Steve Pond's Blog, page 152

Here Are All the Songs in ‘Overcompensating’

Gearing up for a second Brat summer? “Overcompensating”s soundtrack might give you the fix you need.

The college comedy series from Benito Skinner premiered on Prime Video Thursday, featuring a soundtrack curated by Charli XCX. The pop star served as the executive music producer for the series and even makes a cameo as herself in one episode.

“Overcompensating” taps into 2010s nostalgic hits like “Ribs” by Lorde and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” as well as songs from Charli XCX herself, including “party 4 u,” “I Love It” and “Boom Clap.”

For a full list of all the needle drops in “Overcompensating,” keep reading.

Episode 1: Lucky“George of the Jungle” Theme Song“Lucky” by Britney Spears“I Love It” by Icona Pop and Charli XCX“Team” by Lorde“Vroom Vroom” by Charli XCXEpisode 2: Who’s That Girl?“Who’s That Girl?” by Eve“Pop the Glock” by Uffie“Like A G6” by Far East Movement ft. The Cataracts, Dev“Super Bass” by Nicki MinajEpisode 3: Black and Yellow“Boys” by Charli XCX“Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa“Gucci Gucci” by Kreayshawn “I’ve Seen Footage” by Death Grips“Where’d You Go” by Fort Minor ft. Holly Brook, Jonah Matranga“Love In Stereo” by Sky FerreiraEpisode 4: Boom Clap“Boom Clap” by Charli XCX “Girls Night Out” by Charli XCX “Big Fish” by Vince Staples“Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap (performed by the cast)“I Love It” by Icona Pop, Charli XCX“Boys” by Charli XCX “Sucker” by Charli XCX“party 4 u” by Charli XCXEpisode 5: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites“Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex“No Angel” by Charli XCX“Rockin’ Zombie” by The Crewnecks“Face Like Thunder” by The Japanese House“Unlock it (Lock It)” by Charli XCX ft. Kim Petras, Jay Park“Own It” by DAAMM!! ft. Faith Vernon“We Are Your Friends” by Justice Vs. Simian“Nuclear Seasons” by Charli XCX“Claws” by Charli XCXEpisode 6: The Edge of Glory“Everything Is Embarrassing” by Sky Ferriera“Official (Instrumental)” by Charli XCX“The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga“Love Me” by The 1975“Fuck the Pain Away” by PEACHES“Sorry If I Hurt You” by Charli XCXEpisode 7: Welcome to the Black Parade“All the Things” by Beverly“Fuckboyz” by Dead Obies“Happy Faces” by Babe Youth“Let’s Talk” by Death In The Afternoon“Floating Vibes” by Surfer Blood“Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance“Sugar” by Maroon 5Episode 8: Crown on the Ground“Crown on the Ground” by Sleigh Bells“Ribs” by Lorde“Lipgloss (Instrumental)” by Charli XCX ft. Cupcakke“Gucci Gucci” by Kreayshawn“Doses & Mimosas” by Cherub“Be Your USA (feat. Iiris)” by EASYFUN

The post Here Are All the Songs in ‘Overcompensating’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Kathy Griffin Says Stephen Colbert Was ‘Laced With Misogyny,’ Pushed Her to Tears in Interview About Trump Head Scandal | Video

Kathy Griffin accused Stephen Colbert of nearly making her cry while interviewing her on “The Late Show” in the aftermath of her photoshoot with the fake, decapitated head of President Donald Trump.

During the latest episode of her YouTube show “Talk Your Head Off,” Griffin remembered her 2018 appearance on the CBS late night show which revolved mostly around a 2017 photoshoot the comedian had done holding a severed head of Trump’s likeness. She called Colbert a “dick” for asking questions “laced with misogyny” about the shoot after being promised before the show it would not be a topic.

“If you go down the road of talking about that picture, it can get really dark, and the details from the fallout from that picture are dark as well,” Griffin recalled telling a segment producer. “[Colbert] knows that picture was covered, and he knows that my investigation was B.S., and he makes fun of Donald Trump, and we all know Trump is nothing but a clown, so I think we’re like-minded on this.”

The picture in question earned Griffin plenty of press after it happened. It also led to the Secret Service investigating the comedian after the president addressed the image directly, the well-publicized ending of friendships with Anderson Cooper and others, and the loss of professional opportunities for several years to come. In the 2018 “Late Show” interview, Griffin made a number of attempts to change the subject but said in Tuesday’s episode of her YouTube show that Colbert wouldn’t let it go.

“He goes in about the Trump picture, but he goes in hard,” she said. “He went with the line of the questioning of the ‘What were you thinking?’ and the ‘You must have known it was too far,’ and those sort of things. It was a line of questioning that I remember thinking, ‘Wow, he has way more of a bias against me and my right to take that photo than I imagined in my worst-case scenario.'”

Griffin continued: “And then the tears came. So I felt my eyes fill up, and I thought, ‘Oh God no, anything but this, anything but — you’re a grown woman who’s a female comedian trying to prove that you can keep up with the boys. You cannot cry.'”

