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The Many Saints of Newark takes place decades before the events of The Sopranos. But Edie Falco, who played Carmela Soprano on the Emmy-winning HBO series, shot something for the film — that ended up being cut. Falco’s scene was originally going to kick off Saints, but “it wound up not being in the final movie but it was a great excuse to see her again,” director Alan Taylor told NME. “She’s so ridiculously talented and she’s also one of these people who – and it seems to frequently be women – that manage to be perfect actors and also the sanest people you’ve ever met in your life.”

Taylor (who also directed episodes of Game of Thrones and Mad Men) said there was “some confusion as to how best launch the movie,” so they “tried a few things and that was one of them. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll see that we begin it in a very different way now but that wasn’t always the idea.” I haven’t seen The Many Saints of Newark, but rumor has it that it’s two hours of Meadow trying to parallel park her dang car. It’s the most stressful time at the theater (or HBO Max) since Uncut Gems.

It’s worth noting that Taylor says that Falco “dressed up as Carmela,” not that she actually played Carmela. Maybe she was wearing Carmela’s iconic clothes but in her mind, she was Nurse Jackie? I can understand why that would get cut. It’s confusing.

The Many Saints of Newark hits theaters and HBO Max on October 1.

(Via NME)

Donald Trump continues to issue press releases in relative obscurity about basically anything that comes to his mind these days, but those around his orbit continue to find trouble as a bevy of investigations into his organization and activities swirl. The latest appears to have embroiled a bodyguard after a cache of evidence was found in a basement.

While Trump has avoided any charges, a high-level executive at his company faced indictment for tax fraud earlier this year. And in court on Monday, chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg’s attorney said more charges may be coming after evidence was uncovered while investigating a related potential defendant.

As the Daily Beast reported on Monday, an investigation into a “co-conspirator” in the case drew increased scrutiny of others in the organization.

“We have strong reason to believe there could be other indictments coming,” Weisselberg’s lawyer, Bryan C. Skarlatos, said in Manhattan criminal court on Monday.

The speculation is that it’s Matthew Calamari, a former Trump bodyguard who somehow rose to become the organization’s chief operating officer, is the large man about to be in hot water.

It’s unclear who that co-conspirator might be, but according to two sources close to the investigation, prosecutors have been more closely scrutinizing Matthew Calamari, a Trump bodyguard who rose through the ranks to become the company’s chief operating officer. Others have theorized that it might be Jeff McConney, the company comptroller who has long served as Weisselberg’s deputy—and who has already testified before the grand jury.

As is often the case with these situations, it may never be Trump himself who gets pulled into this mess. But the cast of characters involved in what appear to be some extremely iffy shenanigans here are pretty long. And they sure do have, uh, some interesting names.

[via The Daily Beast]

Josh Klinghoffer may not be a household name among casual music fans, but he’s played a role in two of the biggest rock bands of the past few decades. For ten years, he was the guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers before amicably being relieved of his duties with the band in 2019. Now, he’s rebounded with another all-time great group: Pearl Jam.

As Consequence notes, Pearl Jam performed at Asbury Park, New Jersey’s Sea.Hear.Now Festival on Saturday, and Klinghoffer was on stage for the whole set, on guitar, percussion, and backing vocals. A representative for the band confirmed that Klinghoffer has been added as a touring musician for the band.

Klinghoffer previously spoke about his dismissal from the band, saying of the moment when his then-bandmates broke the news to him, “I turned up last and they were all sitting in the backyard and Flea seemed somber when I got to the door, and he just got right to it and said, ‘We decided to ask John to rejoin,’ and I just sat there quietly for a second and said, ‘I’m not surprised. I wish I could’ve done something that would’ve made this an impossibility. But I’m really happy for you guys.’ I’m happy for John. I wanted to leave the feelings that I had in that moment untouched, which were just the love for those guys. I love those guys deeply. I never saw myself as deserving to be there over John.”

Fresh off of Ted Lasso damn near sweeping the Emmys, Hulu has unveiled Jason Sudeikis‘ newest TV role: The ghost advisor to an assassin primate in Marvel’s Hit-Monkey. (Think Obi-Wan Kenobi, but with more tattoos, and Luke Skywalker is a Japanese snow monkey with a gun.) The show was announced years ago when Hulu was shaping up to be the home for Marvel animated series before Disney+ became a major player. However, at least two of the four shows announced by Hulu were shelved as M.O.D.O.K. became the only project to see the light of day until now.

