Even though the upcoming Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad Of Songbird And Snakes, will focus on one of the franchise’s least-loved characters, the movie is currently casting a long list of all-star actors who will undoubtedly give the series a fresh new look. Oscar winner Viola Davis is the latest iconic actor to be added to the mix, and she will play the gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games.
Davis will portray Dr. Volumnia Gaul, a cunning political operator who will map out the infamous Hunger Games. She is similar to The Hunger Games’ Seneca Crane, portrayed by Wes Bentley. Francis Lawrence, who directed three of the four Hunger Games movies, is slated to direct the movie, which has a November 2023 release date.
Producer Nina Jacobson says that casting Davis was the “dream” that finally came to fruition. “From the beginning, Viola has been our dream for Dr. Gaul because of the finely layered intelligence and emotion she brings to every role,” Jacobson told The Hollywood Reporter. “A brilliant and eccentric strategist, Gaul is instrumental in shaping a young Coriolanus Snow into the man he will become. We are incredibly fortunate to have an actor with Viola’s extraordinary range and presence to play this pivotal role.
Songbirds and Snakes will star Rachel Zegler as District 12 tribute in the 10th annual Hunger Games, over 50 years before the start of the Hunger Games story. Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Hunter Schafer, and Josh Andrés Rivera are also slated to star.
Florida-based five-piece Flipturn is just now gearing up for the release of their debut album Shadowglow, which is out this Friday, but its something they’ve been working toward for many years. As longtime friends who grew up together in a Florida beach town, Flipturn officially formed in 2016 and quickly made a name for themselves in the Gainesville underground music scene.
Since then, Flipturn have earned a reputation for their infectious live shows, categorized by off-the-charts energy, striking instrumentals, and nostalgia-inducing lyrical delivery voiced by charming lead singer Dillon Basse. Though Shadowglow is right around the corner, Flipturn have been building sizeable anticipation through recent singles like the cinematic number “Whales” and piano-led album closer “Space Cowboy.” The band has also had the chance to tease their music on massive festival stages this summer, including SXSW, Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees and Lollapalooza.
Newly signed to Dualtone Records, which has housed releases by notable bands like The Lumineers, Mt. Joy, and Shakey Graves, Flipturn gear up for their debut album by sitting down with Uproxx to talk they’re love of Radiohead, tacos, and wild Stranger Things fan theories in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Tristan Duncan: That we inspired people to create things that mean a lot to them. There’s an unmatched joy in creating something and I hope we can inspire people to chase it.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Dillon Basse: In Florida, there’s really nothing like a Gainesville show for us. That’s where a few of us attended college and where our fan base really started to grow, so every time we go back it’s very special. Outside of Florida, my favorite city to play personally is Denver. People in Denver go absolutely insane at shows. You can tell everyone there just really loves going to see live music.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
TD: I would say Radiohead. We didn’t start truly listening to them until a couple years after starting the band, but the way they approach music is inspiring.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
MJ: For me, it was at Veracruz All Natural Tacos in Austin, Texas. The migas poblanas taco is freaking incredible and their hot salsa is amazing — 10/10. Can’t wait to go back the next time we’re in Austin!
What album do you know every word to?
DB: I think I could sing every word to Wolfgang Amadeus by Phoenix. Even the words I might not know I usually confidently mumble something when I’m listening.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
Mitch Fountain: King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard played at Shaky Knees and we went to watch and it was crazy. They had so many people on stage playing and it was just constant energy the entire time. Definitely one of my favorite shows.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
MF: If there is ever an opportunity to wear shorts without looking weird, then that is my favorite thing to wear. I think bands should wear shorts more. They’re missing out, so much mobility.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
MF: There was a time we played “Tequila” by The Champs roughly 120 times back to back. It was four hours. Four hours.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
MF: All my web searches have been wild Stranger Things theories this past week.
What album makes for the perfect gift?
TD:A Charlie Brown Christmas
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
TD: The first night of our first ever tour, we stayed in a rickety shed behind the venue we were playing that night. They showed us around before the show and we met a feisty parrot, a rooster, and a couple of goats that’d be right outside our front door. It was an all plywood structure and we just had bare mattresses, but it was such a fun experience. We totally thought every night of tour would be like that.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
DB: My first tattoo is a shortened version of my favorite quote ever by Christopher Reeve. The quote is “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” The reason I got a tattoo was to have this quote somewhere permanently on my body to constantly remind me to keep pursuing and working towards my dreams.
