Month: February 2022

Every second of a show’s season finale is precious, especially when it’s a show with such a jam-packed plot and massive audience like Euphoria. This is why watchers found it funny and a little weird that Dominic Fike, playing the role of Elliot, took up a whole scene performing a song.

When Rue (Zendaya’s character) visits Elliot, she’s coming to forgive him for snitching on her; his response is to play a song he wrote on acoustic guitar… for five whole minutes. The song, which remains untitled, is about creating distance from someone you care for with the hope that they’ll use the time to improve themselves and return as a better person.

While many fans were fawning over this emotional moment, most were posting memes to Twitter about how he was getting too much screen time for promoting his own music rather than being his actual character. (A lot of fans were also wondering what happened to the plotline with the suitcase…). All in all, the online conversation made Fike and other Euphoria-related keywords trending topics on Twitter.

To be fair, Fike has previously said that his character Elliot is “exactly like me.” So maybe Elliot is just the type of guy to break out into song at the most inappropriate of times. You know the type. The situation, at least, provided a lot of meme content, so check out some more of that below.

Squid Game was an absolute juggernaut on Netflix, pulling in record breaking views that paved the way for a second season, and now, the Korean series is proving to be just as powerful of a force on the awards circuit. Both of the show’s leads, Lee Jung-Jae and Jung Ho-yeon locked down the awards for Drama Series Actor and Drama Series Actress, respectively. It was historic wins all-around as Squid Game became the first non-English-language and first Korean series to score a win at the SAG Awards.

Both Lee and Jung beat out such power hitters as the cast of Succession, Elisabeth Moss, Reese Witherspoon, and Jennifer Aniston. The show also won for stunts over high-budget Marvel series like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki and the martial arts-heavy Cobra Kai. In fact, Squid Game only lost one of the categories it was nominated for: Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, which went to Succession.

Naturally, Lee and Jung were blown away by their wins, and they hope to see more Korean content make it to American audiences. Via Deadline:

“I think it’s just the beginning. There [is] a lot of amazing Korean content that’s just as entertaining and touching as Squid Game,” he said via an interpreter, “so I ask that you look out for [it], show us a lot of love and continue to watch a lot of great Korean content.”

Squid Game is available for streaming on Netflix.

(Via Deadline)

Eddie Vedder is on a solo tour right now, but the way he tells it, a few weeks ago, it appeared the trek may have been in jeopardy thanks to what he describes as a “pretty serious” case of COVID.

During a February 25 performance at Los Angeles’ YouTube theater, Vedder said between songs:

“I got the COVID right before we were supposed to start practicing, about five or six weeks ago, and literally saw my life flash in front of my eyes, and wasn’t quite sure, you know… I’ve done some very good things for my body and I’ve also had a lot of fun. I’ve done some things that […] I don’t want to get into the details. Just use your imagination [laughs]. But it felt pretty serious, and to get through that and then be back in a room like this, facing this many people facing this way, listening to us play music for you is really, truly, it’s been a gift and an honor. Thanks for listening; we’re so grateful.”

Fortunately, it seems like Vedder has recovered just fine, as he’s been vital enough to tour and bring his Mötley Crüe feud to the stage.

Watch Vedder speak about getting COVID below, at about 3:30 into the video.

Hey, do you want to see John C. Reilly eat a cheeseburger and wear a shirt with collars so wide they could wrap around the globe? How about an intense one-on-one basketball game at a Hollywood party that begins with one of the contestants wearing a full-length fur coat? Adrien Brody with a mustache? Sally Field as John C. Reilly’s mother? One character very casually asking another character if they’ve ever received oral sex from someone who had champagne in their mouth? A bunch of people just obliterating the fourth wall with fun asides about the 1980s and/or basketball and/or cocaine?

Of course you do. Everybody does. This is the beauty of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, HBO’s new series about, well, the rise of the Lakers dynasty. It does all of that. Other stuff, too, which we’ll get to, but definitely all of that. The show is an absolute blast, right from the jump, especially if you, like me, care about basketball and prestige television a little more than a well-adjusted person would consider “a healthy amount.” It’s fun and a little salacious — you can see why basically every real person and organization depicted in it grits their teeth when it comes up — and it just does everything, so much, almost all of the time. As it should. This is a show set in Los Angeles in the 1980s based on a book and era both called “Showtime.” Anything less than too much would not be enough.

