Will Ferrell and Demi Lovato are starring in the upcoming Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga alongside Rachel McAdams. The satirical film was one of the first times Ferrell and Lovato worked together on a project, and they’re both big fans of each other’s work. Ferrell recalled meeting the singer on set and sharing a “really special moment.”

Ferrell recently chatted with the podcast Las Culturistas, hosted by Matt Rogers and SNL cast member Bowen Yang. In the episode, Ferrell discussed his time filming Eurovision Song Contest and detailed his experience working with Lovato. The actor said he’s a huge fan of Lovato, and she told him that his movies helped get her through difficult times in rehab:

“She was fantastic. David Dobkin, our director, kind of has all these ties to the music world because he still does a lot of music videos. He was like, ‘I think we can get Demi to play this role.’ And she was so sweet and lovely and she was actually shooting during her birthday. We kind of had this really special moment. She had just come out of her last rehab stint. I really wanted to work with her on this because I’m a fan. I go, ‘You’re so sweet I can’t believe you’re doing this, I just can’t believe.’ And she said, ‘Well I had to tell you, watching your movies really, kind of, helped me go through what I had to go through. It’s weird when you get hit in the chest with something like that and it’s so personal to her, it was one of the sweetest things ever. […] It was really beautiful. She was up for anything and the thing that struck us too was, you forget that, oh my god, she’s an absolute pro.”

Listen to the clip above and check out to the full Las Culturistas podcast episode here.

Ever since Muppets Tonight went off the air in 1998, it’s been a rough two decades for the Muppets on television. (Some would argue Muppets Tonight wasn’t very good. I counter with this clip of Prince singing “Starfish and Coffee.”) Sure, there was ABC’s short-lived The Muppets, but that show fundamentally misunderstood everything people love about Kermit and Miss Piggy. Disney, which acquired The Muppets Studio in 2004, is hoping for better results from Muppets Now, coming next month to Disney+.

Muppets Now is an unscripted six-episode series where “Scooter rushes to make his delivery deadlines and upload the brand-new Muppet series for streaming. They are due now, and he’ll need to navigate whatever obstacles, distractions, and complications the rest of the Muppet gang throws at him,” according to Disney. Guest stars include RuPaul, Aubrey Plaza, and Seth Rogen, who looks like Fozzie Bear’s stunt double.

The trailer above features an appearance from the newest muppet, Joe the Legal Weasel, who is “recycled from one of the Prairie Dogs seen on The Muppet Show and other productions.” Speaking of The Muppet Show: when’s that hitting Disney+, huh? The people (me) need to see an HD version of the “Hugga Wugga” sketch.

Muppets Now premieres on July 31. The world is better with more Muppets in it.

Ahead of dropping her new record The Album on Juneteenth, Teyana Taylor revealed the stacked tracklist, and one of the more notable features was Erykah Badu, who guested on “Lowkey.” It turns out Taylor and Badu have another collaboration on the way, albeit not a musical one: Badu will be delivering Taylor’s next child.

Taylor, who showed off her baby bump in the recent “Wake Up Love” video, spoke about her upcoming birth with Nick Cannon on his radio show. Speaking of Badu, who is a doula and midwife, Taylor said, “I’m considering home birth, and I’m actually going to be doing it with Erykah. Her and Iman are going to deliver my baby. I’m super excited. I’ma have her just sing her verse from “Lowkey” to me to calm my nerves.”

Taylor also recently spoke about getting Badu to feature on the new album, telling Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, “I have to brag about this because I’m very excited about this. Erykah’s just not giving anybody features. I get the chills every time I hear her on this track because it took me three months to ask her. That’s how scared I was. Even if she would’ve said no, I would have been happy to even know that she heard the record. I was prepared for her to say no because this is Erykah Badu. It meant a lot to me because it also showed me that my hard work wasn’t going unnoticed.”

As protests against police shootings grow into official demands for police reform, the music industry has gotten involved with an open letter to Congress showing support for the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. The three major record labels, Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group, joined with their artists, such as Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Lizzo, Post Malone, Rihanna, and more, to call for tangible reform in the way justice is enacted in the United States. More than 450 artists, actors, and organization executives have signed the letter.