Thanks to a new trailer, Marvel fans can get a first look at Hit-Monkey, which also stars Olivia Munn and George Takei in the animated series that will arrive later this fall.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Monkey’s peaceful existence in the Japanese alps is shattered by the tragic loss of his tribe—setting him on a course of revenge and violence in the very world of humans that are responsible for his plight. He’s a killer of killers with a bit of a rage problem. Throughout the series, he must learn to navigate the struggle between his inherently sweet nature and the evil acts he must commit. It’s through his complicated friendship with the Ghost of Bryce (a former assassin and now, Monkey’s unwanted conscience), that will determine whether Monkey will be consumed by his rage or channel it for good. This is the story of Hit-Monkey.

Hit-Monkey starts streaming on November 17 on Hulu.

(Via Hulu)

If you’ve spent any time in cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, or Portland, you might be familiar with the restaurant chain Dave’s Hot Chicken. Well, Drake‘s a certified fan, because the Certified Lover Boy rapper announced on Monday that he’s taking on a minority stake in the chicken chain. “I tried the food and it was amazing,” the rapper said in a statement. “After meeting the founders and hearing their story, I jumped at the opportunity to invest.”

“Started from the bottom now we’re here. welcome to the Dave’s Hot chicken family @champagnepapi @futuretheprince,” Dave’s wrote on Instagram. “WHERE DO YOU WANT US TO OPEN A STORE NEXT.” Wow, I suddenly need to go grab some lunch. I don’t care if it’s not even 11 a.m.

Anyway, in other Drake news, Certified Lover Boy posted a huge debut last week. After delays that stretched out over eight months, the rapper released the album, which came with a stacked lineup of features: Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, Kid Cudi, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla Sign, and more all appeared on the project. It wound up giving Drake his tenth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, making him one of only eight artists to do so. Now, for its second week on the chart, Certified Lover Boy maintains its position at the top.

Certified Lover Boy is out now via OVO Sound/Republic. Get it here.

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

Last Week Tonight supposedly decided to cool the Adam Driver obsession that inserted itself into otherwise bleak COVID updates, in which John Oliver declared that “Adam Driver fever” is the only infectious disease that should exist. In addition, the show declared Driver to be a “f*ckable redwood,” “brooding mountain,” and “big unwashed buffalo,” who Oliver begged, “Sneeze in my McFlurry, you pensive bison. Ravage my lungs, you relentless hillock.” This culminated (again supposedly) with Driver appearing on 2020’s last episode to call things out. Driver’s demeanor appeared to be stern, though one would imagine that (to some degree) that he’s enjoying the joke. Maybe?

Well, the obsession continued when the show recently responded to Driver’s new Burberry ad, in which he shirtlessly frolics in the ocean and turns into a centaur, and at Sunday night’s Emmys, the show’s writing staff dedicated their honor to Driver: “He knows what he did, and we know what we’d like him to do.”

Also, Deadline caught up with Oliver backstage (after the show not only picked up that writing award but also their sixth consecutive Variety Talk Series Emmy). Via Deadline, Oliver answered a question of whether Driver appeared in the episode submitted for Emmy voting consideration, and here’s how the host responded:

“I mean, if he wasn’t, most of last year, even if we didn’t mention his name, his presence was felt throughout all our scripts. So, I don’t know if he was, we noticed Adam Driver last year. I don’t know if you noticed us noticing him. We had said we wouldn’t do the joke again — but if he’s mad about it, that’s what we are really looking for.”

When further asked whether Oliver had helped write jokes while at home in his underwear, he got downright naughty. “It’s not just writing the show,” he declared. “You don’t see me below the waist for a reason. So, yeah, I’ve been naked from the waist down for the last 18 months.” Hang on, was Oliver pantsless during the below moment? Never mind, I don’t need the answer to that question.

(Via Deadline)

Despite original series like The Crown and The Queen’s Gambit raking in 11 wins each, Netflix‘s global TV chief would have liked to see more diverse Emmy winners after every major acting award was awarded to white actors. While talking to reporters following Sunday night’s award ceremony, Bela Bajaria opened up about the bittersweet feeling of sweeping the Emmys, but not having any of the streaming giant’s more diverse shows walk away with a win. Via The Wrap:

“We did put a lot of support behind diverse shows like ‘Bridgerton,’ we also put a lot of support behind ‘Never Have I Ever,’ which is very near and dear to me, and I wish we would have seen that recognized,” Bajaria told reporters on Monday morning. “Ultimately, the voters decide what wins, but I do think it was really great to see such an amazing sort of — if you look at all the nominees — like a really great diverse group of nominees.”

