Category: News

Celebrity feuds are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. Some are real (Elton John and Madonna, Kanye West and, well, everybody), some are played for laughs (Jimmy Kimmel and frenemy Matt Damon), and some have transformed into philanthropic catapults from which worldwide charitable campaigns are launched.

We’re talking about Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, two A-listers wielding their considerable clout for good – and bringing us all a bit of joy in the process.

Reynolds and Jackman began their friendly rivalry on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2008. Jackman was fully entrenched in the superhero universe, gaining an impressive fandom thanks to his turn as the mutant anti-hero with bushy sideburns. Reynolds was newer to the game, playing the smart-mouthed mercenary-turned villain, Wade Wilson – a character he’d reprise in the Deadpool franchise. The two struck up a friendship.

“I used to ream him because I was very close friends with Scarlett [Johansson], and Scarlett had just married Ryan, so when he came on set I was like, ‘Hey, you better be on your best behavior here, pal, because I’m watching,’” Jackman told The Daily Beast. Reynolds would divorce Johansson two years later, but his adversarial back-and-forth with Jackman would go on, reigniting with every People’s Sexiest Man Alive crowning, blockbuster premiere, and box office bomb.

Reynolds, as Deadpool, would mock Jackman in a climactic action sequence of his cult action flick.

Jackman would accuse Reynolds of stalking him on Twitter.

Reynolds would pose as a journalist during the press tour for Jackman’s biopic Eddie the Eagle and accuse him of faking his Australian accent.

Jackman would post a viral video urging fans to urinate on Reynolds’ newly christened Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Like all good comedic bits, the feud took on a life of its own. Studios marketed films off it. The actors gained new followings because of it, and it could’ve easily continued to exist as just another long-running joke paraded around the internet to make two famous, removed-from-real-life icons seem more down-to-earth, more likable. Instead, Jackman and Reynolds, both humanitarian figures and philanthropic role models, decided to harness the attention (from the fans and the media) to do some good in the world.

Jackman launched his Laughing Man Foundation in 2011 after a trip to Ethiopia sparked a friendship with a local coffee farmer named Dukale. The actor shot a documentary, Dukale’s Dream, to shed light on the poor working conditions and malpractices when it came to coffee farming in third world countries before creating his own brand of beans and expanding his charitable endeavors to communities in Columbia and Peru. Jackman’s Laughing Man Cafe has two locations in New York City and 100% of the profits from all coffee sales go back to these communities, where his foundation aids in everything from building housing for farmers in South America to purchasing new equipment for farmers in Ethiopia.

When Jackman and Reynold’s decided to “end” their feud last year, they did so by offering to fund and shoot commercials for each other’s budding brands. For Jackman, that was Laughing Man Coffee. For Reynolds, that was his newly formed Aviation Gin — which has contributed to charities like the Air Force Association to help military families in need and recently donated 30% of its proceeds to helping bartenders hit hard by global lockdowns.

In a viral video, Reynolds can be seen using his marketing skills — he owns his own agency, Maximum Effort Marketing after all — to craft a beautiful ode to Jackman’s charity and all the work it does. Jackman’s ad for Aviation Gin was a bit less … inspiring.

The war may have raged on but the publicity the pair received thanks to this skit benefitted their charitable endeavors perhaps more than your average donation campaign ever could. And it’s success has led the two leading men to pursue more fundraising campaigns to contribute to causes close to their hearts.

After Jackman roped Jake Gyllenhaal into pranking Reynolds, convincing him to wear an ugly sweater to his annual Christmas party two years ago, the actor got revenge by recycling the tacky knitwear to raise money for the SickKids Hospital — an organization he’s donated to in the past. His promise to match donations up to $100,000, and his ability to get Jackman to participate in the campaign in a hilarious way, meant Reynolds and company were able to raise over $300,000 for the hospital. (He’s partnering with Samsung to bring the ugly sweater back this year for the organization’s fundraising efforts if you’d like to donate.)

