Month: May 2022

While Democratic Senator Chris Murphy (who formerly represented the district that included Sandy Hook Elementary School) took to the floor to beg for gun control, GOP Senator Mitt Romney’s not exactly a portrait of action in the wake of Tuesday’s Texas school shooting, which left at least 19 children dead. Romney, who’s been doubling down on foot-in-mouth syndrome this year already, decided to take to twitter with a “thoughts-and-prayers”-style tweet. In doing so, he claimed to desire “answers” on how to solve the problem of having essentially no gun laws and being surprised each time this happens.

“Grief overwhelms the soul,” Romney wrote. “Children slaughtered. Lives extinguished. Parents’ hearts wrenched. Incomprehensible. I offer prayer and condolence but know that it is grossly inadequate. We must find answers.”

To say that the Internet had receipts for Romney (to the tune of almost $14 million in NRA dollars) would be an understatement. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence keeps a running list of gun lobby donations to U.S. lawmakers. Writer Bess Kalb’s tweeting out a thread of these donations (timed to lawmaker reaction tweets about this latest school shooting), and Romney’s a centerpiece, alright.

In fact and as human rights attorney Qasim Rashid points out, “Mitt Romney is America’s #1 recipient of NRA money, with $13,647,676 in NRA contributions in his bank.”

Soledad O’Brien was quick to respond to Romney: “I frequently call this man a coward. Maybe one day the words he says and what he actually does, will match.”

Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg called Romney’s bluff, and the Romney pile-on began, since he seems to have forgotten his staunch opposition to any new federal gun laws as these shootings continue.

Clearly, thoughts and prayers won’t do anything to bring these children back, although one can expect the push-and-pull in the Senate to reach another peak soon.

[WARNING: do not read unless you’re caught up on Better Call Saul]

Have you recovered from the Better Call Saul midseason finale yet? Probably not! It’s OK. The sixth and final season doesn’t resume until July, so you have time to emotionally process the events of “Plan and Execution,” specifically the final moments, when Lalo breaks into Jimmy and Kim’s apartment and shoots poor Howard in the head.

It was not a happy ending for Howard (or anyone, with the possible exception of Irene), but there’s a happy ending to come. Maybe. Probably not. Following the midseason finale, AMC released a teaser for the final six episodes. “So, after all that,” Jimmy says in a voiceover as we look at black-and-white footage of the apartment. “A happy ending.” The context is unclear, but it’s probably a morbid joke from creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. There are few happy endings on Saul or Breaking Bad (except this one).

In a post-midseason finale interview with EW, Gould discussed Lalo’s decision to go to Jimmy and Kim’s apartment instead of the laundromat: “One of the questions that I hope people who are watching the show are asking is: “Wait, why did he go to Jimmy and Kim? What’s he up to? Is he just settling old scores because he can’t get to Gustavo Fring now? Or is there something else going on now?’ Answers will be forthcoming.”

Better Call Saul returns to AMC on July 11.

In a press conference, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared some powerful words following the Uvalde, Texas school shooting, which resulted in 22 fatalities as of this morning. Taylor Swift caught wind of that and has used what Kerr said to share her thoughts on the situation.

Re-posting the Kerr video, Swift added, “Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep.”

In the original video, an emotional Kerr summarizes the situation and says in part:

“In the last ten days, we’ve had elderly Black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, we’ve had Asian churchgoers killed in southern California, and now we have children murdered at school. When are we gonna do something?! I’m tired, I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there, I am so tired of the moments of silence. Enough! There’s 50 senators, right now, who refuse to vote on HR-8, which is a background check rule that the House passed a couple years ago. It’s been sitting there for two years. And there’s a reason they won’t vote on it: to hold onto power. So I ask you, Mitch McConnell, I ask all of you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and school shootings and supermarket shootings, I ask you: Are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children, and our elderly, and our churchgoers? Because that’s what it looks like.”

Olivia Rodrigo took time during her performance at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles last night to address the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. She is one of many public figures, along with Finneas and Matthew McConaughey, who has vocalized their stances on stricter gun control laws in the US.

During her Sour tour performance, Rodrigo said, “I wish we would never have to worry about our safety or our lives at places that are dedicated to our learning and growing. And I’m so heartbroken that this is the reality that we’re living in — and we need stricter gun control laws in America.”

Rodrigo has also been vocal about reproductive freedom. During the Washington DC stop of her Sour tour, she said to the crowd, “When a woman tells us her body should never be in the hands of politicians, I hope we can raise our voices to protect our right to have a safe abortion, which is a right that so many people before us have worked so hard to get.”

In addition to using her platform to discuss reproductive rights and gun control, Rodrigo has also maintained that all attendees at her concert should be vaccinated for COVID-19. So much so that a father recently posted a video of himself burning Sour tour concert tickets he had purchased for his children in protest of the vaccine requirement.

Truth be told, there’s not a whole lot to admire about MyPillow founder Mike Lindell. Sure, he reportedly kicked a terrible drug and alcohol dependency and went on to start a successful “As Seen on TV” business that keeps him swimming in thick gold crucifixes, but he’s not the world’s most rational man. Still, Jimmy Kimmel—who has maintained an odd fascination with the pillow magnate, especially given his regular and very public failures—admires his moxie.

On Tuesday night, Kimmel seemed amazed that despite a $1.3 billion lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems still hanging over his head, and no one seeming to be listening, Lindell is “still screaming about the voting machines.”

In a bizarre and shaky clip shot from the inside of a car, it was fairly difficult to make sense of anything Lindell was saying. There was something about “a copier machine,” people saying “WHAT?!?” and corruption, though it all just sounded like a mad man’s Mad Libs. What was clear is that Lindell is imploring people to go to his website, SueMikeLindell.com, where they’ll find a template to submit… something?! But it really doesn’t matter, because this is what you get when you go to that site:

The site’s nonexistence was not lost on Kimmel, who noted that if you visit the URL, you’ll get a notice that “this site cannot be reached… just like Mike himself.”

