Category: News

Last time on Scenes, St. Petersburg hip-hop group Nü Age Syndicate kicked off the season with their refreshing sense of individuality and style. In this new episode, we’re featuring Van Buren Records, a Brockton, MA-based hip-hop entourage that have a lot to show the world.

“Van Buren Records is a brotherhood — a collective of thirteen strong, independent, hungry Black men from Massachusetts trying to make a way,” explained one member named Ricky Felix. “Confidence plays a big role.” Along with confidence, the group uses their connections with each other to their advantage, thriving together as a whole while simultaneously treasuring their individuality. Each of them has something to bring to the table, which was obvious on their 2021 debut album Bad For Press.

“There’s a lot of different personalities,” another member, Meech Bold, added. “Van Buren is deeper than rap and it’s just beautiful to be a part of that, as you can see.” Their chemistry is evident, and it definitely helps that they all make sure to prioritize artistic freedom above everything else. Each of them has clocked time in all sorts of different projects, but Van Buren is where they can come together and express themselves in a new, refreshing way.

Meet the Van Buren Records crew in the video above, and keep an eye out for future Scenes episodes.

The Utah Jazz moved the two cornerstones of their franchise this offseason. A few months back, Rudy Gobert was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a monster haul of draft picks and young players, and at the beginning of September, a similarly gigantic package was sent to Utah by the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Donovan Mitchell’s services.

Utah’s stash of draft capital should be further bolstered by a few more trades, as veterans like Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, and Mike Conley are believed to be available if the team’s asking price is met. It’s quite the pivot from the Jazz, which long tried to compete in the Western Conference but opted to blow things up this offseason, with team executive Danny Ainge saying it stemmed from the fact that Utah had “a group of players that really didn’t believe in each other.”

In an interview with Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Mitchell pushed back on that assertion. He even went as far as to say that, after the season, he expressed the desire for the franchise to run it back with himself and Gobert.

“I don’t think we didn’t believe [in each other],” Mitchell said to ESPN. “I said at the end of the season, don’t trade [Rudy Gobert]. Let’s figure this out, let’s do. And that didn’t happen. For him to say that after six months around the team, I disagree. But you know, at the end of the day, that’s his decision.”

Much has been made over the years of the relationship between Gobert and Mitchell, to the point that people wondered if there was anything to be made of how infrequently Mitchell passed the ball to Gobert.

One of the more enjoyable aspects of the very intense, endlessly watchable The Bear happens to be how viewers lusted after Carmy (portrayed by Shameless‘ Jeremy Allen White) as the so-called (and first declared by comedian Sarah York) “Sexually Competent Dirtbag.” The irony there is that Carmy never got it on, but there’s always room for him to have sex in Season 2. Surely, he can spare a few moments to do so? I have faith in him. And that vibe is why people loved being reminded of The Bear‘s existence when White and Ayo Edebiri (who played Chef Sydney) appeared onstage at the Emmys.

This only made people think about a second season with renewed fervor because, for some reason, watching White, Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach stress out is very entertaining. In the meantime, we are still seeing fallout from the Internet’s lust for Carmy, and apparently, he knows all about this. It’s not clear whether he intentionally follows memes, but they must be hard to dodge. This includes how Twitter decided that White resembles Gene Wilder of Blazing Saddles and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory fame. Specifically, the term “Ketamine Gene Wilder” has entered the discourse.

As White recently told InStyle during a video interview, he’s up to speed on this situation, and he’s keeping a healthy sense of humor:

“Yeah I’ve been made aware of some of the stuff out there. There’s one in particular: everyone’s decided I, uh, look a lot like Gene Wilder, which I agree. But I guess someone called me ‘Ketamine Gene Wilder.’ Or called Carmy ‘Ketamine Gene Wilder,’ which I thought was weird and funny.”

You can watch this moment shortly after the 2:30 mark below.

The Bear is currently streaming on Hulu.

