TV
Tiger King’s Joe Exotic Says “I’ll Be Dead In 2-3 Months”
Hard times for Tiger King’s Joe Exotic. In a letter obtained by TMZ, dated June 1st, and addressed to “supporters, fans, and loved ones,” the imprisoned Netflix celebrity paints a pretty bleak portrait for himself. In fact, he predicts, “I’ll be dead in two to three months.” Before that, though, Exotic thanks everyone for their support, erroneously claiming the pandemic is over, and pleading for that sweet presidential pardon, writing: “I ask President Trump to keep his word and look into making this wrong a right and grant me a miracle.” It’s perhaps at this point that Exotic realizes everyone’s moved on from Tiger King mania because things take a dark turn. “My soul is dead,” he writes, “I struggle every day to hold on to what little hope I can find.” Reason being, he has no outside...
Music, TV, and Film Production Can Resume in California on June 12th
After months of shutdowns crippled the entertainment industry, governor Gavin Newsom has announced guidelines to resume music, film, and television production in California. Via The Hollywood Reporter, work can begin again on June 12th, as the Golden State transitions into Stage 3 of its coronavirus recovery plan. Stage 3 allows for the re-opening of some “higher-risk workplaces.” Concerts won’t return until stage 4 (and even then, it might not be a typical concert experience) but most recording studios should be back after next Friday. Additionally, many of the film and television productions that paused during the pandemic seem likely to resume. However, the guidelines are purposefully vague, and several questions remain. In a statement, the California Department of Public Health sa...
Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam Will No Longer Use Guns in New Looney Tunes Episodes
With the launch of HBO Max comes the return of Bugs Bunny and his furry friends as the streaming service commissioned 1,000 minutes of new Looney Tunes cartoons. As the New York Times notes in a new profile on the project, producers sought to harken back to the early glory days of Looney Tunes by emphasizing art direction and music over formal plots, with each episode running between one to six minutes in length. “We don’t do scripts,” Peter Browngardt, the series executive producer and showrunner, told the Times. “I hired cartoonists. So we get them together in a room and we just draw pictures and gags.” However, there is one notable difference between the new Looney Tunes and the episodes of yesteryear: Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam will be without guns. Instead, the show’s animators ...
Cast of Schitt’s Creek Reunite Alongside Mariah Carey: Watch
The cast of Schitt’s Creek reunited alongside an unexpected surprise guests during the Obamas’ “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation ceremony on Sunday. Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid, and several other Schitt’s Creek cast members reprised their characters for a virtual salute to teachers. “We gave been given the essential task of sending our preceptors… some panegyrical words,” said O’Hara’s Moria Rose. Following some more humorous banter between the Rose family, the rest of Schitt’s Creek joined the Zoom to sing Mariah Carey’s “Hero”. *Spoiler* Near the end of the performance, Carey herself crashed the Zoom to join the sing-along. After offering her own words of gratitude to teachers, Carey then ended her appearance by singing a b...
How The Wild ‘N Out Cast Is Denouncing Systemic Racism
Many people across America — and around the globe — are making their voices heard to fight racial inequality, stand up to police brutality and demand justice for the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless victims of racism. That includes cast members from VH1’s Wild ‘N Out, who are adding their perspectives and showing solidarity with the Black community. From attending gatherings in major metropolitan areas (Nick Cannon traveling to Minneapolis and RIP Michaels in New York) to speaking out and with each other (Justina Valentine and Chico Bean), the crew has found several ways to amplify their voices. They’ve also turned to social media to spread their message, and we’ve compiled a roundup of their posts, below. Check it ou...
Spotify Adds 8-Minute, 46-Second Silent Track to Playlists for Blackout Tuesday
Like many others in the music industry, Spotify is partaking in Blackout Tuesday, a day intended for pause and reflection in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The streaming company has blacked out its flagship logos throughout the platform, but perhaps even more striking is the change its made to some of its playlists: Spotify has added an 8-minute, 46-second silent track in honor of George Floyd. The specific 8:46 length reflects the amount of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee down on the neck of an unresisting Floyd, even as he pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” Floyd died as a result of “asphyxiation from sustained pressure,” according to an independent autopsy report released recently. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1041504" data-att...
