Month: March 2022

Ever since they first invaded Ukraine last week, Russia has received massive pushback from amongst the world stage. (That is, except from a certain former U.S. president and a certain current Fox News host.) Sanctions have gone into effect. On a lesser note, Hollywood studios have pulled future films from the nation’s release calendar. And on Tuesday, the station RT — born as Russia Today, and piping Russian propaganda into millions of American households — was dealt a major blow.

As first reported by Axios, DirecTV — which, along with DISH, were the only American cable providers willing to carry the channel — formally cut ties, removing it from its service. A spokesperson for DirecTV told CNN that they were already considering yanking RT from their coffers, but the nation’s invasion of Ukraine sped up the process.

RT was removed in the midst of a commercial blizzard. Luckily, one enterprising Twitterer managed to preserve RT’s final moments on DirecTV.

Among the ads were one for Medicare and numerous promos for RT programs. One was The World According to Jesse, hosted by wrestler-turned-Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. (“Question more!” he bellows in the ad for a station that has been widely derided for questionable news coverage.) Ventura, a registered Independent who was formerly a member of the Green and Reform parties, hooked up with RT back in 2015. According to The Washington Post, at the time he boasted that he was “working for the enemy of mainstream media now.”

Alas, only DISH subscribers will be able to watch his show. In related news, a spokesperson for that cable provider told CNN that they couldn’t comment on whether they, too, would be severing ties with RT, they supported Ukraine and were “closely monitoring the situation.” If Ventura is looking for someone to blame, perhaps he can finally turn on Vladimir Putin.

(Via Axios, CNN, and WaPo)

Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail has just announced his latest project, Metropolis, which will land at Apple TV+. Esmail will write and direct the series, based on the iconic sci-fi movie of the same name, directed by Fritz Lang.

The original Metropolis took place in the not-so-faraway future of the year 2026, where there is a major economic divide, with wealthy people living in swanky high-rise buildings, while the working class live below them literally and figuratively. (So, it’s not too far off, honestly.) Lang’s Metropolis was based on the novel (also of the same name, to keep it confusing) by German author Thea von Harbou.

There are no updates on the cast at this point, but perhaps Esmail can get Rami Malek back for a role after he won his Academy Award in 2019 for his portrayal of Freddy Mercury. The two have been reportedly working together on various projects since collaborating on Mr. Robot, though none of those projects have been released. Instead, Malek became a Bond villain.

Esmail created Mr. Robot in 2015, which was met with critical acclaim, and helped launch Malek’s career. The series ran for four seasons and concluded in 2019. Since then, Esmail directed Amazon Prime’s Homecoming starring Julia Roberts and Janelle Monae, and Briarpatch starring Rosario Dawson.

(Spoilers for Hulu’s The Dropout will be found below.)

The Dropout, Hulu’s latest “ripped from the headlines” biopic, is set to follow the meteoric rise of 20-something biotech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes.

If that name doesn’t sound familiar, perhaps the company she created will ring a bell. Holmes, who dropped out of Stanford’s School of Engineering during her sophomore year, founded the consumer healthcare tech company called Theranos, which promised investors an at-home machine capable of analyzing and detecting abnormalities in a patient’s DNA with just a few drops of blood. Holmes would go on to receive backing from some of the biggest names in tech and beyond — think Rupert Murdoch, Betsy DeVos, former Secretary of State George Shultz, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper — but her sweeping claims about Theranos’ mysterious tech would eventually earn scrutiny from the media … and the U.S. government.

Before Hulu’s look at the doomed CEO drops on the streaming platform this month, refresh yourself on the unbelievable plot and characters of this real-life disaster story.

What Is The Dropout About?

Hulu’s limited series kicks off by focusing on Holmes’ early years. A driven and ambitious young woman, Holmes had a desire to change the world which is why she decided to attend Stanford. Her hope to have a career that mirrored her icon’s — Apple inventor Steve Jobs — pushed her to create Theranos, a company that promised to “democratize healthcare” by making it possible for patients to test their blood at home. The show, written by New Girl creator Elizabeth Merriwether and directed by Michael Showalter, follows Holmes as she goes from wide-eyed college co-ed to brilliant, in-over-her-head CEO of a multi-million dollar company. As investors begin to press her for proof that her machines work, Holmes makes some ethically reprehensible decisions, all in the name of progress.

Who Are The Main Characters Of The Dropout?

