Month: August 2022

Nearly six months have passed since Vladimir Putin waged his imperialistic invasion on Ukraine. Since that time, he’s lost so many top generals (those whacked by a sniper are no joke) and demonstrated (for all the world to see) that his military has been much less better equipped than he imagined. Not only that, but the Russian economy’s struggling to deal with global sanctions, and they’re stealing gold to finance military operations, but all is most decidedly not well.

And I’m not simply talking about how Russian troops nearly blew up one of their generals. Rather, Putin apparently regrets the larger picture, including putting his whole plan into motion. According to former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis there’s no way that Putin doesn’t realize that he’s made a (to quote Arrested Development in a very inopportune place) huge mistake. Via Business Insider, Stavridis spoke out on WABC New York’s “The Cats Roundtable” program over the weekend:

Asked whether Putin knew the invasion of Ukraine was a mistake, Stavridis said: “I think in the dark, quiet hours at two o’clock in the morning when he wakes up, he realizes he’s made a mistake. Publicly, he’ll never admit that. Never.”

Stavridis said Putin would maintain the “fiction” that Neo-Nazis run Ukraine and that he was forced into the conflict by NATO, rather than choosing to invade. “I think he knows it in his heart, he’ll never admit it publicly,” he said.

Not only that, but Stavridi’s own observations (and given the stalled Russian convoys that are common cable-news knowledge, it’s not a leap) show that he’s “burning through capability” without the ability to keep things going for the long haul. But more than that, this report points towards Putin knowing that he’s flat-out mistaken with this ongoing invasion, but he’ll never admit as much, even though there’s more loss of life (on both sides) to come. Apparently, his desire to look like a Peter The Great-eque figure is far more important to him. Putin’s also put a nine-month goal on winning this war, and we’ll see if those Ukrainian grandmas can keep their fight going, too.

(Via Business Insider)

What’s the worst thing that Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman / Gene Takovic has done over six seasons of Better Call Saul? Was it attempting to ruin Howard Hamlin’s reputation? Was it drugging rich guys to steal their information? Was it hiding a battery in his brother’s pocket? No, no, no. It was lying to poor Marion, played by the legendary Carol Burnett, who just wants to watch her cat videos in peace. Instead, she’s part of Gene going deep into his “craziness,” as Bob Odenkirk put it in an interview with TV Insider.

The Emmy-nominated actor obviously wouldn’t give away him any specific details about the Saul series finale, which airs tonight, but he did share the movie that was on his mind while filming the final batch of episodes. “At a certain point, he was driven by self-destruction. I thought a lot about that movie, Leaving Las Vegas, this most recent round of Jimmy’s scam that included Marion,” he said, referring to the 1995 Sin City-set addiction drama starring Nicholas Cage, who won his only Oscar for his performance, and Elisabeth Shue, who was nominated for an Oscar. Odenkirk continued:

“The crime regarding getting these rich guys drunk and stealing their private information. That was the round of Jimmy/Saul scamming that was just unhinged. I feel bad that he made that choice, but I will say this. I feel wonderful and excited and thrilled about what the writers came up with regarding the finale.”

The final episode of Saul better have at least one Sheryl Crow song.

(Via TV Insider)

Back in January, Adele postponed her Las Vegas residency, “Weekends With Adele” (rescheduled dates for which were announced in July). She broke the news to her fans with an emotional video, and it turns out those weren’t crocodile tears coming from her eyes: In a new Elle feature, she calls postponing those shows “the worst moment in my career, by far.” She added, “I was so excited about those shows. It was devastating.”

She explains that something about the show as it was at that point didn’t feel right, saying, “There was just no soul in it. The stage setup wasn’t right. It was very disconnected from me and my band, and it lacked intimacy. And maybe I tried too hard to give it those things in such a controlled environment.”

The impact of postponing the shows lasted well beyond the initial announcement, as Adele said, “The first couple of months was really, really hard. I was embarrassed. But it actually made my confidence in myself grow, because it was a very brave thing to do. And I don’t think many people would have done what I did. I’m very proud of myself for standing by my artistic needs.”

She elaborates on the postponement further and discusses other topics in the feature, so check it out here.

Earlier this month, Doja Cat went ahead and shaved her head and eyebrows, explaining at the time, “I don’t like having hair. I’ve never liked having hair. I cannot tell you one time, since the beginning of my life, that I’ve ever been like, ‘This is cool.’ I just do not like to have hair.”

This whole thing and reaction to it later prompted Doja to assure fans that she’s “fine,” but it seems that didn’t stop comments from coming in, based on Doja’s social media activity from over the weekend.

