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It’s tough finding a new movie the whole family can watch together during the holidays. Or, at least it usually is. The Holdovers is literally a Christmas movie, in that it’s set during the holidays, but it’s also a good movie to watch on Christmas. For starters, it’s got Paul Giamatti, and everyone loves Paul Giamatti (even in action figure form). Also, The Holdovers is salty but sweet, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa give terrific performances.

Unfortunately, a lot of people did not watch The Holdovers with the family this Christmas. Or Barbie, or The Color Purple, or Godzilla Minus One, or any movie that doesn’t feature a scene where Barry Keoghan enjoys “boy dinner.”

Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn was a popular watch this Christmas. Makes sense: it’s streaming on Amazon Prime Video and there’s been enough year-end excitement surrounding the film that a lot of people were wondering what the buzz was about. But based on reactions on social media, that curiosity about Saltburn quickly turned into regret over its “strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout, some disturbing violent content, and drug use.” But mostly, the first two.

Margot Robbie tried to warn us.

But y’all didn’t listen.

If you want to get really weird, show your folks Poor Things.

Beyoncé’s childhood home in Houston caught fire on Christmas Day morning, with the flames reaching the second story at about 2 a.m., according to ABC 13.

“They did a great job,” the Fire District Chief Justin Barnes told the outlet. “I’m going to say in less than 10 minutes, we had a really good grip on this fire.”

Although Beyoncé’s family hasn’t been living in the house anymore, as they moved out years ago, it still is a sentimental part for her. The fire’s cause is still being investigated, but the family who was living there was able to get out safely.

Over the past few years, the pop star has routinely given back to her home state and city. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas back in 2017, she helped those affected and handed out food at her local church. In her recent Renaissance Tour movie, Beyoncé also went on a tour of her childhood spots while she was performing in Houston — where she brought out Megan Thee Stallion.

“This today is a celebration of survival,” she said in 2017, according to Rolling Stone. “Y’all are my family. Houston is my home. I thank God that y’all are safe, that your children are safe. The things that really matter are your health and your children, and your family and your life.”

Jeffrey Wright has been receiving acclaim for his latest film American Fiction, based on the 2001 novel Erasure. The movie follows Wright as an English professor who is fed up with racial stereotypes in American novels and decides to angrily write his own book using those same outlandish stereotypes… and it ends up becoming a best seller. And that’s why it’s called American Fiction!

The movie also stars Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Erika Alexander. Wright has been called an “absolute triumph” in the role, so it’s a must-watch for anyone who has been anxiously following Wright’s acting career since 2000’s Shaft remake.

While American Fiction is not yet streaming, it will eventually be available on Prime since it’s an Amazon MGM film. Past Amazon MGM films have historically shown up on the streamer within two weeks of the initial release, but American Fiction did get a wide release last week, so it seems to be doing pretty well in theaters and might stay there for a while.

However, you can add the movie to your watchlist on Amazon Prime so it will show up there when it lands on the streamer. It’ll be a fun little surprise whenever it happens! Until then, you’ll have to check out the movie in theaters.

In recent years, the representation of marginalized communities on-screen has allowed for more diverse storytelling. On nearly every channel or streaming platform, viewers can enjoy films and shows featuring strong LGBTQ+ characters within the realms of romantic comedies, corporate dramas, and hedonistic erotica. LGBTQ+ media has certainly come a long way from being almost exclusively focused on traumatic stories about rejection by families, death by governmental negligence, or domestic abuse. But while we have cozier, happier stories now, tales of the in-between are necessary.

Positive representation of LGBTQ+ characters has proven transformative within the landscape of film and television, but at any age, navigating queer life can be messy, and at times, soul-crushing. And with messy characters on-screen, viewers find themselves empathizing and relating with these characters and their journeys. Flawed representation is equally as important as idealized representation.

The 2020s, so far, have been the era of the messy queer, as many recent films remind us that at any age, LGBTQ+ life doesn’t get any easier. In Bottoms, which had its wide release this past summer, queer best friends Josie (Ayo Edebiri) and PJ (Rachel Sennott) create a fight club at their high school to help them meet hot girls and eventually lose their virginity. While the way they go about it wasn’t exactly ideal, the plotline provides a queer mirror to the movie’s straight coming-of-age counterparts, like American Pie or Fast Times At Ridgemont High — both of which also feature storylines about losing one’s virginity.

High school, in general, is an awkward time for most — but these stories of queer youth can provide a glimmer of painfully relatable comfort. And even into adulthood, the internal battles one faces with their sexuality and identity may often manifest into less-than-favorable qualities.

This year saw Max’s The Other Two come to an end after three seasons. When we first meet the show’s Cary Dubek (Drew Tarver), he is an aspiring actor, who struggles to land long-term gigs. Over the course of the series, Cary books commercials, hosting slots on gossip shows, and, by the end of the second season, a role in a feature film (which sees numerous delays during COVID).

