Month: September 2022

Don’t Worry Darling premiered a few days ago, but what may ultimately go down as the film’s predominant legacy is all the off-screen drama surrounding it, whether it’s about Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh, Shia LaBeouf, or Harry Styles and Chris Pine. Also, not so much drama, but Styles and Nick Kroll generated some attention by sharing a kiss. All in all, the movie’s press cycle has been a lot and as Kroll now (jokingly) explains, he was the mastermind behind it all.

In an interview on The Tonight Show yesterday (September 26), the comedian told Jimmy Fallon, “So, if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s, like, a thriller. And I think the less you know about the movie going in, the better, so that when you’re watching it, it’s all new and surprising. So, I decided, ‘Let’s create a lot of buzz around the film, but not about the film itself, right?’”

He continued, “You know, I’m the little… I’m the puppeteer. And so I was like, ‘Hey Harry, you know what would be a great idea? When you walk into the premiere in Venice, spit on Chris Pine.’ And he was like, ‘Got it.’ But then he was like, ‘I don’t know if that’s gonna work,’ so then I was like, ‘You know what? Maybe you should just, you know, give me a kiss.’ And then I asked him to spit in my mouth. He wouldn’t do it. The guy’s got boundaries. And so it ended up… anyway, but it ended up working.”

Check out the full interview above.

Ever since Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died earlier this year, the band’s future has remained unclear. They took a long time away from the spotlight after the death before returning earlier this month for the Hawkins tribute concert in London. (The second tribute concert, in Los Angeles, is tonight, September 27.) Then, a couple weeks ago, they group announced their first post-Hawkins release, a new best-of compilation album.

So, it appears the gears are starting to turn again for Foo Fighters, and now guitarist Chris Shiflett has hinted at the band’s future, suggesting they will in fact make a new album at some point.

Shiflett (who has released a couple of solo singles since this summer) was a guest on a recent episode of the The Plug With Justin Jay podcast (as NME notes) and was asked if other interviewers have mentioned Hawkins or avoided the topic. Shiflett responded, “Most people that I’ve encountered have been respectful about it or try to avoid it. It probably will be [more of a thing] when we ever get around to putting out another Foo Fighters record and go back into the promo boogie-woogie.”

He added, “I remember that when I joined Foo Fighters, it was 1999 so it was a while after Kurt Cobain had died but I would watch interviewers twist themselves in knots trying to ask Dave [Grohl] about it but not ask. I would think it would turn into that kinda thing.”

Listen to the full interview here.

Are Manifest fans still excited for the upcoming Season 4 on Netflix? November 4 shall be the big day when the first chunk of episodes will arrive (after an NBC cancellation), and there’s been little indication that the show will actually end while making total sense. That’s never been the case, although people remained fascinated by callings and shadowy government forces that surround Flight 828’s passengers, who still don’t know why a few moments of turbulence transformed into a five-year time jump on planet Earth. Their lives were shattered in the blink of an eye with the world largely moving on without them. And the intrepid Detective Michaela Stone has been trying to piece it all together from the inside of the catastrophe.

Now, a trailer has arrived, and surprise, surprise: everything’s still a fiasco. Cal apparently touched the plane’s tail fin and aged a few years, but alright, he’s still miraculously alive despite all of his health (and calling) problems over the past three seasons. Further, Flight 828’s legendary black box has materialized, and it seems that the flight was specifically chosen for whatever shenanigans happened. In other words, showrunner Jeff Rake is making good on his promise to provide semi-answers, and even though he initially planned for six seasons, it’s time to bring things home. Now, what of the Death Date mentioned in this trailer? Fans know that this refers to June 2, 2024, which is apparently the day that all of the passengers (who haven’t already croaked and spit up all the water in the universe) are slated to die. No one knows why this is the case, but that’s simply what this universe dictates.

