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In news that should have Donald Trump shaking in his ill-fitting suits, former chief of staff Mark Meadows is reportedly cooperating with a special counsel investigation that could land the ex-president behind bars.

After Trump’s legal team spent weeks worrying where the hell Meadows was after the MAGA insider went dark, CNN is now claiming he’s testified before a grand jury convened by special counsel, Jack Smith. This latest federal probe is intended to uncover any illegal behavior from Trump during the Jan. 6th insurrection and after, when he ferried classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago residence. As his then-right-hand-man, Meadows had unparalleled access to the former president during that time which means, if he’s decided to squeal, Trump should be worried.

“We have a statement from his lawyer which will make the hairs on the neck of Donald Trump’s team stand, frankly, because it’s very ominous,” CNN correspondent Evan Perez said. “He doesn’t confirm that Mark Meadows has testified in front of the grand jury, but he says this: ‘Mark Meadows has maintained a commitment to tell the truth where he has a legal obligation to do so.’ Again, if you’re the Trump team… it doesn’t sound very good to them.”

Meadows was instrumental in Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and he was in the room with Trump as the Jan. 6th attacks took place, when the president refused to condemn the MAGA mob. So yeah, he’s seen some things. Enough things in fact to earn a tweet from Fox News old-timer Bill O’Reilly, warning Trump fans that their MAGA mascot might be enjoying his fish filet sandwiches from a prison cell in the future.

(Via RawStory)

Former supermodel Helena Christensen is totally in on the joke of Tenacious D‘s new video. About a week ago, the two-man band released a cover of Chris Isaak’s 1989 hit “Wicked Game” in which Jack Black and Kyle Gass frolic in the water on a beach in skimpy swimsuits, lightly parodying the original’s artsy, black-and-white video which starred the model canoodling with Isaak on the coast. You can check out the cover above and the original below, but the real highlight here is Christensen’s response on Instagram.

Posting a screenshot of herself and Isaak from the original video, Christensen added Black and Gass to the background, running along in the water. In the caption, she joked, “I was very confused that day.” Stunning and funny; what a combination.

Tenacious D’s cover arrived ahead of a new slate of fall shows, including a performance at the Hollywood Bowl for the Video Game Awards, where they’ll be performing their new song “Video Games.” You can see those dates below.

6/7/23 Berlin, Germany @ Zitadelle
6/8/23 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock Festival
6/10/23 Milan, Italy @ Carroponte
6/12/23 Zurich, Switzerland @ The Hall
6/13/23 Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National
6/14/23 Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Ahoy
6/16/23 London, England @ O2 Arena
6/18/23 Clisson, France @ Hellfest Open Air Festival
6/25/23 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl (Video Game Awards)
9/6/23 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
9/7/23 Franklin, TN @ Firstbank Amphitheater
9/9/23 Indianapolis, IN @ All IN Music Festival
9/11/23 Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
9/13/23 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
9/14/23 Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre
9/15/23 Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater

Chris Paul is going to hit the free agent market this summer. According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Phoenix Suns have made the first major move of the Frank Vogel era, as the team has made the decision to waive Paul and let him hit the open market.

Paul, who just turned 38 in May, could have remained under contract with the Suns for the next two seasons at $30.4 million a year, although his salary was partially guaranteed for 2023-24 and non-guaranteed for the following year. Paul’s deal would have been fully guaranteed if the team did not make a decision on his future by June 28, and his partial guarantee is worth $15.8 million.

After coming to Phoenix ahead of the 2020-21 season, Paul was a major reason why the team was able to make the NBA Finals in 2021 and had the best regular season record the following year. But in 2022-23, Paul started to show signs of Father Time catching up to him, as he averaged 13.9 points, 8.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 32 minutes per game while only appearing in 59 contests during the regular season.

With both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in town, the Suns are trying to win as soon as possible and must believe that they can build the best possible team without Paul. Now, the Point God will be free to sign with any team he wants, and it’s not hard to imagine a squad with a need for a veteran presence in the backcourt jumping at the opportunity to bring him on board.

Tom Holland only became famous a handful of years ago or so, when he was cast as the third live-action Spider-Man in less than two decades. He’s been very busy since then, doing dramas and other blockbusters and, of course, lip-syncing to Rihanna. The guy needs a break, and after the grueling experience of making the limited series The Crowded Room, that’s exactly what he’s doing.

The British actor made the announcement during an interview with Extra, which he called “a tough time, for sure.” In the Apple TV+ series, which also features Amanda Seyfried and Emmy Rossum (as his mom, no less), he plays a young man who’s arrested for his part in a shooting that occurred in 1979’s New York City.

