It isn’t the ideal situation, but director Eliza Hittman (who lives in New York City and is acutely aware of how bad things are right now) seems to, sort of at least, be coming around to the idea of her critically lauded Sundance favorite, Never Rarely Sometimes Always being released on VOD this weekend. (You can literally watch this movie at home, right now, as you are reading this.) Reading between the lines, yeah, it has to be disappointing: a filmmaker works so hard on a project, then it somehow breaks through at a major film festival, destined to be something we talk about the entire year. Then, on top of that, the subject matter of the film itself was something that would have been, and still will be, so important to so many people, and young women in particular. Now, it’s all thrown into flux.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows Autumn (Sidney Flanigan, who is fantastic) as she travels from her home in Pennsylvania to New York City to get an abortion. Her procedure is a two-day process, so, with no money, she has to navigate the streets of New York overnight. It’s a harrowing, almost precisely surgical look at what a young woman has to do to get this procedure in America right now, in a movie that not only avoids melodrama, but is decidedly adverse to such a thing. (Which, as Hittman explains, was very much by design.) And now, as politicians take even more rights away under the guise of COVID-19 protections, this is a movie more necessary than ever. (Again, it’s on VOD right now and is one of the best movies of the year. You have nothing else to do. You should watch this.)

Where are you at in the world right now?

I’m in New York. I’m in the epicenter.

Yeah, I am here too, staying inside. And all this has led to your movie being put out on VOD early. You did an interview last week where you didn’t seem totally into that idea. Has that changed?

On this decision? I think my preference would have been to have a theatrical release, for people to see in a movie and theaters to sort of build an audience nationally through theatrical. Of course, we just have no way of knowing when that would have been possible again.

That’s true.

So I think that in lieu of being able to plan, being able to have that theatrical release and with all of the energy and momentum around the movie, hopefully people will be able to find the VOD and still see it.

If I’m in your position, after all the praise at Sundance, I’d feel the same way. But people are begging for stuff to watch right now and this is one of the best movies of the year.

I feel lucky that I have that I played at Sundance and that we won Berlin. We had such a great reception, and obviously the life of so many other movies is kind of unclear at the moment. So I just feel lucky that the film has premiered. The reception has been wonderful. I’m lucky that we didn’t decide to wait to screen for Cannes. I feel very lucky.

And also the topic of this movie is very important right now because I’m sure you’ve noticed there are politicians out there…

Yes. We have three states that have decided that abortion is not essential. I hope that the film on VOD reaches young women, like the character in the film, possibly speak to their vulnerability during these times.

Have you thought about how to get to tie this movie into that message with what you just said, with what’s going on? Is there a way to do that?

We were kind of in constant communication with Planned Parenthood about the release, theatrical and VOD, and we’re working with them to hopefully to help the film reach a vulnerable audience.

I know this isn’t the point of the movie, but a good portion takes place in New York City. And in the movie there are people everywhere and it’s all just so upsetting right now…

I’ve left my apartment not very many times. We’ve been asked to stay at home, so I don’t even really have a sense of what the city is like. All I know at the moment is my messy apartment.

I’m right there with you with the messy apartment.

I live sort of between two hospitals. I hear the shrieking sirens at my window all day all night.

When I watched this movie, I was reminded of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The arc with Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character getting an abortion was one of the first times I had ever seen that portrayed in a film. The first time I saw it, there’s actually a scene of the procedure, which reminded me of a scene in your movie. Then I found out later that scene was only included on a broadcast version.

Yeah. I didn’t rewatch that film when I was writing Never Rarely. What I thought about was Hal Hartley’s Trust, which also has a character who goes and gets an abortion. And one of the pivotal scenes of that movie takes place with the nurse and Adrienne Shelly has this long conversation. That was a scene that I think was inside me when I was thinking about this film. I remember it because the nurse opens up a bottle of whiskey and pours Adrienne Shelly some whiskey when they talk about her decision to get an abortion. That’s very kind of intimate and personal. That kind of darkly comic moments.

Well, your movie is very intimate and personal. And you avoid any overly dramatic moments. There’s no shouting match.