Obviously, it’s up to Michaela and a now-bearded (and grieving) Ben Stone to save the world. Grace is no longer among us (poor Olive, everyone forgets about her) and someone kidnapped baby Eden as of the Season 3 finale, and I guess that cult died out? Jared looks awfully happy these days with Michaela, so maybe that’s all we need for a happy ending. I was also kind-of hoping that Netflix would draw this season out and actually release the finale on the death date, but I don’t know if people can be that patient. Let’s do the synopsis thing:

Consumed by his grief, Ben has stepped down from his role as co-captain of the lifeboat, leaving Michaela to captain it alone, a near impossible feat with the passengers’ every move now being monitored by a government registry. As the Death Date draws closer and the passengers grow desperate for a path to survival, a mysterious passenger arrives with a package for Cal that changes everything they know about Flight 828 and will prove to be the key to unlocking the secret of the Callings in this compelling, mind-bending, and deeply emotional journey.

Manifest returns for a chunk of Season 4 on November 4.

Becky G has taken to social media for a “vulnerable moment” with fans. The Esquemas performer has shared a lengthy statement asking fans to “please take the time to practice love and care,” especially in the context of online spaces (and likely stan culture) and the way using the internet has desensitized many to the humanity of others.

Read her full statement below.

“Vulnerable moment for me here so bare with me.

I am extremely grateful to everyone who has taken the time to sit with me, share with me, celebrate with me, cry with me, laugh with me, embrace me & that has simply made the effort to truly see me. Especially in recent years.

My experience growing up in a time like we live in today, both personally & professionally, has given me the opportunity to work hard for the many blessings I have in my life and meet others who have welcomed me, shared their stories of failures and triumphs, and have made me feel safe to be me.

When I think about where I was mentally, even just a year ago, makes me so proud to still be here today and be able to share some of the lessons & reflections Ive had lately.

Regardless of who you are, the way we speak & interact with one another really impacts our spirit. For me, as I connect with others, I feel that our souls carry the weight of generations before us. However, we also need to remember that we STILL live through experiences of our own in this life, and you never truly know what someone has gone through to show up in the ways that they do.

There is a real person behind every ‘profile’ you see and for every ONLINE moment, there is an OFFLINE reality we dont see everyday and limit access to.

Please take the time to practice love and care.

My hope is to continue my efforts in creating spaces and a community where people feel safe to share dreams, connect & feel understood. The harsh reality I see today is that we hit “upload” to share aspects of our lives or moments we find special & while were meant to receive “likes” & approval, were also met with judgement, assumptions, comparisons & sometimes, simply a lack of human decency.

Having access to everyone all the time has desensitized us from recognizing just how powerful our actions on and offline can be towards someone else’s mind and heart.

Our actions are so powerful that we could be working towards greatness in our own lives and speaking it into the lives of those around us!! Uplifting ourselves while uplifting each each other

Just because someone has a massive following doesn’t make them invincible. Just because someone only has a few followers doesn’t mean they aren’t loved or appreciated.

Ive always felt that my purpose and calling was to do what I could to connect, to absorb and admire those around me, and to inspire and help others whenever and however I can. So!!! My message yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever is BE KIND.

Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself. Take the time to sit with those who you love and connect.

It’s not the QUANTITY of relationships we have, it’s the QUALITY of them that makes this life.

I value you. I respect you. I love you.”

Doug Mastriano isn’t a household name, and there’s a chance he never will be. He’s the far-right MAGA candidate for Pennsylvania, but his race — unlike the perpetually silly one between Dr. Oz and John Fetterman for the state’s vacating Senate seat — almost never makes news. There’s a reason for that: He avoids the so-called “fake news” media, doesn’t do debates, doesn’t even run ads. The result? His trailing in the polls, while a recent rally attracted about the same amount of people who went to last weekend’s Jan. 6 “Truth Rally.”

A new piece by The New York Times examines Mastriano’s beyond floundering campaign, which, unlike Herschel Walker’s bizarre congressional one in Georgia, hasn’t had a turn for the better. Indeed, on Saturday, he held what his running mate dubbed a “big rally” on Saturday, located in Harrisburg, the state’s capital. Only about 60 showed up, and half of them, reports NYT, were part of his campaign. In other words, he really only got about 30.

