Category: Viral

As AI begins to slowly infect our subconscious, it can be hard to distinguish what is real and what is just a fake version of Tom Hanks trying to sell you dental implants. Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda recently entered the conversation, explaining just how daunting the concept is for actors and industry professionals.

So when Williams’ Genie showed up in a brand-new short from Disney, people got a little nervous that the Big Mouse was using Williams’ likeness without the permission of the estate, when in reality, they had simply used some Aladdin outtakes.

Once Upon A Studio is Disney+’s short made to celebrate the studio’s 100 years in the industry, and several of Disney’s most iconic characters re-appeared, including Genie. Producer Producer Bradford Simonsen said that they asked Williams estate beforehand.

“We tried to take them on the journey with us to say, ‘We’ve got this very special short that we’re doing. Robin as the genie means so much to so many people and we would really love to involve him,’” he explained to Variety. “So [director] Dan [Abraham] listened to the outtakes from the original recording and he found those little bites that we could use. We went back to the estate and said, ‘This is what we hope to do.’” Genie’s oneliner was added to the nine-minute short, along with a shot of him fixing Olaf from melting. That little dude is always melting.

Even though Disney has the technology to make anyone say anything, it was nice that they chose not to go the AI route. Others cannot say the same.

(Via Variety)

Last Week Tonight is back and it’s covering all the important issues: the writers strike, George Soros, and uncomfortable business-based flirting.

Sunday’s episode of the John Oliver-hosted HBO series concluded with “Check Out the Sexual Tension Between Fox Business’s Liz Claman and Charlie Gasparino,” a montage of flirty remarks between the two hosts. Here’s a sample exchange between the co-workers:

Gasparino: “My DNA came back from 23 and Me.”
Claman: “Do you have some of us in you?”
Gasparino: “I am part of the tribe.”
Claman: “Impossible.”
Gasparino: “60 percent southern Italian, 30 percent eastern European Jew.”
Claman: “Now I know why like you.”

And another:

Gasparino: “I went to a conference once that had Chick-fil-A. It was delicious.”
Claman: “That’s very alluring.”
Gasparino: “What’s the other one? Oh, the other one that I went to that was excellent: Cinnabon.”
Claman: [indescribable noise of pleasure]

One more, if you’ll allow me (sorry):

Claman: “You’re not here in studio.”
Gasparino: I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Claman: “I will scratch you.”

She said that while holding her hands like cat claws.

I don’t know what’s going on over at Fox Business, but count me out. Save it for Kelly and Mark (or better yet, not at all). The segment begins at 33:18 of last night’s Last Week Tonight, which you can watch here.

(Via Mediaite)

Earlier this month, Roy Wood, Jr. shocked The Daily Show fans by announcing he’d be stepping away from the show after eight years. The move came just as the writers strike had been resolved, and naturally, the comedian is the first to joke about how that looks.

Wood, Jr. has been repeatedly floated as a possible candidate to take over the main hosting gig after Trevor Noah’s departure last year. However, Comedy Central executives have been unable to make a decision and have continued to rely on a rotating slate of guest hosts. At the time of his announcement, Wood, Jr. wasn’t shy about the fact that he needs to focus on the next steps for his career because he couldn’t wait around any more.

“I can’t come up with Plan B while still working with Plan A,” the comedian told NPR while making it clear that there’s no bad blood. Just being a correspondent is a heavy workload, and he needs the time to plan his next moves. That said, being the new Daily Show host is still a possibility.

In a new interview with Sherri Shepherd, Wood, Jr. told her that the hosting gig “could still happen.” He also went into his decision-making process on walking away, which wasn’t his initial plan.

“Who do you know come off strike and then quit the job?” the comedian joked to Shepherd before laying out why he left via The Daily Beast. “As you start looking at the lay of the land of late night and television as a whole, that’s going to be a long process figuring out who is going to be in that chair. I need to have my process. So I’m going to be over here making sure all my ducks are in a row as well.”

Wood, Jr. later added a little more comedic flair to the situation.

