GoneTrending

Over the summer, Tessa Thompson was spotted getting cozy with couple Taika Waititi and Rita Ora. The photos went viral, but as the Thor: Love and Thunder actress told ES Magazine, “This idea that we were caught in some private salacious moment is frankly just untrue. If you look at those images, nowhere are our lips touching. Those are just my friends. They remain my friends, they were just my friends that day, and they continue to be.”

Thompson was annoyed by the “gross invasion of privacy” of a moment between friends being photographed, but she did find one silver lining in all the discourse.

There was no censorious misogynistic commentary around the images, no moral policing. Five years ago, she reckons, there would have been. “So while I didn’t love being embroiled in all that, I think the public discourse around it was at least interesting, in terms of people celebrating that people can have a fun and free time and that’s okay,” she said.

Thompson’s new film, Passing, comes out on Netflix next week. It looks very good. In 2022, she’ll reprise her role as Valkyrie in Thor: Love and Thunder (directed by Waititi) and headline Steve Buscemi’s The Listener, where she plays a “helpline volunteer who is part of the small army that gets on the phone every night across America, fielding calls from all kinds of people feeling lonely, broken, hopeless, and worried.”

You can watch the Passing trailer below.

(Via ES Magazine)

If we’re being honest, the best part about a trip to the local movie theater is often the popcorn. Given the shakeup that COVID-19 has caused both in Hollywood and to the cineplexes that rely on regular cinematic output, theaters are having to come up with new and innovative ways to keep the cashflow moving in the right direction. For AMC Entertainment, the answer was right under their noses—and covered in a fake “butter-like” coating.

On Thursday, Deadline reported that AMC is officially getting into the popcorn business. Or, as they put it in their official statement on the matter: The company is “expanding its business outside of the traditional theatrical exhibition industry with plans to capture a piece of the growing multi-billion dollar popcorn market.”

Dubbed AMC Theatres Perfectly Popcorn, the buttery treat will be available in “To Go” packages at theaters, which can be ordered for takeout or pickup. They’ll also be available via food delivery services and at shopping mall kiosks across the country. The company is also aiming to launch a microwaveable popcorn in late 2022, which will be available in grocery and convenience stores.

“The announcement that AMC will become a competitor in the multi-billion popcorn market is so natural and logical, one wonders why the idea has not been tried before,” Adam Aron, AMC’s CEO and chairman of the board, said in a statement. “Needless to say, AMC knows popcorn ever so well. On our busiest days, AMC Theatres currently pops in the range of 50 tons of popcorn per day. But the popularity of popcorn extends well beyond the doors of our movie theatres. With this new AMC initiative, we expect to reach entirely new segments of the U.S. population with our popular AMC Theatres Perfectly Popcorn. For AMC Entertainment, this is an opportunity to diversify our business and to create a new revenue stream for our company, all the while delighting popcorn lovers whether they are in our theatres, are on the go, or find themselves in the comfort of their own homes.”

Movie theater popcorn and we don’t have to put on real pants? Sign us up!

(Via Deadline)

Following a raid on two homes as part of a federal investigation into Ashley Biden‘s stolen diary, Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe has confirmed that the people targeted by the searches are a current and former employee of the conservative group. While Project Veritas did not publish Biden’s diary after it was stolen in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, hand-written pages were made available on a different right-wing website, which claimed to know the location of the diary.

Via The New York Times:

[O’Keefe] said the group had recently received a grand jury subpoena and acknowledged that Project Veritas had been involved in discussions with sources about the diary. But he offered a lengthy defense of his group’s handling of the diary, saying that he and his colleagues had been operating as ethical journalists.

“It appears the Southern District of New York now has journalists in their sights for the supposed crime of doing their jobs lawfully and honestly,” Mr. O’Keefe said, referring to federal prosecutors in Manhattan. “Our efforts were the stuff of responsible, ethical journalism and we are in no doubt that Project Veritas acted properly at each and every step.”

While the investigation into Ashley Biden’s diary is sure to spark criticism from Republican corners following the raid on two Project Veritas employees, the federal probe was actually started by the Trump administration in October 2020. Attorney General Bill Barr authorized the Department of Justice to begin investigating the diary after it was reported stolen by the Biden family.