NYT sums up how well Mastriano’s outside-the-box campaign is doing compared to his Democratic opponent, Josh Shapiro:

He is being heavily outspent by his Democratic rival, has had no television ads on the air since May, has chosen not to interact with the state’s news media in ways that would push his agenda, and trails by double digits in reputable public polling and most private surveys.

There’s no sign of cavalry coming to his aid, either: The Republican Governors Association, which is helping the party’s nominees in Arizona, Michigan and six other states, has no current plans to assist Mr. Mastriano, according to people with knowledge of its deliberations.

There’s only a month and change until Election Day, and who knows? Maybe his more grassroots approach will magically click at the 11th hour. If not, Pennsylvania will be spared a governor who wants to completely eradicate safe and legal abortion, in all cases, including the life of the mother; employ someone who may not certify election results if a Republican isn’t the winner; believes in debunked gay conversion therapy; and was caught wearing a Confederate uniform.

But at least he got some free press for, like Oz, being a Jersey boy.

(Via NYT)

Santigold unveiled her highly anticipated album Spirituals this month, the follow-up to her 2018 mixtape I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions. She was supposed to head out on The Holified Tour, which she announced in June and was set to kick off in October in Atlanta, Georgia and end in November in San Diego, California. However, she canceled the tour today due to the way the pandemic has impacted the realities of touring.

“[For] the past several years we have all been through immense challenges, some physical, some mental, some spiritual, some economic,” she wrote on her website. “And yet, as we have begun to trudge on, much of the toll of that experience has been left untended as we rush back in, attempting to make up for lost time, to reconnect, catch up on bills unpaid, to escape the insanity that had begun to set in. For many of us, the landscapes we are re-entering are not the same.”

She continued, “As a touring musician, I don’t think anyone anticipated the new reality that awaited us. After sitting idle (not being able to do shows) for the past couple years, many of us like everyone else, earning no or little income during that time, every musician that could, rushed back out immediately when it was deemed safe to do shows. We were met with the height of inflation — gas, tour buses, hotels, and flight costs skyrocketed — many of our tried-and-true venues unavailable due to a flooded market of artists trying to book shows in the same cities, and positive test results constantly halting schedules with devastating financial consequences. All of that on top of the already-tapped mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional resources of just having made it through the past few years. Some of us are finding ourselves simply unable to make it work.”

Read the full statement here.

Newt Gingrich is cool enough to have a lesbian half-sibling who performed the first same-sex marriage in an American sitcom, which was later censored by China. In no other way is he cool. Newt is so uncool he can’t even identify lyrics from a Nine Inch Nails song famously covered by Johnny Cash. On Sunday, he tried to attack Pennsylvania congressional candidate John Fetterman, and only succeeded in embarrassing himself à la Fetterman’s accident-prone opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Fetterman, who has his share of tats, used to have a tattoo that quoted one of the lyrics from NIN’s “Hurt,” namely “I will make you hurt.” It’s one of the most brutal songs Trent Reznor ever wrote, filled with self-hatred and regret and even intimations of self-harm. Johny Cash, shortly before his death, recorded a devastating version of it that packing even more of a wallop after his passing.

Perhaps Gingrich never even heard the Cash version. After all, he was so busy in 2002 no longer being in Congress. Maybe that’s why he took to Twitter, cluelessly writing, “Why would Pennsylvania democratic senate candidate john fetterman have a tattoo saying ‘ i will make you hurt’?”

Gingrich’s ignorance — or maybe it was a failed joke, who knows with guys like Newt — prompted lots of helpful explanations.

And jokes, including references to his treatment of former spouses.

The response was such that the next day, Gingrich tried to spin it, roping in a dodgy claim from a rightwing site about Fetterman’s alleged gang ties: “Is Pennsylvania Democrat Fetterman’s tattoo ‘I will make you hurt’ based on his ties to the crips gang as reported by the Free Beacon or a reference to the nine inch nails heroin song ‘Hurt’. Fetterman won’t answer questions.

