Month: December 2021

There’s no need to explain that Eminem has a lot of fans, but in case you didn’t know, his daughter, Hailie Scott Mathers, also has a bunch of stans: She has over two million followers on Instagram and a few hundred thousand more on TikTok. Speaking of TikTok, she recently took to the platform to reveal a bit about her 2021 Spotify Wrapped, noting that her most-played artist of the year was actually her dad.

In the video, which has nearly 7 million views as of this post, Mathers lip-syncs to The Real Housewives Of Potomac‘s Wendy Osefo talking about being a Nicki Minaj fan, on the November 8 episode of The Wendy Williams Show. Meanwhile, text on screen reads, “‘Do you listen to your dad’s music?’ ‘What??? Do I listen to my dad’s music?’ ‘I think my dad’s gone crazy.’” The video then cuts to a recording of her Spotify Wrapped presentation, which says not only that Eminem was her top artist of the year, but that she was in the top three percent of his listeners on the streaming platform.

Indeed, Mathers and her dad appear to share a good relationship. In 2018, The Daily Mail asked Mathers if “if she sees her father often and he’s supportive” and she responded, “Of course, we are very close.” Meanwhile, on 2020, Eminem spoke about his daughter with Mike Tyson on his Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson podcast. The boxer asked if Mathers was thinking about having children and Eminem replied, “Not babies, nope. Just a boyfriend and she’s doing good. She’s made me proud for sure. She graduated from college, 3.9.”

Donald Trump Jr. seems to be running out of things to shout about. Not long after taking to Instagram to insult Jill Biden’s “sh*thole” Christmas decorations, and just a day after complaining that Americans aren’t rioting enough over COVID vaccine mandates, the former president’s adult son—who may or may not have an actual job—was on Fox News (again) speaking with Trump mouthpiece Sean Hannity (again) about… well, we’re not really sure if even Don Jr. knows what he was talking about.

As Mediaite reports, Don Jr. chatted with Hannity on Wednesday night to count thy ways the Democrats have failed this country. Perhaps his time was limited, because Junior tried to shove an awful lot of bullsh*t into a single ramble, in what sounded like a greatest hits album of GOP conspiracy theories, complete with talk of Hunter Biden and pedophiles among us:

You have the Afghanistan withdrawal. I don’t know we’ve seen a worse incident in our country in the last century where we’re abandoning Americans, behind enemy lines, giving said enemy lists of people and biometric data that they can track them down. You have, killing American pipelines while giving Russia that, as my father’s administration did a great job blocking it. So then we can give NATO more money to protect them from the Russians that they’re enriching with the pipelines, you know? Hunter must be on the payroll somewhere, Sean.

It never ends. The incompetence doesn’t end. The Democrats are going out and making heroes of pedophiles. You saw this during this Rittenhouse trial. Joseph Rosenbaum, a five-time convicted [sic] child rapist. Boys as young as nine that he raped, he can go around with a gun rioting in Kenosha [sic], no problem.

As Mediaite noted, Joseph Rosenbaum—one of the two men Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot—was indeed indicted on 11 counts of child molestation in 2002. He pled guilty to two of the charges and served approximately 15 years in prison. But there was no way that Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of all charges based on a self-defense plea, knew any of this before he shot and killed Rosenbaum—who was unarmed.

It is, of course, worth noting that Rittenhouse’s lawyer, Mark Richards, has been complaining about how Republicans keep trying to turn his client into some sort of GOP poster boy, and specifically called out Don Jr., calling him “an idiot” for attempting to send Rittenhouse a new AR-15 rifle.

(Via Mediaite)

There’s never been any love lost between Ted Cruz and Jimmy Kimmel, and to complicate matters, Ted tends to ignore serious issues and supply trivial comebacks. And this week, that pattern has come back to Ted’s love of self-professed basketball prowess. This harkens back to his Supreme Court clerking days, when he (according to ex-colleagues who spoke to the New York Times) used to unwind on court by shouting “my bad!” while he “elbowed wildly” during games. (Basketballs + Elbows = No idea why Heidi wanted him to vacation with her in Cancun.)

This week, Kimmel took a swing at Ted by lumping him into a group of “scumbags” (who want to “scare old people” by painting Dr. Fauci as a villain). Of course, Ted responded by completely ignoring what Kimmel accused Cruz of doing, and instead, the much maligned senator from Texas focused on the important things by posting a clip of “Me kicking his ass at hoops.”

