Month: December 2022

Piers Morgan draws from an endless well of spite whenever anything happens with Meghan Markle and/or Prince Harry. He cannot get over his distaste for a woman who (by his own admission) “ghosted” him after a pub date and then dared to go on and marry royalty (before later declining to kiss the butt of Piers’ beloved Queen). He famously stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain over the Sussexes’ Oprah interview, and Piers has kept the vibe going. Somehow, he’s got enough time to do this while also obsessing over Cristiano Ronaldo, so it’s really something.

Most recently, Piers threw a fit over “d*ckhead” Harry, who he accused of trying to ruin his father’s coronation by releasing his Spare memoir in the same year. At the time, Piers raged that “Charles should strip this petulant, selfish, greedy, hypocritical brat of all his remaining royal titles/status ASAP.” The crime? “[H]e trashes his family, again, from his California mansion. All while playing the big privacy & ‘humanitarian’ crusader.”

Well, let’s just say that Piers was not happy to see the new teaser trailer for Netflix’s Harry & Meghan documentary series. The streamer actually postponed the six-part project’s release following backlash over how The Crown portrayed then-Prince Charles as acting like the real d*ckhead, so it’s not “timed” to ruin Prince Williams’ life, as Piers notes below. Yet of course this “global event” trailer — in which Meghan declares, “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?” — wasn’t gonna go over well with the hothead.

Netflix’s synopsis further promises “the other side of their high-profile love story” and the inside viewpoints on “the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.” Liz Garbus (of HBO’s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark) directs, and “the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”

Piers’ initial hot take: “OMG. This is already vomit-inducing.”

He soon circled back to trash the couple for “bleating about privacy then doing a kiss-and-tell reality series.” Piers also accused Harry of plotting the release date “deliberately to ruin your brother’s big trip to America? Repulsive hypocrites.”

On Twitter, people cannot help but notice that Piers seems triggered.

Additionally, he will never be able to quit this obsession, right?

Others thanked him for letting them know the documentary exists (LOL).

Maybe it’s time to grow up, Piers?

Harry & Meghan doesn’t have a publicized release date yet, but Piers is still convinced that this is timed as a jab at William. Odd!

There’s been a lot of talk about Dolly Parton this year. The legendary singer turned down her Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nomination and then changed her mind and said she was going to make a rock album. Luckily, she shared more details about that LP in a new Tonight Show interview with Jimmy Fallon, as well as discussed her feelings about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and how she “didn’t mean to start any controversy.”

“I’m a rockstar now,” she told Fallon excitedly. “That’s what they said. That was such an honor. I’m making an album, too, because I have to live up to all that time.” When Fallon asked about the rejection of her nomination, she explained, “But honestly, I was sincere. I didn’t mean to start any controversy. When they said they wanted to put me in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, I thought that was for people who spent their whole life working to be in rock and roll. You don’t see Led Zeppelin in the Country Music Hall Of Fame. But anyway I found out it was more than that so when I realized what it was, I said, ‘If they put me in anyway, I would certainly accept it gracefully,’ which I did. I even wrote a song about it to tell the story about it.”

She said the name of the rock album will fittingly be Rockstar, and it’ll have a bunch of guests and a few originals. Mostly it will be covers, including “Purple Rain,” “Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” “Stairway To Heaven,” and “Free Bird.”

Watch her full interview above and below.

Happy holidays everyone! It’s that time of year when we all start to see our family a little more often. While that can be a blessing for some of us, it can be a nightmare for others as we grow tired of having the same conversations about why you’re still single, how work is going, and desperately dodging anything related to politics. While sports and movies are a great way to avoid this they can only take it so far. Especially when boredom strikes, and that’s where video games come to the rescue.

Video games are the perfect distraction because with the right game they can be a great way to kill time before dinner or the perfect choice to keep everyone entertained for the night. Even better is that with consoles like the Switch being so portable most of us don’t even need to pack too much to bring any of these games with us, and all of them can be downloaded on the spot. We did our best to find a good variety of games for all kinds of families and gamers so if you find yourself in need of some holiday entertainment with your family then you will want to keep all of these games in mind.

America’s Greatest Game Shows: Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy! – PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

This is probably the perfect game for those of you that want to play with people who do not play video games. Everyone knows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and while their digital versions aren’t the best recreations of America’s two favorite game shows, the two versions on modern consoles right now should get the job done just fine. They follow all the same rules as the regular shows, can usually be adjusted for a quicker game or a family version, and you should only need one controller to play them.