(Via New York Times)

Fool’s Gold Records is well-known for curating emerging talent in the rap game, and today their releasing a full-length album by Canadian DJ/producer Grandtheft that sounds like a very promising start. Though Grandtheft, real name Aaron Waisglass, has already worked on remixes for the likes of Rihanna and Katy Perry, and produced for artists like Calvin Harris, Jazz Cartier and Kyle, this is his first solo album. But like most great producer-helmed projects, the tracklist is packed with guests.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to make a producer album like Wild Ways,” Grandtheft said in a press release. “To curate a diverse lineup of incredible artists and build out a full project embossed with my sound. This is the product of us collaborating and just jamming out tunes we want to hear, with no industry trends or A&Rs dictating what this sound needed to be. This record is informed partly by living through the wildest times on tour, but also by learning when to take time away from the mayhem. It’s about making space to really create for yourself and let your imagination go off, in whatever way that is. In a lot of ways, this album feels like the culmination of all my years making music.”

That culmination includes tracks with artists like Jazz Cartier, Haviah Mighty, The Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red), Flosstradamus, Gangsta Boo and Duke Deuce, to name a few. Check out “What You Wanna Do,” his collab with Gangsta Boo and Duke Deuce up above, and stream the whole project below.

Back in 1998, Ray Liotta starred as Frank Sinatra in the HBO movie The Rat Pack, and apparently, he received a very The Godfather-esque warning (Sinatra was the basis for the Johnny Fontane character) during the film’s production. While stopping by Jay Leno’s Garage, Liotta revealed that prior to the HBO film, Sinatra’s daughters had approached him about starring in a miniseries, which the actor passed on.

“The daughters, they wanted me to do a miniseries when they were doing a miniseries about it and I just felt too uncomfortable,” Liotta said. However, he ended up agreeing to play Ol’ Blue Eyes in The Rat Pack, and well, let’s just say Frank’s daughters decided to express their displeasure. Via Mediaite:

“We were doing the movie and I got delivered a horse’s head,” he said. “Obviously it wasn’t a real one, but it was a horse’s head. And, you know, a horse’s head means you’re toast.”

After Liotta discovered that it was Sinatra’s daughters, Tina and Nancy, who sent the fake horse head, he definitely understood the message being sent.

“Oh, you could do this one, but you couldn’t do the one that we wanted you to?” Liotta told Leno while laughing, which is one way to react to a family with rumored mob ties sending you a decapitated horse head. Another is changing your name and fleeing the country, but you do you, Liotta.

(Via Mediaite)

Ahead of the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift announced on Friday that she wrote and directed a 10-minute short film about her best song, “All Too Well.” The pop star shared a peak-fall vibes clip on social media of a car driving down a road surrounded by trees, announcing “All Too Well: The Short Film.” It will star Swift herself, as well as Dylan O’Brien, possibly in the “Jake Gyllenhaal” role, and Sadie Sink.

It’s a dream come true for the Stranger Things actress, who once said that if she were to make a fan account for anyone, it would be Taylor Swift. “I mean, she’s the moment right now, so I think I would have to go with her,” Sink explained. “Maybe I should just start a fan account.” She would have at least one follower (me). In the same interview, Sink was also asked to name her favorite song to sing along to. “Um, that’s going to be ‘All Too Well’ by Taylor Swift,” she replied without a moment’s hesitation. When the 10-minute version was brought up, Sink added, “You don’t even know how excited I am.”

Sink has a busy few days ahead of her. There’s Red (Taylor’s Version) and the “All Too Well” short film on November 12, but this Saturday, November 6, is also Stranger Things Day. Remember Stranger Things? If you forgot, I don’t blame you — the most recent season aired approximately 17 years ago. Anyway, the celebration will feature new footage and “details on the season’s location and episode titles,” according to the Wrap.

Is it too much to hope for a trailer?

Packers coach Matt LaFleur is in tough spot with the current Aaron Rodgers situation, particularly after Rodgers gave an interview on Friday to Pat McAfee explaining what alternatives medicines he took instead of a COVID-19 vaccine, how he’s turned to Joe Rogan for advice, and much more.

During his media availability on Friday, LaFleur visibly looked over the whole situation when asked if he was comfortable with players using alternative medicines.

“I don’t even know what that word means or what that term is,” LaFleur said. “I mean, I don’t know what you’re trying to get from me.”

Later in the same press conference, LaFleur said that he most likely would not listen to the Rodgers interview and said that he “was not worried about it being a distraction” for Green Bay’s Sunday game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

LaFleur’s reaction here is understandable. The look on his face with the glazed over eyes and the apathetic tone to his voice say it all: he would rather do anything else than have to answer questions about Rodgers’ medical choices. Luckily for LaFleur, Jordan Love is vaccinated and still wearing a mask because he is in the league’s COVID protocols as a close contact. So at least he’ll have one quarterback on Sunday.

