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Brendan Fraser‘s comeback streak is showing no signs of slowing down. While bringing Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale to the Toronto International Film Festival, the actor grew emotional when presented with an award at the prestigious event. The film had already received a stirring standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, and it received the same treatment at TIFF as well. But Fraser was not prepared to be handed a TIFF Tribute Award statue. He’s usually on the other side of that transaction.

“This is new for me. Normally I’m the guy who hands these things out, and I got really good at it. The trick is: Left hand, hold; right hand, shake,” Fraser said before revealing this was his first trophy in a very long time. Via Entertainment Weekly:

“Apart from being a part of some impressive and talented ensemble casts, I think the last time that I waited to hear my name called aloud to receive an award was in grade 4, and it was from the peewee bowling league… My mom said it was a major award. Also, engraved on the plaque was the name ‘Brian Fusher,’ so, Brian, if you’re in the house, you can pick up your trophy after the show. This one’s mine.”

Much like its reception in Venice, The Whale received a rousing standing ovation at TIFF, which caused Fraser to fight back tears according to Variety. In fact, the moderator at the event had the same problem, and Fraser came to his aid with some tissues as the crowd praised the film. The people are clearly ready for the Brendanaissance.

The Whale should be big during awards season.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Following the release of The Little Mermaid trailer two days ago, a mother named Candace shared a video to Twitter and TikTok, of her young daughter as she watched it for the first time. “You look so beautiful,” the girl reacts to Halle Bailey appearing as Ariel. In a heartwarming moment, she also comments on the turtles before soon discovering that Bailey is playing a mermaid.

“Who’s your favorite mermaid?” the mom asks off-screen, to which the daughter immediately names Ariel and connects the two. By the time Bailey performs the first notes of “Part Of Your World,” her facial expression is one of being blown away by seeing “the real her” version of the 1989 Disney cartoon mermaid.

As the video has gained over three million views, Bailey herself stumbled upon it and took to Twitter to share her own reaction to Candace’s daughter. “k i just sobbed watching this,” the actress and singer wrote. “she’s so sweet”.

Candace went on to reply to Bailey, sharing some personal details that make the girl’s reaction all the more powerful. “She lost her father in December, and will be turning 4 in a few days, this is the happiest I’ve seen her in months. Thank you so much for this,” she said. In the additional replies to Bailey’s post, users also included videos that other parents took of their young Black daughters watching The Little Mermaid clip in awe.

Watch Bailey in the first official trailer for 2023’s The Little Mermaid above.

It’s not looking good for Vladimir Putin or his troops (who have already reportedly been shooting themselves in recent months in order to leave hell) as Ukraine’s army regains territory. This past week has seen notable advances on that front, and over the weekend, the Russian position looked so dire that even Putin’s state TV propagandists were admitting that things are going badly, and Russian bloggers merrily blasted the president for botching the entire war from its inception.

Russia may not last much longer, all when it looked like over 6 months of war would continue with no end in sight for what ultimately looked like a stalemate. Ukraine now reports that it’s recaptured over 20 settlements from Russian troops. The Financial Times revealed that this adds up to 3000 square kilometers that’s back in Ukraine’s hands. Likewise, Washington Post reports that the Ukrainian army is advancing upon “territory with shocking speed,” and one woman was quoted as waving her broom and shouting, “We are all ready to go into battle!”

Both outlets report that Russian troops are taking any possible measure to get out of dodge, with Washington Post relaying how another woman described the frantic soldiers, who were disguising themselves to avoid detection by Ukrainian forces and even drones. “They came into our houses to take clothes so the drones wouldn’t see them in uniforms,” she explained. WaPo also quotes a military analyst that explains why, even though this is reason for optimism, Ukraine shouldn’t expect overnight results:

It has the potential, at least, to change the course of the war, military experts said.

“This is a significant event,” said Rob Lee, a military analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. “It doesn’t mean Russia will be forced out of Ukraine anytime soon. But they keep not learning lessons right, keep not doing basic things right.”

In the meantime, Putin’s doing his best to avoid reality at home. He’s already apparently brought the hammer down on local officials who wanted to overthrow him for his abomination of a war in Ukraine. Although Russians are also fleeing their country in mass quantities, their president appears to want to hang onto his illusions until the bitter end. He might even be distracting himself by hitting the Botox even harder these days. Gotta keep up that facade.

