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What To Watch: Our Picks For The Ten TV Shows We Think You Should Stream This Weekend

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

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10. The Witcher (Netflix)

The Witcher Geralt Henry Cavill
Netflix

It’s time to go on another swashbuckling rampage through destiny as Henry Cavill’s wig returns for more monster hunting on The Continent. The show’s got a lot to live up to, given that it defied expectations during its debut, and it’s still a banger. That is to say, the Humble Bard is cranking out his angst in song, Geralt has less time to be grumpy, and Ciri is in training mode. The monsters are better, the emotions run higher, and we’ve got two new kids on the block: Killing Eve‘s Kim Bodnia (as Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir) and Game Of Thrones‘ Kristofer Hivju (in highly unflattering prosthetics, and we’ll leave it at that). Watch it on Netflix.

9. Billions (Showtime)

BILLIONS
SHOWTIME

The degree of difficulty in what Billions is trying to do should not be understated. Not only are they changing things up following Damian Lewis’ exit with a new co-lead but they’re also trying to pull off an on-screen culture change in the way Axe Cap does business, trading brash rule-breaking for a more evolved and above board seeming process. Seeming is a key word here, because while Corey Stoll’s Michael Prince is no Bobby Axelrod, he’s still hyper-competitive and ambitious, putting him square in the sights of Paul Giamatti’s Chuck Rhoades. So, how’s it going heading into season 6? We’ll spare the spoilers, but the whole thing brings a freshness to the cat and mouse game at the show’s center and, as always, dimension and delight can be found in the often compelling and entertaining side characters that populate the show. Watch it on Showtime.

8. Cobra Kai (Netflix)

COBRA KAI
NETFLIX

The O.G. All Valley Karate Tournament confrontation took place 30 years ago, and Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence can’t get over it. Likewise, their respective dojos, Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang, attempt to join forces against John Kreese’s ownership of Cobra Kai, but of course, getting along will prove to be a bumpy road. Kreese has called in reinforcements in the form of his old Vietnam War buddy and co-founder of the Cobra Kai dojo, Terry Silver, who returns to the franchise. Who will win the spirit of karate in the Valley, and can Hawk and Tory keep their bully spirits alive while Johnny’s messing around with a crane kick? Robby’s also all in with enemy territory, and training methods are crossing like crazy, for better or worse. Watch it on Netflix.

7. We Need To Talk About Cosby (Showtime)

cosby
Showtime

W. Kamau Bell dives into the rise and steep, steep fall of Bill Cosby in this four-part docuseries. He interviews comedians and cultural figures and women who had encounters with him over the years to map out his faults and his cultural impact, in an attempt to paint a fuller picture of a man who has been at both ends of the hero-villain spectrum over the last few decades. It’s a lot. As it kind of has to be. Watch it on Showtime.

6. The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window (Netflix)

bell
NETFLIX

You’ve probably seen the similarly titled Girl On The Train, which has nothing to do with this film, although the spookiness arrives in a darkly comedic manner here. Kristen Bell plays a heartbroken woman, Anna, who sits with her wine in that window of the title. One day, she notices a handsome neighbor (Tom Riley), who move nearby with his daughter (Samsara Yett), and suddenly, a glimmer of light comes into her life. Then comes murder-time, uh oh, and this turns into a delightful spoof of The Woman on Train and other ridiculous potboiler mysteries. Watch it on Netflix.

5. Peacemaker (HBO Max)

Peacemaker John Cena HBO Max
HBO Max

One of The Suicide Squad‘s characters who seemed least likely (well, there actually were a lot of them, including poor Boomerang) to make it out alive has his own spinoff series. That would be John Cena’s horribly patriotic bro, and it’s still hellaciously funny that this is happening because James Gunn got bored during quarantine and decided to write this TV show. Never fear, though. He Of the Butthole Jokes is still as worthy of contempt as always. There’s no telling whether we’ll see another Squad movie, so soak up as much of this end of the DCEU while it’s hot. Watch it on HBO Max.

4. The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)

GEMSTONES
HBO

Righteous Gemstones is back, building on its God-squaded Succession vibes with more in-fighting, corruption, and largesse. Simply put, the Gemstones are in the dynasty business, looking to upsize, let loose, and steer clear of the claw of consequences that keeps grabbing at them. As hilarious as it is compelling, the show has somehow found a way to bring the thunder yet again with its stand-out cast, adding Eric Andre, Jason Schwartzman, and a spectacular Eric Roberts to the mix beside Danny McBride, John Goodman, Walton Goggins, Edi Patterson, and company. Dream Team ’92 level comedy casting, folks. Watch it on HBO.