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
DB: I don’t think I’ve ever skipped a song by Glass Animals.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
DB: Hard to think of the literal nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, but when my girlfriend brings me coffee without me asking I usually tell her “that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
MJ: To quote RuPaul, “What other people think of me is none of my GD business.” Just continue being your authentic self and you’ll be great.
What’s the last show you went to?
MJ: We all saw Vulfpeck together at Levitate Music Festival a few weeks ago. Their set was absolutely insane! We loved every second of it.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
MJ:Bridesmaids, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, or Jurassic Park.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
DB: My very first instrument I think is a hidden talent. My mom plays the Irish fiddle, and when I was very little she’d bring me to her gigs in Boston. It was at these gigs I learned how to play an Irish drum called a bodhran. It’s a weird talent and I don’t play it as much as I used to, but anytime I do pick it back up it’s like riding a bike.
Shadowglow is out 8/19 via Dualtone Records. Get it here.
Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx made his directorial debut in 2016 with All-Star Weekend. “Wait,” you might be wondering, “why have I never heard of All-Star Weekend? Follow-up question: why is there a photo of Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder above these words? One more: do you validate?”
I’ll answer these in order:
1. You haven’t heard of All-Star Weekend, which follows two friends (Foxx and Jeremy Piven) who attend the NBA All-Star Game, because it was never released;
2. The comedy also stars the very rich Downey Jr., who played an egotistical Australian method actor who gets “pigmentation alteration” surgery to portray a Black character in the critically-acclaimed 2008 Hollywood satire, as a Mexican man;
3. No. Sorry.
“It’s been tough with the lay of the land when it comes to comedy,” Foxx told CinemaBlend about whether All-Star Weekend will ever be released. “We’re trying to break open the sensitive corners where people go back to laughing again… We hope to keep them laughing and run them right into All-Star Weekend because we were definitely going for it.” In 2017, Foxx explained how he got Downey Jr. to agree to the role. “I called Robert, I said, ‘I need you to play a Mexican.’ I said, ‘Sh*t, you played the black dude and you killed that sh*t.’ We got to be able to do characters,” he said.
After 14 years of being in basically nothing but Marvel movies, Sherlock Holmes, and, uh, Dolittle, it would be nice to see Robert Downey Jr. do anything different. But does that include playing a Mexican man? As long as All-Star Weekend sits on the same never-seen shelf at Batgirl and I Love You, Daddy, I guess we’ll never find out.
Earlier this month, Britney Spears found herself in a spat with ex-husband Kevin Federline after he claimed her sons were distancing themselves from her. Nicki Minaj didn’t at all care for how that went down, so now she has sided with Spears and shared some unflattering words about Federline.
On the August 16 episode of Minaj’s live Queen Radio show, Minaj started:
“Do you understand what kind of a clown you have to be to be a whole grown f*cking man and as soon as you see somebody happy and getting married and moving on and being free and feeling good in their own skin, to do the very thing that you know is going to attempt to break them down? Going to the media. Only cowards use the media against a famous person who they once loved, they procreated with, they once were being taken care of by, using the person’s fame as this constant ‘gotcha’ moment, and you think you’re not going to f*cking have karma from it? You think it’s OK? You think that anybody is going to feel sorry for you?”
She continued with praise and more empathy for Spears:
“She loves her kids more than life itself. As soon as y’all see people feeling strong and good and confident and happy, and you no longer have them by the f*cking balls, you want to take your little goofy ass and do some motherf*cking interview. How dare you. How dare you encourage this woman’s children to be a part of your nonsense. And when they look back, they’re going to say, ‘Why? Why? Why did we do this?’ They’re kids, they don’t know how detrimental this is, but you know, c*cksucker. Leave her the f*ck alone!”
Listen to Minaj discuss Spears and Federline below.
Nicki Minaj defends Britney Spears from ex-husband Kevin Federline.
“Do understand what kind of a clown you have to be… How dare you encourage this woman’s children to be a part of your nonsense? Leave her the f*ck alone.”
At this point in Mehmet Oz’s Senate race, the (arguable) snake-oil salesman seems to be intent upon tanking himself, which takes a lot of legwork away from progressive candidate John Fetterman. Trump got really mad, too, about his endorsed candidate somehow still trailing in the polls after Fetterman got knocked off the campaign trail for months while recovering from a stroke. And in this edition of “Dr. Oz really shouldn’t have chosen PA for a Senate run,” the former TV host is following up on mispronouncing the name of a popular PA grocery store and having a really bad excuse for doing so.
