TV

HBO And The Creator Of ‘Euphoria’ Are Teaming With The Weeknd For A Show Taking On The Music Industry And Cults

by
the-weeknd.jpeg
Getty Image

Musicians haven’t always had a great history crossing into movies and TV. Not everyone can be an Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning thespian like Lady Gaga. Perhaps that’s why The Weeknd has been taking baby steps. He played himself, briefly, in Uncut Gems. But now he’s got his own HBO show, where he’ll play someone arguably more magnetic than a pop star: a cult leader.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the singer and subject of a popular Daniel Craig meme is co-creator and star of The Idol, a forthcoming HBO show co-starring Lily Rose-Depp, daughter of Johnny. THR describes the premise like this:

In development since the summer, The Idol is set against the backdrop of the music industry in Los Angeles. It centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult (The Weeknd) who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop singer (Depp).

The Weeknd is already working with one of HBO’s rivals, being the subject of Showtime’s The Show, which will look at his spectacular mid-pandemic Super Bowl show from this past January. Joining him on The Idol will be co-creators Reza Fahim, his producing partner, as well as Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, who also helmed the Netflix drama Malcolm & Marie. The show’s six episodes will all be directed by Amy Seimetz, the actress and director, whose credits include The Girlfriend Experience, Atlanta, and the acclaimed film She Dies Tomorrow.

(Via THR)

Emily Ratajkowski Shared A Compelling Observation About Robin Thicke’s Now-Infamous Alleged Groping On The ‘Blurred Lines’ Set

by

Emily Ratajkowski recently threw down a convincing theory about how “only other men” are confused about Pete Davidson’s attractiveness in the eyes of women, and she’s here to level the field on a more serious subject. That would be her revelation (as published in her My Body memoir) that Robin Thicke groped her on the “Blurred Lines” set, an account that was backed up by video director Diane Martel, who cut the shoot short after the incident. Emily visited with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show, where she revealed what she’s gained in perspective from that experience.

Let’s just say that she likely did not set out to level Robin Thicke with her declaration, but that’s still part of the effect because her take is incredibly effective. She suspects that maybe Thicke felt powerless on the set (which was run by a female director and filled with women owning their sexuality, contrary to the song’s lyrics) and was acting out as a result. Yup, she said this, and Emily totally took the high road while responding to Noah’s question on how she views the experience through the lens of time:

“I think that I’m really not interested in blaming individuals. I think that we live in a culture that allows a lot of these situations to occur. [Not just in] professional settings but on dates. Again, not to beat the horse, but power dynamics is what I’m interested in talking about and really revealing because I think that, in some ways, maybe that was like an attempt at leveling the power for him, and I think we need to look at how many this culture if bad for both men and women.”

Again, Emily did not appear to set out with the intent of making Robin Thicke look like a disempowered presence on his own video set, but oh boy, that’s how it’s looking now. And it’s a powerful move on her part to make this observation, and it’s completely her prerogative to look at the situation as reflective of the whole culture. The entire The Daily Show interview is a fascinating one, and it began with Noah admitting, “This is one of the most interesting and complicated books I’ve read about the subject.”

From there, Emily discussed what empowerment really means and how our culture has commodified women. She sees this as extreme in society, to the point where the OnlyFans back-and-forth on whether to ban explicit material was a way for someone to attempt to take power from those women. She compares that situation to the “Blurred Lines” video, and she further says, “Every woman can relate to the experience of getting dressed and knowing, you know, sort of the negotiation of how tight to I want my shirt to be? How, you know, much do I want to cover up?” Emily Ratajkowski gets it.

50 Cent Shares A Photo Of Eminem As White Boy Rick In ‘BMF’ During An Anti-Starz Tirade

by
eminem-2
Getty Image

Although it has been a couple of months since Eminem’s casting as Detroit figure White Boy Rick in 50 Cent’s BMF series, fans were still excited to actually see him in the role. However, when they did get a glimpse, it was a week sooner than it was supposed to be thanks to a “glitch” at Starz that caused the episode to air a whole week early. While the episode was taken back down, 50 Cent was not happy about the situation, venting his frustration on Twitter.

“Starz is a sh*t show, they better sell it fast,” he raved. “They put the f*cking BMF show on, then took it down. What network does shit like that? They just ruined the anticipation of the episode I directed. I WORKED HARD ON THIS. I can’t work with these people anymore.”

The producer also shared a screenshot of the episode actually depicting Eminem as White Boy Rick, thanking his friend and mentor for appearing on the show while lamenting the mistakes Starz made. “Episode 7 of BMF is the best work I have done directing to date,” he wrote. “I’m disappointed that STARZ handled this so poorly. I used my personal relationships to make things happen they couldn’t have made happen. @eminem thank you for doing this for me. I love you bro.”