(Via Washington Post, France24.com & Financial Times)

Earlier this year, Madonna expressed interest in going on a joint tour with Britney Spears. However, that seems unlikely, as Spears wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post shared yesterday (September 11) that she “probably” won’t perform live again.

In the post, Spears writes about her dissatisfaction with promotional photos of her during her conservatorship and with her team hiring what she thought was too many backing dancers for her Las Vegas residency. She continued, “JUST SAYING … you think I’m being silly you try being up there and feeling like that … anyways … anyways … I’m pretty traumatized for life and yes I’m pissed as f*ck and no I won’t probably perform again just because I’m stubborn and I will make my point.”

Spears also notes that of the music videos she made during her conservatorship, the only one she likes is the one for “Work B*tch.”

Find an archived version of Spears’ post below.

“I will be honest in the beginning 13 years of conservatorship like 8 videos I only like one – Work B*tch … the most offensive SO CALLED professional pictures on every tour. I mean they could have at least cheated and retouched them for me … just saying … 2 day shoots for new show in Vegas literally the worst ever … and me excited for the pictures for 5 months on tour … they never showed me any … I’d rather quit shit in my pool and shoot photos of myself in studios over working with the most offensive people in my life … I’m sure I gave my husband the best eye [candy] in the world my shows in Vegas … I’m extremely short lady but of course my team always hired the tiniest girls to be on stage with me … like 8 girls talk about humiliation good god … and tours WITHOUT conservatorship I only had 4 girls or 2 on stage with me !!! JUST SAYING … you think I’m being silly you try being up there and feeling like that … anyways … anyways … I’m pretty traumatized for life and yes I’m pissed as f*ck and no I won’t probably perform again just because I’m stubborn and I will make my point … so as we listen and hear … “MY MIND AND ME … let’s stay positive and focus on my awesome fans for their awesome picture’s they made themselves for making me feel pretty … anyways all good though … in the mean time I will be SITTING on my HORSES !!!

Psss … and father the beautiful picture you guys put up of me in New York City for Pepsi making me cry looking 80 years old … see this picture right here … kiss my God damn mother f*cking ass you f*cking bastard.”

House of the Dragon‘s fourth episode had plenty of steamy moments that made the show live up to its “HotD” abbreviation. Then there was the not-so-sexy visual of King Viserys I getting it on with his wife, (poor) Alicent, while the audience got a good bad look at the open sores on his back. Not only that, but he’s lost fingers, and it’s clear that not even maggots can help cure what ails him. Wounds from the throne are nothing novel in Westeros — King Aerys II, the Mad King, was also known as King Scab for a reason — but Viserys appears to be downright rotting away, so what gives?

Our own Jessica Toomer’s been doing a weekly wound watch, and this week, she notes Viserys’ discolored arm in addition to those missing digits and whatever’s going on with his back. It’s clear that Viserys’ body refuses to heal, and he’s simultaneously struggling to figure out how the Targaryens can hold onto the throne. By the end of the episode, he’s furious with Daemon for putting Rhaenyra’s virtue in jeopardy, a move that appears to be borne from genuine attraction but, even more so, from Daemon’s desire to set himself up for the throne. We obviously know that the Targaryens won’t remain in power, and the throne actually appears to be judging the hell out of the man who’s currently sitting in it. So is the throne, you know, killing Viserys?

Plenty of theories abound. There’s a question of whether the chair’s actually the source of all that ails the king. Sure, maybe he’s got diabetes or gout, or maybe something more magical is happening. Whatever the case, the symbolism is thick, given that the throne may have not only cost Viserys his fingers but caused also the sores on his back. It sure feels like the throne doesn’t want him to be king, and that’s doubly the case since the Targaryens are thought to be more resistant (due to dragon’s blood) to illness, including greyscale and so on. Since this king is growing so very ill, we can presume that there’s hefty foreshadowing going on for his entire house.

Whatever’s going on has led social media to indulge in speculation. One of the more interesting theories: is Otto Hightower a fan of poison, and if so, will the wounds begin to heal now that he’s out of the picture? Let the guessing game begin.

