The trailer for the second season of original Netflix series BoJack Horseman is out, and it only promises more of the same antics that its fans love. The show was renewed less than a week after the first season debuted in 2014, and this newly released trailer proves there's plenty more comedy to be found in the show's surreal universe.
The new season debuts on Netflix on July 17.
Screengrab via Netflix/YouTube
The flaws and nuances of intellectual property law are hardly obvious source material for a comedy film, but so be it—Austin-based filmmaker Lex Lybrand has assembled a ragtag group of actors and crew to bring such a movie to life.
Titled Trolls, Lybrand's script follows a fictitious tech startup that invents batteries that never lose their charge. As it's obviously a world-changing, money-making technology, patent trolls crawl out of the woodwork to make life miserable for our characters, who find themselves in a situation where the only way to fight back is to similarly exploit intellectual property law to their own righteous advantage.
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a patent troll is a person or company that "uses patents as legal weapons, instead of actually creating any new products or coming up with new ideas. Instead, trolls are in the business of litigation (or even just threatening litigation)." Put another way, a patent troll is an entity that buys up patents and is entirely in the business of suing others for even coming close to infringing on those properties.
It's a topic that incenses a lot of innovators, but now it's on the way to becoming a comedy. Lybrand and company seek to raise $20,000 on Indiegogo to bring this film to a screen near you. Here's the pitch video:
Lybrand has been a filmmaker "forever," he tells me on the front porch of the Daily Dot's Austin office. "In second grade, I was literally running a closed-circuit television show for my school by myself. I animated lunch menus and was a tech director for three cameras." His interest in the art only grew, and he now finds himself an experienced filmmaker eager to show the world what more he can do.
He first became aware of patent trolls when the topic repeatedly came up in podcasts he listened to. The comedian and podcaster Adam Carolla was one of the loudest voices here, using his platform to rail against a company called Personal Audio, which held two patents it claimed were the fundamental backbone to how podcasting works. If its claims were valid, it would be entitled to a huge legal payday from the vast number of people using a technology that didn't "belong" to them.
"The first patent was for literal bullshit."
Carolla fought back and countersued when Personal Audio dropped the case. Ultimately they settled and the company's patents were invalidated, but this success story is a rarity—much more often, it's the trolls that win.
Lybrand's fictional universe allows for a scenario in which the oppressed battery technology company patents the very idea of patent trolling. This plot point is "playing loose with how the law works, but not that loose," said Lybrand. The entrepreneurs troll the trolls, and this injects the comedy into a movie about a heady, complex topic.
"In 10 years, I want this movie to be like [non-fiction film about the car industry] Tucker was when I saw it in high school," said Lybrand. "Your teacher puts it on and says, 'Here’s how stupid this stuff used to be.'"
"One of my favorite jokes in the movie is like something out of National Treasure," he added. "The first patent ever issued was for fertilizer, the idea being that the patent system was always a joke to the founding fathers. Our heroes do some digging and find some more clues—the first patent was for literal bullshit."
You can contribute to Lybrand's production budget by following this Indiegogo link.
Screengrab via Greenless Studios/YouTube
Oh, E.L. James. Didn’t anyone warn you that the Internet is not exactly a playground?
When Fifty Shades of Grey’s U.K. Twitter account announced a Q&A with the series’s author on Monday, her fans weren’t the only ones dying to ask her a few, erm, important questions. Unfortunately for the fanfiction-writer-turned-millionaire, Twitter users brought their A-game—that is to say, they were cruel and unrelenting in their online reaming of James.
It started off innocently enough, with actual fans asking James serious questions about the series and its latest spinoff, Grey.
It seems that the genuine curiosity about James’s work stops there, however. Despite commercial success, the series has received tons of criticism from audiences that found it to be a paragon of abuse rather than a love story, and many Twitter users took advantage of the opportunity to publicly bash James for “romanticizing abuse.”It’s not just readers who’ve noticed a pattern of abuse in the series. A 2013 Michigan State University study found that many aspects of the story are consistent with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of intimate partner violence, concluding that 50 Shades perpetuates violence against women. Many domestic abuse survivors have spoken out against the series for promoting the unhealthy relationship to impressionable readers. Some Twitter users noted that, rather than respond to and engage with survivors of abuse, James chooses to block and ignore such inquiries.While many used the Q&A to start a larger dialogue about controversial aspects of the series, some users opted to keep their bashing on the lighter (yet still hilarious) side.Others used this opportunity to take a (not entirely unwarranted) dig at James’ famously poor writing skills.Of course, no Twitter Q&A with E.L. James would be complete without its fair share of jokes about her ripping off Twilight.And last but not least, one brave user went straight for the jugular, summing up everyone else’s questions in an impressively succinct manner.It’s probably safe to say that E.L. James might want to take a short hiatus from Twitter (or the Internet in general) after the brutality of that Q&A. Allow us to get you some ice for those burns, girl.
