Quantcast
Channel: DailyDot Entertainment Feed
Viewing all 7080 articles
Browse latest View live

Sarah Silverman, Mike O'Brien show chemistry in '7 Minutes in Heaven' season premiere

0
0

Usually, it's Mike O'Brien springing the lip-locks on his unsuspecting guests in 7 Minutes in Heaven, but for this season's premiere, comedian Sarah Silverman makes the first move.

The pair crowd into a closet to show off some classy American Apparel ad poses, mark hamsters for extinction, and O'Brien even fits the filming of his iPhone hip-hop countdown show on the side. They also crowd in some crew to give her a test audience for new standup material. It goes over OK.

They also finish the video with a trio of kisses. One for how Silverman would kiss a homeless person, one for Don Rickles, and one for how she wants to kiss O'Brien. She's just not allowed to tell him which is which.

O'Brien has puckered up with various stars over the years in the Above Average series, from Paul Rudd to Tina Fey to John Cena. New episodes premiere every other Thursday, with upcoming guests like Will Forte and Eva Longoria.


'Hamilton' creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is reportedly leaving the musical

0
0

All good things must come to an end. According to The Hollywood ReporterHamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda has told "confidants" that he will be leaving the production to pursue other projects.

According to “sources close to the production,” Miranda’s contract and the contracts of many other cast members will expire on July 9, and he will be leaving on that day. Vulture reports that other actors are supposedly in the process of renegotiating their contracts for higher salaries and may leave if the negotiations fall through.

Fans of the Tony-nominated hip-hop musical were distraught at the possibility of the play losing its Pulitzer Prize-winning muse.

Fans of Miranda can eventually catch him in Mary Poppins Returns with Emily Blunt. Don’t hold your breath, though, Hamiltonians—the movie won't be out until Christmas Day 2018.

How to add the new 'Gilmore Girls' episodes to your Netflix queue

0
0

We've been losing our minds since news broke that the Gilmore Girls are headed back into our lives via Netflix. With every life-affirming project reveal, we simply could not be more excited to stream these four, 90-minute episodes. 

We're even reading that Dean may reunite with his ex at Doose's. 

But did you know it's already possible to add the reboot, titled Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, to your Netflix queue? Like, now.

Just search for the show. Wait for it...

There it is. 

Of course there remains no official release date. But maybe November?

H/T Hello Giggles

A 'Saved By the Bell'-themed diner just opened in Chicago

0
0

Buckle up, '90s kids. 

A Saved By the Bell-themed "pop-up diner" has opened in Chicago, and from the Instagram posts, it's a pretty subversive experience

It's called Saved by the Max, and it's decorated just like Zack, Kelly, Slater, and Screech's after-school hangout spot from the show. 


Vogue got a sneak peek at the experience and shared a couple clutch details

Staff will be dressed in the signature uniform—red T-shirt paired with black shorts or slacks plus a matching apron—and will answer to either “Max” or “Kelly.” Ed Alonzo will reprise the role of namesake magician-owner of The Max and is set to perform magic tricks for the grand opening—just one in the series of late-night Bayside After Dark special events scheduled. Others include Tuesday Saved By the Bell trivia challenges and Sunday performances from the diner’s in-house band, The Zack Attack.

The pop-up premiered Wednesday and will stay open through Aug. 31 with a menu that includes delicacies like the Bayside Burger and A.C. Sliders. 

You'll eventually be able to make reservations online at SavedByTheMax.com, but for the time being, service is first come, first serve.

H/T Bro Bible

The best anime on YouTube

0
0

If you've ever been a fan of anime, you've probably spent more time than you'd like searching online for a site to stream from. On the top of the priority list is quality video and accurate subtitles, unless you're lucky enough to be fluent in Japanese. It's probably also nice if the site you go to is void of viruses, has a fast server, and just generally doesn't come off as sketchy.

To avoid all this, we've put together a list of anime you can watch on YouTube. The collection is fairly expansive, from the earlier series of the century to a few ongoing now in 2016. Get to it.

'Classic' & Completed Anime 

1) Great Teacher Onizuka (1999)

Literally at the turn of the century, this anime follows delinquent bike gang leader turned high school teacher, Onizuka. His ambitions include becoming the world's greatest teacher and meeting sexy high school girls. It's as outrageous as it sounds, with the right amount of inspiration and heartfelt moments.

Number of episodes: 43

Genre: Comedy, School

2) FLCL (2000)

FLCL, pronounced "Furi Kuri," is stranger than most anime—but don't let its wackiness fool you. It's short, but within its six episodes are themes about maturing and adulthood. Toonami also announced in March that it would be bringing back two all new seasons of six episodes each. So if you haven't seen the original, check it out. YouTube's got your back.

Number of episodes: 6

Genre: Action, Comedy

3) Ghost Stories | Gakkou no Kaidan (2000)

While English dubs are generally scorned by anime fans, bear with us for this one. In Ghost Stories, a group of elementary students set out to put restless spirits haunting their school at peace. It's a serious story, but the English dub gives it a refreshing and comedic twist—especially because the voice actors were basically given complete freedom to say whatever they want. Rewritten, improvised, and uncensored, it's hilarious.

Number of episodes: 19

Genre: Supernatural, Comedy, School

4) Samurai Champloo (2004)

The dynamic character interactions in Samurai Champloo are reason enough to watch this anime. Fuu, Jin, and Mugen—a waitress, ronin, and rogue, respectively—set off across Japan in search of a mysterious "Sunflower Samurai." Their journey is a constant battle of tolerating one another and yet still looking out for each other. Plus, set in an alternate Edo period, there is no shortage of beautiful scenery and backdrops.

Number of episodes: 26

Genre: Historical, Adventure, Action

5) Death Note (2006)

Death Note tells the story of Light Yagami, an incredibly smart—and incredibly bored—high school student. By chance, he obtains a deadly notebook, the Death Note, dropped by an equally bored shinigami, or death god. With the Death Note, Light pledges to purge the world of evil, playing God to a corrupt society. Although the arrival of world-renowned detective L throws a wrench in Light's plans. Death Note has plenty of plot twists and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Number of episodes: 37

Genre: Psychological, Thriller, Supernatural

6) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya | Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (2006)

Like FLCL, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, has a strange storyline. It seems like a typical high school, slice-of-life plot on the surface, but leading lady Haruhi Suzumiya is so eccentric that it's anything but. Haruhi drags her friends into her self-created club, the SOS Brigade, exploring all things supernatural, alien, and time-travel related. Interestingly, it can also be watched in two different orders and still somehow make sense—or, at least, as much sense as it can.

