Category: News

To spend any time watching magician Justin Willman is to be charmed by him. He’s so affable, so genuine and present that you just sort of fall under his spell of likability. Which is a smart “brand” for a performer in 2021 — when we all need a release from life’s multitude of antagonisms — but might not have seemed quite so brilliant when Willman was cutting his teeth in the early 2000s and the hottest magicians alive were focused on breaking down the “illusion” of their genre, like Penn and Teller, or whittling the performance element down to bare bones, like David Blaine.

Still, Willman found his audience (touring with mega-chill Jason Mraz in the early days of both their careers), and the world gradually caught on to his charisma in a major way. After hosting Cupcake Wars and a smattering of other game shows, he began combining magic and comedy (something he’d been doing all along on the college circuit) at Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles. I went to almost all of those shows and they remain some of the best live performances I’ve ever seen. One week you’d get Jerrod Carmichael, the most laidback comedian alive, riffing while leaning against the theater wall; the next you’d have Thomas Middleditch riding in on a razor scooter for a jittery-veering-toward-intentionally-awkward set.

It was a wild little scene and Willman was the ringmaster — pulling everyone together and bookending the comedy with a curse-laden magic act. Those performances became the basis of Sleight of Mouth, his first feature special for Comedy Central, which led to Magic for Humans, a man-on-the-street show airing on Netflix. Along the way, Willman got married, told the story in a Drunk History-inspired viral video, had a baby, and never stopped his hustle.

Then the pandemic hit. And during the May 2020 press run for Magic for Humans, Willman lost his mom. In July, his dog died on his 40th birthday. The performer found himself spinning out and in need of the connection he usually got from touring, so — with encouragement from his wife — he decided to attempt a new trick and a pretty damn tough one: unlocking the secret to Zoom performances.

Magic for Humans at Home was born.

Attending a show last week, I was thrilled to see how naturally Willman’s energy works on what is still basically a glorified conference call. In his weekly shows, which now feature roughly 1000 guests at a time, he involves the audience, engages with fans, improvises, and riffs endlessly. It’s tight, energetic, and tons of fun — words I don’t think have been uttered about Zoom interactions very often.

After the show, I spoke to Willman about Magic For Humans At Home, the great Harry Anderson of Night Court fame, and reaching audiences across the internet in a pandemic. Check out the Uproxx-exclusive mini-doc above, our conversation below, and the next round of Zoom shows every weekend from now until April.

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You started to build your career at a time where the idea in magic was to kind of underperform and be very droll about it like David Blaine or deconstruct it like Penn and Teller. And then you’re like a real full showman — you could have made a great life as a comic, without magic. Was that always the philosophy for you, “I actually do want to have fun and be a showman and not only be a stone-cold card sharp”?

I started when I was 12 and because you don’t really know any better, you kind of imitate. You go through these phases where you’re like, like at first it was Lance Burton. I saw him live and I was like, “This guy’s the greatest! He’s in his tux, he’s doing magic to Vivaldi, he’s making the doves appear!”

So I did that, but I did it to Mozart. To be original.

Then I discovered Harry Anderson when I was like 14, 15-years-old because I loved the show Night Court and then realized that he was also one of the greatest comedy magicians. I’d seen Amazing Jonathan, super funny, made me laugh so hard, but his joke was that the magic most often didn’t work. It didn’t matter because he was so funny, but Harry Anderson was also really, really funny and he did great tricks.

He kind of under-promised and over-delivered, in terms of the magic.

I can’t believe I’ve never thought of that connection with your career and his. That’s actually so spot on that I want to see you in the eventual Night Court reboot.

It was like him, Steve Martin, Johnny Carson, all these guys I’d naturally was huge fans for their comedy, but then realized that they’d started as magicians. Harry Anderson always incorporated magic. But the fact that Johnny Carson — like my childhood hero, I would go to sleep watching the Tonight Show — that he was also a magician blew my mind. Steve Martin, like those people kind of planted a seed of, “Hey, magic is a great foot in the door or it’s just a great door — like you can pursue that forever.”