Screengrab via 50 Shades of Grey
FIFA, the world's governing body in soccer, hasn't treated the participants of this year's Women's World Cup particularly well. With all the problems that FIFA faces—looking hard at you, president Sepp Blatter—the way it looks at women is one of the biggest.
Before this year's edition of the World Cup began, controversy erupted over why FIFA dictates that female soccer players compete on artificial turf (which leads to more injuries ) while the men play on natural grass, and in the leadup to Tuesday's USA-Germany semifinal, it's been revealed that the two teams are staying at the same hotel—said Germany's coach Silvia Neid, via Soccer America, “I believe this doesn’t meet the level of professionalism you should expect at a World Cup. You run into each other all over the hotel, stand together in the elevator, in the lobby.”
Basically, as the Chicago Tribune recently opined, "FIFA doesn’t take women’s soccer seriously, an attitude it’s been quite open about for years."
And that leads us to a feature of U.S. forward Alex Morgan, posted on FIFA.com. Here's the screenshot of said story.
Let's break down that lede, shall we?
First sentence: "Alex Morgan is one of the most popular players in USA women’s football." This is true. And Morgan's name was spelled correctly. Good start, unbylined author.
Second sentence, first 13 words: "A talented goalscorer with a style that is very easy on the eye ..." OK. I don't particularly love the "easy on the eye" cliche, but so far, there are zero major infractions.
Second sentence, 14th word: "... and ..." Tread carefully.
Second sentence, 15th-18 words: "good looks to match ..." Oh, boy.
So, here's the problem. This story—the rest of which is fine and doesn't judge her on her looks—should be harmless and easy to read. And the latter is true. But when discussing a player's physical appearance—on the official FIFA website, no less—it feeds into the idea that FIFA is simply a sexist organization.
Making matters even worse is the original headline of the story, as captured by The Big Lead.
That headline obviously was changed, though the URL still reflects the original title (and the final graf also refers to a happy ending). While the headline might have been a simple mistake, it's telling that despite all the online criticism, the original wording in the lede remains.
As Daily Dot contributor Stephen Whiting recently wrote, "It comes down to respect. This tournament is treated along the same lines as the youth World Cups (which likewise play on turf), and not the equivalent to the men’s World Cup that it actually is."
And the FIFA organization led by Blatter doesn't respect the female players. How could it, especially knowing what Blatter said in 2004?
"Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball. They could, for example, have tighter shorts. Female players are pretty, if you excuse me for saying so... "
In this day and age, we shouldn't excuse Blatter. And in 2015, we shouldn't excuse FIFA for writing it either.
Photo via US Soccer
If the United States isn't the best soccer team in the world, the American women certainly played like it Tuesday. In doing so, they beat the actual No. 1 team on Earth to advance to the Women's World Cup finals.
And once again, the Americans have Carli Lloyd to thank for it.
Lloyd blasted a penalty kick past German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer midway through the second half, and the American defense continued its remarkable play to stop top-ranked Germany 2-0 in the semifinal.
The Americans, who played their best game of the entire tournament, now will face the winner of the Japan-England semifinal for World Cup supremacy on Sunday.
While the U.S. dominated the entire first half with nothing to show for it, it caught a break midway through the second when Germany's Annike Krahn fouled U.S. forward Alex Morgan just inside the penalty box (or maybe, actually, a little outside of it) to give the Americans a penalty kick.
Then, Lloyd—who notched the game-winning goal vs. China and has recorded a score in each of the past three games—buried her kick in the back of the net.
The Americans received another score when Lloyd fed a perfect ball to Kelley O'Hara, who parried the ball into the net for her first international goal.
The U.S., which has not allowed a goal in 516 minutes of World Cup action, nearly gave away the lead a few minutes before Lloyd's heroics.
The Germans, who led the World Cup with a total of 20 goals entering the contest, had their best chance when, as they were battling in the box, American defender Julie Johnston pulled down Celia Sasic as she was moving toward the goal. Johnston was given a yellow card, and Sasic was given a penalty kick.
Somehow, this happened.
The U.S. dominated the Germans in the first half, and they had—and couldn't convert—plenty of chances throughout the first 45 minutes of the game. It was especially impressive considering how aggressive Germany was when the ball was in U.S. territory. Unfortunately for Germany, it didn't spend much time there in the first half.
