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On Wednesday, Barack and Michelle Obama hit up their old stomping grounds when they paid a visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to help unveil their official White House portraits. While most agreed that Michelle’s portrait was a sight to behold, some people were slightly confused by some of the choices made for Barack’s painting — Trevor Noah among them.

“I’m not going to lie: I am not an art expert,” Noah admitted. “I don’t know the difference between Michelangelo and the other Ninja Turtles. But what is going on with the Obama portrait?”

Noah’s questions didn’t end there:

Like, why is he standing in a white void? I don’t get it. It looks like he got his portrait taken at the DMV. Why does it look like this? He’s just like, ‘My license expired, so let’s kill two birds with one stone.’ No, because their portraits are going to hang in the White House forever. You understand that? They should look: White House!

Like, look at Michelle’s. She looks like a movie star, painted by a French artiste. Obama’s looks like they ran out of printer toner for the background.

If it seems like the Obamas’ big portrait reveals are a long time coming, that’s because they are. Traditionally, the unveiling ceremony is held during the tenure of the outgoing president’s predecessor. But, as Politico reports, Donald Trump reportedly refused to take part in this long-held tradition.

If Donald Trump Jr. weren’t so painfully unlikeable, one almost might feel sorry for the guy. While he may be his father’s namesake, Don Jr. has clearly spent all 44 of the years he has been on this planet desperately seeking his father’s approval, as evidenced by his chosen “career” path… which seems to be just stumping for his dad.

But every so often, however, Fredo will say something semi-human — reminding the world that he’s just a floundering forty-something with daddy issues. And Jimmy Kimmel may have found the most blatant video evidence of that yet.

On Wednesday night, Kimmel shared what he described as “what might be [Don Jr.’s] saddest video yet.” As the late-night host explained: “Big Don was whining about Don Jr. being investigated on possible conspiracy charges at a rally that was supposed to be for Dr. Oz this weekend. And for whatever reason, this touched Don Jr. very deeply.”

In the video, a disheveled-looking Don Jr. (is there really any other kind?) explained:

Pretty cool. Was watching the DJT rally this weekend and I got the honorable mention… It’s nice to know that [my dad] cares. You know, he’s a tough guy. He sort of treats me and anyone else around him sort of like Hillary at the debates.

It’s always nice to see… dad talking about it. It shows he cares, you know. ‘Cause there are just times we’re just in that fight. Sometimes you miss it.

This all sounds incredibly familiar…

Have many people felt the same way at times? Absolutely. Have they broadcast it for the whole world to see? Definitely not.

“Pathetic” is the only word Kimmel really had for the whole scenario. “As bad a president as Donald Trump was, as a father he might even be worse.”

You can watch Kimmel’s full segment above, beginning around the 5:10 mark.

If it weren’t for those creepy MyPillow commercials that saw him creeping through the medicine cabinet like Candyman, Mike Lindell’s sole claim to fame might be as the most unhinged member of Donald Trump’s Big Lie promo squad. As it stands, he’s known as a heroin addict-turned-pillow-magnate-turned-unhinged member of Donald Trump’s Big Lie promo squad. But his days as a home goods giant could be numbered.

According to Bring Me the News, Lindell’s last remaining MyPillow mall store — of which there were apparently more than one — has been shuttered. A photo of the store, located at the Rosedale Center in Roseville, Minnesota, being emptied of its goodies was shared on Twitter and appropriately captioned “Womp womp.”

While that store location still appears as “open” on the official MyPillow website, the photos tell a different story. The company’s official outlet store, in Shakopee, Minnesota, is still currently in operation.

Though it may come as a surprise to many that Lindell hawked his tacky goods in brick-and-mortar locations as well as on TV, it appears as if he kept his stores close to his home base in Chaska, Minnesota. However, Lindell’s growing infamy — and mounting lawsuits from the likes of Dominion Voting Systems, for helping Trump to spread lies about the 2020 presidential election being rigged — have caused major disruptions to his business. As Tommy Wiita writes for Bring Me The News:

In June, CEO Mike Lindell announced that Walmart was dropping his products from its big-box store shelves. Lindell claimed at the time that the move came despite high sales numbers and offers by him to allow Walmart to sell his products at a lower price. He claimed that he was a victim of cancel culture and blamed Walmart for the decision.

However, a Walmart spokesperson told Bring Me The News at the time that the products would still be available on its website. As of Wednesday, that still appears to be true.

Other major retailers, including Kohl’s and Bed Bath & Beyond, have also stopped shilling for Lindell following his political shenanigans. Deranged stunts like threatening a class action lawsuit against “all machines” haven’t helped Lindell.

