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Succession and Barry aren’t the only award-winning TV shows ending this weekend. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel series finale debuted on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, and fans of Family Guy may have wondered if the episode includes a nod to a classic scene from the animated series. Your suspicion is correct, the one person who watches both Mrs. Maisel and Family Guy; it was confirmed by none other than Alex Borstein, who stars on both shows.

“Dan Palladino and I wrote together on Family Guy. He was my boss there. It was very reminiscent in my head to ‘Mom, mommy, mom, mom, mama, mom, Lois, mommy,’ which we were all there for in the room when that came up,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “That’s kind of what I had in my head, trying to be equally as grating and annoying.”

Here’s the scene being referenced from Family Guy:

I haven’t checked the comments on that video, but I’m guessing 85 percent of them are moms saying, “omg this is so me and my kid haha.” The other 15 percent is people saying how much better Family Guy used to be (in that sense, they really did rip off The Simpsons). Borstein continued:

“That was a really fun thing to shoot, but it was a lot. We were also able to play with it in ADR when we do the additional dialogue in a booth. I was able to change them up or add more. I think she had me add more. That was annoying for the whole crew. I think they were pretty sick of hearing “Mike, Mike, Mike” by the end of that.”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finale is streaming now.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

I drove through Iowa and Nebraska last week, and guess what? Everything they told me about “the flyover states” was a lie. I didn’t see a single stalk of corn, but I did see a ski lift. Before that mindf*ck, I passed through several gorgeous National Parks and nothing gave me worse FOMO than driving through the Rockies. As we chugged along the I-70, weaving alongside the Colorado River, the seemingly-endless peaks, still coated in bright snow, looked absolutely enticing.

All I wanted was to do hop out of the car for a little two-hour detour; strap in, sip a craft lager, and bomb down those slopes in a T-shirt. But two hours for $250? That would be idiotic. Which goes a long way toward explaining why all the cool Colorado kids have an Epic Pass.

Right now, The Epic Pass, which grants unlimited, season-long access to premium mountain resorts like Vail, Whistler Blackcomb, Park City, Breckenridge, and more, is available at a huge discount until Memorial Day, May 29th. For the cost of essentially four days of riding one mountain, you could explore over 40 resorts (including international spots in Austria, Switzerland, and Australia) all season long. Not only that, this package includes half-off deals for friends, the ability to pay the pass off monthly with zero interest, and loads of other perks like lodging deals, free gondola rides, summer golf discounts, and more.

For lovers of fresh snow powder and the outdoors, this is the Golden Ticket in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.

Basically, you’re buying the freedom and flexibility to go ski or board whenever the heck you want, and when you buy in bulk, that’s when you save big. With this deal, it’s possible to slash a $ 250-a-day price to just a few bucks (if you make the absolute most of it). Kids get the pass for half the price, and if you’re a veteran, they’re gonna hook you up with a pass for just over $100.

To think, I could have paid in May of last year, had my all-you-can ski fix in the winter, and then five months later hop out of the car for a quick impromptu spring session. But as they say, hindsight’s 20-20.

Make sure to check out all the pass options here. If you’re on the fence about pulling the trigger, I’d advise against that: Hesitating leads to wiping out. How do I know? Here’s a clip of me to illustrate that phenomenon:

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Look, like many, I have utterly loathed Disney’s live-action remakes. In my opinion, they have either been a lazy, frame-by-frame rehashing of what we already know (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Lion King”) or the original essence is lost in trying to be cutting edge or topical (“Mulan”). Either way, audiences young and old are robbed of that special feeling promised by the Disney brand. Instead, we’re left wondering if we’ll ever have that feeling again.

This is, sadly, exactly what I expected for Disney’s live-action remake of 1989’s “The Little Mermaid.” To be more specific, I expected to get a wondrous performance by Halle Bailey as Ariel, which would ultimately be drowned out by mediocre storytelling.

