Category: Worldwide

“There’s been no one for so long. Who are you?”
“I’m Rey.”
“Rey who?”
“Rey Skywalker.”

Those were the final words in the final episode of the Skywalker Saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as spoken between some random old lady on Tatooine and Rey. Rey who? Oh wait, we already did this. Is it a worthy ending for a journey 42 years in the making? Star Wars fans will debate that until there’s something else to get mad about, although as Daisy Ridley recently revealed, other saga-capping ideas were discussed.

“At the beginning there was toying with, like, an Obi-Wan connection,” the actress explained to guest host Josh Gad on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “There were different versions, and then it really went to that she was no one. And then it came to Episode 9, and [director and co-writer J.J. Abrams] pitched me the film and was like, ‘Oh yeah, Palpatine’s your grandaddy,’ and I was like, ‘Awesome.’ And then two weeks later he was like, ‘Oh, we’re not sure.’ So it kept changing, so… I wasn’t sure what the answer was going to be.” As for who Rey’s grandmother is, Ridley told Gad, “You tell me, Josh.”

It still beats Kylo Ren’s immortal last word (“Ow”). Anyway, reactions to Ridley’s interview are split between Rey Kenobi > Rey Skywalker, she should have been Rey and Rey only (no last name), and some horniness for Oscar Isaac’s Poe. That’s unrelated to anything with this story, but it’s Star Wars and the internet, so of course it’s out there.

(Via IGN)

Last month, Megan Thee Stallion alleged that it was Tory Lanez who shot her recently. Now it has been reported that Lanez actually apologized to her not long after the incident, sending a text in which he explains himself.

TMZ reports that Megan received the text on the evening of July 12, about 15 hours after the shooting is alleged to have taken place. Lanez never directly mentions anything about a shooting, but he wrote, “I know u prolly never gone talk to me again, but I genuinely want u to know I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart.”

He apparently goes on to explain his actions: “I was just too drunk.”

The text continues, “None the less sh*t should have never happened and I can’t change what did. I just feel horrible.” He reiterates his point about his state at the time, writing, “Cuz I genuinely just got too drunk.”

Megan has reportedly not responded to the text, but she has addressed the situation. In the aforementioned allegation, Megan said, “Yes, this n**** Tory shot me. You shot me and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs lying and sh*t. […] Stop lying, why lie? I don’t understand.”

We don’t yet know whether the 2021 Oscars will be held “in person” or how, exactly, the categories will shake up due to a significant chunk of 2020 films holding tight until next year. So… Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey for Best Picture? That’s doubtful, but as far as inclusion goes, the writing was on the wall a few months ago. Earlier this year, the Academy revealed that not only would there be (starting in 2022) 10 Best Picture nominees but that efforts to increase inclusion were on the way, hopefully before 2025.

The Oscars have now set rules to achieve that goal a year early. Beginning in 2024, here’s how the new Best Picture inclusion standards will go down — nominated films must achieve at least two out of four of these benchmarks, via the Oscars website:

– Nominees must, to the tune of at least 30% of a cast, include actors from underrepresented groups in “significant” roles;
– Same percentage as the above, but in regards to a nominated film’s behind-the scenes players, including both leadership and crew;
– Paid apprenticeships and internships (industry opportunities) must clearly be a priority for nominated films; and
– Audience development teams (marketing, publicity, and distribution) must also prioritize significant representation.

The declared rollout of these rules follow a record-setting year for Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite, which swept the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and International Feature Film (on behalf of South Korea) awards, among others. That the film is a universal tale that doubled as a stunning critique on classism feels fitting, given that the Academy wants to roll out new initiatives after said sweep. The movie reaped so many awards that the Snowpiercer director actually apologized to engravers for making them work so hard, and then the film went on to be a major Hulu hit, so yup, it’s time.

