Month: January 2022

Donald Trump may have a talent for getting people to play along with his duplicitous schemes—see: Rudy Giuliani and The Big Lie—but his track record for keeping those people on his side and loyal to the tales they’ve spun and half-truths they’ve told on his behalf is pretty abysmal. The latest one-time MAGA stooge to turn their back on the former president looks to be William Barr.

On Monday, CNN’s Anderson Cooper reported that Barr, the former Attorney General under Trump, has already had a “preliminary” discussion with the January 6th sub-committee. Whereas Barr has reportedly claimed that he doesn’t know much because he was no longer working under Trump at the time of the insurrection, “the fact is he was on the job up until the 23rd of December,” Cooper said, “by which time the former president’s pressure campaign on the Justice Department to cast doubt on the election had already been underway for several weeks.”

Cooper brought on New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman to shed some further light on the situation. In addition to confirming that Barr could play a significant role in getting to the bottom of exactly what part Trump played in the events that led to the Capitol riots, she noted that “It’s also important that he’s voluntarily speaking to them. There has been such resistance from people who are still close to the former president to being involved with this committee at all.” Which begged the question: Do Barr and Trump still have any sort of relationship?

According to Haberman, as Raw Story noted:

“They don’t have a relationship now. They haven’t had a relationship in quite some time I think that, you know, there are things that the former president accomplished that I think that the former attorney general, you know, supported and certainly was against, as Jonathan said. He was not in favor of the Mueller investigation. That’s part of why the former president brought him in, to end that moment in time. There were things they agreed on. There were a number of things they didn’t agree on over time. That began, you know, frankly, long before Election Day. Their relationship is nonexistent now.”

You can watch the full clip below.

(Via Raw Story)

For seven out of The Office’s nine seasons, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott lorded over John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert, often annoying him, but ultimately leaving Dunder Mifflin on his good side. Now the tables have turned. As per Deadline, Krasinski — who’s added “hot shot film director of popular movies” to his CV in the last few years — has assembled what he call his “dream cast” for his next directorial effort. And among those actors is no less than Carell himself.

The movie is called simply If, and while details are scant, Deadline describes it as a “child’s journey to rediscover their imagination.” That doesn’t make it sound much like an absurdist comedy, but with Carell on board, it’s an Office reunion nonetheless. (Krasinski has so far shied away from rounding up his many fellow Office alumni for the four movies he’s directed so far. Rashida Jones did have a small role in his debut, the David Foster Wallace adaptation Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, while Randall Park — who played Steve, Jim’s prank replacement in one episode, found his way into his indie comedy The Hollars.)

But what of the rest of Krasinski’s dream cast? The others include Ryan Reynolds, Brits Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Fiona Shaw, kids Alan Kim (Minari) and Cailey Fleming (The Walking Dead), plus no less than legend Louis Gossett Jr.

Krasinski’s If has a release date of November 17, 2023.

(Via Deadline)

After Nipsey Hussle‘s death in 2019, the Los Angeles Police Department denied that he was the target of an investigation into the neighborhood of his Marathon Clothing store. The investigation was aimed at trying to curb gang violence in the Central LA area around the store, but representatives for the LAPD said that Nipsey wasn’t being investigated.

However, in a new episode of Guardian‘s Today In Focus podcast, the initiative, called the LASER (Los Angeles Strategic Extraction and Restoration) program, Nipsey’s brother, Samiel Asghedom (aka Blacc Sam) revealed that many of those anti-gang efforts centered on the Marathon store, despite the positive work the rapper had committed to. “The agenda was, ‘Whatever they’re doing over there, crush it,” he said.

Meanwhile, law professor Andrew Ferguson described the program, explaining its title as a “metaphor that they were going to, like laser surgery, remove the tumors, the bad actors from the community” via “predictive policing technology.” According to Los Angeles Times, the program used data to identify “anchor points” were more officers could be concentrated. In 2019, the program was ended by the LAPD after community criticism, with a spokesperson saying, “We discontinued LASER because we want to reassess the data. It was inconsistent. We’re pulling back.”

