Year: 2022

Rihanna has been thriving during her pregnancy, but now it appears that era has come to an end and a new one has begun: TMZ reports Rihanna has given birth to her and ASAP Rocky’s baby, a boy, according to “sources with direct knowledge.” The publication reports the baby was born in Los Angeles on May 13. Neither Rihanna nor Rocky have yet to confirm the news or share any public statement about the birth. The baby’s name has not yet been revealed.

That date of birth lines up with a report from earlier this week, of a Facebook post from an apparent nurse who works in the hospital where Rihanna gave birth. The post, shared on the 13th, reads, “Rihanna about to have her baby at the hospital I’m working at they cleared everybody off the floor [crying emojis].” They later added, “She HAD A BOY YALL.”

The timeline of the birth also seems to make sense since Rihanna had been in the third trimester of her pregnancy for some time now: In an Elle interview published in mid-March, Rihanna said, “There’s a pregnancy glow. There’s also those days, girl. Especially in the third trimester where you wake up and you’re like, oh, do I have to get dressed?” Rihanna and Rocky also reportedly had a baby shower in late April.

TMZ also noted that one of the last times Rihanna was seen in public was on May 9, when she and Rocky got dinner at Los Angeles restaurant Girogio Baldi.

For Ethan Hawke, the opportunity to work within the bounds of an Audible Original with the freshly released Fishpriest [you can download the series here] checked a few boxes. For one, as the actor told us recently during the following wide-ranging conversation, it was a strike in his own personal battle against the pandemic, with him, the other voice actors, and the creative team coming together on the project despite the production limitations that have made it harder to make art over these last few years. It’s also an opportunity for him to, again, play a cop (or former cop, in this case) trapped in a complex situation in a story within a genre with which he has great affection.

“I grew up loving French Connection, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and Prince Of The City, all those cool crime fiction pieces, Richard Price. This is all aspiring to live in that kind of milieu,” Hawke said after recalling how the New York of this project connects to a time when he first came to the city in the early ’90s, sparking sense memories in addition to recollections of his time doing ride alongs in New York in preparation for Training Day.

This project is also yet another job for someone who works near ceaselessly, and so we spoke about the motivation to do so much work, whether it be an audio project, writing another novel, creating a graphic novel, or his upcoming docuseries focused on the life, marriage, and careers of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. That series, in particular, dominates the latter part of our conversation as we discuss the inspiration found in Newman’s astonishing third-act dominance and how Hawke sees his own career at this point in his life.

A lot of things attempt to be in this [crime fiction] space, and I’m sure a lot of them cross your desk too. What is it about this project that specifically made you want to do this?

I’ve never done this form of storytelling before. I’m a storyteller and I like to do plays and write books and I’ve written graphic novels and made documentaries — just the whole experience of telling a story. And one of the things that is wonderful about reading a book is it asks so much of you. Like if the book says, “Bodega, 1991, New York City.” Your brain has to do a lot of the work. Your brain becomes a cinematographer. Sunset, what does it smell like? What does it sound like? And in a movie, they do all that for you. And so oftentimes, you don’t like the way they did it. They didn’t do it real.

One of the things that’s super hard about reading scripts and deciding what movies to do and everything is, well, the best version of most scripts is pretty damn good. It’s just, your brain as a reader creates the best version of it. It casts the guy behind the cash register at the bodega perfect. The way you really see it. But often directors and casting, they get it wrong. And they screw the movie up, and the movie isn’t any good. And what I love about this — in the old days they’d call it a radio play. It asks a lot of you, but by asking a lot of you as a listener, it gives a lot to you, because you’re engaged in the experience yourself. You’re an artist in it, with it, making it as it goes.

And so many modern movies just do everything for you. They tell you exactly how to feel, and when. They tell you exactly what’s a good moment. What’s not a good moment. It doesn’t leave any space for you to enter. The way that if you or I were to read, I don’t know, Anna Karenina, or pick a book you love, you have to provide a lot of the imagination. And so, just as a storyteller, I was turned on by trying like, “What is this medium like?” As a kid, I remember hearing about Orson Welles, reading War of the Worlds, and people thinking Martians really were attacking. And so, I don’t know, could you create a sense of realism just from a vocal performance?

You’ve played cops that are dirty or that are in this space before. What is the fascination for you to go back to play those characters again? And also what is it about our continuing fascination with them?

