Category: News

Late last December, people learned a shocking thing about Alec Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria: She’s not Spanish. In fact, she was born in…Boston. It was the beginning of what is admittedly a not great 12 months for her and her family — or for many families, for that matter. Their troubles peaked in October, when Alec unwittingly fired a prop gun that was believed to be unloaded on a movie set, accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. And in a post on Instagram, she reflected on her troubles, albeit without mentioning the others in her orbit who have it even worse.

Next to a photo of two of her six kids goofing around in a supermarket, Hilaria reflected on her “challenging year” and thanked her nearly million followers for their support.

“Sometimes I didn’t think I was gonna make it through,” Hilaria wrote. “I want you to know how much you have helped me through some pretty dark struggles. Knowing you were there—such comfort. Yes, my children and my husband, my family and close friends have been invaluable…but YOU, I don’t get to express this face to face, due to the nature of social media and how far we all are.”

She ended by saying, “So, I love you so … with my whole, grateful soul. Happy gratitude day.”

Hilaria also posted a dozen stories on Instagram, though none of them got into specifics — not even about Hutchins, whose body was interred the day she posted all this on social media. To some, it seemed tone deaf.

While an investigation into the accidental shooting on the set of Rust is still ongoing, it’s believed that Alec will not face any criminal charges. Two crew members have already filed civil lawsuits, both naming him, among others, which have led to him lawyering up.

(Via Page Six)

There is a rather lengthy history of name changes in the sports world and, even more specifically, the NBA. There are those who make name changes for religious reasons, while others just want to make a statement or simply draw attention to themselves.

On Monday, the latest entry into the NBA name change list will arrive in the form of Enes Kanter Freedom, as the Celtics bench big will reportedly make that his official name once he becomes a United States citizen, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Kanter has spent much of his career being an outspoken critic of various regimes around the world, most notably his home country of Turkey where he and his family have faced significant repercussions for his comments — gaining US citizenship is big for Kanter, who had his Turkish passport taken while traveling abroad once and was detained in Romania. More recently, Kanter has taken aim at Chinese leader Xi Jinping and those who have relationships with China, particularly LeBron James.

Freedom was also Kanter’s chosen addition to his jersey in the 2020 Bubble, so there are Celtics jerseys with Freedom name plates out there if they need one in a pinch. Kanter’s name change isn’t quite as dramatic as the Ron Artest to Metta World Peace change of years past, but that certainly provides a recent example for how this will be a story briefly and then just a normal thing.

It must be strange watching an actor play yourself in a splashy, star-studded biopic, especially when that splashy, star-studded biopic is House of Gucci. The Thanksgiving release is getting mixed reviews, though the general consensus is that it turns a tragic true tale into a trashy, campy farce. So what did Tom Ford, the fashion legend (and filmmaker) depicted in the film’s second half, think? Well, he had a lot of mixed feelings, too.

As caught by Entertainment Weekly, Ford penned an entire essay for Air Mail about his experiences watching the second Ridley Scott movie in as many months. (The Last Duel got far more robust reviews in October, but then, no one saw it.) It begins like this: “I recently survived a screening of the two-hour-and-37-minute film that is House of Gucci.” He calls the movie, from “master filmmaker Ridley Scott,” “shiny” and “ambitious” but also claims it “rivals the nighttime soap Dynasty for subtlety but does so with a much bigger budget.”

Ford, who is played in the movie by Reeve Carney and is briefly shown taking over the struggling Gucci empire in 1990, was left with a distinct feeling of whiplash. “The film is… well, I’m still not quite sure what it is exactly, but somehow I felt as though I had lived through a hurricane when I left the theater,” Ford wrote. “Was it a farce or a gripping tale of greed? I often laughed out loud, but was I supposed to?”

Of course, he can’t help but be biased, as per his own admission. “I also knew many of the other players in this saga and was interviewed on multiple occasions for the book that was the source material for the film,” he admitted, “so it is hard for me to divorce reality from the glossy, heavily lacquered soap opera that I witnessed on screen.”

One thing that rubbed Ford the wrong way was that, for him, obviously, the murder of Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver in the film) was no campy, laughing matter. “I was deeply sad for several days after watching House of Gucci, a reaction that I think only those of us who knew the players and the play will feel,” Ford said. “It was hard for me to see the humor and camp in something that was so bloody. In real life, none of it was camp.”

That said, Ford couldn’t completely resist some of the more, shall we say, over-the-top performances. “At times, when Al Pacino, as Aldo Gucci, and Jared Leto, as Aldo’s son Paolo Gucci, were on screen, I was not completely sure that I wasn’t watching a Saturday Night Live version of the tale,” he wrote. “Both performers are given license to be absolute hams — and not of the prosciutto variety.”

