Category: Viral

Nic Cage recently put it out there in the world that he was quitting movies and had become so enraptured by discovering Breaking Bad that he was going to find himself a TV role instead, and oh boy, he did just that.

In an interesting development as well, Cage will sort-of be reprising (in live-action form) his animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse character, Spider-Man Noir. Cage previously prepared audiences by promising that Humphrey Bogart lives within his portrayal of “Peter Parker from the ’30s,” and although Cage recently suggested that he’d had enough of comic-book movies, that doesn’t mean that he can’t do the comic-book thing on TV.

In Tuesday’s Amazon Upfront presentations, Cage’s new TV show was revealed to the called Noir, which will have the backing of ex-Sony Co-Chair Amy Pascal as an executive producer along with Steve Lightfoot, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Oren Uziel. The series will premiere on MGM+ followed by a debut on Prime Video (Amazon), and again, this will be a live-action series. From the description:

Noir tells the story of an aging and down on his luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.

This might even be event TV? Perhaps. That determiniation remains up in the air, of course, but here’s a certainty: this makes that spider-fighting cameo in The Flash even funnier.

Following the unexpectedly huge debut of Fallout, Prime Video’s other record-breaking genre series is returning soon.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two will premiere on the Amazon-owned streaming service on Thursday, August 29. Prime Video also released a teaser trailer for the new season, which shows the ascendance of the evil Sauron, as well as the return of characters including Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark), Elrond (Robert Aramayo), Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), and Celebrimbor. (Charles Edwards).

Here’s more:

In season two of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on season one’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

You can check out the season two key art below.

Does… does Donald Trump know Hannibal Lecter isn’t a real guy? I’m genuinely asking. Over the weekend at a rally in New Jersey, the former president praised the fictional cannibal, played by everyone from Anthony Hopkins to Mads Mikkelsen, for being a “wonderful man.”

Trump’s full comments: “Has anyone ever seen The Silence of the Lambs? The late, great Hannibal Lecter. He’s a wonderful man. He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner. Remember the last scene? ‘Excuse me, I’m about to have a friend for dinner,’ as this poor doctor walked by. ‘I’m about to have a friend for dinner.’ But Hannibal Lecter. Congratulations. The late, great Hannibal Lecter.” He then continued to rant about immigration, or whatever.

After playing the rally clip during Monday’s episode of Late Night, host Seth Meyers tried to make sense of the insanity. “At this rally, Trump talked about The Silence of the Lambs character Hannibal Lecter and said he was a ‘wonderful man.’ First of all, Hannibal Lecter isn’t real. He’s a character played by Anthony Hopkins, a wonderful man who is real. Second, the character Hannibal is not a wonderful man, he’s a cannibal who murdered a bunch of people. And third, please tell me this is not your VP announcement,” he said. If I may add one more: Lecter doesn’t die in The Silence of the Lambs, so he’s not the “late” Hannibal Lecter. But the fact that Meyers doesn’t bother bringing that up shows how nutty Trump’s comments are.

You can watch the Late Night video above.

The Boys will soon debut a fourth smashing season with three episodes streaming on June 13. Homelander will be even more deranged than when we saw him murdering a civilian in front of a crowd of people. There will be Supe animals and the Supe virus, and it will simply be Supe(r), but will this be the last bloody hurrah or not? We have an answer already.

Will There Be A ‘The Boys’ Season 5?

Hell yeah, there will. During Tuesday’s Prime Video Upfronts presentation, Amazon announced that the “diabolical” fourth round will definitely be followed by a fifth, which is currently in development for eight episodes. Showrunner Eric Kripke issued a fitting statement:

“The Boys could be the best job I’ll ever have. What other show allows me to write about politics, capitalism, family, and exploding genitalia, though not in that order … the cast and crew are deeply grateful to Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios for the opportunity to tell this story for another season. My only problem is that since this year promises to be free of any conflict or misinformation, we’re not sure what to write about.”

Oh, they will find something to write about. Additionally, Gen V Season 2 is currently back in rewrites after the sudden death of Chance Perdomo. There will also eventually be The Boys: Mexico, and of course, the animated Diabolical is still streaming if anyone wants an appetizer.

