Author: GoneTrending

David O. Russell is moving on from the commercial and (mostly) critical failure of Amsterdam to make a movie about 1970s toy sales reps “on a life and death mission to save themselves, their marriage and their live-wire twelve-year-old daughter, on the road in middle America.” With the film trying to cut deals at the European Film Market, IndieWire is reporting that Keke Palmer and Sacha Baron Cohen are attached to star.

In the hands of a different writer/director, this would be a straight comedy with a funky premise, but Russell’s style typically leans heavily on the drama side of dramedy while still playing coy about how strange (and wonderful) humans can be. Granted, after stories about abusive behavior on set and actors that refuse to work with the guy anymore, it takes some effort to get excited about a new Russell film.

It’s possible that this pairing might pique a little interest. Palmer is a hurricane who can basically do anything, and Cohen is a singular figure who nonetheless blends seamlessly into mainstream projects despite countless hours living as Borat. It’s a potent combination.

Super Toys (please be a working title) is still in pre-production, so it’s also conceivable that it won’t get off the ground.

(via IndieWire)

Director Welby Ings describes Punch as “two connected love stories; one between a father and his son, and the other between two young men.” The New Zealand film is still festival hopping, but the trailer immediately puts it on the map as one to watch out for.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Jim (Jordan Oosterhof) is a promising teenage boxer, training under the watch of his demanding and alcoholic father (Tim Roth). When Jim develops a relationship with a male classmate (Conan Hayes), the two are forced to navigate isolation, homophobia, and the brutality of small-town life. As Jim discovers what it means to be gay, he realizes how little strength has to do with heroism.”

From the intimate cinematography and indie aesthetic to Roth’s subtle mastery, the film looks remarkable, sitting well within the lineage of other romances like Moonlight where identity starts to crumble in the face of something the main character really wants. Is it boxing? Maybe. But there’s definitely more to life, even if your dad says there isn’t. Then again, there’s no way that Roth’s alcoholic father character will be an obstacle in his son’s romantic life, right?

The debut feature from Ings, Punch played the New Zealand Film Festival but doesn’t have a firm release date in the US yet. Hopefully, it will soon.

The Phoenix Suns shook up the West playoff race late Wednesday night when they landed Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

The trade immediately vaults the Suns back into the championship favorites tier in the NBA, as he will provide them with an awful lot of the things that they desperately needed in their last two playoff trips. Going to Brooklyn are Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson — Jae Crowder got rerouted to Milwaukee — along with a host of future first round picks. While the Nets listened to offers on both, they decided to keep the two young wings to add to their growing collection of forwards. Both players made their way to Brooklyn on Thursday and were in attendance for the Nets game against the Bulls, with Bridges doing an interview with Jared Greenberg on the TNT broadcast.

When asked what his reaction was to the trade, he had a pretty grounded view of it all, saying “I get it, sh*t…[KD]’s one of my favorite players.”

There are times where a guy is blindsided by a deal, but given the talks that took place this summer, Bridges probably had at least a bit of an idea that if Durant were in fact to be on the market again, his name would come up. As such, he understands the business of it all, even if it still came as a shock to be moved in the middle of the night.

Bridges also talked to Greenberg about how he found out about the trade, as he learned about it because his now-former teammate Damion Lee called him talking about how sorry he was for Bridges, who then asked him what the hell he was talking about.

It’s gotta be a bit jarring to get a call in the night with a teammate apologizing to you, wondering what he means, only to find out you are headed across the country for one of the league’s all-time greats. Bridges is handling it like a pro, but you can tell he’s still processing everything that went down over the past 24 hours.

Day In Day Out festival is set to return to Seattle this summer. Taking the stage at Fisher Green Pavilion at Seattle Center are several promising acts.

Bon Iver, Leon Bridges, Willow, Alex G, are some of the names set to play. Singer and Euphoria actor Dominic Fike will also perform, as well as instrumental band, Explosions In The Sky. The latter will perform their entire third studio album, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, in its entirety.

Also on the bill are Yaeji, Ethel Cain, Surf Curse, BadBadNotGood, Indigo De Souza, Nation Of Language, and Emumclaw.