(A brief aside: The book — by Jeff Pearlman, a longtime sportswriter — and era are both called “Showtime,” which would have been a perfect title for the show in about four different ways, and there’s even a point early on where a band performs a song with “showtime” in the chorus, but the show is called Winning Time because it is on HBO and Showtime is quite literally the name of one of HBO’s biggest premium cable competitors. This is very funny to me.)

But let’s back up. Let’s take the basketball out of all of this, briefly. What we have here is an origin story, really, one that you’ve seen play out a bunch of times in movies and television shows, one that replaces characters like Batman or Iron Man with real-life figures like Magic Johnson and longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss and, at least a little bit, Paula Abdul. You don’t even really need to like basketball to follow any of it, just the way you don’t need to like people murdering each other with swords to follow Gladiator. It helps, sure, but it’s not necessary. There’s a familiar structure to things here, a rise and fall and good guys and bad guys, some of whom are almost cartoonish in their villainy, some of which is deserved. It’s almost like Adam McKay — executive producer and occasional director of the series — knows what he’s doing a little bit.

Everyone seems to be having a great time, too, which helps. There are some performances in here, people. Quincy Isaiah plays Magic Johnson at the beginning of his career, out in Hollywood after growing up in Michigan, dealing with fame and temptation and a bubbling race issue within both the NBA and the country as the years flip from the 1970s to the 1980s and Larry Bird and the Celtics create a natural rival. Jason Clarke plays Laker legend (and literal NBA logo) Jerry West as the mercurial crank he allegedly is, throwing trophies and golf clubs and tantrums every few minutes. Gaby Hoffman plays Lakers executive Claire Rothman, a woman navigating a boys’ club, with a heaping scoop of understandable exhaustion.

There are more. You’ll see. I wasn’t joking about Adrien Brody with a mustache, as Lakers coach Pat Riley. But this is where we need to stop to discuss John C. Reilly as Dr. Jerry Buss. Look at this guy.

There are two things you need to know here. The first is that Jerry Buss — the show’s version, but also the real person — is a classic Los Angeles character, for better and worse, a genius and a swindler and a hedonist, a salesman and charisma bomb, a man who opens the series by telling you — like, you, dead into the camera — that the only things that make him believe in God are sex and basketball. The second thing is that John C. Reilly was born to play this role. It’s amazing. It’s his best performance since Walk Hard, which I do not say lightly. He saunters and charms and winks and appears to be having just a wonderful time straight through. Even if the rest of the series proves to be a little too self-indulgent for you (again, it’s a lot, mileage may vary, etc.), it’s almost impossible to not be in awe of everything he’s doing.

(A second aside: There is drama here. The role originally went to Michael Shannon, who pulled out due to discomfort with the utter lack of a fourth wall, reportedly. Will Ferrell, McKay’s longtime creative partner, allegedly wanted it, but McKay offered it to Reilly instead. It created an ugly scene, apparently. But, regardless of your take on any of that, it’s hard to argue with the results.)

HBO would very much prefer I not spoil some of the things that happen in the first few episodes, at least not the specifics, which is always tricky in a show based on real events, so let’s close with this and hope I don’t get yelled at too much. There is a scene, early on, before we get to the parties and the cocaine and the dancers, where Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson go grab a hamburger after things get weird at a fancy dinner. They’re just sitting on a car, chomping into their greasy burgers, with the aforementioned wide collars on, talking about the future. It’s kind of wild if you already know how things play out, with the championships and the rise of the entire NBA and Magic’s eventual earth-shaking HIV diagnosis. It’s just two dudes from completely different backgrounds dreaming a bit. It’s really pretty cool.

Again, to be clear, I suspect someone like me — a basketball sicko who writes about television for a living — was always going to like this. It’s like Narcos crossed with Space Jam, which could not possibly be more up my alley and I promise I mean as a compliment. But I think it could play for you, too, even if you’re not me. It’s fun and flashy and scandalous and a little delicious and anyone who is even loosely familiar with the story will get to do the “Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the television screen” meme at least once an episode. That’s really all you can ask for out of a television show sometimes.

The collars and fur coats do help, though.

Winning Time premieres on HBO at 9 pm on March 6

Last Week Tonight‘s delivered a main segment about sex work (and the problem with criminalizing the practice) on Sunday night, but as one might imagine, John Oliver also had harsh truths to offer about Russia’s attack on Ukraine. This, of course, differed from the unsavory (and self-promotional) approach of John Cena and the cringeworthy maternal-themed poetry from AnnaLynne McCord, but no one can deny that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a total badass, especially considering how he passed up an offer of extraction from the U.S. in favor of being a true ride-or-die for his people, all while Russia’s becoming persona non grata on the global stage.

