Category: News

Robert Downey Jr. is hard at work promoting his new documentary, Sr., an in-depth look at the man who shares his namesake Robert Downey Sr. In a sprawling new interview that dives deep into their unusual father/son relationship, an open and candid Downey reflected on his transformative career and responded to Quentin Tarantino‘s recent remarks that Marvel actors aren’t movie stars.

As the godfather of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’d assume Downey would give one of his pithy responses as he done in the past when people have criticized the Marvel films. But this time around, the actor is now three years removed from playing Tony Stark and just completed work on Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Instead, Downey gave a more profound response about the constant need to thread the needle between commerce and art.

Via Deadline:

I think our opinions on these matters say a lot about us. I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality. But it’s a double-edged sword. A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it, and you can have some great IP even if it’s coming from an auteur or a national treasure of a writer-director, and if you don’t have the right kind of artist playing that role, you’ll never know how good it could have been.

Of course, Downey couldn’t help but offer a more blunt reaction about the state of the industry, but in the spirit of celebrating all filmmakers.

“I think that creatively it is a waste of time to be at war with ourselves,” Downey said. “I think this is a time when everything is so much more fragmented now that I think you have this kind of bifurcation. Throwing stones one way or another … and I’ve had my reactions in the past when people said things that I felt were discrediting my integrity … I go, ‘You know what? Let’s just get over it. We’re all a community. There’s enough room for everything,’ and thank God for Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. That’s all I have to say. We need the big stuff to make room for films like Armageddon Time.”

(Via Deadline)

Notorious Botox Boy Vladimir Putin has had quite a run of mortifying events over the past few weeks. He reportedly pooped himself after falling down some stairs, and he’s been very surprised that Russia continues to suffer humiliating setbacks in Ukraine. To counter this continuing mess, Putin decided to hop in a Mercedes for a PR stunt, which involved him touring part of a bridge that was bombed in October. That bridge led to Crimea, which Putin previously annexed in 2014, seven decades after it had transferred from Soviet Russia to Soviet Ukraine.

As the New York Times previously detailed, Ukraine has never officially claimed to have destroyed this bridge (which is vital to connecting southern Ukraine and Russia). Yet it’s understood that Zelenskyy’s forces are responsible for pulling off this “spectacular act of sabotage” (with a truck full of explosives that detonated at a strategic point, also next to a traveling train) which has been particularly “embarrassing” to Putin. It signaled this his army was unable to protect its lone connection to Crimea, and structural experts also declared this to be an act of “sophisticated planning.”

As Reuters now reports, Putin is attempting to erase this Russian screw-up by driving a Mercedes across the part of the bridge that’s been repaired:

Putin, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, was shown on state television behind the wheel of a Mercedes, asking questions about where the attack took place.

“We are driving on the right hand side,” Putin said, as he drove across the bridge. “The left side of the bridge, as I understand it, is in working condition, but nevertheless it needs to be completed. It still suffered a little, we need to bring it to an ideal state.”

Footage of Putin’s tour landed straight on Russian State TV, perhaps in an effort to falsely communicate a military comeback to the Russian people.

And it’s no wonder that we’re seeing a more “desperate” Putin these days. He’s terrified of being killed if this war doesn’t somehow turn around. Given the difficulty of Putin staying stocked up with troops and supplies, however, he probably shouldn’t expect a Russian miracle anytime soon.

(Via Reuters & New York Times)

Yesterday, R&B superstar Summer Walker shared a rather bizarre job posting. The “Ex For A Reason” hitmaker took to her Instagram Story to announce that she was looking for an assistant. However, said assistant must fit an oddly specific set of requirements.

On her Story, Walker said, “Need a male assistant. $2,000 a month. Based in Atlanta. Have to have a car. How to know how to build stuff. Preferably white or gay.”

Toward the bottom of the post, she noted that her assistant must not “give af about who [she is] or [her] music.”

It’s tough to know where to begin on this post — the cheap labor, the class and race discrimination, the vague job requirements. It goes without saying that Twitter had a field day.

“2K a month? Girl go to hell lmaoo,” said one Twitter user.

The fact that her budget only allowed for that type of wage also led fans to believe that she is in a bad recording deal. Another Twitter user called for people to “stream her music so she can pay a liveable wage.”

One Twitter user expressed that she may have a hard time finding someone who isn’t well versed in her catalog, as she shared the post on her social media accounts. “Why would someone who doesn’t care about your music be following you,” she asked.

Walker later shared videos on her Story, defending the job criteria, saying, “If you don’t know what you’re talking about, then why are you talking about it? I really would like to know that. ‘Oh, $2K ain’t enough, $2K ain’t enough.’ How do you know if it’s not enough? I could have told somebody to come over here once a week and smell my asshole and leave. How do you know it’s not enough? Do you know the job description? Do you know the hours?”