Listen to the full episode below.

The pandemic has been hard on everyone, but there are certain groups of people who have faced particularly intense challenges these past two years. Healthcare workers? For sure. Teachers? Definitely. Parents? Um, yes.

Moms specifically? Yesssss.

It’s hard to describe how hard navigating the pandemic with kids has been. Figuring out childcare when schools and daycare centers shut down, managing kids’ remote or hybrid schooling, constantly making decisions about what’s safe and what’s not, dealing with the inconsistency and chaos of it all, weighing risks with who is vaccinated and who isn’t—none of it has been easy. Many parents are also raising kids with mental, emotional, behavioral or physical challenges that have only been made harder by pandemic life.

COVID-19 has forced us to give up and/or alter the systems we rely on to keep our lives running smoothly, and because moms tend to take on the lion’s share of child-rearing and logistical household management, we’ve felt those changes intensely. And at this point, heading into the third year of pandemic uncertainty, we’re exhausted. Wiped out. So done.

That’s why when editor Lucy Huber shared that her online moms group had invited everyone to an empty field to scream, it resonated with so many:

If you’re wondering what things are like for parents right now, someone in my online moms group invited everyone to a Facebook event that is just going to an empty field and screaming and a LOT of people RSVPed yes.

— Lucy Huber (@Lucy Huber)
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Some days we just want to scream because it feels like we can’t do anything else. We need to vent somewhere, let out some of this tension and frustration and exhaustion we’re carrying around, and we don’t want to take it out on our families. The idea of getting together with other moms who get that feeling is incredibly appealing.

The group Huber mentioned actually did this, gathering at a high school in the Boston area on the evening of January 13. Around 20 moms showed up and participated in a group scream session led by licensed therapist Sarah Harmon, according to GMA.

Looks cathartic, doesn’t it?

The idea of a primal scream isn’t exactly new. In fact, The New York Times set up a “primal scream” hotline for parents to call and scream or cry or vent about anything they feel like getting off their chest. The hotline number is 212-556-3800, and you can let it all out for a full minute.

“Any of our readers or anyone who is not a reader can call to scream, laugh, cry,” said the Times’ editor at large Jessica Bennett, according to WCBS Newsradio. “We’ve been hearing for months now about how women have been disproportionately affected in the pandemic and we’ve been hearing about parents who are struggling to manage work and child care.”

Anyone can utilize the primal scream hotline, but most of those who have called in have been women. Shocker.

Ironically, Huber herself wasn’t able to attend the in-person scream session because she had to put her toddler to bed. That’s how it is, and part of why the scream space is needed in the first place. Even under normal circumstances, mothers need an occasional space to vent. In pandemic times? Absolutely vital.

Really, anyone could probably benefit from finding a place to scream right now, whether it’s to the air in the middle of an empty field, into a pillow in a closet or to a random someone on the end of a newspaper’s hotline. Times are hard, folks. Let it out, let it out, let it out.

After a recent trip to the pediatrician, Vondy was ready to give her insurance company the ol’ what for, after being told her son’s birthday was February 25.

“Per my words: ‘my son’s birthday is the 26th. I’m his mother. I know his birthday,’” Vondy affirmed. Emphatically so.

@thevondyfam How’s your day going? #momfail #mombrain #parenting101 #sahm ♬ original sound – Emily Vondy

A quick scroll through Facebook to find the original birth date announcement proved the correct birthdate was, in fact, the 25th. Whoops.

“For two years I’ve been celebrating his birthday on the 26th!” exclaimed Vondy.

To make matters worse, Vondy revealed this was her middle child. My, my, how stereotypes manifest themselves.

She then shouted “I love my kids! They may not have their birthday celebration on the correct day but they celebrate it the next!” She then hilariously tried to sign off with a quick “Merry Christmas,” only to realize “Christmas is over!”

We get it, Vondy. What is time, anyway?

Parents and children alike delivered comments nearly as entertaining as the video itself:

If you enjoy Vondy’s ultra silly charm (that definitely gives off Amy Poehler vibes, no?), you’re in luck. Her channel is full of truly delightful videos that capture parenting life in a real, yet comical way.

