Category: Trending

If you could, imagine watching Star Wars for the first time. After you made it through all of the intricate storytelling, rich imagery, and silly little outfits, you might have noticed that there was one thing missing in the space epic, and it wasn’t a freak alien sidekick, though he did come later. It was a strong Italian-American presence. That’s what the series was lacking: someone who would not put up with Chewy’s constant yelling.

It might seem far-fetched, but there was a time when Al Pacino could have been the rugged space pilot in Star Wars. Of course, that meant he would have taken the spot from Harrison Ford, but Ford had Indiana Jones in his back pocket, so he would have been fine. The only thing Pacino had was a gun, a three-piece suit, and a dream. That’s the perfect type of person to lead a space mission.

Pacino gave a talk at the 92nd Street Y this week where he mentioned that he almost boarded the millennium falcon. “Well, I turned down Star Wars. When I first came up, I was the new kid on the block, you know what happens when you first become famous,” he said, assuming that we all know what it’s like to be a famous person in the 1970s. But he made his point.

He added that he was trying to be more selective with his roles at the time since he was fresh off of the success of The Godfather. “It’s like, ‘Give it to Al.’ They’d give me Queen Elizabeth to play. They gave me a script called Star Wars. … They offered me so much money. I don’t understand it. I read it. … So I said I couldn’t do it. I gave Harrison Ford a career,” he joked. Or at least it was allegedly a joke.

This begs the question: at what point in the script did Pacino decide to pass on the role of Han Solo? Was it when Jabba the Hut showed up, or when he learned that his best friend would be a giant hairy dog? Maybe he just really didn’t want to wear a shirt with such a deep V-neck, even if he embraced said look later on. Who knows? Perhaps one day Italian-Americans will get the space hero we deserve… but not today.

George Lucas even used Italy as a backdrop for Naboo, which implies the existence of olive oil orchards in the Star Wars universe. Surely there could be some Italians roaming around there.

(Via Variety)

If you could, imagine watching Star Wars for the first time. After you made it through all of the intricate storytelling, rich imagery, and silly little outfits, you might have noticed that there was one thing missing in the space epic, and it wasn’t a freak alien sidekick, though he did come later. It was a strong Italian-American presence. That’s what the series was lacking: someone who would not put up with Chewy’s constant yelling.

It might seem far-fetched, but there was a time when Al Pacino could have been the rugged space pilot in Star Wars. Of course, that meant he would have taken the spot from Harrison Ford, but Ford had Indiana Jones in his back pocket, so he would have been fine. The only thing Pacino had was a gun, a three-piece suit, and a dream. That’s the perfect type of person to lead a space mission.

Pacino gave a talk at the 92nd Street Y this week where he mentioned that he almost boarded the millennium falcon. “Well, I turned down Star Wars. When I first came up, I was the new kid on the block, you know what happens when you first become famous,” he said, assuming that we all know what it’s like to be a famous person in the 1970s. But he made his point.

He added that he was trying to be more selective with his roles at the time since he was fresh off of the success of The Godfather. “It’s like, ‘Give it to Al.’ They’d give me Queen Elizabeth to play. They gave me a script called Star Wars. … They offered me so much money. I don’t understand it. I read it. … So I said I couldn’t do it. I gave Harrison Ford a career,” he joked. Or at least it was allegedly a joke.

This begs the question: at what point in the script did Pacino decide to pass on the role of Han Solo? Was it when Jabba the Hut showed up, or when he learned that his best friend would be a giant hairy dog? Maybe he just really didn’t want to wear a shirt with such a deep V-neck, even if he embraced said look later on. Who knows? Perhaps one day Italian-Americans will get the space hero we deserve… but not today.

George Lucas even used Italy as a backdrop for Naboo, which implies the existence of olive oil orchards in the Star Wars universe. Surely there could be some Italians roaming around there.

(Via Variety)

Marc Maron recently entertained everyone while revealing that he was flat-out happy not to have been cast in Avatar 2, and he’s here to detail more adventures in auditioning. This time around, he’s discussing a project that was smaller in scale but big on personality. Well, other than the role that Maron would have been going for, which didn’t appeal to him for a specific reason.

That film was Bad Education starring Hugh Jackman, and while talking with Ray Romano (who also appeared in the movie) on the Maron’s WTF podcast, the host revealed that he had apparently auditioned for the role of Jackman’s boyfriend. He decided that he didn’t want that part because the role simply wasn’t gay enough, via Indiewire:

“I thought I was auditioning for the role you had,” Maron told guest Ray Romano during his “WTF” podcast. “I just didn’t want to do it. I read the script and I said I don’t want to do it. It was for Hugh Jackman’s boyfriend. He’s got nothing in there.”

Maron added, “I said, ‘If I’m going be gay in a movie, [Jackman] would be a good guy to be gay with, but there didn’t seem to be much to the role other than that.’ I said, ‘I’ll wait to be gay when there’s more gayness.’”