Angerer was solid early, never more so than when Morgan had a free run after splitting two German defenders. But Morgan's shot didn't have much on it, and Angerer played it well and batted the ball away.
While Germany was struggling to keep the Americans contained for most of the first half, the U.S.'s Morgan Brian and Germany's Alexandra Popp had a nasty collision, banging their skulls together when they both attempted a header. This was what Popp's scalp looked like almost immediately afterward.
Speaking to what a joke FIFA's concussion policy is, both players were back in the game within minutes of the high-head impact.
But Brian and the rest of her teammates survived. Now, they'll play for the right to see who actually is the best in the world.Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a U.S. fan's stunning homage to Brandy Chastain.Photo via Fox Sports
Oh, the old Hollywood reboot. You think you’ve seen all you can see, and then they hit you with a reimagined Star Trek, two Ghostbusters movies, and a third (third!) Spider-Man. What’s next? Addams Family 3.0, ReBoot: The Reboot?
But what is it when it’s simply a new chapter in an ongoing narrative? Take, for example, the much-anticipated Creed, Ryan Coogler’s (Fruitvale Station) Rocky spinoff. This movie feels like anything but a reboot, and to call it a spinoff feels disingenuous. And judging by the trailer released Tuesday, Creed is going to be a movie that stands on its own—a story that just so happens to take place in the same universe Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) inhabits.
Creed stars Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, Friday Night Lights) as the titular Adonis Creed, son of the fallen champion Apollo Creed, Rocky’s challenger-turned-best bud, who’s got a chip on his shoulder that only boxing can fix. With the help of the Italian Stallion, the young Creed will have a chance to prove himself a worthy contender. Through Adonis, it looks like Rock may find the closure he desperately needs in dealing with the 1985 death of his best friend by the cursed, red hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
“It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward,” Adonis says, quoting Rocky. Well, Creed looks like it can power through even the hardest of hits.
Personally, I'm most excited for the training montage.
Creed steps into the ring Nov. 25.
Screengrab via Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube
Chris Pratt is the epitome of gruff and coolness playing action star Jason Statham in a Saturday Night Live sketch that just came to light.
Many of Pratt's sketches from his SNL hosting gig in September were cut before the show aired, whether due to time or the material not working during rehearsal. SNL typically releases cut sketches online while the show is on summer hiatus, which is why we get to see a fake commercial where Pratt tries to sell steak sandwiches as Statham.
Pratt, donning a bald cap and signature leather jacket, clearly tries to sell the bit, but there’s something that never quite clicks as he gets caught in a tongue twister with a sometimes intelligible accent.
Still, it's kind of delightful to see him try, and we might be intrigued enough to actually buy Jason Statham's Jason Steakums.
Screengrab via Saturday Night Live/YouTube
"It's a dilemma we all face," Kimmel said, referring to the guessing game. Then he brought on a series of couples via satellite to play the actual guessing game "Couple or Friends?"
Some of these guesses were tougher than others.
As it turns out, Kimmel isn't a bad guesser. But judging by the fact that he gave one pair of friends some Donald Trump cologne, he is a bad gift-giver.Screengrab via Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
Kanye West may have called himself the “greatest living rock star on the planet” at Glastonbury, but one radio station wasn’t having it when he covered another rock legend during his set.
His take on “Bohemian Rhapsody” may have fallen on the lower end of memorable covers, but Q104.3 FM, a classic rock radio station in New York set out to prove just how bad it was. The DJs there put it in front of the late Freddie Mercury himself, who did not approve either. The legendary Queen frontman then went on to sing it himself—with the help of some editing.
When it comes to which artist sang it better, there’s no escape from reality.
Photo via Jason Persse/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)
The American Girl dolls of the past are coming together to kick ass on behalf of their great nation.
American Girl Dolls: The Action Movie isn't the first project to imagine this idea, but Funny or Die's gritty trailer is hilarious all the same. Kirsten, Kit, Samantha, Addy, and Molly are bringing a kickass spirit to a gritty reboot of their brand. They may have left Felicity out of it, but they're plenty resourceful and full of spunk, friendship, and encouragement.
The premise: With another lucrative franchise feeling threatened by the American Girls’ success, Samantha’s birthday party might not go as planned.
These ladies have American values and big guns, and they're not screwing around.
H/T Jezebel | Screengrab via Funny or Die
The Daily Dot is celebrating Woman Crush Wednesday, better known as #WCW on Twitter and Instagram, by highlighting female creators on YouTubewhose work we admire.
