Month: June 2024

After being announced in 2022, fans have been eagerly awaiting Mickey 17, the latest film from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho. Starring Robert Pattinson, the movie is based on the sci-fi novel Mickey 7 and has been shrouded in mystery ever since the one (and only) image of Rob has been released. You’ve probably seen it before.

Mickey 17 stars Pattinson as a disposable employee, sort of like a clone, on a space expedition who refuses to be taken over by his replacement clone. Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, and Toni Collette also star. So what in the world is taking so long?

The film was initially supposed to be released in March of this year. Filming took place from August to December 2022, and a brief teaser was posted shortly after that. And then…nothing.

Then, in January 2024, the movie was yanked from Warner Bros release schedule and replaced by those pesky guys, Godzilla X Kong. Finally, in March, Warner Bros. set the official release date to January 31st, 2025. Seems far off, right?

While the initial delays were in part due to the 2023 strikes, rumors are surfacing that Warner Bros. might not have been on board with Bong Joon-ho’s version. Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman (via JoBlo) claimed that “Mickey 17 is delayed because Warner Bros. won’t let Bong Joon-ho release his director’s cut. They want to release a more ‘accessible’ version.”

Shortly after that claim, the director denied the rumor, saying that he submitted the film back in November 2023.

Even though it seems far away, the movie is starting to gain some traction. At CineEurope this week, Pattinson and Bong Joon Ho virtually presented clips from the movie, so we know it does exist out there! We just have to wait a few more months to see it.

If there’s one that that has been made clear over the years, it’s that Rihanna is a bankable star. Music aside, she has also excelled in the worlds of cosmetics and lingerie with Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, respectively. Now, she’s getting into scents: It was just announced that Rihanna is the new face of Dior J’Adore.

Rihanna said in a statement (via Allure), “Being the new face of J’Adore is both an honor and a mission. This scent that I have known and loved for so long means so much to women. I am especially looking forward to joining this adventure and contributing to it through my world, my story, my roots, as well as my creativity and my own femininity.”

Véronique Courtois, CEO of Parfums Christian Dior, also said, “The unusual talent, audacity, and captivating beauty of this absolute star are the ideal embodiment of dazzling, powerful Dior femininity that transcends generations. Her golden dream promises to be unique, reflecting a fragrance that is present for women and retains its radiance.”

Rihanna takes over the position from Charlize Theron, who has been the face of J’Adore campaigns for 20 years and is now the brand’s style and jewelry ambassador.

How To Buy Rihanna’s First Dior J’Adore Release

J’Adore is a classic scent that debuted in 1999, so you can just buy it right now. Rihanna’s first J’Adore campaign is set to be revealed on September 1, so perhaps that will bring some sort of new J’Adore-related offering.

In 2022, Kendrick Lamar released Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which in 2021 he declared would be his last album released under Top Dawg Entertainment. Now, it’s Reason’s turn to leave the nest: Today (June 18), the rapper announced he is leaving TDE.

Why Is Reason Leaving Top Dawg Entertainment?

He made the announcement via a letter shared on social media. Based on the message’s tone, the split appears to be at least somewhat amicable, with Reason expressing his appreciation for the label, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, and TDE fans. Reason also references his “decision to travel a different path after the years.”

Worth noting is that least year, Reason made waves for publicly arguing with TDE president Moosa, so perhaps some tension with the label was a contributing factor to Reason’s departure.

Check out the full letter below.

“The last 7 years have been incredible, and I’ve appreciated all the time and experiences that have come within that span of time. I can’t even put into words the surreal feeling I’ve had of being able to share my thoughts, expressions, emotions, stories, and experiences with you all through the platform provided to me by Top Dawg Entertainment.

With that being said, it comes with great appreciation and excitement that I want to announce my split with TDE. I want to give a huge thank you to Top himself, not only for giving me a chance to live out my dream but also for hearing me and understanding my decision to travel a different path after the years. There’s truly no words for the amount of respect I have for you, and that’ll never change, no matter what.

I also want to thank every single TDE fan who embraced me and allowed me to share my music with them. There’s no world in which you don’t mean the absolute most to me. Last but not least, a thank you to all the artists who embraced me.

Thank you for being a constant inspiration and ear while trying to navigate this industry and music. Thank you guys for the time and a huge thanks to everybody for this experience.

Excited for what comes next!

Love!!!”

Afrobeats is one of the fastest-growing genres in the country. There are big names who have seen global success, but there are even more talented up-and-coming artists looking to achieve the same type of success. Finding those artists can be tough, but we’ve got you covered. Every week, we’ll share an update on the best new afrobeats songs you need to hear and hopefully, you can find someone new to add to your rotation.