Cary balances his career with a competitive friendship with fellow aspiring actor Curtis (Brandon Scott Hays), as well as a monogamous relationship with Jess (Gideon Glick), the latter of which, he ends in season 2, in favor of exploring his sexuality. By season 3, we see Cary become the villain, expressing jealousy toward Curtis after he books a series role, and berating his agent when she is unable to secure him a coveted role. Having lost his best friend and made an ass of himself in front of his agent, Cary is forced to humble himself.

In an interview with Men’s Health, Tarver opened up about Cary’s journey, explaining that he felt Cary had lost his way.
“Season 3 is kind of an exercise,” said Tarver. “Can you choose yourself too much? Can you lose sight of why you started doing the thing you wanted to do at first in the hustle of it? I think he’s lost sight of what he wanted to do in the first place.”

Without spoiling the end of the series, Cary learns the age-old lesson which all queer creatives learn at some point in their lives; it’s not worth doing if it won’t make you happy.

While there’s no shortage of queer representation for millennials and Gen-Z, it’s equally necessary to showcase the journeys of individuals who come out later in life.

In HBO’s Sex And The City, Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes is an ambitious lawyer, who, despite being successful in her career, struggles to find an ideal man in New York City’s bustling dating scene. By the end of the original series, she is married to bar owner Steve Brady (David Eigenberg), with whom she shares a son.

When we’re reintroduced to Miranda in the series’ spin-off And Just Like That, she is struggling with alcoholism, dissatisfied with her marriage and family life, and finds herself entangled with non-binary comedian Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez). In season 2, which premiered this summer, we see Miranda and Che navigate a rocky summer together, as Miranda joins Che in Los Angeles to film a pilot. By the time they return to New York, Miranda is left to navigate her broken marriage to Steve, and the non-traditional dynamics that come with Miranda leaving her straight relationship and entering a queer one.

Meanwhile, Che must grapple with returning to a 9-to-5 job after their pilot tanks with a focus group. Though Miranda and Che remain fairly amicable following their eventual split, things come to a boil when Che alludes to their past relationship in one of their stand-up sets.

Since the premiere of And Just Like That, Ramirez’s character has proven polarizing among critics. The Daily Beast called Che “the worst character on TV” and “a hyperbolized, hypercringe representation of nonbinary identity.”

Ramirez has continuously defended Che and their portrayal of the character. In a New York Times interview, Ramirez expressed their gratitude toward Che, saying “We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who’s complex, who’s not here to be liked.”

As we grow older, we find that there’s no magical age in which our queer journeys become smoother. But through relatable storytelling of flawed, imperfect characters, viewers find comfort in knowing they don’t have to be aspirational or highly accomplished. They also learn that not having a traumatic backstory doesn’t make their queer journey any less valid, nor do they need such a backstory to justify the pains that come with navigating LGBTQ+ life. Through these messy characters, we learn that simply being human is enough.

A new post is going viral online after the woman who appears on the cover of Childish Gambino‘s Awaken, My Love album claimed that she and her team never received the residuals they were promised. Here’s what to know about who she is, and the situation that reportedly happened.

Who Is On Childish Gambino’s Awaken, My Love Album Cover?

The model who appears on the album cover is Giannina Otero, who reportedly recently made a Facebook post about Gambino’s handling of the situation.

“We received low pay but were promised residuals but never received anything,” she said. “The only person who received residuals was a white woman who created the headpiece even though she was not on set to work on this (but she also deserves it).”

“After years of lies and silence then finding out statute of limitation complications… it’s been an exhausting, emotional, and overall sad thing to deal with,” Otero added. “So it took so much from me especially the fact that we all worked on it with so much love and being proud to represent black artists. All of my lawyers’ communications have been ignored by the artist and his team.”

The post also included a photo of Otero posing with a copy of the record. She made note that while she is proud of being on the cover, she also had a lot of complicated feelings and trouble celebrating the album.

Check out a copy of her post below.

The new movie adaption of The Color Purple Broadway musical hit theaters yesterday, and now that it’s out, fans on social media have been wondering whether star singer Ciara has a role in the film. The film stars singers like Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey, HER (credited under her real name, Gabriela Wilson), and Jon Batiste, and with Ciara showing up at the premiere in Los Angeles earlier this month (just before her fourth child was born), it’s only natural to wonder whether she’s also in the movie.

Of course, the answer could be considered a spoiler, so if you haven’t seen it and want to go in fresh, feel free to bookmark and come back later. For those who have seen the film or just want to know ahead of time, read on.

Ciara does appear in the film, but only for a few minutes at the end, when she plays the role of Nettie Johnson, recently returned from Africa to reunite with her sister Celie (played by Fantasia). Ciara’s character is the older version of Halle Bailey’s; when we last see Bailey in the role, she’s run off the farm owned by her sister’s new husband, promising to write her every week.

Unfortunately, for a multitude of reasons, she’s kept from seeing Celie until both are much older. Ciara participates in the finale number, “The Color Purple,” along with the rest of the ensemble.

