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Real Time with Bill Maher returned for its 20th season on Friday, and naturally, host Bill Maher came out firing with his usual round of controversial hot takes. This time around, Maher took aim at the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, which for the past month, has seen the omicron variant skyrocket cases across the country and pushed healthcare workers to their breaking point. However, instead of promoting the vaccine or safe practices like masking up, Maher announced that he’s over the pandemic, and he’s tired of precautions that he believes aren’t doing anything.

“It’s not real anymore!” Maher said about COVID before launching into a rant about how everyone’s being paranoid. “You go out, it’s silly now: You have to have a mask, you have to have a card, you have to have a booster. They scan your head, like you’re a cashier and I’m a bunch of bananas. I’m not bananas. You are!”

While the comedian was flamed all weekend on social media, Whoopi Goldberg stepped up to the plate first thing Monday morning and called out Maher during a fiery segment on The View. Via Mediaite:

Nobody on the planet really wants to go through this. This is not something we’re doing because it’s, you know, sexually gratifying. This is what we’re doing to protect our families, and you don’t have to do it, but stay away from everybody because if you are the one who’s not paying attention, and you’re coughing and sneezing, you don’t want to — then stay out of the public, man.

As Golberg continued, she dragged Maher even further for dismissing the real dangers that everyday people continue to face. “Nobody wants this,” Goldberg said. “I don’t want it, and I think he’s forgetting that people are still at risk who cannot get vaccinated, people who can’t. Little kids under the age of 5. Or people with health conditions. How dare you be so flippant, man?”

(Via Mediaite)

Last week, Thundercat fans who also love the Star Wars franchise (I’m sure there is a sizable overlap, considering the popularity of the galaxy far, far away) were delighted to see the jazz revivalist pop up in the latest episode of The Book Of Boba Fett as an underground cybernetics technician employed by the bounty hunter turned wannabe crime boss to save The Mandalorian‘s former bounty Fennec Shand from a gutshot. This week, those same fans have more reasons to be excited about Thundercat’s role after he shared the official poster for his character Mod Artist.

Considering the show has only released posters for those guest stars who have recurring roles on the show so far, it’s probably safe to assume that Mod Artist — and therefore Thundercat — will appear on the show again to support Boba’s growing criminal empire. In a fun plus for ‘Cat fans, the character features few prosthetics, letting him resemble his real-life counterpart rather than one of Star Wars‘ massive menagerie of interesting-looking aliens. But, true to his character’s job grafting machine parts to Tattooine’s punk youth, Mod Artist sports a droid arm with attachments including a buzz saw and various probes that help him in his work.

While it remains to be seen how the character will fit into the show’s grand scheme, there’s no doubt it’s a dream come true for the sci-fi-loving Thundercat, who has referenced all kinds of Star Wars-adjacent work in his musical output.

In 2020, Retirement Party dropped their sophomore album Runaway Dog, but sadly, it appears that will be the group’s final full-length release: The band — which consists of Avery Springer, James Ringness, Eddy Rodriguez, and Cee Dertz — announced today that they are breaking up.

A post shared on social media reads:

“It comes with great sadness that we share that Retirement Party has reached its end. Some of our lives are going in different directions and it doesn’t feel right to try to continue the band at this moment. We will be recording/releasing 3 more songs, and announcing our last tour on Wednesday. Unfortunately we will no longer be heading on our European tour in June.

Thank you all so much for the love and support these last 5 years. Making music together and getting to jump around on stage for y’all is something we’ll all cherish forever. While we aren’t going everywhere on this tour, we hope we’ll get to have a proper farewell with as many of you as we can.

With love,

Avery, James, Eddy, and Cee”

Beyond the aforementioned final plans, it’s not entirely clear what the band members plan to do next. At the time of a July 2020 interview with Uproxx, though, Springer was fresh off graduating college and she told Uproxx, “I’m currently pursuing endeavors within the business side of the music industry outside of the band right now.”

Find Retirement Party’s announcement below and revisit our interview with the band here.