She never did let herself cry following the questions, but she believes the late night host was aware of how she was feeling and it never caused him to pause his questioning. The experience led her to hate Colbert and wonder if he would have questioned a man the way he did her.

“He has accomplished just about everything you can as a comedian, and he’s wildly talented, and he’s obviously very bright — but man, what a dick,” Griffin said. “What a dick, and to go for me of all people. It was so laced with misogyny, but that undercurrent of misogyny where he would probably be shocked to hear that anyone would accuse of him of having an ounce of misogyny. But I just remember thinking, ‘He would not talk down to the guys like this. He just wouldn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him treat any of the guy comics like this.'”

Representatives for Colbert did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. Watch Griffin’s full video here. You can watch the 2018 interview in question below:

The post Kathy Griffin Says Stephen Colbert Was ‘Laced With Misogyny,’ Pushed Her to Tears in Interview About Trump Head Scandal | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Amrum’ Review: Can This Poignant Drama Make You Ache for a Member of the Hitler Youth?

It’s hard to imagine a less promising setup for a movie about a young boy’s act of kindness toward his mother than the one that’s supplied in Fatih Akin’s “Amrum,” which premiered on Thursday night at the Cannes Film Festival. The film takes place in 1945, with 12-year-old Nanning outside the house he shares with his mother, brother and aunt on the German island of Amrum when he hears the radio deliver the news that Adolph Hitler “has fallen.” Inside the house, Nanning’s very pregnant mother, Hille, lets out a piercing scream and then a gasp, as her water breaks on the kitchen floor and she gives birth to a baby.

Once the baby is born, Hille refuses to eat, suffering from a likely combination of post-partum depression and grief over the death of her Fuhrer. She insists that she only wants white bread with butter and honey, all things that are nearly impossible to obtain in a time of scarcity. But Nanning makes it his goal to somehow get his mother her dream meal – a quest that would be heartwarming and inspiring if it weren’t undertaken by a member of the Hitler Youth out of love for a mother who cannot shed her allegiance to the Nazi leader.

Or is it still heartwarming, or at the very least heartbreaking? Quietly and gracefully, “Amrum” asks us to consider those questions; it’s not as austere and deliberately unsentimental as Jonathan Glazer’s Cannes hit and Oscar winner “The Zone of Interest” was two years ago, but in a way it, too, is a family drama set against the horrors of World War II and the Nazi regime. Akin, the Turkish-German director whose other films include “The Edge of Heaven” and “The Fade,” does a wonderfully understated job of setting the innocence and the cruelty of childhood against a time in which the fall of fascism could have a seismic effect on a family and a country.

Some early reactions out of Cannes questioned the idea of exploring German sorrow over Hitler’s fall at a time when neo-Naziism is on the rise. But Akin has said that the current threat from the far right was one of the reasons he made the film, which was co-written by 85-year-old German director, writer and actor Hark Bohm, who based it on his own experiences on Amrum but despaired of directing it himself because of his age.

When we meet young Nanning at the beginning of the film, he’s helping out a local farmer, Tessa (played by Akin veteran Diane Kruger) in exchange for milk and the promise of butter. He clearly comes across as a good kid and a fine neighborhood helper – but after overheating Tessa talk about how the Russian army is closing in on Berlin and the war may be ending soon, he innocently asks his mother if that means his father will be returning home soon from the front. Hille (Laura Tonke) turns out to be a staunch Nazi supporter who views such talk as undermining the troops, telling Nanning that he must report the neighbor’s traitorous talk to the authorities immediately.

That’s when Hitler dies (from the sound of it, the remote island community never hears the word “suicide” from German media) and Nanning undertakes the herculean task of finding  white bread, butter and honey when there’s none to be had. As Nanning, first-time actor Jasper Billerbeck is in some ways a German equivalent of Owen Cooper, star of the British TV series “Adolescence”: With no professional acting experience, he makes us ache for a child who has done (or in this case, simply thought) awful things.

The film is beautifully shot, delicately shaded and at times almost unbearably poignant; where “The Zone of Interest” backed away from its characters to chilling effect, “Amrum” leans in and asks us to consider the lingering effects of the totalitarian brainwashing of a populace as the beliefs that have been forced upon them begin to crumble.

There’s nothing showy about “Amrum,” but it can leave an audience shaken. Akin has fashioned a rare film that relies on the power of simplicity to tell a story that is anything but simple.

The post ‘Amrum’ Review: Can This Poignant Drama Make You Ache for a Member of the Hitler Youth?   appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Death Does Not Exist’ Review: Stunning but Slippery Animated Feature Confronts Love in the Shadow of Death

The world as we know it is crumbling. 

Rising wealth inequality, a collapsing climate and the continued expansion of unchecked state violence are all bearing down on us. It’s far from a cheery state of affairs, but it’s in this heavy yet unavoidable reality where filmmaker Félix Dufour-Laperrière places us in “Death Does Not Exist.” Thus, it’s where any engagement with his work must also begin.

