Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Norm Macdonald Secretly Recorded A Final Stand-Up Special, Apparently

Norm Macdonald passed away eight months ago, but we may be seeing one last stand-up special from him.

David Spade, who appeared on Saturday Night Live with the late comedian revealed on his podcast Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey that he saw a secretly recorded run-through of a Norm Macdonald stand-up special. Spade said on the podcast that he saw the recording alongside a few close friends of Macdonald’s at a memorial service in his honor last weekend, per The New York Post. “I definitely cried,” Spade said about the footage. The “Celebrating Norm” event Spade is referring to took place during the Netflix Is A Joke festival at The Fonda Theatre on May 3. Attendees included Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, Bill Murray, and Kevin Nealon.

Macdonald, who became a legend for hosting the SNL segment Weekend Update, passed away in September 2021 at the age of 61 after battling leukemia privately for nine years. Spade said on the podcast that Macdonald recorded the run-through of the special at home during the COVID-19 lockdowns when theaters were closed so he couldn’t perform stand-up on stage.

“He just said, ‘You know, I keep trying to do my set,’ and he was getting weaker, which we didn’t know,” Spade said. “They keep shutting down theaters, and they wouldn’t let him go, so then he goes, ‘I’m just gonna run it once, just kind of say it out loud.’”

Spade also noted that cameras were present at the memorial, which spurred him to speculate that a documentary about Norm Macdonald is in the works for Netflix, which hosted the memorial. This is all pure speculation, but Spade also believes that the footage shown at the service will be in the (again, completely speculative) documentary.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘Percy Jackson’ author pens powerful letter in defense of casting new Annabeth Chase

When my son got into the “Percy Jackson” books in the sixth grade, I hadn’t really heard of the series but I learned it’s much like the “Harry Potter” for Gen Zers. Enormously thick books were devoured in under a week and alarms were set for the next release in the series. Searches were on for the super-secret hidden book that wraps up a few loose ends and a fandom was born. But when the books were made into a live action movie, true fans of the series were left confused and disappointed, so when it was discovered that “Percy Jackson” was getting a reboot, fans rejoiced. Then the cast was announced, which should have been a moment of celebration for the fantastic actors chosen and the effort to bring representation to Greek mythology, but some fans were less than thrilled.

Leah Jeffries, a Black girl, and Aryan Simhadri, an Indian American boy, were cast to play Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood, Percy’s best friends. The trio go on adventures and help each other out of sketchy predicaments that can only be experienced by demigods and satyrs. But… it didn’t take long for naysayers to start piping up over fictional characters being represented by people of color, particularly Annabeth being played by a Black girl, when the character in the series has blond hair. Eventually, the growing discontent caught the attention of none other than Rick Riordan himself and he not only took to Twitter to defend the young star, but wrote a beautiful strong condemnation of these comments in a letter on his website.


Riordan didn’t shy away from calling out racism in the comments, writing, “You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leah’s years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit,” he wrote. “Without having seen her play the part, you have pre-judged her (pre + judge = prejudice) and decided she must have been hired simply to fill a quota or tick a diversity box.” Riordan was very clear when he called out the problematic behavior from fans of the series.

The author wasn’t finished there. He continued, “You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white,” before plainly stating, “Friends, that is racism.”

There’s a subtle irony about the backlash surrounding Annabeth being represented by a Black girl, as the book’s version of Annabeth is related to Greek goddess Athena, who many believe to have been taken from African culture. In fact, Neith, the Egyptian goddess, is said to be Athena’s prototype. Neith was the goddess of creation, wisdom, weaving and war. She is also believed to be Ra’s mother. Athena is the Greek goddess of war, handicraft (weaving) and reason (wisdom), she was worshipped from 449-420 BC, while Neith was worshiped as early as 3000 BC. Neith’s worship was most prominent from 664-525 BC, but there are reports that Athena was most prominently worshiped between 900-700 BC.

