The wave of Leave the World Behind jokes that emerged during the nationwide AT&T outage may have been onto something. According to a new report, the widespread outage is being investigated as a potential cyberattack. If true, that would mean the AT&T outage mimicked the Netflix movie starring Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke far more than anyone realized.
Citing “two sources briefed on the situation,” ABC News reports that “the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), among other agencies, are now urgently investigating to determine whether the AT&T outages are the result of a cyberattack or a hack, or simply some sort of technical malfunction.”
This afternoon, [National Security Communications Adviser John] Kirby told reporters that DHS and the FBI are looking into the outages as well, and are working with the tech industry and network providers to see what can be done “from a federal perspective to enhance their investigative efforts to figure out what happened here.”
“The bottom line is we don’t have all the answers,” he said. “We’re working very hard to see if we can get to the ground truth of exactly what happened.”
While the implications of the outage being a potential cyberattack are concerning, A&T has informed customers that the situation has been resolved. However, no official explanation for the outage has been disclosed at this time.
“We have restored wireless service to all our affected customers,” AT&T said in a statement. “We sincerely apologize to them. Keeping our customers connected remains our top priority, and we are taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future.”
Central Cee takes a stylistic swerve on his first single of 2024, aiming to show off a bit more versatility as he prepares to follow up his 2022 album 23. On “I Will,” Cee makes romantic(-ish) overtures to a potential paramour over a gently strummed guitar, promising, “You’re tryna find someone to take you home and show you love / If nobody will, I will.”
In the video, Cee narrates as his video star spends time going through her daily life and hanging out with her homegirls. The video also shows a softer side of the London rapper, who is set to have a massive breakout this year after receiving a high-profile co-sign from Drake in 2023.
Cench was also included in the 2023 XXL Freshman class alongside GloRilla, Luh Tyler, and more. His buzz increased with the release of “Sprinter” with Dave and the Valentine’s Day single “Me And You.”
Next week, Cee will be at the 2024 BRIT Awards, competing for four awards: Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act, Song Of The Year for “Sprinter” and “Let Go,” and Artist Of The Year. He recently won MOBO Awards for Best Male and Song Of The Year for “Sprinter,’ giving him a total of six MOBO Awards.
Brighton & Mila (@themilescouple): Use A Credit Card That Specifically Earns Bonus Points On Hotels & Flights
The starting point is to use a credit card that specifically earns bonus points on travel categories, such as hotels and flights. Some of these cards include the Capital One Venture X (10x points on hotels booked through the bank portal), the Amex Platinum (5x on flights), etc.
However, to go a step above that you should always check whether there’s a way to stack rewards! For instance, British Airways has a partnership with Airbnb that allows you to earn three Avios per dollar spent. At the same time, for your next weekend getaway, you could buy Airbnb gift cards from a grocery store using a card that earns extra in supermarkets (such as the Amex Gold for 4x), then use the gift card to check out at Airbnb (though we recommend reading up on Reddit and Flyertalk about the pros/cons).
More generally, always check your credit card offers and shopping portals for any limited-time discounts and bonus earnings. Maybe there’s a “Spend $500 get $100 Off at Hilton” stay offer that you could link to your Amex card, or 12% cashback at IHG Hotels & Resort when you use Rakuten, etc. Finding ways to earn bonus points through more than one rewards stream is the easiest way to maximize rewards on travel spending!
Serena Stone (@passionforpoints): Use A Card With Embedded Travel Protections
When paying for flights or taxes and fees on award travel, I always use a card with embedded travel protection such as trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage. My favorite cards to use for flights are Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, or Capital One Venture X. These cards are also great for embedded rental car coverage.
When booking activities, check Cashback Monitor to get the maximum cashback or points for purchasing Viator or Tripadvisor experiences.
When dining, use a credit card that earns you a higher multiple at restaurants. The American Express Gold card earns 4x and the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve earn 3x on dining worldwide.
Also when traveling internationally, always remember to use a card with no foreign transaction fees.
Michele Lowery (@fancytravelpointers): Use Hotel Credit Cards While Staying At That Hotel
MICHELE LOWERY
The best time and place to use a hotel credit card is when you are staying at that hotel for a paid stay. Hotel credit cards often earn 5x – 15x+ points per dollar when staying at that hotel. I personally don’t advise putting every day spend on hotel cards, but using them at the actual hotel is where these cards shine in earning points.