And honestly, why shouldn’t I? Even before the movie premiered, there have been some questionable choices, such as changes to the song lyrics (not inherently bad, IMO, but would lead me to wonder if the songs themselves were dulled in some way), and having the animal characters like Sebastion and Flounder look like they belong in National Geographic…which I guess is still technically Disney nowadays but just ain’t right, ya know?

Headlines that have rolled in since the premiere, cleverly calling the film a “shallow,” “not bad…but not good,” and “poor unfortunate remake” certainly didn’t lessen my skepticism. All that to say, I went in thinking I’d come out completely unchanged, unmoved and unimpressed.

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

(Avast! Mild spoilers ahead, though I was purposely cryptic throughout.)

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First off—the design is gorgeous. The mermaid kingdom is colorful and mesmerizing. The land kingdom is given a really cool Caribbean, Barbados-y flavor that adds a whole new dimension. The beginning scene on the ship brilliantly captures the mysterious beauty and dangerous majesty of the sea that once filled the hearts of sailors and brought us mermaid lore in the first place. 10/10. No notes.

Next, the musical numbers were on point. The classics hit in all the right places but were given a light, fresh touch by the incomparable Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also added in a fun new rap song called “Scuttlebutt,” which as you can imagine, incorporates Miranda’s next-level wordsmith skills.

Also, the supporting characters definitely held their own, not least of which being Melissa McCarthy’s portrayal of the sassy, brassy, kinda scary sea witch Ursula.

via GIPHY

I know that I am probably the only one on the planet who wasn’t entirely excited when it was announced that McCarthy would be playing the role. (She’s talented and lovely, don’t get me wrong…I just don’t normally resonate with her usual shtick.) But, as the kids say, McCarthy ATE AND LEFT NO CRUMBS. The way she honored Ursula’s vocal mannerisms alone had me sold. And that belt at the end of “Poor Unfortunate Souls”…fuggedaboutit.

We even got a much more fleshed out Eric, who sings his own song of yearning from the “Little Mermaid” Broadway show. In the movie, we see that Eric and Ariel really are two kindred spirits with a ton of innocent, heartfelt chemistry. The moment in the “Kiss The Girl” boat scene where Eric learns Ariel’s name using the stars in the sky is romantic and sweet in all the right ways.

via GIPHY

And yes, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Sebastian and Flounder designs actually make sense. Looking back, if they had made them closer to the cartoony style we’re familiar with, it would have felt very wonky and out of place. There, I said it.

I haven’t mentioned much about Ariel herself, because what is there to say really other than Bailey is phenomenal. She brings the necessary purity and dreaminess, but adds her own sense of courage and determination. This Ariel steers her own course…quite literally.

via GIPHY

Overall, I think there are plenty of treasures untold to be gleaned from this delightfully creative retelling. It’s a movie that, despite the alluring siren song of criticism, can infuse a healing dose of magic into kids’ hearts—and even the heart of our own inner child, if we let it.

Sydney Sweeney‘s latest project is a pretty big departure from her former roles as the dramatic Cassie in Euphoria and the whiny teenage Olivia in The White Lotus. The Emmy-nominated actress stars in Reality as Reality Winner, a real-life veteran who was interrogated after leaking classified information about Russian interference in the 2016 election. She was later sentenced to five years in prison.

Reality takes place over several hours when Winner was confronted and interrogated by government officials. Here’s everything we know about the drama.

Cast

The movie stars Sweeney alongside Marchant Davis and Josh Hamilton, who play FBI agents tasked with interrogating the veteran.

Plot

The story is inspired by real-life veteran Reality Winner (yes, that’s really her name) who leaked a report about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. According to the official plot synopsis:

On June 3, 2017, 25-year-old Reality Winner returns from running errands to find two FBI agents at her home in Augusta, Georgia. An Air Force veteran and yoga instructor, Winner spends the next two hours being questioned about her work as an intelligence contractor – specifically, whether she leaked a classified document about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.

With all dialogue taken from the FBI transcript Reality tells the tense, mesmerizing story of what transpired inside Winner’s home that afternoon. As she navigates the federal agents’ questions, Winner is revealed to be a fairly typical 20-something: She treasures her pets, loves to travel, teaches CrossFit, shares selfies on social media.