Well, one of the reasons why I think people like superhero movies is they like to goose life. Our lives seem so daily and dull and your imagination wants to goose life, make it better than it is. And the wonderful thing about cops is their lives are extremely dramatic. They’re faced with these moral quandaries, but they’re just ordinary people intersecting with other ordinary people. People who run a bodega, people who are trying to put their sister through a diabetes center by slinging drugs.

You hear these words thrown around like diversity and social justice, but cops, it’s in the DNA of the storyline that they’re touching all walks. They deal with rich people and they deal with the homeless and they deal with everybody in between. And the story of their lives naturally is ripe with so much of the stuff of life, politics without being political. Their lives are so interesting. It allows you to talk about real human beings in a way with a heightened drama. Did that make sense? Awfully long-winded.

No, it did. It’s interesting though, that this is a character who’s obviously trying to claw his way back to a certain extent. It’s a very human kind of failing that we see, I think all too often. Especially in pop culture, we see a lot of cops that are crossing over that grey moral line. You are right. It does touch on so many different aspects of life.

Playing them is really interesting. And I mean, like even a show like The Wire, they just touch so much life, the pulse of life. And I think that’s what appeals. I always loved Richard Price. Clockers. It’s hard to do well. It’s damn hard to do well, because the world is just full of poor cop dramas.

I do a lot of these and it’s rare that I come away just like, “I don’t even know which project to ask about first.” There’s just so much. You work so much. Do you take time off? What is it that drives you to keep going and going?

It’s a really good question. I think, I’m really lucky that I have an intrinsic love of my job that makes it so interesting to me over and over again. I mean I loved working on The Northman. Working on Robert Eggers’ Viking epic is so different than working on Scott Derrickson’s Black Phone, but they’re both rigorous artists of the medium that they’re trying to do. And it makes my job new for me every time.

I did this documentary over the last couple of years about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. And studying my profession from a journalistic way was completely new for me. Connected. I mean, obviously, it’s studying the life of actors. That’s something I know about, but trying to be a journalist, it was new for me. And trying to do the Marvel Universe [with Moon Knight], trying to live inside that genre, then acting gets new because it’s like something that would be not funny in a normal movie is kind of funny in a Marvel movie.

You have to understand the same is true of the horror genre or a romance. Each genre of storytelling has its own math. And learning that math and trying to be a better storyteller all the time, I just love it. And so, I do work a lot and I don’t really understand it. [Laughs] I have the same thoughts sometimes. I’m like, “Why don’t I take a vacation?” My wife always says to me, “We never had a honeymoon.” I’m like, “Oh yeah, we haven’t.” But this seems to make me so happy.

In terms of your ambition, how has it changed as far as like when you were starting your career? Obviously, the roles are different. The challenges are different. You’re getting to do more things, obviously.

Well, I remember when I was younger, I worked with this old Canadian Shakespearean actor. And he was working really hard. It was getting harder and harder for him to learn his lines and he was so good. He was just so deep and interesting and thoughtful and insightful. And I said, “So why do you still do this?” And he said, “One lifetime is not enough.” You know? It’s just not enough.

It keeps being interesting and you get to work with talented people. I mean, take a weird movie, like Black Phone. I got to do all this mask work. I’d never done that before. And this artist who made the mask was a genius and he had this idea that what if the mask wasn’t the same? And sometimes you see the top half of his face and sometimes you see the bottom. And we started devising in what ways would that unlock the story? It’s like something I’d never done before. It was so interesting. Or working in a sci-fi genre like with Moon Knight, thinking about the ways that Phillip K. Dick or Kurt Vonnegut would tease your brain. And how we could utilize that thought energy inside the Marvel Universe.

The word ambition is kind of fascinating because when I was younger, I definitely had goals and those kind of superficial goals have disappeared for me. I just enjoy the doing of it. And I try not to think about what’s going to happen with it because, invariably, all that goes away anyway. Time, we’re all building sandcastles, right?

It’s just trying to be a part of your time and talk and communicate. And it was so rewarding to do Good Lord Bird and tell the story of John Brown right in the middle of what was happening with George Floyd. And see the connection between the Civil War and what’s happening now. And the division in the country. And part of our job as the artistic community is just to be conversation starters.