Most hotel credit cards come with an annual fee night certificate (after year one), making hotel cards a valuable part of your overall award travel strategy.
Victor Cheng (@travelhackvic): Get 10X Points On Car Rentals With Capitol One Venture X
VICTOR CHENG
You might not need to rent a car on every trip you go on, but when you do, make sure you have Capital One Venture X in your wallet. Capital One Venture X can earn unlimited 10X miles on rental cars when you book through Capital One Travel. This will be a huge bonus whenever you need a car. Better Yet, Venture X cardholders are eligible for complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status, and you can Enroll online for the ability to skip the rental counter, choose from the widest selection of Hertz cars, and get guaranteed upgrades.
However, make sure to always compare the price of the travel portal to the other prices on the internet to make sure it’s competitive before booking.
Ryan Horn (@profitsandpoints): Charge All Hotel Expenses To The Room To Ensure Maximize Travel Reward Points
I put absolutely everything I can on a credit card, and I do so strategically by using the right credit card for the right category. When it comes to travel spend, I like to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the American Express Green Card, or the Citi Premier card because all three of these cards earn 3x points on most travel spend.
How do I make sure that I get the full 3x points out of most of my purchases when I’m traveling?
Well, if I’m staying at a hotel, I like to charge everything to the room that would otherwise maybe only earn 1-2x points. This ensures that the purchase will be coded as a travel since it’ll appear on my final hotel bill.
Adam Hill (@adamhillyeah): “Double Dip” Or Stack Rewards
ADAM HILL
This is a rule that should come with any purchases or and spend you put on your credit cards, but always try to double dip or stack rewards if possible. Anytime you are purchasing a flight, you should be crediting that flight to a specific airline rewards program.
For instance, I typically credit any One World Airline I buy a cash fare on to my American Airlines account but put in my Frequent Flier number and then pay with a card that earns the best return. Depending on the card, you could be earning 2x-5x points back. It is a great idea to do a little research on Airline Alliances and what airlines are in those groups to understand how you can fly on one airline but receive credit for another one. A great website to use is Where To Credit.
I also will typically look for excursions through Viator and I will activate my Rakuten link to earn Amex points and earn points back with the card I’m using to purchase with. This takes a little bit of research to find the best return as well as a bit of strategy for the points currency you are trying to earn.
Allison Tackette (@luckytictac): Spend Within Your Means
It’s easy to get caught up in spending more and more money to watch your points balances grow. The quicker you earn points the faster you can redeem for flights and hotels. Spend within your means just to earn points. Don’t go into debt for points and miles.
Spencer Howard (@straighttothepoints): Don’t Obsess Over Maximizing Every Purchase
Sign up for business and first-class flight alerts here. Website
SPENCER HOWARD
You don’t need to obsess over maximizing every purchase. Yes, it’s great to utilize bonus categories to earn more points on purchases, but it’s not the end of the world if you forget. Points and miles is a fun hobby that can help enhance your travel. It doesn’t need to cause you stress.
Angel Trinh (@pennywisetraveler): Use A Credit Card With Built-In Travel Protections
ANGEL TRINH
If you have any big expenses coming up, ask your friends/family to pay you back for the purchase. You can also get instant card approvals from Amex right away, so you can easily get a lot of points.
Use a credit card that has built-in in travel protections. For example, Chase Sapphire Preferred has the auto collision damage waiver, trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, baggage delay, and lost luggage.
Anytime you buy anything, remember you can layer on points and cash back. For example, for online purchases, you can get cashback/miles from a shopping portal like American Airlines or Rakuten.
If you dine at specific restaurants you can get American Airlines/Southwest/Delta points (you can get only one airline).
Thomas Lonergan (@travelliketommy): Strategize Credit Cards To Earn Points Twice
This is most lucrative spend to maximize your points earning. We want to earn points not once but twice! One from the credit card being used, the other from the hotel/airline program you are booking with!
Having elite status will amplify this significantly.
