Month: January 2023

A romantic night out for Britney Spears and her husband Sam Asghari quickly turned into a disaster, TMZ is reporting. Last night (January 13), the two were reportedly spotted at JOEY, a restaurant in Woodland Hills. At the time of the arrival, the restaurant was already said to be packed, and customers reportedly recognized Spears and Asghari immediately.

Fans then were said to begin pulling out their cell phones, and start filming the two. This reportedly caused Spears to experience a manic meltdown. According to the publication, Spears was visibly upset and begin speaking incoherently. Witnesses said Asghari stormed out of the restaurant.

A video obtained by the publication shows Spears sitting alone in the restaurant, speaking incoherently.

Shortly after the video was recorded, Spears reportedly left the restaurant with her bodyguard, who was said to return to the restaurant to pay the bill.

At the time of writing, neither Spears nor Asghari have spoken about the incident, however, the “…Baby One More Time” hitmaker appeared to be in good spirits in the hours leading up to the night. Earlier in the day, Spears shared a video of herself on Instagram dancing to Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé’s 2014 hit single, “Feeling Myself.”

Representatives for Spears and Asghari did not immediately return our request for comment.

For too long, Megans have been underappreciated. But now everything has changed. M3gan, the thriller/satire from Blumhouse starring Allison Williams and M3gan the robot who has Instagram face, dance moves rivaling Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 3, and a violence problem hit theaters last week and has put Megans on the map, so of course it is time to rank Megans.

From Megan Draper to M3gan, here are the Megans, ranked, including Megs and Meghans:

11. Meghan McCain

If there’s one thing Meghan McCain is useful for, it is having an amusing, dumb take on something. As of publication, Meghan McCain has fully embraced her Megan status, making her profile pic a picture of M3gan. I don’t respect her, but I do respect the bit.

10. Megan Fox

Megan Fox is the reason Jennifer’s Body has become a cult hit: her performance as a literal maneater is better than anyone gave her credit for when it came out in 2009. Fox has had quite the deserved redemption arc over the years, but she would appear higher in the ranking if I didn’t know that she drank Machine Gun Kelly’s blood. Even when you are famous, there are some things you keep to yourself.

9. Meghan Markle

If she edited her husband’s book, the Duchess of Sussex (who might not be that for long) might be higher in the ranking. Suits is streaming on Peacock right now, and she is better in that than whatever she and Prince Harry are doing right now.

8. Meg March from Little Women

The oldest sister of the March girls from Little Women, Meg March is quiet, sweet, and attracted to the lives of the wealthy, although she knows she’ll never live the life of luxury she craves. Throughout Louisa May Alcott’s book and every movie adaptation, Meg grows as a person and comes to terms with her status and falls in love with her quiet and poor little Massachusetts life, despite her ambitious sister Jo’s thoughts on the matter. Over the many film adaptations of the classic novel, Meg has been played by Janet Leigh, Trini Alvarado, and Emma Watson. In Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation, Emma Stone was originally supposed to play Meg, but was eventually replaced by Watson. I like to imagine that the timeline in which Stone played Meg is a much more chaotic timeline than this one, but the truth is that this is probably the worst timeline of them all (besides the one where James Corden starred in The Whale, directed by Tom Ford).

7. The Meg from The Meg (2018)

A big shark to match Jason Statham’s big arms. Amazing. Good job, buddy!

6. Megara from Hercules (1997)

Megara is an independent and sarcastic bitch who happens to have a deal with Hades, god of death. Throughout the entire movie, this post-modern Disney princess acts like she is bored and wants the whole thing to end already. Unlike any other Megans or Megs, she has a bigger than physics would allow in real-life ponytail (which probably weighs more than her body), a purple Grecian gown, and hips so sharp they could cut someone who gets in her way.

5. Megan Mullally

Megan Mullally is best known for her role as Karen Walker, the pill-popping socialite with little to no grasp of reality on Will & Grace and her one-of-a-kind high pitch voice. She also played the ex-wife Tammy to real-life husband Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. While she may not have a number in her name, Megan Mullally is a Megan who is a gay icon.

