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Last Week Tonight‘s delivered a main segment about sex work (and the problem with criminalizing the practice) on Sunday night, but as one might imagine, John Oliver also had harsh truths to offer about Russia’s attack on Ukraine. This, of course, differed from the unsavory (and self-promotional) approach of John Cena and the cringeworthy maternal-themed poetry from AnnaLynne McCord, but no one can deny that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a total badass, especially considering how he passed up an offer of extraction from the U.S. in favor of being a true ride-or-die for his people, all while Russia’s becoming persona non grata on the global stage.

For his part, Oliver has had absolutely enough with the journalist-killing, rival-poisoning president of Russia. “Putin is a lot of things,” Oliver declared. “[H]e’s an autocrat, a tyrant, a warmonger. But also, he’s kinda a huge b*tch.” And Oliver did not hold back while tearing into CNN for the hot mess of airing a butt-shaking Applebee’s ad amid visuals of an already war-torn Ukraine:

“CNN during its coverage of air-raid sirens in Kyiv somehow found a way to make it even worse with this terrible transition to break…. It’s not great, is it? It’s not just that they cut to a commercial for a restaurant whose food can only be described as ‘sometimes warm,’ it’s just so aggressively American. From the country song that thinks listing food counts as lyrics all the way to this human Boot Barn shaking his nonexistent ass.”

For its part, Applebee’s pulled its ads while expressing how “disappointed in the actions of the network” the restaurant chain was for how CNN juxtaposed the butt-shaking with images of warfare. Yet Oliver didn’t let them go lightly: “That’s some deft international diplomacy from the home of both the ‘grilled oriental chicken salad’ and the ‘tipsy leprechaun.’”

Oliver had plenty to say, as well, about the neoconservative-influenced George W. Bush (and his War in Afghanistan moves), who (as Oliver reviewed) stepped up while “condemning Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.” Oliver couldn’t resist pushing back on that one. “Hold on, George. Not from you,” the host declared. “You are not the guy for this one. Because that statement only would have made sense if it ended with ‘Oh sh*t, now I hear it. Sorry. I’ll shut the f*ck up now.” As always, John Oliver’s not one to let go of historical screwups, and it’s a fair point.

Rep. Lauren Boebert has never been the sharpest knife in GOP’s drawer. In the 13 months she has officially been an elected lawmaker for the state of Colorado, her political career has become a seemingly never-ending cycle of her making comments that are both dumb and ignorant, then being dragged mercilessly for her lack of knowledge about everything from the American Revolution to the U.S. Constitution. So it’s hardly surprising that, given her cluelessness about American politics, her thoughts on foreign matters would be even more misguided—as she proved this weekend.

As HuffPost reports, the gun-lovin’ Coloradan chatted with Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany and Pete Hegseth from CPAC on Sunday, where her attempts to praise Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned into yet another terrible take, when she attempted to compare the innocent Ukrainians who are arming themselves in an effort to protect their country and freedoms to the truckers creating a massive clusterf*ck in Canada, simply because they don’t want to get vaccinated against COVID.

“I pray for Ukraine and I wish them the best,” Boebert said. “They have a great president right now who has really said clearly, ‘Live free or die.’ He said, ‘I don’t need a ride, give me ammunition. The fight is right here.’ But we also have neighbors to the north who need freedom and need to be liberated and we need that right here at home as well.”

If you’re thinking: Wait a minute, that doesn’t seem like an apt comparison—you’re not alone. As Raw Story reported, Canadian MP Anthony Housefather took to Twitter to kindly let Boebert know that if she ever wants to know why what’s coming out of her mouth is gibberish, he’d be happy to give her a lesson in all things Canada. (He did, however, praise her for breaking with Donald Trump’s way of thinking for once—because Canadians are nice like that.)

Bruce Heyman—the former U.S. ambassador to Canada—also called “dangerous” Boebert out on her bullsh*t, but wasn’t quite as nice about it. “Canada is our best friend-best trading partner- closest ally and should be treated as such.

(Via HuffPost)

Last month, Lady Gaga mentioned on multiple occasions that an on-camera moment from shooting House Of Gucci that didn’t make the final movie saw her and Salma Hayek engaging in a make-out session. She said there was no proof of it, but at least Hayek has confirmed the kiss happened, like she did on the red carpet of the SAG Awards last night.

In the interview, Hayek was asked what her most fun day on set was and she was quick to answer, “OK, I have to say this: The day that Gaga kissed me was… but of course, I couldn’t say before because they took it out of the movie, but now that the cat’s out of the bag, I have to say it was pretty fun because it was completely unexpected and she’s a genius… and a good kisser.”