For example:
Hotels
I earn a minimum of 23.5x points per dollar when staying at Marriott hotels
10x for being a base member
7.5x bonus for my elite status
6x by paying with my Marriott card
I earn a minimum of 34x Hilton points per dollar when staying at Hilton hotels
10x base member
10x elite status bonus
14x paying with my Amex Hilton Aspire card
Airlines
American Airlines: I earn 15x miles per dollar minimum
5x miles for base member
6x bonus miles for exec plat status
4x miles for paying with my Citi AA card
United Airlines: I earn 16x miles per dollar minimum
5x miles base member
6x miles bonus for 1k status
5x amex points when paying with my platinum card
Vivian Tu (@your.richbff): Transfer Your Points To An Airline Or Hotel Partner
Order “RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life” here.
VIVIAN TU
Don’t redeem your points directly through the credit card. Instead, transfer your points to a hotel or airline and then book your travel there. Sometimes it’s even better to transfer those points and rewards to the hotel and airline’s partners. For example, One World United is an airline “class” for American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qatar, Fiji Airways, etc. and it can be cheaper to transfer your points to a transfer partner than booking directly through American Airlines.
One World United is partnered with American Airlines
Angelo Minella (@paidwithpoints): Make Sure The Credit Card You’re Using Has Zero Foreign Transaction Fees
ANGELO MINELLA
When it comes to using a credit card overseas the biggest tip is to make sure you use a card that has zero foreign transaction fees. I also like to bring my travel wallet which consists of more cards than my daily driver wallet.
This travel wallet holds any relevant cards that I may need for lounge access or airline/hotel spend that I don’t have in my everyday wallet that also provide more benefits and points!
Since Deonna Purrazzo was nine years old, all she’s wanted is to be was a professional wrestler. With nearly 12 years in the game, she’s had various stints across each of the major American promotions. It hasn’t always been easy for Purrazzo, but with each road block, she’s overcome adversity and come out on the other side stronger.
“It’s definitely not been easy,” Purrazzo tells Uproxx Sports ahead of her AEW Women’s World Championship match at AEW Revolution on March 3. “I struggled a few years ago to even know if I wanted to continue to wrestle.”
The ups and downs of the business had gotten to Purrazzo. What helped her bounce back was finding a group of people and developing working relationships that became productive in both her personal and professional life — a great husband, great friends, and people who wanted to see her succeed.
“I think coming out of that really uncomfortable period where I didn’t know what my next steps were and just having that core group of people around me to be like, ‘You’re good at this, put that drama aside, dig down deep and re-evaluate, because you should be doing this.’ Madison Rayne is one of those people. Britt Baker is one of those people who didn’t let me give up on this dream. And now I get to work with them on a weekly basis,” Purrazzo says. “I feel like it’s a fairy tale, really. Just where I was and where I’m at right now. I didn’t imagine it for myself four years ago.”
In 2020, Purrazzo was released from WWE and joined Impact Wrestling/TNA. She went on to become a multi-time world champion and was ready for, as she says, “that next thing that was going to propel me to the next level.” She determined it was joining AEW, and while she’s etched her place among the top wrestlers in the world, getting to join the promotion doubled as an opportunity to do something she turned down in the past.
“Back in 2018, I was supposed to be a part of the very first All In,” Purrazzo says. “I was supposed to do things like the Jericho Cruise, and I chose a different path. So, this time around, I wanted to kind of right those wrongs, and do something that I never thought would be possible, and that was coming to AEW. So to have that opportunity presented to me meant the world.”
Purrazzo says there’s been an adjustment in joining AEW due to the scale of the promotion and the production — things like being on national television every week and having matches that get interrupted by commercial breaks are new to her.
“I don’t think people realize that I’m almost 12 years into my career, and my match with Red Velvet live on TV was nerve wracking for me because I hadn’t done that in so long,” she says. “So I think I’m just trying to reframe what professional wrestling is and how the Virtuosa translates to such a large scale has been career defining in the last month.”
Fresh out of the gates, Purrazzo has been met with a familiar face in her program with AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm. The current champ is someone Purrazzo previously lived with — up until recently, the pair had matching tattoos — and is someone she calls a bit of a “saving grace” as she joins AEW and attempts to learn a new company.
When she joined AEW, Purrazzo didn’t know how she’d be involved and certainly didn’t expect to be in the position she’s in right from the start.
“It’s a testament to Tony Khan and how highly he thought of me, and then the product Toni and I have been able to put out thereafter,” Purrazzo says about immediately jumping into a rivalry with Storm.