I liked the Harry Anderson, Matt King, Penn and Teller style — where the tricks were really, really great. The tricks didn’t need jokes, but the fact that you could dress them up with these stories and these metaphors and tell a tale and develop your personality seemed to make it all so much richer. And if something screws up, “Hey, it’s a joke!” It makes it human and approachable and it makes the most out of the imperfections, which naturally happen.

If you watch my stuff, I have a pattern of sometimes making it look like something didn’t go right and then it succeeds. And I feel like that’s kind of a little roller coaster ride that people never get sick of, especially when watching magic. “Oh, I figured it out!”

“Oh, no… I didn’t.”

That’s particularly funny when you do it with kids — you kind of have that Jim from The Office or like Bert from “Bert and Ernie” thing, where you’re like looking at the camera or looking at the audience like, “How did I get stuck in this situation?” And then, of course, there’s this turn that’s always so thrilling and exciting.

That rhythm feels like it’s part of how you’ve unlocked this Zoom performance door that so many people have struggled with. You’ve made it into an event — but a casual, loose, funny one. Can you talk about Magic for Humans? I know it all came together in a very personal way for you.

I did my last live show on March 8th, 2020. It was like a Laugh Fest comedy festival in Grand Rapids and then I was supposed to go back on the road that next weekend. And that was that week where everything was shutting down. And I’d been traveling so much that at first shows are canceling and it’s out of my control — it was kind of like a little bit of a silver lining to be able to take a breath and be home with my wife and our son. He had just turned one a couple months earlier, so it was like all this exciting stuff happening every day and I didn’t want to miss it.

Then, maybe two months in, I started to get stir-crazy. Because I’m like a workaholic. I kind of always need to be, I need stuff, I need to be busy. And I kind of was realizing how much being on stage was vital to my emotional wellbeing. Not necessarily as kind of like a “needy performer” who needs laughs and applause — though I’m sure that’s part of it — but I think just like constantly being “in my purpose.” Entertaining people’s what I’m here to do and I can’t do it. You can kind of like write and come up with new stuff, but I’m not much of like a “write a show and then do it” guy. I’m kind of like, “think of a bit, do it that night, see if it works, rewrite it, do it the next night” kind of guy.

Then my mom passed away in May.

Sorry for your loss.

Thank you. Yeah. Then our dog died. Like it was like a series of unfortunate events. And the day my dog died, I turned 40. So it was like unfortunate events and also an exciting milestone. Which would be really exciting if you had the party surrounded by all the people you love, but it’s really sad when it’s spent at a vet’s office and it’s kind of like… you know. So my wife was like, “Maybe you should…” because I had been resisting doing Zoom shows, people had started doing them here and there and I just kind of thought it was like the magic purist in me, which I’m not much of a magic purist, but something felt like “Nah, you got to be there with people. Watching magic on TV only works because there’s a human being there, they’re living vicariously through this person whose mind is being blown.”

I kind of resisted for a little while, but I was doing press for the new season of Magic for Humans — doing like the Kelly Clarkson Show and the Corden Show via Zoom and the Today Show… I couldn’t believe how strong it was. Kind of because very rarely are you this close to somebody doing magic. So it was surprisingly intimate. Everyone’s like in their comfort zone, and no one’s in a theater, out in the street and they see a bunch of cameras, everyone is kind of like open to it.

Also my wife was like, you need a healthy distraction. Let’s try this out.

She saw you going stir crazy and needing the connection.

So we started doing a brand new Zoom show and I started with, “Let me put 50 tickets up, let me see how it goes.” And those went really quick. People were excited and I was like, “Okay 100.” Then, “Okay, do like 250 this weekend.”

It kind of kept snowballing and Zoom’s max is like a thousand people a show, which actually still felt intimate, but it then became like an event, like that’s when it became people in Omaha logging in and seeing their family at nighttime in London. And you’re seeing a family who is up in the middle of the night in Australia and everyone is the same — all these families huddled around the computer.

It was like this great equalizer, where it’s just reminding us that we’re all in this crazy time together and we’re all looking for an escape. We’re all seeking some joy, something to put in our calendar to look forward to. So it did become these events, which reminded me of the days back at the comic book shop, where I would write a brand new show every month to do “Slight of Mouth.” It was nerve-wracking and exciting and new — so it gave me that creative fulfillment, but it also gave me a real, cathartic, kind of therapeutic dose of humanity.