Elizabeth Holmes (played by Amanda Seyfried)

Amanda Seyfried transforms herself to play tech titan Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s limited series. The Mamma Mia star mimicks Holmes’ deep baritone — which may or may not have been fake — and, over the course of the show’s eight episodes, slowly morphs Holmes from a schlubby, stressed college student to a turtleneck donning power player. Seyfried leans into Holmes’ neurotic tendencies, amplifying how “other” she felt compared to her peers at school and her investors in the boardroom — mostly older men with decades more experience in running an actual company. Though she launches Theranos with good intentions, the pressure to succeed as a young, female CEO of a promising startup soon pushes Holmes to make decisions that are not only dangerous but criminal.

Sunny Balwani (played by Naveen Andrews)

Another major player in the rise (and fall) of Theranos is American businessman Sunny Balwani, played by Lost star Naveen Andrews in the Hulu biopic. Balwani had worked for companies like Microsoft and Lotus Software before founding his own software development business. He eventually sold it to a competitor, netting a multi-million dollar profit. When Holmes was a senior in high school, she met the 37-year-old entrepreneur and a short time later, the two began a romantic relationship. In the show, they bond over their shared love of Mandarin on an overseas trip as Balwani quickly becomes a mentor for the young undergrad. Andrews plays him as brash, uncompromising, and totally devoted to Holmes at the beginning of the series, but their relationship quickly changes when Seyfried’s character turns to him for help in duping her investors. As things slowly start to go sour between Holmes, her board members, and her employees, Balwani becomes even more paranoid, constantly accusing people of corporate espionage and tightly controlling Holmes’ every move.

Richard Fuisz (played by William H. Macy)

Richard Fuisz is one of the main antagonists in Holmes’ bid for tech glory. Played as a bitter, sensitive, narcissistic businessman by William H. Macy, Fuisz was a neighbor of the Holmes family for years before Elizabeth started her company. In the show, he fumes over the idea that she would start a medical tech business without asking him for advice — he built his fortune off of patenting all kinds of inventions, including medical devices, so that larger companies would have to pay him for their use. Whether that was his true motivation or not, Fuisz actively tries to thwart Holmes’ success, first by obtaining a patent for a mechanical process she’ll need to make her blood-testing machines work, then by connecting a disgruntled employee with the Wall Street Journal reporter who would later expose Theranos’ bad dealings.

Ian Gibbons (played by Stephen Fry)

Ian Gibbons was an experienced biochemist and the chief scientist of Theranos before the company went under. Another mentor to Holmes in those early days, Gibbons was constantly trying to maintain a high level of quality and accuracy in the machines that Theranos was building. Played by Stephen Fry, Gibbons was a staunch supporter of Holmes until he began to suspect she was cutting corners to keep up with the hype from investors. Sadly, Gibbons committed suicide before he was set to be deposed in the lawsuit Theranos filed against Fuisz.

When Will The Dropout Premiere?

The show will drop its first three episodes on Hulu on March 3rd with episodes airing weekly after that. The series has planned for eight episodes to tackle Holmes’ life, the creation of Theranos, and, presumably, her arrest and conviction on charges of criminal fraud during a trial that happened earlier this year.

As conflict escalates between Russia and Ukraine, both of its leaders become figureheads for two opposing core values: dominance and democracy.

While Putin demonstrates the shadow side of using egoic will and force, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy symbolizes the heart-led, more natural power of compassion. The comedian-turned-politician is becoming a household name for bringing moments of light during an otherwise dark time.

One moment in particular is going viral: a photo of Zelenskyy, face covered in paint, laughing with his family. The photo is already uplifting, but it’s the caption that takes it all home.

The text reads: “During his inaugural address in 2019, Zelensky told lawmakers: ‘I do not want my picture in your offices: the President is not an icon, an idol or a portrait. Hang your kids’ photos instead, and look at them each time you are making a decision.'”

See on Instagram

This is a leader who understands humanity.

In that same speech (reposted by The Recount), Zelenskyy shared how his 6-year-old helped him realize how “every one of us is the president now.”

He continued: “every one of us bears responsibility for Ukraine which we will leave to our children. Each of us, in our places, can do something for the development of Ukraine…This is our shared dream, but we have shared pains…Those who lost their own homes and those who in turn, opened the doors of their homes, sharing this pain…Those who didn’t manage to find their place at home but found earnings in a foreign country. Those who, fighting poverty, had to lose their dignity. But we will overcome all of this, for each of us is a Ukrainian. We have to be united, and only then are we strong.”

