Category: News

When you think about actors who do their own stunts, Tom Cruise is usually the first name that comes to mind. Well, add 94-year-old June Squibb to the list. The nonagenarian’s action chops are on full display in Thelma, a new buddy comedy making its Sundance debut this week.

Written and directed by Josh Margolin as a love letter to his actual grandma, Thelma centers around a recently widowed elderly woman who gets bilked out of $10,000 by scammers. So she does what any senior citizen would do: Get revenge.

“Tom Cruise jumping out of a plane is as dangerous as my grandma getting onto a bed,” Margolin told Variety. “I wanted to treat Thelma’s mission with the sincerity and stakes that you would Ethan Hunt globe-trotting to track down the bad guy.”

Those stakes involved filming action sequences with Squibb, who was adamant about not using a double:

In one scene, Squibb hijacks an electric scooter and has a vehicular showdown in a retirement home with Ben, played by the late Richard Roundtree in his final screen performance. The two zoom into each other and crash, as Squibb plows Roundtree’s scooter out of the way.

“They weren’t expecting me to do the scooter work,” Squibb says. “They were so worried about me, they thought I was going to kill myself. They said, ‘Just tap his scooter,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, hell,’ and I just cowed into him.”

Despite her 94-year-old age, Squibb never thinks of herself as old, but she’ll play the elderly woman in need of help just to be nice.

“[People] want to take care of you, which is lovely, and sometimes I just let them take care of me,” Squibb said. “But other times you think, ‘I can do this and I’m fine.’ They want to lend an arm or a hand. So you do it — you take an arm, you take a hand. But I am still independent and able to live a life of my own.”

That life apparently includes the cold, hard rush of doing your own stunts. To quote Dakota Johnson, who’s been bitten by a similar bug: “Watch out, Tom Cruise.”

(Via Variety)

Do you remember Cable? Yeah, it’s been a while, but Cable was so good to you! You could have all of these channels and flip through them like a magician with a little deck of cards. And no matter how uncertain or chaotic life was, you could always be certain that there was a rerun of House playing somewhere on TV at any given moment. That’s a feeling that was ripped from us, thanks to streaming. Sure, you could start any movie from the beginning, but the beauty of cable was having to just jump right into any program after a commercial break and figure out what the heck was going on without being able to rewind. It made us stronger as people.

Cable is probably dead forever, but streaming platforms are starting to realize that not everyone wants to shell out buckets of money on each individual service every month, and combining them might be the next big move. Canada’s Telus recently updated its streaming bundle to include Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video in one package in a surprising but also optimistic move.

The Stream+ Premium package will offer Netflix and Disney+ without ads, along with Prime Video for 38 Canadian dollars (US $28.20), while the ad-supported tier will cost $20 Canadian per month, or US $14.89. If customers were to buy each service individually, that would cost about US $30 (for the ad-supported level) so the bundle is actually a great deal.

“In an era of multiple streaming options, bundling your favorite streaming services into one subscription to save money each month is a no brainer,” Dwayne Benefield, senior vp mobility & home products and transformation at Telus, said in a statement.

If this seems to work, then maybe we can get all of these services bundled together and achieve peace and harmony while saving a couple bucks. We can call it: Cablevision!

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Kids See Ghosts collaborators Kid Cudi and Kanye West have ended their beef, but Lupe Fiasco has no intention of mending things with Cudi. At least, that’s what his latest post online suggests.

Cudi recently sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for an interview, and during the chat, he spoke about his time nearly brushing into Fiasco in 2008 while working at Bape’s retail store in New York. Cudi spoke about hiding from rappers when they would shop at the location to avoid giving them ammunition for future diss tracks. One of those rappers so happened to be Lupe Fiasco.

“If I get famous one day, I don’t ever want these n****s saying, ‘Yo, you sold me clothes. You my son,’” he said. “I couldn’t have that. This was my explanation. And when you think about it he hates me ’til this day. He hates me. So, it’s like I was right. I was onto something. I sensed something in the universe.”

On January 19, after getting wind of Cudi’s interview, Fiasco took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a message with his longtime foe. He wrote, “Kid Cudi is a b*tch. And continues to be a b*tch. Ain’t nobody finna bring up he used to work at the Bape Store to diss his b*tch ass for having a regular job before he was a famous b*tch with a cool job.”

The beef between the two rappers isn’t new, as it’s been brewing for a while now.

Watch the full interview above.

All eyes are on Dejounte Murray as we get closer and closer to the NBA trade deadline. Murray’s name has frequently been mentioned in trade talks as the Atlanta Hawks continue to flirt with potentially missing the postseason altogether, and for teams that have a need in the backcourt, a player of Murray’s caliber makes a ton of sense.

