Category: News

The Lena Dunham-produced show Generation — stylized as “Genera+ion” — was the first pilot HBO Max picked up for a series order, back in late 2019. It’s taken over a year for it to be safe to shoot, but it didn’t long, once cameras started rolling, for them to run into trouble. According to Variety, last week some extras stormed off set after discovering they were expected to perform a dissection scene involving actual dead cats.

Word first spread about the allegations over Twitter on Friday. According to the allegations, the performers were told it would be dead frogs, only to be surprised with felines instead. “People had trauma responses,” the person wrote.

But that wasn’t all:

“As a cherry on top of their traumatic experience, at the wrap of day two they were informed one of the camera men tested positive for COVID,” the person wrote. “That should have been disclosed earlier, but they clearly wanted their shots of these kittens.”

Variety contacted HBO Max about the allegations, and while they didn’t directly confirm that cats were involved, they maintained that the “animal specimens” were “ethically sourced in consultation with American Humane via a biological supply company that works with schools.” They also said the extras who “expressed discomfort” received full pay.
However, after subsequent discussion with the creative team, the scene is being reconceived and will not appear in the series. We deeply regret that this occurred.”

As for the infectious crew member, the spokesperson claimed production had “learned of the test results after the day had wrapped,” contradicting the accusations.

On Tuesday, Dunahm released a statement about the incident, revealing she was not on set — she’s shooting the movie Catherine, Called Birdy in London, which she wrote and directed —but she voiced displeasure with the use of real dead animals. “I don’t use animal cadavers in any of my work, ever, and I was not on set or aware that they were used in a recently shot scene depicting a biology classroom assignment,” she wrote. “I fully support the scene being edited out of the show.”

When the show, which was created by Zelda Barnz and directed by her father Daniel, was first picked up by HBO Max, here’s how Deadline described it:

Created by Zelda Barnz and her father Daniel Barnz, who also directs, Generation is a dark yet playful half-hour following a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.

Whatever happened, it appears things got a little too real.

While the internet is churning in reaction to The New York Times investigation of her legal situation, Framing Britney Spears, the pop star has so far avoided mentioning anything about the situation on her own social media feeds. Though her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari spoke out unfavorably about her father today — who is the one that placed her in the current conservatorship situation — Britney is keeping mum.

Instead, she decided to post a throwback of her performance of “Toxic” at the New Years Rockin’ Eve party back in 2018. “Can’t believe this performance of Toxic is from 3 years ago !!!” she wrote on social media. “I’ll always love being on stage …. but I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person ….. I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life !!!! @NYRE” Since it’s now… February… it’s unclear why Britney wanted to post the throwback clip now — unless “toxic” is a clue about how she feels?

The follow-up tweet also maintains a very positive, surface-y perspective on things, but gets a little more to what could be considered the heart of the matter. “Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories !!!!” she continued. “We all have so many different bright beautiful lives !!! Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person’s life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens.”

Well, it’s certainly true that we don’t know much about what’s going on with the person living behind the lens. Britney, just know that we’re hoping for you to be happy, healthy, and free of all toxic energy.

A few weeks ago DaniLeigh got herself into hot water for snippets of a song called “Yellow Bone” that was met with severe backlash and accusations of colorism due to her positioning: “Yellow bone is what he want.” Artists like Chika tried to help DaniLeigh see that her comments were hurtful due to the history of colorism, but even her second attempt at an apology relied on tired tropes like her Black friends and “chocolate man,” as she was dating the rapper DaBaby at that time.

After the fallout from the song and the critical reception, this past Sunday DaniLeigh shared that she’s “officially single,” but for fans who were offended by the “Yellow Bone” controversy, letting her suffer in peace isn’t an option. Take one example of a comment captured by The Shade Room, for instance:

“So yellow bone is not what he want???” one commenter asked. To which Dani replied “Is this all y’all got say?? And for how long?? Come up with some new fr or jus get off my page.”

It seems unlikely that the song will be officially released after the reception it received, but let’s hope DaniLeigh learns from this and is able to move on quickly.

