Month: April 2022

Harry Styles’ new album Harry’s House is set for release in about a month and so far, we’ve gotten one official taste of it with the No. 1 single “As It Was.” He also just debuted a couple of songs, “Boyfriends” and “Late Night Talking,” at Coachella. Now, he has ever so slightly pulled back the curtain a bit more on what the LP is like.

In a new Better Homes & Gardens feature, Styles noted the album is about home (which seems obvious), but both in regard to physical space and “in terms of a headspace or mental well-being.” He also says of the album’s vibe, “It sounds like the biggest, and the most fun, but it’s by far the most intimate.”

Elsewhere, he discussed the public’s interest in his sexuality, which has come up regularly in recent years. He said, “I’ve been really open with it with my friends, but that’s my personal experience; it’s mine. The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking.”

Check out the full feature here.

Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn is having a hell of a week.

Just a few days ago, intimate pictures leaked by a former member of his inner circle made the rounds on social media. The photos showed Cawthorn — who’s been weirdly obsessed with the supposed “feminization” of young men by the LGBTQIA community — donning women’s jewelry and lingerie while on a cruise. Cawthorn did his best to put his own telling spin on the photos, but he’s going to have a harder time explaining away his latest highly publicized gaffe.

On Tuesday morning, Cawthorn was cited for having a gun while catching a flight at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. According to the TSA, the 9-millimeter handgun was loaded though it’s not clear whether the weapon was on Cawthorn’s person or in his carry-on.

TSA and the local police are declining to offer further comment on the story and Cawthorn’s own reps have yet to address the incident, but it’s not the first time the that orgy-obsessed Congressman has brought a deadly weapon with him on a flight. In February of last year, Cawthorn was cited for having a 9-millimeter handgun in his carry-on while boarding a flight at Asheville Regional Airport.

Why anyone other than an air marshal might need a loaded handgun with them on a plane is anyone’s guess, but the timing of this whole thing is fairly suspect, especially since Cawthorn recently announced his reelection campaign is being funded by the NRA.

We’re not saying he orchestrated a public run-in with the law at a highly-trafficked airport just for the headlines … but we’re not not saying that either.

(Via WSOC-TV)

There has been a trend in Hollywood of turning a single story into multiple stories: perhaps it began with the final Harry Potter book being split into two very mong movies (one of them being more boring than the other), and slowly evolved into every franchise making two movies where they really only need one. Then they did it with The Hunger Games sequels, and soon enough everyone was asking, “are we really supposed to come back in a few months and do this all again?” Yes! And now we are expected to do that for the upcoming movie adaptation of Wicked!

Director Jon M. Chu announced on Twitter that the movie simply could not be a single film without doing “real damage” to it. The Wicked saga will instead be turned into two movies, releasing in December 2024 and December 2025. By then, hopefully, the hype will still be around.

“As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years,” Chu wrote on Twitter. “With more space, we can tell the story of Wicked as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.” The message was sent from Chu’s OzPhone. Ha!

The movie(s) will star Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the witches with a complicated relationship, which will likely be explored in-depth, now that there will be another movie. To be fair, the movie will be based on the play that’s based on the book that’s a spinoff of another movie, based on another series of books, so there is a large quantity of content there. On the other hand….that’s a lot of singing to endure for over four hours.

Every cat believes they are the ruler of all they survey, but only one special cat can genuinely brag about being the mayor of Hell.

That’s not a joke. A quirky black cat named Jinx was sworn in as mayor of Hell, Michigan on April 24, and she held the title until she was impeached that evening.

Hell, Michigan, is an unincorporated community approximately 60 miles from Detroit, and the 72 (ish) citizens of the town have a sense of humor to match the name. The town’s official website—gotohellmi.com—has a form where anyone can sign up to rule Hell by becoming the town’s temporary mayor. Literally anyone—even a cat.

Jinx is a black cat with unusually large eyes, funky feet and a huge following on TikTok and Instagram. She doesn’t live anywhere near Hell (unless you consider California to be hell) but her owner Mia decided to make her mayor of Hell for a day anyway.

I mean, how could you not make this cat mayor of something?

