This week, Danny Masterson’s decades-long prison sentence ended a long legal saga (and hopefully also ended a pattern of harassment by Scientology goons) for his rape victims. The That ’70s Show star reportedly blew a kiss to wife Bijou Phillips in the courtroom and has vowed to appeal the sentence. In the immediate aftermath of the sentencing announcement, however, a nearly decades-old Conan O’Brien clip has been making the rounds because it hits rather uncomfortably now.
It’s worth noting again that the two forcible rape convictions involve 2003 events at Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home. And in 2004, the That ’70s Show star visited O’Brien, where the subject of accents came up. Even after transplanting to California, Masterson found the pronunciation of certain words would stick around from his Long Island days. That led to a story about fellow Scientologist Bodhi Elfman giving Masterson hell, as he told Conan: “He always teases me and he says, ‘Hi, my name is Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my balls.’”
In this clip highlighted on Twitter by the WuTangKids account, Conan inquired about why on earth Masterson would ask for that. Masterson had a wiseass comeback: “I mean, you got ’em, you know what I mean? Everybody should grab.” And Conan (in classic Conan comeback fashion) quipped, “I’ve heard about you… you’ll be caught soon, I know you will.” Masterson agreed, although no one had any idea at that point how accurate that would turn out to be. Looking back, this is a real head shaker of a conversation.
In May, Masterson was found guilty of two of three counts of rape by force or fear. 20 years after those crimes, he’s 47 years old, and he most likely won’t surface from prison until age 77. During the sentencing hearing, the judge told the actor, “You are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal.” Prior to that moment, one of Masterson’s victims called out his former DJ moniker, DJ Donkey Punch (yes, that would refer to the dangerously violent sexual act).
The Conan clip isn’t the only one that looks especially sketchy these days. Here’s a clip from a James Corden interview where Masterson declares, “I probably have more photos of Commando Kutcher here naked in the club than probably anybody.” It was awkward then, and it’s worse now.
Ron DeSantis is reportedly grousing behind the scenes about his embarrassing GOP debate strategy being leaked just days before the Fox News event. Adding insult to injury, the leak came from the Florida governor’s super PAC, Never Back Down, and he’s not thrilled with the lead strategist over there.
According to the Washington Post, DeSantis’ campaign is once-again awash in internal drama as the governor has reportedly soured on Never Back Down and has been privately complaining about the group’s performance. DeSantis entered the Republican primary as the biggest threat to Donald Trump and the most likely to secure the nomination. He’s now flailing in the polls and may not make it past Iowa or New Hampshire:
DeSantis has expressed regrets over Jeff Roe’s hiring as a lead strategist at the super PAC Never Back Down, an outside group that has assumed many responsibilities in the race traditionally handled by campaigns, two of the people said. One, a DeSantis donor, heard the comments directly from the governor, this person said.
DeSantis has also voiced anger over a pre-debate strategy memo from Never Back Down, which was publicly posted last month on the website of Roe’s firm, Axiom, these people said. One of them, the donor, said the governor was “apoplectic.”
In DeSantis’ defense, the leaked memo was pretty humiliating thanks to its blatant attempt to have the governor try to drive in Trump’s lane by doling out weak nicknames to his opponents. One of those names was “Fake Vivek” or “Vivek the Fake,” which prompted Vivek Ramaswamy to slap DeSantis with a much more brutal and accurate nickname of his own: “Robot Ron.”
On Thursday (September 7), Zach Bryan‘s mugshot was floating around the internet. The rising country star had been arrested in Oklahoma on an obstruction of investigation charge. He immediately addressed it online, explaining he “had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.”
Since then, he’s shared a video further explaining the situation.
“I was an idiot today, and my decisions did not reflect who I was as a person. I just want to make that clear. I should’ve been smarter about it,” he began. Then he said that a few days ago he was driving through a small Oklahoma town when he was pulled over for going a few miles over the speed limit. The cop asked for his license, registration, and address.
“I told him, ‘Hey man, I don’t really feel comfortable giving you my address. I’m a musician, I’m just not comfortable with it,’” he said.
“So he says, ‘If you don’t give me your address, I’m gonna have to take you to jail,’” he continued.
Bryan still refused and he handcuffed him. They talked, Bryan gave him his address, and the cop let him go. Then, fast-forward to Thursday, he was driving to Boston when his security guard following him was pulled over. When Bryan got out of his vehicle to see what was going on, a cop instructed him to get back in his car or he would take him to jail.