4. Megan Draper from Mad Men

For a bit, the stylish and patient Megan Draper brought out the best in Don Draper. She made him happy, she got him to listen to The Beatles and live in the best apartment Manhattan has ever seen. But once Don realized she was ambitious, independent, and not willing to put up with his bullsh*t, he lost interest. “Zou Bisou Bisou” was embarrassing for everyone involved, from Megan to Don to everyone at the party to the audience, but Megan got through it and it’s one of the most iconic moments in television history.

3. Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan is one of the best comedic actors to ever do it. Her first leading role as Sally Alright in When Harry Met Sally… turned her into an icon and immediately made cinema history with the orgasm scene. Ryan is the master of slightly neurotic, very romantic, type-A New York blondes with incredible 90s haircuts who fall in love with men they think they hate. Ryan’s greatest performance, though? She isn’t really a Megan: her real name is Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra. Meg Ryan is her stage name. Regardless, she has true Megan energy, and more so than some actual Megans.

2. Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion is one of the best new artists to emerge in the past five years, and she rose to the top quickly in the world of Megans. The American rapper first got attention for her freestyling videos on social media, and has since become a Grammy-winning recording artist. Since her first studio album Good News came out in 2020, Megan has influenced culture with her style and music, particularly with her Cardi B collab “WAP” which inspired most and angered conservatives who don’t know how to have a good time. While she was racking up award after award in 2021, she got a degree in healthcare administration from Texas Southern University.

1. M3gan from M3gan

She is titanium. She is a mother. She is a father. She can sing. She can dance. She can murder and she will do it to children as well as the box office. She always wears tights and a cute little dress. Even when her hair is a mess, she is chic and terrifying. Megan is a true bestie and the best Megan of them all.

With a nearly four decades-long career, you would think that LL Cool J would have a movie about his meteoric rise. Sadly, he doesn’t. However, that may change soon. The OG rapper and Kennedy Center Honoree recently took to social media to tease the idea of making a biopic about his life. One actor in particular has made it known he would love the opportunity to portray the legendary hitmaker.

“Should I do a biopic?” LL Cool J tweeted on Thursday (January 12).

Following the post’s reaction on social media, fans immediately started suggesting who could play the rap lothario. But one choice stands out from the rest. Former The Wire actor and 90210 star Mack Wilds quoted the tweet making an official plea for the possible role, saying, “I mean… what are we talking about?” he wrote with a smiley face emoji.

In a recent interview, the actor gushed about paying the iconic rapper.

“Hell, yes! I’d love to play LL,” Wilds told HipHopDX. “I’ve been trying to figure out if he’d do a biopic for years.”

Wilds then recalled when his father took him to his first concert, and LL Cool J was performing, noting that his love of the rapper-turned-actor began there.

“LL was my very first concert,” he explained. “He did a free concert at Wingate Park in Brooklyn. My dad took me ’cause he saw I really connected to his music. He was my first understanding of stage presence.”

What can’t Tom Cruise do? Last summer he turned 60 and he’s still doing death-defying stunts, sometimes just for holiday videos. He even had his biggest-ever moneymaker just last year, over four decades into his storied career. Cruise is a fount of positivity, working on his birthdays and generally paying it forward. Now we’re learning he helped save a highly acclaimed movie from being butchered by one of the most notorious Hollywood execs.

The New Yorker profiled Tár director Todd Field, who made his directorial debut over 20 years ago with 2001’s In the Bedroom. The drama premiered at Sundance and it got picked up by a powerful distributor. Unfortunately that distributor was Miramax, whose then-honcho Harvey Weinstein was notorious for cutting up films in an attempt to make them more palatable to wide audiences. Field was afraid that would happen to his film, too.

“I was weeping in the bathroom,” Field recalled. But he had an even more powerful friend, with whom he’d acted in Eyes Wide Shut (and whose cousin, William Mapother, had a major in the film).