“We were exploring certain emotions that I have definitely never experienced before,” Holland explained. “And then on top of that, being a producer, dealing with the day-to-day problems that come with any film set, just added that extra level of pressure.”

On one hand, Holland “loved the learning curve of becoming a producer,” On the other, doing busy producer stuff while also tapping into dark mental states understandably proved a bit much:

“I’m no stranger to hard work. I’ve always lived by the idea that hard work is good work. Then again, the show did break me. There did come a time where I needed a break and disappeared and went to Mexico for a week and had time on a beach and laid low. I’m now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was. I am excited to see how it turns out. I feel like our hard work wasn’t in vein.”

Holland has spoken about his struggles making The Crowded Room before. “I was seeing myself in [the character], but in my personal life,” Holland told Entertainment Weekly last month. “I remember having a bit of a meltdown at home and thinking, like, ‘I’m going to shave my head. I need to shave my head because I need to get rid of this character.’ And, obviously, we were mid-shooting, so I decided not to. He added, “It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

So good on you, Tom Holland. Go out there and spend your Marvel movie and sit on beaches and take trips and use ziplines or whatever it is incredibly young and wildly successful people who are dating other young, successful people do these days.

(Via Extra)

Even though many people are a little tired of the Superhero-ness of modern cinema, there are a few exceptions. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is being called one of the best superhero movies at the moment, and even The Flash has gotten some love. While some people have been openly staying away from Marvel and its associated brands, maybe we just need some fresh new ideas! Luckily, Natasha Lyonne knows what Marvel needs: Larry David. Yeah, that one!

In The Hollywood Reporter‘s actress roundtable, when asked about the prospect of being involved in a Marvel picture, Lyonne says only one thing would need to happen for her to enter the Marvelverse. “I would say the exception might be Larry David,” she said. “It might be that Larry David is actually not getting a lot of calls from Marvel and stuff. Or maybe he is, and he’s just like, ‘No thanks.’” He’s a busy guy, after all, but Lyonne has some ideas.

“It’s really just us running around trying to catch him,” Lyonne said, referring to the rest of the table, which included Ayo Edebiri, Jenna Ortega, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Edebiri added, “I feel like his Marvel movie is, like, he’s just a guy whose life just keeps getting destroyed by all the superheroes flying around.” Ortega added, “He’s really annoyed.”

This is on-brand for the man, who always looks like the human embodiment of someone who is majorly inconvenienced. What’s more inconvenient than a gang of superheroes holding up traffic when you’re trying to get home in time for dinner? These are the real victims.

While the ladies were mostly joking, it could work! The idea is vaguely reminiscent of the short-lived comedy Powerless, which followed a bunch of normies in a superhero society. Maybe David can be the one to bring it back to life. He’s done it before!

(Via Vulture)

Jodie Comer once related how she nearly died while filming a “grotesque” Killing Eve scene that involved spaghetti and an inability to breathe. Fortunately, that story worked out well, and Jodie is still with us. She went on to escape that self-defeating (from the show’s POV) series finale star in several films, including Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy, and now, Jodie is starring in her own one-woman Broadway production. Unfortunately, breathing difficulties have reared their head again for her because the New York City air is essentially toxic at the moment.

As CNN reports, around 100 wildfires around Quebec have sent their smoke across the U.S. East Coast and placed around 55 million people under air-quality caution. This includes a “code red” alert for Philadelphia and orange-toned skies in New York City, where events have been cancelled throughout the Big Apple. On Broadway, Comer needed to halt her performance in Prima Facie, where she’s regularly onstage for 100 minutes straight. One of the show’s spokespeople confirmed the news to Hollywood Reporter:

“Today’s matinee of Prima Facie was halted approximately 10 minutes into the performance after Jodie Comer had difficulty breathing due to the poor air quality in New York City because of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. The performance was set to start again from the top with understudy Dani Arlington going on for Ms. Comer in the role of Tessa.”

Hopefully, all will be well with Jodie because a one-woman show is already no joke. As well, the Writers Guild strikes took a breather (I am sorry) in New York “in light of the forecasted air quality alerts” while everyone is undoubtedly reaching for their leftover N95 masks.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter & CNN)

The inter-generational war of words between rockers Matty Healy and Noel Gallagher continued during the 1975’s show in Dublin today as Healy opened for his own band after Caroline Polachek lost her voice and canceled her set. Healy specifically responded to Gallagher calling him a “slack-jawed f*ckwit,” showing the elder star some love before getting in a slick dig of his own.