Hayek noted the kiss was not in the script and was improvised by Gaga, saying she walked across the room to Hayek. Hayey said she “absolutely” went for it and noted, “It was thrilling because all her choices were always so interesting.”

Meanwhile, Gaga herself spoke on the red carpet as well: When asked about the story she was telling with her outfit, she responded, “The story I’m telling is the truth, which is that I’m just really honored to be here. This is a beautiful night when we get to celebrate art together, and celebrate each other. There’s so much going on in the world, and my heart really goes out to Ukraine. I think tonight we should all sit in the gratitude of this.”

Check out the Hayek interview above.

Unlike in the United States, Ukraine’s TV personality-turned-president is a force for good. Volodymyr Zelensky has been inspiring Ukrainians to fight for their country against Russian aggressors led by Vladimir Putin by winning over skeptics, declining an excavation offer (“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride”), and remaining “dignified, resolute, and articulate” under the toughest of circumstances.

Zelensky’s current approval rating is at 91 percent, three times what it was in December. I’m surprised it’s not higher, considering he’s literally — and I can’t stress this enough — the voice of Paddington Bear, the star of the greatest film of all-time, Paddington 2.

Chatter erupted on social media on Sunday — first sparked by a tweet sent by Black List founder Franklin Leonard — that Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president and the man now seen around the world as the face of brave resistance, had voiced Paddington Bear in Ukrainian version of the hit 2014 animated film. Paddington producer StudioCanal has now confirmed this news… adding that he voiced the bear in Ukrainian in both Paddington and Paddington 2, its smash hit 2017 sequel.

In a promotional video for Paddington 2, Zelensky, who also starred on the popular political satire series Servant of the People, said, “Hello to my darling friends. I, Volodymyr Zelensky, will lend my voice to the wonderful, charismatic, friendly bear Paddington… You know you will definitely walk out of the film in a fantastic mood.”

We need Aunt Lucy’s words to Paddington now more than ever: “If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right.”

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

The collaboration between Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, the artist formerly known as Mos Def, has been one of the most formative albums in hip-hop history. Referred to colloquially as “Black Star,” the supergroup’s sole album together, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, came out over twenty years ago now in 1998. And though both artists have released plenty of music as solo artists since, the demand and hope for a second Black Star record has never abated. Since then, Talib has become a part of Uproxx by launching his People’s Party show.

Today, seemingly out of nowhere, Talib all but confirmed that the follow-up record actually exists, and that it will actually come out. “The new Black Star album was recorded in hotel rooms and dressing rooms across the globe. I love how my brother @yasiinbey pushes me musically. #blackstarforever follow @blackstarkeepshining today…” he wrote, captioning a photo of both men in what is, presumably, one of the many hotel rooms where the pair worked on their new music.

If this news is timely, as in, the album or some new music teasing the project is coming soon, then 2022 just got a whole lot better. Hey, if A Tribe Called Quest can make a comeback album that’s just as good as their old material, why can’t Black Star? Stay tuned.

The Lakers have had a season full of low points, but they struck new ground below what was once thought to be rock bottom on Sunday night at home when they got waxed by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Things started to fall apart in the late second quarter for the Lakers, as they could not buy a bucket and turnovers mounted with 16 in the first half, as the Pelicans went on a run to stretch their lead to 11 at the break. That was, unfortunately for L.A., just the beginning of their dreadful night as the third quarter saw five more turnovers, even worse shooting, and a near complete disregard for the concept of defense from the Lakers, as the Pelicans outscored them 44-25 to take a 30-point lead to the fourth.

It was an awful performance from just about everyone, as LeBron James and Russell Westbrook combined for 14 turnovers, but it was the first turnover from DeAndre Jordan that really told the story of the Lakers night when he found himself with no one coming to help him after a rebound, had to dribble up near midcourt, and then chose to launch a pass that sailed over Wayne Ellington’s head by a good 6 feet, landing in the laps of some courtside fans.

For anyone that chose not to tune in to ESPN, it was probably a wise decision, but you did miss some really, stunningly terrible basketball from the Lakers. Jordan’s pass was the funniest, but there were at least four other Lakers passes that sailed over the heads of their intended target and landed out of bounds on the evening. It was so bad that at one point Richard Jefferson on the call for ESPN got so disgusted that he decided to just outright root for turnovers in hopes that the Lakers could at least set some records with their dreadful play.

So, yeah, it wasn’t good.

(SPOILERS for this week’s Euphoria will be found below.)

The season two finale of Euphoria will answer a lot of questions for its fans. How does Lexi’s play Oklahoma end? What happens between Maddy and Cassie? Will Cassie go off on Lexi for ruining her relationship with Nate? The questions that have accumulated from this season of Euphoria are neverending, and while we can’t count on each one being answered, we can guarantee that as always, a great soundtrack will be used to score the intense and dramatic events of season two’s finale.

