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Social media has given everyone a platform. Unfortunately, not everyone uses their platform responsibly. That goes double for those with massive followings. Over the past several years we’ve watched one celebrity after another put their proverbial feet in their mouths by either misunderstanding or misusing the newfound power of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other virtual soapboxes. However, if there’s one person who does understand her power, it’s Cardi B. The outspoken Bronx rapper has become the voice of reason for a generation of music fans, using her social channels to address current events in a way that is insightful, informative, and most importantly, relatable for the average person.

How did the rambunctious, wine-throwing loudmouth from Love & Hip-Hop: New York become the mouthpiece of the zeitgeist — especially as imperfect as her own approach to social media has been? Perhaps it’s because Cardi is willing to be so authentic to herself, owning her own humanity. While many stars fight back against backlashes to their faux pas, or issue boilerplate Notes App apologies before falling silent on important issues, Cardi accepts the criticism, correcting it where it’s wrong, acknowledging where it’s right, and growing up right before our eyes. Controversies regarding her use of racially insensitive insults, her admittedly criminal past, or feuds with other entertainers have all given Cardi the chance to learn on the job and she’s risen to the occasion every time.

While her controversies have drawn more and more eyes to her platform, her willingness to learn and grow while continuing to keep it real has lent her a hard-won aura of empathy. So when she goes on a “rant” decrying Donald Trump’s government shutdown, it not only goes viral, but it also reflects the way the average person might feel about them as well. While Cardi is a self-described history and politics buff — a characterization backed up by her school teachers and high-profile political associations — she is plain-spoken, foregoing the confusing mouthfuls of sociological jargon favored by many social critics on blogs, Tumblr, and Twitter. Her Bronx accent and liberal use of vernacular are more readily accessible than the complex terminology that sometimes gets employed to address complicated topics like systemic racism. It helps that Cardi maintains her blunt sense of humor, which works as the spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.

That’s why Cardi could float a wild conspiracy theory about the spread of coronavirus, then use the resulting attention to call scrutiny to inconsistent testing practices. “If a celebrity is saying, ‘Hey listen, I don’t have no symptoms, I’m feeling good, I feel healthy, I don’t feel like nothing, but I went and got tested and I’m positive for the coronavirus,’ that causes confusion,” she said in one of her recent videos, pointing out how the gap between the test and the results could cause much more harm for the average person. “So it’s like if you’re sending me home and I have the corona-f*cking-virus, I’m most likely going to give it to my spouse, my kid, anybody that’s around me.”

When her original post on the virus became a hit song thanks to an enterprising producer, Cardi ensured that her share of the proceeds went to charity, showing her awareness of the moment and her place in it. Rather than pouting about being the butt of a joke, she turned the joke into an opportunity to help. She used the curiosity resulting from her original rant — which became Instagram’s most-watched video for that month — to call out anti-Asian bigotry stemming from the virus’ origin and the insensitive remarks from the White House.

The White House, of course, provides Cardi with much of her ammunition. As protests against police brutality continued across the nation, Cardi again used her platform to give voice to the emotions being felt by the general populace. However, she also offered a set of possible solutions for the current situation. Rather than paternalistic admonitions to “stop burning down your own neighborhood,” she acknowledged that peaceful protests had been ignored. She then urged her followers to vote for change, clarifying that it comes from the local level, “We can vote for mayors, we can vote for judges, and we can also vote for D.A.s (district attorneys)… They have the power to prosecute these cops.”

While no celebrity should be the sole source of hope, inspiration, or information for anyone, seeing a star — one who has made history, one whose career is far from solidified, with only one hit album to her name — risking their status to speak their mind is inspiring, or at least, it should be. It says that someone is finally putting people above profit. It sets that example, that maybe there are more important things to talk about than when your next album is coming out. It shows us that we don’t all need to have PhDs in sociology to join these complex discussions about equality and justice — and that we don’t always need to “sound smart,” so long as we demonstrate empathy for people and understanding of the topics. Cardi B isn’t perfect — nobody is — but she’s become a great example of how we can have these much-needed discussions and take action to bring about much-needed change.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Indie developers have grown used to fielding a standard set of questions from eager fans as they bring games to market. The first two are simple: When will the game come out? And on what platform? After that, things get a bit more specific: When will the game be released for the Nintendo Switch?

