Entertainment News
Darren Aronofsky to Direct Brendan Fraser in New A24 Film The Whale
Brendan Fraser is once again set to play the role of a social recluse. As Discussing Film reports, the 52-year-old Blast from the Past actor has been tapped to star in The Whale, director Darren Aronofsky’s new film for A24. The Whale tells the story of a morbidly obese middle-aged man named Charlie (Fraser) and his efforts to rebuild a relationship with his teenage daughter. The father and daughter initially grew apart after Charlie chose to walk out on his family in order to pursue a gay lover. That partner eventually died, and Charlie sought comfort in food. Due to his compulsive eating, he eventually grew to weigh 600 pounds. The film is based on a play by Samuel D. Hunter. Also titled The Whale, since debuting Off-Broadway in 2012, the production has earned both the prestigious Drama ...
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem to Play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in New Movie
Nearly 70 years after it went off the air, I Love Lucy is coming to the big screen. A new feature film about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is in the works from Aaron Sorkin, and he plans to cast none other than Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as the iconic TV couple. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two are in talks to play the beloved I Love Lucy creators and stars. The movie, titled Being the Ricardos, will be written and directed by Sorkin. Amazon Studios is onboard and production will be overseen by Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch. Being the Ricardos reportedly takes place during one production week of I Love Lucy. When things get unexpectedly hectic on set, Lucy and Desi are faced with two simultaneous problems: a crisis “that could end their c...
Beach Slang’s James Alex Accused of Abuse, Now Receiving Treatment Following Suicide Attempt
Last week, Beach Slang frontman James Alex was accused of years of abuse by former manager Charlie Lowe. Now, in a lengthy statement, Alex’s family has revealed that Alex has since been admitted into “an inpatient facility after attempting to take his life.” The note also says that Beach Slang have officially broken up. On Tuesday, January 5th, Lowe tweeted, “I endured constant emotional, psychological & narcissistic abuse from James Alex for years.” She added, “I have learned he sells his too-kind-to-be-true persona to hide that he is truly the most selfish horrible person I will ever meet.” As a result of the alleged abuse, Lowe claimed she was diagnosed with C-PTSD (complex posttraumatic stress disorder).” The statement from Alex’s family, shared this afternoon via Beach Slang’s soc...
Fauci: Concerts Can Return After 70% of Population Vaccinated “Some Time in the Fall”
Dr. Fauci in the pit At a virtual conference hosted by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Dr. Anthony Fauci said it would be safe to hold concerts, open movie theaters, and resume other live events once the US achieves herd immunity “some time in the fall.” (Via New York Times.) The nation’s foremost expert on infectious diseases cautioned that our ability to return to normal would depend on the success of the vaccine rollout. He estimated that herd immunity would be reached when between 70-85% of the population had received the jab. “If everything goes right, this is will occur some time in the fall of 2021,” he said, “so that by the time we get to the early to mid-fall, you can have people feeling safe performing onstage as well as people in the audience.” This news d...
Neil Young Issues Statement Addressing Capitol Insurrection: “There Is No Place Here for White Supremacy”
Neil Young has released a statement about the violent Capitol insurrection in Washington, DC last week, which has left at least five dead. The veteran songwriter condemned the pro-Trump-led attack and white supremacy, while also calling for “empathy” and unity going forward. Young said that both “sadness and compassion hit me” while watching news footage of the chaos and bloodshed. “Resentment of the Democratic party among the insurrectionists at the Capitol was rampant. We don’t need this hate,” remarked Young. “We need discussion and solutions. Respect for one another’s beliefs.” The 75-year-old also criticized the pitiful police response to the DC attack. “I was devastated to see the double standard,” Young wrote. “The way people were treated in the BLM demonstrations recently, compared...
EVH Unveils New 2021 Guitar Models in Eddie Van Halen’s Honor
EVH has unveiled a new series of colorful guitar models for 2021, honoring the company’s founder and namesake, the late Eddie Van Halen. All in all, there are nine new EVH guitars coming in early 2021. New models for the 5150 Series will include the 5150 Series Deluxe Poplar Burl featuring ebony fingerboard ($999.99 MSRP), the 5150 Series Standard with ebony fingerboard ($899.99), and the neon pink finished 5150 Series Standard with maple fingerboard ($899.99). The standard guitar will be available in February while the Poplur Burl arrives in April. The reimagined 5150 series guitars are engineered for “speed” and “comfort” — no surprise given Eddie’s lightning fast playing technique. The guitars’ Stratocaster-style basswood body has a deeper upper body curve, bold-on quarter-sawn maple ne...