Despite its title, this is an impressionistic film very much about how death does exist and will haunt us after the moment of loss. While the doesn’t make its subtext 100% explicit, it’s grounded in distinctly modern anxieties about how out of balance the world has become. Brought to life with simple yet frequently stunning animation that can resemble a children’s book with a nightmarish tone, it’s a fable that pushes us to look death in the eyes while clinging to what we value about life. Though his film is hard to fully pin down, Dufour-Laperrière is concerned with what happens when you risk everything to change the world, only to discover the cost is you may lose everything as a result. 

Premiering Thursday in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival, “Death Does Not Exist” begins with a group of activists who are about to attack a gated mansion and its wealthy residents. The would-be attackers seem nervous and fearful about what is about to happen, but proceed nonetheless.

A few painfully brief exchanges are used to sketch their mindset, and then the attackers’ world comes apart as their lives end in an exchange of gunfire punctuated by bursts not of not red blood, but a more unsettling, unexpected yellow. It’s like a painting or a rendering of violence, though it’s very real for the members of the group.

When one of the activists, Hélène, leaves the others and retreats into the wilderness, she’s pursued by another member of the party, Manon, who offers her a chance to go back to fight rather than run away. 

While the film increasingly becomes about this single choice, “Death Does Not Exist” is never one-note. It bursts with layers of complex emotion and visceral, vibrant visuals. Dufour-Laperrière doesn’t shy away from capturing horrifying violence, using a shifting color palette to make the destruction that much more haunting.

“Are you lost?” a young girl asks Hélène as she wanders through the wilderness, the question referring not just to a sense of topographic uncertainty but an emotional one as well. The film feels increasingly unbound from time as it moves backward and forward from the opening shootout, using this framing to ask the cost of a movement that utilizes violence. Can you save the ones you love, or will it require losing them entirely? How will your existence be reshaped as you take this leap?

Intriguingly, “Death Does Not Exist” neither explicitly condemns nor endorses a path. It doesn’t ever talk down to viewers or judge as much as it sinks into deeper, frequently surreal reflections about how it is that we carry on when everything is being torn apart.

This is felt when Hélène comes upon a sheep being ripped to pieces by coyotes before it’s resurrected. We see every detail and hear every crunch as life turns to death and then comes back again. The animation here is macabre yet still beautiful, taking on a mesmerizing quality as we see the choice that Hélène, as well as all of us, must make.

In every beautifully animated frame, the film makes painfully clear that there is no avoiding this reality. Though the film can still feel as if it loses some of its resonance by not fully laying out the specific motivations of the group, we feel the urgency of the crisis in Hélène’s eyes. No matter how much we may want to get away from the impending destruction, there’s no retreating into the wilderness for any of us. 

Though “Death Does Not Exist” is a rather short feature, running only 72 minutes, it is a film of big ideas and expansive existential questions. Even when the presentation is simple, it carries a quietly poetic power. It’s melancholy, frequently mesmerizing, and ultimately moving in how it asks us to ponder the painful choice facing the world.

That it eventually returns back to where it began to take us through the inciting incident all over again only makes it that much more effective as it cuts open the aching wound at its heart. Dufour-Laperrière doesn’t ultimately offer any easy answers, instead immersing us in the reality that there are none. In a gutting closing tableau, he finds a truthful, honest beauty in our crumbling world. 

The post ‘Death Does Not Exist’ Review: Stunning but Slippery Animated Feature Confronts Love in the Shadow of Death appeared first on TheWrap.

Colbert Imagines a Trump Version of the Trojan War After New Excuse for Accepting ‘Bribe Mobile’ Gift Jet | Video

Stephen Colbert pandered hard to fans of Ancient Greece during his monologue on Wednesday’s “The Late Show” with an extended riff imagining what the Trojan War would have been like with Donald Trump in charge.

The joke was inspired by Trump’s latest justification for violating the Constitution of the United States by accepting an expensive luxury jet as a personal gift from Qatar.

On Wednesday, Trump said in part, “”I mean, I could be a stupid person saying, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.'”

At that, Colbert started riffing in his Donald Trump impression.

“What dummy wouldn’t accept a gift? You know? I’ll give you an example. You know, my friend Priam, great leader of Troy, powerful leader, beautiful city. Okay, so Troy gets this free giant luxury horse from Greece. Okay, they left it right outside the city gates,” Colbert said. “Isn’t that great of the Greeks? Okay? They fight for 10 years. Then ding dong, free, state of the art, wooden pinata. What does Priam do? Is he a dummy? No, he says, ‘Thanks for the horse. Let’s party,’ because he’s no dummy. Lots of whispers and giggles from inside the horse, even the candy is excited, evidently.”