The Los Angeles Lakers could absolutely use guard help, so it’s unsurprising that they’ve been mentioned as a Murray destination for quite some time. They haven’t made a move yet, but according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, things have gotten to the point where the two sides have talked about the framework of a Murray deal, should it come to fruition.

Via The Athletic:

The Murray buzz is only increasing — and to noisy levels. The Lakers and Hawks have discussed potential frameworks of a deal, including a version late last week that centered on Russell, Hood-Schifino, the 2029 first-round pick and additional draft compensation, according to multiple team and league sources. Talks have since stalled, but are expected to pick back up closer to the deadline.

D’Angelo Russell makes slightly less money than Murray right now, but he’s an unrestricted free agent following next season (assuming he picks up the player option for 2024-25) and Murray is about to start a $120 million contract extension. Jalen Hood-Schifino, meanwhile, was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and has appeared in only nine games during his first year in the league.

Harmony Korine’s movie Aggro Dr1ft screened at some film festivals in 2023, and it’s notable for a handful of reasons. There’s the fact that it stars Travis Scott (and Jordi Mollà). There’s the fact that it was filmed entirely in infrared. There’s the fact that most critics didn’t care for it, as the film currently has a score of 38 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now, the movie’s peculiar legacy continues: Korine is set to host a series of showings for the movie in 2024, and the first of them will go down on February 7 at Crazy Girls, a strip club in Los Angeles (as Variety reports). The tour is presented by multimedia design collective EDGLRD and will hit other “unconventional” venues following Crazy Girls.

EDGLRD head of film strategy and development Eric Kohn said in a statement, “The distribution of Aggro Dr1ft goes beyond the limitations of the outdated moviegoing experience. You don’t just watch Aggro Dr1ft — you step into a new world, and these events will allow audiences to immerse themselves in it.”

At each screening, the film will be accompanied by backdrops featuring visuals from EDGLRD, as well as musical performances by Korine and Aggro Dr1ft composer Araabmuzik.

In a not particularly laudatory review of the movie, Vulture‘s Bilge Ebiri wrote, “I don’t get the sense that anyone involved in Aggro Dr1ft has ever had a normal interaction with anyone, which probably makes it hard to find things for these characters to do,” and, “Maybe the most troubling thing about this film is the gnawing sense one gets that nobody involved with it cared all that much about what was actually on screen. They’re in love with the idea more than the execution.”

Korine himself previously said of the film, “I am excited. I have never made anything like it. I was trying not to make a movie. I don’t know if it will be a scandal, but it will be its own statement.”

The Simpsons has been on for nearly 800 episodes. Take a moment to let that sink in: nearly 800 episodes! (760 specifically.) That puts any show not named One Piece to shame.

Since premiering in 1989, The Simpsons has established a deep bench of supporting characters who, due to the whole longest-running-American-scripted-primetime-TV-show-ever thing, have basically become secondary leads. Is there an entire episode about Groundskeeper Willie getting married? You better believe it. But there are select characters who have only appeared once — many of whom have left an indelible mark.

Former Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein (who was also co-showrunner with Bill Oakley) shared one of his favorites. “The 27th anniversary of ‘The Twisted World of Marge Simpson’ means it’s the 27th anniversary of when you met this guy, Royce McCutcheon,” he wrote on X. “Perhaps my favorite totally random Simpsons one-off character (tied with Handsome Pete).” Royce is on screen for less than 20 seconds in the season eight episode, but Homer threatening to keep all his “moon money” for himself is unforgettable.

The replies to Weinstein’s tweet are filled with other fan favorites:

Hank Scorpio is the obvious choice (although naming a character voiced by a guest star feels like cheating), but I also have to give it up for the annoyed “back to Winnipeg” dad and the Queen of the Harpies.

Since Chat GPT dropped, conversations about the role AI will play in our lives have left people feeling uneasy about the rise of machines. Of course, people in tech know that we’ve had some form of AI in our devices for years now (and for the most part, we’ve loved it). It’s a broad conversation that deserves plenty of nuance, but regardless of where you stand, one thing is for certain: AI isn’t going anywhere. It’s only going to get bigger, smarter, and more intertwined with our day-to-day lives.

Will.i.am, who has long been highly regarded as a futurist, knows as much. Never one to be afraid of “what’s next,” he’s giving AI a major responsibility — co-hosting his new show.

Will.i.am Presents The FYI Show will drop on SiriusXM on January 25th. Episodes will focus on creators, innovators, and the future that people on the cutting edge are dreaming up for all of us to live in. And an AI by the name of Qd.pi. (“Cutie Pie”) will be at his side. Or… in his ear. Or… on his server.

