Category: Trending

Lil Yachty’s song “Poland” proved to be one of the biggest viral hits of 2022. Though it didn’t appear on his 2023 album Let’s Start Here, which features Yachty experimenting with more psychedelic sounds, he revealed “Poland” was made during downtime in the album’s studio sessions.

In an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, he said he was initially frustrated after the song leaked.

“That was irritating,” he said. “I was pissed because I made ‘Poland’ while making this album on a day when they were mixing sh*t in the other room and I was just bored with the homies, and I would’ve never dropped ‘Poland,’ ever, because I was trying to pivot myself into this. So I was really irritated when it dropped, but I’m so grateful it did. And like I said, I really don’t know what I do next. I don’t know if I’m going to do this again or do more rap sh*t… I’ll figure it out.”

Last month, Yachty announced he was assembling an all-woman band. Elsewhere in the interview with Lowe, he revealed his inspiration behind the idea.

“I just wanted to show how sick women can rap,” said Yachty. “I feel like… I was just in rehearsal yesterday. I just feel like women don’t get as much respect as men when it comes to the music industry. So I was like, ‘These songs are pretty badass, and I want to show women playing them.’ They didn’t make it, but I want to show they can do it, not better. So that was my vision.”

Find the full interview above.

It’s unlikely any show in 2023 will have a better cast than History of the World: Part II (Jack Black, Pamela Adlon, and Wee Man, together at last), but Extrapolations comes close. The Apple TV+ anthology series from Scott Z. Burns (Contagion) is “the story of terrible catastrophe after another,” as Marion Cotillard says in the trailer above. The world is on fire and/or permanently smoggy due to climate change, which isn’t great. But hey look, it’s Meryl Streep! And Edward Norton! And Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, in the same TV show for the first time since The Americans!

The rest of the cast includes Sienna Miller, Kit Harington, Daveed Diggs, Diane Lane, Tahar Rahim, Yara Shahidi, Gemma Chan, David Schwimmer, Adarsh Gourav, Forest Whitaker, Eiza González, Murray Bartlett, Indira Varma, Tobey Maguire, MaameYaa Boafo, Hari Nef, Heather Graham, Michael Gandolfini, Cherry Jones, Gaz Choudhry, Ben Harper, Judd Hirsch, and Neska Rose. Here’s more:

Extrapolations is a bracing drama from writer, director and executive producer Scott Z. Burns that introduces a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into our everyday lives. Eight interwoven stories about love, work, faith and family from across the globe will explore the intimate, life-altering choices that must be made when the planet is changing faster than the population. Every story is different, but the fight for our future is universal. And when the fate of humanity is up against a ticking clock, the battle between courage and complacency has never been more urgent. Are we brave enough to become the solution to our own undoing before it’s too late?

Extrapolations premieres on March 17.

With Jonathan Majors set to wage war on the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the new Thanos-level big bad, Kang the Conqueror, the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has been opening up about his seemingly meteoric rise in the film industry. Majors also appears in this year’s Creed III and Magazine Dreams, but like all actors, his path wasn’t always easy.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Majors admits that he leads a buttoned-up life, choosing to stay private and off social media because “I have no interest in the f*ckery of the industry.” He also admits that “I walked out of my Marvel general [meeting].” Keep in mind, this was years before Marvel would approach him for Kang and his fan-favorite debut in Loki, so it was a bold move on Majors part.

This was a long time ago. I had just gotten out of drama school and I’m running around town and I’m sitting in the office. I grew up in a very particular way and I don’t want to waste nobody’s time. So I got in there and they’re just busy. And I was like, “I’m supposed to be here, right?” It got long and I went, “I’m just going to go. It’s cool. I’ll just go.” And I got to the door, but then they said [casting director] Sarah Finn was going to come. We got in the room and we chatted. We were having this great conversation. I think it was three years later that we had the Kang chat. And there’s no trepidation now, especially because of who Kang is. When I said yes, we got the whole picture, and what is being laid out is cohesive.

Clearly, everything worked out as Majors is set to be a dominant fixture in the MCU leading all the way up to the massive crossover event Avengers: Kang Dynasty where he’ll go toe-to-toe with a new Avengers team who will have to fight to save not just the world, but all of reality.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17.

(Via Vanity Fair)

Golden Globe-nominated actress Selena Gomez has been looking to beef up her acting resume since starring in Hulu’s original series Only Murders in the Building.

Although acting could be considered her first love and the way in which most of the public has been introduced to her, thanks to her lengthy Disney career, Gomez has always been sure to supply her dedicated music fans (the Selenators) with something to sink their teeth into dropping solo music in both English and Spanish when she’s not lending her voice to a guest appearance on another musician’s track.