“I called up Tom Cruise and said, ‘Something terrible has happened,’” Field remembered. “He basically said, ‘This is how you’re going to play it. It’s going to take you six months, and you’ll beat him, but you have to do exactly what I’m going to tell you to do, step by step.’ ”

What was the plan? To let Weinstein slice and dice it up, wait for it to test badly. After that, Field would remind him of all the raves it got from Sundance, saying they should release it in its original form.

That’s what he did, and that’s one reason why In the Bedroom went on to gross several times its budget and accrue five Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture.

Field also rehashed a story he’s told elsewhere: That it was Cruise who encouraged him, then an actor, to get into filmmaking. You’re going to make movies,” Cruise told him over dinner. Field told him a dream project was a film of Andre Dubus’ short story “Killings,” but he was worried he couldn’t get the rights. “You’re just making excuses,” Cruise told him. “Figure it out.”

The lesson: If you ever have a problem or need a word of encouragement, just contact your good pal Tom Cruise.

(Via The New Yorker)

It looks like a new Kelly Clarkson is arriving this year. In an Instagram live stream on The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s account, she shared so many details about the album.

“I have an album coming out this year. I swear,” she said. “I know I’ve been talking about it, but look, I’m going to be really honest with you.”

This upcoming album would mark her eighth album, and her first in six years, not including her holiday albums. This also marks her first album since divorcing her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in 2021.

“It took a minute for me to be able to release this album,” Clarkson continued. “Because I just had to be over it, through it, all around it. I had to get past it in order to talk about it.”

While it’s certainly been a long time since she released an album, Clarkson admitted that she’s glad she spent a long time working on the project, and said that one of the last songs she wrote may end up being one of the singles.

Though she did not directly mention her divorce during the live stream, she said that the album tells the story of a relationship arc.

“It’s not all sad or bad, but it’s in there,” she said.

Elsewhere in the stream, Clarkson said that the photoshoot for the album was the most fun she ever had on set.

She concluded the stream apologizing to Atlantic Records for divulging so many details about the upcoming record.

You can watch Clarkson’s recorded live stream above.

Kelly Clarkson is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cate Blanchett has spent the last couple months winning award after award for Tár, in which she plays an acclaimed orchestra conductor accused of misconduct. What does Blanchett herself listen to? Probably not Metallica, Judas Priest or Venom.

On a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show, Blanchett appeared alongside fellow Aussie Margot Robbie. Norton asked Robbie about her misspent youth, specifically if she had a Goth phase. She said she sort of did. It was more of a mix of Goth and emo, although she “listened to only heavy metal music.” She also said she would dye her hair black and only cut it with a razor blade. It’s an interesting unusual combination, but Blanchett, sitting to her right, was more puzzled by the metal part.

“Does anyone like heavy metal music?” asked a confounded Blanchett. “Was that something you genuinely liked?” Robbie said she did and still does. Blanchett then went one curious step further. “Do you like monster trucks and things like that?” Robbie doesn’t, which makes sense: Just because you adore Ratt doesn’t mean you also love to watch giant vehicles running over things and stuff.

Robbie also shared a story about when she was younger, when she was on the Australian soap Neighbours, and seeing the Iowan metal outfit Slipknot. She found herself attracting lots of attention from Slipknot heads who also watched Neighbours — an unexpectedly large Venn Diagram crossover to be sure.

Anyway, someone get Blanchett a copy of Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4 stat. “Supernaut” ought to be a good gateway into metal god-dom.

For Westside Gunn‘s swan song year, the “Shootouts In Soho” rapper wanted to meet his fans from various parts of the world. Unfortunately, he was forced to cancel the European tour he was set to embark on, noting that logistics for the concert “weren’t handled right.”

Gunn took to Instagram to share the unfortunate news, per HipHopDX.

“It was nothing more I wanted to do than to start seeing my supporters around the world,” he said in the caption of the since-deleted post. “It’s def still a dream and I’m gonna work on it to still make it happen but unfortunately this time things weren’t handled right and that’s too far for me to be gone and something isn’t right and I’m somewhere I’ve never been and sh*t already not right now.

Gunn also revealed that because of the cancellation, he lost a huge chunk of money.