The Color Purple is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Donald Trump‘s annual Christmas message on Truth Social started festive enough. “Merry Christmas to all…” he wrote. That’s nice! Maybe he was visited by ghosts the night before and learned about the true meaning of Christmas. Certainly the rest of the sentence is just as festive: “…including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith, the out of control Lunatic who just hired outside attorneys, fresh from the SWAMP (unprecedented!), to help him with his poorly executed WITCH HUNT against ‘TRUMP’ and ‘MAGA.’”

Where’s Marley and Marley when you need them?

Trump continued, “Included also are World Leaders, both good and bad, but none of which are as evil and ‘sick’ as the THUGS we have inside our Country who, with their Open Borders, INFLATION, Afghanistan Surrender, Green New Scam, High Taxes, No Energy Independence, Woke Military, Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Iran, All Electric Car Lunacy, and so much more, are looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

“MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS” is no “I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th,” but it’s close.

Meanwhile, here’s how the Bidens spent Christmas.

Will “ROT IN HELL” catch on as the new “merry Christmas”? We’ll find out.

(Via Truth Social/Donald Trump)

The Color Purple is the latest musical adaptation to hit theaters this holiday season (not to be confused with another purple-related musical). Based on the Alice Walker novel of the same name, The Color Purple tells the coming-of-age story of a young woman named Celie Harris, played by Fantasia Barrino, in the American South during the early 20th century.

The star-studded cast includes Ciara, Halle Bailey, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, H.E.R., Corey Hawkins, David Alan Grier, Jon Batiste and an impressive soundtrack.

This adaptation will include songs from the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, which ran from 2005 to 2008, and then returned in 2015 until 2017. Fans of the long-running musical will no doubt want to watch the movie from home this time of year, but they will have to wait a little longer.

Being a Warner Bros. production, the movie will definitely stream on Max, though it might be some time. Other WB films have been appearing on the streamer three months after the initial release, so The Color Purple should be available from home sometime in the spring of 2024.

For now, you’ll have to head to the theaters in order to see that show-stopping rendition of “I’m Here.” Or check out the 1985 adaptation, which is currently streaming on Max.

Guess what, guys. Kanye West learned his lesson. No, for real this time. You can totally tell because he addressed his apology in Hebrew script on Instagram. It probably has nothing to do with that album he’s been promoting (and failing to release), Vultures. He’s really sorry for all those horrible things he said about Jewish people… honest!

Insert fart noise here.

Look, we’re far past the point where the people who want to support Kanye are going to be moved either way, and those of us who rightly want him held accountable probably won’t be interested in hearing what he has to say. But there are still plenty of companies with whom he probably wishes to do business and despite seemingly shrugging off the loss of huge corporate interests like Adidas and Gap, Kanye still needs venues to perform at and someone to help him sell music. I find it hard to believe it’s a coincidence that he’s issuing his first apology after struggling to find a distributor for Vultures or book a tour for it.

On his recently restored Instagram, he posted a lengthy statement in Hebrew, translated by Rolling Stone, that reads:

I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any ‘unintended outburst’ caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.

Among the things he’s said were the initial tweet that kicked it all off (“I am going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE”), appearing on right-wing conservative shows to parrot antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish people running the world, and as recently as early this month, rapping on a Vultures track, “How I’m antisemitic, I just f*cked a Jewish bitch,” amid other off-the-cuff musings during his two listening sessions.

Yeah, he definitely means it this time.

Earlier this month, Mayim Bialik shockingly revealed that she’ll no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!. According to Bialik, the decision was made by Sony, and she ended the announcement with a gracious note on Instagram.

“For all of you who have supported me through this incredible journey and to the fans, contestants, writers, staff and crew of America’s Favorite Quiz Show, thank you,” Bialik wrote.

Now Ken Jennings is offering his thoughts on Bialik’s exit. The two emerged as a seemingly stable solution to the scandal-ridden chaos that emerged in the search for a successor to the late Alex Trebek.

“It took me off guard, because I loved working with my Mayim and I’m gonna miss her,” Jennings told The Hollywood Reporter. “I can’t speak to her decision-making process or her opinions about it. But on my end, I’m just a fan of Jeopardy! and I’m always delighted to host when they call upon me.”

Jennings is no doubt referring to the uncertainty of whether Bialik will still serve as the host of Celebrity Jeopardy!, which she abstained from hosting during the writers strike. That move may have caused animosity behind the scenes, leading to her ouster. If Bialik is not returning, Jennings has been filling in on Celebrity Jeopardy! and loved the experience.

“Even if people love regular Jeopardy! for its reliability, and its stability, this is a version of Jeopardy! where anything can happen,” Jennings told THR. “And that’s kind of fun to take this format that you’ve seen every night for 40 years and kind of tweak it, and the contestants are looser, they’re having a little more fun.”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)