Month: January 2024

For her directorial debut, Zoë Kravitz dared give it a provocative title: It was to be called Pussy Island. The actress always maintained that she wasn’t just trying to get attention, that it was an essential part of understanding the tone of her movie, in which she directs her now-fiancée Channing Tatum. Alas, the title “Pussy Island” was too pure for this world: Not only does the thriller have a new release date but also a new name.

Per Entertainment Weekly, the film, once set to be released earlier this year, will now drop in late summer, on August 23. What’s more, moviegoers won’t be able to say, “One for Pussy Island, please.” Instead, it will be called the far more family-friendly (and far more generic) Blink Twice.

Back in summer of 2022, Kravitz said she refused to change the title, saying the p-word is an important part of the film’s DNA.

“The title came from that world. The title is the seed of the story,” Kravitz told The Wall Street Journal at the time. “It represents this time where it would be acceptable for a group of men to call a place that, and the illusion that we’re out of that time now.”

What is the film once called Pussy Island about? Here’s how EW described it:

The movie stars Channing Tatum as a tech billionaire who invites a cocktail waitress, played by Naomi Ackie, to join him and some friends for a dream trip to his private island. No plot with that beginning is going to turn out well, and this story is no exception. “It’s gonna be a crazy movie, man,” Tatum tells EW. “It’s a crazy thriller.”

So remember: In late August, when you decide to go see Pussy Island, remember to ask for tickets to Blink Twice. RIP Pussy Island.

(Via EW)

Yellowstone mastermind Taylor Sheridan wasn’t content with a mere handful of spinoffs from the Kevin Costner-starring series. Nope, he’s essentially the reigning king of Paramount+ with several additional series, including Tulsa King, which flew high with Sylvester Stallone and will live on for a second season. There’s also the Jeremy Renner-starring The Mayor Of Kingstown, which shall return for a third round after the first Lawmen: Bass Reeves season wound down last year.

Elsewhere, Sheridan and 1883 cast member Billy Bob Thornton have collaborated to bring another facet of the American dream to life onscreen. In Land Man, Texas Tea should take center stage as a character, too, because the off-and-on oil booms have been integral to American identity. Let’s chat about where this series will take the next Sheridan protagonist.

Plot

Thornton previously embodied a lawman, U.S. Marshal Jim Courtright, for Sheridan, but the Bad Santa leading man now portrays a wheeling and dealing oil company crisis manager, Tommy Norris. The actor previously revealed that this show “is about the world of the oil business that we generally don’t see” while paying tribute to Sheridan’s writing on the series. The adoration must be mutual, given that Sheridan developed the show with Thornton in mind.

The series will take inspiration from the popular Boomtown podcast, but given that Sheridan is a prolific writer, you can expect this to be anything but a straightforward retelling. Additionally, we don’t know if we can expect a 2020s-set series or a slightly earlier take since Sheridan departed from choosing a year-based title for this show. Hey, a little mystery can be good, and the show’s description does tell us that this “drama is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas and described as a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs.” Furthermore, we can expect “an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”

Cast

Not only will Tommy Norris (Thornton) have a high-pressure professional life, but his personal life knows complication, too. His ex-wife, Angela, will be portrayed by Ali Larter. Their children, Ainsley and Cooper, will be picked up by Michelle Randolph (1923) and Jacob Lofland, respectively, with the latter diving into the oil and gas scene, just like dad.

Casting directors are hard at work looking for athletes for background roles in college-set scenes at TCU, and Legacy Casting previously looked to cast real-life oil and gas workers for field-work scenes that are filming in North and West Texas. There’s been no word on whether Taylor Sheridan’s own Texas properties will serve as settings for this show, but an urban landscape was previously featured in a Paramount+ promo clip.

Release Date

Land Man production is ongoing with filming taking place in early-to-mid 2024. So there’s a decent chance that this show will materialize before Yellowstone‘s final episodes (which are filming in late 2024) make it to air.

Trailer

No teaser or trailer has materialized yet, but Sheridan has gone on record to confirm that this show, like his other works, will paint the portrait of “a forgotten part of the American experience.” He’s like the Darren Star of the Lone Star State of TV.

50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) is being sued by Power 106 radio host Bryhana Monegain after he allegedly threw a microphone that hit her head last summer, according to Entertainment Weekly. Monegain had filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles Supreme Court on Thursday (January 25), citing that she had suffered “severe and permanent injuries.”

The alleged incident took place during 50 Cent’s concert at LA’s Crypto.com Arena last August. During the show, the rapper appeared to realize that his microphones weren’t working and proceeded to throw one into the audience, which was filmed. Monegain claims she was the one hit by it and is accusing Jackson, his G-Unit Touring company, and the arena’s owner, AEG, of negligence.

Monegain says that she was hit in the face and the wrist by the microphone, which reportedly led to her being taken to the hospital in an ambulance. They treated her for “a concussion and laceration over her forehead and pain in her left wrist,” and she suffered “dizziness, headaches, light and sound sensitivity and nausea.”