And it kind of became that, I think, for other people too.

I love that. And having seen the show, people are paying money so they’re invested. They want to have fun. They’re focused, so there’s an energy to it.

But obviously, there are limitations, too. I’m thinking of that famous trick that you did on Ellen and you did at the comic store, where you had a box early on in the show and it would come into play at the finale. In this case, that would need to be on screen every second — because you only have your frame to exist in and the audience has their frame and you’re trying to kind of cross the void. What were some of the challenges there? How did you go about constructing the show?

The biggest challenge was… as a magician, part of me has always worried about like, “I need to maintain the magic credibility.” Like the box you’re talking about. If it leaves your view, you’re going to think something fishy happened. So how do I keep it visually exciting, but also not make you suspect? Because I still want to drop in little video clips and segments and different camera angles and stuff like that. So I just shortened the length of time on bits. As opposed to a box hanging from the beginning of a show and then I show you what’s inside at the end, it’s kind of like, “Here’s this thing, this is going to be important in 30 seconds!” and it doesn’t leave your sight.

Also, I have a short attention span, especially when it comes to staring at a screen. I think everybody has as well. And I learned in editing the Netflix show for the past couple of years — if you lose their attention, you’re competing with every other piece of content that’s ever been made ever at the touch of a thumb. You can’t have a lull, you can’t let them come up for air. So I had to write like that. In my live show, a bit might be eight to 10 minutes long, because you’re milking it and it’s live and you’re looking at — it’s laughs and ad-libs. But on Zoom, it really has to cook and be tight.

I think all my experience editing the show gave me just like this barometer for pace and I know that if I would start to get a little squirmy, they definitely are, so I tried to keep it fast. Sort of like a mentalism trick where I’m picturing somebody from the audience and they say a thing and it’s like —

[Willman holds up a glass jar of M&Ms.]

I’ll show you. I know how many are in here, Steve. Okay? I’m going to try to send the quantity to you. I don’t know how your estimation skills here, but just to be open to receiving a number and just give me your gut, like exactly how many M&M’s do you think are in the jar?

747. I know that’s a plane. I shouldn’t have said that, it’s a plane, but yeah 747. That’s what I’m saying.

That’s exactly right. How did you know? You’ve never seen me do this before. I don’t know how much time you have for the interview, but I’m going to count them so you can see, watch. So it’s one… two… here, I’ll count them into the lid.

Oh no, I wrote it on the lid. There we go. 747!

[Willman holds up the lid, which reads “747” — it hasn’t been out of his or my sight.]

I love it. I’m so glad we decided on a Zoom, by the way. I never really Zoom people from my garage here, but this is great.

I will picture in picture people here, hold on, let me get you in here.

[He puts me on his picture-in-picture screen.]

And boom, there we go. And all of a sudden, basically people just think they’re watching the show, everyone camera’s on, all of a sudden two clicks of the mouse and I’ve got somebody in here, initially they kind of freak out. But basically, it’s just I’m kind of like live directing the show. Like a live TV show and just pulling people in — which they love because the kids freak out and you see people snap to attention because they forget that it’s not just watching Netflix where it’s a one-way thing. You go both ways and I try to use as many people as possible and music. And I just try to add everything I can that doesn’t make it feel overproduced.

The unspoken story of this is the fact that it’s not totally unusual for all of us to be watching a show together on Zoom in 2020 or 2021. You can’t not think about how weird it is — which I don’t even have to overtly say, because we’re all in this thing together, which gives the show like an extra layer of “a moment in time; a moment in culture” that we’re all living through together.

I’ve seen you live so many times and seen how you … you do a great job of that very rare trick of holding the whole audience in your hand at once. If anyone can reach through Zoom and make it feel like genuine connection, it feels like it would be you. That’s the ultimate magic trick.

The thing that always bothered me is when people, almost everybody, I would see perform on Zoom or on a Zoom was never looking at the camera, because they’re looking at the screen. So I got a teleprompter set up here with a monitor, so I’m looking right at you right now. And just that little thing changed everything. It makes it feel like everybody is being spoken to, like the show is just for them, like they’re in the front row.