3. Ozark (Netflix)

OZARK
NETFLIX

The bad news is that Marty Byrde and fam will only be with us for one more season. The good news is that this is a supersized season that will arrive in two halves, so let’s pretend that it’s two more seasons. Jason Bateman’s baby has been good to us all, even if it’s been bad for Marty, Wendy, and the kids, and so-so for Ruth (Julia Garner’s set to rule the world). This season, we’ll see what happened after the blood-spattered tarmac happenings in Mexico. One can bet that this new beginning won’t be any more relaxing than the Byrdes’ money-laundering U.S. life. Watch it on Netflix.

2. Euphoria (HBO)

EUPHORIA
HBO

Euphoria’s first season was a glitter bomb of teenage angst, drug-fueled spirals, and social media-splattered heartbreak. It’s been two years since Jules left Rue on that train platform and the show’s return promises some kind of resolution to their romance, the return of some familiar faces, and new additions that pressure the group to get their sh*t figured out. They won’t, of course, but the mayhem, bathroom fights, drug busts, and masterclass in acting Zendaya will surely give us will still be worth it. Watch it on HBO.

1. The Afterparty (Apple TV Plus)

afterparty
APPLE

Look at this. We’ve got a murder mystery from a genius (Christopher Miller of Lord and Miller) that stars all your favorite comedic scene stealers (Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, Tiffany Haddish, Ilana Glazer, John Early, Ike Barinholz, Dave Franco, and more) as suspects/victims/detectives, with each episode told from a different characters’ perspective in a different film style (rom-com, action, musical, psychological thriller, etc.). It is… really good. It’s really good. And really fun. You are probably going to love it. Get in there and check it out. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.

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What To Watch: Our Picks For The Ten Movies We Think You Should Stream This Weekend

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

10. (tie) Tick, Tick… Boom (Netflix)

tick tick boom
NETFLIX

Andrew Garfield is giving theater-kids everywhere a musical-thirst-trap performance in this Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed biopic that pays tribute to Jonathan Larson, the artistic genius who changed Broadway with his seminal musical Rent. This film examines Larson’s life before fans were belting out Season of Love though, with Garfield giving an award-worthy turn as a restless visionary who feels the suffocating deadline of turning 30 without having produced a great show. The supporting cast is terrific, Garfield is doing his best work, and Miranda infuses everything with a genuine sense of love and admiration that makes it hard not to root for this one. Watch it on Netflix.

10. (tie) Bruised (Netflix)

bruised
netflix

Halle Berry’s MMA movie made a deal with Netflix and now Halle Berry’s MMA movie is on Netflix. Yes, that sentence said “Halle Berry’s MMA movie twice but, to be fair, it’s a phrase it takes a little bit of time to wrap your head around. Berry makes her directorial debut and stars as a disgraced fighter named Jackie Justice (Jackie Justice!) who is back in the cage to deal with various personal demons. It’s Halle Berry’s MMA movie! The reviews are pretty good! Watch it on Netflix.

10. (tie) King Richard (HBO Max)

king richard
HBO

As odd as it is to have a movie about two of the greatest athletes of all time told centered on, not the women winning Grand Slams and Olympic gold medals, but their determined, driven father – King Richard works. It works because Will Smith exudes charisma and charm but he also brings a believable grit and weary defiance to the role of Richard Williams, the man who gave tennis not one, but two female legends. This is Serena and Venus’ story, told from the perspective of the man who believed in them when no one else did so, yeah, grab a box of tissues before you sit down to watch. Watch it on HBO Max.

10. (tie) The Power of the Dog (Netflix)

power dog benedict
netflix

Benedict Cumberbatch gives a villainous performance for the ages in The Power of the Dog, the first film in 12 years from director Jane Campion. The western is expected (and deserves) to be an Oscars frontrunner, so hop on the horse-drawn bandwagon now. Watch it on Netflix.