Steam and Itch.io are often go-to platforms for indies developing on PC and Mac, getting access to millions of dedicated gamers in the process. For game makers, computer gaming is the place to start. But even today, the console market is an easier way to play for millions more in a decidedly varied market. And the Switch, in particular, is a quick way for a lot of new and casual gamers to enter the market. There’s a reason stock of the console ran out as the COVID-19 pandemic kept people inside looking for things to do, and it’s not just Nintendo’s notorious supply issues.

While Sony and Microsoft plan the next phase of their hardware war, the Switch remains a popular and decidedly different device. It’s also become particularly suited for indie gamers to explore the console market and tailor their games to its unique features. In the process, it’s become the destination for a lot of smaller titles searching for a place in the console market.

“We knew from the beginning that the Switch would be a very, very good match for us,” said Rune Drewsen, co-founder of Dutch gaming company Triband. The company’s physics sim What The Golf? hit PC and the Apple Arcade in 2019, and an announce trailer for Nintendo’s versatile console hit the web in August. But it took nearly another year for a console version to come out, which meant the company dealt with plenty of questions.

“It’s very hard to juggle development time and pleasing the audience at the same time,” Drewsen said. “Because as soon as you say you’re going to do a Switch launch you get those emails instantly that say ‘When is it going to launch on the Switch?’

The Switch has a variety of advantages as an indie console, starting with the fact that its portability means gamers can take full-scale titles with them anywhere. Its storage is also expandable, and SD card prices have gradually fallen to the point that it’s now possible to bring every title you own with you in your backpack. Some gaming computers can say the same, sure, but there are other attributes the Switch has that also offer developers the chance to go the extra mile with Switch games.

What The Golf, for example, uses the Switch’s motion controls to bring a set of 3D-style levels to play independent of the standard console’s television dock. A very different golf title — 2017’s brilliant Golf Story — uses the console’s HD rumble feature to make golf shots out of the rough feel tougher. Tumbleseed is another game that deftly uses that often-overlooked feature of the console, and not every developer makes the most of its unique features. Ports are inevitable that miss the mark, but it’s another example of a way the console becomes more attractive to indie developers.

Drewsen was careful not to speak for the entire market, of course, but the Switch was “the easy match” for his game after the success it had on the Apple Arcade.

“We had to go on that console because that just seems like the perfect console for What the Golf. The game is light, the game is funny. The game is easy to pick up and it’s actually a game that you really want to show your friends,” he said. “But you also want to show your mom or your dad or something like that, and I think it’s one of those consoles that people understand the most.”

Drewsen noted that Nintendo has a history of accessibility — even going back to the Nintendo Wii — that can invite new gamers into the fold.

“From a perspective of age, at least, that’s definitely the Switch. Because you just pick it up and you get it,” he said. “You don’t have to fiddle around with a bunch of stuff and you don’t need to sit on a couch. You can give it to your mom in the kitchen, you can give it to your dad on the golf course or whatever. And I think that was so appealing to us.”

The evolution of the console has made for an interesting dynamic. While many AAA titles and bigger titles reach and are largely preferred on the Xbox and PlayStation, gamers often choose the Switch when it comes to indie titles available on multiple platforms. The Outer Wilds, for example, took a few extra months to land on the Switch after a fall 2019 launch, but for developers of smaller games, it’s often the place where their work can truly shine.

“We really felt like we had to do that extra thing for the Switch,” Drewsen said. “Because that kind of competitive two-player mode were just fit like a hand in a glove.”

Developing a versus mode for the Switch took some extra time, and some hurdles to clear with Nintendo approval are always an issue for any developer. The console has certain rules developers must adhere to when it comes to using JoyCons properly that can make multiplayer games a challenge for small indies. But multiple indies have explained the extra effort is worth it, and the console’s features have made it the recipient of some truly innovative titles. Drewsen said What The Golf tried to poke fun at gaming in general, but also try something very new.

“In a way we’re just trying to show what computer games have done in 20 years but also by exploring unknown country,” Drewsen said. “On the edge of the map, that’s not been explored where there might be dragons.”

It’s tough to occupy space that’s both on the edge of that map while staying accessible for a wide market, but the Switch is certainly the closest console to date to succeed at both.

