Month: June 2022

Ewan McGregor has always been the best part of the Star Wars prequels. The actor’s committed, emotional but stoic, funny but serious depiction of the heroic Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi brought the often wooden and always green-screened films up multiple levels. Most importantly, McGregor continued the character Alec Guinness created in 1977’s Star Wars., rather than mimicking him. Guinness portrayed the character as the archetypal mentor, someone who cares deeply but is ultimately unemotional. Guinness’s Obi-Wan cared about Luke Skywalker, he cared about defeating the Empire and restoring balance in the Force. He was also conflicted about his past, but only vaguely.

McGregor, on the other hand, eliminated the fog by opening up the character emotionally from his body language, a look in his (dreamy) eyes, to an emphatic “hello, there!” In 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan has a lightsaber battle with Anakin Skywalker. Although the dialogue is cheesy and much of the sequence green-screened to oblivion, the emotional impact is undeniable because McGregor gives it his all and sells it, from expositional dialogue (“Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil”) to computerized flips to the now incredibly memed “I have the high ground” as he lifts his outstretched arms ever so slightly. When Obi-Wan leaves his former padawan limbless to burn on a volcanic planet, he leaves lost, broken, and guilty, a mere shadow of the young padawan first introduced in The Phantom Menace, and far, far away from the old man who mentors Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

Based on the critical and fan reception of the prequels, Ewan McGregor probably never thought he would be playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again. The prequels were so poorly received that when Disney first took over the franchise in the 2010s, it essentially put all of its energy into course-correcting with a brand new sequel trilogy that would actually be good, made by groundbreaking filmmakers like . . . J.J. Spielberg (or is it Abrams?). The best part of the sequel trilogy’s disastrous third and final film, Rise of Skywalker (a better title would have been Somehow Palpatine Has Returned) is a brief moment when you can hear McGregor’s voice as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The prequels hardened McGregor to Star Wars. Recently, the actor has opened up about his complex relationship with the films, and the franchise as a whole. “It was tricky at the time,” McGregor said at an Obi-Wan Kenobi press event in May. “They weren’t overwhelmingly embraced by everybody when they came out, our prequels,” He said. “It was nice to watch them now knowing that people love them. That the kids who we made them for at the time — they loved those films a lot. It was nice to watch them with that sense.”

Like so many of us (including me), McGregor has warmed up to the Star Wars prequels by accepting them for what they are: bloated but sincere messes with innovative yet occasionally sloppy technology, but in the end, a lot of heart. McGregor’s Kenobi is that heart, which he brings effortlessly to the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Three episodes in, the series is fine but a bit flat as a result of gluing itself to the Skywalker saga (when will it ever end/why are we still doing this, etc etc etc) and the concept of a middle-aged man flying around the Star Wars universe with a child. In just a simple glance as a piece of hair floats in front of his eyes, McGregor, who also manages to make his Jedi robes and his beard look sad, captures that raw emotion that always made his Kenobi so great, which makes Obi-Wan Kenobi more compelling than it is on paper.

In the third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the titular former Jedi learns that the boy he left to die a decade ago is alive. They have another duel. Darth Vader is more powerful than Obi-Wan, who has grown weaker with the Force as Anakin has gotten stronger using the Dark Side. Darth Vader uses the Force to choke Obi-Wan and forces his body through raging fire: Vader’s revenge for being left for dead on Mustafar a decade ago. Although we know there are more episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi left and that the character does not die until another movie, McGregor’s depiction of pain and suffering leaves you wondering, how will poor helpless get out of this one? He, of course, manages to escape Vader’s wrath with the help of some allies. The fear instilled in that scene exemplifies McGregor’s why performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi is so good and significant within the Star Wars universe. He can make you feel anything at any moment: fear, sadness, joy (he could say “hello there!” at any moment and it would work). Ewan McGregor is the heart of Star Wars because it is impossible to imagine Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars without him.

