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Earl Sweatshirt most recently released Sick! at the top of 2022, an album that Joe Budden didn’t particularly like. But given its No. 80 debut on the Billboard 200, it looks like most everyone else did.

“Even though he’s grown up, though, there remains an element of inscrutability in his music, a chip on his shoulder that has been reduced in size but is no less embedded in the fabric of his being,” Uproxx‘s Aaron Williams wrote in his Sick! review, later noting, “You won’t be hearing many requests for Earl’s new music at any clubs or parties anytime soon (none you’d want to go to, anyway). But what feels more important is that Earl is in a good place, mentally and emotionally, and that’s translated to art that is proportionately more enjoyable.”

You can hear Earl’s music at The Novo in Los Angeles soon enough, however. He announced on Wednesday, June 28, that he will be performing a one-off 10-year anniversary show at the venue on August 19 to commemorate the August 20, 2013 release of Doris.

“He’ll perform Doris in full for the first time ever,” Stereogum relayed. “Domo Genesis is also on the bill, and it would not be a surprise if some of the album’s other featured guests made appearances as well.”

Doris‘ other featured artists were Casey Veggies, Frank Ocean, the late Mac Miller, RZA, SK Laflare, Tyler The Creator, and Vince Staples.

Donald Trump has famously avoided the wrath of Johnny Law his entire life, but his luck may soon run out. The former president is in deep doo-doo over his alleged mishandling of classified government documents. There might even be a Smoking Gun: Audio tape was recently made public that shows him boasting about showing off such files, with him admitting he knows they’re classified. After much rage-posting on Truth Social, he came up with a most curious defense: He was just lying. But that itself may be a lie.

On Wednesday, reporter Robert Mackey posted an excerpt from The Chief’s Chief, the non-bestselling memoir by former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows. In the audio clip, Trump is talking to not only staffers but also that tome’s ghostwriter — who seems to have mentioned the exchange in the book’s intro:

The president recalls a four-page report typed up by Mark Milley himself. It contained the general’s own plan to attack Iran, deploying massive numbers of troops, something he urged President Trump to do more than once during his presidency.

That aligns with what is being discussed in the now-public audio clip, in which Trump talks about a plan from General Milley to attack Iran.

In his bizarre defense, Trump claimed he wasn’t showing classified documents but “magazines, newspapers, plans of buildings. I have plans of buildings, you know, plans. I had plans of a golf course.” He argued he was a liar, not a thief, who fibbed out of “bravado.” The passage in the Meadows book strongly suggests otherwise.

Whatever the case, maybe Republican voters should find another presidential nominee — though maybe not the guy who bullies students.

(Via Mediaite)

On Wednesday, one day before its Season 3 finale was set to air, The Other Two got the axe. In a statement, creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider said the acclaimed Max comedy, about millennial siblings (Hélene Yorke and Drew Tarver) grappling with the overnight success of their 13-year-old brother (and which gave Molly Shannon one of her meatiest roles), was always supposed to end after 30 episodes.

“It is bittersweet to say goodbye to the Dubek family after three seasons, but we always knew, both creatively and personally, that this was where we wanted to end [the characters’] stories,” Kelly and Schneider said.

However, as per The Hollywood Reporter, there may be a darker reason it came to a close:

Multiple sources involved with The Other Two confirm Kelly and Schneider were the subject of complaints to human resources over behavior on set and in the writers room. These include allegations that Kelly verbally abused writers and overworked crew and claims that Schneider enabled his behavior.

According to sources, the production conducted a formal investigation into the behavior, during which Kelly and Schneider were not permitted on set for a period. Kelly and Schneider were formally cleared of wrongdoing and allowed to return.

That said, several insiders said there was no connection between the complaints and the show’s sudden ending.

Rumors of behind-the-scenes tension on The Other Two were allegedly an open secret. Tina Fey even directly referenced the alleged strife in March while speaking at the PEN America Literary Awards, while getting in a dig at her old SNL and 30 Rock teammate Lorne Michaels, who also executive produced The Other Two.

“Nobody indulges writers like Lorne Michaels,” she told the crowd. “Lorne, you have unleashed an army of monsters into the world. You know it, I know it, and the crew of The Other Two knows it — oh I was supposed to change that. I was supposed to change that. That’s inappropriate. Oh well, it’s not livestreaming.”

