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Periodically, I check in on the winners and losers of the box office, but 2020 has obviously been a very different year. Not only was the world rocked by a pandemic, but the pandemic disproportionately affected movie theaters, which led to an absolute bloodbath at the box office in 2020. Here were the winners and (mostly) losers.

Loser: The Box Office itself — The box-office was not only down 80 percent compared to 2019 ($2.3 billion compared to $11 billion in 2019), but it was literally the worst year at the box office in 40 years, since 1980 when there were only three films that topped $100 million (Empire Strikes Back, 9 to 5 and Stir Crazy). There are some glimmers of hope that the box office might start to recover in the summer, but until the vaccine is distributed widely, it’s probably going to continue to be another long year, one in which we will have to readjust our expectations for months where it concerns box-office figures. There are not going to be any $200 million openings for a while.

Loser: Movie Theaters — No box office means that theaters themselves were shellacked in 2020. The two largest theater chains, AMC and Regal, have only narrowly averted bankruptcy, so far. The bigger problem, however, may be smaller and independent theaters, many of which may file bankruptcy or never reopen. It’s going to hasten the demise of those smaller theaters that screen arthouse films. Once the pandemic is over, most of those are not likely coming back.

Winner: Art House and Mid-Budget Films — Although they won’t have movie theaters to screen in, those art-house and mid-budget films are not going away; they’re pivoting to the streaming platforms, which is a more suitable place for many of them anyway. The last movie I saw in theaters, in fact, was Ben Affleck’s The Way Back, a $25 million film about a basketball coach with addiction issues. That movie would have actually been perfect home viewing — it wouldn’t have lost much if it’d be watched on the small screen. There will be a lot of those movies that will move to Netflix, HBO, Amazon, and Disney over the next few years. Expect to see a lot of big stars who are not attached to superhero movies — George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lopez — appear with some frequency on streaming networks instead of movie theaters. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if we get a Netflix sequel to The Accountant.

Too Early to Say: Warner Brothers — Warner Brothers has been manuevering more than other studios during the pandemic. They tried to peg the return of the box office to Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, and while the film managed a decent $364 million worldwide on a $200 million budget, only $57 million of that came from the United States, and even then, it took 100 days to get there. The fizzling of Tenet, meanwhile, prompted Warner Brothers to make the decision to release its entire 2021 slate simultaneously in theaters and HBO Max. While that sounded like an iffy idea, Wonder Woman 1984 had the biggest opening weekend of the pandemic (opening with $16.7 million over Christmas weekend) and nearly half of HBO Max subscribers watched it on Christmas Day. On the other hand, Warner Brothers may have burned bridges with the likes of Christopher Nolan and Legendary Films.

Winner: Disney+ — The Disney parks may have been shut down, and 2020 is the first year without a Marvel movie since 2008, but Disney had plenty to cheer about when it came to Disney+, which grew its subscriber base from 28 million subs in February to a whopping 86.8 million by December. It still has a ways to go to catch up to Netflix (190 million), but its massive back catalog along with a few new series features (like The Mandalorian) have quickly propelled it to the third biggest streamer in the United States (and growing) in just over a year. Expect those numbers to continue to rise once Disney begins releasing all the projects it has in the pipeline.

Winners: Bad Boys for Life and Sonic the Hedgehog — By opening before the pandemic, Bad Boys for Life and Sonic the Hedgehog were able to stake out the #1 and #2 spots at the box office in 2020 early on and hang on to those leads all year long. In fact, the third highest-grossing film of the year, Birds of Prey, was seen as a disappointment at the time, but perhaps the $84 million domestic tally (and $201 million worldwide number) may be looked upon more favorably in retrospect, particularly if Birds of Prey also gained a sizable following on HBO Max.

Unclear: Universal Studios — While Disney held mostly firm, and while Warner Brothers decided to release its movies onto HBO Max in 2021, Universal chose a route somewhere in the middle of each approach. They struck a deal with AMC theaters to shatter the theatrical window, reducing it to 17 days before making their films available PVOD. It’s still unclear how well that will work, although The Croods: A New Age brought in a respectable $34 million (and $101 worldwide) before being made available for digital purchase, where it’s been the top film since its PVOD release three weeks ago.

Finally, here are the 10 highest grossing movies since the pandemic began in earnest in mid-March.

