GoneTrending

When news broke of Gilbert Gottfried’s death on Tuesday, social media was flooded with tributes — as well as hilarious clips of his stand-up, movie, and TV appearances. Some remembered his stunningly filthy take on the “Aristocrats” joke. Others shared his gonzo trolling of contestants on Hollywood Squares. And some dug up one of the last jokes he told, which was aimed at his good friend Chris Rock.

Two weeks before his passing, Gottfried weighed in on what was then the biggest topic: Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at the Oscars because of a joke he made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident shocked the nation. It may have destroyed Smith’s career and public image. But Gottfried was always someone who found a joke in anything — even, infamously, unimaginable tragedy — and this was no exception.

“Which is the worst crime?” Gottfried wrote on Instagram. “Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?” Beside it was a picture of the two comics side-by-side, big smiles on their faces, indicating that the joke was made out of love. Rock, who loved a good barb — like the one that got him slapped on live television — no doubt approved.

The cause of Gottfried’s death was not immediately revealed, though it was later confirmed that it was the result of a rare genetic muscle disease. Luckily he left behind an endless supply of jokes like this.

Nic Cage’s acting career has been as wild and crazy as his most notable roles. From action hero, to Oscar winner, to countless memes and now … pulling a full-blown John Malkovich by playing himself in a bizarre meta-comedy for Lionsgate called “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” At this point he is simply a fixed point in pop culture.

But now he can add a new status: beloved Reddit star.

Cage had recently participated in a Reddit: Ask Me Anything, and his wholesome responses have struck a chord with both fans—he prefers to call them “loyal film enthusiasts”—and critics alike. Like most of the things he does, it’s become a bona fide moment.

One person wrote, “I didn’t really know much about Nic Cage before the AMA honestly, but I walked about from it thinking how insightful and genuine he seemed. I have a lot more respect for him now (not that I didn’t before, I just thought he came across as a really sincere person). He seems like a really good dude on top of everything else. It was a REALLY good AMA.”

Here are some of the best insights:

For one thing, the guy is truly an artist, with a genuine love for his craft. He’s studied Kabuki performance, for crying out loud—core curriculum for a theater nerd.

Just read his thoughtful response to a compliment on his performance in the movie “Pig,” which tells the story of a lonely truffle hunter who leaves his wilderness home in Oregon in search of his beloved foraging hog.

via GIPHY

“‘Pig’ was an absolutely incredible film, what drew you to that project, and why do you think that it struck a chord with so many people?” — speakerboxxed

“Thank you. I was interested in returning to a more quiet, naturalistic style of film performance, having done a series of more operatic performance styles. The movie feels rather like a folk song to me or a poem, and the character of Rob was contending with tremendous grief and self imposed isolation and I think we as a group of people experiencing a pandemic in 2020-21 we’re probably also having similar feelings of loss and isolation and it communicated to a nerve we were all experiencing. It’s one of my favorite movies, and it’s probably my best work.” — N.C.

“Pig” turned out to be one of the three films Nicolas Cage would choose to be preserved for posterity, along with “Bringing Out the Dead” and “Leaving Las Vegas.”

He also doesn’t take his success for granted.

When asked which of his movie quotes he hated the most when heard in public, the actor simply responded:

“I don’t have a problem with any of the quotes. I’m glad they remember the movie.” — N.C.

Though we’ve seen him play a face-swapping terrorist, a treasure-hunting historian and a charming arms dealer, Nic Cage really just wants to play a sea captain. And not just any sea caption, but Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s classic novels.

Why? “Because of the character’s love of the ocean that I share with him,” Cage wrote.

There were a few really fun behind-the-scenes bits of trivia. For instance, ever wonder what happened to that iconic snakeskin jacket from “Wild At Heart?”

Well, according to Cage, his co-star Laura Dern has it.

“[Laura] was such an enormous part of Wild at Heart that I felt it belonged to her. But now I wish I had given it to my son instead. I would’ve liked him to have it. But it’s okay, Laura has it.” — N.C.

