Category: Viral

There is perhaps no greater example of situational comedy than when Rudy Giuliani spewed factually incorrect statements about voter fraud outside of the Four Seasons Total Landscaping company in Philedelphia shortly after Biden’s victory. The event was so unexpectedly ridiculous that even comedy king Tim Heidecker couldn’t have imagined it for a sketch. Taking the opportunity to poke fun at the event, Heidecker quickly penned a satirical song titled “Rudy At The 4 Seasons.”

While seated at a piano, Heidecker delivered the hilarious tune which covered the ludicrousness of Giuliani’s recent speech in clever prose. “Standing out in front of a pile of manure / Spitting out lies that belong in the sewer / All while your boss is swinging his head in the sand / He sends you out to make a one last stand / You thought you were headed to a four star hotel / Just a couple of miles from the Liberty Bell,” Heidecker sang.

The comedian of course couldn’t help but also include a line mentioning Giuliani’s incriminating scene in Borat 2. “With your hand down your pants maybe you don’t wanna do a hotel / Maybe next time / You and your friends can find / Someplace that isn’t next to a dildo store,” Heidecker said.

Heidecker’s parody song arrives after the comedian shared a non-comedic album of his own. Back in September, the comedian debuted his LP Fear Of Death, which also featured a morbid collaboration with Weyes Blood.

Listen to Heidecker’s “Rudy At The 4 Seasons” above.

The world doesn’t really know when music fans will be able to attend in-person concerts again, but what we do know is that when shows do come back, things won’t be how they were before. Safety will be a higher priority than ever before in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and Ticketmaster has a plan to provide as safe an environment as possible.

Billboard reports that Ticketmaster “has been working on a framework for post-pandemic fan safety” which will involve using phones to verify that a person has either been vaccinated for COVID-19 or they they’ve tested negative for the virus within a 24- to 72-hour window. The plan is still in a development phase, but it will reportedly involve the Ticketmaster app, third party health information companies like CLEAR Health Pass or IBM’s Digital Health Pass, and testing and vaccine distribution providers like Labcorp and the CVS Minute Clinic.” Fans would have to verify that they’ve been vaccinated or have tested negatively before being allowed into the event.

Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich says of the plan, “We’re already seeing many third-party health care providers prepare to handle the vetting — whether that is getting a vaccine, taking a test, or other methods of review and approval — which could then be linked via a digital ticket so everyone entering the event is verified. Ticketmaster’s goal is to provide enough flexibility and options that venues and fans have multiple paths to return to events, and is working to create integrations to our API and leading digital ticketing technology as we will look to tap into the top solutions based on what’s green-lit by officials and desired by clients.”

Read more about the plan here.

The Jrue Holiday trade market appears to be heating up in the lead-up to the 2020 NBA Draft. Last week, word came out that a handful of contenders are interested in a move for the veteran guard, with the New Orleans Pelicans “openly discussing” trying to find him a new team. Now, a new report indicates that a team with aspirations of making it to the postseason want to get in on the fun.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reports that the Atlanta Hawks have their sights set on a potential multi-team trade for Holiday, and are willing to part with the No. 6 pick in the upcoming Draft to make it happen.

Atlanta is a fascinating landing spot for Holiday. The team has plenty of money to spend this summer and can make his contract fit — Stein notes that it would probably be a year-long rental — and while he’s nominally a point guard, he’s perfectly comfortable playing off the ball. This makes him a snug fit next to Trae Young while also taking some defensive duties away from Young, which has never been a strength of his.

A Hawks team with those two in the backcourt, a frontcourt duo of John Collins and Clint Capela, and a handful of promising youngsters on the wings (Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish) would be fun to watch. Whether it would be a playoff team is a different question, but depending on what they’d have to give up, it stands to reason that Holiday would get them closer to that goal.

Netflix has released the official trailer for its unusual upcoming docuseries, We Are the Champions, which focuses on the highly competitive world of some very unusual activities. Narrated by The Office‘s Rainn Wilson, who serves as executive producer, the trailer offers a brief glimpse at such unorthodox contests as Cheese Rolling, Dog Dancing, Chili Eating, and Frog Jumping along with a look at the fiercely determined individuals who strive to be the best at them. Although, some of them seem to have some doubts about dedicating their lives to rolling down a hill after a block of cheese or destroying their entire face by suffering through some super intense chili.