@bigfootjinx

no thoughts, just violence and vibes. #bigfootjinx #cats #catsoftiktok #meme

Jinx is the first animal to be named mayor of Hell, much to the delight of the town’s minister, Reverend Vonn, who was slated to swear the feline in over the phone.

“We love our in-person and distant mayors,” Reverend Vonn of Hell told MLive. “Our Mayor of the Day package is the perfect gift for those who are hard to buy for and/or have everything. They get to have one Helluva fun day and at the end of it, will receive the dreaded phone call to be impeached.”

Mia found Jinx in her backyard when she was just about three weeks old.

“She had big eyes and as she grew bigger, her eyes didn’t get smaller and I also noticed she had big feet,” Mia told MLive. “She doesn’t have a condition and the vet says she’s healthy. She just has these birth defects. She’s also not as agile as most cats and is a little clumsy. She only learned how to land on her feet a year ago.”

Mia also explained how Jinx got to be mayor of Hell:

“I made a joke on Twitter saying, imagine Jinx will run for President. I had also seen animal mayors before and I sent a Tweet out asking how to make Jinx mayor and someone mentioned Michigan and that you could pay to be mayor of Hell for a day.”

It costs $100 to become mayor. Check out the Instagram announcement of Jinx’s day-long mayorship.

See on Instagram

Not only do Hell mayors get to say they ruled over Hell for a day, they also get to own 1 square inch of the town.

Hell is an interesting place that embraces its quirkiness and kitschiness. It has a mayor already, sort of. Since it’s an unincorporated community it doesn’t have an official mayoral title, but long-time resident John Colone is the self-proclaimed mayor of Hell, because why not?

He explained to “60 Second Docs” what makes Hell a special place.

Congratulations, Jinx, on the swearing-in—and sorry about the impeachment. Politics moves fast these days, especially in Hell.

Actor Brendan Fraser was one of the most popular and beloved comedy and action stars of the late ’90s and 2000s. He catapulted to fame behind blockbusters like “The Mummy” franchise, “George of the Jungle,” “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” and the Oscar-winning film “Crash.”

However, a confluence of events led him to put his career as a leading man on the backburner in the late 2000s.

Over the course of a decade, he would go through an ugly divorce with the wife of his three children. He suffered serious injuries doing stunts throughout his career and would undergo surgeries on his knee and vocal cords. In 2016, he lost his mother and in 2018, he alleged he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in 2003.

The series of setbacks pushed Fraser into a deep depression that further hampered his career.

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Over the past few years, Fraser has experienced an upswing in his career. He currently stars in the HBO Max action series “Doom Patrol” and has upcoming roles in films by two A-list directors, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Over the weekend, Fraser made an appearance at the Calgary Expo where he did a Q&A with fans who seemed primarily interested in talking about some of the stranger films in his catalog; namely, “George of the Jungle,” “Encino Man,” “Bedazzled” and “Monkeybone.”

He also signed autographs at the event which led to a heartwarming exchange with two fans. A TikTok user with the user name imani.goulet posted a video of the interaction on Sunday, April 24, and it went viral with more than 2.4 million views. During the exchange, Fraser signs a Funko doll of himself for Imani and they bond over a common problem, an uncommon name.

“I’ve had a lifetime of people mispronouncing my name. I know what it feels like,” he tells the two women. As the girls leave the table, one says something that clearly touched Fraser’s heart.

@imani.goulet

#brendanfraser #brendanfraserappreciation #brenaissance i love this man 🥹 my photo op with him and my signed funko are on my instagram: imani.goulet • everyone always says to never meet your heroes, i met mine and we almost burst into tears talking to eachother. thank you for everything brendan! ♥️

“Thank you for making my childhood awesome,” she says. “And mine too,” Imani adds. According to Imani, the words almost made Fraser “burst into tears.” The “George of the Jungle” star responded to the compliment with a fist bump.

“You can tell that last comment really meant SO much to him and I am HERE FOR IT,” a commenter named Kim wrote.

