Patrick Stewart has already made one MCU appearance as Professor X thanks to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and with Deadpool 3 seemingly bringing back characters from the Fox universe, it stands to reason that he could also be popping up in the film. In fact, Stewart already said he’s on “standby,” but now, the beloved actor seems to further setting the stage for his MCU return.
During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Stewart did not deny that he could pop up in the new Deadpool film and even alluded to wheels being in motion.
“I’m going to guess that I might see Patrick Stewart in a Deadpool-Wolverine movie,” the host said.
“It has come up, there’s been a process,” Stewart revealed. “But the last two to three years have been so difficult with the labor problems and the health problems, COVID, you know…”
If Stewart seems hesitant about making another Professor X cameo, that’s because he did not enjoy his time on Doctor Strange 2, which was shot during a time when COVID protools necessitated minimal interaction with cast members, particularly when it comes to elderly actors.
“I was alone,” Stewart said. “In the big scene, each one of the leading actors had the same [solo] experience; they were shot on their own. It was frustrating and disappointing, but that’s how it has been. The last few years have been challenging.”
However, Deadpool 3 has been shooting outdoors and set photos have shown Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds frequently interacting, so if Stewart were to return, it seems like a less lonely process.
It has been a popular game amongst The White Lotus fans to come up with the most unhinged assortment of actors and proposition them for White Lotus season three, but now that it’s actually happening, it’s time to narrow down some of these dream cast ideas. Yes, Nathan Fielder on a remote island with a bunch of snobby guests would be entertaining but we simply cannot put him through that.
The third season of The White Lotus will take a new ragtag gang of tourists to Thailand for some potentially illegal activities and fun vacation mysteries! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Tayme Thapthimthong have all been added to the upcoming season of the comedy/drama.
Production won’t begin until February, and Deadline reports that the season includes “a patriarch, a female corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, including a country club wife, a misfit and a yogi,” but it’s unclear if any of the newcomers
Recently, Posey appeared in Ari Aster’s nightmarish tale Beau is Afraid, so she’s already in the right mindset. Plus Jason Isaascs knows how to be really evil thanks to his Harry Potter training so he could potentially be our season three “villian.”
Natasha Rothwell, who played spa manager Belinda Lindsey, will be returning to the Lotus grounds, but as of right now, no other casting announcements have been made. So yes, technically, Nathan Fielder could still be on the map, but that would turn this into a whole different type of show.
Stanley Cups are blowing up right now — and no, we’re not talking about theStanley Cup. Though, that would make slightly more sense. We’re talking about those big 40 oz. tumblers that keep your beverages cool or warm. People are lining up outside of Target in the middle of the night to get their hands on the latest drop, people are flipping Stanley Cups on the aftermarket for grossly inflated prices, and grown-ass adults are getting into fights over limited edition colors and collaborations. We haven’t seen a trend like this since — well, I guess sneakerheads are just as bad as Stanley Cupheads? And don’t even get us started on allocated whiskey release days at liquor stores. What are we calling this community? Stanley Cupheads? Stanley Stans? We like Stanley Stans.
Anyway, an ultra-hyped hydration flask isn’t anything new, we’ve all known someone who has gone through a Nalgene or Yeti phase or can’t go anywhere without their portable tumbler. But we haven’t seen fandom this rabid (and seemingly instant) before, so what’s behind it? We’re here to break it all down for you.
The Stanley Cup is a double-wall vacuum-insulated tumbler. It comes in all sorts of sizes, form factors, and colorways, but the one that is trending is specifically the Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState — the big 40-ouncer. They retail for about $45-$50 but certain collaborations and colorways are made in limited quantities and can resell on aftermarket sites like StockX and eBay for as high as $250.
The Stanley Cup phenomenon is aimed squarely at Zoomer and Millenial women in the lifestyle space. The hype first began on the e-commerce platform, The Buy Guide, a site started by three women (think of TBG as a sort of curated version of Amazon). According to TBG, the Stanley Cup was one of the first products it sold as the owners of the site were all fans, and through word of mouth, the product was a hit. This was all unbeknownst to the Stanley brand, who discontinued the cup in 2019. As TBG began to grow, it eventually sent one of its remaining Stanley Cups to The Bachelor star Emily Maynard Johnson, who then posted the cup to Instagram. Someone at Stanley saw the popularity and linked up with TBG to wholesale 10,000 Quenchers. According to Retail Dive, The Buy Guide — which has a userbase that is 97.7% of women — sold 5,000 cups in four days. After the hype started to snowball, the remaining 5,000 were gone in an hour.
