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Filmmakers sure love to make Ted Bundy movies, don’t they, folks? Since his capture in 1975, there have been at least seven movies about the infamous serial killer. The latest wasn’t that long ago: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, starring no less than Zac Efron, only came out two years back. So when yet another film starring a real looker was announced on Wednesday, people had finally had enough.

As per Screen Daily, the latest Bundy movie is called American Boogeyman, and for what it’s worth it seems like it will focus on the law enforcement officers who eventually nicked him. But it was the actor hired to play Bundy that captured most of the attention: Chad Michael Murray, the One Tree Hill vet, clearly attempting to shed his good lookin’ guy image.

This isn’t a major studio production; the filmmaker behind it was last seen with The Haunting of Sharon Tate, starring Hilary Duff and which was released around the same time as the far bigger/more acclaimed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. But people we still sick of seeing Ted Bundy get movies.

For one thing, it keeps his name alive, which almost likely would have pleased him.

Others dwelled on the casting of Murray, yet another stud. But, people pointed out, Bundy wasn’t actually that attractive. Or that charming.

Some called for more female serial killer movies, for a change. Monster was almost 20 years ago!

Or other serial killers in general. Jeffrey Dahmer was awfully interesting, for one.

Or maybe make movies about Bundy’s victims.

There were assorted jokes.

And there were people pointing out Bundy was lacking in one significant area (or, really, several, but this one, too).

In any case, you can judge for yourself when American Boogeyman is released on August 16.

(Via Screen Daily)

Wizards guard Russell Westbrook was rightfully furious after a fan threw popcorn on him as he left Wizards-76ers Game 2 on Monday with an ankle injury. In the moment, he was rightly angry about the incident. That continued after the game.

As noted by The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Westbrook said “I wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head, because you know what happens…In these arenas, you gotta start protecting the players. We’ll see what the NBA does.” He added that “sh*t is out of hand” in regards to fan interactions with players.

You can see his full comments here.

When Wizards coach Scott Brooks was asked about the popcorn incident, he said he didn’t know about it, but that if it happened, the person responsible should be banned. In a statement attributed to Valerie Camillo, president of business operations for Wells Fargo Center, the action was called “classless” and confirmed that the fan had been ejected from the game.

Westbrook got support from his fellow players on Twitter as well, most notably LeBron James.

Westbrook is right here. It’s a step way too far for fans to be throwing food or anything else at players — especially when said player is leaving the game due to an injury. Westbrook also has a history with fans taking things a step too far, most notably in Utah when a fan used racist language towards Westbrook and also four years ago when a fan flipped him double birds and was ejected. It’s pretty easy to understand why Westbrook would be at his wits end with fans at games coming at him beyond the normal boos and jeers.

Midway through the third quarter of Game 2, it looked for all the world like the Hawks were about to runaway from the Knicks and go back home with a 2-0 series lead. Trae Young and the Hawks were lighting up the Knicks on offense and had stymied the New York offense, taking a 13-point lead into halftime (that at its highest was 57-42 in favor of Atlanta).

But after pushing their lead back up to 70-58 lead with six minutes to play, Atlanta saw New York go on a wild run 30-8 run to go up 88-78 in the mid fourth quarter — much of it coming with Young seated on the bench.

During that run, the Knicks caught fire from deep, with Reggie Bullock and Derrick Rose both hitting some huge threes to swing the game in their favor. Rose finished with a team-high 26 points in 39 minutes of play, as he didn’t leave the court in the second half as Tom Thibodeau finally made the move to get Elfrid Payton out of the rotation after another rough start.

Bullock chipped in 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep, as the Knicks flipped the script on the Hawks in the second half to suddenly become the team that couldn’t miss from deep.

Even Obi Toppin got into the mix during the Knicks second half run, throwing down a dunk to send the Garden into a frenzy.

However, once Young re-entered the game, the Hawks made their run to cut the New York lead to just one, as he once again began feasting in the pick-and-roll game as he has all series, piling up 30 points and seven assists in the game.

This time when the Hawks made a late run, the Knicks had an answer unlike in Game 1. Taj Gibson played a big role on both ends of the floor in New York’s comeback, posting a ridiculous, game-high +23 for the Knicks, including this dunk in traffic that gave him six points on the night to go with seven boards, three steals, and a block.