Number of episodes: 14

Genre: Comedy, School, Mystery

7) Black Butler | Kuroshitsuji (2008)

Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis make up the dynamic duo in Black Butler. Ciel is a young boy, bearing the title of "the Queen's Watchdog," tasked with solving the dark and unsettling crimes of Victorian England. Sebastian, his butler, is a demon in disguise, who aids Ciel in his duties while simultaneously helping him find justice for his murdered parents—in exchange for his soul, of course.

Number of episodes: 24

Genre: Supernatural, Dark Comedy

8) Spice and Wolf | Ookami to Koushinryou (2008)

Spice and Wolf tells a unique tale, focusing heavily around trade, shopkeeping, and economics. It takes place in an alternate historical Japan with European influence. The story follows the journey of a merchant, who dreams of opening his own shop one day and a wolf spirit who's been reduced to folklore. Their business partnership shows off an angle not too often shown, while leaving room for a budding relationship and interesting story.

Number of episodes: 13

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Historical

9) Hetalia Axis Powers (2009)

Taking place during the two World Wars, Hetalia: Axis Powers personifies the nations involved, capturing them into adorable military figures. Each episode is bite-sized, running only five minutes each. The anime primarily focuses on Germany, Italy, France, the U.S., Great Britain, Russia, and China, and retells history in a satirical manner. Each character also has exaggerated stereotypical traits, such as Italy's love for pasta.

Number of episodes: 52 

Genre: Historical, Parody

10) Future Diary | Mirai Nikki (2011)

If you're into gratuitous violence—battle royale style—this anime is for you. In Future Diary, 12 chosen people are granted diaries that accurately predict the future to aid them in their fight to basically become God. Each diary serves a different purpose, so for main character Yukiteru, his diary tells random accounts of the people and events surrounding him. The other 11 diary-wielders take form in a wide variety of characters, including the pink-haired and unhinged female lead, Yuno.

Number of episodes: 27

Genre: Action, Psychological, Thriller


Ongoing & Recently Completed Anime

On YouTube, new and highly popular anime are a rare find, but there are some out there.

11) Yona of the Dawn | Akatsuki no Yona (2014)

Yona of the Dawn is a story of redemption, following the sheltered and privileged princess Yona of Kouka. She is forcefully thrust out of the kingdom after her cousin and first love, Suwon, murders her father King Il. Narrowly escaping with her body guard Son Hak, Yona discovers the reality of poverty and strife in Kouka all while questing to regain the throne.

Number of episodes: 24

Genre: Adventure, Action

12) Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)

The Gundam franchise began in 1979, and has since produced hundreds of episodes in different series. The struggle in Iron-Blooded Orphans takes place 300 years after the great Calamity War between Earth and its outer colonies. A young aristocrat of the terraformed Mars detests the conditions the Martians are forced to live in and recruits an army of guards—comprised of child and teenage soldiers—to protect her in her mission. An English dubbed version will also begin airing on Toonami starting June 4.

Number of episodes: 25

Genre: Mecha, Action

13) Sakamoto Desu Ga? (2016)

Literally perfect student Sakamoto captures the hearts of boys and girls alike at his high school. On the flip side, he also makes some enemies, plagued by jealousy of his flawless popularity. Thus, Sakamoto finds himself in some strange and sticky situations, and yet manages to come out on top—while being over the top. It's both ridiculous and hilarious.

Number of episodes: 7, but currently airing/ongoing.

Genre: School, Comedy

14) Bungou Stray Dogs (2016)

The story of Bungou Stray Dogs follows an orphan named Atsushi, who's forsaken from his orphanage after it's terrorized by a mystical tiger known only to Atsushi. He's soon picked up by a detective agency though, and utilizes his supernatural abilities to help solve mysteries. Each character is also based upon famous literary authors and characters, including western writers such as Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain.

Number of episodes: 8, but currently airing/ongoing

Genre: Supernatural, Mystery, Action

15) Shounen Maid (2016)

After his mother's death, Chihiro's only living relative is his uncle, who agrees to take care of the orphaned boy. Despite the depressing circumstances, the anime has a funny and light-hearted storyline when Chihiro decides to make himself his uncle's maid to avoid being a burden.

Number of episodes: 7, but currently airing/ongoing

Genre: Slice of life, Comedy

16) Nijiiro Days (2016)

Cute and carefree, Nijiiro Days follows four high school friends, simply trying to get through their studies while having some fun and romance. It starts off with main protagonist Natsuki, who falls for a female Santa who bestowed him with a pack of tissues while he was crying over his ex-girlfriend on Christmas Eve. He later finds out that that Santa is a classmate named Anna, and pursues her head over heels. Meanwhile, his three friends are always meddling in his adorable, but sometimes cringeworthy attempts to woo her.

Number of episodes: 19, but currently airing/ongoing

Genre: School, Romance, Comedy

NBA players read the savage Mean Tweets people send them

0
0

The NBA Finals are upon us, and we must once again commence the annual reading of the Mean Tweets.

For the fourth year running, Jimmy Kimmel got NBA players past and present to dive deep into Twitter—though not too deep, since this is still broadcast television—and read all of the insults that fans have been sending them.

It’s just as silly as the previous videos, and many of the players are good sports about it. From questioning where Klay Thompson got his beard to comparing Russell Westbrook to Jar Jar Binks and mentioning Steph Curry’s constant state of puberty, the tweets are even meaner than ever.

We might disagree on which team we want to win the NBA Finals, but in the game of Mean Tweets, we all win.

Quincy Jones delivers with emotional comedy special, 'Burning the Light'

0
0

It’s hard to muse about Quincy Jones’s story without thinking about time. In August 2015, the comedian was diagnosed with Stage IV mesothelioma and given a year to live. In February, a Kickstarter to fund his last-wish comedy special surpassed its goal. In March, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he was told he’d received his own HBO special. Quincy Jones:Burning the Light debuted Thursday night.

