After Mike Lindell‘s claim of election fraud in Idaho completely blew up in his face, which is becoming a recurring theme for the MyPillow CEO, state officials are planning to charge him for the cost of conducting a baseless audit.

While appearing on CNN on Thursday, Idado Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck didn’t mince words as he said “there’s absolutely no validity” to Lindell’s claim that votes were electronically hacked, causing them to be switched from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. However, the state was obligated to conduct an audit even though it knew Lindell’s claims were bogus, and election officials plan to make him reimburse the cost to taxpayers. Via Mediaite:

“You are chasing your tail because of the MyPillow guy,” [CNN anchor John] Berman remarked. “Should he pay for this at least?”

“Well, actually we will be totaling up the expenses that were incurred in the process and we will be sending him a bill,” Houck said.

The state of Idaho has not been shy about its contempt for Lindell after he falsely accused the state of election fraud. Last week, election officials revealed that Lindell claimed to have the IP addresses for counties that don’t even use electronic voting devices. Essentially, Lindell said he had the IP address for paper election counts, which is impossible. The move made Lindell the target of local election officials who blasted him for tarnishing the reputation of several counties.

“Smooth move, Mr. Lindell,” one wrote in a damning public statement.

(Via Mediaite)

Despite 30 years of film and theater acting experience, it turns out even Academy award-nominated Jake Gyllenhaal isn’t immune to getting a bit of anxiety on set. While the seasoned actor has earned critical-acclaim for his performances in films such as Donnie Darko, Nightcrawler, and Brokeback Mountain, Gyllenhaal has revealed that none of his previous tense and dramatic work quite prepared him for what it would be like to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home.

In an appearance this week on the Howard Stern Show, Gyllenhaal told Stern acting in a Marvel movie was “a whole different craft,” explaining how production would “move with ideas” and how his late entry to the MCU was “hard.” The actor says it was like jumping on a moving train.

“It’s hard, man. That acting is hard. All of it. That world is enormous. And I joined that world way into that run; a train that was already moving. Normally, I come in way early on, and I get to figure it out [..] If someone has a good idea, they will shift an entire day around that idea.”

According to Gyllenhaal, his nerves ultimately got the better of him on the first day of shooting the second entry in Marvel’s Spider-Man series, shocking even himself. Gyllenhaal says he then had to turn to Peter Parker himself (Tom Holland) to help him work through his anxiety and remember his lines.

“I was freaking out,” he said. “It was a scene with [Samuel L.] Jackson, Tom … there were a number of actors in that scene. And I remember not being able to remember my lines. I was the wooden board. And they were like, ‘Whoa.’ And I went up to Tom Holland and was like, ‘Dude, help me out.’ He’s like, ‘It’s all good, man. Just relax.’ It was like he was me in so many situations. And I finally did. I just put a lot of pressure on [myself] because I love that world.”

Ultimately, fans and critics agreed that Gyllenhaal delivered a pretty fantastic performance as Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, in Spider-Man: Far From Home, continuing the current Spider-Man‘s track record of creating real powerhouse villains for Holland’s Peter Parker to face off against. The next entry in the Spider-Man series, Spider-Man: No Way Home, swings into theaters December 17, and will feature Alfred Molina reprising his role as Dr. Otto Octavius, aka Doc Ock, much to the delight of longtime Spidey fans.

The NBA is on the verge of its 75th anniversary. The league has already announced a whole host of ways that it will celebrate the milestone, including an upcoming list of the 75 greatest players to ever grace the hardwood and some special uniforms. And on Thursday, the NBA decided to kick things off by debuting a short film narrated by Michael B. Jordan titled “NBA Lane.”

The video features 14 active NBA players, 20 ex-players who have headed off into retirement, seven mascots, and perhaps most importantly, Lil Penny. Jordan — the actor, not the basketball player — serves as the driver of a bus that takes a group of children around the fictional town, with the aforementioned NBA players leaning into some of the things that made them legends of the game. There are a number of nods to moments in league history, and at one point, a gigantic mural paying tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.

The NBA will kick off its 75th anniversary on Tuesday, Oct. 19 with a double-header on TNT. The reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks will start things off with an Eastern Conference Semifinal rematch against the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. EST, while the Golden State Warriors will head down to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers at 10 p.m. EST.