After Stanley saw how big the cups were becoming amongst women in the 25-35 demographic, the brand started actively marketing towards them. That marketing push led to the brand linking up with TikTok and Instagram influencers, and stars like Lainey Wilson for limited-run collaborations and now the Quencher is the hottest hydration flask. You’d assume one durable hydro-flask would be enough for people. But because this is a collector’s item now, people who are into Stanley Cups often buy multiple tumblers.
This TikTok, which as of this article being published has been viewed over 19 million times, alleges that a shelf of limited edition Quenchers from Target sold out in four minutes. The customers attack the shelf like a pack of hyenas on the savanna and it’s a mix of men, women, and children. It seems the Stanley Cup hype has gone fully mainstream at this point.
Another TikTok, posted just yesterday that has already been viewed 3.2 million times, shows a family arriving at Target and lining up outside around 3:00 am to score a cup. The Target in question was only holding 40 cups in total and selling one per family.
You may have seen this wholesome video that went viral over the Christmas weekend that shows a young girl receiving a pink Stanley Cup for Christmas and breaking down into tears. It’s adorable but just for a second imagine how you would’ve reacted if when you were a child someone gave you a thermos for Christmas. A thermos is the sort of gift your aunt’s weird boyfriend gives you. I know, because I received one this Christmas (it wasn’t a Stanley) followed by these words, “You drink water, right? You can take this with you and put your water in it.” Yes, Tom, I know how a thermos works.
Part of the reason the Stanley Cup fandom is so big is because it intersects with another big fandom — Starbucks drinkers. Starbucks is one of Stanley’s most frequent collaborators. Couple that with people who follow lifestyle influencers, Target shoppers (where most of the drops happen), and Bachelor fans, and you have a full-blown cultural sensation. The Stanley trend is here to stay until, of course, people move on to something else.
The musical-to-feature film pipeline is nearly complete. Both Wonka and The Color Purple had their day in the sun (a.k.a. opening weekend at the theater). Now, it’s Mean Girls time. As the painfully beloved villain Regina George, Reneé Rapp will showcase her comedic chops, which she will also do when she appears on Saturday Night Live.
But in the meantime, Reneé and Megan Thee Stallion’s new video for “Not My Fault” shared a heaping helping of what the film has to offer. Through the Mia Barnes-directed video, the pair bring the teen drama to life: burn book, peep-a-boo tank top, and more. With scenes from the forthcoming movie sandwiched between Reneé and Megan’s creative interpretation, it’s safe to say this should’ve been the first teaser of Means Girls.
Both musicians draw inspiration from the film’s plot and clever back-and-forth banter for the lyrics. For the record’s title, Reneé used a stand-out conversation with the fictional characters. But Megan took it a step further as she raps, “It’s funny how the mean girl open all the doors / I’ve been told y’all I’m the black Regina George / Bikini top, booty shorts, Megan-core / You was hating back then, now you finna hate more / I’ve got influence, they do anything I endorse / I run sh*t, to be a bad bitch is a sport.”
Watch Reneé Rapp & Megan Thee Stallion’s video for “Not My Fault” above.
Mean Girls is slated to hit theaters on January 12. Find more information here.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
So, if all this means that Lil Nas is preparing to drop new music, when exactly can we expect it to come out? Well, if his new post on Twitter is anything to go by, it should be very soon — like, “next week” soon.
In typical Lil Nas fashion, he took a comedic approach to announcing his forthcoming single, reposting a photo of Kesha holding a makeshift sign reading “new music coming soon” alongside a photo of himself holding his own sign, which says, “What she said.” In the caption, though, he went one step further, giving fans a date: 1-12-24. Does this mean it’s a joint single? When Lil Nas X is involved, anything is possible.
Meanwhile, he did offer some tidbits about the accompanying music video, revealing that he shot it in Brazil and got inspiration from the local fauna (capybara, which he calls “giant hamsters”). He also offered a pic of the chillest creatures on planet Earth.
shot my new music video in brazil. I want to thank their giant hamsters for the inspiration they gave me on set. pic.twitter.com/jS6Gj0BqxG
It’s been one month since Art Basel and we honestly can’t stop imagining ourselves back on the shores of Miami to celebrate the cultural extravaganza. Every year, Art Basel gathers art enthusiasts, elite DJs and producers, and eager partygoers to celebrate all things art, music, and global culture for three blissful days on the beach.