What do you do when life is suddenly finite and you’re already doing what you love? That’s the question Jones poses at the beginning of the special. In a March interview with the Daily Dot, the 32-year-old said his diagnosis “changed my philosophy on life a lot, and how am I using my time and energy.” When we speak by phone three months later, Jones is still thinking about time.

“You’re one minute late!” he answers before laughing. He’s about to catch a flight to the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, where he says he won’t really be talking about the terminal cancer that leads nearly every media post about him. This incredible string of life events has caused him to think about time a little differently.

“You develop a more Zen-like approach to things,” Jones says. “We’re all just trying to cope. Nobody knows what they’re doing. We’re all just trying to get by in a crazy world. So… you take off your judgmental comic hat. ... I’ve always had this philosophy, which is just: work hard, be kind. Just be decent.”

The one-hour special touches on his diagnosis; he jokes about how people are going to be let down if he survives. “I feel pressure to die,” he laughs. “You blow past that goal, they expect a special and a casket. ... You can’t be the Magic Johnson of cancer.”

Elsewhere, Jones explores relationships (“I want to be in love. I think I’m ready,” he deadpans), how to curb police shooting black people (carry around small, cute dogs), superhero movies, and trying to diagnose himself on Web M.D. There are a few too many men are like/women are like jokes, but his final bit about “white Oprah” (DeGeneres) and his Internet fame, and the “stinger” sign-off tribute to Deadpool bring Burning the Light around. 
“We’re all just trying to cope. Nobody knows what they’re doing.”

Not every joke hits, but Jones is clearly comfortable on stage, having clocked a marathon 1,000 shows before his diagnosis. When the crowd gives him a standing ovation at the end, it’s hard not to get a little tight in the throat.

Asked about the process of crafting this set and whether he felt pressure, Jones pivots slightly.

“Can you ever really process your dreams coming true?” he laughs. “Beyond your wildest dreams or anything you ever thought would happen?”

Jones recently shared on Facebook that he’s eligible for a surgery that could possibly debulk the cancer. It could also come back after the surgery. He went to a mesothelioma conference in Houston and spoke to surgeons about the procedure, so he “felt better about the situation after that.” With all the coverage of his story, mesothelioma, a cancer not often included in the larger discussion, has suddenly received more of a spotlight in the media.

Knowing that Jones is already living his dream of doing comedy gives Burning the Light—a reference to the light comedians get when it's time for them to get off stage—more weight than most comedy specials. He attributes the attention people paid to the story to his positivity. It’s about taking time into account, and what you’re doing with it while you’re here. 

“I’m just a comic,” he says. “All I want to do is make sure there’s something left behind that says I was here.” 

A timeline of the Lonely Island's trail-blazing Internet comedy

0
0

Made up of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, the Lonely Island has had a singular career in Hollywood, and more importantly, online. Before Saturday Night Live, during, and after, the Lonely Island’s goofy sketches and music videos embodied a DIY, viral-ready sensibility which would go on to define the current climate of viral humor. 

Now, on the eve of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, the group's breakthrough motion picture, it’s time to take a look back at everything they’ve given us over the years. Here’s how Samberg and friends went from obscure Internet sketch group to Hollywood comedy superstars.

1990 (approximately): They all meet

Schaffer and Taccone connected with the one-year-younger Samberg while attending middle school in Berkeley, California.

2000: The Lonely Island is born

Ten years later, they graduate college and decide to move to Los Angeles and start making videos together. The group and their website’s namesake were born out of an apartment building they lived in which was cut off from the world by traffic.

September 2001: 'Ka-Blammo!' is released

Uploading to such platforms as iFilm, Atom Films, and Heavy.com at the time, the Lonely Island’s first notable video, "Ka-Blammo!", hits the Internet. The group released the video under the name Incredibad, which would eventually become the title of their first album. The clip’s joke-rapping style would serve as a preview to much of their later work. Today, “Ka-Blammo!” has over 1.7 million views on YouTube.

December 2001: The group produces their first pilot

The trio got representation off their first TV pilot for a show which they named after themselves.The title of said pilot was called "White Power!" and finds the guys getting addicted to teeth-whitening. In a sign of the times, their agents asked if they could convert their videos to VHS tape, since none of them had high-speed Internet. "White Power!" is notable, among other reasons, for including an over-enthusiastic Kiefer Sutherland trying to break up a mugging.

February 2003: The group’s second pilot arrives

The Lonely Island’s second pilot, Regarding Andy, sold to Comedy Central, although the network ultimately didn’t do anything with it.

March 2003: The Lonely Island meets Dan Harmon

In 2003, the group began calling themselves “the Dudes” and contributing to Super Midnight Movie Club, Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab’s precursor to the revolutionary website Channel 101, which served as one of the first hubs for comedy videos on the Internet. It was there that they released "Nintendo Cartoon Hour," in which the guys talked over old Nintendo games. Today, it looks pretty simple, but in age before PewDiePie, you can see why gamers and comedy nerds alike would’ve eaten it up.

July 2003/August 2003: The group’s relationship with Channel 101 continues

The Lonely Island released twoepisodes of a show called Ignition TV Buzz Countdown on Channel 101 in July and August of 2003. Per Channel 101’s format, the audience voted to keep the show around for a second episode after the first was released, but did not elect to bring it back for a third. The show was a parody of MTV's Total Request Live, with some pretty NSFW content thrown in for good measure.

October 2003-April 2005: Welcome to 'the Bu'

A parody of Fox’s The O.C., The Bu (as in Malibu) was a video series from the Lonely Island which co-starred Scrubs’s Sarah Chalke and ran for eight episodes from 2003 to 2005. Although it was one of the first projects to really put the guys on the map, they actually abandoned it and let other Channel 101 talent take it over for its last few episodes, while they were busy developing a pilot for Fox (we’ll get to that). “The Bu” remains one of Channel 101’s most popular shows ever, and the Lonely Island would later reference The O.C. on SNL in the digital short "The Shooting."