And this year, as a pandemic upended the status quo and millions lost their jobs, both Jackman and Reynolds have fanned the flames of their conflict with the hope we’ll get some joy and those struggling will get some much-needed aid from it. After calling a “truce” to participate in the All-In challenge to raise money to feed hungry families, the actors have now partnered with Sam’s Club to force fans to choose sides in this eons-long war. Each purchase of Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee and Reynolds’ Aviation Gin counts as a point for their respective “teams” and a portion of proceeds will be directed to their charities (Laughing Man Foundation and SickKids) though even if you don’t buy a product, you can still vote for which actor you like more. The company plans to pick five winners to attend a virtual party with the stars and, no matter who wins the popularity contest, they’ll donate an equal amount to each nonprofit.

Will this latest battle be the one to end the feud? Not likely, but it looks like that might be a good thing for the world right now.

Of the approximately 700 Pinocchio movies over the years, only one of which is any good, Roberto Benigni starred in arguably the worst. His 2002 adaptation has a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a.k.a. it pulled a Bucky Larson) with scathing reviews like, “The idea of 49-year-old Roberto Benigni playing the wooden boy Pinocchio is scary enough. The reality of the new live-action Pinocchio he directed, cowrote and starred in borders on the grotesque.” But despite the critical drubbing and low box-office total, the Life Is Beautiful star made another Pinocchio movie, this time as a director and with an actual child as the wooden boy. Maybe this one will be better and cuter?

Definitely not cuter! (He looks like Russell Crowe in Les Misérables meets Cats). But it is supposedly better. If Benigni’s Pinocchio doesn’t do it for you, however, there’s always Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio or Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio or the inevitable prequel series where we see Geppetto as a young man. He will be played by a hot 24-year-old.

Here’s the official plot synopsis.

Shot in stunning Italian locations, Matteo Garrone’s rich world of mystery and wonder stars Academy Award-winning actor Roberto Benigni as Geppetto, the old woodcarver whose puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio (nine-year-old Federico Ielapi) tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits through a wonderful world full of imaginative creatures – from the belly of a giant fish, to the Land of Toys and the Field of Miracles.

Pinocchio opens in limited theaters on Christmas.

When Marc Gasol joined the Lakers in free agency this offseason, many assumed the chance to play in California near where his brother Pau lives was a driving force in his decision. But in an interview with Zach Lowe of ESPN on Wednesday, Pau himself made it known that he is working toward a return to the NBA and would also like to join the Lakers.

Gasol last played in the NBA on March 10, 2019, with the Spurs and is already 40 years old, but told Lowe he is not interested in joining a roster to merely provide veteran leadership at the end of the bench. The two-time NBA champ told Lowe he wants to “feel needed” by whichever team he lands with and is confident he can still contribute.

Since his last NBA game, Gasol has continued to rehab from a left navicular bone fracture that forced him under the knife for two surgeries. He told Lowe he turned down training camp deals this season in order to chart his own course to a team situation he likes, with the Lakers being his top choice.

Alongside a return to the NBA, Gasol also is seeking to join the Spanish National Team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which would be his fifth Olympics. That would put Gasol in the company of the legendary Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, who have won four gold medals with USA Basketball. Spain, which won the 2019 FIBA World Cup, could have a real shot at earning a medal in Tokyo next year.

After injuries and age forced him out of the league, Gasol’s career was thought to be over, but it’s clear he has been putting in work to get back on the floor and build on his already impressive legacy.

After Johnny Depp was forced to exit the Fantastic Beasts franchise after his disastrous U.K. libel lawsuit loss — he asked for “vindication” over an article from The Sun that labeled him as a “wife beater,” and the court handed him the opposite of vindication by ruling that Heard’s several accounts of physical assault by Depp were “substantially true” — he managed to still keep his whole salary (eight figures) for the film. However, he’s not faring as well with an upcoming movie, as revealed by the Hollywood Reporter.

In a feature that deep-dives into “radioactive” Depp’s career implosion, the former Pirates of the Caribbean frontman gains even more of a bad look. Transcripts of his text conversations, in which he insulted Elon Musk’s manhood and tried to drag Paul Bettany into helping him “burn” Amber Heard (who he called a “50 cent stripper”), are really something. Then there’s a discussion of Depp’s salary on Minemata, which was “likely intended as a creative reset” but “appears to be something of a career humbling.” Depp started with a relatively low salary compared to his blockbuster movies, and then producers decided to cut that salary in half because financiers weren’t thrilled over a lawsuit, in which Depp was accused of punching a crew member on another film set:

Depp was to be paid $6 million — light-years from the $40 million he earned on each of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies after profit participation, but financiers became skittish about even that figure after a lawsuit filed by a crewmember on the actor’s City of Lies, a crime drama about the unsolved murders of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur that was pulled before its September 2018 release by distributor Global Road Entertainment. (The crewmember claimed an intoxicated Depp punched him twice on set.) Depp’s Minamata salary was cut in half, and the film was shot in Romania instead of a more authentic-looking but also more expensive Asian locale, as originally envisioned.