1. Tenet — $57 million
2. Wonder Woman 1984 — $30 million (estimated)
3. The New Mutants — $23 million
4. Unhinged — $20 million
5. The War with Grandpa — $18 million
6. Honest Thief — $14 million
7. Come Play — $9.5 million
8. Let Him Go — $9.3 million
9. Freaky — $8.7 million
10. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run — $4.8 million

Drake is officially on the clock for his upcoming sixth album, Certified Lover Boy. The Toronto rapper announced back in October that the album would arrive at some point in January 2021. While he has yet to share a more specific date for the project, fans are already requesting the whereabouts of the album from Drake. However, for a quick moment, the Take Care rapper got his supporters’ minds off Certified Lover Boy by debuting an eccentric haircut for them on social media.

In a quickly-deleted post to his Instagram story, Drake shared the new look that was very similar to what Justin Bieber boasted early in his career with the caption “Big Mood” attached. However, he made sure to keep the heart outline on the left side of his forehead that he’s been rocking since he began promoting Certified Lover Boy last summer. Despite the fact that it was quickly-deleted from his story, a few fans were able to grab screenshots to share on Twitter and the jokes went off from there.

One Twitter proclaimed that Drake’s new look “already ruined 2021” while another said, “Drake done put a curse on 2021 with this haircut.” Other fans used the new look to make comparisons to other celebrities. The Toronto rapper was compared to Justin Bieber in a tweet that read, “Drake couldnt be Justin Bieber in the popstar video so instead he got his haircut.” Another person recalled an infamous episode from Chappelle’s Show to poke fun at Drake.

You can read more reactions to Drake’s new haircut below.

The first few days of 2021 have unfortunately been more of the same from 2020, with Republicans denying election results even as Joe Biden’s inauguration as the next president of the United States grows closer. At times it truly feels like some of Donald Trump’s most rabid supporters are living in a completely different country. And at least part of that group is on a different social media network as the rest of us: Parler.

Though a good portion who migrated over to the “free speech” social media site have found their own complaints with it, many still feel more mainstream sites like Twitter and even Facebook are somehow censoring their thoughts about Trump and his baseless allegations of voter fraud that have fueled conspiracy theories and other election nonsense. Which is why so many people seemed to enjoy discovering that an MSNBC anchor, Ali Velshi, has taken to trolling Parler users with messages that poke fun at just how absurd they sound while supporting Donald Trump’s undemocratic effort to overturn election results.

The latest message was noticed by the excellent NBC News reporter Ben Collins, who covers the dystopia beat for the network. On Saturday, he shared on Twitter a message from Velshi that parodied the numerology that many QAnon followers and other Trump truthers often use to link together seemingly innocuous things into a grand conspiracy against the soon-to-be-former president.

“Friends, today is 1-2-21. In a month it will be 2-2-21. And a year after that it’ll be 2-2-22. A year and a month after that it will be 3-2-23. This is just weird,” Velshi wrote. “Don’t let them get away with this.”

Without the “don’t let them get away with this” it just seems like a harmless, normal-person tweet from a bygone era. But it’s a pitch perfect example of just how weird the Trump fringes get. There’s nothing unusual about the inexorable march of time, but to so many who are dead-set on Trump winning a second term and convinced everyone’s conspiring against him, even the dates on a calendar can seem dangerous.

But as it turns out, others have noticed Velshi sending various messages as bait for Trump supporters to amplify. It’s a funny bit, if you’re willing to potentially give Parler a bunch of information to verify that it’s you behind the account sending those messages. For everyone else, though, we’ll just have to wait until those messages are shared outside of that very exclusive, very weird social media site.

In what seems to be an annual occurrence, Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach Doug Marrone’s job is in jeopardy heading into the final week of the season. Marrone, who has been in Jacksonville since 2015 and got the head coaching title in 2016 — first in an interim role, then as the full-time coach — could be out of a job following Sunday’s season finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, there is no word on exactly what is going to happen, but the prevailing thought is that Marrone won’t be employed for much longer after the game ends. Should that go down as expected, things would then get interesting.

The reporting indicates that decorated college football coach Urban Meyer, who most recently coached the Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2018 college football season, would not only be a candidate in Jacksonville, he’s apparently champing at the bit for the job. Meyer, per the report, is telling people close to him that he expects to be the one who leads the Jaguars into the 2021 NFL season.

