Month: January 2024

Adolescence is a harrowing time for body image and self-esteem all around, but few milestones are as universally daunting as finding a prom dress. Whether it’s due to budget constraints, not being able to find a dress that fits, or both, what should be a fun event is often viscerally dreaded.

This was certainly the case for Summer Lucille. Lucille told Today.com that growing up, “if you weren’t skinny, there weren’t many options, and it was devastating for me because I’ve always loved fashion.”

She recalled, “I went to my prom looking like a church lady in a suit dress with a jacket because it was the only thing that fit. It was a very sad period in my life.”

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Wanting to ensure a more positive experience for others, Lucille opened up her plus-size-only dress shop, Juicy Body Goddess, in 2016. The boutique, based in North Carolina, features mostly Lucille’s own designs of formal dresses up to a size 6X.

Juicy Body Goddess really started gaining traction when Lucille set up a TikTok account sharing truly joyful interactions with customers as they try on different styles.

Besides having an eye for fashion, Lucille is a masterful hype woman, making others feel beautiful with her enthusiastic, heartfelt praises. She clearly loves what she does. Here’s one of many, many examples:

@juicybodygoddess I had to get her number so she can model🤩 #plussizefashion #plussizeboutique #birthday #plussizetiktok #juicybodygoddess ♬ original sound – JuicyBodyGoddess

Juicy Goddess’s TikTok presence is how 18-year-old Elyse Monroe found out about the store. Monroe and her family drove nearly six hours for a consultation, determined to find the perfect dress.

Lucille shared with People that Monroe was initially “nervous and shy,” but after trying on a sparkly, form-fitting purple gown, everything changed.

“When she got into that purple dress, she lit up,” Lucille told People.

There was still a budget problem, however. Monroe’s family could only afford to pay $400. The dress was $700.

Thankfully, Lucille had one more surprise up her sleeve.

A now viral TikTok video shows the Monroe family approach the register, asking how much the dress would cost.

Lucille can be heard saying, “This dress is $700…but it’s free.”

Yeah, as you can probably expect, this leaves the teen and her family a bit emotional. Watch below:

@juicybodygoddess I didn’t cry until I did edit #plussize #plussizetiktok #juicybodygoddess #plussizefashion ♬ original sound – JuicyBodyGoddess

The video has had an overwhelming number of responses. Many commiserated with their own painful prom memories and applauded Lucille for her generosity. Some were even inspired to perform their own act of kindness by donating. Lucille told People that since posting the video, there has been $12,000 worth of gift card purchases. Yowza.

This is such an amazing example of what can happen when we celebrate uniqueness, spread generosity, and prioritize making everyone feel worthy of praise.

If you’d like to purchase a gift card from Juicy Body Goddess, click here. Or, if you wanna just follow along on some gorgeous fittings, you can find the Juicy Body Goddess TikTok here.

This article originally appeared on 3.15.23

Godzilla has been out and about these days. He recently appeared on AppleTV+’s monster show Monarch and he will team up with his frenemy King Kong later this year. So he’s got a lot on his plate, not even accounting for Godzilla Minus One, the latest blockbuster to feature the big guy. It wouldn’t be surprising if he showed up on The Masked Singer at some point.

Godzillas Minus One was released in December and just became one of the highest-grossing Japanese language films in domestic box office history, all thanks to the destructive lizard. The film just crossed over the $100 million mark after making history as the most successful debut ever for a Japanese live-action film at the domestic box office. It also recently became the sixth-biggest live-action foreign-language film of all time domestically, so the pressure is on this monster to keep doing monster things.

The film is a new take on the classic monster tale, which takes place in post-war Japan. Godzilla Minus One has been such a hit with audiences, a black-and-white version is hitting theaters later this month.

Director, writer, and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki said that this is a new way for fans to see the film in a different light. “I was very happy that the North American audience embraced Godzilla Minus One,” said Yamazaki . “And now I am very pleased to be able to release a black-and-white version for North America as well. Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color will bring a new and visceral experience to audiences.”

Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color will be in U.S. theaters on Friday, Jan. 26.