“Everyone always says to never meet your heroes, I met mine and we almost burst into tears talking to each other. Thank you for everything Brendan!” Imani captioned her video. “I hope he knows just how loved he is,” BV added.

The exchange shows that even though Fraser has been famous for four decades, he hasn’t become jaded and cynical and still enjoys it when a fan shows their appreciation. It’s that type of sincere reaction that has encouraged many people to root for Fraser over the last few years as he rebuilds his career.

@imani.goulet

#brendanfraser #brendanfraserappreciation #brenaissance ♥️♥️♥️

Sometimes when we’re in the younger, busier time of our lives it’s easy to forget—or not even realize—that our elderly friends and neighbors might be lonely. But very often, people who have long been retired, who may have already said goodbye to many of their friends or who have physical limitations that make it difficult to get out to visit people can find themselves alone most of the time. Feelings of loneliness can lead to depression and other health risks, in addition to simply being not very enjoyable.

A viral Reddit post offers a good reminder of this fact, but in the most heartwarming way.

Reddit user u/SnooCupcakes8607 shared a photo of a typed letter with the caption: “I went on a vacation 2 weeks ago, and let my neighbor babysit my pets. Shortly after I got back home, I received this letter from him in the mail that made me smile and cry. I’d like to share it here.”

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“Good afternoon,” the letter begins. “This letter is regarding your vacation two weeks ago, and how you let me babysit Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer. I’d just like to give you a letter of thanks.”

(The letter doesn’t specify what kind of pets Smokey, Oreo and Jennifer are, but the original poster later shared that they are a German shepherd, “the crankiest little beagle you’ve seen in your life,” and a cat named Oreo.)

Then he continued:

“As you know, I’m an old man. You don’t see me outside often anymore, as these joints aren’t as lively as they used to be. To add to that, two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, my dad got diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. After his death, I was left alone in my home. I don’t have a wife or kids. I could go to sleep one day and never wake up again. Every day is just sitting around and wondering what I have done for this world.

Until I met Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer.

Your pets are the cutest, funniest, and most troublesome (In a good way, don’t worry, they didn’t mess up my house too much!) individuals. They gave me the motivation to restart my life again. I started waking up early in the mornings. I began to take walks outside with your pets for the first time in years. Every 10 minutes, whenever I felt sad for a second, they would bark or rub against my leg and make me laugh.

The highlight of their stay was when I took them to the park. It was the longest time I’ve spend outside in a while. It didn’t just bring back pet interaction, I also met other people, started talking, and made friends with a handful of fellow human beings. I was so happy to finally be able to talk with friends again, interact with others, and feel like I’m part of the human race.

I realize I sound very existential right now, but I’m telling the truth. It’s nice knowing that I’m doing something for someone, even if it’s my neighbor.

I adopted two dogs soon after. (You may have been hearing noise from my home, pardon them!) I now take regular walks to the park with them and talk with friends I made there. Anyways, I’d just like to say: thank you so much. You brought back meaning to my life. And that’s all that matters.

Sincerely,

Robert (P.S. I think it’s time for you to mow the lawn, haha!)”

People absolutely loved Robert’s letter—and Robert himself, judging from some of the comments:

“Robert is a national treasure and I take anything less to be an insult!”

“I wouldn’t just mow my lawn, but Robert’s too. Forever.”

“Robert really is the good in all of us. He must be protected at all costs.”

Some people related to Robert, having found a new zest for life after getting pets of their own. Others joked that the whole letter was just an elaborate, “Midwest-nice” way to tell the poster their lawn needed attention. Some doubted the veracity of the letter, but even if it’s not real, the comments from people sharing how their elderly loved ones had been helped by neighbors sharing their pets with them show that animals really can help people who are lonely find more connection and purpose in their lives.

It’s a good reminder to check in with older folks around us and to share the joy of our pets with people who might be lonely. You never know whose life you might touch with your furry friends.

Last month, hitmaker Pooh Shiesty, responsible for the viral track “Back In Blood,” found out that he’ll be serving 63 months — a little over five years — in prison. He was indicted on four firearms charges in relation to a shooting incident that occurred in October 2020 at the Landon Hotel in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida. Williams later pled guilty to the charges after accepting a plea deal from prosecutors that reduced a possible life sentence to just 97 months in prison — a little over eight years in prison. So he has been expressing optimism and gratitude for the fact that he won’t be serving a longer sentence.

