Halloween is just days away, which means that at the moment you’re reading this, it’s almost certain that somebody somewhere is watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The 1975 movie is basically the definition of a cult classic, and it has been honored in many ways in the decades following its release. Now Tenacious D have offered a tribute to the film with a cover of the song “Time Warp” from the movie, and they got a bunch of guests involved.
The video was uploaded to Jack Black’s JablinskiGames YouTube channel, and the performance is mostly led by Tenacious D with the guest contributors popping in to recite a line. They got some musical peers to join them: Phoebe Bridgers, Karen O, King Princess, and Peaches. Even Susan Sarandon, who stars in the original film, got in on the fun. Also appearing in the star-studded clip are Elizabeth Warren, Eric Andre, Ezra Miller, George Takei, Ilana Glazer, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Heilemann, John Waters, Pete Buttigieg, Michael Peña, Reggie Watts, and Sarah Silverman. The video was released to help promote voting in the upcoming election.
Rocky Horror star Tim Curry wasn’t involved, but he’ll have his own thing going on this Halloween, as he’s hosting a livestream of the film to benefit the Democractic Party of Wisconsin.
The first thing you should know about the new Saved by the Bell, the one that’s coming to Peacock, is that Zack “Attack” Morris is now the governor of California. The second thing you should know is that Kelly Kapowski is the first lady of California. The third thing: Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen are back to reprise their characters, as are Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano and Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater, respectively.
The new Saved by the Bell — which comes from Emmy-winning 30 Rock writer and Great News creator Tracey Wigfield — is like Fuller House, but more self-aware; there’s social commentary about “privileged” Bayside High students, but also cheese-based magic and numerous references to the original series, including the “cool” way to sit in a chair and the return of Zack Attack. No Screech, though, which is probably for the best.
Here’s more on the new Saved by the Bell:
In the new series, when California governor Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many underfunded high schools, he proposes they send the affected students to the most well-funded schools in the state, including Bayside High. The influx of new students gives the privileged Bayside kids (who never have a problem that can’t be solved in 22 minutes) a much-needed dose of reality.
Saved by the Bell premieres on November 25 on Peacock.
Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy has two big new 2020 projects: his solo album Love Is The King and his book How To Write One Song. Last night, he swung by The Late Show to discuss both, and he even played a song (a snippet of one, at least) he wrote inspired by Stephen Colbert.
Towards the end of the conversation, the two discussed Tweedy’s new book How To Write One Song, and Tweedy said Colbert’s October 22 monologue following the final 2020 presidential debate inspired him to write a song. Introducing his in-interview performance, Tweedy said he penned the quick, incomplete ditty to “illustrate one of the exercises in the book.” Strumming an acoustic guitar, Tweedy sang, “I’m your host, taste the blood / Tonight’s tooth was the last / It’s for the best, hope is free / But to me, it seems to be / Not as free when you’re hurting for cash / Hurting for cash, when you’re hurting for cash.”
Colbert responded by saying he “smells a hit,” which prompted Tweedy to quip, “It smells, alright.”
He also discussed the motivation behind his new album, saying, “My normal way of coping is to write music and try to do something creative. When the weight of this was all hitting me at the beginning of the pandemic, I really wanted to write country songs because it’s like comfort food to me. Folk music, country music is I guess at the core of how I think about music, and it just felt very, very comforting to me.”
Watch the full interview above. He also performed “Guess Again” on the show, so check that out below.
Sacha Baron Cohen was the guest on Monday’s episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he talked about the Rudy Giuliani scene in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and Donald Trump calling him a “creep.” The actor’s response: “Well, I’m sure when he was hanging out with his good friend Jeffrey Epstein, they probably spent a lot of their time talking about how creepy I am.” Baron Cohen also discussed performing a song about the “Wuhan song” in character as Borat (who’s in character as Country Steve) at a right-wing rally in front of a bunch of gun nuts. He was, as you might imagine, terrified.
“Everyone was singing along and the problem was that some of the militia groups that were in this rally had been antagonizing the Black Lives Matter protesters, so as revenge some of the Black Lives Matter protesters were coming over to confront them,” he explained to Colbert. “One of them went, ‘Oh my God, it’s Sacha Baron Cohen!’ Word got out that it was me, and then the organizers and a lot of people in the crowd got very angry. They tried to storm the stage. Luckily for me, I had hired the security, so it took them a while to actually storm the stage.” Baren Cohen and his crew fled to a van, but the crowd followed and tried to break in. As he previously wrote for Time magazine:
“Under my overalls, I was wearing a bulletproof vest, but it felt inadequate with some people outside toting semiautomatic weapons. When someone ripped open the door to drag me out, I used my entire body weight to pull the door back shut until our vehicle maneuvered free. I was fortunate to make it out in one piece.”
