Month: May 2024

A major TV controversy threatened to erupt over the past few months when NBC did not do the customary sweeping renewal of currently running Law & Order shows. The original (albeit revived) series got the greenlight, and SVU is naturally going strong, but a hang up went down for Organized Crime. That was an issue, obviously, for the rabid fanbase of Chris Meloni-heads out there, although the hesitation did make sense. Organized Crime is a darker show that takes Detective Elliot Stabler into grubby undercover mode and doesn’t run on a “crime of the week” format. For that reason, resolutions do not come easy, defendants are not easily put behind bars, and so on. Long story short, it’s an outlier in the current Dick Wolf universe, and there were honest-to-god fears that the show might not live for a fifth season.

Subsequently, NBCUniversal did appear to renew the Meloni-starring series as an exclusive Peacock streaming title, where it will hopefully encourage more membership signups. There’s every reason to believe that this could continue to be the show’s home for multiple seasons (much like NBC’s Criminal Intent), but if not, Mariska Hargitay (who embodies Olivia Benson) sees no barricade to moving Stabler back to SVU as she told Variety in a new feature interview:

“I don’t see why that wouldn’t happen or couldn’t happen… I think that we’re sort of irrevocably locked.”

As for why Stabler and Benson haven’t fully hooked up on crossover episodes yet, Hargitay declared, “Our chemistry is undeniable. It’s just the way it is.” Then there’s the subject of a teaser suggesting that The Kiss was coming, but that moment apparently disappeared at air time. Hargitay revealed that Dick Wolf shut the saliva swapping down:

“To be honest with you, Chris and I thought it should go one way and the powers that be didn’t, so it got changed at the last minute, that near kiss,” she says. “Obviously Dick gets final say. It’s his show and he didn’t want that.”

Meloni hasn’t appeared on Season 25 of “SVU,” but Stabler and Benson’s story remains open-ended. “We want to hold the tension,” Hargitay says, “and do what’s right and truthful for both characters.”

And so, the Unresolved Sexual Tension remains. That can only last so long after this “I love you” however…

(Via Variety)

Faye Webster has shared a special version of one of her fan-favorites. Today (May 1), fans can hear a special live version of her song “Lifetime” from her fifth studio album, Underdressed At The Symphony.

This particular sweet, stripped-back version arrives as part of a special compilation album called Noise For Now, Vol. 2, the second installment of the Noise For Now music series benefitting independent abortion providers throughout the nation via an initiative called Keep Our Clinics. Webster’s performance of “Lifetime” arrives on the day of Florida enacting its six-week abortion ban. The song was recorded at The Eastern in Webster’s hometown of Atlanta.

You can listen to “Lifetime (Live)” above, and see the cover art and tracklist for Noise For Now, Vol. 2 below.

Noise For Now, Vol. 2 Album Cover Artwork

Noise For Now, Vol. 2 Tracklist

1. Julia Jacklin — “Dead From The Waist Down (Catatonia cover)”
2. Courtney Barnett — “Boxing Day Blues (Demo)”
3. Becca Mancari — “It’s Too Late (Demo)”
4. The War On Drugs — “Victim (Live)”
5. MC50 — “High School (Live)” Feat. Arrow DeWilde
6. A.J. Haynes (of Seratones) — “Everything is Change”
7. Claud — “Spare Tire (Demo)”
8. Faye Webster — “Lifetime (Live)”
9. Sofia Isella — “Hot Gum (she version)”
10. David Byrne and Devo – “Empire”
11. Big Freedia — “Holatta”

Noise For Now, Vol. 2 is out 6/21 via Noise For Now. Find more information here.

Swerve Strickland makes it a point to stop and check in with his long-time friend, Gui DaSilva, when he’s in Los Angeles. DaSilva, who played the body double of the Black Panther character in some of the recent Marvel movies, is an inspiration to Strickland and someone he looks up to.

So at AEW Dynasty, as Strickland walked across the top of the entrance ramp dressed as Killmonger, he was both paying homage to his friend and sending a message to the wrestling world: It’s the Swerve Strickland era, whether we’re ready or not.