Today, the rapper released a music video for his song “Gone MIA” from Shiesty Season. It kicks off by immediately referencing the incident with a news broadcast about it. “Police say they are searching tonight for a rapper named Lontrell Williams,” the news broadcaster says. “They say he fled the scene in a green McClaren sports car.” The rest of the video watches him smoke and show off that green McClaren sports car.

Watch the video above for “Gone MIA.”

Pooh Shiesty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jean Smart’s dueling curmudgeons won my TV heart in 2021. It was a difficult choice to pick one over the other, but her cocktail-swilling grandma in Mare of Easttown ruled to a slightly lesser degree than her cranky comedian in Hacks. This turned out to be one of the standout shows in a breakout year for HBO Max, and Deborah made me cackle on several occasions. She was frankly crazy in the best of ways, and Hannah Einbinder’s Ava was her perfect compliment as they foiled and bonded with each other.

If only there wasn’t that errant sent-email out there, right? That seemingly little thing turned out to be a pivotal point, and in the Season 2 trailer, it’s evident that Ava’s anxiety is running high while waiting for that ticking time bomb to explode. Also, she’s now on tour with Deborah, which could make the cold shoulder even more uncomfortable than being back in Vegas. And we’ve got Jean Smart wielding a chainsaw. The trailer-edit of that moment is, well, fantastic.

I don’t even care about the context of this chainsaw. No matter what’s going here, it’s Emmy time. Here’s the season logline:

The dark mentorship between legendary Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her young, entitled writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) continues to evolve as the two travel across the country workshopping Deborah’s new stand-up act.

Hacks returns to HBO Max on May 12. Look at this masterful key art.

The Better Call Saul Lie Detector Test is a weekly recap of the major events of the final season, separated out by their apparent truthfulness at the time. This is not one of those recaps that gets into granular detail about things. It will miss the occasional callback or foreshadowing. But it will be fun. Sometimes, that’s what’s important.

Season 6, Episode 3: “Rock and Hard Place”

There was a way out for Nacho

When did you realize this was not going to end well for Nacho? Specifically, I mean, like this situation. Was it when he briefly escaped the Cousins by submerging himself in gross discarded oil? Was it when he called his dad in tears for a pained goodbye? Was it when he laid out the plan to Gus, or when Mike poured the drinks, or when everyone met out in the unforgiving desert to settle it all once and for all? Or did you think, even then, that he’d find a way to slither out of it all once again?

I was bouncing back and forth all episode. I figured bad times were coming for Nacho, soon to soon-ish, only because he was up against both the Salamancas and Gus and he didn’t really have an ally out there beyond Mike, who was only an ally in the sense that he helped Nacho go out on his own terms after beating his face in a bit so it looked real. This was never going to end well for him. It couldn’t have. It shouldn’t have, really. People get punished for their actions in this universe. The only character who made it out of Breaking Bad, really, was Jesse Pinkman, and even he only got away after living in a cage for a while to cook meth for Nazis. It was not, in any substantial way, ideal.

But still, sad. That phone call with his dad is going to stick with me for a while. Some of the characters on this show are bad dudes, with Gus being the primary example. Nacho always struck me as more of a decent dude who made bad decisions. That’s relatable. I can understand that, even if I don’t, like, support working for/with a violent drug cartel. I’m glad he went out his own way, I’m glad he got to tell some people off, and I’m glad he was probably able to protect his dad in the process, but mostly I’m just sad.

Words are important

I don’t have the stats in front of me and I’m not going to hunt them down on my own but I’d wager good money that this episode used fewer words than about 80-90 percent of all other episodes of scripted television. Including half-hour comedies. This sucker opened with nine full minutes — riveting minutes — without a single word. Think about that a little bit. The whole thing had a 45-minute runtime, the last few minutes of which featured the death of a prominent and sympathetic figure, and they just had no dialogue at all for the first 20 percent of the proceedings. That’s… it’s kind of incredible.