Out of all the notable parties amid Art Basel, Art With Me truly transformed Miami’s Historic Virginia Key Beach Park for three days on December 8th-10th. This year’s edition offered jaw-dropping art installations, comprehensive wellness programming, and world-renowned talent, including household names Underworld, Polo & Pan, Channel Tres, Lee Burridge, LP Giobbi, Jan Blomqvist, Apache, and more.
Centered around six core pillars of art, dance, breath, eat, play, and care, Art With Me gathered thousands of like-minded individuals to connect with tropical nature through intentional movement and wellness. Along with music, attendees were able to explore free thought arts and creative workshops, premium culinary experiences, and the 863-acre Virginia Key island full of sweeping beaches and sunsets.
While we’re looking forward to the year ahead, allow these photos of Art With Me Miami to take you back to its impeccable art celebration last month.
Cobra Kai will give Netflix viewers one final season before the next The Karate Kid movie arrives. That film will not include the younger Cobra Kai cast but will star Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan together to unite the souls of the previous two branches of films. And back to that younger cast, there might actually be some Season 6 appearances that could surprise viewers. How so?
The promise of “the biggest and baddest” season on the books will reportedly film for a full six months, if the recent suggestion of Xolo Maridueña (who will have to shave his face every day for that long as Miguel) is to be taken at face value. That could potentially add up to a super-sized season, possibly split into two halves, although that hasn’t been confirmed.
That’s not the potentially surprising part, so let’s get to that: the massive filming gap between seasons (we’ll get to that in a moment) means what we might see younger cast members returning after growth spurts.
This has already happened to some degree on the series in previous seasons. Remember how the much maligned Anthony LaRusso appeared during his “lecturing while eating a popsicle” phase in Season 3?
Netflix
In Season 5, he (finally) put his tech obsession to good use and became less insufferable in the season finale. Likewise, actor Griffin Santopietro had experienced a growth spurt and looked like a brand-new dude:
Netflix
This phenomenon might be even more apparent for Season 6. Back in January 2022, Jacob Bertrand (who portrays Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz) revealed to us that the show had already finished filming Season 5 (right as Season 4 was due to be released). Fast forward to January 2024, and Season 6 paused production right after completing the season premiere. So that means more than two years have passed before most of the final season will have filmed, and a lot can happen in two years, all while these characters still supposedly remain in high school. Maybe Anthony will even pick up a popsicle again. You never know.
A restaurant can have a charming exterior and a cozy dining area, but you never really know what’s happening behind the scenes. From the customer’s vantage point, things may look OK, but that alone won’t tell you about the restaurant’s dedication to cleanliness, ingredient quality and culinary best practices.
Many things can go wrong in the kitchen that could turn your nice dinner into a night laying in bed holding your stomach.
Even though culinary standards have been improving in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness each year. Of that number, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.
Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine has a shorthand that helps him determine if a restaurant will provide a healthy, botulism-free meal: He checks the bathrooms. Irvine is an English celebrity chef and talk show host who has appeared on and hosted a variety of Food Network programs, including “Restaurant: Impossible,” “Worst Cooks in America,” and “Chopped: Impossible.”
“Well, the first thing I look for is, are the bathrooms clean?” he told Business Insider, adding, “Because if the bathrooms are clean, the kitchen’s clean, everything else is clean.”
Irvine believes the bathroom is an excellent indicator of what the standards are like in the establishment. Irvine says that he keeps his home immaculate, starting with the restrooms, “So that’s what I look for when I go to a restaurant.”
The Food Network star also added that he also looks to see if the staff are happy while on the job.
Irvine isn’t the only restaurant expert checking the bathroom before ordering a meal. Liz Weiss, host of Liz’s Healthy Table podcast and blog, does the same. “My biggest red flag when dining out at a restaurant is a dirty bathroom,” Weiss told Food Network. “If the bathroom is a mess, it makes me think twice about the cleanliness and overall condition of the kitchen.”