Maya Washington—Shameless Maya as she’s known on YouTube—wasn’t always the badass boss she is today. In fact, she credits YouTube and her audience for giving her the confidence to pursue her best self, especially at a time when her life felt most defined by divorce, depression, and trying to make ends meet.
If there is one thing to know about the Toronto native, it’s that she is somehow capable of doing everything; acting, pursuing a career as a professional photographer, running a multifaceted and original YouTube channel, or making a crop top with only a pair of scissors and a kitchen towel. But the difference between Shameless Maya and that snotty high school kid whose name appears under every club in the yearbook, is that Washington’s mission isn’t to be perfect. In fact, it’s her example of doing anything and everything that continues to inspire her audience to put their own bucket lists into motion.When she first started her YouTube channel in 2012, she started with a challenge: 365 days of shameless self promotion in the hope of overcoming her social anxiety and insecurities. Originally, Washington was reluctant to make YouTube videos, seeing the site as “cheesy.” But in her first year of video making, Washington quickly became known for her contagious enthusiasm and her curly hair tutorials. Then, in a shameless and fearless way, she shaved her head during an emotional livestream and hasn’t looked back since.
In all her videos—beauty tutorials, fashion lookbooks, health and wellness insights, tech advice for aspiring photographers and YouTubers, vlogs, and drag queen makeup tutorials—Maya presents herself in an honest, proudly flawed way that instantly creates a bond of comfort between herself and her fans. And through her dramatic hair choices and bold fashion statements, she shows us to always try new, fun, innovative things in order to keep pushing the idea of who we are. With tutorials that speak directly to her experiences as a woman of mixed race, her channel has also created a space for communities of color on a platform where they might otherwise feel underrepresented.So cheers to you, Ms. Shameless! Thank you always reminding us to live each day as fully as possible—with a dash of red lipstick and a pair of dynamite earrings, of course.
Screengrab via Shameless Maya/YouTube
The Dukes of Hazzard reruns will no longer air on TV Land, according to a statement to EW.
The network did not comment on the reasoning for the removal, but the decision comes in the wake of a national debate on the Confederate flag, which features heavily in the show, most prominently on the top of the 1969 Dodge Charger used in the show.
Dukes of Hazzard aired from 1979 to 1985 on CBS, following Bo and Luke Duke on adventures through fictional Hazzard County, Georgia. Their primary means of transportation was the Charger, named the General Lee, which boasts a Confederate flag painted on its roof. At least one member of the cast, Ben Jones, who played Cooter Davenport on the show, came out in defense of the Confederate flag following the tragic shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, last month.
“Activists and politicians are vilifying Southern culture and heritage as being bigoted and racist. We know that is not the case,” Jones wrote in a lengthy Facebook post, “And we know that in Hazzard County there was never any racism.”
In addition, Warner Bros. announced it will stop issuing licenses for toys and memorabilia based off the car.
H/T EW | Photo via nostri imago/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
After a season full of interdimensional space travel, dog-fueled dystopias, and utter insanity, Rick and Morty could only get even weirder.
The show’s second season from creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland (the latter who voices the titular characters) promises to be just as weird as Rick drags his grandson on even more wacky and dangerous adventures. But this time around it looks like the rest of the family will get even more involved in killing a bunch of aliens to the tune of "Weird Science."
And no matter how much Jerry protests, they’ll just let Rick keep doing what he’s doing. Life would be a lot more boring for them (and us) otherwise.
Rick and Morty returns to Adult Swim on July 26 at 11:30pm ET.
Screengrab via Adult Swim/YouTube
MTV is falling in line with the binge-watching trend thanks to its new webseries, The Untitled Web Series That Morgan Evans Is Doing For MTV. All nine episodes, starring comedian Morgan Evans, were released in one go.
The series follows a young comedian who moves to Los Angeles from New York City, and jokingly illustrates the idea of "making it" in the entertainment world.
The original 15-episode Untitled Webseries was funded on Kickstarter, and lives on YouTube. This will be the second season. Evans, whose impressive resume includes Best Week Ever, Broad City, and the Onion, also gives pop culture-themed rants on MTV's channel, hosting OKAY SERIOUSLY. He also plays host for Teen Wolf's After "After" Show.MTV, and specifically its MTV(other) incubator brand, has been keeping the spotlight on digital series in the past year. Most recently it launched Decoded, a look at race-based news and pop culture starring Franchesca Ramsey. Braless, a feminist and sex-positive weekly show with Laci Green, launched last year.