9. Swan Song (Apple TV+)

SWAN SONG
APPLE

Set in the near future, Swan Song stars two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as a husband and father who’s dying from a terminal illness. To spare his family from unimaginable grief, he secretly agrees to undergo an experimental treatment where his memories will be transported into an exact healthy duplicate. Swan Song examines how far we’re willing to go to protect the ones we love. It’s science-fiction at its most melancholy. Watch it on Apple TV+.

8. Reno 911: The Hunt for Qanon (Paramount Plus)

reno
paramount

This one is pretty straightforward: the delightfully incompetent police department from the long-running Comedy Central series is now, for some beautiful reason, on the hunt for the mysterious political conspiracy theorist Qanon, and their mission takes them from the desert of Nevada to, for other beautiful reasons, the open seas. Maybe straightforward wasn’t the right word. It’s probably best to avoid asking questions. Let’s just roll with it and be glad it exists. Watch it on Paramount Plus.

7. Don’t Look Up (Netflix)

don't look up
netflix

Jennifer Lawrence is back in Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay’s apocalyptic satire about two low-level astronomers (J-Law and Leonardo DiCaprio) who try to warn everyone on Earth about an approaching comet — but no one seems to care. The ensemble cast also includes Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, and Tyler Perry. Maybe that’s why no one cares about the comet. They’re too busy looking at all those stars. Watch it on Netflix.

6. The Tender Bar (Amazon Prime)

TENDER BAR
AMAZON

What we have here: George Clooney directing Ben Affleck in a film adaptation of a best-selling memoir about a writer who learns a number of life lessons while working as a bartender. The star power here is undeniable and makes it worth at least a snoop at some point, but it does make us wish — at least a little bit — that Clooney and Affleck had teamed up to make a movie about two handsome guys in tuxedos who team up to steal… oh, let’s say the Liberty Bell. This is probably fine, too, though. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

5. The Matrix Resurrections (HBO Max)

matrix
WARNER BROS

The gang is all back. Mostly. They’re mostly all back. Keanu is there as Neo, with the John Wick beard. Carrie Ann Moss is back as Trinity even though Trinity kind of… died. It’s a whole thing. And it’s fun. This all could have gone a lot worse, really, which isn’t exactly the highest praise but is still important. Let’s do it all again in another 20 years. Let’s make it a thing. Watch it on HBO Max.

4. The Tragedy of Macbeth (Apple TV+)

Macbeth Denzel
Apple

The Tragedy of Macbeth is the first time Joel Coen has made a movie with no involvement from his brother, Ethan. But even without his sibling, this black-and-white adaptation of one of William Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays is typically excellent, with stellar performances from Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Corey Hawkins, Stephen Root, and Kathryn Hunter. Something wicked good this way comes… to streaming. Watch it on Apple TV+.

3. Home Team (Netflix)

home team
NETFLIX

You may not remember this, but in 2012 a football coach was suspended for an entire season by villainous NFL commissioner Roger Goddell over accusations about his players being paid bonuses for hurting players on opposing teams. (This tragic injustice became infamously known as “Bountygate.”) During his forced time off, the coach in question — New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton — coached his son’s pee-wee league football team. This whole kerfuffle is the real-life inspiration for Home Team, the movie starring Kevin James and Taylor Lautner hitting Netflix. Coincidentally, Sean Payton announced his retirement the same week it dropped, probably due to the shame of being portrayed by Kevin James in a movie about one of the worst things to ever happen to him. Just a hunch. Watch it on Netflix.

2. The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (Disney Plus)

ice age
Disney

Did you know Ice Age is one of the highest-grossing movie franchises ever? According to one estimate, it’s made nearly as much money as the DC Extended Universe. Superman has nothing on Ray Romano as an extinct hairy elephant. No wonder Disney (which purchased Blue Sky Studios) wants to keep the money train rolling with The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. The spin-off is less about the central foursome of Manny, Ellie, Sid, and Diego, and more focused on some adventurous possums and a weasel known as Buck Wild, which is a terrific name. Watch it on Disney Plus.

1. Encanto (Disney Plus)

encanto
DISNEY

The standout cut from the Encanto soundtrack, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” is the latest addition to the Maddeningly Catchy Disney Song canon, along with recent inductees “Let It Go” and “You’re Welcome.” (Lin-Manuel Miranda apparently knows a thing or two about songwriting, who knew?) The rest of the movie is fun, colorful, and teaches an important lesson about family and community, and you get to hear Rosa from Brooklyn Nine-Nine belt it out. But the best reason to watch Encanto is to learn firsthand why “Bruno” is one of the most popular songs in the country right now. Should you skip Encanto? Bruno-no-no-no. Watch it on Disney Plus.