The Minamata production itself sounds like a hot mess with Depp demanding “a personal sound technician to handle his earpiece needs — ‘so he doesn’t have to learn lines’” and three personal assistants (including one who was paid $200,000-a-year). The salary slashing went down in 2018, and the film went unsold for two years before MGM’s American International Pictures label picked it up in late 2020.

As for the City Of Lies-related lawsuit in question, The Wrap previously obtained legal documents, in which Depp’s attorneys don’t admit to the punching but still claim that location manager Gregg “Rocky” Brooks “provoked” actions that led to his injuries. This is some strange language, which appears to be a self-defense claim by Depp?

“The acts complained of by Plaintiff were provoked by Plaintiff’s unlawful and wrongful conduct in that Plaintiff willfully and maliciously acted out and conducted his activities in such a manner as to cause, Defendant Depp to fear for his safety, and according to Defendant Depp’s observations, Defendant Brad Furman for his safety.”

The full Hollywood Reporter piece on Depp’s career implosion is worth a read, if you’ve got a hankering to see how Depp has steadily torpedoed all chances for a comeback.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

Summer Walker has been busy this year. Not only did the singer drop the new EP Life On Earth and share a deluxe version of her breakout record Over It, but she also recently confirmed she’s pregnant. Now, Walker returns with another exciting announcement: she’s officially launching her own record label.

Walker unveiled her label Ghetto Earth Records Wednesday, a joint venture with Interscope. Alongside the official news, Walker shared that her label’s first signee is singer/songwriter NO1-NOAH, who collaborated with Walker both on Over It and Life On Earth.

Explaining the imprint’s name, Walker said, “I came up with Ghetto Earth because earth is ghetto. I don’t wanna be controlling over my artist’s music. I want them to be fully involved in everything they put out. I’m just here to support and help them get to wherever it is they’re trying to go in life.”

NO1-NOAH expressed his anticipation about joining Walker’s team, saying the singer understands his vision, “I’m excited to show people my music, and what I have to offer. I feel like being on Summer’s team, Ghetto Earth Records, is the right home for me to be as creative as possible as an artist. She’s really understanding of what a true artist is, as she is one herself. I’m free to create here and it’s always a great feeling as an artist to be able to make music for a team that gets the sound that you’re trying to create.”

Interscope Records’ Nicole Wyskoarko echoed NO1-NOAH’s statement, pointing to Walker’s talent as an artists and entrepreneur. “Summer is a true visionary. She’s writing her own rules as one of the most talented artists in R&B music today and is now adding entrepreneur to her vast repertoire,” Wyskoarko said. “Summer brings an unapologetically outspoken and empowering voice to Ghetto Earth and a radically different and much-needed perspective to developing emerging talent such as NO1-NOAH. We are thrilled that Summer has chosen Interscope as Ghetto Earth’s partner and home.”

Earlier this year, Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz shared Haunted Painting, her sophomore solo album under the moniker Sad13. It’s a deeply personal and introspective record, written as a document of her return to the creative process after reconciling with a delayed processing of grief. Heavy in its subject matter but light on its feet, Haunted Painting is some of Dupuis’ strongest work to date.

To celebrate the album, as well as the recent Simply Having a Wonderful Compilation covers album that she released in partnership with Father/Daughter Records, Dupuis sat down to talk decorations, recording a new holiday cover every year, and mushroom gravy, in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A holiday edition.

What’s the best holiday gift you’ve ever received?

When I was 17 my mom bought a drum set from my friend’s dad and it’s in her basement to this day. I used it to record a lot of the earliest solo Speedy Ortiz stuff, and the snare actually toured with us on Mike’s kit from about 2011 til last year. So it’s got a lot of use over the last 15 years and you can’t really beat that as far as presents go.

What is your earliest holiday memory?

Driving around Jersey suburbs with my family, looking at people’s over-the-top lights and animatronics.

