Category: News

The original Coming to America came out during a very different time. For one thing, back in 1988 it wasn’t too unusual for an R-rated movie to make a dumptruck of money. There were a lot more R movies back then! The cinema of 2021 leans heavily towards PG-13 — not so blue that large demographics can’t watch it, but not too family-friendly either. So when Coming 2 America wound up downgraded to a PG-13, there was some concern. But its director says there’s a good reason for a slightly cleaner sequel.

Craig Brewer — who’s no stranger to R movies, including his last picture with Eddie Murphy, the gleefully dirty Dolemite is My Name — was speaking to The Wall Street Journal (in a bit teased out by The Hollywood Reporter) when the subject of the rating came up. Brewer said it wasn’t like they weren’t allowed to go R had they wanted to.

“If an R-rated movie would work then we would do an R-rated movie,” Brewer explained. “I think we still have a really hilarious movie and we do push the boundaries on a PG-13 movie here and there. If you look at the first movie, other than the gratuitous nudity of the bathers and some swearing, it is actually rather wholesome. It’s got a fairytale feel to it.”

It’s true, the original Coming to America isn’t a terribly hard R, even if two of its most famous bits — the bathers and the trash mouthed cabbie who picks them up at the airport — only work with the more mature rating. If Murphy decides to once again team with the director of Hustle and Flow and Black Snake Moan — two of Brewer’s other, also very R movies — there’s every chance they’ll again go blue.

(Via The Wall Street Journal and THR)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had some measured good news for the state’s music fans: arts, entertainment, and events venues will be allowed to reopen in April, according to The New York Times. However, there will be limitations, of course, in the interest of public safety. Venues will be capped at 33% capacity, with a maximum of 100 people for indoor and 200 people for outdoor venues. Venues that can administer COVID-19 tests to all attendees can increase that number to 150 people indoors and 500 outdoors. The new rules are set to go into effect on April 2.

However, the Times does note that the limits won’t make it feasible for many venues to open; unless attendees get absolutely loaded, venues likely won’t be able to cover the costs of re-opening, keeping some — or most — effectively closed down until restrictions are lifted further. For instance, Broadway shows won’t be coming back until Labor Day, considering how much cost goes into production — shows that only get 33% attendance generally close within a season. Further complicating the issue is social distancing; many venues would require even lower numbers than that to accommodate six feet of distance between attendees.

But having outdoor shows back could be a good look, especially for indie performers and smaller, lower-production shows. Meanwhile, with something like an average of 65,500 new cases per week and over 517,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, it might be better to be safe than sorry. With the vaccine rollout expected to allow more venues to reopen in the fall according to Presidential chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, fans may appreciate waiting just a few more months.

Even though America is barely a month in Joe Biden’s administration, Donald Trump has already started making noise about running for president again in 2024. During his 90 minute speech to close out CPAC, Trump hinted at running again, and he naturally did it by pushing the “Big Lie” that he was the real winner of the 2020 election. “Who knows? I may even decide to beat [the Democrats] for a third time.”

While it’s unclear how serious Trump is about taking another run at the White House or if he’s just drumming up publicity for his next money-making scheme, preparations are reportedly being made behind the scenes to prep for a 2024 campaign. Most notably, those talks include replacing Mike Pence as Trump’s running mate. Via Bloomberg:

Trump’s advisers have discussed identifying a Black or female running mate for his next run, and three of the people familiar with the matter said Pence likely won’t be on the ticket.

Two advisers have suggested Trump consider South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, the people said. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, are hosting a fundraiser for Noem on Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and home in Palm Beach. The former president is planning to make an appearance, people familiar with the matter said.

Replacing Pence shouldn’t come as a total surprise following the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Just before the insurrection, Trump had worked up the crowd at his “Stop the Steal” rally by accusing Pence of failing to perform his “constitutional duty” by overturning the election results. (Trump had reportedly called Pence a “p*ssy” in an attempt to bully him into not certifying the election.) Moments later, a throng of MAGA supporters violently stormed the Capitol building with nooses and zip ties while Pence and his family were still inside. Needless to say, the two probably aren’t in a rush to work together again.

