Four-time Emmy winner Jean Smart is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next Monday.
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Chair Lupita Sanchez Cornejo made the announcement, calling the Hacks and Mare of Eastown lead “a triple threat,” thanks to her work on TV, on the stage and in movies.
Smart’s Hacks co-star Hannah Einbinder and venerated TV producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason will be on hand to unveil the 2,721st star; Smart’s spot will be located at 6150 Hollywood Boulevard.
On Monday, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirkunveiled his Walk of Fame star, with the help of his friend and fellow cast member Giancarlo Esposito, and comedy legend Carol Burnett.
(NEW YORK) — As the effects of climate change prompt more urgency to cut greenhouse gas emissions around the world and reduce energy use, every industry is facing scrutiny about their impact on the climate and the environment.
Video games, media, and entertainment companies, in particular, require a significant amount of energy to run powerful computers, high-speed internet connections and cloud-based technologies.
One study estimated that gaming worldwide used the same amount of energy as 5 million cars. Gaming consoles or computers also contribute to the 50 million tons of electronic waste produced every year, only 20% of which is recycled, according to the UN Environmental Programme.
But video games also have a huge audience of players, fans and commentators around the world. And the United Nations saw an opportunity to reach both the industry and its audience with a message about the importance of combating climate change.
“Three billion people play games. Nearly one person in every two on the planet is either on their phone or on their console at home. So this medium is the most powerful medium in the world. And so we think working with this industry to make a difference can unlock all kinds of different changes in people,” said Sam Barratt, the chief of a unit of the UN Environmental Programme that works to engage young people with environmental issues.
“So, for us, I would say the climate crisis is everyone, everywhere, all at once to try and make a difference, which is why the video gaming industry has to have sleeves up on this, which is what we’re trying to do.”
Barratt said he was inspired to reach out to video game developers after watching how much time his children, especially his 12-year-old son, spent playing games like Minecraft, FIFA, or Roblox.
“He spends a lot of time in games, and it just made me think, how can this medium not just kind of entertain people, but also give them opportunities to make a difference? So, we came up with the idea of Playing 4 The Planet just to explore what was possible in gaming,” Barratt told ABC News.
Since its 2019 launch, Barrett said the Playing 4 The Planet Alliance has worked with over 40 companies and industry groups to set standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution. They also use initiatives like their Green Game Jam developer competition to incorporate environmental messages into both small educational games and big-name franchises.
Alenda Chang, an assistant professor of media studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and author of Playing Nature: Ecology in Video Games, said there’s a lot of potential to use games to change how people think about the environment.
Chang said many video games treat nature as a beautiful backdrop or a source of resources but that the interactive and immersive nature of games could allow players to experiment and learn about humans’ impact on the natural world as a living, breathing ecosystem in a way that sticks with them more than simply hearing or reading about it. She pointed to games like Shelter, where gamers play as a mother badger protecting her cubs, as a way to help gamers empathize with a non-human perspective or games like SimCity that can demonstrate large-scale impacts of human society.
“I think the biggest overall takeaway is that play actually does matter. That play is not a sort of secondary realm that’s frivolous or escapist,” Chang said, adding that’s what many adults are led to believe.
“But as a professor who studies and writes about video games … to me it’s very clear that solutions and sort of collectivization around climate change and other environmental issues are social.”
Sony Interactive Entertainment, the parent company of PlayStation, launched a conservation campaign with one of its biggest game releases of the year, Horizon: Forbidden West. The game revolves around the main character, Aloy, as she tries to save a future Earth from threats like diseased land, enemies including hostile animal-like machines, and worsening storms.
Kieran Meyers, senior director of environmental and social governance for Sony Interactive Entertainment, said the game inspired the company to emphasize the real-world importance of natural ecosystems.
“The game shows they see these post-apocalyptic scenes where nature is taking over. And basically, that narrative really speaks to our world where we all sort of want to make a difference,” Meyers told ABC News.
Sony partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant nearly 300,000 trees in areas impacted by deforestation or wildfires in California, Wisconsin and Florida.
“[PlayStation] met their customers, they met their network where they are, doing what they love to do — playing games. And they found a creative way to engage them and inspire them, to be a part of advancing our common goals of planting trees and doing something great for the planet,” Arbor Day Foundation director Dan Lambe told ABC.
Lambe said that planting trees alone isn’t going to solve the climate crisis but it’s a good place to start.
Meyers said Sony has also set goals to reach a zero-environmental footprint by 2050, including by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their workplaces and supply chain, eliminating the use of virgin materials and phasing out materials that pose environmental risks.
On Earth Day this year, the UN’s Green Game Jam competition will judge competing games on how well they incorporate these environmental messages. The UN initiative hopes to reach hundreds of millions of gamers through the campaign.
One of the Green Game Jam winners in 2021, Anno 1800, used in-game events where players were forced to clean up pollution from invading armies and challenging players to build a new society without damaging too many natural resources.