That confrontation isn’t in Borat 2, but you can watch it above (6:55).
George Clooney warned the world that “I don’t look so good” in his upcoming Netfilx movie (and his first movie since 2016’s forgettable Money Monster), The Midnight Sky, and yep, there’s a reason that he tried to prepare us for his appearance. Clooney plays a cancer-afflicted, lonely scientist in the Arctic who’s also struggling to survive on post-apocalyptic Earth. (That’s rough stuff.) Not only that, but he’s fighting to stop a group of astronauts from returning home following an apocalyptic event. (That’s dark stuff.) So, he’s allowed to look a little less movie-star-ish than usual, right?
Cue the David Letterman beard as Clooney also makes his Netflix debut as director in this adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novel, Good Morning, Midnight. The screenplay hails from The Revenant‘s Mark L. Smith, and Clooney previously told Vanity Fair that he drew upon his space-movie-making experiences in Gravity while getting his mindset in gear for this film. So, The Revenant + Gravity? That sounds epic, Oscar-y, and like a different kind of late-December movie than we’re used to from Netflix (Bright, Bird Box, 6 Underground). Let’s hope we don’t see any angry (polar) bears entering the equation.
The Midnight Sky co-stars Felicity Jones as a character named Sully, along with David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir, Caoilinn Springall, and Tiffany Boone. The film streams on December 23.
Gorillaz got a huge and impressive list of guests to join them for their Song Machine series, but there was (at least) one artist Damon Albarn tried to get involved with the project but couldn’t quite make it happen (not yet, anyway): Tame Impala.
In an interview with Australia’s Double J, Albarn revealed that he and Kevin Parker actually worked on multiple songs but didn’t manage to get one in a finished state in time for the first season of Song Machine. Albarn said, “I actually talked to your man Tame Impala [Kevin Parker] quite a few times, but we never seemed to get our tune finished. There are a couple of things, actually. But they just didn’t make it onto Season One. But we were definitely in conversation several times.”
He also spoke about the origins of Song Machine, saying, “It is very eclectic, but I think that’s the nature of Song Machine as an as an idea. When I started last October and we put Slowthai and Slaves together, there was no idea about how it was going to end. I didn’t know about Elton. I didn’t know about Robert Smith. I didn’t know about any of those when I started it. I didn’t set out to make an album, I just set out to make standalone Song Machine episodes.”
With the Orlando bubble now disbanded, players are back in their home markets and preparing for what could be a short NBA offseason. However, Bucks veteran Kyle Korver was prompted to speak on the topic of how things transpired prior to the decision to sit out the game, and he answered in poignant detail during a visit to his alma mater of Creighton.
Last night Kyle Korver explained the decision for the Milwaukee Bucks to stick together during an intense locker room meeting inside the NBA Bubble, and how it helped bring about change. pic.twitter.com/1wPi4brcyN
Within the video above, Korver describes the situation with Bucks assistant Darvin Ham addressing the team before the scheduled game. Ham has a pair of sons that live in the Milwaukee area, and Korver describes an emotional scene.
“I just sat there in my chair, with tears running down my face,” Korver said. “And I’m looking at my jersey that says Black Lives Matter, and I’m just like ‘What are we doing?’”
It is known that George Hill was the member of the Bucks that first decided not to play. From there, Korver recounts that Sterling Brown joined him, telling the team they didn’t have to sit out. But the Bucks decided to do so at that late hour, with Korver saying there were “like 13 minutes on the clock” before tip-off.
The full video is certainly worth viewing, and Korver provides context and insight for what took place. In addition, he shed light on being an ally in this situation.
“How do I help as a white man? What do I say as a white man in this space? You know what you do,” Korver said. “You stand with the marginalized. And, when you can, you amplify their voice. And you listen to their thoughts. And you listen to their ideas. And you find your way to help out.”
Jaden Smith is using his platform to help underserved communities. The musician announced Monday that he is partnering with Lyft and the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation to offer thousands of dollars in free rides to those in need.
Thanks to the new partnership, the rideshare company will be offering access to transportation to a network of citizens in need through a $50,000 ride credit donation. Smith is also working with 501cThree, his organization which helps those in Flint, Michigan get access to clean water, as well as the I Love You Restaurant, Smith’s LA-based charity which provides vegan meals to those experiencing homelessness.