Finding 10 deserving nominees who meet the criteria is no short order, given that diversity hasn’t been a massive priority for some movies, so these new guidelines are adding in an adjustment period (the 2024 start date). Yet after a year when Parasite became the first non-English-language film (subtitles!) and first South Korean film to win Best Picture, anything is truly possible.

(Via The Oscars)

The sweltering summer makes one ache for the coolness of the fall and everything that comes with it. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait until the official start of fall (September 22nd) to enjoy the benefits of the season. We’re already getting our autumnal kicks with savory pumpkin anything, full-bodied Oktoberfest beers, and warming Scotch whisky.

For me, that means drams from The GlenDronach portfolio. Tuesday, September 1st saw the limited release of The GlenDronach Kingsman Edition 1989 Vintage and I was lucky enough to give it a try.

With only 3,052 bottles available, this skillfully produced single malt Scotch whisky is the result of a collaboration with Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie alongside the Kingsman film franchise director Matthew Vaughn. The Kingsman franchise has a solid whiskey association — the third film has a whole bourbon subplot — though it’s hard to imagine its core fans have $1299 laying around for a bottle of scotch. Still, the purchases of the rich are always sure to shock the rest of us and it’s not inconceivable to think that there are three-thousand rich Kingsman/whisky lovers out there.

I count myself among a fortunate few able to obtain a dram of this rare expression. Here’s what I thought:

The GlenDronach Kingsman Edition 1989 Vintage

ABV: 50.1%
Distillery: The GlenDronach Distillery, Scotland (Brown-Forman)
Suggested Price: $1,299

The Whisky:

The unveiling of this whisky follows the launch of Kingsman Edition 1991 Vintage in 2017, which was in conjunction with the release of Kingsman: The Golden Circle. All 3,052 bottles of the 1989 vintage have been labeled, numbered, and wax-sealed by hand — ornamented with a “Kingsman” insignia. The bottle is held in a luxe gift box signed by both Barrie and Vaughn.

Without a doubt, this is definitely a collectible for both whisky connoisseurs and Kingsman fanatics — bonus points if you happen to be both.

Tasting Notes:

The alluring rich, red-tinged mahogany hue immediately captures your attention before you even take a whiff. That comes from the expression’s 29 years of sherry cask maturation. Black currant and plum meet for a potent yet pleasant blend of aromas that draw you in for a sip. Brown sugar, nutty notes (particularly walnut), and fall fruits such as fig come to play across the palate before your senses bask in the finish. Dark molasses arrives for a subtly sweet end that’s long lingering and fulfilling.

Bottom Line:

Wow, so for me this is what fall tastes like. If you’re truly a Scotch whisky aficionado with no worries about money and a love of the Kingsman franchise, you’ll want to get your hands on a bottle. For those of us who want to enjoy a similar dram on a budget, the rich and complex GlenDronach 12 — closer to $65 per bottle — has a velvety mouthfeel and tastes exceptional with shortbread cookies (trust me, I just tried it). I

t makes a very solid alternate if spending a $1300 on movie tie-in whisky feels a tad absurd.

The Los Angeles Lakers took control of their Western Conference Semifinal series against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday evening. Powered by a Herculean performance from LeBron James, a productive night from Anthony Davis, and an ice-cold second half for the Rockets offense, the Lakers picked up a 112-102 win that put them up, 2-1, in the series. Here are a trio of takeaways based off the game.

1. [Extremely this Vine voice] LeBron James

I have no idea how the hell he’s doing this, either.

The Rockets were humming for much of the first half on Tuesday evening. On offense, the 1-2 punch of James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 38 of the team’s 64 points heading into the locker room, in large part because the Lakers kept turning the ball over like they were contractually obligated to. Everything was working for Houston, except for the fact that the other team had LeBron James, who scored 29 of L.A.’s 61 points in the first half.