Bruce Springsteen has written a number of songs about New Jersey, girls, and girls from New Jersey, so it’s surprising that Tom Waits got around to calling a song “Jersey Girl” before he did. The Boss did cover the single from 1980’s Heartattack and Vine, though, and his version is arguably more well known than the original (the same thing happened to Waits with “Downtown Train” and Rod Stewart). At the very least, it’s more of an honor for Springsteen to call you a “Jersey girl” than Waits. Just ask Rachel Zegler.

Zegler, a girl from Jersey, was delighted when Springsteen visited her on the set of West Side Story. “Bruce Springsteen came three times, and he came to see me sing ‘I Feel Pretty.’ He had his Aviators on, and he’s like, ‘Gotta see the Jersey girl sing.’ And I just peed my pants,” the actress said on The Graham Norton Show. “I was losing my mind. That day, I could not go up and talk to him. It was him and Stephen Sondheim…”

That set visit, the one with Springsteen and the guy who wrote the lyrics to West Side Story (the second most famous Steven/Stephen there), should not be confused with the time the Boss dropped by the same day as composer John Williams and former-president Barack Obama. Who knew they were such big fans of Shrek the Musical?

In 2022, Bad Bunny already has his El Último Tour Del Mundo arena tour coming up. But the Puerto Rican reggaeton singer whose star continues to soar worldwide is making even bigger plans for this year with a new stadium tour addition to his schedule. The “Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest Tour” adds 29 dates beginning in August of stadiums in the US and in Latin America. Diplo and Alesso will be supporting him on select dates.

The announcement was made official on Bad Bunny’s Instagram account. In the video, he’s sitting down with his girlfriend Gabriela Berlingeri before getting up for an aside with his more than 37 million followers.

Check out the “Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest Tour” dates below. Tickets go on sale 1/28 at noon local time here.

08/05 — Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium
08/09 — Atlanta, GA @ Truist Park
08/12 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
08/18 — Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
08/20 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
08/23 — Washington DC @ Nationals Park
08/27 — New York City, NY @ Yankee Stadium
09/01 — Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park
09/07 — San Antonio, TX @ Aladodome
09/09 — Dallas, TX @ AT&T Stadium
09/14 — Oakland, CA @ RingCentral Colisuem
09/17 — San Diego, CA @ PETCO Park
09/23 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
09/28 — Phoenix, AZ @ Chase Field
09/30 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
10/21 — Santo Domingo, DR @ Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez
10/28 — Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
11/04 — Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Estadio de Vélez – José Amalfitani
11/11 — Asuncion, Paraguay @ Estadio La Nueva Olla
11/13 — Lima, Peru @ Estadio Nacional
11/16 — Quito, Ecuador @ Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa
11/18 — Medellin, Colombia @ Estadio Atanasio Girardot
11/22 — Panama City, Panama @ Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez
11/24 — San Jose, Costa Rica @ Estadio Cuscatlán
11/29 — San Pedro Sula, Honduras @ Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano
12/01 — Guatemala City, Guatemala @ Explanada Cardales de Cayalá
12/03 — Monterrey, Mexico @ Estadio BBVA
12/09 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Estadio Azteca

It’s out with the old and in with the new (content, that is) on HBO and HBO Max this February.

The streaming platforms are saying goodbye to the latest seasons of their most anticipated shows — farewell to season two of Euphoria and the debut of that Sex and the City reboot — and hello to a new crop of movies and series worth adding to your binge-watching queue. The sophomore out of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi project Raised By Wolves drops early in the month, as does Steven Soderbergh’s latest thriller, but by the end of February, a Ryan Reynolds action flick and the latest Wes Anderson creation will arrive.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) HBO and HBO Max this month.

Raised By Wolves: Season 2 (HBO Max original streaming 2/3)

Ridley Scott’s sci-fi epic returns for a second season on the streamer this month. The first outing followed two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious planet but religious wars soon threatened that plan. The show’s second season follows the androids and their brood of children as they join an atheistic society and battle to prevent the extinction of the human race.

