Category: Worldwide

The first test screenings for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One have started as the film finally approaches its release date following a tumultuous production schedule. The long-awaited sequel starring Tom Cruise as IMF super-agent Ethan Hunt was one of the first films affected by the pandemic as it was forced to shut down shooting in Italy before bouncing all around Europe to find someplace, anyplace, where Cruise can jump a motorcycle off a cliff.

According to Paramount Global President Bob Bakish, the effort was worth as Dead Reckoning is reportedly killing it with test audiences. Although, it could be a bit shorter, which is an odd thing for a studio exec to openly reveal about an upcoming blockbuster. Via IndieWire:

“I haven’t seen all of ‘MI:7,’ but I’ve seen a bunch of it,” Bakish said. “We actually just did the first test screening for an audience last week, and the audience lost their mind. And it’s still too long, they’ve got to cut it. But the movie is insane. It’s like a complete thrill ride. And Tom, he’s very good.”

Of course, Bakish’s concerns are going to be a moot point if Cruise is happy with the runtime. The actor is currently being feted all over Hollywood for saving theaters with Top Gun: Maverick. Even Steven Spielberg personally praised him for saving everybody’s ass in the business.

There’s a lot of Cruise for out there, which has only expanded his considerable clout. So if he needs three hours to hang off a plane, the guy’s probably going to get three hours to hang off a plane. Is anyone gonna go out on the wing and stop him?

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One jumps into theaters on July 14.

(Via IndieWire)

Women’s History Month is officially here so you know we had to go big for the latest episode of Wom/n Worldwide.

Host Drew Dorsey is celebrating all of the wins made by women recently — from the stage to the screen, on the court, on the field, and on the track. We’re applauding acting icons like Michelle Yeoh, Jaime Lee Curtis, and Angela Bassett for their much-deserved awards season recognition because no matter who takes home the Oscar this month, they’ve all made history in one way or another. Speaking of, we had to celebrate the historic nominations of artists like Beyonce and Taylor Swift at this year’s Grammys.

But Hollywood isn’t the only industry where women are making gains. March 8th marks International Women’s Day and the theme for this year’s celebration is “Embrace Equity.” So, naturally, we’re shouting out athletes in the WNBA, teams heading to this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, and drivers competing on the Indy circuit for doing just that. We’re also loving the work international activists like Yuliia Sachuk and Moud Goba and more are doing for women in Ukraine, the UK, Nigeria, and beyond, breaking down barriers for the disabled community, giving opportunities to asylum seekers, and helping women get on the ballot come election season.

Check out the full episode above.

After months of waiting and anticipating Jonathan Majors as the jacked-up “Diamond Dame,” Creed III has finally swung those mighty fists into theaters, though it seems like some people have taken the boxing aspect of the movie a little too far.

Various French media outlets have reported over a dozen (!?!) separate disturbances in movie theaters over the weekend in conjunction with the sports drama hitting screens. On Sunday, one French theater was forced to call the police after a fight broke out and a security guard was injured by flying debris. Later that day, the police were called to a separate theater to evacuate 500 movie-goers after a large brawl broke out.

Videos of various kerfuffles quickly went viral online, which prompted several independent venues to take the movie off of its schedules, causing even more uproar, as the movie has been out for less than a week.

Deadline reports that the incidents were all isolated, though brawls also seemed to break out in other European cities, like Hamburg and Essen. German outlets seem to attribute the violence to a TikTok trend. Though this one is a lot more disruptive than the GentleMinions craze of 2022 in which a bunch of teens dressed in suits in order to watch the children’s animated feature. They didn’t hurt anyone, but they did throw bananas at the screen.

The violence doesn’t seem to deter American Creed fans, who helped the movie secure a record-breaking opening weekend. So violence is sometimes the answer, but only when it’s fake, on-screen, and conducted by working professionals. Don’t try those hits at home.

(Via Deadline)

Over the years, Lana Del Rey has been accused of many things. Since the release of her major label debut album, Born To Die, some critics have claimed she glorifies abusive relationships, and others have accused her of cultural appropriation through her sound and fashion choices.

Many of Del Rey’s critics rehashed these criticisms back in March of 2021, upon the release of her seventh album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club, on the cover of which she is seen surrounded by mostly white women. Seven months after the release of Chemtrails, Del Rey released her eighth album, Blue Banisters, following minimal promotion.

In an interview with Rolling Stone UK, Del Rey said she released Blue Banisters as a way to explain herself amid the accusations of cultural appropriation and glorifying domestic abuse.

