Category: News

While the much-talked about “Red Wave” that the GOP was talking about for months ahead of the 2022 midterms never came to be, enough unhinged Republicans managed to keep their seats that it almost doesn’t matter. And by “enough,” we mean Marjorie Taylor Greene who, even by Marjorie Taylor Greene’s standards, really managed to outdo herself over the weekend when she spoke to the New York Virgins Young Republicans Club.

In addition to ranting about how easy it was to find butt plugs and dildos at the nearest CVS or Target — which likely had more than one member of the crowd Googling where the nearest CVS was located — Greene also took the opportunity to deny that she had any involvement in the events of January 6th by bragging about how good she’d be at overthrowing democracy. Seth Meyers gave a recap of her inane babbling on Monday night’s show.

The way Meyers see it, even though the results of the midterms clearly showed that “Trump’s routine” is no longer working with many voters, “some of the GOP’s most prominent politicians are still leaning further in the direction of MAGA extremism after it was rejected by voters.” Case in point: Queen Space Lasers herself. In addition to mentioning her obsession with the wide availability of sex toys (because, how couldn’t he?), Meyers was more concerned with the fact that “this person” is actually going to have power in our government. “GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has essentially made a pact with Greene and other extremists to keep them happy and let them run wild in exchange for their votes,” Meyers explained. This will include allowing Greene to serve on committees again, a privilege which she was previously barred from after what Meyers described as “a series of bigoted and inflammatory remarks.”

But if you think MTG 2.0 is a kinder, gentler sort of Republican, think again. Because, as Meyers explained, the butt plug banter was just small talk:

She also joked that if she and Trump ally Steve Bannon, who was also present at the event, had been in charge of the attempt to overturn the election results on January 6th, they would’ve won — because they would have had weapons…

You see, the joke is that conservatives are such blood-thirsty psychopaths, if they had actually planned the insurrection on the Capitol, it would have been way more violent. That’s like if Holiday Inn ran an ad that said, ‘If White Lotus took place here, more people would have died.’

You can watch the full clip beginning around the 6:50 mark.

At a moment when everything Leonardo DiCaprio did counted as news, a team-up with Martin Scorsese naturally made headlines. Some of the stories beneath those headlines helped explain why he needed to work with someone like Scorsese — he wanted to have the sort of career he envisioned for himself.

“Pretty boy Leonardo DiCaprio is set to play a tough guy in his next films,” gossip columnists George Rush and Joanna Molloy wrote in their New York Daily News column when word got out that Scorsese had cast him in his next film, Gangs of New York, in 1999. It wasn’t hard to hear the scoffing behind the phrasing. What’s a teen idol like Leonardo DiCaprio doing in a Scorsese movie?

DiCaprio was still trying to find his way after Titanic and the glaring spotlight that followed that film’s unprecedented success didn’t always make that easy. The Man in the Iron Mask, his Titanic follow-up, had been a success, albeit on a more modest scale, but DiCaprio didn’t want to be the kind of movie star that leaped from blockbuster to blockbuster. He tweaked his image by playing an unpleasant version of himself in Woody Allen’s 1998 film Celebrity and attempted to stretch out with the 2000 film The Beach, a dark thriller directed by Danny Boyle working from an Alex Garland novel. After that film earned mixed reviews, it felt like DiCaprio’s star might be fading.

Scorsese helped change that, but it’s fair to say that he needed DiCaprio as much as DiCaprio needed him, at least when it came to getting his long-unrealized dream project made. Scorsese had been attempting to make Gangs since the late-’70s, but the budget needed for a sprawling film set in 19th-century New York kept getting in the way. And commercially, Scorsese wasn’t coming off a hot streak in the late-’90s after Kundun and Bringing Out the Dead. But DiCaprio’s name helped open doors.

Thus began the second great ongoing star collaboration of Scorsese’s career following the eight films he’d made with Robert De Niro up to that point. However unlikely it seemed at the time, it’s proven to be an enduring partnership, resulting in five films to date with another, Killers of the Flower Moon, set to arrive next year. And, for a time, it even looked like Scorsese’s career could be divided into De Niro and DiCaprio phases, though that ended with the De Niro reunion The Irishman. (Killers of the Flower Moon will find De Niro, DiCaprio, and Scorsese collaborating together for the first time — not counting a 2015 promotional short called “The Audition.”)

It’s an extensive enough body of work to call for a ranking. So, with the caveat that all five DiCaprio/Scorsese collaborations are pretty terrific, let’s try to put this collection of films about crime, gangsters, and haunted men in an order that makes sense.

