The film is also expected to keep rolling pretty well throughout the Christmas and New Year’s holidays as families head to the multiplex as they enjoy more together time but do need to get out of the house. If you aren’t feeling like hitting the theater, however, and you’d prefer to enjoy this musical in your own living room (where you can sing along with only your pets and family to judge you), then when can you do so?
For now, that magic day is a secret, although the film is expected to eventually be part of the HBO Max streaming library. In all likelihood, this will happen after a 90-day theatrical window, meaning that tiny, furious Hugh Grant could be on your TV or other streaming device by early-to-mid March. Can you wait that long? If not, here’s a video of Hugh dancing in 2003’s Love Actually, and he doesn’t even seem to be mad. Or have green hair, for that matter.
Fan fiction has always thrived. Some of it is even turned into entire other, also successful franchises; the 50 Shades of Grey saga, you may recall, originated as a mere Twilight knockoff. But one fanatic went too far when they tried to publish an ambitious sequel series to what is arguably the fantasy genre’s top dog.
According to Variety, earlier this year author Demetrious Polychron dared publish the first in a planned seven-part follow-up series to The Lord of the Rings. The first installment? It was called The Fellowship of the King. The sequel? Its title was to be The Two Trees. Polychron might have gotten away with this, too, but he went and sued both the Tolkien Estate and Amazon, alleging that the latter’s pricey LoTR show, The Rings of Power, had borrowed from his sequel.
But it was not to be. On Monday a California judge dismissed Polychron’s lawsuit. That’s not all, per Variety:
The Tolkien estate then countersued the author for infringing on their copyright. A U.S. district judge found in the estate’s favor this fall, granting them a permanent injunction to prevent Polychron from “copying distributing, selling, performing, displaying or otherwise exploiting” his book or its sequel, titled “The Two Trees.” The author was also ordered to destroy all physical and electronic copies of the works.
Polychron has also been ordered to pay the Tolkiens’ and Amazon’s legal fees, totaling $134,637. In his ruling, said judge noted the “fantasticality” of Polychron’s suit, pointing out that the characters he used were lifted from copyrighted material, i.e., Tolkien’s beloved books.
“It’s one of the worst books I’ve ever read and ignoring the fact it’s blatant copyright infringement, it’s just an abhorrent piece of work. Poor English, incomplete sentences, and the careful delivery, rhythm and expertise of Tolkien is missing. The guy who wrote this rubbish is clearly deluded.”
Did you know that potatoes are the world’s best superfood? They’ve got vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6! There are so many benefits and positives to eating potatoes. Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore does not care about this, but she did give us a harrowing performance in May Decemberso there are just some things we need to accept about her.
Moore was at a cast panel alongside costars Natalie Portman and Charles Melton when she admitted that she has a hatred for the golden side dish of the holiday season, mashed potatoes. She pondered, “Why do people like mashed potatoes? It’s just mush. It’s just mush!” she exclaimed. Melton was quick to defend the starchy dish, but Moore wasn’t having it. “I know, people love it, they love them — it’s just mashed mush.” That vitamin-rich mush could also prevent scurvy, so keep that in mind.
Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time Moore has spoken out against mashed potatoes. In a 2017 Wired Autocomplete interview, she doubled down on her hatred. “Julianne Moore does not like mashed potatoes. That’s Julianne Moore’s least favorite thing,” she said at the time.
In an effort to deflate the tension, Portman shared her least favorite food, fruit in salad. “I’m not into it. I like fruit salad, but I don’t want a savory salad with fruit in it. It bothers me,” she confessed. The Wiggles could not be reached for comment.
Finally, after the whole potato ordeal, Melton shared his least favorite food: bleu cheese. That’s a fair and respectable choice because bleu cheese is smelly and cannot be mashed.
Reacher star Alan Ritchson is the perfect Jack Reacher for TV even if isn’t the precise physical embodiment of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. No one in Hollywood actually has hands the size of plates, after all, but Ritchson does a damn fine job, even if he is 6’2″ rather than 6’5″ — and that is not to take away from Tom Cruise’s portrayal in the two Jack Reacher movies.
Ritchson has taken great pains to mention how much he values Cruise bringing this franchise to theaters and also setting the stage for a TV show. He reiterated this in the above video while visiting Jimmy Kimmel, yet Ritchson’s attempt to tell Cruise these things did not exactly go off without a hitch. At around the 4:00 mark above, Ritchson laid it all there with how he penned a “heartfelt” letter to the Top Gun: Maverick star:
“Here’s the thing, I know what you know. He’s taken some criticism for the role, because he doesn’t aesthetically fit the role of Reacher perfectly, according to the books. This guy still did two movies that grossed over $300 million, and doesn’t even fit. He’s brought so many eyes to this series. We would not have the success that we have without it. So out of gratitude, I write him a loving, heartfelt letter, a page-long letter, and I give it to Don Granger, a partner of his at Skydance…”
How did Don Granger respond? Ritchson was frank: “He said, ‘We’re not going to give it to him. It’s a terrible idea. He’s fine with it because he’s moved on in life. He’s moved on and you need to move on, too.’”