The icing on the win came from Julius Randle, who despite a brutal start to the game (and, including Game 1, the series), hit the Hawks with a slow Euro to get to the cup and extend New York’s lead to nine with just over a minute to play.

The series now shifts to Atlanta tied at 1-1 which is very important for the Knicks, as Atlanta has been sensational at home in the final few months of the season and will be tough to beat. With the way they played offensively in the first half, New York has to feel they stole one in Game 2, as the Hawks went ice cold at the wrong time (2-of-12 from three in the fourth quarter on some good looks). The Hawks will be kicking themselves for dropping a chance to take a stranglehold on the series, and the biggest adjustment for Atlanta going back home might just need to be Nate McMillan abandoning his beloved 5-man bench unit lineups. The bench for Atlanta got crushed in Game 2, and Trae Young might need to get his minutes extended from 35-36 to 40 for the Hawks to deal with the New York defense, which gave the bench fits but still hasn’t figured Young out.

Game 3 comes in two days on Friday, with both teams feeling they have a chance to take control.

When they cover mass shootings, Fox News tends to downplay them, perhaps out of fear that the public may turn on one of the main reasons they happen so often: our nation’s plentiful and easily obtained number of guns. But on Wednesday they leaned hard into the latest tragedy, which one guest attempted — and not very well — to spin into a damning critique on…pandemic lockdowns and vaccinations.

That morning, a public transit worker in San Jose opened fire in a rail yard, killing eight others and then himself. The shooter was later identified as one Sam Cassidy, an employee of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), and though motives, as of this writing, remain unknown, his ex-wife told a CNN affiliate that he was known to speak angrily about his co-workers and that he resented his work.

Hours after the shooting, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner talked over the phone with retired NYPD officer Pat Brosnan, who had his own unique take on the shooting, and on shootings during the pandemic in general. For one thing, he didn’t blame the overabundance of firearms. He blamed what he saw as a lax handling of law enforcement.

“I think there would be more nuanced response in terms of opening a shooting – an active shooting – right next door to where there’s a load of armed professional shooters under law enforcement,” Brosnan told Faulkner. “But the rules have changed, you know? Crimes are no longer illegal. There’s no longer enforcement of lots of laws and there’s an empowerment of these active shooters.”

He then had a grim prediction, based on a questionable theory: that shootings decreased during the pandemic.

And you know, Harris, this is a time that I wish I was wrong with my prediction, which I mention to anybody who’d listen, that once Covid starts to lift, these cowardly shooters will come out exactly in tandem with the number of vaccinations. You can be sure they probably got vaccinated. They were just scared to come out. And they’re coming back, and you see the numbers don’t lie. The shootings are up dramatically – skyrocketing, actually – on active shootings throughout the United States as we’ve come through this pandemic. It’s really terrifying stuff.

There’s no hard evidence to support any of this, but maybe you don’t need evidence when you’re suggesting that mass shooters are just being “cowardly” because…they’re afraid of contracting a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease? And they wouldn’t have been cowards had they gone outside and shot a bunch of people and then themselves? The logic fogs one’s mind.

But then, Brosnan isn’t just any ordinary retired cop. He’s a retired cop who shot two Latino men in the back as they laid face-down on a floor, prompting a million dollar lawsuit, though he went unpunished and still collects pension.

He also apparently still goes on Fox News spreading nonsensical theories about gun violence.

(Via Mediaite)

After a scare in Game 1, the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers took full control of their first round series with the Washington Wizards in Game, dominating throughout on their way to a 120-95 win.

Early on, it was Ben Simmons who was the aggressor, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the first quarter, feasting inside on a Washington defense that was letting the Sixers get whatever they wanted. Joel Embiid also added 22 points, including this wild and-one basket that resulted in Embiid, well, let’s just say enjoying himself on the baseline in celebration.

The Sixers got contributions from just about everyone in the win, as Tobias Harris added 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting to follow up his monster performance in Game 1, while rookie Tyrese Maxey and Furkan Korkmaz combined for 23 off the bench. Defensively, the Sixers were terrific after some leaky moments in the opener, as their length on the perimeter really bothered the Wizards, led by Matisse Thybulle coming off the bench for five blocks.

On the other side, Bradley Beal tried to do his part in the first half to keep Washington connected, scoring 24 of his 33 points in the first two quarters, but he just didn’t get anything close to enough help to keep the Sixers from running away.