Quinta Brunson is killing it right now. The Abbott Elementary star and creator is gearing up to release the second season of the hit show next week while celebrating multiple Emmy wins, including Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for Sheryl Lee Ralph.

When she’s not playing Janine, the lovably optimistic second grade teacher, Brunson likes to take on smaller projects in order to not overwork herself. “Right now, I don’t really have time, unless I wanted to work myself to death, to focus on anything but Abbott, and I’m OK with that,” she told Variety after winning her Emmy. But she did have time to make a quick cameo in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

Brunson was approached to have a small role as Oprah interviewing Weird Al, though she didn’t feel like she was up for the challenge at first. “When I first had the Weird Al script, I was like, ‘I can’t play Oprah!’” Brunson explained. Once she realized just how wonderfully silly the movie was, she was in. “Then I read it and I was like, ‘Oh, this is the exact way I was born to play Oprah.’ Quick, easy, silly, fun, but still respectable. I just admire her so much,” she says. Brunson also admitted she spoke to Winfrey for the role, though she didn’t reveal what the talked about.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe as the titular musical parody artist, Weird will debut on the Roku Channel in November, but the screening at TIFF was a hit. “It was a comedy that I hadn’t seen in a long time,” Brunson gushed. “I love Daniel Radcliffe, and Weird Al — I got to meet him — such a sweetheart. I really enjoy doing things I only have to do for one day outside of Abbott.”

As for other smaller roles beyond Abbott, Brunson will also appear in the upcoming Party Down season, which is not a reboot! “I’m a big fan of Adam Scott and got to meet him. I love that it’s not a reboot — it’s a continuation.” It’s safe to say we will be seeing Brunson around for quite a while.

(Via Variety)

Earlier this year, Father John Misty, real name Josh Tillman, released his latest album Chloë And The Next 20th Century after unveiling alluring singles and music videos. He’s back today with the new Live at Electric Lady EP on Spotify, which includes reimagined tracks from that recent LP as well as a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever).”

The cover is a visceral, piano-driven ballad that Tillman has no trouble making into his own. His voice fits naturally as he sings the poetic and hopeful lyrics; he sounds heartfelt and sincere.

This follows the June release of the “Buddy’s Rendezvous” music video directed by Tillman’s wife Emma Elizabeth Tillman who said about it, “‘Buddy’s Rendezvous’ is a world unto itself. It is a place out of time. My dream for the video is that it would surrender itself to the power of the song… Although the video and the song can be considered love letters to Los Angeles, the themes are universal. Disappointments, regrets, forgiveness, tenderness, perseverance, and love. The incredible performances by Arrow, Craig, Gilbert, and David Haley all coalesce to bring this vision to life.

Listen to his cover of “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)” below.

We’re getting closer and closer to the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Thursday ended up being a big day on the road to the World Cup, as Nike announced the kits that its 13 participating teams will wear as they take the pitch this winter.

Some of them are pretty good, while others are very, very bad. To celebrate the occasion, we decided to rank all 13 of the kits that Nike announced.

13. United States

When multiple players take to social media to talk about how upset they are about these before they are even announced, you know something went wrong. Most of my thoughts can be read right here, but one more thing: What the heck is up with that bib on the white kit? Nike went with this on a number of these, and in my opinion, it does not work. Also, per Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated:

According to Nike, the minimal design flourishes on the white jersey are supposed to evoke other popular American team sports. The company’s logo is on each sleeve rather than the right breast, and so is intended to reflect American football jerseys. The centered U.S. Soccer crest is “akin to basketball jerseys,” Nike said, while the shoulder and sleeve seams are supposed to resemble those found on hockey uniforms.

Just make soccer jerseys.

12. Canada

Canada is wearing the shirts they wore during World Cup Qualifying, which saw them come in first place in CONCACAF. They are boring. This is your first trip to the World Cup since 1986! It’s your second time ever making it! Your best players — Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David — are some of the coolest players in the world! These can, and should, be so much better.