Whatever the case, the Other Two episode that hits Max on June 29 will be its last.

(Via THR)

Rudy Giuliani has been through a lot. By joining up with Donald Trump to try and keep him in the White House, the former “America’s mayor” torched whatever was left of his reputation. Not only that, he embarrassed himself in many creative ways. Trump returned the favor by not helping out with his mounting legal bills. But there may be a happy ending to all this, now that we know the poor guy might be finally plotting his revenge.

As per The New York Times, the architect of the Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle “voluntarily” met with Jack Smith, the special counsel investigating two Trump cases: the one about classified documents and the one about his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Giuliani was interviewed about the latter, about which he knows a lot:

Prosecutors working for Mr. Smith asked Mr. Giuliani about a plan to create fake slates of pro-Trump electors in key swing states that were actually won by Mr. Biden, one person familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation. They focused specifically on the role played in that effort by John Eastman, another lawyer who advised Mr. Trump about ways to stay in office after his defeat.

Giuliani also reportedly spoke about Sidney Powell, the lawyer and Diet Dr. Pepper fanatic who introduced Trump to some of the more wackadoodle election conspiracy theories, as well as a notorious meeting between Trump cronies shortly before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

None of this is surely good for Trump, but what’s worse is that the interview was a “proffer agreement,” in which subjects, as per NYT, “agree to provide useful information to the government, sometimes to tell their side of events, to stave off potential charges or to avoid testifying under subpoena before a grand jury.”

Such chats sometimes precede formal cooperation deals. That suggests Giuliani may be warming up to the idea of ratting on Trump to save his hide, much as folks like Mark Meadows have reportedly been doing. In other words, Rudy might be able to save part of his rep after all.

Coincidentally, former Giuliani pal Lev Parnas tweeted this the other day…

Seems relevant!

(Via NYT)

“How does someone get away with something like that?”

Based on the book Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green, the new HBO documentary Last Call profiles an era of queer people finding solace in bars before having that safety ripped away by a killer and a system that didn’t care they were being killed. The trailer promises a stunning, detail-oriented project that expands beyond the killings to examine systemic marginalization at a time when a significant portion of the country didn’t care much about AIDS because of who it was killing.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“In the early 1990s, with homophobia and hate crimes on the rise as the AIDS crisis worsens, a serial killer preys upon gay men in New York City, infiltrating queer nightlife to find his victims. A gripping, investigative crime story, Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York also dives deeply into the prejudices and attitudes of the times, when deep-rooted biases in the criminal justice system and the media’s distorted public perception of the victims undermined the investigation and enabled a brutal killer to prey on a marginalized populace. The complexities of the closet combined with a long-standing mistrust of law enforcement further complicated the case. It also highlights the heroic efforts of activists, including the NYC Anti-Violence Project, to force law enforcement to recognize and protect the queer community.”

Directed by Anthony Caronna (Pride) and executive produced by Howard Gertler (How To Survive A Plague), the docuseries debuts July 9th on HBO and Max.

Barbie is only a few weeks from hitting theaters, and yet not much is known about the plot. From trailers, know that Margot Robbie’s heroine is hit with some good old fashioned existential dread. We know that she enters the real world, where Will Ferrell is running Mattel. We also know that a lot of talented actors loved the script by director Greta Gerwig and her real-life partner Noah Baumbach, which sounds uncommonly, perhaps unnecessarily good for a movie based on a doll brand. As it turns out, at least one part of it was so edgy that it freaked out Mattel top brass.

A new Time profile of the film (in a bit teased out by Variety) reveals that Richard Dickson, COO and president of Mattel, was so alarmed by an “off-brand” scene that he got on a dang airplane to London to argue with Gerwig ant Robbie. It’s not clear with scene so riled up Dickson, but Gerwig and Robbie were able to assuage his fears by acting the scene out for him.

“When you look on the page, the nuance isn’t there, the delivery isn’t there,” Robbie explained.

Mattel top dogs were reportedly not initially copasetic with some of Gerwig and Baumbach’s ambitions, which includes questioning the feminist bona fides of a doll that has long been criticized for representing impossible beauty standards. (Or for being, until 1980, when the first Black Barbie debuted, exclusively white.) But Gerwig, with the help of Robbie, was able to earn their trust.

