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‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’: Daredevil, The Sinister Six, And Everything Else Teased In The Latest Trailer

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.

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LeBron James Is ‘Hurt’ But Happy For Jared Dudley Getting A Coaching Job In Dallas

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Billie Eilish Shares A Longer Trailer For Her ‘Happier Than Ever’ Concert Film

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.

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Sure, Why Not, Let’s Take Away Andrew Cuomo’s Honorary Emmy Award, Too

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.

(Via Variety)

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Baby Keem Announces His Single ‘Family Ties’ Featuring His Cousin Kendrick Lamar

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.

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The Nets And Bucks Are Tied With The Highest Vegas Projected 2021-22 NBA Win Totals

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.

Brooklyn: 54.5
Milwaukee: 54.5
Utah: 53.5
LA Lakers: 51.5
Philadelphia: 51.5
Phoenix: 49.5
Denver: 47.5
Golden State: 47.5
Miami: 47.5
Atlanta: 46.5
Boston: 46.5
Dallas: 46.5
LA Clippers: 45.5
Indiana: 43.5
Memphis: 43.5
Portland: 43.5
Chicago: 42.5
New York: 42.5
New Orleans: 38.5
Toronto: 38.5
Charlotte: 37.5
Sacramento: 36.5
Washington: 35.5
Minnesota: 33.5
San Antonio: 29.5
Cleveland: 27.5
Detroit: 26.5
Houston: 24.5
Oklahoma City: 24.5
Orlando: 23.5

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Whoopi Goldberg Doesn’t Have Much Patience For ‘Cancel Culture’: ‘The Truth Doesn’t Seem To Matter’

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.”

(Via Variety)

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The ‘Dexter’ Revival Is Not Really A ‘Limited Series,’ According To Showtime’s President

Dexter Morgan is coming to get you. Alright, maybe not you because you’re a good person (right?), but he’s gonna get someone and maybe even a lot of someones when Showtime premieres the Dexter: New Blood revival. With that said, there’s been a ton of talk over the past several years about that ending, which has led to the fully aware star, Michael C. Hall, going deep on his previous statements of understanding on why fans felt furious about his character inexplicably dumping Debra’s dead body into the ocean, sailing into a hurricane, and somehow surviving to switch coasts for the lumberjack life.

Happily now, Dexter won’t be doing the lumberjack thing, but Showtime President Gary Levine is providing more assurances that fans shouldn’t be disappointed with how the morally conflicted antihero will fare from here on out. Also, possibly don’t think of this as a “limited series,” but don’t draw the wrong conclusion, either? From Levine during a TCA panel and Hollywood Reporter:

“Call [the upcoming episodes] what you will,” he said. “Call it a ‘limited series,’ but the rules are it can’t be limited series if it’s coming from something that was on the air for a long time. We call it a ‘special event series.’ For me, it’s revisiting Dexter and giving a proper finale for a brilliant series.”

So, it’s still an ending with no real hope for a continuation after the batch of planned episodes continues, but yup, “limited series” seems like the wrong term to use as well, although god only knows how New Blood will be categorized at the Emmys. In addition, Levine offered another statement of regret, which makes him one of many people involved in the original show to do so:

“Dexter is a jewel in the crown of Showtime and we didn’t do it justice in the end and that has always been a burr under my saddle. We’ve always wanted to see if there was a way to do it right and it took a long time to figure out what that was and a long time for [star Michael C. Hall] to be willing to revisit the role.”

Let the Dark Passnger-ing begin. And I look forward to more Jennifer Carpenter and John Lithgow return as Debra Morgan and the Trinity Killer, respectively, although I wonder exactly what “justice” would mean for Dexter Morgan, other than him needing to die at some point. I suppose Levine wasn’t being literal with “justice,” though I’m curious to hear more.

Dexter: New Blood debuts (the first of 10 episodes) on November 7.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

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The VMAs Add Doja Cat, Chloe Bailey, And Shawn Mendes To Their 2021 Performance Lineup

Last week, MTV unveiled a handful of the artists who will be performing at their 2021 ceremony, and the list included Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde, Machine Gun Kelly, and Camila Cabello. Those roster would certainly be enough, but the VMAs tend to go bigger than that, so there were surely more artists to be added. Indeed, more have been: MTV unveiled a handful of new performers, and they are Doja Cat, Chloe Bailey, Shawn Mendes, and Twenty One Pilots.

This is a big one for Bailey (of Chloe x Halle), since it going to be her solo debut. She’ll be performing her single “Have Mercy” from her upcoming solo album. Meanwhile, Mendes is set to perform his recent single “Summer Of Love,” and Twenty One Pilots will perform “Saturday,” It’s not clear what song(s) Doja will perform yet, but what we do know is that she’s up for five awards this year.

The nominees for this year’s show (which is set for September 12, by the way) are led by Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion, who have seven and six nominations this year, respectively.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Bill Gates explains the ‘safest’ age to give a kid a cellphone

This article originally appeared on 05.01.17

Bill Gates sure is strict on how his children use the very technology he helped bring to the masses.

In a recent interview with the Mirror, the tech mogul said his children were not allowed to own their own cellphone until the age of 14. “We often set a time after which there is no screen time, and in their case that helps them get to sleep at a reasonable hour,” he said. Gates added that the children are not allowed to have cellphones at the table, but are allowed to use them for homework or studying.


The Gates children, now 20, 17 and 14, are all above the minimum age requirement to own a phone, but they are still banned from having any Apple products in the house—thanks to Gates’ longtime rivalry with Apple founder Steve Jobs.

While the parenting choice may seem harsh, the Gates may be onto something with delaying childhood smartphone ownership. According to the 2016 “Kids & Tech: The Evolution of Today’s Digital Natives report, the average age that a child gets their first smartphone is now 10.3 years.

“I think that age is going to trend even younger, because parents are getting tired of handing their smartphones to their kids,” Stacy DeBroff, chief executive of Influence Central, told The New York Times.

James P. Steyer, chief executive of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that reviews content and products for families, additionally told the Times that he too has one strict rule for his children when it comes to cellphones: They get one when they start high school and only when they’ve proven they have restraint. “No two kids are the same, and there’s no magic number,” he said. “A kid’s age is not as important as his or her own responsibility or maturity level.”

PBS Parents also provided a list of questions parents should answer before giving their child their first phone. Check out the entire list below:

  • How independent are your kids?
  • Do your children “need” to be in touch for safety reasons—or social ones?
  • How responsible are they?
  • Can they get behind the concept of limits for minutes talked and apps downloaded?
  • Can they be trusted not to text during class, disturb others with their conversations, and to use the text, photo, and video functions responsibly (and not to embarrass or harass others)?
  • Do they really need a smartphone that is also their music device, a portable movie and game player, and portal to the internet?
  • Do they need something that gives their location information to their friends—and maybe some strangers, too—as some of the new apps allow?
  • And do you want to add all the expenses of new data plans? (Try keeping your temper when they announce that their new smartphone got dropped in the toilet…)