However, after several weeks of hinting at a possible tour either this year or next and a new album, Gomez is finally ready to share more. During an interview with Vanity Fair, when asked about the new material she’s working on, Gomez replied, “If I had my way, I would probably write ballads my whole life, but I want to produce music that will make people smile.”

Gomez, as she sang in her breakout song, “Same Old Love,” she’s sick of the same old things, but she promises her new work would be something fresh.

She then added, “The music I’m doing right now is about real things that I’m walking through. It’s really powerful, strong, and very pop. The theme generally is freedom — freedom from relationships, freedom from the darkness.”

Read the full interview here.

Even though we were told quite a few times that Walter White and Jesse Pinkman’s appearance on Better Call Saul’s final season would really be the last time we saw the duo, that wasn’t fully true. The pair starred in a Super Bowl commercial for PopCorners, the number one last-minute snack for when all of the Doritos have been bought and you’re running late to your friend’s house. But it turns out that even that wouldn’t be the last time we saw Bryan Cranson and Aaron Paul reprise their iconic roles, as PopCorners has released an extended cut of their new Super Bowl ad.

In the extended ad, Walter White confidently exclaims that he is the One Who Snacks while sitting on a throne of PopCorners bags which is much better than the alternative. It seems like PopCorners pair perfectly with some Dos Hombres mezcal!

The ad was written and directed by series co-creator Vince Gilligan, meaning it is technically in the universe, though it would have been better if Bob Odenkirk showed up.

Ahead of the release, Paul said in a statement that they were excited to bring the gang back together. “There’s nothing better than getting to revive characters who mean so much to us, surrounded by so many of our original cast and crew members, for the most exciting sports event of the year. ” There is still time for a rock candy company to swoop in for a partnership for next year’s big game, though time is running out! Maybe this will actually be the last time we see them. But who knows? We’ve been lied to before.

Check out the extended cut above.

50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) has made an immensely successful crossover to television in recent years, as he made both the Power franchise and Black Mafia Family shows at Starz before leaving his deal last September. While he’s produced projects here and there since 2003, according to his IMDb, his Starz creations have had a massive impact — even if his relationship with the network grew rocky.

“09-17-22 official day of really owning my content and deciding where and how I do it moving forward,” he shared on Instagram at the time.

Now, Jackson has his sights on another network in a newly-announced non-exclusive deal with Fox. Jackson and his G-Unit Film & Television production company will develop “scripted dramas, live-action comedies, and animated series,” according to Variety.

“I am excited to formalize a partnership with Michael Thorn and Fox that will allow G-Unit Film & Television to focus on putting multiple series on Fox, a perfect broadcast destination for G-Unit Film & Television content while our premium, streaming, scripted, and non-scripted slates continue to grow in all directions,” Jackson shared in a statement.

Sharing the news on Instagram, 50 also wrote, “How’s your day going, mine is going good. Happy Valentine’s Day GLG GreenLightGang i don’t miss.”

“Whether it’s music, film, or television, Curtis always delivers premium entertainment that captivates millions of fans across the globe,” Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn added. “He is the rare multi-hyphenate with a deft hand at storytelling, no matter the format or medium, and we’re looking forward to developing new and exciting series for Fox with him and his team.”

In addition to Jackson’s credits, G-Unit (not to be confused with his former hip-hop collective) is still in development on Fightland and Queen Nzinga at Starz. The company also produced ABC’s For Life and WeTV’s Hip Hop Homicides.

To celebrate their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple, Grammys grump Ben Affleck got Jennifer Lopez a heart-shaped donut from Dunkin. I mean, I assume. There’s no actual proof of the pastry present, but there’s a 97 percent chance it happened. There is, however, photo evidence of the other way they spent February 14th: by getting tattoos.

People reports that “a set of photos shared by Lopez features the Shotgun Wedding actress showing off her new tattoo — an infinity sign that appears to have the names ‘Jennifer’ and ‘Ben’ written in cursive. An arrow also goes through the middle of the symbol, which sits above Lopez’s ribcage.” Affleck’s tattoo has two arrows crossing each other, with “J” and “B” written between them.

“Happy Valentine’s Day my love (Look for more deets on VDay coming #OnTheJLo soon…),” Lopez wrote on Instagram, along with the hashtags #CommitmentIsSexy, #ThisIsUsThen, #ThisIsUsNow, and #ThisIsMeNow. (The “#ThisIsUsThen” is a reference to the first time they dated, back in the Gigli and “Jenny From the Block” days.)

