, the fifth annual event is set to include performances by musicians like Waxahatchee, Michael McDonald, and more.

Thundergong! 2021 takes place virtually this weekend. Along with Michael McDonald and Waxahatchee, the event will invite musicians like Sammy Hagar & The Circle, Ryan Miller of Guster, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Wynona Judd and Cactus Moser, Ben Rector, Dashboard Confessional, and Counting Crows to perform. The night will also see appearances by comedians Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Heidi Gardner, and Kay Cannon.

Last year, Sudeikis and co-founder Brimblecom detailed how Thundergong! came to be in an interview with Uproxx. Apparently, the idea for the charity event was started when the pair took over a bar to help Brimblecom raise money to pay for his prosthetic leg. The success of the night made Sudeikis want to help more people.

“It’s a very profound thing, in this day and age, to celebrate the act of caring about people you may never meet,” Sudeikis told Uproxx about the benefit concert. “And it is a big line in the sand, I think, for the American experience. And this show walks on the side of, ‘We do that.’ And so when people care about something so much, they might willing to do even more work and do even more of this, and we go and we go bigger, and we go stronger.”

Thundergong! kicks off 11/20 at 8 p.m. EST, with viewers being able to donate in real-time. Tune in here.

As a song, “I Love You, I Hate You” is the fulcrum of Little Simz’s devastating and beautiful album, Sometimes I Am Introvert. It’s incredibly vulnerable and visceral songwriting from the British rapper, as she dissects the relationship (or lack thereof) with her absent father. When you dive into lyrics like, “You know what was destroyed, but you don’t know what was left,” it’s clear that there was deep soul-searching required to arrive at the stunning final track, produced by Inflo.

Now, Little Simz has just released a short film commissioned by WeTransfer’s “WePresent” platform and it adds depth and context to Simz as a songwriter. With a story conceived by the rapper, it marks her film debut in the 22-minute piece written by Caroline Adeyemi and directed by Sam Pilling (who has been behind a number of The Weeknd clips and also directed the epic Run The Jewels and DJ Shadow “Nobody Speak” visual).

In the film, Simz’s lead character is a writer on a deadline, spending time in the British countryside with her partner and close friend. It’s beautifully shot and spares no emotions as the imagery and collateral damage of creating lasting work is depicted in numerous ways.

In a statement, Simz shared some thoughts on the project:

“I Love You, I Hate You is the story of abandonment. How trauma can affect us in our adult lives if never confronted. I wanted to make this film because I feel it’s a universal story that many people can relate to. It’s been incredible to work with a partner like WePresent (the digital arts platform of WeTransfer) who are so invested in telling stories like this. They understood and trusted my vision from the jump and had my back to create the film I set out to make.”

Up next in the WePresent series will be a performance film by Moses Sumney entitled Blackalachia, out on December 8th. In it, Sumney and his band come to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, to play songs off his albums Grae and Aromanticism. “The film is a wild imagining of what can happen when we seek not just to reclaim nature, but to reintegrate with it,” Sumney said.

Little Simz’s I Love You, I Hate You the film is out now and you can watch it above. Check out the trailer for Moses Sumney’s Blackalachia here.

At one point, there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster Video stores across the globe. There’s now only one. “The Last Blockbuster” is located in Bend, Oregon, and it runs on internet-less computers and employees still use hand-written membership cards. The reason “The Last Blockbuster” is, well, the last Blockbuster is due to numerous factors, including bad decisions from those in charge (that’s usually the case). But it’s also because of Netflix popularizing renting DVDs through the mail and also forever changing the entertainment industry with streaming, which decimated physical media.

So, it’s kind of cruel and kind of hilarious that Netflix is making a show about Blockbuster.

Created by Vanessa Ramos (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), “the single-cam series is described as an ensemble comedy that takes place in the last Blockbuster Video in America. It explores what it takes – and more specifically who it takes – for a small business to succeed against all odds,” according to Variety. The always great Randall Park will star, while Happy Endings creator David Caspe and Kenan creator and Superstore writer Jackie Clarke are attached as writers and executive producers.

“To say getting to make a show about a place I love, with my friends Jackie and David, and Randall Park as our star is a dream come true, somehow feels like an understatement,” Ramos said. “I could not be more grateful to [the] whole team at Netflix for being on board with so many weird jokes.”

In other news, Facebook is making a movie about MySpace.

(Via Variety)