Remember when a lot of people got mad at director Zack Snyder for having Batman fire a gun and kill people in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Now imagine the discourse if Batman got Superman’s girlfriend knocked up.

Variety reports that around 10 years ago, the Rebel Moon filmmaker developed “a storyline for the DC Extended Universe that involved Bruce Wayne impregnating Lois Lane.” Snyder’s idea, which sounds like it would have been for Justice League, also involved Ben Affleck’s the Dark Knight dying and Lois raising their child with Clark Kent. Yay for non-traditional families! But Warner Bros. and DC Studios said, uh, nope to Snyder’s pitch, correctly deeming it “super creepy.”

The report came in a story about Batman and Superman joining the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse in the public domain.

The DC characters are the next major expirations looming on the horizon. Superman and Lois Lane will enter the public domain in 2034, followed by Batman in 2035, the Joker in 2036 and Wonder Woman in 2037.

No one, not even the Clown Prince of Crime himself, is ready for the Joker to be in the public domain. He’s too twisted! You think Minions and Shrek memes are everywhere? Just wait.

(Via Variety)

Pitchfork has been a consistent presence in the lives of many music fans, as the website launched in 1996 and has long been one of the most popular music journalism brands. (They also launched the annual Pitchfork Music Festival in 2006.) The publication has undergone some changes along the way, though, most notably being sold to Condé Nast (which also owns publications like Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, and more) in 2015. Now, it looks like another new era at Pitchfork has just begun.

What’s happening with Pitchfork and GQ?

In a tweet on January 17, media reporter Max Tani shared a note sent by Condé Nast management to staff. The message indicates that Pitchfork will have some sort of merger with GQ. It also says that some Pitchfork employees are no longer with the company effective today (January 17), apparently including Puja Patel, who was the site’s editor in chief.

The message — signed by Anna Wintour, Condé Nast’s chief content officer and global editorial director of Vogue — reads:

“Dear all,

Today we are evolving our Pitchfork team structure by bringing the team into the GQ organization. This decision was made after a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance and what we believe is the best path forward for the brand so that our coverage of music can continue to thrive within the company. Both Pitchfork and GQ have unique and valuable ways that they approach music journalism, and we are excited for the new possibilities together.

With these organizational changes, some of our Pitchfork colleagues will be leaving the company today. I want to thank Puja for her leadership of the title over the last five years. She has been a wonderful colleague and advocate for the brand, and I’m grateful for her and the team’s many contributions.

Members of the Pitchfork team will hear more about their reporting structure in meetings this week. There are no additional changes at this time as we focus on our internal team structure and operations. We will of course keep this team updated first when any new decisions are made about the transition.

Anna.”

As Variety reports, features editor Jill Mapes is among those no longer with Pitchfork, as Mapes revealed on X (formerly Twitter). Variety also notes, “A rep for Condé Nast did not have information on how many Pitchfork staffers are being let go.” Associate news director Evan Minsker also revealed he was laid off.

Meanwhile, Tani noted in response to a question about Pitchfork’s future, “Pitchfork is going to continue publishing, but future seems unclear medium/long term. I’m told this was a business side decision, advertising is stronger at other Conde brands like GQ. But don’t have much more info yet…”

Officially, there has been no announcement about specifically how Pitchfork will exist and operate going forward.

Six men have been convicted of murdering Chicago rapper FBG Duck in 2020, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. The jury came to the conclusion after two days of deliberations, determining that the six men — members of the O Block set of the Black Disciples gang associated with rappers like Chief Keef and King Von — were all guilty of at least one count.

The six men, Charles “C Murda” Liggins, Kenneth “Kenny Mac” Roberson, Tacarlos “Los” Offerd, Christopher “C Thang” Thomas, Ralph “Teezy” Turpin, and Marcus “Muwop” Smart, were accused of shooting Duck (real name Carlton Weekly) outside a clothing store in August 2020, hitting Duck’s girlfriend and another bystander. The shooting was prompted by a series of diss tracks exchanged between Duck, representing the Tookaville set of the Gangster Disciples, and Von, who prosecutors say put a bounty on Duck before his own death in Atlanta that autumn. (Two years later, another member of FBG, FBG Cash, was also shot and killed in Chicago.)