While the worshipping of the two goddesses didn’t overlap, they definitely bounced a bit between the two but it comes down to first mention, and Neith has Athena beat by a few thousand years. If you’re looking to the gods and goddesses of times past to verify the role of Annabeth Chase, it’s clear that she is now being more accurately portrayed. Funny how that old argument on which came first, the chicken or the egg, can also be applied to Greek and Egyptian mythology and the 21st century portrayal of one of Athena’s faux relatives.

While Riordan did not mince words in defense of Annabeth being played by Leah Jeffries, he also praised her skill in her craft: “Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth’s strength. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be.”

The author helped to handpick the actors portraying his larger-than-life characters and we as an audience should not only trust his judgment, but look at the faces of the children these actors will represent. Diversity is becoming such a buzzword that people forget that you can have diversity and the best for the job. One is not exclusive of the other. It seems as if Rick Riordan and his casting team have struck that balance.

Riordan didn’t stop there. The author has a diversity program on his website called Rick Riordan Presents, with the goal of publishing four books a year by diverse writers who write in the same mythology genre. He uses this platform, and his relationship with Disney, to champion underrepresented voices. Riordan makes it clear that he strives for diversity in the spaces that he occupies and that’s a beautiful thing.

Whether the role of Annabeth Chase was played by a Black actor or not should not cause such a stir. Having a cast that looks more like the world we inhabit is a good thing and the way Riordan has leaned into representation and diversity can inspire others to do the same.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Ludacris Gifted Himself A Private Jet As A Graduation Present And It’s Tricked Out

How much money does Ludacris have exactly? Enough to gift himself a private jet, apparently. The rapper/actor/entrepreneur recently received an honorary Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Music Management from Georgia State University. The Fast And The Furious star attended the school for two years before dropping out to sign with Def Jam pursue a rap career, and let’s just say that it worked out for him well. “Mama, I made it,” he exclaimed addressing 900 fellow graduates at the university’s ceremony. Good for him, but about this jet…

In an Instagram video, Ludacris showed the outside of the plane, which looks like nothing short of a stretch limo with wings. He walks up the steps of the black jet and shows the cream-colored all leather interior. Wearing a blue Georgia State Panthers shirt, Luda was clearly elated as he panned through the jet’s inside and sang the lyrics from the The Jeffersons theme song: “Well we’re movin’ on up, to the east side! To a deluxe apartment in the sky!” The song really takes on a new meaning when it’s about a private jet instead of a high-rise apartment and Luda broke out in laughter when that dawned on him.

At any rate, let this be a lesson kids: If you drop out of college to pursue rap super-stardom, a private jet could be waiting for you 25 years down the line — as long as you’re talented.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘ASAP Rocky Reveals The Time He Got On Jay-Z’s Bad Side Due To Lines On ‘Goldie’

ASAP Rocky, at one point, found himself on Jay-Z’s bad side. Ahead of his upcoming Drink Champs interview on Revolt with NORE and DJ EFN, the podcast’s Instagram posted a clip where the “Fashion Killa” discusses how Hov called him one day after hearing a specific line in 2013’s “Goldie” referencing Cristal and Ace of Spades.

The Harlem native raps “Cristal go by the cases — wait hold up, that was racist / I would prefer the Aces, ain’t no different when you taste it” but was unaware the 4:44 rapper owned Ace Of Spades at the time. Rocky, with a laugh, said he felt like Jay-Z wasn’t “jacking” it. Hov went on to inform Rocky that Cristal wasn’t supportive of hip-hop, thus he shouldn’t support them.

The Drink Champs interview is set to release later today, and also includes a conversation about Rocky becoming a father alongside the pregnant Rihanna and the allegations that Travis Scott stole his style. Drink Champs is a known place where any and everything gets addressed, especially with the liquid encouragement. This conversation is looking to be no different and may act as the perfect launchpad for a potential ASAP Rocky album after the recent release of his single “DMB.”