So in case you don’t remember the details of one of the most famous legends in human history, according to literary and mythological tradition the Trojan War was a 10-year-long conflict between the city of Troy on the northwest coast of what is now Turkey, and an invading coalition of Greeks. Unable to breach Troy’s walls, the Greeks built a giant wooden horse which they presented to the Trojans as a peace offering. Troy accepted the offering, brought the horse into the city and threw a giant party to celebrate the end of the war. Then while they were all drunk, a team of Greek warriors hidden inside the horse emerged and slaughtered everyone except the few they took as slaves. Whoops.

Meanwhile, Colbert talked about what he called Qatar’s “bribe” for Trump for a bit longer, first mocking Trump’s apparent insecurity about the size of the current Air Force One compared to other passenger jets (which Colbert of course compared to penis envy). He also noted the huge costs of making the jet suitable, national security-wise, the fact by the time that was done Trump would only have a year left in office, and the fact Trump intends to continue using the jet after he leaves office.

Then he shredded Trump’s attempts to deflect criticism.

“Clearly, all these criticisms are getting under his skin, because at 4 a.m. Middle East time, he reposted a bunch of comments like, ‘what about the Statue of Liberty, which was gifted from France in 1886?’ What about it? The Statue of Liberty is a public monument that millions of people visit every year that honors the founding principles of this nation, given to us by France, who are inspired to have their own Republic by the sacrifices our forefathers made,” Colbert said.

“This Qatari jet, on the other hand, is a personalized bribe mobile that we’re supposed to blow a billion Ameribucks on so when you leave office, you can fly around and go. ‘I feel so much better about my tiny, broken ding dong,'” he added.

There’s more, and you can watch the whole monologue below:

The post Colbert Imagines a Trump Version of the Trojan War After New Excuse for Accepting ‘Bribe Mobile’ Gift Jet | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Smartmatic Accuses Fox, Rupert Murdoch of Destroying Evidence in $2.7 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Over 2020 Election

In a new court filing, Smartmatic accused top executives at Fox News, including Rupert Murdoch, of intentionally destroying evidence pertaining to the company’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit.

Smartmatic is suing the conservative cable news channel for defamation related to the numerous false claims Fox News hosts made about voter fraud in 2020. Those claims included false accusations that voting machine companies like Smartmatic somehow participated in such fraud in order to rig the 2020 election against Donald Trump.

Fox News previously reached a $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over those same false claims of election fraud in April 2023.

In the new filing, Smartmatic asserted that Fox News executives — including Murdoch, his son Lachlan Murdoch and Fox’s chief legal officer Viet Dinh — “orchestrated the destruction of text messages across all levels of their corporate hierarchy… despite a clear duty to preserve evidence.”

Further, the filing continues, this destruction “was extensive and willful.”

Fox naturally denies the accusations and in a statement, representatives said, “Smartmatic weakly attempts to resurrect stale, baseless discovery issues that actually were disclosed by Fox and resolved two years ago. These issues have no bearing on the merits of Smartmatic’s case, which has fallen apart at every turn.”

Co-defendants in Smartmartic’s 2023 defamation lawsuit against Fox Corporation also include on-air personalities Jeanine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo, along with Debi Segura, the administrator of the late Lou Dobbs’ estate.

Smartmatic has previously settled defamation lawsuits with other conservative news channels over similar false claims of voting fraud: Newsmax revealed in a regulatory filing in March that it paid out $40 million to the Florida-based voting systems company, and One America News Network (OAN) settled a suit in April 2024.

The post Smartmatic Accuses Fox, Rupert Murdoch of Destroying Evidence in $2.7 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Over 2020 Election appeared first on TheWrap.

Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested After Derailing RFK Jr. Senate Hearing With Pro-Palestinian Protest

Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, was arrested for protesting during a Senate hearing.

Cohen, also a longtime activist, was arrested Wednesday for interrupting a hearing during Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s testimony. He stood up in the middle of the hearing and shouted “Congress sent the bombs that kill children in Gaza and pays it with cuts to Medicaid.”

“I told Congress they’re killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they’re paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the U.S.,” Cohen confirmed after on X with a video of the event. “This was the authorities’ response.”

I told Congress they're killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they're paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US. This was the authorities' response. pic.twitter.com/uOf7xrzzWM

— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) May 14, 2025

Cohen was removed from the hearing room along with six others protesting the U.S. support of Israel in their Gaza military campaign. The group was charged with a misdemeanor offense of Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding.

This was not the first time Cohen had a run in with the law while protesting. The co-founder was arrested back in 2023 after advocating press freedoms and protesting military policies. After the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julien Assange, Cohen was arrested for protesting outside the Department of Justice by lighting a sign that read “Freedom of the Press” on fire and yelling “Freedom of the press is going up in smoke.”

Cohen was arrested alongside CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans after blocking the building’s entrance and were charged with unlawful entry after refusing to leave the premises.

You can watch the video Cohen shared in the clip above.

The post Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested After Derailing RFK Jr. Senate Hearing With Pro-Palestinian Protest appeared first on TheWrap.