“But you do have to hand it to Mike,” Kimmel added. “He’s been putting his time and his money where his mustache is.” As of April 2022, Lindell admitted that he has so far spent about $35 million of his own money attempting to prove that Trump is the true winner of the 2020 presidential election.

You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 8:25 mark.

On Tuesday, shortly after 11:30 a.m. CDT, the first reports of gunshots heard at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas—just about 85 miles west of San Antonio—were reported. As of this morning, a total of 21 people, 19 of them children, have been confirmed dead in what is just the latest school shooting, a tragedy that feels like an everyday occurrence in America (and nowhere but America).

While it’s easy to feel helpless in the wake of such a tragedy, a clearly emotional Stephen Colbert took a moment at the very beginning of his Tuesday night show to remind viewers that there’s something very important they can do in helping to curb this national epidemic of violence: vote! Colbert’s message was heartfelt and poignant:

There is NOTHING that can ever be said that can approach the immeasurable grief of those families. But while we’re at it, let’s pray this time our leaders show a modicum of courage in trying to prevent this from ever happening again.

But prayers won’t end this. Voting might. So when you vote, ask yourself this question: Who, running for office, has publicly stated that they’re willing to do anything and everything in their power to protect your children from the criminally insane number of guns in America?

Colbert went on to remind everyone that “This year, your vote is not a theory. Because we’re just a few months away from the midterm elections and tonight there are primaries in five states.”

You can watch his full commentary above.

Riding high on a stream of rave reviews and the prevailing winds of audiences who’ve shown their eagerness to return to theaters, Top Gun: Maverick is locked and loaded to be Tom Cruise‘s best opening weekend ever at the global and American box office. According to analysts, Cruise is looking at a potential $92 to $100 million box office haul in the states with that number virtually doubling when you throw in international box offices for a projected grand total of $180 million, a career best for the actor.

On top of the strong word of mouth, Top Gun: Maverick is also being aided by what Deadline is calling one of, if not the biggest number of theater showings ever. We’re talking a Marvel-scale release and then some:

In U.S. and Canada, the co-financed and co-produced Skydance sequel is booked at 4,727 theaters; arguably the widest release ever, besting the location count of 2019’s The Lion King (4,725 theaters), and the pandemic debuts of Spider-Man: No Way Home (4,336 theaters) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (4,534 sites). Previews start at 3PM on Thursday. However, yesterday, theaters coast to coast hosted “Top Gun Tuesday,” a special pre-opening fan event which started at 7PM presented in Dolby Cinema, IMAX, and other premium large format screens.

Cruise personally saw that Top Gun: Maverick never went to streaming and reportedly used his clout to prevent the film’s release on Paramount+. He also claims to have called up theater owners during the pandemic and calmed their fears by telling them that Top Gun and Mission: Impossible films are coming. Clearly, Cruise’s strategy worked as theaters are giving Top Gun: Maverick all the runway it needs for a massive opening weekend.

(Via Deadline)

Last summer, it was announced that The Weeknd is starring in The Idol, a new HBO series he co-created with Reza Fahim and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. A few months later, Britney Spears revealed she shot a new film also called The Idol. Although she referred to the project as a movie, there was speculation the Weeknd and Spears projects were actually one in the same. Now, some fuel has been added to that fire.

Yesterday, Spears shared an Instagram post that included a video of her, The Weeknd, and Levinson posing for a photo, with Spears noting the video was shot yesterday.

Furthermore, Spears’ assistant, Vicky T, shared a photo of herself, Levinson, and The Weeknd on what appears to be a set, given the cameras and other equipment seen in the background. On a related note, the house in the photo also looks like it may be the same one from a photo The Weeknd shared on Instagram last week. In an Instagram Story, Vicky T also noted she has known Levinson since she was 16 years old, which gives Spears a stronger connection to the project. (Vicky T, by the way, is also known as Victoria Asher and was a member of the band Cobra Starship.)

So, if Spears was on the same set at The Weeknd and Levinson, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn Spears was involved in the project, especially since it’s about a female pop singer. The Weeknd would seemingly embrace working with Spears, as he previously cited her music as an inspiration for his Dawn FM album.

Matthew McConaughey took to Twitter on Tuesday night to address the mass shooting that left 21 people dead, including 19 kids, at an elementary school in the actor’s hometown of Uvalde, Texas. “Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us,” the note begins.

McConaughey called on “every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state and neighborhood tomorrow?’ We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.” He continued:

“This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured. And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we’ll keep them coming.”

You can read the entire note from the Texas legend below.

Britney Spears has been open with sharing details about her conservatorship journey and now she has offered another one: The pop star was apparently “forced” to undergo a whopping 840 hours of therapy.

In an Instagram post from last night, Spears wrote, “Clarity is such a beautiful WORD !!! No ??? I choose to look at my hands when I’m searching for such ??? As you all have HEARD about my awful therapy sessions … I will have to say I am not at all against therapy !!! I’m just not for being forced to unwanted 840 hours of against your will therapy [shrugging emoji] !!! Guess what ??? 7 months before that I met and had a two hour meeting with two charities that I wanted to help Hillary Clinton with and cut the red string for the key to Las Vegas … then 7 months later they sent me away !!! That’s Hollywood for you !!! Anyway … through it all I must say clarity is what I strived for.”

The post also includes a video of herself with The Weeknd and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, which Spears says was taken yesterday. Levinson and The Weeknd are working on an HBO series called The Idol, while Spears previously said she was shooting a new film with the same name.