This move arrived a few months after Monegain had filed a police report, but criminal charges weren’t planned. She is now suing for all the damages, including medical bills, attorney fees, and other costs that resulted from the alleged microphone incident.

Pharrell will be producing a new LEGO movie, inspired by his life story. Titled Piece By Piece, it will be told through animation and will be directed by Morgan Neville (Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain), according to Polygon.

“I’m honored to share this with the world and bring people into my universe,” Pharrell shared in a statement, via the outlet. “Building with LEGO bricks encourages us to follow our imagination… who would’ve thought that playing with these toys as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life. It’s proof that anyone else can do it too.”

As it turns out, the project has been in the works for a while. The publication notes that while The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie were very successful, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to LEGO’s IP in 2020.

“Five years ago, Pharrell Williams approached me with the idea of helping him tell his story through LEGO animation,” Neville added. “It was one of those rare moments where I knew in a second that this was a journey I wanted to go on. I’m grateful to our partners at Focus Features and at the LEGO Group for their belief in our crazy mission. We assembled an incredible team of creative collaborators to help make a new type of film.”

Fans will get to watch Piece By Piece when it hits theaters on October 11. Check out Pharrell‘s announcement below.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is known for taking his time while he shoots free throws. Antetokounmpo’s routine at the stripe involves standing there and composing himself after the referee gives him the ball before he finally starts a routine and gets a shot up. It’s led to him getting taunted over the years, most notably by the Brooklyn Nets, their fans, and one of their players during a playoff series back in 2021.

Other players over the years have had their gripes over how Antetokounmpo goes about his business from the line without getting hit with a 10-second violation, and on Friday night, Max Strus of the Cleveland Cavaliers got in on the fun. Antetokounmpo got fouled and went to shoot in the second quarter, and Strus made it a point to take a spot close to him where he could look at a referee. And after Antetokounmpo got the ball, Strus threw his hands out and started counting while looking right at the official, who did not seem to care all that much.

The sheer disgust radiating off of Strus is nothing short of hilarious. He clearly has a gripe, as evidenced by the fact that he held out all 10 fingers and then moved them to signal to the referee that he’s taken way too long. This should have been a violation, but perhaps Strus can take some solace in knowing that it was something else: funny.

The Atlanta Hawks drafted Luka Doncic third overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Of course, the team decided to trade him that night for Trae Young, which has worked out pretty well for everyone involved. But on Friday night in Atlanta, Doncic put on a show in the building that he could have called home, as the Dallas Mavericks star exploded for 73 points in a 148-143 win over the Hawks.

Doncic made it clear from the jump that he planned on throwing down a special performance. He had 18 points after the first quarter, and went into the locker room at halftime with 41 points on an ultra-efficient 16-for-21 shooting.

The bad news for the Mavs was that Atlanta was able to keep up with him, as the two teams went into the locker room tied up at 66. That continued to be the case through three, with Dallas only holding onto a 108-102 lead. However, Doncic just would not stop scoring against the team that drafted him, as he had 57 after three.

The scoring continued in the fourth, with Doncic registering the first eight points of the frame for the Mavs in about 90 seconds of work. And then, he stopped scoring for a while, as he hit a nearly 4-minute drought as Atlanta tried their hardest to keep him from putting up points.

While the Hawks did their best to keep him from scoring — and it generally worked, as Doncic would give the ball up, get denied by Dejounte Murray, and just have his teammates play 4-on-4 as he stood near midcourt — Doncic was able to get to the free throw line a few times and pick up some easy points. And with just under three minutes left in the fourth, he was finally able to eclipse 70 by getting out in transition, making a layup, getting fouled, and hitting a free throw.

As Atlanta tried to make one final push in the waning moments of the game, Doncic got to 73 points by once again scoring, getting fouled, and connecting on a free throw.

With his performance, Doncic set the Mavericks franchise single-game scoring record (it was 60 points scored by, shockingly, Luka Doncic) and eclipsed the 70 points Joel Embiid scored earlier this week to set a new league-high this season. He also became the first European player to hit the 70-point mark, and joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and David Thompson as the only players to score at least 73 points in a single game.

Doncic’s 73 points came on a ridiculous 25-for-33 shooting from the field with an 8-for-13 clip from three, and hit he 15 of his 16 attempts from the free throw line. Additionally, he had 10 points and seven assists.

There are nearly 90 known covers of Toto’s “Africa.” Goodness knows there are countless more not recorded. It’s just one of those enduring hits that remains special no matter what clever spin is put on it.

In fact, many renditions continue to be just as timeless as the original. Take for instance this gem from Angel City Chorale (below).

What makes this performance so unique is what happens before any music starts playing—as the singers use their hands to mimic the sounds of rainfall.

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First, there’s the small pitter patter, as the group rubs their hands together. At the conductor’s signal, that drizzle becomes heavier with snaps, then turns into a downpour with thigh claps and synchronized jumping…then finally dying down as the intro notes begin to play.

It’s such a simple artistic choice that somehow adds so much.

And of course, the actual singing is glorious.

Watch:

This cover actually earned Angel City Chorale a standing ovation on “America’s Got Talent” Season 13.