Now the show kind of took off, so I’ve got all these people who came and then want to come again. And I want them to come again. I don’t want them to think that that’s all I got. So I have the self-pressure of writing another hour and then another hour and driving my wife crazy. But remember, she’s the one who asked for it.

Ariana Grande’s 2020 album Positions is the gift that keeps on giving. Of course, the early title track has still been hanging around the chart in the Billboard top 10, but it’s a follow-up track, “34 + 35” — and its subsequent remix featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion — that has been keeping Ari on the radar. Perhaps realizing this, or just wanting to let a few more songs out of the vault, Grande opted to release a deluxe edition of Positions this Friday, and revealed the new tracklist earlier this week.

The tracklist revealed that along with the “34 + 35” remix, we’ll be getting new four songs called “Someone Like U (Interlude),” “Test Drive,” “Worst Behavior” and “Main Thing.” (Now, if that third one is a Drake cover, I will officially be more impressed with Ari than I’ve ever been.) Along with the news, Grande further teased fans today by releasing a tiny snippet of “Someone Like U” on Twitter.

Based on the few seconds we get, it’s a synthy, sparkling pop track with a burst of horns right at the end — meaning it fits right in with the tone of the original album. Keep your eyes peeled for more hints and previews on Ari’s social before the new versions of the album finally drops tomorrow night.

As record cold temperatures continue to impact Texas, causing power outages and water shortages across the state, a group of dedicated volunteers have taken it upon themselves to rescue thousands of endangered sea turtles from the waters of South Padre Island. The resort town in southern Texas rarely gets too cold long enough to threaten sea turtles, who need warm waters to survive. But with temps dipping down to freezing and still hovering in the 40s, something had to be done to keep the creatures warm.

So far, according to NPR, nearly 4,500 sea turtles have been brought indoors since Sunday by volunteers at organizations like Sea Turtle, Inc., a sea turtle rescue operation, and the South Padre Convention Center, where the overflow of turtles are being kept. Sea Turtle, Inc. lost power, but thanks to a commercial generator brought in by SpaceX, have been able to keep their facility warm enough for the rescued turtle patients who already resided there and the influx of new rescues before they got too full to take more.

Volunteers have been working hard to save as many sea turtles as possible, even though many of these people are struggling with losing electricity, heat, and water themselves. Using their own cars and trailers, they have been transporting the turtles to safety a dozen or two at a time.

Lara (@lara_hand) on Twitter shared a thread about how her retired mother spends winters volunteering Sea Turtle, Inc. and how they’re rescuing turtles during the cold snap. Her photo of the back of her Subaru filled with sea turtles drives home the dedication of the volunteers who are working to save these creatures.

Lara said her mom’s team rescued more than 1,000 turtles on the 15th, one of which was over 100 years old and around 350 pounds.

Here’s a video her mom shared from the convention center, showing how many turtles were being stored there already.

And more photos of the incredible rescue operation.

Sea Turtle, Inc. told the Washington Post that during a normal winter, volunteers might rescue from a few dozen to a few hundred cold-stunned turtles, so this week’s effort is truly extraordinary. When a turtle gets too cold, its heart rate lowers and its body becomes paralyzed. The hypothermic shock causes them to float above the water, where they are at risk of being struck by boats, attacked by predators, or even drowning.

However, the 3,500 turtles are not out of the woods yet. The “dry dock” conditions in the convention center are not ideal, and the issue of maintaining power is vital to keep temperatures warm enough for the turtles.

Ed Caum, executive director of the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the AP that he hesitates to call the effort a rescue because “we know we’re going to lose some.” Temperatures may not rise enough for the turtles to be returned to the water until the weekend.

“We’re trying to do the best we can to save as many turtles as possible,” he said.

The polar vortex that has swept through Texas and the southern U.S. has already claimed at nearly two dozen human lives in addition to an unknown number of animals. One animal sanctuary in North Bexar County, Texas has sadly lost more than a dozen animals including at least one chimpanzee as well as monkeys, lemurs, and tropical birds.

The combination of severe weather and an insufficient power grid cut off from the rest of the country has created a perfect storm of suffering in Texas this week. Seeing people helping people and animals weather that storm is heartening. Let’s just hope they won’t have to keep it up for much longer.