HBO’s House of the Dragon airs on Sundays at 9:00pm EST.

Since the end of her conservatorship, Britney Spears has not hesitated to call out her family on Instagram. She did so again last night (September 11), sharing some strong thoughts about her desires for the souls of her parents, Jamie Spears and Lynne Spears, in the afterlife.

In a new post, Spears wrote, “Sorry I will never forget because of the pain and the difference in being out of my head clear moving my feet … its only been 10 months since the conservatorship has ended … I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone !!! It’s extremely hard for me to accept the fact that my family did that to me … it will be hard for me for the rest of my life … as for my Mom and Dad who sat back and hid coffee from me at the house to wake me up from feeling dead and scared like an old lady … and threw me away … I will say it loud and proud … I pray you both burn in hell.”

The post itself is a two-minute audio recording, in which she speaks about her confusion as she was forced to get MRI’s during her conservatorship, also reflecting on MRI’s she got as a child due to a cyst she had. She concluded, “I really felt like my dad was trying to kill me and I hope he burns in f*ckin’ Hell.”

Check out the post above.

Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Welcome To Wrexham (FX series on Hulu)

Those two lovable scamps, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, woke up and decided, what the heck, buying a soccer team is a great idea. They did just that, and they didn’t stop there but decided to chronicle the chaos that ensued when two guys who know nothing about owning a sports team go in to run the joint. And you thought you took up some strange pastimes during the pandemic, right? The Wrexham A.F.C. football club surely never expected this while trying to keep their own heads in the game, but their owners are nothing if not savvy in the marketing department, and the spirit of Ted Lasso looms large over this one.

TIE: 10. Elvis (Warner Bros. film on Amazon and other PVOD outlets)

This selection’s been going for months as a rare example (other than the late-breaking Pinocchio) where Tom Hanks isn’t the main (or at least a major) attraction. Hanx portrays Colonel Tom Parker, manager of Elvis Presley, in this wild fever dream of a biopic, all done up in the distinctive style of Baz Luhrmann. Austin Butler’s gained accolades for his all-out performance as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and given that awards season can’t resist a major transformation, look for this movie to keep grinding out discussion until the Oscars arrive.

9. Rick and Morty (Adult Swim series streaming on HBO Max & Hulu)

Creator Dan Harmon is making good on that mega-renewal that this wildly popular animated series scored a few years ago. And the good news is that making fun of multiverses feels a little exhausting right now, so the dynamic duo has a new endeavor: podcasting. This season aims to be slightly more grounded than usual, but don’t worry, there’s still out-there stuff like terrorist aliens and a synopsis that shouted, “Piss! Family! Intrigue!” So this is still the same rollicking search for adventure, but the leading pair doesn’t start out in such a great place, so we’ll see how they conquer all of that pee.

8. She-Hulk (Disney+ series)

Granted, there is a lot of Marvel going on right now, but one really should make a point to pencil in this romp through endless cameos while Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) comes to grips with her role as the lawyer to the MCU. In the process, you can enjoy jokes about Steve Rogers’ sex life and some literal twerking from Megan Thee Stallion. What is going on over at Disney? No one knows for sure, but it’s an enjoyable journey, and this past week saw Wongers prove that he’s always welcome in any Marvel project and only makes things better.

7. Thor: Love And Thunder (Marvel Studios movie on Disney+)

Taika Waititi’s return to Asgard isn’t quite as captivating as with Thor: Ragnarok, but then again, it’s hard to recapture the Hulk Butt in a bottle. Still, there’s some Thor Butt here, and Natalie Portman’s back as Jane Foster, who is now Mighty Thor. There’s nothing like your ex-girlfriend showing up and being able to wield Mjölnir, and this is one jam-packed movie full of all the Norse references that one could desire. Valkyrie is also still a blast, too. The world needs more of her.

6. The Sandman (Netflix series)

This is one hellaciously expensive show, as Neil Gaiman recently revealed, so Netflix hasn’t announced a Season 2 renewal yet even though Morpheus and the rest of the Endless have been dominating streaming charts for weeks. While we wait for a hopeful renewal, be sure to relish that bonus episode that includes the “Calliope” yarn and the mid-season episode with Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s perfect Death. Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Gwendoline Christie, and Patton Oswalt also lead an incredible cast.

5. Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Amazon Prime series)

Speaking of Neil Gaiman, he’s been having a blast with trolls who think that he wrote this show, but he actually had nothing to do with it. Nope, this is all the work of those writers that Jeff Bezos may or may not have locked in a room, not for sinister reasons but for secrecy. Did that really happen? No one is talking, but this show spent its budget well while bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age to the screen. We’re drowning in epic fantasy now, and you gotta love that reality.

4. Harley Quinn (HBO Max series)

The high villainous of Gotham is here with all the cuss words, and this show’s still managed to preserve its freshness and lovable take on her henchman. Also, Batman is a doofus, and the Joker is a different kind of trash than we’re used to seeing. It’s fun! And King Shark is adorable, but this season largely features Harley and Ivy doing the couple thing and freshening up Gothan and abolishing all grittiness for miles. The rest of the DC Comics adaptation realm is messy right now, other than sequels for non-DCEU movies like Joker and The Batman, but at least we know that one woman and her baseball bat can prop up the ship for the time being.

3. Top Gun: Maverick (VOD)

Tom Cruise (as our own Brian Grubb recently wrote) has been pulling out the most ridiculous and needless stops to get you to watch this movie, so if you haven’t already, get on it, pretty please. Otherwise, Tom is going to leap off a train that’s roaring off a skyscraper that’s perched atop a mountain or something. It’s all too much, and you must save Tom by enjoying this nostalgic trip into the realm of fighter jets and beach volleyball. Not only is there Maverick but also the return of the Iceman and a hefty dose of Jon Hamm. Ride into that danger zone, man.

2. House of the Dragon (HBO series on HBO Max)

No one knew whether this Game of Thrones prequel could make up for Season 8 (and the series finale) of the O.G. dragon show, but it’s off to a rousing and promising start. Matt Smith’s already winning over the masses as Daemon Targaryen, that salty rogue prince, and last week’s battle scenes were truly epic while helping to set up more Contender vs. Defenders rankings to carry us further into the inner workings of those who control the fire-breathing beasts. Speaking of which, we’re finally getting to know more dragons out of the many that we will eventually meet, and fans are really giving it up for Ceraxes and Seasmoke, without whom Daemon would no longer exist.

1. Cobra Kai (Netflix series)

This show continues to nail its nearly exclusive formula of combining nostalgia with updated sensibilities and appealing to all age groups alike. Chozen is larger than life this season, which proves that the show still has the “Eye of the Tiger.” Miyagi-do and Eagle Fang are pretty much defunct when this season begins, but you know that can’t last for long because Miyagi-do’s spirit will live forever. Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence and the rest of the adult gang are still a disaster (in the best way) while holding out karate as the most important thing in the entire universe. Thank goodness several of the teens have their heads on straight. Now if only someone could stop Terry Silver from destroying the very soul of the Karate Valley. No Mercy!

The Dallas Cowboys offense looked about as bad as it could in the season opener against the Buccaneers, as Tampa’s defense dominated, holding the Cowboys to just three points on the night in what became a 19-3 win for the Bucs.

The Dallas offensive line struggled with Todd Bowles’ pressure looks, with numerous false starts, some holdings, and allowing a lot of pressure to get to Dak Prescott. The star quarterback also struggled, pressure or not, completing just 14-of-29 passes for 134 yards and one interception, as he looked rusty and out of sync throughout the game. The only real reason for hope for Cowboys fans going forward was that getting healthy in the receiving corps would give him more weapons down the field, as the Bucs keyed in on CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz, leaving Prescott without any real trusted targets.

However, late in the fourth quarter with the Cowboys down 16 and trying to mount some kind of comeback, Prescott hit his throwing hand not once but twice on Shaq Barrett’s hands as he came through with pressure just as the QB let go of the ball. After that second hit, Prescott jogged over to the sideline holding his hand, got looked at by the team doctor, and immediately took off for the locker room.

