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Tawny Kitaen — actress, television host, and heavy metal music video staple — has passed away, reports Deadline. She was 59. No cause of death has currently been given.

Kitaen was a major icon of the 1980s. She began as a model and segued into the music scene, first appearing on the covers of the first EP and the debut album by heavy metal band Ratt. Later she appeared in four videos for the band Whitesnake, including their signature tune “Here I Go Again,” in which she’s seen doing all manner of things with and to a car.

She was able to pivot into movies as well. She’ll forever be known as Tom Hanks’ fiancée (and later wife) in the 1983 comedy Bachelor Party, back before her co-star rebranded as his generation’s James Stewart. She also appeared in the horror hit Witchboard as well as the European adventure romp The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak — an Indiana Jones knockoff that distinguishes itself by including lots of bondage and S&M.

The ‘90s saw a slightly cleaner Kitaen. She co-hosted America’s Funniest People with Dave Coulier — an America’s Funniest Videos off-shoot in which people sent in videos that were intentionally, accidentally, funny. (Or so they hoped.) She appeared on an early episode of Seinfeld, Married…with Children, and various Hercules shows. In the aughts she popped up on a season of the reality show The Surreal Life.

When news of her premature passing broke, people were quick to honor her memorable work in the ‘80s metal scene.

And others remembered her for her work opposite Tom Hanks.

So honor the passing of Tawny Kitaen by watching some of her finest work, in the classic video for Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.”

(Via Deadline)

Figuring out what to do for a mom on Mother’s Day can be a tricky thing. There’s the standard flowers or candy, of course, and taking her out to a nice brunch is a fairly universal winner. But what do moms really want?

Speaking from experience—my kids range from age 12 to 20—a lot depends on the stage of motherhood. What I wanted when my kids were little is different than what I want now, and I’m sure when my kids are grown and gone I’ll want something different again.

We asked our readers to share what they want for Mother’s Day, and while the answers were varied, there were some common themes that emerged.

Moms of young kids want a break.

When your kids are little, motherhood is relentless. Precious and adorable, yes. Wonderful and rewarding, absolutely. But it’s a LOT. And it’s a lot all the fricking time.

Most moms I know would love the gift of alone time, either away at a hotel or Airbnb or in their own home with no one else around. Time alone is a priceless commodity at this stage, especially if it comes with someone else taking care of cleaning, making sure the kids are fed and safe and occupied, doing the laundry, etc.

This is especially true after more than a year of pandemic living, where we moms have spent more time than usual at home with our offspring. While in some ways that’s been great, again, it’s a lot.

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Reader Heather W. wrote that she wanted “A night at a hotel by myself (Love my kids but after this year, everyone home plus having a baby I could use a bit of a break).” Tons of other readers concurred.

Some moms might not want or need time alone, but getting a break from the day-to-day mundane tasks of childrearing and/or housekeeping is always welcome. That’s why reader Emma K. wrote that she wanted a day off: “A day where I don’t have to cook or clean or think for anyone else. A day where these things still get done and not just left for the following day for me to take care of.”

Tip for this stage: Clean the house, give her a short-and-sweet “Happy Mother’s Day!” and then either take the kids away for a night or send her away for a night. If a night isn’t possible, a big chunk of the day will suffice. Anything that will give her stress-free, guilt-free time to herself in a clean space.

Moms of tween and teens want to be appreciated.

As kids get older, the relentlessness of motherhood becomes less physical and more emotional. While moms of wee ones are physically tired, moms of middles are often emotionally drained. Older kids and teens can be a lot of fun, but they can also be oblivious to how much their mother does for them. Moms in the middle years really want to know their family sees and appreciates their years of ongoing dedication and sacrifice.

While a scrawled-out card from a little kid is super sweet, a heartfelt message from an older child is truly touching. The tween and teen years can be contentious and connections can feel tenuous as kids start preparing to leave the nest, so letting moms know that they are loved, seen, and treasured at this stage can go a long way.

Doing things around the house without being asked goes a long way too. That’s huge at this stage.

Tip for this stage: Encourage older kids to communicate their love and gratitude directly to their mothers. Many don’t realize how much their mom might appreciate a simple expression of appreciation. Also have them look for thing they can take off their mom’s plate to help her relax.

Moms of adult children want family bonding time.