Just like last week’s episode, which featured songs by Bonnie Tyler, Captain & Tenille, Bobby Darin, Labrinth, and more, this week on of Euphoria also featured a great selection of songs. The aforementioned events in this week’s episode are soundtracked by carefully curated songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.

What Songs Were In The Season Two Finale Of ‘Euphoria?’

The songs that soundtracked the standout moments on the season two finale of Euphoria are “L’amore Dice Ciao” by Armando Trovajoli and a new untitled record by Dominic Fike. “L’amore Dice Ciao” came into play as Lexi prepared to resume her play after Cassie interrupted it to confront her about its contents. That interruption came after Nate made a dramatic exit from the play, but not without breaking up with Cassie first. A fight between Cassie and Maddy ensues while the former’s mother takes to the stage to try and break things up.

As for Dominic Fike’s untitled record, it’s a song that was written by Zendaya and Labrinth as revealed in the post-episode recap. Elliot, the character Fike plays, sings the song to Rue after she visits him to apologize and thank him for saving her life. In short, the song talks about creating distance from someone you care for with the hope that they’ll use the time to improve themselves and return as a better person.

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes the following songs:
Kylie Minogue — “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”
Francis Lai — “Concerto Pour La Fin D’un Amour”
DJ T-Boy — “Kwaze Kwamnandi”
Lanterna — “Grey”
Philippe Sarde — “Les Choses De La Vie (Final)”
Lumix — “The Journey”
Deepstate. — “Unreal (Extended Version)”

HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ airs on Sundays at 9:00pm EST.

The highly-anticipated Uber origin series Super Pumped, based on the 2019 book of the same name, premieres this weekend on Showtime. But, as with most anthology series, it begs the question: will there be a follow-up season?

Though the series has yet to drop, Showtime has already ordered a second season of the show. The first season is subtitled The Battle For Uber (which sounds very Lord Of The Rings) and chronicles the tumultuous rise and fall of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who created the company in 2009.

A second season was ordered last week, which will tackle the tale of Mark Zuckerberg and the rise of Facebook. Just like the first season, the second will also be based on an upcoming book from Super Pumped author Mike Isaac, and written by Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Coincidentally, this announcement came days after HBO picked up a limited series about Zuckerberg. As with many anthologies, it’s likely that there will be a new cast for the upcoming season. Perhaps Jesse Eisenberg wants to reprise his Acadamy Award-nominated role?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the TV adaptation will “zoom in on the relationship between COO Sheryl Sandberg and Zuckerberg and the world-changing forces that were unleashed, both intentionally and not, as a result.”

The first season stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, Kyle Chandler as financial analyst Bill Gurley, and Uma Thurman as Arianna Huffington, with narration by Billions superfan Quentin Tarantino.

Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber premieres this Sunday, February 27th at 10 pm on Showtime.

(WARNING: Spoilers for the Euphoria Season 2 finale will be found below.)

The Euphoria season two finale made fans a ton of promises.

We were told to expect drama. We were told to expect catfights. We were told to expect the possible demise of some fan-favorite characters. And we were told to expect Zendaya to eat every scene she’s in. (Okay fine, that last part is always expected.) But, did the show’s final episode deliver? Here’s everything that happened in Euphoria’s eighth episode, “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name.”

Ashtray Dies, And Fez Gets Hurt

It wasn’t shocking to see Ash bite the bullet this season — the kid was way too impulsive when he got a knife in his hand — but it was devastating to see the way he went out, and the emotional toll it took on Fez. The brothers opened the episode by handling the Custer threat. After Faye warned Fez not to say anything about Mouse’s murder when Custer brought it up, Ash realized he was a snitch and dealt with it in a fairly violent way: by slicing his throat wide open. To protect his brother, Fez intended to take the fall for the kill, telling Ash to surrender to the police outside, and he’d admit both murders. Ash wasn’t keen on going along with that plan so he threw some guns in a bathtub, locked himself in the bathroom, and prepared for a shootout with the police. While Fez begged him to come out and turn himself in, the S.W.A.T. team busted through the front door, prompting Ash to start spraying bullets — one of which knocked Fez in the stomach. By the end of the shootout, Fez and Faye were in police custody, and Ashtray was left dead on the bathroom floor. R.I.P. Ash — you were a little psycho, but you were also a ride-or-die.