J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Pledges $10 Million Donation to Anti-Racist Organizations
J.J. Abrams, photo by Heather Kaplan In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, J.J. Abrams has pledged a whopping $10 million dollars to various organizations fighting racism in America. The donation will come through Abrams’ Bad Robot film and TV production company, as well as the Katie McGrath and JJ Abrams Family Foundation. The $10 million will be dispersed over the course of five years, with an initial $200,000 investment marked for each of the following groups: Black Lives Matter LA, Black Futures Lab, Community Coalition, Equal Justice Initiative, and Know Your Rights Camp. “Enough is enough,” reads a statement on Bad Robot’s Instagram page announcing the donation. “Enough police brutality. Enough outsized privilege. Enough polite conversation. Enough white comfort.” “The ...
Ranking: Every Clerks Animated Episode from Worst to Best
Nothing about Kevin Smith’s 1994 cult-classic film Clerks lent itself to making an animated version for ABC. Not the maxed-out credit-card budget, not the grainy, black-and-white cinematography, and surely not the foulmouthed, esoteric nerding out about innocent plumbers dying on the Death Star or how much the average jizz mopper makes working a nudie booth. And yet, thanks to studio politics, the Disney-owned network is exactly where the animated adaptation landed. It was no surprise then when the premiere got bumped back to the pilot graveyard that is summer, only two of the original six episodes aired on the network, and Dante and Randal curtly got told that they weren’t supposed to be there today … or any day for that matter. Editors’ Picks No, Clerks the cartoon dropped dead qui...
Why Nick Cannon ‘Needed To See The People’ In George Floyd’s Minneapolis Community
Nick Cannon “needed to see the people” in George Floyd’s Minneapolis community, the Wild ‘N Out host writes in a first-person essay on Variety. “I had to go to Minneapolis,” he penned about his trip to Minnesota this past weekend. “I needed to be right there on 38th Street and Chicago where George Floyd’s life was tragically stolen from him. I needed to see the people in that community — how much love they had for their community and their people and how much pain this has caused. We feel the pain go across the world — the anger and the hurt. Those visuals will never be removed from our minds.” He continued: “We’re in the middle of a pandemic and instead of coming closer together and operating as one humanity, people go within and want ...
Couture Queen Gigi Goode On Her Drag Race Exit And Coming Out As Genderfluid
By Christopher Rudolph Gigi Goode is not just good, she’s great. Or as she would say, “I’m not just good, I’m incredible.” The Los Angeles queen kept the judges and viewers gagging throughout Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race with her candy-colored couture high-fashion runway ensembles, like her orange button extravaganza and ice cream queen looks, but also with her comedy chops. Those combined talents earned her a stellar track record; not once did the 22-year-old performer fall in the bottom two during the competition. Gigi was a fierce force to be reckoned with, winning Snatch Game, the Madonna Rusical, and the Ball Ball Challenge. She seemed to be all business, keeping her eye on the crown, but she also showed her surprisingly funny side with her portrayal of Sophia the Robot on Snatch G...
Drag Race‘s Crystal Methyd Wants More Mullet Representation
By Christopher Rudolph Crystal Methyd might not be America’s next drag superstar, but she was definitely crowned the kookiest queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12. The Missouri girl wowed Ru and the judges with her imaginative runway looks; somehow, she transformed Freddy Kreuger into a fashion icon. But Ru was also obsessed with her look out of drag, specifically her luscious mullet, which served major El DeBarge realness. Crystal cruised through the competition, never winning a maxi challenge — that is, until the one-queen show, when she seductively slayed the audience as male exotic dancer Phenomenal Phil. If you can count on Crystal for one thing, it’s thinking outside the box; just look at her “I’m Like a Bird” number from the Season 12 finale, where she craftily transformed into a p...
Look Over There! Jaida Essence Hall Is A Drag Race Winner, Baby
By Christopher Rudolph Look over there, it’s a winner! On the Season 12 premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race Jaida Essence Hall stomped into the workroom, making her presence known with her line: “Hey bitches, she’s here!” Throughout the competition Jaida was not only the “essence of beauty” on and off the runway, she was also a consistently strong queen — eventually taking her to the top three and over the finish line. The Milwaukee-based pageant queen not only served effortless eleganza with her larger-than-life fashion, but she was also a comedic powerhouse. She was always able to squeeze a few laughs, whether as a bad apple in the “World’s Worst” sketch or as Rhonda Shimes in “Gay’s Anatomy.” Her candid “Look over there” line from the “Choices 2020” political debate became an instant meme. J...