Bruce Springsteen Kicks Off European Tour Bashing Trump as ‘Corrupt, Incompetent and Treasonous’ | Video

Bruce Springsteen took the time during his Manchester concert to go after President Donald Trump.

In the midst of the kickoff to his European Tour, Springsteen pulled no punches letting people know how dire he viewed the political situation back in the States. He said there was some “weird, strange, and dangerous s–t going on” back in America.

“They are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,” Springsteen said. “This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and moral society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”

Before singing of his city of ruin, Bruce Springsteen preaches of what is happening back home. He pulls no punches in a harsh sermon. This is part one of two on May 14, 2025 in Manchester. Papa preach. pic.twitter.com/TIZwERP37S

— The Unspin Room (@UnspinRoom) May 14, 2025

The rocker finished before kicking off his show: “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll in dangerous times. In my home – the America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years – is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”

Bruce Springsteen pulls no punches when he steps out at Co-Op Live in Manchester May 14 to open his 2025 European tour. He has some tough words for what is happening back home. The crowd goes wild for the Boss pic.twitter.com/Mtnpy9xmhn

— The Unspin Room (@UnspinRoom) May 14, 2025

Springsteen is no stranger to voicing his political opinions – specifically when it comes to Trump. He went after the president hard in a video where he endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz before the election where he called Trump “the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime.”

“His disdain for the sanctity of our Constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power should disqualify him from the office of president ever again,” he added.

The post Bruce Springsteen Kicks Off European Tour Bashing Trump as ‘Corrupt, Incompetent and Treasonous’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

HBO Max Enters Hall of Fame of Corporate Brand Reversals Alongside Netflix, Coca-Cola

HBO is synonymous with great television — and now HBO Max, the re-rechristened name of Warner Bros. Discovery’s linchpin streaming service, is synonymous with major corporate reversals.

There is little doubt about that, after WBD announced Wednesday that it was , the name it ditched in 2023. This is the fifth name for HBO’s streaming service in the past 11 years: HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO Max, Max and, once again, HBO Max.

“Maybe the fifth time will be the charm,” one Hulu manager joked to TheWrap about its rival’s name change.

HBO Max, you could easily argue, is now the Mona Lisa, Michael Jordan and “The Sopranos” of corporate 180s. But there are other contenders for the top prize in what could be called the Corporate Pivot Hall-of-Fame.

Netflix begets Qwikster

If you asked veteran Netflix investors, they would say the streaming giant makes plenty of great moves — and its share price being up 86% in the last year would support that claim. But not every decision has been a winner.

Notably, in 2011, co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings decided to split its DVD rental business and its nascent streaming service into two separate operations. The DVD-by-mail business would be dubbed “Qwikster,” and customers would have to pay for each service separately — combined they would cost $15.98, compared to the $10 a month subscribers had been paying for both.

The result? Customers revolted. Netflix lost 800,000 American subscribers during the third quarter of 2011, and the company’s share price was sliced in half.

Netflix’s Reed Hastings (Getty Images)

After only a few months, Netflix had to reverse course. While the price hike remained in place, Netflix announced it was ditching its plan to spin off its DVD rental business. The “Qwikster” name was jettisoned too, and everything remained under the Netflix banner.

“I messed up,” Hastings told Netflix customers in a 2011 email.

Viacom-CBS, together again

Like two exes deciding to give it another go, Viacom and CBS reunited in 2019, 13 years after the media behemoths split apart.

The reconciliation was driven by Shari Redstone in a move that undid her father Sumner Redstone’s decision to split the media companies apart back in ’06. Shari Redstone’s belief was the new ViacomCBS — which has since been renamed Paramount Global — could compete better with streaming heavyweights like Netflix as a single entity. The 2019 merger was a $12 billion all-cash deal.

This was a familiar path for both companies, too. Viacom was initially spun off from CBS in the early 1970s, before the two merged in 2000. When it comes to breaking up and getting back together, Viacom and CBS are the corporate version of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.

Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” U-turn

Here is Exhibit A of when the fan reaction is so bad that it forces an entertainment company to pivot ASAP.

When Paramount released the trailer for its first “Sonic the Hedgehog” flick in 2019, the fan reaction was brutal. Why? Because the beloved blue video-game character did not resemble the hedgehog Sega fans had come to know and love.

As TheWrap explained at the time, “Sonic’s look has been compared to Mike Myers in the live-action ‘The Cat in the Hat,’ to the Woody Woodpecker live-action movie made for a fraction of the budget, or to that kid who turns into a werewolf in Robin Williams’ ‘Jumanji.'”

None of that was good, and it forced Paramount to postpone the movie’s release by three months so that Sonic could be revamped. The move paid off, with “Sonic” bringing in $320 million at the box office — more than triple its budget — and spawning sequels.