For his part, Oliver has had absolutely enough with the journalist-killing, rival-poisoning president of Russia. “Putin is a lot of things,” Oliver declared. “[H]e’s an autocrat, a tyrant, a warmonger. But also, he’s kinda a huge b*tch.” And Oliver did not hold back while tearing into CNN for the hot mess of airing a butt-shaking Applebee’s ad amid visuals of an already war-torn Ukraine:

“CNN during its coverage of air-raid sirens in Kyiv somehow found a way to make it even worse with this terrible transition to break…. It’s not great, is it? It’s not just that they cut to a commercial for a restaurant whose food can only be described as ‘sometimes warm,’ it’s just so aggressively American. From the country song that thinks listing food counts as lyrics all the way to this human Boot Barn shaking his nonexistent ass.”

For its part, Applebee’s pulled its ads while expressing how “disappointed in the actions of the network” the restaurant chain was for how CNN juxtaposed the butt-shaking with images of warfare. Yet Oliver didn’t let them go lightly: “That’s some deft international diplomacy from the home of both the ‘grilled oriental chicken salad’ and the ‘tipsy leprechaun.’”

Oliver had plenty to say, as well, about the neoconservative-influenced George W. Bush (and his War in Afghanistan moves), who (as Oliver reviewed) stepped up while “condemning Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.” Oliver couldn’t resist pushing back on that one. “Hold on, George. Not from you,” the host declared. “You are not the guy for this one. Because that statement only would have made sense if it ended with ‘Oh sh*t, now I hear it. Sorry. I’ll shut the f*ck up now.” As always, John Oliver’s not one to let go of historical screwups, and it’s a fair point.

Rep. Lauren Boebert has never been the sharpest knife in GOP’s drawer. In the 13 months she has officially been an elected lawmaker for the state of Colorado, her political career has become a seemingly never-ending cycle of her making comments that are both dumb and ignorant, then being dragged mercilessly for her lack of knowledge about everything from the American Revolution to the U.S. Constitution. So it’s hardly surprising that, given her cluelessness about American politics, her thoughts on foreign matters would be even more misguided—as she proved this weekend.

As HuffPost reports, the gun-lovin’ Coloradan chatted with Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany and Pete Hegseth from CPAC on Sunday, where her attempts to praise Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned into yet another terrible take, when she attempted to compare the innocent Ukrainians who are arming themselves in an effort to protect their country and freedoms to the truckers creating a massive clusterf*ck in Canada, simply because they don’t want to get vaccinated against COVID.

“I pray for Ukraine and I wish them the best,” Boebert said. “They have a great president right now who has really said clearly, ‘Live free or die.’ He said, ‘I don’t need a ride, give me ammunition. The fight is right here.’ But we also have neighbors to the north who need freedom and need to be liberated and we need that right here at home as well.”

If you’re thinking: Wait a minute, that doesn’t seem like an apt comparison—you’re not alone. As Raw Story reported, Canadian MP Anthony Housefather took to Twitter to kindly let Boebert know that if she ever wants to know why what’s coming out of her mouth is gibberish, he’d be happy to give her a lesson in all things Canada. (He did, however, praise her for breaking with Donald Trump’s way of thinking for once—because Canadians are nice like that.)

Bruce Heyman—the former U.S. ambassador to Canada—also called “dangerous” Boebert out on her bullsh*t, but wasn’t quite as nice about it. “Canada is our best friend-best trading partner- closest ally and should be treated as such.

(Via HuffPost)

Last month, Lady Gaga mentioned on multiple occasions that an on-camera moment from shooting House Of Gucci that didn’t make the final movie saw her and Salma Hayek engaging in a make-out session. She said there was no proof of it, but at least Hayek has confirmed the kiss happened, like she did on the red carpet of the SAG Awards last night.

In the interview, Hayek was asked what her most fun day on set was and she was quick to answer, “OK, I have to say this: The day that Gaga kissed me was… but of course, I couldn’t say before because they took it out of the movie, but now that the cat’s out of the bag, I have to say it was pretty fun because it was completely unexpected and she’s a genius… and a good kisser.”

