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Wheel of Fortune is, alongside Jeopardy!, one of America’s most beloved game shows. Part of the appeal of Wheel is how approachable it is in a way Jeopardy! simply is not, because the average American cannot run through a category on 18th century English literature, but you can guess some letters and solve a puzzle.

While the masses love to laugh at Jeopardy! contestants who can’t answer simple pop culture or sports questions most of us know, nothing brings the game show schadenfreude out quite like a Wheel disaster like we saw on Tuesday night. The two minutes of contestants getting railroaded by a vengeful wheel that kept landing on bankrupt, while also throwing out a few painful misses on “Feather In Your Cap” became a viral sensation, with plenty laughing at the pain of those poor souls who just could not get the answer right.

On Wednesday, Wheel host Pat Sajak took to Twitter to author a heartfelt defense of those contestants, saying it “pains me” to see when people online ridicule contestants, and while he’s all for good natured fun, he also wants people to understand that it’s much harder being a contestant in those situations than it seems on your couch at home.

Sajak makes plenty of good points in this thread, and it’s nice to see him come out in defense of the contestants from his show. It is, undoubtedly, much easier to sit on the couch and yell things at the TV than it is to be on stage under bright lights with thousands of dollars on the line. He’s also right that “hat” not being the correct final word threw everyone for a loop and, coupled with some wheel chaos, it was a perfect storm for a painful sequence that just happened to be broadcast to millions on network television. He also knows not to completely wag his finger at fans for wanting to laugh at missteps, as that is truly one of the allures of watching Wheel, believing that if you ever got on that stage you’d nail every puzzle. Still, he makes a salient point that you might want to be careful laughing too hard at these, because if you get your chance on that stage, you might end up being the one trending for the wrong reasons.

Phoenix Rising, the two-part documentary from HBO and director Amy Berg, will soon open the door on Evan Rachel Wood’s allegations against Marilyn Manson. The project followed Evan’s years of advocacy for sexual assault survivors, along with how she took to Instagram in 2021 to name Marilyn Manson as the (alleged) previously unnamed domestic abuser that she spoke of while testifying to lawmakers (to get the Phoenix Act passed, in order to increase the statute of limitations for rape cases).

March 15 will be premiere day for Phoenix Rising, and less than two weeks ahead of that date, Manson (real name Brian Warner) has sued Wood for what he calls a string of false allegations against him. Manson previously denied allegations of sexual abuse by Wood and several other accusers, but now, he’s taking his pushback to court. Deadline first reported language from the lawsuit papers, in which he’s asking for a jury trial and claims that Wood (and Illma Gore, who he describes as Wood’s “on-again, off-again romantic partner”) spread “malicious falsehood” that has damaged his career.

There’s a lot there. You can read the full report at Deadline, but Manson also claims that Wood and Gore “hacked into the singer’s computers and social media,” and here’s his further accusations that Wood and Gore fabricated an FBI letter to influence accusers:

They impersonated an actual agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by forging and distributing a fictitious letter from the agent, to create the false appearance that Warner’s alleged “victims” and their families were in danger, and that there was a federal criminal investigation of Warner ongoing (Attachment A);

They provided checklists and scripts to prospective accusers, listing the specific alleged acts of abuse that they should claim against Warner (Attachments B and C); and

They made knowingly false statements to prospective accusers (which have since been repeated by those accusers in court filings), including the defamatory claim that Warner filmed the sexual assault of a minor.

Manson has previously denied Wood’s claims that he terrorized, groomed, and abused her during their relationship. In response to Wood’s (as detailed in Phoenix Rising) accusation that he was “essentially raping” her on the set of 2007’s Heart-Shaped Glasses video, he also denies that claim. Wood alleged that she only agreed to simulate sex before Manson allegedly had nonconsensual intercourse while the cameras rolled. In response to those accusations, Manson issued a statement via a representative, who declared, “Brian did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth.”

Phoenix Rising debuts on March 15 on HBO.