A recently released WWE Superstar got a big shoutout on last night’s episode of Impact, and it could be a sign of a tag team reunion to come.

Rhyno, who returned to Impact last summer, referenced Heath Slater about as explicitly as he could without saying the name “Heath Slater.” During an argument with Rohit Raju, Raju told the ECW veteran that he needs to treat him more like a tag team partner, and Rhyno replied, “I’ve already got a tag team partner. And he’s got kids.”

This could end up just being a passing reference, but Impact has teased the arrival of laid-off WWE performers in its promotion for July 18’s Slammiversary event. The ad showed a man in a hoodie watching a new report about March’s WWE staff cuts spiced with shots of Eric Young, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, the Bulgarian flag, Mike Bennett, EC3, and Rockstar Spud.

Given that Spud signed a new contract with WWE, all these people referenced clearly won’t be showing up at Slammiversary! But Impact clearly isn’t averse to signing former WWE talent, so Rhyno’s look directly at the camera could pay off. Deonna Purrazzo made her debut last night, attacking Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace, and Joey Ryan wouldn’t be opposed to his former tag partner Karl Anderson joining the company.

Jerry Seinfeld was on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast this week. It was interesting, because Maron’s podcast began as one centered on comedians, and in all of these years, he’d never had one of the biggest of all time, Jerry Seinfeld, on it. In fact, this podcast — conducted over Zoom — is the first time that Maron and Seinfeld had ever “met.” Not to read too much into it, but the dynamic between the two was an unusual one for Maron. Seinfeld didn’t really seem to know Maron from Adam, and Maron seemed to want Seinfeld to know that he’s a legit comedian with several hour-long specials.

However, Jerry Seinfeld is a fairly closed-off person, publicly, who doesn’t often talk about process, and to Maron’s credit, over the hour, he was able to get Seinfeld to dig fairly deep into his comedy. It’s notable, however, that by the end of the episode, Seinfeld mentioned how much he enjoyed doing a deep dive on comedy on the podcast, while Maron’s attitude was more along the lines of, “You should come back, because you have barely scratched the surface.” The two clearly have a different idea about what is deep, and those differences are obviously reflected in their respective acts.

In either respect, what’s interesting is that closer to the end of the podcast, Maron asked Seinfeld, “Why does everyone say you were a Scientologist once?” Personally, I didn’t know that people thought Seinfeld was a Scientologist, and to get to the roof of the rumor, one has to go back to a feud between Seinfeld and Bobcat Goldthwait, of all people. Back in the ’90s, Goldthwait was often critical of Seinfeld and his brand of comedy, and he once declared that Seinfeld was a Scientologist.

“Here is this creepy Scientologist guy (dating) teenage girls – which I don’t care about one way or another,” Goldthwait told the Spokesman-Review in 1995. “What I find creepy is that people are convinced he lives in that apartment, and those are his wacky friends. They don’t like each other; they’re actors paid to pretend they like Jerry Seinfeld. He’s a weird guy. But everybody thinks he’s normal and I’m weird.”

Seinfeld addressed the feud last year, ranting about Goldwaithe on his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, via the Spokesman-Review:

“I don’t like him. At all. I had kind of forgotten about him and then there was a little article about him in the paper and even in that there was a veiled reference to his dislike of what I did. It didn’t have my name, of course. He used to rail against me ’cause they weren’t as wild and dangerous as he was. ‘Cause he sucked. He wasn’t funny. And that’s why he didn’t get anywhere. Cause in comedy, nobody gives a f*ck if you’re cool, if you’re lame. If you’re funny, you win. If you’re not funny, you don’t.”

Anyway, it appears that the rumor was popularized by Goldwaithe, although Seinfeld admits on the Maron podcast that he dabbled in Scientology back in the 1970s. “I did do a course in Scientology in, like, 1975,” he said on the podcast. “I found it very interesting, but I never pursued it.” He did admit, however, that he found the “emphasis on ethical behavior” fascinating, but he wasn’t really into the “avoiding negative people” aspects of the religion. That’s as much as he’d go into it on the podcast, although he has spoken about his experience with it in other interviews in the past.

“Believe it or not…it’s extremely intellectual and clinical in its approach to problem-solving, which really appealed to me,” Seinfeld told Parade magazine back in 2008. “It was very helpful. I took a couple of courses. One of them was in communication, and I learned some things about communication that really got my act going.”

