Lately it seems like just about everyone has Spider-Man on the brain, and new-to-the-MCU actor Simu Liu is no exception. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, the Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings star reportedly said the next thing he wants his character to do in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is team up with the one-and-only Peter Parker. According to Liu, he has hopes that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will recruit the pair to adapt one of the Marvel Universe’s famous comic book storylines: Spider-Island.
There’s this very famous story in which Shang-Chi and Spider-Man have a little team-up moment. I don’t know if you’re familiar with this, but in the comics, Spider-Man needs a little bit of help with his martial arts; he needs to brush up a little bit. And says, yeah, I’ll help you, I’ll develop a whole style based on your abilities – and they call it the Way of the Spider. I’m outing myself as a huge comic book nerd. But that’s something I really want to see and I really hope that Kevin [Feige] gets to see this interview so that he can potentially put it in a future movie somewhere.
For those less familiar with the story than self-professed “comic book nerd” Liu, 2011’s Spider-Island comic series takes place after hundreds of New Yorkers living on Manhattan island suddenly manifest the same powers as Spider-Man. While the Avengers are quick to step in and attempt to stop the sudden onslaught of spider villains that arise, Spider-Man himself is having a much harder time grasping the situation and eventually told he much sit the battle out, as the rest of his pals can’t distinguish between him and the new Spider-folks.
Ultimately, all this causes Peter to lose the ability to use his Spider-Sense, and seeing as that Spider-Sense is what allows the hero to dodge both bullets and blows, this loss does not bode well for his future as a hero. In an attempt to get his instincts and combat skills back up to snuff, Peter seeks out Shang-Chi to teach him martial arts, and together the pair develop a new style known as the Way of the Spider. Written by prolific comic book writer Dan Slott, the series earned a lot of praise upon release, making it a pretty decent candidate for a big screen adaptation.
Who knows, if both Simu Liu and Tom Holland’s movies do as well as we’re hoping, perhaps Feige will greenlight the ambitious project for the duo. Regardless, while we won’t get to see the pair together anytime soon, we do get to see both Shang-Chi and Peter Parker later this year. Simu Liu makes his Marvel debut alongside Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, and Michelle Yeoh in Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings, which hits theaters September 3. Meanwhile, Tom Holland returns to the role along with Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Benedict Cumberbatch, and, in a shocking series of events, Alfred Molina, in Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17.
Among his many official moonlighting gigs, Snoop Dogg has become quite the in-demand sports analyst, often being tapped to provide hilariously down-to-earth play-by-play commentary on combat sports, hockey, and even the Olympics, where he described an equestrian event (not inaccurately) as “horse crip walkin’.” As full-time analyst Stephen A. Smith, who guest hosted Snoop’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, put it, Snoop is stealing all the broadcasters’ jobs.
So, the pair thought it only appropriate for Snoop to offer his one-of-a-kind insights to videos of a different kind of athletic activity — one Stephen A. could help but disparage in his opening monologue as one of the “dumbest” new challenges currently sweeping social media: The milk crate challenge. The concept is simple: Ordinary people attempt to traverse a pyramid of milk crates stacked in ascending, then descending order, peaking at seven crates high.
It’s harder than it sounds, as the towers’ stability — and the person’s balance — will vary. Failure looks particularly painful; as Stephen A. put it, “First, you drink the milk from the crates to get strong bones, then you fall off the crates to break them?!” Showing Snoop a couple of clips prompted a few funny observations. “He’s off and running, standing up tall on it all,” Snoop rhymed over the first. “He’s got a cigarette in his right hand and he’s wobbling. Wobble, wobble, shaky, shaky. He’s got a wave cap on his head. I don’t understand why he got the wave cap, that’s weighing him down. Them shoes is too big for this situation. They too big. When he start to shake, you know it’s gonna break.”
Snoop also shared a few clips on his hyperactive Instagram with captions like “Chester also known as chest a hurt in the morning.”
Watch Snoop’s hilarious play-by-play commentary on the milk crate challenge above.
Bob Odenkirk recently had a heart attack. He’s already back to doing silly bits.