All of The Untitled Web Series That Morgan Evans Is Doing For MTV is available on MTV's site, or on the MTV YouTube channel.
Screengrab via MTV Other/YouTube
Can Michael Fassbender become Steve Jobs?
The newest trailer for the Aaron Sorkin-penned biopic, which was released on Wednesday, suggests that the answer is yes.
Christian Bale was originally supposed to play the titular role, but he backed out of the deal after realizing he "was not right for the part," and it eventually went to Fassbender, who also looked nothing like the Apple founder. Last May, Universal Pictures released a short preview of the film, but it didn't really offer much insight into Fassbender’s ability to channel Jobs.
This trailer, though, includes scenes of him actually speaking and acting, along with a peek at Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, Kate Winslet as the former head of Macintosh marketing Joanna Hoffman, and Jeff Daniels as John Sculley, the CEO of Apple during Jobs' short exile from the company.
Given Sorkin’s knack for compelling dialogue and Danny Boyle’s direction, the film stands a chance at fulfilling its implicit promise to do justice to Walter Isaacson’s biography, on which it is based, and to Jobs' colorful life itself.
Honestly, though, anything that erases the memory of the Ashton Kutcher version is welcome at this point.
Steve Jobs is set to be released on October 9.
Screengrab via Universal Pictures/YouTube
You might be all GIF’d out after last weekend’s historic Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. The Internet certainly went nuts over it, and though John Oliver was quick to remind us all that the struggle for total equality is far from over, one queen in particular hadn’t yet chimed in. We’re talking, of course, about queen Bey.
Beyoncé Knowles took to Instagram today to post a video celebrating #LoveWins.
Knowles has long been a supporter of gay rights and same-sex marriage. Back in March 2013, on the same day that the Supreme Court heard the first of two pending cases on same-sex marriage, she posted a handwritten note to Instagram that read simply, “If you like it you should be able to put a ring on it," along with the hashtag #WeWillUnite4MarriageEquality!"That day she also posted a photo of the Human Rights Campaign’s red equals sign symbol with a message that read, “it’s about time #equality#prop8#marriageislove❤❤ show your support!!”The people have spoken: #LoveWins, and we have once again been #blessed with a video clip of Beyoncé dancing to 711. Better late than never, Bey. Better late than never.Photo via digitpedia/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | Remix by Fernando Alfonso III
The acoustic phenomenon was previously displayed by the Wikidrummer in a video by the same production company. This time, one singer experiments with natural reverb in different settings, with no artificial reverb added. In this way, the same song can sound majestic in a church or simple and homespun in a basement. One scene during the video even includes an anechoic chamber, which produces no sound reflections.
The performer, Joachim Müllner, also composed and wrote the song.
Sound off.
Screengrab via Touché Videoproduktion Creative/YouTube
Just in case you needed more reasons to adore our favorite broChanning Tatum, wait till you see him vogue.
In "Channing Tatum Busts 7 Dance Moves in 30 Seconds," you get exactly what you are promised: a half-minute tutorial of some of the greatest and most popular jigs, including the running man, the robot, and the funky chicken. If you’ve been meaning to choreograph your own living room dance routine, now is the time.
Of course, don’t forget to end it with a flourish.
H/T Nylon | Screengrab via Vanity Fair/YouTube
Ottman, who also provides strings for Minneapolis band We Are the Willows, has only been performing as LOTT since 2014, but when the Homestead Recordings released single "Parking on the Grass" last summer, it came with an unexpected hook. It's an under-glass example of Ottman's talent for dovetailing harmonies, looping melodies, and cascading violin.
With this four-song Daytrotter session, she gives us a look at what a debut EP might sound like. The Daily Dot has partnered with Daytrotter to spotlight a session a week, and you can stream LOTT's right here:For nearly a decade, Daytrotter has been recording some of the best talent around, and now you can stream half of this incredible (and growing) archive, featuring thousands of band sessions, for free—or join for full access and free downloads.
Illustration by Johnnie Cluney/Daytrotter
Hannibal Buress is only trying to take a chomp out of that sweet Shark Week audience.
Telling Conan O’Brien that “we’re really whores,” he does what he needs to in order to convince the people watching Shark Week to go and watch his show on Comedy Central. And apparently that means dressing up in a low-grade shark costume—maybe Left Shark wasn’t available?—and telling them to watch Why? With Hannibal Buress.
It’s almost so bad it’s good, and he leaves us with one key piece of advice: Always go with the cheaper option because then you won’t look like a dick. It’s relatable, after all.
Screengrab via Team Coco/YouTube