(Via Bloomberg)

NBA All-Star is rapidly approaching, as the one-day extravaganza will combine the usual Saturday night competitions with the game itself on Sunday, and the build to this year’s All-Star is, unsurprisingly, muted. Part of that is the lack of a full weekend where the hoops world all descends on one city for a few days, and part of it is the simple fact that the players themselves don’t seem particularly thrilled about having to play a made-for-TV special of a game in an empty arena while otherwise quarantined in an Atlanta hotel.

Despite maybe better judgement, the show is going on and as such, there is a wagering element to all of this. There’s a full card of action available for Sunday’s festivities, from the Skills, Three-Point, and Dunk contests to All-Star MVP odds and some in-game props. We’ll be looking at the offerings from BetOnline in this space and handing out best bets for everything on the board.

Skills Competition: Vucevic (+650), Randle (+800)

Chris Paul and Luka Doncic are, unsurprisingly, the heavy favorites as the two only guards in the Skills Competition, and no one would be surprised by either winning. Of those two, I’d lean Paul if for no other reason than he’s the better three-point shooter and, often, that’s what this comes down to. The other thing the Skills Competition comes down to is effort, and typically the big fellas are a bit more inclined to go all-out because a win means a little more to them. That’s why I’m going to roll with the two best shooting bigs in this year’s competition, who also happen to have the longest odds. If they can get through the passing section, both are capable of knocking down the shot at the end to win.

Three-Point Contest: Booker (+500), Tatum (+750)

Booker has won this contest before (2018), as the only other past champ is Stephen Curry (2015) who, at +190, is the strong favorite and as such I cannot bring myself to bet on him. Booker feels like really good value in the middle of the pack at +500 and I’ll take a flyer on Tatum, because I could see him getting in rhythm and hitting a bunch. Plus at +750, why not? Sadly, there is not an option as good as Joe Harris a year ago at longish odds, but we’ll ride with these two.

Dunk Contest: Cassius Stanley (+200)

Do this now before the smart money comes in on the rookie out of Duke. He had the highest vert in the 2020 Draft and his dunk reel from high school and college is sensational. Few NBA fans know of him because he wasn’t an elite prospect and he hasn’t played for the Pacers, but everyone in the Draft/college hoops world is stunned he’s got the longest odds on the board.

Most Three-Pointers Made By One Player In The All-Star Game: OVER 6.5 (-130)

Boy they really are just stealing money from you with the vig on these All-Star props at toss-ups being -120 each, but I digress. Last year, two guys hit seven or more threes (Kawhi and CP3) and I’ll bank on that happening again in the three-point happy All-Star action.

Most Assists By One Player: UNDER 10.5 (-130)

No one has topped 10 assists in the last two years under the new format where captains pick teams, and I’m going to ride with that trend to continue here.

Most Rebounds By One Player: OVER 11 (-110)

There’s a lot of really good bigs in this game so they might all divvy them up, but I think someone can at least get to 11 for a push and given this is getting better juice than the Under, I’ll take that. Not a big fan of this bet, to be honest, but I said I’d pick everything so Over.

Most Points Scored By One Player: UNDER 32.5 (-120)

It’s kind of weird taking the Over on threes made by one guy and the Under on points, but here we are. Only Giannis in 2018 has put up more than 31 in a game under the new captains format, and with no fans in attendance and no hometown All-Stars, there won’t be one guy getting fed to delight the home crowd.

All-Star Game MVP: Steph (+750), Zion (+1200), Beal (+1600), Chris Paul (+4000)

Alright, so I’m spraying the board here with one semi-favorite, a couple mid-tier guys, and a longshot, with the caveat that you should probably wait to see how rosters shake out to bet MVP odds. I’m worried about minutes for top guys this year, especially, given how many have indicated they aren’t crazy about playing and would like some rest. Still, Steph could go crazy for like 25 minutes, hit the shots to win the game, and walk away with this thing with ease.

On the other end of the spectrum, even knowing that newcomers sometimes don’t get a ton of time, I think Zion’s gonna play a bunch because he’s the young guy (i.e., Ben Simmons led last year’s game in minutes) and everyone on his team is going to look to get some lobs up to him so he might have some of the big “moments” during the game. Beal is getting his first start so I think his minutes go up and he can go crazy scoring as well, so I like his value. Finally, Chris Paul always tries really hard in All-Star games, he’s the one that made this whole thing happen as the president of the NBPA, the HBCU funds being tied to the game was his idea, and he might just hit a ton of threes like last year.