KIMI (HBO Max original streaming 2/10)

Zoe Kravitz plays an agoraphobic tech worker who uncovers corruption in the company she works for in this Steven Soderbergh-directed thriller. To make matters worse, as Kravitz’s shut-in tries to get justice for murders committed during a data stream, she must venture out into a pandemic-riddled Seattle and face off against some deadly enemies.

Free Guy (film streaming 2/23)

This Ryan Reynolds starring action flick landing on HBO Max this month may not have performed well at the box office, but it’s a perfectly-good couch watch. The movie follows Reynolds as a video game character who doesn’t know he’s, well, a video game character. Once that epiphany upends his life, he partners with a badass Jodie Comer to save the game from some evil tech bros.

The French Dispatch (film streaming 2/25)

As 2021’s other Timothee Chalamet project, this Wes Anderson project is as quirky, light-hearted, and oddly, moving, as you’d expect knowing the director’s M.O. It brings to life a collection of stories from the final issue of an American magazine published in a fictional 20th-century French city, and it leans on an impressive cast of dramatic and comedic actors to do it.

Here’s Everything Coming To HBO And HBO Max This Month:

Avail. 2/1
3:10 to Yuma, 2007 (HBO)
12 Years A Slave, 2013 (HBO)
21 & Over, 2013 (HBO)
A Bridge Too Far, 1977 (HBO)
After The Sunset, 2004 (HBO)
Airheads, 1994 (HBO)
Alex & Emma, 2003 (HBO)
Amistad, 1997
An American Haunting, 2005 (HBO)
Army Of One, 2020 (HBO)
Bad Milo!, 2013 (HBO)
Black Dynamite, 2009
The Book Thief, 2013 (HBO)
Broken English, 2007 (HBO)
The Butterfly Effect, 2004 (Director’s Cuts) (HBO)
The Butterfly Effect 2, 2006 (HBO)
Calvario, 2019 (HBO)
Casa De Mi Padre, 2012 (HBO)
Chinatown, 1974 (HBO)
Chuck
The Dark Half, 1993 (HBO)
Defending Your Life, 1991 (HBO)
Donnie Darko, 2001 (HBO)
Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, 2000 (HBO)
Escobar: Paradise Lost, 2014 (HBO)
The Falcon And The Snowman, 1985 (HBO)
Fame, 1980
Free Willy 2 The Adventure Home, 1995 (HBO)
Free Willy 3 The Rescue, 1997 (HBO)
From Paris With Love, 2010 (HBO)
Good Deeds, 2012 (HBO)
The Hunter, 2011 (HBO)
Hyde Park On Hudson, 2012 (HBO)
Kick-Ass 2, 2013 (HBO)
La Foquita, 2020 (HBO)
The Life Before Her Eyes, 2007 (HBO)
The Loft, 2014 (HBO)
Love & Mercy, 2014 (HBO)
Master of Disguise, 2002 (HBO)
The Mighty Quinn, 1989 (HBO)
Monsters, 2010 (HBO)
My Blue Heaven, 1990 (HBO)
National Lampoon’s Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, 2006 (HBO)
Network, 1976
Night Owls, 2015 (HBO)
Nightmare Alley, 2021 (HBO)
No End In Sight, 2007 (HBO)
Ondine, 2009 (HBO)
The Ones Below, 2015 (HBO)
Presenting Princess Shaw, 2015 (HBO)
Rabbit Hole, 2010 (HBO)
Rango, 2011 (HBO)
Red 2, 2013 (HBO)
Return To Me, 2000 (HBO)
Riddick, 2013 (Director’s Cuts) (HBO)
Rob Roy, 1995 (HBO)
Rules Of Engagement, 2000 (HBO)
Runaway Train, 1985 (HBO)
Santa’s Slay, 2005 (HBO)
School Ties, 1992 (HBO)
The Searchers, 1956
The Secret Garden, 2020 (HBO)
Shake!: Otis at Monterey, 1987
Shrink, 2009 (HBO)
Splinter, 2008 (HBO)
Sugar, 2008 (HBO)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, 2007 (HBO)
Terry Bradshaw: Going Deep, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
This Is Where I Leave You, 2014 (HBO)
Uncommon Valor, 1983 (HBO)
Unlocked, 2017 (HBO)
The Untouchables, 2011 (HBO)
West Side Story, 1961 (HBO)
Yun, 2018 (HBO)