ESPN’s coverage of the start of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors will look a little different because of COVID-19. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the Worldwide Leader will not have one of its in-game analysts, Jeff Van Gundy, or its top NBA insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, after both contracted the virus in recent days.

This will mark the second straight game in which COVID impacted the crew ESPN had to call and analyze a playoff game. In the lead-up to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the Miami Heat, the network’s play-by-play analyst, Mike Breen, contracted COVID and had to be replaced by Mark Jones. ESPN confirmed to Marchand that Van Gundy — who, as many noted, sounded hoarse while he called Game 7 — and Wojnarowski will not be able to be part of its broadcast, while the network is waiting to see if Breen will be cleared by Disney and the NBA. If he is not, Jones will once again fill his shoes in the booth.

Marchand reports that whomever calls the game will be part of a two-man booth with Mark Jackson. As for when we can expect to see Van Gundy and Wojnarowski back, the hope is apparently that the former will be good to go by the time the series shifts to Boston for Game 3, while the latter “could join the crew in Boston or could potentially work remotely.”

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals tips off on Thursday evening in San Francisco at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Still riding the highs of his latest album, Mahal, Toro y Moi has dropped an extended visual to accompany the music. Goes By So Fast: A Mahal Short Film aims to create a world around Toro’s seventh album by placing the artist side-by-side with actor and comedian Eric Andre as they embark on an adventure through the Bay Area.

Goes By So Fast was directed by Harry Israelson, written by Sidney Schleiff and Israelson, and produced by Ways & Means.

“Given the more serious themes of the record, Harry and I both felt it fitting to come up with something humorous and fun,” said Toro in a statement. “I wanted to make something that humanized the music and hopefully myself in ways. Knowing that I’m not much of an actor and somewhat reserved, we felt it was best to find a supporting actor who would bring some context to the ‘man behind the curtain.’ We felt Eric Andre’s character, Panther, was the perfect high-sporadic energy to match my persona, giving context to my introverted tendencies. I loved the entire process and I think fans will be able to see the fun we had making it.”

Check out Goes By So Fast above.

The Boys star Chace Crawford has made no secret of wondering whether he’ll work again after The Deep’s developments in Season 3. And Aquaman fans won’t be pleased to see this happen, especially since they apparently weren’t thrilled (according to Chace) about what The Deep and his tan lines have already done in the first two seasons of the Amazon show. Hoo boy, get ready, DC Comics fans.

It’s worth noting, of course, that jokes about Aquaman’s (alleged) preferences for his fish friends have always run rampant. Jason Momoa freely admitted that he pleaded with Zack Snyder to cut a Justice League joke about how Aquaman/Arthur Curry converses with fish because that doesn’t sound too cool. Then James Gunn threw cool out the window in a Peacemaker finale scene, in which John Cena’s character accuses Aquaman of doing everything with his ocean-dwelling friends.

For his part, Chace revealed to GQ that DC lovers aren’t always thrilled with how The Boys drags superheroes through the actions of The Supes. With Aquaman in particular, this might be too close to comfort for those who take their comic books totally seriously. Crawford says that this occasionally gets ugly with his own fan feedback, but he’s aware that this is part of the gig, so he’s good with this:

“Occasionally on Instagram I’ll get a, ‘F*ck you, fish guy. You think it’s funny to make fun of Aquaman?’” says Chace Crawford, who plays The Deep, a fishy supe. “I’m like, perfect. That’s exactly what I want.”

Well, the Amazon show continues to have a great time while advancing the legend of The Deep’s love-filled adventures, but all I can say right now is this: The Boys returns for Season 3 on June 3, and RIP, Chace Crawford’s Instagram comments.

(Via GQ)

We’re almost halfway into the year and pop star Dua Lipa has already dropped her Megan Thee Stallion collaboration “Sweetest Pie” and had a song written about her by Jack Harlow. Now she’s celebrating the five-year anniversary of what started it all — her eponymous debut album.