Once kids have flown the coop, what moms really want is time as a family again. Yes, it’s ironic that moms want to get away when their kids are young and want nothing but togetherness when kids are older, but such is the nature of the beast. It’s not that moms of younger kids don’t love to have family time, it’s that for many moms “family time” is most of the time. It may not always be as quality or relaxed as we want it to be, but it’s still family time.

Once kids are gone, moms might relish the freedom and rejuvenation of getting plenty of alone time, and at the same time yearn for the fun family times that are now fewer and farther between. Flowers are fine, cards are nice, but for empty nest moms, a fun family outing or get-together at home is a gift.

Reader Lori C. summed it up: “My two grown boys are spending the afternoon with me. I can’t wait just to be with them and talk.”

And again, after the past year, this yearning is all the more relevant. As Christina S. wrote, “I haven’t been able to hug my adult children in over a year because of COVID. I just want a hug.”

Several moms said they wanted their family to get vaccinated for this very reason.

Tip for this stage: Coordinate a family gathering for moms of adult kids, in person if it can be done safely or virtually if that’s a better option.

Moms want their own moms back.

Mother’s Day isn’t all sunshine and puppies; it’s a hard day for a lot of people for lots of reasons.

A number of commenters said that what they really wish they could have for Mother’s Day is time with their own moms who are no longer with them—a heartbreaking but real sentiment. Equally as moving are the comments from moms who don’t have good relationships with their own mothers and wish they did.

These folks provide a needed reminder to treasure the relationships we have with our moms if we have them, while we have them.

Tip: Acknowledge the loss and grief some people might be feeling on Mother’s Day. A special framed photo of a mom who has passed on might be appropriate. For others, a simple, “Thinking of you today, I know it’s hard,” message may be appreciated.

Whether a mom in your life wants a day away from family or a day filled with family, whether she wants a special creation from her kids or a day at a spa (or both), Mother’s Day is her day. Ask her what an ideal day would look like to her, and then do what you can to make something like it happen for her.

Wishing all the moms out there a Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you get what you want and need, whatever that means for you.

A very easy way to get people riled up is to put out any sort of ranking of basketball players, which will invariably include one or two things that get social media buzzing. Every now and then, a player will opine on said ranking — ex: Jamal Murray recently calling out something Nick Wright said about where Nikola Jokic would rank among MVP winners — and on incredibly rare occasions, we get one of the dudes involved in said ranking voicing their discontent.

That last thing happened recently when Shaquille O’Neal was made aware of a tiered ranking of players who suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers based on the impact they had with the team. He noticed that he was one step below the top tier — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson — and placed on par with LeBron James and Jerry West, which he did not particularly appreciate.

“I do not agree, hell no,” Shaq wrote.

Shaq is very much someone who has strong reactions whenever his greatness as a player is questioned, so it probably isn’t a big surprise that he wasn’t happy when he saw this. Still, he has a point that if you’re going by impact as a Laker, putting him anywhere other than at the very top is incorrect.

Over the last few years, LaKeith Stanfield has emerged as one of the best, most exciting actors of his generation. But last week brought some upsetting news: On Wednesday he appeared as a moderator on a Clubhouse discussion about Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan that turned virulently anti-Semitic. On Saturday the actor issued an apology in which he explained what happened and condemned what was said.

Clubhouse, an invitation-only audio app that allows free-spirited discussion, has been repeatedly accused of giving a platform to all manner of bigotry since its launch last year. But Wednesday’s chat went particularly awry, with some trying to defend Farrakhan’s notorious comparison of Jewish people to termites. Some were horrified to learn that the moderator was no less than the acclaimed actor.

Multiple attendees told The Daily Beast that Stanfield never personally said anything anti-Semitic or bigoted. He was, however, accused of shrugging off what was being said when people reached out to him to stop it. One person said he told her something to the effect that it was “probably an emotional kind of room for you,” that “tensions are running high, and I understand this is a very heated room.”

But four days later he took a firmer stance on what happened.

“Yesterday I entered an online chat room on Clubhouse about the teachings of [Louis Farrakhan. When the room’s participants noticed me, I was quickly made a moderator of this room,” Stanfield wrote. He continued:

“At some point during the dialogue the discussion took a very negative turn when several users made abhorrent anti-Semitic statements and at that point, I should have either shut down the discussion or removed myself from it entirely. I condemn hate speech and discriminatory views of every kind. I unconditionally apologize for what went on in that chat room, and for allowing my presence there to give a platform to hate speech. I am not an anti-Semite nor do I condone any of the beliefs discussed in that chat room.”