In a statement about the initiative, Smith said: “Proud to be partnering with Lyft on their LyftUp initiative. Together, we’ll be providing rides to communities who need them most. In Flint, these rides will be used so community members can access clean, fresh water through our 501CTHREE.org partners. In Los Angeles, we’ll focus on providing rides to grocery stores, clean water and jobs for the residents of Skid Row through our I LOVE YOU community partners. We believe in the power of transportation, and that access to a ride can mean access to an opportunity.”
Hannah Broadhurst, Culture and Entertainment Manager at Lyft, echoed Smith’s statement: “We at Lyft greatly admire the work Jaden has been doing to better the lives of individuals facing adversities. In partnership with WJSFF, we’re excited to impact these communities through access to rides.”
Britney Spear’s conservatorship status has been the source of public scrutiny since the #FreeBritney movement —in which fans called for an end to the singer’s father, Jamie Spears, being her legal guardian — went viral. Britney has previously expressed support for the movement, but her father has continued to assert that the arrangement is voluntary and due to mental health reasons.
Recently Spears’ lawyer, Sam Ingham, reportedly told an LA judge that the singer lacks the capacity to sign documents expressing her wishes about her conservatorship status, comparing her to a “comatose” patient. Ingham also allegedly said Spears does not want to perform for an audience any time soon. But Jamie reportedly disagrees and is now questioning the lawyer’s statements, hoping that Spears will speak for herself.
According to a report from TMZ, Jamie says Ingham should not be Spears’ “exclusive voice,” clarifying that being a conservatee does not strip her of all her rights, including her right to vote. He also questions Ingham’s statement about Spears wanting to stay off the stage, saying she should be able make that decision on her own.
While Jamie reportedly thinks the singer should come to her own conclusion about performing again, he has previously been against publicizing her conservatorship documents. Spears’ lawyer alleged that the singer wants to make some aspects of her situation public, but Jamie thinks making people aware of her “sensitive medical issues” could be harmful.
Disney entered the streaming wars in a big way with the launch of its own streaming platform, Disney+. But unlike other rookie streaming services, Disney’s already got a vault full of animated classics and superhero blockbusters ready to be unlocked when fans subscribe. There are hundreds — yes hundreds — of movies coming to Disney+, including Avengers team-ups, Star Wars trilogies, and beloved animated throwbacks, so of course you’re going to need help combing through the library to find those must-watch hidden gems. We’ve done the hard work for you and researched the Disney+ lineup to find the films worth subscribing for.
Here are the Disney+ movies that deserved to be watched first.
The epic conclusion to a ten-years-in-the-making story arc, Endgame exceeded all expectations, rounding up the team of beloved superheroes one last time to take on Thanos and undo the destruction he caused in Infinity War. Hats off to the Russo brothers for crafting this masterpiece (and giving us a final glimpse of “America’s a**”). The best thing about Endgame being offered on Disney + though? You can take as many bathroom breaks while watching it as you want.
What can we say about Hamilton that hasn’t already been said? It’s become one of the most prestigious, boundary-crossing musical masterpieces to ever hail from Broadway. It’s impacted the culture in ways we’re still learning about, which makes Disney’s choice to stream the show, complete with its original cast, so groundbreaking. An entirely new audience is being introduced to an art form that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to enjoy. Of course, there’s also the undisputed fact that this musical — a retelling of America’s underrated founding father in hip-hop form — is just unrivaled in its greatness. You won’t really understand the hype until you see it for yourself.
Look, it’s too difficult to pick between the three masterpieces in George Lucas’ original trilogy, so just watch them all okay? You’ll get to follow Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on his journey from becoming a farmhand to a Jedi, teaming up with Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to take down an evil empire, and to confront his past in a fight with the all-powerful Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) and we won’t have to wade into the war of which Star Wars film is best. Win, win.
Rob Reiner’s ridiculous fantasy romp never fails to entertain, no matter how many times you re-watch it. It plays with classic fairytale tropes in inventive, increasingly absurd ways without ever sacrificing its story — the quest for true love. Cary Elwes plays Wesley, a farmhand who falls in love with a beautiful maiden named Buttercup (Robin Wright), but a cruel twist of fate separates them, leading him to become a notorious pirate and her to be betrothed to a truly awful king. It’s a bit Monty-Python-esque but with more swoon-worthy moments and, if you can believe it, memorable jokes.