Fair enough. That had to sting a bit because, you know, it was a heartfelt letter! Yet everything worked out as it should, with Cruise going on his merry way to drive motorcycles off cliffs and Reacher now cranking through Season 2 (with Season 3 in the works) on Amazon.
Did you know that potatoes are the world’s best superfood? They’ve got vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6! There are so many benefits and positives to eating potatoes. Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore does not care about this, but she did give us a harrowing performance in May Decemberso there are just some things we need to accept about her.
Moore was at a cast panel alongside costars Natalie Portman and Charles Melton when she admitted that she has a hatred for the golden side dish of the holiday season, mashed potatoes. She pondered, “Why do people like mashed potatoes? It’s just mush. It’s just mush!” she exclaimed. Melton was quick to defend the starchy dish, but Moore wasn’t having it. “I know, people love it, they love them — it’s just mashed mush.” That vitamin-rich mush could also prevent scurvy, so keep that in mind.
Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time Moore has spoken out against mashed potatoes. In a 2017 Wired Autocomplete interview, she doubled down on her hatred. “Julianne Moore does not like mashed potatoes. That’s Julianne Moore’s least favorite thing,” she said at the time.
In an effort to deflate the tension, Portman shared her least favorite food, fruit in salad. “I’m not into it. I like fruit salad, but I don’t want a savory salad with fruit in it. It bothers me,” she confessed. The Wiggles could not be reached for comment.
Finally, after the whole potato ordeal, Melton shared his least favorite food: bleu cheese. That’s a fair and respectable choice because bleu cheese is smelly and cannot be mashed.
Rick and Morty Season 7 is heading to streaming very soon. The Adult Swim series just aired its season finale over the weekend, and according to Collider, the latest season of the time-traveling weirdos will hit Max on January 22.
Season 7 brought about some significant changes for Rick and Morty. Following the departure of Justin Roiland, who is currently facing several allegations of sexual misconduct, the two leads required a recast. Voice-acting upstarts Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden took over the roles of Rick and Morty, respectively, after a massive talent search for the hit animated series. The two were welcomed warmly by fans after they surprisingly melded perfectly into the parts. You can barely tell that Roiland was gone.
Meanwhile, Season 7 moved the story forward by having Rick finally confront his past and chase down an alternate version of himself that committed a heinous crime that has haunted Rick for years. That creative decision led to a wild and shocking finale whose events we won’t spoil.
As for when Rick and Morty Season 8 will come out, that’s going to be a bit, but not incredibly long compared to past gaps between seasons. Showrunner Scott Marder recently told Comic Book that Season 8 will arrive in late 2024 at the earliest. So fans are looking at a year wait, which isn’t too bad.
Rick and Morty Season 7 starts streaming January 22 on Max.
Did you know that potatoes are the world’s best superfood? They’ve got vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6! There are so many benefits and positives to eating potatoes. Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore does not care about this, but she did give us a harrowing performance in May Decemberso there are just some things we need to accept about her.
Moore was at a cast panel alongside costars Natalie Portman and Charles Melton when she admitted that she has a hatred for the golden side dish of the holiday season, mashed potatoes. She pondered, “Why do people like mashed potatoes? It’s just mush. It’s just mush!” she exclaimed. Melton was quick to defend the starchy dish, but Moore wasn’t having it. “I know, people love it, they love them — it’s just mashed mush.” That vitamin-rich mush could also prevent scurvy, so keep that in mind.
Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time Moore has spoken out against mashed potatoes. In a 2017 Wired Autocomplete interview, she doubled down on her hatred. “Julianne Moore does not like mashed potatoes. That’s Julianne Moore’s least favorite thing,” she said at the time.
In an effort to deflate the tension, Portman shared her least favorite food, fruit in salad. “I’m not into it. I like fruit salad, but I don’t want a savory salad with fruit in it. It bothers me,” she confessed. The Wiggles could not be reached for comment.
Finally, after the whole potato ordeal, Melton shared his least favorite food: bleu cheese. That’s a fair and respectable choice because bleu cheese is smelly and cannot be mashed.
Rick and Morty Season 7 is heading to streaming very soon. The Adult Swim series just aired its season finale over the weekend, and according to Collider, the latest season of the time-traveling weirdos will hit Max on January 22.
Season 7 brought about some significant changes for Rick and Morty. Following the departure of Justin Roiland, who is currently facing several allegations of sexual misconduct, the two leads required a recast. Voice-acting upstarts Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden took over the roles of Rick and Morty, respectively, after a massive talent search for the hit animated series. The two were welcomed warmly by fans after they surprisingly melded perfectly into the parts. You can barely tell that Roiland was gone.