Still, as long as there are words Lindell can stick “My” in front of, he’ll keep trying. In June, he launched his own coffee line called, yep, MyCoffee. In early July, Lindell convinced equally bonkers Rudy Giuliani to hawk his tacky Crocs sandal ripoffs. And some people have noticed that, appropriately, his line of MySlippers also make for great prison shoes. Which could eventually come in handy.

(Via Bring Me The News)

Britney Spears is having a major moment right now. She’s fresh off the release of the Elton John collaboration “Hold Me Closer,” which represents her post-conservatorship music comeback. The song, a new take on John’s “Tiny Dancer,” immediately resonated with people: On this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart, it had the biggest debut of the week, entering the chart at No. 6. Naturally, John is pretty happy about this achievement, both for himself and for Spears.

On Twitter yesterday, he wrote, “Hold Me Closer is #6 on the Hot 100 (MY HIGHEST HOT 100 CHART POSITION IN 25 YEARS [starry eyes emoji]) and #1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart!! I’m so grateful to all the fans who are loving & supporting this track – congratulations @britneyspears, you are a superstar! #HoldMeCloser.”

Spears herself has yet to publicly address the song’s Hot 100 success, but she recently wrote about “Hold Me Closer” performing well on other charts, “Thank you to my fans for making my song number one for a week now !!!”

She has, though, expressed her gratitude to John on multiple occasions, like when she wrote last month, “You can bet your bottom dollar that THIS collaboration will heighten my year by joining your brilliant hands of play. Thank you for your [generosity] and just thinking of me to join you on such a brilliant song !!! How cool is it to be a background voice ON YOUR song !!! Sir Elton I did it thanks to your genius, creative, and legendary mind !!! I am so grateful !!!”

Vladimir Putin’s angering people that he needs on his side, all after Russians began to flee the country in massive numbers over his war in Ukraine. This is the case, presumably, not only because Putin’s decision to wage a war was a unilateral and imperialistic one but also because the Russian people are dealing with an economic nightmare that’s not only created a non-McDonald’s atmosphere but also serious restrictions that are affecting Russians’ quality of life. Russian soldiers are also apparently shooting themselves to earn a ticket out of the hellish Ukraine warscape, and local Russian officials aren’t willing to keep sitting down as disaster continues to unfold.

The Daily Beast now relays word that, in St. Petersburg (Russia’s second-largest city), these officials are formally accusing Putin of treason. This is most certainly due to the war, which has already passed the six-month mark with no signs of winding down. And on Twitter, a deputy municipal councilman/lawmaker (Dmitry Palyuga) in the Smolninskoye district moved forward to announce the request (agreed upon by a majority of local deputies) for Putin to be charged with treason and removed as president.

The Current Time-posted letter received the Daily Beast translation:

“We believe that President Putin’s decision to begin the [special military operation] is harming Russia’s security and its citizens,” the letter reads. Notably, the lawmakers made no mention of Putin’s senseless motivations for the war, though they had previously sent him an open letter condemning his “historical fantasies” and demanding he stop the “bloodshed” in neighboring Ukraine.

The letter also needles Putin for demilitarizing Ukraine, only for the U.S. to step up and supply more weapons for President Zelensky and his troops. Ukraine sure isn’t giving up the fight, although the U.N. has issued dire warnings about how Russian troops have taken over a nuclear plant in Ukraine. Hopefully, those molotov-cocktail grandmas can eventually save the day for everyone.

(Via The Daily Beast)

It doesn’t take Benoit Blanc to solve the mystery of when the teaser trailer for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is coming out. It’s today!

“Aaaand here it is! The first teaser trailer for the follow up to Knives Out, GLASS ONION!” writer and director (and The Last Jedi defender) Rian Johnson tweeted. He also included a warning: “I promise no spoilers, but if you want to come in totally cold, last chance to keep scrolling…” You can watch the teaser above.

Daniel Craig returns as the world’s foremost doughnut-loving detective from the first Knives Out, which grossed $311 million at the box office and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. New faces to the franchise include Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista as YouTube star Duke Cody. There are unfortunately no Muppets to be found in the teaser, but there is Big Dave shooting a gun in the air while dressed in a tiny bathing suit. Which is really embarrassing, because I’m wearing the same thing.

Here’s more on what to expect:

If Knives Out was about the murderous ties of flesh and blood, Glass Onion makes a good case for being just as wary of one’s closest friends. When tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites some of his nearest and dearest for a getaway on his private Greek island, it soon becomes clear that all is not perfect in paradise. And when someone turns up dead, well, who better than Blanc to peel back the layers of intrigue?