What’s on your wish list for this year?

I’m easy to please. A good hot sauce or book makes me happy. But if Santa was really looking out for me, I’d be psyched to upgrade my audio interface. Like, if Santa happens to work at Apogee, Santa should hit me up.

What holiday song can you not resist singing along to?

Really loving “Hating You For Christmas” by Everclear lately, thanks to Melkbelly’s very good cover.

What’s the holiday song you wish you could zap out of existence?

I believe this is a popular opinion, but “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” gives me the creeps!

What is your strangest holiday tradition?

I write and record an original holiday song EVERY SINGLE YEAR, all of which are here. You’d think I’d be tired of doing it by now, and I’m running out of traditional Christmas songs to interpolate as guitar solos. But I actually upped the ante this year and co-released a holiday compilation, another collaboration between my label Wax Nine and Father/Daughter Records.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Haunted Painting by Sad13 OBVIOUSLY. But I have enough copies of it at home, so if it were me being gifted, I would really like the Charli XCX Number 1 Angel/Pop 2 LP.

Thoughts on snow?

It’s cool to look at once or twice a year. Beyond that, it limits my wardrobe too much and I fantasize about becoming a snowbird.

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

Black Christmas, Christmas Evil, Nightmare Before Christmas – all classics. Muppets Christmas Carol is also pretty great and, of course, I especially love Marley & Marley.

Marry, F*ck, Kill: Santa, Thanksgiving Turkey, Hannukah Harry.

I guess I’ll marry the turkey to save its life and the other two can fight it out for f*ck or death. I’m Jewish and somehow have never in my life heard of Hanukkah Harry before this moment?

What’s the one food you need on your Thanksgiving table?

As a vegan I’m all about the veggie sides. And a good mushroom gravy ties them all together.

Where’s the most interesting place you’ve ever spent the holidays?

Now that I’ve spent the last eight years on the road nonstop, it’s a gift in itself to NOT fly or drive places on holidays – or at least I felt that way in years prior. My mom and I did go to Austin a few years ago and got to see an outlaw country Christmas show at a bar, which is about as perfect a Christmas as I can imagine.

You decide to blow off the holidays and travel instead. Where are you going?

Nobody’s traveling right??? Stay home please! I do love Mexico City more than most cities and would be pretty happy to spend any holiday there. But only when the pandemic’s over!

If the holidays are a time for giving, what’s the charity you’d like to big up for the season?

I’m donating $1/sale of my album in 2020 to Prevention Point Philadelphia, a really crucial local harm reduction organization and health resource. So obviously I think folks should support them. And if you happen to buy Haunted Painting before the ball drops, you’re gonna support them involuntarily. 😉

What’s your favorite holiday drink?

Polar Seltzer limited edition Winter flavors! I’m also excited for their Ginger Lime Mule in early 2021.

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Anything’s a Christmas movie if you believe!

How early is too early to decorate for the holiday season?

Keep the Halloween decorations up all year round.

What’s your ideal way to spend New Years Eve?

Wearing a fancy outfit eating junk food at a friend’s apartment is ideal. I’m gonna miss it this year.

As the year ends, how are you going to remember 2020?

I don’t wanna get too dark in a holiday Q+A, but there was a lot of needless death and suffering exacerbated by and even caused by our government and its agents. It would be hard to look back on 2020 without that at the forefront. But a lot of people also came to activism for the first time this year, and I hope that continues into 2021 and beyond – there’s a ton of work to do as a country and for our communities regardless of who’s in office. It’s also the year Union Of Musicians And Allied Workers started, and I hope as a union we’re able to do a lot as we grow.

The ball is dropping. What are you wishing for in the new year?

The other day at 11:11 on the phone with my health insurance for the eighth hour that week I wished for Medicare for All. I think that’s a good 2021 wish too!

Simply Having a Wonderful Compilation is out now. Listen and purchase here.

Like a terrible car crash you crane your neck at while speeding on past, people can’t stop watching Trump’s very public meltdown on Twitter right now.

The president of the United States — he holds onto that title and all its responsibilities until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in next year, in case he didn’t know — is currently performing a spectacular feat of cognitive dissonance on social media, marathon-tweeting his outrage at losing the 2020 election. And it’s so easy to read into this wildly inaccurate drivel. It seems Trump is all up in his feels.

