Month: December 2023

Before he became Reacher, the hulking behemoth on the hit Amazon series of the same name, Alan Ritchson was a young model with aspirations of pursuing a different career: Professional singer.

In 2003, the Florida native made the trek to Atlanta where American Idol was holding auditions for Season 3. While Ritchson wasn’t a solid wall of muscles like he is now, the then-2o-year-old was still pretty jacked and tall to boot, which had Paula Abdul immediately hot and bothered right out of the gate. She didn’t even try to hide it and the producers obliged by literally kicking Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson out of the room so Ritchson could personally serenade Abdul, which he did.

After Paula had to be physically separated from the future Reacher star, he made it to the live taping of the episode in Los Angeles. However, Ritchson got way too cocky during the second round. Even Paula was weirded out, and just like that, his American Idol days were over.

You can watch Alan Ritchson’s American Idol audition over here at this link, which autoplays when you try to embed it in an article like this, which is stupid.

Despite washing out on American Idol, Ritchson credits the audition with bringing him to L.A. and kickstarting his acting career.

“Even though I was cut, I was enamored of the passion people had there for their art. I decided to stay, and landed TV commercials and auditions,” Ritchson told the Wall Street Journal. “My first break was in 2005, when I was cast in ‘The Butcher,’ a cheap horror film. Then came ‘Smallville,’ which ran until 2010. The series opened the door for me.”

Ritchson played a young Aquaman on The CW series and almost landed his own series, which never made it past the pilot. Now, he’s on the shortlist to be the new Batman in James Gunn’s DC Universe all thanks to an extremely thirsty encounter with Paula Abdul.

(Via Wall Street Journal)

In the 1985 version of The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg portrayed Cellie, a role which secured her an Oscar nom. For the 2023 remake, the crew wanted Goldberg to be a part of the production, though they didn’t know exactly how to incorporate her into the story, and they very well couldn’t just have an episode of The View playing on some TV in the background.

Originally, screenwriter Marcus Gardley considered having Goldberg star as Cellie’s mother, but that would have been “too on the nose.” Gardley told The Los Angeles Times that the role of the midwife was created specifically for Goldberg.

“Symbolically, that felt like the perfect part, because she’s the one to not only encourage her during the birth, but it’s like she herself gave birth to the role and now we see her passing it down,” Gardley said. “It’s one of the most beautiful scenes because you see [Goldberg] looking upon [Mpasi] with pride and telling her, ‘You can do it.’” Goldberg’s cameo appears towards the beginning of the film.

Director Blitz Bazawule also confirmed that Goldberg did what she does best: make people laugh at inopportune moments. “We had to stop and laugh because of everything [Goldberg] did, and you forget that she comes from stand-up [comedy],” the director explained. How could anyone possibly forget how funny Whoopi is?

The Color Purple is now in theaters.

(Via EW)

At long last, Ariana Grande‘s new musical era is finally upon us. Today (December 27), the singer took to social media to tease her upcoming seventh album.

On Instagram, Grande shared a carousel of photos and video clips, signaling the beginning of a new era. In the carousel are pictures of Grande in studio sessions with collaborators, a muted video of her mother, Joan, dancing to what may be new music, a lip kit from her R.E.M. beauty collection, featuring a picture of her own lips, and a handwritten note reading “see you next year.”

At the end of the carousel is a video featuring Grande laying on a couch, with a collaborator asking her how she feels. The person then notes that at the time of shooting the clip, that it’s “almost the last day of this album.”

Grande responds, saying, “I’m so tired. But so happy and grateful. I also feel like I weigh 3,000 tons.”

On her story, Grande reposted pictures from fans who had received a package of the R.E.M. lip kit, as well as the handwritten note. She also shared a screenshot of a FaceTime session with a friend, captioned “the two moods of the album.”

You can see the carousel above.

If there’s a Mount Rushmore of bad Wheel of Fortune guesses (there really should be), “The British Ogre” is on it.

During a recent episode of the long-running game show, contestant Gishma Tabari attempted to solve the following puzzle: “TH_ _RITI_S _GR_E.” The correct answer was “The Critics Agree,” but for whatever reason (maybe because she was thinking about a Mr. Bean/Shrek crossver?), Tabari instead went with “The British Ogre.” Twice! Even host Pat Sajak was taken aback.

Tabari discussed her viral fame in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Right before I went on, I went to my husband, Saman,” she said, “and I was like, ‘My fear is that I’m gonna go on the show and I’m gonna say or do something stupid that everyone’s gonna laugh.’ That’s exactly what happened.”

“I think it was just from my imagination,” she explained of its origin story. “From the moment I was up there, and I saw the board, that’s what I saw. Now I look at it and I’m like… it doesn’t make sense.”

