Category: News

By now we’ve been inundated — in a good way! — with celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Michael Keaton, making videos and tweets and other forms of content, trying to get out the vote. A lot of made them clear who they think you should vote for. But the important part has been making sure you’re exercising your civic rights in the first place. Even fictional characters are getting in on the act. As caught by ComicBook.com, Jay and Silent Bob — the dynamic duo first embodied by Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in the 1994 no-budget smash Clerks — have released a video where they wildly speculate how other characters would vote if they could.

“We know you hate when famous people tell you who to vote for. But we’re not famous. We are fictional,” said Mewes’ Jay as his partner remained quiet, as is his wont. “We know how fake people think. So if you wanna know who your favorite fictional characters would pick for President, just ask me and Silent Bob.”

Being part-time comic book characters created by one of the world’s biggest comic book nerds, they mostly stuck to superheroes. “Who do you think Batman would vote for?” Jay wondered. That one’s not so obvious. “Yes, he’s a billionaire, an actual billionaire, so we think he would like those tax cuts. But we know he doesn’t like Jokers!”

Wonder Woman, though, is pretty clear-cut: “whoever doesn’t want to control her uterus,” Jay said.

There were a fair amount of puns. Spider-Men Miles Morales and Peter Parker need to get out and vote because, as Jay puts it, “in those swing states.” (They don’t, actually, both being New Yorkers.) He points out Black Panther can’t vote, being a king (and of a far-off land).

The two included some non-comic book figures, too, including Jaws the shark (“We’re gonna need a bigger vote”), Harry Potter (“he’s from England. Plus he’s a kid”). But by the end, they made sure their fans were thinking about the real world, not just the Marvel-verse and what have you. “Don’t be a fictional character, use your voice to vote.”

You can watch Jay and Silent Bob’s video in the tweet above.

(Via ComicBook.com)

It’s not news that Joe Biden’s a staunch adherent to wearing masks in public. It’s also not surprising that Donald Trump still can’t stand wearing masks, nor can many of his followers, and the president has even shamed a reporter for doing so during a press conference. Now, an ex-Trump official, Richard Grenell (who acted as Trump’s acting director of national intelligence) is trying to do Biden dirty for tweeting a photo of the former VP (who is maskless) on an airplane alongside his traveling national press secretary, Remi Yamamoto. It’s all for the purpose of labeling Biden as a “phony” and fraud, but there’s one big problem: the photo dates back to 2019.

“Washington, DC phony! @JoeBiden doesn’t wear a mask on a plane – but wears one OUTSIDE!?” Grenell (who is an RNC senior advisor) happily tweeted to his 671,000+ followers. (You can see the photos below.)

CNN K-File editor Andrew Kaczynski screen-captured the moment for Twitter before that tweet gets deleted, which might eventually happen, given that Twitter has labeled Grenell’s claim with a “manipulated media” tag. “A combined 27K RTs on photo from 2019 before there was a pandemic,” Kaczynski declared. “These people tweet in all caps about fake news.”

As CNN details, the 2019 unmasked photo was taken by Adam Schultz (who’s Biden’s official campaign photographer) and is dated as follows: “Yamamoto and Biden huddle on a flight to South Carolina in November 2019.” The photo recently appeared in a Vogue profile of Yamamoto, and now, it’s gone viral on Twitter after Grenell fake-labeled it, and right-wing talk radio host Mark Levin added fuel by retweeting it.

CNN also reports word from a Twitter spokesperson that the tweets “do not violate Twitter rules and will not have any fact check labels affixed to them,” although that status appears to have changed, given that Twitter has now added that “manipulated media” tag onto Grenell’s tweet.

(Via CNN & Vogue)

It’s been over a year since Clairo shared her Rostam-produced debut album Immunity, and fans have been anxious for its follow-up ever since. While Clairo has appeased her listeners with a handful of lo-fi demos, including a cover of The Strokes’ “I’ll Try Anything Once,” it looks like the singer has briefly pivoted from her solo project. Instead, Clairo announced the newly-formed band Shelly with the two breezy singles “Steeeam” and “Natural.”