Actually, Fetterman has answered this question before, long ago, in a 2009 Rolling Stone profile, which pointed out the line was followed by the dates of murders that took place in Braddock, Pennsylvania, when he was its mayor. “That’s what it does to me,” Fetterman said of the lyric. “It’s very personal.” He also talked about it more recently while slamming Tucker Carlson for also trying to make a mountain out of the molehill of his tattoos. He’s since covered the lyric tattoo up.

Gingrich’s clumsy, Oz-esque blunder led not only to lots of corrections, but also lots of jokes (and, again, lots of references to his treatment of former spouses).

Election Day is on Nov. 8. In the meantime, you can enjoy both Nine Inch Nail’s and Johnny Cash’s versions of “Hurt” below.

(Via Newsweek)

Everyone knows that ’90s movies just hit different. From sports movies to rom-coms to even horror, there was an undeniable innocence, without being overly simplistic or juvenile. They didn’t have nearly the amount of money going into production as they do today, but somehow managed to transport us to magical places.

Movies of the ’90s are so iconic that there have been several attempts to reboot beloved titles. Which, let’s face it, tends to be a fool’s errand at a cash grab. These movies are so timeless that simply viewing the original is more than fine.

Not sure which movie to start with? You’re in luck—a Reddit user by the name of YouBrokeMyTV asked ’90s kids to share movies that took them “back to a better time,” and because the internet can be a wonderful place, tons of people responded with some beloved classics.

These answers certainly don’t make a definitive list (there are just so, so many gems) but they’re a fun glimpse into what made ’90s cinema so special. A nostalgic romp through memory lane, if you will.

Enjoy these 14 titles that just might leave you jonesing for a rewatch:

1. “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”

via GIPHY

A perfect example of how ’90s movies were silly, but smart at the same time. And oh so wholesome.

2. “The Sandlot”

via GIPHY

It taught us nothing about baseball, but everything about friendship, rooting for the underdog and (most important) how to make s’mores.

3. “Drop Dead Fred”

via GIPHY

Critics might have run this cult classic through the mud during its inception, but audiences fell in love with the bizarre charm of this story about a mischievous little girl and her anarchist imaginary friend. So take that, snotfaces!

4. “The Goonies”

via GIPHY

Everyone just wanted to set off an epic quest with their friends for pirate treasure after seeing this movie.

5. Tim Burton’s “Batman”

via GIPHY

Before the superhero genre was the behemoth it is today, a quirky director and the dude who was best known for playing the creepy demon in “Beetlejuice” breathed new life into comic-book movies. Marvel might be the leader on creating stories with adult themes that are digestible for kids nowadays, but this DC film was the first of its kind. Plus, that soundtrack … forget about it.

6. “Hook”

via GIPHY

Pretty much any ’90s film starring Robin Williams was an absolute gem, but this one in particular is timeless. His gift of balancing childlike humor with emotional gravitas lent itself so well to playing the now grown and cynical Peter Pan, who must learn to reclaim his joy (relatable, millennials?). It was a bang-a-rang-er, no question.

7. “Space Jam”

via GIPHY

It had Looney Tunes, it had aliens and it had Michael Jordan. That’s a winning combination.

8. “Matilda”

via GIPHY

I don’t think I’m out of line when I say that this movie helped a lot of kids make their way through difficult childhoods.

9. “The Parent Trap”

via GIPHY

Even ’90s reboots were awesome. And how fun it is to see that Lisa Ann Walker—the actress who played Chessy the housekeeper—is not only yet again gracing the screens in NBC’s “Abbott Elementary,” but is also being revered as a style icon on TikTok for her ultra casual looks in the film. We all knew she was onto something with long button downs and shorts.