She continued, saying, “I am on maternity leave, I’m not working. We have no shows, we have no club appearances, we have nowhere to go and nothing to do. I told somebody to come over here once a week to come take my f*cking trash out, sh*t like that. Put some gas in my car, sh*t I don’t feel like doing. But that is not y’all business, I don’t have to explain that to you.”

Still, despite the strange requirements, it appears Walker filled the position, and apparently with a Black man, whom she is paying more than the initially shared salary.

“How about we mind our business?,” she said toward the end of the video. “I’m using this platform how I’m supposed to use it — for business. I ended up hiring a Black man and paying more than $2K, but still, the fact that y’all are really in my DMs harassing me about nothing that you know nothing about.”

Ashton Kutcher opened up about his relationship with his twin brother in the latest episode of the Paramount+ series, The Checkup with Dr. David Agus.

His sibling, Michael, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy from a young age, and when they were teenagers, the family “learned that Michael had an enlarged heart and had three to four weeks to live without a transplant,” according to ET Online. “While doctors initially thought they could buy some time with a drug treatment, Michael later crashed, was moved to the top spot on the transplant list, and given 48 hours to live.”

Ashton recalled the moment he was told about the severity of his brother’s condition.

“I was at my friend’s house, suddenly my dad picks me up and is like, ‘You’re going to go see your brother.’ In hindsight you realize, they want me to see him because they don’t know where this is going,” the actor said, holding back years. “I go in the room and I’m like, ‘Whoa! Everything’s not OK.’ He flatlines in the room… They’re grabbing me and they take me out.” It was then that Ashton thought to himself, “If anyone’s a match, I’m a match.” He even considered taking his own life, so he could give his heart to his brother. “This balcony looks far enough to take things,” he remembers thinking:

Dr. Agus told ET that, for Ashton, that moment “was the realization that this could be the end” for Michael. “Ashton went to his parents and said, ‘Take my heart.’ He said it truthfully. He really wanted to give it to his brother,” Dr. Agus said. “…The person he loved most in the world, his brother, [was] going through this and he wasn’t able to… just push [Michael] along. He had helped his brother with cerebral palsy and some social issues at school, but now here’s an issue that he can’t fix.”

Thankfully, Michael found a match. He and Ashton didn’t always get along (“Every time you feel sorry for me, you make me less,” he once told his That ’70s Show star brother), but they see each as “straight up equals” now. You can watch the full episode above.

The Checkup with Dr. David Agus is available now on Paramount+.

(Via ET Online)

Selena Gomez made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night (December 5) to discuss her Apple TV+ documentary, My Mind & Me and the song she released for the film. Oh, and she also teased that she has even more music on the horizon, which will have fans super excited for her new era.

The reveal came after Fallon asked what Gomez is planning next, following “My Mind & Me.” It also seems she’s produced some pop bangers rather than emotional ballads.

“That’s accurate,” Gomez replied in regards to rumors of new music. “I’m so used to writing sad-girl songs because I’m good at that. But I’m ready to have some fun and I think people are going to like it.”

The pair briefly talked about the documentary also, as the release chronicles years of Gomez’s life and her struggle with both mental and physical health.

“We kind of went through all the different phases of my life, from you know, getting diagnosed and doing all the things that I had to go through,” she said. “I’m not gonna lie: I can’t watch it. And to be honest, I was scared to release it, but I knew that being honest and completely transparent was what I want to be known for. I don’t want to be an unattainable thing.”

However, Fallon eventually lightened the mood by discussing one of Gomez’s old crushes from her time on Disney Channel: Cole Sprouse. As it turns out, Cole’s brother, Dylan, was actually Gomez’s first kiss — on television for The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody. “I think I felt much better that it wasn’t him because I probably would’ve been an idiot,” she jokes. “He was the love of my life.”

Watch Gomez’s full interview on Fallon above.

There are many things rapper ASAP Rocky has to be thankful for this holiday season, most notably his budding new family with music superstar Rihanna. Shortly after going public with their relationship, the couple welcomed their first child in the world in May.

With assault charges and a civil lawsuit lingering over the Harlem native’s head, Rocky is devoting every waking second to his infant son. The “Sh*ttin Me” rapper spoke with Complex‘s Jessica McKinney about how fatherhood has been treating him. This isn’t the first time Rocky has opened up, but it has been the most lengthy statement.

Rocky gushed, “It’s beautiful,” before adding, “Honestly, I think fatherhood gives me more time to do exactly what I want. I don’t have time for anything that isn’t priorities. It helps you prioritize, honestly. I love it. Everything is just based around my newfound love for being a dad and a family man. It’s lit right now. I can’t even describe it. Yo, you see this smile! I’m all smiles right now, man.”

When the rapper isn’t wrapped up in his responsibilities as a father, he’s expanding his budding fashion empire. According to Rocky, that’s precisely how he likes it: “I’m in a place where I want to give my all to all of this. All I have is my craft, my art, and my family. That’s just my life. I just want to give motherf*ckers some dope sh*t. They’re going to see. It’s going to be ill.”