Release Date

After debuting at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival in February, Reality will hit HBO on May 29th and will be available to stream on MAX, HBO’s new streaming service.

Trailer

Here is the official trailer for Reality.

Earlier this week, 2K Games announced West Coast artist Blxst curated the soundtrack for season 7 of NBA 2K23. In a Zoom interview with Blxst, Uproxx got some insight into the creative process behind the soundtrack and the impact that a 2K placement can have on artists’ careers.

Blxst, who first exploded into stardom with his 2020 EP No Love Lost, has risen in stature ever since. He’s become one of the LA rap scene’s premier hook singers while building a thrilling catalog as a genre-bending rapper with releases like Before You Go and his Sixtape series with Bino Rideaux, which will see its third iteration in the near future. He’s also been a regular at Uproxx Studios, dropping off potent performances for UPROXX Sessions.

He’s expanded his impressive portfolio by launching his Evgle record label, supporting artists such as Jay Millian, who also makes an appearance on the 2K23 soundtrack with his song “Baby,” which exclusively launched through the game. The soundtrack also includes Blxst staples such as “Passionate” with Roddy Ricch, “Keep Calling” with Larry June, and “Spend It” with Babyface Ray and Nija.

As Blxst says during our interview, “Whenever a play comes to me of this magnitude, I think of how can I get my team involved? How can we make it a teamwork type of thing?” I compare this to the point guards as whom he loves to play in NBA 2K23 like Ja Morant and Kyrie Irving. Yes, he can score, but he also wants to put his teammates in the best position to win, which is the defining characteristic of an all-time great.

Let’s talk about the process of getting you involved in doing the soundtrack for season seven of NBA 2K23.

The process was kind of simple. 2K had reached out and it was natural. They just wanted us to curate a playlist and I was excited for it from the jump because I had linked up with Ronnie 2K randomly just going to a San Francisco 49ers game. I seen them up there and we chopped it up. I don’t know if he threw the alley-oop, but I’m definitely connected with the 2K family.

A lot of people, when they hear artists on 2K, that’s like the first time they might be hearing you. How do you decide on which songs of yours are the ones that are absolutely 100% 2K worthy?

A lot of the artists that are on the playlist I’m a fan of myself, and it’s certain songs that I pick from they projects that just inspired me to get up and do something. I feel like that’s one thing athletes can relate to, just wanting to be motivated from the music to be your best, to be the best version of yourself. That’s how I implemented the playlist.

It was really important to you to get the Evgle guys involved. What does that mean to an artist that is on your label? This might be the first time that they’re getting really that level of exposure.

I think it’s fire, especially for Jay Millian. We got to exclusively release a record in 2K. If you go to my career, you see different [Billboard achievements] and that’s a big deal. I think it’s just important to be able to give my artists and my producers them types of platforms. Whenever a play comes to me of this magnitude, I think of how can I get my team involved. How can we make it a teamwork type of thing? Even Vic and Carl — which is my manager and my attorney — … I like to look at them as tastemakers outside of the positions that they typically play. We just put our brains together, we the visionaries.

I guess the closest sports metaphor would be being a point guard, right? You’re always looking for the open shot for another member of the team. Do you have any specific songs or artists that you have memories connected with, “Oh, I discovered this person through 2K“?

I couldn’t give you a specific song, but I will say it’s certain moments that I connected with, like seeing Pharrell curate a playlist, seeing J. Cole as well, and Pharrell, somebody I’m a big fan of from the skateboard world to the fashion industry and how everything cross brands with the music. I feel like I’m following his footsteps in a sense, being here.

Speaking of J. Cole, he was actually included in the game as a playable character. Is that something we can look forward to: getting some hoops in with Blxst on the game?

I might have to get my jump shot up first, but yeah, I’m definitely down for the 3D scan. Put me in the game.

When you actually do play the game, who’s your team? Who’s your go-to?

I’m a player fan more than a team fan. I like to play with Ja Morant. I like to play with Trae Young, Kyrie Irving. I like to play the point.

What’s next for the future?

