Month: September 2022

Christina Ricci was not the first person to play or voice Wednesday Addams, but her deadpan goth performance in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values is the most famous interpretation of the character. So it’s no wonder that Jenna Ortega was “terrified” to portray Gomez and Morticia’s daughter in Netflix’s Wednesday. It didn’t calm her nerves when Ricci joined the cast in an undisclosed role, either.

“I felt like I was genuinely having a panic attack when I was told,” the X breakout told Empire. “I was terrified. She’s a really cool lady. I was fine meeting her, but the first time we did a scene together and she had to see me done up the way she was done up 30 years ago, it was nerve-racking.” How do you think young Misty on Yellowjackets feels?

Ortega continued:

“It’s really important to me that I wasn’t ripping anyone off. Christina Ricci’s performance is flawlessly done. It’s pitch-perfect and I wouldn’t change anything about it, which is another reason it was hard for me to do this job.”

As long as there isn’t a scene set on Thanksgiving, no one will accuse of Ortega of copying Ricci (and if they do, well, Ricci copied Lisa Loring first).

Wednesday premieres on Netflix on November 23.

(Via Empire)

Denver Riggleman has got a new kind of mommy issue, the Trump era kind. As The Hill reports, the former Republican congressman was essentially disowned by the woman who gave birth to him after he denounced Trump and QAnon while appearing on CNN.

Riggleman, who served Virginia’s 5th District for a single term between 2019 and 2021 (and was accused of having a “Bigfoot erotica fetish” by his opponent in 2018), reveals the dirty details of he and his mom’s political brouhaha in a new book, Breach, which he has been promoting as a behind-the-scenes look at the January 6th Committee, where he was previously a senior staffer. While the bulk of the book is about the Capitol riots directly, Riggleman did include some personal anecdotes — including how it broke his mom’s heart to see him attacking those wacky followers of Q and, by extension, Donald Trump.

On October 14, 2020, Riggleman sat down with Jake Tapper to express his growing concern about Trump’s very public embrace of the QAnon community and its wackadoo theories — which did not sit well with Mama Riggleman.

“What will it take to wake you up, son,” Riggleman’s mom apparently texted him. “I love you so, but cannot stand by and listen to your elitist attitude and being praised by elitist journalist and democrats.”

She finished her tirade by congratulating him for being “part of the swamp” then told him: “I’m sorry you were ever elected.” (Ouch!) “You are officially a politician,” she continued. “I have cried over you and my heart is broken by you.”

“I knew my mom and I were not on the same page politically, but this is something else,” Riggleman writes in Breach. “Any hope for a mostly normal relationship seemed dim. She was damn near disavowing me.”

So one can only hope that Riggleman’s mom wasn’t watching 60 Minutes this weekend, as the former congressman appeared and stood by his previous claim that there are texts providing “irrefutable, time-stamped proof of a comprehensive plot at all levels of government to overturn the election.”

Though Riggleman wrote that he and his mom were able to reconnect when they came together to support his sister during a health crisis, he hasn’t given up hope on one day changing her mind regarding Trump — and never disclosed his work with the January 6th Committee to her.

“If I can help even one person turn away from this fringe conspiracy culture or recognize Trump for the un-American grifter that he is, it would make everything worth it,” Riggleman writes. “I’d be especially happy if that one person was my mom.”

(Via The Hill)

The Chicago Bulls held media day on Monday, but notably absent was Lonzo Ball, as the star guard is in Los Angeles where he will have his second knee surgery of the year later this week.

Ball played in just 35 games last season before suffering a torn meniscus and having surgery in January. That procedure was supposed to keep him out for a month-plus, but Ball never returned to the court for the Bulls as he suffered setbacks and continued knee soreness and pain throughout the spring and summer. On Tuesday, Ball spoke with the media via Zoom from L.A. and offered some somber updates on his status, noting that his knee soreness isn’t just a basketball issue, but is something that impacts him day-to-day on things like walking up a flight of stairs and he can’t run or jump currently.

The 24-year-old guard is remaining hopeful that he’ll make his return this season at some point, calling it a “worst case scenario” for him to miss all season and that he’s not thinking about that as a real possibility.

From a basketball perspective, Ball’s presence is incredibly important for the Bulls because of the pace he plays with and his passing acumen, which opens up the floor for everyone else. On defense, he’s a terrific off-ball defender who, when combined with Alex Caruso, presents a bold backcourt defensive pairing.

However, this is first and foremost a situation of a young man who needs to get back to being comfortable physically in his everyday life before even discussing what he can do on the basketball court, and hopefully this next surgery can clear him up to do that and get back on the floor.

J. Cole is a dual-threat. The Dreamville founder has expertly balanced his hoop dreams and rap dominance over the years, but Cole was all ball and commanded the floor in one of Chris Brickley’s Black Ops Basketball sessions during New York Fashion Week earlier this month. Brickley, a sought-after basketball trainer, posted Cole’s highlight reel to Instagram.