50 also explained how the episode got aired by mistake, saying that Starz wanted to hold the episode for a week so it could be connected to Power, his other drama on the network (presumably, the storylines, which are set in the ’80s, would have crossed over). “They called me saying they wanted to hold episode7 back a week so we can roll right into GHOST,” 50 elaborated. “I said cool. Then these sh*thead people put the f*cking episode out for 3 hrs & take it down. This is not ok. When I get uncomfortable I make everybody uncomfortable. Now who getting fired?”

Starz explained the misstep as “a technical glitch” that allowed Starz app users to access the episode at midnight. The episode will air normally this weekend on Sunday, November 14.

‘SNL’ Emulates Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, And More With Help From Ed Sheeran In Their ‘Dionne Warwick Talk Show’ Sketch

by

Ed Sheeran stopped by Saturday Night Live for a pair of performances on the late-night show, to celebrate the release of his fourth album =. After he tested positive for coronavirus, many worried that would be unable to perform. Luckily, that was not the case, as he delivered performances of “Shivers” and “Overpass Graffiti.” He also appeared in a sketch for SNL’s edition of The Dionne Warwick Talk Show, with Ego Nwodim as the legendary singer.

The sketch began with Chloe Fineman, who played Miley Cyrus, sitting across from Nwodim. Kieran Culkin, who appeared as Jason Mraz and hosted the episode, and Pete Davidson, who appeared as Post Malone, also sat down on the talk show. But Nwodim’s Warwick seemed to be bored by the guests and said, “I’m sick and tired of interviewing people who aren’t icons.” She then welcomed the real Dionne Warwick onto the show.

“Let me ask you something,” Nwodim says after Warwick takes a seat. “Dionne, why are you perfect?” The 80-year-old singer replied, “My darling, I’m not perfect. I’m just very, very good.” The duo then sang a duet of Warwick’s 1966 track “What The World Needs Now Is Love.”

Warwick thanked SNL for inviting her to the show afterward.

“I had fun at @nbcsnl,” she tweeted. “Thank you to @eggy_boom (ME [laughing emoji]), @Punkiejohnson (as @BrittaniWarrick), and to the writers, cast, and crew. I had a wonderful time with you all.”

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

‘SNL’ Tried To Figure Out Why On Earth Ice Cube Won’t Get Vaccinated

by

Last week, it was revealed that Ice Cube is not vaccinated. And he has no intention of doing so. He even walked away from a comedy movie, Oh Hell No, opposite Jack Black, which would have netted him both $9 million and a winter shoot in Hawaii. What is he thinking? On this weekend’s Kieran Culkin-hosted SNL, the show’s writing room hazarded a guess as to why.

During Weekend Update, Keenan Thompson swung by as the rap legend and movie star to explain to co-anchor Michael Che why on earth he, like Emilio Estevez, is turning down easy money and paid vacations by refusing to take an FDA-approved vaccine to protect himself from a highly transmissible and deadly virus.

“Hey look, man. I’d just rather be myself than take that vaccine, like you other three billion bozos,” Thompson’s Cube replied. When Che pointed out that he’d “lost” a good gig, Cube disagreed. “Not my loss, your loss. Oh Hell No was going to feature the greatest comedy duo of all time: Ice Cube, Jack Black,” he said. “The comedy chemistry, man. You know what I’m saying?”

He then rattled off a list of all the movies we won’t be getting because Cube won’t take some world-saving medication, from a fourth Barbershop, to a Friday prequel (Thursday, natch), to an M. Night Shyamalan twist-a-thon called Uh Oh, Twist Comin’, which has its own novel twist.

Throughout, Thompson’s Cube avoids the question: Why won’t he get vaccinated. But Che had a theory. “So you’re scared of needles, right?” he asked him, to which Cube replied with a sheepish affirmative.

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

Jay-Z Called Dave Chappelle ‘Brave’ And ‘Genius’ During A Discussion About ‘The Closer’

by
jay-z.jpg
Getty Image

Last month, Dave Chappelle stirred up some controversy with his Netflix special The Closer. Comments he made about the transgender community led to outrage, including from the streamer’s employees. Chappelle did get some support from the likes of 50 Cent and Caitlyn Jenner. 50 agreed with Chappelle about DaBaby’s homophobic comments, which Chappelle semi-defended, while Caitlyn Jenner said Chappelle’s words were “100% right.” Jay-Z also showed Chappelle some love during a recent conversation about the special on Twitter Spaces.

Jay spoke said “true art has to cause conversation.” He admitted that The Closer made him uncomfortable at multiple points but said, “Sometimes it’s going to be abrasive, sometimes it’s going to be off-putting to folks. But it opens up an opportunity to have a dialogue.” Jay later called Chappelle “super brave and super genius. If you spend time with him, he’s brilliant,” adding, “I think he pushed a lot of buttons.”

