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While Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiered nearly two weeks ago in the United States, there’s still been no word on when — or if — the film will hit Chinese theaters. In fact, it’s beginning to feel more and more likely that Marvel’s first Asian superhero film — and its star, Simu Liu — could be banned in the country for “perceived insults.”

According to a Variety report, “jingoistic social media users” have unearthed content featuring actor Simu Liu that they claim “insults China,” and could put the future of the film in jeopardy due to the nation’s current political climate. Among the alleged content shared in an attempt to condemn Liu is a GQ video about Liu’s favorite Asian snacks, in which he praises “a lemon tea drink made by Hong Kong beverage firm Vitasoy,” a company many Chinese citizens recently called to boycott for being “anti-Chinese.” Considering how much Disney has actively courted for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to be released in China, the world’s largest film market, a ban would be a massive blow for the company and could hurt Simu Liu’s chances at being cast in future films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Interestingly enough, however, according to Variety several Chinese viewers who managed to the film abroad who have deemed it “unexpectedly good.” After hearing about the potential ban, one viewer stated, “I didn’t see any insulting of China — I saw kissing up to China,” while another said “Shang-Chi‘s take on Chinese elements is so much better than that of Mulan. Although the Chinese accents of the American-born Chinese and Hong Kong stars was a bit hard to get through, they were done with sincerity.”

So far, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has grossed over $146 million in North America since its release on September 3 and seems likely to become the first release to cross the $200 million mark since the start of the pandemic last March. Fingers crossed China will get the chance to see the film here soon and help make those numbers even higher.

Last year, in the middle of what we thought were the darkest times of the COVID-19 pandemic, after endless months of cooking at home, my husband and I decided to venture out of our cocoon and get “slutified.” That’s what people are called after a visit to one of Atlanta’s hottest burger joints, provocatively named, Slutty Vegan.

Owned by 33-year-old fuchsia-loc’d maven and philanthropist Aisha “Pinky” Cole, Slutty Vegan has three locations in the ATL, with more in the works. Her menu reads more like a list of offerings at a bordello than a restaurant, with the “Ménage à Trois,” “One Night Stand,” and the “Super Slut,” and the atmosphere is more like a night club. But, it’s not just the cheeky burger names or the concept of plant-based fast food that has customers literally wrapped around the block at all of her locations, it’s the vibe she’s created. Slutty Vegan is more than a restaurant. It’s a culture. And Cole is at the center of it, building a community based on supporting Black entrepreneurs, getting involved in politics, giving back, and being thoughtful about what you put into your body.

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Upworthy spoke with Cole as she was hanging out at home with her one-month-old daughter, D. Ella. Now worth seven figures, the restauranteur talked about her recent honor by PETA, growing up the daughter of a Jamaican Rastafarian mother, owning a jerk chicken restaurant in Harlem that tragically burned down, the many brands vying to partner with her, and how vitally important it is for her business to be ethically aligned with her beliefs.

Upworthy: Where did the name come from?

Cole: I was a TV producer for 10+ years. The one thing I know how to do well is to make people pay attention. I know that sex sells and the two most pleasurable experiences in life are sex and food. If I could merge those two experiences, and not make it mucky, but sexy and educational, I knew it would be big, especially in the heart of the South. I’m infusing this concept into culture, music and entertainment. I’m showing you how to eat better, even if it starts with burgers, fries, and pies. I needed the name to be so racy, that you’d pay attention. Then I can start dropping the gems on you. And we have been able to bring people together in the name of food. And to help people reimagine food, especially “flexitarians,” — meaning people who are meat-eaters.

Upworthy: How did you feel being honored by PETA as one of their “Most Beautiful Vegans?”

C: I love what PETA represents. They’ve supported and rallied for me since the beginning. To be alongside so many other amazing vegans shows me that I’m in the room. Meaning that I’m alongside people who stand for something. People who are making changes in their communities and it feels good to be connected in that way.

Upworthy: Let’s talk about The Pinky Cole Foundation.

C: I officially started the foundation in 2019. But, it was just a way of formalizing what I’d been doing for years. I was always a steward of people. I saw my mom do it. She helped everybody anytime she could. She’d take the clothes off her back to help people. The foundation is at the crux of who we are. Slutty Vegan is nothing without the philanthropic aspect. I want to bridge the generational wealth gap. I want people to see that a young woman can start a company and it can be beyond money, but help the community and provide group economics and give back. Money doesn’t move me. It’s the ability to utilize my resources to help people.