One thing that has been true about James during his career is that he is a very malleable player. When he needs to score, he’ll do that. When he needs to set the table for the other four guys around him, he’ll do that. And on his best nights, he’ll do a little bit of everything, which was the case on Tuesday. Despite being a 35-year-old who has played in more postseason minutes than anyone in NBA history, James scored 36 points, reeled in seven rebounds, doled out five assists, and had four blocks, each one slightly more demoralizing than the next. He hit 13 of his 23 attempts from the field and four of his nine shots from three.

James is known for having an extra gear during the postseason, but still, guys with that many miles on their odometers are expected to, you know, slow down a bit. Instead, James doesn’t seem like he’s going to slow down any time soon, something that was emphatically stated in Game 3, which, as an aside, was his 162nd playoff win, the most in league history.

Of course, while James can do it all on his own, it’s preferred when he has a little bit of help around him. So let’s talk about the former Kentucky standout who raised eyebrows on Tuesday night…

2. Playoff Rondo

…what, did you think I meant someone else?

Ok so yes, Davis was out of his mind — 26 points, 15 rebounds, six assists. But something that has been established about this Lakers team throughout the 2019–20 season has been that for how good their stars are, they need some help. LeBron James and Anthony Davis can get them a long, long way, but to get over that hump, somebody else needs to contribute in a meaningful way.

Kyle Kuzma had a nice game — 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting — but Rajon By God Rondo was magnificent. The savvy veteran came off the bench and was a gigantic pest, scoring 21 points (12 of them came in the fourth quarter) and dishing out nine assists in 30 minutes of work. He shot 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from three while being a thorn in the side of Rockets players when he was on defense.

As a result, he earned one of the highest honors an NBA player can receive: a celebratory tweet from Magic Johnson.

Rondo isn’t going to do this every night. Guys 3-12 in Los Angeles are something of a crapshoot on a given night, and while this obviously has some major drawbacks, the entire thing is that someone has to play really well next to James and Davis. Getting that on a given night, combined with what those two can do, can usually get the Lakers to a pretty good place. On Tuesday, that guy was Rondo, and as always, Playoff Rondo was a treat.

3. Stuck in the mud

Considering how good Houston’s offense was in the first half, the fact that they only scored 38 points in the third and fourth quarters combined is kind of shocking. Things just went completely off the rails – while James Harden (33 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) was very good, the rest of the team got cold. They didn’t get a ton from their bench aside from a nice performance from Jeff Green (16 points), and while Russell Westbrook (30 rebounds, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals) put up big numbers, he seemed far less comfortable and in control during the second half than he did in the first.

An interesting quirk about Houston is that when this entire small-ball experiment that they have decided to take to its logical extreme works, there is nothing quite like it. They are capable of producing chaos that can throw an entire opposing team completely out of whack. It is marvelous to watch, and I will be very surprised if we don’t get at least one more game like that in this series. When it doesn’t work, though, the Rockets go from a high-powered machine to a 1987 Ford Pinto that can’t get out of first gear. Opposing sides can get their stuff too easily, while everything just looks incredibly difficult for the Rockets — they love to do the thing where Harden or Westbrook drives, leaves their feet, and either shoot a runner or whip a pass to someone in the corners or on the wing for a three. On one possession in the second half, Davis realized this was happening and just reeled in a steal with one hand like he was an All-Pro wide receiver.

You never quite know what you are going to get with the Rockets. On Tuesday, they were brilliant (at least on offense) until they weren’t. Now, they’re in a spot where they’ve lost two in a row and need to bounce back on Thursday evening or else they’ll find themselves staring down the barrel of a 3-1 deficit.

In the aftermath of a disappointing 4-1 series loss to the Miami Heat, reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo addressed the media and indicated a desire to “build a culture” with the Milwaukee Bucks that can “compete every single year” for championships. Along the way, Antetokounmpo also noted that the Bucks put his health ahead of Game 5 against Miami and, all told, it was seemingly a positive moment for Milwaukee in their goal to keep Antetokounmpo on board for the long term.