Making this even more approachable for all of us is both games have been packaged together into one with America’s Greatest Game Shows: Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy! so you’ll have your choice of game. This might not be the best game on this list, but it’s the most familiar and one that both your cousin and grandma can play.

Mario Party Superstars – Switch

Why get into fights over politics when instead you can tell your family you’re never speaking to them again because they stole your star on the final turn? Yes, there is no rage quite like the one created by Mario Party Superstars but that is what makes it perfect for those of you in more competitive families that want to challenge each other. It’s incredibly easy to pick up as a beginner, there’s plenty of ways for both veteran players and newcomers to enjoy it, and it can use up an entire night if you want it to.

The only downside is the max amount of players per game is four, and everyone will need their own controller, so playing it will require a little more effort than other games on this list but it’s worth the effort. Just maybe have a hotel or something booked just in case you need to leave the house in a huff.

Jackbox Party Pack– PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC

There are now nine Jackbox Party Pack games and all of them have something unique that separates it from the rest. We can’t decide on one that’s better than the rest so we just suggest looking up some of the games that are on each pack and deciding which on you like the most. Once that’s settled, playing Jackbox is incredibly easy because all you need is a screen that everyone can see and something with access to a web browser. Games are played on Jackbox.tv with a room code and are easily playable on a phone.

Jackbox is perfect for those of you with larger families because everyone can play either by participating in the games themselves or being a member of the “audience.” The only downside is that because it’s designed for larger groups it can be not as fun with only a few people so we suggest having at least four people minimum and six to get the best experience. If you can convince everyone to play though it’s going to be a really fun time!

Nintendo Switch Sports – Switch

Sometimes it gets stuffy and annoying inside the house. All you want to do is just get up and move around. Really get that heart pumping! Well if that’s you, or if there’s a kid that you want to tire out before dinner, then pop in Nintendo Switch Sports and get moving. This is basically a sequel to the extremely popular Wii Sports with the only downside being that it isn’t free. It’s just as fun as the last game though and sure to bring up some memories for families that played Wii Sports back in the day.

There is a downside and it’s that you will want to a pretty spacious room to play in. Don’t knock over a lamp, or be one of those people who shatter their TV because they got way too into tennis. Also, despite being a sequel, there’s a surprising lack of options so the fun won’t last forever. This is definitely a time-killer game.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC

Okay you’ve just been assigned babysitting duty with your nephew and have no idea what to do, but you do know they’re super in to Star Wars right now. In this scenario, there’s no better game to play than LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. This game is a Lego recreation of every single Star Wars movie, and it’s really fun. Every movie gets an abridged version that players play through, and since it’s all Lego that means everything is made of blocks. The writing for it is really funny, and will make most adults laugh out loud, and the gameplay isn’t too hard for most children. It’s a perfect co-op adventure.

That final sentence is the only downside. This is a two-player game, so it’s not great to play with the entire family, and it can be pretty lengthy to beat. It can be a fun one-off for the night, but if you have aspirations of seeing everything the game has to offer then you will be putting quite a bit of time into this. Of course, it is the holidays so we imagine most of you will have the time to do just that if you choose.

Harry Styles is used to winning, especially since the May release of Harry’s House. His third solo album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but Styles’ most dominant era began in earnest with “As It Was” in March, the addictive lead single that immediately broke a single-day Spotify record and subsequently broke several Billboard Hot 100 chart records.

But Styles had to settle for the silver medal in the race for Billboard‘s Top Hot 100 Songs Of 2022 shared this morning (December 1).

Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” claimed the No. 1 spot after initially debuting on the chart all the way back on January 16, 2021, and spending a staggering 91 weeks on the chart — surpassing The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” for the longest-ever charting Hot 100 song in October — that includes five weeks at No. 1. “As It Was,” meanwhile, has 34 overall weeks and 15 No. 1 weeks to its name so far.

Styles appears again on the year-end list at No. 25 with “Late Night Talking,” another ubiquitous Harry’s House single. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in September and has logged 24 total weeks on the chart.

Billboard also revealed its Top Artists Of 2022 and Billboard 200 Albums List Of 2022 lists this morning. Styles ranks as the No. 3 artist, while Harry’s House slots in at No. 7. See both below.

