We’ve written a lot about The Muppet Christmas Carol here at Uproxx Dot Com. We called it “the best Christmas movie” (no offense to my colleague, but it’s a two-way tie between The Muppet Christmas Carol and Gremlins). We interviewed director Brian Henson. We even told you how to watch the “lost” cut of the film. And now I’m here to inform you where you can watch The Muppet Christmas Carol this holiday season. Or in July. It’s good year-round.
The Muppets are the stars of The Muppet Christmas Carol, obviously, but the Charles Dickens adaptation — witg Gonzo as Dickens and Rizzo the Rat as himself — wouldn’t work without its human lead, Michael Caine. Henson told us about casting the two-time Oscar winner as Ebenezer Scrooge.
“As we put Gonzo in as the narrator, as it started coming together, we were thinking, ‘No, you know what? This really becomes an opportunity for a great actor to do their Ebenezer Scrooge.’ We kind of went in that direction in the casting,” he explained. “We thought, ‘Who is a mature and highly respected actor that deserves their turn as Scrooge?’ That brought us to Michael.”
Henson added, “Michael is the first person we offered the role to. We didn’t offer it to anybody else first.” This Christmas, all I want is to watch Michael Caine dance with a giant Muppet (merry Christmas to me).
The film is currently sitting at 19% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics are not enjoying Snyder’s attempt at space opera that is heavy on stylistic choices, but completely empty when it comes to story and characters. Plus it overly apes Star Wars to the point where some reviews are blasting Rebel Moon as an example of AI screenwriting.
“Rebel Moon” isn’t based on anything; it’s a complete original. Yet in another sense it’s based on about twelve things. It’s “Stars Wars” meets “Guardians of the Galaxy” meets “The Lord of the Rings” meets “Black Panther,” all smelted down and reduced to a highly edible sauce of overfamiliar tropes, minus any semblance of a sense of humor. Movies this derivative, in my view, are inherently uncool, but you could argue that what’s almost cool about “Rebel Moon” is that it’s so unabashedly a gloss on only the 1977 “Star Wars.”
Snyder never met a superhero team roundup he didn’t love, and although he’s put aside capes and spandex for rugged galactic garb, the screenplay he co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten plays like the result of someone feeding Seven Samurai and Star Wars into AI scriptwriting software.
Snyder lacks the skill to establish meaningful relationships between any of the five zillion different elements he’s borrowed from better films, and he lacks the imagination to inject even a single one of them with a lifeforce of its own. The result is (the first half of) a singularly torturous slog that tries — and fails, and fails, and fails again for 134 minutes of agonizing tedium that are only interrupted by the occasional jolt of sadness for the wasted talent of everyone involved — to distill an iota of creative value from pre-existing images that never seemed worthless until Snyder tried to make them unique. It’s the cinematic equivalent of an NFT.
The storytelling is linear and, at times, tediously predictable. The characters lack depth and undergo little development, making it difficult for the audience to invest emotionally in their journey. The film’s reliance on slow motion, a stylistic hallmark of Snyder’s earlier works, feels antiquated and distracting. Rather than enhancing the action sequences, it often serves to obscure them, suggesting an attempt to mask possible flaws in direction and choreography.
In film school, some professors use the familiar example of Star Wars to teach Campbellian mythmaking, the theories that identify and codify the narrative units re-contextualized since Grecian times. Snyder demonstrates a clear fluency in these concepts with his classically minded scripting, except he forgot the part where the archetypes are meant to be refreshed through novel contexts.
Snyder just heaps in other influences, ranging from the spear-versus-spaceship play of Avatar to the names in Legend of Korra to the fashion of Vampire Hunter D and the psycho-sexual tube-play of 1984’s Dune. And while the too-muchness of all that might have made for an exciting and rich pastiche, there’s so little connective tissue between these things that Snyder’s vision instead feels like a lazy collage, stealing from richer, original genre works.
Rebel Moon is recognisably the work of the man who directed 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel and Justice League, and so, compared to the authorised Star Wars films, it has more blood, more swearing, more semi-nudity and more threats of sexual assault. There are more lens flares, more slow-motion action sequences, more shades of brown in the murky colour palette, and a lot more clumsy, expository speeches.