This will run counter to what you just said, but the latter third of Newman’s career — he didn’t let up. Obviously, you’re not there yet [in terms of that later stage], but actors do start to fall down the call sheet a little bit as time goes on. You’re not the name of the poster. Maybe certain people aren’t willing to take as many chances on you. Newman is such a unicorn in the sense of not having that happen. [With that in mind] is there a sense of urgency in you to go bigger in terms of just taking a bigger slice of the pie for you creatively?

There are so many interesting questions inside that statement. There’s so much to think about there. Newman is a unicorn. What I was hypnotized by with him is when you picture him falling in love with acting in class with Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan, who’s in his acting class? Oh, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Steve McQueen, Geraldine Page. These people who changed my profession. But a lot of them, if you look at his male counterparts, they really burnt out. Monty Clift, James Dean, Brando. And Newman continued to be a leader. And the thing I’m most hypnotized by about his career is, yes, I love Cool Hand Luke, yes, I love Hud. Yes, The Hustler is one of my favorite movies. But it’s really The Verdict, Color Of Money, Road To Perdition, Nobody’s Fool, Hudsucker Proxy. You’re like, “Wait, who is this guy?”

I mean, there he was at the end of his life working with top tier, not just filmmakers, not making hit movies. He’s working with artists. He’s working with Scorsese and Sidney Lumet and Joel Ethan Coen and Sam Mendes. Or Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, James Ivory. That movie’s a masterpiece. I mean, is it bigger? No, but is it bigger in the sense of that level of difficulty, what they’re trying to communicate artistically? Yeah, it is. In the beginning of his career, he was constantly compared to a Brando wannabe. And then at the end, it’s almost a story of the tortoise and the hare, isn’t it? One took off and fell asleep by a tree because it got bored with how easy it was. And the other just slowly plotted along and created this 50-year masterpiece.

And so, I do think about it. And you do fall down in the call sheet. You start playing bad guys, you start playing dads. But I look to Robert Duvall and Jeff Bridges or Donald Sutherland or Jason Robards. And I see a lane in which you could contribute in a heavy way without all the accouterments of superficial perceived success. It might be a better lane.

I just read a New Yorker interview with Elizabeth Moss where she was talking about actors specifically, not wanting to give away too much of themselves. You’ve been around for so long. And I’m sure you’ve done so many of these interviews. Do you ever want to not give away too much of yourself in fear that it might be a distraction when people see you on screen?

I read that interview. I think she’s really smart and really impressive. I thought a lot about it and I know that what she’s saying is true. I know for me, I’ve more bought into the idea of aspiring to live a really boring life and make your art extraordinary. And if you live an insanely boring life, there is no secret. They can’t learn anything. The human experience is so deep and complex and profound. Things that were true about me 15 years ago aren’t true anymore. I’m a different person. I don’t worry about secrets and giving them away or not giving them away.

There’s a great Allen Ginsberg quote that I read years ago that changed my outlook on interviews. Which is he said, “More people will read these interviews and see what I’m putting forward into the world through these interviews is just as important as the art I make. Because if my goal is to connect with other human beings and to be a part of a collective conscious dialogue, these interviews are an opportunity to not just sell something, but to have an exchange.” And so, I just try to take it seriously and then not think too much about it and let it go.

‘Fishpriest’ is available to download on Audible here

Madison Cawthorn’s apparently doing the Guilfoyle Challenge on Twitter. That’s a reference to how Don Jr’s then-girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, stood up at the 2020 RNC and screech-shouted, “The Best. Is Yet. To Come!!!!!” As we all (I hope) know by now, Trump lost the reelection, so “the best” never happened. And the incendiary representative from North Carolina will soon leave the congressional building after losing his own reelection bid, which caused him to initially lash out with a “sore loser” mentality.

Now, however, he’d like everyone to know that he’s doing great, and the 26-year-old MAGA enthusiast tweeted, “The best is yet to come.”

Madison is not doing superbly, obviously, and other members of the far-right must be nervous to see such a blow to the ultra-MAGA crowd at a relatively early primary. Lauren Boebert’s conspicuously ignoring how she’s potentially on the chopping block, too, and it will be a real test to see if Marjorie Taylor Greene and her love of conspiracy theories will pass muster with Georgia voters. When it comes to Madison, a certain faction of the GOP apparently saw fit to campaign him out representing their party after a series of embarrassing articulations of Cawthorn’s far-right views. And then there was that naked humping video and the cousin-crotch grope, and well, his fate seemed to be sealed.

The 2022 primaries have, to paraphrase Cawthorn here, only just begun. Yet when Madison claimed that “the best” is yet to be seen from him, people naturally wondered whether this means that they should brace themselves for another video.

