Month: June 2022

With so much attention being paid to Thor’s butt and Christian Bale’s Uncle Fester-looking Gorr the God Butcher (seriously, it’s all I can see), let’s not overlook the biggest draw of Thor: Love and Thunder: Natalie Portman is back — in ripped form.

Director and writer Taika Waititi promised the Oscar-winning actress that she would have a less “boring” time in Thor: Love and Thunder than she did playing Jane Foster in the first two Thor movies. But to transform into the Mjolnir-wielding Mighty Thor, she had to get mighty ripped. “On Black Swan, I was asked to get as small as possible,” she told Variety. “Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That’s an amazing challenge — and also state of mind as a woman.”

Portman worked with a trainer for 10 months to bulk up for the role, although there was some movie magic needed to make her seem as big as co-star Chris Hemsworth.

Another unexpected benefit for Portman to embracing her newfound sense of size has been watching others around her have to contend with it. Quite literally on Love and Thunder: Jane’s Mighty Thor stands six feet tall, and since there’s no healthy way yet for an actor to grow nearly 10 inches, the crew had to get creative to bring Portman to the proper height for scenes in which she walked with her co-stars.

Portman’s determination is no surprise to Kara Nortman, who co-owns the Angel City FC soccer team with the actress and activist. “I’m always telling Natalie she’s as much of an athlete as any of us,” she said. “I think of her as Thor every day.”

Thor: Love and Thunder comes out on July 8.

(Via Variety)

Despite the fact that Ozark ended its four-season run with an earth-shattering finale in April, Laura Linney, who played the Byrde matriarch Wendy, isn’t quite ready to let the series go.

Linney admitted that she actually hasn’t seen the finale of the show because it might taint her experience on the series, which she starred in alongside Jason Bateman and Julia Garner. “I haven’t seen it,” the actress said in a new interview with Vulture. “I don’t know what they chose. I’m very bad at watching myself and I’m particularly bad at watching things that I really loved doing because it’s going to change the minute I see it. I really can’t comment on it.”

Though she didn’t comment on the finale, she did mention that she has nothing but positive memories from the show, adding that she would “absolutely” be on board for another Ozark plot down the line, which the showrunners have hinted at in the past. “I’m having real withdrawal from Ozark,” Linney added. She had played the character for nearly five years, landing two Emmy nominations.

“Everything about it worked. All the right people were in the right positions. Everyone had a similar viewpoint. Everyone had a similar work ethic,” Linney added, saying that the crew had a special connection. “I loved being in Atlanta. It was an unbelievable crew. Crews on television normally do not stay intact. Ninety percent of our crew stayed the entire time. What that does on a set, the safety that you feel, the unspoken communication, the ease, the comfort, and the fun that you have — I feel like I just landed in a pot of honey. I miss it a lot.”

Not only does Linney miss the crew, but she also misses her character, who had a major transformation during the series. Linney admitted that Wendy was “very different” in the beginning. “I just remember she was snoring in the bed a lot. There was a lot of: Wendy snores. I just didn’t know where it was going to go.” She clearly developed a lot since the beginning.

Despite the unclear arch, Linney trusted that her character would get the development she deserved. “I don’t know why I trusted Jason Bateman and [showrunner] Chris Mundy as much as I did, but I remember saying to them, ‘I hope that if I sign onto this, you’ll use me. Otherwise, don’t cast me. Take someone else.’ There’s nothing worse than people not wanting what you have to offer. When people don’t want what you have to offer, it’s just womp-womp-womp.” Luckily, she offered a career-defining performance, which is really saying something, because she was also in The Truman Show.

(Via Vulture)

On May 24, 2022, an 18-year-old gunman walked into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 children and two teachers. We’re now nearly a month removed from the event and while many media outlets have moved on from the tragedy, Trevor Noah has not. On Tuesday night, The Daily Show host got angry about the latest details that have emerged in an investigation into the incident and the many ways the Uvalde Police Department—which, just days after the event, stopped cooperating with investigators—failed its citizens. Hell, even Tucker Carlson was livid! The police, Noah noted, have “been trying to block information about that day from coming out. And each time more information comes out, we learn why.”