Last Updated: February 17th

Disney+ is quickly catching up to Netflix when it comes to subscriber numbers and one look at their content library should tell you why. The streaming platform has it all, from Star Wars spinoffs to the entire Simpson’s catalog and fresh Marvel Universe adventures like WandaVision. If you can’t find a good series to watch here, we really don’t know what to tell you.

Here are the best TV shows you can stream on Disney+ right now.

WandaVision

1 season, 6 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10

Marvel had a lot riding on WandaVision, its first MCU spinoff to air on Disney+. Not only did the show need to bridge the gap after Endgame’s universe-altering Blip, but it also needed to give one of the strongest, least understood Avengers a worthy deep dive. Luckily, it’s done both, giving Elizabeth Olsen a hell of a lot to work with as she plays the grieving Scarlet Witch, who decides to create a sitcom-inspired fantasy to escape her troubles and ends up hijacking an entire town in the process. We don’t know what we love more: how imaginative and inventive the storylines are, or those retro opening credits that make nods to some of history’s best family sitcoms.

The Mandalorian

2 seasons, 16 episodes | IMDb: 8.7/10

Jon Favreau helmed both seasons of this Star Wars spin-off described as a Space Western that takes place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The Empire has fallen, the First Order has yet to be created, so the galaxy is a lawless place perfect for a bounty hunter to wreak havoc and make his own rules, which is exactly what Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian seems to be doing. Well that, and playing reluctant space dad to a dangerously adorable Baby Yoda. The pair have traversed the galaxy, gone on some rogue on-planet missions, made a few friends and a hell of a lot more enemies, and formed a genuine bond over two seasons. We’ve loved every minute of it. What we don’t like so much? That long wait for season three.

Agent Carter

2 seasons, 18 episodes | IMDb: 7.6/10

We’re still upset that ABC canceled this Marvel spin-off series after just two seasons, but the consolation prize is now, we get to rewatch Hayley Atwell as the kick-ass spy (who Steve Rogers couldn’t help but love) navigating her early years of espionage and political warfare. The show takes us back to 1946 where Peggy has been demoted — because… sexism — and must fight to clear the name of Howard Stark when he’s accused of treason. She teams up with his butler Jarvis (James D’Arcy), and they solve crimes while bickering like an old married couple for 18 episodes. It’s perfect.

Lizzie McGuire

2 seasons, 65 episodes | IMDb: 6.6/10

Disney Channel’s Hilary Duff starring sitcom hit with many a prepubescent girl back in the day, but the series holds onto a lot of its charm (and original fanbase) if you give it a rewatch. Duff plays the titular pre-teen, a young girl with an interesting method of coping with raging hormones, helicopter parents, annoying little brothers, and mean girls at school, and she gives us internal monologues in the form of a sarcastic animated alter ego. Honestly, we’d like one of those.

The Simpsons

30 seasons, 662 episodes | IMDb: 8.7/10

One show you won’t have to wait for weekly episodes to air is The Simpsons, which is making its way to Disney’s streaming platform when the service launches on November 12th. Disney bought Fox earlier this year which means they’re the new overlords of Springfield. It also means fans have a new venue to relive all the exploits of Homer, Bart, Lisa, and the rest of the family. For now, the show’s 30 seasons will be available to stream, with newer seasons and episodes still airing on Hulu.

Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted

2 seasons, 13 episodes | IMDb: 7.8/10

Gordon Ramsay has built a brand around being a snarky, cantankerous British chef, who enjoys making the kitchen hell for unfortunate wannabe cooks. That’s why his relatability and charm as host of this food/travel hybrid series is so shocking. But once you get over it, you’ll enjoy Ramsay’s no-nonsense approach to covering Indigenous culture and food in an interesting new way.