Fair enough. Here’s to hoping that Maron eventually finds that role, and if the acting thing stops working out, in addition to Maron’s domination of podcasting and enduring success in stand-up comedy, he could always carve out an advice columnist future. I’d be listening.

(Via Indiewire)

Marc Maron recently entertained everyone while revealing that he was flat-out happy not to have been cast in Avatar 2, and he’s here to detail more adventures in auditioning. This time around, he’s discussing a project that was smaller in scale but big on personality. Well, other than the role that Maron would have been going for, which didn’t appeal to him for a specific reason.

That film was Bad Education starring Hugh Jackman, and while talking with Ray Romano (who also appeared in the movie) on the Maron’s WTF podcast, the host revealed that he had apparently auditioned for the role of Jackman’s boyfriend. He decided that he didn’t want that part because the role simply wasn’t gay enough, via Indiewire:

“I thought I was auditioning for the role you had,” Maron told guest Ray Romano during his “WTF” podcast. “I just didn’t want to do it. I read the script and I said I don’t want to do it. It was for Hugh Jackman’s boyfriend. He’s got nothing in there.”

Maron added, “I said, ‘If I’m going be gay in a movie, [Jackman] would be a good guy to be gay with, but there didn’t seem to be much to the role other than that.’ I said, ‘I’ll wait to be gay when there’s more gayness.’”

Fair enough. Here’s to hoping that Maron eventually finds that role, and if the acting thing stops working out, in addition to Maron’s domination of podcasting and enduring success in stand-up comedy, he could always carve out an advice columnist future. I’d be listening.

(Via Indiewire)

Last Sunday, Latto’s Coachella set included a slew of guest rappers, including Lola Brooke, Saweetie, and TiaCorine. And while those first two names might certainly be familiar to music fans since Brooke’s breakout single “Don’t Play With It” has been everywhere this year and Saweetie previously landed her own meal at McDonald’s, some might not be as familiar with TiaCorine, who only recently started breaking out thanks to her viral single “Freaky T.”

So, who is TiaCorine?

TiaCorine is a rapper and singer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who’s currently signed to South Coast Music Group, the same label that houses fellow breakout stars DaBaby and Toosii. She’s part Japanese, Black, and indigenous (her mother is Shoshone), and incorporates sounds and traditions from all three heritages into her genre-bending work. According to her bio on South Coast’s artist page, she graduated at the top of her class from Winston-Salem State University despite taking a year off after having a baby daughter.

She first received national attention after releasing the single “Lotto,” an upbeat, pop-inflected party song whose singsong quality belies its low-key menacing nature. After signing to SCMG, she released her debut album, The Saga Of 34Corine in May 2021, following up with I Can’t Wait last September. She’s also released a pair of EPs, 34Corine and Pussy, growing her sparkling, style-warping catalog.

Earlier this year, two tracks from I Can’t Wait began making noise: “Chaka Khan,” the initial focus track, sounds like cyberpunk Nintendo game driven by playful boasts. However, it was “Freaky T” that truly took off, garnering millions of streams and views on YouTube. With Latto’s support on the upcoming “Freaky T” remix, it’s likely her profile is going to rise in the coming months as the “Big Energy” star brings her spotlight to the North Carolina breakout.

Check out TiaCorine’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Chaka Khan” here.

Last Sunday, Latto’s Coachella set included a slew of guest rappers, including Lola Brooke, Saweetie, and TiaCorine. And while those first two names might certainly be familiar to music fans since Brooke’s breakout single “Don’t Play With It” has been everywhere this year and Saweetie previously landed her own meal at McDonald’s, some might not be as familiar with TiaCorine, who only recently started breaking out thanks to her viral single “Freaky T.”

So, who is TiaCorine?

TiaCorine is a rapper and singer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who’s currently signed to South Coast Music Group, the same label that houses fellow breakout stars DaBaby and Toosii. She’s part Japanese, Black, and indigenous (her mother is Shoshone), and incorporates sounds and traditions from all three heritages into her genre-bending work. According to her bio on South Coast’s artist page, she graduated at the top of her class from Winston-Salem State University despite taking a year off after having a baby daughter.

She first received national attention after releasing the single “Lotto,” an upbeat, pop-inflected party song whose singsong quality belies its low-key menacing nature. After signing to SCMG, she released her debut album, The Saga Of 34Corine in May 2021, following up with I Can’t Wait last September. She’s also released a pair of EPs, 34Corine and Pussy, growing her sparkling, style-warping catalog.

Earlier this year, two tracks from I Can’t Wait began making noise: “Chaka Khan,” the initial focus track, sounds like cyberpunk Nintendo game driven by playful boasts. However, it was “Freaky T” that truly took off, garnering millions of streams and views on YouTube. With Latto’s support on the upcoming “Freaky T” remix, it’s likely her profile is going to rise in the coming months as the “Big Energy” star brings her spotlight to the North Carolina breakout.

Check out TiaCorine’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Chaka Khan” here.

As Ron DeSantis continues to escalate his feud with Disney, even Fox News is having hard time backing the Florida governor’s latest crusade despite the network seemingly throwing its weight behind DeSantis after the disastrous 2022 midterm elections.