“I was just like, ‘Let me try and write an album that maybe could explain why, if that was true, let’s say, I could potentially identify with certain modes of operating,’” she said. “So, Blue Banisters was more of an explanatory album, more of a defensive album, which is why I didn’t promote it, period, at all. I didn’t want anyone to listen to it. I just wanted it to be there in case anyone was ever curious for any information.”

It appears Lana came as close to reaching the goal of nobody listening to the album as somebody as famous as she is could: It’s her lowest-charting major-label album, her only one to not peak within the top three spots of the Billboard 200 chart.

Over the past couple of years, the number of artists selling off portions of their publishing catalogs has risen greatly, with artists from classic rockers like Bob Dylan and Sting putting up their legacy hits to hip-hop artists like Future, Iggy Azalea, and Metro Boomin cashing in on more recent material. Even R&B and pop stars stars like John Legend, Justin Bieber, and Justin Timberlake have joined the gold rush, while the estates of both Juice WRLD and Michael Jackson have sold the stars’ catalogs.

So, why are so many artists selling their old music?

Well, it likely comes down to a couple of reasons. The first, and most obvious, is for the cash payout. While publishing is still the most lucrative revenue stream for artists outside of playing live shows and doing brand partnerships, publishing is really only profitable when songs are licensed for use in advertising, film, television, or sampling in other artists’ music. However, there really are only so many opportunities available there, and things like streaming don’t generate the kind of income that actual album sales did back in the day.

As the late David Crosby wrote on Twitter when he sold his catalog, “I can’t work …and streaming stole my record money …I have a family and a mortgage and I have to take care of them so it’s my only option ..I’m sure the others feel the same.” Now that he’s gone, that cash is likely a comfort to his family — and much easier to deal with than administrating his massive catalog. As country star Travis Tritt said when he sold his catalog to Reservoir Media, “The biggest reason for me selling was not to leave a huge headache for my family that would have to try to administrate a catalog. I’d rather leave them cash.”

The other big reason stars might be selling their catalogs has to do with taxes. Because of the way income is taxed from royalties, artists might end up keeping more of their money by selling the publishing rights all at once. Royalty payments are viewed by the IRS as regular income, which could be taxed as high as 37 percent under current tax codes depending on how much those royalties are. However, a catalog sale is taxed as capital gains — which has a much lower max rate of 20 percent.

With the current administration working to close that loophole, many artists and their business managers view it as a limited window of time to take advantage of it, and they are doing so before time runs out. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, it also makes sense because while the long-term realization of the catalogs’ value will likely be many times when artists are being paid for them now, most artists probably won’t see all that potential — even if they aren’t as old as, say, Sting.

Getting a guaranteed eight figures now rather than a possible larger payout some indiscriminate time in the future seems like a pretty good deal. After all, you can’t take it with you and you’d rather be able to enjoy it while you’re young enough to do so. And while there may be some unintended consequences down the road — monopolies are never good — for now, it would appear to be in artists’ best interests to cash out while their hand is hot — because everyone cools off eventually.

For more information, check out The Washington Post‘s coverage.

WWE has announced that Bad Bunny will make his return to the squared circle for the first time since taking an F-5 from Brock Lesnar at the 2022 Royal Rumble when he hosts the premium live event Backlash in Puerto Rico on May 6.

Backlash will take place live from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It will also mark the first WWE premium live event to take place in Puerto Rico since January 2005. In a release, Bad Bunny expressed regret over being unable to attend that pay-per-view, which was headlined by an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship which was won by Triple H.

“In 2005 when I was a kid, I wasn’t able to attend New Year’s Revolution at el Coliseo,” said Bad Bunny, per the release. “Finally, 18 years later WWE returns to the island with a massive event and this time I won’t miss it.”

Bad Bunny’s inclusion at Backlash comes after he stole the show at WrestleMania 37 in a match where he teamed with Damian Priest to defeat The Miz and John Morrison. It also follows him becoming a playable character in the upcoming WWE 2K23 game, slated for nationwide release on March 17. Pre-ordering any version of the video game will come with access to the Bad Bunny Bonus Pack, which includes Bad Bunny on the game’s roster and a Ruby Bad Bunny MyFACTION Card.

In early March, Jake Gyllenhaal surprised MMA fans by showing up at UFC 285 to film scenes for his upcoming remake of the Patrick Swayze classic Road House. While weighing in for his fictitious scene, Gyllenhall looked noticeably jacked as the actor prepared to enter the ring with fellow actor Jay Hieron. Apparently, Gyllenhall’s take on Elwood Dalton will involve the barroom bouncer being an ex-UFC fighter in the reboot, and actual MMA champ Conor McGregor will be along for the ride.