The Imagineering Story

1 season, 6 episodes | IMDb: 9/10

This docuseries pulls back the curtain on how some of Disney’s most beloved classics were made and how the company as a whole became the entertainment juggernaut it is today. Narrated by Angela Bassett, the limited series follows the early days of Disney’s animation engineers, how they established the company’s principles, and gave life to some of the most spectacular films, as well as how Disney itself built a franchise of theme parks, blockbusters, TV programming, and more.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

1 season, 13 episodes | IMDb: 7.3/10

This new series answers the question literally no one has asked: “What would happen if you mixed High School Musical with The Office?” Well, it looks like you’d get a watchable teen drama with a fresh take on a beloved millennial musical series. The show is set in the fictional East High where the original movie was filmed and follows the students putting on the first rendition of a musical based on High School Musical, in mockumentary form. It’s all very meta and surprisingly catchy.

Star Wars The Clone Wars

7 seasons, 133 episodes | IMDb: 8.1/10

The animated world of Star Wars might not be for everyone, but it’s one of the best ways Disney has been able to extend the lifespan of George Lucas’ franchise and watching it might give you some clues as to the direction this universe will take in the future. Of course, even without the Easter egg hunting, you’ll have a good time. Not only is this series gorgeously animated with some of the most realistic 3-D effects we’ve ever seen, but it also fills in the gaps between the prequel films, meaning we get a closer look at Anakin’s journey to the Dark Side and how the war between the Republic and the Separatists had far-reaching effects.

Cosmos

1 season, 13 episodes | IMDb: 9.3/10

Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts this illuminating docuseries that breaks down some of the biggest scientific discoveries of our time and asks the life-encompassing philosophical questions none of us have answers to. You’ll learn about everything from the future of A.I. to the history of Sir Isaac Newton here, and Tyson’s ability to filter seemingly incomprehensible data into layman’s terms makes all of it fun and exciting.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum

1 season, 12 episodes | IMDb: 7.8/10

Over the past few years, Jeff Goldblum has curated a new persona. He’s become the internet’s zany uncle, a celebrity who can cash in on the nostalgia of past work and turn that currency into more modern roles. Disney knows Goldblum’s appeal, which is why it’s trying to bottle up a bit of the actor’s charisma and likability with this docuseries whose premise is basically, “Let Jeff Goldblum be fascinated by normal sh*t.” It’s an easy, enjoyable watch that feels just quirky enough to become a hit. Or, at the least, an endless well for memes.

Encore!

1 season, 12 episodes | IMDb: 7.5/10

Four words: Reunions. Musicals. Kristen. Bell. That’s all you really need to know about this new reality series hosted by The Good Place star who organizes a reunion of theater geeks and tasks them with recreating their high school musical years after they first performed together. It’s heartwarming, full of great song-and-dance numbers, and sure, there’s some drama.

DuckTales

4 seasons, 101 episodes | IMDb: 8.1/10

Look, if the thought of binging all 101 episodes of this classic afternoon cartoon about a globe-trotting treasure-hunting billionaire Scrooge McDuck and his nephews doesn’t fill you with warm, fuzzy nostalgia, then you probably didn’t grow up in the ’90s, and we feel sorry for you. For everyone else, see ya in Duckburg.

Boy Meets World

7 seasons, 158 episodes | IMDb: 8.1/10

Yes, the sequel to this beloved coming-of-age series is also available on Disney +, but nothing beats the original. Boy Meets World followed the exploits of Cory Matthews, his siblings, and his best friends as they navigated school, relationships, and growing up while indulging Cory’s elaborate theories about life. It’s good, wholesome fun that makes us wish we had teachers as cool as George Feeny.

Recess

6 seasons, 129 episodes | IMDb: 7.9/10

Another terrific animated children’s show is this late ’90s series about a group of primary school friends who are bucking authority and causing general mayhem on the playground. While adults set the rules during teaching hours, the brief respite from lessons brings its own hierarchy. Basically, there are laws to be respected when it comes to recess, and this show proves it.

John Constantine, the big city occult detective and chainsmoker of DC Comics, is so beloved he’s fueled both a movie and a TV series in the last 15 years. Now he’s coming back for a third round: According to Deadline, HBO Max is developing its own series from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company. The big difference: The character will be younger and he’ll also not be white, with the creators looking for a more diverse cast.

Keanu Reeves was the first actor to play the character, headlining Constantine, a big-budget film adaptation released in 2005, which took a character usually portrayed as British and blonde — Sting was the original inspiration for the character’s look — and making him American and brunette. (He also quit smoking, but not till the end of the film.) That movie failed to result in a franchise, but the character came back a decade later, this time as a CW show, where he was played by Welsh actor Matt Ryan. It only lasted one season, but Ryan continued to play him on Arrow-verse shows.