How did Oz manage to one-up himself this time? In video footage (from a weekend campaign event) published by The Daily Beast, Oz was asked to reveal how many houses he technically owns. The answer from Oz: “Legitimately, I own two houses.” He also vaguely alluded to possible rent properties, but the Beast brought receipts (from public records) to list how many houses that Oz “legitimately” owns, and that would be a whopping 10 properties.
As expected, Fetterman was ready to scorch his opponent for (once again) pretending to be a man of the people and floundering. “I’ve never spoken to a PA resident who doesn’t know how many houses they have let alone be off by 8,” the former Braddock mayor (who earned a mere $1,800 annually for that position) wrote on Twitter. “I can’t tell if he’s trying + failing to sound like a regular person (with ONLY TWO mansions) or if he genuinely has no idea.”
I’ve never spoken to a PA resident who doesn’t know how many houses they have… let alone be off by 8.
I can’t tell if he’s trying + failing to sound like a regular person (with ONLY TWO mansions) or if he genuinely has no idea. https://t.co/eZq9nV8uyQ
You can see the full list Oz’s “legitimately” owned properties here, and they include enormous mansions in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania but also a few NYC condos, a NJ condo, and three pieces of residential real estate scattered throughout Turkey. Oh, and there’s another mansion on a Florida beach, which is rather amazing because Oz waded right into this mess despite, you know, all of this being a matter of public record.
Ahead of her new album, Holy Fvck, Demi Lovato sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to discuss the pop-rock-influenced project. In the interview, she opened up about her past struggles with addiction and seeing people around her die at a young age.
She revealed that she touches on this more in a song called “Dead Friends,” saying, “I’ve made friends of all ages. I’ve lost friends that were around my age, and those hurt so deeply because we’ve been in the trenches together. I had a lot of survivor’s guilt after my overdose because […] right after that, Mac Miller died, and it just put everything into perspective for me of, ‘That could have been you, that almost was you, and how are you going to live your life now?’ And it affected me a lot.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Lovato noted that her family has been an “incredible” support system as she navigates her recovery and sobriety.
“I’ve had members of my family struggle with addiction,” Lovato said, “so they are very understanding of it, and they know what it’s like. Do they worry to this day? Absolutely. That’s never probably going to go away with what I put them through. And put myself through. And as a consequence of that, they ended up suffering.”
Joe Rogan has once again proven that he is not messing around when it comes to defending abortion rights. While the controversial podcaster has sided with Republicans so many times that he’s had to shoot down theories that he’s a “secret conservative,” Rogan significantly deviates from conservatives when it comes to the topic of abortion.
During a heated discussion with Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, Rogan completely shut down the right-wing satirist’s talking points when Dillon attempted to defend forcing rape victims to give birth, which Rogan opposed.
“There’s also women who have been raped, who should not have to f*cking carry some rapist’s baby,” the podcaster said.
“I’m not gonna argue with you on that point,” Dillon said before doing just that. “But I will say there are people who have been born of rape and are alive right now and are pro-life and they go around speaking, talking about how ‘I had a right to live’ and they will go out there and make an argument, a pro-life case. And they’re a rape — They’re born of a rape.”
Rogan, who has a 14-year-old daughter, was not having any of it. Via Mediaite:
“Like you don’t have the right to tell my 14 -year-old daughter, she has to carry her rapist’s baby. You understand that?” Rogan pushed.
Dillon began to argue back before being cut off mid-sentence, “To look that woman in the eye who was born of a rape-”
“Do you understand that?” Rogan repeated, “That’s a 14-year-old child? If you — a 14-year-old child gets raped, you say that they have to carry that baby?”
“I don’t think two wrongs make a right. I don’t think we — don’t think murder is an answer to — I don’t think murder fixes a rape,” Dillon concluded.
Again, this isn’t the first time that Rogan has used his sizable platform to defend abortion. Last month, he dressed from head-to-toe as a Founding Father and blasted the Christian right for taking away women’s rights. Clearly, he’s not backing down.
Zac Efron has been taking on some very interesting projects as of late. The former Disney Channel star had a “sick” travel show where he loved eating carbs and was constantly in awe of everyday people doing their jobs. It was riveting! Efron also starred in this year’s Firestarter adaptation and was recently cast in a wrestling biopic about the tragic Von Erich family. Next up, Efron will star as a lone man who just wants to give his friends a beer. The only problem is that it’s 1967 and all of his friends are currently serving in the Vietnam war. But that does not derail him!