Tabari said she saw “some hurtful comments” about her “worst guess ever,” but “honestly, I wasn’t upset by it… People don’t know who I am in general. I have a degree, I’m working… I feel like I just had a hard moment that was on national TV.” She added, “If I could redo it, the only thing I would do is just have more fun and be less anxious.” And maybe not guess “The British Ogre.”

(Via Fox News Digital)

2023 saw Travis Scott make a triumphant return to the spotlight after taking a year off in the wake of the tragedy at his 2021 Astroworld Festival. While the fallout still hasn’t settled (and neither have the families of the victims currently suing Travis and Live Nation over the 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries), Scott was able to roll out his new album Utopia and its accompanying Circus Maximus tour without incident, and by all accounts both have done extremely well.

However, one place he’s yet to return is Epic Games’ massively popular shooter Fortnite. The nearly unbiquitous game had a pretty year of its own, expanding its game modes and incorporating even more celebrity partnerships into the game, including appearances from Eminem and The Weeknd. While Travis Scott and Fortnite are two of the biggest brands around, fans of both have been disappointed that the rapper’s highly coveted character skin has not returned to the game since its debut in 2020 as part of Fortnite‘s first-ever virtual concert event.

The concert, which broke several Fortnite records, was accompanied by the skin for a limited time. Since the skin has not een made available since, it’s become one of the rarest in-game skins. Fans who missed out the first time around have wondered online whether the rapper had been blacklisted due to the Astroworld tragedy, but Epic CEO Tim Sweeney refuted those claims earlier this year.

“Travis Scott is welcome in Fortnite,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’m just not in the loop on item shop rotations so I don’t know what’s coming when, or what specific agreements with celebrities and brands affect the timing of those decisions.” Considering how much work goes into these things, it’s no surprise that the limited-edition release hasn’t come back; besides, Travis’ prior brand collabs have proven that he’s protective of his own brand and he may not even be interested in diluting the hype around his Fortnite skin by bringing it back.

Meanwhile, Dot Esports reported that a prominent leaker datamined assets from the game’s Test Item Shop, suggesting that it might return sometime in the future. For now, all fans can do is keep their fingers crossed and hope he headlines another in-game event. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about his own stage props attacking him there.

Over the past 40 years, a sea change has occurred in how kids get to school. Throughout most Western countries, an increasing number of children are driven to school instead of walking or taking a bike. In a new video called “Why did kids stop walking to school?” About Here’s founder, Uytae Lee, cites the U.S. Department of Transportation statistic that in 1969, 48% of kids walked or biked to school, and that number has plummeted to just 11%.

Uytae Lee is an urban planner and videographer passionate about sharing stories about our cities. The video was produced in partnership with TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority.

The video makes a compelling case that more children should walk to school. It’s better for children’s health and reduces congestion and pollution from car exhaust. In a world where we are pushing for people to be greener, flooding the road with cars every morning to take kids on a short drive seems counter-productive.

Some parents drive their kids to school because they fear they could be abducted or hit by a car while walking to school. But Lee doesn’t believe that those fears should be a reason for parents to change their behavior over the past few decades. “As terrible as [kidnappings and car accidents] are, the statistics behind those risks haven’t changed significantly over the decades,” Lee says.

The video is a great reminder that reevaluating how kids get to school may be a good idea. When they take a bike or walk, it’s better for their health and that of the planet as well.

This article originally appeared on 5.9.23

(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent Power Book III: Raising Kanan episode will be found below.)

Four episodes into Power Book III: Raising Kanan season three and there couldn’t be more problems in Queens for the Kanan and the Thomas family. Raq wants out of the game, but a final task she has to do (among other things) has federal investigators swarming her neighborhood. Detective Howard is doing all he can to make sure he doesn’t get caught for murdering Detective Burke. Lastly, Kanan has to move back home after a gun was found in his backpack at school, which was planted in his bag by Raq.

On the bright side, Jukebox’s audition for the girl group was successful and Marvin and Lou-Lou are going into business together thanks to a new bar that has sentimental value to Lou-Lou. That’s what happened in episode four and here’s when you can watch the next events in episode five.

When Will Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3, Episode 5 Come Out?

The fifth episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan season three, titled “Brothers And Keepers,” will arrive on December 29. The Joy T. Lane-directed and Naja Rayne-written episode will be available on Friday on the STARZ app starting at midnight EST/PST. The episode will later air on the STARZ TV channel at 8 pm ET/PT. Here’s a synopsis for “Brothers And Keepers”:

Tension between Ronnie and Unique comes to a head while Kanan clashes with both Raq and Famous. Juke bonds with her bandmate, and Lou works to revitalize Cafe Vous. Howard’s attempt to manipulate the Task Force backfires.