11. Poland

Similar issue to Canada, these are just a little better, with the sleeves giving them the edge. Still, boring.

10. The Netherlands

Again, the bib, what are we doing here? As for the home kit, they look like they are made out of satin. Hard pass.

9. South Korea

This is the only photo I could find of the South Korea kits. I don’t have too much to say about them. Son Heung-min is going to wear them, which helps them a lot, because he rocks. I can say that because his team did not play my team this past weekend due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth, and because of his poor form this season mixed with his general ability to terrorize Manchester City, he was -100000 to score twice in a Tottenham win if the game went on.

8. England

God, these are so close. If they didn’t do the gradient thing (or anything!) on the shoulders of the home kit and stayed away from the — just making up a color here — thermonuclear blue on the away kits, I would adore both of these, especially because a clean shirt with a collar is something I will love 100 times out of 100. Instead, both of those things lead to these kits getting knocked down. If only “lots of potential but ultimately comes up short” described literally anything else about England’s national team.

7. Australia

My main gripe here is the crest is just way too big, but that’s a general gripe with what the Socceroos wear. The bib on the away kit is an issue that exists with a number of these, but here it works so much better because of the contrasting blues. The yellow and green on the home kit is sensational. If only the goalkeepers were wearing them so their ultra-annoying and extremely funny national hero Andrew Redmayne could wear it, too.

6. Portugal

Portugal’s cream-colored away kit has really grown on me since they were first dropped — it’s a unique design with colors that work together, even if I wish the sleeves didn’t have the black ring on the end of them. They are legitimately very good. The home shirt, however, is a big “absolutely not” from me. It’s meant to mimic the country’s flag, and I guess the bet they made was this would look better than actually doing a vertical stripe, a la Portugal’s flag? I don’t know, just doesn’t work, especially the fact they tried doing it on both the shirt and its right sleeve.

5. Saudi Arabia

I am a sucker for a green/white color scheme and these scratch that itch in a big way. The home kit is a little boring but generally works, the away kit is spectacular, as the dark green base with light green accents really, really pops. There is a non-zero chance that Saudi Arabia does not earn a single point and it would take a whole lot of things breaking their way for them to make it out of their group, but they do have some really solid kits, which indeed counts for something.

4. Qatar

The hosts are participating in the World Cup for the first time by nature of being the host country, and they’ll do it in some pretty good threads. It’s a bit of a controversial opinion, but I love a good centralized crest, and Qatar’s home kit mixes that with design on the sleeve that evokes their flag. They’re getting knocked a touch because I’m not in love with the away kit blending white and the shade of yellow that is meant to mimic sand, but otherwise, these are great.

t-2. Brazil, Croatia

Both of these run into the exact same issue. One shirt (the yellow home shirt for Brazil, the blue away shirt for Croatia) is phenomenal. The Croatia shirt, specifically, is absolutely unreal, to the point that I am considering purchasing it. But while the blue Brazil shirt and the checkerboard Croatia shirt are both very good on their own, there’s just a little too much messing with perfection going on here — the ultra-vibrant green on the sleeves of the former and the fact it’s not a solid checkerboard on the latter knock them both down a peg. Generally, though, these are spectacular.

1. France

Clean, classic, timeless. The defending World Cup winners are going to look as good as ever in Qatar this year. Honestly, if every country took cues from France on how to take their standard shirts and add a few little tweaks — the landmarks and little nods to the French flag on the white one, specifically — my job would have been much more difficult here.

Who would have thought that eating glass could be bad for you? Certainly not illusionist and actual glass eater David Blaine. In an In Depth with Graham Bensinger interview, the magician discussed the various health issues he’s having as a result of years of the stunts he’s performed. Magic is not real, it turns out. Blaine has been working as a record-breaking illusionist since the late 90s.