As usual, Snyder doesn’t seem to care about these characters so much as he likes their style guide features, like their cleavage, their haircuts, and their hard-stressed accents. Some actors, like Hunnam and Stoll, dig in with both hands, but not everyone fares as well with dialogue that never stops expositing even as matte-painting replica landscape shots threaten to swallow up whoever’s pushing the plot this time around.
It would be great to report that the first installment, Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire, heralded a bold new sci-fi epic storming onto the scene. But everyone but the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut fanboys would be better off immediately ejecting this turgid whimper of a movie into the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire starts streaming December 22 on Netflix.
The film is currently sitting at 19% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics are not enjoying Snyder’s attempt at space opera that is heavy on stylistic choices, but completely empty when it comes to story and characters. Plus it overly apes Star Wars to the point where some reviews are blasting Rebel Moon as an example of AI screenwriting.
“Rebel Moon” isn’t based on anything; it’s a complete original. Yet in another sense it’s based on about twelve things. It’s “Stars Wars” meets “Guardians of the Galaxy” meets “The Lord of the Rings” meets “Black Panther,” all smelted down and reduced to a highly edible sauce of overfamiliar tropes, minus any semblance of a sense of humor. Movies this derivative, in my view, are inherently uncool, but you could argue that what’s almost cool about “Rebel Moon” is that it’s so unabashedly a gloss on only the 1977 “Star Wars.”
Snyder never met a superhero team roundup he didn’t love, and although he’s put aside capes and spandex for rugged galactic garb, the screenplay he co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten plays like the result of someone feeding Seven Samurai and Star Wars into AI scriptwriting software.
Snyder lacks the skill to establish meaningful relationships between any of the five zillion different elements he’s borrowed from better films, and he lacks the imagination to inject even a single one of them with a lifeforce of its own. The result is (the first half of) a singularly torturous slog that tries — and fails, and fails, and fails again for 134 minutes of agonizing tedium that are only interrupted by the occasional jolt of sadness for the wasted talent of everyone involved — to distill an iota of creative value from pre-existing images that never seemed worthless until Snyder tried to make them unique. It’s the cinematic equivalent of an NFT.
The storytelling is linear and, at times, tediously predictable. The characters lack depth and undergo little development, making it difficult for the audience to invest emotionally in their journey. The film’s reliance on slow motion, a stylistic hallmark of Snyder’s earlier works, feels antiquated and distracting. Rather than enhancing the action sequences, it often serves to obscure them, suggesting an attempt to mask possible flaws in direction and choreography.
In film school, some professors use the familiar example of Star Wars to teach Campbellian mythmaking, the theories that identify and codify the narrative units re-contextualized since Grecian times. Snyder demonstrates a clear fluency in these concepts with his classically minded scripting, except he forgot the part where the archetypes are meant to be refreshed through novel contexts.
Snyder just heaps in other influences, ranging from the spear-versus-spaceship play of Avatar to the names in Legend of Korra to the fashion of Vampire Hunter D and the psycho-sexual tube-play of 1984’s Dune. And while the too-muchness of all that might have made for an exciting and rich pastiche, there’s so little connective tissue between these things that Snyder’s vision instead feels like a lazy collage, stealing from richer, original genre works.
Rebel Moon is recognisably the work of the man who directed 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel and Justice League, and so, compared to the authorised Star Wars films, it has more blood, more swearing, more semi-nudity and more threats of sexual assault. There are more lens flares, more slow-motion action sequences, more shades of brown in the murky colour palette, and a lot more clumsy, expository speeches.
As usual, Snyder doesn’t seem to care about these characters so much as he likes their style guide features, like their cleavage, their haircuts, and their hard-stressed accents. Some actors, like Hunnam and Stoll, dig in with both hands, but not everyone fares as well with dialogue that never stops expositing even as matte-painting replica landscape shots threaten to swallow up whoever’s pushing the plot this time around.