The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is a bill currently being considered in the House Of Representatives with the aim, “To hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, improve transparency through data collection, and reform police training and policies.” It would establish federal oversight of police, restrict qualified immunity protections (which prevent individual officers from being sued in civil court for wrongful death in the course of executing their duties), restrict the militarization of municipal police, and prohibit no-knock warrants of the type that led to the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, among other things.

The letter reads:

Since the killing of George Floyd just one month ago, our country has seen protests grow, attitudes shift, and calls for change intensify. We in the music and entertainment communities believe that Black lives matter and have long decried the injustices endured by generations of Black citizens. We are more determined than ever to push for federal, state and local law enforcement programs that truly serve their communities. Accordingly, we are grateful for movement of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 in the U.S. House of Representatives and urge its quick passage.

The Justice in Policing Act is not about marginal change; it takes bold steps that will make a real, positive difference for law enforcement and the communities they serve. ‘We celebrate the long-overdue rejection of qualified immunity, emphasising that law enforcement officers themselves are not above the law – that bad cops must be held accountable and victims must have recourse.

Our communities and nation look to you to take a stand in this extraordinary moment and we respectfully ask that you vote YES on the Justice in Policing Act of 2020.

Many of the same artists previously signed another letter pushing the state of New York to repeal its 50-A statute which prevents public access to officers’ disciplinary records.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon’s Big Red Machine locked up a big-time collaborator in R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. He sings on “No Time For Love Like Now,” which was released earlier this month. The song was accompanied by a video, which overlays footage of Stipe and Dessner performing the song. Last night, the two brought the song to The Tonight Show for a performance.

Given the relative lack of options the current global situation offers, the Tonight Show performance of “No Time For Love Like Now” is virtually identical in visual style to the previously released video, complete with Stipe staring down the camera at the song’s end. Regardless, it’s still an aesthetically interesting spin on the single-shot home performance video.

Dessner previously told Rolling Stone of working on the song with Stipe, “Michael wrote the lyrics to ‘No Time For Love Like Now’ last fall, but when the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and social-distancing and self-isolation descended, they felt like they were written about this time all along and perhaps the message resonates especially now. I’ve looked up to Michael and R.E.M. for so long; they were really such a huge influence on us and we became friends on tour, but I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to make a song with him. Working together to arrange this song in person and ultimately finish it from our respective isolation at home was definitely one of the more surreal experiences I’ve had as a musician. He has an incredible vision and focus for the art that he makes.”

Watch Stipe and Dessner perform “No Time For Love Like Now” above.

6lack’s new EP, 6 Pc Hot, is on the way and he’s released the first taste test in the form of “Float,” a mellow banger that finds the Atlanta vocalist reflecting on the changes in his life since he went from being a relative unknown on Free 6lack to a burgeoning superstar in 2019.

“Money change, but I stayed the same though,” he croons on the hook. “Been on a wave, one that didn’t fade, no.” It’s certainly an accurate statement to make. In 2017, he was cosigned by The Weeknd after breaking out with the 2016 album Free 6lack, which recounted his struggles with his first record deal and its effect on his life and relationships. After that, though, fans quickly began to take note of his new, clean-cut look and cool dedication to his craft on East Atlanta Love Letter. Over the next year, 6lack featured on some of the biggest hits of R&B and hip-hop, including “OTW” with Khalid and Ty Dolla Sign, “Waves” with Normani, “RPG” with Kehlani, and “Sweet Insomnia” with Gallant.

That growing resume has been paired with some out-of-the-box, extra-mile promotional tactics such as 600 Degrees, the hot sauce brand he started to help promote 6 Pc Hot, as well as his tendency to stoke the debate around how to pronounce his name. With “ATL Freestyle” teasing another new album after the EP, which is his birthday gift from himself to his fans, he’s doing way more than staying afloat — he’s rising to the top, where he has the potential to stay for a while.

Listen to “Float” above.

6 Pc Hot EP is coming soon. Check 6lackbox.com

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First things first, we all need to be clear about the distinction between floor is lava, generally, and Floor Is Lava, specifically. The former, lowercase all the way through, is a game most children have played with their siblings or cousins or friends in which you must leap from one piece of furniture to another without touching the floor. The game ends when there is one competitor who remains safely on a piece of furniture, making that person the winner, or when someone’s mom shouts “Stop jumping on the furniture,” in which case no one wins because moms are undefeated.

