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Charlotte Flair Continues To ‘Carve Out My Own Path’ Ahead Of WrestleMania 39

Charlotte Flair entered the wrestling world more than 10 years ago in arguably the biggest shadow of any second-generation athlete. The daughter of arguably the greatest wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots, Charlotte has likewise turned into an all-timer over the course of her decorated career.

With more than 1,300 days combined as a singles champion and having held every major title WWE has to offer, Flair has earned the distinction of an active WWE legend, something that will be prominently displayed in this Sunday’s A&E Legends documentary. The following weekend, she’ll step into the squared circle at WrestleMania 39 to defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley.

This path wasn’t something Flair dreamed about. She learned along the way, enjoyed the challenges that came with her rise next to the Four Horsewomen — Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks — and has unquestionably become one of the best to ever step inside the ring.

“If I just walked out on the ramp and no one knew who I was, you can’t deny that I don’t have something,” Flair told Uproxx Sports. “So take away Flair, take the last name away. Would I have the same amount of hate? I’m talking a very small, like, cult group that really follows wrestling. But would you not say she carries her own, like her presence, her demeanor, how people gravitate toward (her)? I know I have that.

“And in terms of physicality, I definitely think that my dad wasn’t big for a guy,” she continues. “I’m not saying my dad was little, but my style has more range than his. If I wasn’t in my head all the time, I could be as good as he is on the mic, but I let things get to me, just being honest. I’m human. But when someone sees me wrestle, they’re not going, ‘Oh, she’s just good for a woman.’ And I think that’s what has allowed me to carve out my own path.”

What makes Flair’s journey that much more compelling is that the expectations were sky high from the outset, and she’s been able to exceed them. She’s managed to create her own standout moments among arguably the most talented women’s roster in WWE history.

Flair exploded onto the scene in NXT. Had she taken a more traditional route of coming up through the independent scene, however, she recognizes that things may have been much different.

“The Four Horsewomen are why I’m here today,” Flair says. “Wanting to be as good as the three of them, wanting to have that passion. Each of them had their own special feel. We’re all in totally different roles right now and are very much apart, but had I been on the indies, maybe I wouldn’t have had the same learning experiences or the same tools or the same coaches. Basically, you’re on your own.”

Flair has had plenty of memorable bouts over the last decade, but she points to her first title win in NXT as the moment that put the wrestling world on notice.

“The match with (Natalya) definitely put me on the map,” she says. “I don’t want to say story-wise or fundamentally it was my best match, but it was my best match that made everyone go, okay, she means business. That has to be the most important match in my entire career. After that, I’d say me versus Asuka at WrestleMania 34. So those two matches, game-changers for where I am.”

Reaching the top of the mountain over and again the way Flair has creates a sense of pressure for her to always outdo herself. She feeds on the pressure, embraces it, and looks forward to challenging herself yet again when she squares off with Ripley at WrestleMania 39 next weekend.

Flair praises Ripley for how comfortable she makes it look each week, her work with Judgement Day and Dominick Mysterio, and how the challenger is soaking in the moment. The build for her match at WrestleMania has been entertaining, with Flair and Ripley brawling through last week’s SmackDown. But if it were up to the champ, she’d have mixed it up with the Dominick along the way, as well.

“I pitched (being in the men’s Royal Rumble) this year,” she says. “I don’t think it made it very far, but I feel like if things were 100 percent going toward (a match with) Rhea Ripley, I thought it would have been a cool opportunity to enter and then maybe have a moment with Dom, then she comes to save him. But I don’t think it made it very far.”

Flair has done basically everything that’s possible in the WWE. But after WrestleMania, when she looks at her future, there’s one thing that sticks out: She wants to work with her husband, Andrade El Idolo, who is currently signed to AEW.

“Wrestling with my husband, getting to manage him,” Flair mentions when asked about what she has left to accomplish. “Whether that’s a mixed tag or just being the mouthpiece. I miss (being on the road with him), but getting to see all the couples able to (travel together), it looks so fun and rewarding. I’ve learned so much from him, so I can’t imagine how much I’d learn being on camera with him.”