Dr. Dre Still in ICU One Week After Brain Aneurysm
Dr. Dre in 2019, celebrating his 54th birthday, photo via social media Dr. Dre still remains in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center one week after suffering a brain aneurysm. According to TMZ, doctors of the Los Angeles area hospital are keeping Dr. Dre in the ICU in order to continue running “a battery of tests to get to the root problem” of his condition. It’s still unclear what caused the aneurysm in the first place. Medical officials also say they want to be within reach “in case” the former N.W.A. rapper has a second aneurysm. The 55-year-old Chronic legend was initially rushed to the ICU last Monday, January 5th. His condition seemed to be under control by later that evening, as Dr. Dre was described as “stable and lucid.” The Aftermath Entertainment label he...
Black Country, New Road Unveil New Song “Track X”: Stream
The buzzy Brits of Black Country, New Road have returned with the new song called “Track X”. It’s the latest preview of their debut album For the first time, out February 5th. Like previous releases, “Track X” is understated and eccentric. Frontman Isaac Wood sings in a tone just above spoken word while brass instruments sketch butterflies around his voice. Even as the music looks forward with a heady mix of post-punk and jazz, the lyrics turn fondly backwards, remembering the place “where we fucked as kids,” and the time “I told you I love you in front of black midi.” In a statement, Wood explained how the song came together, saying, “Track X is a song we first worked on in 2018 but one that never made it out into our live performances. We decided to resurrect it during the reco...
Danny Elfman Shares Creepy New Solo Song “Sorry”: Stream
Halloween may be long past, but Danny Elfman has creepy treat for us. The beloved composer has returned with a new solo song called “Sorry” and an accompanying video. The expectedly eerie offering is only the second solo song Elfman has shared in the last 36 years (!), following last fall’s “Happy”. Like that tune, “Sorry” is being released via the indie labels ANTI-/ Epitaph Records, which feels like an interesting home for the guy who made the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. In a statement, Elfman said “Sorry” is “the first song I’ve written for myself in a long time,” and detailed its “alien” beginnings, “It began as an obsessive choral-chant instrumental work, which at the time I called ‘alien orchestral chamber punk’ and evolved slowly into a song. I was surprised by the a...
Blanck Mass Announces New Album In Ferneaux, Shares “Starstuff”: Stream
Blanck Mass is the solo electronic music project of Benjamin John Power, co-founder of drone outfit Fuck Buttons. Today, the British artist has announced a new album dubbed In Ferneaux, due for release next month via Sacred Bones. The follow-up to 2019’s Animated Violence Mild was written and recorded during quarantine, and is very much a product of its time. Blanck Mass created the album using a decade’s worth of field recordings from his various travels — purposely bringing memories and relationships back to life during a period of great separation and isolation. These recordings inform both halves of In Ferneaux, with each section representing a so-called “long-form journey” in the UK musician’s life. “The journeys are haunted with the vestiges of voices, places, and sensations,” descri...
Lana Del Rey Details New Album, Promptly Puts Foot In Mouth
Lana Del Rey is nearing the release of her seventh studio album, Chemtrails over the Country Club. On Sunday, ahead of a new single, Del Rey revealed the album’s cover as well as its 11-song tracklist. Chemtrails includes the previously revealed single, “Let Me Love You Like a Woman”, as well as her cover of Joni Mitchell’s “For Free”. The album’s title track will be released as a new teaser single on Monday. The artwork depicts Del Ray posting with a group of friends. In the comments’ section of her Instagram, the singer said the cover is a reflection of her diverse social circle: “We are all a beautiful mix of everything- some more than others which is visible and celebrated in everything I do.” “In 11 years working I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to,” Del...
HBO Max Announces Sex and the City Sequel Series And Just Like That…
HBO Max has officially announced And Just Like That…, a Sex and the City sequel series starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis. The 10-episode, half-hour series will follow Carrie (Parker), Miranda (Nixon), and Charlotte (Davis) as they “navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s,” according to a press release. Sex and the City co-star Kim Cattrall, who’s been feuding with Parker for the last several years, will not be returning for the sequel series. Based on Candace Bushnell’s book of the same name, Sex and the City ran for six seasons between 1998 and 2004. Two feature-length films followed in 2008 and 2010. There were plans for a third movie in 201...