Purrazzo says she’s been nervous since the day her match with Storm was announced for the upcoming AEW Revolution pay-per-view in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“I think that’s probably one of the largest crowds I’ve ever wrestled in front of up until this point,” Purrazzo says. “Just to have that all culminate, Sting’s last match, we’re in Greensboro, the Coliseum. I am just elated. This is such a huge moment for me, and so many new eyes on me throughout the last few months. Going out there and having an absolute killer match with Toni for the AEW Women’s World Championship is going to help continue to redefine who the Virtuosa is.”
Regardless of what happens in Greensboro, the future is bright for AEW’s women’s division.
Purrazzo is joining AEW in what can be seen as a turning point year for the promotion. She points to rising stars like Queen Aminata as an exciting opponent in the future. There’s first-time matchups like mixing it up with the returning Jamie Hayter, Saraya, Ruby Soho, and so many other women she’s never gotten in the ring with.
And then, there’s the “dream match” after the heavily-expected debut of Mercedes Moné.
“There’s never been a real opportunity for it to happen, so like you said, nothing’s been announced, nothing’s been set in stone, but just that possibility would be very, very cool,” Purrazzo says. “I think to have someone like Mercedes, with all of her accomplishments, and everything she’s done for women’s wrestling across the board would help continue to redefine our AEW women’s division.”
Alan Ritchson and Hilary Swank stopped by The View this week where the two actors promoted their new movie, Ordinary Angels. However, their interview went viral for an entirely different reason. The Reacher star made the panel all hot and bothered with his tale of chasing down a thief in Montreal while on a date with his wife. Turns out, his co-star also did some amateur crime-fighting.
Shortly after Ritchson recalled his real-life tussle with a thief, Swank opened up about chasing down a robber in Paris. According to Sky News, the incident happened in 2013, and Swank was determined to catch the guy.
“I was living in Paris, I got robbed and I chased the guy down too,” she told The View panel. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna get my bag, I just need my passport. Give me my passport!’”
Ritchson jumped in as his costar told the story, too, adding, “The craziest part is it wasn’t like somebody – she wasn’t like, ‘I think that guy’s doing something wrong.’ She was in the vehicle and the guy smashed her window out. And chased him.”
Swank was in heeled boots while it happened, she said, and laughed as co-host Whoopi Goldberg joked, “You know how long it takes to get a passport?”
The Oscar winner said her passport at the time “was nice and thick and I’d added pages with all the places that I’d ever traveled. I was like, this is so meaningful.”
Despite her dogged pursuit, Swank never caught up with the guy. Although, she did tease that there was more to the harrowing story that she’ll share during her next visit to The View.
Ordinary Angels arrives in theaters on February 22.
If you’d told me 15 years ago that Jelly Roll, the Nashville rapper who functioned as kind of a mascot of sorts for other Tennessean rap crews like Three 6 Mafia and 8ball & MJG, would be a household name after making the switch to country… well, I’d probably believe you, but I would’ve been floored all the same. And yet, that’s what happened; after making a post-pandemic transition to country, he’s spent the last few years all over television and awards shows, not to mention topping the US rock chart with his 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel.
Now, he’ll be taking his countrified stylings on the road with the Beautifiully Broken Tour in August. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, March 1 at 10 a.m. local time. Before that, there will be two presales: one for Citi cardholders beginning on Monday, February 26, and another for fans who sign up on his website on Tuesday, February 27. You can find more information here. See below for the full schedule of tour dates.
Jelly Roll 2024 Tour Dates: Beautifully Broken Tour
08/27 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
08/28 — Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center
08/30 — Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
08/31 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
09/01 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
09/03 — San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
09/04 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
09/06 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
09/07 — Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
09/09 — El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
09/11 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
09/13 — Lafayette, LA @ CAJUNDOME
09/14 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
09/17 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
09/19 — Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum
09/20 — Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
09/21 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
09/24 — Albany, NY @ MVP Arena
09/26 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
09/27 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/28 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
09/29 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
10/01 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
10/02 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
10/05 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
10/06 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
10/09 — Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
10/11 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/12 — Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
10/15 — Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
10/18 — Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
10/20 — Bossier City, LA @ Brookshire Grocery Arena
10/22 — Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena
10/23 — St Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
10/25 — Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
10/26 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/27 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Did a rough day for technology just get even worse? Earlier today, a man named Chris Bakke wrote on X, “I’m the SVP of Product at Google ($28.8M TC). Last night, [Google CEO Sundar Pichai] asked me to ‘fire the entire Gemini team.’ I misread his message (insanely bad service at my 7br 11bath cabin in Park City) and I accidentally fired the entire Gmail team. Gmail…Gemini.” He added, “Anyway, I’m rolling with the decision. Gmail’s gone.”