But not everyone in the film is glazed ham. Driver, Ford writes, “gives a subtle and nuanced performance.” And Lady Gaga, as Mauricio’s eventually estranged wife Patrizia, is”the true star of the film.” He adds:

“In her often over-the-top portrayal of Patrizia Gucci, her accent migrates occasionally from Milan to Moscow. But who cares? Her performance is spot-on. Her face is the thing that one can’t take one’s eyes off of. When she is on screen, she owns the frame — not an easy task with so many seasoned and talented cast members vying for our attention. Too many, in fact.”

But feel free to judge for yourself. House of Gucci is now in theaters.

(Via Air Mail and EW)

It’s Thanksgiving week, so holiday malaise has already set in. People are at home, possibly bored, possibly eating too much turkey, and very likely pondering the existential questions of the universe. Like, what makes a good relationship? When will I discover my true calling? And, of course, my personal favorite: How come Adele never has any back up dancers? At least, that last one was what one Twitter user had on their mind a few days ago, given the arrival of 30 and its insane first-week sales, she’s definitely been on everyone’s minds quite a bit lately.

But of course, in true Twitter fashion, it was a reply to the tweet — with a homemade, DIY solution — that really had the internet up in arms this Thanksgiving. To solve the problem that the original poster pointed out, another Twitter genius added footage of Megan Thee Stallion twerking to a song with the closest rhythm match. Seriously, this mashup is almost perfect, which makes the whole thing even better. While Adele belts out her 25 hit “Water Under The Bridge,” Megan pops and rolls behind her. Honestly, this is a collaboration that the internet has already gotten ahem, behind, it might just make sense to bring it into the real world. Adele, your move!

Earlier this week, LeBron James had a couple of fans sitting courtside tossed out of the Lakers/Pacers game in Indiana for saying things he “would never say to a fan, and they should never say to a player.” Naturally, amateur bloviating opinion-haver and possibly soon-indicted Donald Trump Jr. — fresh off of being labeled an “idiot” by Kyle Rittenhouse’s lawyer — apparently had nothing better to do on this Saturday night than to take to Instagram to call “LaSnitch” a “bitch” over the incident.

He also fired up Photoshop to give “LaKaren” a MAGA-meme-makeover.

In the wake of the attack on James by “Traitor Tot,” people were quick to point out that the shout-y son of the twice-impeached former president would likely sh*t his pants if he ever stood face to face with LeBron James, one of the most impressive physical specimens to ever walk the face of the Earth, much less have the guts to call him a “bitch” to his face.

And then there’s also the fact that Don Jr.’s most notable life accomplishment is being his father’s son.

And this is probably something a few others can relate to.

Also, could it be merely a coincidence that “Don Jr” and “moronic” have both been trending on Twitter much of this Saturday night?

Don Jr.’s outburst also inspired noted Trump impressionist J-L Cauvin to expand his game a little.

Finally, here’s something to be thankful for: not having to spend holidays with Don Jr.

Tom Ford, an IRL character involved in the saga told in the new film, The House Of Gucci, has weighed in on the cinematic portrayal of events. Patrizia Reggiani, played by Lady Gaga, marries into the Gucci family and begins to wreak havoc on the family business, which estranges her from her husband, Maurizio Gucci, played by Adam Driver. Hurt and furious, Reggiani hires a hitman to murder Maurizio, and was later put on trial and convicted for the crime.

Ford said he was left “deeply sad” by the lengthy two-and-a-half-hour epic, but has praise for Driver, and even more so for Gaga. “Adam Driver, the leading man of the moment, gives a subtle and nuanced performance. He is the calm in the eye of the storm that swirls around him as his fellow actors all battle to see who can chew up the most scenery,” Ford wrote. “But the true star of the film for me is Gaga. It is her film, and she steals the show. In her often over-the-top portrayal of Patrizia Gucci, her accent migrates occasionally from Milan to Moscow. But who cares? … When she is on-screen, she owns the frame — not an easy task with so many seasoned and talented cast members vying for our attention. Too many, in fact.”

Check out his full review of the film here if you have an Air Mail subscription. If you want even more House Of Gucci, why not rent one of the Italian villas where the film was shot?

At first, it seemed like Rico Nasty landing a role opening up for Playboi Carti was a good thing. The rising rapper is one of the most talented MCs in the game, and has made a way for herself as a woman in hip-hop who leans all the way into her own aggressive style of music. She’s a unique force, and one to be reckoned with. But everyone has their limits, and the disrespectful way Carti’s fans have been treating Rico when she’s onstage has begun to wear on her mental health.