It would be great to report that the first installment, Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire, heralded a bold new sci-fi epic storming onto the scene. But everyone but the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut fanboys would be better off immediately ejecting this turgid whimper of a movie into the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire starts streaming December 22 on Netflix.
2023 was an absolutely incredible year for game releases. In your average year, you might get a handful of games that are agreed upon by the consensus that everyone needs to play. This year, it felt like there were three or four of those per month. So when it came time to decide what the best games were from the past year, this lone selector was suddenly overcome with guilt. Games like Alan Wake 2, Mario Wonder, Sea of Stars, and Final Fantasy 16 all just missed the cut. Any of these could be a Game of the Year contender in your average year, but unfortunately in 2023, they are among the many that did not make the final list. These are, in this lone selector’s opinion, the five best games of 2023, starting with out Game of the Year pick.
GOTY: Street Fighter 6
Deciding the GOTY every year is hard, but this year in particular was difficult with so many worthwhile contenders. With so many games having such a great case it really came down to one factor that separated Street Fighter 6 ahead of everyone else. No game that came out this year has a greater respect for not only its hardcore audience but its casual one as well. There are so many different ways you can play Street Fighter 6 from the Battle Hub, full of arcade machines and created player characters, to the Fighting Ground where those looking to become the best of the best sink the majority of their hours.
The best mode though has to be the World Tour where players undergo a grand quest with their own original Street Fighter character. This mode is a blast. Not only does it let you create an extremely powerful character that is unique to you, but the option to get into a street fight with quite literally any random passerby is a total delight. Hot dog vendor? They want to throw hands. Random old lady on the street? You best know they want the smoke. Not only does this encourage players to fight anyone they see, but it’s a really fun way to grind out the mechanics of the game and get better at Street Fighter 6 naturally. Of course, you can always just force your way through everything, learn nothing about fighting games, and watch credits with a smile on your face.
Street Fighter 6 invites the player to go deeper into its mechanics by choice, not by necessity, and that decision is leading to many players diving deep into a fighting game like they never have before. It’s a wonderful thing, and it’s this decision that allows Street Fighter 6 to earn the title of Game of the Year. See you in the fighting grounds.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man was great. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was more of the same in a good way. So with the sequel there was one big question: How are they going to top or match what they did previously? For Insomniac that was simple — take what worked before, polish it even further, and add in more fun ways to be Spider-Man. There was nothing extremely innovative about Spider-Man this year. Nothing about it felt revolutionary or that it was changing the way we felt about video games, and that’s fine because it didn’t need to be that. Instead, it just gave fans of the first game more of what they wanted with some small improvements here and there.
The glide suit? An incredible addition. The ability to switch between Miles and Peter seamlessly to fulfill quests or use their different powers? Extremely cool and a feature that really only works as well as it does on modern hardware consoles like the PlayStation 5. The plot is another well done superhero tale, and while it doesn’t quite punch you in the gut the way the first two did it leaves you feeling excited for the future of not only this franchise but the future of this universe as a whole. There is so much to build off of here and it’s going to be fun to see what direction Insomniac takes it next.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Ever since the early days of video games, developers have been chasing how to make a game that responds to player decisions the way a Dungeon Master does in Dungeons & Dragons. The idea of a game that looks at the decision a player makes and responds to that decision organically is an exciting one and while Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t do exactly that, it does get close. No game this year gives players the same level of freedom to come up with their own solutions to problems the way Baldur’s Gate 3 does. No other game this year lets the player kill off one of the main plot-relevant characters because they feel that’s what their character would do in the moment, and then reward them for it instead of punishing them. If you can think of it, then Baldur’s Gate 3 will probably let you do it.
It’s that freedom that makes this one of the must-play experiences of the year. Even if you’re not into Dungeons & Dragons, the way everything is formatted creates very little learning curve for the average player so they can spend less time trying to figure out the world’s rules and more time playing around in it. There is a structure for the player to follow, but you’re never required to play entirely within it. If you haven’t yet, be sure to give this one a try and experience the freedom that few games are willing to give.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Ig you need to understand how stacked 2023 was, the sequel to one of the most beloved Zelda games ever came out this year and it is not a runaway for Game of the Year, despite being a very good game. Like Spider-Man, Teard of the Kingdom is another case of a developer seeing what worked and choosing to improve on it instead of breaking it. All the elements from Breath of the Wild are back. There’s an even bigger map to explore, more crafting to complete, and more puzzles that need creative solutions. As far as a sequel to Breath of the Wild, it did what needed to be done.