It’s summer 2023. I’m locked back in with Bino Rideaux for Sixtape part three. We slowly but surely getting that up, but outside of that, I’m also working on my album, which I’m excited for my fans to hear. It’s like an elevator version of Blxst. I’m a throw them off guard with new sounds. Been working with different producers and just staying inspired and motivated, keeping that fire under me, bro. I’m really in a positive space right now.

The NBA Finals start soon. Who you got?

Basketball don’t really matter to me ever since the Lakers got kicked out, got swept [laughing]. Being from LA, that broke my heart. I’m going to have to go with maybe the Joker. Maybe he can close it out.

I know that as an artist, you do a lot of interviews, so you get a lot of the same questions. I have to ask a lot of the same questions, too. If you were me interviewing you, what would you want to know? What would you want people to know about Blxst that you’ve never gotten to talk about?

I love that question. I would say that I’m just a goofy person, man. I think people take me serious. I’m not so vocal all the time, but if you know me, if you’re in my inner circle, I’m pretty goofy. I’m probably dancing in the studio on a random day. I think the world is going to see a different side of Blxst as things reveal.

Taylor Swift‘s Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) is out today. This new version of the album includes “Hits Different,” “Snow On The Beach” with more Lana Del Rey, and a “Karma” remix with Ice Spice.

In a new chat with Spotify, the “Anti-Hero” singer discussed how the unexpected collaboration with the “Munch” rapper happened. She reveals that she had been “listening to Ice Spice constantly” to prepare for The Eras Tour and calls Ice her “new favorite artist.”

She said:

“Collaborating with Ice Spice on ‘Karma’ was one of the most natural things. She reached out through her team just kind of saying, ‘Hey, you know, Ice has been a big fan of Taylor since she was a little kid. We’d love to collaborate if that was ever something that came about.’ And I had been listening to her nonstop like getting ready for my tour I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly. So I immediately got her number and said, ‘Hey, would you want to do your version of ‘Karma’? Do you relate to this? And so she jumped in headfirst and getting to know her has been so special because I’m blown away by her. She is — in my opinion — she is the one to watch. Just watching her work ethic and how thoughtfully she approaches her career — she’s like my new favorite artist and I’m so honored that she’s on the song. So, yeah, what a joy!”

It’s been a big past few days in terms of Ice Spice linking up with legends, as she’s also teaming up with Nicki Minaj for a new version of “Barbie Girl.”

(WARNING: Spoilers (or maybe not?) for this week’s Power Book II: Ghost episode will be found below.)

Power Book II: Ghost just concluded its third season with an episode that changes everything about the St. Patricks-Tejada world as we knew it. Once again, Tariq St. Patrick was able to escape legal trouble, the latest one being a possible RICO indictment, but it did come at the expense of other things. His life was put at risk thanks to a move against his mother that he believed was done by Monét, when in reality, it was orchestrated by Diana. It was all a part of Diana’s plan to convince Tariq to kill Monét, all to have him killed later. While Tariq isn’t the one to do it, Monét does get ambushed at the end of the season three finale. Once the blame is cast on Tariq, it sets off what will surely be a massive war with Tariq and Brayden facing off against the Tejadas, Effie, and Noma.

The person leading the charge against Tariq and Brayden in this impending war is none other than Cane Tejada. This battle is an easy one for Cane since he’s resented Tariq since the moment he walked into the Tejada household in season three. “Been wanting to do this for a long time,” Cane says with a gun pointed at Tariq. Yet, as he’s done time and time again, Tariq slips out without a scratch on his body.

Following the conclusion of Power Book II: Ghost season three, we caught up with Woody McClain, who plays the role of Cane Tejada, to talk about his impenetrable loyalty to Monét, his hate for Tariq, and his growing feelings for Effie.

Despite the revelation of Monet being the one to get Lorenzo killed, we still see Cane work with her in the finale. Why doesn’t he cut her off as Dru and Diana did?

