Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘Avatar’ Icons Aang And Korra Are Headed To Upcoming ‘Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl’ Video Game

While there was little doubt Nickelodeon would be recruiting some talent from Avatar: The Last Airbender and spin-off series The Legend of Korra for their upcoming fighting game, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, they sure did keep us waiting for the big reveal. Earlier today, the official Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Twitter at long-last revealed the first images of incoming fighters Aang and Korra, as well as their movesets and brief videos showcasing them in action.

Based off the videos shared, we can safely say both of the “Masters of all Elements” control pretty much as you’d expect them to, which is sure to delight the series’ countless fans. Korra players can look forward to a more aggressive and weighty moveset filled with kicks, stomps, charges, and slams, that’s focused primarily on utilizing the cocky fighter’s water and fire-bending skills. Aang, on the other hand, seems to be significantly more fun and flighty, using air-bending, his staff, and his signature glider exclusively to maneuver gracefully around the arena.

The pair join a roster featuring several of Nickelodeon’s most iconic characters, such as Spongebob Squarepants, Danny Phantom, Invader Zim, the Rugrats’ Reptar, the meme-worthy Nigel Thornberry, two of the four Ninja Turtles, and several others. Nickelodeon has also confirmed even more characters will be coming to the game following its upcoming release, offering some reassurance to folks still worried we haven’t seen anyone from Jimmy Neutron and The Fairly OddParents make an appearance. Who knows, we might even get more Avatar characters — such as fan favorites Prince Zuko and Toph — in the coming months. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is set to hit PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC October 5, and might just be the game to give Super Smash Bros. a bit of a run for its money.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Weekend Preview: Owen Wilson Returns To ‘SNL,’ And There’s So Much Streaming Splendor In Your Living Room

SNL (Saturday, HBO 11:29pm) — Host Owen Wilson and musical guest Kacey Musgraves launch Season 47. There had better be multiverse and Zoolander skits.

These streaming picks make excellent appetizers:

The Many Saints of Newark (Warner Bros. film on HBO Max) — David Chase’s The Sopranos prequel movie arrives in theaters and in your living room this weekend. The mob-movie cast (including Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga) is almost too good. Notably James Gandolfini’s son, Michael, stars as Young Tony. He’s coming of age (and learning to be a mob boss) while rival gang warfare swirls around the family. Our own Mike Ryan enjoyed the film with some qualifiers while calling it both exhilarating and confounding, and Vince Mancini has rounded up the 10 episodes of The Sopranos that will refresh you before the film.

The Guilty (Netflix film) — Jake Gyllenhaal plays an 911 emergency dispatch operator who walks into a situation that he thinks he’s prepared for, but he has no idea… or does he? This movie’s a remake of a Danish film of the same name, and if you’re not familiar with that work (or perhaps even if you are), you aren’t ready for this.

Here’s some regularly scheduled programming:

Scenes From A Marriage (Sunday, HBO 9:00pm) — Here’s the project that Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain were recently firing up on the red carpet. This miniseries remakes Ingmar Bergman’s 1970s project original as directed by HBO regular Hagai Levi with a contemporary spin, including all of the love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage, and divorce that one would expect.

The Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00pm) — This zombie-apocalypse universe’s flagship series returns for one final rodeo with two spinoffs (Fear The Walking Dead, The World Beyond) still in motion, so it’s time to wrap this puppy up before the various shows’ timelines begin to intersect. This week, Negan teaches Maggie a survival technique, and Daryl’s gone hunting.

BMF (Sunday, Starz 9:00pm) — Executive producer 50 Cent launches this crime drama about two Detroit brothers, Demetrius and Terry Flenory, who become kingpins of the Black Mafia Family, which becomes the most significant drug-and-money-laundering network in U.S. history. This week, 50 Boys and their rivals are feeling the tension, all while Lamar’s making moves to ascend to leader.

Billions (Sunday, Showtime 9:00pm) — There ain’t no drama quite like hedge-fund-king drama, and it remains to be seen whether Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades will ever decide to stop wasting so much time hating the hell out of each other. Probably not? Their rivalry reignites this week, which distracts them from the enemies on the horizon.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 9:00pm) — Season 2 begins with an episode called “Koneskans,” which translates to “Consequences” in Haitian Creole. Hope is looking toward the future, and that might ruin a reunion while Iris and Felix encounter new faces amid startling revelations.