(Via Deadline)

On the heels of Pam & Tommy putting the iconic Playboy model and Baywatch star back into the headlines, Pamela Anderson has announced that a new documentary coming to Netflix will tell the “real story” of her life. Anderson teased the project on Wednesday afternoon with a handwritten note to her 1.3 million Instagram followers.

“My life, A thousand imperfection, A million misperception, Wicked, wild and lost, Nothing to live up to, I can only surprise you, Not a victim, but a survivor, And alive to tell the real story,” Anderson wrote on a piece of Netflix letterhead.

The documentary will reportedly be produced by Anderson’s son, Brandon Thomas Lee, who reposted her note on Instagram, as did his younger brother Dylan Jagger Lee. Via Variety:

Directed by Ryan White (“The Keepers,” “Ask Dr. Ruth”), the yet-to-be-titled documentary will feature exclusive access to Anderson, as well as archival footage and her personal journals.

The film’s logline describes the project as “an intimate portrait embedded in the life of Pamela Anderson as she looks back at her professional and personal path and prepares for the next steps on her journey.”

The announcement also marks Anderson’s return to social media. Back in January 2021, the model/actress deleted all of her accounts and vowed to live free by spending her time reading in the woods. You can’t blame her. Trees are pretty boring.

(Via Pamela Anderson on Instagram, Variety)

The Brooklyn Nets have been in a freefall since Kevin Durant went down with a sprained left MCL in mid-January, going 5-16 over the 21 games since he suffered the injury — and trading James Harden in the process.

While the Nets remain unsure of when the top prize of that trade, Ben Simmons, will be available to them — he has apparently had a bit of a setback in his ramping up to play again and is now considered “week-to-week” — they are getting their most important player back on Thursday. The team announced on Wednesday that Durant was no longer on the injury report and would make his return in Brooklyn when the Nets play host to the East-leading Miami Heat.

There are few teams in the NBA hotter than Miami right now, so it will be a stern test of Durant’s conditioning as he jumps back into NBA action. The Nets are currently eighth in the East at 32-31, a full three games back of Toronto after being swept by the Raptors on a back-to-back to start this week. If Brooklyn is going to claw out of the play-in, it will be incumbent on Durant to produce at an MVP level again and Brooklyn is going to have to start beating teams like the Heat to make the up the massive gap to the 6-seed, where Boston is a full 4.5 games up.

If you were unaware that Dennis Miller still has a TV show on the air, then you’re clearly not in the habit of watching propaganda TV. Since March 2020, Dennis Miller + One has been running on RT America, a U.S.-based news channel that’s funded by the Russian government (Miller’s show took over the slot formerly occupied by Larry King Now). While the SNL alum has had no qualms about cashing checks from the Kremlin before, Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine is apparently where Miller has drawn the line in what he can, in good conscience, abide by.

A source close to the situation told NBC News that Miller has decided to abandon the hour-long talk show, on which he welcomes sits down with a range of celebrities from the entertainment and sports worlds. “He has no plans on going back,” the source claims.

According to The Daily Beast, Ora TV—the production company behind Dennis Miller + One—has ceased production on all of its RT America series, including I Don’t Understand, which is hosted by legendary Star Trek actor William Shatner.

“Given the invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, Ora Media has paused production of content we license to T&R Productions,” Ora CEO John Dickey told Deadline. “Future business decisions will be made based on the evolving situation.”

(Via NBC News)

The History Channel, the preferred network of fathers everywhere, has ordered a handful of new shows from a slew of A-listers. The network is working with Leonardo DiCaprio, Ray Liotta, Pierce Brosnan, Peyton Manning, and Robin Roberts to bring six new shows, both docuseries, and non-scripted shows, to life this year.

Brosnan will be hosting History’s Greatest Heists, an eight-part docuseries about, you guessed it, the most elaborate real-life heists throughout history. Everything from bank robberies to…more bank robberies from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. (Our Brian Grubb is VERY excited.)