Meanwhile, Season 7 moved the story forward by having Rick finally confront his past and chase down an alternate version of himself that committed a heinous crime that has haunted Rick for years. That creative decision led to a wild and shocking finale whose events we won’t spoil.
As for when Rick and Morty Season 8 will come out, that’s going to be a bit, but not incredibly long compared to past gaps between seasons. Showrunner Scott Marder recently told Comic Book that Season 8 will arrive in late 2024 at the earliest. So fans are looking at a year wait, which isn’t too bad.
Rick and Morty Season 7 starts streaming January 22 on Max.
The formula for making a rap hit has changed a lot over the past five decades but at the same time, it seems that one almost surefire way to craft an inescapable bop is do what rap’s first-ever hit did: Sample a previous hit and turn it into something that would make the original creators’ heads spin.
We’ve seen a lot of the biggest hits in hip-hop lately do just that. Latto’s “Big Energy” liberally interpolates Tom Tom Club’s 1981 dance floor rocker “Genius Of Love,” while more recently, Doja Cat revivified Dianne Warwick’s “Walk On By” with “Paint The Town Red” and Coi Leray’s “Players” became the latest in a long line of songs looping Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message.”
In the same way, Milwaukee rapper Myaap is on the cusp of a huge breakout of her own thanks to a sample coming from one of the unlikeliest, un-hop-hop-iest song imaginable. “Getting To It,” which — like many of the aforementioned hits — derives much of its propulsion from an endless stream of TikTok videos utilizing the sound, employs Abba’s mournful 1976 hit “Dancing Queen,” slotting in blunt boasts over the original’s bright, disco production for a sweet and spicy blend that only needs the proper clearances to take off.
(Myaap’s music video for the track was wiped from YouTube over a copyright strike from Universal Music Group, but make no mistake — if it continues to gain momentum on TikTok, I have little doubt it’ll be back.)
So, who is the Milwaukee artist and what’s making her such a draw?
Well, unlike fellow Milwaukee star Lakeyah, she sticks to more of a locally-grown production style on tracks like “Wham” and “Party Crackin.” While Lakeyah’s connection with Atlanta-based hit factory Quality Control Music has put her on the national radar, Myaap’s approach ensures a dug-in hardcore hometown fanbase that’d be hard to uproot. From such a solid foundation, any moves she makes will likely be amplified by her hometown supporters — and if they can get loud enough, it’ll make it hard as hell for outsiders to ignore.
She’s also proven adept at capturing attention on TikTok — hard enough to do with the way that app is set up — and if she can keep getting minor viral hits there, it’s only a matter of time until interest in her off-platform music hits critical mass. But the key will almost certainly be whether “Gettin To It” can make a return to streaming services, as it’s clearly a hit in the same fashion as Sexyy Red‘s “Ah Thousand Jugs” — and we all know where Big Sexyy ended up: on top.
In the realm of everything travel, maximizing rewards and points on credit cards is essential. Why go through the mundanes of taking 20+ flights a year to only miss out on the thousands of points that come along with it?
That’s why Uproxx is rolling out a series of articles for the new year ahead with the best credit card and travel hacking experts out there — to ensure that you know the best ways to maximize your travel points. From the renowned Chase Ultimate Rewards program to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, this expert roundup navigates through the intricacies of foreign transaction fees, spending requirements, and the optimal timeframe for redeeming travel rewards.
Because flying first class doesn’t have to be a pipe dream for everyone… not if you use your points correctly.
Whether you’re seeking elevated experiences in hotels and flying first class or accruing benefits at gas stations and grocery stores, let’s dive into the most valuable credit card sign-up bonuses for holiday travel.
Vivian Tu (@your.richbff): Ask Amex Platinum For More
Pre-order “RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life” here.
VIVIAN TU
This is somewhat of an urban legend but the Amex Platinum — depending on your spending through other Amex cards and how you might have in your savings account — they may offer certain people more to sign up than others. The hot tip here is no matter what you’ve been offered you can call them and just ask for more. You can ask for a 100,000-point signup bonus and some of the time depending on the customer service representative you talk to, you can snag it.
I also think that Capital One Venture X is currently offering a 75,000-mile signup bonus through the end of the year which is a great option, especially knowing their annual fee is $395. Chase Sapphire certainly had a higher welcome signup bonus back in the day of 100,000 but it is now 60,000. But I still think these are worth having. If you want something with a lower annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is also offering 60,000 bonus signup points and it’s only a $95 annual fee.
Ask your family and friends if they have a referral link for the Capital One Venture X. We consider this to be the best overall card and the signup bonus by referral right now is 90k points after $4,000 in three months. That’s easily one of the best offers for a personal card.