American Rust (Sunday, Showtime 10:00) — Jeff Daniels can swing between being comedic and dramatic, and in his new Showtime series, American Rust, he’s decidedly the latter and latest star to take on a complicated cop role after Kate Winslet’s turn in Mare of Easttown. And notably, Bridges’ new role is also set in Pennsylvania and unravels a murder, all while Grace and Billy’s trailer raises suspicions, along with a confession to Lee.

Nuclear Family (Sunday, HBO 10:00) — This three-part documentary series sees filmmaker Russo-Young get extremely personal to examine the true nature of family. The story launches in the late 1970s with Ry and Cade being brought up by two lesbian mothers, only to have an unexpected lawsuit rattle the family’s world.

Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 11:00) — John Oliver, baby.

Here’s some more streaming goodness for the weekend.

MAID (Netflix limited series) — Margaret Qualley (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) stars in this heartbreaking adaptation of Stephanie Land’s New York Times best-selling memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive. This will, clearly, be a difficult watch, but Qualley’s raw portrayal (of a woman who flees an abusive relationship to go through exceedingly difficult times to break the cycle for her daughter) yields a burgeoning star.

Welcome to the Blumhouse: Black As Night/Bingo Hell (Blumhouse films on Amazon Prime) — This double feature shines a light on vampires in the Big Easy, who are the next big threat since Hurricane Katrina. Of course, they’re taking up residence in a French Quarter mansion and must be defeated. Speaking of damn funny, a feisty, board-game loving senior citizen arrives to save the day and the lives of her friends, all with the realization that there’s a sinister presence lurking that’s far more dangerous than mere gentrification. Naturally, there’s a whole lot of social conscience at work here.

The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+ series) — Jon Stewart’s return to TV fast approaches, and it could be argued that he’s never been needed more on TV than this particular moment. The former The Daily Show host will be doing the current-events thing with an episode every two weeks, which isn’t as frequent as fans might prefer, but we’ll trust the process. According to Apple TV+, viewers can expect Stewart to go deep on a single subject per episode with a “solutionary” approach, and yes, there are jokes.

Ted Lasso: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series) — First thing’s first: Everyone who’s caught a glimpse of this Bill Lawrence co-created and developed series loves it. That’s a notable feat, considering that star Jason Sudeikis first portrayed the title character way back in 2013 for NBC Sports’ promos for Premier League coverage. Fast forward to the fresh hell that was 2020, and the show surfaced as one of the year’s lone bright spots. Ted Lasso is somehow both relentlessly and charmingly cheery, although there’s always the spectre of Led Tasso to consider.

The Haunted Museum: Season 1 (Discovery+ series) — Eli Roth has so much going on over at Discovery+ this month (following his recent real-life horror/Shark-Week film on the streamer) that one has to wonder… is he running the joint? It’s a valid question, but more to the point, he’s teaming up with Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans for this scripted anthology series, in which they illuminate nine of the world’s most cursed artifacts. These relics are actually in display in Bagans’ Vegas museum, but here, you’ll get the historic commentary in addition to having the pants scared off of you. (When you’re done with that series, prepare for next week’s Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life, which will present personal accounts on those who have survived feeling like they’re been dragged through hell and fought their way back.)

Doom Patrol: Season 3 (HBO Max series) — DC’s struggling misfit superheroes are back for another round. Brendan Fraser has received plenty of raves for his fury-filled Cliff Steele/Robotman, but don’t count out the rest of the crew. There’s Matt Bomer as the bandage-wrapped Negative Man and Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, which is actually a role that requires Diane to play dozens of incarnations, including a very timely take on a Karen. This season, the sh*t hits the fan with a time machine.

Midnight Mass (Netflix series) — Get ready, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor addicts, because creator Mike Flanagan’s back to cause us more horror fits. This happens to be his favorite project so far and revolves around an isolated community that lives on spooky Crockett Island, which gets even spookier due to a charismatic priest’s arrival. Naturally, a whole lot of supernatural shenanigans are afoot, but human nature (as we are currently experiencing in-real-life these days) can often be scarier than the ghosts that people can dream up. It’s dark, real dark.