Although he does not practice Scientology, on the podcast, Seinfeld said that he is spiritual, but not “in any conventional terms,” although he does celebrate some of the major Jewish holidays.

Seinfeld’s stand up special, 23 Hours to Kill, is currently available on Netflix.

Source: WTF with Marc Maron

Oklahoma State commit and No. 1 overall recruit in 2021 Cade Cunningham has many wondering about a possible departure from the Cowboy’s men’s basketball program after they received a postseason ban for next season. While speculation about his future swirls, he is using the platform he has as a highly regarded prospect to join the cavalcade of athletes speaking out on racial injustice and white supremacy.

In an interview with Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Cunningham challenged the institutions of our country to be better, but stuck with his own lived experiences as well. The 18-year-old, who was born in Arlington, Texas, and played high school ball in Montverde, Florida, decried the lack of educational opportunities for Black Americans as well as the simplistic Civil Rights curriculum put in front of white students.

“A good start for us would be the educational system and educating black people better,” Cunningham said, “and not having people growing up and the only thing they learn about black history is slavery.”

Even amid the events of the past week-plus, Cunningham maintains optimism that how we craft young people can have a positive impact on society.

“I don’t think racism’s born into anybody, I think it’s taught,” Cunningham said. “We’re all one race, and I think if everybody’s taught that from a young age, I think that’ll change the mindset of a bigger mass of people.”

Cunningham is already among the favorites for the top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but isn’t waiting until he turns pro to take advantage of his platform as an athlete.

As large-scale demonstrations persist across the country protesting police brutality and the murder of George Floyd, many musicians have used their platforms to raise funds and call for change. Billie Eilish recently joined Tyler The Creator in successfully pressuring The Recording Academy to remove their “urban” category, John Legend has offered an explainer on what it means to defund police, and Kanye West donated $2 million to start a college fund for George Floyd’s daughter. Now, Andre 3000 is doing what he can to benefit Black Lives Matter through a new merch campaign.

Andre 3000, who had been previously spotted walking around airports playing the flute, is focusing his energy on a line of merch. The limited-edition t-shirt line was inspired by the jumpsuits he designed and wore during Outkast’s 2014 reunion tour. The thought-provoking jumpsuit has a large “sold” tag attached to the side and block letters adorned on the front read: “across cultures, darker people suffer most. why?”

The musician’s new line of merch features similar phrases. Fans are able to purchase shirts with phrases that read, “i pray there’s a god that can end all this,” “ok, hand over the cure and stop playing,” and “can one rest in peace & violence?” Andre 3000 has committed to donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the merch line to the organization Black Lives Matter.

In a statement on his website, Andre 3000 commended the Black Lives Matter movement:

“Something very important is happening all over the world and it is happening to all of us. How does it make you feel?

For 3 days, a selection of shirts inspired by a collection of my jumpsuits will be sold and 100% of net proceeds will be donated to Movement for Black Lives to aid in their fight to end police brutality & racial injustice against Black people. This is only one piece in the war against systemic racism. It takes all of us. BLACK LIVES MATTER … at a minimum.”

Find Andre 3000’s full line of limited-edition shirts here.

J.K. Rowling’s latest round of controversial comments about trans people (“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased”) arrived over the weekend. Before long, Daniel Radcliffe came forward to express disagreement with Rowling while declaring that “transgender women are women.” He went on to express how “deeply sorry” he felt for the pain being experienced by Harry Potter fans as a result of Rowling’s remarks, and Radcliffe’s stance is now being followed by that of Eddie Redmayne, star of Fantastic Beasts.

In a statement to Variety, Redmayne — who portrayed transgender artist Lili Elbe in biographical romantic drama The Danish Girl — wanted to make his position “absolutely clear.” He entirely disagrees with Rowling’s remarks:

“As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand. I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so.”

One can’t be more crystal clear than the statements made by both Radcliffe and Redmayne, who further stresses that trans people must be respected by culture, and that education on the subject must be a continual process. Rowling has (as of this writing) uttered no response that’s specific to either leading actor of her two film franchises. By midday Wednesday, however, she’d tweeted the below link to a lengthy essay, in which she elaborates upon her point of view. Her perspective has not changed. After stating that “accusations of TERFery have been sufficient to intimidate many people,” she outlines her “five reasons for being worried about the new trans activism.”