He continued. “These algorithms allow you to talk to people who agree with you,” he said, adding, “We have to speak to one another when we disagree… Anything that doesn’t have that tension, it’s not going to be real. We had fake conversations all this time before Trump was in office, then we got to see people for who they really were. And then we got to have real conversations.”

Jay also said, “I think great art is divisive. Some people like it, some people hate it. When you’re making great art, you have to be fearless and create something that you believe in. That’s what it’s about.”

Jay’s comments come after Chappelle, along with Barack Obama, inducted him into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

Finally, At Long Last, Dolly Parton Will Guest Star On ‘Grace And Frankie’ For The Full ‘9 To 5’ Reunion

by
Dolly Parton
Getty Image

Adding Dolly Parton to any project is always a good idea, but it gets even better when it finally completes a long-awaited reunion with her 9 to 5 costars, which is exactly what’s happening on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. According to a new report, Parton will guest star on the series’ seventh and final season, putting her back on screen with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. Via TVLine:

For the uninitiated: 9 to 5 was released in 1980, and starred Parton, Fonda and Tomlin as the above-mentioned Doralee, Judy and Violet, three working women who decide to get revenge on their sexist boss (played by Dabney Coleman). The movie went on to gross over $100 million at the box office.

At the moment, Parton’s role on Frankie and Grace is being kept under wraps, but she will appear in the show’s final 12 episodes that will drop sometime in 2022. (Four episodes were released early in August to tide over fans.)

When it wraps up its seven-season run next year, Grace and Frankie will have the distinct honor of having the most amount of episodes for a Netflix original series. While Orange Is the New Black is the current record holder at 91 episodes, Grace and Frankie will top that by streaming 94 episodes when the final season premieres. And, now, the show will get to say it had Dolly Parton stop by for a freaking 9 to 5 reunion, so yeah, try and top that, whichever Netflix series is still racking up episodes. (Narcos, maybe? — Nope, that’s not it. It’ll come to us.)

(Via TVLine)

Cardi B Might Be Officiating Kal Penn’s Wedding

by
cardi-b.jpg
Getty Image

A few weeks ago, Cardi B was licensed to perform a wedding for a lesbian couple for her show Cardi B Tries… but it looks like that license might be coming in handy again sooner than anyone expected. When actor Kal Penn noticed the “WAP” rapper on his flight, he joked on Twitter that he had a dream she officiated his wedding. However, Cardi somehow saw the tweet and seemed into the idea, wondering why the Harold & Kumar actor didn’t say hi — and suggesting that she was open to actually performing the ceremony.

When Penn responded explaining that Cardi’s “do not disturb” light was on and enthused about the idea, Cardi had just one response: “I’m down I’ll get my suit.”

Sometimes, Twitter can be good.

Kal Penn announced his impending nuptials to his longtime partner earlier this week in addition to officially coming out as gay. In his upcoming book You Can’t Be Serious, he details how the couple unexpectedly became close after his NASCAR fan partner Josh got him hooked on the sport as well.

Meanwhile, Cardi’s interactions with fellow celebrities continue to amuse and delight fans on the internet. Prior to her interaction with Kal Penn, Cardi and Penn Badgley of Netflix’s You had a cute back-and-forth resulting in the two stars swapping their profile pics to photos of each other.

Give Saweetie Her Own Netflix Show, Already

by
Saweetie
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

A show hosted by Saweetie and a pack of sex-positive puppets sounds like a strange proposition but oddly enough, it works. That’s the premise of Sex: Unzipped, a new hour-long Netflix comedy special that plays like an adult sex education course mashed up with raunchier sketch comedy than you’ll ever see on SNL, all in the mode of the least kid-friendly episode of Sesame Street ever.

It helps that the human host is game for the silliness, shamelessly flirting with the puppets and vice versa. For all of the complaints about Saweetie’s live performances, the Bay Area-bred star has a lot of charisma. While not as boisterous and playful as rap contemporaries Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, Saweetie still has a laid-back, confident charm that makes her the perfect on-camera personality for any number of situations. From hosting her own Icy University YouTube series, to coolly cruising through the full taste bud punishing course of wings on Hot Ones, Saweetie’s easygoing, round-the-way bearing almost demands that she skips the rap portion of her career trajectory and goes straight to hosting her own show.

Saweetie’s media takeover strategy isn’t new to hip-hop but the way she’s going about it sort of is. Plenty of rappers have made the jump from purely making music to acting, hosting, and any number of other media gigs (the new one seems to be podcasting, with everyone from Joe Budden to Nicki Minaj contracting with Apple and Spotify for their own shows). But usually, the artist in question must be established; Will Smith had already won his first Grammy by the time he jumped into television with The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Eve had a number of supporting roles in movies after delivering multiple platinum albums, then got her own sitcom, and both versions of Queen Latifah’s talk show came after two albums and an ensemble role on Living Single.

