Month: July 2023

Country music is in the spotlight right now thanks to Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert. For Aldean, it’s over the controversial “Try That In A Small Town,” and for Lambert, it’s due to a run-in she had with fans over a selfie. While the fan moment was clearly frustrating for Lambert, she’s able to have a laugh about it now, as she did this weekend.

Miranda Lambert is in the midst of her Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo residency at Planet Hollywood Resort And Casino’s Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. During a performance on July 22, she noticed a fan in the crowd and said, “Her shirt says, ‘Shoot tequila, not selfies.’” That got a big cheer from the audience and Lambert continued, “She did it, I didn’t! That’s badass!”

As for the original incident, Lambert said, “I’m gonna stop right here for a second, I’m sorry. These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song, it’s pissing me off a little bit. Sorry, I don’t like it at all. We’re here to hear some country music tonight. I’m singing some country damn music.”

Based on initial initial reports, it may have seemed like Lambert was overreacting, but additional information that later emerged made it seem more like the fans in question were being inconsiderate of those around them.

Everything appeared to be clicking on all cylinders for Billie Eilish in the lead-up to the highly anticipated Barbie theatrical release last Friday, July 21.

She was all smiles at the Barbie premiere, contributed the tear-jerking ballad “What Was I Made For?” to the soundtrack, and closed the loop on her lifelong Barbie fandom by designing her own merch. But on Sunday, July 23, Eilish reminded everyone that outside perception is often deceiving.

Eilish and Finneas, her brother and producer, shared on Instagram that their dog, Pepper, passed away at 15 years old.

“pepper. my lifelong best friend. i will see you again someday sweet girl,” Eilish captioned a carousel post. “you made it 15 years you f*cking beast :’) i love you. rest easy mama, i’ll miss you forever. this is a really hard day.”

Eilish’s carousel includes throwback photos to happier times with the family pet and a presumably present-day shot of her crying while holding Pepper. Eilish’s Instagram Story was also dedicated to several Pepper pictures.

Finneas posted to his Instagram Story, writing, “Sweet pepper our dog has, at the ripe old age of 15, transcended her mortal form. A good, good dog who gave our family so much love and was loved by us all in equal measure.”

See Eilish and Finneas’ posts below.

It’s kind of an odd thing to talk to someone on a day her life has changed. To the point, there’s some guilt, like, why is she wasting precious moments talking to me? But Friday, Greta Gerwig’s life had sure changed as Barbie, a movie that was supposed to do well at the box office, did much better than well. Gerwig becomes only the second woman to direct a movie that made more than $100 million at the box office on opening weekend.

In Barbie — you know, that movie that turned out to be a cultural sensation — Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) travel to “the real world.” While there, Ken sees multiple pictures of Sylvester Stallone, causing Ken to reevaluate his life and question what a “real man” really even is.

Well, it turns out director Greta Gerwig — who, when we spoke this past Friday, was in a really good mood in the wake of the box office reports — is a huge Sylvester Stallone fan. So much so that, at one point, we had moved on to another subject, but she had more to say about Sly. And you know what? Greta Gerwig can talk about Sylvester Stallone as much as she wants. So, yes, ahead, if you’ve ever wanted to read a very happy Greta Gerwig’s thoughts on Sylvester Stallone … well, today is your lucky day.

How are you doing?

Good, how are you?

Yeah, I bet you’re good.

[Laughing] Yeah…

I don’t know if anyone’s told you yet, but you know how your movie was supposed to do really well? It’s doing even better than really well.

Honestly, I’m experiencing everything in real time and it is sort of mind-boggling. But it’s incredible because I’m also in New York City and yesterday I started jumping around to theaters and turning up the volume at different show times. I was like, “I think we can add a DB. Let’s just keep going.” But yeah, I mean, it’s amazing. Obviously, I’m here in New York City, but I’m like, “Oh, it’s everywhere.” How fabulous and strange.

Speaking of everywhere, a friend of mine who lives in Turkey was tweeting how he went to the theater and everyone was dressed up in Barbie apparel.

Oh my God, that’s unbelievable. Oh, that’s very moving. Yeah, again, I’m just extremely overwhelmed in the best way.

I feel like today is a life-changing day for you and I feel incredibly guilty that you have to spend minutes of it even talking to me at all.

No! I’m so happy to talk to you! I’m so happy to have something to do besides just spinning off into outer space.

How did they let you make this? Because half the time I was watching this I was thinking, “How did Mattel agree to this?” If I run a toy company I probably have some reservations.

