Month: August 2022

After confirming the (gross) news that he impregnated his step-daugther, Errol Musk has been garnering an unusual amount of public attention lately. Mostly because of his surprisingly virile sperm, which is apparently for sale in Colombia, but also for his thoughts on his son, Elon, who’s also been heavily involved in the baby-making business.

Granted, Elon has other accomplishments, but nothing that’s terribly impressed his old man because the Musk family is always doing interesting stuff. Launching rockets and selling electric cars? Yes, fine, whatever. It’s the least Elon could do as a Musk.

“No, well, you know, I mean, we are a family that have been doing a lot of things for a long time. It’s not as though we suddenly started doing something” Errol told Australia’s Kyle and Jackie O Show before revealing which of his son is his favorite, and it’s not Elon. Via The Daily Beast:

“They’ve seen a lot of things, and we’ve done a lot of things together,” he said of their family, noting that they’ve all roamed around the globe. “But Elon has in fact sort of really surpassed the mark.”

Even so, he declared his younger son Kimbal Musk, a 49-year-old restaurateur with a fortune that’s in the mere hundreds of millions of dollars, to be his “pride and joy.”

Adding insult to injury, Errol dunked on his son’s messy love life, which now includes allegations of sleeping with the co-founder of Google’s wife. He also called out his son for “eating badly” after his shirtless yacht pics went viral. Nothing like having your dad tell you to hit the gym for the whole world to hear.

(Via The Daily Beast)

There is no place for guns at music festivals. It seems obvious, right? Now imagine a world where going to a music festival comes with the uncertainty of whether or not one of your fellow attendees has a gun. This is what a number of Georgia gun rights groups are arguing for and is reportedly the main issue that Atlanta’s Music Midtown Festival organizers were faced with when making the decision to cancel the 2022 edition of the festival.

Slated to take place from September 17th – 18th, Music Midtown had a jam-packed lineup ready to rock that featured Jack White, Future, My Chemical Romance, Phoebe Bridgers, Phoenix, and Fallout Boy among the artists across the two-day festival. But now as Billboard reports, pressure from gun rights groups operating under the guise of Georgia’s Safe Carry Protection Act — which allows citizens to carry weapons on public land, which Piedmont Park is on — has crushed any hopes for a weekend of music, community, and celebration.

“Hey Midtown fans – due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year,” a statement on the festival’s website reads. “We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can all get back to enjoying the festival together again soon.”

While the details of the Safe Carry Protection Act don’t necessarily require the festival to allow guns into the festival, it does leave them open to being sued by gun-carrying ticket-holders who claim that their legal rights are being violated. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where an attendee would need a gun at a music festival. Given that earlier this year, reported gunshots at Lovers & Friends festival in Las Vegas led to a frenzied attempt to flee by attendees who feared for their lives, and that back in 2017, a shooter opened fire on a crowd at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Vegas, killing 50 people, the optics of this push by gun rights groups feels especially cruel.

“It’ll make a great movie. It’ll happen.”

That’s Dan Harmon talking about the Community movie… back in 2016. A lot has changed in the six years since — like how there’s now five seasons of Rick and Morty, instead of only two; I guess some other stuff, too — but not the wait for more Community. That’s the same. But Alison Brie is confident that Jeff, Britta, Annie, Troy, Abed, Shirley, and, uh, maybe not Pierce will eventually reunite at Greendale.

“You know what, I’ll say it. There’s been movement. There’s been some talks. People are talking and certain things — wheels are turning. I said it!” she said on WrapWomen’s “UnWrapped” podcast. “I’m saying there are legitimate conversations that are happening. Whether or not they will ever turn into an actual movie — I would love it if they did, and I hope that they do.” Brie added, “But the fact alone that actual real conversations are happening is I think the most progress we’ve ever made on that front.”

Brie’s comments echo what Harmon (who’s also busy with Rick and Morty) told Vulture’s “Good One” podcast last year. “I am, at least once a week, thinking about it, because the gears are turning,” he said. “There is, like… a thing is happening.” To wildly paraphrase Halt and Catch Fire, a “thing” will get us to the thing: a Community movie.

Side note: I would love to see a Community movie-length parody of Halt and Catch Fire. Replace Chevy Chase with Lee Pace. Boom, there’s your movie.

(Via The Wrap)

Fans of Rocky and its subsequent sequels may have been brokenhearted to learn that Sylvester Stallone was beefing with Rocky producers after rumors of a potential Drago spinoff (starring Dolph Lundgren) leaked on the internet. According to Stallone, he was never told of the movie and doesn’t want his fans to be “exploited.”