Avail. 2/2:
Tacoma FD, Season 3

Avail. 2/3:
40 Means Nothing (40 No Es Nada), Max Original Season 1 Premiere
And Just Like That…, Max Original Season 1 Finale
Cracked, 2021 (HBO)
Cry Macho, 2021 (HBO)
Looney Tunes Cartoons Valentine’s Extwavaganza!, Max Original
Mass Ave, 2021 (HBO)
Pure, 2021 (HBO)
Raised By Wolves, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
The Snakes, 2021 (HBO)
When the Sun Sets, 2021 (HBO)

Avail. 2/4:
Double Cross
Rhodes To The Top
Sin Senas Particulares

Avail. 2/5:
Rick and Morty, Season 5
Shaq Life, Seasons 1 and 2

Avail. 2/6:
Big Trick Energy

Avail. 2/7:
Backyard Bar Wars

Avail. 2/9:
Smiling Friends, Season 2

Avail. 2/10:
About Last Night, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
Adventure of the Ring, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
The Girl Before, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
Just Call Out My Name, Max Original Documentary
KIMI, 2022 (Made for Max film)
ODO, Max Original Season 2 Premiere

Avail. 2/11:
Antlers, 2021 (HBO)
Apple & Onion, Season 2C

Avail. 2/13:
The Bachelor Winter Games

Avail. 2/15:
Icahn: The Restless Billionaire, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 2/16:
Off The Air, Season 11

Avail. 2/17:
Craig of the Creek, Season 4A
Dream Raider, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
The Many Saints of Newark, 2021 (HBO)
Peacemaker, Max Original Season 1 Finale
Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs, Max Original Season 2 Premiere

Avail. 2/18:
La Foquita El 10 De La Calle
Top Gear, Season 30

Avail. 2/20:
Last Week Tonight, Season 9 Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 2/22:
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

Avail. 2/23:
Free Guy, 2021 (HBO)
Robot Chicken, Season 11

Avail. 2/24:
Bilardo, Max Original Documentary Premiere
Bing, Season 1
Las Bravas, Max Original Season 1 Premiere

Avail. 2/25:

The French Dispatch, 2021 (HBO)

Avail. 2/27:
Euphoria, Season 2 Finale (HBO)
The Righteous Gemstones, Season 2 Finale (HBO)
Somebody Somewhere, Season 1 Finale (HBO)

Here’s Everything Leaving HBO and HBO Max This Month:

Leaving 2/11:
Dunkirk, 2017 (HBO)

Leaving 2/25:
Blade Runner 2049, 2017 (HBO)

Leaving 2/27:
Epic Movie, 2007 (Extended Version) (HBO)