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

The Next Two Years Of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, And Austin City Limits Will Stream On Hulu

It’s not always feasible to put a weekend aside and get out to a major music festival, but now three of the biggest will be more accessible than ever, at least for the next couple years: It was announced today Hulu will be the streaming home of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits (all events put on by C3 Presents) for the 2022 and 2023 events, in partnership with Live Nation.

The next of those festivals is Bonnaroo, which is set to go down from June 16 to 19. Then it’s Lollapalooza from July 28 to 31, followed by two weekends of ACL, from October 7 to 9 and 14 to 16.

Hulu president Joe Earley in a statement, “Hulu and Live Nation are both committed to delivering exceptional entertainment to fans, so we are thrilled to be collaborating with them, again, as we expand our offering to include these three legendary festivals. Each event is unique, but all three bring people together for incredible music, artistry, and experiences, which we are fortunate to be able to share with Hulu subscribers.”

C3 Presents’ Charlie Walker also noted, “The demand for live music is at an all-time high and the live experience has never been more connected to digital. By expanding our partnership with Hulu, even more fans will be able to tune into each of these incredible festival experiences in real-time and enjoy live performances from their favorite artists with the fans on-site.”

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

The ‘Better Call Saul’ Midseason Finale Will Have A ‘Painful’ Cliffhanger Ending, According To Its Co-Creator

There are only two episodes of Better Call Saul left… at least until the show with the most fascinating character on TV comes back in July. AMC decided to split the final season in two, which is both good and bad. Good, because now Rhea Seehorn has double the chances of winning a long-overdue Emmy. Bad, because I need to know what happens to Kim (and Howard, and Lalo, and Cinnabon Gene) NOW. A Saul-less June is going to be painful, especially with the cliffhanger that the writers have in store.

Co-creator Peter Gould told TVLine that they didn’t know about the split season when they were writing the episodes, but the midseason finale “is a big [cliffhanger]. I think this is going to be a painful few weeks for a few people to find out what happens. Hopefully, people will enjoy the pain and not come after us with torches.”

Deal. Unless something happens to Kim, then all bets are off.

The next episode of Better Call Saul, “Axe and Grind,” is directed by Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring himself) with a script from Ariel Levine, while the midseason finale, “Plan and Execution,” is helmed and written by long-time Breaking Bad and Saul writer and director Thomas Schnauz. It airs May 23.

(Via TVLine)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

EA Is ‘Rethinking The Development Process’ Of ‘Battlefield’

Unfortunately for fans of the Battlefield franchise, Battlefield 2042 was a dud. It launched with numerous bugs, including some that made it impossible to hit your opponent, and generally felt unfinished at launch. While this franchise of games launching with bugs is nothing new, Battlefield 2042 also launched with a shocking lack of features such as a voice chat system or a scoreboard option which only added to the feeling of it not being a game that was ready at launch.

Since the game came out, the devs over at DICE have been working to update the game and fix many of these issues. While it’s definitely in a better state than it was at launch the damage has unfortunately already been done and excitement around the game is pretty low. This has led to investors at EA asking the CEO of the company, Andrew Wilson, about the plans for the game in the future. In a recent earnings call, Wilson said that EA is playing the long game when it comes to Battlefield, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to continue the same approach they’ve always had with it.

This is one of the great franchises in our industry, built by one of the great teams in our industry. And our expectation is that we’ll continue to grow and be a really important part of our portfolio for many, many years to come. We’ve got incredible leadership over that team now. They’re rethinking the development process from the ground up and really using kind of the Vince Zampella/Respawn model of get to the fun as quickly as possible.