Here are some more releases on the new music front that you should check out:

King Promise — True To Self

Ghanian singer King Promise is back with his third album True To Self. Through 12 songs and features from Shallipopi, FAVE, Fridayy, Gabzy, and more, True To Self showcases what King Promise says is the “balance between what my sound truly is, who I really am, and what I really what to churn out through my music.”

Camidoh — “NLF (Breakfast)”

After linking with Rose May Alaba for “Lockdown 2.0,” Ghanaian singer Camidoh stands on his own for his new single “NLF (Breakfast).” The new track paints an optimistic picture of heartbreak and how to move on from it. As the song’s title says, “nothing lasts forever,” and Camidoh acknowledges this and prepares to move on to what’s next.

Stonebwoy — “Your Body”

Ghanian singer Stonebwoy dives headfirst into the summer months with his vibrant new single “Your Body.” Its blend of afrobeats and dancehall makes for the perfect backdrop for Stonebwoy to display his fun and playful side, two elements that are required for a good time under the sun.

Oxlade — “Arabambi”

With his debut album Oxlade From Africa out later this year, Nigerian singer Oxlade returns with “Arabambi” which the signer says translates to “‘the child of the people,’ the community gave birth to this child,’ ‘the one.’” He goes on to say that the song is inspired by Miguel and the way he uses his vocals. “It’s a love song but it’s still me in my braggadocious elements.”

FAVE — “Controlla”

Nigerian singer FAVE readies her upcoming project with her new single “Controlla.” The track leans into the amapiano lane for energetic uptempo record that’s a great follow-up to “Belong To You” which arrived earlier this year.

Qdot — Brb The Album

Four years removed from Alagbe, Nigerian singer Qdot is back in action with Brb The Album. Sixteen songs make up the project that also features appearances from L.A.X., Reekado Banks, Bella Shmurda, Bad Boy Timz, and more.

Logos Olori — “Stay Wise”

After making his official entrance with the seven-track Olori (The EP) earlier this year, Davido-signed signer Logos Olori dishes out his latest single, “Stay Wise.” His first release since Olori (The EP) captures Logos Olori’s growing wisdom as he shares some knowledge with loved ones and fans based on the lessons learned on his own journey.

Llona & FAVE — “Cold War”

FAVE makes a second appearance on this list thanks to her collaboration with fellow Nigerian singer Llona on “Cold War.” Together, the two singers sing about the pains endured on their journey to their respective positions.

Taves — “A Million Things”

Following on appearance on “Realize” from BNXN’s Sincerely, Benson album, whom he is signed to, Nigerian singer Taves continues to solo path with his new single “A Million Things.” It’s a sweet and laid-back single perfect for a relaxing day out in the sun.

Kaestyle — Another Style

With “Egberi” and “My Dealer” leader the way for the new project, Nigerian singer Kaestyle showcases Another Style on his new EP. The follow-up to 2022’s Kae’s Study delivers five songs and features from Omah Lay, M3LON, and 6lack.

Robert Bush Sr. is an avid outdoorsman who runs a Facebook page called “Bob’s Pennsylvania Wildlife Camera.”

He set up a secret camera on a log that lays across a steam to capture footage of all the different animals that walked across it. The result is a relaxing video featuring all sorts of wildlife including a black bear, chipmunk, coyote, turkey, and great horned owl.

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Bush is very active recording wildlife videos, which he shares on his Facebook and YouTube pages.

In the introduction to his Facebook page he captures his philosophy that is welcoming to all, with a few ground rules:

“I love the outdoors and wildlife and I am not anti-hunting, this page is not about hunting and I will not post any hunting pictures or videos on this page, this page is about the wildlife in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Please do NOT post hunting pictures in the comments, and do not comment about killing the animals or about hunting at all, and do not bash hunters or talk about anti-hunting … just enjoy the videos.”

Well said, Robert. And now, on to the first video:

You may have noticed the video is called “The Log 2.” Well, here’s the original.

This article originally appeared on 02.28.20

A Reddit user asked an innocent question about the future and it exposed a lot of the issues that people worry about today. It also highlighted the things we should appreciate while they are still around.

Klausbrusselssprouts asked the AskReddit forum, “In 50 years, what will people be nostalgic for?” and the responses went two ways. Some people mentioned the things they fear will get a lot worse in the future such as the role that technology plays in our lives and climate change.

Others saw the question as a way of appreciating the things we have now that may not survive over the next few decades.