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Stallone chronicled his frustrations with Lundgren for moving forward with the project: “By the way, I have nothing but respect for Dolph but I wish HE had told me what was going on behind my back. Keep your REAL friends close.”

Lundgren has now made his own post clearing the air and explaining that he was unaware that his longtime friend wouldn’t be involved in the installment. “Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spinoff. There’s no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr Balboa – just so all the fans can relax…There ya go. ”

Stallone has been open about his desire to have more control over the rights to the Rocky franchise, which belongs to producer Irwin Winkler. Last month, the actor expressed his concern with Winkler in another now-deleted Instagram post demanding the rights to the massive franchise, which will get another installment with Creed III, which was just pushed to March 2023. This will be the first Rocky movie not to feature the man himself, though Stallone does serve as a producer.

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert is making zero sense while arguing that Americans need their assault weapons, gosh dang it. In retrospect, this seems like a natural progression for a congressperson who began her term with a video of her strutting her stuff, declaring that she only weighs 100 pounds, and telling the world that she’ll carry her Glock in the halls of Congress. The owner of the now-defunct Shooters’ Grill then seemed pretty triggered when an SNL sketch didn’t hold back on parodying her reputation.

From there, Boebert hasn’t let up, even though she seems to believe that the Second Amendment is the main part of the U.S. Constitution worth valuing. And on the same day that she revealed her proposal to allow lawmakers more time to read bills before voting on them, Boebert slipped in a strange conspiracy theory while appearing on Newsmax.

According to Boebert, the poverty-stricken nation of Venezuela has fallen into their dire situation because citizens don’t have access to assault weapons. And Boebert is attempting to drum up hysteria by claiming that this will happen if the U.S. enacts more gun control laws in response to the unending waves of mass shootings.

Obviously, she’s not making much sense here unless guns have harnessed the magical ability to grow food like they’re trees. Yet Boebert didn’t even study up on parts of speech (let alone logic) before becoming a U.S. lawmaker. In other words, guns are akin to religion for Boebert, and she even celebrates Christmas with guns around the tree. So, yup, she’s gonna root and toot until she’s out of office.

It’s not really a secret that people love getting nostalgic these days, with brands bringing back discontinued items from beyond the grave, and shows getting rebooted left and right. So when actor Mark Hamill casually mentioned in a 2019 interview that he was fired from Jack in the Box, it only made sense for the restaurant to want to hire him back after nearly 50 years, right?

Hamill is starring in a series of commercials for the fast-food icon, which is bringing back a series of older menu items from when Hamill first worked in the kitchen — before he was fired after less than a month. Fans can be transported back in time with the french toast sticks and crispy chicken strips. Because bringing things back from way back when is so in right now!

Uproxx spoke to Mark Hamill about why exactly he got fired, and why he decided to go back all these years later.

So how did this collaboration come about?

I was on Late Late Show and Bradley Whitford was on with me, and he said to me on camera, during the show, “Do you know that I was your waiter at a restaurant in New York?”And I said, “No, I hope I treated you well.” He said, “Not only were you so nice, you tipped like a banshee.” That was his quote. And I said, “Well, look, everybody has to start somewhere, and I really understand how important tips are to the people that are waiting on you.” Since we were on Television City, it just occurred to me. I hadn’t planned to tell the story. I said, “As a matter of fact, I used to work at Jack in the Box right across the street.” And then, (James) Cordon said, “Well, were you good? Were you good at your job?” And I said, “I tried, but unfortunately I didn’t last very long.” I worked in the back doing shakes, doing the grill…But, I aspired, as an aspiring actor, I wanted to work the window. I wanted to work the drive-thru. To me, that was the pinnacle of the Jack in the Box experience.

The face-to-face drive-in experience.

Right. So, I finally got the chance, I think maybe the guy who normally did it called in sick, whatever it was, he gave me the chance and I didn’t even last the whole day. Because it seemed to me, they didn’t have the Jack character as we know him now in the suit with the clown head, they just had the speaker with the big clown head and the speaker was coming from his mouth. So, it never occurred to me to do anything other than speak in a clown voice.

I thought, nobody wants to hear [monotone] “Welcome to Jack in the Box, may I take your order?” No, no. They want to hear, [loud, clown voice] “Welcome to Jack in the Box!” So, I thought it would be a good idea to do that. My boss didn’t think it was such a good idea. I think he thought it was irritating and he told me to stop, it wasn’t a big deal, but after work, he said, “You know, Mark, if you can’t take this job seriously, maybe this isn’t the right place for you,” and I knew he was right. So, he’s told me to go home and never come back.