The Zampella/Respawn model that Wilson is referring to is in reference to Respawn Entertainment’s hit game, Apex Legends, and one of its founders Vince Zampella. Back in December, Zampella reportedly took over as head of the franchise. His resume of first-person shooters is strong including games like Titanfall and Call of Duty. With a history like that, it makes sense why Wilson would want to follow that kind of model when restructuring the Battlefield franchise.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Joey Badass Keeps His Album Hype Going With A Tough Funk Flex Freestyle Over Mobb Deep

Joey Badass made his name with multisyllabic, throwback rhymes over ’90s rap instrumentals, so it’s only right that he utilizes one in a new freestyle for Funkmaster Flex. Stopping by the Hot 97 studio to promote his upcoming album, 2000, Joey taps into the classic rap vein that first got him so much attention over the beat from Mobb Deep’s 1995 track “Give Up the Goods (Just Step).”

“I’m back, I’m better than I ever been,” he boasts. “I took five years off, still somehow I’m relevant.”

Of course, he’s referring to the fact that his last full-length album, All-Amerikkan Badass, dropped in 2017. Since then, he has focused mainly on building his acting resume, taking roles in shows such as Mr. Robot, Grown-ish, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and Power Book III: Raising Kanan. His most notable role to date, though, was his starring turn in the Netflix short film Two Distant Strangers, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

However, also in 2020, he dipped his toe back into rap, releasing the three-track EP, The Light Pack, featuring on Russ’ Chomp 2 in 2021, and kicking off 2022 with “The Revenge” and an appearance on A Colors Show to debut “Head High.” On Wednesday this week, he announced the release date for 2000 as well as the tour dates.

Watch Joey Badass’ Funk Flex freestyle above.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Adele Seemingly Confirms That She And Rich Paul Moved In Together With Joyful New Photos

“Time flies.” That’s what Adele wrote on her latest Instagram post featuring a series of photos of her and boyfriend Rich Paul, beginning with the two of them holding up keys in front of a large new mansion. By all accounts, pop music and sports’ sweetest crossover couple has moved in together. Paul, of course, co-founded Klutch Sports with his childhood friend LeBron James and also represents other stars like Anthony Davis and Ben Simmons. Together, Adele and Paul are nothing short of the pop culture power couple and after saying in February on The Graham Norton Show that she wants to have another baby this year, they appear to be taking the next step towards that by moving in together.

Among the other photos that Adele shared in the Instagram post, is a shot of Paul visiting her at a McDonald’s where she was promoting the release of 30, a pic of the pair kissing backstage, and Adele holding up a fortune from a cookie that reads, “You have found good company — enjoy.” Adele, who recently turned 34, expressed last week, “I’ve never been happier!”

She and Paul also appear to be engaged, as Adele has been seen sporting a large engagement ring. She dodged a point-blank question about the engagement on The Graham Norton Show show, however, saying, “If I was, would I ever tell anyone if I was or wasn’t?” Meanwhile, she’s set to move her previously cancelled Las Vegas residency to a new venue.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Report: There’s ‘Bad Blood’ With Ben Roethlisberger And The Steelers Over How His Career Ended

The Pittsburgh Steelers will head into the 2022 season with someone other than Ben Roethlisberger slated to serve as the team’s starting quarterback for the first time in quite a while. Roethlisberger retired at the end of the 2021 NFL season, marking the end of an 18-year career that very well could lead to him getting enshrined in Canton somewhere in the not-too-distant future.

As it turns out, Roethlisberger might not have been all that on board with the idea of calling it a career. During a chat with readers earlier this week, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was asked about the circumstances of Roethlisberger’s retirement, and apparently, there some tension between the player and the only team for which he suited up in his NFL career.

Billy Bob: Is there bad blood between the Steelers and Big Ben with how his career ended. Was he ready to retire or was it a Troy [Polamalu] type situation where he was forced into it?

Gerry Dulac: I would say it’s very very safe to assume that.

Roethlisberger, who just turned 40, was very obviously a shell of his former self during the final few years of his career, as age and injuries both looked like they caught up with him. The two-time Super Bowl winner completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,740 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, but his mobility and ability to throw down the field just did not exist. As a result, his career is over, while the Steelers will turn to one of Mason Rudolph, free agent signing Mitchell Trubisky, or first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett with the hopes that one will become his successor.