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Some Of Neil Young’s Biggest Music Is Still On Spotify After His Joe Rogan Spat And Album Removals

Neil Young is not pleased with Spotify. A few days ago, it was revealed that in a letter to his management and label, Young wrote, “Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them. […] I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”

Considering that Spotify paid Rogan over $100 million in 2020 to become the exclusive home of his The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, it wasn’t surprising to learn Spotify opted to stick with Rogan and let Young walk, as they revealed in a statement yesterday. Now, it is official: Young has removed most of his music from Spotify, although some key works from his discography remain.

While his solo LPs are gone (everything from 1969’s Neil Young to his 2021 album with Crazy Horse, Barn), some major albums by Young are still available on the platform — most notably the albums he recorded with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. That includes popular songs like Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” which has over 300 million streams on the platform, and CSNY tunes like “Our House,” “Helplessly Hoping, and “Ohio,” all of which have around 100 million streams.

As for Young’s Spotify-accessible solo work, though, it’s few and far between: Spotify’s “This Is Neil Young” playlist includes 52 songs from across Young’s discography, but not a single one of them is playable at the moment and none of his albums are listed on his artist page. Currently, the only Young songs that are playable on Spotify are two live performances from the Neil Young At Live Aid (Live At John F. Kennedy Stadium, 13th July 1985) single, his Shelley (then known as DRAM) collaboration “Campfire,” and various songs from other artists on which Young features, all of which Young and his team presumably had no control over.

So, while the majority of Young’s music is gone, Spotify-using fans aren’t completely up a creek, as Young hasn’t been completely stricken from the platform.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Migos’ ‘Culture’ Disappears From Streaming On Its Fifth Anniversary

While progressive Atlanta trap trio Migos had plenty of hits in their early career — the biggest being “Versace” thanks to its remix from Drake — it was their 2017 album Culture that turned them into a national phenomenon. It was the band’s first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and launched their chart-topping singleBad And Boujee” with Lil Uzi Vert, making Migos a household name. Today is its fifth anniversary, but fans looking to give it a nostalgic spin the commemorate the occasion are out of luck as the album has mysteriously disappeared from streaming platforms.

Neither the band nor their label, Quality Control Music, have offered any explanations for the takedown. In fact, the social media for both only contain posts celebrating the Culture sequel, Culture II, on its fourth anniversary. Meanwhile, fans on Twitter have been posting screenshots of the greyed-out song titles in their playlists and saved albums folders, wondering where the album went — and whether there will be some sort of update in the near future.

So far, Culture appears to be the only album affected, with longtime favorites like Young Rich N*ggas, YRN 2, and both Culture follow-ups remaining intact. It also appears that whatever is happening here hasn’t affected the album on Tidal, so perhaps it’s just temporary. Meanwhile, Quavo’s promotional post for his own new single releasing tonight has been bombarded with requests from fans to bring back Culture. Whether or not Quavo has the pull to make it happen remains to be seen. Stay tuned.

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Uproxx Cover Story: For CKay, The Sky Is The Limit

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Chris Martin Explains How Coldplay Working With BTS Was ‘Really Attractive In Its Weirdness’

Coldplay and BTS sound like a natural pairing on their collaboration “My Universe,” but it didn’t always feel that way to Chris Martin.

Martin guested on Ellen yesterday and during his conversation with the host, he explained he didn’t initially think a BTS joint effort would be a good idea, but eventually, the “weirdness” of it made the prospect more appealing to him:

“Someone said to me, ‘Oh, BTS asked you to do a song for them.’ That’s what I got told. At the time, I was like, ‘That’s never going to work ever. How are we going to fit these two things together?’ Then the idea started to seem really attractive in its weirdness. And then one day, the right song just kind of arrived and I just knew at the time, ‘OK, this is the song we’re supposed to do with BTS and it’s supposed to be about people who can’t be together or told they shouldn’t be together or forced to live in separate places.’ So then it felt really natural, and it’s still quite a bizarre… we look like their gym teachers, but we love them. For something that could have seemed so artificial, it turned out being one of the most real feelings and I genuinely love those people.”

Elsewhere on the show, Coldplay performed a stripped-down rendition of the song, with Martin on piano and the rest of the band on guitars and bass, so check that out below and find Martin’s interview above.

