Pop Culture
Jim Gaffigan Goes on Epic Tweetstorm After Watching Trump’s RNC Speech: “RIP Truth”
Countless celebrities have vocalized how much they loathe Donald Trump lately — Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Neil Young, Dave Grohl, and even the late Frank Sinatra! — but arguably no person has gone from apolitical to attacking the president as quickly as Jim Gaffigan did on Twitter last night. Once the final night of the Republican National Convention concluded with Trump accepting the nomination, Gaffigan commiserated the end of honesty and transparency for our country, writing, “RIP Truth.” “Look Trumpers, I get it,” the comedian tweeted. “As a kid I was a Cubs fan and I know you stick by your team no matter what, but he’s a traitor and a con man who doesn’t care about you. Deep down you know it. I’m sure you enjoy pissing people off, but you know Trump is a liar and ...
City of Los Angeles Brings Charges Against TikTok Influencers Who Threw Illegal House Parties
The Los Angeles City Attorney has brought charges against two prominent TikTok influencers, Bryce Hall (21) and Blake Gray (19). The young men threw a series of parties — including a massive birthday bash — in defiance of emergency pandemic orders. As TMZ reports, both have been slapped with one misdemeanor for violating a local ordinance. They’ve also each been issued a noise citation. The city described the charges as a “crackdown on party houses.” The biggest of the bashes took place August 14th at “Sway House”, a $50,000-a-month rental in the Hollywood Hills. It’s occupied by a small collective of hard-partying, often shirtless TikTok influencers, including Gray and Hall. The party was thrown in honor of Hall’s 21st birthday and his first legal consumption of alcohol. The resulting bac...
New Mutants Co-Creator Slams Movie Adaptation After His Name Gets Misspelled in Credits
After years of waiting, The New Mutants has finally been released — in theaters, no less! The wait apparently doesn’t seem to have been really worth it, if early reviews are to be believed. One viewer who’s certainly unhappy is New Mutants co-creator Bob McLeod, the original artist on the comic book written by the legendary Chris Claremont. Not only is he displeased with how his characters look on the big screen, he’s understandably pissed that his name is misspelled in the credits. In a Facebook post, McLeod vented his dismay. Even though he wasn’t entirely on board with the “interesting idea” to make it a horror movie, he still “was very excited” the New Mutants were being adapted at all. But then he saw how the characters’ appearances changed in the new medium, and he began having doubt...
J.K. Rowling Returns Human Rights Award
J.K. Rowling After launching a series of transphobic tirades on social media, J.K. Rowling has decided to return an award that celebrates human rights and conflicts with “my own conscience.” Late last year, the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organization honored Rowling with their Ripple of Hope award. The prize is typically given to those who have shown a “commitment to social change.” Past recipients include Barack Obama and Joe Biden. However, in the time since receiving the award, Rowling has done the exact opposite of positively changing society. Instead, the Harry Potter author has repeatedly attacked transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming communities with her wrongheaded opinions on gender identity and sex. “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. I...
Trump Wanted The Killers, Celine Dion, Kiss, or Meat Loaf to Play His Inauguration
Donald Trump, Celine Dion (photo by Amanda Koellner), The Killers (photo by Ben Kaye), and Kiss (photo by Autumn Andel) It’s no secret many musicians aren’t fans of Donald Trump — just look at the number of artists who have spoken out or taken legal action against him. It’s not surprising, then, that his 2017 inauguration featured bottom-barrel performances by the likes of 3 Doors Down, Toby Keith, and DJ Ravidrums. But if Trump had gotten his way, the relatively paltry crowd at the National Mall that fateful day would have been listening to The Killers, Celine Dion, KISS, Aerosmith, or even Meat Loaf. The list of targeted performers comes from an excerpt from the new book Melania and Me, written by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a close friend and former Senior Advisor to First Lady Melania T...
Walmart and Microsoft Team Up to Try and Buy TikTok
Just when you thought the TikTok Royal Rumble couldn’t get any wilder, Walmart’s entrance music started to play. As CNBC reports, the Big Box chain is making a late move to acquire TikTok by tag-teaming with Microsoft. TikiTok is currently owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance. By joining together, Microsoft and Walmart hope to fend off other deep-pocketed bidders, including the tech giant Oracle. CNBC guesses the final price tag will be between $20 and $30 billion, and a deal could happen within the week. Ever since a sale seemed likely, Microsoft has been connected to TikTok. But Walmart’s interest is new, and seems to stem from its desire to compete with Amazon Prime. In July, Walmart announced Walmart +, which is exactly what it sounds like: a Sam’s Club ripoff of more...
Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh Was in ICU for COVID-19, Recovery Disturbed by TikTok Party House
Bryce Hall’s “Sway House” crew (photo via Instagram) and Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh (photo by Heather Kaplan) Buried in a story about how obnoxious young social media stars can be (surprise!) is a report that Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh apparently had a severe bout with COVID-19. Mothersbaugh’s wife, Anita, revealed the news to The Daily Mail, saying her 70-year-old husband came “close to death” while in the ICU in June. “This virus is no joke, I’ve experienced it first-hand,” she told the tabloid paper. “There was a week where my daughters thought he would die.” All this despite Devo having their own line of energy dome face shields. So why is this coming out now? Because rich youths are inconsiderate, privileged, jagoffs, that’s why. The Daily Mail’s story is ac...
The Biebers Host Illegal, Maskless Birthday Party in Los Angeles
A photo from the Biebers’ maskless birthday party, photo via Instagram/@justinbieber The celebrities are at it again! While many Los Angeles residents are obeying the city’s pandemic orders, Justin Bieber and wife Hailey thumbed their nose at the law and hosted a maskless birthday party for R&B/pop singer Justine Skye last weekend, per the Daily Mail. In addition to the honorary celebrant, the star-studded guest list included Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Jaden Smith, and model Winnow Harlow, who was the only person the paparazzi snapped wearing a face mask. Yikes. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti issued a citywide order on August 7th that bans “all public and private gatherings of any number of people,” except those in the same household or essential operations. At press time, there ...
Hannibal Buress Announces Drive-In Comedy Tour
Independent venues around the world are struggling to reopen during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, leaving entertainers no choice but to flock to outdoor spaces to host drive-in concerts and raves. It looks like Hannibal Buress is ready to follow the trend because the comedian just announced a drive-in comedy tour of his own. Buress is called the trek “Let’s See How This Goes” — which may be the greatest tour name of the year — in partnership with Hotbox & Outback Presents, the same team behind Marc Rebillet’s notable run earlier this summer. There will be six shows in total on Buress’ comedy tour; the Broad City star will begin in Cleveland, Ohio on September 22nd and will wrap things up on September 27th in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois with both an early and a late show....
TikTok Sues Trump Administration Over Attempted US Ban
TikTok vs. Donald Trump TikTok is suing the Trump administration for trying to ban the app’s American operations. In a statement, the popular video sharing platform said that Trump’s recent executive order violates its right to due process and offers no evidence that the app presents a national security threat. “We do not take suing the government lightly, however we feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights, and the rights of our community and employees,” TikTok contends. Trump’s executive order halts transactions between the Beijing-based ByteDance and TikTok’s US-based users and employees, essentially killing the app in America, where it boasts an estimated 80 million users. Trump’s purported reason for issuing the August 6th order was that the app presented possib...
What’s Streaming on Hulu in September 2020
Hulu is prepping for spooky season in September 2020. Next month, the streamer is unlocking a bunch of tricks and treats: Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left, Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II, James Cameron’s The Terminator, and — get this — every single movie in the Twilight series. Vamps unite! Also exciting is the premiere of Keith Knight’s new irreverent comedy series Woke. The show follows a Black cartoonist whose career success is slightly derailed when an unexpected incident changes everything in his life. What’s more, Hulu is porting over all the goodies from FX. That includes the new season from Archer and the highly anticipated fourth season of Noah Hawley’s Fargo, which was postponed way, way back in April. Check out the full list below, pick up some Halloween candy, and, of course,...
The Problematic Lovecraft and How We Can Flip the Script
H.P. Lovecraft In the 21st century, the horror genre is as deeply indebted to the works of H.P. Lovecraft as generations before were to Poe and Shelly. He’s hiding in the background of every strange tale in modern pop culture. Even when his influence isn’t obvious, dig into any work and you’ll find it; a mycelial network of literary tendrils, all leading back to the weird tales of a peculiar writer from the 1920s and ’30s. His name has become emblematic of a certain kind of terror: “Lovecraftian” — meaning an unknowable, cosmic horror where all experiences and understandings that humankind hold dear melt away into a gulf of incomprehensible sensations and existential panic. But don’t take my word for it, even Stephen King, our very own Master of Horror, admits his Lovecraftian lineage: “Lo...