In an Instagram post, the “Levitating” singer wrote: “5 years ago today I dropped my debut album ~ i’m so proud of every baby step and stepping stone, every room, club and venue, every artist, songwriter and producer that i’ve been lucky to write and collaborate with and that has led me to where I am today ~ i thank my lucky stars everyday and I thank you all for being on this insane journey with me x.”

In a recent interview, Lipa discussed enjoying the United States, including taking yoga classes in Beverley Hills and eating barbecue in Houston. However, she also mentioned her wariness of road rage and guns. “Being from the UK, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around,” she said. “When I’m in the car with someone in America and they have, like, a little bit of road rage, I’m always like, ‘Don’t do it. You have no idea who that other person is and if they’re carrying a gun.’”

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

Prince stories are the opposite of your friend telling you about the dream they had last night: you actually want to hear them. There’s the time he served Charlie Murphy pancakes that was immortalized in the famous Chappelle’s Show sketch, of course, but let’s not forget when he, along with Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy, got c*ckblocked by Donald Trump, or Conan O’Brien telling Maya Rudolph “maybe the best story ever about Prince’s mystique.” Jinx star Jake Johnson has another Prince tale for the collection.

The Hollywood Reporter rounded up Johnson, Michael Che, Jerrod Carmichael, Will Forte, Danny McBride, and Bowen Yang, and asked them to name what people most often say to them when they’re in public. Johnson is frequently questioned what New Girl guest star Prince was like, to which Che wondered, well, “What was he like?”

Johnson called Prince “really weird. He had a whole group of people, they were all wearing purple and walked in a single-file line, and when they got to the place we were going, he was announced, ‘Prince is coming to set,’ and everybody got tight, and then they all walked out. He was talking to Zooey Deschanel, and I was waiting for the moment where I say hi, and then he goes, ‘I’m ready to meet Nick now.’ That was my character’s name,” and that’s how he was introduced to Prince. Johnson continued:

Then we did the scene, and he was a genuinely good actor. And then he didn’t get up. They were relighting, which is about 45 minutes, and if Prince doesn’t get up, I’m not getting up. I was like, ‘So, you a big [Minnesota] Vikings guy?’ And he was. We talked NFC North, and it was unreal.

And that’s how Nick Miller, I mean, Jake Johnson ended up bitching about Christian Ponder (I assume) to Prince.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

In news that’s sure to go over well with Kanye West, an always calm individual, Kim Kardashian revealed on the latest episode of her new reality series that she’s having the best sex of her life with Pete Davidson. While Kardashian didn’t specifically mention her new boyfriend by name, there’s only one person she’s getting it on with right now (that we know of), and it sounds like both age and no longer being married to West have significantly improved things in the sack. Not for nothing, Kardashian has also not been shy in the past that everything you’ve heard about Davidson’s “BDE action” is true.

Via Us Weekly:

“I am not chasing anything and that is the best feeling. Whether it is at the beginning of your career chasing fame, chasing money, chasing a relationship or chasing happiness. Like, it is just all here,” Kim, 41, told her sisters Khloé Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian during a new episode of The Kardashians, which premiered on Thursday, June 2. “When I turned 40 everyone said it is the best sex of your life.”

During the episode, Kardashian’s sisters, Khloé and Kourtney, also gushed about how much happier Kim is with Kanye out of the picture, and echoed previous comments from Caitlyn Jenner that West was “difficult to live with.”

“Kim is so happy and just seems so much lighter. It is like a breath of fresh air,” Khloé said while Kourtney added, “I have definitely noticed that Kim is happier. She is so much nicer now. Thank you, Pete! I am so into this new Kim.”

(Via US Weekly)

In March, we learned that King Princess’ next album is called Hold On Baby. “Hold on” is just what fans had to do when it came to getting more info about the project, but now, two core pieces of the puzzle have been offered: the album art and release date.

Yesterday, King Princess shared the cover art on social media and noted the album is set for release on July 29. She also offered a manifesto about the meaning of the album and how she’s been feeling about some things. It reads:

“I’ve only ever written about heartbreak. It felt easier to talk about myself through other people. To write about situations that caused me pain and to use them to justify my own anxieties and depression.