(Via Variety)

Bill Burr has had a pretty interesting few months. It starts late last year when he guest stars on an episode of The Mandalorian as Mayfield, who became an overnight sensation in the Star Wars world. (At the very least, Star Wars fans weren’t used to a character with a Boston accent.) As Burr explains, it was an interesting gig for him, since part of his comedic persona is making fun of Star Wars. And now he plays a popular character in canon who is set to return in the upcoming second season.

And this week he co-stars opposite Pete Davidson in Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island. Burr says he’s been ignoring the reviews because he says he’ll always read something that will stick with him too long, but he is getting accolades. (I gave him one of those accolades.) Burr dismisses it all by saying people will just wonder who the loud asshole with the mustache is, but he’s doing quite a bit in this film. Yes, Burr’s Ray is gruff, but there’s a sweetness just under there of a guy just trying to connect with Pete Davidson’s Scott. (Ray is dating Scott’s mother, played by Marisa Tomei, and Scott is not pleased about this. Also, Burr loves working with Marisa Tomei.)

So Burr has his big movie coming to video on demand this Friday, the fourth season of F is For Family also premieres on Netflix this Friday. And, to top it all off, this interview was supposed to happen last week, but Burr and his wife had their second child on the day it had been scheduled. So, yes, he has a lot going on.

Congratulations. I know we were supposed to talk last week, but something great happened for you.

Oh, thank you very much. Yes, I am feeling like the luckiest guy in the world right now.

Also, between The King Of Staten Island and The Mandalorian, you’ve kind of exploded.

Well, I wouldn’t say exploded. I think I’ve definitely gotten more people to know who I am. But nobody bugs me when I walk down the street, which is great. I mean, I’m in the perfect place in this business. I get work, and I can still live a cool life.

Well, no one’s bugging anyone walking down the streets right now. And everyone is wearing masks.

Well, I’m not going to argue with you, but, I mean, I do walk around as me a lot. I go into grocery stores, nobody bugs me.

Have you read the accolades? You’re getting accolades for this movie.

Oh, that’s great. Well, yeah, I know the movie was doing all right, but I try to stay away from the reviews because, you read long enough, you’re eventually going to read something that’s just going to stay with you for a long time.

True.

Because there’s probably some truth to it. So I’m just like, ah, I heard it’s going good, so thank God. But this is Pete’s movie and Judd, they put it all together. And I got to work with Marissa Tomei! I’ve worked with a lot of people. She might be the best I’ve ever worked with. She was just incredible. Incredible, incredible to work with: such an amazing, amazing actor. And what’s funny is I didn’t watch her do Edith Bunker until after we shot just because I didn’t want to be any more intimidated by working with somebody so talented.

Obviously she’s an Oscar winner, but what makes her so special to share scenes with?

Because I feel like she hasn’t forgotten. It’s like there are things you learn when you first start acting that, after a while, you forget and you get into habits. She still remembers all of that stuff, plus 30 years of everything that she learned. So she, without even trying, was teaching me things that I had never seen before and then reminding me of stuff that I forgot like I don’t know. It was her and Buscemi, both of them. All of this stuff, I was trying to take them in as much as I could. I’ve got a long way to go, is what I’m saying.

Well, it’s funny because when Universal sends a list out that’s like, “Hey, here’s who’s available to talk for this movie,” and your name’s on there. And I’m like, “Oh my gosh, he’s done so much stuff that I like.” But I never thought of your name and Pete’s name together before, but it really works.

Oh, that’s awesome. Alright, great, because I was worried people were going to be like, “Who’s this loud asshole with a mustache?” Because I never know! You never know how they’re going to come together, so this one seems like it came together, which is great.

Judd Apatow mentioned you came up with a lot of your own lines.

Yeah, everybody was improving. It’s a Judd movie, so Judd is open to you doing it a couple of times the way it’s written, and then you start playing around. And if there’s something there, Judd steers you in that direction. And if there’s nothing there, then you just go back to the script.

What’s your favorite thing you came up with that made it, or maybe didn’t make it?

