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After years of false starts, a movie based on the hit graphic novel by ND Stevenson is finally in development at Netflix. Nimona will feature the voices of Chloe Grace Mortez (of Carrie, Kick-Ass, and that one recurring role on 30 Rock) and Riz Ahmed, from The Sound Of Metal.

The official plot summary from Netflix:

A Knight is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is a story about the labels we assign to people and the shapeshifter who refuses to be defined by anyone.

Stevenson confirmed the news on Twitter.

A movie based on Stevenson’s graphic novel has been in the works for some time, with a complex history: the project was originally backed by Blue Sky Studios of 20th Century Fox, though Disney acquired Fox last spring, and not long after that, production on the project was halted, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Rumors swirled that the movie was axed due to a homosexual relationship in the story.

Disney famously tries their best to limit the number of gay characters in the story by not allowing any at all, though things are changing fast!

As Abbott Elementary continues to be a breakout hit for ABC, the show has been using its growing clout to make a real difference in the lives of schoolchildren. For its latest philanthropic endeavor, Warner Bros. TV will be donating 150,000 meals to Feeding America in an effort to raise awareness of food insecurity. Starting Monday April 11, one day before the Abbott Elementary season finale, the “Think Outside the Box” campaign will run for a week and feature celebrity chefs on the show’s increasingly popular social media accounts.

Via Deadline:

The “Think Outside the (Lunch) Box” campaign will run from April 11–15. WBTV will partner with influencer chefs Eitan Bernath and Ahmad Alzahabi, who will create lunchbox meals and discuss the impact of food insecurity with their followers across Instagram and TikTok. Feeding America helps provide at least 10 meals for every dollar donated through a network of member food banks.

Last month, Abbott Elementary teamed up with Scholastic to provide free books for struggling inner-city schools like the one featured in the show. (Creator Quinta Brunson based the show on her elementary school experience in Philadelphia.) Not only that, but the program made sure to give lots of love to the faculty by rolling up to schools with its Traveling Teachers Lounge that handed out supplies, breakfast, and Abbott Elementary swag. Also, it offered a momentary respite from the kids, which is an important part of every educator’s day.

Have we mentioned this is a good show doing good things? It’s nice.

(Via Deadline)

Last week, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey announced that their seminal hip-hop supergroup, Black Star, would be returning with their first new album since 1998’s cult classic, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Dubbed No Fear Of Time and due out on May 3rd, the new album sees Madlib stepping in as the producer and now, the lead single, “Mineral Mountain” featuring Black Thought, has just premiered via Kweli and Bey’s Luminary Podcasts show that they co-host with Dave Chappelle, The Midnight Miracle.

If this seems like an unusual way to premiere a single, it’s because it’s in line with the unique way in which No Fear Of Time is being released. The album will be out exclusively on the Luminary network, which is also where Kweli hosts the Uproxx-produced People’s Party With Talib Kweli.

As for the new track, you’ll have to hop on Luminary to hear it in full, but an Instagram user has uploaded a couple of previews. On the first one, Bey unleashes a verbal assault over punishing drums and distorted strings from Madlib:

The second clip sees the trio joining forces over intergalactic effects and those same silky drums from Madlib:

Kweli has said that the ethos behind making the music for No Fear Of Time is no different than the first time around when Black Star dropped a classic, but that for the new album, the recording locations were more fluid. “This entire album, we have not set foot in one recording studio,” Kweli said in a statement. “It’s all been done in hotel rooms and backstage at Dave Chappelle shows.”

No Fear Of Time comes out 05/03 via Luminary. Get details here.

Adele is one of the most beloved singers in the world, both for her rich, resonant singing voice and for her genuine, down-to-earth personality. Her first album, “19,” launched her into stardom, but her second album, “21” rocketed her into the superstar realm in 2011.

Since then, fans haven’t been able to get enough of her. And in 2015, Adele gave a small group of fans the hugest surprise—by becoming one of them.