You can see Gyllenhaal looking absolutely shredded as he filmed Road House scenes at the UFC event in Las Vegas below:

What makes Gyllenhaal’s buffed up look all the more surprising is the actor spent a good bit of 2022 touting his plant-based diet. During a May appearance on TODAY, the actor talked about his family’s long history with eating healthy and how that led him towards plants as the bulk of his nutrition:

“My father was already healthy going up and trying different things. he was the first person to introduce me to soy milk. He cooked things with tofu. When you have models like that, it influences you,” he said. “I think that’s been passed onto me.”

Today, Gyllenhaal said he eats mostly, but not exclusively, plant-based foods. The movement toward a plant-based diet was gradual, stemming from a combination of watching documentaries and simply tracking how he felt based on what he ate.

As for whether or not Gyllenhaal added meat to his diet to bulk up for Road House isn’t known yet. However, UFC president Dana White did crack a joke about where the actor may have got his muscles.

“Listen, what can I say? He looks good,” White told Insider. “I don’t think he’s been USADA tested, but he looks great.”

For those who don’t know, USADA stands for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume that an all-natural guy like Gyllenhaal probably isn’t using steroids. Adding chickens to the mix Hugh Jackman-style? We can definitely see that.

(Via TODAY)

Logic dropped a cover of Ice Cube’s “It Was A Good Day,” and the interesting nature of it has people talking.

The video finds Logic backed by two guitar players — who do a good job at recreating the instrumental — and a green screen that displays clips of Cube. However, unlike the original, he gave it an almost indie spin attempt that has divided the internet.

“I mean I hate logic so I can’t let this rock. But if I’m just listening to the music, Lemme get Frank Ocean covering the joint. The same background players is straight they solid lol,” one person replied.

“Bruh skipped a whole 8 bars. And corny asf,” another commented.

Despite the thoughts many had on the video, it seems a certain relative of the covered rapper has the final say.

“I respect logic,” Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., tweeted. “I think he can rap. And that’s all I really need. But bruh….if if ever hear you sing about my mother again… it’s gone be a misunderstanding lmaoooo!”

Still, that hasn’t stopped him from participating in the jokes about the cover of his dad’s song. One user dropped a clip from The Hangover where a guy gives an off-kilter cover of 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” to which Jackson replied, “Bar for bar!!”

View Logic’s “It Was A Good Day” cover above.

Most of us know that while we colloquially throw around the word “narcissist” to label someone as arrogant or selfish, those who are actually diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are quite rare.

We also know that self-aware narcissists are even rarer. And yet, TikTok has become a booming platform for self-described narcissists to offer insights into how their minds work and even encourage others to seek therapy. This makes sense—you get the ego-boosting attention of likes and views while also developing more altruistic intentions. Win, win.

At the very least, it seems to be further proof that while NPD is a serious disorder that can leave a trail of hurt and abuse in its wake, no two people are alike, and we find more understanding in not lumping all narcissists together.

TikTok creator Lillith (aka @toxiccwaste0) claims she was formerly diagnosed with NPD in 2021. Bearing in mind we only have anecdotal evidence to go on, Lillith describes behaviors that do align with certain NPD-specific criteria—including a lack of empathy, intense pleasure-seeking, and a habit of “love-bombing”—as she shares her experience of being what she calls a “reformed narcissist

One video, which currently has over 76,000 views, shows Lilith responding to someone’s question about the worst thing she had done physically or mentally to someone. Liltih obliged, adding the warning that anyone who could relate to what she was saying should seek help.

“I’m prefacing this with: This is wrong and you shouldn’t do this to people,” Lilith began, adding that she always viewed potential relationships as a “game of chess” rather than anything romantic.

“Everything that I said or did was planned and thought out to get reactions and to get people to do certain things,” she said. “So I pushed people to really bad places.” One example she gave was an account of manipulating a person into sending $150,000 over the pandemic using triggers she had picked up on.

“I was telling him to kill himself and was being really mean and making him cry all the time, and I would lie to him and then I would give him doses of what he wanted,” Lilith said. “But I was mostly just really abusive…I just wanted to keep him so I could keep using him.”

Watch:

@toxiccwaste0 Replying to @jakiviachantae I always said I’d answer anything honestly, I honestly am so ashamed of this stuff and it’s mad weird of me to put it on the internet but here I am lol #npdtiktok #clusterbpersonalitydisorder #narcawareness #narcissist ♬ original sound – lilith

Though she used to consider her ability to “implant thoughts” into people’s brains as cool, Lilith shared that now she feels “disgusted.” She also wrote in the comments section that she has no desire to be considered a “role model,” but instead sees her confessional-style videos as a form of possible redemption for her “terrible choices.”