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery comes out on Netflix on December 23.

Back in 2007, Eminem was hospitalized after overdosing on methadone in the midst of an addiction to prescription pills. (He’s now proudly sober.) He talked about that time in his life recently, revealing just how bad of a state he was in.

On Paul Pod, the podcast of Eminem’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg, Em said of where he was at post-hospitalization, “It took a long time for my brain to start working again.”

Rosenberg then explained, “You literally were coming off of an overdose, and they had to sort of stabilize you with a few medications. And some of them took you a minute to adjust to — let’s just leave it at that. So, you’re learning how to rap again almost literally, right? Because it’s the first time, probably, you were creating without having substances in your body in… however many years, right?”

Em also noted he was “concerned” that he would have permanent brain damage.

Last year, Em said post-OD, he had to re-learn how to rap, saying of a leaked lyric about Chris Brown’s assault on Rihanna, “A lot of times, especially with the Relapse record, when I first started learning how to rap again, because of the drug situation that I went through and having to relearn a lot of things, that was one of those things that it was like, well, if it rhymes, say it. I think that being able to look back — I mean, that’s not even an excuse — but I’m just saying there was a phase I was going through with that Relapse record.”

In the trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, “Weird Al” Yankovic asks Madonna whether her song “Like a Virgin” is autobiographical. “Yes, she responds, “except for the fact that I’ve had a lot of sex.” They then make out and, presumably, get weird.

This did not happen in real life. This “Weird Al” and Madonna are played by Daniel Racliffe and Evan Rachel Wood, respectively, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a satirical biopic. But the real “Weird Al,” the one who never yelled “you’re all a bunch of normals, I’m the weird one” to his bandmates, is still surprised the film got made. “I’m amazed the lawyers let us get away with this movie, frankly. But they’re like, Oh, yeah, all public figures — go for it,” Yankovic told the New York Times, which added in a parenthetical, “A representative for Madonna did not respond to a request for comment.”

Here’s more:

Daniel Radcliffe is “Weird” Al Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him. With Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, and an A-list cast of thousands their agents won’t let us reveal.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story comes to the Roku Channel on Friday, November 4.

(Via the New York Times)

BTS fans who stayed up late last night or are waking up this morning are in for a pleasant surprise: The group just unexpectedly released BTS: Permission To Dance On Stage — LA, a new concert film, which is streaming now on Disney+. The premiere comes on Disney+ Day, which features programming premieres and deals for new subscribers.

The film was taped during the group’s run of sold-out shows at So-Fi Stadium in 2021, on November 27 to 28 and December 1 and 2. Permission To Dance On Stage runs for 2 hours and 11 minutes and fans note that along with performances, the film includes behind-the-scenes moments from backstage and subtitles for every song in multiple languages.

All four concerts had the same setlists for the main set, although the encores differed each night, so for an idea of what songs may be in the film, find the setlist for the December 1 performance below. Also check out the Permission To Dance On Stage trailer above.

1. ”On”
2. “Fire”
3. “Dope”
4. “DNA”
5. “Blue & Grey”
6. “Black Swan”
7. “Blood Sweat & Tears”
8. “Fake Love”
9. “Life Goes On”
10. “Boy With Luv”
11. “Dynamite”
12. “Butter”
13. “Airplane Pt. 2”
14. “Silver Spoon”
15. “Dis-Ease”
16. “Telepathy”
17. “Stay”
18. “So What”
19. “I Need U”
20. “Save Me”
21. “Idol”
22. “Spring Day” (encore)
23. “Answer: Love Myself” (encore)
24. “Permission To Dance” (encore)

It’s often said that the best things come in threes, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is looking to confirm that this October when they release a trio of new albums. The group will kick the month off with Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava on October 7 before coming right back with Laminated Denim on October 12, which is notably releasing on a Wednesday. Listeners will get a brief break before the Australian band finishes up with Changes on October 28.

With these three releases, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will have released five albums in 2022. The last three will be released in the midst of them playing their largest venues ever, with three shows at Red Rocks Amphitheater and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium. The shows will be highlighted by a limited stock of each album available for purchase.

Earlier in 2022, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard shared Butterfly 3001 and Omnium Gatherum, clocking in at 37 songs total between the two LPs. They far exceeded their 2021 output of Butterfly 3000 and L.W, totaling at 19 songs altogether.

Check out one of the songs from the album triumvirate “Ice V” here.

Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava is out 10/7, Laminated Denim is out 10/12, and Changes is out 10/28 all via KGLW. Pre-order the three-album bundle here.