Where Tears of the Kingdom improved on Breath of the Wild was in its story beats. One of the biggest complaints of the previous game was how its four “primary” dungeons all felt sparse in puzzles compared to the large bombastic dungeons of previous games. While Tears of the Kingdom didn’t necessarily bring back those old dungeons, it did add a little more flare to these story beats and the dungeons that do exist feel unique and interesting. It might not be enough for Zelda fans who want the original 3D formula back, but for those of us who love the new direction the franchise is going in it’s more of the same, but better. This is a great sequel and would probably be GOTY in any other year.
Resident Evil 4
When Resident Evil 4 Remake was announced it was honestly kinda hard to not poke fun at. The first three Resident Evil games all received remakes cause their gameplay styles were an antiquated design that was surpassed and improved upon in later titles. The game that all those later titles used as their base? Resident Evil 4. So if all the previous remakes were to make them more like Resident Evil 4, then what’s the point of a remake in that same style? Oh, just one of the best playing horror games ever made.
Resident Evil 4 is exactly what made the first game revolutionary, but cranked up to 11. It plays like a dream, every cutscene is just oozing with polish, and it is still a horrifying experience. They even managed to add in some new content that they had originally wanted to put in the first go around. The best change though might be the parry. Long gone are the days of wildly slashing at enemies, as now the player can use the knife as a parrying device to get the edge on enemies in hand-to-hand combat. Why waste bullets when you can simply roundhouse kick them to the face? Resident Evil 4 is one of the best remakes ever made and is now the definitive version for anyone who’s never played it before. If you’re looking for a fun but terrifying experience, you can’t do much better than this.
2023 was an absolutely incredible year for game releases. In your average year, you might get a handful of games that are agreed upon by the consensus that everyone needs to play. This year, it felt like there were three or four of those per month. So when it came time to decide what the best games were from the past year, this lone selector was suddenly overcome with guilt. Games like Alan Wake 2, Mario Wonder, Sea of Stars, and Final Fantasy 16 all just missed the cut. Any of these could be a Game of the Year contender in your average year, but unfortunately in 2023, they are among the many that did not make the final list. These are, in this lone selector’s opinion, the five best games of 2023, starting with out Game of the Year pick.
GOTY: Street Fighter 6
Deciding the GOTY every year is hard, but this year in particular was difficult with so many worthwhile contenders. With so many games having such a great case it really came down to one factor that separated Street Fighter 6 ahead of everyone else. No game that came out this year has a greater respect for not only its hardcore audience but its casual one as well. There are so many different ways you can play Street Fighter 6 from the Battle Hub, full of arcade machines and created player characters, to the Fighting Ground where those looking to become the best of the best sink the majority of their hours.
The best mode though has to be the World Tour where players undergo a grand quest with their own original Street Fighter character. This mode is a blast. Not only does it let you create an extremely powerful character that is unique to you, but the option to get into a street fight with quite literally any random passerby is a total delight. Hot dog vendor? They want to throw hands. Random old lady on the street? You best know they want the smoke. Not only does this encourage players to fight anyone they see, but it’s a really fun way to grind out the mechanics of the game and get better at Street Fighter 6 naturally. Of course, you can always just force your way through everything, learn nothing about fighting games, and watch credits with a smile on your face.
Street Fighter 6 invites the player to go deeper into its mechanics by choice, not by necessity, and that decision is leading to many players diving deep into a fighting game like they never have before. It’s a wonderful thing, and it’s this decision that allows Street Fighter 6 to earn the title of Game of the Year. See you in the fighting grounds.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man was great. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was more of the same in a good way. So with the sequel there was one big question: How are they going to top or match what they did previously? For Insomniac that was simple — take what worked before, polish it even further, and add in more fun ways to be Spider-Man. There was nothing extremely innovative about Spider-Man this year. Nothing about it felt revolutionary or that it was changing the way we felt about video games, and that’s fine because it didn’t need to be that. Instead, it just gave fans of the first game more of what they wanted with some small improvements here and there.