Russell Westbrook had another tough outing with 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting and left early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, which was followed by the unfortunate moment that will get talked about probably more than the game itself as a Sixers fan dumped popcorn on him as he left for the locker room. The series will now shift to Washington where the Wizards will hope some home cooking can get them back into this series, but it certainly seems based off of Game 2 that the Sixers have found their stride and look ready to put this series away as quickly as possible.

The Fast & Furious franchise has delivered action-packed thrillers for two decades now, and after a year of waiting, fans are about to get F9, its ninth installment. Just a week before the film hits theaters, a star-studded soundtrack is dropping. On Wednesday, the tracklist for the upcoming project was revealed.

The soundtrack offers 14 tracks from well-known acts that include ASAP Rocky, Jack Harlow, Pop Smoke, Lil Durk, Offset, Rico Nasty, RZA, Trippie Redd, Don Toliver, and Ty Dolla Sign. Skepta, Juicy J, Project Pat, Kevin Gates, and the late King Von also join the cast of talented artists.

As for the film itself, the cast includes familiar names like Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese, and Ludacris who will all resume their popular roles from the franchise’s past installments. And from the sound of it, the movie completely delivers on bringing yet more over-the-top ridiculousness to the multiplexes — even finally taking the franchise into space. While F9 arrives on June 25, fans can expect to get a first listen to the soundtrack a week earlier on June 17.

You can view the tracklist in the post above.

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

The return of fuller arenas during the NBA Playoffs has been a welcome sight, but the return of fans also brings the bad with the good. The playoff atmosphere has been fantastic to see as fans have made the arena’s feel more electric and brought back the tension and jubilation of playoff hoops, but it has also brought back the unfortunate things that can happen in fan-player interactions.

On Wednesday, we saw that front and center as Russell Westbrook left Game 2 in the fourth quarter of what had become a blowout with an apparent ankle injury.

As he was walking through the tunnel to the locker room, a Sixers fan dumped popcorn on the Wizards star guard. Westbrook was, understandably, furious and had to be held back by the trainers and staffers that had been taking him back for an injury evaluation.

It’s always crossing the line to throw something on a player, but particularly so given the circumstances. To pour popcorn on a guy walking back to the locker room with an injury is ridiculous, and the Sixers broadcast rightfully calls out the action as plain stupidity. The fan was quickly tossed for their actions, but it’s something that should never happen in the first place to an injured player going back to the locker room.

Last month, well-known producer Mike Dean and noted street artist Shepard Fairey joined forces for Obey 4:22, their first NFT auction. The collection featured open-ended digital collectibles created with help from Original Protocol, and it was inspired by the duo’s experiences during the pandemic, aiming to showcase how “art and music can be personal, immersive and connecting to serve all of humanity.” Now, just a month after the first Obey 4:22, Dean and Fairey are reuniting for a sequel.

The second round will commence on May 27th at 9pm PST and last for 48 hours, ending on May 29 at 9pm PST. In this edition, the top eight bidders will each be given digital items from the rare collection, which features physical art, two never-to-be-released tracks, and exclusive experiences provided by Dean.

Items from the collection will be dished out on a tiered basis. The highest bidder will receive a unique Platinum Edition Animated NFT Art and all 7 Gold and a Silver Tier NFT Art for a total of 8 NFTs. The package also includes a one-of-one, never-to-be-released song from Dean, one song collaboration in the studio with Dean, one studio hangout session with Dean, a one-of-one unique 24×24 physical album art created by Fairey, and multitrack stems for Dean’s entire ‘4:22’ album.

The second, third, and fourth-highest bidders will get a unique Gold Edition Animated NFT Art and all Silver Tier NFT Art, which amounts to four NFTs. They will also receive a studio hangout session with Dean, a unique 12×12 Physical Earth Force Art created by Fairey, and multitrack stems for Mike Dean’s track “Earth Force.”

Finally, the remaining bidders within the top eight will earn one unique Silver Edition NFT Art made by Fairey for the never-to-be released song, “To The Moon,” made by Dean.

For more information on the upcoming Obey 4:22 NFT, click here.

The Popeyes Fried Chicken Sandwich is currently the best chicken sandwich in the fast food universe. Period. But is there something better out there? And by “better” we don’t mean is it possible to make a chicken sandwich at home that rivals the GOAT. Our team tried that and Joshua Weissman built a whole career around answering that question. What we mean is: does a chicken sandwich exist for sale that tastes better than what Popeyes has to offer?