The “Take The L” and cousin jokes began to pour in, too.

In closing, here’s a touching poem.

2020’s Free Love was a big album for Sylvan Esso, as it earned the duo of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album while lead single “Ferris Wheel” was a success on alternative radio, peaking at No. 12 on Billboard‘s Adult Alternative Airplay chart. It’s been nearly two years since the album was released, but now Sylvan Esso is back with “Sunburn,” their first new song since the album.

The tune is aesthetically in line with Free Love, as it’s a relatively minimal, synth-driven, dance-ready pop tune. The band said of the song in a statement:

“Sunburn’ is:

eating candy til you’re sick
riding your bike too fast down a hill
when you’re five years old and don’t want to get out of the water, and by the end you’re shivering and all your fingers are pruney and your lips are turned purple
an undertow that sneaks up unsuspectingly
the painful pulsing pink of swollen eyelids leftover after a day lying in the sun
plunging forward without time for second-guessing

produced by Sylvan Esso
for you.”

The new song arrives in the middle of a brief run of tour dates for Sylvan Esso, which kicked off on May 11 and will conclude in Portland, Maine on the 26th.

Listen to “Sunburn” above.

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

Get more streaming recommendations with our weekly What To Watch newsletter.

10. (tie) George Carlin: American Dream (HBO Max)

Director Judd Apatow weaves archival footage, diary entries, and invaluable insights from George Carlin’s daughter Kelly to create an extensive portrait of a legendary comedian and thinker whose thoughts on life and culture still resonate and routinely trend on Twitter 16 years after his death. What’s most remarkable about Carlin may not be that unheard of staying power, but how he continued to innovate and reinvent himself over a 50+ year career to get to the point where his words and memory would carry so much weight with so many people; something Apatow explores thoroughly here while exploring the drive, complexity, and artistry of the man.

10. (tie) The Kids in the Hall (Amazon Prime)

It’s been 27 years since the last Kids In The Hall episode and 26 since the release of Brain Candy, the movie that almost broke the group apart forever. Since then, there has been inter-group litigation, a period of resolution, numerous tours, health scares, and onscreen reunions official (Death Comes To Town) and not (numerous cameos in each other’s projects), but the Kids are back. Not quite “kids” anymore, but with the same charm and bend toward dark comedic absurdity. No, I mean really the same, but in a way that should connect in equal measure with old fans and potential new viewers whose dads won’t shut up about them when they walk into the room and see you watching I Think You Should Leave and they want to contribute so they tell you about a guy with lettuce for hair and “Love And Sausages” and how communists and killer bees are LIKE THIS! OK. The point is, the new Kids In The Hall is a brilliant mix of old and new that further solidifies the group’s legend status. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

10. (tie) I Love That For You (Showtime)

Vanessa Bayer was one of the best things about Saturday Night Live during her seven-year run and while nothing beats her awards-worthy work in the sketch comedy’s Totino’s trilogy, this definitely comes close. Based on Bayer’s own experience with childhood cancer (and her ongoing love affair with the home shopping channel) the show follows a yet-to-fully-mature woman who lies about her cancer diagnosis to keep her dream job. Everyone from Molly Shannon to Jenifer Lewis helps out here but it’s some of the lesser known members of the cast that really shine. Watch it on Showtime.

9. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (Netflix)

David Letterman is back once again to talk to a slew of very famous people about their lives and careers. It remains a cool show and a cool idea and it’s cool that Letterman has fully embraced his role as a Beard Guy. No complaints to be found anywhere. This season’s guests include Billie Eilish, Ryan Reynolds, Cardi B, Kevin Durant, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and a pre-Slap Will Smith. Watch it on Netflix.

8. The Staircase (HBO Max)

The original true-crime docuseries (originally on Sundance TV) captivated enough people on Netflix that HBO Max decided to dramatize the story, and lo and behold, it works. Colin Firth plays Michael Peterson, who served prison time after the death of his wife, Kathleen (portrayed by Toni Collette) under mysterious circumstances. Sophie Turner and Parker Posey are on hand, and there’s a (SPOILER ALERT) certain theory that won’t be overlooked. This shall be an eight-part adaptation that explores the nature of fact and fiction and goes to some unexpected places. Watch it on HBO Max.