The glide suit? An incredible addition. The ability to switch between Miles and Peter seamlessly to fulfill quests or use their different powers? Extremely cool and a feature that really only works as well as it does on modern hardware consoles like the PlayStation 5. The plot is another well done superhero tale, and while it doesn’t quite punch you in the gut the way the first two did it leaves you feeling excited for the future of not only this franchise but the future of this universe as a whole. There is so much to build off of here and it’s going to be fun to see what direction Insomniac takes it next.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Ever since the early days of video games, developers have been chasing how to make a game that responds to player decisions the way a Dungeon Master does in Dungeons & Dragons. The idea of a game that looks at the decision a player makes and responds to that decision organically is an exciting one and while Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t do exactly that, it does get close. No game this year gives players the same level of freedom to come up with their own solutions to problems the way Baldur’s Gate 3 does. No other game this year lets the player kill off one of the main plot-relevant characters because they feel that’s what their character would do in the moment, and then reward them for it instead of punishing them. If you can think of it, then Baldur’s Gate 3 will probably let you do it.
It’s that freedom that makes this one of the must-play experiences of the year. Even if you’re not into Dungeons & Dragons, the way everything is formatted creates very little learning curve for the average player so they can spend less time trying to figure out the world’s rules and more time playing around in it. There is a structure for the player to follow, but you’re never required to play entirely within it. If you haven’t yet, be sure to give this one a try and experience the freedom that few games are willing to give.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Ig you need to understand how stacked 2023 was, the sequel to one of the most beloved Zelda games ever came out this year and it is not a runaway for Game of the Year, despite being a very good game. Like Spider-Man, Teard of the Kingdom is another case of a developer seeing what worked and choosing to improve on it instead of breaking it. All the elements from Breath of the Wild are back. There’s an even bigger map to explore, more crafting to complete, and more puzzles that need creative solutions. As far as a sequel to Breath of the Wild, it did what needed to be done.
Where Tears of the Kingdom improved on Breath of the Wild was in its story beats. One of the biggest complaints of the previous game was how its four “primary” dungeons all felt sparse in puzzles compared to the large bombastic dungeons of previous games. While Tears of the Kingdom didn’t necessarily bring back those old dungeons, it did add a little more flare to these story beats and the dungeons that do exist feel unique and interesting. It might not be enough for Zelda fans who want the original 3D formula back, but for those of us who love the new direction the franchise is going in it’s more of the same, but better. This is a great sequel and would probably be GOTY in any other year.
Resident Evil 4
When Resident Evil 4 Remake was announced it was honestly kinda hard to not poke fun at. The first three Resident Evil games all received remakes cause their gameplay styles were an antiquated design that was surpassed and improved upon in later titles. The game that all those later titles used as their base? Resident Evil 4. So if all the previous remakes were to make them more like Resident Evil 4, then what’s the point of a remake in that same style? Oh, just one of the best playing horror games ever made.
Resident Evil 4 is exactly what made the first game revolutionary, but cranked up to 11. It plays like a dream, every cutscene is just oozing with polish, and it is still a horrifying experience. They even managed to add in some new content that they had originally wanted to put in the first go around. The best change though might be the parry. Long gone are the days of wildly slashing at enemies, as now the player can use the knife as a parrying device to get the edge on enemies in hand-to-hand combat. Why waste bullets when you can simply roundhouse kick them to the face? Resident Evil 4 is one of the best remakes ever made and is now the definitive version for anyone who’s never played it before. If you’re looking for a fun but terrifying experience, you can’t do much better than this.
Madonna’s miraculous medical recovery brought a new meaning to The Celebration Tour’s name. Initially, it was a party to honor her musical legacy as she performed some of her biggest hits, including “Like A Virgin.” For the singer and ticketholders, it’s a gathering to show gratitude for life. So, who’s the lucky entertainer taking the stage at The Celebration Tour as the official opener?