Zelenskyy and Putin each represent two paths at a crossroads. Which way will we go? Toward power at all costs? Or toward peace for future generations? This is a choice we must all make. And we must choose wisely.

Have you ever wanted a t-shirt for your face? Do you even know what that means? Neither do we, but Scarlett Johnasson really wants you to try it. The Black Widow actress just launched The Outset, a line of “vegan, minimalist and clean” products, which are supposed to be the most basic form of skincare (with costs starting at $28).

“We always talk about this brand being like the white T-shirt of skincare,” Johansson told The Hollywood Reporter, equating her line to a simple but important staple. “It’s not about resurfacing or reinventing your skin, it’s really about preserving the skin that you have for the future.”

The actress admitted she was new to the whole “owning a business” aspect of it all, which is why she worked with Katie Foster Lengyel, who has worked with other beauty brands in the past. “I never understood the background of how brands come to be. I just didn’t feel like I had a place at the table, because it was this whole new venture,” Johansson added. “I think over time I just felt more confident that it was something that I had a perspective on. And felt like it was worth pursuing this dream.”

Johansson created a line of six simple, fragrance-free products: a cleanser, prep serum, day cream, night cream, fine line cream, and a lip treatment which range from $28 to $54. The products are available now on The Outset’s website (which is currently down, so you can follow their Instagram in the meantime) and will soon hit Sephora later in April.

“Ukraine is game to you?”

That’s pretty much the same (incredible) vibe we’re seeing from the Ukraine resistance over the past week or so. From President Volodymyr Zelenskyy standing his ground and declining to be evacuated by the U.S. to his emotional EU speech that prompted a standing ovation to the molotov-cocktail grandma who declared, “Let those Russian sh*ts come here,” it’s clear that Ukrainians are not to be f*cked with, at least, not lightly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to push his troops toward targets in the Ukraine, of course, which means that he never watched this classic Seinfeld clip that’s currently making the social media rounds.

Ah yes, the sight of Cosmo Kramer declaring that Ukraine is “weak,” “feeble,” and a sitting duck,” and “we’re playing a game here, pal,” all while a fellow subway passenger, a Ukrainian man, ain’t having it.

“How bout I take your little board and smash it!” is exactly what Kramer (and Newman) deserved at that moment in time. Naturally, people are enjoying looking back while joking about how Seinfeld predicted global affairs, decades into the future, but hey, the late 1990s followed a few years after Ukraine officially held itself out as independent of Russia, so of course, Kramer was behind the times. And yeah, Seinfeld may have been ahead of its time in this way. Whatever the case, people are enjoying how those board-game pieces flew all over the place.

Perhaps Putin’s game will be shaken up in the same manner.

Some good things can come from a TikTok going viral– you may get a cast in a movie, or get a brand deal out of it. Or, you could be dragged over the entire internet for a week. It’s really a toss-up. But, as with any big app, things start to get scary when the government steps in.

Recently, the FBI began investigating a string of armed robberies at Detroit convenience stores over a three-month period. They received an anonymous tip that led them to Chozen Terrell-Hannah’s TikTok page, featuring various videos of him dancing while wearing the same shoes that the alleged robber wore, and sporting the same pink hairstyle according to eyewitness reports. The FBI then staked out and raided his home, where he admitted to his crimes after they seized items that were allegedly used during the robberies.

Other eyewitnesses believed the robber was actually a white man, though the FBI dismissed this account, saying, “Based on my training and experience, I believe due to [Terrell-Hannah’s] light complexion, the victims of armed robberies, observing him under the circumstances and wearing the clothing described above, could describe him as either white or black. … These shoes are similar in appearance to the shoes worn in the above referenced armed robberies”

Terrell-Hannah, who is 22, is being held without bail and could face up to 20 years in prison. He is charged with robbery and possessing a firearm during a crime.

FBI was tipped off to Terrell-Hannah’s Snapchat, where they then found his TikTok account and began to investigate. After tracking him for days, the FBI found his phone number and was able to track his locational data which allegedly put him at the scene of the crimes. The moral here is to never use your phone, ever.

Brent Faiyaz’s last album, F*ck The World, came out in 2020, but that hasn’t stopped the Baltimore-raised R&B singer from continuing to support it with the new video for “Let Me Know.” Contrary to the reputation he’s developed as the purveyor of toxic anthems, a la Future (or Brent’s own songs “Wasting Time” and “Mercedes“), “Let Me Know” is a more socially-minded effort and its animated video fits the theme with a haunting visual metaphor reflecting Faiyaz’s message.