Yesterday, she took a moment to share a frustrated message about the expectations her fans have of her (presumably related to her new look), tweeting, “I won a grammy and traveled the f*cking globe i’ve had a #1 and i went platinum. I make hit after hit after hit and you all want me to look f*ckable for you so that you can go home and jerk your c*cks all day long while you live in your mothers basement. Go f*ck yourselves.”

A Twitter user responded, “Honestly Doja I think you are ungrateful, We support ur music n we want you back to music that all. Just leave Social Media n go focus on music gurl.” To that, Doja replied, “you’re so miserable that you have to label yourself as a ‘we’. You aren’t part of any collective. You’re just another asshole that doesn’t know how to read a room.”

As far as Doja’s appearance, since shaving her eyebrows off, she has taken to drawing/painting artistic new ones in their place, so check out a few examples of that below.

Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts and ratings) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)

This first season’s got a long tail as a breakout hit, and if you’ve managed to resist this intense portrayal of kitchen-based drama, then it’s time to give up that fight. Not even an exploding toilet could stop Jeremy Allen White‘s Carmy and the rest of the Chefs from delivering the goods at their sandwich shop, and although there’s still one enormous question that will hopefully be answered in Season 2, this show’s also a snowball of a watch that one can take on twice and rediscover the (enjoyable) stress of this story all over again. Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri still haven’t received enough credit, and the cameos (not spoiling) will truly surprise you.

TIE: 10. Jurassic World Dominion (Universal Pictures film streaming on Amazon Prime & Apple TV+)

Alright, so not everything that’s popular is also a critical hit, and that’s fine. This sequel’s heavy on the locusts, which is a little odd, but the movie still manages to be a blockbuster that you can enjoy in your own living room. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return with O.G. stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum in tow, finally all back together. For whatever reason, these characters will all never learn to stop f*cking with dinosaurs because “life will find a way” to destroy us all. And this short-sighted struggle will somehow never grow too tired for people to stop watching.

9. Reservation Dogs (FX series streaming on Hulu)

This show’s a magnificent victory that’s roaring through second-season mode of an Indigenous showrunner, writers, cast, and crew all telling their stories the way that they want to tell them. Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s principal rascals are still weaving through rural Oklahoma (filmed both in Muskogee and Tulsa) in this story of comically low-stakes criminals dodging ridiculous rivals and simply attempting to make it, somehow and someday, to California.

8. Paper Girls (Amazon Prime series)

This adaptation (of Brian K. Vaughan’s comic book series) is slightly more forgiving to some characters than the source material, and Stranger Things fans will love it, as will Yellowjackets devotees who cannot wait to find out more about the past and the future, all warped and wrapped up within themselves. Here, we’ve got more kids on bikes in the 1980s, but they leap forward in time to greet their future selves, and not all is as anticipated. The sci-fi isn’t as stellar as the story itself, which revolves around friendship and the importance of not ignoring one’s inner dialogue, all while saving the world.

7. Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz series also streaming on Hulu)

50 Cent’s hit saga continues with a second season of this spinoff. This round’s all about the family ties that bind, and those ties grow complicated with the expanding drug operation, personal lives of brothers and mother, and more blows to the family business due to the record label. Issues of trust swirl, and the inner dynamics grow strained beyond belief. 50 Cent is also currently shopping his brainchild around for future seasons, so stay tuned for that drama, too.

6. Harley Quinn (HBO Max series)

This show’s reportedly safe from the chopping block that’s potentially going to go down at Warner Bros. Discovery, and hopefully, Harley, King Shark, Ivy, and the rest will be around for future seasons. In the meantime, gather round for more Harlivy and enjoy how this show’s jam-packed with more uproarious jokes than one could ever expect from an animated series that a lot of people slept on a few years ago. Goodbye, Gritty Gotham, and hello, gloriously profane, bat-filled (on a few notes) mayhem.

5. Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head (Paramount+ series)

These slackers are still everything that you need them to be: mindless, largely harmless idiots who shall never change, no matter what. And thank goodness for keeping the brand strong. Mike Judge’s music-video loving buttmunches were sorely missed, and they’ve got nothing new to bring to the table, and that is simply glorious news. Don’t call it a reboot (thank you, LL Cool J), these guys have remained within our consciousness for all these years, and all hail the Spirit of Cornholio. Maybe hold out for some Daria as a guest appearance, too.

4. Prey (Hulu movie)

Quick and down and dirty and with a total badass of a female protagonist. The Predator franchise has arguably never been better. And don’t mess with a female Comanche warrior who’s not only fighting against the alien creature who’d like to kill every human for the hell of it. She’s also fighting against those who’d hope to bring colonialism to take over her tribe, and then there’s the force of nature itself. She’s got her work cut out for her, alright, but fortunately, she kicks some serious tush.