The new group consists of Clairo, Claud, who recently shared a single off Phoebe Bridgers’ newly-minted label Saddest Factory, along with their good friends Josh Mehling and Noa Frances Getzug. Announcing the new project on social media, Clairo explained how the group came together. “My best friends and i made a band and put out an A/B side- ‘Steeeam’ and ‘Natural,’” she wrote. “We created everything during quarantine in LA, Chicago, Houston and Atlanta.”

In other Clairo news, the new group’s single arrives just over a week after the singer had a song make it into the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time. Clairo’s song “Sofia” landed in No. 98 on the chart dated October 24. While the song was released in 2019, it has recently seen an uptick in radio plays in the last few weeks. Clairo was ecstatic after hearing the news and thanked her loyal fans for their continued support.

Listen to Shelly’s “Steeeam” and “Natural” above.

By now, it’s become pretty common knowledge that Cardi B and Offset are back together and today, Cardi confirmed that the couple is giving things yet another chance by withdrawing her divorce case. Whether this is good or bad news probably depends on your personal feelings about the couple but apparently Offset is feeling solid enough again for some light social media teasing of his wife after she got his back during a recent police stop. In a new post on Instagram, Offset captured proof that Cardi B exaggerated some aspects of their life, calling her out for being a “Liar.”

Offset sneakily captured footage of Cardi sweeping the floor in their home (wearing a bonnet, bathrobe, and slippers, no less), telling her, “You need to stop lying on your songs, man. She be lyin’. She cleanin’. She got to clean.” Cardi just chuckles and playfully threatens him, “I’ma punch you in your head.”

The song Offset refers to, of course, is “WAP,” on which Cardi crows, “I don’t cook, I don’t clean / But let me show you how I got this ring.” In terms of rap fibs, it’s not exactly a bathtub that lifts up or losing 92 bricks but it’s a line which has amused fans to no end — especially with Cardi’s relationship drama making headlines just a couple of months later. Still, “WAP” proves to be the gift that keeps giving to pop culture, as Cardi recently revealed a “making of” documentary for the music video in which she confesses she wanted even more animals crawling on her and her co-star Megan Thee Stallion.

Check out Offset’s post above.

People often give Kanye West and his Yeezy brand all the credit for keeping Adidas on a competitive level with Nike. But since the early days of 2020, Adidas has been building up another huge name in a cross-brand collaboration. One that may not rival Ye in the design sense, but certainly bests him from a pure fame standpoint. Launched in January, Beyonce’s IVY PARK Adidas line — a gender-neutral athleisure collection that consists of performance-based athletic wear — has built up a catalog of unique sneaker colorways utilizing some of the Three Stripe’s most interesting silhouettes.

Clearly, what Kanye is doing with his Yeezy brand is a lot different than the remixes of classic styles that you’ll find in IVY PARK. But the brand is also a whole lot more than a celebrity cash grab. Each sneaker is treated with attention to detail befitting a Beyonce video — with color palettes that look uniquely Bey, sleek cuts, and exciting material choices. These may not be “from scratch” designs, but that doesn’t stop them from being exciting.

Kanye may be the most successful music-artist turned designer, but with heat like this from Beyonce plus Rihanna killing it with Savage x Fenty, he needs to watch the throne. Let’s dive into every IVY PARK Adidas sneaker, ranked from worst to best.

11. Adidas IVY PARK Superstar Platform

The Superstar is hands-down one of Adidas’ greatest silhouettes, but it’s the bottom of this list. Not because it’s a platform (no, that’s not a screen glitch, the shoe actually looks like that), though that doesn’t help. Because it’s… ugly. And not in that trendy so-ugly-it’s-fashion way.

It’s just straight-up hard to look at.