The latter, complete with capital letters and italics, is a new Netflix competition series that is based on that children’s game and is, as of this writing, for reasons that historians and anthropologists of the future will teach entire post-graduate courses on, the most popular television show in the world. I say that as someone who watched five episodes in a row recently. It is profoundly stupid. As am I, sometimes. I have regrets.

But I’m sure you have a few questions about all of this. Please, fire away.

What is any of this?

Excellent place to start. Floor Is Lava is the latest of Netflix’s reality/competition shows that are somehow both very much more and very much less than their network counterparts. Like Temptation Island but find it too classy? Try Too Hot to Handle. Enjoy dating shows but wish there were more preposterous gimmicks? Click on Love Is Blind. The Netflix algorithm is here to pump your stupidest guilty pleasures into your stupid veins as efficiently as possible. It’s exciting and strange and a little disquieting. Welcome to the future.

The game works like this: Three teams of three compete in each episode. They have to navigate their way across a room meant to represent the rooms of a house — basement, bedroom, study, planetarium for some reason — by leaping from structure to structure without falling into the “lava” that surrounds them. The team that accomplishes it fastest and loses the fewest people gets $10,000. It’s very simple. On paper. Stuff like this happens a lot.

Okay. But why did you put lava in quotes like that?

Well, because, as you can see in the GIF above, each of the structures they’re leaping from and to is floating in a pool of bubbling reddish-orange water that is meant, for the purposes of the show, to be actual lava.

I’m still lost. Please continue.

Okay. This is the weirdest part of the show. Everyone involved has just really agreed to accept that what is very obviously a pool of colored water is, in fact, bubbling, fiery lava. This is full-on method acting by everyone involved. You see it when a jet shoots up and splashes someone in the back and they pause for a second before they realize they’re supposed to shout “Ow, hot” or whatever. You really see it when someone’s teammate falls into the “lava” during a failed leap and everyone acts like they really, truly just died.

Huh. So this is like a Wipeout, Holey Moley thing, but with fake lava?

First of all, no. Second of all, how dare you?

I’m sorry. I’m sorry for snapping. But, no. This show is not as good or fun as those shows, for two main reasons: One, everyone on those shows — especially my beloved Holey Moley — knows they’re involved in a nutty bozo circus of recklessness and misadventure, and they lean into that energy in a tongue-in-cheek fun way that this endeavor does not match; two, the stakes are much lower here, both in prize money and gameplay, with this being more like a wetter, less dramatic version Legends of the Hidden Temple than either of those shows. Like, you will not see anyone get wiped out by a huge padded windmill on Floor Is Lava, and you definitely won’t see anything like this, which is my second favorite thing that has happened on television all year, just behind the Jackie Daytona episode of What We Do in the Shadows. I have no higher praise to give.

Well, that’s a bumm-… hold on. Is that guy okay?

No one knows! Probably!

Jesus Christ.

Greatest show on television.

Okay, so there’s nothing wild like that happening? Then what’s the point?

Oh, there is definitely some fun to be had. Take, for example, this lady, a member of the first team to tackle the course in the very first episode.

Guess what happens to her.

She… does she bash her face?

Blammo.

I think I’m grasping this now. Are there also, like, teams of bros in American flag tank tops making corny jokes about dating and/or the obstacles?

I knew it. So here’s my real question, I guess: How and why is this currently the number one show in America?

Three reasons, I think, if I had to try to level a guess, which I kind of do:

• Netflix has a very powerful reach, to the point that anything that cracks its algorithm and bubbles up to the leaderboard tends to become wildly popular for a brief period, like Tiger King did a few months ago
• People are very bored and fried due to … [gestures broadly toward a summer filled with massive political unrest and a pandemic-related quarantine that could last through the year or longer]… and might enjoy shutting their head off to watch lunatics pretend water is actually scalding hot lava that has bubbled up from under the earth and melted the entire floor of a house but not, for some reason, the highly flammable cloth furniture
• People like seeing strangers flailing their bodies and faces into things

America’s Funniest Home Videos has been on the air for like three decades. There’s a formula for success here.

Yeah, I get it. So… should I watch Floor Is Lava?

Up to you, buddy!

That’s not helpful.

Okay, fine. Sure. Watch it. It’s silly and fun and a decent way to kill an hour. But not until you’re caught up on Holey Moley first.