For the third consecutive year, the Oscars have revealed the shortlists for their upcoming award show. Among the leaders in the Best Original Song category, according to Billboard fans will find John Legend appears twice on the list. He joins Diane Warren as the only artists in this year’s shortlist to show up multiple times in the category. Other names that appear in the list include Mary J. Blige, Janelle Monae, and H.E.R.

Check out the full list below.

“Turntables” from All In: The Fight For Democracy
“See What You’ve Done” from Belly Of The Beast
“Wuhan Flu” from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery Of Prodigious Bribe To American Regime For Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan
“Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga
“Never Break” from Giving Voice
“Make It Work” from Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
“Fight For You” from Judas And The Black Messiah
“Io sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)
“Rain Song” from Minari
“Show Me Your Soul” from Mr. Soul!
“Loyal Brave True” from Mulan
“Free” from The One And Only Ivan
“Speak Now” from One Night in Miami…
“Green” from Sound Of Metal
“Hear My Voice” from The Trial Of The Chicago 7

(via Billboard)

This story is currently being updated.

The movement to investigate the conservatorship Britney Spears was forced into by her father, James Spears, has been ongoing for a few years now. Initially a grassroots, fan-driven campaign called #FreeBritney, the investigation has gotten serious enough that The New York Times recently launched a documentary, Framing Britney Spears that touched on not just her conservatorship, but the misogynistic media attention she faced over the course of her career.

Since the documentary aired a few days ago, the reaction has been swift, and all the media attention has meant something to the people who are closest to Britney. One conservatorship lawyer, Lisa MacCarley, who has been advocating for Britney for a long time, launched a petition urging other lawyers to pressure the termination of the legal contract Spears is being held under. Even closer tot home, this morning her longtime boyfriend, Sam Asghari, posted to Instagram about his feelings regarding her father.

“Now it’s important for people to understand that I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way,” he wrote. “In my opinion Jamie is a total dick. I won’t be going into details because I’ve always respected our privacy but at the same time I didn’t come to this country to not be able to express my opinion and freedom.”

All that was followed up with a mic drop sticker, obviously. Sam and Britney have been dating since 2016, and this is the most direct thing he’s said about her situation or their relationship to the Spears family. Clearly, the cracks in the facade are getting bigger, let’s just hope this all leads what’s best for Britney. It doesn’t seem like what’s been happening since the conservatorship began in 2008 is what’s best for her by any means.

If you hopped onto Twitter today and noticed something a little strange about the accounts of Ryan Reynolds and/or Rob McElhenney, we promise there is a good reason for it. Both Reynolds and McElhenney found themselves making headlines across the pond on Tuesday, as the pair’s long-reported purchase of Wrexham AFC, a soccer team in Wales that had been owned by a supporters trust, officially went through.

In a statement, the trust announced that RR McReynolds LLC completed their takeover of the club, which has the distinction of being the third-oldest football club in the world and the oldest in Wales. Despite this, Wrexham has gone through some difficult times on the pitch, as they are currently in the National League, which sits in the fifth tier of the English football pyramid.

To celebrate the news, both Reynolds and McElhenney made slight changes to their Twitter accounts, tossing the letter “W” in front of both of their names.

They also posted about the takeover and made sure to mention the lawyer they claim to share, although not for any particularly groundbreaking reason.

Wrexham currently sits in seventh out of 24 sides in the National League, meaning they are in the final spot to participate in the play-off to determine which side will join the league winners in getting promoted to League Two.

No one could ever duplicate James Gandolfini’s turn as Tony Soprano — except perhaps his own son. When the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark drops in theaters and on HBO Max in late September, viewers will get to see Michael Gandolfini, the late actor’s own spawn, playing young Tony, as he was all the way back in 1967. But Michael didn’t rest on his father’s laurels; to prepare he went above and beyond.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair (in a bit sussed out by IndieWire), the young Gandolfini admits he never watched the legendary HBO show before taking the role. It wasn’t because he wasn’t interested. His father didn’t want him see him as Tony. “I never knew Tony Soprano,” Michael said. “I only knew my dad.”