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

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Keanu Reeves’ Support For Tibet Is Prompting Chinese Nationalists To Boycott ‘The Matrix Resurrections’

Despite being one of America’s most beloved and kindest actors, Keanu Reeves is facing significant backlash in China that could tank the box office for The Matrix Resurrections. Shortly after Resurrections premiered in China, Reeves’ participation in a Tibet House U.S. benefit concert was announced, which severely angered Chinese nationalists. Supporting Tibet independence is a major taboo to the Chinese communist party, and seeing Reeves being involved in the movement sparked threats of a boycott that could hurt Resurrections, which was already struggling in Chinese theaters.

“How can Keanu Reeves not understand this and take part in a pro-Tibet independence concert? Aren’t these celebrities afraid of losing the China market?” one user wrote on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo as others begin to pile on The Matrix actor and any celebrities involved in the pro-Tibet concert. Via Variety:

“These high school graduates in Hollywood can’t even identify where Tibet is on the map, but they ‘care’ if people there are leading a good life,” another user wrote on Weibo.

There was no lack of personal attacks on Reeves. “He’s already a has-been. What kind of market value does he have?” one user questioned. “Tibet belongs to China,” another account stressed.

According to Variety, Reeves has yet to respond to the backlash, and he’s still listed as a participant for the concert which will take place in early March.

(Via Variety)

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Hulu’s ‘Pam And Tommy’ Is Gloriously Trashy, But It’s A Trashy That Hits You In The Feels

Let’s get this out of the way upfront: Pam And Tommy is a blast. It’s a throwback to the time when the Internet barely existed, but it could be used to propagate a stolen celebrity sex tape that set tons of wheels in motion and threw a wrench into a love story that strongly resembles the Angelina and Billy Bobs and the Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Foxes of later days. And it’s sort-of a heist story, which could have been all fun and games if it hadn’t hurt someone in such a devastating way. So, it’s a trashy, guilty pleasure of a show that sparks some hindsight-guilt about not being able to look away from someone else’s misery. The eight-part limited series could also, in places, make you really think about heavier issues like consent (through a 2022 lens) and how “wild” women are positioned vs. their equally (or even more so) wild male counterpoints.

With that said, my reactions to this trash-masterpiece are a direct response to fears that I had about the series, so let’s break them down that way:

(1) Is It A Show That Lives Up To The Trailer? The art of trailer editing ain’t no joke. We have all seen trailers that would have been better off staying trailers (I recall vaguely thinking that the Mark Wahlberg-starring Max Payne looked cool, my god it was not), or trailers that feel like they show off the entirety of a film or limited series. The best ones accurately represent the quality/enjoyability of a project without giving the whole thing away, and I mean, c’mon. This show’s trailer is phenomenal and a testament to everything (bad) that people loved about the mid-1990s, a time of too much garishness, which we can all vicariously roll around in while feeling filthy. And speaking of filthy…

Pam and Tommy Sebastian Stan
Hulu

There’s Sebastian Stan really going for it as Tommy, walking around with tattoos and his tush (and more) hanging out. To elaborate on more, Jason Mantzoukas voices Tommy’s penis, which is as amazing of an experience to behold as you can imagine. There’s Lily James pulling off an almost spooky dead-ringer version of Pam. There’s Nick Offerman and Seth Rogen’s mulletted bad guys, who don’t turn out to be as satisfying as the trailer promises, mostly because there’s some complexity to be discussed (and we will).

The trailer could have led us astray, but it did not. As strange as it sounds to emphasize this point, a lot of the offbeat, salacious offerings on streaming fail to live up to what’s promised in trailers. Remember that Sasquatch trailer that made people really want to watch a weed-infused Bigfoot documentary? And then you didn’t hear too much about it because the weirdest stuff was in the trailer. Well, Pam and Tommy poised itself for danger in the same way, but there’s a lot more there. It’s truly stuffed with madness.

(2) The Feels Stuff: With all of the above said, this is all based upon a real-life story (as originally detailed in 2014 within a Rolling Stone piece by Amanda Chicago Lewis). Pam Anderson did not co-sign this adaptation, which adds an extra layer to watching. And obviously, we’re talking about real people, to whom something dreadful happened. Real intimate moments got captured on tape and stolen and distributed to the masses.