Well, the truth is, I am not totally sure how this happened and how they let me do this. It was some amazing confluence of events and a ripple in the universe that allowed it to slip through. I think that the script that Noah and I originally turned in is very like the movie you see. But it was so wild and so anarchic that I almost think it was the sense of, “I don’t even know where to start.” I think it created a sense of maybe they instantly felt like, “Since we can’t figure out where to start with this, maybe she should just make it.”

So the truth is, I don’t know. But there were certainly meetings and different things. But at the end of the day, it all happened. And I think there were definitely moments on set where with everyone in the cast, it was a feeling of, “Oh, we’ve got to drive it like we stole it because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if anybody realizes that we’re doing this, maybe they’ll make us stop.”

I think even down to things like … we did do the whole dream ballet, which in the script, it just said, “And then it becomes a dream ballet with all the Kens.” I don’t think anybody really knew what that was going to be at all and it sort of emerged in a way. And I’m so grateful that it was able to happen in a way that it did, but I couldn’t account for the fact that it did happen.

I just imagine there had to be a phone call at some point where someone at Mattel was like, “We have some notes on Will Ferrell’s CEO of Mattel character.”

[Laughs] Oh, there were some notes.

I bet there were some notes.

There were some notes. To give total credit where it’s due, I mean, I think having Margot Robbie as a producer, she was incredible in standing in front of it all the time and protecting the movie and protecting the process, which was huge. And then as it sort of gathered steam in terms of collaborators. And this is where the actors that signed on, the designers that signed on, our cinematographer, that it was almost like it built this collective will to do it this way. And she was kind of the first line of that, saying, “I want to do it like this.” And then everyone had such excitement about doing it this way, that it was sort of … I mean, in any case, it ended up coming to pass. And then I do have to say the actual CEO at Mattel, Ynon (Kreiz), is incredibly brave, and he doesn’t lead with fear and he gave us creative freedom.

Once Noah and I had the script and once I said I’d like to direct, he essentially took this tactic of, “She believes in it, I believe in it.” Which, I mean, that’s just amazing. And it’s not that there weren’t lots of notes from different people at different points, but he was incredibly, almost biblically, trusting.

Here’s my guess. And it might have happened already. The lots of people with lots of notes you heard from? I’m going to guess after this weekend you will get a lot of, “Look, we believed in you the whole time. Never a doubt.”

[Laughs] Listen, I’ll take it! That’s perfect. I’m happy to hear that.

You know who I think is really going to like this movie?

Who?

Sylvester Stallone.

Oh, I hope so! Because everything that we have, or that we reference, in the movie is only ever stuff that we love. And I mean, I love Sylvester Stallone.

Oh, I do too.

And I love all those Rocky movies. I love him a lot. So it was a really early thing, actually. When Ryan Gosling and I were texting a lot, we kind of both stumbled upon our mutual love of Sly Stallone. And then we were talking about his look in the ‘70s and how terrific it was. And he really adorned himself as a man. And we thought, “Well, that’s a good place to start.” I mean, there are just sort of fabulous images of him, particularly in the Rockys.

After Barbie, I bought a Rocky t-shirt. Sly has his own online store.

I really hope that money went right into his pocket.

I have a feeling it did. I’d pay $3,000 to sit next to him in the theater and watch him watch Barbie. I think he would be smiling.

Well, I hope he does, because the tribute is all love.

During the scene when the Barbies have to rescue the still hypnotized Barbies…

Sorry, just for one second to go back to Sylvester?

We can talk about Sly as much as you want.

I always want to return to it. But another thing we were looking at was also, obviously, great song-and-dance man of the ’70s, John Travolta. And also Sly Stallone directing John Travolta in Staying Alive.

Oh gosh I just watched that again a few months ago.

Incredible!

It is.

There were so many touch points to Sylvester Stallone, even when he wasn’t onscreen. So anyway, that’s it.

I love in Staying Alive where he and John Travolta bump into get each other on the street.

Yeah! The best. The best. And also, I don’t know, there are so many things, but between Rocky and Rocky II … I love Rocky movies…

Oh, I do too.

I mean, there are so many things.

I just watched the Rocky marathon on 4th of July. I’ve just seen them all.

Oh, oh … when it goes from Rocky to Rocky II, and they’re sort of figuring out sequels? And the idea that Rocky II just starts immediately where Rocky ends is so amazing.

