Category: Worldwide

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+ series)

Godzilla Minus One is out there collectively pleasing franchise fans more than any other Godzilla movie in existence, and before that comes to streaming, there is still the rest of this Apple TV+ series starring Kurt and Wyatt Russell, together again after all these years. Actually, the father and son portray the same Army officer, Lee Shaw, who has a special connection to the angry lizard that could help humanity finally rest easy about monsters once and for all. Or at least for a few moments, which ain’t nothing in an action franchise.

TIE: 10. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Doom (Disney movie streaming on Disney+)

Our own Mike Ryan wrote that this film didn’t do so shabby in the de-aging department, and it not only didn’t rest as heavily upon nostalgia as The Crystal Skull but also delivered a more satisfying finale while pulling off a reasonable runtime. James Mangold helmed Harrison Ford’s return to one of his most iconic roles, and the story begins back during World War II. Expect to see the story grounded in reality before things get far less real, fast. This movie embraces that audacity, and in doing so, it goes even further down that path to satisfy the hardcore Indy fans out there.

9. The Killer (Netflix film)

David Fincher swings and does not miss, and this methodical, cold-blooded assassin character is actually a role that Michael Fassbender was meant to embody, ever since he met a quick demise (RIP) in Haywire. This film is also obsessed with The Smiths (you gotta watch to find out), and this ends up being a movie that embodies an unlikely trinity for the ages. Fincher can do both blockbusters and Oscar fare in equal measure, but here, he’s rolling around in pulp and clearly digs what materializes. Although the subject matter is obviously unsettling, Fassbender’s steely bone structure was meant for films of this intensity. Thank you to Quentin Tarantino for making him a household name in the first place.

8. Obliterated (Netflix series)

The Cobra Kai creators (Josh Heald, Hayden Schlossberg, and Jon Hurwitz) concocted a more adult action/comedy series that takes place in Vegas, where things will not stay in Vegas if an elite special forces team doesn’t properly diffuse a deadly threat. Unfortunately, they believe that they do the job and then proceed get wasted, only to realize that the terrorist threat in question has not been eliminated. Cue the tipsy search for the real nuke — gotta hate it when that happens.

7. Lawmen: Bass Reeves: Season 1 (Paramount+ series)

White dudes are running this streaming list thus far, but here we are with Taylor Sheridan’s presentation of the most legendary Black U.S. Deputy Marshal in history. David Oyelowo portrays the title character, who is a frontier hero of the Post-Reconstruction era and beyond. During Reeves’ tenure, he captured thousands of the most frightening criminals in the land, and Sheridan pays tribute along fellow cast members including Dennis Quaid, Garrett Hedlund, and Donald Sutherland. Will this graduate into a full-on anthology series? Chances are good because everything that Sheridan touches on TV goes cowboy-viral.

6. Fargo (FX series streaming on Hulu)

Finally, this week’s episode delivered a Home Alone payoff that might or might knock Jon Hamm’s nipple rings right off. This series continues to show no shortage of fresh weirdness or inventive names that have been hitting since Molly Solverson brought this world to our TV screens. Jon Hamm loves to get weird, and somehow, that never gets old from the former Don Draper. Get him, Juno Temple.

5. Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures movie for purchase on Amazon Prime)

This movie isn’t yet available as part of a streaming service package, but it’s worth the rental or purchase fee to see Christopher Nolan’s cinematic return to brilliance after the lukewarm (and too-confusing) Tenet. An all-star cast of revolving door MVPs fills out this half of the unofficial Barbenheimer phenomenon, so you can watch Cillian Murphy along with Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon in this never-black-and-white story about the father of the atomic bomb. Actually, it’s worth singing out Alden Ehrenreich as a special MVP who has had a glorious year giving us every onscreen emotion possible in this film as well as Cocaine Bear and Fair Play.

4. Slow Horses (Apple TV+ series)

For sure, Gary Oldman eats plenty and farts too much here, but that’s not the only attraction. This show has had quick turnaround between seasons to keep Mick Herronthe’s series of Slough Horses novels coming at ya. Oldman is a failed spymaster, Jackson Lamb, who leads a gathering of British intelligence f*ck-ups including Olivia Cooke, who simply cannot be in enough TV shows right now. This show is for everyone who’s tired of spies simply being sexy things and wants to see them being utterly human while thrashing around in professional woes filled with dark comedy.

3. Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix series)

The recently revealed winner of this first season (and yes, there will be another) claims that she hasn’t been paid her millions yet, but Netflix must sure be glad that they decided to spend that money. This reality series did not always run smoothly, but that was to be expected, considering the original series’ bleak theme and tone. Viewers remain transfixed by this imitation-reality-show taking a stab at simulating those morbid events with plenty of controversy in the process.

2. Killers Of The Flower Moon (available for rental on Apple TV+)

This modest little flick from Martin Scorsese will eventually be part of the Apple TV+ streaming library, but understandably, this will first take the rental route in your home theater. Enjoy David Grann’s soaring subject matter coming to life with a powerhouse performance from Lily Gladstone and a butt-padded Leonardo DiCaprio. As well, enjoy or dislike Brendan Frasier’s polarizing performance while also absorbing a dark chapter in U.S. history that finally puts the Osage community’s ordeal front and center.

1. May December (Netflix movie)

This might be an Oscar movie for Netflix, even though the subject matter initially seems too tabloid-oriented at first glance. Julianne Moore portrays a character (Gracie) who is based upon Mary Kay Letourneau and is still married to her younger husband (Charles Melton). Their seemingly unending life of domesticity receives a throttling by Natalie Portman’s TV star, who is researching a new role and ends up becoming very personally (and uncomfortably) involved. It’s scandal upon scandal up in this joint.

It’s the season of giving, and tonight’s Weekend Update portion on Saturday Night Live was a special gift for millennials. During part of the weekly segment, SNL cast member Chloe Fineman offered some gift ideas “for that special someone.”

To the surprise of Weekend Update hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che, Fineman took to the front of the stage, as she needed the space to show off her dance moves.

“The perfect holiday gift this year is the dance that Julia Stiles does at the end of the 2001 dance movie, Save The Last Dance,” said Fineman.

Fineman then proceeds to deliver the movie’s iconic brand of “street ballet,” while talking about some of the movie’s bizarre plot points. Notably, about Stiles’ character getting a second chance to audition for Juilliard after bombing the first time.

“Her crush, Derek [played by Sean Patrick Thomas], skips a drive-by shooting to come support her,” says Fineman.

“So does she get into Juilliard?” asked Jost.

Seconds later, Stiles herself made a surprise appearance in the Weekend Update newsroom.

“Yes!,” replied Stiles, which prompted cheers from the audience.

Teaming up with Fineman, Stiles reminded us just how exactly her character, Sara, nailed her Juilliard audition.

You can see the clip above.

In her second performance of the night, Olivia Rodrigo took to the Saturday Night Live stage in a scorching performance of the Guts fan favorite, “All-American B*tch.”

While on stage, Rodrigo quite literally had a seat at the table. Wearing a ’50s-style pink dress, the artist appears prim and proper, delivering soft-tinged vocals. But when the instrumental picks up, Rodrigo goes into full rockstar mode. She hops on the table, stabs the cake, and smushes it around. Toward the end of the performance, her band calms her down. But she assures us she’ll be back with a vengeance.

In an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, Rodrigo shared that “All-American B*tch is one of her favorite songs she’s ever written, as it encapsulates a feeling she’s been experiencing for years.

I really love the lyrics of it and I think it expresses something that I’ve been trying to express since I was 15 years old, this repressed pressed anger and feeling of confusion or trying to be put into a box as a girl,” said Rodrigo. “So yeah, I think that that’s one of my favorite songs on the record.”

You can see the performance of “All-American B*tch” above.

Tonight (December 9), pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo made her return to the Saturday Night Live stage. In her first musical performance of the night, Rodrigo delivered an acoustic performance of “Vampire” from her critically acclaimed album, Guts.

While on stage, Rodrigo dawned a flashy, silver dress, while sitting at a lush, grand piano. Driven only by her vocals and the keys, Rodrigo tapped into raw emotion, as she sang her way through the power ballad.

Although the studio version of “Vampire” switches up the beat in the middle of the song, this particular performance featured Rodrigo remaining downtempo throughout the song. Surrounding by fog and seated under stars, Rodrigo took command of the stage using pure simplicity.

“Vampire” is one of Rodrigo’s more angry songs. In an interview with NPR, Rodrigo says she finds it therapeutic experiencing a whirlwind of emotions during her live performances.

“I love music that is dramatic and angry and enraged,” said Rodrigo. “I grew up listening to music like that. When I played shows for the last tour, I would look out in the audience and I’d see all these young girls screaming these angry songs, just crying and feeling so many emotions that they could just let out at this concert. That’s not something that girls are encouraged to do on an everyday basis — or, you know, people in general.”

You can see the performance above.