June 2004: The Lonely Island takes a trip to 'Football Town'

The Dudes created "Football Town" for a 2004 pilot that Channel 101 pitched to FX, which was set to be co-hosted by Jack Black. The pilot never got picked up however, and Channel 101 wouldn’t get another show on the air until VH1 aired 2007’s Acceptable TV.

September 2003: The Lonely Island introduces us to 'Just 2 Guyz'

One of its most popular non-SNL clips ever, "Just 2 Guyz" is perhaps the Lonely Island’s best low-budget rap song. Akiva and Jorma plan and hang out at a terrible party, and talk shit about their friend Steve (Samberg). Today, “Just 2 Guyz” has been viewed over 10 million times, and a sequel, "We Like Sportz" was released in 2008 and appeared on Incredibad.

March 2005: Jorma shows everybody 'My Pants'

Another early Lonely Island classic, legend has it that Taccone asked Schaffer to shoot this video as his birthday present.

May 2005: 'The Dudes' get left behind for Awesometown

Awesometown was a 2005 pilot the Lonely Island did for Fox, later released in multiple versions on the group's website. Made for just $70,000, the live sketch show isn’t bad, but it doesn’t quite utilize the guys’ talents in the best way. There’s a reason they made their name not on live sketches, but on the digital shorts which served as SNL interludes. Schaffer later elaborated on this, saying, “When we tried to explain why our stuff would be different, we’d say that most sketch shows came from the stage, from Second City or wherever… Our comedy comes from the medium of TV and music videos. A lot of our jokes are editing- and music-based.” This was, of course, what would also make The Lonely Island’s comedy so perfect for the digital age.

June 2005: The Lonely Island meets Jimmy Fallon

While serving as writers for the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the Lonely Island impressed host Jimmy Fallon. This helped lead to…

October 2005: The Lonely Island debuts on SNL

It’s easy to forget now, but when they were hired in 2005, the Lonely Island were basically the first group of comedians to make the transition from the Internet to SNL. People at the show had already seen their work, and pretty soon the guys got the attention of Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey, who hired Schaffer and Taccone as writers and Samberg as a cast member.  

November/December 2005: 'Bing Bong Brothers' and 'Lettuce Heads' help the guys find their way

There was a grace period, however. When Schaffer and Taccone struggled to get sketches on the air, they released "Bing Bong Brothers," a parody of Ying Yang Twins’ "Wait (The Whisper Song)." After being widely shared on the Internet, the clip was eventually picked up by G4’s Attack of the Show. “Bing Bong Brothers” paved the way for "Lettuce," SNL’s first digital short from the Lonely Island. Although it was initially cut after a dress rehearsal in November, “Lettuce,” an irreverent short which features Samberg and Will Forte talking about grief over heads of lettuce, helped to pave the way for the guys’ future on SNL.

Dec. 17, 2005: 'Lazy Sunday'

It’s hard to overstate the effect "Lazy Sunday" had on the Internet’s relationship to comedy. Featuring Samberg and fellow castmember Chris Parnell walking around New York rapping about cupcakes and The Chronicles of Narnia, it wasn’t immediately evident that the sketch would become a classic. The effect of “Lazy Sunday” wasn’t fully felt until a week later, when it had amassed 2 million views on YouTube, becoming the first SNL sketch to ever truly go viral. It even forced the network to put its sketches on iTunes (a revolutionary move at the time.) Moreover, it set a precedent for late night and sketch shows which still stands today: Whether your ratings are good or not, you can stay relevant by getting millions of views online. As Taccone later told Variety:

When “Lazy Sunday” came out, we were watching numbers on a site we had never heard of. It was this double whammy: we always got associated with the Internet, but it was television that made it possible. Then it became the currency of the popularity of our shows – oh, this one is really popular because it had X hits. YouTube really changed that, honestly. There was this second life to television.

NBC eventually took “Lazy Sunday” off YouTube, in an indication of the ongoing battle networks would wage in the coming years to control content. But by the time that happened, “Lazy Sunday” made its mark, and both YouTube and SNL were forever changed.

March 2006: Natalie gets nasty

How do you follow up one giant, game-changing video? With Natalie Portman, that’s how. In March 2006, SNL released "Natalie's Rap," which featured Portman taking part in all kinds of foul situations. The format of enlisting a celebrity to playwiththeirimage became a classic Lonely Island trick, which they would employ throughout the rest of their career on SNL, and which remains a staple on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

December 2006: Time to put your you-know-what in a box

The group’s next viral hit found Justin Timberlake perfecting the technique mentioned above, in one of his most memorable appearances on SNL. "Dick In a Box" spawned two sequels featuring Samberg and Timberlake’s ‘90s R&B characters, with 2009’s "Motherlover" and 2011’s "3-Way (The Golden Rule)." The song also won an Emmy and made waves when an uncensored version appeared on YouTube.

Aug. 3, 2007: Hot Rod fails to pick up steam

The first film that the three Lonely Island members worked on together, 2007’s Hot Rod was directed by Schaffer and featured Samberg and Taccone in the cast. It bombed at the box office, though some have since declared it an innovativecult classic.

Feb. 3, 2009: The Lonely Island takes us on a boat

As Vulture’s Jesse David Fox points out, “Samberg, Shaffer, and Taccone have always been determined to make their jokes amount to more than the fact that they’re three white guys making rap.” This is why no song is probably as emblematic of what the Lonely Island does so well as "I'm on a Boat." Featuring a hook by T-Pain and a "Big Pimpin"-style video to accompany it, “I’m on a Boat” looks and feels so much like an actual rap song that if you weren’t paying attention you’d probably miss how funny it is. The production is great, Samberg and Schaffer bust out their best flows, and you can listen to the song as a comedy fan or a rap fan. Proving its power to transcend, “I’m on a Boat” eventually went platinum and was nominated for a Grammy.

Feb. 10, 2009: Incredibad finally arrives

The Lonely Island’s first studio album, featuring material that had been and would be featured on SNL, became the No. 8 best-selling rap album of 2009.

2010: Jorma quits SNL

He continues to work on shorts with Andy and Akiva, as well as directing a film.