In other words, tons of diabolical action will be coming from The Boys. And as Mother’s Milk will soon say on your TV screen, “Chop chop, m*therf*ckers.”

Yesterday (May 14), ASAP Ferg shared a new song called “MDMX,” but the tune is raising questions about what name the rapper is going by these days.

Did ASAP Ferg Change His Name?

The new song is credited to just “Ferg,” not “ASAP Ferg.” The song has not yet made it to streaming platforms, where his name is still listed as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg). His name is listed as just Ferg, though, on the Roc Nation website, as well as on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

When Ferg signed with Roc Nation in 2021, Variety noted that Ferg “will go by just Ferg for his non-A$AP efforts.” A statement from Roc Nation also noted, “Ferg is very much still part of the Mob, and is A$AP Ferg within A$AP Mob… Ferg as an individual artist and with his solo career is Ferg.” So, unless the plan has changed since then, it appears he will go by both Ferg and ASAP Ferg depending on the context.

Meanwhile, Ferg also just made headlines for his new Gabby Elan grill. The piece pays tribute to late figures like Takeoff, Virgil Abloh, and ASAP Yams by featuring their faces on it, as Complex notes.

Watch the “MDMX” video above.

In April, Eminem announced a new album, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). The rapper is really leaning into the morbid aspect of it now with a (fake) obituary, which he put in a (real) newspaper.

The obit as seen in the Detroit Free Press newspaper has a headline of “Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions” and the sub-headline of “Fans ‘Will Never Forget’ Controversial Rapper.” The obituary itself reads:

“A product of Detroit who began his career there as a rogue splinter in the flourishing underground rap scene of the mid to late 1990’s, Shady first became a household name in 1999 with the debut of his playfully deranged single ‘My Name Is,’ which — along with its uniquely eye catching video — exposed the young artist and his lyrics to a wider audience. That audience was soon exposed to the extreme darkness of the muse/rapper, as he led millions of music fans down a road that glorified a demonstrably nihilistic worldview.

Ultimately, the very things that seemed to be the tools he used became calling cards that defined an existence that could only come to a sudden and horrific end. His complex and tortured existence has come to a close, and the legacy he leaves behind is no closer to resolution than the manner in which this character departed this world.

May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth.”

Check it out below.

Homecourt advantage has been restored in the Western Conference Semifinal between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks. Despite a sluggish first half for the Thunder offense, the team started to find its footing in the third and rode a monster fourth quarter to a thrilling, 100-96 win in Dallas to tie the series up at two wins each.

Dallas came out and was immediately firing all cylinders in the first quarter. While turnovers were a bit of an issue in the opening period, four separate players scored at least five points, they had eight assists on 11 made field goals, they shot 5-for-11 from behind the three-point line, and they had nearly as many offensive rebounds (four) as Oklahoma City had rebounds (five).

This was mixed with a stellar defensive effort, as well, as the Maverick defense was flying around and disrupting the usually crisp Oklahoma City offense. The Thunder were 8-for-22 from the field (36.4 percent) and missed all six of their attempts from three, and be the time the quarter ended, they found themselves trailing, 30-20.

The Oklahoma City offense continued to struggle against the Dallas defense in the second quarter, as the Mavs’ length, aggressiveness, and crisp rotations really seemed to throw off the young Thunder. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the first half, no one else hit double-figures, and as a team, OKC only shot 34.9 percent from the field and hit one of their 11 attempts from three.

That effort on that end of the floor mixed with their dominance from deep (9-for-21 in the first half) meant that the Mavs were able to take a 54-43 lead into the locker room at halftime. Luka Doncic led the way with 12 points and eight rebounds, while P.J. Washington scored 11 and hit three triples. And while he only had four points, Kyrie Irving got involved in the offense with seven first half assists.

The third quarter saw Dallas’ offense start to fall apart. The team’s ability to hit threes basically evaporated, while they went multiple, three-plus minute stretches where they could not make anything from the field.

This opened the door just a bit for the Thunder, which weren’t much better in the third, but were good enough to meaningfully cut into the Mavs lead, thanks in large part to 12 points in the frame by Gilgeous-Alexander. Thanks to a 9-2 run at the end of the period, OKC found itself right back in the game entering the fourth quarter, as Dallas was clinging on to a 69-65 lead.