And we see the end of Rocky I again. Then it immediately just goes into Rocky II…

Yes! Immediately! And then they cut to the ambulance and we’re watching the ambulance go through, there’s another … I’m going to forget what it was, but they passed by a movie marquee that has another Stallone movie on it.

I will find that before this publishes. (I did rewatch the beginning of Rocky II, and the marquee seems to belong to an adult film theater. Which doesn’t technically rule out a Stallone movie.)

One thing I also really love about the Rocky movies is they’re inventing the kind of movies they are as they’re going. It’s almost like in Rocky, it’s like you feel them discover how great a training montage is. And they’re like, “Wait a minute, this is amazing.”

Rocky IV is just one long training montage.

The best! But I do think that sort of gleeful discovery was another thing that we wanted to sort of imbue this movie with, that sort of quality of stumbling upon it and being like, “Wait a minute, we can run with this.”

So what you’re saying is when they come to you, “Let’s make Barbie 2?” It’s going to start right where this left off.

No, it’s going to start with her and Sylvester Stallone.

You know what? I think there is a 50-50 shot Sly is in the sequel to this. I truly believe that.

You never know! Or that he’s going to direct it.

That’s what you’ve got to look out for. He does have a history of taking over movies he’s in from directors. Don’t let him take it away from you.

I mean, he’s welcome to it. It would be an honor. It would be such an honor.

I’m going to let you go because I know you’re having maybe one of the busiest days of your life.

I know. I’m sorry I hijacked this with Sly, but I really do think we both love him. It’s real.

Oh, I knew it wasn’t a joke in Barbie. The way you do that scene, it’s just like, “Oh man, Greta loves Sly.”

Yes! Yes. I definitely do. I mean, yeah, like, “Adrian. If you wouldn’t mind marrying me a little bit,” I think about that all the time.

Oh, before you go, you mentioned Rocky II… You know what’s crazy about Rocky II? Every iconic scene that you think is from Rocky is actually in Rocky II.

It’s true! You’re right! It’s sort of like how you realize everything you think about the Bible is actually from Milton. Maybe not the same comparison, but…

I think we can go there. Him running up the stairs, “Yo, Adrian, we did it,” the montage where he’s running through Philadelphia. All Rocky II.

I’ll tell you one more Rocky thing.

Okay.

Because Noah grew up in Brooklyn, he saw all the Rocky movies in the theater at the time. I think it was Rocky’s III. But whatever it was, it was the moment where Adrian was like, “No, Rocky, don’t fight. Don’t do it.” And then Noah said it was his favorite audience participation moment. Some guy just stood up in front of him and just yelled at the scream, “Fuck you, Adrian. Fuck you.”

Oh God.

And everyone in the audience jeered and they were like, “Let him fight!”

Well, you know what? She knew that Clubber Lang was bad news and he was probably going to lose because he wasn’t taking it seriously.

She was ahead of it! She was ahead of it.

Anyway, this is my favorite interview I’ve ever done.

Okay, great. Great. Well, me too. You’re the only one I’ve talked Sly with. I’m so happy to.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Travis Scott headlined Rolling Loud Miami on Saturday, July 22, and ASAP Rocky handled headlining duties on Sunday, July 23. Scott seemingly revealed the release date of his Utopia album to be July 28, but people are more concerned with what Rocky appeared to do when premiering an unreleased song.

As captured by The Shade Room, Rocky rapped, “First you stole my flow / So I stole your b*tch / Then you stole my style / I need at least 10 percent / All due disrespect, I hope you take offense.”

Some social media users were quick to associate these lyrics with Rocky’s perceived beef with Scott, as you can see below:

In May 2022, Drink Champs questioned Rocky about Scott stealing his style. “You can’t feed into petty sh*t like that, you know what I’m sayin’?” he said. “At this point, that sh*t is trash at this point.” However, Rocky admitted that, in the past, he “saw similarities, for sure. I saw that he was inspired and sh*t like that, but that’s what we in it for.”

Then, there’s the Rihanna matter. Rihanna and Rocky share one child together with another on the way — and they may or may not be headed toward marriage — while Scott was rumored to be with Rihanna in 2015, though neither party publicly commented on the alleged relationship (as chronicled by Insider).

Still reeling from Special Counsel Jack Smith serving him with a target letter for his conduct before and during the January 6 attack, Donald Trump launched another frothy all-caps rant to demand that his followers do something to stop the “MONSTERS” at the Department of Justice.