May 21, 2010: MacGruber hits theaters

Taken from a series of MacGyver parodies which aired over several years on SNL, MacGruber is Taccone’s first feature film as a director and includes SNL mainstays Forte and Kristen Wiig in the cast. Unfortunately for Taccone, it’s another box-office bomb.

December 2010: 'I Just Had Sex (feat. Akon)' premieres on SNL

The video goes on to become the Lonely Island’s most popular video on YouTube ever, with over 250 million views.

May 10, 2011: The group’s second album is released

Turtleneck & Chain featured many of the group's continuing hits on SNL and earned a Grammy nomination for best comedy album.

May 12, 2012: The Lonely Island releases its 100th digital short

The video features cameos from and references to much of the other work. A week later, Schaffer and Samberg tape their last show for SNL.

June 15, 2012: Andy Samberg stars with Adam Sandler in That’s My Boy

It appears that audiences were not ready to see the stars of two SNL generations come together, as That's My Boy went down as the third bomb in the Lonely Island crew’s cinematic career.

July 27, 2012: The Watch hits theaters

The next movie from a member of the Lonely Island starred Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade with Schaffer returning to the director’s chair. In keeping with tradition, The Watch was critically savaged and also performed horribly at the box office.

Jan. 25, 2013: The Lonely Island returns to SNL with 'YOLO (feat. Adam Levine and Kendrick Lamar)'

Depicting the guys’ freaking out about the future and every hint of danger that comes with it, "YOLO" also featured inspired turns from both Lamar and Levine.

May 7, 2013: 'Spring Break Anthem' debuts on Funny or Die

Premiering the clip on Zach GalifianakisBetween Two Ferns, "Spring Break Anthem" included appearances by James Franco, Edward Norton, and Galifianakis himself, in what was half a sendup of the film Spring Breakers and half an endorsement of same-sex marriage. It was around the same time that the Lonely Island unveiled "Wack Wednesdays," where the band would release a new song and video each week (a premise clearly taken from Kanye West’s GOOD Fridays series in 2010).

June 7, 2013 The Lonely Island releases The Wack Album

The album featured songs including “3-Way (The Golden Rule),” “YOLO,” and “Spring Break Anthem.”

September 2013: Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett are hired on SNL

OK, this one doesn’t have to do with the Lonely Island directly. Still, it’s hard to imagine Mooney and Bennett, who made their names on YouTube with their Good Neighbor sketch group, getting hired if not for the path the Lonely Island set out for them. Mooney has even taken to doing digital shorts like the Lonely Island often did, although his are usually far weirder than anything his predecessors came up with.

February 2014: The Lego Movie teaches us that 'Everything Is Awesome'

The release of The Lego Movie in 2014 also heralded the release of its ridiculously infectious theme song, "Everything Is Awesome," a collaboration between the Lonely Island and Tegan and Sara. The tune would go on to earn an Oscar nomination for best original song.

August 2014: It’s announced that the Lonely Island will be getting a standalone movie

Little is known initially other than that it will be set in the music world and Judd Apatow will also be working on it.

March 2016: The trailer for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is released

The clip introduces us to Samberg’s Conner4Real, the Bieber-esque pop star of the movie’s title. Singles from the movie including "I'm So Humble," "Mona Lisa," and "Finest Girl," the last of which premiered on SNL, soon follow.

May 16, 2016: The Lonely Island drops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to do 'I'm On a Boat'

The Roots and Fallon are also featured in the show’s ongoing Classroom Instruments segment. The Internet eats it up.

June 3, 2016: Popstar is released

Although the box office results remain uncertain, perhaps comedy guru Judd Apatow and the group returning to their musical routes have conspired to make this by far the biggest critical success of the band's career so far, at least in terms of movies.

“Popstar is arguably the best thing the Lonely Island have ever made, and it's also arguably the most Lonely Island–y thing they've ever made, too,” writes Jesse David Fox. “All of the Lonely Island hallmarks are there: the editing, the parody of masculinity, the use of pop culture.”

Fox also contends that if the Lonely Island never made another movie or record again, the legacy would already be secure. For Internet comedy, that's indisputable. 


'Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill to launch series on Comic-Con's subscription service

0
0

BY SAM GUTELLE

Comic-Con HQ, the new subscription video on-demand (SVOD) service from Comic-Con and Lionsgate, has announced an original series that will excite Star Wars fans. It’s called Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest, and it will star the titular actor as he tracks down collectors and discusses their passions with them.

Hamill, best known for portraying Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker, is himself a big geek and an avid collection. On his journey to find kindred spirits, he’ll team up with Howard Kazanjian, best known as the producer of Return of the Jedi.

“I’ve been a collector all my life,” said Hamill in a press release. “This show is a natural outgrowth of that passion. Now I have an opportunity to collect other people’s collections! I can’t wait to see what’s out there and share it with the world. Collectibles are a living history of who and what we are, so we just might learn something…but there’s no doubt we’re going to have fun!”

Comic-Con HQ, which is currently in beta after more than a year in development, is catering to pop culture nerds with an intriguing collection of original programs. Among other offerings, it will also distribute Con Man, which raised big money on Indiegogo last year.

Pop Culture Quest will begin filming in June. It is expected to arrive sometime in the fall.

Bob Ross's 1991 show 'Beauty is Everywhere' lands on Netflix

0
0

Last fall, whisper-soft painter Bob Ross's The Joy of Paintingappeared on YouTube, and the Internet collectively sparked up, sat back, and binged on his pastoral handiwork. But not everyone can or should try to endure the Bobstream, as the Daily Dot's Aly Keves discovered on Twitch last November. (There's also an esports team called Bob Ross Fan Club.) 

Now Ross is appearing on another web platform: Netflix. Ross's second series, the 1991 show Beauty Is Everywhere, is part of the June cache of new Netflix titles. A Bob Ross Twitter account is also really trying to make #BobRossAndChill happen.  

Yes, Beauty Is Everywhere and The Joy of Painting are pretty much indistinguishable, but Ross does take some time in episode 1 of Beauty to present and feed his pet squirrels. "I'm just putting in a few little clouds down here while you're watching the squirrels," he says. 

