Category: News

We’re only a few days into the GameStop-Reddit trading saga, but it’s been a rollercoaster. The move by Robinhood Markets Inc., the stock market app which started it all, to ban trading with certain companies was so universally condemned that even AOC and Ted Cruz (briefly) found something to agree on. Now it’s driven one person to make their outrage known in the most old-school juvenile way possible: trolling Robinhood HQ in-person with a plane bearing an offensive banner.

On Friday, a Twitter user who identifies as an “internet magician” announced he had hired a pilot to fly him over the company’s San Francisco headquarters. Attached would be a banner with the words “SUCK MY NUTS ROBINHOOD.”

We all post our dream plans on social media but not all of us follow through. This guy did.

The story began when people, fomented by Reddit posts, started buying stock in GameStop, the flailing video game retailer, ballooning its finances to absurd heights. Robinhood, the startup whose m.o. was to “democratize finance for all,” then found itself stuck between a rock and a hard place, with Wall Street traditionalists on one side and the cold, hard demands of the market on the other. The market wanted GameStop, as well as a number of other struggling companies, whose investors were suddenly swimming in cash. And even Meghan McCain tweeting one of her worst-ever takes hasn’t killed fascination in the story.

In any case, let this be a lesson: See the crazy thing you want to do to the end, like the guy who told Robinhood where to go.

It’s been a while since the last big found footage film. In fact — not counting 2017’s desktop-set Unfriended: Dark Web — the most recent one was Blair Witch, the failed reboot of the one that started the craze to begin with. And though The Hollywood Reporter reports that Paramount has greenlit a sequel to one of the big found footage epics — namely 2008’s Cloverfield — it’s with one caveat: It won’t be stem-to-stern comprised of footage shot with a “character’s” extremely shaky hands.

There’s another big difference: The sequel — which will presumably follow another group of puny earthlings fleeing from invading aliens — won’t be helmed by original director Matt Reeves, who has since moved on to Planet of the Apes movies and the Robert Pattinson-starring The Batman. Instead the super belated sequel will be written, at least, by British writer Joe Barton. Apart from not using the found footage gimmick, not much else is known about it.

Mind you, it won’t be the first Cloverfield movie since 2008. The last handful of years have seen the growth of a “Cloverfield universe,” with 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox leaning into its when-aliens-attack without being direct sequels to the original. So presumably this will be that — minus the cinematography that makes you vomit.

(Via THR)

As the shutdown of the live music industry persists in light of the pandemic, MusiCares, the charitable arm of The Recording Academy, is continuing to offer artists relief through their mutual aid fund. But since their fund was established in mid-March, they’re looking for a way to raise even more money. MusiCares compiled items from a handful of popular artists and are auctioning off items to raise money for out-of-work musicians.

While there are 60 items to bid on in the auction, the most expensive comes from BTS. The K-pop group donated the pastel-colored outfits they wore during their “Dynamite” video, and the clothes are priced at an upwards of $40,000. Along with BTS’ clothing, other items include a painting signed by Snoop Dogg, an album cover signed by Billie Eilish, a Fender guitar signed by Shawn Mendes, a Folklore-themed acoustic guitar signed by Taylor Swift, and much more.

At the time MusiCares launched their COVID-19 relief fund, their chairperson Steve Boom noted the importance of the industry coming together to support each other:

“The music industry is built on the work of musicians, artists, and music professionals. It is in times like these, that the industry needs to come together to support those who are struggling, particularly those who rely on touring incomes to survive. We know this fund will need to be significant. We will not be able to do it alone, and that’s why we are asking the entire music community including labels, streaming services, and anyone who is able to join us in this important effort. We’re all in when the good times roll, and it’s important that we’re all in when times are tough, too.”

The auction goes live 1/31 at 1 p.m. PST. Check out the full collection here.

R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle are used to doing everything together. They star in the series Grown-ish, together, write music together, perform at awards shows together, and, until recently, post on Instagram together. But now that Halle has flown off to the UK to film her starring role in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, they’re having a hard time being apart.

Though it’s only been a week since Halle’s departure, the two already miss each other. In order to reunite, the sisters shared a heartwarming moment via Instagram Live. Halle began discussing their time apart and then burst into tears. “Because I’ve always needed my sister, so this is really, it’s different for me, not having you by my side,” Halle said. “I feel stupid.”

Chloe then tearfully chimed in: “I miss your really funny jokes. And I miss you being in the car with Branson when we do our little drives around the highway. And I miss just coming in your room and being like, ‘Hey girl. What do you think about [my outfit]? I miss everything. I miss you too but I’m really really proud of you. You’re making me so proud over here. It’s always weird when we’re apart from each other.”