The team has shown interest in former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who has been lining up a staff and telling people he’s close to in the football community that he expects to land in Jacksonville, per sources.

Now, it must be said that any college football fan will tell you that whenever a big-name job opens up, Meyer’s name will be linked to it at one point or another. He has also seen his name pop up in NFL searches before, but it is curious that he is apparently telling people he is expecting to get this job. Meyer has no NFL coaching experience, not even as an assistant, but is quite possibly the most accomplished coach of his era after Alabama is Nick’s Saban, Who also had a famous foray into the NFL ranks with the Miami Dolphins.

Meyer’s head coaching career included four stops: Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State. He accrued a 187-32 record and won a trio of national titles. There are legitimate questions about how Meyer — who has had a number of health issues in his career and takes losses harder than anyone else in the profession — would do in the NFL, but going to Jacksonville would theoretically mean that he could build a team in his own image, especially because the Jags will have the No. 1 pick in the 2021 Draft and has a clear path to selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, should he make the jump to the NFL.

As for what happens if Meyer decides he does not want an NFL gig, Rapoport reports that his successor, Ryan Day, would pique the interest of the decision-makers in Jacksonville.

The New York Jets are slated to make a coaching change. According to a report from NFL Network, following the teams season finale on Sunday afternoon against the New England Patriots, the Jets will part ways with head coach Adam Gase. The report, from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, claims a lengthy coaching search is on the horizon following the move.

Gase joined the Jets prior to the 2019 season, immediately after getting fired by the Miami Dolphins, where he served as the team’s head coach for three years. The team went 7-9 last year, but everything went off the rails in 2020, as New York started the season losing 13 games in a row before winning each of their last two.

As for who the Jets could hire, NFL Network laid out some of the contenders, which include college and NFL coaches:

Among the candidates who are slated to be considered are Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to college coaches such as Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and Florida’s Dan Mullen to everyone in between.

New York faces a major question this offseason in who will line up under center going forward. While the team has Sam Darnold right now, New York will have a high pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. They will not be in a position to draft Clemson star Trevor warrants, should he decide to do clear, but there are other quarterbacks high up in this draft, namely Ohio State’s Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson, who can step in and take over or should they go in that direction. New York could also, theoretically, trade down and try to replenish its barren roster, which would theoretically mean keeping Darnold around.

It is common for regime changes and quarterback changes to occur in the same off-season, and now, the Jets will have an opportunity to bring in someone new at both places, should they opt to move on from Darnold.

The holidays are always a worrisome time for drivers all over the country as it comes with a spike in drunk drivers on the road. With that comes the increased chance of a car accident, and unfortunately for Swae Lee and producer Mike Will Made-It, the duo were involved in a scary one on Thursday. On New Year’s Eve, Lee and Mike Will shared that they were involved in a crash which saw the producer’s Mercedes AMG get sideswiped as they were stopped at a red light.

“ME & SWAE WILLY MADE-IT OUT THIS MF ALIVE,” Mike Will said in an Instagram post that showed the brutal damage to the driver’s side of his car. “JUST A COUPLE BRUISES, THANK U GOD , I’M PAYING ATTENTION TO ALL THE SIGNS, 2021 WE TURNING LEMONS TO LEMONADE ALL YEAR… WE COULD HAVE BEEN DEAD EASILY , BUT WE MADE-IT OUT WITH JUST A COUPLE BRUISES , WE HERE FOR A REASON.”

In a second post, Will shared a close-up picture of the windshield damage to his Mercedes, proving that both he and Lee were indeed lucky to make it out alive.

As for Swae, the Rae Sremmurd rapper posted a picture of blood dripping from his eye as one of the injuries he suffered from the crash. On Twitter, he shared an important message with fans as a result of the accident. “WEAR A SEATBELT!!” he said in one tweet while another said, “F*ck looking cool click that seatbelt.”

You can see images from the crash in the posts above.

Legendary television host Larry King was reportedly hospitalized on Saturday after contracting coronavirus. The 87-year-old television host, known for his longtime show on CNN and his USA Today column, has apparently spent the final days of 2020 and the start of the new year battling COVID-19 after contracting the virus in late December.

King, who turned 87 in November, has a long history of health issues, which along with his advanced age makes him of notable concern when it comes to COVID-19. His birthday reportedly was celebrated in the hospital as well, as he had blood flow issues. Roger Friedman’s Showbiz 411 first reported his hospitalization, which according to Page Six, has lasted about 10 days.