LAS VEGAS — From the start of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers operated as the league’s most dominant team. In the first six games of the event, the Lakers out-scored opponents by more than 20 points per 100 possessions, winning all six games and utterly dominating the New Orleans Pelicans to reach Saturday’s championship matchup against the Indiana Pacers. While Saturday’s game was much more competitive, the Lakers were able to finish the drill, pulling away in the fourth quarter and riding elite contributions from Anthony Davis and LeBron James to the NBA Cup victory.

In the early going, it was clear the Lakers had a game plan targeted on defending Tyrese Haliburton. Los Angeles crowded the red-hot Indiana guard with multiple bodies and length, forcing two early turnovers for Haliburton.

On the other end, Los Angeles was dead-set on putting pressure on the rim. The Lakers had 24 points in the paint in the first nine minutes, and Davis was a major factor. He made his first six shots, notching 12 points and four rebounds in those nine minutes.

Los Angeles led by five points at the end of the first quarter, with James asserting himself in the second. He scored eight quick points, using his immense physicality for bully ball against Indiana’s interior resistance.

However, the rest of the half was a bit of a slog, largely due to a tight whistle. 28 fouls were called in the first half, including 16 in the first quarter, and James picked up his third foul before halftime, forcing him to the bench. ESPN’s Mike Breen reported on the television broadcast that it was the first time James had three fouls in the first half since 2021, and that was a microcosm of the half. The Lakers also allowed 22 free throw attempts in the half, which was exceedingly notable given that Los Angeles leads the league in free throw prevention, yielding fewer than 19 attempts per game.

Still, Los Angeles took a five-point edge into halftime. The Lakers scored a whopping 52 points in the paint in the first half, and Austin Reaves finished with 22 points, earning a new career-best mark in any single half.

The Lakers began the second half on a high note, rattling off a 9-3 run to push their lead to double figures. The run was punctuated by a dunk from Davis, with Los Angeles seemingly in firm control.

Indiana counter-punched at times in the third quarter, with Haliburton finding some footing going to the rim with straight-line drives. The margin remained in a similar range as a result, though the Lakers continued to be in a favorable position. After Los Angeles missed its first 10 three-pointers, Taurean Prince connected on a triple with 1:11 to go in the third, and the Lakers went up by 11 points in the final minute of the period. However, Indiana flipped things a bit at the buzzer, connecting on a three-pointer to take advantage of an uncharacteristic turnover from James on the previous play.

The Pacers built from that triple and opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run. That brought Indiana within a three-point margin for the first time in the second half and prompted a Lakers timeout to stop the bleeding.

Indiana trailed by only four points with seven minutes to go, but the Lakers slowly began to extend the margin. Davis was dominant on both ends, as he was throughout the night, and the Lakers also received important supporting contributions from Cam Reddish. Injust over three minutes of clock time, Los Angeles zoomed to a 12-0 run to take its largest lead of the night at 115-99, and that spurt all but sealed the final result.

Ultimately, the Pacers were not able to pull off the miracle comeback in the final minutes, and the Lakers completed a wildly impressive run through the bracket. James was certainly the story of the event, pitching the equivalent of a perfect game in the semifinal and clearly setting his mind on securing the NBA Cup from the beginning of the process. He finished the night with 24 points and 11 rebounds, consistently keeping pressure on the Pacers and lifting the team in subtle ways as he has done over the course of a legendary career.

With that said, the individual story of the championship game was Davis. The eight-time All-Star big man was the best player on the floor, finishing with 41 points on 16-of-24 shooting to go along with 20 rebounds and five assists. Davis also added four blocked shots and, to put it plainly, he was a commanding defensive presence from wire-to-wire. It was a transcendent two-way performance and also a keen reminder that, when healthy and fully engaged, few players are capable of more impactful play than Davis.

The Lakers did benefit from strong efforts from Reaves (28 points) and others but, fittingly, James and Davis stood above the rest on the way to the title. James set the tone for Los Angeles throughout the event, performing at a level virtually unthinkable for a soon-to-be 39-year-old in any universe. Davis took it from there in the final and, in what capped a successful event for the league, one of the NBA’s flagship franchises added a piece of hardware to the trophy case.

After the New Orleans Pelicans laid an egg in the semifinal of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, much of the public criticism centered on the performance of Zion Williamson. He finished with just 13 points and two rebounds in the 44-point drubbing and, following the final buzzer, TNT’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal directed pointed criticism in Williamson’s direction. That was followed by more nuanced discussion, including from a former teammates turned media member in JJ Redick, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith elected to weigh in with a particular line of inquiry regarding Williamson’s weight.