For now, Flair’s life and career will take center stage for A&E’s Legends documentary this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

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J. Cole Honed His Humble Persona With A Trip To The Projects To Hear An Aspiring Rapper’s New Music

Over the past decade, J. Cole has crafted a well-deserved reputation as a humble, down-to-earth figure in rap. Besides eschewing the typical trappings of rap stardom — chains, flashy cars, designer clothes — he’s gone out of his way to present himself as the kind of guy who’ll just pull up to the local YMCA to get in some shots on the basketball court or get nervous about featuring on a song that he’s about to utterly dominate.

And while fans believe he’s working on a new album as he features on K-pop stars’ songs, it seems he still has time to hone his humble persona, appearing recently in a New York City housing project to consult on an aspiring rapper’s new music. Ty Trilly, the rapper in question, posted a video on Instagram of J. Cole listening to his music in the lobby and offering feedback. “I ain’t even put a second verse on it yet,” Trilly admits.

“You don’t even need it, n****,” Cole says in response, giving a few more words of encouragement. “Shoot the sh*t, put that b*tch out, next! ‘Cause they gon’ feel it. And they gon’ feel the next one, I swear to God.”

Cole has demonstrated his willingness to nurture the careers of up-and-coming rappers throughout the past few years, lending his support to artists like Dreamville mainstays Ari Lennox, JID, Lute, and more. Could Ty Trilly be the next addition to the rapper’s label? Anything can happen, and if anyone is willing to support another artist’s dreams, it’s J. Cole.

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Saweetie Would Love To Work With Rihanna For A Dance Record That Would ‘Get The Party Going’

Saweetie is moving the needle this week by claiming Lil Nas X as her “celebrity guy crush” and blaming her Zodiac sign for the ongoing delay of her debut album. The two-time Grammy nominee also provided an update on the album, and her response is sure to get the people going.

“I’m working on the album. I’m really focused on my craft right now,” Saweetie told Metro UK in an interview published Monday, March 20. “I’m about to drop some treatments and … direct with some directors to shoot some new music videos.”

She added, “I definitely want to work with Rihanna. [Super Bowl LVII] wasn’t even a game. It was the Rihanna concert. [We would] release a dance record to get the party going.”

Rihanna performed the halftime show at February’s Super Bowl LVII to a modest television audience of 118.7 million. Her sprawling set doubled as a pregnancy announcement, as she confirmed she is carrying her second child with ASAP Rocky. (Their son was born last May.)

Most recently, Rihanna attended the 2023 Oscars on March 12 and earned a standing ovation for her live rendition of the Oscar-nominated “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The power ballad’s October release marked Rihanna’s official return to music — and the Billboard charts — as her last album was 2016’s Anti, so fans are desperate for a Rihanna dance record to get the party going.

Saweetie is a Warner Music Artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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The Best Carlos Rivera Songs, Ranked

After years of performing in arenas across Latin America, Carlos Rivera is bringing his tour to the US for the first time. The Mexican heartthrob’s Un Tour A Todas Partes will touch down in the states this summer. The 20-country trek comes on the heels of Rivera’s most personal album, Sincerándome, which dropped last month.

Rivera’s nearly 20 years in the music industry can be likened to the success of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Like them, he won a TV singing competition, with Rivera triumphing in Mexico in 2004 on a show called La Academia. Rivera soon transcended the program to become an enduring Latin pop star. After he was tapped to sing the song “Recuérdame” for Disney’s Coco soundtrack in 2017, Rivera became a global force.

In the years that have followed, Rivera has worked with artists like Becky G, Maluma, and Gente De Zona. The variety of acts shows that he’s never limited himself to one sound or genre. With 2021’s Leyendas, Vol. 1 album, Rivera received co-signs and collaborated with Latin music icons, including Gloria Estefan, Juan Gabriel, and José “El Puma” Luis Rodríguez.