Finally seeing his father hurt and kill people — or just shlubbily grab the morning or carefully read the back of a cereal box — wasn’t easy. “It was really hard to watch my dad,” Michael told VF. But he didn’t only watch the show’s six seasons. “I recorded four hours of his monologues with [Dr.] Melfi and walked around New York with them constantly, constantly, constantly playing in my ear.”

It’s impossible to imagine what it was like for Gandolfini’s son to live with that in his ears for so long, but, Michael told VF, he had the confidence of his director: “I had this unspoken trust that David [Chase, also the show’s creator] wasn’t going to cast me if there was even a shred that this isn’t going to work.”

In the meantime, you’ll get to see Michael act a little earlier than September 24, when The Many Saints of Newark is released: he also has a plum role in Cherry, Anthony and Joe Russo’s opioid drama starring Tom Holland.

(Via Vanity Fair and IndieWire)

Cardi B is back, she’s “Up,” and she’s ready to face down the haters. Because Lord knows, there are few people in the world who get more constant, inane feedback about their behavior than Cardi, and she’s ready to clap back. The most recent barrage? Well, people saying she makes music for TikTok dances, which is ridiculous because her music has been popping long before TikTok was even known in The States, and, people making fun of the star for going on social media without any makeup on.

Today, she popped back on Instagram to bring attention to the fact that despite all the hate she gets, she still shows her face on Instagram exactly how it is when she first wakes up. “This is my face after wakin up 20 minutes ago, no filter, hair not brushed, lip chap all that,” she wrote in the caption of the clip. “I never been afraid to show my real self. When YOU ON TOP the miserable and the ugly love to screenshot pictures while you in motion then criticize your face. I’m confident in my own skin. You b*tches need to ask ya self if ya confidence in ya self enought that ya gotta try to bring bitches down for a hobby that’s winning and in their 20s.”

Interestingly enough, Cardi isn’t the only one to comment on how being caught in motion can make her look bad. In last year’s duet with Bon Iver, “Evermore,” Taylor Swift had this to say: “Motion capture/ Put me in a bad light.” Even so, it would be rare to see Taylor as bare faced as Cardi so often appears, but for both women, the pressure is rael. Check out Cardi’s post above along with her new video for “Up”

If you don’t know much about Scotch whisky, you might assume every bottle is a peaty smoke bomb. But peat smoke is only a defining characteristic for whiskies from Islay — Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, etc. — with a few mainland exceptions to the rule. Other Scotch regions are defined more by notes of vanilla, dried fruits, and caramel.

That sweet, buttery caramel is the flavor we’re most interested in today. But how exactly does a Scotch whisky end up with a pronounced caramel aspect to it? In the simplest terms, it’s all about the wood. Aging in charred casks releases vanillins into the spirit — giving your favorite Scotch its toasted oak, vanilla, and caramel flavor notes (in different increments depending on how the expression is aged).

To help you track down bottles of Scotch whisky that lean into sweet caramel, we asked a handful of bartenders for their input. Check out their choices below and get sipping — then try counterbalancing these picks with some smoky drams.

The Dalmore 18

Pablo Guerrero, food and beverage manager at Azabu in Miami

The Dalmore 18, with vibrant nutty, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors is my pick. Any spirit can have caramel color added to it, but that does not affect its flavor — this is the real thing.

Average Price: $229.99

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask

Dennis Shea, beverage director at Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place in Washington, DC

Try The Balvenie Caribbean Cask. It’s aged in oak barrels and then finished in barrels they previously held Caribbean rum in making it even smoother and sweeter than typical Balvenie.

Average Price: $76.99

Aberlour A’bunadh

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami & Fort Lauderdale

Heavier flavors coming with double-barrel aging is a nice compliment to the peat. Aberlour A’bunadh is a nice heavy bottling that mellows a bit with ice to dilute, very heavy on the caramel.

Average Price: $87.99

The Balvenie Doublewood

Benjamin Pozar, bartender at Fogo de Chao in Philadelphia

If caramel is the flavor you’re looking for, you’d be better off with bourbon, but in terms of Scotch, I’d go with The Balvenie Doublewood. That has the creamy caramel flavor you’re looking for.