Hey, everyone!

It’s that time of the week again, where we round up some snippets of delight to lift people’s spirits and bring a smile to their faces. Think of it as a hit of endorphins giving you that natural high we all crave, and a reminder that no matter how bleak things may feel at times, simple things can bring us great joy.

I dare you to go through this whole list and not smile once. (Nah, just kidding. Revel in this joy, friends. Laugh out loud if you feel compelled. Share it with friends. We all need more of this in our timelines.)

Enjoy:

---

You know an animal feels 100% safe with you when she brings you her babies to snuggle.

Cat brings her kittens every night to her humanu2019s bed as a sign of trust..pic.twitter.com/I1JmEKgKDi

— ud835udd50ou0334gu0334 (@yoda4ever)
1635910200

Say it with me: “Awwwww!” Too sweet.

Hello, brand new, unbelievably adorable human getting a bath! 

Stop it right now. This is too much dopamine to handle.

The mesmerizing joy of a bunch of dachshunds chasing around a big blue ball.

I could watch this all day pic.twitter.com/fCoIFbfqM4

— LADbible (@ladbible)
1635886801

“Chasing” the ball isn’t exactly right. It’s more like they’re pushing it, or maybe carrying it? Or it’s carrying them? I’m not even sure, but doggone it, this is what living your best dachshund life looks like. And shout out to the random dalmatian there too.

Doggo gets caught messing around in the sink, then tries to play it cool.

“Oh dang, they’re onto me… time to act normal”pic.twitter.com/7JlOr6yBu2

— Madeyousmile (@Thund3rB0lt)
1636042806

“Are you doing dishes? I hope so.” Hilarious. It looks like this dog forgot it was a dog for a minute.

Mom recorded his son’s daycare pickups for five years and OMG the cuteness.

i really do love this video. i recorded my sonu2019s pick up almost every day and this is his reaction every single time. for his 5th bday (yesterday) i took my favorites and made a lil compilation, from infancy to just last week pic.twitter.com/8Hc7BjlBpF

— Teese (@teesepeese)
1635624659

The instant grin. The squeal of delight. The throwing his hands in the air. This is a boy who adores his mama. Read the full story here.

This 17-year-old created a free app that makes Disney+ movies more accessible for deaf children.

The brilliant story of Mariella Satow, Rugby School pupil, who has launched a Chrome extension that allows deaf children to enjoy sign language interpretation on Disney films @RugbySchool1567 nhttps://buff.ly/3hN4hFIu00a0pic.twitter.com/SXUEg3iyxz

— International School Magazine (@IntSchoolMag)
1632138243

Mariella Satow spent much of her pandemic downtime creating an app that lets young kids who aren’t able to read subtitles or closed captions enjoy children’s films. SignUp is a free Chrome extension that provides a pop-up window with a sign language interpreter on Disney+ films, filling a gap in the deaf community. Not too shabby for a 17-year-old. Read the full story here.

Dogs coordinate to save their owner when he collapsed on a mountain trail. 

A 71-year-old man was walking with his dogs on a mountain summit in England when he collapsed from an apparent seizure and fell unconscious. One of his dogs, a black lab, ran after a walker who had passed them a few minutes before and barked to get her attention. She followed, found the man with his golden retriever lying by his side and called emergency services. Amazing. Read the full story here.

Simple human connection and kindness always wins the day.

An Uber driver stopping by his house to procure some comfort food for someone who was missing home? More of these stories all day long, please. (Be sure to swipe and see the second slide. Beautiful.)

Native Americans created a way to have powwows safely during the pandemic

If you’ve never been to a native powwow, you’re missing out. The beauty and energy of these festive celebrations of Native American culture are wonderful to experience firsthand, but the pandemic has put a damper on such large, in-person gatherings. A Facebook group called @SocialDistancePowwow has brought together thousands of people through song, dance and art—definitely something to check out during Native American Heritage Month.

This is the coolest trick-or-treater ever. 

Casually driving up, taking just a little candy (with no one watching—way to go, parents), putting it in the trunk, singing a little song to himself, backing up into a three-point turn and driving away? It does not get any smoother than this.

Come on, now. That worked, right? Totally brought a smile (or several) to your face? The daycare pickup kid alone is good for at least five smiles.

Join us next week for another happy things roundup, and enjoy your weekend!

Finch (Apple TV+ film) — Tom Hanks and a robot and a dog find themselves in a post-apocalyptic world. That’s probably enough to sell you on this movie, right? Prepare yourself, too, to have this Amblin Entertainment project kick you right in the feels because this trio is an unlikely family who’s discovering what it really (according to the synopsis) “means to be alive.” Surrender because you basically have no choice.

Narcos: Mexico: Season 3 (Netflix series) — Drug lord extraordinaire Félix Gallardo warned Agent Walt Breslin that he’d freed a circus of animals within the drug war, and he wasn’t joking. The cartels are poppin’ while the show does a hell of a wrap-up job on the dramatization of a real-life saga (and the Pablo Escobar-centered beginnings of Narcos). Fortunately, the spirit of Pablo is still around, sort-of, given that actor Wagner Moura has returned to direct, and Breslin and the fledgling DEA sure have their work cut out for them with hydra heads springing up everywhere.

Dexter (Sunday, Showtime 9:00pm) — The most beloved serial killer of all time (sorry, Hannibal fans), is back with a brand new life. The old life, however, is coming for him, and he’s way out of his element and out of practice. The new season is a bloody good time for all and works hard to erase the sins of the lumberjack past. There’s a lot of outside forces at work, and it’s going to be a trip to see how Dexter can survive having to tend to something else beyond his inner war. That’s the real hurricane, and it’s a much more fitting storm this time around.

Big Mouth: Season 5 (Netflix series) — The hormone monsters are back for another round with an all-star voice cast that includes Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Maya Rudolph, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Rannells, Jordan Peele, and Richard Kind. Oh, and Kumail Nanjiani will be starring as himself, somehow, while shirtless. Settle in as hate spirals and a hate worm and all kinds of other amorphous creatures take over eighth grade. Man, middle school was the worst, right?

Here’s some regularly scheduled programming:

SNL (Saturday, NBC 10:29pm) — Host Kieran Culkin and musical guest Ed Sheeran, who’s apparently been cleared from COVID quarantine.

Succession (Sunday, HBO 9:00pm) — Following all of that FBI business, there’s a lot to map up and a major investor who’s seriously worried. As such, Logan and Kendall must find some semblance of a meeting of the minds.

Fear The Walking Dead (Sunday, CBS 9:00pm) — Sarah’s looking for Wendell, which runs counter to everyone else’s advice, so of course, she ends up in a dangerous situation with a mystery surivivor.

Yellowstone (Paramount Netflix & Pop TV 9:00pm) — Taylor Sheridan’s incredibly successful, Kevin Costner-starring rancher drama heads into Season 4 with two new episodes. The action picks up with the continued coordinated attack upon the Duttons while no one knows who should be on the hook, all while Rip’s making good on a promise, and the franchise looks toward a prequel spinoff with 6666 as the working title.

Insecure (Sunday, HBO 10:00pm) — An ex-boyfriend to Issa is navigating through a dilemma while also sorting out responsibilities and dealing with an influential female presence.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 10:00pm) — A surprising message greets the group as they are seeking answers.

American Rust (Sunday, Showtime 10:00) — Jeff Daniels can swing between being comedic and dramatic, and here, he’s still a complicated cop working to save his blue-collar town from violent crime.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sunday, HBO 10:30pm) — Larry’s looking for help from Cheryl while hoping to save his brand-new creative venture, and things don’t look good.

Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 11:00) — John Oliver, baby.

Here’s some more streaming goodness, including a ton of Halloween content.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Amazon Prime film) — Claire Foy stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, who (as usual) is a whole lot of Cumberbatch while portraying an eccentric artist who’s into creating psychedelic cat photos. The only thing missing in this equation would be psychedelic dog photos.

Arcane: Season 1 (Netflix series) — Anime fans will rejoice at this first batch of episodes that details the tenuous balance between two city-states, the ritzy Piltover and the gritty Zaun. There’s a conflict between hextech (which allows people to control magic) and the shimmer drug that creates monsters. There’s family rivalry and complicated relationships among the famous champions of League of Legends, along with powerful and suspenseful storytelling.

Dickinson: Season 3 (Apple TV+ series) — Hailee Stanfield’s playing the rebellious poet for a final batch of episodes (right as she makes picks up the arrow in Hawkeye, too) while the Civil War lurks on the horizon. This actually turns out to be the most prolific period of Emily Dickinson’s writing career, all while chaos swirls in a historical sense as well as a familial one. Can art make a real difference, not only for the future but for the present as well? It’s a question that this show still hopes to answer, all while making love-of-literature a badass affair.

Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1 (Paramount+ series) — This animated series sees the return of Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway to this universe, sort of! She’ll appear in hologram form, and she’ll guide a ragtag group of alien youngsters who end up on the U.S.S. Protostar ship. Jason Mantzoukas voices one of those aliens, all of whom are outcasts and completely out of their league but ready for the Starfleet life, its ideals, and all of its inherent adventure.

Selena + Chef: Season 3 (HBO Max series) — Selena Gomez has come a long way since her Disney days, including a recent turn in the terrific Only Murders In The Building. Here, she’s totally herself and in an environment that she loves while not pretending at all to be a chef or do anything besides love to eat. It’s delightful stuff.

Swagger: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series) — Get ready, sports-drama fans. This show’s inspired by Kevin Durant’s pre-NBA experiences, and more specifically, it examines early ambition and dreams and the fine line between those two things, along with the comparable delineation between opportunism and corruption on the grown-up side. The cast includes Isaiah Hill, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, all of whom are bringing some truths on the experience of coming in age in America.

Love Life: Season 2 (HBO Max series) — Love Life ended up being the HBO Max original show to launch the service, and Season 2 is upon us with Anna Kendrick’s Darby passing the baton to a new unlucky-in-love protagonist, Marcus, who will be portrayed by William Jackson Harper. He did the whole sunk-cost investment thing, apparently, and now, he’s finding himself in the hell hole known as the dating world. Godspeed, Marcus.

Colin in Black & White (Netflix limited series) — Ava Duvernay and Colin Kaepernick both executive produce this coming-of-age story that also wades into the hefty issues that Kaepernick does not shy away from on and off the football field. Expect an exploration of race, class, and culture as Young Colin transforms into an NFL quarterback and an indisputable icon, all against the backdrop of cultural and historical touchstones.

Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi: Holiday Edition (Hulu series) — The Emmy-winning host returns for a new quartet of journeys in this four episodes that will celebrate indigenous traditions and immigrant-based holidays across America. Once again, Padma’s breaking bread while exploring stories that explore exactly what it means to be American. Journey with her to Los Angeles (for Korean New Year) and Miami (for Cuban Christmas), along with other feasts that take place in Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.

Following the cancellation of Sam Rami’s Spider-Man 4 in January 2010, Sony was quick to get a new director and Spidey established. When The Amazing Spider-Man began filming later that year with rising star Andrew Garfield attached to the project, Garfield was 28 years old, fresh off critically-praised films like The Social Network and Never Let Me Go, and, as it turns out, not quite prepared him for what working on the big-budget superhero film might mean.

While Garfield has previously addressed the stress of working on The Amazing Spider-Man, calling the process similar to “canning coke” in an interview back in 2015, the actor is now opening up a bit more about the process and how it broke his heart. In an interview with The Guardian (via The Wrap), Garfield told the outlet that while he went into the film with “clear eyes and a full heart,” it was ultimately “a big awakening” and “hurt.”

“I went from being a naïve boy to growing up. How could I ever imagine that it was going to be a pure experience?” It’s at this point that The Guardian interviewer notes Garfield let out a “dry, joyless” laugh and added, “There are millions of dollars at stake and that’s what guides the ship. It was a big awakening and it hurt.“

While the first film in The Amazing Spider-Man series was a relative success, grossing $750 million and pushing the studio to greenlight a sequel quickly, it’s no secret The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did not do so well for the studio. Created by Sony in an effort to inspire spin-offs and create an entire Spider-Man universe, the sequel was panned for being more set-up than movie and was considered a flop despite grossing $709 million worldwide. Garfield said the studio’s focus on expanding the property and money ultimately hurt both the movie and his spirit and is leading to the “ecological collapse that we are all about to die under.”

“Comic-Con in San Diego is full of grown men and women still in touch with that pure thing the character meant to them,” Garfield told The Guardian. “[But] you add in market forces and test groups and suddenly the focus is less on the soul of it and more on ensuring we make as much money as possible. And I found that – find that – heartbreaking in all matters of the culture. Money is the thing that has corrupted all of us and led to the terrible ecological collapse that we are all about to die under”

Since The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Garfield has steered clear of major franchises, choosing instead to work on more intimate projects. While there have certainly been rumors the actor will be returning to the Spider-Man series in the multiverse-loaded Spider-Man: No Way Home, the actor has not confirmed the rumors and even told the press he “didn’t get the call” to come back earlier this year.