John Constantine made his debut in an issue of The Saga of Swamp Thing, in the middle of Alan Moore’s name-making run of the DC character. He was then given his own comic, Hellblazer, which became the longest-running comic in DC’s more adult-oriented Vertigo imprint. Constantine is an antihero — a deeply cynical and sarcastic conman and manipulator, albeit one who tends to work on the side of good, especially when supernatural forces threaten humanity. And while both the Keanu movie and the CW show have its fans, maybe the third time is the one that sticks around.

(Via Deadline)

Remember when Nintendo’s big teaser trailer at the end of a Nintendo Direct in the summer of 2019 was for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2? Ever since that teaser was unveiled fans have been begging for more information about the game. So far, Nintendo has stayed quiet about Breath of the Wild 2 and went through all of 2020 without mentioning anything about it. So when Nintendo announced a new Nintendo Direct for Wednesday that would be including info on “upcoming titles” it had a lot of fans excited.

Then, Eiji Aonuma came on screen and excitement filled the air. This was it! Time to show us something new about Breath of the Wild 2, but instead he broke everyone’s hearts and said there would be no trailer. He said progress on the game was going well and they would be showing something about it soon. Nintendo also informed fans that there was a different Zelda game coming to Switch: Skyward Sword.

Skyward Sword as a game by itself is largely fine. Many people love it and it’s a Zelda game so you know at a minimum it’s okay. The problem is that many other people HATE Skyward Sword. It’s one of the most disliked games of the entire franchise and Nintendo showing a remaster of that game, while also talking about Breath of the Wild, was definitely not what the masses were hoping for.

As for Skyward Sword, they brought back the motion controls for the fans who did enjoy that, but they are trying to make it something different by giving fans the opportunity to play it with traditional button presses while trying to find a way to implement some of the unique combat. Is it Breath of the Wild 2? No. Is it a new Zelda? Sort of? It scratches the Zelda itch for many of those seeking it and if you’ve never played Skyward Sword maybe this is your chance to.

Ever since his turn as the casually amoral Todd Alquist on Breaking Bad, Jesse Plemons has been an always-welcome supporting player, enriching shows like Fargo and Black Mirror and films like Game Night, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and Judas and the Black Messiah with his presence. Now he’s finally getting the next level break he deserves: According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s just nabbed the lead role in Martin Scorsese’s pricey, already star-studded Killers of the Flower Moon.

The role — an FBI agent investigating a string of murders of Native Americans who’ve struck it rich by discovering oil in 1920s Oklahoma — was originally supposed to be played by frequent Scorsese collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio. Don’t worry: DiCaprio will still be around. He’ll now be playing the husband of a member of the Osage Nation played by Certain Woman actress Lily Gladstone. Robert De Niro will plays DiCaprio’s strong-willed father.

Killers of the Flower Moon, based on the book by New Yorker writer David Grann, had a bit of a spell finding a home, bouncing from studio to studio before being picked up by Apple. That’s due in part to its large budget — $200 million, even more expensive than Scorsese’s Netflix epic The Irishman. Speaking of which, that film featured Plemons as Chuckie O’Brien, close confidant of Al Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa. Even though it’s not the actor’s first rodeo with the great director, still, mazel tov!

(Via THR)

Joe Biden’s CNN townhall on Tuesday night was notable for a number of reasons: He gave Americans an honest assessment of when we can expect to have enough vaccinations to win the war on COVID, he said it’s time to stop obsessing over Trump and he was thoughtful about the exactly what he can and can’t do about student loans.

But the most important exchange happened when Biden took a question from a mother, who shared that her 8-year-old daughter, who was standing at her side, was fearful that she or her parents might get sick and die from the virus.

“My children, Layla 8, here, and my son Mateo, 7, at home, often ask if will they catch Covid, and if they do, will they die?” graphic designer Jessica Salas said to Biden during the townhall.