Watch a clip of the heartwarming interaction above.

One of the most successful lead-outs in the history of the Super Bowl was a star-studded 1996 episode of Friends. In the show’s second season, NBC went big and the result helped the show rocket to the top of the ratings. The rest was history, so to speak. But the episode and how it got made is fascinating and has some surprising stories.

The Hollywood Reporter had an oral history of the Friends Super Bowl episode, “The One After The Super Bowl,” and it’s packed with lots of fun moments, including the origin story of Suddenly Susan. And the episode had some big stars, as well as the return of Marcel the Monkey to Ross’s loving arms.

But apparently one guest star was incredibly difficult to work with, and those behind the scenes said he was even tougher to work with than the animal co-star who was infamous for trouble. Jean-Claude Van Damme, who among stars like Julia Roberts, Chris Isaak and Brooke Shields was apparently the worst of the worst.

Littlefield: Jean-Claude Van Damme may have fallen into the category of, “Who’s more difficult to work with, him or the monkey?”

Bright: He arrived at the set three or four hours late and went straight to his trailer. So David and I thought we’d introduce ourselves and ask him if he had any questions. We went over and he says, “No! First, I memorize lines. Then you give me the feeling.”

Sikowitz: I think that when Jean-Claude showed up, he asked through his manager or some other person who came to the set with him for Cocoa Puffs. I believe a P.A. ran out and got them.

Lembeck: Having completely blown up our shooting day, we had to scramble. Then he’s unprepared and arrogant! But this is the story I want to share: We shoot him and Jennifer first. Then she walks over to me and says, “Lem, Lem, would you do me a favor and ask him not to put his tongue in my mouth when he’s kissing me?” I tell him everything is great but it’s a tight shot so maybe let’s not do that. Then we’re shooting a scene later with Courteney. Here comes Courteney walking toward me and saying, “Lem, can you please tell him not to put his tongue in my mouth?” I couldn’t believe it! I had to tell him again, but a little firmer.

It’s notable because Van Damme was famously fired from Predator because of his difficulties. And considering all the other people new to the Friends universe that popped up in that episode, having the title of worst of the bunch is quite a feat.
You can see a bit of his appearance here, or the entire two-part episode on Peacock if you have access to that. Van Damme didn’t get to defend himself, but it’s not a great look for the actor. And some on the writing staff weren’t thrilled by the direction that plot point went in the episode. But the episode itself is regarded as a classic, and the full oral history is really interesting and full of much more fun details that won’t make you feel nearly as uncomfortable.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

Things haven’t exactly gone as planned for the Washington Wizards this season. After the blockbuster deal that sent Russell Westbrook to D.C. in exchange for John Wall and other assets, the Wizards were hoping it would be just the shakeup they need to fight their way back to relevance.

Instead, the losses have been piling up, and in the process, they’ve resulted in wasted efforts on the part of Bradley Beal, who has single-handedly tried to keep his team afloat with superstar-level performances, but whose frustration is more and more apparent with each demoralizing loss.

Emotions started to boil over on Friday night against the Hawks, with things getting chippy early between Westbrook and Rajon Rondo, although cooler heads would momentarily prevail after they were both hit with technical fouls.

Westbrook and Rondo both got technical fouls after exchanging words pic.twitter.com/KPWuMNyUTM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 30, 2021

Later, it was Robin Lopez who would be the first to get tossed — while standing on the sideline, no less — for arguing a call with the official and picking up two quick technicals.

It’s getting tense at Capital One Arena.

– Bradley Beal receives a tech after not getting the foul call

– Robin Lopez is ejected after arguing with a ref about a delay of game call on Beal. pic.twitter.com/6lOW7QhZDI

— NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) January 30, 2021

And Westbrook would soon follow his teammate to the locker room early in the fourth quarter, which prompted Rondo to give him a nice farewell to help send him on his way.

Rondo waved at Westbrook after he got ejected. pic.twitter.com/C62rAgRoeR

— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) January 30, 2021

In the end, the Hawks ran away with this one, 116-100. Bradley Beal led the way with 26 points, but was 0-of-8 from downtown and finished a minus-17 on the night. It was the Wizards’ third straight loss, which keeps them firmly in possession of the league’s worst record.

At this point in the GameStop stock drama it seems like the story is destined to become a TV show or movie, and those paying attention to Reddit day traders’ assault on the stock market are apparently already looking for the entertainment industry equivalent on streaming services.