The surprise was orchestrated by BBC show host Graham Norton, who had gathered a group of Adele impersonators and tribute performers to film a (fake) contest show called “My Adele.” What they didn’t know was that Adele herself would be among the contestants, wearing a prosthetic nose and chin and a wig. She gave herself a fake name—Jenny—and lowered her voice so as not to give away her identity. She even gave herself a fake backstory as a woman who worked as a nanny and who had been doing Adele gigs for four years (though gigs had been few and far between lately).

Her commitment to the gag was impressive, as was her ability to keep a straight face as the contestants talked to her. She pretended to be incredibly nervous, and her fellow contestants were just so sweet and supportive—which just made the moments of realization and stunned expressions on each of their faces when she actually began to sing all the more delightful. You can dress up her face and hair, but you can’t disguise that iconic voice.

The whole thing is just sheer joy all around. Watch:

An odd trinket bought at a thrift shop turns out to be a bona fide antique. A small fortune is found stashed inside a piece of furniture on the side of the road. These are the magical jackpot moments that seem almost too good to be true. And yet, real stories like these keep the hope alive in our hearts.

In September 2017, auto mechanic Jared Whipple received a call from a friend about an abandoned barn house in Watertown, Connecticut, filled with several large canvases, each with bold colorful displays of car parts. Considering Whipple’s line of work, along with his general love for vintage items, the friend thought the artwork would be of interest to him.

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By the time Whipple arrived on the site, all the pieces had been disposed of into a dumpster (next stop: landfill) and were covered in debris and mold. Luckily, each was individually wrapped in plastic.

Curious, Whipple began to unwrap a few of the canvases to get a better look.

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Not only were they in good condition, but the quality of art was impeccable. Whipple immediately wanted to know more about the creator of these lovely works.

The answers didn’t come easy. In fact, the research ended up taking Whipple four years, but here’s what he found:

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The works were created by Francis Mattson Hines. And he wasn’t exactly a no name. According to the Mattatuck Museum, Hines’ big claim to fame was weaving giant pieces of diaphanous fabrics around the Washington Square Arch in geometric patterns back in 1980. And though his story was publicly recognized in books and documentaries, much of Hines’ fame had diminished by the time of his death in 2016. Hence the less-than-fruitful Google search.

“Not only was this artist a ‘someone,’ but he was even more well known in the New York art world than we could ever have imagined,” said Whipple.

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CT Insider reported that Whipple has collaborated with art gallery Hollis Taggart to give Hines’ work the proper respect and celebration it deserves, setting up a large exhibit in both Southport, Connecticut, and New York City. Each one will showcase 35 to 40 pieces, all available for sale.

And just how much will a Francis Hines piece go for? CT Insider also spoke with art curator and historian Peter Hastings Falk, who estimated that his drawings could go for $4,500, and wrapped paintings around $22,000. This makes the entire collection, full of hundreds of pieces, worth millions of dollars.

That’s right. What nearly went into a trash heap is now valued at a mega fortune level.

Go ahead. Pick up your jaw from the floor and read that again.

Of course, selling the art isn’t Whipple’s main focus. In addition to keeping some pieces for himself that he fell in love with, Whipple aims to work with major galleries in New York to establish Francis Hines as “a significant artist of the 20th and 21st century.”

The mechanic-turned-art-dealer told CT Insider his new purpose “is to get Hines into the history books.”

There is not much cuter in this world than dogs, with the exception of kids, but putting the two together makes for all kinds of adorable. That’s exactly what Cody and Marie Lucas found when they were on the hunt to rescue a dog from an animal shelter. They knew they wanted a dog and had been to several animal shelters looking for the perfect pup to adopt. When they got to Richmond Animal Care and Control in Virginia they noticed something different about the kennels that held the dogs up for adoption.