Ryan Coogler’s superhero flick revolutionized the Marvel Universe and with the tragic passing of its star, Chadwick Boseman, what the film was able to accomplish for the Black community feels all the more worth celebrating. The film gives us a fully-realized, otherworldly Wakanda as it follows the trials and tribulations of a newly-minted king, T’Challa (Boseman). While trying to govern his people and embrace his Black Panther alter-ego, he’s also got to fight off a would-be usurper in Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger, who may just be the best villain Marvel has ever seen.
Say what you will about the sequels and prequels and alternate-timeline takes on this comic book franchise but 20 years later, the original entry in the X-Men universe still works. Not only does it properly introduce a slew of iconic characters like Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Ian McKellan’s Magneto, it also gave us Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The special effects may be a bit outdated but the essence of what X-Men (the comic) was is hidden in this movie, a superhero action flick that basically launched the blockbuster era we’re now living in.
When you think of Disney, you think of most of the movies that populate this list — animated comedies, childhood classics, superhero sagas, you get it — but every so often the studio churns out a family-friendly biopic that navigates tricky waters and teaches audiences about our shared history. Remember The Titans (also here) did that well, but this movie, which sees Taraji P. Henson plays Katherine Johnson — one of the unsung African-American mathematicians who helped Nasa launch a man into space — does it better, introducing us to a group of Black women (Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae included) who battled racism and sexism in their industry to take a giant leap for mankind.
Brie Larson brings this icon to life on the big screen, marking the first Marvel superheroine to get her own solo movie, a move that many consider to be overdue. It’s a kick a** journey filled with nostalgic ’90s callbacks, comic book references, eye-popping battles, and a de-aged Nick Fury.
James Cameron’s fantasy epic changed the motion-capture game when it was released 10 years ago and while we’re still waiting for those planned sequels, it’ll be nice to revisit the wild, mysterious world of Pandora in the meantime. The story — a paraplegic Marine is torn between completing his mission and being loyal to the people he feels at home with — is meh, but the action and visuals are compelling enough to carry it forward.
Still one of the best Pixar films out there, this early-aughts classic introduced us to a whole new world of thrills and chills when it revealed just how much work goes into scaring the sh*t out of kids every night. The real star here though (besides the exceptional animation) is the voice work from John Goodman and Billy Crystal.
Yeah, Beyonce’s version will eventually land on Disney+, but no offense to Queen Bey, there’s just no beating the original. The Elton John-created soundtrack, the Shakespearean story, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, and Jeremy Irons as a sassy Scar. What’s not to love about this classic?
Five years ago, James Gunn revolutionized our idea of what a superhero movie could look like with this space comedy about a bunch of a**holes sent to save the galaxy. Chris Pratt plays Star-Lord, a snarky everyman who gets caught up in an intergalactic battle and meets some interesting friends along the way. Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, and Dave Bautista also star, but no one gets as much love as Vin Diesel, who managed to put on a masterclass in acting while repeating the same phrase for two hours.
Denzel Washington and Will Patton star in this feel-good football film, based on another true story of a coach who defied a bigoted small town to lead his school’s first interracial sports team to victory. Washington shines as the no-nonsense Coach Boone while Patton plays his reluctant right-hand, Coach Yoast. Squint your eyes and you’ll also see a baby Ryan Gosling out on the field.
The superhero film that launched a franchise, this origin story from Jon Favreau remains one of the better Marvel installments. Robert Downey Jr. introduces us to the wise-cracking billionaire-philanthropist-playboy who we’d all eventually come to love, giving him a complicated, layered backstory and plenty of swagger.
Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer star in this family drama based on the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers. Andrews plays a nun named Maria who leaves her Austrian convent to serve as a governess to a respected Naval officer and widower. As she wrangles his unruly brood and teaches them all how to sing, the Nazis begin their invasion, forcing the family to make difficult decisions about their future.
Disney switched up its formulaic princess model with this icy musical about two orphaned sisters who must work together to protect their kingdom from evil forces. Kristen Bell plays Anna, the perky protagonist and younger sibling to Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), a young woman with extraordinary abilities who must hide her powers from the world. The songs are terrific, the animation is superb, and you can’t tell us that you don’t love Josh Gad as a talking snowman.
This stirring sports drama based on a true story follows Kurt Russell’s Herb Brooks, a legendary hockey coach given the impossible task of whipping a team of rookies and rejects into shape before the 1980 Olympics, where they’d nab a history-making win over a seemingly invincible Russian squad.