Of course, though many questions were craft and career related, a few mundane inquiries stuck out, such as:

“What’s your favorite pasta shape?” — JaggedOnomatomania

Answer: A rare “square tube pasta” only seen once at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco 25 years ago.

Not everyone can make pasta sound fascinating. But Cage did.

When asked what Cage’s favorite non-work-related hobbies were, he replied that, where everything ultimately informs his works (again, a true thespian!) he does enjoy reading, watching cinema and exercise.

The guy’s also a romantic. He shared a story about spending $2000 (a gift from grandma, no less) on his prom date. Chauffeur-driven limo, tux, four-course meal, the works. According to Cage it was “money well spent.”

Lastly, when it comes to his favorite movies, none of them are movies he’s worked on. That honor goes to “Apocalypse Now” and “Spirited Away.”

The AMA turned out to be a lovely event for everyone involved. Including Cage, who said in his follow up interview:

“That was the highlight of my day. We did it together, and I thought it was a terrific interview. With all the folks that asked me questions, they were really great questions, really thoughtful, and I was deeply touched.“

Perhaps massive talent isn’t so unbearable after all. Especially when handled with humor and grace.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for Cage’s new movie yet, you can do so below. Buckle up.

And by the way, in case anyone is wondering: yes, he would “gladly” do “Face Off 2.”

One thing that screams amazing is Gen Z kids and the empowerment they exude. Whether it’s organizing protests or demanding to be taken seriously as their true selves, they can be truly awe-inspiring. Teens in the ’90s perfected the eye roll and developed a “Clueless” croak, but teens and young adults of today seem to be activists from birth. Bucking the system that attempts to put them in a box or quiet their voices, today’s youth are in a league of their own, and it’s something to take in.

Will Larkins is one of those precocious Gen Zers that is breaking the mold on what society deems appropriate for teens to do. He’s a junior at Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Florida, and has been making his presence known through his LGBTQ+ activism. He is the president and co-founder of his school’s Queer Student Union. On March 7, he led a walkout of more than 500 students in protest of Florida’s proposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Larkins, who uses they/him pronouns, posted a video to his Twitter account showing him teaching a history lesson on the Stonewall riots, which occurred in 1969. His history class was covering history spanning the 1960s and ’70s, and he asked permission to include this bit of LGBTQ+ history that many people don’t learn about in school.

After his history teacher gave him the go-ahead, Larkins got to work. The teen created a PowerPoint presentation that centered around educating his fellow students about the history of LGBTQ+ and the fight for civil rights. When he arrived to class that day, he donned a red tea-length fitted dress, a fur cropped jacket and a beautiful double strand of pearls. The students in class appear to be engaged in his presentation on the historic events.

LGBTQ American history is not taught in Floridas public schools, so I took it upon myself to explain the events of the Stonewall Uprising to my 4th period US history class. #SayGayAnywaypic.twitter.com/A73TKPlWXF

— Will Larkins (@Will Larkins)
1649008560

The Stonewall riots were a series of uprisings in New York City following a raid on a local gay bar that resulted in a lesbian being knocked unconscious as she was being put into a police car. The onlookers were horrified and began to throw things at the officer who had injured the woman as he was putting her into the police car. When Larkins asked his teacher if the class would be covering Stonewall during their lesson, his teacher had not heard of the event, which prompted the presentation.

After Larkins posted a short clip of him presenting on the riots, some commenters were confused at why he decided to wear a dress, but the answer was simple. Because he wanted to. Larkins often dresses in clothes that would be deemed feminine by societal standards, but he doesn’t let that stop him. The presentation went viral, and has been viewed more than 457, 000 times.

Day 2: 73 new registered voters!n124 in total. nThis midterm, the youth will make our voice heard!!pic.twitter.com/SsUQmkBaOl

— Will Larkins (@Will Larkins)
1649187087

While Larkins may still be in high school, his activism and courage to stand up for what he believes in will take him far. He’s already looking toward the future by helping eligible Gen Zers register to vote in time for the primaries. This kid is going places, and he’ll look fabulous doing it.