Though Rivera is known for his love songs, it’s his dance tracks where he unleashes his hip-shaking moves. In his concerts, he brings to life the best of both worlds in a live setting. “Each song will be telling a story through dancing, music, and singing,” Rivera tells Uproxx. “I hope to see all [my fan base] the Riveristas there in the US.” Here are 20 of Carlos Rivera’s best songs to revisit for the tour.

20. “Que Lo Nuestro Se Quede Nuestro” (from Yo Creo)

Rivera’s biggest song on Spotify was never released as a single. His heartfelt ballad “Que Lo Nuestro Se Quede Nuestro” about the magic of sharing moments in a relationship has over 228 million streams.

19. “Qué Ironía” (from Valiente)

Mexican pop icon Thalia enlisted Rivera to feature on the song “Qué Ironía” from her Valiente album. The two singers channel the dysfunction of a complicated relationship into an emotional rollercoaster of a duet.

18. “Esta Noche Es Para Amar” (from Con Ustedes… Car10s Rivera En Vivo)

For the finale of La Academia, Rivera sang a Spanish cover of Elton John’s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight.” In a full-circle moment, he furthered his career years later by playing Simba in a Spanish-language adaption of The Lion King musical.

17. “Cuántas Veces”

For his single “Cuántas Veces,” Rivera teamed up with Mexican pop trio Reik. In the heartbreaking song, Rivera and Reik’s Jesús Alberto Navarro Rosas’ voices soar as they sing about the difficulties of moving on from a past relationship that still has a hold on them.

16. “Yo No Sé Que Me Pasó” (from Leyendas, Vol. 1)

Before his passing in 2016, Mexican legend Juan Gabriel enlisted Rivera to record a new version of his classic “Yo No Sé Que Me Pasó.” Two of the best voices in the history of Mexican music joined forces to take the song to new emotional heights.

15. “Quedarme Aquí” (from Yo Creo)

“Quedarme Aquí” is the sexiest song in Rivera’s catalog with horns, funky bass, and soulful singers backing him. He put his best smooth operator foot forward as he wooed the listener with his flirtiest lyrics.

14. “Te Esperaba” (from Guerra)

“Te Esperaba” is another one of Rivera’s biggest songs that was never released as a single. In the tender ballad, he sings about the day when a crush finally turns into something more.

13. “Sincerándome” (from Sincerándome)

“Sincerándome” is one of the most beautiful songs in Rivera’s career and it’s from his latest album of the same name. In the vulnerable track, he channels the pain from a dark period from his career into a sweet moment of catharsis.

12. “Alguien Me Espera En Madrid” (from Sincerándome)

Rivera channeled a period in his career when he was finding more work in Spain than Mexico into an adventurous track. In “Alguien Me Espera En Madrid,” he blended regional Mexican music from featured acts Carin León and Eden Muñoz with a kick of Spanish flamenco.

11. “¿Cómo Pagarte?” (from Yo Creo)

“¿Cómo Pagarte?” is one of Rivera’s most beloved loved songs. In the stirring ballad, he sings about wanting to repay a partner with the most romantic gestures for making everything in his life right again.

10. “Te Soñé” (from Sincerándome)

Rivera celebrated his hometown of Huamantla in Tlaxcala, Mexico with “Te Soñé.” He teamed up with Colombian icon Carlos Vives for an anthem of hope dedicated to all the fellow dreamers out there.

9. “Solo Tú” (from El Hubiera No Existe)

Rivera’s falsetto hit heavenly highs in “Solo Tú.” He beautifully serenades his other half by letting her know that she was one of kind.

8. “Digan Lo Que Digan” (from Sincerándome)

After years of having his relationship with his now-wife Cynthia Rodríguez scrutinized by the press, Rivera hit back with love in the empowering “Digan Lo Que Digan.” His song about a romance withstanding all the outside noise has also become an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community.

7. “Lo Digo” (from Yo Creo)

Rivera dabbled in reggaeton music alongside iconic Cuban duo Gente De Zona. In the inspirational banger, he traded verses with the guys about finding happiness in living live to the fullest.

