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The ‘Fast And Furious’ Production Sure Is Making LA Residents Furious Over How Fast Their Car Stunts Are

Even though most people on earth love some good, old-fashioned, dangerous car stunts it seems like the current production of the upcoming Fast and the Furious installment is making more people angry than excited.

Filming is underway for Fast X, the 10th main installment in the franchise (not counting the various spinoffs) and the shooting currently takes place in a Los Angeles neighborhood. But not everyone is excited to see their neighborhood on screen, and several of the residents are taking a stand. Variety obtained an email from a Los Angeles resident that maps out the neighborhoods intent upon protesting the filming, which is slated to continue later this week:

If this film shoot is allowed to go forward in Angelino Heights, or any part of it from F10 Productions (Universal) … we will stage a huge protest and will invite many reporters and news cameras to film us protesting this film shoot all day and night. We will hold this protest to honor the 178 people who have been killed by street racers in Los Angeles, and to shame Universal for their callous disregard for this deadly epidemic of street racing their films started and continue to promote.

Though the neighbors are frustrated with the filming, it’s the long-term impact that is worrisome. Fans of the franchise and amateur car enthusiasts apparently turned their home into a hot spot for racing. Los Angeles as a whole has been bombarded with reckless drivers and traffic deaths: last year, there were over 4,000 fatalities recorded in California, a 10% increase from 2020, and it’s on track to increase even more in 2022.

Neighbors in the Angelino Heights area are fed up (and furious!) with the production, which they think could inspire more reckless drivers to experiment with driving by Dominic Toretto’s (played by Vin Diesel) infamous house. “The fact that these people can find the actual spot and then just go torment the people living there is irresponsible,” one resident told Variety.

“Of course, [Universal] didn’t know when they made the movie that it would be such a cultural phenomenon.” Phenomenon indeed! The Fast saga is Universal’s biggest franchise and the eighth highest grossing film franchise of all time, slowly on track to beat out Batman, unless Robert Pattinson and Vin Diesel decide to go head to head.

Fast X is planning on zooming into theaters in April 2023, as long as things go as planned!

(Via Variety)

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Elton John Debuts His And Britney Spears’ ‘Hold Me Closer’ Live At A French Restaurant

We’re now just a few days from Britney Spears’ musical return, as she and Elton John are releasing their new collaboration, “Hold Me Closer,” this Friday, August 26. Now, we know what the song sounds like, as John just gave it a surprise premiere at a small DJ gig in France.

Today, French DJ Johny//Be (real name Jonathan Bellone) was spinning tunes at the La Guérite restaurant on Île Sainte-Marguerite (an island about half a mile from Cannes, France), playing songs for a relatively small crowd in a tented area. John popped up and was handed a microphone as he waited for the currently playing song to end. Shortly after, Bellone transitioned into the start of “Hold Me Closer,” which kicks off with a subdued version of the classic “Tiny Dancer” chorus before transitioning into a funky, disco-inspired verse sung by Spears.

John sang over the recording, so Spears’ voice couldn’t really be clearly heard, or at least not with another voice singing over it. All in all, the song sounds not unlike “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” the Dua Lipa-featuring single from last August that mashes up a number of John classics (“Rocket Man,” most notably). The tune ended up becoming a top-10 hit for John in the US, so perhaps “Hold Me Closer” will land Spears back near the top of the charts, too.

John broadcast this moment on Instagram Live and later shared the whole performance as an Instagram post, writing, “Sneak peak of Hold Me Closer – out this Friday.” Bellone also shared clips of it on Instagram, so check those out above and below.

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

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Jared Kushner Gave An Awkward Answer After Being Grilled Over Why Trump Had 300 Classified Documents At Mar-A-Lago

While stopping by Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning, Jared Kushner got hit with a question, live on the air, that was definitely not an easy softball about his new book. In a surprising display of journalism, host Steve Doocy asked Kushner about the latest, damaging report from The New York Times that Donald Trump had 300 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Considering the Times recently published a scathing review of Kushner’s White House memoir, the question was a double-whammy for the former president’s son-in-law.

“Why would the former president have that many classified things at Mar-a-Lago?” Doocy asked. After Kushner delivered a carefully worded response that notably distanced himself from the issue, he attacked the media for constantly giving Trump a hard time. Via Mediaite:

“I’m not familiar with what exactly the contents were,” Kushner said. “But what I’ll just say from my personal experience is that — again, in the campaign, in the transition, we had a very innocent meeting with the Russian ambassador and then four months later you are reading that the intel agencies are leaking to The Washington Post that we requested this secret back channel, and then The New York Times and CNN go crazy for a weekend accusing us of treason, and then it turns out such a thing never really happened.”

Kushner ended his remarks by trying to downplay the severity of Trump’s predicament. “There are so many things that have been hyperventilated about over the last years that turned out to be nothing,” he said.

Of course, it should be noted that Kushner’s name has been tossed around as a possible informant that alerted the Feds. His cousin Mary Trump theorized that Kushner’s billion-dollar deal with the Saudis may have put him in a legal trouble that caused him to roll over on his father-in-law. Again, this is all speculation, but it adds another layer to the awkwardness Kushner must’ve felt when asked about the Mar-a-Lago documents live on the air.