Here’s a preview:

Will.i.am explained the concept to The Hollywood Reporter: “I didn’t want to just do a traditional show, I wanted to bring tomorrow close to today, and so I wanted to have my co-host be an AI… I’m ultra-freaking colorful and expressive. [Qd.pi is] ultra-freaking factual and analytical. And that combination, we ain’t seen in the history of freaking broadcasts anywhere.”

It’s hard to argue when Will.i.am has built an entire groundbreaking and influential career out of looking forward. Though, Qd.pi itself seems open to a bit of skepticism about the experiment. In an exclusive excerpt from The FYI Show‘s first episode, Qd.pi has this to say about the most important thing people need to know about AI right now:

AI is powerful but it’s not perfect. It can make mistakes and it’s important to be aware of that and to fact-check the information it provides. AI can be used for good and for bad so it’s crucial to use it responsibly and ethically. As AI gets more sophisticated it’s likely to have a bigger impact on our lives. From the way we work to the way we communicate and consume information. it’s important for people to stay informed and educated about AI and its potential impacts so that we can make the most of its benefits while also being mindful of its risks. Overall, it’s an exciting time for AI and technology but it’s also a time to approach these advancements with a healthy dose of caution and critical thinking.

Word. Consider us on board. If anyone is going to make this work we’d bet money it’s going to be the same person who dropped a track with Lil’ Wayne, J. Balvin, Britney Spears, and launched his own AI-driven workspace app all in the past 365 days.

Watch Will on Uproxx’s Fresh Pair below for more insight on his career and philosophy.

Arguments start to take off when one partner begins to get defensive. So, therapist Lauren Consul shared her relationship-saving tip to “stop an argument in its tracks” when one partner goes into self-preservation mode.

Lauren Consul is a couples and sex therapist who’s developed a following of nearly 160,000 people on TikTok and has received over 5.4 million likes. She is an infidelity expert and hosts retreats to help people “survive and thrive” after one partner has strayed.

“The next time you and your partner are talking, and your partner becomes defensive, I want you to do this: Pause, and say, ‘I want to understand what happened there. What did you hear me say?'” Consul says in her TikTok video with over 42,000 views.

“This question is key because it does one of two things,” she continued. “First, it can allow for clarification. A lot of times when we’ve become defensive, we’ve interpreted something our partner has said incorrectly. We’ve run it through a filter, we’ve told ourselves a story about it, it’s triggered something… So we’re not actually hearing what our partner says, and it allows for clarification.”

@laurenconsul

#communicationtools #communicationtools #defensiveness #couplesargument #learnontiktok #cyclebreaker #couplestherapist #relationshiptherapist #marriagecounseling #mytherapistsays #therapytol #tiktoktherapist

“The second thing: If your partner did interpret what you said correctly, it gives you an opportunity to slow things down and understand what is happening for them and address the underlying issue, rather than get caught in a spiral of defensiveness,” she continued.

Consul’s advice for stopping arguments before they explode is helpful because it clears up any potential misunderstandings. The key is to remember the tactic in the heat of the moment to prevent things from getting out of hand.

This article originally appeared on 3.16.23

Traveling with preteens and teens is a breeze in comparison to traveling with little ones but as a parent you still want to sit near your kiddos in case they need you for anything. If you’ve traveled on an airline in the last several years, you know it’s much cheaper to chose the basic seats in the main cabin.

There’s nothing different about these particular seats other than the airline sort of randomly selects your seat and if you’re traveling alone, that’s really not a bad deal. The risk gets to be a little higher if you’re traveling with a party that you’d like to keep together – like your children. One mom took the risk and banked on a stranger accommodating…that’s not quite how it played out.

People sit in the wrong seats on planes all the time, usually because they read their ticket wrong or accidentally sit one row ahead. Takes no time to double check your ticket and move along, but when Tammy Nelson did a double take at her ticket after seeing the mom in her window seat, she realized she wasn’t mistakenly staring at the wrong row.

This mom boarded the plane with her older children and had taken it upon herself to sit in the same row as her children, essentially commandeering a stranger’s seat. Nelson assumed it was a mistake and informed the woman that the seat was in fact hers but the response she received was surprising.

“She said, ‘Oh, you want to sit here?’,” Nelson tells Good Morning America. “She said, ‘Oh, well I just thought I could switch with you because these are my kids.'”

That’s an interesting assumption when seats are assigned and many people, like Nelson, pay extra to have the seat they prefer. Now, there’s no telling if funds were tight and this was an unplanned trip for the mom and kids which caused her to buy the more budget friendly tickets or if she was simply being frugal and was banking on the kindness of a stranger.

Either way, Nelson specifically paid for a window seat due to motion sickness and though she paid extra, she was willing to sit in the other row if that seat was also a window seat. But it turns out, it was a middle seat.

