Five Christmas Eves ago Kevin Spacey gifted the world with the biggest lump of coal imaginable: a profoundly uncomfortable video in which he resurrected House of Cards antihero Frank Underwood. Spacey had been fired from the Netflix show amidst sexual misconduct allegations, but bringing him back for awkward videos became a holiday tradition — at least until 2020, when he released what appeared to be his swan song. Turns out he wasn’t done.
On Christmas Eve 2023, while many were baking cookies, hanging with family members, and spiking egg nog, no less than Tucker Carlson released what he called a “Christmas Eve election surprise.” It featured one of those under-produced interviews he’s been making since being canned by Fox News. The twist? This time his guest was overtly lying.
That guest was Kevin Spacey, or rather Kevin Spacey in the guise of Frank Underwood. Tucker introduced him as a dark horse who could jump into the 2024 presidential race and “rescramble the calculus of electoral politics” (whatever that means).
During their chat, Spacey’s Underwood predictably played coy on fake-running for president, but he did maintain that, in today’s climate — a climate greatly shaped by people like Tucker Carlson, mind you — D.C. badly needs some “adults in the room.”
Throughout the chat, Carlson found himself aggressive-nod-agreeing with a monstrous corrupt politician who schemed and murdered his way to the top, even as he advised political leaders to stop listening to “trolls” and people like Tucker Carlson. Spacey’s Underwood also dragged “trigger warnings.”
Was Spacey himself trolling Tucker Carlson? Who’s to say. We live in deeply confused times and maybe this Christmas Eve surprise is the deeply confused gift we all deserve. You can watch it in the tweet embedded above. Or you could just keep hanging with your loved ones. That sounds like a nicer way to spend the holidays.
Megan Thee Stallion has built a tougher-than-nails musical persona. But the “Cobra” rapper’s Hottie fans seem to be the true savages. As Megan enjoys some downtime for the holidays and between her next big gig (2023 New Year’s Rockin’ Eve), she’s been filling her non-working moments with casual chat with her followers via her Instagram Live.
During Megan’s latest broadcast on Saturday, December 24, she seemed to asserted that Spotify is her least favorite streaming platform. She jokingly turned that disdain toward users of the service. As her friend off-camera asked Megan about the provider, she replied, “B*tch, Spotify?… I feel like if you’re 15, you have Spotify.”
“Spotify literally has artists that have great music that aren’t on iTunes. The playlists you can compile on Spotify are better than iTunes,” penned another.
Spotify literally has artists that have great music that aren’t on iTunes.
The playlists you can compile on Spotify are better than ITunes.
— CAMILLE PAGLIA STAN DELETED AT 17.1K (@Provokatov) December 24, 2023
“She’s never getting a Spotify playlist cover again,” added another.
Two years ago nobody except industry insiders knew David Zaslav. Today people can’t wait to line up to talk smack about him. Since taking over Warner Bros. Discovery, the mogul has made one bizarre, hated move after another, including mucking with HBO Max (now, confusingly, just Max), cancelling fully completed movies, even deep-sixing hundreds of classic Looney Tunes shorts. He’s even pissed off the easily pissed-off the erstwhile Logan Roy.
Per IndieWire, Brian Cox penned an op-ed for Variety in which he sung the praises of Turner Classic Movies, which since 1994 has treated cable-havers to, well, classic movies 24/7, 365 days a year. Over the summer TCM fell victim to Zaslav’s Zaslav-ing, with budget cuts leading to the removal of some of its longtime staff. There was such a furor that Zaslav got a call from Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson, who coaxed him into backing off a bit from his gutting. Now it’s Cox’s turn to tell Zaslav what’s up.
“TCM has been under threat lately, particularly by the guy who runs Warner Bros. Discovery now; they don’t understand the value of it,” Cox wrote. “But TCM is always illuminating, it’s revealing, it’s invaluable as an actor. It’s like mother’s milk to me. I’ll defend it to the death.”
For Cox, TCM isn’t just a place to watch great, older movies. It’s also where he continues to shape his craft.
“I work with a lot of young actors, and I say, Look at your craft. Look at where you can see great work,” Cox writes. “To rediscover people like Irene Dunne, or Kay Francis, or Bette Davis in her glory. I’m an addict; I’m an absolute addict for that.”