Shortly thereafter, though, Antetokounmpo spoke to Chris Haynes of Yahoo and provided even more optimism for Bucks-centric observers. Amid buzz that Antetokounmpo could turn down a super-max contract extension this offseason, prompting potential trade possibilities, the 25-year-old superstar firmly denied any notion of a trade request.

“It’s not happening. That’s not happening,” Antetokounmpo told Haynes. “Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season.”

This is music to the ears of the Bucks, even while acknowledging that Milwaukee has myriad other concerns this offseason. To put it plainly, Antetokounmpo is the centerpiece of everything the Bucks have done in the recent past and, if he is willing to jump in with both feet, the prospects of more title pursuits are infinitely easier to envision.

“If winning a championship was easy, everyone would have one,” Antetokounmpo continued. “We lost. Everyone saw that we lost. It’s disappointing, but what are we going to do? We’re going to keep working. I’ve got confidence in my teammates.”

The five-game loss to the Heat was brutal, especially when viewed through the prism of the No. 1 overall seed and outsized expectations. As such, the Bucks may be looking for more help from Antetokounmpo, with Marc Stein of the New York Times floating that the Bucks could conceivably target Chris Paul amid a potential rebuild in Oklahoma City.

If Antetokounmpo’s comments hold, the Bucks can cross at least one possibility off the list for the next few months. There is still work to do, though, and the next step is presenting Antetokounmpo with a massive contract extension with fingers crossed that he will agree to sign it.

After leaving fans to wade knee-deep in excitement for a few weeks, Blackpink shared their highly-anticipated “Ice Cream” single with Selena Gomez last month. Paired with a visual that brought fans to a fictional Candyland, the single landed smoothly while meeting the expectations of both Gomez and Blackpink’s expectations.

After debuting a new ice cream flavor celebrating their new single, Selena Gomez used a recent makeup session with YouTube star NikkieTutorials (Nikkie de Jager) to praise the K-pop group for their work ethic.

Blackpink first came up in Gomez’s and NikkieTutorials’ conversation when the YouTube star asked her what advice she’d give Blackpink, to which Gomez replied, “I think I would learn a lot more from them.”

Their work ethic is something I’ve never seen before, and I’d like to say I work hard. What I’ve found when I’ve spoken to them and met them is that they’re extremely disciplined and they are so talented that there isn’t anything that they wouldn’t strive to do. They were wonderful and I miss them

As it was a beauty vlog she was appearing on, Gomez also touched on her Rare Beauty makeup line and explained why she wanted to create it.

You can see a lot of people get affected and feel pressure to look a certain way. I immediately was like, “I want to do this, as long as I can make this something people feel comfortable in and something that’s easy but special.” I don’t want to be a competitor or a celebrity attached to something. I want my makeup to stand on its own. I think it’s a really good product, and I think what we’re doing with mental health and what we want this brand to be is truly my mission.

Check out Gomez’s conversation with NikkieTutorials above.

Borat is reportedly back. Though, when you really think about it, has Sasha Baron Cohen’s Borat ever really left us? You probably still hear “my wife” jokes from your least favorite high school friend and there have long been rumors that the character would return in the form of a sequel of some kind.

Cohen’s penchant for catching ordinary people by surprise in character has continued even during a pandemic, though that apparently wasn’t an effort to gather footage for another season of Showtime’s Who Is America? But Borat has been around in more official ways, and now according to Collider, Cohen is shopping a completed sequel to the 2006 comedy around Hollywood.

Last month, we noticed social media reports about Sacha Baron Cohen shooting something in Los Angeles as one of his most beloved characters, and today Collider can exclusively report that Borat 2 has already been shot and even screened for a select few industry types.

Collider discussed some plot points from the reported sequel, though another source of theirs disputed what they claimed would be a film where Borat himself would have to go “undercover” to interview people. Still, that source confirmed that the project exists, which at least makes it clear that a Borat 2, so to speak, is coming.