“It wasn’t about me being gifted the throne, it was me rising up, and I’m gonna take it by any means,” Strickland tells Uproxx Sports. “I’m not gonna wait, I’m here now. I’m gonna walk up to whoever the king is sitting on the throne, and I’m gonna knock him off, and I’m gonna sit on that throne. And that’s what happened at Dynasty.”

Strickland became the king of the AEW men’s division, the face that runs the place, and the first Black World Champion in the promotion’s history. The magnitude of this moment isn’t lost on him.

“I feel like in this generation, that was really something special,” Strickland says. “It meant something to people of all different colors, not just African Americans. It was for White people, Latino, Asian, anybody. I felt like it was people of all races that were joined together to witness history. It was a real special moment.”

Representation, Strickland says, will always matter. The impact of seeing someone like yourself succeed at the highest level is inspiring and can create a ripple effect throughout the world, not just in the sphere of professional wrestling. “That kind of story is what brings new viewers and brings new fans who want to follow in and brings them into our world a little more,” Strickland says.

Getting to this position hasn’t been easy. Before AEW, Strickland saw success on the independent scene before joining WWE. While he won the NXT North American championship and would eventually be drafted to Smackdown in the WWE Draft in 2021, his Hit Row faction was ultimately dismantled and he was released.

That left a chip on Strickland’s shoulder, he told Uproxx last year, and has resulted in him achieving a turnaround with potential to be arguably AEW’s biggest crossover star.

With AEW, Strickland has been awarded the creative freedom to blend pop culture with wrestling in ways that made the business boom through the 2000s. He’s worked with the likes of Fabolous, Rick Ross, and Kevin Gates. He has his own sneaker coming out and has a collaboration in the works with Flash Garments, who joined him as he walked out at Wembley Stadium alongside DJ Whoo Kid.

Strickland has a documentary series in the works, which began filming around the time of his match at World’s End against Dustin Rhodes. For Strickland, Rhodes has played a pivotal role in his development alongside AEW’s Wrestling Administration Coordinator, Will Washington.

“(Washington is) very good at understanding. Wrestlers, we have weak spots and blind spots that we don’t see. And it’s his job to point those out to make sure that we don’t make mistakes because of those blind spots and those weak spots, and he’s very good at pointing those out to me, so I’m not my own worst enemy,” Strickland says.

The relationship with Rhodes has been crucial since he joined AEW. The veteran pushes him, guides him, and offers affirmation to keep him on the right path.

“Structuring things, things that he would notice in matches, things like hearing the crowd, knowing when to do this, knowing when to shift on certain times in matches, knowing what’s needed and what’s not needed,” Strickland says about the influence of Rhodes. “Make sure the timing, the camera angles. This didn’t look right in that camera. There’s a huge science and art form to this. And he’s catching certain things that a lot of people don’t see, which is a magical thing. That’s someone that you want in your corner. That’s someone that you want to receive guidance from.”

There’s something that can be said about having locker room leaders and veterans with decades of experience. But without a certain bond, the ability to connect the dots, taking learnings away, and growing from these collective experiences might not necessarily come together.

“You can have great minds, but if they don’t know you and you don’t know them and you don’t understand, and you don’t trust their knowledge and their advice and everything, it’s kind of pointless to be working together,” Strickland says. “It’s about building the chemistry and the relationship between one another, knowing your best attributes and how to utilize them in the best way for you and someone pulling those things out of you and knowing when to pull the trigger on certain things and when to just pull back and not use, let’s wait, very simple things.”

Those learnings were instrumental over the first year of his AEW tenure, as he moved his way up the roster from the tag team scene to someone vying for the International Championship, and eventually a main eventer.

Just a year after his AEW debut, Strickland began to gain momentum around the Casino Battle Royale at Double of Nothing against Orange Cassidy.

“At the end and that little four minutes of a brief stint of a match that we had, I feel like that’s where a lot of people’s eyes lit up,” Strickland says. “Following up on that, I would say the title defense that Orange Cassidy had against me opened a lot of people’s eyes. And then I would say the Nick Wayne wrestling school invasion between myself and AR Fox and Nanna. That was another thing that opened up people’s eyes on the other side of that. Not just the in-ring, but what depth the character has. And then I would say after that me and Hangman Page, just me coming out and interrupting him and having that dialogue and just running down Hangman Page from top to bottom.”