(Via Mediaite)

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Bad Bunny Pays Homage To A Classic Latin Hit With His New ‘Neverita’ Video

Still riding the highs of his critically-acclaimed album, Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny has dropped the latest visual for the album track “Neverita.”

On the song, Bad Bunny reels over a woman who seems to be playing games with his heart. The song’s video takes Bunny back to the ’90s, as he re-imagines the iconic visual for Elvis Crespo’s 1998 hit, “Suavamente,” from wearing a leather jacket and rocking slicked-back hair, to dancing on a green-screen island, vying for a woman’s attention. At the end of the video, a title card reads, “En honor al mejor video de todos los tiempos,” meaning, “In honor of the best video of all time.”

In a recent interview for Harper’s Bazaar, Bunny said he is calling all the shots when it comes to his music, visuals, and fashion.

“I’m taking advantage of this moment in my life when I can do whatever I want and wear what I want, so I get to live life more authentically,” he said. “I don’t do it to become more famous or to call attention or to disrespect anyone. People on the outside can think that I have a strategy or I wear this to call for attention, but in reality I just know who I am.”

Check out the “Neverita” video above.

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Kevin Durant Will ‘Move Forward’ With The Nets And Is Ending His Trade Request

For nearly two months, the NBA world has been waiting on any kind of movement involving Kevin Durant’s trade request out of Brooklyn, as the Nets have rebuffed every offer made so far and, with camp a month out, there was no real change in the situation from when he issued the request on June 30.

While there were reports of some new teams inquiring on the superstar, pretty much every reported offer fell well short of the asking price of the Nets, with teams refusing to include top players and numerous picks for Durant. As the offers kept coming in and falling short, it became clear something was going to have to change — either the Nets would need to lower their offer, Durant would need to be willing to start the season in Brooklyn, or he would have to do something more dramatic in forcing his way out.

On Tuesday, we learned of that change, with Durant meeting with the Nets brass and ultimately deciding that he will “move forward” and stay in Brooklyn.

It’s a pretty huge change of stance from Durant from where he was a couple weeks ago when he laid down a reported ultimatum to Joe Tsai to choose between him or GM Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash. Tsai publicly backing his top executive and coach seemed to only further indicate a trade would need to happen, but this situation not being able to be resolved quickly seems to have worn on all parties and Durant has decided he’ll just head into next season as a member of the Nets.

What isn’t clear is whether Durant will still be available in any way should a team come with a vastly improved offer, or if he’s off the table completely — both in the immediate and the long-term. Whatever the case, it’s a huge burden off the Nets for now, and would seem to further indicate that they’ll be keeping Kyrie Irving as well and hoping that this year they can find the on-court success to heal a number of wounds off of it.

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The Director Of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Likes An Absurd Fan Theory About Tom Cruise’s Maverick

The most popular genre of fan theory is “[CHARACTER NAME] is dead and/or coma and the rest of the [MOVIE/TV SHOW TITLE] is a dream.” This galaxy brain-style of thinking has been inflicted upon The Simpsons, The Walking Dead, and even Top Gun: Maverick. “Tom Cruise’s character dies at the start of Top Gun: Maverick,” Alison Willmore wrote for Vulture, explaining that the film’s “absurdity is that of someone dreaming impossible dreams right before they burn up in the atmosphere. You don’t need to see a shot of the crisped but grinning corpse at the end to sense its presence.”

Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski was asked about the theory during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter to celebrate the home release of the highest-grossing movie of 2022. “Movies are meant to be interpreted in a variety of ways, and I love it when people read different meanings into it,” he said. “So I love hearing that theory, and certainly, there’s a mythic kind of element to the story that I think lends itself to that sort of interpretation, based on who Maverick is and what he represents and the fact that he’s kind of going through this rite of passage at a different phase of his life.”

Kosinski continued:

“So I like that theory. Movies are things that are meant to be interpreted in your own way and based on how you see the world and the experiences that you’ve had. So I will not throw cold water on that. It’s a really cool interpretation of the story.”

My Top Gun: Maverick theory is that Tom Cruise is an immortal. Not Maverick the character, but Tom Cruise the person. It would explain a lot.

(Via THR)

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California’s State Congress Passes A Bill Limiting Rap Lyrics From Trial

Rap lyrics have been on trial for decades, almost since the genre’s inception. But in more recent years, that characterization has been more literal than ever as criminal prosecutors aim to use artists’ lyrics against them in court. Rather than viewing their songs as artistic representations of the violence they often encounter, prosecutors have chosen to interpret them as literal admissions of guilt, even though rap’s “keep it real” ethos has been disproven time and time again — just look at Young Thug and Gunna’s current RICO case in Georgia.

However, that may soon be changing with the advent of “Rap On Trial” laws that have begun receiving support from state and federal legislators and other critics looking to protect artists’ freedom of speech and creative expression. Contending that the practice of using lyrics stems from racial bias, lawmakers in New York and California have introduced new bills to limit using rap lyrics in criminal cases and today, one of those bills has advanced further than any others.