When Amazon forked over money to revive The Kids in the Hall, they must have known what they were buying. The iconic Canadian sketch comedy show were not above going meta; one sketch pointed out how much the nation’s taxpayers were unwittingly helping fund the program. So when the revival’s first trailer dropped, it was no surprise that there was a fair amount of ribbing of their new corporate overlords.

The ad finds the old gang literally exhumed from the earth, 27 years older than when their titular show last aired (it ran from 1988 to 1995), with Bruce McCullouch wishing they had “cryogenically frozen our bodies.” We then see Dave Foley and Mark McKinney as execs, the former asking who’s funding the reboot. “The Devil again?” he asks, to which McKinney’s character responds, “Well, sort of: Amazon.” Foley’s character later speculates that the super-corporation founded by a guy who keeps going to space wants “a funny show but one that is free of targets, topical topics, alarming edginess or unsettling settings.”

A number of beloved Kids in the Hall characters show their faces: McCullouch’s pestering, backpack-loving Gavin and masked tennis maven the Eradicator; McKinney’s “Headcrusher”; the secretaries; and, of course, Scott Thompson’s monologuist Buddy Cole. (Yes, Kevin McDonald is in there too, who hopefully dusts off his enabling boss character from the great “Girl Drink Drunk” sketch.) There’s even the restaurant staff from the semi-deep cut “dipping areas” sketch, which, if you’ve never seen, you can watch below.

The new The Kids in the Hall drops on Amazon Prime on May 13. You can watch the trailer above.

By now, we know that Pamela Anderson was not down with participating in (or even watching) Hulu’s Pam & Tommy limited series, blast that it was to watch. The project and continued resurrection of she and Tommy Lee’s “home movie” couldn’t have been fun to deal with, and Pam has pledged (while teaming up with Netflix) to bring viewers “the real story” of how she’s “[n]ot a victim, but a survivor.”

Before that happens, though, Pamela decided to make a pit stop on Broadway, where she’s playing Roxie Hart in Chicago through early June. Above, you can see the leading lady with her sons, Dylan Jagger Lee and Brandon Thomas Lee, both of whom are somehow now in their mid-20s. They posed with mom backstage at the Ambassador Theater, and from the looks of things, the performance went well.

The audience is loving her, and she’s loving them, and they’re loving her for… well, you catch the drift. Here’s Pam and the rest of the cast coming forward for a standing ovation (a photo of that, via NBC’s Wilson Wong, is below, too).

And of course Pam got swamped with fans when she left the building after the show.

You can read more about how much people loved Pam’s performance over at TODAY, which details how Pam’s followers specifically traveled to New York City for the occasion. And good for Pam for being “the name on everyone’s lips.” Yup, as Roxy, but also as Pamela Freaking Anderson.

(Via TODAY)

Back in the good old days known as 2012, the news was filled with quirky stories like the first Lego Man in Space and the Gay Oreo debacle. One story which you may or may not remember is the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, which is actually a lot more dramatic than it sounds.

The heist sparked in-depth news articles and documentaries about the world’s stickiest crime, and now, there is going to be an Amazon series chronicling the events.

The Sticky (yup, that’s the official name) will be produced by Jamie Lee Curtis (who loves stories about trauma) and follow the story of the real-life heist which involved the theft of 18 million Canadian dollars, which equals over 70% of the world’s maple syrup supply. The official synopsis:

The Sticky is a half-hour series revolving around Ruth Clarke, a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to manifest destiny. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a pint-sized local blockhead and an aging and Mike Byrne, a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup

The pilot was written by Brian Donovan and Ed Herro, who will executive produce and co-showrun with Kathryn Borel. Jason Blum, of Blumhouse Television, will also executive produce. “This story, about an unassuming band of renegades who managed to pull off perhaps the largest heist in Canadian history, caught our attention immediately,” the show-runners said in a statement.