If ever there was a case to be made for the need for term limits, one need look no further than Chuck Grassley. In late September, the longtime Republican lawmaker from the great state of Iowa—who, at 88, is the GOP’s oldest senator—announced his plans to run for yet another term in the most grandpa way possible:

(We’re assuming the video attached to the tweet is in fact footage of Grassley, and not a commercial for some sort of dementia medication.)

While Grassley seems to be working harder than his shower grab bars to prove that he’s still “with it” despite his advancing age, his brain—and mouth—seemed to hearken back to a previous decade on Wednesday when, during a senate confirmation hearing, he told Korean American judicial nominee Lucy Koh: “I congratulate you and your people” for her achievement, as The Washington Post reports. The comment, which reeked of racism, sparked an immediate backlash.

Judy Chu, a Democrat representing California’s 27th District in the U.S. House of Representatives and chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, was among the first to take issue with Grassley’s compliment-gone-wrong, tweeting that, “Even as a compliment, assigning any trait to a whole community is the definition of prejudice. Treating all members of a group as the same invites mistreatment. It may not be the same incitement to violence seen in other slurs, but is harmful nonetheless.”

Taylor Foy, Grassley’s spokesperson, was quick to issue a statement to the Des Moines Register clarifying his comments and insisting that Grassley was complimenting Koh and letting her know how touched he was by her story:

“Sen. Grassley’s intent was to be complimentary, not to insult anyone. Chairman Durbin invited Judge Koh to share the inspiring story of her family’s immigration to the United States. Sen. Grassley shared that he has similarly been inspired by the immigration story of his daughter-in-law, who is also Korean-American.”

For the record, Grassley’s full comment to Koh was this:

“What you said about your Korean background reminded me a lot of what my daughter-in-law of 45 years has said: ‘If I’ve learned anything from Korean people, it’s a hard work ethic. And how you can make a lot out of nothing.’ So I congratulate you and your people.”

Ummmm… Yep, still kinda racist.

(Via The Washington Post)

Cordae is more than two years removed releasing his Grammy-nominated debut album, The Lost Boy. The project cemented his place in hip-hop and left fans looking forward to more from the DMV rapper. The wait for a new full-length project from Cordae is almost over as he is currently preparing to release his sophomore album, From A Birds Eye View. Before that arrives, the rapper returns with “Super,” a hard-hitting effort that finds him bragging unrelentingly about his riches and success.

The wait for From A Birds Eye View has been far from grueling as Cordae made sure to keep his fans happy with new music over the past couple of years. Examples include his Just Until EP from earlier this year as it delivered four songs with features from Young Thug and Q-Tip. His other releases from the past two years include “Gifted” with Roddy Ricch and “The Parables.”

More recently, Cordae looked to build up anticipation for his sophomore album with a freestyle over Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy.” On it, he warned that fans are “not ready” for what’s in store with the upcoming project as he laid sharp bars during a recent livestream on Twitch with gamer Adin Ross.

You can watch the video for “Super” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Over the course of the five Daniel Craig James Bond movies, Jeffrey Wright played CIA agent Felix Leiter three times, having not been seen on screen, until now, (even though he’s been mentioned since), since 2008’s Quantum of Solace. (It seems impossible, somehow, it’s been 13 years since we last saw Wright play Felix Leiter.)

Felix Leiter is an interesting character in the James Bond universe. He’s appeared in, now, 10 official James Bond movies (Bernie Casey also played in in Never Say Never Again), but other than Wright, only one other actor played him more than once. (That on its own is odd. In 1973’s Live and Let Die, David Hedison played Leiter. Leiter would not appear again until 1987’s The Living Daylights, where he was played by John Terry. Then in 1989’s License to Kill, Hedison returned to the role after 16 years.)

What also makes Leiter interesting is how much people like Leiter, for a character who doesn’t show up all that much. (Though he has a substantial role in No Time To Die.) Audiences like it when James Bond has a fellow spy from another country he can trust. Jack Lord (from Hawaii Five-O fame) originated the role in Dr. No, and was, frankly, pretty awesome as Leiter. But when he was asked to come back, Lord wanted to share top billing with Sean Connery and that was that. After, the role just seemed to drift from actor to actor until Wright made the role something truly special again.