Julie Andrews in anything is good, but she feels born to play the role of Mary Poppins in this classic musical about the magical, mysterious British nanny who must shape up the unruly children of a harried London banker and his wife. She’s charming, she’s mischevious, she’s practically perfect in every way. So is Dick Van Dyke, despite, you know, that accent.
Gary Marshall. Julie Andrews. Anne Hathaway. Do we really need to explain why this teenage drama about a nerdy outcast who discovers she’s actually the heir to the throne of a foreign kingdom became a cult classic and one of the most influential films of a generation? No? Okay, good.
Warning: watching this animated flick that personifies the inner emotions of a preteen girl going through the turmoil of a cross-country move will bring out all the feels. Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Mindy Kaling lead the stellar voice cast for this one but please, don’t talk to us about Bing Bong. It’s still too soon.
One of the best things about Disney opening its vault for the new streaming platform is fans getting the chance to revisit hidden gems like this ’60s animated classic. It’s a trippy, psychedelic take on the legend of King Arthur, with a forgetful Merlin nearly managing to get the boy king killed before he can pull the sword from the stone, turning him into all kinds of forest creatures and battling an evil witch along the way.
Sorry to Will Smith, but there’s a superior Genie in our book. He’s big, blue, animated, and voiced by Robin Williams. Come for the musical numbers, stay for Williams’ outlandish comedy, and the gorgeous artwork.
There are too many Robin Hoods on film to count at this point, but there’s something special about this take on the masked outlaw, who’s imagined here as a sly fox while the rest of the key players take on other humanoid animal forms.
Having a scientist father who regularly experiments in your house sounds fun, until those experiments end up shrinking your entire family, forcing you to navigate very real household dangers while he cleans up the mess.
Sure, on paper, Shawn Ashmore is Hilary Duff’s love interest in this comedy about a ditzy teen who gets sent to military school and faces off against a strict drill instructor. But anyone with eyes can see the real chemistry is between the former Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens star Christy Carlson Romano. Watching these two go at it is all the fun you need.
Another forgotten animated classic, this fantasy film follows a young boy and his group of misfit friends as they race to find a dark, magical weapon before an evil tyrant bent on ruling their world can do the same.
You can create painfully awkward live TV musicals. You can stick Melissa McCarthy in an octopus onesie. But you can’t touch this Disney classic about a mermaid princess who strikes a terrible bargain with a sea witch in exchange for the chance to walk on land and find her prince.
This second installment in the Captain America series follows Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as he tries to acclimate to life in the 21st century. He makes friends in Anthony Mackie’s Falcon and finds a tense partnership with Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, but when a familiar face from his past returns to wreak havoc, Rogers learns some disturbing truth about the organization to which he’s devoted his life.
Based on a children’s story from Roald Dahl, this imaginative tale of an orphan who befriends a group of anthropomorphic bugs living inside a giant peach marked a breakthrough in animation when it was first released. It’s deliciously weird and fun, and it’s got Tim Burton all over it.
Demi Moore, Jason Alexander, and Kevin Kline lend their voices to this colorful tale of a deformed bell ringer who must fight his guardian, an evil government minister, to help his gypsy friend. There’s talking gargoyles, some great musical numbers, and the animation is breathtaking.
Robin Williams stars in this absurd comedy about a hair-brained professor who invents a rubber-like bouncy substance he calls “Flubber” that quickly grows beyond his control. It’s ridiculous, and the acting is over-the-top, but it’s Robin Williams, so it’s also funny as hell.
Another animated classic, the story of Mulan might be getting a live-action version in 2020, but this animated rendition of a young woman who poses as a man to prevent her father from serving in the Emperor’s army (and defeats the greatest threat to China’s dynasty) is still the standard by which all other animated movies are measured.
There’s so much to love about this cult favorite Disney Channel original. It stars Erik von Detten as Andy “Brink” Brinker, a young skater who shreds for fun with his crew and often squares up against another team of sponsored skaters led by a kid named Val. Brink’s no sell-out, but when his family begins to struggle financially, he joins the opposing team, skating for them to earn some extra money while keeping it a secret from his friends.
In 1999, Disney Channel gave us a moment of true brilliance when it delivered this work of art about a family who moves into a fully-automated dream house controlled by an operating system named PAT, voiced by Katey Sagal. All’s well and good until PAT begins to take control of the family’s lives, holding them hostage in their own home.
Look, Disney usually banks on cute canines to sell movies, but cat people will always have this animated classic about a reckless alley cat who must save a family of Parisian felines set to inherit their owner’s fortune when an evil butler takes matters into his own hands. Jazz-loving cats? Who knew?
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