Real people with real emotions. Real rawness and true conflict and pieces moving in the background. Many details are, yes, dramatized and may not match what actually happened, but the spirit, presumably, stays real. It does, however, feels a little bit icky to paint this as a big sympathy story for Pam — although it certainly is at times — because she’s already been subjected to enough bullsh*t already. Not only did her personal life become very public, but geez, all of the Baywatch and Barb Wire fallout is really something to watch. No one ever called her Oscar material, but girlfriend had drive and a work ethic, and we might never know if she had could have moved past eye-candy roles.

Pam and Tommy Lily James
Hulu

Pam largely gets a raw deal in this story. So all we can do is this: Judge ourselves accordingly by our responses to what we see. Every woman has a valid right to have a response to what happens to Pam with the sex tape — which she and Tommy could have never imagined would fall into the wrong hands and spread through the fledgling Interwebs — and every woman who goes some similarly horrid thing (and this is an early instance of revenge porn, propagated into oblivion by Rogen’s character, Rand Gauther) has the right to feel endlessly violated. Yet Pam and Tommy threads the needle well. It doesn’t get preachy but it also doesn’t shy away from harsh truths, at least as it supposes them to be. And in the end, it’s up to the viewer to decide everything. The show stands apart from the E! True Hollywood Story approach, that’s for sure.

Let’s just say that this show does a fine job of not glossing over Pamela’s palpable discomfort over being repeatedly humiliated by this sex tape, but it doesn’t beat us over the head with it. And as unfortunate as the reality was (again, they never reasonably could have expected this tape to get out), this show gives this the most sensitive treatment as one could expect while still taking the salacious route.

Pam and Tommy Seth Rogen
Hulu

3. Are the villains worth the price of admission? Here’s where the weakness lies. Gauthier’s trajectory is perhaps my least favorite part of this show, even though Rogen kills the role, for the most part. He’s very good at injecting emotion into a guy who managed to roll a giant safe away (what a visual gag) without getting caught. I’m not sure how on earth this could have gone down with the sheer size of this safe, which held fancy watches, a guitar, even the “wedding bikini” inside. But his path and evolution do not feel authentic. Nick Offerman is fine as the porn-producing godfather, Milton Berle (a.k.a., “Uncle Miltie”) of the show, even though he is ultimately underutilized in this story. And who knew that this dude could rock a fanny pack so hard.

Pam and Tommy Nick Offerman
Hulu

(4) Is This Series Actually Perfectly Cast, Or Do They Simply Look The Parts? The hair and makeup teams did the thing, but it’s damn well cast, too. From Taylor Schilling (whose porn star character appears to be a throwaway at first but who ends up doling out some necessary perspective) and Andrew Dice Clay, even the smaller roles work. Lily James nails everything she does, from the flashbacks of Pam’s talent scout discovery to her first Playboy shoot, all the way to the uncomfortable moments on the Baywatch set to moments where she’s asked to justify how she did public nudity in other contexts. She must show the audience how terrible it can be to be completely in love, only to end up a casualty of a stupid, avoidable beef between two men.

Sebastian Stan manages to toe the line of being the starting point of that beef. Tommy Lee was a jackass in a lot of ways but he’s essentially also a doofus with too much money and power. Stan must, as well, deliver occasional flashes of heartfelt emotion to show us that Tommy does truly love his wife, even if he loves himself more. And Tommy feels sorry for himself several times along the way, during contexts that are best watched, rather than spoiled, while also being the owner of a talking penis. Stan’s so-called “Sunday workout” also paid off in spades. The man has a way with drumsticks.

As the bad guys, again, Offerman ultimately plays a facilitator of helping Rand Gautlier strike a near-fatal blow in that dumb beef with Tommy. We don’t get to see Offerman do too terribly much, unfortunately, but Seth Rogen does well with being the every-mulletted-dude, who does an incredibly vengeful, immensely sh*tty thing that exposes him as very bad person. And he’s also a punchline, which adds to a careful balance that Rogen deserves credit for because it couldn’t have been an easy role, for sure.

(5) And The True Emmy Goes To…? Jason Mantzoukas as the talking penis. Zouks reminds us that even though very serious subjects arise in Pam and Tommy, at least the penis had no ulterior motive, and we can all lighten up and enjoy this show, guilt free.

‘Pam and Tommy’ will debut with three episodes on Feb. 2, 2022.