He praised the “tremendous work” of the late Robert Osborne, who for decades introduced movies on the channel. He loves the current curators, too, who have been adding more foreign fare to their coffers.
“The films they show meet an extraordinarily high standard, in a world where art is forever getting debased,” Cox writes. “But TCM is always reinventing itself: It’s modern and it’s classical.”
For whatever it’s worth, Zaslav has maintained that he’s a huge fan of TCM and doesn’t want it disappeared (although maybe he could cut a deal with Comcast, who a few years back made it harder for customers to watch it as part of their regular subscription package).
Still, a lot of people don’t trust Zaslav with much these days. Last week, when rumor spread that Warner Bros. Discovery may merge with Paramount, many were instantly worried about what he’d do to the likes of SpongeBob Squarepants, Yellowstone, The Godfather saga, and many Tom Cruise pictures.
In the early 2010s, the NBA introduced special edition uniforms that teams playing on Christmas got to wear. They often featured something like holiday-themed script lettering or bright colors and, while not all hits, were mostly well received.
However, the Christmas uniforms went away when Nike took over the NBA’s uniform business, as they opted for expanding every team’s uniform set with the standard Home and Away unis, along with the Statement and City edition unis (plus some retros and others they’ve thrown in at seemingly random). Given the NBA and Nike have expanded uniform sets and every team has so many, it is a bit odd they didn’t continue making special uniforms for the 10 teams that got Christmas day games.
Among those who want the Christmas unis back is LeBron James, who was watching a clip of a Christmas moment from when he was in Cleveland and decided to wonder aloud on Twitter as to why they went away.
This was amazing!! . I do wish we had Xmas day uniforms across the league still. Wonder why it stopped. https://t.co/A73AF7Dnn0
I’m not sure we need more uniforms, as the effort at creating new unis each year has led to some lackluster designs, but it is an excuse to bring back one of the best NBA commercials ever from 2013 promoting that year’s Christmas unis.
The sleeved jersey era wasn’t for everyone, but this commercial still rocks.
There has been plenty of conversation about how much bowl games still matter in college football, with the College Football Playoff continuing to expand, constant realignment, and players opting out of bowls for the transfer portal or the NFL Draft. However, it doesn’t take too long watching the games themselves in December to see how much the players still care about winning a bowl game.
At the 68 Ventures Bowl on Saturday, South Alabama absolutely boat raced Eastern Michigan, winning 59-10 and after the game the Jaguars stood out on the field to sing the fight song with the fans in Mobile, as it was effectively a home game for the Jags. Apparently that loss was too much for EMU defensive back Korey Hernandez, who ran back on the field and sucker punched a South Alabama player, sparking a massive brawl in the end zone.
It was a wild scene and it was an extremely ridiculous move by Hernandez, who not only made a terrible decision to run out and punch a guy from behind, but it was even dumber because he ran over there without his helmet on and started a fight with a bunch of guys still wearing their helmets. That’s just bad situational awareness from the young man and might be telling for why they lost by 49 if he thought punching a guy in the helmet while not wearing one himself was going to result in anything other than getting the brakes beaten off of him.
Over the past few weeks, the public has mourned the deaths of entertainers like Andre Braugher, Shane MacGowan, Matthew Perry, and Colin Burgess. Sadly, that wave of grief strikes again. On Saturday, December 23, it was revealed that The Chicks’ founding member Laura Lynch tragically died at the age of 65.
In a gut-wrenching post on the country group’s Instagram page, current members Emily Strayer, Martie Maguire, and Natalie Maines shared a joint statement. According to People, Lynch’s death was the result of a head-on collision in Hudspeth County, Texas, on Friday, December 22.
Read the complete statement from The Chicks’ current member below.
We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks. We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing, and traveling together. Laura was a bright light…her infectious energy and humor gave a spark to the early days of our band. Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band. Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the Midwest.
Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time.
The new year looks like it’s ending on a weird, unfortunate note for Charlie Sheen. According to TMZ, the Los Angeles Police Department were summoned to the actor’s home last week after he was the victim of a home invasion, which left the actor assaulted but not hospitalized.
Per TMZ‘s report, on Wednesday one of Sheen’s neighbors allegedly forced her way into his home after he opened the door to her, having heard a knock. She then reportedly ripped open Sheen’s shirt and attempted to strangle him. After the purported attack, she simply went back to her home.