New episodes of ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am ET/PT and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm ET/PT.

School is finally back in session (almost) as a third season of Abbott Elementary is on its way. The beloved comedy about the misadventures of a Philadelphia public school will return in the new year with all your favorites back on board. We last caught up with the gang when season two finished airing in April of this year.

When prepping for the upcoming season after so much time away, showrunner Quinta Brunson said it was a difficult task. “It’s not like coming back to a family show where you can pop in on that family on any sitcom-y thing,” Brunson told Deadline, “It’s really like, what’s going on in the school?” Here is everything we know about what exactly is going on in the school:

Cast

The main cast will return for a third go around, with Brunson returning, alongside Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, and William Stanford Davis. No other guest stars have been announced at this time, but season two included some fun cameos from Ayo Edebiri, Leslie Odom Jr., and, American Icon Gritty.

Release Date

Season three will premiere on February 7th on ABC. The episodes are normally released on Hulu at 3 am ET after airing on cable. For various strike-related reasons, the season will consist of 14 episodes, which is shorter than last season. Brunson said that a shorter season will be better for her. “We did 22 last season, and that’s a lot of TV, in particular for me because I’m writing and producing and starring in it,” she said. “So for me, I welcomed a shorter season because it was tiring, exhausting work. Love it, but exhausting for me.”

Once the season finishes airing, it will then be available to stream on Max. You’ve got options.

The official Abbott Twitter account announced the date last month:

Trailer

There is currently no trailer for the upcoming season, but it will likely drop in January, just before the premiere. But at least they gave us a little teaser to hold us over until then.

Lil Wayne recently sat down for an interview with Taylor Rooks from Bleacher Report, where he revealed the basketball player he thought was comparable to his own rap career.

While he didn’t go for Michael Jordan, he did choose another iconic player to represent himself. And he had some logic behind it.

“I would say that I’m like LeBron,” Lil Wayne said. “I dropped my first solo album when I was 14, and that’s the same album I’m talking about that went platinum. And I’ve been doing this at this pace ever since, just like him.”

The rapper also felt comparable a bit to Tom Brady, if he was going by the football side of things. As Lil Wayne pointed out, he felt that people questioned if he would retire from music the same way.

“You remember Tom Brady, it was every year, even though he was winning the Super Bowl and all that, it still was, ‘Is this the year he’s gonna retire?’” he added.

Finally, Lil Wayne jumped back to the subject of LeBron James, when he mentioned who he thought would replace him when James retires. “To me, I think the obvious answer is Ja [Morant],” he shared. “The NBA is entertainment. What I mean by that is there was always Michael Jordan and that was, you know, like God… Ja’s teams are actually competitive when he’s there and when he’s doing his thing.”

Check out Lil Wayne’s discussion about being like LeBron James above.

When Wednesday was first announced, there was a huge helping of speculation over the idea of basing an entire show on a character from The Addams Family franchise that hasn’t been relevant for a long time. However, thanks to the star power of Jenna Ortega and the series’ strong young adult vibes, Wednesday became a smash hit for Netflix.

Set at Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for supernatural youngsters, Wednesday follows its titular character as she navigates grisly murders, bigoted locals, and power-mad classmates. Wednesday also has to grapple with the intricacies of teen life, which isn’t always the easiest thanks to her lone wolf, gothic vibes and her seemingly stoic persona.

Here are the latest details for Wednesday Season 2:

Plot

Not much is known about the plot of Wednesday Season 2, but the series will undoubtedly see the character continue to explore the dark mysteries of Nevermore Academy and possibly learn some hard truths about her own family. Ortega has teased that the new season will be “darker” and lean more into the “horror aspects.” The monster in the first season was pretty freaking terrifying, so it’ll be interesting to see how wild Season 2 gets.

Oh, and apparently, there will be “more torture.” Netflix has been very big about mentioning torture as you can see below:

Cast

According to Netflix, Jenna Ortega, Emma Meyers, Joy Sunday, and Hunter Doohan are the only confirmed cast members for Wednesday Season 2. (We won’t spoil anything, but the characters who died in Season 1 clearly won’t be back.)

There’s a strong likelihood that Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman will reprise their roles as Morticia and Gomez Addams, respectively. Also, look for Fred Armisen’s Uncle Fester to show up if he’s not too busy with his just announced spinoff.

Release Date

Thanks to the writers and actors strike, production for Wednesday Season 2 has been pushed back to Spring 2024. That timeline most likely puts the Season 2 release date in 2025. Is a late 2024 release window still possible? Maybe, but we wouldn’t put money on it.

Trailer

Considering Wednesday Season 2 hasn’t even started filming yet, there’s little in the way of promotional materials. However, we’ll keep you posted as soon as photos, behind-the-scenes videos, and plot details become available.