“Noel Gallagher called me a ‘slack-jawed fuckwit,’” he told the crowd before mentioning another artist Noel’s carried a long-standing feud with — his brother, Liam Gallagher. “I love Noel Gallagher. We asked Liam to open up and he said he would have done it but he was busy. But I love Noel Gallagher, give it up for Noel Gallagher.”

Healy then delivered the gut punch. “The difference between me and Noel is that I do a series of interviews to promote an album,” he joked, “Whereas he does an album to promote a series of interviews. But we love you, Noel, get Oasis back together!” Ahead of that, though, Healy graciously accepted praise from other older rock legends like Chris Martin and Bono, who he said “sent us the most beautiful messages, packages, [and] good wishes.” You can check out the video below.

The feud between Matty and Noel seems to stem from comments the 1975 frontman made during an interview promoting the group’s latest album/tour. In February, Matty complained about the friction between the Gallagher brothers and expressed hope for an Oasis reunion. And while Liam took his complaints in stride, Noel instead made the aforementioned “f*ckwit” comment in a May interview with Spin, calling The 1975 “sh*t” in the process. However, he also took things a step further the next month, deriding The 1975 as “not f*cking rock.”

There are a number of teams that could make significant moves this summer after disappointing ends to their 2022-23 season, but the focal point in the weeks leading up to the NBA Draft on June 22 is Portland.

The Trail Blazers hold the No. 3 overall pick and have made it clear their goal is to trade it in order to bring in some veteran help, but there are a number of potential pitfalls in that plan and skepticism around the league they’ll be able to make it happen. For one, they need to find a team willing to trade a quality veteran for a draft pick, which is not always easy because most teams with that caliber of player are not looking at hitting the reset button on a youth movement. Another issue is the fact that, up until Charlotte makes its selection at No. 2, its not a guarantee who will be the best prospect available for a team trading into the third pick. The expectation is Scoot Henderson will be there, with Charlotte apparently leaning towards Brandon Miller, but that’s not set in stone.

Failing to find the kind of trade they’re looking for, as happened to the Golden State Warriors in 2021 in a similar position, would mean they would have to seriously consider shifting their focus to the long-term and embracing that youth movement themselves. That is something Damian Lillard has been clear he isn’t interested in, and it would then raise the possibility of the Blazers looking at moving him. That’s something he has not (and likely will not) ask for himself, but having a star who isn’t thrilled with his situation and works opposite the long-term goals of a team-building plan is not ideal and it wouldn’t require him to ask out.

This all is still a couple weeks away from even taking shape, but it hasn’t stopped it from being a topic of conversation given the caliber of player Lillard is. His friend and former teammate, CJ McCollum, also happens to moonlight as an ESPN analyst in the offseason, and somehow allowed himself to get lured into being on First Take this morning to discuss all of this.

McCollum notes he had “wine and sushi” with Dame last week but is “setting that aside” and insists anything he says in this segment is not coming from Dame directly but is just what he’s thinking — how much you choose to believe that is up to you. Eventually, he says the words Stephen A. Smith was dying to hear, which is “if I was a betting man, I would say this is the last we’ve seen of him there.”

He quickly hedges by noting “I’m not a betting man,” which is a very funny thing to say after making that initial statement. I think he’s right that Portland is going to spend the next two weeks exploring the options available to them on both pathways, but as he notes, the Blazers are a ways away from being a contender. They would need a considerable splash to build a team with a “puncher’s chance,” as he says, and as of now it’s not clear that trade is out there.

Lillard, for his part, thinks he’ll be back in Portland next season — but again, that’s in this current world where an upgraded roster is still a possibility.

Comedy actor Jay Johnston, who voiced Jimmy Pesto on Bob’s Burgers for several seasons, has been arrested in connection to the January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol building following Donald Trump’s “Stop The Steal” rally.

According to NBC News, the Department of Justice has charged Johnston with “felony obstruction of officers during civil disorder as well as several misdemeanor offenses.” The charges paint a picture of Johnston’s alleged activities during the riot, and the actor reportedly did more than just enter the Capitol building:

Court documents say that Johnston entered the upper west tunnel, where some of the most violent attacks of the Jan. 6 attack took place and “assisted at least three other rioters by pouring water on the rioters’ faces.” He then used a stolen U.S. Capitol Police shield as rioters battled with police, the documents say.

The arrest also marks the closest thing to a confirmation that Johnston was present for January 6, which has always been speculated but never officially corroborated. However, Johnston was reportedly banned from Bob’s Burgers after his involvement became more and more likely.