“I get too lippy with him, he brings me over to his car, and I just didn’t help my situation at all,” he said. “I felt like a child. It was ridiculous, it was immature, and I just pray everyone knows that I don’t think I’m above the law. I was just being disrespectful and I shouldn’t have been. It was my mistake.”
When they let him back out, the cop was talking to him and telling him not to interrupt him. Bryan did interrupt him and so they took him to jail, where he was for a few hours. “I was just an idiot,” he concluded, “I’ll take the fall for it.”
Zach Bryan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lil Baby’sIt’s Only Us Tour has faced several hiccups along the way. Just weeks before the string of shows was set to kick off, the Grammy Award-nominated rapper canceled a number of dates without offering ticketholders any explanation. Days after, he lost his biggest opening act, The Kid Laroi. Since then, it seemed as if everything had been smooth sailing until yesterday (September 7).
Unfortunately, during Lil Baby’s performance at Memphis, Tennesse’s FedEx Forum, one person was shot, according to ABC News. The outlet revealed that the victim was a male concertgoer. After being rushed to Regional One Health Medical Center, it was announced that he was in critical condition due to the wound.
WREG-TV reported that as gunshots were fired in the stadium, Lil Baby was quickly escorted offstage and was reportedly not injured.
The Memphis Police Department took to X (formerly Twitter) to share limited details, including the time of the incident and that, at the current time, the shooter’s identity was not yet known.
Ahead of the show, the entertainer took to Instagram to upload an image behind the scenes to share his excitement for the evening’s performance. Following the incident, fans have flooded the comment section of the same post to discuss their thoughts on the tragic news.
One user, claiming to be a native of the area, wrote, “we sorry i promise.”
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Another penned, “we so sorry cuh they do this everywhere jus go to southaven next time.”
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One supporter upset by the news was concerned that the incident would mean that in the future Lil Baby wouldn’t return for future tours, writing, “N**** ain’t never coming back now.”
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Neither Lil Baby nor his representatives have issued a statement about the shooting.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: more TV shows should star Kurt Russell and Godzilla. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the first of hopefully many collaborations between the legends.
The Apple TV+ and Toho series is the latest installment in MonsterVerse, which also includes Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs. Kong, a movie where a skyscraper-sized gorilla punches a radioactive lizard in the face. It’s good. There’s no Kong in the trailer above, but there is John Goodman running away from what looks like Kumonga, two generations of Russells (Kurt and his son Wyatt), and Godzilla. Some call him the king of the monsters; I call him my friend.
Here’s more:
Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga – spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which also stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski, premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 17th.
A TMZ report from last month indicated that Rihanna and ASAP Rocky’s second child was born on August 3, and that the child, a boy, had a first name starting with R. Now it appears we have more concrete info on that front.
The Blast obtained the baby’s supposed birth certificate and the document indicates that his name is Riot Rose Mayers, and that he was born on August 1 (so not the 3rd) at 7:41 a.m. in Los Angeles’ Cedar Sinai Hospital. Rocky, meanwhile, recently released a new song called “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n).”
Riot is Rihanna and Rocky’s second child, their first being RZA Athelston Mayers, whose name was revealed earlier this year. RZA, the Wu-Tang Clan rapper after whom the Rihanna/Rocky baby was named, was flattered by the news, saying, “[It’s] a great honor to know that there’s another generation that’s not even of my own household that feels the strength and the inspiration of that name. RZA [isn’t] only a name, it’s a title. So it’s an honor and I salute her and ASAP and their family. All the blessings in the world from me.”
In non-baby news, Rihanna just linked back up with Puma and revealed her first sneaker with the brand since the reunion.
In a Rolling Stone expose, Jimmy Fallon was accused of being “dismissive,” “irritable,” and “erratic” to employees of The Tonight Show, leading to a “toxic” work environment (and dressing rooms being turned into “crying rooms”). Things got so bad that guest Jerry Seinfeld reportedly made Fallon apologize to a crew member he was being crappy to. Fallon was offered a chance to comment before the piece went live (his representatives declined), but now that the dirt is out there, he’s apologized for his behavior.
“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad,” Fallon said on a Zoom call to staffers, according to Rolling Stone. “Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends… I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.” He did not intend to “create that type of atmosphere,” and stated that current showrunner Chris Miller, the show’s ninth in nine years, is “a great leader” and isn’t going anywhere.
