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Jimmy Kimmel skewers 'ignorant,' 'arrogant' Aaron Rodgers after Epstein list feud

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Jimmy Kimmel skewers 'ignorant,' 'arrogant' Aaron Rodgers after Epstein list feud

In his first late-night monologue of 2024, Jimmy Kimmel went all in on NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a week after their public feud began.

Earlier this month, the New York Jets quarterback suggested during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that the long-time late-night personality might appear on Jeffrey Epstein’s damning associates list — and that he’d celebrate if that was the case. A week and one Epstein list release later, that wasn’t the case.

“Of course my name wasn’t on it, and isn’t on it and won’t ever be on it,” Kimmel said Monday, echoing his initial response to Rodgers’ claim. “I don’t know Jeffrey Epstein, I’ve never met Jeffrey Epstein. I’m not on a list, I was not on a plane or an island or anything ever.”

Kimmel told his audience that conspiracy theories about the company he keeps (ahem, “Pizzagate”) harm more than than just himself, but also the people closest to him. Rodgers, he said, has only caused more harm on that front.

The comedian slammed Rodgers for having a “very high opinion of himself,” citing the football star’s previous thoughts on UFOs and his controversial opinions on the COVID-19 vaccine. Kimmel said: “Aaron Rodgers is too arrogant to know how ignorant he is.”

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The late-night star concluded his bit on Rodgers saying that he would move on from the drama if the Jets player apologized. However, he conceded that might not be likely.

“My guess is he won’t apologize; I hope I’m wrong,” Kimmel said.

This story is developing.

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Movie Reviews

Movie Reviews: Feel-good Films Are Just the Ticket – GoWEHO.com

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Movie Reviews: Feel-good Films Are Just the Ticket – GoWEHO.com

Ryan Gosling in Sony Pictures’ ‘Project Hail Mary’

Now in Theaters
“Project Hail Mary”

(Amazon – MGM Pictures)
Rated PG-13 

 

“I put the ‘Not’ in ‘astronaut!’

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When was the last time you walked out of movie theater feeling not only better about humanity but also our future?

Based on the revered 2021 Andy Weir novel of the same name, and adapted for the screen by Drew Goddard (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Daredevil” and “The Martian”), “Project Hail Mary” is an ingeniously crafted and perfectly paced sci-fi drama about a biologist and school teacher who wakes up from a coma aboard a spacecraft that’s on a mission to save all life on Earth. As both the star and co-producer, it took Ryan Gosling seven years to bring this vastly entertaining instant classic to the big screen, and it was so worth the wait.

Admittedly, I wasn’t thrilled with the trailers or even the tone that seemed to give ABC afterschool-special vibes. But after seeing it in its entirety, everything about it blew me away.

Who Are We?

Bursting with fascinating and enthralling moral quandaries, it makes viewers question themselves and our species. And refreshingly, “Project Hail Mary” is a magnificent “grand idea” kind of story that seamlessly weaves themes of self-preservation, obligation, the intrinsic meaning of humanity and most powerfully (and surprisingly) friendship.  You will come away with fresh personal revelations and deep, self-examinations that you probably never intended to ponder, which is the beauty of epic sci-fi tales like this. They force us to muse about the kinds of societies we want to live in.

And with the wondrous inclusion of Gosling’s all too real co-star Rocky, I became so emotionally gripped, that I was close to tears a few times. I just love it when a film not only challenges but surpasses whatever preconceived notions you may have held about it beforehand.

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Intensely moving, meticulously thoughtful, endlessly nuanced and massively entertaining, it’s easy to see why “Project Hail Mary” is already considered one of the best films of the year.

-@TheAndreKelley

  

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ONLY IN THEATERS

“You, Me & Tuscany” 

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(Will Packer Productions)
Rated PG-13 

“You pretended to be the White Italian man’s fiancé?

But ended up catching feelings for the Black Italian cousin-brother?”

As expected, “You, Me & Tuscany” is really, really cute. Halle Bailey (“The Little Mermaid,” “Grown-ish”) and Rege-Jean Page (“Black Bag,” “Bridgerton”) are initially combative, though there’s little doubt as to where the two are headed in this charming and delightfully executed story.  Writer-producer Will Packer (“Think Like A Man,” “Girls Trip”) outdid himself in this colorful, feel-good, family-friendly, classic comedy of errors.

