Year: 2024

It’s long been known that the members of the legendary British comedy troupe Monty Python haven’t always gotten along. Some very much have: Watch Michael Palin’s heartbreaking ode to his close friend Terry Jones, who died from complications of dementia in 2020. But it seems others really don’t see eye to eye. A social media spat recently blew up between Eric Idle and John Cleese, which got so bad that the latter claimed the two have always hated each other’s guts.

Per Deadline, over the weekend Idle took to Twitter/X to complain about the Python brand’s dwindling fortunes. “We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” Idle wrote. He blamed Holly Gilliam, daughter of fellow Python-er Terry, who took over as manager a while back. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can take out any company.”

Idle also claimed Python hasn’t made him fabulously wealthy, especially now. “I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster,” he wrote. “Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”

Later Idle claimed that their former manager, Jim Beach, was fired by Cleese “peremptorily and foolishly, without coming to the Board, when he discovered Jim was to be Executive Producer of Spamalot the Movie.” (Note: The Spamalot movie has never been made, though the show’s back on Broadway.)

On Tuesday, Cleese responded to Idle’s accusations against Holly Gilliam.

“I have worked with Holly for the last ten years, and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with,” Cleese wrote. “Michael Palin has asked me to to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.”

When someone asked Cleese directly if all’s okay between he and Idle, he didn’t mince words: “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.”

Uh, is this a gag? Maybe? But seemingly not. On Sunday, Idle mentioned he hadn’t seen Cleese in seven years. When someone said that makes them “sad,” he responded, “Why. It makes me happy.”

When someone suggested that someone make a documentary about the “rise and fall” of the group and how money “really can destroy friendships,” Idle responded bluntly: “F*ck Netflix and f*ck documentaries.” (It’s worth noting that much of Python’s output, including two of their movies and their original show, can currently be streamed on Netflix.)

Idle also claimed the group was never as close as fans may think. “I still love and am proud of what we did as Python. It was a very unique group,” he wrote. “I think of us as an ex Liverpool team. We played together well. Way back in the day. But it was never very supportive of people’s feelings and emotions. Not Brothers. Colleagues.”

Idle also told fans not to expect any more Python reunions, as they last did in 2015. “I’m doing no more Python,” he wrote. “I gave already. Ungrateful bastards.”

Always look on the bright side of life, right? Let’s end this kind of sad saga with a joke Idle made amidst this apparent inter-Python war. When asked if the thinked another contentious team, Simon and Garfunkel, would get back together, he wrote, “With whom?”

Hey, it’s something. A good chunk of Python, including Holy Grail, can be streamed on Netflix. Hopefully they’re paying them well, unless that “F*ck Netflix” had deeper connotations.

(Via Deadline)

A groovy new festival is coming to Los Angeles this summer. Fool In Love festival will celebrate its inaugural iteration on August 31 at Hollywood Park Grouds at SoFi Stadium. The festival’s line-up boasts some of the all-time biggest names in R&B, funk, and disco.

Headlining the inaugural Fool In Love festival are Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Santana, Al Green, Charlie Wilson, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Durand Jones & The Indications, and Nile Rodgers & Chic. Also on the bill are The Isley Brothers, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Kool & The Gang, Zapp, and more.

Tickets for Fool In Love are available for purchase beginning Friday (February 16) at 10 AM PT. via the festival’s official website. Fans can purchase general admission tickets beginning at $275. GA+ tickets, which will offer passholders air-conditioned restrooms and a dedicated entry lane at main entrance begin at $595. VIP passes begin at $695, and offer the same perks as GA+, as well as a special VIP entry lane and charging stations. The platinum passes, which will run you $1,200, will offer the same perks as VIP, as well as a private entrance into the festival grounds, all-inclusive beer, cocktails, and wine at a private bar, food, lockers, and golf-cart rides between various parts of the venue.

Fans can set up payment plans with down payments starting at $19.99.

You can see the full line-up below.

Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have long shown admiration for each other’s craft. After the infamous MTV Video Music Awards incident of 2009, Bey invited Swift to deliver her speech after being interrupted. Bey was also seen at Swift’s birthday party in 2014. Last year, the two made appearances at the premieres of each other’s respective concert films. While they’ve maintained a friendship for nearly 15 years, the two have never collaborated musically.

This past weekend, Bey broke the internet by giving fans the first taste of her upcoming album, Act II, which, as evidenced by the two singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” sounds like it’ll be a country album. Given its sound, some fans are theorizing that Bey may have convinced another artist to make a brief return to her country roots.

Does Beyoncé have a collaboration with Taylor Swift on Act II?

Today (February 13), producer Killah B, who co-wrote and produced “Texas Hold ‘Em,” spoke with TMZ to tease the album. When asked if Act II would have any collaborations — perhaps with an artist who has roots in country, but made a pivot to pop — Killah responded, saying. “Let’s just say she’s on the approach of shocking the world.”

Though the TMZ reporters didn’t refer to Swift directly by name, the description one of them offered does sound a lot like Swift’s career trajectory.

However, Entertainment Weekly reported that they confirmed with a source with knowledge of the situation that Swift and Beyoncé, in fact, did not collaborate for Act II. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a collaboration in the future.

Act II is out 3/29 via Parkwood Entertainment.

Hotties, get your coins ready. Megan Thee Stallion has new activewear on the way. Today (February 13), the Hot Girl Coach announced Hot Girl Systems, her new line of workout-friendly fashions which arrives as part of a partnership with Nike. Hot Girl Systems arrive later this week, and thankfully, it’s not too expensive. Fans can look forward to adding a fiery assortment of black and red fashions to their closet.

How much does Megan Thee Stallion and Nike’s Hot Girl Systems collection cost?

Hot Girl Systems offers a variety of fashions, including a flowing bomber jacket, red biker shorts, black bodysuits, red body suits, a white cropped shirt, a black cropped shirt, and black sports bras.

Mid-rise biker shorts, light-support non-padded sports bras, and cropped t-shirts will each cost $40. For $50, fans can purchase the medium-support non-padded sports bra. The long-sleeved bodysuit will be available for purchase for $90, and the short-sleeved body suit for $125. And finally, cans purchase the bomber jacket for $200.

The first drop for Meg’s Hot Girl Systems collection arrives just in time for her birthday. According to an Instagram post announcing the collection, fans will be able to purchase items from Hot Girl Systems via Meg’s official website beginning Thursday (February 15). This drop coincides with Meg‘s 29th birthday. The second drop will arrive through Nike’s website and retail stores next Tuesday, February 20.

You can see a teaser for Hot Girl Systems above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The New York Knicks fell to the Houston Rockets, 105-103, on Monday night. The end of the game came under major scrutiny, as Jalen Brunson was called for a foul on Aaron Holiday with 0.1 seconds left that sent Holiday to the free throw line and gave Houston a win.

The Knicks were unsurprisingly unhappy about it, particularly because it did not look like Brunson committed a foul. Fast forward to Tuesday evening and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that New York will go as far as to file a protest with the league about the end of the game, even though there are no more meetings between the two teams on the schedule that would give them a natural way to play overtime.

It certainly helps the Knicks case that, as Wojnarowski mentioned, they received confirmation from both Ed Malloy and the league’s Last Two Minute Report about the call. After the game, Malloy — who was the crew chief during the game — explicitly said that the officials got the call wrong, while the NBA’s official report that dropped on Tuesday afternoon indicated that Brunson legally contested the shot.

Protests are not normally successful, so the Knicks do have a bit of an uphill battle ahead of them here. Still, this one is pretty unique in that the very last play of the game is at question and both the crew chief and the league itself confirmed that this was the wrong call, so maybe New York is able to get the seventh upheld protest in NBA history.