I mean, just look at her music video promoting the meal delivery service Home Chef, complete with a “no prep two step.”

@thevondyfam #ad They had me at “oven ready” 💙 use code VONDY90 for $90 off. Link in Bio #hookedonhomechef ♬ original sound – Emily Vondy

Or her Target rap that no one asked for but everyone needs.

@thevondyfam My official application to be sponsored by target 😅 #momcontent #target #targetfinds #momcomedy ♬ original sound – Emily Vondy

Or eating a large pizza less than half an hour after giving birth.

@thevondyfam #answer to @Leo | IG: leocaballes THE BEST pizza I’ve ever eaten. #laboranddelivery #birthstory #birthcenterbirth ♬ original sound – Emily Vondy

Yes, mama. Treat yo’ self.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go check my birth certificate to see if I’ve been living a lie.

When visions align, partnerships become powerful catalysts for change.

Grammy award winning musician Macklemore (Ben Haggerty), a long-time advocate for recovery, has teamed up with CLEAN Cause, a beverage company dedicated to helping individuals find freedom from substance abuse.

CLEAN Cause donates 50% of its net profits (or 5% net revenues, whichever is greater) to fund sober living scholarships.

This type of financial support helps rebuild stability, something that’s crucial during the recovery process. And as the second ranking yerba mate beverage company, that’s no small sum.

Nearly 3,000 scholarships have already been financially backed, amounting to close to $1.5 million.

See on Instagram

Stepping into the role of CLEAN Cause’s new creative director, Haggerty will lend not only his artistic vision, but his own personal mission to raise awareness.

CLEAN Cause’s first bit of content with the Macklemore stamp will be a touching series aptly titled “Drink To This,” where real people share their unique (and yet universal) stories of recovery.

Though the series has not dropped yet, you can get a taste for it in the video below:

In the video, we see people raise a glass (or can, rather) to things both simple and profound, and often taken for granted: family, health, peace of mind, second chances and healing, to name a few.

And of course, there’s a heartfelt nod to the clarity of sobriety. All set to Haggerty’s distinctly soulful piano music.

The real triumph of this piece is that we see the road to recovery does not have to be a bleak, arduous task. And it is not reserved for the lucky few.

The people in this video come in all shapes and sizes. But one defining trait is shared: They all carry a sort of heroic grace, the kind only possessed by those who truly journeyed through darkness into light.

That kind of transformation is nothing short of inspiring.

The video ends with voice of Macklemore saying:

“To anyone in recovery … to anyone who loves someone in recovery … to anyone who needs recovery … to anyone, anywhere, on the road to recovery … to anyone who wants to help those in recovery … drink to this.”

It’s simple, powerful and moving. And I cannot wait to see more.

In a recent press release, Haggerty shared his own motivations behind the partnership:

“I chose to align with and endorse a Brand that is at the forefront of creating awareness for addiction and actively supporting the recovery community. As Creative Director and a new investor of the already impactful brand, I am excited to combine my creative passions with a great product in an effort to save lives. Together, our goal is to inspire and educate individuals on addiction and support those who are in recovery.”

See on Instagram

The famed rapper has been candid about his own journey with substance abuse, not only through his music, but in interviews as well. He even recently opened up about a relapse during the pandemic on an episode of Dax Shepard’s podcast, “Armchair Expert.”

Haggerty is not an isolated case of relapse. The American Medical Association reports that every state in the U.S. has had an increase in overdoses and drug-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Addiction is already closely linked with loneliness, only to be exacerbated by stresses of the pandemic. Now more than ever, hope, support and empowerment are vital, making this new collaboration incredibly timely.

If you are wanting to help support CLEAN Cause, you can find their beverages at multiple retailers.

And if you’re currently in recovery and seeking support, you can apply for a scholarship here.