Did Zendaya make an honest Spider-Man out of Tom Holland? Not so fast. There’s been rumors that the couple, who met in 2016 while working on Spider-Man: Homecoming, are engaged after US Magazine reported that “they’re both in settling-down mode and are absolutely planning for a real future together.” There was also a tweet from a “pop community” Twitter account that claimed they’re getting married, with no further sourcing.

On Wednesday night, Zendaya’s mom, Claire Stoermer, put an end to the engagement speculation on behalf of the couple, who are notoriously private about their relationship. In an Instagram Story, she shared the definition of “clickbait,” which “refers to the practice of writing sensationalized or misleading headlines in order to attract clicks on a piece of content. It often relies on exaggerating claims or leaving out key information in order to encourage traffic. The term is generally used in a dismissive sense.”

The “reports” of their engagement come after numerous comments from Tom and Zendaya about wanting to protect their relationship from public scrutiny, with Tom telling GQ last November that one of the “downsides” to their fame is a lack of privacy.

You can demand pictures of Spider-Man on his wedding day all you want, J. Jonah, but it ain’t happening… yet. But when it does, he better take her last name.

(Via BuzzFeed News)

The streaming services continue to be king as the holiday season continues with returns from beloved franchises. This means that even though you may have Thanksgiving leftovers (TV shows, obviously) and lingering episodes from The White Lotus and Fleishman Is In Trouble will come, there’s another mountain of content coming your way.

Emily In Paris will continue to both charm and rile up the masses while Doom Patrol makes a triumphant (misfit) return from the wreckage. As well, two high profile prequels — from the Yellowstone and The Witcher universes — will soon arrive to put different spins on the worlds that viewers thought they already knew. We won’t be seeing The Bard this year, but we will receive Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren holding down the cowboy fort, so saddle up, and get ready for the shows worth watching in December.

Gossip Girl: Season 2 (HBO Max series streaming 12/1)

Surprisingly enough, reboot fatigue didn’t happen here. This series sparked enough interest to generate another season of a show that doesn’t have Penn Badgly, Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, or Sebastian Stan, but it’s still got scandal. Gossip Girl’s pulling plenty of strings while soaring through Manhattan’s most elite circles. As well, the show manages to stand apart from the original with plenty of rightful drama revolving around the new gang. Even if this series doesn’t seem like your type of show, you might not be able to resist getting caught up if you begin binging now.

Branson: Season (HBO docuseries streaming on HBO Max 12/1)

The greatest Shark Tank guest shark and Virgin Atlantic billionaire Richard Branson’s entire life unfolds in this limited series that traces his 70-year path. His effusive personality and love for adventure are second only to his zest for philanthropy, as behind-the-scenes and archival footage show, along with interviews from those who know him best. From his early entrepreneurial success to his quest to take civilians into space, you’ll be riveted by this complex, somewhat enigmatic figure who walks the walk.

Slow Horses: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series streaming 12/2)

Gary Oldman made a heck of an entrance last season, and he’s back in this espionage series that moves into unburying Cold War secrets that are wreaking havoc in London. There will be Russian villains because of course, and although there are only six episodes in this season, there’s carnage and catastrophe and (fingers crossed) hopefully some more flatulence for the ages. Seriously though, it’s a thrilling spy drama that allows the heroes some dysfunction for some extra flavor.

Doom Patrol: Season 4 (HBO Max series streaming 12/8)

Hold onto your dancing butts, y’all. Brendan Fraser’s back as the eternally frustrated disembodied brain inside of a robotic body. He’s terrific as Cliff Steele in this show that you really should be watching, and he’s backed up by Diane Guerrero as many iterations of Crazy Jane, along with Matt Bomer as Negative Man, April Bowlby as Elasi-Girl, and Jovian Wade as Cyborg, oh and Michelle Gomez as Madame Rouge. DC’s misfit superheroes are facing what might be certain doom, but at least some of them other than Cliff got to have a collective orgasm along the way.

Little America: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series streaming 12/9)

This acclaimed anthology series (from creators Lee Eisenberg and Siân Heder) returns with eight more inspired-by-real-life stories about the immigrant experience in America. Expect to feel a wide range of emotions while witnessing these heartfelt and sometimes surprising stories as executive produced by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Ultimately, the show can perhaps make us feel better despite the dumpster fire of a nation that we cannot help but acknowledge that we live in today.