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As the old saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, so it’s hard to predict the things that we have today that people will feel nostalgic for in the future. Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, nobody would have ever guessed that people would feel nostalgic for everyday experiences such as going to Blockbuster video or the sound of an old dial-up modem. But a lot of people get a warm, fuzzy feeling when they think about them today.

It’s safe to say that in 50 years, a lot of the real experiences we enjoy today will be replaced by digital technology. So take time to appreciate face-to-face interactions with other people, technology that isn’t implanted into your brain and attending events in person.

Here are 17 of the best responses to the question, “In 50 years, what will people be nostalgic for?”

1. 

“Owning something you don’t pay a subscription for.” — JohnnyNumbskull

Switchplayerclassic added:

“THIS is exactly what I hate rn about everything.”

2. 

“Drinking water from the tap.” — Credible cactus

3. 

“Grandparents will say to their grandkids, ‘When I was your age, I had to get off the screen and actually GO to school.'” — Truck_Stop_Sushi

4. 

“Privacy. Even babies are overexposed today.” — birdiewings

5. 

​”Being able to do basic maintenance on your car without needing a shop manual and a years salary worth of special tools.” — kilroy-was-here-2543

6. 

“Keys. Even more specific vehicle keys.” — UpMan

7. 

“Social media. Not because it’s good, but because whatever comes next will probably suck more.” — RockoTDF

8. 

“The number of wild animals that exist and can be seen. They are already on the decline.” — SpikedBubbles

9.

“Wired earbuds with an actual headphone jack. Not USB version 93 delta.” — Rodeo6a

10. 

“The abundance and availability of power, water, and food.” — wrath__

11. 

“Retail shopping. There will be these cutesy, extremely expensive retro shops selling things you’d find at the convenience store.” — shay1990plus

12. 

“I’d say people will miss being uncontactable. Like back in the day, you could just go to your bedroom, and block the rest of the world away for a couple of hours. Now we’ve got video calls, phone calls, texts, emails. Urgh.” — mr_wernderful

13.

“Having sex with someone who isn’t a robot.” — Clarenceworley480

14.

“Probably movie theaters.” — rsvredditacct

15. 

​”Life before covid.” — ButterflyGirlie

16. 

“Human made art and music without the use of AI. Or even just knowing it was made without the use of AI tools like DALL-E 2 or similar. Kind of like how before autotune you knew for certain a singer could sing that way.” — ConfidentlyNuerotic

17. 

​”Democracy.” — K3b1N

This article originally appeared 9.22.22

Almost 100 years ago, nine newspapers joined forces to create a national spelling bee to help promote literacy. Now the Scripps National Spelling Bee has become so popular that was televised for 27 years on ESPN before moving to its own network in 2022.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a serious competition with students who have studied arduously to memorize root words, phonetic rules and unusual spellings in the hopes of being crowned the nation’s spelling champion. The honor also comes with a $50,000 cash prize, so the competition is fierce.

But that didn’t stop one competitor from bursting into giggles at being asked to spell the word “sardoodledom.”

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During the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee, 11-year-old Kennyi Aouad approached the microphone with serious concentration when it was his turn to spell. But when the judges told him the word he was to spell and he repeated it, he burst out laughing.

“Sardoodledom” isn’t a word most of us have ever even heard, much less recognize. (It means “mechanically contrived plot structure and stereotyped or unrealistic characterization in drama”—basically “melodrama”—according to Merriam-Webster.) It does sound a bit funny saying it out loud, and even one of the judges started giggling at the young contestant’s reaction to it.

Watch Kennyi lose it repeatedly as he tries to make it through his turn:

Despite how serious the competition is, these kids are still just kids and people loved seeing his joyful reaction to a silly-sounding word.

“His laugh!! I love that in the seriousness of spelling bees, he was able to be himself. This made me smile!” wrote one person.

“So cute. Smart with a touch of sense of humour,” wrote another.

“Talk about breaking the tension!!” shared another. “I love it and he got it right!”

If you’re curious, Kennyi placed 34th in that year’s spelling bee. He would go on to compete again, however, and tied for 5th place in the 2009 bee.

This article originally appeared on 9.28.23

Donovan Mitchell figures to have himself a big summer, as the All-Star guard is eligible for a huge extension from the Cleveland Cavaliers and, despite some questions coming into this season, it’s widely expected he will put pen to paper on that new deal to stay in northeast Ohio.