The most recent episode of The George Lucas Talk Show, an improvised comedy show with Connor Ratliff (as George Lucas), Griffin Newman (as Toydarian junk dealer/my favorite character in fiction, Watto), and Patrick Cotnoir (as, uh, Patrick Cotnoir), had a guest appearance from Paul F. Tompkins, who called Odenkirk during the show.
“Bob, hi, it’s Paul F. Tompkins,” the BoJack Horseman star said after Odenkirk picked up. “I’m not going to keep you long. I’m calling from The George Lucas Talk Show, which is streaming live right now. And George Lucas just pointed out to me that I was listed as a Special Thanks on W/ Bob & David. And I just wanted to say, you’re welcome.” Without missing a beat, Odenkirk replied, “Well, finally. How long did that take?”
The Better Call Saul actor later added on Twitter, “Paul F. Tompkins is eventually polite!”
Again, this man had a heart attack on July 27; less than a month later, he was playing along with a bit on a fictional talk show with a George Lucas impersonator and a podcast host (shout out to Blank Check) dressed as a blue alien. What a legend. After PFT hung up (without waiting for a goodbye from Bob), Cotnoir accurately noted, “I think we got his first television appearance, post-heart attack.” I wouldn’t want it any other way.
You can watch the entire episode of The George Lucas Talk Show below.
While all of us watching the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer might be soaring on cloud nine right now, the same cannot be said for the characters existing in it. In No Way Home, Peter Parker’s world has turned upside down following the events of Far From Home and Mysterio’s death. The former Avenger is now almost universally disliked, his family and friends are reviled for their roles in his life, The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson is now a household name, and honestly? Peter’s just, straight up, not having a good time. However, things only grow worse when he goes to Doctor Strange to help him, and instead the pair completely fractures the Marvel multiverse.
As a result, the Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland Spider-Man series are now all very connected, as confirmed by Alfred Molina’s reprisal of Doctor Octopus towards the end of the trailer. However, all of this does not come close to completely covering everything in the trailer. While there are quite a few little things we could point out — such as the graffiti paying tribute to Spider-Man creator Steve Ditko six seconds in the trailer or how that black and gold Spider-Man suit at 1:15 was made by Parker in the comics after losing his Spider-Senses — there are some major things that deserve our attention to cover, so let’s jump in.
Sony
More like Doctor Very Strange
If we watched the same trailer, you’re probably thinking the same thing I am: what the hell is Doctor Strange doing? While Doctor Strange has, at times, been a bit hot-headed and reckless, altering the timeline to do a solid for a teenage boy does not strike me as something he’d do. In addition, when Strange and Peter first meet up in Infinity War, Doctor Strange sticks to using their “made-up names,” as Peter adorably calls them, and stays pretty damn formal outside of that. His asking Peter to not call him sir feels very off, the snow-covered Sanctum Sanctorum feels very off, and overall, things just aren’t adding up. Two theories have emerged as to what’s going on that seem most compelling, even if one of them will definitely have you rolling your eyes.
First things first, it could be that this Strange is a variant of the character, much like the Loki variant in the Disney+ series. Honestly, this wouldn’t be all that shocking considering (and spoiler alert here) literally none of Spider-Man: No Way Home could happen if Loki hadn’t occurred and the Time Variance Authority hadn’t been demolished. You think Ravonna and Mobius would have been cool with Doctor Strange fracturing time? Exactly. But, seeing as how the organization has been disbanded, these types of events are now permitted to happen and we have it pretty solidly confirmed that Loki might just be one of the most important things to happen to the MCU.
The second theory, and hear me out here, is that Doctor Strange is… Mephisto. Now, following WandaVision, Mephisto has become a bit of a meme for MCU fans, as week after week people swore he was behind it all — pointing out all the “Easter eggs” along the way — only for him to ultimately not be involved. However, this time there is a bit more here to support the idea. Outside of Strange’s odd behavior, the sign we see at 38 seconds in that reads “Devil in Disguise,” while directed at Peter, could be alluding to Doctor Strange. The Sanctum could be being kept cold to remind Mephisto of his cold underworld — or to keep the literal devil’s temperature down.