During their audition, founder Sue Fink shared that her mission was to “bring together people of diverse backgrounds and build community and build community when we make something beautiful together.”

Safe to say—that mission is accomplished. Just take as look at how much of an impact this song alone has made:

“Tears of joy. We need more of this positively in the world. Music is universal!”

“Why am I crying. Amazing performance!”

“Jan 2024 and they still rock!”

“Watched this at least 50 times. Wonderful cover.”

“Most outstanding performance. Living in South Africa this hits home and gives me chills.”

Sounds like they really did bless those rains.

If you’d like to hear even more of Angel City Chorale’s amazing covers, head on over to Youtube or Instagram

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Justin Timberlake announced his new Forget Tomorrow Tour, along with treating fans to his new single, “Selfish.” Given it’s been years since the pop star dropped an album, he is building anticipation for his return, with Timberlake’s record, Everything I Thought It Was, arriving in March.

Timberlake is also set to appear as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live for tomorrow’s episode (January 27), making it his first time stopping by the show in a long while.

Here’s what to know if you’re looking to purchase tickets to catch him in concert.

How Much Are Tickets For Justin Timberlake’s ‘The Forget Tomorrow World Tour’ 2024?

For those looking to go to one of the stops on Justin Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow Tour, it’s still unclear how much exactly the tickets will cost. According to Seatgeek, for an NYC show, his tickets averaged around $171 in the past — but it’s unclear if this new tour will follow a similar pattern.

Those who are premium members of the singer’s fan club will receive access to exclusive seats during their presale, which starts on Monday, January 29. They are also offering VIP package options to members.

Tickets will then open to the general public on Friday, February 2 at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates for Timberlake’s tour, along with additional information, can be found here.

On the heels of a bombshell story published in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE. The news was announced by Nick Khan, WWE’s president and a member of TKO’s Board of Directors.

“I wanted to inform you that Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors,” Khan said in an email obtained by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. “He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.”

The news of McMahon’s resignation was confirmed by Variety.

This is not the first time that McMahon has left WWE amid controversy, as he previously retired in July of 2022 while he was being investigated for misconduct. That did not stick, however, as reports later that year indicated that McMahon was planning a comeback, and at the beginning of 2023, he rejoined the company‘s board of directors. This beget a highly-publicized sale to Endeavor in April of last year and the creation of TKO, where McMahon served as the executive chairman.

But on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published a damning article titled “Vince McMahon Accused of Sex Trafficking by WWE Staffer He Paid to Keep Quiet.” You can read the full piece here, but it led to a firestorm that brought McMahon’s future in the company into question, and in a statement via a spokesperson, McMahon responded to the story by denying the allegations and saying that he plans on defending himself. He repeated these sentiments while explaining his decision to resign.

The news of McMahon’s resignation comes hours after Slim Jim decided to “pause our promotional activities with WWE.”

Fostering an environment where consent is expected and respected can be difficult if you don’t quite know how to make it work. Consent has been a big conversation in society since the “Me Too” movement where people shared their stories of sexual assault or sexual violence. A theme began developing around consent and it became clear that not everyone understood what consent and non-consent looks like in a hormone-fueled moment.

This has led to parents trying to figure out the best ways to teach their children about verbal consent and enthusiastic consent. But there’s one area that sometimes gets overlooked and one mom is taking to social media to show how she teachers her sons to recognize non-verbal body language that can mean consent and non-consent.

Kelsey Pomeroy, a mom of two boys, recently shared a video showing how she is teaching her children to not only listen for verbal consent but to look for signs of physical consent as well.

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In the video she’s standing in the kitchen and the text overlay reads, “I am a mom of 2 boys and we play the body language game to teach consent.” It starts off by her telling her young son that she’s not going to be speaking during the game but he has to figure out from her body language if she is saying yes or no. Her son immediately understood when it was okay to hug and not okay.

“We talk about how even if someone isn’t saying ‘no’ with their words, they might be saying ‘no’, ‘I don’t like this’, or ‘I’m uncomfortable’ with their body language. That means we stop,” Pomeroy writes in the caption.

The mom of two says that they also reverse the roles so her sons get practice saying “no” with their words and their body. There are also conversations about standing up for others and reading body language in other situations, and parents are applauding her lessons.

See on Instagram

“As the mom of 2 girls, I cried watching this, thinking of the future respectful men my girls will get to interact with because of awesome moms like you. Thank you,” one woman writes.

“As a mom of a 2 yr old boy who LOVES to give hugs to other little girls, this is so freaking smart!!! I’ve defaulted so many times with trying to tell the little girl to tell him no, and I’m totally perpetuating patriarchal Norms by doing that. What a great exercise to do with your little one (especially little boys). Thank you so much for sharing this,” another mom praises.

“I don’t have kids, but I work with them! I love that you’re able to teach this with your son and I really wish more parents would teach their kids this!! Especially teaching him body language cues, since not everyone is ABLE to speak with their words,” someone else says.

Clearly this message is much appreciated by other parents who are now taking notes on how to play the body language game with their own children. Teaching consent doesn’t have to be hard and it’s always worth it.