Naturally, Kimmel was bound to respond to this, and he did not disappoint. After the 3:15 minute mark above, Kimmel supplies his own trivial response. In doing so, he segues into Cruz Land while declaring, “You can still post photos of public figures whether they like it or not.” Here it comes: “For instance, if you wanted to share this photo we made of Ted Cruz sitting on a hot dog, well, that’s still totally okay.” Then the kicker. “And since it is okay, you should do it. Use the hashtag #HotDogTeddy.”

The corresponding tweet had to happen.

And the retweets happened, as well. One user noted that Kimmel “is giving Cruz WAY more credit than he deserves” with the size of this hot dog. That’s a fair point.

Cruz has yet to acknowledge this latest feud addition, but you know it’s getting under his skin. Dude must be practically steaming right now. Time to book a fight to Cancun!

Right-wing batsh*t crazy conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been called a lot of things, though “journalist” isn’t usually one of them. But don’t try telling that to Tucker Carlson. To hear the Fox News pundit tell it, Jones—whose own lawyers described him as a “performance artist” in a custody case—is this generation’s Edward R. Murrow.

On Wednesday night, Carlson went on a tirade against the January 6th House select committee, and was taken aback that they would subpoena Alex Jones in their ongoing investigation into the insurrection at the Capitol. The way Carlson sees it, it’s just the committee’s way of shutting up “one of the most popular journalists on the right.” Carlson went on:

“Jones is often mocked for his flamboyance but the truth is he’s been a far better guide to reality in recent years, in other words, a far better journalist, than say, NBC news national correspondent Ken Dilanian or Margaret Brennan of CBS.

Alex Jones never bought the Russia hoax, not for a second. And if Jones sat down with Tony Fauci, he would ask real questions just as journalists are supposed to do. Wouldn’t just slobber all over it. But Alex Jones makes fun of Joe Biden so the January 6th committee is threatening him with prison.”

For his part, Jones says he plans to plead the fifth, “Not because I’ve done anything wrong, but because these people are political criminals that have an ax to grind and have been bragging everywhere they want to put me in prison, okay? I don’t intend on spending the rest of my life in prison.”

Meanwhile, you can watch Carlson’s full tirade over at Mediaite.

(Via Mediaite)

It’s interesting to look at this current phase of Steven Spielberg-directed films, which, let’s say, starts after a three-year gap post-Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are eight films in this era, so far, and most of them are … “good.” Warhorse is a good movie. Bridge of Spies, also a good movie. The Post, good movie! But of this era, the only one, until now, that feels like it will be mentioned as a Spielberg classic is Lincoln. The others? It’s weird, it almost feels like he didn’t know what else to do. “Well, I need to do something with my time, and I’m kind of out of the dinosaur and archeologist game, and the kids seem to like Ready Player One, so I guess I’ll do that.” Lincoln was nine years ago so this marks the longest stretch we’ve gone without a Spielberg classic. Previously, the stretch that comes the closest is between 2005’s War of the Worlds and Munich up to 2012’s Lincoln.

Anyway, this all changes with Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. This is a Spielberg classic.

West Side Story feels like Spielberg is in control and knows exactly what he wants to do. And other than Lincoln (both of these films were written by Tony Kushner), the others don’t quite feel that way. Almost like there’s not quite the enthusiasm that we see on display like we see in West Side Story. It feels like the difference between what Spielberg agreed to make and what he wanted to make.

Look, admittedly, yes, I was disappointed when Spielberg passed on a fifth Indiana Jones movie to remake West Side Story. It seemed like a puzzling decision. I mean, sure, his heart wasn’t in a new Indiana Jones movie and, under those circumstances, it’s for the best he handed the whip to James Mangold. But why on Earth did Spielberg want to remake a movie people consider an undeniable classic? And the easiest answer seems to be he remade West Side Story because he wanted to remake West Side Story and if Steven Spielberg really wants to do something, well, the end result is probably going to be really good. Spielberg has been wanting to make this movie for a very long time, so you know the whole, “one for them, one for me,” theory? Spielberg has given us so many classics over the years, this kind of feels like, “33 for us, one for him.” I think, by now, he deserves to make this if that’s what he wants to do. Let Spielberg have his dream movie.