A spokesperson for NBC defended the program in a statement, saying, “We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” the spokesperson said. “As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”
The Tonight Show is currently on hiatus and won’t return until the strikes are resolved, although Fallon did recently start a podcast with fellow late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver.
Things haven been up and down with Megan Thee Stallion over the past few years, with the downs thanks mostly to the Tory Lanez shooting. Through it all, though, Megan says there’s one person who has given her unwavering support: “Bongos” collaborator Cardi B.
During a 20-minute livestream in celebration of the “Bongos” video’s premiere last night (September 7), Megan noted, “This space that I’m in mentally, I’m not foolin’ with too many people that don’t give me good vibes, good energy. I have creative boundaries. And Cardi is somebody that I want in my space, in my energy, so it’s so easy to work with her because she got the vibe, she got the energy, I want her in my space.”
Megan Thee Stallion speaks on how Cardi B is the only female that has consistently supported her and hasn’t jumped ship. pic.twitter.com/Pk0uzpMOA8
She continued, “She been nothing but real to me. The industry is so f*cked up, but this girl is probably the only girl who has been this consistent and this real and this… this just great of a person to me. So I just want to say, Cardi: I really love you so much and I really appreciate it. At a time you could have jumped ship, you never jumped the ship [laughs]! And you always been rocking with me and I’m just so appreciative.”
Watch the whole “Bongos” premiere livestream below.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent Power Book IV: Force episode will be found below.)
For episode two in Power Book IV: Forceseason two, we pick back up in the aftermath of Tommy Egan’s quick decision to murder Chewy, who recently switched sides to join Jenard’s CBI crew. It nearly leads to retaliation from them, but Diamond talks (more like threatens) Jenard out of starting a back-and-forth between CBI. Despite this, Tommy found himself in a face share of shootouts this week. The first one came during his meeting with Miguel when the Serbs ambushed the Mexican gang. Luckily for Miguel, Tommy was there to save his life, but in the process, Tommy took a bullet to the ribs. Luckily for him, he survived and was taken care of by Mireya.
At this moment, Tommy learned of a meet-up between the Serbs and the Mexican gangs. With this information, Tommy convinces Diamond to help him pull off a plan, that in the end, would make it seem like the Serbs attacked the Mexicans. They successfully pulled it off by killing two members of the Serbs and taking their bodies to the drop site where the Mexican gang members were waiting. Tommy, Diamond, and company attack them and take the crew out. They then left the Serbian bodies there so that when Miguel came to the site to see what happened, he would assume the Serbs attacked his crew. Miguel comes to this exact conclusion, and now, a full-on war is underway in Chicago.
Outside of that, Jenard struggles to live up to his potential as a crew leader as he finds himself short on money and in charge of a crew that doesn’t respect him. Victor Flynn continues his spiral after Gloria’s death, but he eventually collects himself to begin a plan to take out his father from the inside, which he can do by rejoining the Flynn crime family. As a result of his decision to do this, Walter kicks Claudia out, leaving her incredibly frustrated. Federal investigators’ case against Tommy continues to grow as a task force looms around the corner. Speaking of Tommy, he escaped a second shooting at the end of the episodes as a member of Jenard’s CBI went out of his way to try and kill him.
So here’s who will not be on this week’s Power Players list and why. Claudia misses out as, without Dahlia, she doesn’t have much power in the game. Plus, she was just cut out of the family’s latest plan. Jenard can’t make enough money for himself, so with that, he’s off the list as well. The feds took more losses than wins this week, so unlike last week, they’re off the list this week, and so is D-Mac, who didn’t appear in this episode.
Okay! Let’s get into it. Here are the top five Power Players we have based on “Great Consequence”:
5. Miguel’s Mother & Her Car
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We don’t have a glorious cast of Power Players this week as one of them separated themselves from the rest of the cast. With a limited crew this week, we must salute the car Miguel’s mother pulled up in during this episode. I mean, the car was so cold that even Tommy had to show her love for a second, and we’ve never seen Tommy salute someone else for their car. Additionally, Miguel’s mother herself is just as cold as her ride as she walked by Tommy without so much as flinching her face despite her compliment. All to meet with Miguel and warn him about Tommy and how to approach retaliating with Serbs. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of her, especially with how this episode went.