GLOW may be gone from Netflix after Season 4 got axed (and that stinks), but the spirit of that marvelous lady-power series is still in this world, which great, even though Season 3 lost its underdog edge and got a little too soap-operatic. To that effect, Variety reports that Alison Brie will re-team with GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch for a new Apple TV+ anthology series.

The show will be called Roar and has been drawn as a smattering of feminist fables (that are based upon Cecilia Ahern’s short-story collection) with a darkly comedic edge. An eight-episode season shall be coming, and the cast packs a truly impressive punch. Not only will we get Brie in all her fierceness but also Nicole Kidman (who’s hitting TV hard lately with Big Little Lies and The Undoing), Cynthia Erivo (who’s loving the small screen too with The Outsider and Genius: Arethra), Merritt Wever (of Run and Unbelievable).

Also pretty dang cool: Apple TV+ is continuing to add to its roster of high-quality crowd pleasers like Ted Lasso. Not only that, but Flahive and Mensch is making this new anthology series as part of a much larger deal, and while we can’t possibly hope for a GLOW movie, we can expect much more from them in the future.

(Via Variety)

Moxie (Netflix film) — The streaming service is cranking out the movies (at least one per week) this year, and this series co-stars Amy Poehler as a mom with a rebellious past. That past ends up inspiring her daughter, Vivian (Hadley Robinson), to anonymously publish an underground zine (called Moxie) to expose wrongdoers at her high school. In the process, she inspires a full-on movement and revolution, which leads to a shift and power from the cliques and clubs to a better environment for all at the school. The film also stars Lauren Tsai, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Nico Hiraga, Sydney Park, Josephine Langford, Clark Gregg, Josie Totah, Anjelika Washington, Charlie Hall, Sabrina Haskett, Ike Barinholtz, and Marcia Gay Harden.

Murder Among The Mormons (Netflix series) — Salt Lake City is struck by a series of fatal pipe bombs in 1985, and it’s easily one of the most shocking happenings in the history of the Mormon community. A criminal mastermind is to blame, and clues spring from early Mormon documents and diaries found scattered amid a rare document collection that’s in possession of one of the victims. This is a three-part miniseries and a true-crime documentary that digs into territory seldom seen for a genre that tends to focus on spooks and serial killers. Here, the main crimes in question went down in broad daylight, but as the episodes unfold, the darkness of what sparked these stunning killings slowly rises to the surface.

Snowfall: Season 4 Premiere (FX, 10:00pm) — The John Singleton-co-created series sees Franklin’s troubles move past the gang warfare and toward Cissy while revenge is the name of the game for Teddy and Gustavo. Franklin’s still aiming to regain control over his empire resisting an all-out war of drug violence in the mid 1980s, Reagan-era streets of America.

The Con (ABC, 10:00pm) — The ABC News series that examines wild fraud instances (from identity fraud to admissions scandal and more) now takes on the Fyre Festival. Yes, it’s the outrageous scandal that will never die.

Resident Alien (SyFy, 10:30pm) — Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Rogue One) is an alien, Harry, who’s pretending to be a doctor. This week, Harry feels jealousy when over a perfect new physician in town.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Daisy Ridley, Justice Smith, Ashe featuring Finneas

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Paul Bettany, Metallica

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Leslie Jones, Elizabeth Olsen, Nicky Jam, Romeo Santos

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Foo Fighters

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Jake Tapper, Glynn Turman

It’s been a rough year for the movie theater industry and, as the coronavirus pandemic reaches lockdownaversary for many, the consequences of a year of isolation and restrictions are starting to add up. Closures and bankruptcy have seemed inevitable and, on Wednesday, trouble came looking for the extremely popular Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

The boutique theater company announced it would declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy and also be sold to an investment group, putting the Texas-based company in new hands as it hopes to emerge from bankruptcy in a post-pandemic life where people are more willing to return to the movies.