Deal.

One more Holey Moley GIF for the road.

The NBA is steadily approaching its restarted season, with teams expected to make their way to Disney’s Wide World of Sports early in July to start training camp for the planned restart late that month. Shaquille O’Neal will be part of that restart in his analyst role on TNT’s Inside the NBA, and has plenty of thoughts on the challenges facing the players in Orlando.

Shaq spoke with Dime this week on behalf of Krispy Kreme, as he’ll be part of their virtual grand opening on Wednesday for their new line of doughnut bites and mini crullers. We talked about his quest to own more Krispy Kreme franchises, how he can eat three boxes of doughnuts with ease, his many business ventures, the NBA’s restart plan, why he’d struggle to play his best without fans, and why the bubble will be a mental and physical grind for the players.

Last time we really talked was at a Krispy Kreme commercial shoot a few years ago and you said you wanted to own up to 40 or 50 franchises. Have you been able to add some more franchises and how has your partnership with Krispy Kreme grown?

It’s one of my best partnerships ever. We’re in talks about more franchises. We continue to give people the taste that they crave and they want, and we’re on this call today because for the first time ever, Krispy Kreme is going to be available everywhere in America. Krispy Kreme and Walmart are partnering up for the new Doughnut Bites and Mini Crullers available in all Walmarts across the nation — and if you can’t get to a Walmart check out Walmart’s online grocery store. You know, I have one of the most historic stores in Atlanta, that’s the first one to start, and we’re looking to get some more. We’re just talking and, you know, things like this take time. I’ve been trying to get in the Krispy Kreme business since ’93, and it took me awhile to get in. Now that I’m in, it’ll probably take me awhile to get the franchises I crave. In the meanwhile, we’re going to keep giving the people the enjoyment that they need. We’re going to keep coming up with fresh ideas and great partnerships, like the one with Walmart.

You’re participating this Wednesday in the virtual grand opening. How can folks get in on that and what’s that going to be like?

Well, it’ll be on Facebook Live, Wednesday at 7 [p.m. ET]. We’re going to play games with fans across the country and motivate 40 lucky participants, and they’re going to have the chance to compete to win free doughnut bites and mini crullers for a whole year. So we’re just going to have fun.

I’ve gotta ask, what is Shaquille O’Neal’s go-to doughnut order?

My go-to order is three boxes of glazed. When I’m feeling good and haven’t done anything for the day, I can go through three boxes right away. But, listen, I love crullers, I like the chocolate sprinkles — actually I like every doughnut at Krispy Kreme — I can eat a whole box of crullers. But when it comes to Krispy Kreme, I’m an OG that likes OGs. So I like the original glazed, but I can go for the mini bites, the crullers, the chocolate sprinkles. Whatever they have to offer.

We talked previously about how you advise with current athletes a lot about the importance of investing and having off-court ventures. I feel like now that’s something more and more guys think about and work on while still in the league. Is that a legacy you’re proud of, being one of the most prominent athletes-turned-businessman and being an example for these guys on how to build on what you make while an athlete?

I’m not the first, and I’m definitely not the biggest, so I can’t take all the credit. The biggest is Junior Bridgeman. He has some Wendy’s, Pepsi. Second is probably Jordan, third is Magic Johnson, and I’m probably in fourth. But, listen, I got it from those guys and I got it from my upbringing. My father always threw the stat in my face about how guys don’t take care of what they have. We came from a place where we had no money, and he’s like, “Listen, you’re the only one in the family making this money. Make sure you hold onto it, make sure you can be in new things. You don’t want to have it and then let it go and be one of these guys who’s like, ‘I had this, I had this.’ So take care of business.” I gotta thank Magic Johnson, being out here in L.A. and watching him move around, I wanted do things similar to what he was doing.

I do want to get your thoughts on the upcoming NBA restart. What are your thoughts on what they’ve got planned, the format with the 8-game race to the playoffs and the play-in game, and how they’ve come up with this plan in what is obviously a unique and unfortunate situation?