When a movie makes as much as Barbie did last year, you know what happens next: a sequel! Or a spinoff! Or failing those, maybe a tangentially-related franchise? Since both Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig have no interest in Barbie 2, the latter is what’s happening, with Mattel figuring they can get audiences back to theaters to watch movies about Hot Wheels, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, even the Magic 8-Ball. Still, spinoffs are at least being talked about. Maybe there will be a Ken movie. And Michael Cera wouldn’t mind dusting off Allan, his break-out scene stealer, even though by his own admission there’s not a lot to him.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Cera went on The Tonight Show, where he was asked about being up/down for more Allan Sherwood.

“I think it would be kind of a weird movie, but I’m there,” Cera told the host. He then laid out the case for why an Allan movie would either a) not work or b) pretty bizarre:

“He’s kind of like an inactive character. He kind of just stands [there]. For me, the biggest inspiration for the character was Hans Moleman, that character in The Simpsons. He just stands there all the time. For me, that’s like the core of the character.”

The Allan doll was first introduced in 1964 as one of Ken’s friends, with whom he could exchange clothes. In Gerwig and cowriter Noah Baumbach’s film, he was the only man in Barbieland who didn’t taken part in Ken’s toxic/ridiculous patriarchy rebellion. Allan’s awkwardness made him an endearing part of an already goofy picture, giving Cera — who’s also an established serious Broadway actor and star of smart indie films — one of his funnier roles.

Could Allan sustain an entire movie by himself? Perhaps if it was treated like a renegade blockbuster that isn’t trying to play nice. Then again, Barbie was itself a renegade blockbuster, thinking way outside the box far as modern films based on famous IP go, and look what happened there. Besides, who wouldn’t want to spend an entire movie with a character inspired by The Simpsons‘ top shelf supporting character Hans Moleman?

You can watch Cera’s Tonight Show appearance in the video below.

(Via THR)

Larry David doesn’t get along with many people, but he especially doesn’t get along with Republicans. The Curb Your Enthusiasm star famously blew up on Alan Dershowitz in public (on Martha’s Vineyard!) for defending Donald Trump. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is technically a Democrat, but he’s Republican-ish and David really doesn’t like him, despite introducing him to his spouse Cheryl Hines. The first two episodes of Curb’s 12th and final season find Larry in Georgia, and conservatives predictably don’t come off too well. One person who did not appreciate their portrayal was one of MAGAland’s loudest members.

Per Mediaite, Marjorie Taylor Greene dropped an epic, scorched earth post on Twitter/X, saying the latest episode was a “glaring reminder of why most Georgian’s resent Republicans in our state for inviting the nasty commies from California, the Hollywood elites, into our state by dishing out Hollywood tax credits.”

The latest episode, Greene wrote, “lied and painted GA conservatives and Trump supporters as racists and red necks and made fun of our good new law that stops the Stacey Abrams vote pandering machine and prevents voter fraud.”

Atlanta, Georgia, of course, has long been a kind of second Hollywood, with many productions, such as Marvel and Stranger Things and Tyler Perry stuff and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. That brings a ton of revenue to the state.

But evidently Greene doesn’t think it’s worth it. She accused “disgusting Hollywood” or bringing their “disgusting values and elite judgement” to a state they want, she claimed, to turn “blue.”

Less then halfway through, Greene’s screed took a turn to a takedown of the “failing” electric car industry. Her post, initially about her anger over a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode she watched, ended by writing, “PROTECT GEORGIA!”

New episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm air on Sundays on HBO and the streamer known as Max, where you can watch the episode that so outraged Greene. There are only eight more left forever…unless David again gets bored and brings his fictional analogue back for more airing of grievances.

(Via Mediaite)

Megan Thee Stallion is stepping into the fashion game. Literally. Today (February 13), the Hot Girl Coach revealed Hot Girl Systems, her new line of activewear which arrives as a partnership with Nike.