The Way Down: God, Greed, And The Cult Of Gwen Shamblin: (HBO Max series) — This five part documentary series follows the rise and fall of the Remnant Fellowship Church founder, whose Weigh Down Workshop worked a cult-like racket that preached weight loss as a means to get close to god. This transformed into accusations of abuse (of the emotional, psychological, and physical varieties), all before Shamblin died in a May 2021 plane crash.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Dom Kennedy Returns To Bring Westside Love To The World On ‘Rollin Papers’

Somehow or another, a whole summer has gone by with barely a peep from LA warm weather icon Dom Kennedy. However, it looks like he might be setting his sights on windbreaker season, announcing the impending release of the third installment of his fan-favorite album series, From The Westside With Love, on October 15. To solidify his return to the projects that made him such a staple of Golden State house parties and ocean drives, he has dropped the first single, “Rollin Papers.”

In typical Dom Kennedy fashion, “Rollin Papers” features a mellow beat that invites top-down, seat-back, afternoon cruising paired with his laid-back, descriptive rhymes, complete with all the forcefully-enunciated “r” sounds you could ever hope for.

The past five years or so have seen a string of consistent releases from Dom, including his Half-A-Mil pairings with Hit-Boy, but enthusiasm for new Dom Kennedy music hit new highs this summer, partially as a result of a 2020 that saw him tapped by both New York rap legend Nas on “City On Lock” and rising Los Angeles R&B star Blxst for “Got It All.” With his years of consistency finally receiving some recognition, it looks like his persistence — and fans’ patience — will pay off with the return to the Westside Love revolution we’ve all been waiting for.

Listen to “Rollin Papers” above.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

James Gandolfini Considered Joining ‘The Office,’ In Part, Because His Favorite Movie Was ‘The Rocker’(?)

The Office wasn’t the same after Steve Carell left during season seven. There are some good episodes in the final two seasons and I will forever defend Robert California (he is the f*cking lizard king after all), but when Michael boarded his flight to Colorado, so much of what made the show great was lost. This may not have been the case if James Gandolfini had stepped in as regional manager.

“I was at the meeting with James Gandolfini where we tried to convince him to join the show,” writer and actor B.J. Novak recalled during Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “And he was a big comedy fan — his favorite movie was The Rocker starring Rainn Wilson, so he was shy and intrigued.” Novak called The Sopranos the “biggest influence” on The Office because… I’m sorry, I need to pause here. James Gandolfini’s favorite movie was The Rocker, the little-seen 2008 comedy starring Dwight as a failed musician named Robert “Fish” Fishman who appears on the poster in his underwear? This will take some time to process.

OK, that’s better.

“In fact, the way Michael Scott will say something very serious but mispronounce a word, I feel, is a direct descendent of the Tony Soprano sense of humor,” Novak said. “So I thought he would have been an incredible replacement — I really, really wanted to work with him.”

Novak thinks Gandolfini would have been an “incredible replacement” for Carell, but unfortunately, the deal didn’t happen. As Steve Schirripa explained on Talking Sopranos, NBC offered Gandolfini “$4 million to play him for the season — and HBO paid him $3 million not to do it.” Gandolfini was reportedly going to star in HBO’s The Night Of, but he passed away in 2013; the miniseries would eventually air in 2016.

You can watch the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen clip above.

(Via People)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

A Korean Man Is Getting 4,000 Calls A Day After His Actual Phone Number Was Featured In The First Episode Of Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’

If you think you’ve been hearing a lot about Netflix’s Squid Game recently, just be thankful you’re not the man whose phone number was given away in the show’s first episode. Following the success of the gruesome Korean series, fans of the show have been calling a phone number prominently featured in its first episode. However, it turns out the line these folks are calling was not one made up for Squid Game, but actually belongs to a Korean man living in Gyeonggi Province, according to The South China Morning Post (via IGN), and he’s now getting around 4,000 calls a day.