Glorious Tuscan Countryside

And while making excellent use of the lush and intoxicating Tuscan countryside, what I found curiously effective was that the dynamic of the ensemble became as big a part of the film as the romance itself. Surprisingly, I was completely caught off-guard as those familial aspects developed. And though Rege-Jean Page is not my cup of tea (too skinny, too pretty) as a lead, I now see why women react to him the way they do. He’s a very good dramatic actor, he holds attention quite easily on the big screen and of course, that face-card would never be declined.

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Also, with Black women now becoming the most educated, economically-empowered and increasingly, well-traveled demographic of society, Packer smartly captures that zeitgeist with this well-produced and topically focused vacation vehicle.

Notably, his critically-acclaimed and commercially successful “Girls Trip” was domestically based whereas Tuscany makes faithful and fantastic use of the kinds of village locales and gorgeous countrysides we’d all like to visit. So what better way to explore and find parts of ourselves while also falling in love than abroad?

A Welcome Genre Update

And finally, be it his television shows or movies, I sincerely love Will Packer’s upscale treatment and desperately needed update of the romantic-comedy genre. Typically, the majority are White and situation-based, whereas this one was Black-centered and in an international setting. So, those aspects alone I genuinely enjoyed.

I’m a sucker for thoughtful production with Black folks looking great, being well-lit and shot properly. We don’t often get passport-driven international fare with a wonderful balance of warmth, humor and heart like this, so don’t wait to stream it. “You, Me & Tuscany” is well worth the trip.

 @YOUMETUSCANY

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#YOUMETUSCANY

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NOW IN THEATERS 

“Hoppers” 

(Pixar) Rated PG  

“Let’s squish the humans!”

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Impressively, within mere minutes of its opening we get a solidly hilarious understanding of Mabel Tanaka’s deeply feisty affinity for animals, and her incessant, almost uncontrollable desire to help them.

Voiced delightfully by Piper Curda (Disney Channel’s “A.N.T. Farm”) as the willful and resourceful protagonist, she makes quick use of new technology that allows her to infiltrate and talk to the animal kingdom.

John Hamm (“Bridesmaids,” “Mad Men”) is fantastic as her arch nemesis, the town’s preening and vainglorious, Gavin Newsom-esque Mayor Jerry, who’s behind the ominous threat to the very habitat that Mabel and her friends are fighting to defend.

 State-of-the-art Animation

And true to the magnificent legacy of Pixar’s usual flawless execution (“Hoppers” is their 30th film) the state-of-the-art animation is absolutely gorgeous and intriguing to look at. Much of it, especially with regard to the larger animals, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. You almost want to reach out and touch them. The hair and body textures are next-level fascinating and so lifelike, it’s as if you’re watching plush animals come to life in this brilliantly spooled sci-fi comedy.

And don’t get it twisted nor let the animation aspects of talking animals fool you. There are some very clear (as well as oblique) nods to our current reality that make this more than what it appears on the surface. Ingeniously, it imparts universal themes of cooperation, community and inclusion, as well as a plethora of life-lessons we want all young people exposed to.

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Stay for the Credits

Unfortunately, there’s no usual Pixar short at the beginning of the movie and like any Marvel film, I strongly urge you to stay for the end credits. Witty, warm and a bit whimsical, “Hoppers” is brimming with hilarious and heartfelt laughs and lessons.

And with everything that’s currently happening in our world, there’s never been a better time to enjoy what’s going on in someone else’s.

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Entertainment

‘Percy Jackson’ star Walker Scobell is skipping prom, so enough with the death threats

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‘Percy Jackson’ star Walker Scobell is skipping prom, so enough with the death threats

Walker Scobell just wants people to stop sending death threats to every teenage girl who might know him — and anybody else.

The 17-year-old “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” star announced Sunday on social media that he will be skipping his prom and called out those who are threatening everyone who could potentially be in his orbit because of where they live.

“Just to let everyone know, I will not be attending prom,” Scobell, who plays the titular demigod in the Disney+ series, wrote in a message posted to his Instagram Story. “Please stop sending death threats to EVERY teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me based on their proximity to where I live. It’s not fair to them or their families.”

“Maybe also just stop sending death threats in general,” he added. “That’s just not cool. Kinda weird I have to say this.”

“Kinda weird” indeed.