Oh, God. Let’s see. It was over a year ago… I can tell you a buddy of mine, a comic, called me up and he asked me about that line when Pete’s character says that he loves me and I don’t say it back. And he goes, “Well, what if I die someday?” And I said, “Well, I guess I’ll just be that guy at the funeral being like, ‘Well, even though I never said I loved him …” So yeah, I don’t know. I don’t fucking know.

That’s a great line. I would have never guessed that was made up on the fly.

Well, you’re doing it all the time, it’s just nobody is filming it. Like, this whole conversation now is you’re talking, and then I’m listening, and then we’ll just sort of go from there. It’s like once you get between your ears and you start thinking like, “Oh my God, I have to improv,” then that’s usually when any sort of good idea goes away, so yeah.

Well, there’s also the scene where you and Pete go at it physically, in a fight.

That was a hot day. I remember that. And I also learned that umbrellas, just because they block the rain, doesn’t mean they block UV rays, so I cooked my head pretty good on that day.

Oh no.

Yeah, you know, it’s part of being a redhead. I should have known better. Pete was going all out. Pete was so amazing to work with, but I had to tell him, “Listen, man, these fake fights are fake. But if you go all out, heads can bang together.” A couple of takes later, of course, we banged heads together. And I was like, “Yeah, that’s what I was talking about.” And then we kind of went from there. But I love that scene. And then I loved when Marissa’s character comes up in the end and both me and Pete, our characters think we’re so right, but she just comes in with that outside perspective that you guys are both way out of line here. And it’s such a great beat in the story. And then all of a sudden, me and Pete’s characters have to now figure this whole thing out together, both trying to get the approval of the same woman. There’s a lot of stuff going on there.

What did you make of the reaction to your episode of The Mandalorian? That episode just went gangbusters. That whole week everyone was talking about it.

Well, the thing was, Rick Famuyiwa wanted to do it in the style of Reservoir Dogs. So I think that that’s what ended up getting it, you know? And he did some shooting on that thing with the handheld, which I guess that style had not been done. I mean, I’m not a big Star Wars guy, so I don’t know. And then also, I don’t want to spoil anything, but something that happens to a good guy never happened, I guess, in the series. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

Did they come to you? I’m just curious how that even happened.

Well, everything that you get ends up just because of something that happened like five, six years earlier. So a few years earlier, I did a movie called Black or White with Mike Binder.

Right.

And through becoming friends with Mike Binder, Mike Binder was friends with Jon Favreau. So me and Mike, we both smoke cigars, so we used to hang and we would smoke cigars together. And after we shot, we developed a friendship. So we’re still hanging out. And through Mike, I got to meet Jon Favreau. And then Mike had his birthday party, and I went there, and Jon was there. And I was there with my wife, and he said, “Hey man, I’m doing this Star Wars thing. There’s a part in it that we’re writing for you. Would you want to do it?”

And I said to him, I said, “John, I’ve got to admit, I’ve been making fun of Star Wars forever.” And he goes, “I know. I listen to your podcast.” He goes, “I think your fans will get a kick out of it if you were in it.” So I was like, “Really?” And my wife was standing there and she’s kicking my leg going, “Do it!” So I was like, alright, I’ll do it. I’m so glad I said yes. I’m so glad I said yes because, I mean, I didn’t know he was going to shoot the thing like a spaghetti western. Had I known he was doing what he was doing when I went to that party, I would have been mumbling to myself in the car ride over, trying to figure out how I could, without being obvious, bring up, “Hey man, if there’s anything I can do in that.” So that’s how it came together.

Is it great you’ve been making fun of Star Wars for this long, and now you are literally a very popular character in canon.

Well, the thing is, when I was making it, I wasn’t being serious. I was just doing that comedian thing.

Sure.

It’s something that they really liked, so I made fun of it. That’s why I made fun of Michelle Obama when she was doing the arena tour because I knew she was so precious to so many people. It’s just a funny thing to do. So that’s all it was. So I never really disliked it. I found that as I was growing up, there was sci-fi fans and sports fans. You know? Very little crossover.

Well, I’m the crossover. I might be the only person in the last year or so who went to both Star Wars Celebration and the Super Bowl.