In No Time To Die, James Bond is retired. With a growing threat from Spectre, James Bond (Daniel Craig) starts poking his nose around and MI6 very much does not want him involved. Felix Leiter though sees an opportunity and recruits Bond to come work for the CIA for a mission. Leiter explains the Americans and the British aren’t really on the best terms and aren’t sharing intelligence much these days, which is dangerous. (And, when this movie was supposed to come out in early 2020, was probably pretty true.) For longtime Felix Leiter fans, it’s pretty great to watch Bond and Leiter truly team up.

Ahead, Jeffrey Wright takes a look back at his tenure as Leiter. Why we didn’t see Leiter in either Skyfall or Spectre. Why Wright thinks Leiter is such a popular character. And, going forward, what advice he’d pass on to the next actor, a man or a woman, who takes over the role.

Why do you think people like Felix Leiter so much, for a guy who doesn’t show up all that much over the years? I have a couple of theories but I want to hear yours first…

People are on Bond’s side. Audiences are obviously on his side. And it’s a very dark and dangerous world that he inhabits and there are not many people that he trusts. And, therefore, there are not many people that audiences can trust to be allies to him, particularly out in the field. When he’s back at MI6 headquarters, that’s a different story. But when he’s out in the field, there’s danger around every corner. But if Felix shows up around that corner, then we breathe a sigh of relief, because we know where he lies. You know?

Yes, right…

He may be the only one in the field who we can view in that way. And so, maybe that has something to do with it.

I agree. I also think, as someone who grew up in the United States, it’s fun when James Bond needs our help a little bit. Also, James Bond doesn’t have many buddies. And it’s nice that he gets a buddy, which especially shows in this movie.

I guess in some ways, too, it makes Bond more accessible. It grounds him a little bit. It brings out something of his humanity, outside the veneer of this armor that he wears. So I think maybe his relationship to Felix, because it is one that he values, and again, the only one in certain circumstances that he trusts in the flesh, maybe it brings us closer somehow to Bond as well, as an audience. Because it opens him up in a way that he’s not normally open.

Especially after missing the last two movies, when you got the script for this one, were you like, “All right, now we’re talking.” It’s a good Felix movie.

Yeah, every time it was time for another of the Bonds to go into production, I was texting Barbara Broccoli going, “Hey, where’s Felix in all of this?” She would reach out and say, “Felix is in this one.” And then three weeks later, “Well, he’s not in this one.” So they kind of keep me on my toes with these things. But, yeah, I was certainly excited to hear that he would be back. And it felt, just for Felix, if this is going to be Daniel’s last, for Felix to make another visit onto the scene and kind of round out these chapters in the franchise’s history. So I’m very grateful that, at the end of the day, that’s how it played out. And I was able to kind of complete the circle of my relationship.

I’m imagining that text you got, “Okay, good news, bad news: Bad news, he’s not in the movie. But the good news is James Bond mentions Felix.”

“Bad news is you’ve been reduced to a mention, and Monica Bellucci is heading your way.” Okay. Well, as bad news goes, that’s pretty good news.

I have an idea for you, because if this Amazon sale happens, whatever Felix was doing around that time, there’s your 10-episode show.

Well, it’s possible. We’ll see.

Well, I would love that.

Let’s pitch that one together.

What’s the deal with this character? Before you, they recast it every time except one time where the guy who played it in Live and Let Die, David Hedison, came back 16 years later and played him in License to Kill.

I’m not sure. For me, Leiter is Jack Lord.

Have you read about what he wanted to come back? He wanted top billing with Sean Connery.

Okay. Well, here’s the thing, I absolutely love Jack Lord in that first film. And that was I believe the first, it was Dr. No, if I’m not mistaken. Right?

Correct.

And I mean, with just the kind of weird feline sunglasses, and his demeanor and the whole rapport with Connery, it was great. I mean, he had this coolness about him. I think that certainly informed my thinking about this role when I took it on. He had this coolness about him that rivaled Miles Davis, who was like the coolest cat in the universe at that time. But, from what I’ve heard, he was a complicated dude when the camera was off, so that makes a kind of sense to me.

An ornery cuss.

Everybody has their days. In our profession, we have bad days on and off screen. But yeah, I’ve heard he was complicated, so that sounds within the realm of possibilities. But, I certainly love what he did on screen with the character. I was really excited to take on the role when it was offered me. In fact, when my agent called me and said, “Hey, Barbara Broccoli got in touch. They’re going to revamp the Bond series, and they’re interested in you playing this CIA character or something. They’re going to send you the script.” And I’m like, “Okay, cool.” And they get the script, and I’m like, “CIA agent? No. Dude, this is Felix Leiter, bro! This is not just any spook. This is Felix Leiter!”