10. “The Land Before Time”

via GIPHY

No cartoon, not even “The Lion King,” was a better depiction of childhood grief. And yet, despite encapsulating tragedy, director Don Bluth still left viewers hopeful. The subsequent 14 (yes 14) sequels definitely pale in comparison to the original, but “The Land Before Time” continues to stand the test of time nonetheless.

11. “Richie Rich”

via GIPHY

The scene where they play tag on four-wheelers is simply iconic.

12. “Dunston Checks In”

via GIPHY

Man, the ’90s were the golden age of animal-centered films. And not just monkeys either—we got sports playing golden retrievers and not one, but two movies starring talking pigs. What a time to be alive. These films were made before CGI had reached the levels it’s at today, and the authentic interactions between humans and creatures reached right through the screen.

13. “George of the Jungle”

Have I seen this movie at least 20 times? Probably. It doesn’t get any better than this in terms of silly action films with bird puppets. It’s crazy to think that this role would eventually lead Brendan Fraser to “The Mummy” franchise, turning him into a household name. Though his career has had some tragic ups and downs, we are all grateful for the glorious comeback he’s been having.

14. Anything involving Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Whether vacationing in London, Paris or Rome, whether playing magical witches or making a huge billboard so their father could find love … Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen offered zany, whimsical entertainment while wearing fun outfits. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

Aphex Twin, aka Richard David James, is known for making glitchy music that resembles something of a sonic collage. Now he wants to help others do the same. He and engineer Dave Griffiths have made Samplebrain, a newly launched piece of sound design software.

The project has been in the works for about 20 years. In a statement on Warp’s Instagram, James wrote, “This idea came about a long time ago, not sure exactly when, 2002 ish, but when mp3’s started to become a thing, when for the first time there were a ton of them sitting on my hard drive and the brilliant Shazam had recently launched.”

He continued, “Started thinking hmm all this music sitting there, maybe it can be used for something else other than just playing or dj’ing [hi Atomixmp3 & rudimentary max/msp patches]. I had originally contacted the founders of Shazam to discuss further creative uses of their genius idea but they were busy making an automatic dj program, I still think Shazam could be re-purposed for something incredible but in the meantime we have Samplebrain.

“What if you could reconstruct source audio from a selection of other mp3’s/audio on your computer? What if you could build a 303 riff from only acapellas or bubbling mud sounds? What if you could sing a silly tune and rebuild it from classical music files? You can do this with Samplebrain.”

Find the app here.

Sometimes life imitates art, but it doesn’t usually imitate Michael Bay movies. On Monday, NASA successfully — and intentionally — crashed a small spacecraft into a larger (but still small) asteroid innocently floating not far from Earth. Why? More on that in a bit. But if that sounds not a little unlike the premise of 1998’s biggest movie moneymaker, Armageddon — a movie that scientists say really isn’t accurate — you weren’t the only one. The event not only drew a lot of attention — it also got the name of the film’s star trending.

As per The New York Times, last year NASA launched into orbit what they called a Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft, or a DART. Its mission? To collide with Dimorphos, a small asteroid that is part of a bigger space rock called Didymos.

Dimorphos posed no immediate threat to our planet. But that was why it was so perfect to hit. The intention behind the DART mission was to check if one proposed way to stop an asteroid from hitting Earth could be to hit it with a projectile and elbow it into a different orbit. And that’s exactly what happened.

In other words, NASA found a good way to stop an asteroid due for Earth. You know what’s probably not a great way to do that? Doing what they did in Armageddon and blow it up (with the help of a bunch of blue-collar oil drillers who’ve never set foot in a spacecraft much less been to outer space, of course). Still, it was close enough that it got “Bruce Willis,” who played the leader of said space-bound oil-drillers, trending. Even NPR got in on the joke.

As did others.

There were even jokes about how another Bruce Willis movie — The Siege, about martial law being declared in NYC — almost came true during the protest-heavy summer of 2020.

The news comes mere months after it was revealed that Willis had to retire from acting due to being diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called aphasia, which affects one’s ability to communicate.

(Via NYT)