7. The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)

The first season of The Flight Attendant was a blast, just fizzy chaos and murder from the opening scene to the very end, with Kaley Cuoco carrying the action as a party girl airline employee who finds herself wrapped up in about eight layers of international flim-flammery. It’s back for a second season, thank God, with her character, Cassie, now assisting the CIA. That probably sounds like an insane twist to you if you didn’t watch the first season. And it is. But more importantly… why haven’t you watched the first season yet. Good Lord. Get in there. You deserve a good time. Watch it on HBO Max.

6. Angelyne (Peacock)

It’s Emmy Rossum, all bewigged and looking nothing like Fiona Gallagher, which is probably exactly the type of thing that Rossum wanted to do after a decade in the same role. Here, she portrays the iconic billboard queen and mysterious buxom blonde who parlayed herself into a sensation. Expect a whole lot of pink with hair, makeup, and wardrobe on (tacky) point. Rossum looks like she’s having a blast as a precursor to the Paris Hiltons of today, and there are spaces where the show is great fun, but be warned that it takes its time while moving toward an emotional payoff.

5. Atlanta (FX/Hulu)

Well, guess what: Atlanta is back, four years since its second season and just as ready and willing to throw you for a loop. Earn and Paper Boi and Darius are still off in Europe on that tour they were en route to way back then, but there are detours and flights of fancy and all the other weird, stunning, inventive stuff that made (and makes) this one of our greatest shows. Donald Glover and this crew are pretty good at this stuff. It’s great to have them back. Watch it on Hulu.

4. Ozark (Netflix)

Alright, one thing is certain: this season is gonna be violent, and that could land right on top of Ruth Langmore and the Byrde family. Marty desperately wants to leave his money-laundering hellscape and go back to Chicagoan suburbia. Also, Ruth is hellaciously angry about losing almost everything. We’ll see if she can finally rise above that “cursed Langmore” status that she keeps clinging onto. There’s more cursed cookie jar, too, so we’ll see if she can rise above those ashes as the show careens to an end. Watch it on Netflix.

3. Barry (HBO Max)

It should not be possible to enjoy watching a sweet man like Bill Hader destroy his life and the lives of those around him, and yet, here we all are, ready for season three of Barry, one of the best shows on television. It’s a dilemma, honestly. Not as much of a dilemma as, say, being a hitman who stumbles into an acting career and has to occasionally kill more people to prevent other people from learning that he has a history of killing people, but still. There’s an embarrassment of riches at play here. Find another show that features Henry Winkler and Stephen Root and D’Arcy Carden where none of them are the funniest character, somehow, against incredible odds. This is the power of NoHo Hank. You either know what that sentence means or you desperately need to binge Barry as soon as possible. Watch it on HBO Max.

2. Hacks (HBO Max)

Jean Smart’s dueling curmudgeons won’t both return because we can’t always have nice things. Yet we still have her cranky comedian, Deborah, who’s back in the comedy game (this time on tour) with Hannah Einbinder’s Ava in tow. The second season’s a lean, mean comedy machine but unfortunately for Ava, her big betrayal is still out there, looming over both of them. Also, Jean gets to wield a chainsaw, and that’s worth the price of admission on its own, but getting to see the dynamic duo in action is something that we’re frankly not worthy of — we will take it. Watch it on HBO Max.

1. Better Call Saul (Netflix, AMC)

Better Call Saul is back, soon, finally, after an extended layoff. It remains one of our greatest shows, a ball of tension and comedy, the former of which is amped up even more as it heads into its final season. What will happen to Kim? What will happen to Nacho and Lalo? The Breaking Bad timeline is rapidly approaching and it’s time to answer these questions once and for all. It’s okay to be nervous. We’re nervous, too. Take some time for a quick Season 5 rewatch on Netflix and then strap in for the new episodes on AMC Plus

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

10. (tie) Marry Me (Peacock)

Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson star as a preposterously attractive couple who get together after her character — one half of a global sensation pop duo — discovers her lover and music partner has been stepping out. That’s right, it is rom-com time over here. Will they? Won’t they? Whose hair will look better in the pivotal scene that will probably take place in the driving rain? There’s one way to find out: Grab some popcorn and comfy pajamas and set up shop on the couch. Watch it on Peacock.

10. (tie) Kimi (HBO Max)

Zoe Kravitz plays a stay-at-home digital detective in this latest thriller from Steven Soderbergh who — with the help of her friendly A.I. sidekick Kimi — uncovers a string of murders she traces back to the company she works for. She then must venture out into a pandemic-ridden Seattle in search of the reason why. Honestly, we can’t relate. But, Kravitz is quickly becoming a bonafide action star and a Soderbergh script rarely disappoints. Watch it on HBO Max.