I think it just comes down to the fact that Cane is a mama’s boy. His backstory, which we’ve never got a chance to really talk about during the show, but she was there for him when something super significant happened in his life, it was just his mom. So he’s always had an attachment to her. I wished they would have talked about it more, but they never got across or had time for it. I think it’s just the fact that he and his mom are just super, super tight. She was there for him at a time when he really needed her. I think that’s where Cane is when it comes to his mother.

Cane has quite the journey in season three. He goes from being very power-driven to seeing his own flaws and getting a reality check from that. How would you describe Cane’s growth and progression in season 3?

Cane comes from broken love. It’s a product of deep emotional pain and it holds significant influence for Cane. Brett [Mahoney] did an amazing job this season of making Cane human, to show more feelings. I think that was a great move on the writers to bring Effie into his life. It showed a different side, he’s just not a badass. He actually cares. He’s actually willing to pay tuition. He’s actually willing to put on the suit and go into jail to try to fight for his love. I just really appreciate the writers for doing that this year.

In what ways would you say that Lorenzo’s death affected Cane in season 3?

I think it affected a lot. I feel like Lorenzo was the glue to the family. He wanted the best for everybody. Whether it was Diana going to school or being super supportive of Dru in his relationships. I just think Lorenzo was the glue, and now that the glue is no longer there, you can physically see the family just falling apart. I think it was super important for us to have Lorenzo, and now that he’s gone, I think everything is just going to keep going left.

Despite these changes, one thing remains: Cane hates Tariq. Especially in this season, what do you think deep down fuels the fire of Cane’s hate toward Tariq?

I think it just comes from the fact that everything was better with Tariq wasn’t involved with the family, and he said it. He said everything that’s f*cked up in my family has happened when you came around, period. That’s just what it is. Just like Cane saw the fact that Lorenzo did what he did, and Monet did what she did, Cane can kind of see the BS in people. Whether it was Mecca being a narc, he kind of sees these things and he’s seen that Tariq wasn’t a good guy from the beginning. And I think Cane is like three-for-three right now when it comes to like pointing up people’s BS. Even Salim, he said that name’s hella made up brother. He’s like four-for-four now, so I mean, I don’t think it changes for Tariq either.

Something that many people think is connected to Cane’s hate for Tariq is his budding relationship with Effie. Has Cane’s pursuit of Effie always been about her or just a way to get under Tariq’s skin?

Yeah, that’s super genuine. I don’t think he would have went the route he did pressing everyone about Effie and them trying to set her up if it wasn’t genuine. He would’ve just went along with it if it was some fake love-type stuff. So it’s definitely genuine, I don’t think he cares about Tariq when it comes to Effie.

What is it about Effie that draws Cane towards her?

I remember Courtney [A. Kemp] mentioning, “Men like women in the image of their mother.” I don’t know, that’s a theory that she had. So that’s the theory that is kind of motivating Cane and Effie. I feel like Cane sees a little bit of Monet in Effie with the way she moves. He loves the strong, independent woman-type figure. So I believe that’s why it works for him.

Do you think it’s a bit ironic that Diana and Dru set up Tariq to get killed despite getting mad at Monet for setting up Lorenzo to be killed?

[Laughs.]That’s what it is man! Family dynamics are weird, you know what I mean? You can be mad at your mom or your dad in real life, but you still gotta ride for them in a way, right? I feel like that’s just what happens when it comes to Dru and Diana.

What was your favorite scene to shoot from this season?

I hate that question cause I don’t be knowing — it’s weird man, we filmed this a year and a half ago. So it’s kinda blurry. I don’t think I’ve ever had a favorite scene though, I don’t look at it like that. I just put Cane’s shoes on and live and breathe in the moment. There’s never been a moment like, “Oh my God, this was amazing. I’m gonna do it again.” It’s never ever been that. It’s just about telling the truth each and every time. Yeah, that’s just what it is, I’m just trying to tell the truth. I’ve never had a favorite moment, it’s just trying to tell the truth. That’s it.

‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season three is available to watch on the STARZ app.

In the summer of 2021, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell held his “Cyber Symposium” where he very publicly offered a $5 million reward to anyone who could disprove that his vast horde of “election data” contained evidence of Chinese hacking. Unfortunately for Lindell, someone did exactly that.