Who is Opening Madonna’s The Celebration Tour?
Instead of tapping another musician as the opening act, Madonna found someone who could do it all. The official opener of her The Celebration Tour is activist, recording artist, comedian, media personality, and drag performer Bob The Drag Queen. The Columbus, Georgia native is wildly known as the season eight winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race reality competition show. Since snatching the crown, Bob has starred in several comedy specials, including Woke Man in a Dress. Bob co-hosted HBO’s We’re Here alongside Eureka O’Hara and Shangela Laquifa Wadley.
Back in March, Bob was added to the tour by Madonna to protest Nashville’s anti-drag legislation. “The oppression of the LGBTQ+ is not only unacceptable and inhumane; it’s creating an unsafe environment; it makes America a dangerous place for our most vulnerable citizens, especially trans women of color. Also, these so-called laws to protect our children are unfounded and pathetic. Anyone with half a brain knows not to f*ck with a drag queen. Bob and I will see you from the stage in Nashville, where we will celebrate the beauty that is the queer community,” wrote Madonna in a statement.
Unfortunately, Madonna fell ill shortly after, and the tour was ultimately postponed. Now, she’s back on the road, and so is Bob.
What Are The Remaining Show Dates For Madonna’s The Celebration Tour?
12/16/2023 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center (previously MSG) *
12/18/2023 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
12/19/2023 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
01/08/2024 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
01/09/2024 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
01/11/2024 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
01/12/2024 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
01/15/2024 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
01/18/2024 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
01/20/2024 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
01/22/2024 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Arena
01/23/2024 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Arena
01/25/2024 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
01/29/2024 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Arena
02/01/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
02/02/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
02/05/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
02/08/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/13/2024 — Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
02/17/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
02/18/2024 — Seattle,WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
02/21/2024 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
02/24/2024 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
02/27/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
02/28/2024 — San Francisco,CA @ Chase Center
03/01/2024 — Las Vegas,NV @ T-Mobile Arena
03/02/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
03/04/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/05/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/07/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/09/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/11/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
03/13/2024 — Palm Desert, CA @ Acrisure Arena
03/16/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
03/19/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
03/24/2024 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
03/25/2024 — Dallas. TX @ American Airlines Center
03/28/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
03/29/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
01/04/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
04/04/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
04/06/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
04/07/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
04/14/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/15/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/20/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
04/21/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
04/23/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
04/24/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
Madonna’s miraculous medical recovery brought a new meaning to The Celebration Tour’s name. Initially, it was a party to honor her musical legacy as she performed some of her biggest hits, including “Like A Virgin.” For the singer and ticketholders, it’s a gathering to show gratitude for life. So, who’s the lucky entertainer taking the stage at The Celebration Tour as the official opener?
Who is Opening Madonna’s The Celebration Tour?
Instead of tapping another musician as the opening act, Madonna found someone who could do it all. The official opener of her The Celebration Tour is activist, recording artist, comedian, media personality, and drag performer Bob The Drag Queen. The Columbus, Georgia native is wildly known as the season eight winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race reality competition show. Since snatching the crown, Bob has starred in several comedy specials, including Woke Man in a Dress. Bob co-hosted HBO’s We’re Here alongside Eureka O’Hara and Shangela Laquifa Wadley.
Back in March, Bob was added to the tour by Madonna to protest Nashville’s anti-drag legislation. “The oppression of the LGBTQ+ is not only unacceptable and inhumane; it’s creating an unsafe environment; it makes America a dangerous place for our most vulnerable citizens, especially trans women of color. Also, these so-called laws to protect our children are unfounded and pathetic. Anyone with half a brain knows not to f*ck with a drag queen. Bob and I will see you from the stage in Nashville, where we will celebrate the beauty that is the queer community,” wrote Madonna in a statement.
Unfortunately, Madonna fell ill shortly after, and the tour was ultimately postponed. Now, she’s back on the road, and so is Bob.
What Are The Remaining Show Dates For Madonna’s The Celebration Tour?