Bakke then shared a lengthy screenshot of an email to Gmail users. It reads:
We are reaching out to share an important update about Gmail. After years of connecting millions worldwide, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the journey of Gmail is coming to a close. As of August 1, 2024, Gmail will officially be sunsetted, marking the end of its service. This means that as of this date, Gmail will no longer support sending, receiving, or storing emails.
Is Gmail going the way of Hotmail? Uh, no. Bakke is not the “SVP of Product at Google.” He’s an Elon Musk-approved“notorious shi*poster,” who, according to Business Insider, once used “a photoshopped news article about McDonald’s Hamburglar to make fun of the New York Times‘ profile of Elizabeth Holmes, the Theranos founder sentenced to over 11 years in prison.” Your Gmail is fine (but it’s still a good idea to back up your emails).
A screenshot purporting that Google is shutting down Gmail is going viral. But is it real? pic.twitter.com/ApJpCW7enq
If you were playing any Fortnite Festival last weekend, odds are you had seen The Weeknd, Madonna, and Playboi Carti’s new video for “Popular,” as it debuted exclusively on the platform and was available to watch from February 15 to 18. If you’re not a gamer but would still like to see the clip, though, they’ve given the visual a wider release and it’s available on YouTube as of today, February 22.
It’s a video that shows off the high life, as the three artists find themselves performing and flexing in a gorgeous castle environment.
The tune is a relic from the era of The Idol, The Weeknd’s 2023 HBO show that ultimately kicked the bucket after a short and controversial run. The song was intended for The Idol, but while it was initially shared and promoted in association with the show, it ultimately never ended up on any of the show’s soundtrack releases.
The Weeknd previously said of the song, “I’m proud of it. I’m definitely proud of it. Me and Carti had this… I mean, we’ve jammed out before. We’ve had a different version of this song prior. So I’ve had these vocals for a while and I’ve kind of just worked around it, and then kind of kept it in the tuck. But now it felt like it was time. It was time. And it felt right and it felt cohesive with this album that I’m working on right now. Or that I just actually finished. The Idol soundtrack, yeah. And so I’ve been producing the song for a while. And then Madonna, Madge. She’s the ultimate co-sign for this song, for this album, and for this TV show. And you’ll hear more of her in the show as well, too. She is the ultimate pop star.”
Bad Bunny started his Most Wanted Tour last night in Salt Lake City, Utah, and he kicked it off in style. The theme for the tour takes inspiration from the American Old West — i.e. “wanted” posters and t-shirts with bull rider designs on them — so, fittingly, he entered the arena in true cowboy fashion, riding a horse up to the lane leading to the stage. Check out the video below.
Now that the tour has officially gotten underway, fans can check out the setlist here, and questions like “How long is the concert” and “When does Bad Bunny start the show” have been answered. You can also see all the remaining tour dates below.
Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour Dates
02/23/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
02/24/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
02/27/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
02/28/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
03/01/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
03/02/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
03/05/2024 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
03/07/2024 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
03/09/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
03/13/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
03/14/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
03/15/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
03/20/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
03/23/2024 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
03/26/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
03/28/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
03/29/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
03/30/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
04/04/2024 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
04/06/2024 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
04/09/2024 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
04/11/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
04/12/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
04/13/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
04/17/2024 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
04/19/2024 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
04/20/2024 — Hartford, CT @ XL Center
04/22/2024 — Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
04/24/2024 — Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
04/26/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/27/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/30/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
05/01/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
05/03/2024 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
05/04/2024 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
05/07/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
05/10/2024 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
05/11/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
05/14/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
05/15/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
05/17/2024 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
05/18/2024 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
05/21/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
05/24/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
05/25/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
05/26/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
Freshly minted late-night host Taylor Tomlinson is back with another standup special at Netflix. This one covers dream job, love, and anxiety, which… yeah. That seems pretty relatable. Looks like a fun little weekend watch.