On Tuesday, the first surveillance image from inside the school was released and what it showed painted a far different story from what police officials have claimed: The image, taken just 19 minutes after the gunman entered the school, shows multiple police officers inside the building, fully armed with at least one carrying a ballistic shield. This contradicts the school police chief’s statement that officers didn’t enter the school for nearly an hour because they weren’t properly armed. Noah was clearly appalled.

Every single time we learn something it gets worse and worse… Now we found out that they lied about not having enough weapons to go in. Because it turns out they had assault rifles, they had body armor, and ballistic shields. So I’m sorry, what else were they waiting for? The invincible star from Mario? What was that, huh? Get the f**k in the room! Like, how do they not go in? Which is, by the way, another thing we’ve learned.

They didn’t even try to get in the classroom. They didn’t even try. They told everyone that they had to wait for a key because the door was locked, but the door wasn’t locked. They just never tried to open it? Which is ridiculous. Even people waiting outside a locked bathroom at Starbucks will jiggle the handle after two minutes just to be sure sure. They’ll try. But it turns out these cops couldn’t do what it took the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park five minutes to learn. And you know what’s insane about this whole story is how the one time—the one time—it would have been appropriate to go in guns blazing, the cops decide to have a picnic outside. Yeah. But if you’re Black or you have a broken taillight, then all of a sudden they go all Rambo on your ass.

Ultimately, Noah concluded, the situation is Uvalde serves as just “another reminder that you can’t trust what the police say. This is one of the clearest reminders. Yes, they’re police. Yes, you respect them. But it doesn’t mean you just trust every single thing that they say.”

You can watch the full clip, beginning around the 5:35 mark, above.

Top Gun: Maverick has been shattering box office records left and right, so of course, theater exhibitors have nothing but love for Tom Cruise who personally fought Paramount and convinced the studio not to stream the highly anticipated sequel. That gamble paid off big time as Top Gun: Maverick has put up Marvel movie numbers since its Memorial Day weekend release. But Cruise isn’t done showing his love for the theatrical experience.

Despite just promoting Top Gun: Maverick in Korea, the actor flew into Barcelona for the latest CineEurope convention, where Cruise surprised the audience by making his second appearance in the past eight months. According to Deadline, the theater exhibitors “leapt to their feet” as soon as Cruise took the stage, and they definitely loved his message to them:

“I came here just to say thank you for everything… I know what it takes to do what you do… Thank you for allowing me to have the career I’ve had.” Somewhat reminiscent of what he said when he surprised CineEurope last October, Cruise continued, “I’m going to keep delivering these films for you… You know I’m here for you and I know you’re here for me.”

After thanking the audience again for its “help on Top Gun,” Cruise switched into ambassador mode and thanked them for helping “all movies.”

“I want everyone to win,” Cruise told the crowd. “I see a bright future for all of us.”

The actor concluded his speech by saying having theaters open “means the world to me,” and he promised to come back to the convention next year with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

(Via Deadline)

Lil Durk has been teasing the release of the deluxe edition of his March album 7220 for some time, and after some false starts, it looks like he finally has a release date. During his performance for Apple Music Live in Los Angeles last week, he projected the release date on the screen and then, he confirmed it via Twitter the next day. According to Durk, it’s landing on DSPs this Friday, June 24.

The album has been Durk’s most commercially successful release to date, debuting at No. 1. It also returned to No. 1 a month later propelled by singles like “Golden Child,” “Petty Too,” “Barbarian,” “Computer Murderers,” and “What Happened To Virgil.” He’s also got a tour kicking off this autumn to keep the party going. You can check out the tour dates below.