5. Gangs of New York (2002)

In terms of pure quality Gangs of New York might deserve to rank a little higher on this list. But if we’re focusing on the DiCaprio-ness of these movies it’s the weakest entry. Not that DiCaprio is bad in Gangs of New York. He’s quite good. But there aren’t many moments in which his work elevates the film. Admittedly, he has considerable competition, both because of the sheer magnitude of the production and because of Daniel Day Lewis’s incredible work as the monstrous Bill the Butcher, the sort of performance that can dwarf everyone else on-screen.

4. The Aviator (2004)

Howard Hughes — the business magnate, film producer, and, yes, aviator who became an international celebrity before retreating into seclusion — had been portrayed on film before The Aviator. Jason Robards played him in his late-in-life Vegas recluse phase in Jonathan Demme’s Melvin & Howard and Terry O’Quinn brought him to life as a patriotic philanthropist in The Rocketeer. But this biopic attempts to go deeper than previous efforts, primarily following Hughes (DiCaprio) during an eventful stretch between 1927 and 1947 during which he branched out into the movie business and attempted to revolutionize flight with the enormous all-wood transport plane the Spruce Goose. DiCaprio delivers a finely calibrated performance, drawing on his movie star charisma to depict Hughes at his most dashing while slowly revealing the cracks in his psyche. The film’s final scene is one of the most haunting in DiCaprio and Scorsese’s collaborative work.

3. Shutter Island (2010)

Speaking of cracked psyches… actually, it’s best not to reveal too much about why DiCaprio’s work in this psychological thriller is so devastating. For those who haven’t seen it, it’s best just to go along for the dark ride. Adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel, the film stars DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal who travels to an island hospital for the criminally insane in search of a murderer who’s disappeared. Once there he finds himself troubled by visions from his own past, including his traumatic World War II service. A horror film at heart, Shutter Island finds Scorsese drawing on everything from Val Lewton movies to then-recent Japanese and Korean shockers to create a film that sets an unsettling mood with its opening moments and never eases up.

2. The Departed (2006)

Scorsese finally won a Best Picture Oscar for this remake of Hong Kong filmmakers Andy Lau and Alan Mak’s 2002 film Infernal Affairs about a gangster posing as a cop and a cop posing as a gangster. Playing opposite Matt Damon, DiCaprio stars as Billy Costigan, a Massachusetts state trooper troubled by the requirements of living as an outlaw in the service of a pitiless mob boss played by Jack Nicholson. Scorsese has specialized in men tormented by the desire to do good and the appeal of sin since Who’s That Knocking at My Door? and DiCaprio’s performance gives the director another in a long line of unforgettable tormented heroes.

1. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

In recounting the career of crooked stockbroker Jordan Belfort who conned his way into building an empire, Scorsese holds nothing back. It’s a vision of excess that delights in cinematic excess of its own, whether depicting office orgies or a quaalude binge gone horribly awry. It’s a funny film that never loses sight of the moral consequences of the story it’s telling. DiCaprio’s performance is in lockstep with his director’s demands, playing Belfort as a charmer who comes to believe himself to be invincible — and seemingly with good reason. He’s a con man who’s so good he even cons those watching the movie as we watch him pile on lie upon lie. Even the final act comeuppance suggests his brand of bullshittery always finds a way to surface in new forms.

Rosalía‘s third album, Motomami, proved to be one of this year’s most acclaimed projects. But a particular track on the record stirred up quite a bit of buzz. On the track, “Hentai,” Rosalía puts her fantasies on display. Some of the cleaner lyrics include “Te quiero ride / Como a mi bike / Hazme un tape / Modo Spike,” which translates to “I want to ride you like a bike, and make me a tape, like Spike,” presumably referring to director Spike Lee.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Rosalía said she tapped into her own mystique and power to write the song.

“I think there’s too much taboo with certain subjects, and that taboos restrict your freedom,” she said. “Feminine energy, there’s an erotic superiority in femininity. Why not write from there? Why not make a song from that place, where you’re owning your desires?”

Elsewhere in the interview, Rosalía admitted that she doesn’t pay much attention to streaming numbers or charts. She also cited artists like Lil Kim and Tego Calderon as influences, noting she prefers to listen to music when she can tell the artists “don’t give a f*ck.”

“My favorite artists, you feel that need to communicate coming from them,” she said. “There’s that need for freedom first, like even if nobody was listening they would still have that need to create. You can tell that for some people that’s not their biggest goal; maybe their focus is more on money or fame. When those priorities aren’t there, there’s a surrender in that.”

