Pop Culture

A guide to the very specific slice of ‘70s L.A. settings in PTA’s latest. By Keith Phipps December 3, 2021 Photographs courtesy Getty Images, Everett Collection; Collage by Gabe Conte “‘Are you really going to make another film in Los Angeles in the ’70s again? Don’t you think you’ve done that?,’” Paul Thomas Anderson recalled

By respecting his friend and subject’s request for anonymity, director Jonas Poher Rasmussen constructs a compassionate collage of sound and image. By Cassie da Costa December 3, 2021 Refugee stories are not always obscured by our media, but they are often distorted, with broadcast news segments and sensational dramas twisting the extreme oppression and abuse

Games of Thrones is the best TV show ever (pending if we’re pretending the last season never happened). Okay, maybe not the best, but it’s so good that multiple spin-offs are in the works. No, I’m not talking about House of the Dragon, though you should be hyped up for that too. I’m talking about

Alec Baldwin said on Thursday he assumed the gun he was holding was empty of live bullets before it went off and killed a cinematographer during a rehearsal last month on the set of his Western movie Rust. In an emotional television interview, the actor also said he did not see any safety issues on

Why do everything you can to ensure people don’t get COVID when you can demand the government let them get COVID? By Bess Levin December 2, 2021 As you’ve probably heard by now, the COVID-19 omicron variant has been detected in more than 30 countries, including the United States, and it’s scaring the hell out

We here at The Mary Sue, like much of the internet, enjoy speculating about how and when the Singularity will take over and we will all perish at the hands of sentient killer robots. Now, a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is lending some scientific analysis to our

TORONTO — Cameron Bailey has been appointed CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival. In announcing the news, TIFF’s board of directors cited their confidence in Bailey’s ability to steer the non-profit organization through an ever-changing industry. Bailey ascends to the top job after serving as co-head with Joana Vicente, who left her post to

“There’s a part of me that’s scared to stop,” Konkle said of her series’ December 3 conclusion at a recent FYC event. “And I haven’t fully processed that it’s over.” By Savannah Walsh December 2, 2021 School’s out for PEN15. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s critically adored comedy, in which they play 13-year-olds in the

Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus got cancer—and then accidentally shared his diagnosis with the public over social media. Turns out getting sick renewed his faith, healed his old friendships, and reminded him what makes life worth living. By Chris Gayomali Photography by Pat Martin December 2, 2021 It was another perfect spa-blue morning in Beverly Hills when

An aspiring actor testified Wednesday that Jussie Smollett recruited him and his brother to stage a homophobic and racist attack on him in downtown Chicago nearly three years ago, saying the former Empire star even instructed them on how to throw fake punches. Abimbola Osundairo said Smollett detailed how Osundairo and his brother should carry

Stranger Things season 4 won’t be out until summer 2022, and Sadie Sink “honestly cannot say anything” about what’ll happen, she told ELLE.com during Kate Spade’s summer presentation on Tuesday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But the 19-year-old actress sweetly offered a little tease about her character Max’s journey. “I’m really happy with where Max’s storyline went

Jonshel Alexander, a onetime child actor who played a supporting role in the 2012 Oscar-nominated film Beasts of the Southern Wild, was killed in a weekend shooting in her native Louisiana. She was 22. Police said Alexander and a man were shot inside a vehicle Saturday in New Orleans and she was pronounced dead at

With the director coming off a best-picture win, his star-studded latest does not disappoint. How far can it go? By David Canfield December 1, 2021 Four years ago, if you had put Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley side by side to compare their awards prospects, you would have almost certainly

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and things did not go well. Dobbs v. Jackson involves a blatantly unconstitutional law out of Mississippi that bans nearly all abortions after 15 weeks gestation. Since Roe v. Wade specifically established a constitutional right to abortions before the point

Alec Baldwin said he did not pull the trigger of the gun that killed a cinematographer on the movie set of Rust, while investigators in New Mexico zeroed in on how live ammunition may have found its way to the set. Baldwin, who was holding a gun he was told was safe when it went

The stars of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist are thrilled to return for a Roku Christmas movie, which Astin hopes is just the beginning: ““Zoey’s Extraordinary Valentine’s Day. Zoey’s Extraordinary Labor Day. I just see endless possibilities.” By Amy Amatangelo December 1, 2021 This story contains spoilers for Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas. When Jane Levy wrapped the second

He’s been a model, an MTV VJ, a sitcom actor, a rapper, and a serious partier. Now he’s starring in A24’s Red Rocket, one of the best films of awards season. By Marisa Meltzer Photography by Evan Angelastro December 1, 2021 Coat, $1,695, by Teddy Vonranson. Shirt, $139, by AllSaints. Necklace (throughout), his own. GQ

The heirs to the Gucci fashion house aren’t happy with the way their family was portrayed in House of Gucci. The family of former Gucci chairman Aldo Gucci hinted Monday at possible legal action against Ridley Scott’s new film, saying the movie depicted the family as a bunch of “thugs.” “This is extremely painful from

Authorities investigating the fatal shooting on the “Rust” movie last month are investigating whether recycled live ammunition may have made its way into a stash of dummy bullets on the set in New Mexico, according to court documents released on Tuesday. The documents include a search warrant for the premises of a local supplier of ammunition and

On the second day of the alleged Jeffrey Epstein accomplice’s federal sex-trafficking trial, a woman testified that, beginning when she was 14 years old, Epstein and Maxwell sexually abused her for years. By Dan Adler November 30, 2021 In 1994, Jane recalled on Tuesday, she met Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell for the first time.

Priyanka Chopra opened up on InStyle‘s Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast about how tough her year in London has been, where she has been shooting the upcoming series Citadel, and how she and her husband Nick Jonas coped with being long distance—and in different continents—during the COVID pandemic. “This year has been really tough,”

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV’s Dr. Oz Show, is planning to run for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat as a Republican, according to two people familiar with his plans. Should Oz run, he would bring his unrivaled name recognition and wealth to a wide-open race that

After Republicans’ choice candidate, Sean Parnell, ended his Senate bid in scandal, Dr. Oz is expected to make his move in the crucial state of Pennsylvania.  By Eric Lutz November 30, 2021 For Republicans hoping to take the Senate from the Democrats next year, Pennsylvania is crucial. Flipping another state won’t help them if they

In today’s episode of “headlines I didn’t think I’d be writing,” a wrestler named Leroy Patterson (who you may have seen purposefully diving onto thumbtacks on America’s Got Talent) has made it his life’s mission to collect every copy of Sneak King in existence. When I first came across this story on Kotaku, there were three thoughts

London, Ont., was a hot bed of Canadian country talent as a long weekend full of music drew to its celebratory close. On Monday night, the city played host to the 2021 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, following a weekend full of free events and concerts for Londoners. Read more: Canadian Country music stars excited

It’s been a mere few hours since Tim Hortons dropped its Justin Bieber–branded Timbits merchandise, and Canadians are proving extremely hungry for it. The Canadian coffee giant announced earlier this month that it had teamed up with Bieber for its latest marketing campaign, in an attempt to attract new customers. And it looks like it’s

During opening arguments in the long-awaited trial, lawyers for both sides brought the alleged Jeffrey Epstein accomplice’s wealth and pedigree to the fore. By Dan Adler November 29, 2021 “Is this about the woman?” a passerby asked the rows of camera crews assembled outside a Manhattan courthouse early Monday morning. A line to enter the

Prosecutors are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling that overturned Bill Cosby‘s sexual assault conviction, arguing in a petition Monday that a dangerous precedent could be set if press releases are treated as immunity agreements. Cosby’s lawyers have long argued that he relied on a promise that he would never be charged