How old were you?

18. The thing is, even if he hadn’t fired me, within a couple of weeks, I got cast in a play and I had to go from classes to rehearsals and I wouldn’t have been able to do the job anyway. So, I only worked there for… I don’t know, three, four weeks, a month tops.

So what made you want to go back to Jack?

It was only the circumstances with Bradley saying that he’d been my waiter and me mentioning I’d worked across the street. I did a fast-forward a couple of years later, the Jack in the Box people call me and say, “Do you want to make a commercial out of that?” I was dumbstruck. It made me laugh so hard because it’s inherently goofy, it’s very silly, but it also happens to be true. So, I said, “Oh, I’ve got to do this.” I’m not just doing this commercial. I lived this commercial.

Did anyone in the drive-thru recognize you?

It was hard for me to know whether they were actors or real people. But, it was fun, because obviously, when you drive through, you don’t expect to see me working the drive-thru window. They were all like, a lot of them were like, “You know who you really look like?” That kind of thing. But, it was fun. The whole point of the campaign is to be lighthearted and silly, and even a little goofy and that’s mission accomplished. I had so much fun doing them. I hope that they’re half as much fun to watch.

I got to interact with Jack. He’s this iconic character and again, it’s so ludicrous because from the neck down, he looks like a wall street stock broker. From the head up, he’s got this big round head, and I was fascinated with the insides of the head itself, the actor who plays him. Over my career, I’ve met a lot of iconic characters, so it was great to add another one to the list.

Speaking of characters, you are a huge fan of the show Ghosts…

Oh, my gosh. I love that cast. They’re so diverse. Every one of them is perfect, the ensemble. It’s smart and silly and goofy and stupid. My problem is when I see a show, I’m always nervous that it’s not going to last. I said, “Everything I like gets canceled…” And it takes me a long time to get over stuff. I’m still mad they canceled Square Pegs. I did it with What We Do in the Shadows, and then I did it with Ghosts. I thought I should talk about how much I love it and maybe it’ll help, and more of my followers will watch it. So, I’m delighted they got a second season.

That’s really nice of you to promote smaller shows to your large following.

Oh yeah, Ghosts was a no-brainer. I just thought I loved it from the very first episode, and I wound up following all the cast members and I just sent them all messages because everyone is so good. I’m just in love with that cast.

Finally, what is your default Jack In The Box order when you go?

Listen, I always love the onion rings and I couldn’t understand why all the other restaurants didn’t have them. But, I did love those. And of course, the shakes! My problem is I like it too much, and my wife is always saying, “You can’t go there. You went last week!”

Following news that the Department of Justice is investigating Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building, the former president’s legal team is reportedly preparing to fight criminal charges that are looking increasingly inevitable. However, according to sources, the planning switched into overdrive well before the Washington Post revealed that the DOJ is looking into Trump. Once Cassidy Hutchinson gave her explosive testimony to the January 6 committee in June, Trump’s legal team immediately got to work preparing for charges.

As for the legal strategy, Rolling Stone reports that Trump’s currently attorneys will allegedly try to pin the blame on others, particularly the strike legal team consisting of Rudy Giuliani, Sidney “The Kraken” Powell, and presumably John Eastman:

In their preparations, Trump’s team has discussed strategies that involve shifting blame from Trump to his advisers for the efforts to overturn the election, per the three sources, reflecting a broader push to find a fall guy — or fall guys. “Trump got some terrible advice from attorneys who, some people would argue, should have or must have known better,” says one of the sources with knowledge of recent discussions in Trumpland. “An ‘advice of counsel’ defense would be a big one.”

The specter of criminal charges arrives as Trump is already facing a lack of support from his voters. The January 6 hearings have encouraged even MAGA lovers to start pursuing other options for the 2024 presidential race. Namely, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is starting to emerge as the GOP front runner as Fox News continues to notably pivot away from Trump.

(Via Rolling Stone)

There was a time when hardcore Kevin Smith fans were unsure if Clerks III would ever happen. After years of delays and false starts, Smith seemed determined to make it happen. But it wasn’t his sheer force of will and determination that brought the movie to life: it was DVD sales.

Smith recently explained that the movie ended up being funded simply because of the fans and their DVD collections. While speaking at ComicCon, the director thanked the fans for their support (and money) which helped the movie finally be made after years of being in movie limbo.