So your agent wasn’t familiar that this is the guy Jack Lord played.

I don’t know how it was described to him.

Bernie Casey played this guy.

Yeah, exactly!

I know that one, Never Say Never Again, “doesn’t exist,” but it does. And he played it. He was great, too.

Yeah. No question about it. No question about it.

With Felix, what do you want to see from the character with whoever takes it on next?

I hadn’t given it any thought.

You played it more than anyone in history, so you’re the person to ask.

Yeah, I suppose I might be the person to ask, but that doesn’t imply that I’m the person that has an answer. I haven’t given it any thought.

Obviously Jack Lord made this character pretty cool. But that’s a pretty old movie now. You’ve made this character cool again. So I think whoever plays Felix Leiter next, their agent is not going to be like, “Ah, some CIA guy.” I think they’re going to be pretty aware who Felix is at this point.

Well, what I did was work with Daniel. I created my character within the context of what he was doing with Bond. Obviously, Bond exists outside of Leiter. So it was very much a kind of: there are like sympathetic strings that go into creating a character like this. So whatever the person does, he’s going to have to do it, or she’s going to have to do it, with the other actor that is working opposite. So that’s the thing. I don’t know. I don’t know. What I’m more concerned about, really, is getting this movie out, getting people into theaters after they have not been in theaters for the last year and a half, two years.

That’s a good point.

Let’s get this one out, get people in front of the screens to enjoy it and then worry about the next after.

Did you play him differently in No Time To Die. In Casino Royale he’s a little more mysterious and in this you seem to lean into the buddy, buddy aspect with Bond. Which makes sense.

I didn’t want to play him cool, like Jack Lord, but I was certainly informed, not by only just Jack Lord, but kind of the general vibe, the general coolness that is a Bond film. Felix now is, one, he’s older. He’s more experienced, but he’s also more jaded. I mean, they’ve gone through this since Quantum even. There’s been, I think, again, a kind of distilling down of the responsibilities with each of them, whereby they find themselves engaging one another. Not in terms of what they represent – the jurisdictions they represent; the organizations that they represent – but they find themselves interacting as men who are part of a very small brotherhood. And that’s where he is now.

There are these interesting undertones, Felix says it, that “our countries aren’t getting along right now, and they’re not talking.” Which when this movie was supposed to come out, it was probably much more true than probably now, but that’s interesting. Because I’m sure that was happening in real life.

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And, so, it amplifies even more what their relationship as men means. Regardless of everything that’s happening out in the world, there’s trust there. And that’s what brings them together. And that’s what catalyzes this story to an extent: is that at the end of the day, that friendship. You know?

Right.

Something very simple. And that’s, I think, what is wonderful about this film: is that it’s huge, epic, sprawling, it’s jagged, it’s got all of the kind of monumental set pieces that you expect with a Bond film. But, at the end of the day, it all distills down to these very simple human relationships. And all of that other stuff really just propels us forward into these more heartfelt moments that are simply human.

‘No Time To Die’ opening this weekend in theaters everywhere. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Ariana Grande has millions of adoring fans across the globe, but that also unfortunately means she’s had some run-ins with some stalkers in her past. Most recently, the singer’s security team stopped a man who showed up to her house wielding a knife. It wasn’t clear if Grande was home at the time, but she was so shaken up by the event that she sought a restraining order against the man — which was just granted by a judge this week.

Last month, 23-year-old Aharon Brown was taken into custody by police after he arrived at Grande’s Hollywood Hills house at 2 a.m. Brown reportedly faced Grande’s security and demanded to speak to the singer. When he was refused, Brown allegedly later returned to the property, brandished a large hunting knife, and “threatened to kill her,” according to Rolling Stone.

Earlier this week, one of Grande’s security guards testified in court about the incident. His account of the night led LA County Superior Court Judge Reginald L. Neal to grant the singer a five-year restraining order against Brown, which expires October 5 2026. In a statement given to the court, Grande detailed how the situation “terrifies” her for her safety. “The fact that Mr. Brown has been regularly coming to my home for over six months terrifies me,” Grande said in the statement. “Based on his threats, I am fearful for my safety and for the safety of my family. I fear that absent a restraining order, Mr. Brown will continue to come to my home and attempt to physically harm or murder me or members of my family.”