“We will be on stage with guitar and other instruments at @dayindayoutfest this summer,” said Emumclaw with other people who also play music and such come see us standing up.”

Several DJs — including Maxwell Edison, Mimi Zima, Chinese American Bear, and Sea Lemon — will be performing sets.

Day In Day Out will take place Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13. Tickets are available for purchase here. Show times and daily performance schedules are set to be announced soon.

You can check out the full lineup below.

Surf Curse is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After the Grammy Awards were held last weekend, Viola Davis made major headlines after she won an award for the audiobook of her memoir, Finding Me.

Davis, who is now the latest entry into the acclaimed EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) hall-of-fame, might have other fans wondering how many of their favorite celebs are just one more award shy away of joining her next.

Only 18 performers have achieved this feat, with Richard Rogers being the first to do so in 1962 per Variety. Since then, Mike Nichols, Whoopi Goldberg, Helen Hayes, Marvin Hamlisch, Robert Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, and more have entered the exclusive club.

Here is the full list of people that are currently alive and one award away from achieving an EGOT. (Hint: Some of the entries include surprising musicians.)

Grammy:

Ellen Burstyn
Jeremy Irons
Jessica Lange
Frances McDormand
Helen Mirren
Al Pacino
Vanessa Redgrave
Geoffrey Rush
Maggie Smith

Oscar:

Dick Van Dyke
Cynthia Erivo
Anne Garefino
Hugh Jackman
John Kander
Alex Lacamoire
Cyndi Lauper
Katrina Lenk
Audra McDonald
Bette Midler
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Cynthia Nixon
Trey Parker
Ben Platt
Billy Porter
Ari’el Stachel
Marc Shaiman
Bill Sherman
Matt Stone
Charles Strouse
Lily Tomlin
David Yazbek

Tony:

Adele
Julie Andrews
Burt Bacharach
Alan Bergman
Cher
Common
Eminem
Michael Giacchino
Ludwig Göransson
Brian Grazer
Hildur Guðnadóttir
H.E.R.
Ron Howard
Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Paul McCartney
James Moll
Randy Newman
Trent Reznor
Atticus Ross
Martin Scorsese
Ringo Starr
John Williams
Kate Winslet

Emmy:

Joel Grey
Elton John
Justin Paul
Benj Pasek
Bruce Springsteen

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

Unconditional positive support in your teen years can be life-changing, and it’s something many teens take for granted. But 18-year-old Emanuel Graham didn’t always have that luxury until he started working at McDonald’s. Yes, the fast food chain.

By the time Graham was 13, he had lost both of his parents and found himself without the parental support he needed to thrive. “After those years, I kept messing up in school because both of my biggest support systems, they were gone,” he told CBS. Graham went on to say, “I didn’t even think I’d make it to college—or senior year.”

That’s a lot of pressure for a teen to face alone, but while in high school, Graham started working at his local McDonald’s in Lynn, Massachusetts, where he met assistant manager Andrea De La Rosa. Turns out he was in for much more than a job because De La Rosa became a mentor and one of the adults cheering in Graham’s corner.

“When he came to me and said he wanted to apply [to college], I sat him down and we filled out applications on my lunch break,” De La Rosa told McDonald’s Corporate.

The teen gave De La Rosa the nickname “Mama McDonald’s” because she makes it a point to be there for her young employees. She even goes as far as to answer their late-night calls, as well as helping them with homework and their college applications.

“You never stop being a mother just because they’re not your kids,” De La Rosa told CBS. And thanks to Mama McDonald’s’ help, Graham is now a student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, studying business.

Graham isn’t the only one who finds the support De La Rosa gives to be valuable. During an interview with CBS, one young employee said, “I don’t have a good relationship with my mother. Andrea gives me the mother figure that I never had.”

It seems that De La Rosa is leaving her impact on every teen that comes to work in her McDonald’s. Though Graham no longer works with the manager while he attends school, he says she continues to check in on him often to make sure he has what he needs.

