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Real heads remember the “Dark Universe.” It was supposed to be Universal’s version of the MCU or the DCEU, but populated with the studio’s classic monsters from the ‘30s and ‘40s. Johnny Depp was supposed to play the Invisible Man. Javier Bardem would take on the creature from Frankenstein (with Angelina Jolie courted to play his Bride). Russell Crowe got in one appearance as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the only movie that resulted from his ambitious -verse: 2017’s The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise. Alas, the movie tanked so hard it killed the series dead right out of the gate. Now the film’s director is opening up about it.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Alex Kurtzman — a longtime franchise film screenwriter who co-created the Showtime stab at The Man Who Fell to Earth, previously turned into a trippy David Bowie movie — talked about the disaster on the podcast Bingeworthy. Some five years removed, he’s more comfortable talking about the film that killed a cinematic universe.

I tend to subscribe to the point of view that you learn nothing from your successes, and you learn everything from your failures,” Kurtzman said. “And that was probably the biggest failure of my life, both personally and professionally. There’s about a million things I regret about it, but it also gave me so many gifts that are inexpressibly beautiful. I didn’t become a director until I made that movie, and it wasn’t because it was well-directed — it was because it wasn’t.”

He continued to spin the failure into a learning opportunity. “And as brutal as it was, in many ways, and as many cooks in the kitchen as there were, I am very grateful for the opportunity to make those mistakes because it rebuilt me into a tougher person, and it also rebuilt me into a clearer filmmaker,” Kurtzman said. “And that has been a real gift, and I feel those gifts all the time because I’m very clear now when I have a feeling that doesn’t feel right — I am not quiet about it anymore. I will literally not proceed when I feel that feeling. It’s not worth it to me. And you can’t get to that place of gratitude until you’ve had that kind of experience.”

In The Mummy, Cruise played a treasure hunting U.S. sergeant who fights an undead Egyptian princess (Sofia Boutella), only to [SPOILER] wind up a mummy himself (or something). But that wasn’t the end. Not only did Cruise quickly rebound with Mission: Impossible — Fallout, but Universal found another way to revive their old monster IPs: making outside-the-box, low-budget versions, such as the Elisabeth Moss-starring The Invisible Man, which is more in keeping with the classic movies anyway. In other words, there’s a happy ending.

(Via THR)

Thaddeus Young hasn’t had much of a role to play in the first three games of the Toronto Raptors’ series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The veteran forward, who the team acquired at the trade deadline, has only appeared in 19 minutes and 16 seconds during those games, and has accrued a total of four points and three rebounds.

Young got some run early on in a must-win Game 4 for Toronto and had maybe the most entertaining moment that a Raptors player has had all series. After setting a screen for Fred VanVleet, Young got the ball at the top of the three-point line with no one near him. Joel Embiid noticed this and started to man him up, at which point Young went to work.

A four-move sequence — a pump fake, a dribble, a behind-the-back dribble, and a stepback — got Young open, in part because Embiid stumbled and had both of his hands touch the ground. Because the basketball gods normally reward this sort of thing, Young hit a jumper that made Toronto’s bench and the entire home crowd go insane.

The Raptors could use a big game from Young, as they face elimination with a loss. They don’t all need to involve Embiid touching earth like this, but our guess is the fans would enjoy that.

Machine Gun Kelly’s transition from rapper to pop-punk singer has served him well. He officially made the move after the released of his 2019 Hotel Diablo with his 2020 album Tickets To My Downfall being his first official album as a punk rocker. That project would go on to give MGK his first No. 1 album, and he recently earned his second one with the release of Mainstream Sellout last month. While some have supported MGK’s move, others have been more critical. An example of the former is Mick Jagger who shared some love during a recent interview.

Mick Jagger was visited the Swedish radio station P4 for an interview, and it’s here that the topic of rock and roll’s new singers came up. “In rock music you need energy and there have not been a lot of new rock singers around,” Jagger said according to The Independent. “Now there are a few. You have Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly. That kind of post-punk vibe makes me think there is still a bit of life in rock and roll.”

During this same interview, Jagger took a moment to speak about his future in music, noting that his European Rolling Stones tour wouldn’t be his last one. “I love being on tour. I don’t think I would do it if I did not enjoy it,” he said. “I enjoy going out there on stage and doing my stuff. That is what I do. I want everyone to enjoy themselves and forget the troubles in their lives for a couple of hours and just chill out and have a great afternoon and evening.”