Kindred: Season 1 (FX series streaming on Hulu 12/13)

It’s adaptation time for Octavia E. Butler’s sci-fi, time-traveling novel about a writer who revisits the world of nineteenth-century plantations. Naturally, one can expect a lot of genre-bending in this story, which encompasses wide-spanning themes including racial prejudice and human rights. There’s also the specter of generational trauma and an infusion of romance in this ambitious project brought to life, in part, by Zola director Janicza Bravo and Watchmen consulting producer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

1923: Season 1 (Paramount+ series streaming 12/19)

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe won’t stop, and here comes another prequel/origin story for the Dutton family. As the show’s title suggests, this show picks up four decades following the events of 1883, and two land-defending Duttons shall be portrayed by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. There are forces of nature to contend with, sure, but more than that, there’s the Great Depression and Prohibition. As well, a ton of antagonists would like to get their hands on that ranch property, but Helen ain’t having it. Surely, you’ve seen her work, right? She means business.

Emily In Paris: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 12/21)

Primetime soap-opera king Darren Star’s latest success returns with a character who’s somehow less sophisticated in France than Carrie Bradshaw was in the final Sex and the City season. Emily Cooper’s having a lot more fun than her predecessor, though, even though she cannot speak French. This season, she’ll continue to nurse the mutual attraction with Hot Chef Gabriel although he and she are dating other people (Camille and Alfie, respectively). Sylvie’s Savoir fallout should continue as well, but I’d really like to see more dirty-skillet controversy, please.

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Season 3 (Amazon Prime series streaming 12/21)

John Krasinski returns in this spy thriller after a three-year break due to you-know-what. This season, the CIA’s finest returns to follow up on his harrowing Venezuela happenings to dodge the Russians. Hey, it happens! The show might not always make perfect sense, and that’s alright because storytelling can be a lot more fun while taking wild leaps. Furthermore, the series has also been announced to wrap loose ends up with a fourth season, so it must be doing something right. A growing audience of millions must be onto something.

The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix limited series streaming 12/25)

Henry Cavill will depart the franchise’s building after the flagship series’ Season 3, but this limited prequel series takes things back to where it all began. We’ll likely see the inception of the first Witcher prototype, over 1200 years before Geralt of Rivia grunted his way across the continent. Michelle Yeoh portrays Scian, an elven swordmaster whose ferocious reputation may precede her, and expect plenty of swordplay and axe swinging. No Jaskier, though!

Lil Nas X really wants to run Twitter. Or, at least, it’s something he keeps nodding to and joking about. Back in 2019, he actually linked up with Jack Dorsey and “took over” as CEO for a day. Then, this past November, he just went ahead and appointed himself as CEO, writing, “as of today at 5:30pm est. i will be relieving Mr. Musk of all duties and taking position as ceo of Twitter HQ. only users who agree that i am cute, fun, and petite will be allowed to keep their accounts. effective immediately.”

Now, his campaign continues thanks to a terrific fan-made video.

On November 29, a Twitter user shared a video and wrote, “CEO of Twitter Elon Musk shares an important message.” The video is a deepfake-generated clip of Elon Musk reciting a modified version of Nas’ previous tweet: “As of today at 6:00 EST, I will be relieving myself of all duties and giving the CEO position of Twitter HQ to Lil Nas X. Only users who agree that he is cute, fun, and petite will be allowed to keep their accounts, effective immediately.”

Lil Nas X shared it and wrote, “omg is this real.”

No, it is not real, but all the musicians who have decided to leave Twitter probably wish it was.

The 2022 edition of Spotify Wrapped was unveiled yesterday (November 30), which had fans celebrating their favorite music of the year and artists showing appreciation for the fans who spent time listening to their work. When it comes to Dionne Warwick, if she made your Spotify list, she’s concerned.

She tweeted yesterday, “If I am on your @Spotify Wrapped let me know. Most of my songs are sad and I am hoping you’re okay. We can talk about it.”

Sure enough, a number of fans tweeted that Warwick or one/some of her songs made their top five, and Warwick responded by asking how they’re feeling and if they’re doing alright. One follower tweeted about how much they’ve listened to “Anyone Who Had A Heart” in 2022 and Warwick responded, “Go outside and touch nature. I love you. Everything will be okay.”