The tug of war playing out in the markets over various retail stocks like GameStop has made some Redditors millions, as short sellers take a bath on the stock they were long betting against to fail. And according to IndieWire, streams of titles like The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street have skyrocketed as much as GameStop and AMC stock has in recent days, as people who are following the stock market drama are getting a bit of an education in the fiduciary duties and financial factors involved in stock market rises and falls.

Apple TV, usually the quickest to detect trends and spot immediate response, currently has Adam McKay’s 2015 “The Big Short” at #3 and Martin Scorsese’s 2013 “The Wolf of Wall Street” at #4. That places them ahead of all but two current releases (“Tenet” and “Greenland”) as the most-ordered titles.

This rapid response parallels what happened last February when Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 “Contagion” flew high with its story that paralleled the then-emergent COVID-19 pandemic.

The Big Short, in particular, is a great watch for those who want to understand the concept of shorting stocks. It also will probably make you very mad about the 2008 global financial crisis if you’re not aware of what caused thousands of lives to be ruined by the hosing collapse. But what’s interesting about using Apple TV to judge this is that people are paying to watch and rent these, as they are not on more widely used streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. So it’s safe to say that people are very interested in figuring out what’s going on.

It seems inevitable that this whole ordeal is turned into a movie or TV show of its own, but as millions try to understand what’s happening in the stock market and how they might be able to benefit it seems they’re turning to entertainment to try figuring it out for themselves.

Kid Cudi is notoriously honest when it comes to his personal life. In the past, the rapper has opened up about his mental health struggles, addiction, and time spent in rehab. But on a more lighthearted note, Kid Cudi sometimes spits random facts about himself on social media. On Friday, the rapper revealed which song terrified him when he’d hear it as a child — and it’s a surprising pick.

Kid Cudi tweeted that Coolio’s 1995 track “Gangsta’s Paradise” would make him scared when it he heard it on the radio. “Cudder fact: I was scared of the beat for Gangster Paradise back in the day hahah soon as that sh*t came on the radio, change the station immediately,” he wrote.

In other Kid Cudi news, the rapper has had his sights set on the fashion industry this week. A Bathing Ape, aka Bape, unveiled their anticipated t-shirt design with Kid Cudi Thursday. The limited-edition tee features a vibrant illustration of the rapper with the New York City skyline on the back.

Along with his Bape collaboration, Kid Cudi also announced that he’s starting his own clothing line. It’s expected to drop this summer and the rapper said it’s been a “long time coming.”

Listen to the original “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio above.

GameStop’s meteoric rise in the stock market has made a mess of the last week, and had a number of unintended consequences as the Funko pop retailer’s phoenix-like ascendence has flapped its wings and caused chaos in far-reaching locales. The Robin Hood Society, for example, has certainly had an interesting week on Twitter thanks to an app of the same name throttling users trying to buy retail stocks.

One other unexpected consequence: Jon Stewart joined Twitter to complain about GameStop shenanigans. No, really. Though it wasn’t official on Thursday when the tweet popped up, @jon_actual was heavily hinted to be the former Daily Show host by friend Stephen Colbert.

And on Friday, Stewart fired off a few more tweets and earned his verified blue checkmark, which is tough to get if you’re looking to acquire one in 2021. And he shared a nice message thanking folks who have welcomed him to the microblogging platform.

On Friday, though, started really posting. And fittingly, he started with a joke about Donald Trump.

We won’t analyze every Jon Stewart tweet from here on out, but it is a good joke and actually a compliment to the man who is now banned from the platform. Trump was, for better and much, much worse, a true poster. And his presence on Twitter was a huge reason for the success of his presidential run.

That Trump’s now off the platform is a very good thing, indeed, but it remains to be seen what Stewart intends to do with his time on Twitter. He’ll certainly have an audience for it, though: he already has more than 800,000 followers in just over a day and just three tweets.

After Coachella followed a wave of other festivals and opted to cancel their 2020 dates, festival organizer Goldenvoice was hopeful that it would be able to return in 2021. Last June, Coachella announced it would be taking place the second weekend of April 2021, but Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser says otherwise.

Per a report from Palm Springs’ KESQ-TV, Dr. Kaiser has ordered Goldenvoice to cancel their 2021 festivals Coachella and Stagecoach. The official order notes that the festival usually attracts people from all across the world, increasing the risk of the virus’ spread:

“This Order recognizes that both the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival are music concerts and gatherings of an international scope, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees from many countries, including several disproportionately afflicted by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This order is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19, thereby slowing the spread of COVID-19 in communities worldwide. If COVID-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk.”

At the time of this post, Coachella has yet to share an official announcement about the festival’s cancellation.

Read Dr. Kaiser’s cancellation order above.