Cohen’s Borat character has already returned on Jimmy Kimmel to “tamper” with mid-term elections in 2018, and there were reports in mid-August that he had been seen filming in character. So this report certainly lines up with what we’ve seen. Whether the world is ready for more Borat is an interesting question. But when it comes to how Cohen films his movies among the American public, I suppose in some ways that question is already irrelevant.

Charm City Kings debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and our own Vince Mancini singled out Meek Mill for his star turn in the coming-of-age story. He also praised the movie’s stunt work, which we get a good look at (regarding the Baltimore dirt-bike scene) in this new HBO Max trailer. The film’s produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and co-stars Jahi Di’Allo Winston (Queen & Slim) as the teenage Mouse, who wants to fit in with the Midnight Clique group of bike riders while wavering between influences.

One of those influences happens to be Mill’s stunt-happy ex-con, Blax, whose interests appear to be at odds with a detective (William Catlett of Black Lightning) and the teen’s mother (Teyonah Parris of If Beale Street Could Talk), who both want Mouse to reach his full potential, rather than dig into gang life. There’s a family tragedy in the rear view mirror, which ups the emotional ante. From the synopsis:

In this gritty coming-of-age drama, fourteen-year-old Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) desperately wants to join the Midnight Clique, an infamous group of Baltimore dirt-bike riders who rule the summertime streets. His older brother, Stro, was their top rider before his tragic death — a loss that consumes Mouse as much as his passion for bikes … Blax (Meek Mill), takes the boy under his wing, the lure of revving his own dirt bike skids Mouse toward a road way past the straight and narrow.

Charm City Kings will stream on HBO Max beginning October 8.

The long-running and deeply funny show The Venture Bros. met its official end over Labor Day weekend as rumors of its cancelation were soon confirmed by those involved in making the nearly two-decade old show. Word that the beloved Adult Swim cartoon had been canceled by Cartoon Network after seven seasons was made official on Sunday, punctuated by co-creator Jackson Publick, a.k.a Christopher McCulloch, confirming the worst.

The outrage and grief among the show’s biggest fans was immediate, with many sharing their favorite moments from the show’s history and wondering what they could do to reverse its fate. A #SaveTheVentureBros hashtag cropped up on Twitter, sharing fun moments from the show and highlighting the fan support it still has among people on social media.

Publick himself mentioned that the show was canceled while he and co-creator Doc Hammer were hard at work writing what would have been Season 8, which led some to speculate that the show could be shopped around to various streaming services and networks and revived. No show seems to have an official end in the age of streaming, and multiple platforms seem keen to convert fan interest into dollar signs with reboots and revived offerings in the golden age of streaming.

That thought gained some considerable momentum on Tuesday when Hammer also issued a statement about the show’s demise. His statement about the cancelation was posted to Facebook on Tuesday and quickly spread on other social media sites as well.

As Hammer reflected on the show’s ending and the impact it’s had on fans, he had a message for those who are lamenting the loss of the show itself by asking them to support anything he made with McCulloch in the future.

“Jackson and I are are still in love with you and each other,” Hammer wrote. “Sooo if we make another baby, you gotta promise to love it. I promise it will love you.”

Many fans agreed they’ll watch whatever Hammer and Publick dream up together, but a good number of fans made it clear they still wanted more Venture Bros. first and foremost. And when asked on Facebook if a campaign to find the show a new home would help, Hammer made it clear he would appreciate the help. And write a Season 8 to give a new network to air.

Meanwhile, a SAVE The Venture Bros. page on Facebook popped up, and Hammer himself amplified its message as the group gained thousands of likes and started collecting contact information for various executives at networks and streaming platforms. Hammer then shared the info on Facebook, writing “Give ’em heck, gang!” on Tuesday night.

Whether Venture Bros. fans can get enough momentum to make an eighth season a reality is tough to say, but it’s clear a significant portion of them are willing to put in the work to see it happen. And it’s clear that at least one of its creators doesn’t mind the effort one bit.