The LAPD eventually arrested her, booking her for assault with a deadly weapon and burglary, the latter for forcing her way into his home. Sheen was not sent to the hospital.
Sheen reportedly doesn’t know what prompted his neighbor to attack him, but it’s not their first altercation. He told deputies that he’s pretty sure she’s the person who recently squirted his car with some type of sticky liquid. She also is alleged to have dumped trash in front of his door the day before her break-in.
Sheen has kept a low profile of late, only making recent news after he took umbrage with his daughter joining OnlyFans. That prompted his ex-wife and her mother, Denise Richards, to do the same, with strong results.
It’s been over three years since Donald Trump lost re-election, and you know who’s never gotten over it? Donald Trump. The former president may have left the White House in disgrace, but he never admitted defeat, never conceded to Joe Biden, and continues to baselessly claim he actually won. He’s stuck in the past, and one of his cronies thinks that may doom his future.
“I accept the election results of 2020. I’m worried about 2024,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham tells @PierreTABC.
Per Raw Story, the South Carolina senator went on ABC’s This Week on Christmas Eve, during which he was inevitably asked about his on-again-off-again buddy. At one point host Pierre Thomas asked what kind of message Trump was sending young people by not admitting he lost.
“Now, we teach our children when they lose something to shake the opponent’s hand and move on,” Pierre said. “Are you concerned that the former president is not setting the proper standard going forward here, sir?”
At first Graham deflected, claiming Hillary Clinton also believed she’d been “cheated,” though he failed to note that she conceded and hasn’t spent the last seven years relentlessly growling about alleged election fraud. But Graham did then sort of answer the question.
“If President Trump puts a vision out improving security and prosperity for Americans, he will win,” Graham said. “If he looks back, I think he will lose. So at the end of the day, the 2020 election’s over for me.”
He added, “We need to secure the ballot in the 2024 cycle, but Donald Trump’s not the first person to complain about an election.”
Graham has a wacky relationship with Trump. He was a hater all the way up till the 2016 election, at which point he went all-in. After the Jan. 6 riot, a wigged out Graham announced he was done with him. It only took a matter of weeks for him to return to the fold, and he’s stayed there even as the big guy’s supporters have loudly turned on him, prompting minimal pushback from Trump himself.
Donald Trump loves holding massive rallies, lording over his legions of fans, being out in the wild rather than stowed away in an ivory tower. But how many die hards have seen him up close and personal? Do they know that he might give off some bad b.o.? That’s what one of his critics recently claimed, prompting some even trashier pushback.
I’m genuinely surprised how people close to Trump haven’t talked about the odor.
It’s truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can
“I’m genuinely surprised how people close to Trump haven’t talked about the odor,” Adam Kinzinger tweeted earlier this month. “It’s truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can.”
Kinzinger, of course, is one of the most outspoken Trump critics, one of the too few Republicans who dared call out the former president over his prolific malfeasance. He’s long been on Trump’s sh*t list, and his accusations were naturally returned in kind.
“Adam Kinzinger farted on live TV and is an unemployed fraud,” a Trump spokesperson told The Independent. “He has disgraced his country and disrespects everyone around him because he is a sad individual who is mad about how his miserable life has turned out.”
It’s not clear what farting incident the Trump team is referring to here. Perhaps they’re confusing Kinzinger with another Trump critic, Eric Swalwell, who indeed (probably) farted on live TV back in 2019.
Still, Kinzinger isn’t the only person who’s called out Trump’s allegedly pungent b.o. Earlier this year Kathy Griffin, who’s spent time with him on The Apprentice, told his renegade niece, Mary Trump, that “Donald has a distinct smell that doesn’t get enough press.”
Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.
TIE: 10. Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning (HBO docuseries streaming on Max)
True-crime junkies can get an end-of-year fix with this deep dive into an infamous Boston homicide that terrorized a neighborhood and also ignited long-standing racial tensions in the community. A series of wide-ranging family and law enforcement interviews, old and new, paint a different view of this case than has come to light in the public eye before now. Overall, this case illustrates why rushing to justice can work much more damage than when the wheels of justice do their typical (albeit frustrating) slow dance toward resolution.
