Today marks the return of My Morning Jacket, who have just released their new album, The Waterfall II. The album isn’t entirely “new,” though, as it was recorded at the same time as 2015’s The Waterfall. As it turns out, fans hoping for the rockers’ true return from hiatus are in luck, as frontman Jim James has revealed MMJ do in fact have a fresh full-length all ready to go. After touring behind The Waterfall, MMJ took a break, only playing a handful of shows in 2018 and 2019. It was during those “reunion” gigs last year that the band found themselves “re-energized,” as James told Kyle Meredith with… on the latest episode. “So we went in the studio, and we have a whole new record that we’re finishing,” James revealed. “A completely new record.” My Morning Jacket h...
Not even a celebrity whose last name translates to “money” is safe from coronavirus-related pay cuts. Over the last few months, Robert De Niro has allegedly lost millions of dollars because the pandemic temporarily closed both Nobu and Greenwich Hotel, a restaurant chain and an upscale lodge that the actor has stakes in. De Niro revealed his financial losses in court where his estranged wife, Grace Hightower, called for an emergency order to bump her monthly American Express card credit limit from $50,000 to $100,000, reports Page Six. The divorce case took place over Skype where The Irishman actor had to explain why he was cutting back on her allowance. According to Caroline Krauss, his lawyer, De Niro is only required to pay Hightower $1 million a year if he’s making $15 million or more....
Thandie Newton is no stranger to the ills of Hollywood, and certainly not the industry’s ensuing racism. In a new interview with Vulture, the Westworld star details a particularly harrowing moment with former Sony producer Amy Pascal. For context, Newton had met with Pascal to audition for Charlie’s Angels, McG’s blockbuster reimagining of the ’70s series that would become one of the highest grossing pictures of 2000. Newton wouldn’t go near it — and with good reason. Below is her account of the meeting: I had a meeting with her, and she said, “Look, I don’t mean to be politically incorrect, but the character as written and you playing the role, I just feel like we’ve got to make sure that it’s believable.” I was like, “What do you mean? What changes would you have to make?” She’s like, “W...
J.K. Rowling Despite penning a 3,600-word pro-TERF manifesto, disgraced author J.K. Rowling still has more nonsense to spew regarding the transgender community. In a new series of tweets, Rowling argued that gay people who are struggling with mental health issues are being misguided into undertaking “a new kind of conversion therapy” that involves hormones and surgery. She also likened hormones — a common gender-affirming step in trans people’s transitioning process — to anti-depressants, and called those who used anti-depressants as “pure laziness.” It all started on Sunday, when Rowling liked a tweet that compared hormone to anti-depressants. “Hormone prescriptions are the new anti depressants,” the tweet in question reads. “Yes they are sometimes necessary and lifesaving, but they shoul...
Over the past few weeks, the entertainment industry has seen actors step down from voice acting roles because they don’t align with their character’s race — the point being that there are nuances and complexities that are being overlooked. Is the same true for cis, straight actors who portray queer roles? Halle Berry may have to answer that question soon, apparently, because she appears set to portray a trans character in her next film. “I’m thinking of [playing] a character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man,” Berry revealed during an Instagram Live Story with hairstylist Christian Brown. “She’s a character in a project I love that I might be doing,” added Berry. “I want to experience that world, understand that world… Who this woman was is...
Even dead musicians want nothing to do with Donald Trump. In response to Donald Trump’s announcement that he intends to build a “National Garden of Heroes” with statues of famous Americans including Frank Sinatra, the singer’s daughter has reminded Trump that her father “loathed him.” Replying to a tweet from Mia Farrow in which she wrote, “Frank Sinatra would have loathed Donald Trump,” Nancy Sinatra confirmed as much: “He actually did loathe him.” At least some of the bad blood between Trump and Frank Sinatra dates back to 1990, according to a recent book published by Sinatra’s manager, Elliot Weisman. Sinatra had been booked to open Trump’s Atlantic City casino, only to be informed at the last minute that Trump sought to renegotiate Sinatra’s rate. Trump also canceled his booking of Sin...
Ryan Adams has resurfaced with a new statement in which he acknowledges his past sexual misconduct. While the veteran singer-songwriter emphasizes that this is not the “the same empty bullshit apology that I’ve always used when I was called out,” he ultimately raises questions about the sincerity and true intentions of his apology by mentioning all of the new music he has in the works. Reports of Adams’ alleged sexual and psychological abuse were first documented in a New York Times article published in February 2019. Several prominent musicians went on record about Adams’ misconduct, including Adams’ ex-wife Mandy Moore, Phoebe Bridgers, Liz Phair, and Karen Elson. In light of the allegations, the FBI’s Crimes Against Children Squad opened an inquir...
Tom Hanks has a few choice words for people who won’t wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19: “Don’t be a pussy.” According to People, the beloved actor spoke about the ongoing pandemic while promoting his new movie Greyhound. He’s more knowledgable on the subject than your average celebrity, as he and wife Rita Wilson were infected by the coronavirus in March. Wilson in particular had a rough time with the virus, and Hanks has no patience for people who won’t take it seriously. “There’s really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow,” he said. “Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands.” He added, “Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things – I just think shame on you. Don’t be ...
This past month has been filled with Black Lives Matter marches and protests against police brutality that have gained massive support as well as ignorant criticisms. In a new interview, Shaun of the Dead actor Simon Pegg made his position abundantly clear, saying that he supports Black Lives Matter and that anyone complaining about them “should just shut the fuck up.” In an interview with The Observer, Pegg shed some light on the diversity initiatives being undertaken by Stolen Pictures, the production company he co-founded with Nick Frost. Pegg spoke about the changes coming to Stolen Pictures — particularly how he’s been scheduling meetings to better connect Black actors, writers, and directors to the resources and opportunities they need — and why he’s fed up with h...
Country singer Chase Rice drew the ire of the music industry and potentially put hundreds of his fans at risk when he played a packed concert in East Tennessee on Saturday. Nearly 1,000 people were in attendance, standing shoulder to shoulder, with not a face mask to be seen. Rice encouraged the audience to sing along, and even marveled at the size of the crowd in a post-show Instagram video. Understandably, many of his fellow musicians were angered by images and video from the concert, worrying that it could exacerbate the spread of coronavirus and delay their own return to touring (which is a chief source of income for many artists). “The people in this audience, along with the presenters of this show, are assuring that conscientious musicians won’t be able to work their jobs for a while...
In a new conversation with Regina King, Reese Witherspoon discussed her sheltered upbringing in Nashville, Tennessee. In an interesting moment, the star of Little Fires Everywhere admitted she “didn’t understand what homosexuality was” before pursuing a film career in Los Angeles. The in-depth discussion on sexuality, race, and class came as part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series. King and Witherspoon, who have known each other since co-starring in 2003’s Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde, tackled some of the weightiest issues of the day. For her part, Witherspoon opened up about her own personal growth in the context of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere. While acting in and producing the 1990s-set show, Witherspoon reflected on the blinkered worldview she inherite...
While most music acts have acknowledged that public health comes first when it comes to touring in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sammy Hagar would “rather personally get sick and even die” if it means kickstarting the concert industry again. The Red Rocker was one of several veteran artists polled by Rolling Stone as to when they would feel safe returning to the road. Most of the artists remarked that they would want to wait until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine or safe measures in place, but the former Van Halen singer is willing to put his life on the line. “I’ll be comfortable playing a show before there’s a vaccine, if it’s declining and seems to be going away,” remarked Hagar. “I’m going to make a radical statement here. This is hard to say without stirring somebody up, but truth...