For those interested (but gracious enough to leave the poor man alone), the phone number in question appears in the first episode of Squid Game numerous times, as it graces multiple business cards handed out to the show’s cast of characters inviting them to compete in a series of gory games in hopes of winning a massive cash prize. The phone number is also featured in the show’s trailer, which has already racked up nearly 13 million views since its release a month ago.

According to the report, viewers are apparently calling the number to state their interest in being “in the game,” perhaps assuming the line would lead to a pre-existing hotline created as a publicity stunt for the series. However, they are instead being met by the presumably very full inbox of the unsuspecting man whose life has now been turned upside down by the show’s success. A local Korean newspaper, Hankook Ilbo, has stated Netflix is currently “in negotiations with the phone number owner to resolve the issue,” however the bizarre issue has attracted the attention of other parties interested in obtaining the number.

South Korea’s National Revolutionary Party’s honorary chief, Huh Kyung-young, has reportedly made an offer of 100 million won — or $85,000 USD — to purchase the phone number. According to the presidential hopeful, he has heard “that the owner of the phone number showed on a business card in Squid Game is suffering serious damage from prank calls” and would like to resolve the issue through buying “the number for 100 million won.”

However, despite all these big numbers being thrown around and having Netflix on the phone, the owner of the number is reportedly hesitant to give it away. According to the reports, he has been using it for over a decade and it is linked with his business. However, seeing as Squid Game will likely become Netflix biggest show ever, we wouldn’t be surprised if he takes one of these offers here soon.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

TikTok Star PinkPantheress Announced Her First Mixtape, ‘To Hell With It,’ With Some Ominous Artwork

Pink Pantheress blew up on TikTok first, but don’t write her off as a one-and-done viral sensation. Instead, this London DIY performer got a deal with Parlophone and is gearing up to expand her sound even farther past the eclectic foundation she’s already built. The bedroom producer is inspired by sounds as divergent as Lily Allen, ’90s and ’00s pop and punk acts, and K-pop, but she blends everything together to make it her own in the end. With her new single “Just For Me” blowing up and the subdued, white backdropped video clocking in at just under a million and a half views in three weeks, it’s safe to say she’s on the verge of mainstream fame.

Today, she’s announced her debut mixtape is going to be on the way soon, introducing the collection with a spooky Halloween-style cover. To Hell With It is slated for release on October 15 via Elektra Records/Parlophone Records, and will include previously-released songs like her latest “Just For Me,” along with “Pain,” “Passion,” and “Break It Off.” Of her new project, Pink Pantheress said she’s collecting the songs while still working to develop her sound. “I’m super excited to share this project with you all as my first body of work,” she said in a press release. “I’ve been collecting songs that I’ve made this year and while I’m still developing my sound, I’m hoping these songs immerse you into your ideal fantasy world as you listen.”

Check out the creepy cover art below, and if you haven’t heard it yet, check out “Just For Me” above.

Elektra Records
Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Lindsay Lohan’s New NFT Auction Is Not Going Over Well With Furries

Earlier this week, Lindsay Lohan made her official plunge into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs for short) by auctioning off a piece of artwork that transforms the Mean Girls actress into a furry. Her “fursona,” as the community calls it. Lohan tweeted the image on Wednesday, which kicked off a 72-hour auction that would grant the winner the digital rights to the cartoon rendering of Canine Lohan, or whatever they’re calling it.

By Thursday, Lohan was trending on Twitter, and not in a good way. The actress was getting roasted for attempting to shamelessly cash in on the NFT craze, and more specifically, her “art” did not go over well with the furry community. Via Rolling Stone:

“Flat D, perhaps even a D-,” says Colin Spacetwinks, a writer in the furry community. “It reminds me in a way of frequently insecure straight artists rendering furries: [diminish] and reduce furry traits so as to not ‘commit’ to what you’re doing. Ears covered, why? Feels like it’s avoiding animal traits on purpose.” Furry and aspiring game developer Tommo the Cabbit made a similar point, telling Rolling Stone, “It’s weird how there’s no ears shown since furry characters have ears shown on the top of the head.”

As, uh, animal lovers (to put it mildly), furries also took issue with Lohan endorsing NFTs, which have a negative impact on the environment thanks to the exponential levels of power consumption needed to create cryptocurrency. Turns out, there’s not a whole lot of room for animals to thrive when you’re raising the earth’s temperature to make imaginary computer money.