That is a lot of typing for such small hands. Unfortunately for Trump, Twitter was not impressed by his loquaciousness or sympathetic to his recent acceptance of reality.

Look, we get it, losing is hard. But it’s not half as hard what a lot of people are going through right now: losing a loved one to COVID or losing their homes and job because their government won’t give a monthly stipend from the taxes that they’ve paid for years, so maybe it’s best if Trump goes and cries in a closet like many other people have been doing this year.

The classic Crocs model is an iconic piece of footwear, for reasons good or bad depending on your perspective. One thing that is for certain, though, is that Post Malone is generating attention for the brand. He has been a valuable partner with Crocs over the past few years, and his latest new model, the Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II, is an instant hit. The shoes were were released in the US yesterday and quickly sold out after fans waited in long online queues to get a pair.

Posty put a few pair aside, though, for a group of people who are special to him: The fine people at his old high school, Grapevine High School in Grapevine, Texas. TMZ reports that every student and faculty member at the school got themselves a pair courtesy of Posty. Before the news was revealed, a spreadsheet was apparently passed around the school, on which people were asked to note their shoe size.

Principal Alex Fingers shared the news on social media, posting some photos of students getting their shoes and writing, “Thank you @PostMalone for always giving back to your community! Your fellow @Grapevine_HS Mustangs are so proud of your success!”

While fans in the US are currently out of luck, the shoes go on sale today in Europe and tomorrow in Japan, South Korea, and Australia.

Check out our recent interview with Malone here.

As Kevin Durant returns from a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Nets could have a need for him to play up a position after long slotting in as a wing in the NBA.

That led him to say during a virtual press conference on Wednesday that he could see himself playing some center for Brooklyn in 2020-21 in smaller Nets lineups.

Second-year big man Nic Claxton underwent surgery for right knee tendinopathy last week, leaving De’Andre Jordan and Jarrett Allen as the only traditional bigs on the roster.

The 2014 NBA MVP also said he will act as the offensive initiator for the team at times as well.

While the Nets have depth at both point guard and center, their overall roster is deeper on the wing after re-signing Joe Harris this offseason and adding players like Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet. So it makes sense that new head coach Steve Nash might take advantage of Durant’s versatility to build out smaller and more dynamic lineups. At the same time, training camp is always the time where teams throw stuff at the wall, so maybe by the time the season comes around, Durant is in a more natural point forward role.

Another option for Brooklyn at center in smaller lineups is newly signed Jeff Green, who functioned as the backup center for the super-small Rockets last season and in the Bubble. And of course, the Nets have plenty of depth at point guard between Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie, so don’t expect Durant to turn into a true point guard any time soon, but we’ve certainly seen Durant run offense in the past.

No matter how they line up, Nash’s Nets will have plenty of talent and versatility on offense. The bigger question is whether they can defend well enough, and it’s not clear whether Durant, coming back from a nasty injury, can be a consistent deterrent on the interior defensively.

For over a month now, Donald Trump has maintained that he’s the real winner of the 2020 presidential election despite all evidence to the contrary including repeated losses in court. As recently as Tuesday, Trump used his “vaccine summit” to falsely claim that the American people rewarded his campaign with a victory and rail against the Supreme Court for not having “the courage to do what everybody in this country knows is right.” However, behind the scenes, a different story is unfolding. First Lady Melania Trump has been quietly preparing to move to the couple’s possessions to their residences in Florida and New York.

“She just wants to go home,” a source tells CNN who reports that Melania’s top staff member Marcia Kelly has already explored options to see what taxpayer funds are specifically available for the First Lady during the transition:

Kelly had previously run the White House Office of Administration and after it became clear Trump would need to prep for her life after Washington the first lady told Kelly to discreetly ask West Wing acquaintances and a member of the Office of Management and Budget whether there were taxpayer funds allocated to former first ladies, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

The short answer is no. While there are post-presidential perks for such things for the outgoing commander in chief, budgets to set up an official office and staff and cover some travel costs, there is nothing from the government for any first lady.

Despite the lack of funds, CNN reports that Melania is still working diligently on getting the heck out of Dodge, and “there is currently ongoing inventory being taken at the White House of the Trump’s own furniture and art and personal items.”

(Via CNN)