If you’re not feeling the premium-heavy Venture X, the regular Venture card also has a great offer of 75k points after $4,000 in 3 months.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a go-to for many travelers for the ease of redeeming points – especially for domestic travel – and it has a signup bonus of 60k after $4,000 in 3 months.
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best travel hacking deals out there because you can get buy one, get one free flight for almost two years. For the companion, you just need to pay for the taxes $5.60+ each way.
So, for almost all of 2024 and 2025, you can get unlimited buy one, get one free flights.
If you sign up for 2 credit cards (1 business and 1 personal credit card) then you can get Southwest Companion Pass, since the signup bonuses count towards the 135,000 points to get Southwest Companion Pass.
For a personal credit card, I would go with either 1) Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card ($69 Annual Fee) 2) Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card ($99 Annual Fee), or 3) Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card ($149 Annual Fee).
Then sign up for a business credit card. Either 1) Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card ($99 Annual Fee). You can earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Or 2) Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card ($199 Annual Fee). You can earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
If you sign up after December 11th, 2023, most likely the signup bonus will drop to 50,000 points so you would need to get one of the personal credit cards and the more expensive business credit card at $199 to get the Southwest Companion Pass.
You can also get both Southwest business cards, but wait at least 30 days between applications. You can find all of Southwest’s credit cards mentioned above here.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited’s new sign-up bonus that offers unlimited matched cashback for 12 months is amazing. The card earns 1.5% on non-bonus spending which doubles to 3% after 12 months. For dining and drugstore purchases that typically earn 3%, that doubles to 6%.
Even better, if you pair the Freedom Unlimited with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can turn that cashback into fully transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Once you do that, you can take advantage of Chase’s many airline and hotel transfer partners.
Thomas Lonergan (@travelliketommy): Capitol One Venture, Chase Sapphire Reserved & Chase Marriott Boundless
American Airlines Barclays Aviator Red – 60,000 bonus AA miles for making just one purchase! You could buy a pack of gum and earn enough points for a one-way ticket to Europe in business class!
Chase Marriott Boundless – Earn three free nights (worth up to 50k points each) for spending $3,000 in 90 days.
Amex Hilton Surpass – Earn 170,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in 180 days.
Allison Tackette (@luckytictac): American Express Platinum
It’s hard to pass up The Platinum Card from American Express with its 100,000 points welcome offer. That’s easily a round-trip flight in business class to Europe using the right transfer partner. It’s also great for lounge access and lifestyle credits. Business owners should take a look at the Chase Ink Unlimited. It’s currently offering 90,000 points that can be used for flights or hotels.
Jess Bohorquez (@pointsbyj): Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capitol One Venture X & Chase Freedom Unlimited
There are a few amazing credit card sign-up bonus offers available that will make holiday travel so much more rewarding! See below for my top three, and check out pointsbyj.com/cards for a full credit card guide.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is my top recommended card for friends and family who are looking for their first travel credit card for earning and redeeming credit card points. The sign-up bonus is 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. It has all the essentials of a great travel card: reasonable annual fee, strong points earning potential, and awesome travel insurance. In fact, it was my first travel credit card in my early twenties, and I still have it today. My personal favorite way to use my Chase points? Transferring my points out to Hyatt for luxury hotel stays. Click here to learn more.
The Capital One Venture X credit card is my #1 most-recommended card to people who want airport lounge access. The sign-up bonus is great: 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. That’s equal to $750 in travel. It does have a substantial annual fee of $395, but offers a $300 annual travel credit and 10k bonus mile anniversary gift – which completely offsets the cost. So, airport lounge access, up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and no foreign transaction fees are all cherries on top. Plus, the card earns 2 miles for every dollar you spend. That simplicity is incredibly valuable if you dislike having to keep track of bonus points-earning categories! Click here to learn more.
Right now, the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has a special sign-up bonus offer: at the end of your first year, Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned. There is no limit to how much you can earn. The best part is that this will be given in the form of Ultimate Rewards points, so cardholders can transfer points earned into a Chase Sapphire account to maximize their value for travel redemptions! Click here to learn more.
The Capital One Venture Rewards card is offering 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening an account. Capital One Miles are awesome because not only can you transfer them to Capital One’s hotel and airline partners, but you can also redeem them for one cent per point to erase ANY travel purchases you charge to your Venture Rewards card.
Not only does that include flights and hotels but also things you normally wouldn’t be able to redeem points for like cruises and Ubers making this bonus worth around $750!
The Capital One Venture X card offers a valuable sign-up bonus of 75,000 points, which could translate to over $1,400 in travel if you transfer them to hotel or airline partners. Though it might be a stretch to earn the bonus before the holiday season ends, holiday travelers would still have access to immediate perks like a $300 travel credit, airport lounge access, and 2x points on all purchases.
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