You can see some more reactions below:

(Via Rolling Stone)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

LL Cool J Will Present Tyler The Creator With A New Award At The 2021 BET Hip-Hop Awards

At this year’s BET Hip-Hop Awards airing October 5 at 9 pm ET, LL Cool J will be presenting Tyler The Creator with a new award named after LL’s most impactful hit. The Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award will recognize the growth and widespread effect Tyler has had over the past decade of rap music, representing a way for the older generation of hip-hop pioneers to recognize their successors — and maybe inform viewers on a little bit more hip-hop history.

Meanwhile, the awards themselves were actually filmed this week on Thursday, September 30, giving LL a chance to address the occasion via a statement from BET. “I am proud to honor Tyler, The Creator, with the first-ever Rock The Bells cultural influence award, which celebrates an artist who continues to break down the conventional boundaries of hip hop culture,” he said.

In addition, Tyler is nominated for four awards including, Hip Hop Album of the Year for his album Call Me If You Get Lost, Artist of the Year, Best Live Performer, and Producer of the Year. The honor follows Tyler’s mind-(and everything else)blowing performance of album single “Lumberjack” at the BET Awards earlier this year. Tyler said of the experience, “I was so hype to perform at the BET Awards. I don’t think people understand, dude. Having Durk and Lil Baby and Styles P just tell me how good the performance was meant a lot. I just never felt like my style of music would ever have been, not even appreciated, but allowed on there. And because of that, I would mock it. It was like a defense mechanism because I felt like I wasn’t accepted by that audience. But when they asked me this year, man, I was enthralled. I was so happy.”

Watch the BET Hip-Hop Awards on 10/5 on BET.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

DC Fans Are Venting And Choosing Chaos By Pretending To Have Seen ‘The Batman’ On The Film’s Intended Release Date

The world’s in a shambles. That’s an undeniable truth these days, and also consider this: It’s been over two years since we learned that Robert Pattinson was the seemingly unlikely choice to play the lead in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and it’s been over one year since the first (intense) teaser trailer arrived. Someday (March 4, 2022), the movie will land in theaters for real, and that day is obviously not today (October 1, 2021), which happens to be the intended release day.

Naturally, there was bound to be some emotional realizations once people realized that this was to be a joyous day, when Robert Pattinson — master of reinvention and murderer of microwave ovens — could deliver his take on a young Bruce Wayne. We’ve been robbed of so much life over the past few years, so obviously, delayed movie dates don’t rank anywhere near a real tragedy, but still, people are upset. And they’re venting.

And some people decided to deal with disappointment by making sh*t up for fun. Enter a flurry of tweets, which saw their authors pretend to have seen the movie and dole out “reactions.” Hey, it sounds like what Batman wouldn’t do on Harley Quinn (even though he totally would) is in the mix for these claimed scenarios, which include everything from “Batman does in fact go down” to “Red Hood shot Bane in the f*cking nuts.”

Meanwhile, someone woke up and decided to choose real chaos.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘Justin Bieber: Our World’ Takes A Look At The Build-Up To His 2020 New Year’s Eve Concert

After the release of his new album, Justice, earlier this year, Justin Bieber has been back on his A-game. Arguably, the resurgence started directly after the release of his Changes album at the top of 2020. After a period of quiet during the early pandemic, Bieber began to slowly release new singles like “Lonely” with Benny Blanco and “Holy” with Chance The Rapper that reflected a more vulnerable, intimate look at where the singer’s head was at.

These new songs along with other singles like “Anyone” and “Hold On” would eventually be part of Justice, but at the time momentum was building and fans were thrilled to discover that Bieber was going to be hosting a massive livestream concert for New Year’s Eve 2020. Hey, livestreams aren’t normally the most exciting thing in the world, but after a year of lockdown and isolation, it felt like a prescient good omen for the coming year. Justin Bieber: Our World is a new documentary from filmmaker Michael D. Ratner that follows Bieber and his team for the month building up to the show, along with self-shot moments from Bieber and Hailey that capture the couple navigating their new relationship during the isolation.

Check out the trailer above, the film drops on Amazon Prime Video on October 8.