Watch the full video here

Rather than focusing on Salas, President Biden turned to address Layla directly. It was a powerful moment in which Biden simultaneously sought to reassure her while also speaking to her with a dignity and maturity so often reserved for adults.

“First of all, kids of all don’t get Covid very often, it’s unusual for that to happen,” Biden said. “The evidence is children aren’t the people most likely to get Covid. We haven’t even done tests yet on whether certain vaccines would work or not work. So, you’re the safest group of people in the whole world.”

That alone was a great response. For better or worse, we now look to our presidents as our emotional core as a nation, our collective drivers of empathy. Regardless of your personal politics, the last four years were so devoid of that personal touch that it has been really refreshing to see a president who not only talks like he gets it, but seems to genuinely feel it at his core.

“Number two, you’re not likely to be exposed to something and spread it to mommy or daddy,” Biden continued. “And it’s not likely mommy or daddy are able to spread it to you, either. So, I wouldn’t worry about it baby, I promise you.”

Biden went on to connect the disconnected feelings we are all experiencing during lockdown as something that affects kids just as much as adults, maybe even more.

“You don’t get to go to school, you don’t get to see your friends … When things change people get really worried and scared. But don’t be scared, honey. Don’t be scared. You’re gonna be fine. And we’re gonna make sure mommy is fine, too.”

Empathy is something we collectively took for granted when it came to our national leaders. We really didn’t know how important it was until we lost it. Franklin Roosevelt told Americans they had nothing to fear but fear itself. Ronald Reagan promised a “morning in America” for millions struggling with inflation and job loss. Bill Clinton felt our pain. These were all political slogans but they also reflected an empathetic understanding of the challenges and hopes all Americans feel. In many ways, it’s Politics 101. And it’s great to have that kind of sensibility back in the White House.

Despite the rise of social media as the primary method by which stars interact with fans and control their personal narratives, the past few years have also seen an increase in the number of documentaries following stars’ trials, tribulations, struggles, and successes. While many, like the newly buzzing Framing Britney Spears, come from outsiders telling stars’ traumas and others, like Taylor Swift’s documentary, put the story in stars’ hands, Dancing With The Devil, the upcoming YouTube Original documentary about Demi Lovato‘s struggle with addiction, combine the rawness of the former with the first-person perspective of the latter.

Rather than doing PR, the trailer for Dancing With The Devil promises a blood-and-guts retelling of the harrowing details of Lovato’s stints in rehab, overdoses, and fight to stay sane in an industry that so often denies stars their humanity. The biggest indicator of the doc’s no-holds-barred agenda comes toward the end of the trailer when Demi reveals the true extent of the damage her drug abuse had wrought. “I had three strokes,” she reveals. “I had a heart attack. My doctors said I had five-to-ten more minutes [to live].” Just after she shares this information, the interviewer straight-up challenges her sobriety. The kid gloves are certainly off in this documentary but with Lovato’s involvement, it’s assured that the story will still receive the sensitivity such topics demand.

Watch the trailer for Demi Lovato’s Dancing With The Devil trailer above.

Paddington 2 may be one of the most beloved films of the last few years, and its many fans kicked up a storm when it was inexplicably snubbed at the Oscars. But it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t quite a monster hit, at least in the U.S. The continuing adventures of the marmalade-loving bear who talks with the voice of acclaimed thespian and sometime Q Ben Whishaw actually only grossed about half of its predecessor. Maybe that’s why we’re getting this news over three years too late: As per Variety, the Paddington threequel is officially, belatedly in the works.

Details are few on the ground so far. For one thing, what beloved actor will play the snooty villain this time? There’s big shoes to fill, considering the first two featured no less than Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant — the future stars of the very serious HBO miniseries The Undoing — coming for everyone’s favorite teddy bear son. Is it time to enlist Colin Firth? What about Kate Winslet? Or sic Tom Hardy on him? Maybe think slightly outside the box and get Jason Statham? Or perhaps they should think big and try to lure Daniel Day-Lewis out of retirement.

The one big change is that writer-director Paul King, who helmed the first two, will not be returning. Why? He’s too busy with the Willy Wonka origin film. But Variety reports that he’ll “still be involved,” so hopefully that mystic blend of weird absurdism and weirdly affecting heart will remain in place.

(Via Variety)