Despite only three days to sift through the mountain of data, software forensics expert Bob Zeidman effectively proved that there was no evidence of hacking. Lindell responded by going radio silent and refusing to pay the reward until Zeidman took him to court and won in an arbitration hearing.

Now, Zeidman has revealed how his methods to debunking Lindell’s “data,” which turned out to be very easy to do after Zeidman realized that all of it was “gibberish.” It was just word processor documents packed with random numbers and characters.

Via Politico:

My eureka moment had arrived. While everyone else was looking at the sky, I had found the golden ticket on the ground; while they were trying to find packet data in the files, the truth was that it wasn’t packet data at all. I said something out loud like, “I’m going to take this back to my hotel room and work on it there,” to no one in particular. I quietly and deliberately packed up my laptop and strolled out of the room and out of the venue. On the way back to the hotel, I called my wife. “Start thinking about what you want to do with 5 million dollars,” I told her.

After writing up his report, Zeidman said that Lindell threw a curveball and that’s when Ziedman realized the game the MyPillow CEO was playing. He was going to slowly dole out more “data” to keep anyone from winning. However, this approach blew up in Lindell’s face when Ziedman found something even more telling in the new batch:

On the third and final day of the symposium, an idea hit me. I decided to scan the file modification dates for all of the latest files we’d been given and, lo and behold, most of the dates were August 2021, right before the symposium.

In other words, the data were obviously modified right before we examined them. They could not possibly accurately represent data from the November 2020 election.

At that point, it was game over for Lindell. When the MyPillow CEO tried to avoid honoring the terms of the contest, Zeidman got an attorney and successfully defeated Lindell again. Lindell is appealing the arbitration ruling, but the only way he can win is if he somehow proves the arbitrators were “corrupt.” Good luck with that.

(Via Politico)

The world can feel like a fractious place divorced from reason and reality. With that, it can be super easy to break things down by the red and blue of the map. I know I do, but comedian David Cross finds hope in the reddest places while touring the country.

In the moment, we’re talking about whether it’s depressing to see anti-science rhetoric winning out after his last tour when he was vocal in his pushback against anti-maskers. But Cross is exploring the whole map on his current Worst Daddy In The World Tour, which runs until the end of June and then back at it again (with stops across the pond as well) in the fall after a summer break for family time. And in going to states with a less than progressive reputation, he’s finding pockets, telling me, “The very thing that doesn’t get me too depressed is knowing there are tons of people out there, not just in Brooklyn, but in Knoxville, Tennessee and Missoula and Columbia, South Carolina, that feel the same way (as I do).”

By his estimation, this is the 6th or 7th go at the gauntlet of a massive tour, but it doesn’t seem routine so much as refined by experience. He goes to your town, he walks around, he connects, he slays with material that’s already fully baked (with the potential for tweaks and twists), and then it’s onto the next town. But this isn’t a Steve Miller Band song, Cross is holding onto the tether of his regular life and family, attached to an idea that stability is a good thing. Something that isn’t innate to someone like Cross who moved around a lot as a kid.

Here, we talk about the process of building his act and hitting the road, adjusting to the notion of permanence, the concept of imposter syndrome, and the egolessness of both the legendary Mr. Show and his 30+ year working relationship with Bob Odenkirk.

This tour you’ve set up in a specific way (scheduling breaks for family time), but you’ve been on tour, off and on, for years and years and years. Is that something that’s a little more tolerable for you because of the fact that you have some built-in adaptability (having moved around a lot as a kid)?

Oh, absolutely. The one thing it gives you, for better or worse and quite often both, is the ability to just cut bait and leave. And that includes emotionally too. You don’t get too close to people and you don’t get too comfortable. It’s just easy to go; all right, fuck it, I’m going to go to London, or; fuck it, I’m going to go to Detroit. I’m done here, and just get up and leave. As I said, it can be a good thing, can be a bad thing.

Was that an adjustment for you when you got married?

