Month: July 2022

Not much happens on Joe Pera Talks with You, and that’s what made it so special.

In one episode, host Joe Pera went on a hike. In another, he watched YouTube videos in bed with his girlfriend, played by the delightful Jo Firestone. There have been season-long arcs about bean arches and chairs. In an era of $50 million episodes, it was a joy to watch Joe Pera talk to us about the simple joy of a second fridge.

All good things must unfortunately end, though, and Joe Pera Talks with You has been canceled by Adult Swim after three seasons. “I am writing to share the unfortunate news that Joe Pera Talks With You is over for now. We were driving home from Bethlehem, PA the morning after my final Spring Tour show when I got a call that it wouldn’t be renewed for another season,” Pera wrote in a note published to his humble website.

He continued:

The more I learn how TV works, the more I realize that it’s kind of a miracle that our quiet, 11-minute show about rocks, beans, grocery stores, and breakfast crews got on the air and lasted as long as it did. I also felt very lucky that I was able to work with my close friends and recognized how special it was that all these funny people were working on the same thing for a period of time. There was always a little guilt that Jo Firestone and Conner O’Malley should be devoting energy to shows of their own, but hopefully they will be soon. As should all of the writers – Dan Licata, Nathan Min, Katie Dolan, Whit Conway, the editor, and of course, director Marty Schousboe.

Pera, non-problematic awkward king that he is, apologized for the “disappointing news… but maybe I’ll see you at a live show this Summer or Fall and I will let you know when the next thing is rolling.” Until then, let him talk you to sleep for 10 hours.

Drake once famously made a big deal about his humble beginnings on the 2013 single “Started From The Bottom.” Now, he has again chronicled some of his early days, this time with an Instagram post in which he compares his journey to that of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The post even got a response from Bezos himself.

On Instagram yesterday, Drake shared a two-image gallery on Instagram, one photo of a younger him and another of a younger Bezos at work in a meager-looking office. Drake wrote, “Gotta start somewhere.” In the comments, Bezos wrote, “Started from the bottom now we’re here.”

What the post and comments don’t note, though, is that the seemingly-humble Bezos photo Drake shared is from a time when Bezos was actually already more prosperous than most: The image comes from a 60 Minutes segment on Bezos and Amazon that aired in 1999. That year, Bezos was worth $7.8 billion and named Time‘s Man Of The Year. So, while it’s true that Amazon did in fact have a small start in a garage, the photo Drake chose for his post is certainly not representative of that era.

The desk, though, is indeed a DIY setup, a door with 4×4 pieces of wood for legs, which Bezos explains in the 60 Minutes segment, “It’s a symbol of spending money on things that matter to customers, and not spending money on things that don’t.”

Tucker Carlson seems to have a problem with women. While he’s a 53-year-old husband and father of four with a nationally televised “news” program, he’s been acting even more like a sexist frat bro these days (which, given his past obnoxiousness, is saying a lot). He took that puerility to new lows on Wednesday night when he shared a photo of Nancy Pelosi in a bathing suit for no reason other than to body-shame the Speaker of the House, who—spoiler alert—looks pretty damn good at 82 years old!

As Mediaite reports, Carlson closed out his Wednesday night show by mockingly stating that “Nancy Pelosi was so upset at the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine that she fled America over this last Fourth of July weekend and went up on a private beach in Italy. And we’re going to go out tonight by singeing your retinas with a photograph of that event.”

He then cut to a closeup of Pelosi’s cleavage, which… really? This from a “man” who’s been pushing testicle tanning on his viewers? And on a network that has been plagued for years of sexual harassment claims—and reportedly paid out $13 million to former anchor Bill O’Reilly’s victims alone?

The misogyny didn’t end there though. Former congressman-turned-political commentator Jason Chaffetz, who was filling in for Sean Hannity, joined in the male chauvinist pig fun by joking that Tucker had just forced “every person in the country to turn off their televisions,” then threatened that he would one day get him back.

All of this came just one day after Carlson blamed nagging women for the rise in mass shootings in America.

Ha ha ha! Sexism is funny!

(Via Mediaite)

While Nas’ collaborations with Hit-Boy have been the primary driver of his successful career Renaissance of late, there remains one producer that fans still want to work with the Queens rap icon. Ever since he heavily contributed to Nas’ groundbreaking 1994 debut Illmatic, fans have clamored for a full Nas project produced by DJ Premier. The two hip-hop pioneers have acknowledged those requests in the past, promising to make rap fans’ dreams come true, but aside from a handful of singles, little has ever come of those assurances.