The Time piece also features some more newly publicized details about the movie, including that it opens with some narration by Helen Mirren, who informs viewers that in Barbie Land “all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved.” It also reveals our protagonist also starts aging:

Those arched feet go flat. Cellulite appears on her thigh. To combat these changes, she must venture into the real world with Ken, who has been feeling like a mere accessory in Barbie’s dream life. The real world is, well, real. Men in suits at Mattel—led by Will Ferrell’s CEO—make disingenuous speeches about female empowerment; preteens dress Barbie down for wreaking havoc on their self-esteem. Both Barbie and Ken go on quests of self-discovery, and that’s when things get really interesting. (I won’t give away Ken’s story, but Gosling nearly steals the show.)

There’s also “surprisingly balletic musical number that appears to be inspired by Grease and Singin’ in the Rain; a car-chase sequence; a mysterious woman in a kitchen; and a running gag about Sylvester Stallone’s penchant for mink coats.”

Barbie hits theaters on July 21, and Tom Cruise thinks you should see on a double with Oppenheimer.

(Via Time and Variety)

Early this year, pop music icon Madonna announced that she would be commemorating the 40th anniversary of the beginning of her music career with the Celebration Tour. Announcing the tour with a video featuring stars like Diplo, Lil Wayne, and more, she said in a statement, “I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for.” Unfortunately, it turned out that at least some of those fans will have to wait a bit longer, as Madonna’s longtime manager Guy Oseary announced the postponement of the tour on Instagram.

So, why was Madonna’s Celebration Tour postponed?

Well, it looks like Madonna will need a little recovery time after she was hospitalized earlier this week. After being reportedly found unresponsive, she was rushed to the ICU, where she was intubated for at least one night and watched over by her daughter, Lourdes Leon. And although Oseary reports that her health is improving and she’s expected to make a full recovery, it looks like no chances are being taken with the 64-year-old singer.

“At this time, we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour,” wrote Oseary on Instagram. “We will share more details with you as soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows.”

Ghislaine Maxwell has earned the nickname “Prison Karen” after filing over 400 complaints while serving time on her 20-year sentence.

The right-hand woman to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell was found guilty of child sex trafficking and sentenced in June of 2022. She’s since been doing her time at a low-security women’s prison in Florida. But, according to insiders, even the cushiest of lock-ups just doesn’t meet the London socialite’s high standards. The Daily Mail reports that Maxwell has lodged complaints over practically every element of prison life — from the food to the treatment by her guards to the lack of haircare products. In fact, her biggest gripe recently stems from the facility’s refusal to provide black hair dye so that Maxwell can cover up her grays.

“She complains about the food, the bedding, when they cancel temple because of bad weather or are late setting up her legal calls,” a source revealed. “The latest battle is over hair dye. Maxwell hates her gray showing through and she’s filed a grievance because they don’t sell it anymore. When she did her video interview with British TV she paid another inmate $200 for the dye.”

Epstein’s partner in crime is also peeved with the lack of vegan meal options and a “rude” laundry lady she apparently has beef with. According to the source, Maxwell’s Big “Speak To The Manager” Energy is all part of her plan to get reassigned. Despite having it easy in the Florida facility, Maxwell hopes that by constantly complaining to prison officials, she’ll cause such a headache that they’ll have no choice but to move her elsewhere.

Let’s hope it’s somewhere even less accommodating.

(Via RawStory)

Taurean Prince will join the list of wing free agents looking for a new deal this summer after the Minnesota Timberwolves officially waived his non-guaranteed deal for next year.

Minnesota had to make a decision on Prince’s $7.4 million contract and chose to let him go to free up their mid-level this summer to try and make a roster upgrade, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Prince tweeted that he, like the rest of us, learned about this via Wojnarowski.

Prince averaged 9.1 points per game for Minnesota last year, with his primary value being as a catch-and-shoot threat on the perimeter. Prince knocked down 38.1 percent of his threes last season for the Wolves on nearly 4 attempts per game. While not the defensive presence some of the other wings on the market are, Prince figures to Garner interest at the taxpayer mid-level for contenders looking to add some shooting to their bench rotation.

Prince may have to wait out what happens with players like Josh Hart, Bruce Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, and others on the wing market before finding his next home. As for the Wolves, they have to figure out how to upgrade their roster with little in the way of space. Waiving Prince opens up the full $12.4 million non-taxpayer mid-level, putting them in the running for some of the better mid-tier free agents to try and improve on last year’s squad that got the 8-seed.