New Coke, we hardly knew ye

This one may not be tied directly to the entertainment world, but it had to be mentioned — because when it comes to botched corporate revamps, “New Coke” is the first thing most people think of. At least it had the advantage of happening during the 1980s, sparing it from the barrage of social media jokes that the Max/HBO Max backtracking triggered.

An advertisement for New Coke in 1985 (Getty Images)

Back in 1985, Coca-Cola aimed to combat lagging sales by introducing “New Coke,” which offered a “smoother, rounder, yet bolder” take on its classic formula. Consumers hated the change, with many believing the sweeter “New Coke” tasted like old Pepsi.

The company pivoted less than three months later, bringing back the old formula as “Coca-Cola Classic” — a move that helped jumpstart sales. New Coke was renamed Coke II in 1990, before being abandoned altogether in 2002.

The post HBO Max Enters Hall of Fame of Corporate Brand Reversals Alongside Netflix, Coca-Cola appeared first on TheWrap.

Barbie Honors Anna Sui for AAPI Heritage Month

Grace Wales Bonner’s “Togetherness” takes over the Guggenheim ahead of the Met Gala, Barbie honors Anna Sui for AAPI Heritage Month, the Hammer Museum announces Noah Davis’ first U.S. institutional survey, Bioderma and Abigail Spencer celebrate 30 years of skincare at the Chateau Marmont.

Source: Hannah Turner-Harts (BFA)/Courtesy of Wales BonnerGrace Wales Bonner’s “Togetherness” takes over the Guggenheim 

Ahead of the Met Gala, Wales Bonner — the British fashion label founded by Grace Wales Bonner — hosted one of the hottest pre–Met Gala fashion parties of the weekend, presenting the second edition of “Togetherness” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The event, held that Saturday night, continued the designer’s series of immersive musical experiences celebrating culture, discovery and connection.

Following its June 19, 2024, debut in Paris during Fête de la Musique, “Togetherness” took place alongside the museum’s “Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers” exhibition. Nearly 90 of Johnson’s multimedia works — from his black soap paintings to monumental sculptures and videos — provided the backdrop for a night of musical innovation.

The event featured performances throughout the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed space by artists including Nigerian highlife duo The Cavemen; Sahel rock revivalists Etran de L’Aïr; South African vocal ensemble The Joy; genre-blending artist Amaarae; Afrobeats star Fireboy DML; rapper Navy Blue; producer Sir Rashad Ringo Smith; singer-songwriter keiyaA; and DJs Ade “Acyde” Odunlami and Akanbi. Notable attendees included Leon Bridges, Paloma Elsesser, Dapper Dan, Bethann Hardison, Aurora James, Henry Golding and Stefon Diggs.

“Togetherness” aims to bring audiences into a dialogue with sound in unconventional settings, making room for shared joy and reflection. The event emphasized Wales Bonner’s belief in music as both inspiration and connective force.

Wales Bonner also dressed Formula One icon Lewis Hamilton, co-chair of the 2025 Met Gala, for the main event. His bespoke ensemble drew on a range of influences — from the vivid portraiture of Barkley L. Hendricks to elements of Black spiritual dress and Wales Bonner’s signature tailoring language. At its core was an ivory wool tailcoat, paired with satin-detailed tuxedo trousers, a wing-tipped silk shirt and a silk bow tie. Layered over the look was a draped wool overcoat, hand-embroidered with cowrie shells and finished with fringed cuffs made of disc beads and mother-of-pearl buttons.

Accessories served as symbolic extensions of the look, with jewelry crafted in collaboration with SNOW Diamonds. Across cufflinks, brooches and ear cuffs, regal crests were reimagined as baobab flowers and adorned with emerald-cut diamonds in white, amber and garnet, detailed with natural feathers. The finishing touches included a satin-trimmed beret by Stephen Jones and black patent leather opera boots with crystal buckles — infusing the ensemble with an elevated “Superfly” spirit, in line with this year’s theme: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Source: MattelBarbie honors Anna Sui for AAPI Heritage Month

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Barbie has unveiled a new addition to its “Inspiring Women” series: a one-of-a-kind doll honoring groundbreaking fashion designer Anna Sui. 

A self-made, award-winning designer, Sui rose to prominence in the 1990s, defining the era’s grunge aesthetic while blending global influences, vintage references and subcultural styles. Her collections have long celebrated individuality and imagination — values that align with Barbie’s mission to empower girls everywhere to dream big.

To bring this tribute to life, Barbie worked closely with Sui to ensure the doll reflected her signature style. Dressed in a star-print dress inspired by Sui’s 2007 collection and chunky heeled boots, the doll channels the eclectic spirit of the designer. Her accessories — jet-black jewelry, statement sunglasses from her Spring 2025 collection and bright green nails (a nod to Sui’s current favorite shade from her cosmetics line) — complete the look. In a personal touch, the doll also comes with a mini replica of the Anna Sui Classic Eau de Toilette bottle.