Stanfield was recently Oscar-nominated for Judas and the Black Messiah. He’ll be seen on Atlanta when that returns, at an unspecified date.

(Via EW)

Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers picked up their biggest win of the season on Friday night. The team knocked off the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers, 106-101, which simultaneously meant that the Lakers were unable to jump them for the 6-seed in the Western Conference. L.A. is now in the play-in tournament, and to make matters worse, Portland won the season series, giving them the tiebreaker should the Lakers make up the gap.

Lillard, as is oftentimes the case when the Blazers win big games, had himself a nice night, scoring 38 points on 12-f0r-18 shooting from the field and knocking down five of his nine attempts from three. He also pitched in seven assists, four rebounds, two steals, and one special pair of sneakers.

In a post on his Instagram account, Lillard explained that the special kicks he wore during the game — the Dame 7 EXTPLY — were a collaboration between adidas, Reebok, and Shaq, as they paid tribute to the legendary Reebok Shaqnosis design.

“If we are talking about my journey in music,” Lillard wrote in the caption, “it’s only right to pay tribute to the first NBA player to do it big in music. Salute!”

There is no word on whether adidas and/or Reebok plan on releasing these to the general public, but it’s safe to say that Lillard will probably wear them a few more times as the Blazers look to go on a run this season.

Later this month, Chance The Rapper will celebrate the five year anniversary of his third mixtape, Coloring Book. The full-length effort arrived three years after his 2013 breakout project, Acid Rap. In order to celebrate its fifth anniversary, Chance The Rapper announced that his upcoming movie, Magnificent Coloring Book, will debut exclusively in AMC Theatres later this summer. He shared a trailer for the film that captured the many performances Chance did during his tour for the album.

Chance shared his excitement for the upcoming film in a post on Twitter. “I’m independently distributing a film to theatres and I’m extreeemely proud of myself,” he wrote. “Thank you @AMCTheatres and thank you to everyone who made this concert, this film and this partnership possible. WE GOING TO THE MOVIESSS.” While Magnificent Coloring Book will stand to be Chance’s big-screen debut, it also marks the first time a recording artist has independently distributed a film through the movie theater company.

”As the first individual music artist to distribute a concert film at AMC, Chance continues to break new ground in entertainment, and we are thrilled to bring this incredible event to the big screen at AMC communities around the country,” Nikkole Denson-Randolph, SVP, Content Strategy & Inclusive Programming at AMC Theatres, wrote in a statement, according to Rolling Stone. “Chance’s love of not only film, but the communal magic of the cinemas and the shared experience of seeing a film together makes this collaboration even more special.”

Magnificent Coloring Book has been confirmed for a summer release, but a specific premiere date has not yet been shared.

You can watch the trailer for Magnificent Coloring Book in the video above.

Back in December it was revealed that Hulu had greenlit Pam and Tommy, a series about noted raucous power couple Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. But there was some trepidation about who they cast: nice British actress Lily James and nice-seeming MCU stalwart Sebastian Stan. Were they too clean-cut to play one of the ’90s wildest pairs? Could you buy the Winter Soldier as the former Mötley Crüe co-founder? Now we know they at least look the part.

As per Variety, the first images of the Cinderella actress and the I, Tonya guy are out, and frankly? Not bad! Granted, it’s just two stills, one with James posing for the camera, her hand furtively trying to block the lens, the other with Stan standing shirtless and aggressively tatted-up, with James playfully biting his left nipple. And the resemblance is uncanny.

Whether they can play the parts remains to be seen, but hey: actors are actors. It does conform to a dubious trend wherein actors are expected to look as much like the famous people they’re playing as possible. That can slightly backfire; people were rightfully unnerved when the first images emerged of Charlize Theron in Bombshell, in which she looked so much like Fox News monster Megyn Kelly that they might as well have been looking at a picture of Megyn Kelly. These images of James and Stan as Pam and Tommy aren’t creepy like that. In fact, they’re pretty impressive.