Hot Girl Systems offers a variety of fashions, including a flowing bomber jacket, red biker shorts, black bodysuits, red body suits, a white cropped shirt, a black cropped shirt, and black sports bras. Though we are still a few months away from Hot Girl Summer, fans can’t wait to get their hands on Meg’s stylish new collection. And, they will be able to make these purchases very soon.

When does Megan Thee Stallion and Nike’s Hot Girl Systems collection come out?

The first drop for Meg’s Hot Girl Systems collection arrives just in time for her birthday. According to an Instagram post announcing the collection, fans will be able to purchase items from Hot Girl Systems via Meg’s official website beginning Thursday (February 15). This drop coincides with Meg‘s 29th birthday. The second drop will arrive through Nike’s website and retail stores next Tuesday, February 20.

You can see a Hot Girl Systems teaser above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

When it comes to parenting, the second most important decision—after whether to have a child or not—is choosing a name for the kid. Even though we live in times where parents are getting more and more creative about picking a name for their children, those with a more common name have a greater chance of being socially accepted than those without.

According to Psychology Today, grade-school kids with highly unusual names or names with negative associations tend to be “less popular” than those with more “desirable” names. Later in life, people with “unpopular or unattractive” names have more difficulty finding romantic partners.

A 23-year-old mother-to-be wanted to name her son Gaylord and had her family’s full, passionate support, but her husband, 24, and his side of the family were firmly against the idea. The woman was looking for validation and posted about the dilemma on Reddit’s AITA forum.

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“In my family, our genealogy is extremely important. The firstborn son since the 1800’s has been given this name. I’m well aware it’s a stigmatized name today, so that’s why I have agreed to using a short form,” the woman wrote.

Understanding that her son would be bullied for being called Gaylord, she decided that it would be his legal first name, but could go by Gail. Her family believed that it was acceptable for him to be known as Gail initially, but as society grows more tolerant, will be called Gaylord when he gets older.

“They see the backlash over the name today as a fad that will eventually disappear, and I agree seeing how accepting each generation tends to become,” she continued. “When society stops being so immature about it, he can start using the full name.”

The father wouldn’t even consider naming his son Gaylord, or Gail, for that matter. His family went a step further and said that naming him Gaylord or Gail would be “abusive.”

“My in-laws are telling me that even Gail isn’t an acceptable boy’s name and that I need to ‘get with the times’ and choose something more appropriate,” she continued. “What happened to respecting our elders and traditions? His family doesn’t have any naming traditions, so it should fall to my family that does. How could I be expected to break a centuries-old family tradition?”

The commenters were overwhelmingly against the mother’s decision.

“Use your imagination. A boy named Gaylord goes to his first day of school. The teacher does the roll call. ‘GAYLORD SMITH?’ Class breaks into giggles. Embarrassed boy says, ‘It’s Gail.’ Class giggles some more, since Gail is usually a girl’s name. Boy has no chance of fitting in with his classmates. His fate is sealed. He is a social pariah for life. Don’t do this to him. Please,” one user wrote.

“Your name is the first thing people know about you. It’s the cover page of how people perceive you. Even if you think Gaylord will just appear on the birth certificate, you’re wrong. His legal name will have to be used on official documents, at school, on his license and passport. It will appear at the top of every resume he hands out. It’s not as simple as putting a name on paper. It’s how he is going to appear to the whole world. Gaylord is totally stigmatized and has been for decades. It’s not going away, sorry.” Elinbeth added.

“Some traditions reach the point where they are no longer suitable for modern times. This is 100% that time. Pick another name,” CashieBashie wrote.

After the post went viral, the mother shared that both sides of the family have tentatively agreed on a name.

“We managed to work out that Gale Gaylord would be a reasonable compromise, with Gale being the complete first name, and Gaylord being the middle name,” the woman wrote. “My husband can then add a second middle name after Gaylord if he wants. Grandpa is especially not impressed that it’s being demoted to a middle name, but he did say he understands the pressure I’m facing here.”