TIE: 10. Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story (Columbia Pictures movie streaming on Netflix)
Director Neil Blomkamp really only wanted to talk about Gran Turismo, so let’s do that here. This story follows the story of real-life gaming wizard Jann Mardenborough (portrayed by Archie Madekwe), who is able to fulfill his dreams of becoming a participant in a real-life racing academy while being trained by driver Jack Salter (David Harbour). Orlando Bloom, Geri Halliwell, and Djimon Hounsou co-star, and the action is not only “off to the races” but off the hook.
Apparent tabloid-esque fare (and a straight-to-Netflix film to boot) actually might turn out to be Oscar territory for Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman. The former portrays a Mary Kay Letourneau-like figure, and the latter pops in as a TV star who ends up seducing the former’s husband. Charles Melton picks up that role, and all three actors have received Golden Globe nominations, so look for a lot more discussion of this movie in the next handful of months.
8. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate film streaming on VOD & Amazon Prime)
This prequel takes place long decades before Katniss Evergreen and Peeta Mallard represented District 12 (while Gale made sad faces at the TV screen). Here, we meet a younger Coriolanis Snow (during the 10th annual Hunger Games) as he connects with District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird. Will the odds be ever in anyone’s favor in Panem? Viewers already know how Snow turns out, but here, new-old shades of him are on display, and Lucy’s defiant song will ignite The Capitol, but man, be careful of those snakes.
The Cobra Kai guys (Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald) aim for a decidedly more adult audience with this series, in which C. Thomas Howell goes full frontal. Yes, you read that correctly. The actual story revolves around Vegas-set antics, where elite special-party-forces believe that they’ve caused a nuke to not cause fallout that would leave Vegas, but once the booze sets in, so does reality, so they must try to save the world while smashed. Uh oh.
Let’s get one thing straight: if you love the angry nuclear lizard, then you must go watch Godzilla Minus One in theaters because it shaped up to be the best Godzilla movie in cinematic history. You will probably also enjoy this show where Kurt Russell is kind-of friends with Godzilla, and Kurt’s son, Wyatt, portrays a younger version of Kurt’s Army officer character. Got it? Good.
These might be the golden streaming days of adapting beloved serial novels, and Gary Oldman might be portraying a cantankerous bloke, but he’s clearly having the time of his life in this role. He doesn’t have to bother being sophisticated as a spymaster, for he can simply lead a bunch of inept and rather obnoxious fail-hards who are showing us the less suave side of British intelligence. The series is based upon Mick Herronthe’s Slough Horses novels, and this series is being cranked out so fast that you might not even mind only six episodes this season.
4. Thanksgiving (Sony Pictures Releasing film on VOD & Amazon Prime)
Fifteen years after the most outrageous Grindhouse trailer surfaced, Eli Roth finally released this feature film that earned critical and audience raves alike. And just in time for another holiday, the film (for which there will be a sequel) is now available anywhere you can VOD. The shark-loving, hair-gelling Roth delivered a viscerally enjoyable horror throwback that should make you feel at least slightly thankful that you aren’t spending the holiday season with a psychotic, masked pilgrim on the loose. Small blessings!
Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke all star in the same Netflix flick, which means that streaming has truly arrived. Carve out plenty of time if you can to watch this Sam Esmail-directed project produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, and it’s an apparent apocalyptic tale like no other. It’s actually a pretty darn bonkers movie with messages from deer and everything. The streaming realm is off the hook, y’all.
The final season of this royal soap opera took a breather after the Diana arc, and Queen Elizabeth’s eras now come full circle while the age of William might be upon us? Actually, scratch that because the queen realizes that both Harry and William are ill-prepared to be king. As well, it’s time for William to get to know Kate Middleton after a certain fashion show caught his attention. There actually might be too much Will and Kate in these final episodes, but nonetheless, their courtship provides an interesting contrast to both Diana and Charles’ early days, but this story ends before the entrance of Meghan Markle.
This second season is already whooping some serious ass and has already managed to top every other Amazon Original series this year in number of both interested dads and overall viewers. Bad Luck and Trouble is the inspiration for this round of episodes, and Alan Ritchson is crushing it (literally) while portraying the junk-food-guzzling force to be reckoned with. As a special treat this time, we get to see how he used to and currently operates as part of a team, and The Big Guy does not let anyone mess with the Special Investigators. Or civilians. No one had better stand in the way of him eating a sandwich, either.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
(@tabirain13) 
DELETED AT 17.1K (@Provokatov) 
(@MykeYonce) 
(@AdamKinzinger) 