6. “Recuérdame” (from Coco)

Out of all the renditions of “Recuérdame” recorded, Rivera’s sounded the closest to Mexican character Ernesto De La Cruz’s version in Disney’s Coco movie. He represented Mexico proudly in this ranchera-infused classic that continues to tug at the heartstrings.

5. “Perdiendo La Cabeza” (from Crónicas De Una Guerra)

“Perdiendo La Cabeza” is one of the most playful songs in Rivera’s discography. He teamed up with Becky G and Pedro Capó in the bubbly bop about a hot-and-heavy romance that was driving them wild.

4. “Me Muero” (from Guerra)

In the emotional “Me Muero,” Rivera surrendered to the romance. He sang with passion about dying to be close with the love of his life.

3. “100 Años” (from Crónicas De Una Guerra)

Two of Latin music’s heartthrobs joined forces in “100 Años.” Rivera teamed up with Colombian superstar Maluma for the cinematic mariachi ballad where they were fighting to keep the romance alive.

2. “Regrésame Mi Corazón” (from Guerra)

Rivera felt like his heart was stolen in the sultry banger “Regrésame Mi Corazón.” He masterfully blended his Mexican-rooted pop with Spanish flamenco and flirtatious lyrics to win back the woman with his vital organ.

1. “Fascinación” (from El Hubiera No Existe)

Rivera channeled the feeling of being in awe with the power of love into a feel-good anthem. With his heartwarming lyrics and a commanding performance, “Fascinación” remains the most irresistibly fascinating song of his career.

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Chris Martin Skips Dinner To Be Like Bruce Springsteen, Who ‘Looks Even More In Shape Than Me’

Coldplay leader Chris Martin was recently a guest on the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast. He shared a funny anecdote about talking to a nurse in an elevator, gave an opinion on singers on talk shows, and discussed his questionable diet that was inspired by an unexpected musician.

“I actually don’t have dinner anymore,” he said. “I stop eating at 4 [p.m.] and I learned that from having lunch with Bruce Springsteen.”

“I was lucky enough to go over there to lunch the day after we played Philadelphia last year,” Martin recalled of a dinner with Springsteen and his wife Patti. “I was on a really strict diet anyway. But I was like, ‘Bruce looks even more in shape than me,’ and Patti said he’s only eating one meal a day. I was like, ‘Well, there we go. That’s my next challenge.’”

On that podcast, he also thanked actor Woody Harrelson. “I’m going to give a big shout-out to Woody Harrelson because he was at a concert of ours in Oswald,” he said. “He was so kind to my brother when he had no reason to be that he just became an extra hero in my eyes.”

Watch Martin discuss Springsteen above.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Director Chad Stahelski Remembers Lance Reddick On The Eve Of ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’

Most of Chad Stahelski’s press obligations for John Wick: Chapter 4 were over by the time we learned of the great Lance Reddick’s passing. For reasons that don’t matter, my interview with the director had been delayed until Wednesday and I assumed, given the circumstances — which were totally understandable — it wouldn’t happen.

But I did wind up talking to Stahelski and I asked if he wanted to talk about Reddick’s passing — and if he didn’t, again, completely understandable. It turns out Stahelski did want to talk about Reddick and had a lot to say about this man that he obviously so admired and is still trying to process what happened. But what he relayed to us are really great stories that I’m really happy he shared.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t first bring up Lance Reddick. What you wanted to say. If you want to say anything or not. If you don’t, that’s fine too. I understand.

Oh no, of course. I’ll just start from the beginning. When Dave Leitch and I were doing the first (John Wick movie), Lance is one of the first people we cast, obviously after Keanu, of course. We were big fans of his from The Wire. We had never met him, but you can remember this is back in 2013, we hadn’t directed anything yet. We were just second unit stunt guys coming in. And think back for a second about the first John Wick, let me sum it up for you: “So let me get this straight. You want to do a Keanu Reeves movie about an assassin in retirement, comes out of retirement, kills 86 people over a puppy. His wife is going to die, but she never dies on camera.” John Wick doesn’t read well on paper. When you’re going out to sell this, it’s Dave and I on the phone trying to convince people that we’re going to do something cool. That it’s going to be something different.