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Vito Jr: Goth Icon

A lot to chew on in season 6b episode 4 of The Sopranos. Including, but not limited to, Tony’s compulsive gambling, AJ’s disastrous engagement, Hesh’s deadly farts, and the two giant ice cream sundaes purchased for Vito Jr. that will need to be fully chewed up before you even think about getting in Phil Leotardo’s car. Returning to discuss “Chasing It” with Matt and Vince is writer and co-host of the Chapo Trap House podcast, Will Menaker.

During a scene dubbed by Will as “The Vito Jr./Phil Leotardo Silo Summit,” Vito appears to be eating an ice cream sundae at the Applegate Farms Ice Cream stand in Montclair, New Jersey. When Phil calls it a sundae, Vito corrects him, preferring the name as it’s written on the cold treat’s cup, “The Silo.” Currently, neither the Applegate Farms’ website, their Yelp page, nor their Doordash menu mentions The Silo as an option. Is this an obsolete gluttonous treat gone the way of the supersized meal? A Sopranos prop department fabrication? A locals-only, in-person menu option that non-New Jerseyans can only fantasize about? We may never know, but what we can say for certain is that while eating his two Silos, this son of Tony Soprano’s deceased best earner looks like a Puerta Rican whoo-er.

The guys also delve into Tony’s misguided gambling strategies, the way he trades homophobia for antisemitism, and Matt brings an appropriately NuMetal bada-b song in honor of North Jersey’s shower shittingest grave vandalizer.

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-Description by Brent Flyberg.

In a bit of an upset, Toronto Raptors standout Scottie Barnes is the NBA’s 2021-22 Rookie of the Year. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Barnes, the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, beat out the perceived favorite, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, and the No. 1 pick in the Draft, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham.

The NBA eventually confirmed the news and showed that Barnes narrowly beat out Mobley by the closest margin in the award’s history.

Toronto’s decision to draft Barnes came as a bit of a surprise, as the consensus was that the team would take Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs at No. 4 overall. Instead, the team opted to bring on board the Florida State standout, and from the jump, he was able to make his impact felt — Barnes started all 74 games in which he appeared for the Raptors and made his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 35.4 minutes per game while connecting on 49.2 percent of his shots from the field.

Mobley and Cunningham both put up big numbers for their respective teams and established themselves and future stars in the Eastern Conference. Mobley, in particular, received praise for his ability to step onto the floor from day one and play a major role, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. But for the third time in franchise history and the first since Vince Carter won the award in 1998-98, the Rookie of the Year award is heading north of the border.

DaBaby’s 2021 year was wrapped in controversy with the biggest one being the homophobic comments he made during Rolling Loud’s Miami festival last summer. That incident caused the rapper to be dropped from multiple festivals, but by the end of the year, DaBaby was back on big stages like Rolling Loud’s Los Angeles festival. While the hope was that 2022 would be a bit quieter for DaBaby, that was quickly thrown out of the window after his altercation with DaniLeigh’s brother at a Los Angeles bowling alley. Just a couple of months after that incident, DaBaby found himself in another altercation.

Friday night, DaBaby was in Columbia, South Carolina to perform at the Spring Jam 2022 event at the Colonial Life Arena. The event also featured performances from Kodak Black, Renni Rucci, NoCap, Boosie, and Webbie. At some point during the night, DaBaby got into an altercation with his artist Wisdom and the two exchanged punches. As DaBaby is walking backstage, he suddenly swings on Wisdom, who is signed to his Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment label. DaBaby and Wisdom both landed punches, but the fight was quickly broken up thanks to security guards, personnel, and police officers who were nearby.

It’s unknown what caused the altercation between DaBaby and Wisdom, but it’s one that comes after DaBaby reportedly shot an intruder at his North Carolina home earlier this month.

You can view a video of the altercation between DaBaby and Wisdom above.

Kodak Black is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

On Friday, Ron DeSantis took their battle with Disney next level. The governor and much of the Florida GOP are pissed the mega-corporation wants their so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill repealed, and their latest retaliatory act was a biggie: He signed a bill that ends a 55-year-old statute that essentially makes them a private government within the state. It’s a bold move, and maybe a short-sighted one: It winds up sticking taxpayers with a $1 billion “debt bomb.” It also gave Disney an unlikely ally.

Jenna Ellis, who achieved infamy as a lawyer for Donald Trump in the final, chaotic stretch of his presidency, took to Twitter to offer her services. “Hi @Disney,” she wrote. “”Open offer to help defend your right to constitutionally protected speech against Florida’s illegal retaliation.”