I just don’t afford myself that mindset anymore. You have to get rid of it, but I’m older, I’m more mature. It’s an adjustment I made.

I assume you go on tour, the idea is to polish the material to get it to a certain place, at the end of the tour, potentially to a special.

No, that’s not right. I don’t go out on the road until I’m ready to go out on the road.

Okay.

Luckily I live in Brooklyn and I can either walk or ride my bike to about five different venues, where I can shoot the shit and see what sticks. I start off with just lots of notes. I tape every set, I’m just riffing material over several sets and then weeks later or a month or two it starts to form and I go; okay. And then I do more time on stage, cut down the special guests and eventually I have the set that I’m going to go out on the road with and then that set is good.

The first show on this tour was in Portland. Great fun night, sold out. Portland’s always fun. I did Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Those were my first three shows. It was great. The set that I did last night is different than the set I did in Portland, just because of what I said, it’s evolving. I tend to write on stage anyway and I’m riffing this bit. And then this thing that I go off on for a minute that was really good, that’s going to be part of the set. I try to never go over an hour and 20. I’m trying for an hour and 15. I don’t go over an hour 20, just because I think that starts getting a little self-indulgent. And then I’ve dropped a couple of bits that aren’t bad bits, but they now don’t fit in the flow.

I’ve got a nice flow that starts at point A and then it goes all the way around and wraps up at the end of the show. So it feels like there’s somewhat of a feeling of a theme or a story. Not a story, but an idea that’s come full circle and then those bits that I drop will go into the next set and they’re really good, they’re strong, but they just don’t fit anymore in the same way. And that’ll keep happening until I finish and I’ve always taped, and I’m doing it again this time, I’ve always taped the special halfway through the tour, which in this year is going to be in Salt Lake City. So I’m going to tape the special in Salt Lake City. It’s halfway through the tour and then at the end of the tour. I will record audio, because that will be different. It’ll be called the same thing, Worst Daddy In The World. But what you get on audio will be at least a third different than what you see, probably just more expanded.

What’s the germ of the title, The Worst Daddy in the World? Why are you a bad daddy?

I don’t think I am. My daughter does. She gave me that, not specifically, I just took it. She was whining, because I wouldn’t give her a third ice cream or some shit like that, and she was like; you’re the worst daddy in the world. And I was like; oh, there’s my title. There we go.

I’m curious about the other side of your career: writing, directing, acting. Anything in the pipeline there as far as another film?

Unfortunately, Bob Odenkirk and I, and his brother Bill, were developing a show for Paramount Plus, but they opted not to continue with it, so you will not be seeing that. I’ve shot a couple of things that will be coming out at some point. I just, literally days ago, wrapped on what I was doing on season four of Umbrella Academy, which was a fucking treat and an honor to be a part of that.

Are you surprised that the partnership with you and Bob has remained so strong over the years and that you guys still have that same back-and-forth? It’s hard to collaborate with people and you guys have been doing it for 30 years at this point.

I’m not surprised at all. He’s one of my closest friends and vice versa. And we both respect each other, make each other laugh, work very well together.

How do you keep ego out of it?

We never had any ego. I’m not a big ego guy and when I met Bob, he has less of an ego than I do and I don’t even really have one. So it was really impressive. That was one of the things that impressed me so much about him and I learned from him, when we were first starting, his ability to just edit his stuff down, to listen to other people and throw away two days worth of work and go, “You know what? This isn’t good. This line is good. Let’s start again with this line.” Whereas I’d be trying to fix it internally and it was a valuable lesson I learned from him. You’re just wasting your time sometimes, quite often, and it’s just like, “But we’ve been working for two days on this thing. I know there’s something there!”

“Yeah, it’s this line. We’re going to lose all the other stuff and just start over again.”

I don’t know if that directly correlates with ego, but it’s just his ability to go, “No, we’re going to do the right thing for the bit, for the sketch. And I know this was a really funny thing that I did, that it makes everybody laugh, but it doesn’t make any sense in the sketch, so I’m not going to do it.” And that guy does not have an ego and really nobody on Mr. Show had one. It was a pretty egoless atmosphere and those people all went on to do bigger, better things and they still don’t have egos. I guess water seeks its own level and like-mindedness and there was no room for it, and that’s not how we ran the writer’s rooms. And it was just understood and nobody pitched a fit. Ego was really never an issue.