12/16/2023 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center (previously MSG) *
12/18/2023 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
12/19/2023 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
01/08/2024 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
01/09/2024 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
01/11/2024 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
01/12/2024 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
01/15/2024 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
01/18/2024 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
01/20/2024 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
01/22/2024 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Arena
01/23/2024 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Arena
01/25/2024 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
01/29/2024 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Arena
02/01/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
02/02/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
02/05/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
02/08/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/13/2024 — Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
02/17/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
02/18/2024 — Seattle,WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
02/21/2024 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
02/24/2024 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
02/27/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
02/28/2024 — San Francisco,CA @ Chase Center
03/01/2024 — Las Vegas,NV @ T-Mobile Arena
03/02/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
03/04/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/05/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/07/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/09/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (previously Crypto.com Arena) *
03/11/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
03/13/2024 — Palm Desert, CA @ Acrisure Arena
03/16/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
03/19/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
03/24/2024 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
03/25/2024 — Dallas. TX @ American Airlines Center
03/28/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
03/29/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
01/04/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
04/04/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
04/06/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
04/07/2024 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
04/14/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/15/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
04/20/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
04/21/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
04/23/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
04/24/2024 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes
Nicki Minaj released her latest album, Pink Friday 2, last Friday (December 8), and it has a good chance at debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart; The most noteworthy album that also released on the same day would be Tate McRae’s Think Later. It appears Minaj’s album may not end up with as many first-week sales as the rapper was counting on, though.
As Stereogum notes, in a now deleted post, Minaj announced a contest for her fans, writing, “Show the PROOF of your 4 vinyls OR 4 DIGITAL DOWNLOADS (each cover) & you can win what he just did. A Change to help me pick the next 3 songs for the #GagCity2 edition that comes out in 5 days. In person ;).”
Then, in also-deleted tweets shared yesterday, December 14, Minaj claimed that Billboard was removing 100,000 sales from the tracking week for Pink Friday 2 due to the contest. She wrote, “been discussing my 100 barbz contest for months. they said billboard reached out to say they gon take away sales for me telling y’all about the 100 barbz thing. Can’t wait until these next 6 hours are up so I can tell y’all some sh*t. You can give out millions in cashapp money tho. Lol. So barbz, me asking you to show PROOF of something that was already DELIVERED OR PURCHASED IS AGAINST THE RULES. SO pls disregard. Apologies.”
She added in another tweet:
“They so mad
They said 170-190 knowing it was 200k alrdy.
Then they said 199 just so that 2 wouldn’t leave they moof chi
It’s at 300 but once they filter out 100K, you’ll be none the fking wiser.
I’m being punished for:
Not signing a 360
Making great music
Having great fans
And for not leaving the game so that their new Nicki’s (who signed 360 deals) can be propped up to look as tho they are a lot more successful than they rlly are.
Having too much power
#PinkFriday2.”
Nicki Minaj says that Billboard will remove 100K sales from the debut week of ‘Pink Friday 2’ because she ran a contest requiring fans to show proof of buying four copies of the album. pic.twitter.com/0aqjtXE9LX
“Limited combinations of merchandise and physical albums will be counted on Billboard‘s album charts starting this summer, but with new rules to prevent the issues that led to the elimination of such ‘bundles’ three years ago.
The new combinations of merch and albums, dubbed ‘fan packs,’ will allow fans to support their favorite artists on the charts in a way that research suggests that many would like to. However, the packs will be restricted to just two options per album release — a sweatshirt with an LP and a t-shirt with a CD, for example — with the requirement that each individual item must also be sold separately in the same web store. Fan packs will include only merch — not tickets, meet-and-greet opportunities, virtual items or non-tangible benefits — and they must also contain a physical copy of an album: Combinations of digital downloads and merch will not count towards the charts. In addition, fan pack offerings must be approved in advance of their on-sale date by Luminate and Billboard. […]
The new rules allowing fan packs will take effect during the tracking week that runs from June 30 to July 6, 2023, for charts dated July 15.”