3. Only Murders In The Building (Hulu series)

Is it finale time again already? Almost. This could very well be Steve Martin’s final project before he heads into retirement, and both he and Martin Short are total hoots here. Do not sleep on Selena Gomez’s performance. She’s as underappreciated by the Emmys as she’s been throughout her career in in Hollywood, but if you would like some more of her irresistible, sometimes deadpan magic, head over to HBO Max and watch the bounty of Selena + Chef episodes.

2 Better Call Saul (AMC series streaming on AMC+)

Holy hell, this prequel (and this universe) is coming to an end, and none of us are ready for this. Jimmy/Saul/Gene’s fate is still up for grabs, and Kim Wexler ain’t doing so great, but she’s alive, and this finale might very well destroy us all, but at least we know that Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are still next in the timeline. Let’s have more Cinnabon, Cinnabon, Cinnabon while hoping that Kim can somehow be happy, given that she lost that baggage, but let’s get real: there could be some prison sentences coming for the formerly-and-mutually chaotic duo.

1. The Sandman (Netflix series)

Finally, Neil Gaiman’s legendary and lugubrious comic book series — beloved by legions — has arrived in all of its breathtaking glory. If you were worried that this three-decades-in-the-making adaptation would disappoint, you can let go of that fear. The entirety of this project (thus far) was surprisingly worth the wait, and “The Sound Of Her Wings” turned out to be the most beautiful TV episode of the year. Tom Sturridge plays Morpheus in all of his angular glory, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste is remarkable as Death. That’s only the beginning of the ensemble cast who really brings it, so enjoy this gorgeous tapestry infused with mythology, which floats in like a Dream.

Over the last week there has been a steady trickle of reporting regarding the upcoming NBA schedule release, mostly focusing on the two biggest days of the first half of the season: Opening Night and Christmas Day.

While we wait for the official schedule announcement from the league this week, we can cobble together the full Christmas Day slate with all five matchups on the NBA’s biggest day being reported by various outlets, from Marc Stein, Gary Washburn, and, in a bit of an upset, James Harden getting the scoops on the schedule.

If we were to game out the expected start times, I’d anticipate the schedule to look something like this, although the league could flip around some of these matchups.

12:00 p.m. ET: Sixers at Knicks
2:30 p.m. ET: Bucks at Celtics
5:00 p.m. ET: Lakers at Mavericks
8:00 p.m. ET: Grizzlies at Warriors
10:30 p.m. ET: Suns at Nuggets

Given that the opener and closer of the Christmas Day slate are usually ESPN games, with the three in the middle on ABC, this feels like a pretty safe bet for what the schedule will look like. Suns-Nuggets as the nightcap and Sixers-Knicks as the opener are locks, while Grizzlies-Warriors in primetime feels right (it’s possible they’d opt for Lakers-Mavs there, but I feel pretty good about that in the midday window), and Bucks-Celtics was literally the 2:30 p.m. ET game a year ago, just in Milwaukee.

It’s a very good slate of games, with the only team you don’t feel is a playoff lock being the Knicks, and we’ll get a couple of heated playoff rematches, Luka-LeBron, and the reigning two-time MVP all on the Christmas Day card — going up against NFL games for the first time.

Now for some (mostly) good news: Salman Rushdie, the legendary novelist who was stabbed multiple times on Friday, is on the mend, even if he’s still not completely out of the woods. Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie, told CNN on Sunday that he’s “off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has begun.” He added, “It will be long — the injuries are severe. But his condition is headed in the right direction.”

Rushdie’s son Zafar also confirmed the good news, saying his father “remain in critical condition” but that after he was taken off the ventilator he “was able to say a few words.” He added that despite his “severe” injuries, “his usual feisty & defiant sense of humour remains intact.”

On Friday morning, Rushdie, 75, was preparing to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York State when a man leaped on stage and stabbed him repeatedly, including in the neck and the stomach. A trooper intervened. The assailant was later identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey. Matar has pleaded not guilty.

As per CNN, Rushdie’s injuries include “three stab wounds to the right side of the front of his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh.” He was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Erie, Pennsylvania.

In 1989, a fatwa ordering for Rushdie’s execution was declared by Ayatollah Kholmeni, then the Supreme leader of Iran over what was seen as blasphemous depictions of Islam in his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses. Rushdie spent years in hiding under police protection and even survived a failed assassination attempt in 1989. In 1998, the fatwa was deemed “finished” but it was never formally lifted.