It finally reached a point where I had to turn the barrel on myself. I’m silly, I’m anxious, I’m sad, I’m sexy. I didn’t want to be scared to talk about those things anymore. The infinite dichotomy of things that make me up. I’m not a girl, not quite a boy. A lesbian, but also gay as the day is long. I’m not one thing.

I’m not sure I like myself, but I’m figuring it out. Hold On Baby is a search for a new heartbreak. It’s a love letter to my girlfriend. It’s a firm read of myself. And it’s a reminder of the totems in my life that give me hope; my dog who is my fiercest companion and the owl that represents my grandparents.

I want this album to give us all some strength in accepting ourselves as chaotic as we can be. It’s not easy being alive and I feel indebted to you all for providing me air to breathe in this insane world. That’s what King Princess has always been about at its core; making a home for us to feel safe and weird and messy and imperfect. You are not alone in your feelings. I bet you and I feel and have felt the same. This album is for anyone who needs a sanctuary to be vulnerable. I’m here with you and I love you.”

In the post’s caption, she also noted, “This is the most proud I’ve ever felt of a piece of art.”

Check out King Princess’ post below.

Hold On Baby is out 7/29 via Zelig Records. Pre-order it here.

Kim Kardashian: socialite, businesswoman, prospective poop eater.

In an interview with the New York Times to discuss her SKKN BY KIM skincare line, Kardashian (who recently acquired a lock of Marilyn Monroe’s hair that might not actually be Marilyn Monroe’s hair) revealed the lengths she would go to keep your youthful glow. “I’ll try anything,” she said. “If you told me that I literally had to eat poop every single day and I would look younger, I might. I just might.”

Every week? Sure. Every other day? Maybe. But eating poop literally every day to look young? I dunno…

SKKN BY KIM includes nine items (cleanser, toner, exfoliator, hyaluronic acid serum, vitamin C serum, face cream, eye cream, oil drops, and night oil) that will set you back a Goop-esque $630. “It’s definitely more prestige, and in order to get the types of ingredients that I would not really miss out on, it was kind of a necessity,” Kardashian said about the price. “The products I was using that were comparable were way more expensive, not to compare anything. I tried to get the quality for the best price that we could, especially the vitamin C serum.” Meanwhile, poop is free. Something to consider.

(Via the New York Times)

Vladimir Putin’s imperialistic, dumb war on the people of Ukraine is not going too well. After leaked audio footage from the Ukraine battlefield revealed how Russian troops nearly blew up their general, and word that Putin fired over 100 FSB Secret Agents over his embarrassment — complete logistical SNAFUS from Russia and molotov cocktail-wielding grandmas standing up for Ukraine — we’ve already heard that Putin’s inner circle is maneuvering to find a successor after his disastrous display of military un-might.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s will is strong, too, and he’s not pouting over his missing Botox supply like Putin’s reportedly doing, which says a lot. Although this is an incredibly tragic conflict (and with massive loss of life on both ends), it’s still quite something to behold how Russia’s tripping all over itself while spreading a different message. Via Newsweek, here’s what Russian investigative media group RBC reported about Putin’s furious firing of military leaders:

Those fired included Major General of Police Vasily Kukushkin, who was head of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Vladimir region; Major General Alexander Laas, deputy head of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Altai Territory and Major General Andrey Lipilin, head of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Yaroslavl Region.

Major General Alexander Udovenko of the Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Major General Yuri Instrankin, deputy head of the Department for Logistics and Medical Support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were also reportedly dismissed.

In addition, two other pivotal players are out of commission. Top Russian Colonel Valery Gerasimov has been missing for weeks while Lieutenant Colonel Zaur Dimayev was killed by a barrage of artillery (which hit his military SUV) this week. Interestingly enough, however, all of this dismal news arrives after the Kremlin apparently declared that it was going to win within nine months with Russia really hoping that the war’s over by Fall 2022. Well, maybe not?

(Via Newsweek & Business Insider)