According to Variety, the one-two punch of troubling news for the chain ravaged by COVID-19 restrictions and a movie industry that’s largely punted on major releases for a calendar year added up to a situation impossible to overcome.

As part of the bankruptcy, Alamo Drafthouse will close down a few underperforming locations and restructure its lease obligations. The company is requesting that the bankruptcy court approve a 75-day timeline for the transaction process and the $20 million debtor-in-possession credit facility led by Altamont and Fortress.

…

“Alamo Drafthouse had one of its most successful years in the company’s history in 2019 with the launch of its first Los Angeles theater and box office revenue that outperformed the rest of the industry,” Taylor said in a statement. “We’re excited to work with our partners at Altamont Capital Partners and Fortress Investment Group to continue on that path of growth on the other side of the pandemic, and we want to ensure the public that we expect no disruption to our business and no impact on franchise operations, employees and customers in our locations that are currently operating.”

The news is tough to hear for movie fans, especially those who loved the Alamo Drafthouse moviegoing experience. Themed events, more substantial food and drink options, and luxurious seating are a huge draw of the company’s 40 theaters across the US, and the ripple effect of Drafthouse’s success had seen similar features pop up at other chains like AMC and Regal.

Unlike AMC, however, the company didn’t get a retail stock boost from Redditors, which may end up saving that company from a similar financial situation. It’s one of the reasons why many are taking this news hard, as smaller, cooler, and more niche businesses like this are often the first to feel the effects of a tricky economic situation. It’s not great.

Basically, anyone who likes going to the movies hopes that, as vaccines continue to go into arms and the pandemic is brought more under control, people return to the movies. But it will be a long, slow process for sure. One that’s already seen theater options dwindle while people and big releases largely stay away from the big screen.

Despite its title, D Smoke‘s new theme song for the latest season of Netflix’s Last Chance U is not a remake of the 1984 Kurtis Blow classic “Basketball.” While that’s slightly disappointing, the song itself is a success, thanks largely to the Inglewood native’s natural charisma, deft lyricism, and self-assured musicality. Starting with a basketball court sound effects-riddled intro and building to a lush orchestral crescendo, the new track conveys all the emotion of a championship game in progress, from warm-ups to heart-filling finale (although, the fake-out of not using the court sound as a beat a straight-up, a la Reebok ads from the 2000s, hurts a little too).

The placement is another victory for D Smoke, who launched his career as the winner of Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow contest show and is currently up for a Best Rap Album Grammy at this year’s Awards ceremony later this month. Although his debut album, Black Habits, flew a bit under the radar for folks who didn’t catch his heartfelt performances on Netflix, the intervening year certainly helped him make a mark on the rap game as he performed a virtuoso Tiny Desk Concert, lit up the BET Hip-Hop Awards alongside his family, and linked up with well-respected peers throughout the year, including Rexx Life Raj, Rapsody, and Tobe Nwigwe. Coming back to Netflix with “Basketball” is a full-circle moment for him, but it’s also only a waypoint on his journey to even bigger things.

Listen to “Basketball” above.

A disturbing joint report by USA Today and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found that tens of thousands of pets have been harmed by Seresto flea and tick collars. Seresto was developed by Bayer and is now sold by Elanco.

Since Seresto flea collars were introduced in 2012, the EPA has received incident reports of at least 1,698 pet deaths linked to the product. Through June 2020, the EPA has received over 75,000 incident reports relating to the collars with over 1,000 involving human harm.

The EPA has known the collars are harming humans and their pets but failed to tell the public about the dangers.

“The EPA appears to be turning a blind eye to this problem, and after seven years of an increasing number of incidents, they are telling the public that they are continuing to monitor the situation,” Karen McCormack, a retired EPA employee who worked as both a scientist and communications officer, said according to New York Daily News.

“But I think this is a significant problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.”

McCormack says the collars have had more incident reports than any other pesticide pet product she’s ever come across.

Pierre, a 9-year-old Papillon service dog owned by Rhonda Bomwell, is believed to have died because of the product. In June of last year, the dog suffered a seizure and died a day after wearing the collar at a veterinarian’s suggestion.

Bomwell administered CPR to the dog but didn’t take off the collar. “I just didn’t put it together,” she said.