“It’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to get married?’ and then Comedy Central is like, ‘We gonna date around,’” he joked. “Then you go ahead and date around and I’m gonna be over here getting myself together for whoever wants to be with me when the time comes.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

Summer Walker’s breakout single “Girls Need Love” changed the trajectory of the R&B singer’s career. Reaching No. 8 on the US Hot R&B Songs chart and racking up 5,000,000 RIAA-certified units, the hit song brought Walker to national attention and put her debut mixtape Last Day of Summer on the road to a No. 44 debut on the US Billboard 200 and a Gold certification. Today, Walker announced that to celebrate the mixtape’s fifth anniversary, she’s releasing a full collection of “Girls Need Love” remixes on October 20.

Girls Need Love (Girls Mix) will be released as an EP, complete with features from Victoria Monét, Tyla, and Tink, as well as an acoustic version. She shared the Apple Music exclusive video for the latter today as well. In it, she wears a Winnie The Pooh onesie as she performs in a sleepover-themed performance. All her bandmates also wear animal onesies as they play the groovy, stripped-down version of her breakout hit.

While Summer is focusing on celebrating the five-year anniversary of Last Day of Summer, she’s still working on new music. Most recently, she collaborated with fellow Atlanta R&B singer Usher on his new single “Good Good” and with Bakar on “Hell N Back.”

Girls Need Love (Girls Mix) is out 10/20 via LVRN and Interscope. You can pre-save it here.

Millie Bobby Brown is ready to say goodbye to Stranger Things.

The British actress gave a wide-ranging interview to Glamour magazine for their Global Women of the Year issue in which she mused on the ending of her hit Netflix series and growing up in the spotlight. The final season of the Duffer Brothers’ sci-fi sensation is set to resume filming as soon as the SAG-AFTRA strike ends and while Brown will miss working with her co-stars, she said she’s more than ready to leave the 80s behind.

“When you’re ready, you’re like, “All right, let’s do this. Let’s tackle this last senior year. Let’s get out of here,’” Brown said. “Stranger Things takes up a lot of time to film and it’s preventing me from creating stories that I’m passionate about. So I’m ready to say, ‘Thank you, and goodbye.’”

According to Brown, the success of Stranger Things, and her breakout performance as Eleven, have afforded her more opportunities and resources to become a better actor. She’s formed her own production company, starring in the Enola Holmes series for Netflix, and taken on blockbuster roles in movies like Godzilla: King of Monsters. Her next project is a post-apocalyptic action film directed by the Russos and starring Chris Pratt. Of the movie, Brown said, “To be able to go toe-to-toe with Chris Pratt! It’s a very exciting opportunity that I never thought I’d be able to have, to be able to be treated the same as him and to be looked at and respected the same as him on the set by the production, by the studio.”

Brown, now 19 and engaged to Jake Bongiovi, admitted it took a long time for her to feel comfortable in the spotlight post-Stranger Things, sharing that the scrutiny she faced as a child actor colored how she viewed herself and what she could contribute. She remembered being criticized for talking over her co-stars during interviews at 13 years old and being sexualized by the media as a teenager, telling the mag her experiences have galvanized her to speak up for other young girls in the business.

“You cannot speak on children that are underage,” Brown said. “I mean, our brains physically have not grown yet. To diminish and practically stunt someone’s growth mentally, strip them down, tell them, ‘Hey, listen, you don’t look that great. Why are you wearing that? How dare you think you can wear that? How dare you say that?’”

(Via Glamour)

Every Monday, Billboard unveils the top 10 songs on the latest Hot 100 chart. The most recent rankings, for the chart dated October 21, are out now, so let’s run down who had this week’s biggest hits.

10. Drake — “Fear Of Heights”

Get ready for a lot of Drake, as he has pretty much every song in this week’s top 10 with the release of his new album, For All The Dogs. The album, by the way, just debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it his 13th chart-topper.