10. (tie) West Side Story (Disney Plus)

Steven Spielberg brings the classic musical to the big and/or small screen, to the delight of both older fans and newer ones who get to experience it all for the first time. Get in there. Really let the experience wash over you. Sing along. Dance around your living room. Get in a knife fight with your sworn enemy. Okay, maybe not that last one. But the other ones, definitely. Watch it on Disney Plus.

10. (tie)Turning Red (Disney Plus)

In Domee Shi’s Turning Red, a boy band-loving teenage girl turns into a red panda whenever she experiences strong emotions, which as every parent of a teenager knows all too well, is often. Too often. It’s all the time, really. Turning Red is being called Pixar’s best movie in years, as it should. It’s about time red pandas got the cinematic showcase they deserve. Watch it on Disney Plus.

10. Deep Water (Hulu)

Deep Water is an erotic thriller that stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as… honestly, what more do you need? It’s a “weird, wild mess” of a movie from the director of Fatal Attraction and Unfaithful, with a murder mystery, duplicitous characters, and Affleck as an alpha cuck. Deep Water is the kind of sleazy mainstream movie that rarely gets made anymore, so it feels like a sexy treat that it even exists (from Disney, no less). Break out your Ana de Armas cardboard cutout and make it a double feature with Basic Instinct. Watch it on Hulu.

9. Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off (HBO Max)

It is wild to think about how long Tony Hawk has been a figure in American pop culture. It is also wild to watch a full-length documentary about it, which is good and notable here because HBO made one. The whole thing is fascinating, the way the guy whose name is synonymous with skateboarding at this point is still doing it and does not plan to stop, and the way he’s built a career and lifestyle out of the thing he loved doing as a kid. It’s cool. And a good watch. Crank up “Superman” by Goldfinger and give it a run. Watch it on HBO Max.

8. Metal Lords (Netflix)

Game Of Thrones HBO co-creator D.B. Weiss wrote this little ditty while teaming up with Rage Against The Machine axeman Tom Morello as a love letter to the metal genre. The story revolves around two high-schoolers who seek the ultimate glory and win contests and be gods, and so on. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find a bassist when Black Sabbath isn’t as popular with the kids as Justin Bieber is. The struggle is real.

7. The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes (Netflix)

Netflix continues its push into true(…ish) crime with this look at the death of Marilyn Monroe. While the title and general tone seem to imply some sort of new potential conspiracy at play, most of it appears to be a rehashing/reheating of things that have bubbled up in the past. Still, for a new generation of Marilyn fans, and with a new movie about her starring Ana de Armas, it could be a useful look at the strange final days of an American icon. Or a decent refresher. Or a decent way to kill a couple hours. It can be a lot of things, really. Watch it on Netflix.

6. White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (Netflix)

The chokehold that Abercrombie & Fitch had on an entire generation of impressionable teens is just one of the many reasons watching the company’s disastrous fall in documentary form is so damn fun. This is a retail store that sold infant-sized clothes to fully-grown adults at the price of a life-time’s worth of body image issues. But if that’s just too dark to think about, it’s also a place where bare-chested men and heavy cologne assaulted you at every turn. In short, it was a hellscape disguised a shopping destination and this doc from Netflix peels back the curtains to paint a really interesting picture on discrimination in the workplace and the cost of cool. Watch it on Netflix.

5. Jackass 4.5 (Netflix)

What we have on our hands with this is a collection of new stunts and some behind-the-scenes of old stunts all featuring the sweet and chaotic boys from Jackass. You love that stuff. Don’t you dare overthink it. Turn your brain off and let the madness wash over you. Watch it on Netflix.

4. Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (Disney Plus)

There are two things happening here. The first is that, yes, we have another streaming-based reboot/reimagining nostalgia-bait film on our hands, this time for the Rescue Rangers. Which is… fine. But it brings us to the second thing: the talent involved in this sucker is wild. Voice work by Andy Samberg and John Mulaney and Seth Rogen, who really need to work together on a live-action project at some point. Direction by Akiva Shaffer, who also did MacGruber. it’s kind of nuts, really, which we promise is not a chipmunk pun. The point is that if you’re going to do one of these things you can at least try to do it right. The effort here is appreciated. Watch it on Disney Plus.