In the penultimate episode of season two of The White Lotus, Tanya (played by the wonderful Jennifer Coolidge) tells her millennial assistant, Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), “When I see you, I… I see a younger version of me.” It’s a tragic line in the context of the show (Tanya later adds, “Get your sh*t together, Portia”), but realistic in real life. As pointed out by Twitter user @dynamofire, “holy sh*t when jennifer coolidge says ‘you remind me of a young me’ she was not f*cking around at ALL.”

You can see for yourself here.

“Wow! What a missed opportunity to make her Tanya’s daughter,” one person wrote in response to the side-by-side photos. “Holy f*cking god” went another. @douglasmartini noted, “There is a lot of great meta stuff with Coolidge this season and I’m all the way here for it,” while others are recalling the time that Coolidge was on Seinfeld.

The viral tweet did not come up during Richardson’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, but she did discuss, uh, stalking Aubrey Plaza. “I know she has a lot of crazed fans, but I’m like one of the top three,” the actress said. “I legitimately stalked her. Like, I didn’t just stalk her on social media. I showed up to places I was not invited, knowing she was there.” It’s still not as creepy as the witch hat comment, however.

You can watch the Kimmel video below.

(Via Reddit/The White Lotus)

In a Rolling Stone feature from November, Selena Gomez spoke about the kidney transplant she received in 2017, noting that she named her new organ Fred, after Fred Armisen. She explained, “I named my new kidney ‘Fred.’ I named it after Fred Armisen because I love Portlandia. I’ve never met him, but I’m secretly hoping he finds that out just because I want him to be like, ‘That’s weird.’”

Well, it’s been a month since then and Armisen has indeed found out. He had a nice response to the news, too.

Gomez guested on The Tonight Show yesterday (December 5) and during the interview, Jimmy Fallon asked about the kidney and Gomez re-told the story. Fallon then asked if Armisen had heard about this and with a joyful tone that mirrored her wide smile, Gomez said, “Yeah, he sent me flowers. I was so excited.”

Immediately after that, Gomez revealed she has more new music on the way, saying, “I’m just… I’m so used to writing sad-girl songs because I’m good at that, but I’m ready to have some fun and I think people are going to like it.

Check out Gomez’s full interview above. She and Fallon also played a round of a game called “Egg Roulette” on the show, so watch that below.

As some of K-pop’s third generation acts have begun enlisting into the military, many are wondering about the status BTS member Jin’s mandatory military service.

According to a translated report from Soompi, via Naver, BTS’ label, BigHit Music, provided updates to “The Astronaut” singer’s upcoming enlistment. The Korean music giant provided details on the enlistment’s private entrance ceremony as well as the advisory of not crowding the enlistment site or purchasing unauthorized tours and products.

Check the full statement from BigHit below.

“Hello,

This is BIGHIT MUSIC.

We want to thank you for your continued support of BTS and would like to update you on Jin’s upcoming enlistment into the military.

Jin will fulfill his required time with the military by enlisting in the army. Please note that we will not be holding any kind of official event on the day of his recruitment.

The entrance ceremony is a time to be observed by military personnel and their families only. In order to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, we ask fans to please refrain from visiting the site. Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts.

We also advise you not to get adversely affected by purchasing unauthorized tours or product packages illegally using artist IP. Our company will take necessary action against any attempts at commercial activity making unauthorized use of such IP.

We ask for your continued love and support for Jin until he finishes his military service and comes back. Our company will also strive to provide every support he needs during this time.

Thank you.”

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Jin would go into basic military training before receiving his official assignment at the Yeoncheon County of Gyeonggi Province recruiting center on December 13. However, BigHit Music has not yet confirmed.

What a time to be alive to be a member of BLACKPINK. Or a Blink.

Ahead of Time‘s annual Person Of The Year reveal, the legacy publisher unveiled its 2022 Entertainer Of The Year yesterday evening (December 5) and it was BLACKPINK. Time celebrated the K-pop powerhouses on their impact on pushing the boundaries of K-pop and Korean entertainment across borders and onto a global scale. Other than an ongoing sold out tour, they mention the four-piece’s achievements on having the best-selling album from a Korean girl group with over 2 million sales, and garnering over 83 million YouTube subscribers.

“Blackpink has managed to become the biggest girl group in the world precisely by allowing its members to be solo stars in their own right,” Time contributor Raisa Bruner writes in her story. “The group may be bigger than the sum of its parts, but each of its parts is bigger than most other pop groups’ combined efforts.”

The December 26 issue of Time, as well as the January 9, 2023 Person Of The Year issue, will go on sale on December 16.

BLACKPINK just recently embarked on the European leg of their world tour and will continue to take the Born Pink Tour to Asia, the Middle East, and more into 2023.