It helps that everyone involved here is very good at their jobs. The long opening shot at the beginning with the desert and the flower and the rain and the mysterious piece of glass, all of which seemed to be saying something, and then by the end of the episode very much did. There’s a confidence here. I feel like I’m in good hands watching the shows. These people know what they’re doing and if I give them space/time to do it, we’ll all be okay. That’s a cool feeling.

It also helps that the episode’s most loquacious character didn’t appear until the 18th minute of the commercial-free runtime. That’s a little hilarious. We’ll come back to this. The point is that I don’t know of another show that does more explaining with less actual telling. The degree of difficulty is high here. It’s all pretty cool.

Mike is having a lot of fun

Mike is a conundrum. On one hand, he’s an okay guy. He has a code. There’s honor in the way he does what he does. I think the show kind of wants us to like him, which is why they didn’t actually show him beating Nacho’s face like an old catcher’s mitt, and why Mike gave that speech — one sentence counts as a speech for Mike — about how anyone would have to go through him to get to Nacho’s dad. And yes, of course, the glass thing, which helped Nacho avoid a slow and painful death in the event things went sideways. Helpful. A nice gesture.

But also… not great. The “not my call” thing was weird, especially with it being right up against his vow to protect Nacho’s dad, like Mike is picking and choosing spots to stare down Gus. Which he is, I guess. He just seems to not be enjoying any of this at all (to the extent Mike enjoys anything), and it’s the only part of this that rings weird to me given that he’s still doing all of this once we get to Breaking Bad. On another show, one that isn’t a prequel, this would all be leaning toward Mike going half-Wick on his employers and the cartel. And yet, still, somehow, I love Mike. I cannot and will not explain this to you or anyone.

It would be really funny if they do just alter the whole timeline and have him kill Gus, though. I would respect it, if only for the shouting and chaos. It would ruin both shows, probably, and would be so weird, but I think that part of it would be fun. For me. Which is important.

Kim is getting out of this with her life and/or soul

Let’s check in with Kim Wexler:

• Advocating the riskiest alternative in their car-based flimflammery operation against Howard Hamlin
• Correcting the prosecutor who kept saying “Jimmy” by dropping a kind of smart-ass “He practices under the name Saul now”
• Explaining Saul’s option to him by saying he could be a friend to the cartel “or a rat”

Kim is loving this. Maybe too much. I said this last week mostly in jest but I’m going to say it a teeny bit more seriously now: There’s a little Walter White in her actions this season. She’s getting the same little twinkle in her eye when she’s planning evil stuff. I still don’t think she ends up dying, only because she’s never mentioned in Breaking Bad and the people who make this show would never leave that kind of loose string dangling, but I can see a few ways that she isn’t in New Mexico anymore. Or at least not practicing law.

Bad times are coming for Kim. I don’t know how bad yet, but they’re coming. It’s going to suck a lot.

I could watch an entire episode that’s nothing but Mike putting stuff together and/or taking stuff apart

I’m pretty sure on this one. I like watching him do this stuff. A part of me suspects I could watch 45 straight minutes of him taking apart a car and putting it back together in complete silence. That might be hyperbole, though. I might get bored as hell after about a half-hour. It might help if he had a partner who could occasionally respond to his grunts, just to break things up.

Let’s go with… oh, let’s say Sydney Sweeney. As herself. In Better Call Saul. Cranking on cars with Mike. This is a good idea.

(It is not a good idea.)

Nacho’s dad is probably okay

I need to be clear about two things here:

• I suspect Nacho’s dad will survive now, mostly because of Mike’s declaration, although Gus is so cold and brutal that I could see a scenario where he circles around Mike to do it anyway
• If anything happens to him, I will not get out of bed for a week

Please. I’m begging you. Leave him alone. I know what I signed up for here. I know most of these monsters are staring down a violent or sad end. I’m fine with that. Just let me have this one thing. I need it. Thank you

It would be good to know somebody like Huell

Yes, of course, I mean this in the “it would be nice to know a guy who is capable of lifting car keys off a valet and knows a key guy who can make a copy and a makeshift keyfob out of a disconnected cell phone keypad” way, because, like, you never know what kind of situations you’ll find yourself in as your life unfolds. Better to have this guy around just in case than finding yourself needing a guy like this with no one to call.