“Who can I love when they tell me I can’t love myself?” he wonders in the song. Meanwhile, in the video, animated Brent leaves his home to wander the streets but is confronted by people wearing ghostly masks (they look a lot like Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as a certain domestic terrorist organization with a bone to pick with… uhhh… darker-skinned Americans). Nearly everyone he passes bears the spectral affectation until he meets a pair of police officers who stop him with guns drawn.

In a panic, he escapes back to his home, where he opens his closet to reveal his own mask. He dons it, walking outside as the gathered crowd cackles in triumph. Then, in a moment of rebellion, he removes his mask, which gives the bystanders license to do so themselves. The ending isn’t really a surprise, but it is a powerful message of self-acceptance in a world that still doesn’t give everyone a fair shake.

Watch Brent Faiyaz’s “Let Me Know” video above.

In a huge sign that Lindsay Lohan is taking her latest comeback seriously, Netflix has signed the actress to a new two-picture deal after recently working with her on the upcoming holiday movie, Falling For Christmas. The deal follows a Super Bowl commercial for Planet Fitness featuring the Mean Girls star, who spent the better part of a decade struggling to rejuvenate her acting career after becoming known for her wild partying and tabloid drama. However, Netflix seems to be impressed with Lohan’s latest turnaround, and they’re locking her down for two more original films.

Via Deadline:

“We’re so happy with our collaboration with Lindsay to date, and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with her,” said Netflix’s Director of Independent Film, Christina Rogers. “We look forward to bringing more of her films to our members around the world.”

Again, this Netflix deal is huge news for Lohan whose acting chops made her a blockbuster favorite in the early 2000s. But perhaps the biggest news it the latest revelation that we’ve all been saying her last name wrong. In a recent TikTok video, Lohan pronounced her last name as “Low-en” instead of “Lo-HAN,” which is pretty much how everyone has been pronouncing it since she first wowed audiences in The Parent Trap. If you somehow missed the explosive news, it’s perfectly normal to wonder what is even real anymore. That’s a completely understandable response.

(Via Deadline)

A year ago, the NBA was gifted its ideal scenario for the first ever play-in tournament, when the Lakers and Warriors met in the 7-8 matchup in the West, drew huge viewership numbers, and provided star power for the league’s new method for finalizing the last two playoff positions in each conference.

This season, it looks like the league will once again see some big names participating in the play-in, with the Lakers and Nets both currently in a position to need to win elimination games to make it to the postseason. They are joined by a number of teams battling it out for the four play-in spots.

With just over 20 games remaining in the regular season, we’re going to look at the paths to the play-in in each conference, starting with the Eastern Conference.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-25): The Cavs aren’t out of the woods yet when it comes to the play-in race, as they are just a game up on Boston and 2.5 games up on Toronto for seventh. There are real questions about Cleveland’s ability to hold on, namely due to the lingering back injury that’s kept Darius Garland out lately, as well as Caris LeVert’s foot sprain. This was a team already short on guard depth that is now just trying to hold it together until their All-Star and big trade deadline acquisition can come back. Monday’s loss to Minnesota illustrated their issues with consistency just within individual games right now, and with a .502 strength of schedule remaining — including two games against the Bulls and three against the Sixers — Cleveland could find itself needing to scratch and claw their way down the stretch to hang on to a guaranteed playoff spot. They have two games against Toronto (March 6 and 24) that could prove very important to their ability to avoid the play-in.

6. Boston Celtics (36-27): The Celtics were the hottest team in the NBA from late January to just before the All-Star break, but they’ve stumbled just a touch of late, going 2-2 in their last four with losses to Detroit and Indiana that should’ve been opportunities to pad their lead over Toronto. Making those losses even more painful is that the Celtics have the fourth toughest remaining schedule in the NBA (.528) over their last 19 games, with games against the Warriors, Grizzlies (twice), Heat, Bulls, Jazz, and Bucks left. If there’s good news on the schedule front, it’s that this team has seemingly played up to competition of late and their closing schedule should ensure they stay plenty engaged. On top of that, they’re one of the few teams that is fully healthy right now, which has helped fuel their climb in the standings. From a play-in perspective, upcoming games against Brooklyn (March 6) and Toronto (March 28) stand out in terms of chances to put another full game between them and the teams below them trying to snag that last playoff position.