Leaving 2/28:
13 Going On 30, 2004 (HBO)
300: Rise of an Empire
1968
The 2000s
A Hijacking, 2012 (HBO)
Amanpour: Sex & Love Around the World
American Dynasties: The Kennedys
American Style
Amistad
Annabelle Comes Home
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Any Given Sunday
Aquaman
Beverly Hills Cop, 1984 (HBO)
Beverly Hills Cop II, 1987 (HBO)
Beverly Hills Cop III, 1994 (HBO)
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn)
Brown Sugar, 2002 (HBO)
The Bush Years: Family. Duty. Power.
The Cell 2, 2009 (HBO)
Charlotte’s Web, 2006 (HBO)
Chasing Life with Sanjay Gupta
The Cider House Rules, 1999 (HBO)
CNN Special: The Trump Insurrection
The Color Purple
Constantine
Cradle 2 the Grave
Crazy Rich Asians
Crimes of the Century
The Curse of La Llorona
Dead Again, 2017 (HBO)
Dead Wives Club, Season 1
Dear Christmas
Death Row Stories, Season 1-5
Detour, 2016 (HBO)
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
Drinking Buddies, 2013 (HBO)
The Eighties
The End: Inside The Last Days of the Obama White House
Event Horizon, 1997 (HBO)
Fast Company, 1979 (HBO)
Feast Of Love, 2007 (HBO)
Flawless, 2007 (HBO)
Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery
First Ladies
Forensic Files II, Season 1
Fun Size, 2012 (HBO)
The Gallows, 2015 (HBO)
Gangs Of New York, 2002 (HBO)
Gigli
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The Good German, 2006 (HBO)
The Good Heart, 2009 (HBO)
The Goonies
The Great Gatsby, 2013 (HBO)
Hell in the Heartland: What Happened to Ashley and Lauria?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, 2005 (HBO)
The History of Comedy
How It Really Happened, Season 1-5
How To Deal, 2003 (HBO)
Imperium, 2016 (HBO)
The Hunt with John Walsh
Independence Day, 1996 (Special Edition Extended Version) (HBO)
It: Chapter 2
Joker
Justice League
Keeping The Faith, 2000 (HBO)
The Killer Truth
Kong: Skull Island
Lady In The Water, 2006 (HBO)
The Legend of Bagger Vance
The LEGO Batman Movie
Less Than Zero, 1987 (HBO)
Lincoln: Divided We Stand
Lovelace
Macbeth
Menace II Society
Movie 43, 2013 (HBO)
Mo Willems Storytime Shorts!
The Movies
Mr. Nobody, 2009 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Muriel’s Wedding, 1994 (HBO)
My Golden Days, 2015 (HBO)
National Lampoon’s Dorm Daze 2: College at Sea, 2006 (Unrated Version) (HBO)
The Neverending Story II The Next Chapter, 1990 (HBO)
The Nineties
The Nun
Nurse 3D, 2013 (HBO)
Ocean’s Eight
One Hour Photo, 2002 (HBO)
Ouija Origin Of Evil, 2016 (HBO)
Paddington 2
Parental Guidance, 2012 (HBO)
The People v. The Klan
The Photograph, 2020 (HBO)
Pitch Perfect, 2012 (HBO)
Pope: The Most Powerful Man In History
Prime, 2005 (HBO)
Prince Avalanche, 2013 (HBO)
Race for the White House, Season 1
Ready Player One
The Redemption Project
The Return Of The Living Dead, 1985 (HBO)
A Return to Salem’s Lot
Rush Hour
Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 3
Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World, 2012 (HBO)
Set Up, 2011 (HBO)
Severance, 2006 (HBO)
The Seventies
Shazam!
Showdown In Little Tokyo, 1991 (HBO)
Something’s Killing Me
Space Cowboys
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
The Story of Late Night
Suicide Squad
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Tricky Dick
Ultraviolet
United Shades of America, Season 1-6
Unmasking a Killer
Valentine’s Day
Vegas Vacation
Vengeance: Killer Coworkers
Vengeance: Killer Lovers
Vengeance: Killer Neighbors
Very Scary People, Season 1
Very Scary People, Season 2
Vice, 2018 (HBO)

Sarah Palin’s defamation trial against the New York Times (over a 2017 editorial) was set to begin on Monday. This is the same trial where Palin fought against the jury being able to see this footage of her singing “Baby Got Back” while wearing a bear (?) costume. There’s no telling whether that would have happened today, if at all, but we won’t know the answer to that pressing question anytime soon because the trial has been postponed due to the former Alaska governor contracting COVID.

If that news sounds familiar, well, there’s a reason for that. Palin, who recently proclaimed that she’d be vaxxed “over my dead body” has caught Covid already. She’s gone back and forth on the whole pandemic mess, backtracking on her briefly pro-vaccine stance. Last March, she proclaimed herself to be pro-mask and pro-vax while telling people that “anyone can catch this.” Well, Palin (like Glenn Beck) caught it twice.