“Every child deserves to have a parent or someone standing in their corner, the kids are our future and if they get the right push they can exceed and excel in life,” said De La Rosa to McDonald’s Corporate.

See the sweet interactions below:

Is God male? Female? Both? Neither? In Christian scripture, the answer is not so cut and dried. God is often referred to as the Heavenly Father who created man in “his” image. At the same time, other parts of the Bible contradict that notion, indicating that God is equal parts masculine and feminine, being the sum total and creator of all things. One could also say that God is neither male nor female, again considering that, in being everything, God is not limited to what distinguishes humans from one another.

It’s because of this nuance that the Church of England announced that it would be considering dropping the use of “he” and “him” and instead adopting gender-neutral pronouns.

According to The Guardian, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Lichfield and vice-chair of the commission behind this change, argues that while this breaks traditional teachings, the church had already been “exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years.”

The project comes in response to Rev. Joanna Stobart, vicar of Ilminster and Whitelackington in Somerset, who asked the synod to provide an “update on the steps being taken to develop more inclusive language” used in prayer, especially for those who “wish to use authorized liturgy and speak of God in a non-gendered way.”

While specifics of this campaign remain unclear, there has already been pushback, particularly at the possibility of removing the term “Our Father” from The Lord’s Prayer. The Telegraph reported that the Rev. Dr. Ian Paul asserted that it would change the messaging to something not “grounded in the scriptures”.

“‘Father’ can’t be substituted by ‘Mother’ without changing meaning, nor can it be gender-neutralized to ‘parent’ without loss of meaning,” he said.

Still, a spokesperson for the Church of England countered, “This is nothing new. Christians have recognized since ancient times that God is neither male nor female, yet the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in scripture has not always been reflected in our worship.” This interest in exploring new language is therefore a way to further align values.

While the concept of using gender-neutral language might be relatively new for English speakers, other languages around the world have used non-gendered pronouns for centuries. English itself is a language comprised of several mother tongues and is constantly evolving—hence why it has so much variety. So perhaps this change is merely an example of what the English language naturally does, what it has always done.

Either way, it’s an interesting example of how language is merely a tool to put a name to that which is intangible—a tool that can change depending on its purpose. In this case, it’s being used to define arguably the most intangible thing in the universe.

Pile returned with a music video for their new song, “Lowered Rainbow,” ahead of the band’s All Fiction album dropping next week.

Blending a psychedelic instrumental with some dark lyricism that raises the tension of the track, even the band members felt it differed from their previous releases. It also has some incredibly abstract sketched-out visuals that match the song’s vibe.

“Musically, this one took a bunch of different shapes before it landed the way it did on the record,” lead singer Rick Maguire shared in a statement. “The structure of the song didn’t really change much from when it was written so most of the alterations made were textural, and we pushed it further than a lot of other songs we have. Lyrically, it’s about cults, conspiracy theories, and the trend toward increasingly imaginative beliefs about reality.”

On the same day of their album’s release, Pile will also be embarking on a global tour that kicks off in Philly — with additional dates scattered throughout the fall.

Watch Pile’s music video for “Lowered Rainbow” above. Below, find their complete list of forthcoming tour dates.

02/27 — Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
02/28 — Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
03/01 — Ridgewood, NY @ TV Eye
03/02 — Ridgewood, NY @ TV Eye
03/03 — Somerville, MA @ Arts at the Armory
03/08 — Lille, FR @ La Bulle Café
03/10 — Paris, FR @ Supersonic
03/12 — Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz
03/13 — Madrid, ES @ Moby Dick
03/14 — Lisbon, PT @ ZDB
03/15 — Porto, PT @ Maus Hábitos
03/16 — San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
03/19 — Bologna, IT @ Freakout club
03/20 — Milan, IT @ Circolo Arci Bellezza
03/21 — Zürich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
03/22 — Bochum, DE @ Die Trompete
03/23 — Amsterdam, NL @ Doka
03/24 — Antwerpen, BE @ Trix
03/26 — Malmö, SE @ Plan B
03/27 — Berlin, DE @ Badehaus
03/29 — Groningen, NL @ Vera
03/31 — London, UK @ 9294
04/01 — Birmingham, UK @ Castle and Falcon
04/02 — Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
04/03 — Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
04/04 — Manchester, UK @ Soupkitchen
04/05 — Bristol, UK @ Exchange
04/06 — Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store
09/08 — Portland, ME @ SPACE Gallery
09/10 — Rochester, NY @ Big Jar
09/12 — Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
09/13 — Detroit, MI @ El Club
09/17 — Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
09/19 — Missoula, MT @ Zoo Town Arts
09/21 — Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
09/22 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
09/26 — San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
10/01 — San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
10/02 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
10/06 — Denton, TX @ Andy’s Bar
10/09 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/11 — New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
10/16 — Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall

All Fiction is out 2/17 via Exploding In Sound. Pre-order it here.

Buzzy London star Central Cee is back with a new love song. Known for viral hits, like the ode to rapper Doja Cat appropriately titled “Doja,” Cench is one of the biggest acts in the UK drill scene. On the new drill-infused track called “Me And You,” Cench and his lady are the envy of everyone.

Over romantic synths and a sample of Donell Jones’ “Shorty Got Her Eyes On Me,” Cench hypes himself up as quite the ladies man, letting a special woman know the perks that come with being by his side.

“You ain’t gotta worry ’bout nobody else, it’s me and you / Bought you a bag, now that guy’s askin’ what I see in you / Put you on the ‘Gram, now they wanna take pics like me and you,” he raps on the song’s chorus.

The song shows off more of Cench’s romantic side. In an interview with Rolling Stone last year, he described himself as a “hopeless romantic,” however, he prioritizes music first.

“A relationship is like a career, innit? It takes dedication,” said Cench. “Because I’m so focused on my career and my life situation, I can’t really put too much time into a relationship, or anything like that.”

Check out “Me And You” above.

The 2022 NFL season culminates with Super Bowl LVII on Sunday evening in Glendale, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Philadelphia Eagles on the sport’s biggest stage. After two weeks of build-up following Championship Sunday, everyone is simply ready for kick-off and, in this space, we are basking in the glow of a guaranteed winning season after a 4-0 performance on the last card. Granted, the Super Bowl is a different animal (make sure to line shop!!!!), and we’ll get to our picks momentarily.

First, though, a look at the full-season effort.

• Championship Sunday: 4-0
• 2022 Season: 56-44-2

Come get these winners.

Chiefs and Eagles combine for UNDER 5.5 sacks — DraftKings

There is a lot of buzz about both pass rushes, and with good reason. Philadelphia has a historic mark with more than 70 sacks this season, and Kansas City was a top-three team in sacks. As such, this number is inflated. Then, Patrick Mahomes is (very) adept at avoiding sacks, and Hurts can get us home on the other side behind two quality offensive lines.

Dallas Goedert longest reception OVER 18.5 yards — FanDuel

From a trend standpoint, Goedert beat this more than half the time in the regular season, and I’m a fan of his YAC ability. Kansas City doesn’t always have best tackling room and, crucially, this is the best number I’ve seen in the market as of Thursday evening.

Kadarius Toney Over 25.5 receiving yards — PointsBet

This is a talent bet more than anything. Toney was an early exit from the AFC title game with injury, but without Mecole Hardman to stretch things out with speed, Toney is important here. One catch could do it, and this is the best number available in the market.

Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles UNDER 24.5 points in the first half — Widely available

This is the consensus number after an uptick in the full-game total. I would lean under there also, but prefer the first half. Philadelphia’s defense is very stout and should be able to key on Travis Kelce to make things a little more difficult on Mahomes. I also buy KC’s defense more than the market does, and there could be some #nerves at the outset.

Kansas City Chiefs (+1.5) over Philadelphia Eagles — Widely available

I feel obligated to give out the side, so here we are. Fundamentally, this is a bet on Patrick Mahomes, as most would acknowledge Philadelphia has the deeper, more complete roster. It’s a principle to simply take Mahomes as an underdog, though, and the Chiefs are undervalued on defense right now. This isn’t a huge edge by any means, but go Chiefs.