“The characters, stakes—all were ripe for tapping (pun intended) for our fictional story. We’re thrilled that we have world-class partners on board to bring our vision for The Sticky to life.” Filming is expected to begin this fall.

Donald Trump Jr. is going to bat for Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was recently signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. In predictable fashion, Don Jr. has latched onto the recent, and gross, conservative trend of calling the bill’s detractors “groomers” along with hurling some very QAnon-esque accusations at teachers.

In his latest vertically shot video, Don Jr. accuses teachers of being in “camouflage” so parents can’t tell that they’re “trying to indoctrinate and groom these children.” The former president’s AMPED-up son then urged parents to pull their kids out of public schools.

Via Raw Story:

“I guess, at least they’re easy to pick out and spot for the most part. But you never know, some may go under camouflage not have blue, green, purple hair. But this stuff is insane,” he argued. “At least you can find them and see for yourself, but we need to do whatever we can to give parents the ability to pull their kids away from this nonsense.”

“Just my opinion, right? I’ll probably get canceled for it,” he said.

Ever since The Walt Disney Company came out in opposition of the bill after it was signed into law, Republicans have been lashing out at the media company, which is one if not the largest employer in the state of Florida. In retaliation for Disney’s opposition, state GOP members have been looking into repealing a decades-old statute, which could curtail Disney’s ability to invest in its theme parks. However, doing so could have severe economic impact on the state, so it will be interesting to see just how committed Republicans are to that plan or if they’ll content themselves with making unhinged videos demonizing teachers.

(Via Raw Story)

Frank James, the New York Police Department‘s primary suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting on Tuesday that left 29 people injured, was taken into custody on Wednesday. The 62-year-old was arrested in Manhattan‘s East Village and has been charged with having committed a terrorist act on a mass transit system.

The New York Times reports:

Keechant Sewell, New York’s police commissioner, said that Mr. James had been stopped in response to a Crime Stoppers tip and that he was taken into custody without incident. She said Mr. James would be charged with having committed the shooting on Tuesday. “We were able to shrink his world quickly,” Commissioner Sewell said. “There was nowhere left for him to run.”

Much of the credit for finding James, who was on the lam for over 24 hours, belongs to Zack. Just… Zack. “Thank you, Zack! You’re a hero with those fast reflexes,” Twitter user Samantha Zirkin tweeted, along with a video interview with the hero.

The “21-year old security camera installer” held an “impromptu press conference” shortly after James was taken into custody.

The NYPD offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the gunman. Zack deserves it, and so much more. But for now, he’s being praised for his heroics on social media,

New York’s finest: Zack. May he never be milkshake duck‘d.

(Via the New York Times)

Cardi B once said that she won’t let her daughter sing one of her biggest hits, but now, thanks to Nickelodeon, at least one of her songs will be acceptable for Kulture’s little ears. This Friday at noon, Cardi will be guest-starring on the kids’ series Baby Shark’s Big Show! as a toothy, finned, bright-pink version of herself named Sharki B. She’ll be joined by fishy animated versions of her husband Offset and her daughter Kulture to perform a new song called “The Seaweed Sway.” Today, Billboard premiered a clip of the song, in which Sharki B shows off its accompanying “viral” dance alongside the show’s title character.

To be honest, the song ain’t half bad, and considering the origins and ubiquity of the Baby Shark theme song, I’m sure there will be plenty of parents breathing a sigh of relief at getting a break from the hypnotic tune that kids can’t seem to get enough of. On the other hand, I’m equally sure there’ll be a ton of pearl-clutching from the sorts of people who act like Cardi b’s music will be the end of Western civilization, despite the song being about as kid-friendly as it gets. But the video’s cute (look at Offshark!), the song’s catchy, and kids kind of already love Cardi B — at least this is one song of hers parents won’t mind them singing along to.

Watch Cardi’s — ahem, Sharki B’s — new video for “The Seaweed Sway” above.