Dallas was able to start the fourth quarter getting its lead up to as many as eight points, and every time that Oklahoma City started to cut into it, the Mavs were able to find an answer somewhere. And then, midway through the period, Gilgeous-Alexander started to throw haymakers. The best midrange shooter in the NBA kept getting to his spots and knocking down those pull-ups that have become his signature, and a quick, 6-2 burst where he made every basket for his team got Oklahoma City within two points with 4:45 remaining.

And at the four minute mark after a stop, Gilgeous-Alexander got to his spot again, only this time, he had to get the ball up and over the corner of the backboard. He did, the ball didn’t touch the rim, and suddenly, the game was tied. And after yet another stop, Chet Holmgren got a wide open look from the corner to give the Thunder the lead.

The shoe was suddenly on the other foot, with the Mavs trying to chase the Thunder down after they went on a 9-0 run to take the lead and Oklahoma City always finding an answer.

But Dallas was able to crack the door open with 33 seconds left after forcing a miss and getting the ball into Doncic’s hands, which led to a lob for Derrick Jones Jr to cut the lead to two. And after a Gilgeous-Alexander middy went halfway down before popping out, the Mavs had the ball with 12 seconds left and a chance to tie or win the game.

Doncic got fouled, but missed his first attempt. He made the second, but Dallas found itself down one and needing to play the free throw game with 10 seconds remaining. That ended up not going their way, and as a result, the Thunder were able to walk out of Dallas with a win.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the star on the night for Oklahoma City, as he scored 34 points with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. Holmgren had 18 points with nine boards and four blocks, while Lu Dort had 17 and eight rebounds along with his usually pesky defense. Dallas was led by Washington’s 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Doncic had a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The series will now return to Oklahoma with both teams knowing they’re two wins away from a berth in the Western Conference Finals. Game 5 between the Thunder and the Mavs will take place on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

The NBA Draft Combine is not nearly as heralded an event as the NFL version, but this year’s edition is particularly interesting because there is not a consensus top star. That means more prospects are going through full drills to try and show off their athleticism and separate themselves from the rest.

The players that tend to get the most out of the Combine are those further down draft boards, who can impress in Chicago and force teams to look closer at their tape and give them more opportunities for workouts. For Bronny James, the Combine was a chance to remind teams of his various skills and gifts that make him an NBA prospect. After being medically cleared to enter the NBA by the league’s medical panel, James set out to show that he’s NBA ready.

After a rough year at USC, with plenty of good reasons for why he struggled, the Combine was a chance to give teams a new data point to analyze and consider going into Draft season. The eldest of LeBron James’ children did just that, as he got hot in the shooting drills, showing off his shot from NBA range by hitting 19-of-25 in the star shooting drill — one of the top performances at the Combine.

James, who measured in at just over 6’1, 210 pounds with a 6’7 reach, needs to show that he has the athleticism and skill to make up for a smaller frame. That wingspan number is very good for his height and shows up on tape (along with his strength) in his defensive ability even at a shorter height. As for the athleticism portion, James jumped 40.5 inches in the max vert, showing off the bunnies.

It’s important to note that a good showing at the Combine isn’t something that will move someone up or down a draft board on its own. That said, for James, he showed the things he needed to show teams to pique their interest and have them look even more closely at him throughout the process, as they try to figure out how much of last year was an aberration due to his health situation and USC’s overall struggles. Teams will want him to continue showing that shooting ability in workouts, but considering that will be a swing skill for James as he looks to stick somewhere in the league, this was a very good start.

The Boston Celtics are one win away from yet another appearance in the conference finals. Despite getting the best possible effort from a shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers team that did not have the services of Donovan Mitchell or Jarrett Allen due to injury, Boston was able do enough to pick up a 109-102 win to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Despite the fact that they entered the game without a pair of starters, Cleveland battled in the opening 12 minutes of the game. The Cavs raced off to an 8-2 start, which forced an early timeout from Joe Mazzulla to rally the troops.