Five of the defendants were identified from surveillance footage and tracked through the shooting through city surveillance cameras, while shell casings found in one of Roberson’s car tied the vehicle to the scene. One other defendant, Ezell Rawls, killed himself during the investigation. Although defense lawyers argued that the evidence was slim and circumstantial, the evidence presented was convincing enough for the jury.

Richard Simmons isn’t wasting any time distancing himself from The Court Jester, a new biopic about his life starring Pauly Shore. A teaser for the film was released on Wednesday, and within hours, a rep for Simmons made it clear to TMZ that the fitness guru did not authorize the production:

We’re told Pauly and Richard’s team spoke last year about PS portraying him in a film, but Richard’s people told the comedian the timing wasn’t right for Richard to get on board.

We already knew Pauly didn’t have RS’ blessing for this project — something Pauly really sought — and now … we know Richard’s position hasn’t changed, though his rep says there will come a time when Richard wants to tell his story. Pauly’s thing just ain’t it, though.

The Hollywood Reporter recently confirmed that The Court Jester will screen at Sundance this week on January 19. From there, the film will reportedly be available on YouTube.

“I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’ life with the world. We all need this biopic now more than ever,” Shore said in a statement. “Simmons represented mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self! Whenever he was on TV you could never take your eyes off of him and he brought such a joy to his appearances that represented nothing but a good time.”

You can watch the teaser for The Court Jester below:

(Via TMZ, The Hollywood Reporter)

On Wednesday, the NBA announced the game between the Warriors and Jazz in Salt Lake City had been postponed after a medical emergency involving Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. While the details of what happened were sparse, things were serious enough that the league viewed this as a necessary move.

The National Basketball Association game scheduled for tonight between the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz has been postponed due to a medical emergency in the Warriors family. The date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Milojevic suffered a “sudden and serious health issue” while at a restaurant with some players and coaches from the Warriors. Several hours later, Wojnarowski and Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report announced that Milojevic died at age 46.

TMZ confirmed the news, saying that Milojevic passed away in the aftermath of a medical emergency. And not long after, the team released a statement saying that Milojevic suffered a heart attack, with Kerr saying the organization is “absolutely devastated.”

Milojevic joined the Warriors as an assistant coach in 2021, and previously served as head coach of Serbian team Mega, where he coached Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the early days of his career. Milojevic had a 15-year playing career in Europe prior to becoming a coach.

This almost wasn’t going to happen in theaters. The Bikeriders, a star-studded biker drama that looks like Martin Scorsese helming Sons of Anarchy, had a setback last year on the way to theaters. Disney/20th Century pictures decided to pull back on its release plan, but fortunately, Focus Features saw the value in bringing this film to the big screen.

This year, Tom Hardy and Austin Butler will join many more rough-riding actors (who you know and love) while roaring through cities and cornfields. Let’s get down to some finer details about this movie.

Plot

The Bikeriders takes its name and inspiration from photojournalist Danny Lyon’s stunning, same-named black-and-white photography book, which he gestated during and after his time with a real-life biker club in the 1960s.

The film revolves around an ensemble cast led by two Oscar nominees, Hardy (as Johnny), the mentor of Austin Butler’s up-and-comer Benny. Jodie Comer steps in as Benny’s Old Lady, Kathy, as their lives revolve around a Chicago-based meeting of the rumbles over the course of a decade. Naturally, the bike will transform from being an idealistic group of outsiders to a more 1%-focused outlaw gang, and I can’t wait to see Hardy lose his sh*t over it.

Biker soap operas are a mood, as the kids say, and Butler recently revealed (while speaking to Josh Brolin for Interview magazine), that one of the greatest parts of this project was Tom Hardy being a total hoot:

“[T]here’s an intimate sensitivity to The Bikeriders. It’s the roaring engines and the smell of grease that we got to be around. It was nice to go to something that felt more independent and play in that space for a bit. But one of the things I was thinking about earlier, when you were talking about that relaxation on set, was that Tom Hardy surprised me. I pictured him to be this grizzly bear, always serious. And really, he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He’d be joking around until action is called, and then go into being the most intense guy I’d ever seen.”