Netflix’s reigning rom-com queen Gina Rodriguez is back at it. This one kind of flips things on its head, though. Now it’s the ladies who are out partying and having one-night stands with no intention of settling down. At first. Will there be a twist? Maybe a meet-cute that makes our main character question everything they’ve believed to that point in their life?
The fourth season of this NatGeo series focuses on Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and will, as per the promotional materials “explore the formative years, where they were molded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices, and their rich, parallel stories as they shaped their identities and became the change they wished to see in the world.” Which sounds cool and informative and like everything television can be. The trick is making it work. Worth diving in to check it out.
17. The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy (Prime Video)
PRIME
High-stakes alien adventure and future medicine smush together in a star-studded animated comedy from Amazon about a pair of renegade doctors, their hospital, and their patients. Featuring the voice talents of Natasha Lyonne, Stephanie Hsu, Keke Palmer, and Kieran Culkin, the show is the kind of place where the line, “I will now sing my planet’s song of orgasmic death” seems right at home. If you’re a fan of Rick And Morty or Star Trek: Lower Decks looking for your fix, this might be one to check out.
Let’s go straight to Prime Video’s official description for this one: “This Is Me…Now is like nothing you’ve ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven, cinematic original which showcases her journey to love through her own eyes.”
Hmm. As long as it features a minimum of 20 visits to Dunkin’ with her longtime partner Ben Affleck, we can support this.
Tom Hollander (not Tom Holland) stars in Ryan Murphy’s latest FX creation that’s already dubbed itself the tale of the “Original Housewives of New York.” Hollander plays Truman Capote (yes, that Truman Capote) a writer with a standing invitation to the brunch table of New York’s wealthiest women. He trades on his status as their confidante, writing a book about the scandals and secrets harbored within their Upper East Side brownstones which leads to an all-out society war that no one escapes unscathed. Come for the clothes, stay for the drama and the veteran actresses like Demi Moore, Calista Flockhart, and Naomi Watts who make this thing so deliciously messy.
Paul Giamatti is picking up awards left and right for his performance in Alexander Payne’s latest film, which is great. For Paul Giamatti. But also for us. Like, as a society. Look at this: “A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.”
Our official position here is twofold: one, we support anything where Paul Giamatti gets to be curmudgeonly; two, we love to see Paul Giamatti thrive. This checks both boxes.
Greta Gerwig’s massive summer blockbuster hits streaming. There’s not much to say that hasn’t been said. It’s wickedly smart and funny and sly. It’s much weirder than people expected, in the best ways possible. Margot Robbie is incredible as Barbie, providing layers of depth to a character who has rarely before had more than one. Ryan Gosling is a delight as the deeply confused Ken who is watching his simple little world crumble around him. There are cameos galore and touching moments and belly laughs. If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time. If you have, well, now’s the time to watch it again. This one is worth a rewatch. Or two. Or five. How you spend your time is your business.
Two important things to know here. The first is that the premise of it all, summarized by Apple as “the story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga, navigate the horrors of World War II and launch modern fashion,” sounds interesting.
The second is that the cast is straight-up loaded. Ben Mendelsohn, Maissie Williams, John Malkovich, etc. They really went all out on this one. That’s commendable.
Here’s a stellar Band Of Brothers followup from Steven Spielberg (Amblin Television) in conjunction with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman (Playtone). This new series is based upon Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name about the “Bloody Hundredth,” i.e. the 100th Bomb Group, who risked everything they had to conduct bombing raids upon Nazi Germany. Austin Butler dropped his Elvis voice to portray a U.S. major alongside Callum Turner. There’s a “Buck” and a “Bucky” in the character list, and there’s also the ever-present Barry Keoghan joining in the camaraderie while the U.S. carries out perilous missions to take down Hitler’s Third Reich. It’s an adventure-filled yet harrowing viewing experience but fully worth the ride.
Yes, there’s been a live-action adaptation of this IP already. And yes, people overwhelmingly prefer the Nickelodeon animated series, but here is another reimagining that will hopefully make everyone forget about that M. Night Shyamalan project. The setup will be familiar, of course. The story takes place in a world where the four nations (represented by the elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air) no longer live in harmony. Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads, and one young Air Nomad (Aang) must now ascend to his rightful ruling position and restore peace between the elements and realms. The Fire Nation is very angry, however, so watch out, Aang and friends.