9. Taylor Swift — “Cruel Summer”

“Cruel Summer” is one of just three non-Drake songs in this week’s top 10, which makes it all the more impressive considering the track was originally released back in 2019.

8. Drake — “Daylight”

This one features a verse from Drake’s 6-year-old son Adonis, making this the boy’s first top-10 appearance. A full version of Adonis’ freestyle was actually just released as its own song.

7. SZA — “Snooze”

After achieving a peak at No. 2 previously, SZA’s “Snooze” is down to No. 7 this week. This isn’t the last of SZA we’re gonna see on this rundown, though…

6. Drake — “Slime You Out” Feat. SZA

“Slime You Out” previously reached No. 1, and now it remains in the top 10, joined by a bevy of its For All The Dogs brethren.

5. Drake — “Calling For You” Feat. 21 Savage

Drake is bringing his pals along for the chart success ride, too: “Calling For You” is the 15th top-10 single for international traveler 21 Savage.

4. Doja Cat — “Paint The Town Red”

Hats off to Doja Cat, who managed to stake her claim at No. 4 this week despite the sea of fresh Drake tracks that surrounds “Paint The Town Red.”

3. Drake — “Virginia Beach”

“Virginia Beach” has clearly proven to be an early favorite from the album, although its lead-off position in the tracklist surely helped it get more spins, since it gets played every time somebody starts a full-album playthrough.

2. Drake — “IDGAF” Feat. Yeat

This is a major moment for Yeat, as “IDGAF” is the California rapper’s first top-10 single. His previous high was 2022’s “Talk,” a gold-certified single that peaked at No. 42.

1. Drake — “First Person Shooter” Feat. J. Cole

J. Cole has been one of hip-hop’s most respected artists for years, but now he’s finally done it: With some help from Drake, Cole officially has his first No. 1 single. “First Person Shooter” is Drake’s 13th No. 1, which ties him with Michael Jackson for the most No. 1 singles among male solo artists. Overall, he’s still behind Rihanna (14 No. 1 songs), Mariah Carey (19), and The Beatles (20).

The Crown has never been a beloved series by the real-life British royal family. The disdain hit a fevered pitch with Season 5 due to the season’s incredibly unflattering portrayal of Prince Charles as a throne-hungry type of bloke. This, of course, followed Season 4’s resounding dump on the fairy tale. No one ever expected that Season 6 would somehow redeem itself in the Windsors’ eyes, and as if on clockwork, here we are.

The final season of the royal soap opera will presumably continue with the “fictional dramatization” disclaimer that Netflix added in Season 5 in an attempt to appease ruffled royal feathers. These episodes will include Prince William and Kate’s courtship, but that isn’t what is rankling William. Rather, he’s upset not only that the show decided to include Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s deaths but that the show will reportedly include a ghostly apparition of Diana. That detail hasn’t been confirmed yet by Netflix (which has pledged to treat Diana’s death with “enormous sensitivity”), but The Daily Beast has spoken to a source who claims that William is disgusted about the situation:

The friend of William’s said, “It’s incredibly hurtful to have his mother exploited over and over again in this tawdry fashion by Netflix. He won’t watch it, but he will be totally sickened by it.”

Asked whether William would be angry with his brother for continuing to work with Netflix, the friend said: “William is angry about a lot of things in connection with Harry. His decision to work with Netflix, who have ruthlessly exploited the family, is certainly one of them.”

Diana will continue to be portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki after Emma Corrin originated the role in Season 4. Dominic West currently plays Prince Charles, and Ed McVey portrays William. From the synopsis:

“A relationship blossoms between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences. Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.”

The first part of The Crown‘s final season arrives on November 16 with the second part on December 16.

Kesha kicked off her Only Love Tour last night (October 15), after playing a show at Dallas’ The Factory in Deep Ellum. As she will be heading to cities across North America until the end of November, many fans might be wondering which of her biggest hits they can expect to hear — especially if they have tickets to an upcoming show.

Of course, she has her breakthrough single, “Tik Tok,” on the list. Kesha throws in a few special covers too, including one of Pitbull’s “Timber,” as she performed on the original chorus of his song.

