Category: News

Though the summertime calls for upbeat jams that will soundtrack brunches and BBQs, Giveon is looking to shake things up on the R&B side with a new announcement. The Long Beach artist took to Twitter and Instagram today (June 2) to announce his debut album Give Or Take will arrive on June 24. His caption thanked fans for their patience as the demand for more music from him has been very high.

The 27-year-old baritone specialist quickly rose in popularity in early 2020 after Drake released their collaboration “Chicago Freestyle.” Despite some comparisons to another Drake collaborator, British singer Sampha, the “Heartbreak Anniversary” singer was quick to set himself apart with his first project, the Grammy-nominated eight-track EP Take Time which came on March 27th. Less than seven months later, Giveon delivered the four-song follow-up When It’s All Said And Done, which included a Snoh Aalegra collaboration on “Last Time,” a linkup they teased with an Instagram Story selfie a few months prior. In a new but likely soon-to-be common move, he combined the two EPs into one compilation When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time and added a new record, “All To Me.”

Leading into Give Or Take, Giveon has released singles “For Tonight” and “Lie Again.” He also appeared on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy and Justin Bieber’s Justice, specifically the Grammy-nominated “Peaches” which also featured Daniel Caesar.

Check out Giveon’s exciting announcement above. Give Or Take is out 06/24 via Epic Records. Pre-save it here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine isn’t going over nearly as smoothly as he had hoped. He still threw a silly parade to celebrate war victory even though victory isn’t on the immediate table, and he’s not only lost access to his Botox supply (those sanctions are no joke) but has fired military officials (and secret agants) left and right because he’s so frustrated at not being able to immediately topple President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukraine army.

A recent Meduza report (via The Daily Beast) indicated that Putin’s inner circle thinks this whole war is so disastrous that they’re maneuvering to install a successor while noting that “in the fairly foreseeable future he will not run the country.” Now, Newsweek has heard from three senior leaders of U.S. intelligence, who claim to have viewed reports that confirm rumors of Putin suffering from ill health. That includes recent cancer treatment and a credible threat upon his life. Via Newsweek:

Vladimir Putin was treated for cancer in April, says a classified U.S. intelligence report. The Russian president at the Tauride Palace on April 27, 2022, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The assessments also confirm that there was an assassination attempt on Putin’s life in March, the officials say.

The high-ranking officials, who represent three separate intelligence agencies, are concerned that Putin is increasingly paranoid about his hold on power, a status that makes for a rocky and unpredictable course in Ukraine. But it is one, they say, that also makes the prospects of nuclear war less likely.

Even more telling: one official declared (also to Newsweek), “Putin’s grip is strong but no longer absolute” before adding, “The jockeying inside the Kremlin has never been more intense during his rule, everyone sensing that the end is near.”

However, it’s worth nothing that Putin’s staying very isolated, not only due to the ongoing pandemic but obvious security concerns. To that end, it’s difficult for any media outlet to secure confirmation of these claims. Still, that isolation is only breeding more speculation, so it’s anyone’s guess whether Putin will be outta there sooner rather than later. With Russia unable to make bond payments as Putin’s assault on Ukraine continues, though, one can imagine that we might hear more accounts about his difficulty in maintaining power.

(Via Newsweek & New York Post)

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Season 4 of “Stranger Things.”

Season 4 of the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things” premiered at the end of May and has already caused quite a stir. It’s been several years since the last season, and with Season 4 being broken up into two volumes, there’s quite a lot to be excited about.

Of course, there are a lot of things to talk about regarding the plot of the show, but one surprising topic is Will (played by Noah Schnapp) and his potential sexuality. In an interview with Variety, Schnapp and his co-star Millie Bobby Brown offered their thoughts on the subject, and while they’re entitled to their opinions, those opinions can actually be quite damaging.