There were hand-drawn pictures and colorful notes attached to the dog kennels. On the kennel of a 5-year-old American Staffordshire terrier named Duquesa, the note read “I’m cute and short haired. I can cuddle and bark. Please adopt me.” The note was written in a child’s handwriting. There was another note on Duquesa’s kennel written in Spanish that read “Yo necesito to be adopted. Yo necesito food and agua. Please adopt me.” Marie said that after reading the letters and looking at the dog’s sweet face “how could I not love her?”

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Looking around the shelter, the Lucases found notes attached to the kennels of other dogs that had health issues and dogs that could be viewed as undesirable by adopters. The notes were all written by children around 8 years old and from the perspective of the dog who was looking for a forever home. The doodles that accompanied the sweet stories added to the appeal for the dogs.

The couple decided to bring Duquesa, renamed Bonnie, home with them after reading the letter. The pup had been in the shelter for more than a month and was hard to find a home for due to her limp. There are around 170 animals at the shelter and they stay there until they are adopted in most cases, unless they are deemed too sick to be rehabilitated. Most animals are adopted within three weeks, with the exception of the ones who may have health problems or other issues that make them less desirable, which is where these cute notes come in.

The letters were part of a class project coordinated by Kensey Jones, a second grade teacher at St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Richmond. Jones has been a volunteer at the shelter for the past four years. She also has three rescue dogs of her own, so it’s safe to say this project was close to her heart. Jones wanted to find a way to help the dogs less likely to be adopted find their forever families.

Jones told The Washington Post, “The idea just came to me to connect persuasive writing with these adoptable pets that need a forever home.” She thought it would be “a way that I could make their writing real for [the students], and actually make an impact on the world and our Richmond community, specifically.”

The shelter’s director, Christie Peters, has a son is in Jones’ second grade class. So when Jones approached her with the idea, Peters enthusiastically agreed.

A letter written to hang on a dog named Sunday’s kennel reads: “I would love to be adopted. If you do adopt me, I hope I will brighten up your Sundays like the sun. You’ll be my Sunday Special, and I hope I’ll be yours!” Jones admitted she was surprised at what the kids came up with and that it “pulled at the heartstrings.”

Shelter dogs are always looking for a home that will care for them forever, and this is just one way to make sure they get the families they deserve. If you’re thinking about adding an animal to your family, consider adopting from a local animal shelter. Maybe you, too, will be met with sweet notes from kiddos helping to facilitate successful adoptions.

Jeopardy! fans are, to put it lightly, a dedicated bunch. They will notice the slightest change to the show’s format, or — to use a completely random example — if one of the show’s two hosts wears the same orange sweater blazer more than once.

During Monday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, TV’s greatest morning show host Drew Barrymore interviewed Mayim Bialik about the attention a blazer she wore on the game show has received. “Apparently, all day people are freaking out on Twitter and Instagram and social media and every portal about your jacket,” she said. “But did you know that your hair and outfit were making like…” Bialik finished the thought for her. “I did not,” she divulged. “My mother actually mentioned this to me before it was anywhere else.” Bialik has apparently worn the stylish blazer before, as pointed out by the “absolute observant obsessive commenting [community]” that Jeopardy! inspires.

“I mean, look, for men in these hosting positions, they also change clothes every episode but they wear like, a blue suit, a black suit, a grey suit, and they just change the ties. It’s less noticeable,” Bialik noted… “I will never wear that blazer again. That’s it. Done!”

And if she does, Jeopardy! fans are “going to notice,” Barrymore added. Something tells me if Alex Trebek or even Ken Jennings wore the same suit more than once, they wouldn’t hear about it from random people on Twitter as much as Bialik. Wonder why…

You can watch The Drew Barrymore Show interview above.