Lastly, and by far most convincingly, in the comic storyline “One More Day,” Peter goes to Mephisto after his identity is revealed to the world and his Aunt May is shot. Desperate for anonymity once more, he asks him to work his magic and erase his identity from people’s memories so his family can be safe again. Of course, things don’t go as planned and ultimately Peter then has to go to Doctor Strange to fix things, but that first moment could allude to what is going to happen in the film — albeit in a slightly different way.
Sony
The rise of The Sinister Six
Perhaps the most important development in this trailer is what seems to be the organization of Spider-Man’s greatest threat: The Sinister Six. In the comics, The Sinister Six is a super villain organization created by Doctor Octopus and comprised of Spider-Man’s greatest foes who finally learned an incredibly important lesson: there’s strength in numbers. Over the years, what villains make up the Six has shifted around a bit, but generally the group is thought to consist of Doctor Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman, Vulture, and Kraven the Hunter. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, you can clearly see how Sony was beginning to set up the Sinister Six as Andrew Garfield’s iteration of Spider-Man’s next challenge in The Amazing Spider-Man 3. However, we now know, that that movie would never go on to be made.
Luckily, that left the Tom Holland Spider-Man series completely free to utilize the supergroup without Sony having to fear too much redundancy — and it seems like that’s exactly what they’re doing. Throughout the trailer, we see moments teasing the involvement of several of the Six’s major players, including Electro, Sandman, Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and either Lizard or Venom, depending upon who you ask.
Electro makes his appearance at 2:12 in the trailer, when you see yellow bolts of lightning rain down on some police cars. It’s interesting and important to note here that while a whole lot of multidimensional madness is afoot in this trailer, it seems fairly clear this Electro is most likely not the same one Jaime Foxx portrayed in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, as that Electro cast blue lightning rather than yellow.
Moments later, at approximately 2:25 in the trailer, we see a horrific creature take a pretty nasty swipe at Peter, and while there’s been no real consensus on the matter, it’s rumored to either be Lizard or Venom. While Lizard seems more probable to me, Venom certainly would be a compelling choice and would further contribute to Sony’s — and Tom Hardy’s — attempts at building up their Spider-Verse.
At 2:27, we see a mountain of sand that serves as a pretty dead giveaway that Sandman is back, though whether he’s the Sandman from Spider-Man 3 is still undetermined. However, the same cannot be said for the next two villains teased, which are pulls from the Tobey Maguire series and have left fans’ heads spinning. At 2:29, we see one of Green Goblin’s signature pumpkin bombs and hear Willem Dafoe’s signature laugh. Shortly after, we see Alfred Molina reprise his iconic role as Doctor Octopus — arguably the series’ greatest villain thus far — and confirm once and for all the multiverse collaboration fans have been waiting for is happening.
However, this does leave one notable member of the Sinister Six out of the picture that we have seen before and would sure as hell love to see again: Vulture. However, let’s assume that instead of Lizard, we are seeing Venom in this trailer. Considering Michael Keaton’s formerly imprisoned Vulture is seen out of his cell (albeit near police cars) in the trailer for the upcoming Sony Spider-verse film Morbius, we could see him make a surprise cameo in Venom: Let Their Carnage that indicates he is returning. And hey, there’s always a chance we get to meet Kraven for the first time, as Aaron Taylor-Johnson was just cast as “The Hunter” earlier this year.
Sony
The return of Matt Murdoc
About twenty-five seconds into the trailer, we see Peter being held at a police station to undergo questioning in regards the “murder” of Mysterio. We then see two men entering the room Peter is being kept in, and even at first glance, one of them might seem oddly familiar to folks with a Netflix account.
A few seconds later, the familiar-looking man slams down a pretty hefty sized file on the table after the officer continues to pressure Peter into admitting fault for Mysterio’s death, implying this man is Peter’s lawyer and — based on Peter’s extremely confused reaction — it is the first time the pair has met. Peter’s eyes are immediately drawn to the man’s hands, and our boy Spidey was not alone in finding them well-worth analyzing. Several folks online were pretty quick to point out they look a lot like Matt Murdoc’s, who you might know from his reputation as one of New York City’s best lawyers and, you know, from being Daredevil.