Surely there’s someone out there that loves the middle seat. Maybe a cold natured person that enjoys the body heat of two strangers sitting uncomfortably close. Or perhaps someone that doesn’t mind accidentally sleeping on an unsuspecting passenger’s shoulder. But that person isn’t Nelson, so when the middle seat was offered in exchange for her bought and paid for window seat, she politely but sternly declined.

@myconquering

Having had only 90 minutes of sleep the night before and knowing I had to give a presentation to 500 people, I desperately needed some sleep, so I did not agree to switch seats. 🤷‍♀️ Before anyone comes after me… the kids looked like they were about 11 and 15 years old. And the mom was in arms-reach of both of them from the middle seat in the row behind us. The mom proceeded to complain for at least 15 minutes to the person next to her loud enough for me to hear. But the woman actually defended me – several times. It was so kind and I appreciated it so much because I was feeling really guilty. 🤦‍♀️ ##airplaneseat##seatswitching##airplanekarens

Her refusal to give in to the mom’s seemingly entitled request for Nelson’s seat has resulted in parents and child-fee people cheering her on after she posted the details on her TikTok page, MyCONQUERing. The video has over 3.4 million views.

“Nope. If it’s not an upgrade it’s a sacrifice,” a commenter writes.

“You did the RIGHT thing. Folks need to plan their travel together. Lack of planning on their part does not constitute an inconvenience on yours,” one person says.

“I have 3 kids and have sat in different rows when they were passed toddler age. I agree, book your flight earlier,” another writes.

“You were right. As a woman with 3 children, I always pay extra so we’re sat together,” another mom says.

Nelson is also a mom so she knows how important it is to sit next to kids on flights. But since airlines have made that a luxury, as the parent, you have to plan to pay extra or accept that you likely won’t be seated next to your children. Hopefully in the future, this unnamed mom is seated next to her children or pays extra to make sure it happens. In the meantime, people continue to support Nelson standing her ground.

This article originally appeared on 7.28.23

A TikToker’s story about the grandiose title her mother-in-law chose instead of grandma is an excellent example of the growing trend of baby boomer grandparents rejecting their traditional titles.

A new mother who goes by the name EvieKizmet on the platform shared the story on January 6 and it received nearly 2 million views.

It all started when she and her husband asked her mother-in-law to choose the name she would use as a grandparent. Using a fake name as an example, she said that her mother-in-law chose “Mama Smith” and that didn’t sit well with the mother. “Because realistically, a child is not going to call you by 2 names and it’s going to be shortened to Mama. I’m a mama. Not you,” she said.

Her husband agreed that it was an “insane” idea.

this one was quite the ride and ended so funny, i got the last laugh 

@eviekizmet

this one was quite the ride and ended so funny, i got the last laugh #monsterinlaws #inlawproblems #monsterinlawproblems

They asked the mother-in-law to come up with another name. “So, after a lot of thought and effort, she came back with ‘Queen Mother,’” she said. The mother-in-law rationalized the name, which also works as an aristocratic title, by stating that she may not be a “mother” to the up-and-coming king, but she is a mother to the “reigning king.”

“To be fair, I think she’s watching ‘Bridgerton,’ so that may have played a role,” the TikToker said. The mother then suggested a shorter version, “Queenie.” This wouldn’t fly with the parents-to-be either and eventually, they all agreed on “G-ma.”

The story about the entitled mother-in-law appears to be part of a more significant trend where boomers don’t want to be known as grandmas or grandpas.

“Many baby boomers have a hard time reconciling their vibrant, vital and active selves with the traditional names — they don’t fit their self-image,” Ellen J. Klausner, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in the New York area, told Good Housekeeping. “They think of themselves as organizing and running marathons and associate those traditional monikers with a more sedentary lifestyle — the older relative in a rocking chair — that is not their own.”

To further complicate things, the older generation is now grandparenting in an era where they are more likely to be part of step and blended families and there are a greater number of great-grandparents still around. Dr. Kluasner says that “means that names have to differentiate between the generations and different extended families.”

Paula Span, a New York Times columnist specializing in aging, believes that boomer grandparents have a different approach to names because they don’t think they have much in common with their grandparents.

“A generation of women who entered the labor force, and men who entered the delivery room, isn’t so keen on the old standbys, perhaps,” Span writes. “But here’s my deeper suspicion: However mightily my peers may pine for grandchildren and adore them when they arrive, some don’t want to acknowledge being old enough to be dubbed Grandpop or Granny.”

The younger generations often criticize boomers for being selfish and their inability to understand the challenges that young people face today. But you have to give it to them for being reluctant to admit they’re getting older by taking on the title of grandma or grandpa. Plus, it’s something the younger generations can use to their advantage. “Grandma” or “Grandpa” may be too old and tired to babysit on a Friday night, but “G-ma” and “G-Pa” definitely should be up to watch the kids so you can have a date night.