On paper, Grand Crew is the latest example of a tried-and-true formula. But while the series may regularly lean on the power of its charismatic cast – which is comprised of Echo Kellum, Nicole Byer, Justin Cunningham, Aaron Jennings, Carl Tart, and Grasie Mercedes – as they hang out at their favorite spot (in this case at their favorite wine bar in L.A.) and deal with life’s many highs, lows, and misadventures, the show offers a lot more in both laughs and substance.

Mixed in with tales about evolving friendships, dating mishaps, and family drama are stories that focus on more unfamiliar terrain like combatting the stigma of therapy in the Black community, managing the onslaught of stressful news events that seems to be undening in day to day life, and, of course, the joys of a good glass of wine. (There’s so much wine.)

Following the wrap-up of season one, Uproxx caught up with Jackson to look back on what inspired the show and how those early comps to familiar sitcoms from the past hit.

What inspired you to tell this story?

The idea for Grand Crew really is pulled from the pages of my actual life, my real life. When I was talking about developing a show with Dan Goor, because I worked on Brooklyn Nine-Nine for four seasons… During that time, Dan pulled me aside and was like, “Hey, if you ever want to develop, I think we’d create something really dope together.” He didn’t say it like that, because he didn’t use the word “dope.” You know what I mean. I’ll paraphrase it here. [Laughs]

But we started meeting weekly while Brooklyn was still in session and we were throwing around a bunch of high-concept ideas. “You’re in the Antarctic.” It’s just high-concept stuff, but before we’d start each meeting, I would tell him about my life and we’d just catch up. I would tell him that I meet up with my friends at this wine bar and we talk about life. We talk about our dating lives. We talk about our career aspirations. We talk about any and everything that is personal to us, in this space. I just told him how I was getting more and more into wine through patronizing that establishment with my friends. Then, after a couple of weeks of catching him up on life at the wine bar and then talking about potential ideas that we could develop, I think we both realized that that was the idea.

When the show first came out, I know there were some early comparisons, calling it an “Insecure for Black men” or even a “Black Friends.” How do you feel about both labels? Do you think they’re more of a hindrance or more helpful when it comes to promoting a new show like this?

I think when any new piece of content comes out, comparisons tend to be drawn. People have their comps, what it might be closely related to. But I can tell you personally, we weren’t trying to pivot off of Insecure. I enjoy the show, Friends, but that wasn’t what I had in mind for the show, either. It really is that I was going to a wine bar with my friends. Then, that’s the idea. I think, obviously, they meet at a coffee shop in Friends, so I could see how the comparisons could be drawn there. Also, the ensemble nature of it. Also, the Los Angeles of it with Insecure and things of that nature. But when it came to the ideation behind the show, that wasn’t a consideration.

That being said, I worked on Insecure for two seasons. But the development of the show was already well in progress before I even started working on that show. If anybody says, “I can feel hints of Insecure and Friends in there,” I’m absolutely honored because those are two shows that are in the cultural lexicon and have had a significant impact on television. In that way, I think that’s cool if people are saying it in a positive way. But it was, by no means, an intentional thing when we were coming up with the show. I think it can be helpful, in the way that it might help people wrap their heads around this new show that I’ve created. But it can be harmful because it’s not what my intent was. It was not to make a 2.0 version of either of those shows, as much as I enjoy those two shows.

Yeah. I wanted to give you a chance to speak on that, too, because, personally, after being a fan of the show and seeing those comments, I thought that, as well-intentioned, as those comparisons may have been, I felt like it was a bit reductive and oversimplifying, in a sense.

Thank you.

There was one thing that caught my eye in the very first episode, which may have been a pure coincidence. In the opening scene, I think Sherm was wearing a hat that had “squad” on the front and the style looked a lot like the Friends logo. Was that on purpose?