The EPA is in charge of regulating the product because it contains pesticides, imidacloprid (10%), and flumethrin (4.5%). The collars work by releasing small amounts of the pesticide onto the pet’s skin over a period of eight months.

The collars are designed to provide protection from fleas, flea larvae, ticks, chewing lice, and sarcoptic mange.

The harmful effects the collars have on humans vary widely and include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat as well as skin rashes and lesions. The incidents usually happen after the human has nuzzled or slept in a bed with an animal wearing the collar.

The report shows the EPA has put the lives of countless pets in danger by knowing about the harm posed by the collars but keeping its findings private. The EPA has found the product to be “eligible for continued registration” going forward.

“No pesticide is completely without harm, but EPA ensures that there are measures on the product label that reduce risk,” an EPA spokesperson said. “The product label is the law, and applicators must follow label directions. Some pets, however, like some humans, are more sensitive than others and may experience adverse symptoms after treatment.”

The troubling report brings two sad truths to light. One, that a major company would continue to sell a product that’s harmful to both humans and pets without any inclination of taking it off the shelves. Two, that the EPA would allow it to be sold without notifying the public about its dangers.

The good news is that USA Today and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting have got the word out about the dangers so people can make a safer choice for their pets. Hopefully, this will alert pet stores to the harm the collars are causing so they can start selling safer options.

After storming onto the pop-punk and post-emo scenes in the early 2010’s, Toledo-based outfit Citizen have spent the last few years evolving and redefining themselves into a band that are more difficult to define. The band’s fourth full-length, Life In Your Glass World, feels like a culmination point for this evolution. Across the album’s eleven tracks, it is difficult to find one that sounds anything like the pop-punk that the band perfected on their earlier releases. Instead, the band’s new songs are influenced more by dance beats and auteurs of the new-wave era.

To celebrate the new album, frontman Mat Kerekes (who also has an incredibly impressive string of solo releases) sat down to talk being inspired by his brother and seeing Slipknot live in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Loud, quiet, angry, sad.

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?

I think we do whatever we want musically and I think that’s a pretty cool thing. I would like us to be remembered by how we stay true to ourselves and that’s about it.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

TOLEDO, OHIO.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

My brother Chris. He get into music after me but he’s such an insanely talented songwriter that I feel like I have to keep up with him.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

One time we stopped in Las Vegas on tour and we splurged on the Caesars Buffet. I ate only crab legs for around three hours.. with breaks here and there of course.

What album do you know every word to?

Out Of The Vein by Third Eye Blind.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

I saw Slipknot at DTE Energy and that was pretty awesome. The energy was crazy.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

The best outfit is whatever you feel good in. I’ve been known to go onstage in sweatpants and what not and that makes me feel comfortable.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

My girlfriend Shay because she’s beautiful and also hilarious. It’s a great combo.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

One time I listened to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire on repeat for five hours straight with only a short break from it to go into the gas station.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Stimulant-free energy drink.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Citizen – Life In Your Glass World, of course.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

Something that has haunted me for a while is… one time we stayed in a hotel next to a slaughterhouse and the screams throughout the night were very disturbing. It made me feel sad and disturbed.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

My first tattoo was a sailboat on my leg. I got it done in someone’s house when I was 15. I was really excited about it. Then I went to school and showed all of my friends and they told me it sucked and looks like sh*t. I then attempted to get it covered up with a really cool eagle which also ended up looking like sh*t.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

I have not listened to the radio in a really long time so I’m not sure. I listen to Spotify playlists that either I or my girlfriend make.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I guess it’s not really a one time thing but I do think it is pretty crazy the amount of support I or Citizen receives. The fact that people are excited about the things we do is really awesome and makes me feel really grateful.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Relax, see things from perspectives other than your own and don’t be so selfish.

What’s the last show you went to?

I played a house show in Feb 2020 in Toledo right before COVID shut the world down.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Forgetting Sarah Marshall! I love that movie.

What would you cook if Obama were coming to your house for dinner?

I would make the only thing I can make…. Cajun and red cayenne pepper stir fry. I hope he likes spicy things.

Life In Your Glass World is out March 26 via Run For Cover Records. Pre-order it here.