Neither King’s wife, Shawn, or their two sons, Chance and Cannon, can visit him in the hospital. The couple is in the process of divorcing but is said to be on good terms, the Daily Mail reported.

King also has an older son, Larry Jr. Two of his children died in 2020: Andy, 65, from a heart attack and Chaia, 51, from lung cancer.

Several reports noted the death of two of King’s children, as well as several health episodes, as causes for concern in his now life-threatening fight with coronavirus. In the past, he has survived a heart attack, a stroke, diabetes as well as prostate and lung cancer.

The homes of two of Congress’ most powerful members, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, were reportedly vandalized. Though the culprits remain at large, it appears they were motivated by the recently (and belatedly) passed COVID-19 relief bill, which many found to be insufficient, especially towards those in need.

The incidents happened over night, in different parts of the nation. In Louisville, Kentucky, the front door to McConnell’s home was tagged with graffiti reading, “Weres my money.” Meanwhile in San Francisco, Pelosi’s garage was also the target of graffiti, while a pig’s head was left on the sidewalk.

McConnell released a statement Saturday, saying, “I’ve spent my career fighting for the First Amendment and defending peaceful protest.” He added, “I appreciate every Kentuckian who has engaged in the democratic process whether they agree with me or not. This is different. Vandalism and the politics of fear have no place in our society.”

The vandalism came mere days after McConnell blocked efforts to increase the individual stimulus checks from a mere $600 to $2,000, which had been agreed upon by Democrats as well as outgoing president Donald Trump. McConnell later said the Senate would look into subsequent packages that would also meet some of Trump’s other demands, including an investigation into the secure election that he lost in November.

(Via The New York Times)

Just a few weeks after the deluxe version of Music To be Murdered By – Side B was released, Eminem stopped by Shade 45 to give a song-by-song breakdown and speak about a few other things. One thing he talked about was his diss of Snoop Dogg on “Zeus,” which the Long Beach rapper has already replied to. Another highlight was when the subject of cancel culture was brought up. Eminem has a long history of controversial statements, and he’s dealt with cancel culture a few times. However, according to him, it’s not effective.

“With me, it’s literally like every f*cking every other day,” Eminem said. “I’m canceled for whatever the f*ck it was. It’s funny because I see some of the same people or sites who b*tched about things back then that I said and then going back now and saying, ‘why can’t he be that again.’ What the f*ck? When I was that you had a problem with that too.” The Detroit legend added, “I understand some of the sh*t but for the most part like for people who just sit online and they feel like they need to b*tch about whatever it is to feel like they’re a part of something. With cancel culture, it’s like no one ever really gets canceled though.”

You can hear his comments about cancel culture in the video above, starting around the 10-minute mark.

Bowl season, like every season in these trying times, has been weird. The Rose Bowl was played in Texas, away from its California home for the first time since World War II. Other things have been weird, too, but the silly season that strange bowl names and odd matchups usually conjures certainly feels different this year. Which perhaps is why it’s so satisfying to see a punter do his best to find order in a scene of chaos.

That’s what we got on Saturday in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, as Kentucky’s punter somehow made the best of an awful situation on special teams against NC State. Kentucky senior punter Max Duffy is one of 19 players on the Ray Guy watchlist for the best punter in college football, and he made a strong case that he’s also one of the smartest in football.

Early in the second quarter on Saturday, Duffy lined up to punt and saw a strong rush from the Wolfpack that all but blew up his timing to get the punt off. Instead of panicking, however, the wily senior made the rusher miss, then threaded the needle through other blockers and would-be punt blockers to get off a kick just before chaos struck.

It’s a pretty remarkable play when you consider just how much special teams is about timing. We’ve seen kickers get their flow interrupted and all hell breaks loose, especially when a punter’s rhythm is interrupted. But Duffy, who kicks Aussie-style, was smart enough to abort his first punt attempt, then find space to get another off before the several defenders around him could converge to block that kick.

Kentucky’s Twitter account even made a very clever meme of Duffy to celebrate the play.

We’ll see if Duffy takes home the Ray Guy Award later this month, but even though the voting has already taken place it’s certainly a highlight-reel play made by a punter well deserving of some praise.