“How many times can Crooked Joe Biden’s DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE, TOGETHER WITH THEIR LOCAL DEMOCRAT D.A.’S & A.G.’S, INDICT HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT DURING THE COURSE OF THE CAMPAIGN?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “DO THEY UNDERSTAND THE DAMAGE BEING DONE TO AMERICA? IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. WE MUST STOP THESE ‘MONSTERS’ FROM FURTHER DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY!”

Of course, the always subtle Trump couldn’t help tipping his hand. The former president continues to poll far ahead of his closest challenger, Ron DeSantis, and these investigations into his criminal conduct are ruining it.

“Do you think that A.G. Garland, and Deranged Jack Smith, understand that we are in the middle of a major political campaign for President of the United States? Have they looked at recent poll numbers?” Trump ranted. “Why didn’t they bring these ridiculous charges years before – Why did they wait to bring them NOW – A virtually unheard of scenario? PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT! ELECTION INTERFERENCE!”

In what’s becoming a concerning trend, Trump continued to suggest that he would unleash his MAGA hordes if anyone got in his way. Following his rant, the former president “ReTruthed” a QAnon meme that reads: “Nothing can stop what is coming. Nothing.”

Nothing concerning there!

(Via Donald Trump on Truth Social)

A sleepy summer for movie theaters was saved by one of the biggest weekends in box office history.

Barbie and Oppenheimer made around $235.5 million at the domestic box office this weekend, with $155 million for Greta Gerwig’s follow-up to Little Women (the biggest opening for a female-directed film ever) and $80.5 million for Christopher Nolan’s three-hour epic. Along with additional ticket sales for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, among others, Barbenheimer weekend is “currently set to be the fourth-highest weekend haul of all-time,” according to CNBC.

“It was a truly historic weekend and continues the positive box office momentum of 2023,” said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “More importantly, it proves once again that America loves going to the movies to see great films.”

It also proves that people love to dress up, even for a movie about the atomic bomb. And no one this weekend dressed us better than Danielle, who goes by @hottoiletwater (lol) on Twitter. She made a black Oppenheimer jumpsuit that seamlessly transformed into a pink Barbie Land-inspired outfit.

“Violet was my blueprint. I’m obsessed with all of her looks!” Danielle told The Wrap, referring to RuPaul’s Drag Race season seven winner Violet Chachki. “I got the fabrics from Mood Fabrics in New York City. It’s overwhelming how amazing their store is and just how many fabrics they have.” She said she “pulled an all-nighter and constructed the entire garment the night before my Saturday double feature, but bought the fabrics and supplies a week before.”

The outfit is great, but so is the order she saw the films: Oppenheimer then Barbie. You don’t want to eat dessert first, then feel really bad about it for the next three hours.

(Via CNBC and The Wrap)

Marjorie Taylor Greene has been known to spread a conspiracy theory or three. The first one that usually comes to mind is the “Jewish space lasers” mess, but there’s a pretty lengthy history of other, very harmful conspiracy theories that she has spread, if you want to dive into that rabbit hole.

More recently, Greene has begun quoting tabloid newspapers (on matters of great geopolitical significance) during congressional hearings, and also certain morning show co-hosts decided to muster up their own jokey conspiracy theory about Greene being a “sleeper agent” for Biden. Apparently, there are other “theories” that have been getting under Greene’s skin, and that includes (as summarized by Newsweek) one that left Greene “absolutely shocked.” That refers to people who, seriously or not, spread the conspiracy theory that Greene could be the failed Jan. 6 pipe bomber:

Greene said that every day she sees posts regarding the theory that she is the pipe bomber. She said some people comment on her social media posts regarding the theory, as well.

“I cannot believe so many people would fall for such a horrible lie,” she said.

Well, things got even weirder this weekend when Greene posted a video to encourage people to take walks in Georgia. “There’s no better way to exercise than going out for a walk,” she tweeted after spending time in a park. “You don’t need a gym membership and you don’t need equipment. Just get out and enjoy the fresh air!”

This led to a joke from attorney Ron Filipkowski, who tweeted, “Marge Greene doing what has been commonly referred to as the Pipe Bomber Strut.” And this sparked quite the response from Greene.

“Here is a perfect example of one of many absolutely stupid conspiracy theories about me,” she tweet-ranted. “You have to be a completely delusional moron to believe this. Laughable and pathetic. The FBI never followed up on the video footage of the pipe bomber, even though they have the license plate and car identified.” Greene then suggested that anyone who believes she is the pipe bomber is “[j]ust like the idiots that are angry at me for exposing Hunter Biden’s self made porn and human sex trafficking.”