To find the answer, we’re comparing the current fast food fried chicken sandwich king, Popeyes, to two regional LA chicken sandwich classics — Howlin’ Rays, which serves up deliciously hot Nashville style chicken (along with crazy lines), and Richard Blais’s chicken concept, The Crack Shack. Will fast food beat the bespoke spots? Or will cheffed up sammies trump the simple Popeyes construction?

To find answers, we’ll be assigning three five-point scores to each sandwich, a score for flavor, a score for value, and a final score for spiciness — as all three of these are spicy chicken sandwiches. If spice isn’t your thing, disregard that final score and modify your order accordingly.

Taste 1 — Popeyes Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Price: $3.99

To search for the best chicken sandwich money can buy, we’ve got to start with the current GOAT, Popeyes. This sandwich is so good that it inspired around-the-block lines and a black market of sandwich sellers, which is insane and something no other nationwide fast food item can lay claim to. The chicken batter is probably some of the best in the fast food universe, it’s supremely crispy — providing an audible crunch that is as appetizing aurally as it is… orally — with a white pepper, garlic and onion powder-forward flavor on the outside that gives way to a juicy fillet of white meat chicken on top of a soft spongey bun with pickle chips. A tasty spicy mayo-based sauce pulls the whole thing together perfectly.

Now that we’ve said some good things about the sandwich, it’s time to get harsh. Popeyes Spicy Chicken sandwich is great but it leaves a lot to be desired when you’re comparing it to fast-casual restaurants. As good as it is, well we’re just going to go ahead and say it — it’s f*cking boring. The bun is overly buttered (like Popeyes biscuits) leaving your hands a greasy mess as soon as you pick it up, and while the chicken is good, that’s almost all thanks to the batter. I’ve ordered this thing without the spicy mayo and it’s incredibly bland. The pickle chips are a joke, they’re not particularly fresh and not nearly thick enough. The whole thing calls desperately for another ingredient.

An obvious way to improve the sandwich is with the inclusion of cheese, but that’s not really Popeyes’ thing, so an easy way to improve this great but flawed sandwich is to give the bread an overhaul (a potato bun would be nice) and add some type of slaw to add a burst of freshness.

Flavor: 2

Value: 5

Spiciness: 3

Total Score: 10

A delicious but ultimately flawed fast food chicken sandwich. This sandwich is good but once you start thinking about all the ways it can be better (when compared to more serious restaurants) it quickly starts to fall apart.

Find your nearest Popeyes here.

Howlin Rays — The Sando

Price: $12

Howlin’ Rays has, hands down, some of the best chicken I’ve ever had. But the establishment also has famously long lines that take on average an hour and a half to get through, so I wasn’t looking forward to reacquainting myself with this sandwich for this review, no matter how good it is. Luckily, the lines seem to be a thing of the past. Covid-19 safety policy means this sandwich is only available when delivered via Postmates. While that’s a little bittersweet — the journey to the sandwich and the friends you make along the way (yes I’m serious) is part of the Howlin’ Rays experience — I’m thankful for the streamlined approach.

The Sando features a boneless chicken breast available in six different spice levels, Country, Mild, Medium, Medium Plus, Hot, and Howlin. Howlin is so hot that it’s served with a pair of latex gloves. Personally, I think that makes it unenjoyable — I always go with Medium Plus, it’s hotter than it sounds. Howlin’ Rays approaches spice the right way, so if you think you have a high spice tolerance, prepare to be humbled.

The sandwich is served with a freshly prepared slaw (take note Popeyes), a Worcestershire, ketchup, and mayo blend they call comeback sauce (another improvement over Popeyes), thick pickle chips, and an unremarkable buttered bun. The bun is this sandwich’s only weak link, but the flavors here are all strong and well represented with each bite. You have the depth of the comeback sauce, the bitter bite of crisp pickles, and a deliciously juicy filet of chicken breast that explodes with the type of flavor Popeyes wishes it had. The batter is crunchy and well-seasoned with a blend of spices that linger on the palate, giving each bite an addictive quality.

At the end of the day, as good as this sandwich is, I’d rather have Howlin’ Ray’s Skinny Jimmy, which ditches the bun and puts the full focus on the chicken, the real star of the show.