Rarely does the attacking pose for a basketball player happen at 45 degrees. Time and again in a comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers to clinch the seventh seed in the Western Conference on Tuesday night, Anthony Edwards curled his shoulder toward the ground at an acute angle and got exactly where he wanted to go. That tucked-in posture and low center of gravity will be the lasting image of when Edwards dismantled the Clippers and arrived in the NBA, and a symbol of the flair with which Edwards can dominate for years to come.

Edwards’ style isn’t unique for the sake of being unique. It’s uniquely his and wielded to great success. Unsurprisingly, Edwards was a well-regarded running back in Pop Warner as a kid, and since his high school days, his physical presence has separated him from his peers. Nearly 40 percent of his shots have come at the rim as a pro, his relentlessness putting him in rarefied air, a throwback who feels transported from the early-2000s NBA of Baron Davis and Gilbert Arenas rather than of this era.

Against the Clippers, his downhill dominance was a response to the defense. Los Angeles was not only switching everything in typical fashion, but devoting extra resources toward denying Karl-Anthony Towns the ball and double-teaming him when he got it. That often left him facing mismatches he’s more than comfortable exploiting, with bigger players like Marcus Morris Sr. or Isaiah Hartenstein put in situations where they would need to guard him in isolation.

Once Edwards’ first few jumpers went in, the Clippers needed to give respect to one of the only areas of the court that he doesn’t always own (he was basically a league-average three-point shooter this year). Edwards’ abnormally high release, another unorthodox physical quirk he brings to the basketball court, demands even more attention than a typical shooter’s. That led to lapses from the Clippers defenses, as even their best defenders bit on his pump fakes or miscommunicated switches. They suddenly feared his ability to score from anywhere but seemingly did not have a plan for what to take away. Edwards sensed that imbalance, leaned downward toward the ground, and took off, over and over.

To score 30 in a playoff debut is special, to do it as the featured piece against the reigning conference finalists is extraordinary. Edwards checked in at the 8:08 mark in the fourth quarter with Minnesota down eight. Towns fouled out 34 seconds later. From that point on, Edwards tallied 10 points, one assist and one steal, the driving force in a comeback win.

The two have always been great complements for one another, but anyone spelling out a possible Timberwolves win would have likely started with Towns, an understandable decision as he’s potentially on the verge of earning All-NBA honors for the second time in his career. He handled a higher usage rate than Edwards while also serving as a lead play-maker for the team. When Edwards has gone off this season, it’s been a pleasant boost for Minnesota but not always something the team has relied upon to win. That changed in an instant on the biggest stage, and Edwards responded.

Always confident, Edwards didn’t hesitate letting the world know about it. He joined in with Patrick Beverley in a euphoric postgame celebration, and told reporters postgame, “I took what the game gave me. They were scared to guard me, and I took advantage of that.”

Still, while Edwards has clearly absorbed the swagger of guys like Beverley and D’Angelo Russell and helped develop a new, more resilient identity in Minnesota, these things usually take time. Memphis will likely be ready to throw more defensive attention at Edwards in the next round and Towns will look to get back on track himself, but in one resounding moment, a thrilling young star most would have said would be a killer in tight spots had the chance to prove it — and did.

The most remarkable part of Edwards’ debut, however, may have been the small indications of what’s to come. As with many special athletes in the limelight for the first time, excellence was balanced out by mistakes. A turnover with about a minute left created an opening that Paul George seized with a deep three to make it a one-possession game again. Minutes will pass when Edwards struggles to impact the game when he is not involved as a scorer. And before any of the fireworks on Tuesday night, Edwards did only score one point in the first quarter.

To see it all play out that way and watch Edwards still triumph turned imaginations toward the future. Edwards became the fourth-youngest player to score 30 in an NBA playoff game (just ahead of Magic Johnson), and was far from his best. What was a muscular frame in the SEC is undeveloped by NBA standards. He will get stronger, more efficient in his movement, and less predictable.

As the first round goes on, Edwards has now ensured his development will be one of the biggest stories in the league. A matchup against the Grizzlies will mean a clash of young, athletic, building squads, but Memphis will be ready for Edwards now. And we should be, too.