At the premiere, Spielberg made some opening remarks about the recent passing of Stephen Sondheim, who was obviously on everyone’s mind, then we were off. And from its opening moments, West Side Story is electric. Everything just pops. Yeah, I was a bit concerned this might all be hokey. That maybe there was no way to make those early scenes – of boys running around snapping, singing about being a Jet – could possibly be, today, cool. But Spielberg pulls it off. These are cool scenes. It’s very early on in this movie (it feels like such a throwback film I was tempted to use the word “picture” there instead of “movie”) that you’re hit smack dab in the face with the feeling of, oh, wow, Spielberg pulled this off. And from then on, you just go with it. It feels from another world and another time. It feels like watching something both modern, yet something that has to be from another era.

Is it an updated version? Or did Spielberg just remake the Robert Wise directed version from 1961? I guess the answer is a little both of both. It feels very similar, only made with modern production values. The major elements of the story are not changed (Tony and Maria do not get on a spaceship together at the end of this movie), yet there are enough interesting, let’s say, tweaks, that pivots the story, not in a different direction, but a different angle or perspective. Take, for instance, the role of Anybodys, who, in the original version was played in a heightened, “Oh, golly gee, why I outta,” kind of way. Now, Anybodys (played by Ezra Menas), gets into a screaming match with the Jets after being called “a girl” one too many times, denouncing that gender, then proceeds to beat the living hell out of their antagonist. (This scene is shot, overhead, with the same force as Indiana Jones just whaling on a Nazi.) Or the role of Chino (Josh Andrés Rivera), who, when we first meet him, is meek. This is probably the biggest departure from the original movie. He, like Tony (Ansel Elgort, who, along with Rachel Zegler as Maria, play the star-crossed lovers at the heart of this story that cause a lot of problems for a lot of people), are just nice guys who don’t see what all the fighting is about. It’s only after he witnessing the events of the movie unfold do we see a change in Chino.

I do wonder what Rita Moreno would have said in 1961, after winning an Oscar for playing Anita, would have said of someone told her, “60 years from now they will make another one of these movies and you will also play a major role.” Heck, honestly, she might get nominated for another Oscar here for playing Valentina, who owns the pharmacy and is the heart and soul of this movie. Speaking of Anita (here played by Ariana DeBose), like Moreno’s showstopper in the original, “America,” remains an absolute highlight. Like, seriously, wow. And Spielberg was wise not to set this one on a rooftop at night, instead opting for a different take on the production, outside, on the streets, in the daylight. This scene pops (there’s that word again) off the screen in lush colors and ends with an eruption from the audience who will not be able to resist.

Look, I’ll let the West Side Story superfans debate which movie is better. I suspect the consensus will be along the lines of “the original is the classic, but this new version is a worthy update.” And, yes, the original is gorgeous, but Spielberg is a master of emotion and what makes a narrative work. And there were aspects I liked better in this version because of that. For instance, I truly believe Spielberg does a better job of setting up the rumble and conveying to the audience what’s at stake. By the time it arrives, it feels like an event. As opposed to the original, which as more of a, well, the Jets and Sharks always seem to be going at each other and here they go again, at least before things go terribly south. But, again, I’ll leave that debate to others. But there’s little debate that this West Side Story will go down as a Steven Spielberg Classic. Hot damn.

‘West Side Story’ opens in theaters on December 10th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Taylor Swift is decidedly old-fashioned in that she’s big on sending physical letters, whether they’re to peers like Olivia Rodrigo or to Swiftie nurses. She recently busted out her pen and paper yet again as she sent flowers and a note to Don McLean after “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” broke the record for the longest song to ever go No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, beating McLean’s “American Pie” for the honor.

McLean shared photos of the flowers and letter and wrote, “What a classy artist! Thank you @taylorswift13 for the flowers & note!” As for the letter, it reads, “Don, I will never forget that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. Your music has been so important to me. Sending love one writer of LONG SONGS to another. Your fan, Taylor.”

McLean also told Billboard after Swift topped his record, “There is something to be said for a great song that has staying power. ‘American Pie’ remained on top for 50 years and now Taylor Swift has unseated such a historic piece of artistry. Let’s face it, nobody ever wants to lose that #1 spot, but if I had to lose it to somebody, I sure am glad it was another great singer/songwriter such as Taylor.”

This is Swift’s latest brush with old-school music royalty in recent days, as Billy Joel recently compared her to The Beatles, which naturally blew her mind.

Since Bobby Shmurda’s release from prison, fans have been extremely hopeful that the rapper would drop a project to commemorate his return to the world. Unfortunately, in the two months that followed, Shumrda has only released two singles — “No Time For Sleep Freestyle” and “Splash” — as well as “Tata (Remix),” a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, and Eladio Carrion. For those who’ve been wondering what’s the hold up with new music from Shmurda, the rapper gave a clue for what could be the issue in a post to Instagram that he quickly deleted moments later.