The Variety article mentions (and many fans on social media will agree) that the show has kind of been dropping hints about Will’s sexuality for a long time, and the current season really makes that theory more obvious. I admit, I have not watched the show much, but as someone who identifies as queer, LGBTQIA+ representation on television is something that’s important to me. In Season 4 volume 1 of “Stranger Things,” Will’s budding queerness is bubbling just under the surface. For example, when he has to write about a hero he looks up to, he chooses Alan Turing, the gay mathematician forced to undergo chemical castration in the 1950s. (The show takes place in the 1980s, well before the movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch was released.)

Will also appears to have a crush on his friend Mike, as evidenced by some jealousy of Eleven and Mike’s relationship. When Mike confides in Will about his relationship with El, this is what he says in response.

“Sometimes, I think it’s just scary, to open up like that — to say how you really feel, especially to people you care about the most,” he starts. “Because what if — what if they don’t like the truth?”

via GIPHY

Variety asked Schnapp what he believes to be true about Will’s sexuality and, to be quite honest, his reply is disappointing.

“I feel like they never really address it or blatantly say how Will is,” Schnapp begins. “I think that’s the beauty of it, that it’s just up to the audience’s interpretation, if it’s Will kind of just refusing to grow up and growing up slower than his friends, or if he is really gay.”

Brown added: “I think what’s really nice about Will’s character is that he’s just a human being going through his own personal demons and issues. So many kids out there don’t know, and that’s OK. That’s OK to not know. And that’s OK not to label things.”

Both Schnapp and Brown are failing to see why leaving Will’s sexuality ambiguous can actually be quite harmful. We’re living in a time where the powers that be are trying to remove the agency of the LGBTQIA+ community. “Don’t Say Gay” and anti-trans bills are popping up all over the country, and that would make it really easy for some people to hide behind the cape of sexual ambiguity for safety. But so many of us can’t or don’t want to hide. As long as we live in a world that will define us by our queerness to do us harm, there is very little space for being purposely vague. (Of course, this doesn’t apply to those who have to stay in the closet for safety reasons.)

“It’s such an amazing role for Noah to play,” Brown also said. “And to be that role model for kids out there who don’t know what they’re going through growing up.”

“It’s just nice to see that and have that shown on ‘Stranger Things’ for fans to connect to and be able to relate to,” Schnapp added. “Because so many of our viewers are young kids who are at that stage in their life.”

It is important to note: there is an openly lesbian character on the show, Robin (played by Maya Hawke.) By giving her a coming out arc in Season 3, it’s clear the show understands the need for LBGQTIA+ representation. It also makes the ambiguity around Will’s sexuality that much more frustrating.

It’s true that kids today are more fluid in their queer identities. But it’s also true that having their queerness affirmed changes their lives. It feels like a cop-out to say that Will’s sexual ambiguity is being used purposely to give space to the kids who don’t quite have it figured out. Seeing a character who takes the journey through understanding their feelings to coming out could be really affirming to them. Everyone wants to feel seen, and having a character come out in such a manner would allow those kids (or even adults) the space to see themselves and know it will be OK.

On Twitter, fans are accusing the show’s writers of queerbaiting, and after this response, it’s not hard to see why they would land on that conclusion. For those who may not be familiar with the concept, Ricky Hill, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a faculty member of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, told Health it’s “’a marketing ploy’ that nods at queerness but never actually delivers queerness.”

By even remotely hinting at Will being anything other than heterosexual (from what I can understand, people say his character has always given off gay vibes) you’re setting your audience up to make certain assumptions and assessments. And while we live in a time where there are record numbers of LGBTQIA+ characters on television, representation is still lacking. Queer viewers who are desperate for any nugget of queerness on a mainstream show like “Stranger Things” will most certainly attach to those potential hints about Will. That’s why Schnapp’s comment feels dismissive of queer existence.

There is still another volume to “Stranger Things” Season 4, which means there is still time for the writers to take out the ambiguity of Will’s sexuality. It’s 2022—while it’s nice to believe that labels don’t matter, for an abundance of reasons, they still do.

Jennifer Garner often serves up sweetness with her beloved Pretend Cooking Show on Instagram. But this time, she’s added her own special dash of simple activism into the mix.