Right, it was literally your first movie.

We’re out there in the ether. We’re asking somebody to give a good five months of their life and risk their career. To Lance’s credit, when we explained it, we were like, “Look, it’s not just the concierge. This has got a Greek mythological overtone to it, so you are literally reading the character Charon to be like Charon from the river Styx.” Lance, he sat there and he looked up and goes, “I get it. I’m in.” It was that fast. And we’re like, “Oh, this directing thing is not going to be that hard!”

Oh yeah, smooth sailing from here on out. But that’s a great story.

Lance, for that tone that he created, because Lance is a very kinetic actor, to be that reserved and that zen? So Lance is a bit of a mentor. All the cast were in the first one, but Lance especially because he’s so easy to talk to. And he’s so infectious with his positive attitude. To actually direct someone that’s been your mentor at the same time, much like Keanu and Laurence Fishburne in the later ones, it’s been pretty incredible. So you find people that love what they do and if you love the same things they love, you’re usually going to get a pretty good result. That’s Lance.

And correct me if I’m wrong, but he had finished his work on Ballerina, is that right? He’s going to be in that still?

He has a role in that as well. Him and Ian McShane and Keanu. they all did roles in Ballerina.

That’s really cool to hear he got this movie right away.

I’m sure you’ve lost people…

I have.

You know what? You can go with the philosophy of being thankful of knowing him. You go through the sadness of it, and then you try to be empathetic with his family. I’ve known Stephanie for a while on and off. I met his family, so we feel terrible for them. But at the same time, we know Lance very, very well. Lance loves his job. You couldn’t get this man off set. He just loves to be on set meeting the crew and watching the process. He loved what he did every minute. So we found out about it. We had just gotten off the plane in Toronto, and we got hit with that phone call and you’re just like, “What? I just talked to him two days ago. We just saw him a week ago. We talked to him two days ago.”

And it hits you. It messes with your head. You’re supposed to be in this celebratory mode of promoting something that you just spent three years of your life on. And I’m very, very, very proud of my cast and my crew for the work they’ve done. Whether you like the movie, don’t like the movie? Whether you like what I do as a director or the tone? That’s apart from you cannot deny that my cast is fantastic in the movie. You cannot deny that my crew has done an amazing technical job. So you’re trying to really promote that and have that, and at the same time, you just realized someone that you were looking… [Pauses] Literally Lance and I high-fived each other four nights before going, “Now, I’ll see you in LA.”

And you share that. Because, now, we’re on the red carpet Monday night and it’s the first thing. As soon as you see Laurence Fishburne, it’s a hug. You see Shamier, it’s a hug. The first thing you do, every single cast member looked up and goes, “Fucking wish Lance was here.” Not one single person in the cast didn’t have that emotion.

I hope he knew how well people appreciated him as an actor. There’s been an outpouring of love for him on social media.

I hope he does, too. But Lance was… I mean, I would say all of them, no one’s in it for the accolades. I mean, it’s always nice to read a good review, I guess. It’s some kind of justification of why you spent so much of your life doing this job. But Lance did it for the work. He did it for the relationships. But everyone that worked with Lance – again, Keanu, Laurence, anybody in the cast – they loved working with him.

Well, I think for someone like me, or just any viewer, there’s something about his acting style that you feel a connection with. I think people connect with him in a way a lot of actors wish they could get that.

I mean, God, I wish I’d be so lucky when it’s my time just to have that kind of love and just to make people feel that connected. But I mean, that goes beyond that. On set, any day with Lance on set is a good day. We’d always joke, I’d jab him a little bit, “Are you ever not positive?” To your point, honestly, I think Lance had that much humility. Lance was a gentleman like a true gentleman in every sense of the word with etiquette and his humility. So I don’t know if he knows how connecting… I don’t know if he’s touched on that. Lance just tried to do two thing: be a great human and be a great artist. And I think that just comes across.