4. Vic Flynn
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Vic Flynn is new to this list, and it’s only for one reason: His plan to take out his father. I wish this episode was cleaner for him, but as he deals with Gloria’s death and the realization that his father was behind it, we watch him go completely off the rails. He washes away his sorrows in alcohol, has a sexual interaction with a girl in the back of a convenience store, robs the same convenience store, and gets arrested for robbery. Despite all that, we’re going to have some hope for Vic. Toward the end of the episode, he reveals his plan to take out his father from the inside by rejoining the Flynn crime family under the guise of helping Walter. Vic’s real goal is to take him out and ensure he doesn’t go out in glory. If he can make this happen, it would be one of the biggest moves we’ve seen in Power Book IV: Force thus far.
3. Miguel
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Miguel holds his spot from last week. On the bright side, he’s still the connect for both halves of CBI, which means double the money for him, so that still makes him a big piece of the puzzle in Chicago’s drug game. However, he’s been tricked and he lost men in a shootout to the Serbs. Tommy saved his life during this shootout, so one could assume that he owes Tommy one. The worst part of this episode for him is Tommy and Diamond tricked him into thinking that the Serbs robbed their shipment when it was the CBI crew. Now, a full-blown war between Miguel’s crew and the Serbs is underway, something that’s a loss for him and a win for everyone else. If he doesn’t come out on top in this war, he may or may not be a Power Player for much longer.
2. Diamond
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Diamond also keeps his spot from last week. While he isn’t as active as he was in episode one, there are a couple of things he does to ensure that he holds his spot. First, he makes sure that Jenard doesn’t retaliate (yet) for Tommy killing a member of his crew. Here, it shows that despite the CBI split, Diamond still has an influence and a lot of power over his younger brother. Secondly, he stood beside Tommy in their plan to kill two Serbs and use them as props to make Miguel and his people believe that the Serbs were the ones who robbed Miguel. Teamwork makes the dream work, and Tommy and Diamond’s chemistry and ability to get things done and elevate makes them a dangerous pair for their competition in Chicago.
1. Tommy
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Once again, Tommy checks in at No. 1. I wonder if there’ll ever be a point where he isn’t at the top, but this week, he almost lost his spot. He was shot during an ambush by the Serbs against Miguel and his crew. Thankfully, he survived that, but as if one shooting wasn’t enough, he narrowly escaped a second one to close the episode. The heat is closing in on Tommy, and hopefully, he can stay clear of it. Thankfully for him, his plan to pit the Mexican crew and the Serbs against each other is the biggest move of the week and the one that grants him the top spot. It’s a well-executed plan that gets done without issue and without any hiccups. Even better, it means that the heat will be off him and Diamond for some time. That means more time to elevate and expand, something that’s key in the Chicago drug game.
New episodes of ‘Power Book IV: Force’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am ET/PT and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent The Chi episode will be found below.)
The highs and lows of The Chi are felt heavily in this week’s episode. In episode six of season six, the kids of the South Side are preparing for graduation. We see glorious moments throughout the episode attached to this moment. Whether it be graduation pictures or coming together for graduation or Kevin’s speech to his class, it’s a moment that the kids deserved and should be able to celebrate in peace — and celebrate they do. Kevin, Maisha, Jake, Jemma, Lynae, and Papa as well as Bakari all come together for party towards the end of the episode. It’s one of the last moments they’ll all be together as Kevin has his eyes set on a move to Los Angeles to pursue his video game dreams.
Just like all things in The Chi, we know that the good times can’t last forever. Bakari feels the wrath of his streets after Douda retaliates against him for losing the stolen Lambo he let him use for prom. A bright moment for him comes when he reconnects with his sister Britney for the first time in years. Britney also makes a nice impression on the gang, mostly with Jemma, thanks to a dope freestyle over Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick Push.” Then we have Papa who is at odds with his family over his decision to stay with Kenya despite learning that she has a son. Pastor Jackson forbids Papa from dating Kenya, but Papa says he can’t stop him and walks out of the house. Their last argument seems to truly be their last as it appears that Pastor Jackson is choked to death by someone we assume is an associate of Douda while Papa hangs out at the post-graduation party.