As The New York Times notes, this is the third time that this trial has been delayed, and here’s how the courtroom announcement went, via The Washington Post:

The trial was expected to begin with jury selection Monday morning, but U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff told his Manhattan courtroom that he had learned Sunday night that Palin had tested positive on an initial test. “She is, of course, unvaccinated,” he noted.

After she took another test on Monday morning, Rakoff rescheduled the trial for Feb. 3.

The case is a notable one, not only for the potential introduction of a former VP candidate rapping a Sir Mix-A-Lot song but also because this is a major test of First Amendment/freedom-of-the-press protections. As Washington Post notes, it’s also the first libel case (versus the NYT, that is) to hit a courtroom in 18 years. However, the case sure is seeing a lot of obstacles in getting to that courtroom.

(Via New York Times & Washington Post)

Writer and travel guide Sophie Minchilli — author of Eating Rome and nine more Italian-focused, food-centric books — knows a thing or two about authentic Italian cuisine. She’s been leading food tours across Italy for eight years now, working alongside her mom (in the classic Italian tradition). Together, the duo ferry groups of food lovers all over the country for week-long culinary deep dives, from Rome to Sicily to Umbria to Puglia.

Minchilli’s most recent book, The Sweetness of Doing Nothing: Living Life the Italian Way with Dolce Far Niente, offers an insider’s look at the rituals that make up day-to-day life in Italy — from a traditional Sunday lunch and the right way to drink coffee to summers spent at the beach. To mark the release, we asked Minchilli to share her guide to the best restaurants in her home city of Rome, where her expertise is unparalleled.

“I’ve included a mixture of traditional restaurants and some more ‘modern’ ones,” she tells us. “Even though Roman cuisine will always be defined by a very specific set of ingredients and recipes — like cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara — there are some newer ‘trattorias’ and street food shops that have managed to stay faithful to traditional recipes and ingredients while elevating them and adapting them to our generation. I’ve also included a gelato shop, a takeaway pizza place, and a natural wine bar. Street food has always been very important in Rome, and there are some great new places that should be on your list whenever you visit Rome next.”

Cesare al Casaletto

Set in a working-class neighborhood outside the historic center, Cesare serves all the Roman classics, some of them including his own twist, like the fried gnocchi served on a bed of cacio e pepe sauce. They also serve fresh seafood dishes. If you are not in the mood for meat but if you are in the mood for some Roman classics, their cacio e pepe and amatriciana are to die for!

After lunch, take a walk in the nearby Villa Pamphili, a breathtaking public park filled with locals.

Otaleg

The rule in Rome is to have three gelatos a day, and this should be one of them! Otaleg finally opened its first shop in Rome’s historic center (Trastevere), which makes it extra easy to stop by for a cone or cup of their artisanal gelato. The flavors change daily based on seasonality and ingredient availability, which is always a great sign!

If you are feeling extra adventurous, they sometimes feature ‘strange’ savory flavors like gorgonzola and tomatoes.

L’elementare

Pizza is like a religion in Rome. Just like pasta, Romans are very picky with their pizza and like it a specific way, which usually means thin, crispy, and with the right amount of toppings. L’elementare is a fairly new opening in Rome and has quickly become one of my favorites. The first rule of eating pizza in Rome: start with a mixture of fried things like supplì (fried rice ball) and fried lasagna — yes, this place makes fried lasagna!

Flavio al Velavevodetto

Whenever I have friends visiting in Rome, this is the first place I take them to because it never disappoints. Flavio is a classic Roman trattoria and this is the place where you should order all four of the Holy Roman pastas to share: amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe, and gricia. Flavio is also known for his ‘trippa alla Romana’: tripe stewed in tomato sauce with fresh mint and lots of grated pecorinos.

Trecca Cucina di Mercato

This is one of the newer restaurants in Rome, where two brothers in their 30s decided to cook the traditional recipes taught to them by their mother and grandma but elevate the dishes with high-quality ingredients and technique. They often have offal on their menu, so if you’ve been curious to try some of these dishes, this is the place to go.

Al Pompiere

Sunday lunch has always been a big deal for Italians, and this is my favorite place to do so. It’s had the same waiters since I was a baby, same menu, and same décor. It just feels like home. Because it’s located on the second floor of a building in the Jewish ghetto, it makes it a little hard to spot, which means little to no tourists!

Try their creamy tagliolini al limone and carciofo alla giudea (deep-fried artichoke), and say hello to Mauro the waiter for me!

Casa Manco

If there is another thing Romans are obsessed with, it’s pizza al taglio, which literally translates to pizza by the cut. This kind of pizza is sold by weight, so you point out how much you want of each kind, they weigh it, you pay, and then eat it. Their crust is one of the best I’ve ever had in my life, and their toppings are always unusual (in a good way), seasonal and fresh. My favorite is the one with zucchini blossoms, stracciatella, and anchovies

Enoteca L’Antidoto

Natural wines have become hugely popular in Rome, and I am very thankful for it. A tiny bar in the middle of Trastevere, l’Antidoto is everything you could wish for: very few tables, natural wines from all over the world, and of course a delicious food menu that changes all the time. The staff is very nice and helpful, I often come here and completely lose any concept of time, it just feels like hanging out at your friend’s place.

After an almost two year long delay due to the pandemic, No Time To Die finally hit theaters in November, and with it, came the close of Daniel Craig‘s tenure as James Bond. The actor was well-received when he took over the reins from Pierce Brosnan in the quasi-reboot Casino Royale, which modernized the franchise with a grittier tone and Jason Bourne-esque fight scenes that were all the rage in the mid-aughts. Now, legendary Bond producer Barbara Broccoli finds herself in the unenviable position of trying to find the next Bond, and she recently sat down with Deadline‘s Crew Call podcast to talk about the process.

According to Broccoli, she’s naturally hesitant to begin a formal search for a new 007, and she also wants to make sure No Time To Die has “had its run” so Craig can soak in his final turn as the famed British agent. However, she surprisingly confirmed that Idris Elba is in the mix as a potential replacement. Although, the seasoned producer was careful not to say anything too concrete. Via IndieWire:

“We know Idris, I’m friends with him,” she said. “He’s a magnificent actor.” However, she made sure to remain noncommittal about any potential casting and said that any conversations up to this point have been purely hypothetical. While fans have been speculating about Daniel Craig’s replacement for years, the producer did not want to begin work on her next casting search until he had officially departed. “You know, [Elba has] been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have a conversation when you have somebody in the seat,” she said.

When it seemed like Craig would exit the franchise after Spectre, Elba became a name that was repeatedly floated by 007 fans, and it seems like the Broccolis have taken notice. However, Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page quickly shot to the top of betting markets’ lists after his performance in the Netflix series left women across the globe swooning. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see who emerges as the next James Bond and whether the decades-long franchise will finally shake things up in the casting department.

(Via IndieWire)

Lately, we’ve seen a growing trend of legacy artists and their estates selling off their catalog’s publishing rights and masters. This past December, Bruce Springsteen sold his to Sony for a handsome sum of $500 million. In January, David Bowie’s estate fetched more than $250 million for his. Now Bob Dylan, who a little over a year ago netted over $300 million for his publishing rights in a sale to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMG), has sold the recorded rights to his masters to Sony Music Entertainment.

As Rolling Stone reports, the deal is likely worth “between low-to-mid nine-figures for the masters.” For a better understanding of the difference, RS does a fine job of explaining it clearly: “All songs have two copyrights. Recorded rights pertain to a specific recording, including the master tracks, while publishing rights comprise the song’s composition such as music and lyrics. Recorded rights are tied more directly to streaming and sales royalties while publishing rights pertain more to performances and use in film and television.”

Back to Dylan, who has been signed to the Sony-owned Columbia Records for essentially his whole career since the 1960s: This deal ensures that the gatekeepers of his music are an entity whom he has a long-standing relationship with and that his proverbial nest egg is in place.

“Columbia Records and Rob Stringer have been nothing but good to me for many, many years and a whole lot of records,” Dylan said in a statement. “I’m glad that all my recordings can stay where they belong.”