So there’s no great segue to go from a subject as emotional as that to back to the movie. But I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about it with you a little bit. You know this movie is better than the rest. Like, the Man with No Name movies are good, but now here’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

No, that was the roadmap. You just nailed it. Jesus, after we wrapped number three, or after number three had come out…. And then we’re just like, “Okay, we didn’t quite nail that one.” We didn’t feel like it was finished. We thought it was good…

Yeah, it is good. It’s really good, but this one is on a different level…

We just, look, well, it’s got to start with me. I have to be a better director. I have to have bigger ambitions. I’ve got to be brave. I’ve got to try. I got to be better at storytelling. I got to be a better writer. So we just went to work for the next year thinking if we could do it. It’s not about set pieces, it’s about different character perspectives. How do we have a story that when I’m not shooting people in the head, how do we make this more interesting?”

And we’re going to take this Good, The Bad, The Ugly model and kind of roll around into ethics and morality, and we’ll twist it in like that. Anyways, we just wanted to do something that was epic, but not just in look or scale, but in storytelling as well. And that’s hopefully, me and my crew, my cast, we all got a little better for the last one and collectively we got… If everybody gets this much better, you get a thousand people and you get that much better.

I’ve read you say the John Wick movies are on pause now. Obviously, this movie does end in a place where you could walk away. But I think you even said something like, “Unless people just go nuts for this one and we’ll see.” And that’s what seems to be happening. So it’s like, what do you want to do?

Look, I’m…

I can’t help but notice David Leitch has never directed a sequel… and you’ve only directed John Wick movies…

Yeah, no, everything you said is absolutely true. You got to remember, they see, just like myself at the time, you see Hollywood from the outside. You get all these things, like this is my first time here too. I’m not going to lie to you. We start off as this tiny little thing, and when we’re on sets, we still consider ourselves a tiny little action movie. Well, a couple of degrees off-center. We have weird methodologies, we have weird themes, we have obviously weird characters, a weird world, but it’s also so incredibly flattering when people want to see more of the stuff that’s coming out of your head.

Keanu and I look at them like love letters to things we love. Obviously, you’ll see The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. You see The Warriors? You see David Leitch? Lawrence of Arabia? You’ll see Crouching Tiger You see Tarantino, right? I mean, pick any film that we love!

I even saw a little Barry Lyndon at the end with the duel.

Sorry … you’re the first interview that got that with the rules of the duel. Thank you for noticing that.

Well, to be fair, I saw it on the big screen recently and it’s been on my mind.

No, that’s good. They all thought I was crazy! I’m like, “Nobody moves for the next day, so pick a comfortable spot. This is the way we’re doing it.”

Oh, yeah. I saw it right away. This is Barry Lyndon.

Look, it’s a new spot for me too. It’s always flattering. Yes, of course I have other ideas, but at the same time, I want to keep the mythology. There’s so much I can’t tell you! If you looked in this room and saw the stack of notebooks of John Wick ideas that didn’t make any of the films, we literally could write the most awesome TV series. We could write a series of films that doesn’t just involve Wick! And it seems like the studio’s very interested in what we have. So I’d like to continue it, but maybe with other mediums, the animation of video games or the TV show. If people were really that hungry for it, which couldn’t be more fortunate if they did, I’d like to stay involved and keep creating with that.

But at the same time, yeah, of course. I’m, again, so fortunate to be attached to so many other great things between Highlander and Rainbow Six and Ghost of Tsushima, these other TV shows I’m supposed to work on. That’s great. I mean, there’s only so many hours in the day, but I’m going to be a greedy bastard and try to do as much as I can. But make no mistake! Whether I did, or someone else did, or whatever my involvement is in the John Wick property, whatever you want to call it, I would be fortunate there’s someplace I want to keep a foot in at all times. I mean, I love it. You can tell…

So it sounds like what you’re saying is, “Yeah, I have other ideas for other stuff, but at the same time, if I made 20 successful John Wick movies and that’s my legacy, I’m fine with that.”