Cassie Crashes Lexi’s Play

We left Cassie doing her best Jurassic Park re-enactment in episode seven, fuming after Nate broke up with her because of Lexi’s play. Unhinged and with nothing to lose, she stormed down the auditorium aisle and invaded the stage, dragging Lexi out from behind the curtains to accuse her of being jealous, too afraid to live her own life, etc. You know, normal Cassie Howard avoidant b.s. The girls’ mom, Suze, was forced to jump up on stage as the audience watched on in order to keep Lexi and Cassie from going for each others’ throats, eventually giving up as Cassie decided to take her anger out on her doppelganger. Maddy, who had had enough of Cassie’s emotional meltdown by that point, kicked off her heels and ran up on stage, slapping Cassie across the face before chasing her into the school’s bathroom. The “riot” ended with Lexi continuing her play — thanks in part to Rue’s well-timed chant — and Maddy ominously warning Cassie that her on-again-off-again with Nate was “just the beginning.”

Nate Turns On Cal

Nate, enraged over Lexi’s play and blaming his dad for all of his problems in life, began the episode by driving erratically while guzzling a beer and loading his revolver. He was clearly a deranged man on a homicidal mission, and when he pulled up to one of his dad’s properties, we were expecting the worst. (We’re talking patricide.) Things didn’t get that bad but they did get fairly awkward, especially when Nate crashed Cal’s new Queer, free-loving lifestyle. He was apparently partying with some new friends when Nate dropped in reminding him of how badly he screwed their family over. Nate even admitted to having nightmares about his dad raping him after finding the sex tapes that he secretly filmed with his many hook-ups. That last confession managed to clear the room of Cal’s crew which is when the two men really went at it with Nate revealing he wasn’t interested in Cal’s apology, he just wanted revenge. And it looks like he got it because, by the end of the episode, the cops had come to arrest Cal after Nate revealed he’d save copies of the sex tapes on a thumb drive.

Rue Makes Amends

Rue continued to take some monumental steps in her recovery journey. Lexi’s play opened her eyes to how much trauma she’s been through, and it showed her that something good might come from her pain. By the end of the episode, we saw her make up with Elliot — forgiving him for telling Jules about her addiction and thanking him for saving her life. She also said goodbye (for now) to Jules. Their love story might be on hold but at least they haven’t left any bad feelings from that tense intervention. But, most importantly, Rue reconnected with Lexi, going over to her house after the play to apologize for checking out the past two years and giving both girls the chance to share how heartbroken they still are over their dads’ death/disappearance. Rue ends the episode with a monologue narrating how she will remain sober for the rest of the school year, giving fans an optimistic outlook on where her sobriety journey is headed.

Warning: Spoilers for Euphoria’s Season 2 finale are below.

Euphoria fans were probably dreading its season two finale.

That’s because, despite eight episodes teasing possible overdoses, violent showdowns with parental figures, and alcohol-fueled car crashes, the most tangible threat to one of the show’s main players was expected to come in its final episode. With Rue (Zendaya) on the road to recovery, Cal (Eric Dane) giving up on his family, and Nate (Jacob Elordi) abstaining from drinking and driving for an entire episode, that left just two characters in the crosshairs. Fezco (Angus Cloud) and Ashtray (Javon Walton) have been dealing with the fallout of Mouse’s murder all season, having to play nice with Custer and his girlfriend Faye (Chloe Cherry) while establishing themselves as power players to fellow dealers like Laurie. In Euphoria’s most recent episode, Custer — who’s been working with the police to make sure Fez and Ash take the fall for Mouse’s murder — was nervously fidgeting on the boys’ couch, warning Faye to keep quiet. Something was clearly up and after a promo for the season finale showed Fez, covered in blood spatter and screaming on the floor as a S.W.A.T. team raided his home, fans of the drug dealer with the heart of gold were rightly worried.

So, what happened to Fez in the Euphoria finale?

By the end of the season, Fez ends up in police custody after being accidentally shot by his brother Ash. Before the cops storm the house, both brothers have a violent confrontation with Custer, whom they discover is working with the police thanks to Faye. She warns Fez to say nothing after Custer brings up Mouse’s murder, even going so far as to set Laurie up for the crime but Ash acts impulsively, stabbing Custer in the throat. Fez is forced to cover Custer’s mouth while he bleeds out so that he doesn’t alert the police. Once he goes limp, Fez throws the guy’s phone in a cup of water and tells Ash to wash his hands and go outside, knowing if he surrenders to the police, they’ll pin Custer’s murder on Fez.

Instead, Ash unpacks his stored artillery and locks himself in the bathroom, prepping for a shootout with the police despite Fez literally banging down the door and pleading with him to just turn himself in. As the police charge in, Fez continues to beg Ash to stop, but the boy starts firing against the police, accidentally hitting Fez in the stomach in the process. By the end of the gunfight, Fez is injured and carted off by the S.W.A.T. team along with Faye but Ash, unfortunately, doesn’t make it out alive.

But perhaps the saddest thing about this particular ending? Fez never makes it to Lexi’s play.