“Having a Barbie doll in my likeness inducted to the ‘Inspiring Women’ series is such a meaningful and full-circle moment,” Sui said. “I’ve been a Barbie fan since childhood, and dressing Barbie played a pivotal role in igniting my passion for fashion. I spent countless hours designing looks for my dolls with fabric scraps leftover from my mom’s sewing projects — it was a creative outlet that encouraged me to follow my dreams. I know my younger self would be incredibly proud of how far I’ve come, and I hope my doll inspires fans to embrace curiosity, nurture their creativity and dream without limits.”

Beyond honoring Sui’s legacy, Barbie is also using the moment to give back. As part of its Dream Gap Project, Barbie will make a donation to Apex for Youth in partnership with Sui. The New York City-based nonprofit is dedicated to empowering underserved Asian and immigrant youth through mentoring, education, health and community engagement. A cause close to Sui’s heart, Apex for Youth supports the next generation of changemakers in building brighter, more equitable futures.

Barbie’s “Inspiring Women” series celebrates historical and modern trailblazers — women who broke boundaries, challenged stereotypes and paved the way for others to dream bigger. Past honorees during AAPI Heritage Month include Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi and pioneering actress Anna May Wong, as well as other iconic women such as Dr. Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, Jane Goodall and Frida Kahlo.

The Anna Sui doll is available now at Mattel Shop.

Source: The Estate of Noah Davis and David ZwirnerThe Hammer Museum announces the first U.S. institutional survey of Noah Davis

The Hammer Museum at UCLA will present Noah Davis, the first U.S. institutional survey of the visionary American artist Noah Davis, from June 8 to Aug. 31. Featuring more than 50 pieces of paintings, sculptures and works on paper, the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at Davis’ artistic output, including his community-driven vision as co-founder of the Underground Museum in Los Angeles.

Organized chronologically, the exhibition traces Davis’ career from 2007 until his untimely passing in 2015. His work reflects a wide-ranging engagement with history, popular culture, personal experience and social justice. Through vivid and emotionally resonant visual language, Davis explored subjects from everyday life, ancient Egypt and family history to racism in media and architectural symbolism. Highlights include “40 Acres and a Unicorn” (2007), “Isis” (2009) and the “Pueblo del Rio” series (2014), among other career-defining pieces.

The exhibition also marks a meaningful return to Los Angeles, where Davis lived, worked and established the Underground Museum with his wife, artist Karon Davis. Launched in 2012, the Arlington Heights space became a vital hub for art and community, offering free exhibitions, residencies and public programs — many organized in collaboration with MOCA, which Davis negotiated personally.

“Noah’s career was tragically short but extraordinarily impactful,” Hammer Museum director Zoë Ryan said. “He not only created a profound body of work, but also transformed how art is shared by building spaces that uplift overlooked artists and communities.”

Davis’ figurative paintings often depicted Black life through a lens of beauty, complexity and imagination. Drawing inspiration from vintage photography, film, literature and art history, Davis crafted scenes that blurred realism and dream, tenderness and critique. Whether portraying swimmers, dancers or people simply at rest, his subjects radiate presence and emotional depth.

Born in Seattle in 1983, Davis briefly studied at Cooper Union before moving to Los Angeles in 2004. While working at the Art Catalogues bookstore, he cultivated a deep appreciation for a wide range of painters — from Caspar David Friedrich to Kerry James Marshall — which informed his own bold and lyrical style. Committed to depicting Black life outside of media stereotypes, Davis’ work served as both an aesthetic breakthrough and a form of resistance.

Noah Davis is organized by the Barbican, London, and initiated with DAS MINSK, Potsdam. The Hammer presentation is curated by Aram Moshayedi, with Ikechúkwú Onyewuenyi and Nyah Ginwright. The exhibition will travel to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2026.

For more information, visit hammer.ucla.edu.

Source: GapGap × Dôen launch a second collaboration—now featuring menswear

Following the sellout success of their first partnership, Gap and Dôen are back with a second limited-edition collection. The summer-ready line brings Dôen’s signature vintage-inspired femininity to Gap’s classic American style — and, for the first time ever, introduces menswear to Dôen’s offerings.

The new 38-piece collection builds on the most-loved pieces from the first release while introducing new silhouettes, airy fabrics and thoughtful updates. Highlights include romantic eyelet dresses in new colors and shorter cuts, coastal-inspired matching sets in red, navy and gingham and a reimagining of Gap’s iconic arch logo using Dôen’s delicate typeface. The collection also expands into denim with sailor-inspired minis, high-rise trouser shorts and oversized jackets, along with a sweet selection for babies and toddlers.

The debut of Dôen’s menswear features relaxed classics like pleated denim trousers, a cotton poplin big shirt and elevated basics including an embroidered eyelet shirt and vintage-feel pocket tee.

Co-founder and CEO Margaret Kleveland calls the collaboration a tribute to the Dôen community, with campaign imagery by Clara Balzary featuring a cast of women closely tied to the brand — including Kirsty Hume, Bruna Tenório and Imani Randolph — celebrating connection, ease and timeless style.