3. On the Count of Three (VOD)

Jerrod Carmichael is having a moment, garnering all the praise for his revealing and powerful HBO special (Rothaniel, watch it again!), a great turn as SNL host, and now, for the release of his festival fave narrative directorial debut, On The Count Of Three. But, of course, you knew Carmichael was a force from his previous specials and The Carmichael Show. You’re just happy to see everyone else catch up and, with this film, get the chance to see Carmichael flex his dramatic muscles opposite Christopher Abbott as two friends trying to get the most out of the last moments before they execute each other as a part of a suicide pact. Track it down on your VOD service of choice.

2. The Batman (HBO Max)

What if Seven but with way more leather and punching? In a lot of ways, that could serve as a very simple synopsis of what Matt Reeves has done with the crown jewel of DC Comics lore, placing his take beside The Joker on the highest shelf (both in terms of artistry, societal commentary, and other adult themes) in the DCEU film library. Does it work? In some ways, absolutely, providing a grim but intriguing vision of the Batman as a detective with the mother of all chips on his shoulder as he wrestles with his thirst for vengeance and a vicious villain in Paul Dano’s Riddler, who is always seemingly one step ahead of him and Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon (a buddy cop pairing that is as awkward as it is rewarding). Throw in Zoe Kravitz’s tremendous turn as Selina Kyle/Catwoman (who also connects so well with Robert Pattinson’s Batman that you wish Reeves would have allowed for even more of their on-screen back and forth) and Gotham City’s usual mix of criminal underworld string-pulling and civic corruption and you’ve got a very full meal. Overfull? Too mature? Let’s just say The Batman can seem so grown up and dense at times that you may forget that it’s a superhero movie, for better or worse. Watch it on HBO Max.

1. The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks (Amazon Prime)

The weird and wonderful new season of Kids In The Hall can be appreciated on its own merit, but to learn the story of how the legendary Canadian sketch group came to be in the mid ‘80s, came to push every boundary in the early ‘90s, came undone, and then came back together adds a layer to the whole thing. Those in search of a full accounting of their improbable run can check out Paul Myers’ “One Dumb Guy” book, but Amazon’s all-new doc, Comedy Punks, covers the highlights quite well, adding in a host of new interviews from the guys.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT) is the winningest women’s soccer team on Earth, holding four FIFA World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals and eight CONCACAF Gold Cups. In the three years following their 2015 World Cup win, the women’s team also generated more game revenue than the U.S. men’s national soccer team (USMNT).

The U.S. men’s national soccer team team, on the other hand, has never won a World Cup and has brought in less game revenue than the women’s team in recent years. And yet, players on the women’s team have continued to get paid thousands of dollars less than their male counterparts. This pay discrepancy resulted in two major lawsuits against the U.S. Soccer Federation, one by five women’s players in 2016 and one by 28 players in 2019.

In February 2022, a settlement was reached, which has the U.S. Soccer Federation paying $22 million in back pay to the women’s team players. And on May 18, U.S. Soccer Federation announced a deal that will have players for the USMNT and USWNT being paid equally until at least 2028.

One of the realities some people used to justify the gap in pay between the men’s and women’s players is that prize money for the men’s World Cup is higher. And not just a little higher—the winner of the men’s World Cup receives a payout nearly 10 times higher than the women’s. That’s not a function of the U.S. soccer program itself, but of the international sport.

There has also been some confusion over pay inequity as the two teams had different collective bargaining agreements that had their pay structures set up differently.

However, the new collective bargaining agreements will close the compensation gap for U.S. players by splitting appearance fees, winnings and bonuses equally between both squads. The U.S Soccer Federation is the first in the world to equalize World Cup prize money between the men’s and women’s teams.

“This is a truly historic moment,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world.”

One interesting element in the dispute over equal pay is that the men’s team has supported the women’s team in advocating for it. In fact, in 2021, the USMNT players union argued that the women’s team should be paid more than the men’s team.

So perhaps it’s no surprise to see USMNT defender Tim Ream applauding the equal pay agreement on Twitter, writing, “Been a long process for all sides but proud of everyone involved for reaching and achieving this. It now truly is One Nation, One Team.”

been a long process for all sides but proud of everyone involved for reaching and achieving this. It now truly is One Nation, One Team @USMNT @USWNT @ussoccer @USWNTPlayershttps://twitter.com/espn/status/1526904280921276422u00a0u2026

— Tim Ream (@Tim Ream)
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After players spent years advocating for pay equity, USWNT Players Association President Becky Sauerbrunn issued a statement acknowledging the work that went into achieving it.