Pablo Schreiber is back as Master Chief, and if he has any say in the matter, there won’t be Sexy Master Chief on display this season. Officially, he will be fretting about the changing tide of his war and how to prepare for what he believes is an imminent attack by the Covenant on the most valuable stronghold known to mankind. Can he finally find the Halo, which will either help humanity survive or kill it off forever? So much pressure! Yeah, please don’t have him wasting time getting down and dirty this season.
24 years, 12 seasons, and countless social assassinations; Curb Your Enthusiasm is set to begin its end, promising a season filled with familiar faces (Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, Cheryl Hines, Vince Vaughn, JB Smoove) and misanthropic delights as Larry David readies to walk off into the sunset so he can strangle more muppets or do whatever else he does when he isn’t kvetching about required niceties and other peccadilloes. Whether this season will be funny is not in question. Whether Larry’s “character” makes it out alive is.
No streaming service is doing sci-fi quite like Apple TV+ and this entry into the genre continues that winning streak. Starring Noomi Rapace as an astronaut who survives a disaster in space only to return to a slightly off-kilter existence on Earth, Constellation is the kind of mind-melding thriller that sparks those most philosophical of questions: What? Why? Huh? More timeline hopping, government conspiracies, a truly fed-up Jonathan Banks, and some exquisitely directed Scandinavian night shots elevate the central mystery propelling most of the action here, as does Rapace who plays a woman on the brink in the most heartbreaking of ways.
Here comes “the Godmother” of cocaine. Original Narcos co-creator Doug Miro and Narcos: Mexico executive producer Eric Newman team up to tell the story of Colombian drug cartel leader Griselda Blanco, a prolific cocaine trafficker as portrayed by Sofia Vergara. We haven’t seen the Modern Family star get dramatic on TV yet, so this series should attract eyeballs for more reasons than one. Griselda reigned in Miami in the 1970-’80s, and her tour of terror included operating under 20 aliases, moving hundreds of kilos per month, and ordering dozens of murders.
Rick Grimes has been missing from TV screens for a handful of years and in The Walking Dead timeline for over a decade. Now, Michonne is about to save his ass and hopefully torch the CRM while she’s at it. Too much? Nah, this franchise went off the rails a long time ago, and that’s part of the fun. This spinoff ends up being a worthy love story within the parameters of this world, and existing viewers will adore it. Meanwhile, Daryl is still in France, now with added Carol, so they won’t be reinforcements for the “Save Rick” cause, but we can hope for a reunion.
Did we really need a reimagining of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie? Watch the first few episodes, and you might agree that this effort was not wasted. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine pick up as assassins who happen to be paired together (and “married”), and you aren’t ready for the rollicking, madcap, action-packed set of missions that they must complete (or else?). Even better: John and Jane Smith’s onscreen relationship is as much of daredevil stunt as the action scenes.
School’s back in session at Abbott Elementary and the show has made some big changes after the romantic cliffhanger that ended season two. Janine has a new job (and a new love interest), Gregory’s struggling to move on, Josh Segarra from The Other Two is auditing classrooms, and Ava Coleman is a Harvard (adjacent) graduate. Lord help Mrs. Howard. After a longer-than-expected hiatus it’s nice to see the Emmy-winning comedy reinventing itself instead of resting on its laurels, but don’t worry, there are plenty of Janelle James one-liners and Tyler James Williams pans to camera to keep things comfortably familiar.
Bottoms is a screwball comedy about two gay teenage girls who start a high school fight club as a ploy to hook up with their cheerleader crushes. Ayo Edebiri is in it. So is Marshawn Lynch. There are acts of vandalism set to 80s bangers and football players in cages and none of it makes any sense but it’s absolutely worth just rolling with it.
This one is a blast. And it’s streaming on the same website you bought your coffee maker on. The future is kind of wild.
With this historical biopic, Christopher Nolan unknowingly created an atomic amuse-bouche for a double-feature blockbuster viewing experience that saved cinema last year. But, watching Cillian Murphy’s cheekbones cut glass as he chain-smokes his way to becoming Death, Destroyer of Worlds for three-plus hours is just as much fun at home as it was in a packed movie theater. Sporting a packed line-up of A-list talent (hello future Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr.), a bone-rattling score, and some clever monochromatic cinematography to distinguish between its multiple timelines, Oppenheimer has more than earned its place on every nominations list this awards season. Now, go enjoy it in the way Nolan intended – streaming on Peacock.
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