Does imposter syndrome ever play into any of this? Or do you guys just have confidence in the work, in each other, that what you’re doing is good and you don’t have to question it, you just keep on moving forward?

Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve heard that term before, but I’m not exactly sure what it means. Imposter syndrome.

Well, as a blogger or writer, I can tell you it’s literally all I am. So it’s basically the idea that you feel like you’re not worth the job, the accolades, you feel like at any moment in time someone’s going to tap you on the shoulder and say, “Yeah, we got you, we caught up to you. You suck. Get the hell out of here.”

I think earlier on I definitely felt that. I think that a lot of standups have this internal idea like, “Oh my God, they’re going to find out I’m a fraud and I have these tricks that I do to make people laugh.” But just speaking for myself, I look at Mr. Show and I look at some of my standup, not all of it, but the bulk of it and I look at the other things I’ve created and been a part of and I can look at it and even though it’s subjective, I can say, well, that is demonstrably funny and interesting and smart. So you accumulate enough of that and then you can walk around going, “Okay, I’m not an imposter. I guess I am the real deal.” At some point.

Tour info and tickets for David Cross’ ‘The Worst Daddy In The World’ tour can be found here.

Have you “pre-grieved” for the Succession series finale yet? Good luck with that because I have a feeling that no one is prepared for what is coming. And if that happens to be an ending where no one is revealed as successor (which is possible), people will feel as though they’ve been gut-punched. After all, people are apparently putting money on the show’s final outcome, and yes, there are some who believe that a Greg victory would be befitting, given the various ongoing and connecting threads in this series and his recent transformation into mass-firing monster.

Now that Logan Roy has formally been put to rest, the fan theories are flowing on Reddit, too. I feel as though one of my wishes already came true with Caroline’s surprise gesture, but of course I’ve also got a favorite character (not Shiv) who I’m rooting for to become CEO. And perhaps I will break down like Roman did if this doesn’t happen, but first, let’s review some of Reddit’s most entertaining calls from a prediction megathread:

– I think Kendall gets a Godfather 2 ending. On top, but losing everything that matters.

– Kendall somehow wins, but in the final scene realizes it wasn’t worth losing everything to be CEO.

– Gerri becomes the American CEO. All the kids get shut out.

– Greg successfully plays both sides and completes his arc by firing Tom.

– I can see Tom being floated as the US CEO by Matsson as a late twist, but to me it just makes sense for it to be Kendall – dramaturgically speaking.

– The successor will be Zombie Logan

– Kendall gets the CEO job and before the episode ends he looks straight into the camera and says “it’s Successioning time” and then he successions all over the screen.

– Tom suffers a heart attack from the excess stress and lack of sleep. The heart attack mirrors Logan’s in s1e1. But, where everyone gave a massive effort to save Logan, the siblings choose to not act allowing Tom to die so that Tom cannot be crowned as CEO- Roman and Ken both say “Fuck Tom” – somewhat reluctantly, Shiv replies also saying “fuck Tom”. No one is able to attend Tom’s funeral, again contrasting with Logan’s funeral.

I also enjoyed this one, which seems to be the most accurate: “My only prediction, is that I’m going to be devastated.”

As for my preference, I’m still somehow holding out for Gerri to be named American CEO, which — let’s face it — might be the best thing to happen to this empire, but it might not be the best thing for Gerri. However, my hunch is that the pseudo-Godfather II prediction is spot-on, and Kendall what receive what he believes that he wants (becoming CEO, thereby apparently winning Logan’s approval, finally), but he will lose everything else in life. No more siblings and no relationships with his own children. Then he’ll keep with the water motif by drowning in a bathtub (he has already freaked out in a bathtub… I’ll call that foreshadowing) or something similarly absurd. [End scene.]

(Via Reddit)