The holidays look different for everybody. For some, a cozy pajama set gets them in the festive holiday spirits. Maybe a cheerful holiday playlist featuring classics like “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. Others require a few cups of spiked eggnog or hot cocoa. But for Emmy-Award-winning rapper/singer Lizzo, it’s a combination of a few things.

The Grammy-winning is giving into her unique festive holiday energy, and it’s about damn time. In a fun Instagram video captioned, “100% That Grinch,” Lizzo is taking cosplaying to a whole new level. Dressed in a green striped catsuit with a bondage-style corset overlay, ombré green hair, and long green pointed stiletto nails, the singer is setting into the role of Mrs. Grinch and is ready to get the holiday party started.

As Shelby Swain’s “Mrs. Grinch” plays in the back, she twerks along to the chorus to hype herself up before performing at Z100’s Jingle Ball concert.

We know Missy Elliott requested the singer turn her latest album, Special, into a musical, but now, we’d rather see Lizzo in a remake of the beloved Dr. Seuss story.

This weekend, Lizzo is set to appear on Saturday Night Live alongside actor Austin Butler. It makes you wonder, will Lizzo bring out her reimagined Mrs. Grinch for her featured performance?

A week after being pulled off the air following photo confirmation of their alleged affair, Good Morning America anchors Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are still benched as ABC continues to investigate the matter. According to a new report from The Daily Beast, network brass is reportedly digging deep into the couple’s expense reports. However, the two have reportedly not been interviewed yet, and they’re being kept on ice until ABC figures out what to do.

“It’s a f*cked-up situation and there’s probably going to have to be some sacrificial lambs,” a network insider told The Daily Beast while claiming that ABC News President Kim Godwin is focused on protecting herself and navigating a situation where she knows it will look bad if she fires one anchor but not the other.

In the meantime, Godwin has been prepping a “rotation of anchors” to fill in while Robach and Holmes’ fate is decided, according to a memo to staffers on Monday:

“I understand that the continuing coverage can be distracting from the incredibly important work our team does here at ABC News. Amy and T.J. will remain off-air pending the completion of an internal review, and there will be a rotation of anchors at GMA3 for the time being. It is my hope that we will continue to focus our energy on what we do best, and I want all of you to know how immensely proud I am of your hard work and professionalism.”

The alleged affair has reportedly caused plenty of behind-the-scenes drama as ABC co-workers were not thrilled to see Holmes joking about the issue on the air. He’s also been accused of having an affair with another ABC employee prior to his relationship with Robach, so there’s been no shortage of messiness.

(Via The Daily Beast)

For a while, it seemed as if anything might ever be more amusing than Marjorie Taylor Greene calling for the “gazpacho police” — until she felt “fragrantly violated.” While there’s nothing even remotely funny about an unhinged conspiracy theorist being voted into office for a second term, it’s hard not to laugh at the things that truly annoy Marjorie Taylor Greene. Like the convenience of dildos and butt plugs now being sold at CVS and Target.

On Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel gave a play-by-play of Greene’s recent visit to the New York Young Republicans Club, where she bragged that if she and Steve Bannon had been in charge of the January 6th coup, “we would have won.” But the icing on the top of this insurrection cake was when Marge took aim at sex toys, telling these young Republicans about how teachers are now seemingly handing out “dildos, butt plugs, and lube,” then helpfully told the crowd that “by the way: you can pick up a butt plug or dildo at Target and CVS now.”

“Sounds like someone’s giving her Secret Santa a hint!,” was Kimmel’s immediate response to that odd bit of highly specific intel.

The host also admitted that he always wonders “where they get this stuff? These non-problems they get all worked up about. Well, it turns out, as is often the case, it was a topic tackled by the always-vigilant crew at the Tucker Carlson show.” And if you thought hearing Greene say the word “butt plug” was funny, you clearly haven’t seen Tucker’s reaction to someone else talking about dildos.

It was a momentous moment in the history of news, as Kimmel pointed out: “We just witnessed a dildo reporting on another dildo. I never thought I’d see the day.”

You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 4:50 mark.

Snoop Dogg’s esteemed debut album, 1993’s Doggystyle, turns 30 years old next year. Indeed, Snoop has been in hip-hop for a long time, and during his tenure, times have changed: Early in his career, he used to type his lyrics with a typewriter, he revealed in a recent interview on The 85 South Comedy Show.