Will this eventually be an awards-circuit film? Don’t count on it. TheInSneider previously relayed how the film went over well in festival format, but executives decided that a commercial focus would be better. So, it should be fun, which we need more of in theaters.

Cast

In addition to Hardy, Butler, and Comer, The Bikeriders stars Norman Reedus (as Funny Sonny), who already spends much of his own time zooming around on a bike, even with the likes of Happy Keanu Reeves. The film also features Boyd Holbrook, Michael Shannon, Damon Herriman, Karl Glusman, Beau Knapp, Mike Fast, Toby Wallace, and Happy Anderson.

Release Date

Six months later than its planned Disney release date, Focus Features will drop The Bikeriders into theaters on June 21, 2024. Given that superheroes will almost certainly not be dominating the box office this summer, these can be moviegoers’ antiheroes, and you know what? It’s about damn time. Let’s ride, y’all.

Trailer

Below, you can see Jodie Comer wash away the last of Villanelle while falling for semi-greasy Butler.

Shygirl is taking us out to the dancefloor. Today (January 17), the ethereal recording artist has announced her new project, Club Shy, set to arrive next month.

Club Shy will feature Shygirl tapping into her affinity for club music and EDM. Ahead of the project’s release, Shygirl has shared her new single, the transcendental “Tell Me,” which features production by Boys Noize.

On “Tell Me,” Shygirl falls into a hypnotic state, as she finds love in the club.

“Tell me what you want, I can read it on your face / Eyes write the words that you wanna say / I’m watchin’ your mouth, keep it movin’, babe / One step closer, you’re gettin’ into me,” sings Shygirl on the chorus.

Club Shy features addition contributions by SG Lewis, Karma Kid, and Sega Bodega, as well as vocals by Kingdom, Empress Of, and Cosha. The project was inspired by Shygirl’s nightlife experiences in East London, Los Angeles, Brazil, Chicago, and New York City.

You can see the Club Shy tracklist below.

Shygirl’s Club Shy tracklist

1. “4eva” Feat. Empress Of & Kingdom
2. “F@k€” Feat. Kingdom
3. “Thicc” Feat. Cosha
4. “Mute” Feat. Lolo Zouai
5. “Tell Me” Feat. Boys Noize
6. “Mr. Useless” Feat. SG Lewis

Club Shy is out 2/9 via Because Music. Find more information here.

Pascal Siakam is headed to Indiana. After years on the trade block, the Raptors finally moved the former All-Star forward ahead of this February’s trade deadline, as Toronto embarks on its rebuild in full around Scottie Barnes.

In return, the Raptors got Bruce Brown and three first round picks from the Pacers, who add Siakam to bridge the gap on the wing between star guard Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. There’s an obvious fit with Siakam in Indiana, as they were in desperate need of a high-level defender on the wing. While Brown is an elite Swiss-army knife defender who can elevate a group, the Pacers need a strong individual defender to build a structure around, and they’ll hope Siakam gives them that.

The holdup on Siakam trade talks with Indiana and around the league leading up to this deal was about the asking price versus the lack of long-term control over Siakam’s contract. He can be a free agent this summer and it was made abundantly clear over the past year that he would not sign an extension with a new team once traded to them. However, on Wednesday after the Pacers traded for him, Siakam’s agent made clear to Marc Spears that Pascal is excited about the prospects of playing in Indiana, with Woj reporting Siakam’s “excited” and wants to work out a long-term deal this summer.

The Pacers certainly wanted to know they would at least be strongly considered by Siakam this summer before forking over three picks to the Raptors for him. While it’s not an absolute guarantee, this kind of statement from Siakam’s agent seems to show there’s an understanding in Indiana of what Siakam wants from a contract this summer and they’ve given Siakam an indication they’re willing to meet that. We’ll find all of that out once July 1 hits, but in the meantime the Pacers will try to cement their place in the East playoff race and show Siakam they’re a great basketball fit for him long-term.