Yeah. I feel like, for me, I never want my film to culminate in a dramatic emotional confrontation. It’s just not the kind of drama that I’m making. The drama of the film is in the obstacles that this character is encountering from beginning to end. It’s not a relationship drama. It’s not a family drama. And if anything, it’s like kind of a personal, bureaucratic odyssey. And that, for me, was important. And any time things felt too melodramatic or something, I would tone it down, scale it back. But I don’t know if it ever really went very far in that direction.

As a filmmaker, why does that turn you off?

I don’t know. I just have this compass in me that helps me navigate tone and in all of those creative decisions. It goes off when I veer into unwanted territory.

Well, I know this isn’t how you envisioned the film being released, but I think people will watch it. I think things will work out.

Thank you. I appreciate it. I hope so.

‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ is now available via VOD, Amazon Prime, and other on-demand streaming services. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

As the global pandemic continues to spread and many find themselves out of work, several musicians are stepping up and providing financial support. Lizzo provided free lunch to hospital workers across the country, DJ Khaled donated over 10,000 surgical masks to healthcare works, Taylor Swift dropped $3,000 to fans in need, and Rihanna and Jay-Z donated $2 million to relief funds. Now, Grammy-winning R&B crooner HER is making sure her entire team can rest easy by offering months of financial support.

HER’s generosity was publicized by her supporting vocalist Ajanee Hambrick, who shared a post on social media. In the caption, Hambrick detailed the singer’s financial support: “Today This BOSS just blessed her whole team With some COVID 19 funds to help us through the next few months I’m not talking about alil bag for groceries!” Hambrick wrote. “SHE JUST BLESSED EVERY LAST ONE OF US! THANK YOU sis!”

Hambrick continued that those who have the financial means should follow Her’s altruistic example: “I hope every artist who HAS It like that gives back to their team! Especially if they have been down from day 1. Thank You @hermusicofficial for being someone who leads by example!”

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music Artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Unlikely exercise king and motivational speaker Richard Simmons spent years out of the spotlight before the hit podcast, Missing Richard Simmons, launched him back into the cultural conversation. He’s still mostly out of the public eye, give or take a Facebook statement in 2017 where he assured his fans that he hopes “to see you again,” but that may change: Simmons’ YouTube channel became active for the first time in years in early March, around the same time the coronavirus started to spread across the globe.

“The material is nothing new — it’s old Signature Moves clips, workouts, and motivational messages,” TMZ reports, but “the revival is due to fans clamoring for him to return and lead them through at-home exercise routines again. The need for this doesn’t get much greater than during a pandemic, so we’re told Richard’s team obliged with the new posts.” It’s unclear if he’ll make new videos, but at least we’re getting daily tweets.

Did you know that Richard Simmons’ Twitter handle is “The Weight Saint”? I didn’t, because I am delighted by this piece of information. Anyway, Simmons also has a fan club newsletter, with advice on how to stay positive when you’re feeling pessimistic (“Take some time to really take inventory about what you’ve been doing, what matters most to you, and what you want to do with your life” — as long as want to do involves getting within six feet of people) and a recipe for flourless vegetable quiche.

Hopefully he and Jane Fonda are working on something big together.

(Via TMZ)

The Weeknd has already dominated music and the big screen this year and now, he’s coming for your television as well. Deadline reports that the Canadian singer scored a co-writing credit on the animated sitcom American Dad, for an episode of the upcoming season that will include an original song and an appearance by the man himself. The series returns to TBS Monday, April 13.

The Weeknd also posted to his social media, revealing the air date of “his” epsiode: May 4. The posts included a photo of The Weeknd embracing American Dad writer Joel Hurwitz with a note that the photo was taken before the North American coronavirus outbreak and a reminder to fans to stay indoors. “Me and this guy wrote an episode of American Dad,” the caption reads. “Also gonna play myself… kinda.” With that mysterious tease, he signed off: “Photo was taken a while ago… STAY HOME.”

2020 has been a huge year for The Weeknd, who appeared in the buzzy Adam Sandler film Uncut Gems in December, riding that wave right into a flurry of promotion for his new album After Hours that included scintillating late-night performances and cinematic music videos. Now, it seems he’s going to get animated, becoming a star in yet another arena.