That is interesting because it wasn’t me saying, “Let’s throw this hat on Sherm.” That being said, our wardrobe person, Queensylvia [Akuchie], had the idea. I saw the fit on Sherm. I was like, “It looks like it’s a dope fit.” Do you know what I mean? In that way, I guess we welcomed some of those comparisons, but in a world where there are pillars of comedy, I think maybe that I could see that being an homage to a form that we are playing in. But it was less about, “Okay. We’re doing the next version of that,” and more about, “All right. It’s the juxtaposition of a Black man wearing a hat that says ‘squad.’” It’s almost like the vernacular, the language, the tone’s going to be almost different than a Friends. Do you know what I mean? In a way, it’s like tipping a hat to it. Also, saying we are something a little bit different.

Going back to your process a little bit, can you think back on some checkpoints or even just potential pitfalls or obstacles you kept in mind throughout the process of making this show?

I really wanted to cover therapy. I did therapy for the first time last year, after years of contemplation, trepidation, and wondering if that means that there’s something wrong with me, if I go to therapy. I think, to me, that stigma is real in the Black community. Once I did it, I was like, “Shit. This is great.” If people are open to it, get past that initial barrier, just do it, because it’s really beneficial if you find the right person to help you out with the therapy. That one was really important to me, just to say, “It’s cool. It could be cool to do therapy and there’s nothing wrong with it.” Even when we had topics throughout the season, the goal was never to come off too preachy. Even though we wanted to cover it, I wanted to say, “Okay. We got to make this funny.” What’s the comedy game, without making therapy the joke? You know what I mean? That was a big one.

I definitely wanted to cover Black men and their relationship with their fathers, just the unspoken nature of some of the dynamics when it comes to Black men and their fathers, and my relationship with my father. I love him so much, but we’ve grown so much as I’ve gotten older. I think we communicate better than we ever had, but there was a point where that came to a head, where we had to transcend the subtext of our relationship and just speak more things overtly. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah. For sure.

I love music. I really wanted to do something that had a musical element to it. Also, I wanted the show to evolve. I wanted the characters to evolve with their love of wine, in the same way that I have done in real life. This first season, the wine is a backdrop. Every now and again, you’ll have a cold open that deals with wine. Or you have the episode at the vineyard and things like that. Or the episode eight cold open, where you’re dealing with savoring and elements like that. But I also wanted to make sure that we got them to a vineyard and that we gradually had more wine elements covered in the show, as well. Those are some of the things. Honestly, every episode has a topic in it that I was like, “This is important. I really am excited to cover this.” I could go on and on, but that’s how we approached the story break, was, “Okay. What are we excited to cover? How can we do it in a way that still leads with the funny, without making light of the actual topic at hand?”

You touched a lot on the themes that people connect within this show. I think that’s one of the reasons why I like it so much myself, these types of themes. But also, the people, because the reason why I even started watching is I had multiple people text me saying, “Hey, you’re in this show, you just don’t realize it yet” in reference to Wyatt (Justin Cunningham). I’m curious, are there any characters that you specifically relate to?

I relate to every character in the show. I’m going to give you the politicians’ answer. When it comes to Noah, I really love rom-coms. I want to write rom-coms. I want to write and direct rom-com movies. I love rom-coms. That’s the Noah part of me. As far as the career focus and really being about your business, I think that’s the Anthony side of me. The jovial nature and the playfulness of Sherm. I think that there’s a side of me in there, too. Then, when it comes to Wyatt… I see maybe that’s the future version of me, once I find that person. It would be so dope to have somebody that is your best friend, that you can talk your shit to and have a really great dynamic with. As far as the guys on the show, I do think there are elements of me in all of them. I don’t know, if I had to choose one, which one I would choose. It would depend on the moment, depend on the situation. Then, when it comes to Nicky, Nicole [Byer] has been one of my best friends for over a decade. I’ve known her for a long time. Then, Fay. They’re just a tandem, but there are people in my life that those two actually remind me of, as well. Actually, I do have friends that there are pieces of them in all these characters, as well. I can’t give you a straight answer. I’m sorry.

No, it’s all good. I realize I basically asked you your favorite child, which you’re never supposed to do. I want to ask you, how do you hope the show inspires viewers?

