TV

Lil Jon Is Making Wild Renovations To Peoples’ Homes For A New HGTV Show, ‘Lil Jon Wants To Do What?’

by
Getty Image

Lately, it seems like all the rappers I grew up with, the ones conservative commentators railed against daily (a la Cardi B now), have been remodeled into family-friendly brands. Snoop Dogg has a cooking show with Martha Stewart, T-Pain is releasing a book of drink recipes, and Ludacris is learning to cook on television and fly planes. Today’s circumstances are a far cry from the days when Bill O’Reilly called for a boycott of Pepsi over Luda’s endorsement deal. Another hip-hop figure who revamped his public image is Lil Jon, who’ll now be giving homeowners his unconventional renovation ideas for HGTV.

Lil Jon Wants To Do What? is the show’s title and it’ll co-star Mega Dens host, interior designer Anitra Mecadon. The show is currently shooting in the Atlanta area — naturally — and according to a statement, will feature “ideas ranging from removing a ceiling to expand the height of the living room to accommodate huge new windows to gutting the basement to add a fully decked-out speakeasy for entertaining, Lil Jon and Anitra push homeowners out of their comfort zones with ingenious renovations and ideas that are sure to inspire daring and dramatic transformations.”

If the show sounds like a bonkers idea, just imagine being in high school when this man was screaming “Don’t start sh*t, won’t be no sh*t” out of car sound systems. Now, they’re letting him redecorate peoples’ houses. America, amirite?

Jon’s quote from the press release gives a hint of what’s to come when the show airs this summer. “I love walking into someone’s house and turning it upside down,” he proclaims. “When people hear my name, they automatically think… fun! That same energy goes for my designs as well. I don’t love following design trends — I would rather be the trendsetter.”

21 Savage And Chris Rock Play ‘True Confessions’ With Jimmy Fallon

by

With the Saw spin-off Spiral: From The Book Of Saw coming out over the weekend, it was only right that the guests on last night’s episode of The Tonight Show would be the film’s star Chris Rock and the executive producer of the film’s soundtrack, 21 Savage. Given the film’s gory, film noir style, host Jimmy Fallon decided to play detective himself, inviting Rock and Savage to play a game of “True Confessions.”

Giving each of the stars two envelopes containing “confessions,” one true and one false, Fallon challenged them to interrogate each other to determine which was the true one. The shy 21 turned out to be the most game — and credulous — when he instantly believes Chris’ first confession (“I’ve shared a joint with Woody Harrelson on top of the Empire State Building”) is true, no questions asked. This prompts some hilarious commentary from the comedian, naturally, but Savage holds fast.

Jimmy’s confession turns out to be about him dating Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen — which 21 believes again, despite not knowing who Gisele is. Seriously, deal me in at his poker table, I’m bluffing him every time and taking ALL his money. Savage’s confession involves getting his pilot’s license and wanting to be in the Air Force. I won’t spoil it for you but it’s great TV. To check out something Savage is good at, check out his raps on “Emergency” and Young Nudy’s “Child’s Play.”

Watch 21 Savage and Chris Rock face-off with Jimmy Fallon above.

Issa Rae Says Nipsey Hussle Helped Repair Her Relationship With Lauren London

by
Getty Image

Issa Rae’s breakthrough show, Insecure, is coming to an end after its fifth and final season, but it’s clear she has more where that came from. Recently it was announced she’s helming the reboot of Project Greenlight, the IFC reality show from the aughts in which Matt Damon and Ben Affleck helped filmmakers make their dream projects (with lots of nightmares along the way, of course). Rae spoke about the revival during a recent profile with Vanity Fair, though she also shared a story about the late Nipsey Hussle.

According to the Insecure star, HBO initially thought Insecure should star not Rae but a woman of lighter skin color would be a better fit. When they suggested London, Rae took offense, but she later discovered that London, who was Hussle’s partner from 2013 until his death, heard about her complaint and even took offense.

But in 2019, at Diddy’s 50th birthday party in 2019, Hussle played mediator. “He was like, ‘You should just talk to her. Let me set it up,’” she said. “It actually sparked an amazing two-hour conversation. We had so much in common. She was like, ‘People don’t understand, I’m an awkward Black girl.’” She added, “In the same way that I was upset about the limited portrayal of Black women, she was like, ‘People do the same thing to me.’ I completely get that.”

Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Roots’ Questlove And Black Thought Are Teaming With Disney Junior For An Animated Short Series

by
Getty Image

Questlove and Black Thought both keep themselves plenty busy outside of The Roots, and now the pair is teaming up for yet another new endeavor. This time, it’s Rise Up, Sing Out, a series of animated shorts they’re making with Disney Junior.

The series, which is set to premiere later in 2021, will feature music from the pair. Press materials describe the show, “Presenting important concepts around race, racism and social justice for the youngest viewers, the series consists of music-based shorts that are designed to provide an inspiring and empowering message about noticing and celebrating differences and providing a framework for conversation.”