09/17 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
09/18 — Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena
09/20 — Milwaukee, WI @ BMO Harris Pavilion
09/21 — Louisville, KY @ Iroquois Amphitheater
09/25 — Portsmouth, VA @ Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion
09/28 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
09/30 — Brooklyn, NY @ Coney Island Amphitheater
10/02 — Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Pavilion
10/03 — Washington, DC @ Echostage
10/05 — Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
10/06 — Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
10/07 — Southaven, MS @ Landers Center
10/12 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
10/14 — San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
10/17 — Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater

The murder trial for the man who shot and killed Nipsey Hussle is underway and yesterday, one of the prosecution’s key witnesses was cross-examined by the defense. Although Eric Holder’s lawyer Deputy District Attorney Aaron Jansen can’t truly deny his client pulled the trigger — there’s plenty of security video along with multiple witnesses — the defense hinges on Holder’s insistence that the murder was not premeditated, in which case he should have been charged with voluntary manslaughter. Holder pled not guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree attempted murder.

Jansen’s questioned the witness, Bryannita Nicholson, about discrepancies in her testimony on Monday, comparing her statements to her initial witness statements in 2019 and video from the crime scene. According to the Associated Press, Jansen took care not to accuse Nicholson of lying, only that she might be mistaken. It’s clear that his strategy is to create doubt about whether Holder intended to shoot the rapper when he had Nicholson park her car in a nearby alley.

Nicholson had accompanied Holder to the store, giving him a ride in her car, and said she witnessed an argument between Holder and Nipsey, after which they left, returning a few minutes later and parking in the alley instead of the store’s parking lot. Holder got out, leaving her alone, and returned after shooting Hussle, telling her to drive away. Nicholson has always maintained she had no idea that was his intention, and Jansen’s pressing on small details — the color of a truck in the parking lot at the strip mall where the Marathon Clothing store was located, the order of events during Holder’s initial confrontation with Nipsey — was intended to cast doubt on her reliability as a witness.

To that end, it’s reported Jansen did get Nicholson to acknowledge she didn’t see any violent signs from Holder and that she was never close enough to hear more than a minute of the men’s conversation, which she’d said in 2019 revolved around Nipsey accusing Holder of being a snitch. This was apparently what incited Holder to return to the store minutes later and fire at Nipsey, killing him and hitting two bystanders.

April 2021 marked the release of Through The Soil, a compilation album to benefit the NAMI COVID-19 Mental Health Support Fund. Now, a sequel project, Through The Soil II, has been released and it features some indie rock firepower: Contributing to this 37-track album are artists like Julien Baker, Faye Webster, Squirrel Flower, Ian Sweet, Tomberlin, Ratboys, Wednesday, Friendship, and Horse Jumper Of Love.

Most of the material is new songs original to this release, while some are covers, demos, and live versions. Baker offers a song called “Milkman Of Human Kindness,” Webster shares a live version of “What Used To Be Mine,” and Ian Sweet contributes a demo version of the 2021 single “F*ckthat.”

“These charity compilations would be absolutely nothing without the generosity from all the artists involved,” the project’s Bandcamp page reads. “Thank you to all who took part in the making of this release, for sharing a piece of your art for this project and for your continued support.”

Proceeds from the album will benefit The Trevor Project, which cites its mission simply as “to end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer 
& questioning young people.”

Stream Through The Soul II below or here.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s Château Miraval in France has been a pivotal location in both their tabloid frenzy marriage and their years-long contentious divorce. While Jolie sold off her stake earlier in the year to Pitt’s frustration, the actor has held onto his end of the secluded estate and winery business, which he’s claimed in court papers he developed “from scratch.”

However, Pitt has revealed a previously unknown attachment to the French chateau: Buried treasure. While promoting his new movie, Bullet Train, the actor confessed to GQ that he was conned into believing there was gold harkening back to the Middle Ages underneath the chateau grounds. Pitt admits he became obsessed with the hunt:

He tells me that he was approached a few years ago by a man who explained to him that the château was supposedly home to another fortune: millions of dollars’ worth of gold that one of the estate’s medieval owners had taken from the Levant during the Crusades and buried on the grounds. “I got obsessed,” Pitt says. “Like for a year, this was all I could think about, just the excitement of it all.” He bought radar equipment and scoured his property. “Maybe it has something to do with where I grew up, because in the Ozark Mountains there were always stories of hidden caches of gold.”