Read Rolling Stone‘s full report here.

This article originally appeared on 12.03.19

Madeleine Albright once said, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” It turns out that might actually be a hell on Earth, because women just do better when they have other women to rely on, and there’s research that backs it up.

A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that women who have a strong circle of friends are more likely to get executive positions with higher pay. “Women who were in the top quartile of centrality and had a female-dominated inner circle of 1-3 women landed leadership positions that were 2.5 times higher in authority and pay than those of their female peers lacking this combination,” Brian Uzzi writes in the Harvard Business Review.

Part of the reason why women with strong women backing them up are more successful is because they can turn to their tribe for advice. Women have to face different challenges than men, such as unconscious bias, and being able to turn to other women who have had similar experiences can help you navigate a difficult situation. It’s like having a road map for your goals.

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RELATED: ‘Supergirl’ actress Melissa Benoist opened up about her experiences with domestic violence to ’empower others’

It’s interesting to note that women in leadership positions who lacked this style of support system didn’t make as much as the women who did. “While women who had networks that most resembled those of successful men (i.e., centrality but no female inner circle) placed into leadership positions that were among the lowest in authority and pay,” Uzzi writes. Men and women have different needs, and that even extends to their tribe.

But it’s not just in the workplace. A 2006 study found that women who had 10 or more friends were more likely to survive the disease than women who lacked close friends. The study found socially isolated women were 64% more likely to die from cancer, and 43% more likely to have a breast cancer reoccurrence. Friendship is literally the best medicine.

RELATED: Blindfolded women singing an anti-rape chant on the streets of Chile is powerfully haunting

Never underestimate the power of a group text with your girlfriends. Having a place to commiserate over sexism and support other women with goofy gifs when someone succeeds can enrich your life on all fronts.

It looks like that episode of Dave featuring Doja Cat was grounded in reality after all. The 25-year-old star is riding high in the wake of her third album, Planet Her, but that doesn’t mean that everything is sunny for her. If anything, she’s busier than ever, and judging from a string of tweets she posted then deleted, according to HotNewHipHop, she’s feeling the burnout of being overworked and saying “yes” to a few too many projects at once — which have included hosting the VMAs, performing at them, and participating in a slew of brand partnerships.

“I’m just tired and i don’t want to do anything,” she tweeted Wednesday night. “I’m not happy. I’m done saying yes to motherf*ckers cuz I can’t even have a week to just chill. I’m never not working. I’m f*cking tired. Alex is getting old he’s 68 years old and i can’t even be there for him. i wanna be alone.”

Without explaining who “Alex” is or providing additional context, she continued, “its not anybody else’s fault but mine anyway i just keep agreeing to sh*t i dont wanna do in the future. its my own dumb ass fault. and then I’m too tired to put any effort into this sh*t cuz I’m so run down from everything else.”

It looks like the rapper/popstar could use a vacation — and perhaps a class in time management and setting boundaries. She’s already starting to get there, saying she’s going to be more selective about features in the future, which seems like a good start. Here’s hoping she gets some rest and rediscovers her creative spark.

Over the past few months, several touring musicians and concert promoters began requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before entry in recent months, and the city of LA is now following suit. On Thursday, the LA City Council announced indoor entertainment businesses everywhere, including movie theaters, concert venues, restaurants, bars, gyms, shopping centers, and sports event centers, will be legally required to have their patrons show proof of vaccination before stepping indoors.

According to a report from Deadline, the ordinance was passed with 11 “ayes” and two “nays” in the City Council, and it will officially go into effect on November 4. Those with medical or religious exemptions can still enter businesses, but they will have to provide a recent negative COVID test instead. Businesses that don’t comply with the ordinance will be punished with a fine. The first infraction will result in an official notice from the city, the second infraction will result in a fine of $1,000, the third will have a fine of $2,000, and any further infractions will each result in a $5,000 fine.

Speaking about LA’s decision to require proof of vaccination, City Council President Nury Martinez said, “No one will force you to get a vaccine, but if you decide not to get one, there are certain things you will not be able to do.” She continued, “This is no longer negotiable, the stakes are too high.”