(Via Variety)

Dave Bautista’s Drax has long been one of the most endearing of the MCU characters — a hulk with a heart of gold and a delightfully literal sense of the world. But you might not see him for much longer. The wrestler-turned-actor recently revealed that the delayed but forthcoming third Guardians of the Galaxy romp might — or might not! — be his last ride with the character.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Bautista discussed the production headaches that have befallen the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly the wing in which he resides. First there was some online controversy with writer-director James Gunn, which saw him briefly thrown off the series. By the time he came back he’d also wound up with another comic book movie gig: helming the semi-sequel The Suicide Squad. Then there was the pandemic, which all but shuttered the industry. Guardians Vol. 3 is slated for two years from now, on May 23, 2023, but Bautista says things are still up in the air.

“I don’t know what the script of the third film is, to be honest with you,” Bautista told the publication. “There was a script years ago that obviously is going to have to change because the whole direction of the Marvel universe has changed.”

He’s so unsure of what’s in store that he can’t say with any certainty that he’ll be playing Drax afterwards:

“There were talks for a while about a Drax and Mantis film … It was really because it was James Gunn’s idea. He really wanted to do a Drax and Mantis film. He laid it out to me. I thought it was such a brilliant idea, but I haven’t heard any follow-up from the studio. I don’t think they’re very interested, or it doesn’t fit into the way they have things mapped out. But other than that, no. I mean, as far as my obligations, I’ve got Guardians 3, and that’s probably going to be the end of Drax.”

Again, nothing is certain, especially not now, but if you think he could always do some TV series, as is the style now, think again: He recently told JoBlo that there’s “not a chance in hell” he’d do one of those Marvel shows. So enjoy him while he lasts.

Since the last four months, Ted Cruz has pretended as though he didn’t help foment a failed MAGA insurrection. Instead of retiring in disgrace, he’s done things like abandon his constituents during a crisis. And he’s picked Twitter fights. They always blow up in his face, be it AOC or the star of his favorite movie, who hates his guts. A couple weeks ago he tried to come for Trevor Noah and because the only thing he’s good at is avoiding responsibility for his actions, he wound getting repeatedly owned.

Cruz didn’t learn his lesson, and so on Friday he tried again. The Daily Show recently did a segment about Twitter toying with the idea of flagging posts considered “mean.” It wouldn’t ban them. It would simply flag them, asking the user to verify if they indeed want to post something untoward. Buried towards the beginning of the segment was a couldn’t-resist Cruz joke. When he caught wind of this, he tried to come for Noah.

“Trevor Noah is turning into Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction,” Cruz tweeted, along with their rabbit emojis — a nod to the grim fate that meets Michael Douglas’ daughter’s favorite pet. It was a mediocre jab at best, and Noah responded with an old stand-by.

“Ted, what’s the best way to end this feud: by insulting your wife or your dad?” Noah wrote back.

Cruz is regularly dragged for throwing his support behind Trump, a man who’s called his wife ugly and claimed his dad assassinated JFK. Although Cruz stayed anti-Trump for a while, he eventually caved, ensuring that any time he tries to come for anyone, there’s always a good way to shut him up. Indeed, Cruz never tried to clap back.

The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Lakers on Friday night, 106-101, to take the season tie-breaker over Los Angeles, move ever closer to a guaranteed top-six seed, and avoid the Western Conference play-in game.

Damian Lillard was excellent as usual, with 38 points and seven assists, while Anthony Davis gave his all with 36 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

The Lakers moved to 5-11 this season with Andre Drummond, who was brought in to bolster the team’s chances while Davis and LeBron James recovered from injury. That hasn’t happened. Drummond was 2-4 from the field against Portland and fouled out in just 22 minutes.

Without James, Los Angeles just didn’t have enough to keep up with Portland’s offense in the biggest moments.

With the win, Portland took the season series from the Lakers and most importantly secured a magic number of four for a top-six seed. This means that once the total number of Trail Blazers wins and Lakers losses gets to four, Portland gets a top-six seed. With only five games remaining on the Lakers’ schedule and the need to now finish a full game over Portland to finish sixth, it’s looking more and more like Davis, James and Co. will be fighting for their lives in the play-in game.

The next two games for the Lakers don’t let up, as they host Phoenix on Sunday and the Knicks on Tuesday. As for Portland, it’s San Antonio and Houston next, but matchups at Utah, at Phoenix and home against the Nuggets loom to close the season.