“J a bucket,” Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield praised in the comments. “In the Kobe’s too!!” added Minnesota Timberwolves big man Eric Paschall. (Cole was crossing dudes up in the Nike Kobe 8 “What The Kobe” sneakers, for reference.)

NBA players aren’t just fans of Cole; they’re peers. The North Carolina-bred icon played professionally for the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League for three games in 2021 before suiting up for the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League for a similarly short stint earlier this year. The 37-year-old left the team in early June to go on tour.

To start September, Cole was revealed as the first-ever rapper to grace the cover of NBA 2K, starring on the cover of NBA 2K23‘s “Dreamer Edition.”

“Three and a half years ago, when he dunked during one of the breaks of the All-Star Weekend Saturday Night, J. Cole, said, ‘Ronnie, I’d love to be in MyCareer and help think about the ideation around that,’” 2K digital marking director Ronnie Singh told Complex in an interview published earlier this month, explaining the origin of Cole’s 2K23 involvement. “I worked with our team on bringing this to life, but it was very fitting to work with him. When we put out that tease [of the 2K23 cover], everybody thought it was going to be another basketball player.”

There’s a strong argument to be made that it was a basketball player.

A week after Shakira opened up about the tax evasion claims against her, new developments have emerged about her impending court case. Today (September 27), a judge in Spain ordered that the Colombian superstar will go to trial for the multi-million dollar claims.

According to The Associated Press, a Spanish judge approved a trial for Shakira to go forward based on the charges of tax fraud. The Esplugues de Llobregat court near Barcelona added that Shakira will be facing six counts of tax fraud. No date has yet been set for the trial. In 2018, Spanish prosecutors accused Shakira of not paying 14.5 million euros ($13.9 million) on income taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014.

In a cover story interview with Elle last week, Shakira talked about the tax evasion claims against her for the first time. She maintained her innocence by calling the allegations against her “false accusations.” Shakira denied any wrongdoing and said that she had paid what she owed before the charges were filed.

“First of all, I didn’t spend 183 days per year at that time at all. I was busy fulfilling my professional commitments around the world. Second, I’ve paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit. So as of today, I owe zero to them. And finally, I was advised by one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers, so I was confident that I was doing things correctly and transparently from day one,” she said.

In July, Shakira reportedly rejected a plea deal, which put the plans for a trial into motion. If she is convicted of tax fraud, Spanish prosecutors are calling for her to spend eight years in prison and pay a fine of 24 million euros (about $24.4 million). “I’m confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favor,” Shakira said.

The Armie Hammer situation just took a twist. According to a new report, his estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers allegedly leaked damaging stories about him to the press months before their divorce. Hammer, whose alleged crimes have been the subject of a new documentary, has reportedly been selling time shares in the Cayman Islands after his career imploded following multiple allegations of abuse. According to screenshots obtained by Page Six, Chambers allegedly played a hand in exposing his infidelities.

In a new report, Chambers is accused of using a friends email address to send tips to the Daily Mail. One of those tips involved an alleged affair with Lily James, which Chambers shared with the tabloid along with a quote from a “source.”

Via Page Six:

In the original Daily Mail story, a source described Chambers as “devastated” and “heartbroken” by the alleged messages, adding, “She is an amazing woman. She doesn’t deserve this. You couldn’t ask for a more stunning devoted wife and she’s a great mom to their two little ones.”

Chambers also reportedly had contact with one of Hammer’s most damaging accusers, House of Effie. Although, Chambers wasn’t entirely sympathetic towards her ex-husbands alleged victims in the screencaps.

“Yes, she’s just dramatic,” Chambers allegedly responded to a question about how House of Effie was doing after the scandal broke. “And they’re all crazy.”

As Page Six reports, Chambers worked closely with House of Effie to help secure custody of her children after filing for divorce from Hammer. The two reportedly coordinated on exposing Hammer’s alleged crimes in the press.

(Via Page Six)

After dropping the “Yung” from her moniker and making a few profile-raising moves, Uproxx cover artist Baby Tate is ready to release a new mixtape sure to keep her star on the rise.

The project is called Mani/Pedi and it’s due on September 30. Tate, who recently signed with Warner Records after previously releasing her projects under Issa Rae’s Warner imprint, Raedio, has been subtly promoting the project since late last year, dropping the “Pedi” video last October and following up with fan-favorite singles such as “S.L.O. (Slut Him Out),” “Dancing Queen,” and “Ain’t No Love.”

In addition, her career advancing moves since releasing After The Rain include joining the cast of Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta, as well as a string of high-profile collaborations with fellow Atlantans JID (“Surround Sound” featuring 21 Savage) and Landstrip Chip (“Wrong Way“). She also shared a series of fire freestyles which included her “Extendo Verse” from “Surround Sound” and verse for the viral TikTok trend, “Period Ahh Period Uhh.”