“I think metabolism took a hit,” Blaine told Bensinger when asked about health issues related to his career. “Probably from all the breath-holding, they say short-term memory loss but short-term memory rebuilds itself, apparently. And then I would guess the unknowns from eating glass, kerosene, these things. There’s a lot of residual effects I don’t know about yet,” he said.

A clip in the interview shows that eating glass has almost destroyed Blaine’s teeth: a dentist tells him that nerves are almost exposed. But decaying teeth is not the only side effect.

“There’s a chemical in the glass,’ Blaine said. “So the chemical that they use to make glass is also going into your body so, not the best idea.” A man living with regret! Blaine added that now that he has a daughter, he doesn’t want to take the same risks anymore. “The way I approach things is very different, very calculated,” he said.

So don’t expect Blaine to perform a dangerous stunt such as shooting himself or eating Meryl Streep’s wine glass any time soon, or ever again.

The leading heartthrob of the late nineties, Leonardo DiCaprio, is passing his torch to the It Boy of the 2020s, Timothée Chalamet (sorry to Noah Centineo, you just didn’t make the cut). The two have had very similar careers, and even though he infamously picks dates who are even younger than Chalamet, he still has some wisdom to bestow on the Call Me By Your Name actor.

In a new interview with British Vogue, the Lady Bird star revealed the life advice he received from DiCaprio, who is all too familiar with growing up in the spotlight. While briefly meeting in 2018, DiCaprio told Chalamet the best career advice: “No hard drugs and no superhero movies.” We can now safely assume DiCaprio won’t appear in a Marvel movie anytime soon.

DiCaprio was once in Chalamet’s shoes: he was 23 when he starred in James Cameron’s historical epic, Titanic, alongside Kate Winslet. He went on to star in Romeo + Juliet and became Hollywood’s most sought-after leading man, much like Chalamet. The two appeared together in 2021’s Don’t Look Up.

Chalamet recently received an eight-and-a-half-minute standing ovation in Venice after screening his upcoming dystopian drama, Bones And All. But they were maybe just applauding his killer outfit. He will soon lead the highly anticipated sequel to Dune alongside Florence Pugh, and he recently wrapped filming the Willy Wonka origin story, Wonka. He seems to be doing just fine, with or without advice from Leo.

(Via British Vogue)

It’s well-known that before blowing up with his breakout single “My Name Is,” Eminem cut his teeth in the battle rap scene, taking on underground rap legends like MC Juice and Supernatural. Afterward, he had several well-publicized feuds with rivals such as Benzino, Canibus, Ja Rule, and Machine Gun Kelly in which he almost inarguably came out on top. So, when Compton rapper The Game took shots at Eminem with his song “The Black Slim Shady,” many fans were surprised at his audacity.

In a new interview with the Rap Radar Podcast, The Game explained his reasoning for taking aim at such a high-profile, well-respected, and hardened target. When asked by co-host Brian “B-Dot” Miller, “What’s the reason for going at Eminem?” The Game responded, “Just because nobody does.”

“It’s not personal,” he elaborated. “I came up on Em, too. I remember the first time that ‘My Name Is’ came out. I was ‘whoaed’ by it. I felt the same feeling when I heard that, that I felt when I heard ‘Juicy’ from B.I.G. the first time. I always f*cked with Em.” However, he says, the texture of that admiration changed when he and Shady signee 50 Cent fell out. “I think me and 50’s fallout made him choose a side and he wasn’t doing the sh*t that I did. He was like, ‘I’m going with 50.’”

But really, Game says, it boils down to one thing: “Hip-hop gotta be interesting,” he declared. “These n****s these days are so goddamn boring. Every time somebody want to beef, somebody gotta die. Sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s just hip-hop and you can just leave it at that.”