However, come July 15, that could very well be changing. That’s the date DJ Premier put in a tweet earlier today along with a video from outside a studio control room with what very much sounds like a new Nas song produced by Premo blasting through the doorway. And what else do you see hanging on the wall but the gold sales plaque for Illmatic? The suggestion is clear: that Nas and Premier have joined forces at the successor to the legendary D&D Studios, Kaufman Astoria Studios in Long Island City, Queens.

Of course, the duo could just be releasing one standalone single and using the joint album speculation to generate the necessary buzz for it — after all, they’ve done it before. But with Nas’ collaborations with Hit-Boy prompting his career revival (and another on the way), he could have found the necessary creative spark to try out similar experiments with other producers, getting over his former reticence toward working with one beatmaker for a full project. I guess we’ll all find out next Friday, when whatever they’re working on officially hits DSPs — hopefully, with more news about whatever comes next.

As Christian Bale racks up rave reviews for his performance as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, the actor has opened up about his first foray into the comic book realm: Batman Begins. While the 2005 film launched the critically-lauded Dark Knight Trilogy thanks to Bale’s now-iconic portrayal of the DC Comics hero, apparently, Hollywood didn’t have a whole lot of faith in the project.

Before Bale slapped on the cape and cowl, the last live-action film starring the Caped Crusader was the 1997 franchise-killing bomb, Batman and Robin, starring George Clooney. So when Bale started going around telling people about Christopher Nolan‘s new take on the character for Batman Begins, they didn’t hold back their thoughts. Via The Washington Post:

“I would [tell people] we’re going to sort of do Batman, but take him seriously. I had tons of people laugh at me and just say, ‘well that’s just not going to work at all,’” Bale said. “So, it’s wonderful to be a part of a trilogy that proved those people wrong. I’m not certain if it kick-started [the MCU] but it certainly helped along the way.”

Obviously, Bale is correct and The Dark Knight Trilogy was a freaking juggernaut and the last time DC Comics really went toe-to-toe with the still-burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, it might not be the end of the story. While working the Love and Thunder promotional rounds, Bale recently admitted that he’s game for a fourth Batman movie if Nolan is on board.

“If he wished to tell that story with me, I’d be in,” Bale told Screen Rant. Needless to say, nobody laughed at that idea.

(Via The Washington Post)

Is there anything better than a Bong Joon Ho/Robert Pattinson collab? Yes, it turns out. Steven Yeun, who received a best actor Oscar nomination for his stunning performance in 2020’s Minari, has just joined the project, making it even more of a must-see than it already was.

Deadline reports that Yeun has joined Oscar-winning Parasite director Bong’s currently untitled film adaptation of the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. Along with Pattinson and Yeun, the film includes Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, and Toni Collette (who deserves an Oscar for her performance in the television series The Staircase even though that’s not how that works.) Yeun first worked with Bong on the 2017 film Ojka.

While details of the actual film’s plot, which could differ from the novel, are as unknown as the film’s title, here’s a summary of the novel, per Deadline:

The novel’s story follows Mickey7, who is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.

The project is Bong’s first since 2019’s Parasite, which became the first non-English language film to win an Oscar for best picture.

(Via Deadline)

Better Call Saul doesn’t have to end, but we are mere days away from the beginning of the end. The second half of the sixth and, sadly final season begins on Monday, July 11. The first half of the season ended with an incredibly intense episode that is honestly painful to think about back in May. If that midseason finale is an indicator of what’s to come in the final episodes of Better Call Saul, I am not looking forward to it but I will watch.

On Thursday, AMC dropped a final teaser that sets an ominous tone for the rest of the series and at the same time tells us absolutely nothing about the show’s final episodes. The teaser opens in black and white, with shots of iconic visuals from the many adventures of Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill. Those iconic visuals include the blow-up Statue of Liberty in front of the corrupt lawyer’s office, his Constitution-lined office, Los Pollos Hermanos, Kim and Jimmy’s apartment (where we last saw Lalo Salamanca shoot Howard Hamlin in the head), the ABQ courthouse and the Crossroads Motel.

“Let justice be done, though the heavens fall,” Saul says in the teaser. The last shot of the teasers shows Saul in an intricate walk-in closet filled with brightly colored ties as he holds up a yellow shirt to the mirror, Bluetooth speaker in ear.

The final episodes of Better Call Saul, which will feature Breaking Bad characters Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) begin on AMC Monday night.

James Caan, the prolific actor best known for portraying Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, passed away this week at the age of 82. Caan’s official Twitter account broke the news: “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.” The tweet ended with Caan’s signature signoff, “End of tweet.”