American Dad airs 4/13 on TBS.

Healthcare workers across the world are being hit hard right now. They are the frontline soldiers in the global war against the coronavirus. Aside from the grueling hours and increased risk of contracting the virus themselves, these doctors, nurses, and administrators have little time to care for themselves during this vital moment. We’ve seen the photos of exhausted health care workers with N95 respirator marks on their faces, we’ve seen doctors literally beg for people to heed the call to socially distance, and we’ve seen some of society’s bravest individuals breakdown over the lack of supplies and preparedness.

It’s harrowing, to say the least. Headlines are everywhere about how desperately health workers countrywide need personal protective gear to be able to do their jobs safely, but little is mentioned about just how much these health workers need one of the best morale boosters around — a good meal.

A small collective in New Orleans is trying to offer just that by buying restaurant-prepared meals from local chefs and supplying them to healthcare workers. Feed the Frontline NOLA began as a simple $60 order of Brazilian treats that founder Devin De Wulf and his wife, an ER doctor, purchased for a local hospital to boost morale. Six days later, after roping in De Wulf’s local Madis Graw group/ charity, the Krewe of Red Beans, and getting 25 small and independent local restaurants to join the effort, Feed the Frontline NOLA now supplies health care workers with restaurant-quality meals at almost every hospital in New Orleans.

The efforts of Feed the Frontline NOLA aren’t just supporting health care workers, though. They’re also giving much-needed business to struggling local restaurants.

“We’re literally the only reason that they’re still open for business, for the most part,” De Wulf says. “We’re feeding 1,400 meals at almost every hospital in the New Orleans area and we’re just trying to keep it going, cause COVID is not like a three-day weekend type of deal.”

While many with the means are donating to Feed The Frontline NOLA to help support local businesses and healthcare workers, red tape and strict rules from GoFundMe and Venmo have kept the group from accessing those much-needed donations. By April 1st, the group raised $91,083 — funds they wouldn’t be able to withdraw, according to GoFund Me and Venmo’s respective rules, until April 24th. With costs as high as $16,000 dollars a day, a waiting period that long isn’t sustainable for Feed The Frontlines.

“When you’re feeding people, there are two ways you could go about it,” De Wulf says. “You could go, ‘I’m going to make a big old pot of beans and save as much money as possible and make it as cheap as possible per person.’ But if you go that route, then you’re going to lose all your restaurants, because they won’t be able to sustain their business operations… we’re paying them so they make enough profit to stay open, but no more than that really. It’s like life support.”

In De Wulf’s haste to act, he simply didn’t have time to read GoFundMe’s rules and how they differ between individuals and charities.

“When I created it, it was obviously through the Krewe of Red Beans, which is a 501 3C nonprofit,” he explains. “Unbeknownst to me, they’ve got those rules, so I’m not going to see a penny of our GoFundMe money until April 25th.”

Venmo’s policies also took De Wulf by surprise.

“Venmo has a situation which normally you would never encounter — where there’s a limit of $20,000 in a seven day period that you can send to your bank account. So I’m waiting seven days before I can do that again. There’s also a limit of how much money you can pay people through Venmo. I hit that limit too, and every time I hit one of these limits it was like, ‘oh I learned a new problem that I didn’t realize existed.’”

These problems won’t likely be unique to Feed the Frontline — other community-run charities will run into similar problems if they use the popular cash-moving services. So far, GoFundMe and Venmo have done little to help De Wulf get the cash he needs to keep Feed the Frontlines operational and to keep the charity running. Instead, he’s taken a $30,000 bridge loan. He’s also set up the 501c-3’s website to receive donations directly.

“They can donate through that and the money will actually get to our bank account in a day,” he says. “So it’s pretty sweet.”

Money isn’t the only way you can help, Uproxx contributor Mark C. Stevens, who is a member of the Krewe of Red Beans explains:

“The community has really come together around this… Getting the word out, sharing articles, sharing on @Redbeansparade’s Instagram account… or if people have business contacts — if they want to sponsor a day of feeding all of these healthcare workers, it’s tax-write-off-able because we’re talking about a nonprofit.”