* Cole has supported 30 Clark Atlanta University students in clearing their balances. When Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by Atlanta police in a Wendy’s parking lot, Cole provided life insurance for Brooks’ family, a new car, and $600K in scholarships for them to go college. She partnered with TV host Steve Harvey and his wife, Marjorie’s foundation to pay the electric bills for 100 Atlanta residents. She’s donated thousands of pounds of produce and winter coats to local families in need. Cole along with Derrick “D” Hayes, CEO of Big Dave Cheesesteaks, provided life insurance to all Black men in Atlanta who make $30k annually or less, and she partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice to employ ex-juvenile offenders at Slutty Vegan, and so much more.

Upworthy: How do you encourage and inspire all of your thousands of customers to do something in their own communities?

C: Leading by example. I speak to so many audiences. I speak to women; minorities; children of immigrants; mothers; small business owners; people who come from middle-class families; I speak to so many different people. So, when people come and support Slutty Vegan, they feel like they’re represented. People see the representation through me. As long as I continue to be an example that you can do it. You can come from East Baltimore, or like we say, “around the way,” and be everything you dreamed of. Pinky Cole did it and I can too. That’s the empowerment they see.

Upworthy: What’s your philosophy on being vegan as it relates to health, the environment, the Black community, and neighborhoods with obvious food deserts.

C: I don’t try to push my agenda on anyone. My audience is people who aren’t necessarily vegan. It’s like Christianity and Islam. Believe in what you want to believe in. I can show you the way, but I won’t make you drink the way. My emphasis is on the experience. I want people to feel good. And feeling good is eating good and thinking good. Emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Food can do that for you. Am I walking around with a sign that says ‘Eat Vegan or Die!’ No. But, what I will say is, let me show you another way.

Upworthy: Did you feel like you had to recreate traditional fast food, but vegan-style to assure you had customers? Particularly in the South?

C: My father has a saying, ‘Success is like mud. You throw something on the wall, something’s gonna stick.’ And this is what stuck. Obviously, I knew that I had to appeal to my audience. I did that by fusing food and culture. Slutty Vegan has grown so fast because so many celebrities have endorsed the brand. We’ve been able to utilize other people’s platforms, especially celebrities, to expand the brand. So, if you see your favorite celebrity eating something or doing something that you love to do, nine times out of ten, you’re going to want to do it. This is me meeting people where they are. Focusing on the entertainment and secondarily the food. We’re in the South, so Southern comfort food is at the center of living here. So, how can I get people to eat vegan food in the heart of the South? Put it in the music. Put it in the entertainment. The things people pay attention to. You’ve got Megan Thee Stallion eating Slutty Vegan, so of course, people who love her want to eat it too. People want to see what all the hype is about.

Upworthy: Have you seen a difference in her customers’ tastes and acceptance of veganism as a concept since opening in 2018?

C: When we started, none of the big chains had options, now all of them do. And I like to say that we have been the inspiration for that — humbly. We were the guinea pigs. We tested the market so they didn’t have to. And that’s the goal, to get more people to eat plant-based. And that’s a win for the plant-based community and for people who want to change their lives and be better.

Upworthy: What do you say when people say being vegan is too pricey for me?

C: It’s pricier. But, you pay for your health. If you choose to eat badly all of your life, you’re going to be paying for medicine. Either pay for your health now or later. Society doesn’t make you think about it that way. I think COVID started to make us think more about our health. This is why Slutty Vegan became even more successful during the pandemic. People wanted to start living better.

Upworthy: What are your tips for becoming a successful entrepreneur?

C: Mess up all the time. I make a lot of conscious mistakes. I make decisions that make sense to me, but sometimes those decisions aren’t the best, but that helps me learn. In my first restaurant, when it caught on fire, I was sick. But, that taught me to make sure my paperwork was right and make sure I had fire insurance. Also, alignment is a big thing in business. I believe you have to ask yourself some questions. Why am I starting this business? Who is it going to support? Who is going to help outside of me? If you have pure intentions you will win. Anything I’ve done, I’ve done it with pure intentions. Which is why I always win. I’m confident about that because I go to sleep at night knowing that I haven’t done anybody wrong and I’ve moved with good intentions and I’ve helped people along the way.