That’s probably why it wasn’t included in either of the first or second IVY PARK drops. Instead, it landed last month as part of a collection that also featured other Superstar reimaginings by Jonah Hill and Sean Wotherspoon.

10. Adidas IVY PARK Sleek Super 72 White Black

Released this month as part of the second IVY PARK collection, the Sleek Super 71 White/Black suffers solely because it isn’t quite as good as drop 1’s Sleek Super. The colorways are solid, but ultimately it’s going to be impossible to rock a pair of these without being reminded that they aren’t the Maroons.

We’ll get more into this special silhouette when we talk about the original release.

9. Adidas IVY PARK Forum Lo Core White

The Forum Lo is a new entry in the IVY PARK catalog debuting in drop 2. The Forum Lo features a leather and suede upper with a translucent bottom sole and a fastening strap. It’s easily the least flashy sneaker in the entire IVY PARK collection.

Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. But if you can’t get behind a fastening strap, you’re not going to find a lot to love here.

8. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Maroon/Solar Orange

When IVY PARK initially dropped in January of this year this sneaker was criticized endlessly, and for good reason. It looks like a goddamn traffic cone thanks to its Solar Orange half and half colorway — with a toe box dipped in deep maroon.

This shoe is out there, but we respect Beyonce’s bold design here. They’re impossible to look away from. For better or worse.

7. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Dark Green Frozen Yellow

This Dark Green Frozen Yellow Nite Jogger suffers from the same problem as the Maroon iteration, only this one isn’t quite as ugly. Instead of a traffic cone, it resembles a Mountain Dew bottle — which is better, if only a little.

All jokes aside, this iteration sold out almost instantly when it launched as part of drop 2. Aftermarket prices hover above $200 for this pair right now.

6. Adidas IVY PARK Ultra BOOST Maroon

When the first IVY PARK collection dropped, this felt like the signature piece. While it’s not our favorite, it’s still pretty beloved. Featuring a double Maroon colorway atop a Solar Orange outsole, this design nails the futuristic fitness vibe that the Maroon Nite Jogger couldn’t quite master.

5. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Off-White

So far the IVY PARK Nite Jogger’s have suffered from a half-and-half presentation that just doesn’t work, but this mix of Off-White (not that Off-White, but wouldn’t that be something?), Ecru Tint and Dark Green just works.

It also brings something new to Adidas’ usual Nite Jogger offerings with a brighter presentation and an alternate lacing system that really shows of the silhouette’s cool geometry.

4. Adidas IVY PARK Ultra BOOST Hi Res Yellow

While the second IVY PARK drop brought a lot new to the looks coming out of the label, it also acted as an opportunity to refresh the first drop’s best designs. This didn’t work for the Sleek Super 72, but this Hi-Res Yellow version of the Adidas Ultra BOOST knocks the original Maroon dip out of the park.

It’s every bit as extreme as the original, but the Hi-Res has some balance as well — with a gum outsole that matches up nicly with the blinding colorway.

3. Adidas IVY PARK Forum Mid Green Tint

While the IVY PARK Forum Mid Green Tint is ranked third on this list, it’s micrometers from a tie for second! The Forum Mid corrects the bland mistakes of its low cut counterpart by having a more eye-catching silhouette and easily one of the best colorways out of IVY PARK.

It still has that leather and suede construction of the low top, but the fastening strap looks less out of place here and that Green Tint colorway is just too damn fresh.

2. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Ecru Tint

The Ecru Tint Nite Jogger isn’t only the best IVY PARK Nite Jogger, it’s the best Nite Jogger colorway Adidas has ever dropped. That’s high praise and, honestly, if this sneaker said “Off-White” instead of “IVY PARK” it’d be going for thousands on the aftermarket.

Be thankful it isn’t!

It looks like something that would come from the mind of Virgil Abloh, only without the gimmicky tags or production numbers. Clean, classic, bold, and damn near perfect.