Ultimately, there is a lot up in the air. While we might get some inkling as to what will happen in the upcoming Shang-Chi and Venom movies, the truth is we won’t really know how this will all play out until Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters December 17. That being said, the only thing on my Christmas list right now? That date not getting pushed back.
Jared Dudley’s playing career is over. After 14 years in the Association in which he took the floor for seven different teams, Dudley is going to transition to the bench, as reports indicate he will take an assistant coaching job as a member of Jason Kidd’s staff with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks are in advanced discussions to hire 14-year NBA veteran Jared Dudley as an assistant coach, league sources say.
Dudley spent the last two seasons as a key locker-room voice with the Lakers and won a championship in 2020.
After 14 NBA seasons, Jared Dudley has agreed to a deal to become an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium. Dudley will be a front of the bench assistant under new head coach Jason Kidd.
Dudley’s career had been winding down in recent years as he’s become an end-of-bench player who averaged less than 10 minutes per game. Still, he’s had a reputation for being a great locker room guy, and as a result, one of his now-former teammates is quite upset he’s opting to become a coach.
LeBron James took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon and stressed that while he’s happy that Dudley was able to get a new job, he’s quite upset he’s going to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, where the pair have been teammates for each of the last two years.
Congrats to my guy if this true, which is probably is! But man!! FUCK
He went on to apologize for his word choice but made clear that the bond he’s built up with Dudley during their time as running mates has been a special one.
Excuse my language but still one hurt!! For many reasons that you wouldn’t understand.
Dudley didn’t get on the floor a ton in L.A. — he appeared in 57 regular season games across two years — but it’s evident he was beloved by the team’s MVP during their time together.
Last month, Billie Eilish revealed Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles, a concert film that’s set to drop on Disney+ on September 3. Unlike a traditional concert film, though, this one features a mix of live action and animation, and was filmed over multiple nights at an empty Hollywood Bowl. A brief teaser for the movie was shared when it was announced, but today brings a two-minute trailer that offers a more substantial look at the film.
Eilish previously said of the movie, “Disney is incredibly iconic, so to collaborate on something like this is a huge honor. To be able to present my album in this way and dedicate it to the city that I love and grew up in is so exciting to me. I hope you love it.”
Director Robert Rodriguez also noted, “We are all huge admirers of Billie and Finneas here in our household. They are such impressive, world class talents that it’s a real honor to work with them on this film. The way the narrative story and animated pieces weave through her incredible concert performance, makes this a spectacular event that is truly unique.”
Watch the Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles trailer above.
Following his resignation as New York governor, Andrew Cuomo is now being stripped of another title: Emmy winner. The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has revoked the honorary Emmy award given to Cuomo in 2020 for “effective communication and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Citing the damning results of the investigation into his alleged sexual harassment, the Academy officially rescinded Cuomo’s reward the day after he effectively stepped down as governor. Via Variety:
In a statement, the org announced on Tuesday that “in light of the New York Attorney General’s report, and Andrew Cuomo’s subsequent resignation as Governor, it is rescinding his special 2020 International Emmy Award. His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy materials going forward.”
While being stripped of an Emmy is never a good headline, it’s not Cuomo’s worse scandal in the past 24 hours. The now-former governor was roasted on Monday following reports that he allegedly abandoned his dog Captain at the Executive Mansion after moving in with his sister. While Cuomo’s spokesman denied that the dog was abandoned and only stayed with a staffer as a “temporary situation,” sources for the New York State Police told the Times Union that Cuomo has been attempting to give the dog away, but so far, has not had any takers due to its “nipping” problem.
Rising Las Vegas rapper Baby Keem has a new single on the way, and to many of his fans’ delight, it will feature his cousin Kendrick Lamar. Keem shared the cover for “Family Ties,” which features a redacted family photo that leaves only his and Kendrick’s faces unobscured, as well as the release date, Thursday, August 26 at 9 PM PT (that’s Friday at midnight for you East Coasters), on social media, sparking a frenzy of excitement for its eventual release.