Back in November, a fan threw a bottle at her while she was performing in Portland, and she nearly confronted them for the incident. She also was upset when fans booed her during an LA show, saying: “This is what the f*ck we gon’ do for you disrespectful muthaf*ckers out there.. B*tch, we gon’ sit in muthaf*ckin silence! Don’t you f*cking play! What you think this is, b*tch? It’s not that.” So far, Carti has been silent about the way fans have been behaving toward her, but Rico seemed to reach a breaking point tonight when she took to Twitter to let fans know how much she’s struggling.

“I dead ass need at least two hours out of each day. To just cry,” she began. “Crazy how I wanted a tour bus my whole life and now I just be on the tour bus crying myself to sleep every night . I wish I was dead just as much as y’all do trust me. Y’all win.” Quickly deleting her tweets, Complex caught the missives before they were removed:

Twitter has since erupted with support for Rico — including from artists like Kehlani — so here’s hoping she can focus on those messages of love and encouragement instead of a few terrible fans on a single tour. Check out some supportive messages for Rico below.

Adding to the list of people who just don’t get it: Brian May of Queen. May recently decided to bring up the subject of increased focus on diversity in culture today — he thinks efforts to make culture less overwhelmingly white and predominantly male is wrongheaded. As Spin points out, the Queen guitarist took a moment to speak on the subject with UK paper The Mirror after the Brit Awards decided to remove male and female categories from some of their main awards.

After noting that he thought Freddie Mercury would’ve found modern culture “difficult,” May continued:

“Freddie [Mercury] came from Zanzibar, he wasn’t British, he wasn’t white as such – nobody cares, nobody ever, ever discussed it,” May said. “He was a musician, he was our friend, he was our brother. We didn’t have to stop and think: ‘Ooh, now, should we work with him? Is he the right color? Is he the right sexual proclivity?’ None of that happened, and now I find it frightening that you have to be so calculating about everything. We would be forced to have people of different colors and different sexes and we would have to have a trans [person]. You know life doesn’t have to be like that. We can be separate and different.”

But perhaps what May doesn’t realize, as a straight white man, is that all the calculating previously had to be done on the side of marginalized people, who were constantly fighting to be recognized for their contributions, or find a way to stay safe in a very unwelcoming environment. If there’s a small amount of labor that goes into making sure those unheard voices are now recognized, well, then that’s an excellent swap.

There were a lot of viewing options over the Thanksgiving holiday, but few were as epic as Get Back, the three-part, nearly eight-hour doc series about chronicling the recording of The Beatles’ album Let It Be. It’s a game-changer in a lot of ways. For one, it dispels the myth that Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s soon-to-be-wife, was a disruptive presence who led to the band’s break-up. One person who seems to have chosen the Beatles over, say, the new South Park movie is none other than Mark Hamill.

The actor and “good at social media” celeb dropped a handful of memes that photoshopped various Star Wars figures into famous photos of the Fab Four. There’s the young him as Luke Skywalker hanging with them circa what looks like 1966. There’s him, Carrie Fisher’s Leia, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, and Peter Mayhew’s Chewbacca among the throngs in the cover of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. There’s John, Paul, George, and Ringo decked out in Storm Trooper regalia.

What’s the connection? Both Star Wars and Get Back (though no other Beatles content) are owned by Disney. Or maybe Hamill just really, really likes The Beatles. Who doesn’t? In the meantime, hats off to the many who spent a large chunk of their holiday weekend rocking out with The Beatles as they appeared to really enjoy each other’s company — apart from that stretch where George Harrison quits the band, of course.

(Via EW)

Here’s the deal: You know how sometimes, you’ll be scrolling the internet and something will be described as “the worst,” and then you click and look and it’s really not something that’s all that bad? We promise you, that is decidedly not what happened here, as Florida State attempted an onside kick late in its season finale against Florida that ended terribly.

The ‘Noles found the end zone with 49 seconds left in the game to cut into the Gators’ lead and make the score 24-21. With the visitors needing a miracle to pick up a win, Florida State did what it was supposed to do: line up and attempt an onside kick.

Now, onside kicks are really hard! It’s rare that a team successfully pulls one off, but you can usually count on the ball to go close to 10 yards and for some chaos to potentially happen. Instead, FSU’s Parker Grothaus was not able to get nearly enough of the ball, so instead of it going anywhere, it fell forward off the tee and just laid there.

A Florida State player touched the ball, meaning they were hit with an illegal touching penalty. The Gators got the ball, ran out the clock, picked up the win, and earned bowl eligibility by finishing the regular season 6-6 despite firing their head coach earlier this week.