Disney has taken another step toward diversifying its iconic princesses by casting Rachel Zegler to play Snow White in its upcoming live-action version of the Grimms’ fairy tale. Zegler’s mother is of Colombian descent and her father has Polish roots. The 20-year-old actress recently wowed audiences in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”

Disney has also announced that Halle Bailey, a Black actress, will play Ariel in its upcoming live-action version of “The Little Mermaid.”

Disney’s big push toward inclusivity in the casting of its princesses is definitely a welcome move, but according to actor Peter Dinklage, the Mouse may be missing the forest for the trees.

Dinklage, who was born with a form of dwarfism named achondroplasia, criticized Disney on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast for being hypocritical for focusing on race while completely missing the ball when it comes to people with disabilities.

“There’s a lot of hypocrisy going on, I’ve gotta say, from being somebody who’s a little bit unique,” Dinklage told Maron.

“Really? Like what?” Maron asked. “What do you see?”

“Well, you know, it’s really progressive to cast a—literally no offense to anybody, but I was a little taken aback by, they were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White,” Dinklage said, “but you’re still telling the story of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there.

“It makes no sense to me, because you’re progressive in one way and then you’re still making that fucking backward story of seven dwarfs living in a cave. What the fuck are you doing, man?” Dinklage added. However, he could get on board if Disney made some drastic changes to the fairy tale.

“If you tell the story of ‘Snow White’ with the most fucked-up, cool, progressive spin on it—let’s do it!” he said.

As the most prominent living actor with dwarfism, Dinklage’s opinion carries a lot of weight. In a business where people with dwarfism are hired to play fantasy characters, elves and villains, Dinklage has found success in roles that are about much more than a character’s height. He’s had sex appeal in “Cyrano” and been a leading man with his breakout role in “The Station Agent.”

Disney also needs to consider the fact that “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” casts a big shadow over the dwarfism community because it’s often weaponized to mock them.

In “Cultural representations of dwarfs and their disabling affects on dwarfs in society,” Erin Pritchard notes that people often sing “Hi-Ho” to dwarfs when they’re out in public or ask them “Where’s Snow White?” as a cruel joke.

Pritchard also says that dwarfs are often dehumanized when portrayed in films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” “A dwarf is rarely an ordinary human being, but rather a mischievous being, happy to be ridiculed and always to be laughed at rather than with,” Pritchard writes.

Dinklage believes that dwarfs have to endure being treated as less than equal by Hollywood because there aren’t enough of them to cause a big enough fuss. “It’s such a minority. And I’m not affiliated with any groups or anything, but it’s such a minority that it causes a real, like, ‘Well, who the fuck cares?'” he told Maron.

Disney hasn’t publicly stated how it will handle the dwarf characters in the upcoming “Snow White” remake, but Showbiz 411 reported in 2019 that they will be CGI characters. It has also been reported that the song “Someday My Prince Will Come” will not appear in the film. The song has been criticized in the past for promoting the sexist Prince Charming trope.

Being in the public eye, Dinklage is in a prime position to call attention to the importance of how dwarfs are represented in a big-budget Hollywood film. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is how many children are introduced to the medical condition of dwarfism so it’s important that the upcoming film portrays them as more than the butt of a tired, old, unfunny joke.

If Disney has any questions on how they should be portrayed, they should look no further than the film career of Dinklage who has shown that people are a lot more than their height.

Former House of Cards star Kevin Spacey is looking to toss out his $31 million judgment he owes to the show’s producer, MRC. Spacey played Frank Underwood on the hit Netflix series before he was fired due to a number of sexual assault allegations from young men, including then-14-year-old Anthony Rapp. The allegations caused MRC to investigate and eventually terminate all of his acting and producing contracts in 2017.

The company then argues that Spacey owed them millions in lost profits after his misconduct forced them to cut the season short and then remove him from season six. Spacey, unsurprisingly, does not want to pay and is looking to toss the judgment.

According to the videotaped deposition from many House of Cards cast and crew, Spacey violated the MRC sexual harassment policy, which his lawyers have since denied. “The truth is that while Spacey participated in a pervasive on-set culture that was filled with sexual innuendoes, jokes, and innocent horseplay, he never sexually harassed anyone,” his team argued. They continued, “the few times Spacey was told that his conduct made someone feel uncomfortable or was in any way unwanted, he stopped.” Many other former co-stars have expressed their discomfort with Spacey’s actions.