1. Adidas IVY PARK Sleek Super 72 Maroon

As good as the second IVY PARK drop is — and it’s a major improvement over the first — the best IVY PARK sneaker is still the Maroon Sleek Super 72 from the original drop. The shape is IVY PARK’s most original, as it was adapted from Adidas’ Samba Silhouette to Bey’s personal specifications, and that mix of White premium leather and Dash Grey suede with subtle Maroon and Solar Orange accents work harmoniously.

The entire first IVY PARK collection might revolve around this same color scheme, but it never works quite so perfectly as it does here. We’re hoping the Sleek Super’s success inspires IVY PARK to dabble in more original shapes.

We Are Who We Are (HBO, 10:00pm EST) — The Season 1 finale has arrived with Caitlin preparing to leave Italy while she and Fraser sneak off for a big hurrah. This leads Fraser to feel comfy enough in admitting a secret, and it’s been a vibe-filled trip for this show that’s a microcosm of the United States at large. This show is Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s first stab at a TV series, and it will appeal to the Euphoria audience while they await Season 2.

The 2020 SNL Election Special (NBC, 9:00pm EST) — Dave Chappelle’s hosting next weekend’s regularly-scheduled SNL episode, but in the meantime, the show’s gathered up some fan-favorite political sketches in one place.

Filthy Rich (FOX, 9:00pm EST) — Kim Cattrall’s still huffing her way through this melodramatic series full of power struggles following a Christian TV magnate’s death.

In case you missed these picks from the weekend:

The Mandalorian: Season 2 Premiere (Disney+ series) — The Baby Yoda star vehicle has made its highly anticipated return with plenty of callbacks to the first Star Wars movie and a pretty big subsequent comeback (maybe?). Also, they’ve got Timothy Olyphant now, and of course he plays a marshal, which no one would protest.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Remembering RBG – A Nation Ugly Cries with Desi Lydic (Comedy Central special) — The terrifically funny Desi Lydic comes together with a group of whipsmart women to process the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Together, they work through the stages of grief over the liberal firebrand and discuss how she changed America while giving her a proper sendoff amid our current chaos.

How To With John Wilson (HBO docuseries) — John Wilson dives into New York’s vast and sprawling scaffolding “protection,” which stretches 300 miles throughout the city. Wilson also spoke with us about capturing the intimacy and absurdity of life in New York.

Truth Seekers: Season 1 — (Amazon Prime series) Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, Spaced, and several more team-ups weren’t enough for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They reunite once again for a British serial take on The X-Files about a ragtag group of paranormal investigators who travel the U.K. in pursuit of ghosts. No location will be left unturned (from World War 2 bunkers to abandoned insane asylums), and it’s the perfect weekend for this brand of wackiness.

His House (Netflix film) — Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) leads this British horror movie about a young refugee couple who flees war-torn South Sudan but finds a whole new horror in England, where evils lurk in their new home and threaten their seemingly newfound better situation.

Election Day is tomorrow, which means that people who haven’t already voted will have one more chance to cast their ballots. Ahead of then, Taylor Swift, who has spoken politically a fair amount in the lead-up to the election, has given her fans a reminder about voting with a new video.

She says in the video, “Hey. So we are all very stressed out about this election, rightfully so. I feel you. But allow me to be the one millionth person to remind you that tomorrow is your last chance to make your voice heard and to make your vote count. So if you haven’t voted yet, please do. Stay safe, wear a mask, take care of yourselves, I love you very much, happy voting.”

About a month ago, Swift explained why she’s voting for Biden, saying, “The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included. Everyone deserves a government that takes global health risks seriously and puts the lives of its people first. The only way we can begin to make things better is to choose leaders who are willing to face these issues and find ways to work through them. I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.”

The San Francisco 49ers entered this season with high hopes for a return to the Super Bowl as one of the top contenders in the NFC. They had one of the league’s best defenses with a number of top players returning and an offense that was hoping to see continued growth from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and a variety of weapons.