It’s really something. Greene is furious, and sure, conspiracy theories are not a fantastic thing to hear about oneself, and she could surely stop spreading them, too. In response to her anger, however, Filipkowski is still taking the p*ss, as the Brits say: “I told you people not to engage in conspiracy theories!”

Oh boy.

Lana Del Rey made waves last week, not for new music or a tour announcement or something like that, but for popping up and working, with a name tag and everything, at a Waffle House restaurant in Alabama. Well, Del Rey didn’t stop her chain restaurant tour there, as now she’s been spotted at a Texas Roadhouse location reportedly in Florence, Alabama.

Group photos of Del Rey with the restaurant staff, as well as selfies with some individual employees, have surfaced on social media. One Twitter (X, rather) user joked, “Lana Del Rey has allegedly been hired at a Texas Roadhouse in Florence, Alabama after being reportedly fired for vaping too much during her Waffle House shift.”

AL.com looked into why Del Rey’s been spending time in Alabama recently, and a fan who met Del Rey told them, “She told me she was visiting family in the Florence area, and I want to say it was on her sister’s husband’s side, but I could be wrong.”

The publication also summarized, “First, she was in Birmingham at a nail salon and, reportedly, a Starbucks. Tuesday night, Del Rey was spotted out and about while dining at a pizza place in downtown Florence. Thursday, she turned up at a local Waffle House, donning one of the restaurant’s waitress uniforms and pulling a lunch shift.” The outlet also contacted two local recording studios to see if Del Rey had been recording there and were told that she wasn’t.

It’s surprising Donald Trump doesn’t have a podcast, right? There are plenty of podcasts about the twice-indicted former president, and he guested on one that was later removed from YouTube for violating its policy on misinformation, but he personally hasn’t sat behind a mic and read an ad for Me Undies. It’s not that he dislikes the format — Trump is desperate to get on The Joe Rogan Experience. But the feeling isn’t mutual.

As Fox News tries something other than ALL TRUMP ALL THE TIME, Trump is looking for new ways to campaign for 2024. One of those is Rogan’s conspiracy theory-friendly podcast, which has millions of listeners. The problem is, “Rogan has been clear that he has no interest in hosting the former president” despite their recent handshake, according to the Daily Beast.

“I’m not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form,” Rogan said on the Lex Fridman Podcast last month. “I’ve had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once. I’ve said no every time. I don’t want to help him. I’m not interested in helping him.” Trump & Co. aren’t giving up that easy, however.

One of Trump’s longest-serving informal advisers, Roger Stone, has even devised a strange plan to pressure Rogan… Stone has begun discussing a UFC-styled cage match between himself and Rogan to settle the matter, according to one adviser. And on a recent appearance on the far-right InfoWars show, Stone confirmed he wants to battle Rogan in the octagon.

Oh good, a fight that sounds even worse than Zuckerberg vs. Musk.

“The president listens to Rogan,” an advisor told the Daily Beast. “I don’t think the president takes Rogan’s criticism personally, and really, in the end, Donald Trump would listen to a non-politician with some mild criticism more than a politician that kisses his ass.” Maybe Trump can be Rogan’s first guest on his NewsRadio recap podcast? Those are all the rage right now.

(Via the Daily Beast)

Jason Aldean offered an initial reaction to the controversy surrounding his song “Try That In A Small Town” (which he doesn’t appear to have written, by the way), but the backlash has only continued to brew since then. So now, he has spoken about it again, this time on stage at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday, July 21.

He says in fan-captured videos, “I gotta tell you guys, man: it’s been a long-ass week. It’s been a long week, and I’ve seen a lot of stuff. I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that. Hey, here’s the thing, here’s one thing I feel: I feel like everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true, right? What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here. I love our country, I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bullsh*t started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that, I can tell you that right now.”

That sparked a “USA” chant from the audience, after which Aldean continued, “Here’s what I want to say: lotta things out there, and one thing I love, you guys know how it is this day and age, is cancel culture is a thing. That’s something that, if people don’t like what you say, they try to make sure they can cancel you, which means try and ruin your life, ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that can see through a lot of the bullsh*t, alright? I saw country music fans rally like I’ve never seen before, and it was pretty badass to watch, I gotta say, thank you guys so much.”