I think I’d already be happy. If I got hit by a bus tomorrow, sir, I’d be pretty happy just to have the life I’ve had.

I’m out of time. I wanted to bring up Donnie Yen and how great he is too but…

I’ll give you a free 15 seconds.

Okay.

Donnie Yen is awesome. He’s been a hero of mine since I was growing up. You know what it’s like the first time he comes on set?

No, I don’t. Tell me.

You walk up on set. He comes in for his first day, which is the fight scene with him and Keanu in the Japanese art room. Donnie comes in and Donnie’s so fast that we have to change the choreography. He’s not sped up at all in this movie. Like, him and Keanu were supposed to do the first little interactive. This choreo, it’s not going to work.

Wow.

We don’t want to slow Donnie down. So we’re just going to make John Wick run away. No one’s going to believe it. So Keanu and I are like, “Well, John’s just going to run from it. Donnie’s going to do the cat and mouse.” But I actually got to stand up on set with Donnie and work moves out, so you’re actually touching hands. So I’m choreographing with him, with the camera guys, and I’m like in the middle, I just stopped and I’m like, Donnie’s like, “You okay?” I’m having a moment here where I’m like, “I’m choreographing with Donnie Yen.” You know what that’s like for somebody who’s been choreographing for 20 years and watched movies? I had a full fanboy meltdown. I actually took him on, we all started busting out laughing. I was like, “Hey, somebody get a picture of this. This is awesome.”

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

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Offset Teased A New Song Featuring A Posthumous Verse From Takeoff

While the death of Takeoff at just 28 years old was already tragic, the tragedy was exacerbated by the fact that at the time of his death, he and fellow Migos member Quavo were apparently on the outs with the third member of their trio, Offset. As Quavo and Takeoff promoted their new album as a duo, Offset hinted at plans of releasing a solo project of his own.

Offset put those plans on pause with the death of his former bandmate, but now, it looks like he’s ready to begin his rollout once again. And, on an especially bittersweet note, it appears that he may have still been working with the late Takeoff. On Monday, he shared a clip of a new song on his Instagram Story that features a verse from Takeoff alongside another from fellow Quality Control records rapper Icewear Vezzo. The clip eventually circulated online:

While it’s currently unknown if this posthumous verse was recorded specifically for Offset’s solo project or taken from an older recording session, it’s both encouraging and deflating to know that there was a possibility the two cousins could be mending fences. Before Takeoff’s death, it did appear that whatever the issue was, it appeared to center on Quavo and Offset, who were rumored to have gotten into an altercation at the recent Grammy Awards over a tribute to their fallen bandmate. Both rappers denied that a fight took place.

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Trump Spent The Night He Thought He Was Going To Be Arrested Playing His Favorite Showtunes

Donald Trump was pretty sure he was going to be arrested on Tuesday. He said so on Truth Social: “The far & away leading Republican candidate & former President of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of [this] week. Protest, take our nation back!” Spoiler: he was not arrested on Tuesday (there’s always today!). To celebrate, Trump spent the night listening to his favorite music at Mar-a-Lago and doing the weird dance that he always does.

Trump was “surrounded by supporters, fist-pumping, and giving the thumbs-up” at his Florida compound on Tuesday, a source told Page Six. “He had a political dinner with five pals without Melania… The Donald was deep in serious conversation with what looked like political advisers.”

The failed recording artist also “couldn’t stop smiling as he played ‘Maria’ from West Side Story, the theme from Phantom of the Opera, and a chorus of ‘Hallelujah’ that had people scratching their heads as to exactly what that meant.” Does he only listen to the same six songs on repeat? Those three, “Memories,” “YMCA,” and “Gloria”? Drop your Spotify Wrapped, Trump.

If Trump does get arrested, he wants the whole world to see it.

We were even told that team Trump is planning to “try and film and document it with their own camera crew, they want a shot of him in cuffs and will release the mugshot. They are loving this stuff.”

The footage will be soundtracked to, you guessed it, “YMCA.”