To further drive home the point, a food inspector went viral last year on TikTok for a video where they share the four places they won’t eat. “I’ve seen a lot,” TikTok user @toofar_north captioned their video, saying they won’t eat at buffets or places with extensive menus, unhappy employees and dirty bathrooms.
I’ve seen a lot. #greenscreen #inspector #healthinspector #tips #restaurant #restauranttips #healthtok #inspectortok #fypp
Why is a large menu a red flag? If a restaurant has a large menu, it could mean that some dishes don’t have a lot of turnover, so they are made with older ingredients that may be unsafe. If there are 100 dishes on the menu, what are the chances that your order hasn’t been cooked in quite some time?
Further, restaurants with large menus may not have the tastiest food because it’s hard to perfect many different types of food. So, it’s probably better to go to a place that does a few things well than 100 things that are just okay. Just makes sure that it has a clean bathroom and that the employees appear to be happy.
The marketing and release strategy for the latest entry in the MCU – Echo, which will premiere in full on both Disney+ and Hulu on December 9th – has been interesting for a few reasons. Well, first, let’s start with two reasons already stated: instead of one episode released week by week as the other MCU shows have gone so far, Echo is releasing its full season all at once. And, instead of just on Disney+, Echo will simultaneously released on Hulu. Echo is also the first MCU property to get designated as “Marvel Spotlight” (we’ll get to that) and the first MCU show to be rated for “mature audiences.” So, yes, there’s a lot going on here.
As for the “Marvel Spotlight” aspect, this is supposed to signify this is a self-contained show, not dependent on any of the other MCU titles, which has been a criticism of recent offerings that it’s been difficult to keep up. And, yes, this is somewhat true that not much else needs to be known, for MCU fans who do like keeping up, within the first half of the debut episode, three major MCU characters show up from other MCU entries. Plus, Echo is a direct sequel to the cliffhanger Hawkeye left us with. And yes, it’s certainly unusual Echo is labeled for mature audiences, the violence isn’t on the level of, say, Deadpool or Logan. But it’s certainly more violent than what we’ve seen from the MCU to this point, which Marvel seems to be leaning into.
As mentioned, Echo picks up where Hawkeye leaves off, with our title character, Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), shooting Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio) in the face, seemingly killing him. Now Maya is on the run, returning to her Oklahoma hometown where trouble also lurks there (again, a good amount of violence in this) as she makes a grand plan to destroy Kingpin’s criminal network for good, while also grappling with her family and her Native American heritage.
Ahead, we talk to director Sydney Freeland (who has directed episodes of Reservation Dogs and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), who helmed the four episodes of Echo, including the first. She shares her thoughts on the way the series is being presented, and why this series, focusing on an anti-hero, the goal was just to tell Maya’s story correctly. Also, she has a wonderful story about Graham Greene.
This does have a different tone as far as the violence. People get shot in the head. when were you told that this would be different than what came before?
Oh, no. I think that just came about organically in collaborating with Marvel. I think just for myself, and watching Hawkeye, one of the most interesting aspects about the character of Maya Lopez was the fact that she was a villain. And then in having the conversations with Marvel, the response was like, “Oh, well, let’s go down that rabbit hole. Let’s see where that goes and let’s see if we can push the envelope a little bit.” So we didn’t set out to make TV-MA show. But we did set out in the process of trying to tell the best possible story – that meant that we didn’t want to shy away from the circumstances of Maya Lopez’s situation. Which meant that she’s a villain and she’s a top-ranking lieutenant in Kingpin’s army. So again, all things sort of stem from the story and the situation.
So when in the process did the idea to label this “Marvel Spotlight” come about?
I think the Spotlight logo really came about from this idea of audiences not making a requirement to have seen 16 other MCU films or television series. And we wanted audiences to be able to come in fresh, come in clean. You don’t have to have done any homework coming into it. But at the same time, audiences who are familiar with the MCU people who are fans much like myself, they’re going to see faces and characters that they will find familiar.
Right, but it’s a spinoff of Hawkeye. So we pick where the big cliffhanger from that leaves off. And within the first 20 minutes of the first episode we see three major Marvel characters. So for people who like things to be connected, saying it’s completely not is not true?.
[Laughs] That is correct.
Okay. But that’s becoming a thing. People are worried they are behind and won’t understand the new thing. So I feel like that’s what they’re addressing? But for the people who like the connection, this is still connected.
That is also correct.