The game’s publisher, Ubisoft, also used money from paid content within the game to fund efforts to plant more than 300,000 trees.
“I think overall, maybe in the end, the goal is to see how we can translate online actions into real life benefits for the planet and our communities and our players. And that’s something no other type of media can do,” Ubisoft’s director of Environment and Social Governance, Nicolas Hunsinger, said.
The man charged with supplying rapper Mac Miller with counterfeit oxycodone pills that led to his overdose death has been sentenced to over a decade in prison.
Ryan Michael Reavis, 39, will serve 10 years and 11 months behind bars for his involvement in the “Self Care” rapper’s death, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
District Judge Otis D. Wright II handed down the sentence, which was reportedly less than the recommended 12-and-a-half years by prosecutors. In addition, Reavis will undergo three years of supervised release and drug testing after he’s released.
Reavis claimed he was unaware the pills he was provided to sell to Miller were counterfeit and caused his accidental overdose. The pills were found to be laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic painkiller that’s 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“This is not just a regular drug case. Somebody died, and a family is never going to get their son back. My family would be wrecked if it was me,” Reavis told the court, according to Rolling Stone. “Whatever happens today, I’m the lucky one because my family is here and I’m here and I’ll be with them again.”
Miller’s mother, Karen Meyers, told the court, “[My son] would never knowingly take a pill with fentanyl, ever. He wanted to live and was excited about the future. The hole in my heart will always be there.”
Miller, born Malcolm James McCormick, died September 7, 2018. Reavis is one of the three men charged in connection with Miller’s death.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service.
(PONTIAC, Mich.) — The parents of the accused Michigan school shooter were denied a request to reduce their bond on Tuesday.
Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews said the events leading to the arrest of Jennifer and James Crumbley make the bond currently set appropriate, as their actions were “premeditated to conceal their whereabouts.”
The two are charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter after allegedly failing to recognize warning signs about their son in the months before their son allegedly shot and killed four of his classmates at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.
Prosecutors have accused the parents of giving their son a gun that was later used in the school shooting and allege the parents hid in an abandoned warehouse in Detroit and had concealed their car by hiding their license plates instead of turning themselves in the day they were charged.
Their son, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, is facing 24 counts, including four counts of murder and a terrorism charge
A judge ruled that Ethan Crumbley must remain in adult jail. His lawyers said in January they will claim an insanity defense. He is being held in isolation, under behavior watch, and must be checked on every 15 minutes.
The Crumbleys’ bond is set at $500,000 each, which they were attempting to get reduced to $100,000 each.
A lower court denied a similar motion to reduce their bond in January.
The masked metallers have announced the launch of Knotverse, a collaboration with self-described “decentralized gaming ecosystem” The Sandbox. According to a press release, Knotverse will offer “unique NFTs and generative collections, plus metaverse concerts, gaming experiences, fan experiences, unique collaborations, wearables and much more.”
“It will ultimately offer fans of the heavy culture utility through unique access to new music, IRL events, festival experiences, merchandise, gear, masks, and more,” the release continues.
In a statement, Slipknot’s M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan declares, “Slipknot has always been about creating new experiences.”
“Opening Knotverse as a shared space is a continuation of our culture as a collective that includes our fans,” Crahan says. “Everyone who’s ever attended Knotfest, or wanted to, now has an open door to step into a digital version of the experience in The Sandbox that’s live 24/7.”
The internet is ablaze with rumors that Taylor Swift has another collaboration in the works — this time with “Hotline Bling” rapper Drake.
The reports surfaced Monday night when Drizzy shared a carousel of photos along with the caption, “They too soft to understand the meaning of hard work.” For Taylor’s Easter-egg-loving fans, they were quick to note the last snap in the slide is a throwback photo of Drake hugging her.
“Drake wouldn’t randomly post a photo with Taylor Swift just like that… Looks like the collaboration is really coming,” one fan speculated.
Others pointed out that, perhaps, this is related to Taylor’s re-recorded 1989 album, with one fan declaring, “He posted this as the 5th photo and 1989 is her 5th album and she has a 1989 era haircut!!”
Speculation is also swirling that Drake will appear on a “From the Vault” track, doubling down that there were rumors about a possible collab during the 1989 era.
Fans also cited the hilarious Apple commercials each filmed in 2016, which saw them working out to each others’ hits before having disasters at the gym.
It’s currently unknown when Taylor will drop her new and improved 1989 album, but most believe it’s coming soon, especially since she’s already released her version of “Wildest Dreams.” Some fans also think she subtly revealed its release date during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a year ago last week, when Taylor displayed a “Mood board” decorated with eight hearts and nine stars, which can be read as “89.” Based on other numerical Easter eggs fans fans believe they spotted in the interview, it’s believed the album drops on Friday, May 14.
Of Monsters and Men has premiered a new song called “This Happiness.”