But then, Boston found its rhythm, while Cleveland went ice cold. The Celtics ripped off a 19-2 run that put them up by double-figures and gave them just enough cushion whenever the Cavaliers were able to put together a quick burst. Behind Jayson Tatum’s best quarter of the playoffs — he had 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting — Boston was able to take a 37-30 lead into the second.

The Celtics were able to get their lead up to as many as 13 points early on in the second quarter before they went cold and the Cavs got hot. The home team went on a 13-3 run, which got the Boston lead down to two points. They kept chipping throughout the period, but while they were able to cut the lead to one, the Celtics always were able to find an answer, usually in the form of a Tatum bucket, as he scored the final seven points in the frame for Boston.

It was enough for the Celtics to head into the locker room at halftime with a 62-57 lead, with Tatum’s 23 points leading the way. Boston got additional contributions from Jaylen Brown, who had 11 points, and Jrue Holiday, who closed the first half with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Max Strus was the top scorer for Cleveland with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from three, with Caris LeVert going for 12 and Darius Garland having 11 points and five assists. As a team, the went 11-for-25 from behind the three-point line.

The Cavs continued to chip away early in the third quarter, going on an 8-2 run at the start of the frame. And at the 9:24 mark of the period, Garland finally gave Cleveland the lead when he blew by Derrick White, got to the rim, and converted a layup.

But Boston was able to, once again, settle down after the Cavaliers threw their best punch. Right after Cleveland pulled ahead, the Celtics ripped off seven points in a row to regain their lead, and for essentially the remainder of the quarter, they were able to make sure things were never any closer than a two-possession game. And after five straight points by Payton Pritchard over the final 39 seconds, Boston took a 10-point lead into the fourth.

The Cavs players outside of Garland went ice cold to start the final frame, while the Celtics were able to extend their lead to as many as 15 points. And then the switch flipped, as Cleveland went on a 12-2 run that got the lead all the way down to five. But try as they might, the Cavaliers just could not get any closer, as any look they generated to make it a one-possession game came up short.

And then, with 1:09 left, Brown got a wide open look from behind the three-point line that served as the dagger.

The Jays did the heavy lifting for Boston, as Tatum had 33 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block on the evening while Brown went for 27 points and eight rebounds. Holiday stuffed the stat sheet as well, with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block. A 30-point, 7-assist night for Garland led the way for the Cavs, with both Mobley and LeVert scoring 19 points.

Now, Boston has the chance to take care of business on their home floor and earn a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 5 between the Cavaliers and the Celtics will take place on Monday night at 7 p.m. EST on TNT.

There is an amazing retirement village now accepting guests but instead of catering to elderly people, it’s designed for elderly cats. Shropshire Cat Rescue has been rescuing elderly cats that are set to be euthanized and providing them with top notch elder care.

The owner of the rescue was tired of seeing older cats get passed over for adoption and subsequently put to sleep simply because they were old so she decided to do something about it. That’s where the idea for Shropshire Cat Rescue came from and they’ve got cats wandering the retirement village who are over 20 years old. One cat, lovingly named Cat, loves to hang out in the little “store” in the tiny cat town, while others lounge in cat condos.

Veterinarian, Dr. Scott Miller, owner of an elderly cat himself wet to visit the feline retirement community to check it out. He was impressed with how much the retirement community had to offer the cats that call it home.

Shropshire Cat Rescue is in England, but it’s not the only retirement home out there for felines. A Florida couple opened a retirement home for elderly cats, too. Terry and Bruce Jenkins decided to open their home for elderly cats in their back yard, rescuing them from “hardship situations.” The Jenkins’ don’t adopt the old kitties out, they let them live out their years cozy in their back yard.

In fact, there are several retirement homes for cats in America, but the Shropshire village truly looks like a mini town. It comes complete with stores and other town staples designed for cats to lounge about in, but humans also use the store fronts to store items for the cats.

Watch:

Shropshire Cat Rescue currently has about 17 cats and has a program set up that allows local kids to come play with the cats. The elderly cats get to socialize with humans and other cats while receiving whatever care they need. The retirement home is the last stop for these old guys so there’s no effort to rehome them.

These cats simply get to live out the rest of their lives being loved on by volunteers and the visiting children. Maybe even more retirement homes will start popping up across the country.