Oh, wow. Well, I will tell you this, Star Wars fans are cool as shit. They’re very polite. They’re respectful. And yeah, I went to Comic-Con. I got to do a thing at Comic-Con for Breaking Bad one time. I got to sort of host this thing as they brought all the big guns on that show out: Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston and all of those guys. And I was going to go down there and make fun of them for being nerds and stuff, and they just had a really cool vibe and they were really nice. And they were just nerding out about the show. And I was like, “Why would I be a jerk to these people? They’re great.” All this stuff that I wanted to say, “Hey, what’s up, you fucking nerds?” Obviously joking, but I was just like, I think they’ve heard enough of that in life.So, fortunately, I made that smart move.

They’ve seen the William Shatner, “Have You Ever Kissed a Girl?,” SNL sketch probably 30 times by now, so they know.

I’m surprised that didn’t hurt his 8X11 autograph signings later on in his career.

It really didn’t. They love him. I guess he could say anything he wants and get away with it. He’s probably the one person.

Alright, well, here’s the clip you have to watch. You’ve got to watch Alex Trebek When that girl is describing that she’s into hardcore nerd rap. She’s describing who it appeals to. And he just listens. He goes, “Oh, so losers.”

Oh, I’ve seen that.

Well, it’s funny until she says, “Well,” and then I felt bad for her. I said, “Oh man, you’ve got to swing harder than that.”

At Comic-Con, I was interviewing Peter Cullen, the guy who does the voice for Optimus Prime, and Larry King. I think I mentioned something to Cullen about voicing the evil car, KARR, on Knight Rider…

I remember the show, I don’t remember the evil car.

And Larry King looks at me and says, “Oh, you’re one of those nerds, right?” And it was just one of the greatest moments I’ve ever experienced.

[Laughs] I listened to that story… I don’t remember who Optimus Prime is. I’ll know if you tell me. Who is that?

Oh, he’s the leader of the Transformers. He’s like the main good guy Transformer.

Oh, yeah. Now I remember watching that.

I should have explained that first. I went too far to the other side of the Venn diagram for that.

It’s alright.

‘The King of Staten Island’ will be available to stream this weekend. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The wait for a new season of HBO’s brilliantly toxic Succession will be longer than usual, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but here’s a treat for all you slime-puppies out there: the cast is virtually reuniting for a Q&A session today, June 10. I hope they spend 25 minutes on “my boy Squiggle” alone. The Hollywood Reporter also spoke to Kiernan Culkin (Roman Roy) during a roundtable with some of the finest working actors on TV, including Watchmen‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirk, and Picard‘s Patrick Stewart, who gave the Succession star a one-of-a-kind compliment.

When asked by THR how Hollywood sees him, Culkin replied, “I pretty much just play one thing. I did a movie right before Succession called Infinity Baby. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s some similarities with these characters.’ And I did a play called This Is Our Youth, and I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s kind of like that, too.’ And I was trying to figure out what it was and, ‘Oh, I’m drawn to sociopaths.’ I don’t really want to explore why. It’s just something I connect with.” Once he was finished, Stewart said, “Kieran, you are now stuck with, and I mean this as the greatest possible compliment, the creepiest character that I have ever seen on TV. I’m not always sure I can stay in the room when you walk onto the screen.”

Is Patrick Stewart on Cameo? He should be. I would pay $500 to hear Jean-Luc Picard call me creepy, or, better yet, the Succession insult of his choosing. “Cover star for Toxic Male Monthly.” “The poorest rich person in America.” “A dildo dipped in beard trimmings.” There’s a lot to choose from. Some other Culkin gems from the chat:

“The pilot was sent to me to read for another character, Cousin Greg, and I immediately knew that I just wasn’t that guy. But I read on, and Roman walks into the room, and his first line is, ‘Hey, hey motherfuckers,’ and he just starts jabbing everybody. I’m like, ‘Well, this guy looks like fun.’ He’s the kind of guy who just has suffered no consequences ever in his life.”

I just have to say, I learned something from you about 15 years ago, Patrick. You were on Ellen, telling a story, and in the middle, you said, ‘I poured myself a nice glass of Tanqueray gin.’ Ellen said, ‘Well, you know, because of that, they’re going to send you a case of gin.’ And you went, ‘I’m no fool.’”

“I don’t get naked, but I have masturbated three or four times on my show, so there is that.”

I miss Succession.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)