Despite the fact that the Trinidad health minister basically confirmed that, to their knowledge, a man is not running with super huge swollen testicles from the COVID vaccine, Nicki Minaj was still the topic of conversation at a White House press briefing on Thursday. While doing her best to keep a straight face, press secretary Jen Psaki fielded a question about whether or not the White House really did reach out to Minaj following her now infamous tweet about her cousin’s friend’s alleged predicament. (To those just tuning in, Minaj tweeted that the man’s testicles swelled up after getting the vaccine leaving him impotent, which supposedly ruined his pending marriage.)

Amazingly, Psaki confirmed that the White House did in fact reach out to Minaj in the hopes of educating her so she could use her massive Twitter platform more responsibly.

“This is pretty standard and something we do all the time,” Psaki said while doing her best to not smile (too much) during the exchange. “It was simply an offer to have a conversation. Our hope is that anybody who has a big platform is going to project accurate information about the vaccine.”

As for whether the White House really is planning to invite Minaj to the White House to settle this giant testicle beef, Psaki simply said that it was just a “very early stage call,” and the administration is still deliberating whether to even continue the conversation. You might say it’s a real ball-buster.

(Via Aaron Rupar on Twitter)

One of Tom Hanks’ sons, Chet Haze/Hanks, has been ranting about the vaccine (even after his mom and dad caught the virus), so Dad decided to do something to one-up ol’ Chet. Alright, I’m completely making that last part up, but seriously, Tom Hanks is starring in a new Apple TV+ movie called Finch. According to the film’s synopsis (which packs a hell of a wallop), the movie is about “[a] robot that lives on a post-apocalyptic earth which was built to protect the life of his dying creator’s beloved dog.”

If that wasn’t enough of a kick in the heartstrings, consider this description from Amblin Entertainment as they unveiled the poster: “Tom Hanks is Finch, the head of an unlikely family on a journey to rediscover the joy and wonder of what it means to be alive.”

Tom Hanks will be the head-of-household to a dog and a robot in a post-apocalyptic world. Also, Tom Hanks is playing a character named Finch, which probably should be the name of the dog or the robot. What is the dog’s name, exactly? We don’t know. It’s pretty confusing, actually.

Well, people are pretty sure that they’re gonna be crying after watching this movie. Will they watch, though? Almost certainly. Good on Hanx.

And here’s the obligatory Death Stranding jokes.

Finch streams on November 5.

If you were on Music Twitter yesterday, you probably saw — and had opinions on — Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time list. “For the first time in 17 years, we’ve completely remade our list of the best songs ever,” the veteran publication wrote in a tweet. “More than 250 artists, writers, and industry figures helped us choose a brand-new list full of historic favorites, world-changing anthems, & new classics.”

Anyway, I’m sure the curators of Rolling Stone‘s songs list expected some level of pushback from fans and artists, but I’m EXTRA-sure they did not expect Smash Mouth to come for them. Now, what specifically did Smash Mouth take umbrage with? Well, I’ll tell you. Smash Mouth, arbiters of justice that they are, did not take kindly to the fact that “All Star” — the song that probably still pays their monthly overhead costs 20+ years after being released — did not make it onto the list.

“Is ALL STAR not on this list?????????????????????? Are we missing something???????????????????????” the band wrote to RS on Twitter. And they didn’t leave it there. Smash Mouth got in every single blurb writer’s mentions, asking, “This you?”

Hey now, guys. This may(?) have started as a joke, but let’s not take it to the mentions. Those are sacred.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Netflix series) — Kevin Smith’s recent Masters of the Universe: Revelation sequel series sparked some overwrought backlash after continuing He-Man and Skeletor’s story in a way that some nerds didn’t enjoy, given that there was plenty of focus (like the original series) on other characters. Well, here’s a kid-appealing update of the classic ’80s cartoon, and this one has a much different feel with a He-Man-focused story, so maybe that will make the angry people happy? It’s got a whole lot of dude-on-bony-dude battling, looks like, while they fight for the ultimate control of Eternia and Castle Grayskull.

The Premise (FX on Hulu series) — B.J. Novak (The Office, Inglourious Basterds) writes all of the episodes on this show, which aims to use dark comedy to tackle tough topics, including sex, social media, Black Lives Matter, police brutality, and immigration. Along the way, there’s apparently the “the worst sex tape ever,” and a lot of this show translates as satiric. It’s not the easiest show to comprehend at times, but the all-star cast includes Ben Platt, Tracee Ellis Ross, Daniel Dae Kim, Soko, Kaitlyn Dever, Jon Bernthal, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and the late Ed Asner.

Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol (Peacock series) — The international bestseller is here to translate those thrills to the small screen. Settle in for Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon’s earliest adventures, which include saving his kidnapped mentor while squashing a global conspiracy by defeating a ton of deadly puzzles.

The Harper House (Paramount+ series) — This animated show follows a female head-of-household, who wishes to raise her family’s standard of living. This, of course, an uphill battle, and everyone involved is a real oddball.

Tig n’ Seek: Season 3 (Cartoon Network series on HBO Max) — Enjoy the latest adventures of a young Tiggy with his cat Gweeweek, who happens to be an expert at building gadgets.

What We Do in the Shadows (FX, 10:00 & 10:30pm) — Well, well, well. Guillermo turned out to be a vampire killer, which sure as heck came as a surprise to Nandor, Nadja, and Laszlo, and Colin. The four Staten Island roommates must figure out how to handle this conundrum, along with tackling the other challenges of this season. Those include dealing with wellness cults and gym culture, along with gargoyles, werewolves who play kickball, casinos, and more. In addition, the vamps also receive a higher level of powers while Nandor experiences an eternal-life crisis, which forces him to examine whether he should be a bachelor for eternity or embrace love. This week, it’s doomed road-trip time.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Melissa McCarthy, Lindsey Buckingham

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, James Blake

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Angela Bassett

Kin: (AMC+ series) — Charlie Cox stars in this new Irish series about a tight-knit crime family that’s drawn into wartime mode with a mighty drug kingpin. The family soon discovers that this is an unwinnable war, yet as the losses begin to mount, it becomes clear that the cartel is at one distinct disadvantage: they’re not bound by unbreakable blood bonds. The cartel does, however, have a host of exotic pets and some snazzy costumes and celebrity status, so this is a heck of a story.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2 (Paramount+ series) — This animated series from Rick and Morty writer (and Solar Opposites creator) Mike McMahan takes things to the year 2380 (after the original Star Trek beginning in 2265), where the U.S.S. Cerritos aren’t the heroes that you’re expecting. These are junior officers who are not pleased at their lack of power while confronting bizarre alien anomalies like enormous bugs and other such comedic-slanted creatures. This violent show’s got a PG-13-like feel.

It might seem hard to believe comedian and fan-favorite SNL veteran Norm Macdonald passed away only two days ago considering the countless hours of touching stories and memorable videos of the star we’ve seen in such a short time, but it just goes to show how universally adored the comedy icon was. Among the countless friends and fellow comedians paying tribute to Macdonald is his life-long friend and Full House star Bob Saget, who took to YouTube to share an emotional, 37-minute long video called Remembering Norm. Saget shared the video earlier today, “when most of you who loved Norm won’t be awake and the people close to him will be up because we’re f*cked up and just can’t sleep,” the actor solemnly joked.

In the video, Saget recalls his friendship with Macdonald throughout the years, starting from their early days in Ottawa comedy clubs and working on the 1998 movie Dirty Work, to the final words they said to one another. Saget emotionally confessed the pair were still making plans to go out and do things prior to Macdonald’s passing, and called the loss “a f*cking knife in the heart for all of us who were close to him and all of you who loved him.”

Saget also shared the true story behind an iconic Macdonald moment: his 2008 Comedy Central roast. According to Saget, in the week leading up to his roast, he spoke with Macdonald and was told by the comedian, “I can’t say mean things about you because you’re my friend.” Saget then said Macdonald warned him that if he was called to roast him, he would instead “read jokes from a ’40s joke book,” and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. Saget recalled that his jokes were met with complete silence by the audience and ultimately his segment was cut from the show, before remarking, “I can’t accept that he’s gone.”

According to Saget, he had a feeling Macdonald’s health had taken a dip recently based on the way he had been communicating. A week before Macdonald passed away, the pair shared this exchange:

“Last week, I got a text and it just said ‘I love you.’ And I didn’t say much back. I just said ‘I love you Norm.’ And that was my [final] communication with him…One of the gifts of my life is that he loved me, and that I loved him.”

Logan Paul, a Youtuber who once visited Japan’s “Suicide Forest” and filmed bodies he found there for clicks, is incredibly upset over a bit of name-calling from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

Earlier this month, while dragging Donald Trump‘s decision to moderate a senior citizen boxing match on the anniversary of September 11th, Kimmel made a joke equating Paul with the twice-impeached, white-supremacist-supporting former president.