In a joint statement, Questlove and Black Thought said, “It is an honor to work with the Disney Junior team to help create a series of shorts that will empower and uplift the future generations in the way we know best, through music. We hope these shorts will encourage the young audience to recognize and celebrate our differences as human beings while learning the tools to navigate real-world issues of racial injustice.”

Joe D’Ambrosia — senior vice president, Original Programming and general manager, Disney Junior — also said, “We recognize that many kids are experiencing a multitude of feelings around what’s happening in our world today and know that many families are struggling with how to discuss sensitive issues around race. Our goal with these shorts is to open up the conversation and provide families with the tools and knowledge to address these important topics with their preschoolers in an age-appropriate manner through music and relatable kid experiences.”

Seth Rogen Shared A Hilarious Story About His Disastrous Attempt To Meet Beyonce

by
Getty Image

Seth Rogen is one of the most famous people on earth, but you know who’s even more famous? Beyonce. The actor and filmmaker has been making the rounds, promoting his new tome, Yearbook, and he’s done everything from telling behind-the-scenes stories to slamming Ted Cruz (again). On top of it all he also has a pretty hilarious Beyonce story.

Rogen spilled the beans on E! News’ Daily Pop (as per Entertainment Weekly), recounting the time he saw her while presenting at the Grammys. (It appears to be the 2011 edition.) He saw her with Gwyneth Paltrow and he likely figured it wouldn’t be too big a deal if he just walked up to her, unannounced.

“And I charged over. Instinct took over,” he said. But one of her employees wasn’t having it. “I was hit so hard by her security guard that I spilled a drink. I was drinking a screwdriver, which is a bad drink. I deserved what I got.” He added, “I was humiliated and I didn’t get to meet Beyonce.”

What’s worse, he still had to present an award. And so he held his arms in what he called “a very weird position,” to obscure the spilled screwdriver on his clothes.

It’s a tale Rogen’s told before, both on Jimmy Kimmel back in 2019 and again in Yearbook, which is a collection of anecdotes and personal essays. When telling the tale to Kimmel, he said he’d learned his lesson about storming up to other famous people, especially if they’re Beyonce Knowles.

“So I was wary of going near her because I look like someone who you would want to keep away from Beyoncé in general,” Rogen said. “I waited for her to approach me, which they teach you. She was very nice and my beard actually got stuck in her sequin a little bit. If you look closely, you’ll see some gray hair on her shoulder.”

The two would eventually share the screen, sort of: They both appeared as voices in the 2019 “live-action” (but still CGI) remake of The Lion King.

(Via EW)

Chance The Rapper Teases A ‘Home Alone’ Reboot That May Be Titled, ‘Hood Alone’

by
Getty Image

It’d be inaccurate to label this stage of Chance The Rapper’s career as anything along the lines of idle or inactivity. The Chicago native is busy on the music side of things as he recently shared “The Heart And The Tongue,” as well as “Shelter,” a collaboration with Vic Mensa. He also premiered a new movie titled, Magnificent Coloring Book, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his mixtape, Coloring Book, and he’s set to headline the Summerfest 2021 show with Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus.

While that’s an ample plate of tasks, the rapper is adding something else to the mix.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night, Chance revealed that he’s working on a reboot for a particular classic movie.

“It’s a secret thing. I’m working on…I got this pitch for a Home Alone reboot,” he said. “As a lot of people know…I’m sure everybody here is a huge fan of Home Alone and John Hughes. Chicago guy, Macaulay Culkin, it’s a Chicago film. Since I was young, I always watched it and I was like, ‘What if there was a hood Home Alone?’ Or Hood Alone, if you will.”

He added, “Just a little more realistic story about what happens when people try to kick in the doors at the wrong house. Hilarity ensues. I can’t give you too many details, but yeah.”

You can watch him talk about the reboot in the video above.

Donald Glover Is Pointing The Finger At ‘Boring’ TV Shows And Films Made By People Who Are Fearful Of Taking Risks

by
Getty Image

Donald Glover resurfaced on Twitter early Tuesday morning where he fired off his thoughts on the current state of entertainment after seeing critics complain about reviewing “boring stuff.” While Glover certainly has an inside perspective on the inner workings of Hollywood thanks to his career that spans both network and cable TV, Star Wars, streaming, and more, his comments are less insightful as they are nebulous, particularly when it comes to his remarks on being “cancelled.” Via his Twitter:

“[S]aw people on here havin a discussion about how tired they were of reviewing boring stuff (tv & film)… we’re getting boring stuff and not even experimental mistakes(?) because people are afraid of getting cancelled… so they feel like they can only experiment w/ aesthetic. (also because some of em know theyre not that good)”

Numerous replies to Glover indicate people’s belief that he’s talking about “cancelled” in the “cancel culture” sense. As in no one is making “experimental mistakes” because they’re afraid of upsetting current sensibilities. However, it’s possible that Glover is talking about a fear of being literally cancelled, which has been a major problem in the streaming world, like it’s always been for network TV, so his remarks are cryptic and open to interpretation. Glover wouldn’t be the first creative to complain about the confines of “cancel culture,” so until he offers a clarification, no one can definitively say that he’s merely offering a musing on the constant struggle between art and commerce.

