Today is, in a way, Donald Glover‘s last day as Childish Gambino. Bando Stone & The New World, which comes out on Friday, July 19, is being billed as Glover’s final album with the Wu-Tang Clan name generator-assisted moniker he’s had since the late 2000s. While appearing on Hot Ones, the Emmy-nominated Mr. And Mrs. Smith star discussed his decision to retire the name.
“I always knew like Childish Gambino was like a character, on some level I wanted it to end. I feel like the Childish Gambino character is almost like the boss from The Office,” he said, referring to Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell. “It’s like yeah, that worked 10 years ago. It’s like oh, it’s a little sad but it’s also like wow, the cycle kind of continues, which is great I think.”
It’s an understandable decision from Glover. Would you want to be associated with something you did in 2008? Probably not.
Later in the Hot Ones interview, Glover talked about the unlikely legacy of the lemon pepper wet wings on Atlanta. “When we did Atlanta and we had the joke about the lemon pepper wet… it was literally just like a silly joke,” he said. “I didn’t know culturally that it would take on that kind of life or that people even cared that much, but that was the whole Atlanta experience to be honest, like to make that. It was a really good lesson in not worrying about the destination and just enjoying the journey really.”
Bando Stone & The New World is out 7/19 via RCA Records. Find more information here.
If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, then you may recognize Nathalie Emmanuel. She played Missandei, The Mother of Dragons right hand lady for much of the series until her unceremonious end. Now Emmanuel has see a ton of success since GoT and her newest project is alongside Omar Sy (Lupin) and Sam Worthington (Avatar) in ‘The Killer’ from legendary action director John Woo.
Get this “The Killer’ is actually a remake of Woo’s 1989 thriller from Hong Kong, with the same title no less.
‘The Killer’ also includes Diana Silvers, Eric Cantona, Saϊd Taghmaoui Tchéky Karyo and Grégory Montel. Angeles Woo and Aurélia Agel in the ensemble cast.
From the official synopsis:
The kinetic action thriller stars Emmy nominee Emmanuel as Zee, a mysterious and infamous assassin known, and feared, in the Parisian underworld as the Queen of the Dead. But when, during an assignment from her shadowy mentor and handler (Worthington), Zee refuses to kill a blinded young woman (Silvers) in a Paris nightclub, the decision will disintegrate Zee’s alliances, attract the attention of a savvy police investigator (Sy), and plunge her into a sinister criminal conspiracy that will set her on a collision course with her own past.
‘The Killer’ is produced by Academy Award winner Charles Roven, Alex Gartner, John Woo, and Lori Tilkin deFelice. The screenplay is penned by Brian Helgel and the duoJosh Campbell and Matt Stuecken. Executive producer are Terence Chang, Mark Gordon, Matt Jackson, and Robin Mulcahy Fisichella.
Houston rapstress Megan Thee Stallion has set her new sights on television production after she has landed the executive producer spot on a new reality series title Playground, that is slated to debut on Hulu on July 26.
Playground LA is the premier studio for pro dancers to be discovered and book their big break. Classes taught by highly sought choreographers and auditions held by top music artists – including three-time Grammy award-winning musician Megan Thee Stallion – attract the most ambitious dancers in the world – and all the drama they bring with them. Romance, friendships, and tenacity are tested at every turn, as the next hot dancer is always around the corner, trying to beat the established pros for their shot at the spotlight.
Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good have been dating since May 2023, when Majors went on trial for domestic abuse against his ex-girlfriend. The court convicted Majors of assault and harassment in April. He was sentenced to a yearlong domestic violence program. Since then, Majors has tried to get back into the good graces of fans and the greater public. Majors danced along to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” at the after party for Good’s new movie. Fans memed the video heavily, but it showed that Majors and Good like being in each other’s company.
In fact, Majors likes being in Good’s company so much that he revealed plans to propose to her. TMZ caught up with Majors in West Hollywood on Tuesday afternoon and asked him the question. “Of course! Of course!” said Majors. He did not go into detail about how much they’ve spoken about marriage, or if they’ve even spoken about it at all. However, he confirmed that both families are in favor of them tying the knot.
Jonathan Majors Asked About Meagan Good Proposal
Meagan Good has enjoyed a career renaissance in recent years. She divorced from longtime husband DeVon Franklin in 2022 and recently starred in Tyler Perry’s new movie Divorce In The Black. While promoting the film, Good revealed that Perry was the first producer to pay her more than her previous acting opportunities did. Good also stars in the Amazon Prime Video series Harlem. The third season began filming in February, with the release expected for the end of 2024 or early 2025.
Jonathan Majors has attempted to revive his own career after being charged with assault. Disney moved on from him, dropping him from all future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects after his conviction. Fans reacted well to his performance as Kang The Conqueror in Loki. However, Kang is a character who exists across many universes in the greater Marvel world, so a decision to recast him could easily be explained away in his next on-screen appearance. The Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards gave Majors the “Perseverance Award” last month. That decision was met with derision from fans. It seems that Majors and Good will get married someday, but when is uncertain.