At AEW Dynasty’s post-event media scrum, CEO Tony Khan said that a turning point in him seeing Strickland as someone who could become the face of the company began in his rivalry with ‘Hangman’ Adam Page. The rivalry between Strickland and Page has developed, transforming from two guys who meshed well in the ring to a classic rivalry defined by brutality between two wrestlers who bring out the best in one another.

“That’s honestly a special feeling,” Strickland says. “Especially where everything that Hangman Page has already done up to this point. Having the Bryan Danielson, the Kenny Omega battles that he’s had, you know, him and Moxley, the tag match with him and the Bucks, all those things that he’s already done. And then to still add me into that mix. It feels just so different than all those other matches.

“Those are already big, historic, all the wrestling staples to the company, but just adding me in that mix, it feels like you’re adding a whole different chemical imbalance to this formula that’s already been made and the room shifts a little bit,” he continues. “And that’s really unique to have. And I think that just right there, that’s the best part about that.”

As the champion, Strickland is in the unique position of no longer being the challenger. Now, he says, it’s not about finding guys to mix it up with, rather who’s hungry, who wants to step up and take a shot.

But Strickland feels the pressure that comes with the heavyweight championship. He calls the next steps a “never-ending, shifting puzzle,” but a challenge he’s up for.

“It’s a Rubik’s cube that never stops moving around. Once you figure out one side, you got to try to figure out the other side. And so it’s honestly just keeping a hand on the pulse of not just the wrestling world, but the world itself. Being on top of those things and trying to be just more cutting edge as much as we can be, but also stick to a lot of traditional things in wrestling, staying true to that as well,” Strickland says.

“And then there’s integration that comes into play with that kind of stuff. Activations taking our wrestling world outside of our wrestling bubble into other different worlds. I feel like I’m one of the people that can really bridge that together to go into the new era of AEW wrestling.”

Depending on who you ask, Planet of the Apes is either a fun sci-fi adventure, or a strange James Franco remake, but it goes far beyond that. There are a lot of movies in the Apes franchise, even though some of them shouldn’t have been made at all.

The upcoming installment, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be the tenth film in the franchise and fourth in the rebooted series, which began with the 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The planet has seemingly risen into kingdom territory, as the apes are riding horses through New York City now.

You probably want to catch up on the last decade or so of installments, or rewatch the originals, and now is the perfect time, considering they are all available to watch online…even the weird ones.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is now streaming on Hulu, along with 2014’s Dawn Of The Planet of the Apes and 2018’s War for the Planet of the Apes.. These films follow Caesar (Andy Serkis) as he goes from a small zoo chimpanzee to a full-grown warrior who leads a fight against the humans.

It doesn’t stop there: Tim Burton’s 2001 attempt Planet of the Apes starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, and Helena Bonham Carter is also currently streaming on Hulu. It also stars Paul Giamatti as a comic-relief orangutan.

Hulu is also streaming the five original installments: Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) if you really want to dive into the wild world of humans being overthrown by animals. You have plenty of options in the POTATU (Planet Of The Apes Theatrical Universe). Maybe eventually they will join forces with Kong and Zilly.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 8th.

Sydney Sweeney has been engaged to her fiancé Glen Powell, I mean, Jonathan Davino since 2022. She’s been busy since then, starring in Anyone But You, Madame Web, and Immaculate (not Euphoria season 3, though), but it appears she’s getting ready to tie the knot soon.

E! Online reports that Sweeney was recently “seen leaving an L.A. bridal store holding a very large garment bag.”

Sorry to the entire soccer team that slid into her DMs.

For the more than three-hour long appointment April 28, the Anyone But You star — who got engaged to the movie producer in 2022—kept her outfit low-key, opting for blue wide-legged denim, a white sweater and square-toed platform shoes. She topped off the look by carrying a black Miu-Miu handbag and rocking some over-sized sunglasses.