Average Price: $69.99

Harleston Green Blended Scotch

Charles Hardwick, former bartender at The Aviary in New York City

There’s a smaller brand called Harleston Green that I really like for this note. It’s a three-year-old blended Scotch. Definitely nice strains of caramel and toffee on the finish.

Average Price: $24.99

Compass Box Hedonism

Denise Padin’ Cuevas, bartender at Siro Urban Italian Kitchen in Orlando

Hedonism by Compass Box. This Scotch has notes of caramel vanilla, coconut, and toffee. It is great for a Scotch drinker who is not a fan of heavy peat and heavy smoke.

Average Price: $99.99

Tamdhu 10

Daniel Burns, bartender at Elixir in San Francisco

Tamdhu 10 is a nice Sherry finished Speyside malt with super-rich flavors of brown sugar and caramel. It’s a great whisky to drink on a rainy night with some nice milk chocolate.

Average Price: $76.99

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Israel Meléndez Ayala, bartender in San Juan, Puerto Rico

For the fans of caramel in Scotch and its complex taste, I’d go with Johnnie Walker Black Label. Fill your glass and bring it to your nose. You’ll get the vanilla hints with figs together with the taste of creamy toffee caramel lingering on the tip of your tongue — but the dram ends with some smokiness.

If you are an aged rum drinker, you’ll like Black Label Johnnie Walker for its taste and similarities.

Average Price: $22.99

The Dalwhinnie 15

Aaron Polsky, former bartender at Harvard & Stone in Los Angeles

The Dalwhinnie 15 is known as “the gentle spirit,” and with good reason. It’s light and balanced, so the caramel isn’t overwhelming like it is in some richer malts, but it goes down light and smooth and would be a good contrast pairing with a dessert.

Average Price: $78.17

Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or

Isaac Rice, lead bartender at Urban Farmer in Philadelphia

Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or because of its Sauternes cask finish. Regular Glenmorangie already has some light caramel notes in its flavor profile. This cask finish adds even more notes of subtle sweetness like honey, vanilla, butterscotch and kicks up the caramel as well.

Average Price: $73.99

Auchentoshan Virgin Oak

Gabriel Urrutia, USBG bartender in Miami

I love the Auchentoshan Virgin Oak. The interaction between new wood and Scotch is magical. It imparts a perfect caramel and vanilla flavor that is unforgettable.

Average Price: $145.99

Writer’s Pick:

Edradour 10

This is the perfect Scotch for fans of sweet whiskies. It’s filled with creamy caramel, vanilla, and a nutty sweetness. A subtle kiss of smoke brings it all together in perfect harmony.

Average Price: $59.99

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial got off to a predictably surreal start on Tuesday thanks to Bruce Castor Jr., an attorney representing the former president who delivered the defense’s opening statement. Trump went through five lawyer before settling on Castor and his colleague, David Schoen, who’ve been tasked with defending someone who’s even being denounced by QAnon Shaman. And yet many were still surprised with a speech that rambled for over an hour with little focus, and was even filled with things that undoubtedly drove Trump nuts.

“I’ll be quite frank with you, we changed what we were going to do on account that we thought the House managers’ presentation was well done,” Castor admitted at one point, and praising the lawyers trying to convict Trump was just the tip of the iceberg. Castor, for some reason, spent a lot of time praising the senators. He called Nebraska “quite a judicial thinking place.” He even actually admitted Trump lost the election, then dared the DOJ to arrest him.

It was such a confounding hour that even die-hard Trumpists like Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax, “I have no idea what he’s doing.”

To others, an unfocused, spluttering opening statement got people thinking about something else: Austin Pendleton’s stage-struck public defender who represents one of the defendants in the 1991 comedy fave My Cousin Vinny.

The comparison was apt: After all, it was also Vinny star Joe Pesci’s birthday.

There were plenty of other jokes about Castor’s performance as well.

At the end of the day, the Senate voted to hear the trial out, so this probably won’t be the last time we’re put to sleep by Mr. Castor. In the meantime, My Cousin Vinny streams with a Cinemax Go subscription. And happy birthday, Joe Pesci!