Indeed, on top of punishing Floridians — over another bill that also punishes Floridians — DeSantis’ latest attack on Disney also flagrantly violates the first amendment. After a DeSantis crony said the company could avert this punishment if they reneged on their condemnation, many pointed out that he openly admitted to extortion, handing them an easy legal victory.

Ellis came to notoriety in late 2020 by becoming one of the loudest spreaders of deranged voter fraud misinformation. She was a social media pariah for, among other things, calling her draft-dodging client a “warrior” and sharing an obviously fake Teddy Roosevelt quote. Still, the enemy of one’s enemy is a friend, right?

(Via The Hill)

Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard is in full swing, and it’s been a predictable s*itshow. Heard admitted she struck Depp, as he’d long ago claimed. Meanwhile, some more of Depp’s inflammatory texts were made public. The troubled actor even addressed the claim that Heard left feces in his bed. Buried in all this was news that was big if not shocking: You’ll (probably) never see Depp play Jack Sparrow again.

During a cross-examination, Heard’s attorney, Ben Rottenborn (as reported by Variety, in a bit teased out by IGN), Depp discussed rumors that Disney was done with him. He said that “doesn’t surprise me,” adding, “Two years had gone by of constant worldwide talk about me being this wife beater. So, I’m sure that Disney was trying to cut ties to be safe. The #MeToo movement was in full swing at that point.”

Rottenborn later asked if he’d ever return to his biggest role. “The fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas,” Rottenborn asked, “nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film? Correct?”

“That is true, Mr. Rottenborn,” he replied.

Depp also pointed out that, while Disney is done with Depp, they’re not done with profiting off him. “They didn’t remove my character from the rides,” Depp said. “They didn’t stop selling dolls of Captain Jack Sparrow. They didn’t stop selling anything. They just didn’t want there to be something trailing behind me that they’d find.”

When the first Pirates of the Caribbean came out in 2003, it turned Depp from a well-known and -respected actor to a mega-star — all the more shocking given reports that Disney was unhappy with all the eccentric mugging that made audiences fall in love. He returned to Jack Sparrow four more times, though the last one, 2017’s underperforming and widely panned Dead Men Tell No Tales, was hardly an ideal farewell.

Still, in Hollywood, never say never again.

(Via Variety and IGN)

Some nations aren’t as tolerant of homosexuality as the United States, where a number of states, like Florida, have introduced anti- LGTBQIA+ legislation. For its China release, the third Fantastic Beasts movie had all of its gay dialogue, some of it pertaining to Jude Law’s now out-and-proud Dumbledore, removed. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is out-and-out banning a film, reportedly because it, too, has a gay character.

That film is Doctor Strange in the Multitude of Madness. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the second solo go with Benedict Cumberbatch’s medical practitioner-turned-sorcerer has vanished from the release schedules in the Middle Eastern nation, as well as Kuwait and Qatar. (It will still drop in the United Arab Emirates.)

Though there is no official explanation for the ban, it’s said to be due to the character America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez), who was introduced in 2011 as Marvel’s first Latinx LGBTQIA+ character.

Last year, Eternals ran into similar trouble, being banned across most of the Gulf because it featured both the first openly gay superhero (Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos) and the first same-gender couple. While Warner Bros. capitulated to other nation’s homophobic demands, Disney — which is currently embroiled in a fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose moves may impact the state’s taxpayers — clearly won’t do the same.

(Via THR)

Harry Styles’ stardom has been on full display at Coachella this year. During the festival’s first weekend, the former One Direction singer performed his chart-topping single “As It Was” for the first time and also debuted two new songs, “Boyfriends” and “Late Night Talking.” These tracks are set to appear on his upcoming third album Harry’s House. He also brought out Shania Twain to perform “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” during his set. For the second weekend of Coachella’s festival, Harry brought out another awesome guest during his headlining set to close out the night.

At the end of Friday night, Harry brought out Lizzo for a pair of performances. The singers, who have been friends for years, took the stage together to perform Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” Lizzo teased her appearance at Coachella earlier in the day in a TikTok, writing, “I’m bored otw to Coachella.” Afterward, she took a moment to show gratitude to Harry in an Instagram post. “Proud of you @harrystyles,” she wrote. “Thank u for having me.”

Lizzo and Harry’s performance together comes as they prepare to release new albums to the world. Harry’s third album Harry’s House will arrive on May 20 while Lizzo’s next body of work Special will drop on July 15.

You can watch videos from Harry and Lizzo’s performance above.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.