Very unique. Very unfortunate. It’s going to be trying. It’s not … when people get ready for the playoffs, this is not how they get ready for the playoffs. So to be in the bubble, 30 days, to play in those games, I always try to speak from the standpoint as if I was there, and I can say I would probably not perform at a super high level without any fans. So, the guys are going to play, I don’t know how they’re going to do, but being a former NBA player and a guy that still works at TNT covering the NBA, I’m with the guy whether they wanna play or not want to play. I support them either way and I wish them well. But, for me, it would probably be difficult to play at a high level without seeing my family, my friends, enemies, hecklers, kids, dads and sons, business people. I need to see all that to get pumped up. I need to see my children. I need to see a little kid running behind the bench trying to get an autograph, “Ooh can I get an autograph.” I need to see that. So I wish the guys well, but I know it’s going to be difficult.

I was going to ask how you thought guys will handle being in the bubble, not just without there being fans, but, while there might be some family that’s allowed in at some point, these are guys that are creatures of habit. There’s a routine that they get into, whether they’re on the road or at home. How difficult will that be for these guys to establish that new routine and try to find that high level again?

I think it’s going to be very difficult, because it’s something they haven’t done before. Like you said, routine is key. Shootaround, go home, kiss the babies, kiss the wife, take a nap, wake up, drive your special route to the game. So being in the bubble, you can’t leave and can’t have people coming in, I know it’s going to be difficult for guys. But this is the climate that we’re in now, and if guys want to win their championship they’re going to have to persevere.

From a physical standpoint, guys haven’t been in the gym. This is even more different than what we see in a lockout experience where there’s a hurry to get a season done, but there’s been some gym time. What are the difficulties physically you think guys are going to have and how would you approach balancing making sure your body’s right and making this push for the playoffs?

Well that’s another thing that’s going to be difficult, when you haven’t played organized ball in awhile to just come out and start playing. Some guys are going to have a quicker chance of getting back than other guys. Working out in the gym and lifting weights has nothing to do with basketball. There’s a difference in being in shape and being in basketball shape. And then, there’s no way to emulate playoff basketball. You can get five of your friends and run 1,000 sprints, and you still can’t emulate playoff basketball. I don’t know how long the training camp is, but I’m sure this is going to be the first time guys are playing organized ball together and guys have to adjust quickly. Not only that, but you have to have mental adjustments. Being in that bubble, guys aren’t used to that. So, mental adjustment — not seeing your wife, not seeing your kids, eating the same room service every day — there’s a lot of adjustments you’ve got to make on the fly.

Are there any teams you think this might impact more? Teams that might’ve been finding some form at the time the hiatus started and might have a more difficult time picking back up to that level when we restart?

Anytime you’ve got super high level players and they come in ready, it’s not hard for everybody else to get in sync. But there were a lot of young teams that were starting to gel and look really good. So, it might effect them more than the Lakers or Milwaukee or the Clippers or teams of that nature. Like I said, a lot of teams were starting to gel and play together. Portland I think was starting to make a nice little push. Dame had that streak where he had a few 50-pointers and they were trying to make a push. Sacramento was also trying to make the eight-spot, so it’ll be interesting. I can’t predict what teams are going to do, but it’s just going to be very interesting. I guess whoever is mentally toughest and mentally strongest will advance.

Zendaya was one of six actresses to take part in the Hollywood Reporter‘s Drama Actress roundtable, along with Janelle Monáe, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Helena Bonham Carter, and Rose Byrne. The Euphoria star is the newest to the business we call show (she’s 23, although she’s been acting since she was 13), and the other panelists were impressed by the relative youngster. After Zendaya said her age, Bryne replied, “That’s extraordinary. I mean, at 23, I was a depressive weirdo. You are so composed and erudite.” She also had the best starstruck moment among the actresses.

“I mean, this is exciting. I’m proud of myself for speaking at all because I was very nervous,” she said after Aniston raved about meeting Julie Andrews and Monáe and Byrne did the same for Julia Roberts. “But when I met Beyoncé, that was the only time I’ve ever acted like, real not cool. I just lost my cool. My dad even said it because I was with him at the time and he was like, ‘Dude, you nerded out just then.’ And I was like, ‘I know, I’m being weird.’ Usually I can keep it together.” Zendaya appeared in the music video for Beyoncé’s Lemonade standout “All Night,” along with Chloe x Halle, which she called “a really powerful moment and I feel like I was a part of music history.”

It’s impressive that Zendaya has “nerded out” only once. I know I would have lost my sh*t being around Jake Gyllenhaal when he started doing this on the Spider-Man set.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)