“The accomplishments in this CBA are a testament to the incredible efforts of WNT Players on and off the field. The gains we have been able to achieve are both because of the strong foundation laid by the generations of WNT Players that came before the current team and through our union’s recent collaboration with our counterparts at the USNSTPA [United States National Soccer Team Players Assocation] and leadership at USSF,” she wrote.

“We hope that this Agreement and its historic achievements in not only providing for equal pay but also in improving the training and playing environment for national team players will similarly serve as the foundation for continued growth of women’s soccer both in the United States and abroad.”

A statement from our President on the ratification of a new CBA that achieves equal pay. #ItsAboutTimepic.twitter.com/N7nBLOqaGF

— USWNT Players (@USWNT Players)
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Time will tell how the U.S. agreements impact the sport in the rest of the world, but the U.S. women’s team is leading the way for equal pay for equal work. One more important win for this extraordinary team.

Chloe is extremely tuned-in to social media. She’s used her Instagram to soft launch each of her solo singles and show off her impressive vocal chops. It’s clear that she takes social buzz into consideration before making moves — although that usually means those moves defy criticism rather than cater to it. Now, she’s kicking that engagement up a notch, asking fans to help her choose her next single.

During a recent live stream on Instagram, the flourishing R&B singer played snippets of three potential singles to get fans’ feedback. “I have all of this music and I don’t know which one I should do next,” she explained during an introduction. The three tracks, “For The Night,” “Suprise,” and “Cheat Back,” tapped into a more downtempo, R&B-focused groove than her previous singles, the club-ready “Have Mercy” and “Treat Me.”

While fans fought it out in the comments — with Chloe keeping a running tally, noting that most of the responses demanded “For The Night” and “Surprise” — Chloe also played two more snippets: a collaboration with 6lack called “Cry For Me” and a portion of her collaboration with Fivio Foreign, “Hello.” Although it didn’t seem that anything was resolved during the Live, we now do have a better idea of what Chloe’s self-titled debut sounds like — and a growing appetite for the full project and its release date. Check out the recording of the Live session below.

The late Nipsey Hussle added much to the music industry, his community, and the world, which is why he is so sorely missed. One contribution people may not have been aware of is his songwriting for a certain fellow West Coast legend. Snoop Dogg jumped on Instagram yesterday (May 19) with a blunt in hand rocking out to his record “Ten Toes Down” off of 2016’s Coolaid. In the caption, he reveals the song was written by Hussle.

The two had a longstanding relationship, previously collaborating on “Upside Down,” “Gangstas Life,” and “Question #1.” Nipsey Hussle was fatally slain in March 2019 in front of his Marathon store. Snoop Dogg spoke at the Victory Lap rapper’s memorial at Staples Center, citing they were drawn to one another for their spirits of love.

Snoop Dogg is gearing up for the release of his next album A Death Row Summer, leading off with the single “Touch Away” featuring October London. There is no set date, but the “Gin And Juice” artist says it is “coming soon.” A Death Row Summer will be the second Death Row release of 2022 after Snoop Dogg claimed the rights to the label back in February.

Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Golden State Warriors took Game 1 of the 2022 Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, 112-87. Throughout the evening, the Inside the NBA guys were posted up outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco, which meant that Charles Barkley and Warriors fans felt the need to openly antagonize one another for several hours.

Barkley said earlier in the week that he does not like San Francisco, going as far as to call the city “hell,” so it’s not a surprise that there was some tension between the NBA Hall of Fame inductee and the Warriors faithful. At one point, the fans got on Barkley so much that he felt the need to really lay out that he wanted them to leave him alone in a NSFW way.

It would have been easy after the Warriors won for Barkley to take his foot off the gas and ease up on his dislike of the city, but Barkley is among media’s most adept haters, so as the fans chanted “Barkley sucks,” he could not help but respond.

And after the game, the city got some reinforcements when Draymond Green made his way out on set and sat at the desk it’s presumed he’ll join upon the end of his NBA career. Barkley decided to talk a little more trash about the area, at which point Green told him that his feelings about San Francisco are reciprocated by the city.

The banter will assuredly continue on Friday night when the Warriors host the Mavericks in Game 2.