One would presume Prescott was going to get an X-ray and hopefully it was just the Cowboys being precautious in a lopsided game to take him out, but it certainly raises the level of concern in Dallas about the immediate future considerably. Cooper Rush came in and wasn’t able to do much, which isn’t a surprise when thrown into the fire with no notice in the middle of a drive, but as we’ve seen in the recent past, the Cowboys offense does not fare well when Prescott misses time.

We’ll learn more about his injury and status moving forward in the coming days, but for now what was a disappointing loss in the opener becomes a reason for a bit of panic in Dallas as they await word on Prescott’s health.

After Kevin Durant issued his trade request, there was one team that most expected to stay out of talks with the Nets in the Golden State Warriors, considering they’d just gone through a breakup with the star three years ago.

However, there were rumblings that the Warriors reached out and at least had some preliminary conversations about what a deal would look like. Obviously, Durant ended up not being dealt to Golden State or anywhere else and will remain in Brooklyn for the next season, but the Warriors, with a number of recent lottery picks and some big salaries, actually had one of the best potential offers to make — although we don’t know if they put anything close to that on the table.

One of the reasons the assumption was the Warriors wouldn’t be that interested is how things ended with Durant, as he seemed pretty over being in the Bay, most famously getting into a bench spat with Draymond Green early in his final season. However, internally, the Warriors top star was very much on board with a KD reunion, as Stephen Curry told Rolling Stone in a recent interview.

Curry said he thought KD was misunderstood and said he “loves” Durant and playing with him, explaining that he was all in on bringing the star back if the front office felt it was the right decision.

“If you said, ‘Oh, KD’s coming back, and we’re gonna play with him,’ I had so much fun playing with him those three years, I’d be like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ Then you have to think: What does that actually mean? What does it look like? You tell me I’m playing with [current Warriors teammates Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Draymond Green], I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ There’s all types of emotion and things that happen to the league. And if anybody’s saying that you wouldn’t entertain that conversation — no disrespect to anybody on our team — but you don’t know how things work. But you also understand, like, if we run this thing back, I’ve got complete confidence in my team that we can win it again, as constructed.

“So, all those things were true. And it started with me wanting to play with KD at the beginning. Yeah, it’s about winning, it’s about having fun, playing the game of basketball. And that was part of the reaction of, like, ‘Yeah, it’d be amazing.’ What does that actually mean?”

It’s as honest as you’ll get on this kind of subject from a star, but it’s also not particularly earth-shattering info. It’s notable that Curry would still want to play with KD but also he doesn’t seem to have been stumping either way for a trade, just giving his support for whatever the front office decided. That’s wise as you don’t want to alienate your teammates that just won a title with you by pushing for a trade that would have to send a few of them out, and Curry knows that which is why he’s sure to say he’d be down for running it back or shaking it up.

Spoilers for House of the Dragon will be found below.

As we saw in Game of Thrones, even when Targaryens don’t know that they’re committing incest, they end up, well, committing incest. That was the case with Daenerys and Jon Snow, and in House of the Dragon, the show’s only getting started but laying it on thick. The Targaryens are gonna Targaryen, and this time, they’re doing so with eyes wide open. As with George R.R. Martin’s source material, Rhaenyra and Daemon (her uncle) can’t help themselves. The attraction has been apparent since the pilot episode, and once Daemon returned (in his short-haired incarnation) and noticed that Rhaenyra was wearing the necklace that he gave her, it was on.

This led to a secret getaway passage and an underworld and “the bowels of a pleasure den” (as Otto Hightower later reported to King Viserys, who was incensed as hell, to which Daemon responded that he wished to marry his niece, which feels like a dig against his brother more than anything) and these two in make-out mode. This was only the beginning of Rhaenyra’s “hot girl summer” episode.

People didn’t even quite realize the extent of what Rhaenyra would do after leaving Daemon, but they did respond with fervor to the Daemon aspect.

That wasn’t all of the fun for Rhaenyra in this episode. After Daemon’s physicality didn’t, uh, work, she hooked up with Ser Criston. She might be a Targaryen, but she sure has the spirit of an Arya.

Viserys decided to put an end to all this fun, unfortunately. He declared that Rhaenyra would marry Laenor Velaryon, so we’ll see how that works out!

HBO’s House of the Dragon airs on Sundays at 9:00pm EST.