Despite its title, the slow-burning track isn’t exactly of the uplifting sort. That’s reflected in the accompanying video, which shows vocalist Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson dressed as a sad clown.
You can listen to “This Happiness” now via digital outlets, and watch its video streaming now on YouTube.
“This Happiness” follows Of Monsters and Men’s recent singles “Visitor” and “Destroyer.” All three songs will be included in an upcoming EP titled Tíu, due out June 10. The five-track set also includes another new track called “Lonely Weather,” as well as an alternate recording of “This Happiness” dubbed “The Saddest Version.”
Tíu is also the title of an upcoming Of Monsters and Men documentary, which will premiere this June at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Of Monsters and Men’s most recent album is 2019’s Fever Dream. Last fall, they released a 10th anniversary reissue of their 2011 debut album, My Head Is an Animal.
Kevin Mazur/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS; Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
A few days ago, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed in an interview with The Palm Beach Post that six months ago he’d jammed with drummer Alex Van Halen and guitarist Joe Satriani in advance of a proposed Van Halen tribute tour that he said had “fizzled.”
Then, on an episode of the Rock of Nations with Dave Kinchen on Monday, Satriani admitted that he’d been talking with Alex and David Lee Roth “for about a year about doing…a tour [or] something like that…that was gonna be a true tribute to Eddie [Van Halen] and the Van Halen legacy.”
Now, Roth has shared an exclusive statement with the Van Halen News Desk fan site regarding a possible Van Halen tribute project that reads, “In my mind Van Halen 4K, in the age of COVID is going to require two of us for every position. Satriani and [Toto guitarist Steve] Lukather, [longtime Van Halen bassist Michael] Anthony and Newsted, Al or [Motley Crue drummer] Tommy Lee. Probably the only one who could do my job today would be Pink.”
Satriani, meanwhile, had more to say about the Van Halen tribute during the podcast.
“For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that, but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me,” he explained about being asked to participate. “I was just so honored to take on the challenge.”
He added, “It’s very complicated. And…if it does happen, I know we’ll make it the greatest thing ever for the fans and we’ll all celebrate together, not only the great Eddie Van Halen but the legacy that that band created, the amazing amount of music and the goodwill and good vibes they created as a band.”
In his new movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Nicolas Cage plays an over-the-top version of himself that pokes fun of the public’s perception of him. However, in real life, the Oscar winner says he’s far more grounded.
In fact, Cage tells People, “[T]here’s no version of Nic Cage in reality that doesn’t want to spend time with his children.”
“There’s no version of Nic Cage that didn’t put family first over career. I turned down Lord of the Rings and I turned down Matrix because I didn’t want to go to New Zealand for three years or Australia for three years because I needed to be home with my son, Weston, that’s a fact,” the 58-year-old says.
Weston is now 32; Cage is also the father of 16-year-old Kal-El, and is expecting a baby with his fifth wife, Riko Shibata.
When it comes to his filmography, which is peppered with Oscar winners like Leaving Las Vegas, action hits like Con Air, recent acclaimed performances like Pig and Unbearable Weight, and plenty of more forgettable straight-to-streaming titles, Cage is circumspect.
“I always say to myself, ‘I never had a career, only work.’ What I mean by that is sometimes — and I won’t mention names — but when you get into this career-minded perception of one’s self it can be a slippery slope, and it can lead to things where you start believing in your own mythos, and you start taking yourself way too seriously.”
He adds, “You become pretentious and then you fall into the realm of diva, and that’s when mistakes happen in your personal life and on camera.”
Also starring Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, and Neil Patrick Harris, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent hits theatersFriday.
Lizzo is feeling “Good As Hell” thanks to several things. There’s her new shapewear line, YITTY, her upcoming album, Special, her hit Watch Out for the Big Grrrls reality series, and her just recently confirmed new boyfriend.
Speaking with Andy Cohen on Monday, the singer was asked if she and the “mystery man” she was photographed with in February were still together. With a laugh, Lizzo confirmed she’s kept him around, adding, “Whatever! Yeah.”
Cohen pressed Lizzo further, asking if her fame has been an obstacle in her new relationship, especially since no one knows who her new beau is. “If you have the right person, no… Not at all. It’s not even a factor,” the Grammy winner insisted. “It should be mutually supportive, no matter what that person does.”
On the topic of being “supportive,” Andy pried even more by asking if Lizzo’s mystery man was present in the audience and cheering her on during her Saturday Night Live stint over the weekend. “Damn, you’re really good at this… You get the scoop, don’t you?,” she cracked before confirming with a quick, “Yeah.”
Lizzo did not drop any clues about who her mystery man is, nor did she reveal when the two became exclusive.
The singer admitted back in February during an interview with Varietythat she was “a little bit” in love and teased that, perhaps, we will know more about her new flame in her upcoming Special album. “It is a love album,” she confirmed at the time, adding that it is a “personal” record for her.
Special arrives July 15 and is available to pre-save/pre-order now.