The episode begins with all the playful, adorkable charm we’ve come to expect from Garner.

“You know when you need to be living life, but your heart isn’t ready? Sometimes you just need a little comfort-something,” the actress-slash-baker says in the opening as she prepares a brownie baked oatmeal recipe from Danielle Brown (@healthygirlkitchen).

“Like, I have on a dress and thought I was being fancy, but then I put sweatpants under it. So, pardon me,” she quips while lifting up her skirt. This happens right before she realizes that “oh, shipoopi,” she needs more peanut butter. Yes, she used “shipoopi.” She’s delightful.

Once the ingredients are mixed and the 6 x 9 inch tray goes into the oven, there’s nothing left to do but wait for 40 minutes. Or as Garner puts it, “the perfect amount of time to make a call in support of gun safety bills.” Talk about multitasking.

As Garner talks on the phone, a script provided by journalist and former CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin shows up on the screen, which reads:

“Hello, I’m a constituent. I’d like to let the Senator know it is important to me that s/he votes for the gun safety reforms coming before Congress. You can then say why that matters to you, if you like.”

See on Instagram

On her Instagram page, Yellin has also provided the U.S. Senate switchboard number: (202) 224-3121, along with specific GOP senators open to a compromise gun safety bill. You can also find your state senator’s direct number at senate.gov.

Yellin’s post adds, “I don’t typically post content that advocates a specific action or guides you to lobby Congress,” but contends that “gun safety reform…is not a blue versus red issue. It’s a ‘get the people’s voices heard’ issue.”

Garner ends her video displaying what looks like a truly decadent dish, which seems to pass her taste test.

“In case you need a little comfort,” she says with a smile. Voila, delicious brownie oatmeal with a side of social justice. All part of a balanced breakfast.

One of Garner’s many, many lovely attributes is her penchant for easy acts of kindness. From making cookies for frontline workers to packing essentials in Ziploc bags for those in need, she shares ideas that practically anyone could do, celebrity or not. And—despite her own superstar status—she does it while staying down to earth. That’s almost as tricky a feat as baking the perfect brownie. But she nails it, and we love her for it.

It doesn’t take an A-lister to make a positive impact, but it’s great when they use their celebrity for good. Sometimes big changes happen with small, even (brownie) bite-sized actions.

Last week, Hulu released the XXXtentacion documentary, Look At Me. While it was marketed as an in-depth look at the maligned rapper who was as well known for his alleged domestic abuse as he was for gaudy streaming numbers with tracks in the billions, the film seems to leave us with more questions than answers.

But how could XXXtentacion’s estate deny themselves of another chance to blow up the late rapper’s streaming figures once again? Enter Look At Me: The Album. The 25-song, double-disc release is an accompaniment to the documentary and is set to be released on Friday, June 10. The compilation features 11 early cuts that were previously not on any streaming services, 13 of his better-known cuts like “Hope,” “Jocelyn Flores” and “Look At Me!” and the brand new “True Love” featuring Kanye West.

Listen to “True Love” above and check out the Look At Me: The Album artwork and tracklist below.

Side One: Look At Me Then

1. “Vice City”
2. “Never”
3. “Rare”
4. “Fuxk” (feat. Ski Mask The Slump God)
5. “WingRiddenAngel”
6. “King Of The Dead”
7. “Failure Is Not An Option” (Interlude)
8. “#ImSippinTeaInYoHood”
9. “I spoke to the devil in Miami, he said everything would be fine”
10. “Willy Wonka Was a Child Murderer”
11. “Kill Me (Pain From The Jail Phone)

Side Two: Look At Me Now

12. “Look At Me!”
13. “I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore”
14. “Yung Bratz”
15. “Jocelyn Flores”
16. “Depression & Obsession”
17. “Everybody Dies In Their Nightmares”
18. “Alone, Part 3”
19. “Moonlight”
20. “Sad!”
21. “Changes”
22. “Hope”
23. “Before I Close My Eyes”
24. “Train Food”
25. “True Love” (featuring Ye)

Look At Me: The Album is due out on streaming services on 06/10 via Columbia.