Mani/Pedi is out on 9/30 through Warner Records. Pre-save it here.

1. “Perfect”
2. “Ain’t No Love” Feat. 2 Chainz
3. “Do Better”
4. “Karma”
5. “Slut Him Out Again” Feat. Kali
6. “Differences”
7. “Mani”
8. “4lifers”
9. “What’s Love”
10. “Dancing Queen”
11. “Pedi”
12. “Yasss Queen”
13. “Honest”
14. “I Do” Feat. Slimwav

Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Foo Fighters are at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles tonight (September 27) for the second Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert honoring the band’s late drummer after he died unexpectedly in Colombia on March 25. The first tribute show took place earlier this month at London’s Wembley Stadium and traversed 50 songs across six hours, closing with “My Hero” featuring Hawkins’ 16-year-old son, Shane, blowing everyone away on the drums.

The London show prompted Mark Ronson to call it “one of the greatest rock and roll shows ever assembled,” made Trent Reznor cry, and catapulted “Everlong” atop Billboard‘s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. The 4.5-hour cut of the Paramount+ livestream from London is still available, leading fans to wonder if they will also be able to watch the LA Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert. Unfortunately, all signs point to no, which is to say, there have not been any signs.

Paramount+ had announced in mid-August that the London tribute concert would be livestreamed. No such announcement has been made by the platform about the LA edition. However, Foo Fighters made an announcement of their own that should be exciting for anyone planning to attend — adding more artists, such as Tommy Lee, to a lineup that already included Ronson, Miley Cyrus, Joan Jett, Gene Simmons, and many more. Both shows have benefitted MusiCares and Music Support.

Before Tuesday night’s show, Foo guitarist Chris Shiflett shed light on whether the band will make new music without Hawkins during the September 23 episode of The Plug With Justin Jay podcast as the future of Foo remains uncertain. In mid-September, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees revealed a greatest hits album, The Essential Foo Fighters, is arriving October 28 — their first release since Hawkins’ tragic passing. The official cause of the 50-year-old’s death has still not been determined.

Streetwear drop culture has infected Taco Bell! Ever since Taco Bell removed the Mexican Pizza from its menu only to see Taco Bell-heads go nuts and wage a campaign to bring it back, they must’ve realized that exclusivity is a powerful sales tool. If it works for Supreme and Nike, why can’t it work for Taco Bell? So now, as Taco Bell readies its next big drop, the brand is turning to the fans.

Starting today, Taco Bell-heads can cast an official vote through the Taco Bell app on whether the Bell should bring the Doubled Decker Taco or the Enchirito before year’s end. You can cast a vote daily until October 6th via the Taco Bell app (assuming you’re a Rewards Member), with the winner being announced on October 7th to appear at participating locations nationwide at a later date.

The Double Decker Taco was a menu staple from 2006 until 2019 when it was purged during the controversial Taco Bell menu revamp (the same revamp that killed the Mexican Pizza) and consists of a flour tortilla covered in beans and wrapped around a classic crunchy taco. The Enchirito has a long and storied history on the menu, first appearing in the ’70s and was essentially Taco Bell’s version of a wet burrito, it features a tortilla filled with beef, beans, and onions, smothered in red sauce and melted cheese. Also… there was this… um… rap?

Our vote is with the Double Decker Taco because it combines the best of a burrito and a Taco Bell taco, though you could make a pretty strong case for the Enchirito since it was discontinued back in 2013, almost an entire decade ago. Either way, Taco Bell-heads have something to look forward to before the year’s end. We’re all winners here, though neither of these discontinued classics have anything on the Mexi-Melt.

Tom Hanks — Oscar winner, America’s dad, the Wonders manager — has added another credit to his LinkedIn page: author.

The actor has written his first novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, about the making of a “colossal, star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film and the humble comic book that inspired it.” Hanks told People magazine that every character in the decades-spanning book is based on “something I’ve experienced while making a movie, as well as discovered a philosophy or learned an important lesson. Even the foolish moments are some kind of stunt I’ve pulled or mistake I’ve survived.” He added that “no one knows how a movie is made,” even someone who’s been in dozens of them. “I’ve made a ton of movies (and four of them are pretty good, I think) and I’m still amazed at how films come together. The whole process is a miracle.”

Hanks was just being humble when he said he’s been in only four “pretty good” movies, but if he genuinely thinks that, Cloud Atlas, A League of Their Own, and Cast Away are probably three of the quartet. As for the fourth film, it’s probably Bachelor Party or Elvis. Or maybe the four Toy Story movies into one mega-movie. Let’s go with that.

The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece hits stores on May 9, 2023.

(Via People)