Before I met with Richard Roundtree at a hotel bar here at the Toronto International Film Festival, I was given one polite request from his publicist, “Maybe let’s mot talk about Shaft.” This, of course, refers to the 1971 classic that was Roundtree’s first film and I’m sure he has had to talk about it every single day for the last 51 years. (By the way, I just rewatched Shaft a couple of weeks ago and it truly is an excellent movie.) So, knowing there’s no real way to come up with a unique Shaft question anyway, this request seemed fair. And Roundtree has those aforementioned 51 years of credits to pull from, and I hit as many of those that I could.

The 80-year-old Roundtree (who, trust me, if we can all look as good as Roundtree does right now, at any age really, we’re doing something right) is in Toronto in support of Paul Weitz’s Moving On. Roundtree plays Ralph, the ex-husband of Jane Fonda’s Claire from way back. Ralph had happily remarried and has a family, but is now a widower. And the two rekindle while Claire is in town for a funeral of a friend. Roundtree took the part because, well, he gets to finally work with Jane Fonda. (How these two have never worked together before is a mystery.) And, in his own life, he too had a marriage that didn’t work out (and, too, has remarried and had a family) and, to this day, he doesn’t really know why, but playing Ralph made him revisit these emotions. At first, Roundtree balked at the word “therapeutic,” but then admitted, yes it was therapeutic.

When I met Roundtree in the lobby of a Hyatt hotel he offered to shake hands, something I don’t do much anymore, but, for Richard Roundtree, I made an exception. But then was told, “Man, why are your hands so cold?” Which they were, but I had no good answer and said, “Maybe because I just showered?” but this makes no sense. Anyway, Roundtree in person is just a delightful man and has a million stories. Beyond his current film, we dove into working with Clint Eastwood in City Heat, Rian Johnson’s Brick, David Fincher’s Se7en and much more. Maybe that’s why he didn’t really want to talk about Shaft. He’s got so many stories and he shouldn’t have to keep telling the same one over and over.

How did this come to you? Do you call someone or do they call you?

I mean, I’m getting up there. To be gainfully employed is such a joy, at this point in the game. And when I was told about this script, and I looked at who was involved in it, oh, I’ve got to read this. And I read it. And I was totally taken by the relationship. Singularly, because I have experienced some of this in my own life.

How so?

[Laughs] Oh, you want to go there?

You brought it up but we don’t have to…

Well, my second marriage mirrored some of the things that went on in the script. And the dilemma of coming back to that relationship, and wanting to know why the divorce came about? And the fact that he had basically moved on, but there was always a question in the back of his mind because he was really in love with his wife.

So did you find this role therapeutic?

I don’t know if that’s the term I would use.

That’s fair.

But to look at it again… I guess you can say therapeutic, to a small degree. But the way Jane handled it, and us getting to revisit some of the nicer moments in that relationship, was a joy.

And, correct me if I’m wrong, but you two have not worked together before? Is that right?

This is the first.

That’s remarkable, considering how many people you’ve worked with, and how many people she’s worked with. You’d think she would’ve popped up in Earthquake or something…

[Laughs] Earthquake…

You play Miles Quade.

How…?

I’ve seen your movies.

Paul, the director and writer, said, “I want you two to meet.” And I went down to Venice, California to meet her. And I had never met her before.

You’ve never even crossed paths somewhere?

No. Well, we sat there, and we had a read-through of the script. And prior to the read-through, we were just talking. And talking about our backgrounds, our relationships with our parents, and our spouses at the time. It was very interesting. That way, I got the sense of who she was, and what she was bringing to this character. And I had to look deeper into my background. She told me something very interesting, that we totally related to. The fact that our dads were not that communicative.

Hers famously so.

My dad was very close, verbally. And she shared the same type thing with her dad. So we had a lot of similarities, which I thought was incredible. Those thoughts never crossed my mind when I think of Jane Fonda.

I had lunch with her once for an interview and she is a person who knows exactly what she wants in any situation and will tell you.

[Laughs] You think?

It’s unlike talking to almost anyone else.