He can negotiate that deal right now with the Cavs, and it’s possible by the time the new league year opens on July 1, he’s signed long-term. Even so, July 1 figures to be a big day for Mitchell anyway, as that is the release date for the sixth shoe in his signature sneaker line with adidas, the D.O.N. Issue #6. After teasing a first look late last week, adidas officially unveiled the new look for Mitchell’s signature line, which will continue to be priced at $120.

The latest edition of the D.O.N. line features a fitted, breathable mesh upper with a midfoot harness to create more lockdown and Lightstrike Pro cushioning in the forefoot to provide more explosive energy return, with Lightstrike cushioning in the heel. The Issue #6 will release in multiple colorways (and, as you can see, they’re not shying away from bright colors with the initial launch) on July 1 on adidas.com and at various retailers, with a $120 price point.

When it came to John Mulaney’s experimental live comedy show, Everybody’s In L.A., the comedian didn’t really prepare much. The special aired in May and despite its chaotic nature, people really liked it, which surprised Mulaney, who apparently just recovered from the marathon hosting duties.

Mulaney opened up about the special, which aired over five nights, by admitting that it was a bit harder that he had thought. “We never found a groove. And I think that’s a good thing,” he told Vanity Fair. “We had no time to learn anything as it was happening. Something would work really well, and we wouldn’t have it the next night because we didn’t plan for it,” he said. Even though the didn’t plan much, they did announce a hefty crop of guests and friends, though not everybody was eager to appear on the show, despite the name.

The comedian previously said that both David Lynch and Werner Herzog passed on the show (Herzog said “I have to be very careful about being around comedians”) but he was mostly upset that his pal Bo Burnham declined.

He explained, “Bo Burnham is a good friend of mine, and I said, ‘do you want to come on? I never see you on these.’ He goes, ‘yeah, I know—there’s a reason for that.’”

Even though Burnham seems to impose a strict “no variety show” rule, Mulaney almost convinced him to appear for one night. It didn’t work. “I said, ‘I’ll have you on, and we’ll call it Recluse Night. And it’ll only be recluses who don’t normally do TV.’ And he found that pretty funny. I think I almost had him with that, but no—he’s gotta be Bo, which I support.”

Bo will be Bo, which means he’ll probably stick to fake reality instead of real reality.

Meanwhile, something Mulaney doesn’t support is talking about Jerry Seinfeld’s takes on political correctness in comedy. “That topic is… such a topic. I have no opinions on it. I find it very boring,” he said. You can stream both Everybody’s In L.A., and Unfrosted now on Netflix!

(Via Vanity Fair)

(House of the Dragon spoilers will be found below.)

The second season premiere of House of the Dragon culminated in the Blood and Cheese scene while also creating quite a stir with the debut of Queen Alicent and Ser Criston Cole’s messy, compromising position. And while Criston is goofing off instead of acting like Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, two other knights are actually doing their jobs. They would be Sers Arryk and Erryk, those twins who were highlighted last season by my colleague Jessica Toomer as an example of how this show has such a grand time with names:

(Side note: Perhaps this moment ^^^ was the deciding factor that made Erryk join Team Black? Food for thought.)

Of course, celebrating names like Arryk and Erryk is much easier than attempting to make sure that “Jaecaerys,” “Jaehaerys,” and “Jaehaera” along with “Rhaenyra,” “Rhaenys,” and “Rhaena” are treated distinctively as well as spelled correctly. Still, they must be kept separate for story purposes, so what would be the key defining difference between Sers Arryk and Erryk, and who portrays them on the Game of Thrones prequel?

In the first season of House of the Dragon, the twins were seen together while serving King Viserys in unity. However, the second season sees them separated both physically and idealistically. Arryk has stayed to support King Aegon II Targaryen and Team Green at King’s Landing, and Erryk took the side of Queen Rhaenyra and Team Black at Dragonstone as seen below.

George R.R. Martin doesn’t spend too terribly much time with the twins in his Fire and Blood book (other than a pivotal moment), but to be fair, most details are sparing (and unreliable) in that entire faux-historical account, and the HBO series does (and will) find them worthy of eventful airtime this season.

For that reason and others, it’s worth noting that Ser Arryk and Erryk are not portrayed by a single actor doing double duty but two real-life identical twins, Luke (as Arryk) and Elliott (as Erryk) Tittensor. They aren’t new on the Hollywood block but have mainly appeared in across-the-pond productions. Both Elliott and Luke previously portrayed Carl Gallagher in over 100 episodes of the original (U.K.) version of Shameless with Elliott taking over the role when Luke departed for U.K. soap opera Emmerdale Farm. Here’s a photo with Luke on the left and Elliott (with his tats, apparently including dragons) on the right.

HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ airs and streams new episodes on Sunday nights.