Okay.
What I can say to that is we didn’t set out to create the Spotlight TV show or the TV series. We set out to tell the best story that we could. And again, this is our sort of intention with the show. And we’re doing the best we can with the circumstances that we have. And it will be ultimately up to the audiences to decide whether that works or not. But that’s also a very exciting place to be.
Did you hear about this and go, “Hey, I’d be perfect for this.” Or do they come to you? How does this work?
I think I sort of learned about the project the way everyone else probably did — I saw there was a press release and I saw that Marvel was creating a TV series based on the Echo character. And I had not seen a frame of Hawkeye prior to this, but I just remember thinking like, “Oh, wow, that’s amazing. This is going to be Marvel’s first Native American indigenous character to join the MCU. It would be absolutely amazing to be a part of that, but there’s no way I’m going to get a call.” Fortunately, I was able to pitch on the project and met with Kevin Feige. I got to share my ideas and I was very fortunate to be able to come on board.
So the character of Maya, it seems tricky. Like you said, she’s a villain, but I’ve seen three episodes and I’m certainly rooting for this character, so we can’t dislike her either. So that seems tough.
I think one of the great things about the character is the fact that she’s a villain and, what’s the expression? Any good villain thinks they’re doing the right thing. And so, really, in terms of using that as our touchstone, we really try to tell that story. And then you bring Kingpin into the story as well, too. You get to tell a story that is hopefully a little more grounded and has a slightly different perspective but is no less human in scope and scale.
Speaking of Kingpin. How fun is that character to have around?
Yeah, I think one of the great things about the Kingpin character that we talked about in the writer’s room is that his superpower isn’t his strength, it’s his intellect. And using that as jumping-off point. And then having someone like Vincent D’Onofrio – who we had the good fortune of having him; having had played this character in three seasons of the Netflix show – it just elevated all of our storytelling to a great new, wonderful, complex level.
The Netflix shows, it’s kind of this gray area where they fit with everything, but I’m glad he continued as Kingpin.
Yeah. He is Kingpin, that’s for sure.
Graham Greene has a major role in this show. I’m delighted anytime he shows up in anything. I know it’s not a question, I’m just really happy he’s in this.
As am I. As am I. I was so happy to have him. I’ll share one quick story about Graham.
Alright.
So all of the actors that came on board, when they came on board, there was a sort of process. You had to have your scripts translated into sign language, meet with our sign language master to learn, to do both what’s called SimComming, which is speaking and signing at the same time. And that was a sort of lengthy process. It took a couple of weeks to go through. So Graham, through the circumstances, he had to fly directly from one set to ours into our first rehearsal. So he got picked up at the airport, came straight to set, and I explained to him beforehand it was him and Alaqua. I said, “Listen Graham. Don’t worry about anything in the ASL standpoint. We’ll get you up his speed in the next couple of weeks.” And he said, “Well, let’s just give it a shot.” We went in our first rehearsal of the scene, he had self-taught himself ASL. He was able to have a one-on-one conversation with Alaqua in the scene.
Wow.
But that’s Graham Green for you.
Hey, he’s not an Oscar nominee for nothing. He knows what he’s doing.
In the leadup to the release of Drake and Nicki Minaj’s respective albums, fans couldn’t help speculating whether the two Young Money artists would reunite after years of not quite collaborating with each other. In September, Nicki herself wondered aloud whether she would appear on For All The Dogs while confirming that he would show up on Pink Friday 2. While he did join her on the PF2 track “Needle,” Nicki didn’t land a spot on For All The Dogs.
In her new interview with Ebro Darden, Nicki added a new wrinkle to the tale, revealing that “Needle” was initially intended for Drake’s album. Addressing the disappointment from fans surrounding the duo only putting out one new collab, Nicki said, “He told the fans on his tour that I was gonna be on his album, and actually the song he was talking about was ‘Needle.’ But, he ended up feeling like sonically, it didn’t match for For All The Dogs and I from day one felt like it matched Pink Friday 2.”
She says she joked around with some of her friends that something would end up happening that would allow her to keep the song for herself — and it turned out she was right. “It was just God’s timing,” she said, nodding to fans’ disappointment and crediting it to neither artist announcing the change. On the bright side, though, as she points out, “It’s the perfect Drake and Nicki song!” You can check out Nicki’s full interview with Ebro below:
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