At 26 episodes, this collection is best enjoyed as background music—but be warned that, if you put it on before bed, Bob Ross will invade your dreams.  

H/T Entertainment Weekly 

Kanye West, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz collaborate on new single

0
0

Forget Tidal exclusives: Kanye West took to—wait for it—the radio to premiere a still-untitled single on Friday. But when you spring for two Gucci Mane verses, is there any other choice but to go for a populist platform?

West tweets that it's the debut single from a new project called Cruel Winter, which follows his highly publicized rollout of The Life of Pablo in February. Keep in mind that 2012's Cruel Summer was more of a compilation that featured West's roster of up-and-coming rappers; Cruel Winter presumably follows suit.

And indeed the song spotlights G.O.O.D. Music's Desiigner and Big Sean, in addition to heavyweight performances from 2 Chainz; Travi$ Scott; Yo Gotti; Quavo of rap trio Migos; and a reinvigorated, fresh-outta-jail Gucci Mane. You can listen to the single, premiered on Los Angeles hip-hop station REAL 92.3, below. 

Who comes away as the best rapper? 2 Chainz may have the least incentive to perform big on the song given his emeritus status as a reliable personality who can make you smile just by saying his name, but the veteran rapper is particularly competitive and essential here. His similes don't even need to technically rhyme for them to be gorgeously evocative: "I got a mansion full of marble floors, it looks like I can go bowling."

But Gucci Mane—responsible for nine out of 10 U.S. trending topics on Twitter upon his release from prison last week—is the "walking money machine" whose mere presence lends the song its of-the-moment urgency.

'It' remake casts a hot guy to play Pennywise

0
0

Hollywood has made many a casting flop in its time, but choosing a hot guy to play Pennywise the clown is by far one of the worst crimes in the eyes of King's long-faithful fanbase.

Pennywise hails from Stephen King's brilliant 1986 horror novel It. The story yielded one of the most bone-chilling villains in King's lexicon, a leering beast in white face paint that ate children's souls along with their bodies. 

While the 1990 miniseries based on the novel barely scraped the surface of the story's depth, it did a good job on one thing: Casting Tim Curry as Pennywise, who managed to retain the dimension of a character that could easily become a caricature in lesser hands. 

The film remake casts Swedish actor Bill Skarsgard (Hemlock Grove) in the role, and while there's nothing wrong with his acting skills, his model looks are a perfect example of Hollywood's insistence on crushing a character's substance by putting looks above everything else.

While Pennywise is never described as an ugly character by King—in fact, the specific features of its face are never described in detail at all—the character requires a certain level of shapeshifting from an actor in order to nail it. Curry was a rarity in this, and had just the kind of face that can go from charming to terrifying in the space of a millisecond.

Pennywise is not just a boogeyman, but the boogeyman: The thing that looms at the back of nightmares just to savor a whiff of your fear. Casting a traditionally good-looking actor goes against the character's essence so completely that one has to feel somewhat sad for anyone who thinks Pennywise is as simple as a scary clown.

Of course, whether Skarsgard will even have a chance to perform in the role is a different story. It has been a notoriously difficult adaption to bring to life. Warner Bros. originally bought the rights in 2008, but later passed it to New Line Cinema to work on. Cary Fukanaga (True Detective) was slated to direct but has since walked off the project, and has been replaced with Argentinian director Andres Muschietti (Mama).

In a 2015 interview with Variety, Fukanaga said he left the project because the studio didn't like his focus on strong characters, but rather wanted more archetypes and scares.

"The main difference was making Pennywise more than just the clown," Fukanaga said. "After 30 years of villains that could read the emotional minds of characters and scare them, trying to find really sadistic and intelligent ways he scares children, and also the children had real lives prior to being scared. And all that character work takes time. It’s a slow build, but it’s worth it, especially by the second film. But definitely even in the first film, it pays off."

Sadly, that vision is no longer a part of the project, and with Skarsgard's casting, it seems New Line is wandering further from the heart of King's story. Word is that it plans to split the project into two films, one that tells the story from the point of view of the children in the novel and the second from the perspective of the adults. That's about the right length of time needed to delve into the story, but like Fukanaga said, Pennywise is more than just a clown, and It is much more than just jump scares. We can only hope to see New Line figure that out before the movie hits theaters in 2017.

K-pop group Exo drops online teasers for next week's comeback

0
0

With Exo’s comeback drawing near, the nine-member K-pop group is slaying the hearts of fans everywhere with online photo and music video teasers.

The group is slated to return with two new songs, "Lucky One" and "Monster," on June 9 for its third full-length album, titled EX’ACT. Exo dropped the music video teaser for "Lucky One" on Friday.

The preview shows six of the nine boys clad in white in what seems to be a panicked escape from a hospital. Nurses wheel away one of the members, D.O., down a hall on a stretcher. 

There’s a mysteriously dark and cloudy fluid in the IV, which some fans have speculated to be a nod to the other half of the comeback, "Monster." Considering members Lay, Xiumin, and Kai did not appear in this teaser, fans also expect they'll turn up in the second music video. 

Based on the teasers, the two songs take on opposite themes. "Lucky One" boasts colorful images of the members with undertones of '90s fashion, while the "Monster"photos reveal the members in shadowy lighting and dark clothing.

SM Entertainment spurred the comeback excitement last Wednesday with a confirmed time and date of the new songs and the reveal of Exo's new logo. Every release is accompanied by a new logo, and this time there will be two—one for each song.

The "Lucky One" logo sports a cute and rounded shape, resembling a lucky clover. It contrasts with the logo for "Monster," a hard, more traditional hexagonal shape—made of bones, no less.

Exo's comeback comes about a year after its second full-length album Exodus and two years after the mini-album Overdose. And of course, with the "Lucky One" teaser revealing a medical setting, Exo-L—Exo's official fan club—wasted no opportunity to connect it to Exo's iconic "Someone call the doctor" line from "Overdose."

In less than 24 hours, the "Lucky One" video teaser has already reached more than 1 million views. In the meantime, fans are anxiously waiting for the next teaser to drop. 