Last year, Sweeney told Glamour UK that she’s been working on a Pinterest board for her wedding since she was 10. “I don’t have a color scheme yet. I’m more of an experience planner, so I’m like, what experience do I want to give people? Are we going on a tropical vacation? Are we doing a carnival?” she said. When Davino was asked if he’s seen the board, he replied, “This is definitely a ‘Sydney World’ board. It’s what’s nice about being the boss of your own life. You don’t have to go to other people for answers, or yes or no.”

Will Sweeney’s first dance song be “Unwritten”? Stay tuned!

(Via E! Online)

Contestants on “Britain’s Got Talent” (as well as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent”) have long feared Simon Cowell’s judgment, so imagine auditioning with a song choice that automatically brings out his sour side.

That’s what contestant Sydnie Christmas did when she chose to sing “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie,” which is Simon Cowell’s least favorite song. But much to everyone’s surprise, she totally blew him away with her beautiful soulful rendition, causing him to change his tune.

Before performing, Christmas bounded onto the stage with her genuine smile and spunky energy, which endeared her to the judges and audience immediately. She even cracked a joke about her middle name being “Mary” (Sydnie Mary Christmas would be quite the name choice) and got everyone laughing with her.

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However, when she announced she’d be singing “Tomorrow,” Cowell winced and the other judges groaned.

“That is Simon’s worst song,” warned judge Amanda Holden.

But when Christmas, who works as a receptionist at a gym, began to sing, it soon became clear that this wasn’t an ordinary rendition of the musical classic. Soulful, heartfelt, sad but hopeful, she built the song up bit by bit, bringing the audience along with her on an emotional ride.

Watch:

Not only did she get the coveted Golden Buzzer, but she also managed to get Simon Cowell to say he now loves the song he said he’d hated just minutes before. Viewers loved it, too.

“That was the first time I could take this song serious. Before today I hated it, too,” wrote one person.

“When they say you have to make the song your own, she did just that. I have never heard a better version,” wrote another.

“Absolutely beautiful; love how the word “tomorrow” always sounded unique EVERY TIME! Listened over and over…” added another.

“I’ve heard that song a million times and she REALLY got the poignancy of it,” shared another. “It is a sad song, but a song of hope, and it is hard to walk that line and she KILLED IT. It’s not just about her voice, it is how she sold that song.”

She even pulled in people from various walks of life, moving them with her performance:

“I’m a 60 year old highway worker. Just got off work and my wife sent this to me. What I’m trying to figure out is who’s been cutting onions in my vehicle? Seriously, teared me up. This took me COMPLETELY off guard and I am so delighted to have experienced this diamond!”

“41 year old hip hop head here and never did I think I would be touched like this. The sound of suffering with a glimmer of hope in the sound. Who is cutting onions at this time.”

“I’m a 60 year old builder sitting in my van having lunch. I just watched this. The guys in the next van are taking the P coz I’m crying my eyes out! Brilliant!”

As someone named Annie, I’ve had “Tomorrow” sung to me countless times over the years, so I shared Simon Cowell’s initial grimace upon hearing what she was going to sing. But I too was moved by Christmas’s performance and gained a whole new appreciation for the song after her gorgeous rendition. Not an easy feat. What a delightful surprise for us all.

Toddlers are built differently. Something about when they take those first trepidatious steps tells them that they no longer need things essential to human life. It also gives them a supersonic ego boost of invincibility, which is a concerning combination given the size of their heads in comparison to their little bodies and not-so-agile reflexes.

One dad has successfully convinced parents on the internet that toddlers must all listen to this completely made up podcast. Tyler Champagne has brought “Toddler Motivational Podcast” to life with one of his recent Instagram posts. In the video, Champagne, dad of a 2-year-old son and newborn daughter, imagines what it would sound like if his toddler had a motivational podcast.

The dad of two is sitting behind a podcast microphone speaking in a hushed voice that’s oddly motivational. Maybe don’t play the video while your littles are in the room—no need to give them any ideas.