On Wednesday, Larry Kudlow and his conservative guests expressed their concerns with DeSantis taking on Disney, which they called “anti-capitalism.” In a blow to DeSantis’ ego, they also said the governor was no match for returning CEO Bob Iger, who has continued to make an ass of DeSantis at every turn.

Via Mediaite:

“I just want to observe that Governor DeSantis is close to making a fool of himself with his Walt Disney obsession,” the host said. “This has been going on now for months and months and months. And I would argue that it is unseemly, number one. A governor should not come crashing down on, if not biggest, one of the biggest businesses.”

Radio host Mark Simone agreed with Kudlow and took things even further by claiming that Trump would’ve handled the situation better. Ouch.

“He can’t debate and he can’t negotiate,” Simone said. “Donald Trump would be in a room with Disney working this out. DeSantis’s problem was, it was easy to slap Disney around. They had that dumb CEO. But he’s gone. [Bob] Iger is here. And DeSantis is no match for Iger, who’s 10 steps ahead of DeSantis on every move.”

Kudlow then questioned DeSantis what the Disney feud says about putting the Florida governor in the White House.

“I don’t like woke anymore than anybody else,” Kudlow said. “But it’s not good for a governor of a state because it suggests maybe as a president he would be attacking business. And that’s what the lefties do, not what the conservatives do.”

It looks like the Disney spat is a pudding cup that DeSantis should’ve kept his fingers out of.

(Via Mediaite)

As Ron DeSantis continues to escalate his feud with Disney, even Fox News is having hard time backing the Florida governor’s latest crusade despite the network seemingly throwing its weight behind DeSantis after the disastrous 2022 midterm elections.

On Wednesday, Larry Kudlow and his conservative guests expressed their concerns with DeSantis taking on Disney, which they called “anti-capitalism.” In a blow to DeSantis’ ego, they also said the governor was no match for returning CEO Bob Iger, who has continued to make an ass of DeSantis at every turn.

Via Mediaite:

“I just want to observe that Governor DeSantis is close to making a fool of himself with his Walt Disney obsession,” the host said. “This has been going on now for months and months and months. And I would argue that it is unseemly, number one. A governor should not come crashing down on, if not biggest, one of the biggest businesses.”

Radio host Mark Simone agreed with Kudlow and took things even further by claiming that Trump would’ve handled the situation better. Ouch.

“He can’t debate and he can’t negotiate,” Simone said. “Donald Trump would be in a room with Disney working this out. DeSantis’s problem was, it was easy to slap Disney around. They had that dumb CEO. But he’s gone. [Bob] Iger is here. And DeSantis is no match for Iger, who’s 10 steps ahead of DeSantis on every move.”

Kudlow then questioned DeSantis what the Disney feud says about putting the Florida governor in the White House.

“I don’t like woke anymore than anybody else,” Kudlow said. “But it’s not good for a governor of a state because it suggests maybe as a president he would be attacking business. And that’s what the lefties do, not what the conservatives do.”

It looks like the Disney spat is a pudding cup that DeSantis should’ve kept his fingers out of.

(Via Mediaite)

The Los Angeles Clippers went into their first round series against the Phoenix Suns without the services of star wing Paul George, who has not played since mid-March due to a knee sprain. With the series shifting to Los Angeles and the Clippers taking one of the first two games off of the Suns, the team announced on Thursday afternoon that they will play Game 3 without their other star wing in the fold.

According to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, Kawhi Leonard will have to miss the game due to a right knee sprain.

Not long after the report, the Clippers made it official and said that Leonard won’t be able to go in Game 3. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Leonard hurt his knee in Game 1 and is considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday, when Game 4 between the two sides will take place.

It goes without saying, but having to beat Phoenix with both Leonard and George sidelined will be a tremendously difficult task for the Clippers. Leonard has been magnificent over the first two games in the series, as he’s mixed his usually destructive defense with production on the other end of the floor. So far in the series, Leonard is averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and six assists on 54.5 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent shooting from three.

It’s the unexpected death episode that all other unexpected death episodes are now compared to (especially if they’re on HBO).

Ten years ago this June, the Lannisters sent their regards in the Game of Thrones episode “The Rains of Castamere,” colloquially known as “The Red Wedding.” While promoting his new show, Citadel, Robb Stark actor Richard Madden was asked to reflect on the season three shocker.

“I still have fond memories of that whole experience,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I mean, not that particular scene, but the whole experience I have fond memories of. It’s nice to be back into recurring series drama where you get so much time to tell a story, and the you get these huge payoffs like [the Red Wedding.] Three seasons deep, we got to have this horrible death with characters that you’re invested in. I think that’s our ambition [with Citadel] too, to create a huge world and get to know these people well.”

If any of your friends are getting married on the 10-year anniversary of the Red Wedding, you, uh, might want to say you’re busy that weekend.

Citadel, which also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Stanley Tucci, and Lesley Manville, premieres on Amazon Prime Video on April 28th.

(Via Screenrant)