(Case in point: This tweet from the FBI that shows a suspect who looks jarringly similar to Johnston.)

“One of the sources described it as a ‘ban,’” The Daily Beast reported in December 2021. “The other individual familiar with the matter described the situation similarly, adding that the Bob’s Burgers cast and crew, as well as Fox, were not looking to make ‘a big deal’ about the current blacklisting of the apparent insurrection-attendee.”

(Via NBC News)

In Los Angeles, summer hasn’t quite arrived yet. For those not too familiar, we’re currently deep into “June gloom,” which was ushered in by “grey May,” and follows some of the rainiest months in California history. Still, as people take to IG to lament the lack of warm weather, we born-and-raised folks are well aware that the heat is coming and will be here until Thanksgiving. Enjoy not needing air conditioning while you can.

And with the warm weather comes one of the best aspects of the summer months across the country: the outdoor summer concert. Sure, we already had plenty of heat at Coachella (and heated reactions to that Frank Ocean mess… Yes, I’m still upset), but the season gets properly ushered in around Memorial Day. LA’s big outdoor venues like the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre are back to nightly events after going dark for the winter. Giant outdoor (and semi-outdoor if it is at SoFi stadium) shows are about to arrive in the form of Taylor Swift, Metallica, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Twice, and Beyoncé. And then there are the festivals, which will include events like 88rising’s Head In The Clouds, though last year’s Primavera LA, This Ain’t No Picnic, and Palamino all appear to be off the schedule.

Still, coming out of the COVID closures, it’s not hard to remember how much the concert atmosphere has shifted. From FYF to the Santa Monica pier to July mega-bills at the Bowl, the concert industry is not as healthy as it once was (yet somehow promoters are flaunting record earnings, but I digress). Enter Re:SET, a traveling concert series that occupies a bit of an ambiguous space between festival and summer concert. It’s a concept that feels both like a throwback to the kind of summer concerts that were more frequent about a decade past, and an indicator of something new and fresh. Even the talent, which featured artists that appealed to both millennial (LCD Soundsystem, Toro y Moi) and Gen Z (Boygenius, Steve Lacy) demographics, reflected this kind of old-is-new-again feeling.

The concept is both simple and inspired: three concerts on three consecutive days in a city, each weekend taking place in a region where the bands can essentially rotate which night they are playing, with bills built around the headliner. In LA, that meant a Friday night with Lacy and Toro joined by James Blake and Fousheé, Saturday with Boygenius accompanied by Clairo, Dijon, and Bartees Strange, and LCD supported by Jamie xx, Idles, and Big Freedia on Sunday. The same weekend in San Diego, they received Boygenius on Friday, LCD on Saturday, and finally Steve Lacy on Sunday. The Bay Area also saw Re:SET come through in a shuffled order, and the next weekend, the bands would move to the South.

With only four daily artists and a single stage, it hardly fits the festival delineation, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t offer some of the festival perks. Los Angeles’ Re:SET had a host of local food vendors to go beyond the typical concert fare, plus utilizing a smaller footprint at the Brookside at Rose Bowl location, the home of many festivals, gave it some of the festival infrastructure that assured its success. Attendees also had the option of purchasing single-day passes or attendance for all three days.

But on Saturday, it still didn’t feeeeeel like a festival. While surely there were some three-day attendees, it was clear that this was a Boygenius concert, with fans decked out in cosplay representing the band and Phoebe Bridgers alike. All the openers were enjoyed and respected to varying degrees — Clairo was clearly the closest bullseye to the fans’ tastes — but there was no doubt who the vast majority of the attendees were there to see.

And Boygenius delivered their end of the bargain with a spirited and mighty set that featured just about every song they have recorded together, and even a few songs from Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker’s solo oeuvre. Even from the back, the fans screaming every word was loud enough for the mics to pick up, creating a chorus effect that only added to the enthusiasm of the audience. Clairo received similar treatment for her closing “Bags,” letting the audience take portions of the song for themselves.

It remains to be seen whether Re:SET becomes a sustainable model, or if it is a one-and-done concept. But it would be fascinating to see who else could be down for building these kinds of touring events. For Los Angeles, the event might have felt a little redundant because so many of the artists had already appeared at last year’s This Ain’t No Picnic and Primavera Sound. But that, of course, is not the case for many of the tour’s other cities. Regardless, the hope is that more and more summer concerts return to a healthier touring economy that makes sense for the artists and the fans, and not just for the massive promoters putting them on.

Dijon

Clairo

Boygenius

Bartees Strange

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.