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“I don’t sleep at night. Sleep is for elderly people, like my parents in their 30s. When I’m sleeping, I’m not causing chaos, right? When I’m awake, I can continuously cause chaos throughout the day. Concentric circumference. Wanna know what I had for breakfast today? I licked one grape. That’s all I need. I don’t eat food. Food is a waste of time. When I’m chewing, when I’m swallowing, not causing chaos, okay?” Champagne says while motivational music plays in the background.

This is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of how it feels having a toddler in the home and parents couldn’t agree more.

“My toddler is getting rowdy listening to this speech,” one person raises a fist.

“How do we all have the same kids,” someone cries.

“My toddler watch[ed] this and screamed ‘that’s right’,” another says.

“Don’t y’all know. 90% of their hydration happens in the bathtub,” a commenter reveals.

Well, it may be a weird coincidence that every parent has the same kid. But it also seems totally plausible that once parents are asleep, some sort of motivational podcast like this comes through their baby monitor. Watch the video below, just make sure your toddler is out of earshot.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tyler Champagne (@heated_seats)

Gracie Abrams has new music on the way. Earlier this week, she announced her sophomore album, The Secret Of Us. Today (May 1), she shared the lead single, “Risk”

On the song, Abrams details a distant type of love, which hasn’t fully manifested — yet.

“God, I’m actually invested / Haven’t even met him / Watch this be the wrong thing, classic / God, I’m jumping in the deep end / It’s more fun than swimming / Heard the risk is drowning, but I’m gonna take it,” Abrams sings on the song’s chorus.

In the accompanying video, Abrams is seen following her crush through a neighborhood, crashing parties along the way.

The bulk of Abrams’ upcoming album was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National. The album was a community effort with her longtime friend Audrey Hobert, who co-wrote “Risk,” as well as photographer Abby Wailser.

“We had real, true fun writing this album,” said Abrams in an Instagram post announcing the album. “There were also the occasional tears. Audrey and I wrote ‘Risk’ on our couch at home. Aaron produced the sh*t out of it. Abby shot the cover.”

You can see the video “Risk” above and see the cover art for The Secret Of Us below.

The Secret Of Us is out 6/21 via Interscope. Find more information here.

Even though Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are busy investing in other soccer teams, they haven’t forgotten about their beloved Wrexham.

After purchasing the team in 2021, the duo invited cameras to follow their journey as they learn the ins and outs of owning a soccer team, but it became much deeper than just kicking around a few balls. “Honestly…we feel as though our lives have been changed so dramatically by the town and by the people of Wrexham,”McElhenney recently told Collider of the new season. “That’s what we actually focus on more. Then it becomes a matter of gratitude for that, to be welcomed into the community so much so that we are willing to invest not just economically but emotionally into the success of the town as much as we possibly can. To see that pay dividends has just been the honor and joy of my life.”

Season three will debut with two episodes on Thursday, May 2 at 10 EDT on FX, with new episodes airing weekly. Episodes are then available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ the day after airing.

Episode one will be titled “Welcome to the EFL,” and follows the team has they play a series of summer friendlies in America and have a “less than friendly return to the English Football League.” Episode two, titled, “Goals,”will feature “shocking departure surprises Wrexham as the team tries to find its footing.”

The return of Max’s Hacks is nearly upon us. The Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder-starring comedy series is even more exhilarating and sexier with the third season, which also includes bonus Christina Hendricks and an even more complex era in Deborah and Ava’s central dynamic. This season also experienced delays due to Hollywood’s chaotic 2023 and a health scare for Jean Smart, but at last, the comedic generations are uniting once more.

The series will head back to Vegas with co-stars Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olsen, Paul W. Downs, and Megan Stalter onboard, and it’s almost show time.

When Do ‘Hacks’ Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2 Come Out?

These two episodes will stream on Max beginning on Thursday, May 3. The first episode is thusly described as follows: “As Deborah prepares to accept an award in Montreal, Ava does her best to avoid her former employer.” Expect a sweet guest star to appear, however, and then the second episode will keep the confectionary hangover going: “Deborah and Ava struggle to stay out of one another’s orbits – especially when Deborah lands an unexpected opportunity.”

On c’mon, ladies. Give up the fight to remain apart. You need each other. Thank god that Hacks is almost upon us again!