In fact, Smith went as far as to say “he looks fat” with regard to Williamson before unleashing a lengthy monologue that included his observation that he saw “a belly” on Williamson during the game.

“Zion Williamson, who is more than five years younger, but 40 pounds heavier, went to the free throw line,” Smith said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I saw a belly. A belly. Like, when he took a deep breath, his belly bounced. That kind of belly. I mean, damn. Damn. What’s up, Zion?”

“It’s bad enough you got your ass kicked, losing by 44 points in the semifinals. Did nothing to lead and galvanize your team. Did nothing to show the man-child that you are and to take over. But you look like you showed up to the game having just ate a buffet. Not something from the buffet, I said the buffet. Like you ate the damn table. I wasn’t going to touch on this, because I was embarrassed for him. But then Sports Illustrated wrote about it, and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, local newspaper, wrote about it. So it’s public information. He’s fat.”

Most individuals in the media would not attempt to get away with this kind of tone but, of course, Smith is not a typical media member. He certainly did not hide from his thoughts here and, while many would be softer in the framing, Smith is not alone is noting the apparent weight and body issues for Williamson at this stage. It remains to be seen as to how these comments will land, but Williamson is certainly under the spotlight at the moment.

For more than 120 years, Army and Navy have been battling on the football field and the head-to-head series has become a December staple in the college football universe. On Saturday, the service academies met in Foxboro and, as often, produced high drama. Army was in control for most of the game, never trailing during the afternoon, and the Black Knights took a 17-3 lead with a touchdown at the 4:49 mark of the fourth quarter.

Considering the pace and style of both teams, that felt like an insurmountable lead, but Navy stormed back with a quick 59-yard drive to draw within a 17-9 margin. That began what was an utterly tremendous sweat around the over/under point total for the day, which closed somewhere between 27.5 and 28.5 points. When the Midshipmen scored the touchdown to climb within eight points, Navy went for a two-point conversion and, if converted, would have pushed over the total. The attempt was unsuccessful, but that was just the start.

Army failed to put the game away on offense and, after a controversial decision to punt on 4th-and-3 in plus territory, the Black Knights uncorked a poor punt that allowed Navy to take over with reasonable field position. Then, Army deployed the world’s most conservative defense, paving the way for the Midshipmen to drive the field, but the fireworks didn’t stop there. Navy attempted a quarterback sneak from the two-yard line on 4th and goal, ultimately falling short to the delight of anyone who had an Under on the game.

However, there was more to come, because there was time remaining on the clock. From a game management perspective, it made sense for Army to play things safely and simply take a safety to ensure a victory. However, anyone with an Under at 27.5 or 28 did not like that idea, while those with Over bets on either of those numbers simply rejoiced when Army ran out of the back of the end zone.

The 2022 edition of Army-Navy actually went Over the total, but it needed overtime to do so. Prior to that, the Under hit in 16 straight meetings, making it a favorite of some handicappers. While this year’s total plummeted into the 20’s, making things more difficult for the Under side, those managed to nab it earlier in the week at 28.5 or higher were successful, while those who grabbed 28 at least emerged with a push. Still, there was wild drama on this one, and it was also a memorable, close-fought football game between long-time rivals.

Many musicians are coming to understand that when Jay-Z rapped, “I ain’t got a billion streams, but I got a billion dollars,” it wasn’t so much a flex but rather a dig at new-age music tech. As Spotify Wrapped continues to hold users’ timelines in a chokehold, fans are blown away by the sheer amount of listening time they racked up.

The platform’s year-end report revealed that the most streamed artists on the service were Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and The Weeknd. Although Swift is no surprise, her alleged $100 million streaming revenue for the year shocked users. “Weird Al” Yankovic joked about bringing in $12 for his 80 million streams. Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg revealed he brought in $45,000 from 1 billion streams.

The mathematical sorcery of the payouts has folks questioning how much Spotify pays for one million streams. According to the late Nipsey Hussle, as an independent artist owning all his masters, for one million streams on Spotify in 2018, he would bring about $4,370, which a new royalties calculator developed by the legal and consulting firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips somewhat corroborates with a minor tweak.

According to the calculator, with one million streams on Spotify, the payout is estimated at $4,830. A total of $3,719 is awarded to the sound recording owners, whereas $598 is given to the mechanical rights holder, and the performance rights holder gets $513.

The streaming giant doesn’t list the momentary amount per stream on its royalties page. Instead, the company gives its overall calculation method. “We calculate streamshare by tallying the total number of streams in a given month and determining what proportion of those streams were people listening to music owned or controlled by a particular rightsholder,” reads the website.