“As a self-proclaimed expert on the unconventional, I’m excited to introduce viewers to these small-world competitors with big-world dreams because, in this time, we could all use a hero—be it a dancing dog or the world Yo-Yo champion,” Wilson told Variety when We Are the Champions was first announced back in October.

Here’s the official synopsis:

From executive producer Rainn Wilson, We Are the Champions explores the quirkiest, most charming, and oddly inspirational competitions you never knew existed. Each episode follows a unique competition, providing a window into a world of determined, passionate, and incredibly skilled competitors who put it all on the line to become heroes in their own extraordinary worlds. Featured competitions include Cheese Rolling, Chili Eating, Fantasy Hair Styling, Yo-Yo, Dog Dancing and Frog Jumping.

We Are The Champions starts streaming November 17 on Netflix.

As the live entertainment shutdown continues, artists must continue finding creative ways to boost their income. While some, like Cardi B and Tyga, adopted the OnlyFans approach, and others like Blimes And Gab or Run The Jewels, rely on TV money from song placements and sponsored concerts, others are innovating any way they can. Take LA rapper Blueface, who rode high last year on the success of his single “Thotiana” but has nowhere to perform it now.

To offset the loss of performance revenue, it appears Blueface has listed his “Blue Girls Club” mansion on Airbnb — with three bedrooms and two-and-half baths — for $2,500 a night. The mansion itself has been the site of Blueface’s latest project which is incidentally also hosted on his OnlyFans: an unofficial reboot of the popular Vh1 reality show Bad Girls Club, which seems like mostly an excuse for Blueface to hang out in the house with a group of uninhibited women and watch them get into fights. However, he maintains on his social media that he has not added them to his boastful total of women he’s had sex with.

For what it’s worth, Blueface isn’t the only rap star making use of Airbnb. In September, Will Smith gave fans the opportunity to stay at his Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air mansion.

Demi Lovato turned in perhaps the defining song of the election season when she released “Commander In Chief,” which asked big questions and offered scathing criticisms of Donald Trump. Lovato was a guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers yesterday, and on the show, she revealed that the song was inspired by another political tune: Pink’s 2006 single “Dear Mr. President.”

“I was thinking about the music that’s out there right now, and I was like, ‘Why isn’t anyone talking about what’s happening?’ In the ’60s and ’70s, when anything political would happen, music was such a key element to help people process and get through it. So I was like, ‘You know, I really need to step up my lyrics and make it about something other than just my life.’ So I started making more music that is less about me and more about the broad scope of what’s going on in the world, and one of the songs that we came up with was ‘Commander In Chief.’ And it was inspired by Pink’s ‘Dear Mr. President,’ you know, back however many years ago that came out, and I wanted to do like a newer version.”

Lovato previously expressed her disappointment at how close the election is, writing on Twitter, “Kind of terribly sad how close this election was. After this year and especially this summer it should’ve been a landslide. I don’t get it. Truly. I’m not losing hope. My faith is strong. Just very disappointed at how close this is. Like…. really y’all?”

Watch the full interview above.

In a time when some sort of norm-shattering event is happening by the minute, it’s downright impressive that people are still having at a laugh at Rudy Giuliani holding a Trump campaign event at Four Seasons Total Landscaping instead of the Four Seasons hotel. The viral moment has had considerable staying power, and according to NPR’s David Greene, people are still calling the sex shop next door, Fantasy Island, and asking, “Is Rudy there?” several times a day.

While the event has been a merchandising boon for Four Seasons Total Landscaping, who’s already selling T-shirts, Fantasy Island didn’t capitalize on the viral moment yet. But owner Bernie D’Angelo did tell Slate that he is enjoying the hilarity of it all, and it has been brought a huge amount of hits to the store’s Facebook page. “We could never afford advertising like this,” he said. “This is worldwide. I don’t know if I’ll ever trend like this ever again.”

D’Angelo particularly enjoyed the delicious irony of the viral event. Via Slate:

“What are the odds, you know? Donald Trump starts out playing around with Stormy Daniels, and next thing you know, one of his final hurrahs is going to be down the street from an adult bookstore that’s been there for 40 years. You can’t write this stuff. Basically, I was pretty much in awe of the funniness of the whole situation.”