Earlier this year, she released her fifth album, Gag Order. Kesha opens the show with one of the record’s songs, “Only Love Can Save Us Now,” as it served as inspiration for the tour’s title.

For a complete list of tour dates and ticketing information, visit the pop star’s website here.

Continue scrolling for Kesha’s Only Love Tour setlist.

1. “Only Love Can Save Us Now”
2. “Tik Tok”
3. “Cannibal”
4. “Backstabber”
5. “Raising Hell”
6. “Take It Off”
7. “Good Old Days” (Macklemore cover)
8. “Eat The Acid”
9. “Till The World Ends” (Britney Spears cover)
10. “Hymn”
11. “Hate Me Harder” (live debut)
12. “Ram Dass Interlude”
13. “Timber” (Pitbull cover)
14. “Your Love Is My Drug”
15. “Die Young”
16. “Blow”
17. “Praying”
18. “We R Who We R”

When the Frasier revival/reboot was announced, fans of the classic NBC sitcom immediately noticed something was missing: Niles, Frasier Crane’s younger brother played by David Hyde Pierce. The character was just as pivotal to the original series as Kelsey Grammer’s radio psychiatrist, so Niles’ absence has been particularly glaring. However, having Niles missing from the reboot wasn’t the original plan.

According to showrunners Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris tell it, Hyde Pierce was engaged in talks to reprise his role as Niles. The show would have centered on the two Crane brothers opening a “black box theater,” but in the end, Pierce ultimately took a pass.

Via Vulture:

We talked to David Hyde Pierce a couple of times. He was in a tough position. Everybody wants to see him as Niles, but he doesn’t want to step back into those shoes. He felt like he didn’t have anything new to bring to the character. He read versions and gave us notes and thoughts, and he acknowledged it was funny and we found the tone the original did so well. It just wasn’t for him.

With Pierce opting out, the show runners had a little more “creative freedom” and there are no hard feelings about Pierce’s decision. “He’s not the bad guy in this, and he was so lovely about it,” Cristalli said.

Viewers, on the other hand, are not loving the Frasier reboot so far. Early reviews have not been impressed, and the lack of Niles is palapable.

“Far from a catastrophe, the revival is still a disappointment,” Ben Travers wrote for IndieWire. “Because it so clearly lacks, for starters, the original’s zany energy. Frasier, at its peak, has a remarkably quick wit, deploying a flurry of jokes and quips that undercut the Crane brothers’ pretentious tendencies via their escalating embarrassments.”

Frasier streams new episodes Thursday on Paramount+.

(Via Vulture)

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game featured a number of fresh faces. Six players — Lauri Markkanen, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jaren Jackson Jr. — earned the first All-Star selections of their careers. It helped that there were 15 players selected due to three injury replacements, which is how Edwards and Fox made their way onto the rosters, but it also showed how deep the league is that there were six players capable of taking that leap last year.

Coming into the 2023-24 season, I wanted to try to identify the players that could make a similar breakthrough next February and earn their first All-Star selections in Indianapolis. First, you have to start at what spots are going to be actually open. Just looking through rosters and understanding how voting tends to work — a deep playoff run the year before can sometimes earn you goodwill in voting — there aren’t likely to be a lot of spots available for first timers, especially in the West. Each year, you can lock in a handful of players who will be on the All-Star roster via fan voting, and assuming these guys remain healthy, I’d expect this year’s list of locks to look as follows.

WEST: LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry
EAST: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, and Damian Lillard

From there, you get to the list of former All-Stars that are probably going to be in the mix based on the combination of individual production and team success.

WEST: Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, Paul George, Jaren Jackson Jr., Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Bradley Beal, Karl-Anthony Towns

EAST: Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Tyrese Haliburton, Trae Young, Pascal Siakam, Julius Randle, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan

As you can see, that’s more than 24 names combined, and as such, it is very difficult to crack the rosters, especially if you play in the backcourt in the East and the frontcourt in the West. Still, we almost always see someone make that leap and I’ve identified five players that I think have a real shot at making it for the first time this year.