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Based on the book series by Rick Riordan, “Percy Jackson” is a coming-of-age twist on ancient Greek mythology that follows Sobell’s title character as he learns he is the half-human son of Poseidon and what that means for him. Scobell was 13 when he was cast in the show.

The actor previously said that it felt “a little bit weird” to go back to school after the first season of the series had been released but it helped that he’s been going to the same school since the fourth grade.

“Because I feel like I know everybody so well, and I’ve known them for such a long time that … it’s weirder to act like it’s weird,” Scobell told People earlier this year. “I feel like you just accept it right away, and everyone has, which has been super nice for me.”

This is not the first time the “Percy Jackson” franchise’s so-called fans have been out of line.

Aryan Simhadri, who portrays Percy’s best friend Grover Underwood in the series, spoke out last year about an unsettling encounter with a handsy fan when a group of “40 drunk college girls” recognized him.

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“I was feeling pretty uncomfortable, so I put my hands in my back pockets,” Simhadri told Entertainment Weekly. “And then she reached around and put her hand inside of my back pocket, with my hand already in there. There’s not enough room in the back pocket of jeans for more than one hand. She lingered there a little longer than I would have liked. Not that I would have liked it at all.”

And Leah Jeffries, who plays Percy’s other best friend, Annabeth Chase, was the target of racist backlash when her casting was announced in 2022. Riordan, who also co-created the show, slammed the attacks in a blog post at the time, saying, “We should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong.”

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Movie Reviews

Movie Review – The Drama

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Good news, grown-ups, even though most of the screens at your local theater are probably still devoted to “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” there’s a decent option for adults in one of the other houses. I’m convinced that “The Drama” has stayed in the top three at the domestic box office for the past two weekends by reeling in parents who don’t want to watch Mario with their kids, but don’t want to leave the theater. Or it could be good advertising, good word-of-mouth, good reviews, or other non-cynical reasons.

The film follows Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya), a nauseatingly-cute Boston-area couple a week away from their wedding. He’s a bit of a creep and she doesn’t talk much about her military-family upbringing, but they’re sure they can learn to live with each other’s foibles, after all, they’re in love. Hopefully it’s not much of a spoiler to say that their love will be tested over the course of the film as they deal with, well, drama.

That drama first rears its head at a couples’ dinner with friends Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim). Rachel has the bright idea to have everyone at the table reveal the worst thing they’ve ever done. I’m not sure what the “best” case scenario is for a game like this, but it certainly ends in one of the worst. Emma makes the grave miscalculation of thinking that she has the forum to be honest, and reveals a secret that ruins everybody’s night.

I joked about spoilers earlier, but when it comes to Emma’s secret, things are more difficult. Unlike traditional spoilers, this one comes early in the movie, when she and Charlie are still in their “honeymoon phase,” so to speak. Not revealing the secret makes it hard to look at the rest of the movie, but it’s in the movie’s best interest that the audience is taken off-guard so they don’t have time to form opinions about the controversial subject matter in advance.

What I can say is that once Emma’s secret is revealed, Charlie can’t look at her the same way again. He tries to put it out of his mind, but… if you’re told not to think of a red umbrella, you think of a red umbrella, and Emma’s secret might have involved some red umbrellas if people were carrying umbrellas. It is worth noting that Emma’s secret does not involve tangible victims or require tangible consequences. All it can do is affect how people think of her, which is invariably some form of “worse.”

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Emma’s secret drives Charlie to madness in his relationship with his friends, his assistant (Hailey Gates), and especially Emma. Eventually his insecurities drive her crazy, and by the time of the wedding, they’re quite the dysfunctional couple. They’re talking about spending the rest of their lives together, but can the relationship even survive the reception? Let’s just say that there will probably be a lot fewer fantasies about getting married to Robert Pattinson after this movie.

“The Drama” really clicked with me, even though its appeal lies in a dark, awkward, cringey comedy that I don’t normally like. Probably the highlight of the film for me was a scene from the trailers, where Charlie and Emma try to pose for wedding photos like everything is okay when it definitely isn’t. It’s not hard to tell from the trailers that “something” is off, but the added context made it funnier than it ever was when being cryptic (though being cryptic was the right tone for the trailers). I recommend this film, but try to wear a beat-up shirt that you won’t mind stretching out from tugging at your collar.

Grade: B

“The Drama” is rated R for sexual content, some violent/bloody images, language throughout, and brief drug use. Its running time is 105 minutes.


Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

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