California’s AB2799 has passed the State Assembly, days after clearing the State Senate, and now only needs Governor Gavin Newsome’s signature to become law, according to Billboard. He’s expected to do so, making California the first state in which lyrics are banned from court trials unless prosecutors can show that they are directly relevant to the case. That means that the lyrics in question would have to have been written around the time of the crime and/or include factual details that wouldn’t be publicly available (naturally, any prosecutor would have to prove these criteria with other evidence).

Meanwhile, New York’s S7257 was able to pass the Senate but was unable to get a vote in the Assembly. Legislators hope to reintroduce the bill next session. A similar federal bill was introduced in the US House Of Representatives in July but has yet to see progress and is not a guaranteed win, considering the current structure of Congress.

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Jensen Ackles Might Be Having Too Much Fun Commenting On The Start Of ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Filming

(Spoilers from The Boys Season 3 will be found below.)

The Boys recently aired a satisfying Season 3 finale, well, other than seemingly saying goodbye to Jensen Ackles. His Captain America parody character, Soldier Boy, seemingly went back on ice. The character was an abomination of a super-fueled human being, but Ackles’ performance was so entertaining that Supernatural fans kept clamoring for more. Yet it seems like that isn’t in the cards, unless showrunner Eric Kripke’s hiding things very well. And it must be noted that there has been no hint of Soldier Boy’s return to the series, but Ackles did make an appearance in the Instagram comments while (officially) returning cast members noted the start of Season 4 filming.

Yep, we already talked about how Antony Starr shared a throwback photo from Season 4, and Jack Quaid also flipped the bird while celebrating the return of his vigilante group. Is Hughie alright after all that Compound V? God only knows, but back to the subject at hand. Karl Urban posted a photo of himself and Jack Quaid getting a little drink on to celebrate a new round of filming.

And here’s a screenshot of how Jensen commented, “Pour me a double…I’m on my way.”

Jensen Ackles instagram comment
Karl Urban on Instagram

What a stinker. And yes, it’s only a comment and yes, people will speculate too much about this, but Jensen Ackles probably knew that would happen. He’s only making an offhanded joke, as one does (even non-Supes make comments like these on social media for the heck of it), but that won’t stop people from theorizing how Soldier Boy could make a return. Never say never on this show, not even when Black Noir dies because Kripke already suggested that actor Nathan Mitchell would return, maybe as a new Black Noir. Whatever’s actually not going on with Soldier Boy, though, at least we’ll always have his Blondie cover.

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Rihanna Offers A Mystery Ketchup Packet Set With Her Unusual New Fenty Beauty Collaboration

Fenty Beauty is a huge deal for Rihanna, considering it’s a major part of what helped her become a billionaire and the world’s richest female musician. That said, the brand doesn’t always take itself too seriously, as its latest collaboration indicates.

The MSCHF x Fenty Beauty Ketchup Or Makeup is what it sounds like: The set comes with six identical-looking ketchup packets, although they aren’t all filled with ketchup. Some of them are, while the other ones have Fenty’s cherry-colored Gloss Bomb lip gloss in them. The set can be purchased for $25 via ketchupormakeup.com or at a a New York hotdog stand pop-up shop.

The offbeat endeavor is a collaboration with MSCHF, who first came to prominence with the infamous Lil Nas X Satan Shoes in 2021 and also teamed with The Weeknd this year on a version of “Out Of Time” released on a saw blade.

As for Rihanna, she has remained mostly out of the spotlight over the past few months, since she reportedly gave birth to her and ASAP Rocky’s son in May. Meanwhile, in an interview from April, she said of new music, “I’m looking at my next project completely differently from the way I had wanted to put it out before. I think this way suits me better, a lot better. It’s authentic, it’ll be fun for me, and it takes a lot of the pressure off.”

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Holy Moly, Nicole Kidman Is Freaking Ripped On A New Magazine Cover

Nicole Kidman gave one of the best performances of her career in The Northman, which is saying something. She’s been great in a lot of movies. Moulin Rouge!, The Hours, Rabbit Hole, Lion — and those are just the Oscar-nominated performances. There’s also To Die For, Eyes Wide Shut, and Paddington, which is no Paddington 2, a masterpiece, but it’s still better than 98 percent movies that don’t star Paddington. She’s also been up for two Emmys, 16 Golden Globes, and, most importantly, something called the Cinema Bloggers Awards. There’s still time to replace the Globes with the Bloggies.

The point is, Nicole Kidman is a great actress. Also: she’s freaking ripped.

That’s Kidman on the cover of Perfect magazine, where she received the “Perfect Icon” award. “At a time when the validity of awards ceremonies is in question, and the red-carpet spectacle of presentations is dominated by the awarding bodies and the presenters, we wanted to shift the focus back on those who we think deserve to be rewarded,” the publication explained. More photos, shot by Zhong Lin, can be seen here.

The issue of Perfect with Kidman on the cover comes out on September 1. The AMC icon can next be seen in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reprising her role as Queen Atlanna. It’s scheduled to be released on March 17, 2023, surely without controversy.

(Via the Huffington Post)