Cats have a reputation for being fickle little weirdos, and for good reason. Perhaps your Persian wakes you up every morning by affectionately chewing on your hair. Maybe your tabby has a pet almond that he carries around like a security blanket. Maybe your Maine Coon likes to sleep with his face buried in your shoe.

Since finickiness is an innate feline trait, it shouldn’t surprise us to hear about a kitty’s particular peculiarity, but it often does. because just when we think we’ve heard all of the strange things that cats do, someone shares a new one that makes us laugh, scratch our heads and say, “Huh?!”

For instance, meet Shaggy, the cat who won’t eat his wet food unless it’s accompanied by a side salad.

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“Side salad” is not some cute nickname for a kitty treat, by the way—we’re talking about a literal salad on an actual salad plate, human being-style.

Witness:

@the_shags2021

#blackcat #housepanthers #funnycat #spoiledcat #pickycat #catseating #healthyeating #becausecats #salads #catsareweird

Shaggy’s owner, Dina Moeller, tells Upworthy that he started off life as a feral cat. Now here he is living the bougie life, full-on expecting a fancy, multi-course meal.

The good people of the internet, of course, have had a heyday in the comments, “warning” Moeller about this behavior.

“Actually cats shouldn’t eat sides of salad,” wrote one person. “They should not because, long term the cat will end up expecting a candle lit table with a glass of wine and live smooth jazz. You need to be more careful.”

“You shouldn’t feed your cats salads,” wrote another. “If you do, they may end up becoming baddies and making gym girl/bro thirst trap videos on IG before moving on to becoming health gurus who are only licensed by YTube 😂.”

“Don’t do this!! The cat will ingest iron from the leafy greens, become too strong, and take over your entire family (and then the world) 😔,” cautioned another.

“Next thing you know he’ll be demanding oat milk in his latte,” added another.

Many people joked about Shaggy requesting a wine list and cleansing his palette, while other cat owners chimed in to commiserate with their own kittys’ quirks:

“My black cat prefers to drink hot water (not warm), which I have to leave for him on the side of the bathtub every morning. I have no idea how we got there either 😂,” shared one person.

“My cat won’t eat the dry food if she’s not there to see it poured,” shared another. “This is fun at 4:30am.”

“I have to sit with Tiki while he is eating his wet food and the entire house must be silent. I sneezed during his dinner the other night and ruined his whole meal 😂,” shared another.

Many people suggested that Shaggy might have “whisker fatigue” from using the bowl for his wet food and suggested putting it on a flat plate like the salad.

But as Moeller’s showed in another video, the whiskers do not appear to be the issue, as Shaggy will go to the fridge and shove his entire face, whiskers and all, into the bag of salad.

@the_shags2021

#catsareweird #blackcats #funnycat #spoiledcat #healthyeating #becausecats #housepanthers ##catsarelife #whiskerfatigue #saladcat #catseating

But it’s not just salad that Shaggy craves.

“He steals all my food,” Moeller tells Upworthy. “Bagels out of the toaster, fights me for muffins or scones, tries to get cookies out of containers or wrappings! Nothing is safe from his appetite!”

While it’s not great for cats to eat too much human food, Moeller has discussed Shaggy’s habit with her vet and is cautious about what kind and how much people food he gets. There’s only so much you can do with a cat’s unique quirks, though—and Shaggy’s got plenty of them.

“He’s kind of a cat’s cat and a bit of a punk,” says Moeller. “Doesn’t listen. Nothing scares him when he’s determined to do something good, bad or unsafe. Eats the plants when he wants to annoy me or get my attention. He gives me a hard time when I work at my desk past 6:30pm.”

Shaggy is quite the talker, too, having “conversations” with Moeller. “He likes to hide behind behind the shower curtain in the bathroom when I’m in there,” Moeller adds. “When I call his name and wonder out loud where he is, he will burst out from under it as if to say, ‘Here I am!'”

Here’s to our cats and all their quirky quirks. You can follow Shaggy on Instagram and TikTok.