Flavor: 4

Value: 2

Spiciness: 5

Total Score: 11

$12 dollars for a chicken sandwich is steep. But high price is a… small price to pay, as it’s bursting with flavors good enough to linger on your memory. Thinking about the Howlin Rays’ Sando will actually make your mouth water if you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating it, that’s something Popeyes isn’t capable of.

Find Howlin Rays here.

The Crack Shack — Firebird

Price: $13

The hilariously named Crack Shack is home to our favorite chicken sandwich of all time, the Firebird. The Firebird features a spicy fried Jidori chicken thigh (dark meat ftw), ranch sauce, crispy strings of fried onions, and thick pickle chips, served on a soft poppyseed and onion encrusted potato roll. If you’re not familiar with Jidori chicken, it’s basically the Kobe Beef of the chicken world, it’s so good and juicy and packed with flavor that you’ll be wondering if what you’re actually eating is chicken at all.

Everything about this sandwich works, the sauce coated chicken adds a nice level of spice that is cooled by the creamy ranch sauce, crisp pickles that bring that needed acidity with the crispy onions adding a nice mouthfeel and that extra bit of flavor — all making way for juicy chicken that practically melts in your mouth. The potato roll is easily the best bread roll of the three sandwiches and it’s this sandwich’s harmonious construction that earns it the number one spot in our book.

It’s so good in fact, it’s the only chicken sandwich that could get away with going sauceless. Yes, if ranch isn’t your thing, simply don’t order it, and this sandwich will still be one of the best you’ve ever had. Our only gripe is that it isn’t nearly as spicy as we want it to be. But this isn’t a ranking of the spiciest chicken sandwiches, it’s a ranking of the best tasting!

Flavor: 5

Value: 2

Spiciness: 4The Final Score: 11

Again, another expensive ass chicken sandwich, it actually makes us uncomfortable to spend more than $10 on a chicken sandwich, I get that the value is there, but it just feels wrong. This sandwich is mouthwateringly good, eating it might forever change the way you feel about Popeyes. It’s not the spiciest chicken sandwich out there, for that you’ll need to go to Howlin’ Rays, but if flavor is what it’s all about, you’d be hard-pressed to find a chicken sandwich that tastes better than this one.

Find the Crack Shack here.

The Final Verdict

Through this experiment, we learned that Popeyes is far from the best chicken sandwich when it comes to flavor. It’s the best fast food sandwich on flavor alone, sure, but Howlin’ Rays and the Crack Shack blow the Popeyes Sando out of the water. They both provide mouthwatering chicken that melts in the mouth and are accompanied by sauces and slaws that elevate the overall experience. So points-wise, although this ended in a draw between the LA chicken spots, we’re going to go ahead and say Crack Shack offers the best overall experience due to how the ingredients make it greater than the sum of its parts, something Howlin’ Rays just comes shy of, thanks to that bland bun.

Having said that, if you’re looking for the best and cheapest chicken sandwich money can buy, at just $3.99 Popeyes still holds the crown. You can buy three Popeyes chicken sandwiches for the price of one from the Crack Shack. Value doesn’t trump flavor in our opinion, but it’s definitely something to consider. As is the ubiquity of Popeyes, with 3,102 locations nationwide.

The Sex and the City revival set to start shooting this summer isn’t a complete set. It’s minus one: Kim Cattral’s Samantha Jones is the only main protagonist not returning, to the furor of many. But there was another big name missing: Mr. Big, Chris Noth’s obscenely wealthy, one-again-off-again beau to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw. But it looks like he finally RSVP’d, and at the last minute. Isn’t that so like him to do that?

As per Deadline, Noth — who when he started appearing on the show was already well-known as part of the OG cast of the OG Law and Order, whose second-ever episode guest starred no less than Cynthia Nixon, in a gender-flipped re-working of the Bernie Goetz story — had up till now been caught up in talks to exhume his signature role. But it all worked out in the end, meaning he’s free to join a show that, remember, isn’t called Sex and the City but rather And Just Like That…

Mr. Big, real name John James Preston, spent the show’s six seasons and two big screen movies as one of Carrie’s main squeezes, sometimes competing with John Corbett’s Aidan. Of course, in this case Aidan won: Corbett joined the revival a whole month before Noth. But does this 11th hour addition mean that Carrie and Big are no longer married? It has been 11 months since we last saw them, and things weren’t ever exactly solid between them. More important, do they still have time to roll a dumptruck of hundreds up to Kim Cattrall’s home?

(Via Deadline)