Nicki Minaj released her latest album, Pink Friday 2, last Friday (December 8), and it has a good chance at debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart; The most noteworthy album that also released on the same day would be Tate McRae’s Think Later. It appears Minaj’s album may not end up with as many first-week sales as the rapper was counting on, though.
As Stereogum notes, in a now deleted post, Minaj announced a contest for her fans, writing, “Show the PROOF of your 4 vinyls OR 4 DIGITAL DOWNLOADS (each cover) & you can win what he just did. A Change to help me pick the next 3 songs for the #GagCity2 edition that comes out in 5 days. In person ;).”
Then, in also-deleted tweets shared yesterday, December 14, Minaj claimed that Billboard was removing 100,000 sales from the tracking week for Pink Friday 2 due to the contest. She wrote, “been discussing my 100 barbz contest for months. they said billboard reached out to say they gon take away sales for me telling y’all about the 100 barbz thing. Can’t wait until these next 6 hours are up so I can tell y’all some sh*t. You can give out millions in cashapp money tho. Lol. So barbz, me asking you to show PROOF of something that was already DELIVERED OR PURCHASED IS AGAINST THE RULES. SO pls disregard. Apologies.”
She added in another tweet:
“They so mad
They said 170-190 knowing it was 200k alrdy.
Then they said 199 just so that 2 wouldn’t leave they moof chi
It’s at 300 but once they filter out 100K, you’ll be none the fking wiser.
I’m being punished for:
Not signing a 360
Making great music
Having great fans
And for not leaving the game so that their new Nicki’s (who signed 360 deals) can be propped up to look as tho they are a lot more successful than they rlly are.
Having too much power
#PinkFriday2.”
Nicki Minaj says that Billboard will remove 100K sales from the debut week of ‘Pink Friday 2’ because she ran a contest requiring fans to show proof of buying four copies of the album. pic.twitter.com/0aqjtXE9LX
“Limited combinations of merchandise and physical albums will be counted on Billboard‘s album charts starting this summer, but with new rules to prevent the issues that led to the elimination of such ‘bundles’ three years ago.
The new combinations of merch and albums, dubbed ‘fan packs,’ will allow fans to support their favorite artists on the charts in a way that research suggests that many would like to. However, the packs will be restricted to just two options per album release — a sweatshirt with an LP and a t-shirt with a CD, for example — with the requirement that each individual item must also be sold separately in the same web store. Fan packs will include only merch — not tickets, meet-and-greet opportunities, virtual items or non-tangible benefits — and they must also contain a physical copy of an album: Combinations of digital downloads and merch will not count towards the charts. In addition, fan pack offerings must be approved in advance of their on-sale date by Luminate and Billboard. […]
The new rules allowing fan packs will take effect during the tracking week that runs from June 30 to July 6, 2023, for charts dated July 15.”
As James Gunn prepares his DC Universe reboot starting with Superman: Legacy, the writer/director is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to “cameo porn.” The practice was particularly egregious in the recent DC Comics film, The Flash, where a scene in the film featured several brief cameos including both Nicolas Cage’s Superman and Christopher Reeve’s.
While engaging with fans on Threads, Gunn responded to a commenter who was getting tired of superhero movies where a “character appear on screen for 10 seconds to mark a checkbox.” Gunn agreed.
“I call that ‘Cameo Porn’ and it has been one of the worst elements of recent superhero films,” replied Gunn. “If a character is in film, they have to have a reason to be there story-wise.”
That said, Gunn is not entirely adverse to a fun cameo here and there. “That’s fine if it doesn’t disrupt the story,” Gunn wrote to another commenter. “It’s the plot contrivances that develop from a cameo, not the cameo itself.”
The writer/director also pushed back against accusations that his upcoming Superman: Legacy has a “large cast” filled with cameos like Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), Hawkgirl (Isabel Merced), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and possibly even Jason Momoa as Lobo.
“The whole point was it’s NOT a large film – I mean, not in terms of cast. It’s normal for single protagonist films to have other characters – much more unusual for them not to,” Gunn wrote. “None of those roles [in Legacy] are cameos.”
Superman: Legacy flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.
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