Jamal Murray

I’ll start in the West, where it’s going to be incredibly difficult to get in the mix. But coming off of proving himself as the second-best player on a championship team, I’d expect Jamal Murray to get an All-Star nod for the first time. While Luka and Steph are locks in the backcourt, I think you’re more likely to be able to find a spot as a guard in the West than a frontcourt player. Kyrie and Shai are in the next tier, but Murray will be in the mix on stats and the best players on the best teams tend to get rewarded with All-Star selections. Plus I expect there will be almost a feeling of duty to get Murray in an All-Star Game after what he did a year ago, as it’s frequently brought up that he’s never made an All-Star or All-NBA team in his career.

Victor Wembanyama

It’s been over a decade since a rookie made an NBA All-Star Game (Blake Griffin in 2011), but let’s not forget this is a popularity contest and there are few players drawing more eyeballs this year than Victor Wembanyama. He is going to be the featured player in San Antonio, meaning he should have plenty of chances to rack up the counting stats needed to justify a selection, and he also should have lots of fan support — as we’ve already seen in the preseason, he’s going to be a ubiquitous presence on highlight reels all year. The thing working against him is the aforementioned logjam in the West frontcourt, and he would have to be putting up some preposterous numbers to be a coach’s selection because they don’t tend to want to put rookies on the roster. That said, if there were ever going to be a rookie to buck that trend, it’d be Wembanyama this year.

Jalen Brunson

The East figures to be a bit less chalky when it comes to selections, but with the game in Indy, one would expect Haliburton to nab a coach’s pick alongside the other star guards in the East. That’ll make it difficult for Brunson to find his way onto the roster, but after the way he performed last year with a legit case for a selection in 2023 and the general attention that comes with being the Knicks point guard, he ought to have a real shot. The drama in Philly could help, as there is a chance the Knicks will find themselves in the top-4 mix in the East by the time voting is happening. While it’s an individual honor, we all know that team success plays a role in All-Star voting. If New York is in a top-4 spot in January, it’s likely because Brunson is balling out, and that should come with an All-Star nod.

Mikal Bridges

If Bridges gets categorized as a frontcourt player, he’ll have a real shot. If he’s listed as a guard, I’m not so sure. He is now the Nets’ leading man and should put up some big numbers this year on offense. When coupled with his reputation as a strong defender, that could give him an intriguing All-Star case. A lot will come down to where he’s listed, as the guard room gets crowded quickly in the East and he would likely face less resistance on the frontcourt side.

Franz Wagner/Paolo Banchero

If the Orlando Magic are as competitive as many think they could be this year, there will be serious consideration for one of their two young star forwards to make the All-Star roster. Paolo Banchero, the reigning ROY and a standout for Team USA at the World Cup, is likely to be the fans’ choice, as a leap in terms of scoring efficiency could very well take him above 25 points per game this season. The better all-around player right now is Franz Wagner, who can score it, facilitate, and is a solid defender, and since this is likely going to come down to a coach’s pick, I’d lean Franz as the more likely Magic Man to get an All-Star not. Either way, if Orlando’s in the mix in the East’s top-8, don’t be surprised to see one of these two in Indy, as there should be a pretty open race for the final frontcourt spot in the East this year.

Tyrese Maxey

If James Harden gets traded sooner than later, Maxey is the guy in Philly who stands to be the beneficiary of a larger role. While Brunson might end up being the biggest beneficiary if the Sixers can’t hold onto a top-4 spot, if Maxey excels in a larger role and the Sixers are still a top-4 team in the East, he’ll have plenty of momentum for his first All-Star selection. This one requires more moving parts than the others and the East backcourt situation is going to be even more crowded than usual with Damian Lillard’s arrival in Milwaukee, but if Maxey becomes a 25-point per night guy and is the No. 2 to Embiid on a really good Philly team, he’ll certainly get a long look for a pick.