While this all sounds pretty embarrassing for Giuliani, at least nobody’s talking about him sticking his hand down his pants in Borat 2. Silver linings, right?

(Via David Greene on Twitter, Slate)

This time last month, no one knew if the actress playing Borat’s daughter in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was named Maria Bakalova or Irina Nowak. Now, Maria Bakalova (that’s the real one) is getting legitimate Oscar consideration. There’s a lot to like in the Borat sequel, but her performance is one thing to love. Bakalova, who was raised in Bulgaria, got involved with the project after her friend told her about “an open call for the lead role in a Hollywood movie. And I was like, that’s not possible. We are Bulgarians. Nobody can actually see us in lead roles,” she told the New York Times. Bakalova was convinced that she was being set up for a “human trafficking situation,” but nope, it turns out she was auditioning for the co-lead of a major (and undercover) Hollywood movie.

Bakalova and star Sacha Baron Cohen instantly clicked (“He’s my nonbiological father and he will be like that forever”) and he taught her a trick for not breaking character, an important skill for when you’re talking to real people about swallowing babies:

“When Sacha starts doing his thing, and you’re right next to him, he has this super serious face. I have to act like it’s the most normal thing ever. But he’s so funny. There were moments when the scene was extremely funny and you just can’t stop laughing. It’s bad, because people were able to realize that it’s a joke. He taught me a trick to cross my fingers, to put pressure on my fingers, to stop laughing.”

Rudy Giuliani was probably crossing his fingers, too: “Please don’t let Borat 2 come out, please don’t let Borat 2 come out, please don’t let Borat 2 come out.” Sorry, Rudy!

(Via New York Times)

The Houston Rockets are in the midst of a gigantic franchise overhaul this offseason. The team parted ways with head coach Mike D’Antoni, while longtime executive Daryl Morey left at the end of this season. The former was replaced with highly-respected first-time coach Stephen Silas, and the latter was replaced internally by Rafael Stone, but Houston’s remaining two stalwarts have some concerns.

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, James Harden and Russell Westbrook have both expressed some reservations “about the direction of the franchise through direct conversations or discussions with their representatives and the Rockets’ front office.” The Rockets have reportedly tried to assuage those concerns, and neither has requested a trade or anything like that yet.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, recently promoted general manager Rafael Stone and recently hired head coach Stephen Silas have emphasized that the franchise remains committed to fielding a contender while featuring the two perennial All-Stars in their primes. However, the concerns expressed by Harden and Westbrook that Houston’s window as a contender could be closing has left the organization fearful that the superstars’ commitment to remaining with the Rockets could be wavering.

Although neither player has requested a trade at this point, that scenario has become a plausible eventual possibility.

Houston’s defining characteristic in recent years has been going all-in to win, which has led to them spending a ton of money and getting rid of draft capital to build a contender. It also meant going all-in on their hyper small-ball, which had its merits but left the current roster without all that much in the form of big men.

As long as Harden is around, the Rockets will probably be in a good place, even if they go through an overhaul and Westbrook declines as he ages and starts losing the explosiveness that made him unguardable in his heyday. Still, this seems like a situation worth monitoring, especially if things go south in Houston this year.

Eels (the project of Mark Oliver Everett) have remained consistently productive over the past couple decades and beyond. The group usually pumps out an album at least once every two or three years, and now they’re back with their thirteenth record, Earth To Dora. The album came out in October, and today, they have brought renewed attention to it with a video for “Are We Alright Again,” which stars Jon Hamm.

In the clip, Hamm plays a dedicated Eels fan, rocking an Eels t-shirt as he sits down next to a vinyl copy of the band’s 2010 album End Times. With a drink in hand, Hamm puts on some headphones, listens to “Are We Alright Again,” and takes a load off. He gets a little too relaxed, though, as he doesn’t notice a group of thieves entering his home. The robbers think their plan has been foiled as they notice Hamm in the room, but they manage to strip the place clean and make a getaway before Hamm realizes everything he owns is gone.

The band says of the video and song, “A typical Eels fan finds solace in Eels music. The feel-good hit of the feel-worst year.” Meanwhile, this is Hamm’s second music video in recent days, as he also popped up in Jeff Tweedy’s “Gwendolyn” clip from last month.

Watch the “Are We Alright Again” video above.

Earth To Dora is out now E Works/PIAS Recordings. Get it here.