(Via Page Six)

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Jimmy Kimmel Couldn’t Resist A Stormy Daniels Joke While Roasting Trump For Obsessing Over His Perp Walk

As a proud Donald Trump hater, Jimmy Kimmel has been getting antsy waiting for the former president’s supposedly pending indictment to finally happen. Over the weekend, Trump launched one of his trademark all-caps statements, claiming that he would be arrested on Tuesday, but that day came and went without any legal action. According to the latest reports, there might not be any movement until next week thanks to the next grand jury hearing being postponed.

“They decided to push the hearing to tomorrow to give Trump supporters time to iron their confederate flags,” Kimmel joked before barely hiding his giddiness over the pending arrest. “Now I’ll tell you something, if this happens on Saturday, so help me God, I will run into this studio and do a monologue in my bathrobe. I don’t care if there’s anyone here. I’ll just be alone with no lights on talking to this not-working camera.”

The late night comedian then went to town on reports that Trump has been obsessing over his perp walk and how it will play on TV. The topic was a field day for Kimmel, who slipped in a solid Stormy Daniels joke.

Via The Wrap:

“He’s been telling people he’s excited about the idea of getting paraded in front of the cameras like it’s the red carpet at some kind of Guilty People’s Choice Awards or something,” Kimmel continueed. “He’s also saying he specifically wants to get handcuffed behind his back. Which weirdly, this is the same request he had for Stormy Daniels when he got into this mess.”

Kimmel also worked in a gag about Melania, who is probably just as excited as half the country at the prospect of Trump’s arrest.

“He’s been even asking friends if he should smile when he gets arrested,” Kimmel said. “He’s been asking friends if he should smile, and Melania’s been debating whether she should play ‘Party in the USA’ or ‘Celebration’ by Kool & The Gang.”

(Via The Wrap)

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Nick Cannon, Who Has 12 Children, Has One Ex-Girlfriend He Wishes He’d Had Kids With

Nick Cannon explained why monogamy isn’t for him on several occasions in the past year-plus. He has 12 children — the most recent baby arrived in December — with six different women because he just has too much love to give.

“I never want to generalize the relationships I have now, [like], ‘Oh, these my ladies!’ That’s sill. I have individual relationships with each person in my life, and I respect … their peace,” Cannon said in an interview with The Shade Room shared last week. “I’m not a private person, but I try to give everybody who wants to operate in privacy and keep their life personal, I love it. … I’ve had every type of relationship with a woman that a man could ever imagine.”

But moments later, the one-time Emmy winner reflected on two particularly lovable exes. When asked to name the love of his life, Cannon gushed over Mariah Carey, his ex-wife with whom he shares twins Monroe and Moroccan:

“I always talk about that, and then it goes viral and all her fans get mad at me. I’ll say, I was 12 years old with Mariah Carey pictures on my wall, and that becomes my wife. And the fact that she’s the coolest person I ever met. I get a lot of this delightful disposition from her. She’s just always happy, always doing for others — no matter what’s happening in life. I’m like, wow, a person can really operate like that and don’t allow negative energy into their space. When I found that out about her and saw how remarkable she was, like, that woman is not human. She’s a gift from God.”

That led directly into an even dicier question: Which ex does he wish he’d had a baby with?

“Everybody talks about having kids,” Cannon responded. “If I say this, I know it’s gonna go viral, but […] when Christina Milian were doing [the 2003 movie] Love Don’t Cost A Thing, I remember when I found out she was pregnant — did I have kids yet? I don’t know, but I was like, ‘Dang, man.’ But I was so happy for her.”

He added, “We was kids in love early on, and so you talk about that, but […] life plans it out. The universe gives it how it’s supposed to be given. […] That was the homie, and we definitely had our romantic conversations about what it would be like back then.”

Cannon and Milian dated in the early 2000s, years before Cannon married Carey in 2008. Cannon and Carey split in 2014 and finalized their divorce in 2016 (as noted by People).

Watch Cannon’s full The Shade Room interview below.