The Lady of Rage is back on the silver screen, and this time, she’s set to play the famous TV psychic, the late Miss Cleo.
Yesterday(July 16), Lifetime released the trailer for Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall. The Virginia native plays the infamous infomercial queen who capitalized on the public’s belief in astrology.
Miss Cleo was once known for amassing over $24 million a month for the Psychic Readers Network that employed her services before the Feds came in with allegations of fraud.
Miss Cleo died in 2016 after a battle with cancer, and her likeness was subjected to lawsuits. Still, her popularity never wavered, even though many people don’t know what happened to their favorite tarot card reader.
One of the categories in the Double Jeopardy! round from last night’s (July 16) episode was called “Diss-track-tions,” and the $800 question was, “In May 2024, these 2 competitors went back & forth with tracks like ‘Family Matters’ & ‘Meet The Grahams.’” A contestant correctly said, ‘Who are Kendrick Lamar and Drake?’
“Who are Kendrick Lamar and Drake” was an answer on Jeopardy today.
Per J! Archive, the category also referenced beefs between Eminem and The Game, Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., 50 Cent and Cam’ron, and Nas and Jay-Z. Contestants managed to answer all of the clues correctly. J! Archive also notes last night’s episode was taped on May 23, at which point all of the songs currently associated with the Drake/Kendrick feud so far had been released (but before the “Not Like Us” video dropped).
Meanwhile, the feud has mostly died down and it seems Drake has more pressing issues to deal with at the moment. Toronto just got hit some some extreme weather, which has left Drake’s mansion in the city absolutely filled with water.
Earlier this year, actress Sanaa Lathan announced she was producing and starring in a drama series centered on the infamous 90s TV psychic, Miss Cleo. However, Lifetime has beaten her to the punch with their own biopic.
This week, Lifetime unveiled the trailer for their upcoming film “Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall,” starring rapper Lady of Rage in the titular role. The biopic promises to delve into the life of the enigmatic psychic, who became a pop culture phenomenon in the late 90s with her catchphrase “Call me now for your free reading!” but later faced controversy and legal issues.
The trailer, now available for viewing on YouTube, teases an in-depth look at Miss Cleo’s meteoric rise to fame and her subsequent fall from grace, providing a glimpse into the personal and professional challenges she faced.
While Sanaa Lathan’s project is still in development, Lifetime’s biopic is set to capture the audience’s attention first, shedding light on the complex and controversial figure that was Miss Cleo. As fans eagerly await both projects, the anticipation builds to see how each will portray the psychic’s compelling story.
Check out the trailer for “Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall” below and stay tuned for more updates on Sanaa Lathan’s upcoming series.
Earlier this year, actress Sanaa Lathan announced she was producing and starring in a drama series centered on the infamous 90s TV psychic, Miss Cleo. However, Lifetime has beaten her to the punch with their own biopic.
This week, Lifetime unveiled the trailer for their upcoming film “Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall,” starring rapper Lady of Rage in the titular role. The biopic promises to delve into the life of the enigmatic psychic, who became a pop culture phenomenon in the late 90s with her catchphrase “Call me now for your free reading!” but later faced controversy and legal issues.
The trailer, now available for viewing on YouTube, teases an in-depth look at Miss Cleo’s meteoric rise to fame and her subsequent fall from grace, providing a glimpse into the personal and professional challenges she faced.
While Sanaa Lathan’s project is still in development, Lifetime’s biopic is set to capture the audience’s attention first, shedding light on the complex and controversial figure that was Miss Cleo. As fans eagerly await both projects, the anticipation builds to see how each will portray the psychic’s compelling story.
Check out the trailer for “Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall” below and stay tuned for more updates on Sanaa Lathan’s upcoming series.
Fans of the captivating documentary series “Royal Rules of Ohio” are in for a treat as the season finale airs on Wednesday, July 17th. This series has taken viewers deep into the lives of the Agyekum sisters—Thelma, Nana, Brenda, Akili Bobo, and Delali—as they navigate their 20s in Columbus, Ohio, all while balancing the weight of their royal Ghanaian heritage.
The Agyekum sisters live a life of luxury, afforded by their status as descendants of two of Ghana’s most affluent and influential kingdoms. However, the privileges they enjoy come with immense pressure to uphold their family’s noble reputation. The series provides an intimate look at their double lives, highlighting the challenges they face and the secrets that could potentially tarnish their family’s legacy.
The finale promises to be a dramatic and emotional conclusion to the season, offering viewers an inside look at the intricate dynamics and responsibilities that come with their royal status. As tensions rise and secrets threaten to emerge, the sisters must navigate their personal and familial duties, making decisions that could impact their future and their family’s honor.
Tune in on Wednesday, July 17th, to see how the Agyekum sisters confront their challenges and maintain their regal poise in the face of adversity.
Catch a glimpse of the excitement and drama below and prepare for an unforgettable finale of “Royal Rules of Ohio.”