Despite what Spacey’s lawyer may think, MRC claims they suffered over $30 million in lost profits, and are trying to get that money back. Lat year, Spacey cast in an Italian crime drama about an artist who is “wrongfully accused of sexual assault” which was filmed in Italy last year.

Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian (Netflix stand-up special) — It’s been a difficult few years for all of us, but Aziz Ansari’s had an added layer of discomfort. Following sexual misconduct allegations (which did not result in charges) made against him in 2018, he retreated from the public eye and emerged with an insightful, reflective comedy special for Netflix and a damn fine third season of Master Of None. He’s back with a fresher, pandemic-set stand-up special that was filmed as (according to Netflix) “an intimate surprise gig” from the Big Apple in December 2021. *Click*

Neymar: The Perfect Chaos (Netflix limited series) — Sports drama is coming your way with the inside story about one of the most infamous, highly-paid athletes in recent history. This FC Barcelona player took his team on a rollercoaster ride, following his successful runs in Spain and Paris. Marketing machines are a fascinating thing, and Neymar has a spot in sports history for a reason.

Superman & Lois (CW, 8:00pm) — Clark’s visions are growing worse while Louis reaches out for help from a military official, and Lana is so frustrated.

Naomi (CW, 9:00pm) — Ava DuVernay brings us this story about a Naomi McDuffie, a comic-book addict and Superman superfan. She also happens to be an ace student and a skateboarder who’s attempting to make sense of a stunt in her hometown that causes unexpected consequences. This week, Naomi is working to control her powers and be a regular teenager. Good luck?

Black-ish (ABC, 9:30pm) — Dre and Bow are consulting each other over Jack’s new job, and Pops and Ruby come to a realization.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Jamie Dornan, Nicole Byer, Imagine Dragons

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Margaret Qualley, Mike Schur, Larnell Lewis

In case you missed this pick from last Tuesday:

How I Met Your Father: Season 1, Hulu (Hulu series) — One of the bigger things to know about this particular franchise revival is that it includes Kim Cattrall, who opted out of another franchise revival (the Sex And The City continuation, And Just Like That). Cattrall portrays the future version of Hilary Duff’s Sophie, and of course, we’re going to hear all about how Sophie met her son’s dad, way back in 2022 when the realm of dating apps made looking-for-love even more complicated than in the IRL days. 87 Tinder dates in one year sounds like a total nightmare, right? Let’s live vicariously.

Just last year, Manchester’s Parklife Festival more than doubled its footprint to welcome over 80,000 attendees to the two-day fest at Heaton Park. Parklife does a better job than most of meeting squarely at the intersection of hip-hop’s best from the UK, US, and beyond. What’s more, the fest also features a stellar slate of electronic acts year in and year out, and the 2022 edition is expanding into new styles more than ever before.

Headlining Parklife 2022 will be Tyler the Creator, 50 Cent, and Megan Thee Stallion. It’s a bit surprising that there isn’t a major UK rapper in the top 3 acts the way Dave led the way for 2021. But this year, it’s really all about the entire slate and a number of ambitious leaps that Parklife is taking across its eight grandstands. Chase & Status and Bicep are both playing live sets as the electronic headliners, while Grammy-nominated British singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is offering Parklife peeps something a little different. Loyle Carner and Central Cee are the marquee names in British hip-hop, while Jamie XX, Eric Prydz, and Peggy Gou will all be performing DJ sets.

There’s quite a lot on deck for Parklife 2022. Other standout performers include Carl Cox, Four Tet, Jessie Ware, Tems, Pink Pantheress, Tom Misch, Arlo Parks, Fred Again, Andy C, Caroline Polacheck, The Blessed Madonna, Nina Kraviz, Shy FX, and loads more.

Pre-sale tickets go on sale on Wednesday, January 26, and full lineup, info, and ticketing details can be found here.

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