“Between Logan Paul and Donald Trump, boxing is once again the top source of income for the very worst people in the world,” Kimmel said, receiving a fair amount of laughs from his audience in response. Now, whether Paul watched the show live and just needed time to stew in his outrage, or he just saw the Google Alert he’s undoubtedly pinged to his name so that any mention of him on the internet can get blown out of proportion for more clicks on his channel, we’re not sure. But y’all, Paul is pissed.

During Wednesday’s airing of his Impaulsive podcast, the host called out Kimmel for targeting him, despite being a guest on the late-night show a year ago.

“I’m upset with Jimmy Kimmel, dude,” Paul said. “How are you about to invite me on the show, and have a cordial, friendly, familial relationship, and then a year and a half later — when, by the way, I’m doing well. That is the lamest shit to me. That is so fucking lame. Your writers were so, so lacking content and creativity that they had to do some lame-ass Paul joke?”

Look, I’m sure Kimmel has had a bunch of people on his show as guests that he secretly dislikes, so why Paul seems so upset that they’re not besties IRL is beyond us. But he had some pretty harsh parting words for the talk show host, who’s likely to mine this feud for all the comedic gold it’s worth.

“You f*cking a**hole, Jimmy Kimmel. Honestly Jimmy, fuck you, bro.”

Frank Ocean is notoriously tight-lipped about any possibility of any new music from him. It’s been nearly five years since the musician’s last full-length release and it was looking like he was starting to gear up for a new era of music in 2019 with his “In My Room” and “DHL” singles, which eventually ended up being one-off releases. But now, fans can hold onto hope that a new album is right around the corner thanks to new allegations that Ocean is in talks with several record labels.

Every once in a while, the internet lights up with reports that a new Ocean album is right around the corner. This time, the report comes from Hits Daily Double, which alleges Ocean is “shopping a new album” to several label heads. The report states that the musician has been “taking meetings and playing the music for execs,” and that the new album is “f*cking great.” Apparently, Ocean is being represented by attorney Laurie Soriano, who Complex reached out to for comment about Ocean’s alleged album.

If Ocean was in fact planning on rolling out an album on a new label, it would line up with his confirmed appearance at Coachella 2023. The California festival’s co-founder Paul Tollett recently revealed that Ocean was unavailable for next year’s Coachella, but is expected to headline in the future.

Why is every game franchise a trilogy? For one reason or another, major video game franchises almost always tell their story over the course of three games. Halo, Mass Effect, and Dead Space are three franchises that come to mind, but there are countless others. While many of these games and franchises tell excellent stories within a trilogy, there are others that take it a step too far in trying to force a trilogy to make sure that they can meet that magical number of three.

One franchise that will not be forcing a third game? The new God of War series. While the original games revolving around Greek mythology were told within a series of three major titles, the new games that are set within Norse mythology will stop after two. God of War: Ragnarok is going to be the final God of War game in its current story arc. That doesn’t mean a later game can’t pick up where this one leaves off, but it does mean that the current stories being told will be wrapped up by the end.

For some, this might be a little strange! The most recent God of War received incredible praise for its storytelling and taking the series in a surprisingly mature direction. Why would they only allow that to be two games? The answer? It would take way too much of their time for just one story, potentially 15 years, and that’s just not something any developer wants to commit to. Director of the first game Cory Balrog and director of the upcoming Ragnarok, Eric Williams, explained their reasoning in an interview with Kaptain Kuba on YouTube.

“I think one of the most important reasons is the first game took five years, the second game, I don’t know how long it’s going to take but I’m just going to throw out that it’s going to take close to a similar time to do this and then if you think, a third one in that same [amount of time], we’re talking like a span of close to 15 years of a single story and I feel like that’s just too stretched out. I feel like we’re asking too much, to say the actual completion of that story taking that long just feels too long, and given sort of where the team was at and where Eric was at with what he wanted to do, I was like look, I think we can actually do this in the second story. Because most of what we were trying to do from the beginning was to tell something about Kratos and Atreus.”

While some fans may be disappointed to see the developers are planning to move away from the stories within Norse mythology, this is honestly such a breath of fresh air considering how game development is usually handled. So many great franchises in the past have been hampered by the desire to stretch them into a trilogy. A story should always be as long as it needs to be and if the directors of these new God of War games think they can wrap this up in two games then they should do exactly that. Tell the story they want to tell and then go from there.