At about 43 minutes into the video, Snoop was asked about G-funk group The Dove Shack and he responded, “2Scoops, that was in the group… when I first started writing raps, I used to use that n**** typewriter.” After some playful ribbing from the hosts, he continued:

“I was writing on paper ’cause I would lose my sh*t and this n**** typewriter was organized. This n**** had paper organized and sh*t, so I’m like, ‘I’m just gonna type my sh*t up.’ Man, I used to type like 65 words a minute, n****. […] It was a skill I took up at junior high school, at the little white junior high school I went to. They gave a n**** typing class and I took it. I was one of them students that was like… I took a wood class, a metal class, I took typing, I took home economics. I took classes that was, like, different.”

Check out the full interview above.

Drake added a new diamond chain to his collection and this one is raising some eyebrows. The Canadian rapper, who’s gained a reputation for being a sad playboy, has one child and apparently 42 engagements that he never went through with. In public knowledge, Drake has never proposed to anyone — but the theme of his new “Previous Engagements” chain includes diamond rings from every moment Drake didn’t follow through.

The Y-shaped chain was revealed on jewelry designer Alex Moss’s Instagram, as he shared him and Drake both worked on it. “New piece titled ‘Previous Engagements’ for all the times he thought about it but never did it,” Moss captioned. “42 engagement rings, 351.38 carats in diamonds.”

The voiceover on Moss’s video also reveals that the creation process took over 14 months, with “each diamond hand-selected.”

Doing the math, each one of Drake’s diamond engagement rings would’ve been approximately 8.4 carats each. According to The Diamond Registry, the average cost of an average wholesale certified ring of this carat ranges from $796,416 to $11,883,584. Now, take that cost and repeat it 42 times in your head. It makes sense that Drake decided to repurpose all that money into some bling of his own… if he bought them before.

Or he was just going for the symbolism of it all, in typical Drake fashion.

Back when Emily In Paris debuted in October 2020, the show had not yet upset people by scoring an awards nomination over I May Destroy You on HBO. The fluffy Netflix series did, however, spark controversy with the perky ignorance of its lead character, Emily Cooper, who went to work in France despite knowing about two words of French. Also very bizarre: Emily Cooper posted a few kissy photos on Instagram in front of baguettes and whatnot, which led her to become an effortless social media sensation.

I do enjoy this show, but even I have to admit that’s pretty silly. Emily somehow even nabbed the attention of French First Lady Brigette Macron, who gave her a retweet that solidified her place at Savoir. It makes no sense! Yet in a meta moment that reflects our odd timeline, Lily Collins has revealed that Macron is truly a fan of what she’s doing: “She’s actually a really big fan of the show.” Yes, it’s true. You can watch that moment at the 3:00 minute mark above, right after Lily and Stephen Colbert discuss her new Vogue France cover. Resistance is futile, as the Borg noted.

Also! Lily informs us how she discovered that Emily Cooper’s apartment shows up on Google Maps, in case you’re ever in the neighborhood and want to drop by and stare at the window.

Soon, you’ll be able to see how her character deals with a major life transition (part of this includes getting bangs, as one does), and Chef Gabriel will get sloppy drunk because this show somehow hasn’t ground that love triangle into the ground. Ah, the power of “enchanté” and a dirty skillet.

Netflix’s Emily In Paris returns on December 21.

[This post contains spoilers for The White Lotus]

The biggest surprise in The White Lotus season two finale wasn’t Portia’s grandma-core outfit; she’s been dressing that way all season. It was Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya blasting the high-end gays (and their big-donged Italian friend) with a gun before they could do the same to her, only for her to meet her demise when she attempts to escape the yacht.

R.I.P. (the “P” stands for “Peppa”).

It was a shocking ending for one of the only characters to appear in both seasons one and two, who was expected to return for season three. But maybe she still can. There’s two options here: season three is a prequel (did someone say early ’90s ski lodge?), or better yet, creator Mike White could find inspiration from Coolidge’s personal life.

Last year, pop culture’s number one MILF told The Kelly Clarkson Show host Kelly Clarkson about a vacation she went on (there were no suitcases full of poop involved… probably). “Quite a few years back, I did come to Hawaii and when you come and you’re on vacation alone, you can kind of like create anything you want. I ended up meeting these two guys that were best friends and I liked them both, and so I told them that I had an identical twin and I dated both guys… for two weeks,” she said. “I don’t know if I would have the guts to do that now but at the time it really was sort of a great decision.”

It would also be a great decision for Tanya to have a twin sister in season three. This would be a soap opera-ass way to keep Jennifer Coolidge on the show, because the more Jennifer Coolidge, the better. And if Tanya’s twin sister — named, let’s say, Sanya — gets revenge on Greg by cutting his penis off, even better.