Turns out, the man was trying to drum up interest in “some kind of radar company,” and there was never any buried treasure. Despite being duped and admitting it was “pretty foolish in the end,” Pitt said he still had a blast. “It was just the hunt that was exciting.”

(Via GQ)

Atlanta and music go hand in hand, and they are set to take the next step in their marriage this fall with the 12th annual One Musicfest taking place at Central Park in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood. Attendees will be graced with the presence of talents such as Lil Baby, Jazmine Sullivan, Rick Ross, Tems, Ashanti and Ja Rule, Gucci Mane, City Girls, Beenie Man, Jeezy, and Ms. Lauryn Hill for a nice mix of hometown talents, music legends, and fresher faces.

The two-day festival, taking place October 8th and 9th, is provided in collaboration with Live Nation Urban for the second year in a row but also introducing a new partner in the entertainment powerhouse BET. Per Billboard, organizers are describing what BET has planned for the event as a “Black Joy Playground.”

J. Carter, the founder of ONE MusicFest, had this to say about the October event: “We are super excited about this year’s lineup and new location. One thing we pride ourselves on is creating a diverse lineup that reflects the vast and beautiful breadth of Black music and culture. We are also taking over the Fourth Ward area and increasing our footprint to four stages instead of three. ONE Musicfest 2022 will be our biggest year yet, but we still plan to keep the energy and vibrations intimate and comfortable.”

Check out information about tickets and more at the One Musicfest website here.

Gucci Mane is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Squid Game unexpectedly became Netflix’s biggest-ever hit last October (according to self-reported data from Netflix), with over 1.6 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days on the streaming service. It’s the only Netflix season to exceed one billion hours, although like poor Chrissy being lifted in Eddie Munson’s trailer, Stranger Things 4 is going higher and higher on the all-time chart — and could soon even surpass Squid Game.

Stranger Things 4 has racked up 883 million hours in its first 24 days of release. It only has four more days to reach Squid Game’s 1.6 billion hours (or 1.599999999999999999 billion hours more than anyone spent wondering if a Squid Game competition series is a good idea). That obviously isn’t going to happen… until you remember that there are still two more episodes of season four of Stranger Things to go. Forbes reports:

Netflix has already said what they will count and what they won’t. The 28 day clock will start ticking from July 1, but only for those two episodes. While viewings of part 1 will count toward the overall grand total (and last we checked, Squid Game’s lifetime views are something like 2.2 billion hours), they will not add to the 28 day counter. Part 2’s will, within those 28 days.

Many Stranger Things fans will re-watch at least a portion of the first seven episodes of season four before the show returns on July 1. Those two new episodes equally roughly four hours of viewing (including a whopping and butt-numbing two hours and 20 minutes for the finale), so there’s a chance that it could break Squid Game’s record. At the very least, Stranger Things 4 will exceed one billion hours, which is also how much time Max spends listening to Kate Bush this season.

Here’s the English language top 10:

1. Stranger Things 4 (883,300,000)
2. Bridgerton: Season 2 (656,260,000)
3. Bridgerton: Season 1 (625,490,000)
4. Stranger Things 3 (582,100,000)
5. Lucifer: Season 5 (569,480,000)
6. The Witcher: Season 1 (541,010,000)
7. Inventing Anna (511,920,000)
8. 13 Reasons Why: Season 2 (496,120,000)
9. Ozark: Season 4 (491,090,000)
10. The Witcher: Season 2 (484,340,000)

And the non-English language top 10:

1. Squid Game: Season 1 (1,650,450,000)
2. Money Heist: Part 5 (792,230,000)
3. Money Heist: Part 4 (619,010,000)
4. All of Us Are Dead: Season 1 (560,780,000)
5. Money Heist: Part 3 (426,400,000)
6. Café con aroma de mujer: Season 1 (326,910,000)
7. Lupin: Part 1 (316,830,000)
8. Elite: Season 3 (275,300,000)
9. Who Killed Sara?: Season 1 (266,430,000)
10. Elite: Season 4 (257,090,000)

(Via Forbes)