By the late ‘90s, Rushdie began returning to something like a normal-ish life, re-entering the social scene, even weighing in on pop culture. His fatwa even inspired an entire season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is much better than the 1991 Pakistani movie that depicts him as some kind of supervillain.

We wish Mr. Rushdie a speedy recovery.

(Via CNN)

Last month, Rage Against The Machine singer Zack De La Rocha hobbled off of the stage in Chicago with an apparent leg injury during the song’s fourth set, “Bullet In Your Head.” He returned to finish off the show while sitting against a monitor and has been performing on Rage Against The Machine’s final US tour dates visibly hobbled, including this week’s five-night tour-ending run at Madison Square Garden in new York City. The injury was so severe that the band were forced to cancel their UK and European leg of the tour. In an Instagram post, De La Rocha’s close friend and noted photographer Glen E. Friedman, revealed that De La Rocha’s injury is in fact, a torn Achilles tendon.

“I went to see my good friend Zack (with his torn Achilles) perform last night at Madison Square Garden, one of the most hallowed venues in the modern world,” Friedman said in his post. He wrote about how impactful De La Rocha’s performance was though, saying that, “Even having to sit during the performance Zack De La Rocha showed the world what they had been missing in all the years he had been away from this incredible group of musicians.”

For context, a torn Achilles is a common sports injury that was notably suffered by both Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. For basketball players who run and jump regularly throughout a game, it can take well over a year to come back and some players may never be the same. But for the vocalist of a rock and roll band, the recovery time will be considerably less and the future prognosis is favorable. Here’s hoping that De La Rocha has a smooth recovery and he’s back on stage in no time. Although he might have to tone down the jumping a bit for a while.

Tiffany Haddish recently spoke with Cosmopolitan, in which she opened up about her comedic craft. While it’s customary for celebrity comedians to poke fun at other celebrities, some are often caught off guard by certain jokes. Haddish, on the other hand, makes sure she receives permission to use certain jokes in which a specific celebrity is the target.

Haddish offered a joke about R&B singer Usher as an example.

“I got this joke, ‘I curse you out with joy. I hope that you spread it. I hope you spread it like Usher spreads herpes.’ I have said that in front of Usher,” said Haddish.

According to Haddish, Usher told her “Your ass is crazy.”

“I said, ‘Yeah, well, there’s a rumor out there saying you got herpes,” she said. ‘I don’t know if you do or don’t, but that sh*t is funny.’”

The joke refers to a few 2017 lawsuits, in which a handful of women accused Usher of passing them herpes. Haddish said Usher agreed that the joke was funny, however, if he hadn’t, she would be willing to withhold the joke from her set.

“If he had said, ‘Tiff, don’t say that no more. I don’t like it. I’m not comfortable with you saying that,’ I would stop saying it,” Haddish said.

Haddish currently has several film and television projects in the world, including a remake of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. She is also currently working on music with Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg.

The WNBA regular season came to a close on Sunday, with all 12 teams in action and two playoff spots still up for grabs. The New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Minnesota Lynx, and Phoenix Mercury all entered the final day of the regular season with a chance to go to the postseason, with a variety of ways each could get in (or get knocked out).

As it so happened, the Dream were in Brooklyn to face the Liberty, where New York’s path to the playoffs was simple: win and get in. As one would expect with a playoff spot on the line, the game was tightly contested throughout, with the two teams trading leads in the fourth quarter before the Liberty were finally able to grab control late, thanks to a Natasha Howard three-pointer that put them ahead by four. Aari McDonald would trim the lead to two with just over 26 seconds to play, but that was as close as the Dream got from there, as Sabrina Ionescu iced the game with free throws and the last efforts at a three to have a chance from Atlanta went begging.

Elsewhere, the Minnesota Lynx were playing in Connecticut against the 3-seeded Sun, who didn’t have seeding worries, but still wanted to finish the season strong. In what turned out to be WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles’ final game, the Sun fought off a late Minnesota rally to knock the Lynx out of the playoffs and, in turn, vault the Mercury into a playoff spot without the result of their finale against the Sky mattering to their chances.

For Phoenix, it’s a rather incredible continuation of a season that has been filled with drama, absences, and injuries, with most of their expected top contributors either no longer on the team or out for the season — most recently seeing Diana Taurasi get injured and Skylar Diggins-Smith leave the team for personal reasons.

Where each team falls in the seeding of the playoff bracket (which no longer features a single-elimination first round) is still to be determined, although the Sun (3-seed), Storm (4-seed), Mystics (5-seed), and Wings (6-seed) are all locked in, as the Aces can lock up the 1-seed with a win over the Storm, while the Sky need a win over Phoenix and a Seattle win to earn the top seed.