The cover seemingly shows that Keem shares Kendrick’s affection for using old family flicks in his promotional materials; Kendrick famously employed a baby photo of his own on the cover of his major-label debut album, Good Kid, MAAD City, using a similar technique of censoring his other family members. Not only does this highlight Kendrick’s appearance as a guest artist on Keem’s track but it also subtly anoints the younger rapper as Kendrick’s heir apparent, suggesting that his impact on the rap game will be just as huge (Keem is associated with Kendrick’s agency PgLang).
Of course, that’s a lot of pressure to put on the 20-year-old; after all, big cuz has a Pulitzer Prize to his name in addition to a wall full of plaques and a shelf covered in statuary. Keem is off to a decent start, though, with a small but growing collection of well-received bangers to his name including “No Sense,” “Durag Activity,” and an as-yet-unreleased collaboration with Kanye West. Meanwhile, the new song also seemingly kicks off the wait for Kendrick’s upcoming album, his last one under contract with Top Dawg Entertainment.
The NBA offseason has reached the doldrums of late August, with the majority of free agents signed and most of the expected trades completed (with the very notable exception of Ben Simmons’ situation in Philly which remains very much fluid). As such, the fine folks in the Nevada desert have presented the world with win total projections for all 30 teams (the Westgate SuperBook, specifically), featuring 18 teams projected to win more than half of their games, which history tells us is highly unlikely to happen (last year 15 teams finished above .500).
Leading the way are the two favorites in the East, as the Nets and Bucks each boast win totals of 54.5, which, if both remain healthy all season, might be too low for each. However, the Bucks showed last year that they have a much more patient approach to the regular season than in years past, focusing on the long game and the playoffs over dominating every possible moment of the 82-game season. Brooklyn, meanwhile, has the best trio in the league and a quality supporting cast at the top of the bench around them, but as was the case last year, injuries and absences will dictate how dominant they can be in the regular season (and postseason).
Leading the way in the West are the Utah Jazz at 53.5, as the reigning 1-seed out West get the respect for the regular season that is deserved. Following them are the Lakers at 51.5 (a spot shared with the 76ers), which will surely attract plenty of Over action from Laker faithful, but is also recognizing the hiccups that could come early from a team new to each other learning how to play together and the possibility for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to miss time as they did a year ago.
At the bottom of the league, Orlando holds the title of the lowest win total at 23.5, with Houston and OKC just ahead at 24.5 and Detroit at 26.5 as the four favorites in the lottery odds race this coming season. Below, you can find the complete list of win totals in descending order from most to least, as the oddsmakers seem to expect some heated playoff races next season — health pending, of course.
While Whoopi Goldberg and her now former The View co-host Meghan McCain have often butted heads, the two have surprisingly one thing in common: They’re not fans of “cancel culture.” As a stand-up comedian and outspoken commentator, Goldberg has had her fair share of controversies including her infamous defense of Roman Polanski, her similar defense of Bill Cosby (which she eventually walked back), and the time she made an oral sex joke about George W. Bush.
While talking about the Bush controversy, which for the record, Goldberg oddly does not categorize as an example of cancel culture, The View host recently opened up about her thoughts on our current political climate where “all somebody has to do is say you said” something. Via Variety:
“I feel like the truth doesn’t seem to matter as much these days,” Goldberg said.
Addressing cancel culture directly, Goldberg said, “Because there is cancel culture, people will call or text and say ‘I’m not buying your product. This is who you have talking about your product, me and my five million followers — if you keep her — we’re not going to buy your car, or we’re not going to buy your shampoo or we’re not going to buy your toothbrush or we’re not going to buy your Pampers,” Goldberg said.
Despite the Bush controversy, Goldberg was personally approached by Barbara Walters to appear on The View, and she’s been there ever since. However, that hasn’t stopped her from still dreaming of starring in a TV staple: Doctor Who.
“I would like to have played Doctor Who but I think it would mean an evolution into being American,” Goldberg told Variety. “I don’t know if that’s correct for Doctor Who. I don’t know if I can usurp that.”
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man!! FUCK 