Meanwhile, Liotta will take on the mob (figuratively) and produce the eight-part series Five Families, based on Selwyn Raab’s book Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires. The series will chronicle the New York mafia throughout the 1920s all the way throughout the twentieth century.

Nature-lover DiCaprio will produce the docuseries Sitting Bull, which will tell the tale of the life of the legendary Hunkpapa Lakota chief while detailing key moments in Native American history. DiCaprio will be consulted by the Lakota community, as well as IllumiNative, a Native woman-led non-profit organization focused on increasing Native representation both on and off-camera.

Also announced is a new series History’s Greatest of All-Time with Peyton Manning, and a general history show hosted by Manning titled The Einstein Challenge. Finally, ABC’s Robin Roberts will be executive producing Harlem Hellfighters, a four-part series about the Hellfighters during World War I.

The wide variety of shows were announced ahead of the A+E Networks Upfront Ad event and are expected to air sometime this year.

Summer Walker earned herself a lot of new fans last year when her second album, Still Over It, became her first to top the Billboard 200 chart, making it the first No. 1 album by a female R&B singer in over five years. Now, she’s going to spend some time on the road in 2022, as she has announced a limited run of shows for this spring, dubbed The Summer Walker Series.

There are just three scheduled performances: at Houston’s 713 Music Hall on March 20, Chicago’s Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on March 31, and Dallas’ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on April 16. Beyond that, though, she has a good handful of festival appearances ahead, too: In May and June, she’ll take the stage at Sol Blume, Broccoli City, Roots Picnic, Wireless Festival Birmingham, and Wireless Festival London.

Check out the full list of dates below.

03/20 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall *
03/31 – Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom ^
04/16 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory *
05/01 – Sacramento, CA @ Sol Blume Festival
05/08 – Washington, DC @ Broccoli City Festival
06/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Roots Picnic Festival
06/08 – Birmingham, UK @ Wireless Festival Birmingham
06/09 – London, UK @ Wireless Festival London

^ with NO1-NOAH and MARVXXL
* with NO1-NOAH, MARVXXL, and Erica Banks

Still Over It is out now via LVRN/Interscope. Get it here.

Before Run The Jewels changed his life, vaulting him to indie hip-hop super stardom with his partner Killer Mike, El-P was making future-forward hip-hop on his own. An OG of the independent hip-hop movement, El-P first name a made for himself as a producer with Company Flow in the late 90s, but built even deeper cult fan bases with his three studio albums.

This year, Fantastic Damage, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, and Cancer For Cure are celebrating their 20th, 15th, and 10th anniversaries, respectively. Always one to cater to his rabid fan base, El-P is reissuing all three via 2LP deluxe vinyl editions with Fat Possum Records. It’ll also mark the first time since 2010 that Fantastic Damage is being pressed on vinyl.

Never one to mince words, El-P shared a statement on the reissues:

“this is a thank you letter to everyone who has helped and allowed me to live my life doing the music and art i love. to everyone who has been moved in some way by what i do, to everyone who has been listening from the beginning, to those that stuck with me as i changed and grew and to everybody who’s just discovered the music.

i’ve always focused on the next piece. i’ve always only run to my future. but despite my habit of not looking back much, this year marks the 20th (FANTASTIC DAMAGE), 15th (I’LL SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD) and 10th (CANCER 4 CURE) anniversaries of the major records in my solo career and it feels good to get them back on vinyl and into whomever’s hands might want them.

but most of all it feels good to just be here. still allowed to do what i love, still thrilled about it in every way.

so again, thank you.

love,

el-p”

Watch a trailer for the reissue series above and pre-order the releases, which are now on sale here.

With the pandemic winding down, Jon Stewart is once again taking the fight for veterans’ healthcare directly to Congress. Flanked by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a gathering of veterans and their families, Stewart called out Republican Congressman Mike Bost for reportedly planning to water down the Honoring Our PACT Act. Stewart has long championed the bill that will finally make veterans who have been exposed to “burn pits” eligible for VA benefits. According to Stewart, Bost would limit those benefits, and the late-night comedian was not having it.