Many people saw Lilith taking accountability as a good thing and even validating for some who had been previously abused by narcissists.

One person wrote, “If you’re a narcissist, coming here and admitting this sort of stuff is 100% healing.”

Another added, “All I’ve ever wanted from the people who treated me this way was to admit it and attempt to live in their truth. I appreciate you.”

Again, though it is not common for a narcissist to view their behavior as hurtful (hence one reason it is so painful to be in a relationship with one), certain studies indicate that those with NPD can still learn aspects of emotional intelligence through therapy. And going off of Lilith’s plethora of videos detailing how she is trying to change, there seems to be a sliver of hope.

If you’d like to follow more of Lilith’s videos, you can find her on TikTok.

There’s something about Camp Cope’s music that feels inherently illicit.

At times, listening to the Australian trio’s songs can feel invasive, like walking in on two people having a special moment, like on the dejected “Stove Lighter” on their 2016 self-titled debut: “And I would sneak him into my mother’s house / Where he would draw the things I’d talk about / And we only ever made out / And listen to Tigers Jaw and UV Race,” Georgia Maq relays like a close friend on the phone, name-dropping bands you’d never expect to hear in a song.

On their 2018 LP How To Socialise & Make Friends, “The Opener” and the title track can catch the listener off guard as they call out sexism in the music scene: “It’s another man telling us we can’t fill up the room / It’s another man telling us to book a smaller venue.” These meta moments have a bewildering effect — a brazen crashing down of the fourth wall that didn’t seem possible until it happened. It finishes with the frustrated shout: “Yeah, just get a female opener / That’ll fill the quota.”

Formed in 2015 in Melbourne, Camp Cope is made up of Maq on vocals and guitar, Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich on bass, and Sarah Thompson on drums. They are often described by fans as underrated, which makes sense considering they’re label pedigree. While most Run For Cover acts end up with a devoted cult-following, Camp Cope never quite achieved the same success as their peers, perhaps because they weren’t as easily categorizable. In 2022 they unveiled the triumphant record Running With The Hurricane that opens with the razor-sharp line: “I’ve been seeing my, I’ve been seeing my / Seeing my own death / I’ve been laying down, I’ve been going down / Giving strangers head.” Then, nearly a year after its release, the band announced their breakup on Instagram: “CAMP COPE 2015-2023,” but still assuring that there’s “more to come.”

One of the most common forms of misogyny is the casual condescension from men for women to set aside the emotional from the logical. To separate the personal from politics. Camp Cope knew this is B.S., exploring the complex overlap between the two. Intimacy and vulnerability exist on the same plane as anger and protest. Complicated feelings mix with poetic images. On “How To Socialise & Make Friends,” Maq sings about riding her bike in the dark with no handlebars while reflecting on a complex relationship from her past: “Yeah I guess we both got our problems / And areas to improve / And I know one of mine is to go a night without sympathizing with you.” Never do Camp Cope come across as bitter — they are conflicted, in solidarity with one another and reaching for answers, redemption, and peace — especially as they lift each other up: “Show ’em, Kelly!” Maq howls on the climax of “The Opener,” one of the band’s most iconic moments.

The crux of Camp Cope can be found in the therapeutic ballad “I’ve Got You”: “There’s still some things I don’t understand / Like the casual blindness toward the cruelty of man.” Awash with empathy and persistence, the group’s material was a refreshing broth that approached rough issues with a rare nuance. Sometimes they were too honest for their own good: “And I said that I was sorry about that line / I only wrote it cause it rhymed,” Maq drawls on the impactful “UFO Lighter,” a poignant song buoyed by haunting guitars and capricious bass.

While their outspokenness was a big reason that most fans adored them, it’s possible that it’s also what kept them from getting further. When Maq unleashed “Joe Rogan,” a solo, pop-leaning song about a sh*tty dude (“There’s nothing more dangerous than a man who thinks consent is lame,” she sings), it was met with a wave of backlash over its “wokeness,” boasting a little over 500 likes on YouTube with dislikes at more than half of that and a slew of comments about being desperate for clicks. More recently, Thompson called out Bluesfest for the inclusion of Sticky Fingers, a band who have a history of abuse allegations. This raised the question of how intensely bands can engage in activism without suffering because of it.

The disbanding of Camp Cope can’t help but feel like a massive loss for the indie world. However, their impact remains. For The Conversation, Freya Langley reflected on all they’ve done for gender equality in the music scene in Australia, especially by spearheading the #ItTakesOne campaign, which focused on safety and representation for women at festivals. Merely their existence was empowering; they would have a whole room of music lovers yelling about sexism in productive, inspiring catharsis. Those anthems will live on.