If you were to ask just about any American anime fan which examples of the medium are among the absolute best, the odds are very high that their answer will include Cowboy Bebop, the groundbreaking 1998 neo-noir space Western that solidified anime’s ascendance in the States. Their reasons will vary, but that just speaks to how universally appealing the show really was, that it hit grad-school cinephiles as hard as it did kids from the hood — kids like myself and Maryland rapper Logic.
I’ve had a few occasions to write about the connections between hip-hop and anime this year, and Logic provides the latest, teaming up with the anime streaming platform Crunchyroll to launch a limited-edition merch collection inspired by Cowboy Bebop and the Bobby Tarantino rapper’s love for it. Logic’s Bebop fandom is nigh legendary; in addition to constantly referencing it in his music, his second studio album, The Incredible True Story, contains narrative skits featuring Steve Blum, who played Cowboy Bebop‘s stray-dog protagonist, Spike Spiegel.
Including such pieces as a varsity jacket, skate deck, and various apparel bearing Logic’s logo and an image of him hanging out with the crew of the titular spaceship, the Crunchyroll collection is an anime and hip-hop fan’s dream come true — literally. Logic and Uproxx connected via Zoom to talk about the collection, Cowboy Bebop‘s lasting resonance, and of course, the eternal debate among anime fans: Subs or dubs?
Talk to me about how the collaboration came together, who approached who, and what’s been your favorite part about the whole process?
It just very organically happened. I don’t even know when it was like, “We’re going to do a line,” but I couldn’t believe it, and the collaboration was wonderful. I got to use my art director with their people, and then obviously, the original artist [Toshihiro Kawamoto], which is wonderful, to draw me in the Bebop crew, which is just like a dream come true. I was this little kid watching this show, and now, I’m this man surrounded by these fictional idols of mine in a real space. Sh*t’s crazy.
The entire process was fun. It was loving. It was kind. It didn’t feel like, “You can’t do this, and you can’t do that,” and blah, blah blah, which a lot of people try to do. That’s why I don’t really do collabs. I don’t do collabs because people suck. And you know who doesn’t suck? Crunchyroll.
What was your Cowboy Bebop story? How did you find it? What drew you to it?
I had these two homies, Robert and Jesse, and they introduced me to Cowboy Bebop when I was 11 years old. I remember the first time that I saw the Cowboy Bebop movie, it was f*cking subbed. I remember watching this anime that they introduced me to and then having to listen to it, I’m like, “Why are they talking Japanese? What the hell?”
My household was riddled with crime and violence and drugs and craziness and gunshots and drug dealers. I learned how to cook crack when I was 12 years old. Cowboy Bebop was my first true escape from all of that. A lot of people, especially in the hood and where I grew up, they are extremely intelligent, very smart, but they get stuck in this cycle of using their smarts for bad. But the only reason that they’re using it for bad is because of the systemic nature of what our country was built upon. I was like, what if I put my wits into something else? So discovering anime was really beautiful because it was my first true introduction to art and what it means to be an artist.
I think it’s funny that you were talking about subs, because that was going to be one of my fun lightning round questions, subs or dubs? It’s like the eternal debate among anime fans.
Dubs, because I’m watching. I’m not f*cking reading. I want to watch. I have so much appreciation for the Japanese versions, and that’s awesome, but I speak English, so I just want to hear this sh*t. I think it takes me out of the experience. Even a lot of foreign films — I love foreign films, but I don’t really watch a lot of them because I’m reading.
Crunchyroll
What else have you been watching recently? What are you drawn to when it comes to anime?
I always love a good vintage feel. That’s why I think Studio Ghibli is the bomb because it’s like it gives us this truly animated feel, even in this digital era. But that’s because they care. It’s so beautiful. It’s like to really take great pride in everything that you do, and to also take your time, I think is something that’s really special. I mean, if you can knock something out because you can, then do it. But you see that [care] and you feel it.
One Punch Man, Space Dandy, Attack on Titan was fun, but I didn’t finish it. I need to finish it. People have been telling me I should watch Demon Slayer. I haven’t watched that, but a lot of the time when I watch anime, I watch a lot of the classic stuff.
If you were going to do an anime about your life, which studio would you pick to do it?
I’m going to be honest, I don’t really know too much about the studios besides… How do you pronounce it? Ghibli? Ghibli?
They pronounce it Ghibli [with a soft “g,” like “jeans”], we pronounce it Ghibli [with a hard “g,” like “guppy”] because of the way they wrote it. Doesn’t really matter, everyone knows who you’re talking about.
Studio Gangster, that’s who it is. I really love that art style. But I also love, I guess whatever studio did Akira, that sh*t is wild to me.
[Fun fact: Makiko Futaki, one of key animators on Akira, went on to become a lead animator for Studio Ghibli films such as Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle.]
Crunchyroll
Logic’s collaboration with Crunchyroll is available for pre-order on Crunchyroll’s store. Check it out here.