Lots of couples get tattoos on Valentine’s Day, but with all due respect to Mr. and Mrs. America Runs on Dunkin, couldn’t they have picked more… unique designs, not something you might have printed off a Tumblr page in the early 2010s? You’ve got Super Bowl commercial money! At least it wasn’t another phoenix back tattoo.

A superior option:

People

Vladimir Putin has transformed Russia into a social pariah, and he’s gone far enough that he’s even lost one of his biggest allies that recently ditched him. However, and even though Russia continues to lose thousands upon thousands of soldiers in Putin’s war on Ukraine, he’s not giving up the fight. Reports have indicated that, one year into this boots-on-the-ground conflict, Putin has dug in his heels for a long haul.

Part of that strategy involves Putin doing a lot of hiding. Given that he allegedly has all of his enemies poisoned, he’s grown completely paranoid and has grown even better at hiding. That’s happened to such a degree that Ukrainian President Zelensky accused him of being a green-screen concoction, so Putin had to provide proof of life. Also, he apparently prepared way back in 2019 with the ultimate hiding-oriented luxury: a secret labyrinth of train tunnels, so he can move between his palaces without detection.

Business Insider relays word from Proekt, a Russian news outlet that dives deep into investigative mode and did a lot of satellite detection and good, old-fashioned footwork. In the process, Proekt discovered private train stations that surface thousands of feet away from Putin’s various luxury homes, including his summer Sochi retreat. These stations (and corresponding secret railway network) span across Russia and were apparently constructed over the past few years. All of this because Putin’s armored train adventures demand even more luxury-secrecy. Here’s more:

[These h]idden stations span across the country, according to the report, which used a combination of investigative reporting, satellite imagery, and sightings to identify elements of the secret railway line in at least three locations.

Near Putin’s palace in Valdai, which is about halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, a reporter identified a guarded railway station in the fall of 2022, the outlet said. The reporter was moved on by a guard when he tried to approach it. The station is in Dolgie Borody, the nearest settlement to Putin’s residence, and has a heliport attached, according to the media outlet. Satellite imagery reviewed by Proekt seemed to indicate that it was built in 2019.

God only knows how much this elaborate web of train tracks cost, and Putin has been maintaining and staffing them while Russians are largely cut off from the world due to sanctions. Heck, they can’t even find paper in some parts of the country. However, Putin still has the resources to hand out fancy Rings Of Power to his dwindling allies. Priorities.

(Via Business Insider)

Last year, Selena Gomez‘s Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me offered an intimate look at her day-to-day life. In the documentary, she revealed that she had chosen to outsource her social media accounts to an assistant, as the online landscape had become very toxic to her.

Gomez, who was once the most-followed person on Instagram, doubled down on these comments in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, and revealed she only has one social media outlet on her phone.

“People can call me ugly or stupid and I’m like, ‘Whatever.’ But these people get detailed,” Gomez said of online trolls. “They write paragraphs that are so specific and mean. I would constantly be crying. I constantly had anxiety… I couldn’t do it anymore. It was a waste of my time.”

She continued, revealing, “The only thing I have on my phone is TikTok because I find it to be a little less hostile. There are wonderful things about social media — connecting with fans, seeing how happy and excited they are and their stories. But usually that’s filtered through [for me now]. I created a system. Everything I do I send to my assistant who posts them. As far as comments, my team will put together a few things that are encouraging.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Gomez said she is currently filming the third season of Hulu Original series, Only Murders In The Building. She also shared she has new music on the way, which she says will be more upbeat — making a departure from her signature, downtempo ballads.

Shortly before 2022 wrapped up, Seth Meyers and Lizzo spent some time together day-drinking for a Late Night segment. One of the many fun moments from that was when Lizzo saw Late Night writer Seth Reiss in a mask and thought he was Paul Rudd. Once he took his mask off, though, Lizzo exploded into laughter before changing her position and declaring the two don’t look anything alike.

Fast-forward to last night (February 14): Rudd was a guest on Late Night and he and Meyers discussed the Lizzo segment.

Rudd noted, “When I heard Lizzo say my name, I was like, ‘Ooh!’ I got all excited [laughs]. By the way, it’s a weird thing when you’re not expecting to hear that and you hear it.” He went on to call her “so funny” and “so charming.”

Meyers then cut to a clip of Lizzo confusing Reiss for Rudd, and when that ended, Rudd was wearing a mask, as Reiss was in the video. A masked Reiss then emerged to pose next to Rudd, and indeed, there was some definite similarity there.

“You know what? Not as bad as I thought,” Meyers proclaimed. “I owe an apology to Lizzo.”

Watch the Rudd interview above and revisit the original Lizzo segment below.

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