The only one that I could even draw proximity would be Peter O’Toole.

I wouldn’t have guessed they have similar personalities.

They don’t, but I’m talking about the openness.

Oh, I see. What were her movies you were watching back in the day that you liked?

Klute.

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

But On Golden Pond. That was, from outside looking in, a devastating movie for her. Yeah, those are the two most that I look at with Jane Fonda.

You two have such good rapport on screen it felt like a reunion.

Yeah, I was drawing on my reality, of my personal experience, in that kind of situation. So when I look at her, I look at pictures of a period in my life that was wonderful. But I couldn’t grasp the flip, that happened so suddenly. So it was very difficult for me to put that out, and I just really had to know what happened.

Right…

Don’t get me wrong. I have remarried and I have grandkids. But I’ve always wanted to know.

So you dismissed me at first when I said “therapeutic,” but it does look like you got some thinking done.

Okay, you’re right.

And I don’t want to get too into details, but is this something that you’re never going to find out? Is it too late?

Too late.

Well, I’m glad you got to do this role then. You got to get some of it out.

Yeah. A lot of it. A lot of it.

I very much remember your Beverly Hills: 90210 episode. You played Robinson Ash.

Oh, wow.

You were Vivica A. Fox’s father, I believe.

Wow. Vivica A. Fox, I played her dad in Generations on CBS. And we worked together a few times. But I vaguely remember 90210.

I remember reading your characters might become a spinoff show, but then nothing happened.

Show business.

You were in City Heat with Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. What was that set like?

You know what my takeaway from that film is? I got to see the Clint Eastwood. We were filming up in Riverside, at Boxing Arena. And Richard, Richard…the director, Richard Benjamin.

Oh yeah, star of The Last of Sheila and directed The Money Pit.

Richard was trying to figure out how to set this scene up. And he looked up in the rafters and Clint Eastwood signals to him. And Richard and he went up in the rafters, and they talked about 10 minutes, maybe. And Richard came back down, says, “All right, put the camera there,” boom. That was the classiest thing I’d ever seen.

For Clint to not do it in front of everyone else?

Yes, exactly. He could have come down and said, “You know what you need to do…” Oh, that was class. I’ve never forgotten that.

If he does it in front of everyone else, then everyone else is wondering who’s directing this movie?

I’ve worked with a couple of those directors, whose names I won’t reveal. But working with Clint Eastwood, class.

I hope you know I could sit here and talk to you all day, but I have to be at a screening soon…

What, you’re ending this?

I promise I don’t want to.

No, I’m just messing with you.

I mean, we didn’t even talk about Se7en…

Se7en. I wanted to do that film because I wanted to see what the hell Morgan Freeman was doing. I’m on the set, and I’m watching him, like I’m looking at you. He wasn’t doing shit.

What does that mean? He just can turn it on in a second?

No, no. He is so totally in the moment. And just being. I looked at the film, like holy shit. But up close, in person, and watching that?

Speaking of Clint and Fincher. Now there are two very different directors right there.

Yeah, that’s what I asked Clint. Because I’m very impatient.

So you’re like Clint?

No, Clint is not impatient.

He wants one take. But yeah that’s different than impatient. He just wants to move on.

He asks the DP, “Did you get it? Got it? Moving on.”

The opposite of Fincher.

Oh, yes.

Imagine Clint being in a David Fincher movie.

I can’t.

You were also in Brick, Rian Johnson’s first movie.

I would love to work with him again. That movie is a little secret. I mean, people, “Oh, I loved you in Brick.” What? I get fan mail from people in Germany, Switzerland, and France and whatnot, “Loved you in Brick.”

I mean, that movie is incredible.

Strangest location.

I bet. You can get in one of his Knives Out movies. He’ll be making those for a long time.

Yeah, yeah. Great film.

It’s like doing Earthquake with a big ensemble, only a murder mystery instead of a disaster movie.

Start fresh.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.