Years ago, Megan Burnside saw a mother physically struggling with her son. The boy was screaming … so she called the cops.

The mother, it seemed, was trying to get her 10-year-old son back in the car, and it looked like things were getting physical. Concerned for the kid, Burnside decided to call the police. Then she and her husband left.

When the police called her later to update her on the situation, she was horrified: The boy had autism, they told her, and was known to sometimes lash out physically. The mother was just doing her best to calm him down, as she had many times before.

Sadly, stories like this aren’t rare. Well-meaning strangers are frequently quick to intervene by calling authorities, which can cause undue stress and trauma for both the child and parent when that person has read the situation wrong. It can even be extraordinarily dangerous for people with disabilities and families of color.

When she realized the situation hadn’t been at all what it had seemed, Burnside was racked with guilt. In fact, she still is.

When a similar thing happened to a friend of hers, Burnside decided to share her shameful story on Facebook — and explain how she’d do it all over differently, given the chance.

“This has come up for me today because someone called DCFS (Department of Child and Family Services) on my dear friend,” she wrote.

I have something weighing on my heart this morning. A few years ago I was in Tennessee with my husband at a training…
Posted by Megan Orr Burnside on Thursday, December 7, 2017

Burnside’s friend, whom she called “the kind of mother I want to be like,” was bedridden with a respiratory infection, when a person who probably thought they were “helping” called the authorities.

“I don’t know what this person observed that they thought was a problem,” she wrote. “Maybe her kids were running around without parental supervision? Maybe a parent wasn’t feeding them so they were foraging for themselves?”

But there’s a better way of doing things, Burnside says: actually offering to assist the struggling parent.

“I am sad that the person who called her in didn’t ask how they could HELP HER,” she wrote.

The post went viral and touched thousands and thousands of people who agree with her message.

Concern for the well-being of others is a good thing. But concern without empathy hurts everyone.

She wants to encourage people to reach out and help each other whenever possible, and not to assume the worst of our fellow parents and human beings.

“I really believe that the root of all judgement comes from self-judgement,” she says in a Facebook message, noting that she developed more compassion for others by learning to have more compassion for herself and stop worrying about “messing up parenting.”

“I think people want to live in a world where we help more and judge less, and all it takes is compassion,” she says. “A lot of people have shared how this post will change the way they respond to struggling moms in the future, and I am really encouraged by that.”

To be sure, at some point, you may actually witness abuse or neglect, and in those situations it’s smart to get the right authorities involved. Burnside just wants to encourage all of us to think — and feel — before we act.

This article originally appeared on 12.14.17

Meet Mason Brian Barclay, a teen and self-described “very homosexual male.” He recently wanted to attend a sleepover at his “new best friend” Houston’s house, because teens are gonna teen. But he’s a boy, and everyone knows boys aren’t allowed to attend girls’ sleepovers, because of cooties/patriarchal norms.

So he behaved more maturely than most adults, and crafted a long text message to Houston’s mom, Mrs. Shelton, in which he politely asked for permission to attend Houston’s sleepover.

“I think the common meaning behind only allowing the same sex to share sleepovers is due to the typical interest in the opposite sex, when, in this case, I do not like the opposite sex,” he explained in the text.

u201cShe hates this picture but idc. I’m in love with your soul. You pretty cute too.u201d

— May (Tayloru2019s Version) (@May (Tayloru2019s Version))
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Mrs. Shelton’s response was so good that Mason tweeted it out and it went viral:

I TEXTED HOUSTONS MOM TO ASK IF I CAN STAY THE NIGHT FRIDAY HAHAHAHAHApic.twitter.com/Ovr74V869W

— May (Tayloru2019s Version) (@May (Tayloru2019s Version))
1505775519

“Hmm. Well my husband is hot. Should I worry?” she responded.

via GIPHY

Evidently Mason found Mrs. Shelton’s text hilarious. So does Twitter.

That took guts, and this mom acknowledged it *fabulously*! I wish you a fun night with your friends! Stay away from Houston’s dad, now. 🤣💖

— Julie Martineau (@JulieBonjour) September 22, 2017

And others are just wondering if the sleepover is on, or not??

Wait. Did we ever learn the answer??? Lol

— Zachary Zane (@Zachary Zane)
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Others need to know if Houston’s dad lives up to the hype:

Wait, so how hot is her dad?

— Milton Knowles (@TheGreatMiltini) September 21, 2017

This article originally appeared on 11.26.18