Eiffel Tower set to be lit by Euro 2016 social-media savvy soccer fans

0
0

With the Euro 2016 soccer tournament set to kick off June 10 in an event that features 24 squads battling against each other for the next month, social-media users can have at least some affect on the results. Oh, not on the games themselves, but—and this is almost as cool—on what colors will be displayed nightly on the Eiffel Tower.

Cell phone carrier Orange, one of the official sponsors of Euro 2016, will use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to determine which team's fans are the most active on social media. Once the decision is made—when it's determined which nation has earned the most hashtag mentions that day—the Eiffel Tower will be lit up in that squad's colors after the end of the day's final game.

Here's how Quartz explains the process:

"If, say, France and England have a match that day, fans of either side can start furiously expressing their support on social media, appending hashtags recommended by UEFA, European football’s governing body. These social media posts are tallied up from one minute past midnight on match day until 9:30pm that evening. The team with the most social media support gets its national colors projected onto the Eiffel Tower until midnight."

It sounds like the people in charge of actually determining the winning country will be busy. That's because 672 million tweets were sent out during the course of the 2014 World Cup. That tournament, of course, involves the entire world, and since Euro 2016 is contained to only one continent, it's unlikely Twitter will receive that much action from this event.

But millions and millions of tweets will be sent per day, and there will be plenty of hashtags attached within those social-media messages. All in an effort to make one of the prettiest landmarks in the world even more attractive for a few hours per day.

H/T Digital Trends 

Judd Apatow equates all-female 'Ghostbusters' haters with Donald Trump supporters

0
0

By LAMARCO MCCLENDON

The Ghostbusters reboot has come under fire since the femme-powered project was first announced in 2014 and has drawn even more criticism since the trailer—the most “disliked” in YouTube history—debuted in March. Producer Judd Apatow thinks those critics happen to be Donald Trump supporters.

"I would assume there’s a very large crossover of people who are doubtful Ghostbusters will be great and people excited about the Donald Trump candidacy," Apatow tells Uproxx. "I would assume they are the exact same people. That movie is made by the great Paul Feig and stars the funniest people on Earth, so I couldn’t be more excited."

The controversy reached new heights when it was revealed that Leslie Jones, the only African-American Ghostbuster, was also the sole lead in the film not playing a scientist. But despite that issue being addressed and turned on its head when it was reported that the part was originally written for Melissa McCarthy, fans still found the general casting problematic.

Some asserted on YouTube that "feminists killed one of the very few classics." However, Apatow says people "have paid too much attention to just some angry trolls" and the film will be judged on its own merits.

"I don’t think anything really matters the way you think it does," he said. "The movie comes out, and it will be great, and people will just be happy to have it. It’s not like anybody really cares about a couple of idiots who hold onto the idea that things never evolve. I always think, you know, we have our past and if you can come up with a new, cool way to do something, then that’s exciting and hopefully it will make a lot of people happy."

The reboot, which also stars Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon, hits theaters on July 15.


This is how Muhammad Ali wants to be remembered

0
0

The world is mourning the loss of Muhammad Ali, the boxing legend who passed away on Friday night at the age of 74. And while everyone's remembering him in various ways, the athlete left us some instructions on how to celebrate his life.

In his memoir, Ali literally wrote a response to "how I would like to be remembered." It's short, simple, poignant, and truly captures the boxer's spirit. ABC News Senior Producer Chris Donovan tweeted out a screenshot of the excerpt late Friday night. 

Ali's accomplishments, both inside the right and out, are all to be cherished. While becoming one of the world's greatest athletes, he paved the way for black athletes. And, while he could be stern and outspoken about the issues he cared about, he could often be found joking around and with that memorable Ali grin. We're glad his self-written eulogy reflects that.

And that kicker—Ali sure knows how to make an exit. 

How Muhammad Ali’s hometown is honoring him—and how you can too

0
0

The city of Louisville, Kentucky has come together to honor Muhammad Ali in stunning fashion.

Ali passed away on Friday night at the age of 74. Though the news came late in the evening, mayor Greg Fischer quickly issued a statement of condolences that night and stated that flags would be lowered to half-mast the next day.

Fischer went on to speak at length about Ali at his namesake center in Louisville's "Museum Row" the next day. The politician has used his platform as a megaphone for his fellow citizens to discuss what the boxing superstar and civil rights activist meant to them.

Makeshift memorials have popped up at the Muhammad Ali Center as well as Ali's childhood home, recently restored and converted into a museum.

City institutions all over Louisville have also taken to Twitter to honor the "Greatest," from the famed Louisville Slugger baseball bat company to the historic Brown Hotel, which named a suite after the champ.

The fact that both the University of Louisville's athletic department and its social justice research center were compelled to mark Ali's passing speaks volumes about the iconoclastic athlete. It's what inspired the opening of the Muhammad Ali Center in 2005.

The multicultural center spans far more than Ali's boxing career, turning the abstract concepts of his character into sweeping exhibitions that play on a strong sense of self and core values.

Those looking to honor Ali and help perpetuate his legacy can donate to the Crowdrise Fundraiser set up in his name. The crowdfunding platform personally created the campaign and states that all proceeds will go directly to the Muhammad Ali Center.

A funeral is set for the boxer on Friday, to be held at Louisville's massive YUM! Center sports arena starting at 2 pm local time. The event will be streamed online via www.alicenter.org. A procession prior to Ali's funeral will take place that morning.

Drake drops new music on Beats 1 radio set, collaboration featuring Gucci Mane

0
0

Drake dropped three new tracks during his OVOSOUND Radio set on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio on Saturday night.

The rapper's new song "4PM in Calabasas," debuted alongside "Back on Road," a Gucci Mane collaboration. Drake also released Justin Bieber's "One Dance" remix.

Drake's surprise collab with Gucci Mane is a particular boon for fans. The Atlanta rapper was released from prison on May 26, dropping "First Day Out Tha Feds" the very next day, then following up with two guest verses on Kanye West's star-studded "Champions," released Friday.

H/T Pitchfork

How Norway's biggest YouTube star became a heavy-metal god

0
0

The coastal town of Sandefjord boasts Norway’s largest preserved Viking ship, a historic whaling trade, and is a reliable voting base for the conservative party. It also harbors the country's biggest YouTube star, Per Fredrik Asly.