Via Deadline:

“They are going to go on the floor tomorrow and there is going to be an amendment. And that amendment from ranking member Bost is going to say, ‘Hey, all these veteran service organizations and all these active military members have come together with Chairman Takano and Speaker Pelosi and the president of the United States, and they have designed a bill that will comprehensively address the urgent need in the veterans community. And ranking member Bost’s amendment is going to say, ‘Damn, that is good work, so why don’t we just switch that out, for five more years of healthcare. we good? … F— that. Not happening. They get what they deserve — comprehensive bill that addresses the urgent need in their community.”

Following Stewart’s remarks, a spokesman for Bost released the following statement: “Ranking Member Bost completely disagrees with Mr. Stewart’s false characterization of his efforts but appreciates, and shares, his passion for the men and women who have served.”

The Honoring Our PACT Act will be debated on Wednesday before going to the floor for a vote on Thursday. However, Stewart warned about the next obstacle: The Senate.

“They are excellent at killing things that are necessary, and we cannot allow it to happen,” Stewart said on the Capitol steps. “You cannot allow this feeling of unity and hope and finally being seen to dissipate.”

(Via Deadline)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has amassed a growing fandom thanks to his unwavering patriotism and fearlessness in the face of the current Russian invasion, qualities he clearly shares with his wife.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska took to social media this week to urge world leaders to speak up on behalf of her country, inspiring millions of fans with a message on how non-Ukrainians can help their cause. In a post on Instagram, Zelenska shared video messages from fellow First Ladies Diana Nausėdienė of Lithuania and Andra Levite of Latvia expressing support for the mothers and children suffering during the war. In a caption for the videos, Zelenska explained that numerous First Ladies had been phoning to ask how they can help before listing steps everyone can take to fight against Vladimir Putin and his violent power grab.

“The First Ladies are asking me these days how they can help Ukraine,” Zelenska begins. “My answer is – tell the truth to the world! Speak up! What is happening in Ukraine is not a “special military operation,” as Putin says, but a full-scale war, where the aggressor is the Russian Federation. Speak up! Ukrainian children have to live and study in bomb shelters, and hospitals have to treat their patients in basements. Despite the assurances of Russian propagandists and the Kremlin’s mouthpieces, there are already dozens of civilian victims in Ukraine. The aggressor covers it over, but the losses of the Russian military have already reached thousands of lives. Tell Russian mothers that their sons are not engaged in military exercises – they are dying trying to seize Ukraine. Call on Russians to protest! They are terrified by their leadership. But they must realize that this war is the beginning of the end for them as well. And it’s not just about the economy.”

The First Lady went on to promise that Ukraine would fight to the end, a sentiment her husband has expressed many times over the past week.

“Ukraine wants peace. But Ukraine will defend itself and will never capitulate,” she continued. “Ukraine does not need to be rescued. But we need support from the world for our army and civilians. Not just in words. Encourage compatriots to help Ukrainian women and organize state aid. Let the whole world know – it’s not a war ‘somewhere out there.’ This is a war in Europe and at the EU borders. Ukraine is defending against the force which tomorrow might invade your peaceful cities and towns. Don’t be quiet! Tell them that Putin is threatening to start a nuclear war, and if he does, there will be no safe place in the world anymore.”

Currently, Zelenska and her two children are in an undisclosed location as they have been targeted by the Russian military. Despite being offered assistance in evacuating, President Zelenskyy has refused to leave the country, telling world leaders that he “needs ammunition, not a ride.”

In another Instagram post on Friday, the First Lady addressed her current situation, expressing her belief in her fellow citizens and her hope that the world will unite on behalf of Ukraine and in opposition to Putin’s tyranny.

“I will not have panic and tears. I will be calm and confident. My children are looking at me. I will be next to them. And next to my husband. And with you,” she wrote before sharing a photo of Ukraine’s national flag.