Elsewhere, Victor has to make a decision on what to do in regards to his involvement in Q’s murder as an FBI investigation into it heats up. Emmett makes a move to free himself from Douda, but it results in him getting pistol whipped and threatened, though he’s able to work something out. Victor tells Rob the truth about Q’s death and he now has to figure out how to handle it in order to fulfill his mother’s wishes and get the money for her for he and Tiffany’s marijuana’s business. Jemma and her father continue arguments about her future and Bakari and Lynae’s relationship is at risk after their run in with police.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season six’s sixth episode, “Boys II Men”:
There’s No Fighting Or Running From The Streets
One of the themes in “Boys II Men” is a reminder that running or fighting the streets isn’t easy. We see it with three characters in this episode: Emmett, Victor, and Bakari. Emmett reaches his limit with Douda once he realizes that he’s put his family at risk by working with the crime boss. He retrieves his gun from his dad and heads to Douda to threaten him into breaking ties with him, but Douda isn’t fazed by it as he takes the gun back and pistol whips Emmett. Victor has his past catch up to him when the FBI approaches him about a murder they believe he and Douda are connected to, and rightfully so. He’s left to decide whether or not to confess to the crime and risk everything he’s worked for. Lastly, Bakari faces the aftermath of being pulled over in Douda’s stolen Lamborghini. He’s not allowed to see Lynae, who was in the car with him, he’s brutally punched in the eye by Douda, and he’s caught in the middle of a battle between Douda and Victor and Pastor Jackson.
All cases prove that once connected, it’s hard to outrun or fight the negative of the streets. Victor thought he could with a career in politics, but he now sees that it’s not the case as it’s all caught up to him. Emmett hoped to only deal with Douda’s business side, but that’s not the case as he now sees. Bakari simply wants to make money for himself and be steady with Lynae, but with his connection to Douda, it appears that he can’t have both.
Bakari Really Cares About Lynae
From the moment Bakari laid eyes on Lynae, it’s been clear that his feelings for her have been everything but small. In episode six of this season, we get a closer look at how deep these feelings are. During a car ride with her older brother Jamal, Bakari learns that his relationship with her is at risk. Bakari says he’ll be more careful with her “next time” and Jamal questions why he believes there will be a next time. This leaves Bakari to wonder if Lynae wants to see him again, to which Jamal advises that it’s best if they take a little break. Things seem to be okay later on when Lynae introduces herself to Britney as “Bakari’s girlfriend.” However, in that car ride with Jamal, Bakari puts his tough guy act to the side to show his feelings for Lynae, saying, “she’s all I have to live for.” Without much family around him, Bakari currently lives for a future with Lynae. It’s what keeps him focused on staying out of trouble and more. It’s dangerous being this dependent on someone, but for Bakari, who previously spent time in a foster home, he’s always been independent so a break from it is something he enjoys and doesn’t want to let go of — especially when the love is reciprocated.
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Kevin And Papa Simply Want Freedom
Kevin and Papa are both in an up-and-down relationship with their respective parents. Kevin’s lasted a bit longer and resulted in him moving out into his own apartment. Papa’s is more recent as he’s expressed his frustration with his father’s helicopter parenting style. Kevin shared his decision to move to LA to pursue his video game dreams with his mom and stepmom and his mother Nina isn’t thrilled about the move. Being that he’s her youngest, it makes sense that her emotions are all over the place when she hears the news, but at the end of the day, Kevin just wants her to support his dreams and his independence, the latter being something that’s led to numerous rifts between Kevin and Nina.
As for Papa, he’s grown tired of his father’s helicopter parenting style and the tipping point comes when Papa accidentally reveals that Kenya is not only his girl, but that she also has a son. That news leads to Pastor Jackson forbidding his son from being around her. Papa refuses to listen and it eventually leads to him walking out of his family’s house to his father’s disapproval. At the end of the day, the two just want the freedom to go through life as regular kids, free to make mistakes that won’t ruin their lives, but instead, will allow them to gain a new perspective.
Douda Went Too Far And He’ll Learn That Emmett Was Right
As up and down as “Boys II Men” already was, the episode ends on a shocking note. As Pastor Jackson prays for guidance from God in his kitchen, he’s seemingly choked to death as a masked man enters the house and ties a rope around his neck. We can assume that Douda is behind it as he instructed Nuk to “take care of him” back in episode four. Earlier in the episode, long before this happened, Emmett made a great point to Douda. While Emmett is loved in the community, people only work for Douda, so the army that would be willing to fight for Douda, without being forced to, will be smaller than the army willing to fight for Emmett. Now, thanks to Pastor Jackson’s death, Douda might see how difficult things will get for him. He’s had his way previously, but that won’t be the case this time around. They love Emmett in Chicago, and they loved Pastor Jackson there as well. The same can’t be said for Douda, and he’s about to feel it more than ever.
New episodes of ‘The Chi’ are available through the Paramount Plus With Showtime plan on Fridays at 3am EST/ 12 pm PST. Weekly episodes also air Sundays on Showtime at 9pm EST/PST.
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