“I haven’t even been giving deposits so don’t even think I took y’all money,” he continued. “[People] out of $40 I’m out 50,000 I spent just on plane tickets!!!”

He ended his post expressing gratitude and remaining hopeful that he will get to perform for his international fans. He also promised he is working to get the dates rescheduled and that he would “make it up to” disappointed fans.

Before he was improbably elected to Congress, George Santos was busy. He wasn’t busy doing a lot of the things he told voters he’d done, such as going to prestigious universities and having Jewish heritage. Instead, he’s been accused of all manner of underhandedness and tomfoolery. On top of allegations ranging from fraud in Brazil to lying about being a college volleyball star, you can now add “worked for a company accused of being a Ponzi scheme.”

As per CNN, the embattled New York representative worked at a Harbor City Capital Corp. in 2020 and 2021, an investment company located in Florida. A year after his employment, the company was sued by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, calling it a “classic Ponzi scheme” in which existing investors are paid with funds from new investors.

Santos’ name was nowhere in the complaint and it’s possible he had no inkling of the company’s malfeasance. Last year he told The Daily Beast that he was “as distraught and disturbed as everyone else” to learn about their possible wrongdoing.

However, in April of 2020, in a now-deleted tweet, Santos responded to someone over Twitter who had accused the company of being a “complete fraud.” He responded by calling the company “100% legitimate.”

Santos has refused to remove himself from the House amidst an ever-growing Scooby Doo-sized sandwich of allegations, some he has admitted were spot-on. Instead it appears he spends his days on Capitol Hill trying to ignore reporters and palling around with some of the other sketchy members of Congress.

(Via CNN)

Donald Trump’s got a lot of problems. His third presidential campaign has so far been a non-starter. His tax records were finally made public. His company was found guilty of fraud. He was widely mocked, even by his own supporters, over his dorky NFTs. And then there was the time he dined with anti-Semites. Still, nothing every sticks to him. And yet there’s a chance his fate is already sealed.

As per The Guardian, a grand jury in Georgia spent had been quietly convening to consider what to do over Trump and cohorts’ interference in the 2020 election. They broke on Monday and recommended that their findings be made public. Those findings won’t be made public till the end of the month, but if they recommend prosecution, it will come down to a county district attorney, Fani Willis, to decide whether Trump becomes the first American president in history to be hit with a criminal offense.

It’s not just Trump who’s in danger of prosecution. Georgia prosecutors have warned 18 other Trump allies — including Rudy Giuliani — that they are targets of the investigation as well. Among the crimes with which they may be charged are criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, intentional interference with the performance of election duties, conspiracy, and racketeering.

The investigation was launched shortly after Trump left office in disgrace. Some of those subpoenaed have fought them, including Lindsey Graham, who took his grievances all the way to the Supreme Court. Their star witness is Brad Raffensperger, who oversaw the elections. He voted for Trump only to find himself on the other end of a damning call from Trump himself, who was caught on a recording asking him to “find 11,780 votes.” He subsequently found himself the object of death threats.

In other words, Trump may already be screwed — unless he’s screwed by one of those other investigations, including the federal one involving his absconding with hundreds of classified government documents then obstructing investigations into it.

(Via The Guardian)

It looks like Lana Del Rey fans may have to wait a little bit longer. For new music. Yesterday, she took to her private Instagram page to reveal that her upcoming ninth album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Ocean Blvd is set to drop on March 24, two weeks after its original planned release date. But she did manage to tide fans over by sharing the tracklisting, which features artists like Bleachers, Jon Batiste, and Tommy Genesis, as well as production by Jack Antonoff, Zach Dawes, Drew Erickson and more. Additionally, she shared another steamy photo from the album’s photo shoot, shot by her frequent creative collaborator, Neil Krug.

In the picture, Lana is seen wearing a coat with no shirt underneath, exposing her breasts. While the picture was shared on her private Instagram account, fans have since shared it on Twitter. You can see the NSFW picture here.

The topless photo will be one of several variants of the album artwork for Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Ocean Blvd‘s vinyl editions.

Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Ocean Blvd is out 3/24 via Interscope and Polydor. You can pre-save it here.