However, through the midway point of the season, San Francisco is just 4-4, which puts them last in the very competitive NFC West, and Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks saw them add two more prominent names to a long list of injured players. Young star defensive end Nick Bosa is already out for the season with a torn ACL suffered early on this year and seemingly every running back on the roster has spent time on the injury list. Now, Garoppolo, who suffered an ankle sprain in that same Week 2 game as Bosa’s injury, is back on the injury list with an aggravation of that high ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for an extended period, with the possibility of him going on injured reserve.

His top target, tight end George Kittle, will also miss significant time as he has suffered a fracture in his foot that will likely leave him sidelined for eight weeks (which would effectively put him out for the rest of the regular season).

It’s two huge blows for the Niners, who will now turn things over to Nick Mullens at quarterback and, while they still have an outside chance at the playoffs, it seems wise for them to be careful with the health of their stars and put their long-term prospects ahead of trying to rush anyone back for this season.

In another sign that tensions are cooling between John Boyega and Disney/Lucasfilm, the actor revealed that he had a conversation with a high-level Disney executive after he voiced some brutally honest advice following his experience on Star Wars. In a new interview to promote Small Axe, Boyega seems to be at peace with where things landed with Disney after the talks, which he hopes will make it easier for the other actors.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“It was a very honest, a very transparent conversation,” Boyega says. “There was a lot of explaining on their end in terms of the way they saw things. They gave me a chance also to explain what my experience was like. I’d hope that me being so open with my career, at this stage, would help the next man, the guy that wants to be the assistant DOP, the guy that wants to be a producer. I hope that the conversation is not such a taboo or elephant in the room now, because someone just came and said it.”

To rewind, here’s what Boyega told British GQ back in September: “What I would say to Disney is, do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”

Boyega is, of course, referring to early marketing material for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which prominently featured Finn holding a lightsaber and led fans to believe he would be the star of the new films. Instead, Daisy Ridley was revealed to be the Jedi hero of the sequel trilogy. While speaking to British GQ Boyega questioned why he was being sidelined, unlike his white co-stars: “[You] knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver, you knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*ck all.”

Fortunately, Boyega and Disney appear to have reached an understanding, which could explain why the actor was recently receptive to the idea of reprising the role of Finn fter making comments on social media that he was “done” with Star Wars.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

With just one day to go before the presidential election, it’s good to find things to laugh at — even if they happen to be shoddy conspiracy theories bolstered by glaringly bad photoshop skills.

Of course, we’re talking about the current administration’s obsession with using social media as their makeshift megaphone to attack Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Donald Trump’s communication team regularly takes to Twitter to call out Biden and his supporters using the @TrumpWarRoom handle — even “anti-fracker” Lady Gaga isn’t safe — but if they were hoping to scare undecided voters into voting Trump with their latest tweet, their plan backfired.

Trump’s team posted a doctored photo around noon on Monday, one that appeared to be pulled from a CNN news clip with the headline “Demolition Of Washington Monument Underway.” The photo showed two demolition trucks parked in front of the monument with the iconic spire already bulldozed. It was accompanied by the caption, “This would be Joe Biden’s America.”

While we’re sure the thought of Biden laying waste to some of America’s historical phallic-shaped monuments strikes terror in the heart of every true patriot, this whole ruse would’ve hit different if Trump’s communications team invested some time — maybe a training seminar or two — into their Photoshop skills.

Not only did the president’s social media cronies severely underestimate our collective tolerance for B.S. right now, they also clearly forgot some basic demolition mechanics and seemed to have exhibited a blatant disrespect for the rule of Microsoft’s Paint application.

As ridiculous as all this is, it feels important to remind people this is a verified account run by the president of the United States’ campaign team that’s not only trying to defraud the American people by using dangerous disinformation tactics just a day before a national election, but they’re doing it in the most half-a**ed way possible.

On an entirely different note, if we are going to replace archaic structures, we vote to replace them all with giant mushrooms like this dude suggests: