GoneTrending

[Big honking SPOILER ALERT for Eternals, so don’t say we didn’t warn you]

The best mid/post-credits scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, and will always be, Nick Fury’s entrance in Iron Man, followed closely by Captain America informing everyone that they wasted precious moments on this Earth waiting for nothing in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Third place probably would have gone to Shawarma Palace from The Avengers — until Harry Styles appeared in Eternals.

The pop star makes his MCU introduction in a mid-credits scene for Eternals as Thanos’ brother, Eros. Director Chloé Zhao told Deadline that Styles has been on her radar since she saw Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. “Harry as Eros was very much a package deal for me,” she said. “I kept tabs on Harry since Dunkirk, I thought he was very interesting. After meeting him, I realized he is that character — the same way I cast the rest of my cast. There’s so much of Eros in him. For me, if he says yes and [Marvel Studios head] Kevin [Feige] says yes then it’s a go. And I’m very happy they both did.”

Harry Styles being in Eternals for, like, five seconds added $20 million to the film’s total gross. It would $50 million if he was in the much-discussed sex scene, but alas. Styles will next appear in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling alongside Florence Pugh.

(Via Deadline)

Aaron Rodgers went onto Pat McAfee’s radio show on Friday afternoon. In light of the All-Pro quarterback testing positive for COVID-19 and getting placed on the shelf for a minimum of 10 days due to his positive diagnosis as an unvaccinated individual, Rodgers appeared to want to go on the show to explain his decision to not get vaccinated and much more.

What happened instead was one of the more bizarre media appearances we’ve seen out of an athlete in recent memory. Among Rodgers’ claims were that he is “in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now,” that they are trying to put the “final nail” in his “cancel culture casket,” and that upon presenting his research to the NFL to explain why he did not get the vaccine, he was viewed as “a quack.” Rodgers also said he is consulting with Joe Rogan, who also was unvaccinated and got COVID, on how he could treat himself, and said that he is taking ivermectin as part of his treatment.

Rodgers, who also used a Martin Luther King Jr. quote that does not apply here, drew up quite the stir among Twitter users for his cameo, many of whom could not believe the lengths to which he went to avoid getting what is proven to be a safe and effective vaccine against the virus.

A number of folks brought up Rodgers’ well-documented desire to host Jeopardy!, too.

Maria Ducasse of Brooklyn is an inspiring example of how one person can unite a community to ensure no one loses their pet because of hardship.

Three years ago, she founded East New York Dog Lovers a nonprofit that has grown to have 29 foster homes, 200 volunteers, and helped reconnect more than 50 dogs with their people. It’s a safety net where struggling pet owners get emergency fostering, help with medical bills, and food for their fur babies.

“Our biggest mission is to end pet surrendering,” Maria told Chewy. “So whatever help may be needed—food, vet care, whatever you need to keep your pet at home—we are willing to supply and help you.”

Maria has arranged for people struggling with homelessness, domestic violence, and medical emergencies to connect with fosters who care for their pets until they’re back on their feet. Her hard work keeps families intact and pets safe.

“We just keep getting bigger,” Maria says. “Every time we go out there and help somebody, they’re like, ‘I’m in—how can I help?'”

Maria’s wonderful work was recently profiled by Chewy in the video above entitled, “A Day in the Life of a Community Pet Foster.”

It’s been a pretty good year for directors Chloe Zhao and Denis Villeneuve and not just because they’re each responsible for one of the year’s two most-anticipated cinematic experiences — though that certainly would be enough. No, instead of the pair merely creating two of the winter’s biggest blockbusters, Zhao and Villeneuve have also created something else: a beautiful friendship.

Back in September, Zhao and Villeneuve made headlines when they appeared on Harper’s Bazaar together for an in-depth discussion on the film industry and its future. Zhao also became one of the first filmmakers to offer up rave reviews for Villeneuve’s Dune, telling Sight & Sound magazine (via IndieWire) “it gives me hope that a filmmaker like Denis is able to really harness his vision and put together something that’s so incredible, so cinematic” and she was “blown away” by the motion picture.

A few months later and Zhao is back to gushing about her friend and colleague, revealing that Villeneuve not only helped guide her pitch for Eternals, but also let her watch Dune early so she could observe how he adapted the source material for IMAX in a compelling way. According to IndieWire, Zhao praised the director for being so generous with his film and said he even offered her other references to look at to help her make Eternals the best it could be.

“I gotta say that I’m a big fan of Denis; he’s a friend,” Zhao said. “[Eternals and Dune] got pushed and shifted because of the pandemic. We got pulled apart and then now we’re back together again at the same time. Even when I was working on IMAX for ‘Eternals,’ I asked him if it was okay for me to watch Dune. I knew he did incredible things in IMAX, so I knew I could learn from him. He was so generous; he was like, ‘Yes.’ He also gave me other references to look at.”

If all that has warmed your heart and made you believe there is some kindness in the at-times cutthroat movie industry, you’re not alone. Zhao also said the director has been a great source of “strength” for her, and getting able to hug on another at festivals and see one another go through the film industry together has been “empowering.”

“I actually find a lot of strength in our films coming out at the same time and to have a colleague who I respect and love and to be able to go through this together and to hug each other at Venice [International Film Festival] when Dune came out. He even sent me a message last night, so it all feels very empowering.”

Aaron Rodgers was ruled out for at least 10 days earlier this week after he tested positive for COVID-19 as an unvaccinated NFL player. It led to Rodgers being the butt of jokes and receiving a ton of criticism, as there were elements of the league’s policies for unvaccinated players that he did not follow, particularly when it came to not wearing a mask when he met with members of the media.

On Friday, Rodgers appeared on Pat McAfee’s radio show to discuss his positive diagnosis, what it means, and, uh, a lot of other things. In the eyes of the All-Pro quarterback, the fact that people responded to this so viscerally is proof that the woke mob is on a witch hunt that is trying to cancel him, among other buzzwords.

Rodgers kept talking after this, saying that he believes the vaccines could cause him to become infertile and mentioned that he has been discussing things with “a now good friend of mine, Joe Rogan.”

The Packers’ star’s entire cameo on the show went in a number of different directions — he was Just Asking Questions about how how the left questioned the vaccine while Donald Trump was president but changed their tune once he was out, admitted he is taking ivermectin, said that he presented evidence to the NFL and was viewed as “a quack,” and much more.

Here is a website from the CDC about the COVID vaccine that addresses many of the things Rodgers said and explains why they are not correct.

Although it has been literal decades since Snoop Dogg was a legitimately menacing presence in hip-hop, that doesn’t mean he can’t occasionally tap into that mode when the mood calls for it. In the case of his new song “Murder Music,” it’s absolutely called for. However, just in case his Corona commercials softened up his image too much to be taken that seriously, he smartly calls on some of rap’s past and current prime purveyors of murder music — namely, Griselda’s Benny The Butcher, the resurgent Jadakiss, and the eternal Busta Rhymes.

Benny sets things off, declaring the ominous beat by Nottz “what they gone play when they wipe the prints off they hammers.” Then, Jadakiss reminds listeners that “it ain’t no reward for the streets.” Busta Rhymes bats cleanup, reminiscing on his rowdy battle rap past, recalling that “I don’t discriminate, I even bodied close peers.” Snoop holds down the hook, which is nice and simple, driving the “murder music” theme through repetition.

The song is set to appear on Snoop Dogg’s upcoming compilation album, Algorithm. At a recent listening session at his Compound in Los Angeles attended by Uproxx, Snoop said the project will operate as a showcase of the talent, past and present, on Def Jam, celebrating Snoop’s new position there as executive creative and strategic consultant. Algorithm is due November 19.

Listen to “Murder Music” above.

Pablo Larraín’s Spencer is a meditation on the life of Princess Diana (played by Kristen Stewart) over the course of a few days in 1991 around the holidays. It is not a happy time for Diana, but the film does provide one true moment of joy as Diana and her two sons, William and Harry, are driving into town, belting out Mike + the Mechanics’s “All I Need is a Miracle.” It’s a wondrous scene, and a strangely startling song choice. And, yes, according to Larraín, the decision of what song to play in that moment was not taken lightly, narrowing it down from over 100 choices.

It’s also difficult to watch Spencer and not think of current events, namely Diana’s son Harry leaving the royal family. I asked Larraín about this, too, and he seems to agree that, yes, we are seeing some of what he depicted play out, but is also smart enough to not comment directly. Also, Larraín is no stranger to films about powerful women and tragic circumstances, having also directed the phenomenal Jackie. Is it a coincidence he’s made a movie about both Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy? Larraín makes it pretty clear that it is not.

I did not expect to hear a Mike + the Mechanics song during this movie at any point. So why do we hear “All I Need is a Miracle” at such a crucial point?

Well, I guess it’s because of the context. That song plays at a moment where the movie unleashed the character, or the characters unleashed herself. And it was a long process. I had a very long list, a playlist, that had 100, or even more, tracks.

Wow.

Down to 50. And then, of course, there’s a lot of music that we know that she heard. I don’t know if you’ve seen, but they exhibit this suitcase with cassettes. So you can read what other music that she was listening that she liked. And, also, she had many friends that are famous musicians. So it was a whole thing, to choose that song, because it’s a song that would come out of her car…

It has to be something actually getting airplay?

It’s a tape, it’s a tape. It says, “Track one,” whatever. And then, at the same time, it needed to elevate and change the tone of the movie that we had until there.

It does.

In a way that feels organic and uplifting without, I don’t know, being cheesy. Something that feels natural and pure. It was a hard call. It was a tough decision. I played them – meaning them: Kristen and both kids – different tracks, up until I played that song. And the kids were super excited and they were singing it. So I was like, “This is it.” And when we were shooting it, they were asking me – the kids, especially Freddie, who plays Harry – he asked me, who’s the miracle? why are we singing this? And I said, “It’s your mother. And it’s right here.” And that’s how it made a lot of sense for us.

Also it hits that sweet spot of being a popular song, but it’s not overused in movies today.

Yeah! You’re completely right. Part of the equation to choose a song like that is to find a song that has not been significantly used in another movie, but also a song that you think you know, so it clicks certain things in your memory. But it’s not all over the place, you know? And also what I really like is is the use of keyboards. And those guys are coming from Genesis…

Mike Rutherford, yeah.

So, they went to the right school. Incredible.

I’m curious what you thought over the past few months with Harry and Meghan leaving the royal family and doing their interview. There are similar themes to what this movie is saying. And a lot of people are probably going to think about that while watching this movie.

Oh, yeah. I understand. But I’m just a filmmaker, and I don’t think…

I’m not asking what you think about them. I’m wondering how you think it affects how viewers might look at your movie.

I don’t know. It’s a good question. It’s a very good question. I understand it. And we could know that soon, as soon as the movie opens. But what I feel is that we are portraying them, I think, for the first time on a movie, or even in television. And I do respect them a lot, and I think they had a lot of difficulties. And this is a maybe a painful, painful part of their life, because of their mom and their loss and the tragedy. So I will say that I wouldn’t want to throw any other problem to them or whatever, or the reality. And if one of them is doing something that you might think, “Well, it’s a very interesting thing to say.” I just don’t feel good talking about it in public. It’s not who I am, my friend.

I’m guessing you are getting a lot of questions about one of your previous films, Jackie. It is interesting you’ve done two movies on these extremely famous, powerful women who went through tragedy. Is that just coincidence? Or is there something that draws you to that?

Well, I think when you make a movie and spend three years on each of them, I don’t think coincidence is the right word.

Well, sometimes when you talk to filmmakers about this kind of stuff they get adamant one thing has nothing to do with the other, but I don’t know if there is or not.

Yeah, I’m fascinated by the roles they had in the second half of 20th century, I think. They were very similar in many things, and very different in others. And they were both women linked to very powerful families. They were married to powerful men. They were in a very privileged context for most of their life. And they were people who had a very complicated relationship with media, even though they were both able to find their own voice in that sort of complicated context. And I think that’s a very hard thing to do and very interesting. But at the same time, they’re very different movies, I think.

Oh, they 100 percent are…

Jackie is a movie about memory and grief and maybe legacy. And I think Spencer is about motherhood and identity. So they play together well, but they are not sisters. They’re cousins if possible. Right?

I see.

And they’re related, but not really. And something that I think is fascinating is how they actually shaped contemporary fashion. Not in the last 20 years, but up until the very end of the last century, they were both icons. And it’s not just this superficial elements of fashion. I think they also built the culture on a number of things that is related to a more artistic perspective, because they were making choices based on color, texture, fabrics. And they were wearing stuff that back then were, most of the time, very often against the rules.

And they were inventing the persona throughout fashion in a way that I think is fascinating. So from from the pink dress that Jackie wore in Dallas that day, to the wedding dress that Diana got married with, to the red coat, she wore in church… you name it. Nowadays, we’re used to those images. Back then when they were wearing those things each day of their life, it felt really really instructive and very original. I don’t know. Some people didn’t like it. And they were accused of doing whatever weird things, the way they were dressing, but they were building their identity throughout a very beautiful structure. And they knew how to do it. So, yeah, it’s fascinating.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Adding Dolly Parton to any project is always a good idea, but it gets even better when it finally completes a long-awaited reunion with her 9 to 5 costars, which is exactly what’s happening on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. According to a new report, Parton will guest star on the series’ seventh and final season, putting her back on screen with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. Via TVLine:

For the uninitiated: 9 to 5 was released in 1980, and starred Parton, Fonda and Tomlin as the above-mentioned Doralee, Judy and Violet, three working women who decide to get revenge on their sexist boss (played by Dabney Coleman). The movie went on to gross over $100 million at the box office.

At the moment, Parton’s role on Frankie and Grace is being kept under wraps, but she will appear in the show’s final 12 episodes that will drop sometime in 2022. (Four episodes were released early in August to tide over fans.)

When it wraps up its seven-season run next year, Grace and Frankie will have the distinct honor of having the most amount of episodes for a Netflix original series. While Orange Is the New Black is the current record holder at 91 episodes, Grace and Frankie will top that by streaming 94 episodes when the final season premieres. And, now, the show will get to say it had Dolly Parton stop by for a freaking 9 to 5 reunion, so yeah, try and top that, whichever Netflix series is still racking up episodes. (Narcos, maybe? — Nope, that’s not it. It’ll come to us.)

(Via TVLine)

Ariana Grande has been around for 28 years, and for most of them, she’s been pursuing a career in entertainment. She was in the Broadway musical 13 as a teenager and landed a role in the Nickelodeon series Victorious not long after that. Her roots go even deeper than that, though, as was shown on The Tonight Show yesterday when Jimmy Fallon surprised Grande with video of her first ever singing gig.

Fallon explained that Grande’s first gig was singing the national anthem at a Florida Panthers game when she was 8 and that, thanks to Grande’s mother Joan, he had footage of that performance to show. “Oh my gosh, are we going here,” Grande asked as Fallon set up the clip. The video shows a fresh-faced Grande singing the last few lines of the song, absolutely belting it out before ending the song and letting a big smile spread across her face.

Grande was looking for her shot at fame even years before that. The singing clip was preceded by Grande telling a story about how she called Nickelodeon when she was just four years old. She managed to get through to Universal Studios and expressed her interest in auditioning for All That or The Amanda Show. While that call didn’t end up being fruitful, Grande, as aforementioned, went on to become one of the network’s big stars.

Check out clips from Grande’s Tonight Show interview above and below.

It can be hard to live up to the standard set by your parents, especially if one of them made their name in your industry. But up-and-coming New York rapper Turbeazy is both following in his father’s footsteps and blazing his own path.

Turbeazy remembers going to his father’s concerts as a kid; formative experiences that gave him his first exposure to hip-hop. When his dad became a DJ, Turbeazy took advantage of the moment, feasting on a fully fleshed-out collection of rap records that also helped to influence his career choice.

“At school, I used to freestyle,” Turbeazy says, “and one day somebody told me I should rap, so I ended up going to one of these kids that somebody put me on to that had a studio.”

Thanks to a laptop his mother gave him, Turbeazy kept recording, even while in the Army. When he got out, the education continued with classes that helped him forge a career as an audio engineer at Manhattan’s Fight Klub Studios.

When he records now, Turbeazy is sure to keep one foot in the past, allowing the influence from his father’s career and record collection to find its way into his music.

“In order to move forward, you gotta be able to know and acknowledge the past,” he says. “I still feel like that needs to be represented. It’s something that I was raised to appreciate, coming from a household of an artist and a person who was deep into hip-hop culture. I love and appreciate how far music has evolved.”

While Turbeazy is forging his way forward, his journey hasn’t been without challenges.

“When I was in the Army, nobody really wanted me to rap,” he says. “They thought it was funny. I had a few supporters, but when it was time for me to leave, they were saying, ‘You should re-up and stay in the Army. You can be a good soldier.’ I was like, ‘I want to go to school. I want to be a rapper.’ People were like, ‘That’s a stupid idea.’”

He also remembers being rejected when he tried to pass somebody in the industry a flash drive of his music. It’s something that could discourage someone, but Turbeazy turned it into fuel, telling us that it made him “want to go harder.” And so far, that persistence is paying off. Turbeazy’s profile is steadily increasing and he has songs racking up tens of thousands of plays on platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud. The way Turbeazy sees it, staying positive and dedicated, especially when the goal seems so far away, is the only way forward.