“I ain’t been in charge of my music since I was 19 years old and I jus turned 27 and honestly idk when shit dropping so don’t ask me shit go ask them mf’s since they wanna control everything!!!!!!!” an image he shared to Instagram read. Shmurda is currently signed to Epic Records with a management deal with Roc Nation so the rapper’s issues most likely lie with either or both of the labels.

Shmurda’s claim comes after revealing a collaboration he hopes to make a reality in the new future. “You know what the world needs,” he wrote in a tweet. “#BobbyShmurda & #Adele to make a Strip Club Anthem.”

You can view Shmurda’s now-deleted post about the control of his music above.

On Sunday, the world was shocked to learn that designer and DJ Virgil Abloh passed away at the age of 41. His death came after a private battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. A post that was shared on Abloh’s Instagram page said this: “He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture.” His death inspired many to share their condolences on social media, the latest being Kid Cudi who wrote a lengthy message honoring Abloh on Instagram.

“It’s taken me a few days to make this post,” Cudi wrote with a carousel of images featuring him and Abloh. “Tryna find the right words. Virgil was the kindest most warmest soul I’ve ever met. He was a true visionary, genius, disrupter, epic DJ and artist, but he was also just truly a beautiful human.” He continued:

I’ve never known anyone quite like him. And I know i never will. Once in a lifetime. Virgil, I thank u for being a true friend and always makin me feel special when u sent a text, made time for me to hang or sent some shoes w my name on them. I love you endlessly. Til we meet again my friend. I hope u see what you’ve done. You changed the world forever. You did that. I love you Virgil. Goodbye my friend. Your brother, Rager.

Cudi was also one of many artists who appeared at Abloh’s final Louis Vuitton fashion show on Tuesday night. He also performed “Moon,” he and Ye’s collaboration with Don Toliver from Donda.

On Wednesday, MLB and MLBPA representatives met briefly with an impending work stoppage looming, and unsurprisingly a miraculous last-minute agreement was not reached.

As such, late Wednesday night, MLB owners voted unanimously to institute a lockout, as reported by Jon Heyman, which will begin on Thursday, the first work stoppage in baseball since the strike of 1994-95.

At the center of the issues right now for CBA negotiations are the rather upsetting number of teams that simply won’t spend and choose not to compete. While some teams are willing to spend, as evidenced by the massive contracts handed out by the Mets and Rangers, specifically, this offseason, others have almost embarrassingly low payrolls — Max Scherzer, for example, would make more than two entire teams if the season started immediately.

Owners, of course, want to keep things as they are and will want something in return from the players if they are to make any concessions with regard to revenue split or instituting some kind of salary floor. By starting the lockout now, with many free agents still unsigned and no one getting paid, the hope from ownership is to create a weaker players union by causing some to simply want the lockout to end rather than fighting for the best possible collective bargaining agreement. There are still a few months before a stoppage would bleed into the start of spring training, but few anticipate this being resolved quickly.

For some reason, Drake was sitting courtside from Wednesday night’s Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets showdown in Oklahoma City.

The logical reason for Drake to be at this game is probably to support Thunder guard and Toronto native Shai-Gilgeous Alexander (and Lu Dort, who is also a Canadian on OKC’s squad). But why this specific game to do so? At some point, Gilgeous-Alexander will be back in Toronto playing with the Thunder. And this isn’t even a good opponent to see the Thunder play against. No offense to the Rockets, but they are among the worst teams in the league (although now riding a 4-game winning streak) and don’t even have their top pick (Jalen Green) available right now due to injury.

Frankly, getting to the bottom of why Drake is at Thunder-Rockets on a Wednesday night in December is worthy of some kind of investigation. He was in Toronto as recently as two days ago, but perhaps he’s just really into Josh Giddey’s passes (or maybe his TikTok) or loves Alperen Şengün’s flair as a center in addition to wanting to support his countrymen. It’s so random that it deserves a random explanation, one that many on Twitter were searching for.

Drake also made friends with an older couple he was sitting next to in his courtside seat, posting to his Instagram story that they are his ‘new parents.’

It turned out to be a pretty good game, with Houston winning 114-110 thanks to a big fourth quarter comeback, so maybe Drake is smarter than us all, a savvy shopper for what had to have been some relatively cheap courtside seats to take in a pretty entertaining game.