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Having COVID Apparently Won’t Stop Sarah Palin From Dining Out In NYC

Many believe that one of the worst things the late John McCain ever did was inflict Sarah Palin on this country. In 2008, seemingly overnight, Palin—then the governor of Alaska—went from a pretty much completely unknown political entity to aspiring Vice President of the United States. And once she got a taste of the spotlight, she hasn’t wanted to go away, whether that means by threatening to run for office again or appearing on The Masked Singer.

But in the current moment, Palin has two bigger priorities: Her defamation suit against The New York Times, and spreading her current COVID infection across as wide a swath of New York City as she possibly can.

Palin sued The New York Times in 2017 over an op-ed which she claims falsely connected her to the 2011 Tucson mass shooting that killed six people and wounded 14 others, including politician Gabby Giffords. She is currently in New York for jury selection, which was set to begin this past Monday, but had to be postponed because Palin had tested positive for COVID. Yet that didn’t stop Palin from going about her normal daily routines, including eating out at Elio’s, a popular Italian eatery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

As Mediaite reports, Palin was seated in a heated, outdoor area for her Wednesday night meal, but had eaten inside the restaurant on Saturday night, one day before announcing that she had tested positive for COVID. Even if she was unaware of her illness at the time, Palin was still in violation of New York City’s dining vaccine mandate, which requires proof of vaccination for all indoor diners. Palin, of course, is notably unvaccinated—and proud of it. She previously, and rather short-sightedly, noted that she’d only get vaccinated “over my dead body” (at which point it would be too late, Sarah!) This bout with COVID marks the politician-turned-laughingstock’s second go-around with the virus.

The New York Times (of all outlets) reports that the city will not be investigating how Palin ended up sitting inside for a meal. And according to a statement from Elio’s manager, Luca Guaitolini—which was sent to Mediaite—Palin’s Wednesday night return visit was really more of a chance to apologize.

“Tonight Sarah Palin returned to the restaurant to apologize for the fracas around her previous visit,” the statement read. “In accordance with the vaccine mandate and to protect our staff, we seated her outdoors. We are a restaurant open to the public, and we treat all civilians the same.”

Jury selection in Palin’s case has been rescheduled for February 3. In the meantime, we have two words for Palin: Uber Eats!

(Via Mediaite)

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Candace Owens Had A Meltdown On Fox News Over Minnie Mouse’s New Pantsuit, And The Jokes Won’t Stop

Oh boy. After the green M&M caused a ruckus with her “more dynamic, progressive” look (admittedly silly new shoes) for 2022, there was sure to be comparative hell to pay when Minnie Mouse decided to take a break from wearing a dress. As PEOPLE reports, this is a special-event situation (for Disneyland Paris’ 30th anniversary events) where Minnie will leave her usual red-and-white, polka-dotted outfit at home and step out in a blue-and-white, polka-dotted pantsuit, including trousers and a blazer designed by Stella McCartney.

It’s not as though Minnie is ditching the dress. There’s no indication that this will happen at all, but as one can imagine, someone was going to be aghast. And over on Fox News, occasional guest (as well as Cardi B foe, Daily Wire host, and performative outrage artist) Candace Owens went off the rails while explaining how disturbed she felt by this new outfit, which she apparently feels is a travesty and a way to rewrite the social order and “destroy fabrics of our society.”

No, really. Candace believes that “they” (the Left) are trying to destroy what conservatives love in order to demonstrate progress and how the world is just fine despite inflation and so on:

“They are taking all of these things that nobody was offended by. It’s like they have to get rid of them and destroy them because they’re bored. You know, they’re absolutely bored. They’re trying to destroy fabrics of our society, pretending that there’s issues so everybody looks over here. ‘Look at Minnie Mouse. Don’t look at inflation, Jesse. Look at Minnie Mouse.’ The world is going forward because you’ve got her in a pantsuit.”

Because, as Candace insists, if people see “the real problem” being addressed (Minnie Mouse’s outfits), then they’ll forget all about empty aisles at the grocery store and the price of bacon. Owens’ argument is beyond parody at this point and just too much fun for people to enjoy dragging.

At least Owens gave people plenty to laugh about on this chilly January morning.

And as some people pointed out, it sure looked like Owens was wearing a pantsuit on Fox News while she complained about Minnie’s pantsuit. How bizarre.