But, mostly, I mean you need someone in your life who will watch you plan out some elaborate and illegal car key ruse for as-yet-unclear purposes and will pull you aside and say, “Look, I’ll do this if you really want me to, it’s what I do, but… what the hell are you doing here, buddy?” Those people are worth their weight in gold. Even if it’s, like, a lot of gold. Huell is the best. Give him a spin-off next.

That guy at the garage was a pretty good dude

To recap:

• Saw a strange man hosing oil off of his entire body outside his garage
• Brought the strange man a towel
• Let him use the phone

Just a real solid dude here. I was terrified something bad was going to happen to him. Acts of kindness are rarely rewarded on this show. I hope he finds Nacho’s dad and they bond overrunning small businesses and they become best friends. Maybe they could vacation together. I don’t know. I’m just spitballing here.

It is wild that Saul Goodman is now like the fourth or fifth most intriguing character on the show that has his name in the title

Take a minute later and think about this one, after you think about the other stuff I said to think about. We have one of the most popular characters from an all-time great show, in a spinoff that has his name in the title, one that goes back in time to tell everyone how he became the flashy criminal lawyer we all saw and loved… and he straight-up did not appear in a pivotal final season episode for the first 18 minutes. I counted. That’s a little crazy, right?

It’s not a complaint, though. Probably the opposite. Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan have built a world so littered with fascinating characters that they can just burn off an hour with their alleged main character doing not much more than a car shenanigan or two. Yes, there was the Lalo business with the suspicious prosecutor, but still. Mike, Kim, Nacho, Lalo, all of them have more intriguing stories right now. Some of that is because we don’t know where most of them end up yet. But a bigger part is that… I mean, it’s just a good show.

Better Call Saul. Good show. Heard it here first.

Pharrell Williams‘ Something In The Water festival will relocate from his hometown Virginia Beach, Virginia to Washington DC this June. This year will mark the second iteration of the festival, following its inaugural festival in 2019.

The festival takes place along Independence Avenue in DC on June 17-19, coinciding with Juneteenth. On the lineup is an eclectic selection of acts, including Lil Baby, Pusha T, Chloe x Halle, Tyler The Creator, Run The Jewels, Omar Apollo, Snoh Allegra, Ozuna, Dave Matthews Band, and more.

Williams opted not to return to Virginia Beach last year, due to “toxic energy” from the city’s mayor and local government. The fallout is a result of inaction following the shooting of Williams’ cousin, Donovon Lynch, by Virginia Beach police.

Williams said in a statement:

“Something in the Water is a Black solution (LOVE) for a systemic issue, and this year we are taking our celebration to a higher platform—the nation’s Capital during Juneteenth Weekend. We want to show the world that there is Something in the Water across the whole DMV and I want to continue to bring awareness to the greatness within these communities and invite large corporations to show up for the people. DC has always been a deep inspiration to me as a person and a musician. It is the land where Go-Go Music was birthed which has provided so much for our people. Our sponsors continue to go the extra mile to show that Something in the Water is so much more than a festival. The goodwill we generate is a defining trait of who we are. We will always have the hottest artists, but to pair that energy with these brands showing up for the community is what makes this festival a vehicle for change.”

General on-sale for the festival begins this Saturday, April 30. Past festival-goers will have access to an exclusive pre-sale beginning Wednesday. Virginia residents will have access to a “Virginia Locals Only” presale taking place Friday, April 29 beginning at 10 a.m. ET through 5 p.m. ET.

“If you’re celebrating music, if you’re celebrating Black excellence, if you’re drawing attention to the people who have dedicated their lives to knocking down barriers and uplifting our communities — then there is no better place to do that than in Washington, DC,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser in a statement “We are proud to be working with Pharrell to bring Something In The Water to DC for Juneteenth weekend. DC is open and we are ready to celebrate.”

Check out the full line-up below.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.