7. Toronto Raptors (33-27): The Raptors were, like Boston, really hot for a stretch of late January and February, going 8-1 at one point, but they started dragging their feet entering the All-Star break and haven’t been able to make a move on Boston to try and usurp the 6-seed, going 1-4 in their last five games before righting the ship in impressive fashion in Brooklyn. The good news for Toronto is that they have three more games to play than Boston down the stretch, providing some opportunities to play catch up. Making matters even better, their remaining SoS is just the 24th hardest remaining (.487) in their 22 games left, highlighted by a pair of games against Orlando as well as the Knicks, Pistons, Pacers, and Rockets still all remaining. Their next game might be the most important one they have, though, as they face the Nets once again on a back-to-back, this time at home in Toronto. Two wins in a row against the shorthanded Nets would give them a three-game cushion for the 7-seed while also drawing them ever closer to the Celtics, who they play at the end of March.

8. Brooklyn Nets (32-30): The Nets are playing with a skeleton crew most nights and will continue to do so for some time, as Kevin Durant remains out with his knee injury, Ben Simmons won’t play for at least another week, and Kyrie Irving remains sidelined for both home games and games in Toronto, one of the teams they’re trying to chase down. Their focus is simply on making it to the play-in and having all their guys back by then, but getting the 7- or 8-seed to ensure two cracks at a playoff berth is pretty important even for a team with this much talent likely on the way back. Brooklyn’s SoS is right around the league average (.495, 19th toughest), but the issue is that their toughest games come now when they have the least ammunition. As noted above, their second of a back-to-back with Toronto looms large (particularly without Kyrie) and then they face Miami, Boston, Charlotte, and Philly in the next week-plus when they are likely to remain shorthanded. A split against the Raptors would be a good starting point, but this is the team that can throw the biggest wrench in postseason plans for the top contenders in the East if they make it in and have KD, Simmons, and Kyrie.

9. Atlanta Hawks (29-31): The Hawks are, arguably, the East’s biggest disappointment this season considering the wave they were riding coming into the season after reaching the Conference Finals. Like a year ago, they started slow before turning things on in January, but they haven’t been able to keep that up this month. Atlanta is just 5-5 in February and cannot seem to build any positive momentum to try and catapult into the playoff race, which leaves them in a battle for their play-in lives with 22 games remaining. Atlanta does have an easier schedule remaining than most (.471 SoS, 26th hardest) and certainly has the talent to go on a run, but they have to start that ASAP to have any chance of escaping the 9/10 game. Boston and Chicago are up next for the Hawks, with key games against fellow play-in contenders the Wizards (March 4, April 6), Hornets (March 16), Nets (April 2), and Raptors (April 5) to come.

10. Charlotte Hornets (30-33): The story of the bottom of the East play-in race is, really, teams that have not seized opportunity. The Hornets are chief among them, going 2-9 in their last 11 games to fall into the second tier of the play-in, needing two wins to make the playoffs. Charlotte is a full three games back of Brooklyn for eighth, which seems like an incredibly difficult hole to dig out of considering at some point the Nets will get Durant and Bn Simmons on the court. Charlotte’s remaining SoS is .496, the 16th hardest in the league, and they have one game against everyone in the top-4 in the East remaining. The Hornets are going to have to figure out some way to defend better if they’re going to make a late season charge for the 8-seed, much less hold on to a play-in spot. Charlotte took a patient approach to the deadline and only time will tell if that is going to pay off, but they have games against the Nets (March 8, 27), Celtics (March 9), Hawks (March 16), and Wizards (April 10) to try and cement their play-in spot.

11. Washington Wizards (27-33): Somehow, the Wizards aren’t out of this thing as they’ve managed to tread water of late — 4-6 in their last 10 games — and are just 1.5 back of Charlotte. With Bradley Beal out for the rest of the year, most wrote Washington off, but they’ve managed to hang around and have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league (.469 SoS) to try and catch their divisional rivals in Atlanta or Charlotte for the last spot. They’ll get two cracks at the Hawks and a season finale against the Hornets to do so, but they’ll need to find a run somewhere in their closing stretch to catch and pass one of the teams ahead of them.

12. New York Knicks (25-36): Technically the Knicks aren’t out of it at 4 games back, but man, it is hard to see how they put together the necessary run to vault into real contention. They’ve lost five in a row and just about everything positive about last year’s team seems to have turned to negativity this season. Adding to their problems is the fifth hardest remaining schedule in the NBA (.519 SoS), and they might be officially out of this thing within a couple of weeks.