“Lionsgate still makes DVDs and Blu-rays and sh*t,” Smith explained (via ComicBook) to the crowd of people who probably still own many DVDs. “They sold DVDs and Blu-rays of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. And, apparently, sold enough to reach out to us and say, ‘We sold so many f*cking DVDs and Blu-rays that if you ever want to make more of this Jay and Silent Bob bullsh*t, as long as it’s under this pricepoint, f*ck it, have a go at it and sh*t. The only reason we got to do that is because [of] bought hardware, kids. Thank you for that.”

There are two things to learn from this. One: never underestimate the power of fans and their extensive DVD collections and two: Kevin Smith curses a little bit too much!

Clerks III will finally get its theatrical release in September, nearly fifteen years after Clerks II arrived in theaters. The movie will follow Dante, Randall, and the Quick Stop crew as they make a movie about their Clerk adventures. So Meta! Get ready for the inevitable Clerks 4 in 2045.

(Via Comicbook)

Dry rub wings don’t get any respect. People are quick to praise buffalo, love a teriyaki glaze, can’t get enough of BBQ sauce, and wax poetic over the citrusy and tropical bite of a Mango Habanero, but offer a person wings and show up with something “dry rubbed” and you’ll see the light instantly leave their eyes. As a result, dry rub wings always take a back seat to their saucier counterparts on menus. Look no further than Wingstop and Buffalo Wild Wings, which each have over 10 sauced wing varieties but just a handful of dry rub options.

Outside of those big specialty wing chains, you’re lucky to find even a single dry rub option at your local joint. Even the mighty flavor combination of lemon and pepper is a rarity on appetizer menus and pizza spots. That needs to change. Dry rub is just as flavorful as sauced wings, and while you don’t get that same pungent smell or the intense heat, there are a number of benefits:

1. The skin on your fingers won’t be stained at the end of your meal, or smell like whatever sauce you had for hours after you’ve finished eating.
2. They’re much crispier. Sauced wings can get soggy if they aren’t tossed right.
3. They’re generally healthier. Dry wings rely less on sodium and sugars to get their flavors across, offering a simpler wing that still delivers big flavor.
4. They reheat better. Your sauced wing is never going to taste as good as when it was fresh, a dry rub reheated in a toaster oven will at least be in the ballpark of what you experienced when it was fresh.

Luckily, change is in the wind! Wingstop has added two dry rub options to their menu, bumping up the count from three flavor options to five. One of them, Lemon Garlic, is a simple combination of Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper seasoning — it’s fine but it’s more of a remix of two existing flavors than an original.

The other new flavor, Hot Honey Rub, is a game changer. Available for a limited time for the duration of the summer, Hot Honey Rub is Wingstop’s first new dry rub (not counting the remixed Lemon Garlic flavor) in years, and it’s easily one of Wingstop’s top five flavors, sauced wings included. Here’s why it works and why you need to order it next time you get a hankering for wings.

REVIEW: Hot Honey Rub

The reason dry rub wings generally take a backseat with people over their sauced counterparts is that dry rubs can come across as simpler, which is easy to confuse with boring. The Hot Honey Rub is definitely not boring, it combines the spicy and slightly fruity notes of cayenne pepper with the earthy and complex notes of ancho chilis for a strong smack of heat that really gets your salivary glands working.

As good as that is, the flavor’s strong suit is the honey and how it balances out the heat without being distracting. It’s never overpowering or overly sweet like hot honey sauce tends to be. In this dry rub form, it instead adds a gentle floral lift and some subtle sweetness to the aftertaste that makes the experience remarkably satisfying.

The flavors are in perfect lockstep here, and it hits the Goldilocks zone between spicy and sweet that pays equal respect to both sensations in a way that I can’t imagine ever tasting boring, even 10+ wings deep.

The Bottom Line:

Hot Honey Rub offers the best of both worlds. It’s the great equalizer between sauced and dry-rubbed wings. It offers the spicy kick and full flavor you expect from a saucy wing with all of the benefits of dry rub. It’s crispy, flavorful, and complex, whether you’re reheating it or eating it fresh.

Still, need sauce? That’s what dip is for!

Find your nearest Wingstop here.

This article originally appeared on 06.26.13.

Patrick Stewart often talks about his childhood and the torment his father put him and his mother through. However, how he answered this vulnerable and brave fan’s question is one of the most eloquent, passionate responses about domestic violence I’ve ever seen. WARNING: At 2:40, he’s going to break your heart a little.

You can read more about Heather Skye’s hug with Captain Picard at her blog.