Despite their pretty well-publicized feud, Sarah Jessica Parker very rarely talks about former co-star Kim Cattrall and mostly prefers to mention her character in passing on the Sex And The City reboot. Parker and the rest of the And Just Like That ladies like to tip-toe around their supposed feud with Cattrall, and the details of their falling out are slim, but Parker recently gave a rare glimpse into what really went down between the former friends, and it’s not pretty.

While speaking on The Hollywood Reporter Awards Chatter podcast, Parker opened up about the situation which led Cattrall to be absent from the controversial reboot. “I’ll be as clear as I can,” Parker began. “It’s very hard to talk about the situation with Kim because — I’ve been so careful about not ever wanting to say anything that is unpleasant.” It’s true–whenever Cattrall or her character are ever mentioned, Parker expertly navigates the conversation elsewhere.

Parker explained what went down when Cattrall allegedly made certain demands if she were to appear in a third film. Obviously, that never happened. “[The studio] didn’t feel comfortable meeting where she wanted to meet, and so we didn’t do the movie because we didn’t want to do it without Kim,” Parker admitted. “And the studio wasn’t going to do it, so it fell apart.” So…they made a TV show instead. “It wasn’t that she said ‘no’ to the movie; it’s that the studio said ‘no’ to the movie, which, you know, happens.”

Things turned even dark after their very public Instagram spat after the death of Cattrall’s brother. “I don’t need your love or support during this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker” Cattrall boldly posted in 2018. “You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.” That pretty much marked the end of any potential Samantha appearances in the future.

“I’ve spent a lot of years working really hard to always be decent to everybody on the set, to take care of people, to be responsible to and for people, both my employers and the people that I feel I’m responsible for as a producer of the show,” Parker said on the podcast. “And there just isn’t anyone else who’s ever talked about me this way, so it’s very painful.” Thus, Cattrall was never even asked to appear on the show.

“We did not ask her to be part of this because she made it clear that that wasn’t something she wanted to pursue, and it no longer felt comfortable for us, and so it didn’t occur to us,” Parker concluded. “That’s not ‘slamming’ her, it’s just learning.”

Despite the rift, a second season of And Just Like That is in the works, with Samantha still off-screen, galavanting around Europe. To be fair, that’s on-brand for her character.

After Ezra Miller‘s most recent arrest for second-degree assault in Hawaii, the fate of the solo The Flash movie has not looked too great. Miller’s repeated run-ins with the law dominating headlines made replacing the actor look like a real possibility. It also didn’t help that Warner Bros. has reportedly put all future projects with Miller on “pause.”

However, according to a new report, the studio is still moving full speed ahead with Miller as the star of The Flash movie, mainly because it would be next to impossible to replace them without entirely scrapping the film. In other words, don’t expect to see another actor take Miller’s place — yet. (The next movie? Maybe!) Via Variety:

With “The Flash,” insiders say it would not be possible to replace Miller without reshooting the entire movie. They are in just about every scene, and there is not enough digital technology in existence to configure that magic without going back to square one. And redoing the entire film is not a realistic proposition for any movie — much less one that wrapped production months ago and already cost hundreds of millions.

As Variety also notes, The Flash is doing very well with test audiences and could potentially be a box-office smash for the studio, which it needs to get the DC Films to become reliable hits like the Marvel movies. More cynically, The Flash could turn a profit, or the very least, recoup the millions that have already been dropped before Miller put the whole film in jeopardy.

That said, all this hinges on Miller staying out of trouble for an entire year. The Flash is slated for June 23, 2023, and well, that’s a pretty long time. If Miller continues to rack up assaults, Warner Bros. might have no choice but to scrap the whole movie and cut their very huge losses.