In line with both brands’ commitment to equity and sustainability, the Gap × DÔEN collection was produced in factories participating in the RISE (Reimagining Industry to Support Equality) initiative. Founded by Gap Inc. in 2023, RISE supports gender equity in the global garment industry, and this marks DÔEN’s first launch under the initiative in its own supply chain.

The collection is available now on gap.com and in select Gap stores. Prices range from $34 to $158, with adult sizing available for both men and women, plus baby and toddler styles.

Source: Montage Laguna BeachThe Montage Laguna Beach teams up with Skin Design London and Saks Fifth Avenue

Just in time for summer, Montage Laguna Beach — the five-star coastal retreat perched on the bluffs above the Pacific — has introduced a new beauty and a new fashion collaboration.

In an exclusive new partnership with Skin Design London, the cosmeceutical skincare brand created by celebrity facialist Fatma Shaheen, Spa Montage is now offering two of Shaheen’s most coveted facials. The Vitamin Skin Glow Facial is a revitalizing treatment that uses advanced lymphatic massage to lift, tone and brighten the complexion—perfect for post-travel fatigue or a mid-summer refresh. For those seeking instant contour and lift, the Face Tight Facial offers a sculpting, skin-tightening experience using Shaheen’s signature SDL Facelift technique. Shaheen’s A-list following includes Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Camila Morrone and Suki Waterhouse.

Additionally, the hotel has debuted the Fifth Avenue Club Suite, bringing the personalized luxury of Saks Fifth Avenue shopping directly to the resort, along with complimentary styling sessions with a Saks style advisor who will curate hand-selected fashion and accessories tailored to each individual guest. The suite will also play host to exclusive trunk shows, jewelry showcases and other high-end retail experiences.

Source: Getty Images for BiodermaBioderma celebrates 30 years of skincare innovation with Abigail Spencer

French skincare brand Bioderma marked a major milestone — 30 years of dermatological skincare — earlier this month with an intimate dinner hosted by actress and entrepreneur Abigail Spencer. Held in celebration of the brand’s legacy and its most iconic product, Sensibio H2O Micellar Water, the evening brought together a glowing group of beauty insiders at Chateau Marmont.

Guests included Zooey Deschanel, Jamie Chung, Ashley Madekwe, Camilla Luddington, Kim Raver, Nasim Pedrad, Chriselle Lim, Annabelle Fleur, Rocky Barnes, Nichelle Hines, Amanda Kloots, Maggie Lawson and Melanie Lynskey — all longtime fans of the French pharmacy staple known for its gentle yet effective cleansing power.

At the heart of the celebration was Sensibio H2O, the micellar water that started it all. A backstage and editorial essential, this cult-favorite cleanser is lauded by makeup artists, models and dermatologists alike for its ability to effortlessly remove makeup and impurities while respecting sensitive skin. First introduced in 1995, Sensibio H2O has since become a global phenomenon, with one bottle reportedly sold every two seconds worldwide.

The evening’s aesthetic matched the product’s refined simplicity. Abigail Spencer’s floral studio, County Line Florals, infused the event with rustic elegance, creating a dreamy setting of soft blooms and natural textures that captured the brand’s clean, minimalist ethos. Guests gathered for a candlelit dinner and raised a glass to three decades of skincare excellence, innovation and clean beauty.

Source: U BeautyU Beauty launches a new sunscreen with Michelle Monaghan 

U Beauty, the high-performance skincare brand founded by Tina Chen Craig, just debuted its latest breakthrough: The Multimodal Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 25. This multitasking product combines suncare, skincare and primer into one ultra-lightweight, mineral-based formula.

Actress Michelle Monaghan — longtime sun-safety advocate and now U Beauty’s first brand ambassador — stars in the Multimodal Sheer campaign. “I always say, the best sunscreen is the one you’ll actually use every single day,” Monaghan said. “Multimodal Sheer is just that. It’s easy, effective and feels incredible on the skin. It primes, protects and brightens—everything I need in one product.”

Monaghan’s connection to sun protection is personal. After having melanoma removed from her leg over a decade ago, she has remained an outspoken advocate for skin cancer education. “That moment changed everything for me,” she said. “Sun protection became non-negotiable, and I’ve been searching for a product like this ever since.”

Formulated with non-nano zinc oxide, the physical sunscreen shields against daily environmental aggressors while providing a weightless, second-skin feel. Supporting ingredients like Pongamia Pinnata Seed Extract, Stabilized Vitamin C and Clary Sage Extract work to brighten, smooth and enhance the skin’s radiance. A bio-inspired skin brightener contributes to a visibly balanced, luminous complexion, while also creating the ideal canvas for makeup. 

Multimodal Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 25 retails for $98 and is available at U Beauty.com, Amazon.com, Blue Mercury, Nordstrom.com, SaksFifthAvenue.com, BergdorfGoodman.com and VioletGrey.com. 

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