More recently, Saweetie peers like Cardi B reversed the formula, utilizing a role on the popular Love & Hip-Hop franchise to develop a huge social media following, then translating that into rap superstardom. After becoming the first female rapper since Lauryn Hill to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it was only natural that Cardi B would go on to host her own show on Facebook, Cardi B Tries…, which built on her established fame and naturally outgoing personality. Likewise with her role on Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow. Cardi’s move into television (or what passes for television when everything we watch is on a computer, phone, or tablet screen) launched from the springboard of her existing catalog of hits and near-ubiquity in the wake of her breakout hit “Bodak Yellow.”

Saweetie, on the other hand, has yet to even release a full-length project. So far, she’s only dropped a trio of EPs, of which only Icy even registered on the Billboard 200. She’s had a string of virally successful singles, including her original hit “Icy Grl,” “My Type,” and “Tap In,” but only three have reached the Top 40, with “Best Friend” charting the highest — arguably due in large part to her co-star on the song, Doja Cat. It’s probably fair to say that Saweetie is not the pop culture dominating juggernaut that Cardi is. Even Doja Cat, fresh off her first award show hosting gig at the 2021 MTV VMAs has a No. 1 hit record in “Say So” and multiple viral trends to her name.

Yet Saweetie has still managed to cultivate the air of a much more successful artist by sheer will. At this point, I think Forbes might be the only major magazine she hasn’t done a feature with. She’s been on every internet interview show (twice, in some cases), she’s got a Sprite sponsorship, she had a guest-starring role on Freeform’s Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish, and who could forget the infamous McDonald’s partnership — which seemed based almost entirely on a handful of viral moments of people teasing her for her off-the-wall food combinations (ranch on spaghetti!?!?). Nearly all of the media Saweetie has done has been to promote her upcoming debut album Pretty Bitch Music, yet she’s pushed the album back multiple times, once as a result of the ridicule she received for a few lackluster performances.

At this point, Saweetie is just as well-known for just being Saweetie as she is for rapping. Here’s a crazy idea: She should lean into this. After releasing her album and completing the requisite tour, why doesn’t she just do a bunch of different projects with Netflix? She’s already proved that she can handle herself in front of a camera. Do another comedy special — maybe try standup! Do a Christmas movie! I’d watch a Christmas movie with Saweetie in it — and you would too. Do a travel show! Saweetie is always shouting out her Filipino heritage — take her to the islands and follow her around with a camera. Gold is guaranteed. I’d watch a Saweetie talk show, a Saweetie sitcom, a Saweetie police procedural… the possibilities are literally endless. Did you see Saweetie’s Halloween sketch where she dressed up as Catwoman and won the approval of Halle Berry? Saweetie superhero movie.

None of this is to dismiss Saweetie as an artist. She’s a way better rapper than she gets credit for (check out some of her earlier car freestyles or the time she rapped for J. Cole), she’s just had a hard time adjusting her rhyme-heavy style for the pop-friendly beats she’s employed in her attempts to crossover (something that also happened to J. Cole himself, lest we all forget). Rumor has it, she has some pretty brassy musical swings on the upcoming album, which could finally endear her to a skeptical public if they don’t turn people off entirely. The hip-hop public is notoriously fickle — why keep trying to please them when there are so many on-screen opportunities that make use of Saweetie’s best weapons? She’s got the chops, and against the odds, she’s got the resume. All she needs is the official Saweetie show, which even her haters would love to watch.

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

Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl Scandal Is Getting The ‘New York Times’ Documentary Treatment For Hulu

by
janet-jackson.jpeg
Getty Image

Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl scandal has become the subject of a new documentary coming soon to Hulu and FX, according to Deadline. After the success of the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears, the streamer is taking on the backlash against Jackson in Malfunction: The Dressing Down Of Janet Jackson, launching on November 19 (incidentally, both docs prominently feature Justin Timberlake for his role in both women’s respective downfalls. I don’t know what it says about JT that he was so closely involved in both but it feels a little like he’s gone through his own version of what they went through over the last few years, falling out of public favor as social media became more prevalent.).

For those who don’t remember, during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, Janet Jackson joined Justin Timberlake on stage during a performance of his song “Rock Your Body,” ending with Timberlake pulling part of Jackson’s costume off, baring her breast and touching off a national controversy that led to Janet essentially being blackballed by the entertainment industry. The incident coined the infamous term “wardrobe malfunction” and a content crackdown by government and network regulators.

According to Deadline, the film will “examine the racial and cultural currents that collided on the Super Bowl stage, and explores how the incident impacted one of the most successful pop musicians in history.” It will include interviews with some of the producers of the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, as well as “music industry insiders,” cultural critics, and members of Janet’s famous family.