Hayek noted the kiss was not in the script and was improvised by Gaga, saying she walked across the room to Hayek. Hayey said she “absolutely” went for it and noted, “It was thrilling because all her choices were always so interesting.”

Meanwhile, Gaga herself spoke on the red carpet as well: When asked about the story she was telling with her outfit, she responded, “The story I’m telling is the truth, which is that I’m just really honored to be here. This is a beautiful night when we get to celebrate art together, and celebrate each other. There’s so much going on in the world, and my heart really goes out to Ukraine. I think tonight we should all sit in the gratitude of this.”

Check out the Hayek interview above.

Unlike in the United States, Ukraine’s TV personality-turned-president is a force for good. Volodymyr Zelensky has been inspiring Ukrainians to fight for their country against Russian aggressors led by Vladimir Putin by winning over skeptics, declining an excavation offer (“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride”), and remaining “dignified, resolute, and articulate” under the toughest of circumstances.

Zelensky’s current approval rating is at 91 percent, three times what it was in December. I’m surprised it’s not higher, considering he’s literally — and I can’t stress this enough — the voice of Paddington Bear, the star of the greatest film of all-time, Paddington 2.

Chatter erupted on social media on Sunday — first sparked by a tweet sent by Black List founder Franklin Leonard — that Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president and the man now seen around the world as the face of brave resistance, had voiced Paddington Bear in Ukrainian version of the hit 2014 animated film. Paddington producer StudioCanal has now confirmed this news… adding that he voiced the bear in Ukrainian in both Paddington and Paddington 2, its smash hit 2017 sequel.

In a promotional video for Paddington 2, Zelensky, who also starred on the popular political satire series Servant of the People, said, “Hello to my darling friends. I, Volodymyr Zelensky, will lend my voice to the wonderful, charismatic, friendly bear Paddington… You know you will definitely walk out of the film in a fantastic mood.”

We need Aunt Lucy’s words to Paddington now more than ever: “If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right.”

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

The collaboration between Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, the artist formerly known as Mos Def, has been one of the most formative albums in hip-hop history. Referred to colloquially as “Black Star,” the supergroup’s sole album together, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, came out over twenty years ago now in 1998. And though both artists have released plenty of music as solo artists since, the demand and hope for a second Black Star record has never abated. Since then, Talib has become a part of Uproxx by launching his People’s Party show.

Today, seemingly out of nowhere, Talib all but confirmed that the follow-up record actually exists, and that it will actually come out. “The new Black Star album was recorded in hotel rooms and dressing rooms across the globe. I love how my brother @yasiinbey pushes me musically. #blackstarforever follow @blackstarkeepshining today…” he wrote, captioning a photo of both men in what is, presumably, one of the many hotel rooms where the pair worked on their new music.

If this news is timely, as in, the album or some new music teasing the project is coming soon, then 2022 just got a whole lot better. Hey, if A Tribe Called Quest can make a comeback album that’s just as good as their old material, why can’t Black Star? Stay tuned.

The Lakers have had a season full of low points, but they struck new ground below what was once thought to be rock bottom on Sunday night at home when they got waxed by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Things started to fall apart in the late second quarter for the Lakers, as they could not buy a bucket and turnovers mounted with 16 in the first half, as the Pelicans went on a run to stretch their lead to 11 at the break. That was, unfortunately for L.A., just the beginning of their dreadful night as the third quarter saw five more turnovers, even worse shooting, and a near complete disregard for the concept of defense from the Lakers, as the Pelicans outscored them 44-25 to take a 30-point lead to the fourth.

It was an awful performance from just about everyone, as LeBron James and Russell Westbrook combined for 14 turnovers, but it was the first turnover from DeAndre Jordan that really told the story of the Lakers night when he found himself with no one coming to help him after a rebound, had to dribble up near midcourt, and then chose to launch a pass that sailed over Wayne Ellington’s head by a good 6 feet, landing in the laps of some courtside fans.

For anyone that chose not to tune in to ESPN, it was probably a wise decision, but you did miss some really, stunningly terrible basketball from the Lakers. Jordan’s pass was the funniest, but there were at least four other Lakers passes that sailed over the heads of their intended target and landed out of bounds on the evening. It was so bad that at one point Richard Jefferson on the call for ESPN got so disgusted that he decided to just outright root for turnovers in hopes that the Lakers could at least set some records with their dreadful play.

So, yeah, it wasn’t good.