Glover is currently in the middle of an eight-figure deal with Amazon and working on a remake of Mr. + Mrs. Smith with Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the streaming service. So, he might simply be reflecting upon how creative teams fear being cancelled in the traditional sense (i.e. their show doesn’t make it the first or second season) because an audience demands more of the same, or as Glover states, the project is “not that good.”

(Via Donald Glover on Twitter)

Conan O’Brien Hilariously Accepts An Apology From BTS’ J-Hope For Getting His Name Wrong

by
Getty Image

Over the past few days, Conan O’Brien and BTS have found themselves in a bit of a situation. A few days ago, clip from a South Korean variety show surfaced, in which BTS’ J-Hope misidentified O’Brien as “Curtain” before he and his bandmates realized the error and had a laugh about it. O’Brien featured the clip on Conan and playfully got upset with the group. Now, the saga continues: Today, J-hope offered an apology to O’Brien, which he has accepted.

Taking to the official BTS Twitter account, J-Hope wrote, “Sorry,,,,, Curtain [kissing face emojis] @ConanOBrien.” He then used a subsequent tweet to tack on a selfie of himself pouting his lips. O’Brien responded with humor, of course, replying, “In Hobi’s defense, Curtain makes about as much sense as being named Conan.”

(“Hobi,” by the way, is J-Hope’s nickname.)

O’Brien made it clear on his show that there were no hard feelings about the mishap, as he said through laughter, “I’ll get you, BTS. Oh I’ll get you good. And by that, I mean I’ll silently resent you. I have no power to do anything to you. You’re going to go on to have huge success. I’m very old and on the way out and you guys are pretty much running the world. So when I say I’ll get you, I just mean I’m gonna stew in my own juices for quite a long time, and you’ll be vastly unaware.”

Pete Davidson Praises Kid Cudi For Wearing A Dress On ‘SNL’: ‘I Loved It’

by
Getty Image

Harry Styles was widely praised for wearing a dress in a photoshoot last year, although some folks didn’t care for it. Recently, Kid Cudi faced a similar reaction to a similar situation after performing in a dress on Saturday Night Live. Now, Cudi’s friend and SNL star Pete Davidson has come to Cudi’s defense, saying on the Breakfast Club that he was all for Cudi’s fashion choice.

“I loved it, I thought it was great,” he said at 24:46 into the interview, which was shared today. “I think, you know, when you get criticism like that, it’s just like, ‘OK, cool. Those are people I don’t really wanna associate myself with anyway, people that are that close-minded.’ I thought it was really cool and like a cool tribute. […] I thought he killed it. I thought it was great. It was also fun to hang with him.”

He then touched on making the sketch with Cudi about “that weird little flute” that pops up in rap songs, saying, “You know me: I’ve been a huge Cudi guy forever, so getting to do a music video with him was everything. […] Cudi did a great job and it was fun. I loved it.”

While this was Cudi’s first time as musical guest on the show, it wasn’t his first time on SNL: He made a brief cameo in the “A New Kyle” sketch from 2018, palling around with Kyle Mooney after Mooney changed his lifestyle to copy Davidson. Of course, Cudi and Davidson were also famously photographed having dinner with Kanye West and Timothée Chalamet in 2019. Back in 2016, Davidson also credited Cudi and his music for saving his life.

Watch Davidson’s full interview above.

Pete Davidson Had A Phone Call With Eminem After Playing Him On ‘SNL’: ‘I Hung Up As Quick As Possible’

by

In recent months, Pete Davidson has found himself a new recurring character on Saturday Night Live: Eminem. He played the rapper in a pair of memorable sketches from December and March. That gave Davidson the opportunity to get on the phone with Eminem, a conversation that he described to Seth Meyers on yesterday’s Late Night.

Davidson spoke about the call and explained why he hung up on Eminem “as quick as possible,” saying:

“It went I think as good as it could go. Those [sketches] were written by the great Dan Bulla and Steven Castillo, great SNL writers, and [Chris] Redd. Eminem said a couple nice things about me and I of course heard them. I reached out, I was like, ‘I would just like to say thank you.’ And I just hit him up and said thanks and he was like, ‘Yeah man, you really did that. When I saw Stu on script, I was like, I don’t know how it was going to go, but after you did that, it was fire.’ I was like, ‘Oh thank you so much, you’re the coolest,’ and then I just hung up as quick as possible. That’s all you need, you don’t want anything more.”

Meyers elaborated on Davidson’s point about hanging up, adding, “When you talk to a hero, you don’t want to extend it. If you’re good, get out,” and Davidson agreed. Davidson also briefly touched on playing Joey Ramone in the upcoming movie I Slept With Joey Ramone, describing the decision to get him involved with the film as “either a really great or horrible choice by a studio and we will find out.”

Watch the full interview above.