Asly, better known by his YouTube name PelleK, enjoys more than 1.5 million subscribers. The 29-year-old metal musician creates original music but also does metalized covers—by fan request, no less—of pop and anime songs.

In almost every video, the long-haired, crystal-blue-eyed musician appears on-screen, wearing a black tank top with the occasional black leather jacket. There may be a greeting, but otherwise, Asly gets right to it. 

Even if you don’t listen to metal, it's hard not to be swept away by Asly's self-produced tracks. Each song features thrashing guitars, intense drums, piano, and Asly's versatile voice. "It's not just guitar and singing," Asly tells the Daily Dot.

While many cover artists just grab a guitar and sing acoustic versions of songs, Asly considers every aspect. "I play drums, guitar, bass, and piano. There's mixing and producing," he says. "Luckily I have a producer to help me out."

Before his success as PelleK, Asly only attracted a few thousand subscribers with his original channel. That was back in May 2007, before he says he had any idea the platform could become his bread and butter. "People didn't make music videos just for YouTube," he says about the early days. "They made music videos for MTV."

Being an early adopter to the budding network proved difficult. "I started making videos and no one really gave a shit because they were pretty average," Asly says.

He also auditioned to front metal band DragonForce via online video submission. Despite his audition video receiving the most amount of views, becoming a DragonForce member wasn't in the cards. Becoming a member of U.K. outfit Damnation Angels, however, was. "Before I realized how big YouTube could be, I did what everyone did in the ‘70s and ‘80s: toured and recorded a lot,” he says.

But YouTube left an impression on Asly, and after a few years of routine rock band workloads with Damnation Angels, he veered back online to focus on solo material. With a lack of views and subscribers however, Asly realized that not only was he a digital nobody, but that more problematic, he kind of sucked.

"After trying [YouTube] for maybe a year, I decided instead of focusing on getting famous, I needed to focus on getting good,” he says.

He read about journalist Malcolm Gladwell's theory of needing 10,000 hours of practice in order to master a craft. Asly took a break from YouTube to do just that, singing for up to 10 hours every day. "After around two years, I could sing higher and lower than people I look up to in the metal community," he says.

In honor of his return as a more learned vocalist, Asly created a fresh YouTube channel—his current one—and tried again. Showcasing his newly minted range of four octaves, the views and subscribers started rolling in after his maiden upload.

Asly enjoyed tens of thousands of subscribers. It still wasn't enough to make a living, forcing Asly to take a day job and work on YouTube throughout the night. Eventually the company he worked for went bankrupt; even worse, Asly could not receive any financial help from Norway's Labor and Welfare Administration.

"I couldn't get anything because they said I made too much money from YouTube," he says. "I started growing much faster at that point [because] I just worked with YouTube every day.”

That transition wasn't easy. "Nowadays, [I do YouTube for] eight hours a day," Asly says. "But before that, probably 12 or 16 hours a day just working with YouTube."

Asly say he puts forth so much effort in large part because of his fans—a unique mix of metal heads and anime lovers. "My fanbase is kind of divided into three," Asly explains. "The fans who like my original music, people [who] want to hear me metalize stuff, and then there's a group of fans who just want to hear me sing anime songs."

Asly's diverse followers speak to his passions, though. "The reason I started this is because I love anime, I love music, and I love metal," he says.

YouTube is known for giving users the freedom and ability to engage and interact with fans, which Asly takes advantage of. When choosing songs to cover, the comments sections of Asly's videos are the first place he looks. "My viewers or fans—call them what you want—just really help shape what I do and what I am," Asly says. For him, even the "haters" are valuable: "If I get negative comments, I take it seriously and try to learn from it, and I think because I've done that so much, I've learned so much and changed so much."

Asly's loyalties lie with his fans, and especially with his paying customers, who pledge to contribute dollars for videos via Patreon.

Even with all the opportunities that Asly has received because of YouTube, he always stays true to his roots. The singer performed on Norway's Dancing With the Stars and also landed a lead role in upcoming movie Creators: The Past alongside William Shatner and Gerard Depardieu. But as busy as he was with filming, Asly remained steadfast to his channel.

"YouTube is always my main priority," he says. "The only thing I demanded was that I needed to be able to work with YouTube at the same time."

The metal singer released his newest album, A Marvelous Method of Reclusion, this week, and it's a departure from what he usually does. "It's not my typical YouTube music," Asly says. For one thing, Asly poured a hefty chunk of his war chest into the project. "It's very driven by high quality and expensive production," he adds.

Asly says he went for deep and meaningful lyrics this time around, as opposed to the dragons and fantasy stories of his past work. As he explained to followers in a post on the album’s pre-order site:

I didn’t make [this album] because I wanted to make a million dollars from it. Then I would’ve left the metal genre years ago. ... I made this because it really means something to me. The fact that you guys want to pay for it, tells me, this album means more to you as well, than just money.

Being an independent musician is difficult, he added, especially in the face of free streaming and downloading. But that doesn't bother Asly too much: He’s spent almost 10 years cultivating active and loyal fans online. 

Taylor Swift helps celebrate fans' wedding after hearing their touching love story

0
0

Thank you, Taylor Swift, for reminding us that love is not dead. 

The pop star was the surprise guest at a beachside wedding—a celebration months in the making after Swift heard the couple's heartbreaking love story. 

Max Singer and Kenya Smith celebrated their wedding this weekend, but their first ceremony took place in a more somber setting. The pair wed in Singer's late mother's hospital room, and danced to Swift's "Blank Space" for his mother-son dance before she died,People reported

Singer's sister Ali sent a letter to Swift explaining the family's story back in April, and the singer turned up to celebrate with the couple on their big day.

She gave them a handmade card painted with "Blank Space" lyrics, and performed the song on a piano while the couple—and eventually the rest of the wedding attendees—danced and sang along. 

Swift is known for her charitable efforts as well as the many ways she makes fans feel loved. Recently, she met a fan who was about to lose her hearing, donated $50,000 to help her backup dancer's nephew fight cancer, and wrote a touching Mother's Day letter to a fan who lost her mom. 

H/T People

Viewing all 7080 articles
Browse latest View live


Latest Images