I hope that it inspires viewers to want to learn more about wine, to want to get more into wine. Or for people that are already into wine, I hope they see a piece of their wine-loving selves in the show. That’s one. At the end of the day, I want this to be a feel-good show. There is so much shit going on in the world, that I think there is room and there’s space for a show that is like, “Man, I just feel like I’m a part of this group. It feels good to be a part of this group. I get to laugh and escape for a little bit.” Then, we can get back to real life and the real world. Not to say that we don’t cover real topics, but I think, tonally, we were very intentional about doing it in a way that, hopefully, makes the viewer feel protected and feel safe in the world of the show.

I hope it inspires people to just connect with their group of friends and find their tribe. A big part of me coming to L.A., I do love L.A., but I think what really made it special for me is when I found that group. When I found that set of people that I could always hit up at any time to say, “Hey, let’s head to the wine bar. I just want to talk.” I hope it inspires people to also realize that that is a really great part of life and find their group of folks to drink wine with, as well.

You can stream season 1 of ‘Grand Crew’ on Peacock

Back in November, Britney Spears declared she was “thinking about having another baby” after she was apparently forced to have an IUD during her conservatorship. Now, it’s happening: In an Instagram post shared this afternoon, Britney Spears confirmed she is pregnant.

Her post starts, “I lost so much weight to go on my Maui trip only to gain it back [shrugging emojis] … I thought ‘Geez … what happened to my stomach ???” My husband said ‘No you’re food pregnant silly !!!’ So I got a pregnancy test … and uhhhhh well … I am having a baby.”

The post continues, “4 days later I got a little more food pregnant. It’s growing !!! If 2 are in there … I might just loose it … I obviously won’t be going out as much due to the paps getting their money shot of me like they unfortunately already have … it’s hard because when I was pregnant I had perinatal depression … I have to say it is absolutely horrible … women didn’t talk about it back then … some people considered it dangerous if a woman complained like that with a baby inside her … but now women talk about it everyday … thank Jesus we don’t have to keep that pain a reserved proper secret … This time I will be doing yoga every day !!! Spreading lots of joy and love !!!”

In the post, Spears refers to fiance Sam Asghari as her “husband,” as she has in other recent posts. This has fueled rumors she and Asghari got secretly married and haven’t publicly announced it yet.

Spears currently has two children, son Sean (16 years old) and Jayden (15), who she shares with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

As Russia continues to be mired in its invasion of Ukraine, which has not gone as planned, the Kremlin is reportedly looking to retaliate against the United States for levying crippling sanctions and galvanizing the West in support of Ukraine. However, Russia’s plan for revenge sounds awfully familiar, and stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Moscow wants to meddle in the 2024 presidential election by propping up Donald Trump.

Yup, we’re doing this again. Here’s what one of Vladimir Putin’s “pet pundits” recently said on Russian state TV. Via The Daily Beast:

“We’re trying to feel our way, figuring out the first steps. What can we do in 2023, 2024?,” Russian “Americanist” Malek Dudakov, a political scientist specializing in the U.S., said. He suggested that Russia’s interference in the upcoming elections is still in its early stages, and that more will be accomplished after the war is over and frosty relations between the U.S. and Russia start to warm up. “When things thaw out and the presidential race for 2024 is firmly on the agenda, there’ll be moments we can use,” he added. “The most banal approach I can think of is to invite Trump—before he announces he’s running for President—to some future summit in liberated Mariupol.”

Not only is Russian state TV getting behind Trump, and at the behest of the Kremlin in case you forgot how state TV works, Putin’s pundits have already picked out a new running mate for Trump: Tulsi Gabbard. The same Tulsi Gabbard who once threatened to sue Hillary Clinton for calling her a “Russian asset” but ultimately dropped the suit. Because Hillary was right? We’re definitely not saying that (in writing).

(Via The Daily Beast)