The Greatest Beer Run Ever will follow Chickie, based on the real-life John “Chickie” Donohue, who actually traveled from New York to Vietnam in the ’60s, just to bring some good old-fashioned American beer for his friends. That’s patriotism! As per the official description:
To show support for his neighborhood friends serving in Vietnam, Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron) decides to do something totally outrageous: travel to the frontline by himself to bring the soldiers a little piece of home — their favorite can of American beer. However, what started as a well-meaning journey quickly turns into the adventure of a lifetime as Chickie confronts the reality of this controversial war and his reunions with his childhood buddies thrust him into the complexities and responsibilities of adulthood. Based on an incredible true story, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale about friendship, loyalty and sacrifice.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever will hit select theaters and on AppleTV+ on September 20th. The film also stars Russell Crowe, Bill Murray, Jake Picking, Will Ropp, and Kyle Allen. Check out the trailer above.
NFL teams look for ways to change things up during training camp, with a popular way for teams to get more data points on their strengths and weaknesses being joint practices with other teams. As of this writing, the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers are in the midst of their second day of practices with one another, and apparently, said practices have featured a whole lot of fighting.
Things started to get tense on Tuesday, when a pair of scraps led to players on both teams getting kicked out of practice. New England lost wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Kristian Wilkerson, along with center James Ferentz. Carolina, meanwhile, lost defensive tackle Phil Hoskins and defensive back Kenny Robinson.
Kendrick Bourne, Kristian Wilkerson and Panthers DB Kenny Robinson kicked out of practice for fighting.
A sideline out to Wilkerson seemed innocent enough, but then some jawing and next thing you know, both team units were in a melee.
Patriots C James Ferentz and Panthers DT Phil Hoskins kicked out of practice by referee Brad Allen after things got a little heated near the end of a play.
Ferentz was pleading his case that he didn’t throw a punch, but Allen wouldn’t relent.
It’s certainly not what you want to see — Patriots receiver DeVante Parker, per WCVB in Boston, was quoted as saying “It’s what happens when we’re competing and trying to get better. Things are going to happen, but we’ve got to keep on going to the next play.” The two sides got a chance to bury the hatchet and focus on ball on Wednesday morning, but unfortunately for those who did not want the teams to get into it, the teams got into it.
According to reports at the practice, Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey didn’t take too kindly to this hit.
Things apparently popped off from there, with the two teams engaging in some pushing and shoving. Eventually, Panthers back Chuba Hubbard and Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise got tossed.
Tempers continue to flare at the Patriots/Panthers joint practice
According to ProFootballTalk, there was another altercation that ended with Robinson getting tossed again and Wilkerson getting carted off the field.
On the other field, reports vary as to whether Patriots returner Kristian Wilkerson went down from a non-contact injury or was laid out on a kickoff return by defensive back Kenny Robinson. Either way, Robinson stood over Wilkerson, which Patriots players took exception to and another fight began.
The two teams are slated to play a preseason game on Friday.
Dr. Oz wants you to know he’s really relatable, okay?
Just because he calls vegetable plates “crudites,” mispronounces the name of a popular Pennsylvania grocery chain, and lives in a New Jersey mansion instead of the state he’s campaigning to govern doesn’t mean he’s an elitist millionaire who can’t commune with the common folk. And to prove it, he’s going on Newsmax to moan about how exhausted he is and how hard it is for him to remember his own children’s names.
Oz dropped by the network to explain his very public, very embarrassing grocery store gaffe to host Shaun Kraisman this week. For anyone who hasn’t seen the video, Oz visited a local Wegman’s where he seemed appalled that crudites (what regular working-class Americans would call a vegetable platter) now cost $20 a pop. His opponent, John Fetterman, has had some fun at the TV doctor’s expense, even fundraising off the now infamous video, but the people of Pennsylvania aren’t as forgiving, especially because Oz mispronounced a beloved cultural staple in their great state.
When asked why he called Wegmans “Wegners,” Oz tried to deflect by pivoting to his stale campaign talking points. But, when Kraisman just wouldn’t let up, the Republican hopeful blamed long hours and a short memory for his blasphemous blunder.
“I was exhausted, ” Oz told Kraisman. “When you’re campaigning 18 hours a day … Listen, I’ve gotten my kids’ names wrong as well. I don’t think that’s a measure of someone’s ability to lead the Commonwealth.”
Umm, we’d argue that being able to retain and recall vital information is actually an extremely relevant indicator of whether a person can (and should) hold office, but, way to dumb yourself down for the vote there, Dr. Oz. Celebrities, they’re just like us.
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