Despite Bridgerton and Never Have I Ever going home without an Emmy win, Bajaria made it a point to note that the streaming platform will continue to push for more diverse stories regardless of award show recognition.

“The biggest impact is really continuing to support with investment into the storytelling and what shows get made,” Bajaria said. “To me, that is going to be the biggest by far impact.”

(Via The Wrap)

On Saturday, Eric Clapton performed at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, playing classics like “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight” during his 14-song set. Nothing about that seems particularly notable, but the show actually did raise some eyebrows given Clapton’s recent history.

As the venue notes on its website, in order to gain admittance, “all ticketholders age 12 and above, staff, vendors and participants must provide evidence of 1) having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine that has received full approval or emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization or 2) evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to entering the event.”

The fact that Clapton performed a show in this environment goes against what he previously said. On July 19, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that vaccine passes would be required in order to enter venues. In response to that, Clapton shared a statement that read, “Following the PM’s announcement on Monday the 19th of July 2021 I feel honor-bound to make an announcement of my own. I wish to say that I will not perform on any stage where there is a discriminated audience present. Unless there is provision made for all people to attend, I reserve the right to cancel the show.”

Training camp’s across the league are set to open next week, but in Philadelphia, that won’t mean everyone will be in town as Ben Simmons is still planning on not reporting to 76ers camp.

Per Marc Stein, the “expectation” is that Simmons will not report to camp when it opens next week. He also reports that the 76ers still plan on trying to get Simmons there, despite the star’s desire to be traded.

This tracks with what was reported roughly three weeks ago that the 25-year-old Simmons had requested a trade away from Philadelphia and told the team he would not come to camp. It would seem that Simmons and his camp’s stance hasn’t changed as the league’s most pressing personnel storyline continues to unfold. What’s still unclear is if this will press Daryl Morey’s hand and perhaps make him make a trade before the season starts, which it would seem would require him to drop his asking price for the 3-time All-Star. It’s also unclear how long Simmons would be willing to hold out. He’ll be fined for every day he misses and won’t receive game checks if he’s still holding out when the season starts.

From the outside, this feels like a situation where both sides are trying to make the other blink first. Simmons wants out and has certain teams he’d prefer to go to. The 76ers clearly have interest in dealing Simmons, but they don’t seem in a rush to do a deal if it’s not going to get them the type of return they feel is necessary to support Joel Embiid — or at least bring in the assets that could be used in the future to land the type of second star to pair with the big man. We’ll find out soon which side blinks first.

The saga of The Wrens’ follow-up to their beloved 2003 album The Meadowlands has been just that: a saga. Summarized by Uproxx’s Steven Hyden, here’s the breakdown: The New Jersey indie figureheads formed in the late ’80s, put out two critically beloved albums in the ’90s (1994’s Silver and 1996’s Secaucus), followed that up with 2003’s The Meadowlands, and then got to work putting out a fourth album… which never arrived.

No one ever quit The Wrens, though — technically, they’re still together. That follow-up has just been in the works for about 18 years. “[The follow-up is] all done and has been done for a while, so plans are afoot, I guess. Or something,” guitarist/vocalist Charles Bissell told Uproxx.

Anyway, The New York Times is now reporting that some new Wrens tracks are imminent, just not exactly the way fans have been anticipating. Band member Kevin Whelan has taken the five songs he wrote for the band’s The Meadowlands follow-up, remixed them, added five new ones, and is putting them out as Observatory on December 10 under the name Aeon Station, which “sounds like a band,” he said. Kevin’s brother and fellow Wren Greg, as well as drummer Jerry MacDonald, have also contributed to the album, but Bissell did not. According to the Times, the two haven’t spoken since Whelan told Bissell about Aeon Station.

“Charles wanted to feel more understood, more heard about what he contributed,” Whelan said. “I was never against that, but when we started talking about how to do it, it got very drawn out and complicated.”

Read the interview in full here. Look for Observatory‘s arrival on 12/10.