It isn’t just local businesses and workers that Feed the Frontlines NOLA is trying to prop up, either.

“We employ musicians and local artists as delivery people,” De Wulf explains. “We are supporting 25 local restaurants and feeding basically all the healthcare workers in our city. It’s the best use of money that anybody can really hope for right now. We have spent zero dollars on administrative fees. So the money really goes to what you’re donating it to, which is pretty cool.”

Visit feedthefrontlinenola.org to help, and yo GoFundMe and Venmo — maybe think about relaxing your policies in the middle of a global pandemic.

After last week announcing it would continue as planned with a virtual draft on April 17, the WNBA on Friday announced it would postpone its season, which was slated to tip-off on May 15, as the United States attempts to corral the coronavirus outbreak.

“While the league continues to use this time to conduct scenario-planning regarding new start dates and innovative formats, our guiding principle will continue to be the health and safety of the players, fans and employees,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.

This news comes as WNBA teams prepare for the April 17 draft as well as training camp, which would have begun in late April or early May. Engelbert has emphasized the goal is still for the league to play in some capacity this year, especially after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics erased a hole in the league’s schedule that would usually be carved out for players to participate.

Should the WNBA seek out a “bubble league,” as many have suggested for the NBA, in which all players, staff, and media involved are quarantined and vigorously tested, perhaps the effort could be easier than for the much larger NBA. The WNBA has smaller basketball operations staffs, as well as only 12 players on each of the league’s 12 rosters.

“One of our transformational goals is to expand the fandom, expand the reach of the W.N.B.A. beyond our 12 cities to get more exposure to our players in our potential fan population,” Engelbert told Howard Megdal of the New York Times last week. “So we could actually be creative here and think about other cities.”

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Captain Brett Crozier received a thunderous send-off Friday morning as he exited the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt in Guam. Video taken by sailors on the aircraft carrier show hundreds of service members chanting “Captain Crozier! Captain Crozier!” and clapping as he walked down the gangway.

Crozier was relieved of his duty by Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly after sending a strongly-worded letter to navy leadership about the spread of COVD-19 on his ship.

He was ousted for sending the letter over “non-secure unclassified email” to a “broad array of people” rather than up the chain of command.

In the letter, Crozier urged Navy leadership to evacuate the vessel as the rate of infection among the sailors increased. “We are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily,” Crozier wrote.

via U.S. Pacific Fleet / Flickr

As of Wednesday, around 25% of the 4,800-member crew had been tested for COVID-19 and 93 were found to be infected. It’s expected that 2700 service members will vacate this ship this week, with a small crew staying on board for maintenance.

The letter was leaked to the media sparking outrage across the country. Modly says the letter also caused a panic among the sailors on the ship and their families back home.

“I have no doubt in my mind that Captain Crozier did what he thought was in the best interest of the safety and well-being of his crew,” Modly said. “Unfortunately, it did the opposite. It unnecessarily raised the alarm of the families of our sailors and Marines with no plans to address those concerns.”

“The responsibility for this decision rests with me,” Modly added. “I expect no congratulations for it. Captain Crozier is an incredible man.”

Crozier will keep his rank and remain in the Navy.

Former Vice President Joe Biden criticized the navy’s acting secretary in a statement saying that he “shot the messenger — a commanding officer who was faithful to both his national security mission and his duty to care for his sailors, and who rightly focused attention on a broader concern about how to maintain military readiness during this pandemic.”

Michael Washington shared footage of Crozier’s send off where someone is heard saying, “That’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had.”

Video taken by Taliah Peterkin shows Crozier exiting the ship and giving a final salute.

Footage shared on Twitter by Danny Ocean shows Crozier taking a long walk down the gangway to a cheering crowd chanting his name.

The footage of Crozier exiting the ship is a beautiful display of sailors cheering the man who sacrificed his career to protect not only their lives and the health of everyone they would encounter. Even though he’s no longer captain of the U.S.S. Roosevelt, there’s no doubt his heroism will be long remembered by his former crew or the country he proudly serves.

“Saddle up, gurl. We ridin’ again.”

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Oh, you got jokes?

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