Fans have been flooding the internet with various Caan memories, from his grumpy dad performance in Elf, to his iconic performance in Funny Lady alongside Barbara Streisand, and his hard-to-watch role in Misery. Not only was Caan a brilliant actor, but he was also the Certified Best Tweeter of all time. He signed off every tweet with “end of tweet” and often replied to other users with classic zingers.

Now, fans and co-stars are sharing their favorite Caan moments, and reflecting on his monumental career:

Caan had a wide-ranging career, starring in nearly 50 films over his 50-year career. Most recently, he starred in Queen Bees alongside Christopher Lloyd. He was expected to star in Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming Megalopolis, which was slated to begin production this fall. Of course, we cannot honor him without remembering some of his most iconic tweets:

End of post.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you probably know who the Minions are. If you’re drawing a blank, allow me to remind you. They’re those little yellow guys in the overalls who are largely hard to understand unless they’re saying “banana.” After becoming the breakout stars of the “Despicable Me” franchise, they were given their own movie in 2015. The film’s sequel, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” was released this Fourth of July weekend, and set records for being the highest grossing film over any Fourth of July holiday. And while some of that is parents looking for something to do over the long weekend, a large part is due to a recent TikTok trend, #gentleminions.

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No one is entirely sure where the trend, which has more than 5 million views on TikTok, started, but it has spread in a way no one could have ever imagined. But what is the trend, you ask? Teenagers, mostly boys, have been dressing in suits when going to view the film. Wait a second, do the Minions even wear suits? No, they don’t. Apparently, the decision to wear suits is an homage to Gru, the boss of the Minions.

@minions Bobspeed you gentleminions. 🤵 #Minions #TheRiseOfGru only in theaters now. #gentleminions #gentlemen #riseofgru #mintok ♬ Powerful songs like action movie music – Tansa

Teen boys all over the world donned their Sunday best to showings of the Minions movie all weekend, filming themselves for posterity. The hashtag has been blowing up so much that even Universal, the film’s distribution company, has acknowledged the trend on Twitter.

Bill Hirst, an Australian teen, was an early user of the gentleminions hashtag. His TikTok of a group of teens on an escalator has amassed more than 8 million views, and is considered one of the earliest videos in the trend due to “Minions: The Rise of Gru” being released a few weeks ago in Australia.

@bill.hirst 🍌#fyp #minions #banana ♬ original sound – billh

“My mate saw one of the first videos that was quite small at the time. We wanted to do it just for fun,” Hirst told Variety. “We just chucked on our suits and went straight to the cinemas…It was very spontaneous.”

It may have been just a whim for Hirst and his pals, but then he saw another group of teens also wearing suits.

“There were 15 of us, but, when we got there, there was another group of about eight. This was before it actually became a trend, so we were so surprised when we saw all these other guys there as well,” Hirst explained. “All the people who were just there to watch it were freaking out… You’re not used to seeing people in suits at the cinemas.”

And freak out they did. For the most part, the teens who are participating in #gentleminions are respectful and just having a good time. But being that they’re teens, some kids have gotten a little too rowdy, causing disturbances to the families seeing the film. One group showed up to the film with a garbage can full of bananas, while another group was so distracting the police had to be called. It’s gotten to the point where movie theaters in the U.K. have banned kids wearing suits from even seeing the movie.

Theaters are starting to ban #GentleMinions groups from entering due to ‘recent disturbances’#Minions2 pic.twitter.com/KK7v46pJvN

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 4, 2022

“This is what happens when a generation grows up with a franchise,” an insider told The Hollywood Reporter. Jim Orr, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Universal said, “The movie is playing to a very broad audience, as well to families and the very young.”

to everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you. 🫶

— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) July 1, 2022

Teen Norvil Rogers told Polygon, “We just thought that, with [Rise of Gru] being such a masterpiece, we would have to have to wear the appropriate attire [laughs].” His friend William White added that they got the idea from TikTok and Instagram.

Still confused? Join the club. But as long as the kids are having fun and staying out of trouble, it’s probably best to just let them have this one.

UPROXX Sessions repeat performer DDG has become something of a regular around here, dropping by to perform his viral hits like “Moonwalking In Calabasas” and “Hood Melody” while sharing his thoughts for React Like You Know and Behind The Video. Besides hanging out at the Uproxx office in Los Angeles, though, he also runs his own label, Zooted Entertainment, putting out his first artist Paidway T.O.

So, it’s only right that we got Paidway T.O in the studio to perform for UPROXX Sessions, too. He popped by with his 2020 single “Kickback,” an upbeat track about sneaking in the club at 19 years old. And while he doesn’t have to do so now, these days he’s focusing on preparing to release his debut album, for which he’s released a handful of singles including “Better Days” featuring DDG.

Watch Paidway T.O perform “Kickback” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.