Meanwhile, somebody else noted, “MY MENTOR, MY FRIEND YOUR SONGS ARE NOT ALL SAD MOST OF THEM HAVE HELPED ME MAKE IT THROUGH LIFE!!” Warwick was appreciative, responding, “This is a lovely message. Thank you.” She was also happy to respond to a user who said Warwick didn’t make their list, writing, “Great. Healthy. [heart emojis].”

Finally, somebody turned the question back on Warwick and asked if she’s doing well. She wrote back, “Yes. I am happy and grateful for family.”

As has been the case for the last two seasons, the Phoenix Suns are dominating the regular season, boasting a 15-6 record (boosted by a 12-1 record at home) after blowing out the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

That they’re doing this in spite of Chris Paul missing the last 11 games with a heel injury, Cam Johnson tearing his meniscus eight games into the season, and the continued absence of Jae Crowder, who the team agreed to let stay home while they seek a trade for the veteran forward, makes it even more remarkable — not to mention an offseason full of terrible vibes. The biggest reason the Suns have not only stayed afloat but continued to be the best regular season team in the West is the play of Devin Booker, who came into Wednesday averaging 27.9 points per game.

That scoring average will be on the rise after his best performance of the season, when he lit up the Bulls for 51 points in just three quarters of play, hitting 20 of his 25 shot attempts from the field to lead to the lopsided victory.

It is Devin Booker at his absolute best, knocking down contested midrange bucket after contested midrange bucket, while mixing in just enough drives to the rim and stepback threes to keep the defense off balance. I will forever contend that he has as aesthetically pleasing a game as any scorer in the NBA, and this is arguably his greatest masterpiece. It didn’t matter what the Bulls threw at him, as they tried length with Pat Williams and a pest in Alex Caruso and Booker shrugged all of it off to go get buckets. It’s honestly a shame that the Bulls couldn’t keep this thing closer because we might’ve seen Book contend for his second 70-point outing of his career had he needed to play the fourth quarter.

Jennifer Lopez is back on top again, with a revitalized movie and music career, including a new album en route: This Is Me…Now, her first in nearly a decade. She’s had an up-and-down career, filled with big highs and low lows. One of the latter was also how she first met her current husband, Ben Affleck, whom she met on the set of a little movie from 2003 called Gigli. Gigli was not well-received. In fact, it was a notorious bomb and a punchline, making a pittance of its way-too-large budget. But it seems to have one fan: Jennifer Lopez.

As caught by Entertainment Weekly, Jenny from the Block did one of those epic Vanity Fair videos, where an off-screen interviewer hangs out with a celebrity, whom they pepper with one rapid-fire question after another. One of the 73 questions she’s asked is which of her films should get a sequel. She had a surprising one-word response: Gigli.

Gigli, for those not in the know, was a rom-com crime film in which Affleck plays Larry Gigli, a low-level mobster who is paired with a lesbian fixer played by Lopez to take care of a mentally-challenged young man (Justin Bartha). It’s kind of a weird movie. Despite Lopez’s character’s orientation, she succumbs to Gigli’s advances in a memorably miscalculated bit involving “turkey time” talk. It’s also 121 minutes long — an hour shorter, at least, than writer-directror Martin Brest’s previous film, the inexplicably epic Meet Joe Black, with Brad Pitt getting hit by a car and at one point speaking patois. (In Brest’s defense, he also made Beverly Hills Cop and Midnight Run, which alone gives him a liftetime pass.)

By picking Gigli for sequel status, maybe Lopez is joking. Maybe she has a sentimental attachment to it. Again, it’s where she met the man she dated for some time thereafter and wed some two decades later. It also severely hobbled her film career; she even had her role in the Kevin Smith rom-com Jersey Girl, in which she was again paired with Affleck, cut down to the nub. She probably has mixed feelings about the whole affair.

However, this isn’t the first time Lopez has stood up for one of her biggest flops. Back in 2015, she told Seth Meyers “there are worse films than Gigli.”

So, has time been kind to Gigli? Or is it flawed and Lopez simply wants to give it a Mulligan? Or should everyone instead watch another of her romantic crime films, Steven Soderbergh’s top shelf Out of Sight, in which she and George Clooney deliver arguably their finest hours?

If you’re curious, Gigli streams for rental. In the meantime, you can watch Lopez’s full VF chat below.

(Via EW)