(Via Variety)

Joe Rogan, like everyone else in the semi-civilized world, was enthralled enough with the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard U.S.-based trial to be super interested in the verdict. The circus, which aired on Court TV for the masses, went Johnny’s way, unlike the U.K-based libel trial against The Sun, which led to a ruling that tabloid’s “wife beater” term about him was “substantially true.” Yet the U.S. jury found that Amber had defamed Johnny to the tune of $15 million. Yes, he’s on the hook for two of those millions, but still, it’s hard to imagine how she’ll pay (and Amber agrees) those damages.

Amber’s side has motioned towards an appeal, and she issued a statement of feeling “heartbroken” by the verdict. Via Mediaite, Joe Rogan’s feeling sorry for her, and although he believes that she’s “crazy,” he’d hate to see her pay those damages. It’s a sympathetic stance that feels unexpected:

“She’s so crazy. I feel like, look, I don’t want her to have to pay him money. I really don’t,” Rogan said matter-of-factly. “Cause I think that that lady’s broken and psychologically she’s so damaged.”

“She’s so crazy,” he continued, “I think the real punishment is that it’s been exposed to the world, how insane she is! Like she’s insane and she’s a liar and it’s like that lady needs to go to the jungle and do some ayahuasca and get connected to the mother and then come back and apologize.”

Again, it’s hard to imagine what Amber will do to settle up here. Johnny will likely see some sort of career resurrection following the verdict (he certainly has some celebrity support behind him), but Amber’s future roles could be in jeopardy. And yep, Court TV is the true winner out of this whole mess.

(Via Mediaite)

You’ve seen Beavis and Butt-Head do America. Now they’re ready to do the universe.

In Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, two of television’s greatest dummies (who occasionally showed signs of brilliance, like the time they told Pavement to “try harder”) are blasted into space in 1998 — and return, via a black hole, in 2022. Things have changed a lot in 24 years, but two things are as true then as they are now: “the Earth sucks,” as Butt-Head says in the trailer above, and 69 is the funniest number.

The voice cast is headlined by creator Mike Judge as an “older, more mature” Beavis and Butt-Head, as well as Gary Cole, Chris Diamantopoulos, Nat Faxon, Brian Huskey, Chi McBride, Tig Notaro, Stephen Root, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, and Jimmy O. Yang. A sneak peek of the film will air during the MTV Movie and TV Awards on June 5.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

In perhaps the dumbest space movie ever made, Beavis and Butt-head are sentenced to Space Camp by a “creative” judge in 1998, leading to a trip on the Space Shuttle, with predictably disastrous results. After going through a black hole, they reemerge in our time, where they look for love, misuse iPhones, and are hunted by the Deep State. Spoiler: They don’t score.

Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe premieres on Paramount+ on June 23.

Over the past 10 days, we’ve been deluged with one dumb idea after the other about the “reason” a teenager in Uvalde, Texas bought himself two AR-15 semi-automatic rifles and proceeded to kill 21 innocent people. Laura Ingraham says it’s weed. Tucker Carlson votes for COVID lockdowns. Don Jr. went with “crazy teachers,” which few people saw coming. While Ted Cruz is insisting that doors—yes, doors—are the real problem. (For the record: 2 Chainz thinks Cruz’s argument is “dumb as f**k.”) But now Missouri congressman Billy Long has entered the chat.

As Mediaite reports, the one-time auctioneer who has been representing Missouri’s 7th district since 2011 may have just won the award for Most Unhinged Excuse for Gun Violence That Isn’t Guns. On Wednesday, while being interviewed on 93.9 The Eagle in Columbia, Missouri, the topic turned to last week’s school shooting in Texas. While Long at first lamented the fact that people are “trying to blame inanimate objects for all of these tragedies,” the conversation went sideways from there. As Long explained:

“When I was growing up in Springfield, you had one or two murders a year. Now we have two, three, four a week in Springfield, Missouri. So something has happened to our society, and I go back to abortion—when we decided it was ok to murder kids in their mothers’ wombs. Life has no value to a lot of these folks.”

Ummmm….

Errrrr….

Ahhhh….

Needless to say, people had some thoughts:

(Via Mediaite)