Steve Pond's Blog, page 2022
January 4, 2020
13 ‘Simpsons’ Predictions That Have NOT Come True… But Certainly Could (Photos)
Who needs Nostradamus when you’ve got “The Simpsons”? The long-running animated comedy has an uncanny talent for looking into the future with incredible accuracy. Here are 13 times “The Simpsons” predicted events that haven’t happened yet… but still could.
Hover Cars
Back in 2005, Professor Frink invented a machine that allowed Bart and Lisa to see into their future, as in 2013. Marge left Homer because he blew through their savings on an underwater house and spent what he had leftover on a hover car. Although the ride is bumpy (it’s a prototype), it does get them through a quantum tunnel. How close is that vision to coming true? In 2017, Renault created a futuristic-looking concept car called “Float” that could move in any direction without turning. The same technology is being used in Tesla’s Hyperloop train design.
Mind Control Through Music
A 2001 episode of “The Simpsons” called “New Kids on the Blecch” scared the bejesus of parents with its plot that had Bart and his pals in a new band that unwillingly was a psy-ops project by the Navy Dept. to feed children with subliminal messages in the music. Their biggest hit: a song titled “Drop Da Bomb.” This entry may be making it into TheWrap’s “Simpsons predictions that have come true” story sooner rather than later, as many people believe that hip-hop lyrics brainwash.
Virtual Reality Food
“The Simpsons” made it back to the future, this time to 2030, where Homer and Marge chowed down on “virtual fudge” via VR glasses and feeding tubes. Although you’d think the whole “virtual,” “no calories” thing would have trimmed down the junk food junkie patriarch, it didn’t. Royal Caribbean is looking into giving their cruise line guests a VR dining experience – with every bite of food, you are transported to a new setting. And food scientists at Cornell University found that cheese eaten in a pleasant VR setting tasted better.
Colonization of Mars
Marge is not thrilled when Lisa volunteers for a future one-way trip to Mars… so she volunteers to go with her. In fact, hoping to dissuade Lisa, the whole family signs up. The idea behind Exploration Incorporated’s expedition is to colonize the Red Planet before 2026, a date that moves up to, like, the end of the week. The takeoff fails but Lisa and Marge make it to Mars in 2051, only for Lisa to announce she wants to move to Venus. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is currently developing Mars-bound cargo flights for as early as 2022, but to fully colonize Mars would require an out of this world budget.
Hologram Mail
Another look into the future had a deadbeat Bart getting a hologram message hiring his band for a club gig. The booking signed off with “smell ya later,” which replaced the customary “goodbye.” HD3 holograms – a 3-sided holographic display case – is already available for use in stores and installed in more-than 500 Best Buy stores. Could hologram mail be far off? Maybe. But one thing is for sure, it won’t be cheap.
Suppression of Green Energy
In the 582nd episode of “The Simpsons,” Lisa invents a car powered by solar energy to race in the Alternative Energy Derby, only for the Duff blimp to block out the sun, making her vehicle stop dead inches from the finish line. Weird coincidence or a message about a large company (Duff) sabotaging the progression of green, renewable energy for corporate interests?
Large-Scale Environmental Disaster
“The Simpsons Movie” takes a massive environmental disaster that most definitely could happen but fixes it in a truly implausible way. In the 2007 film, Homer dumps pig feces in the already dangerously polluted Springfield Lake, causing an environmental crisis. To keep the town’s contamination contained, the president encloses Springfield under a giant glass dome. Can it happen (the deadly levels of contaminated water)? Hell yes. And it has many times.
First Foreign-Born President
The U.S. president who ordered a giant dome to be erected over Springfield after the previously mentioned disaster was… wait for it… President Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, the former California governor has some political experience, but the Constitution states that “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.” But there is room for interpretation.
Ivanka Trump Runs for President in 2028
“The Simpsons” made a rather subtle point of suggesting that the first daughter, Ivanka Trump, would run for the highest office in the land when Homer wore n “Ivanka 2018” campaign button in a 2016 episode. They again tossed shade on Ivanka in 2017 by marking her father’s 100th day in office with an episode that showed her replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, while modeling a robe and earrings from her collection that could be bought for 1,000 rubles. It is conceivable that Ivanka could run for president, and although there are “preferred” qualifications of a Supreme Court Justice, the Constitution does not stipulate anything one way or the other.
ABC Merges With Several Networks
In a flash-forward of the day Lisa got married, a news telecast showed that ABC had merged with a couple of other major television networks to become CNNBCBS. TV networks, film studios and production companies are merging all over the place the last few years so anything is possible on that front. On the flip side, that same episode said that Fox had gradually become a hardcore sex channel. So there’s that.
Robots Take Over
“The Simpsons” predicted mass automation in 2012 with robots taking over jobs of many humans (which many believe is already happening), but a robot coup was touched on long before that. In a 1994 episode of “Itchy and Scratchy Land,” the family visited a theme park manned with robots that go off the rails and kill everybody. Jürgen Schmidhuber – known as “the father of artificial intelligence” – believes that AI superintelligence will trigger runaway technological growth and profound changes to civilization in “just 30 years.”
Big Ben Goes Digital
The “Lisa’s Wedding” episode in 1995 once again cast a look into the future (as in, 2010), when she was in love with a Brit. A trip to England to meet his parents showed the famous Clock Tower sporting a new look to the face of Big Ben: digital display. It reappeared 17 seasons later next to the St. Beatles Cathedral in the “Holidays of Future Passed” episode. Big Ben’s chimes have been silent for over a year and won’t be ringing again until 2021 due to repairs, but going digital? Nah.
Bigfoot Is Real
While on a camping trip with the gang, Homer is mistaken for Bigfoot after falling into mud and is captured by scientists for observation. But it was Bart who encountered the real Sasquatch in 2002 while exiting a bus in Canada. OK, so maybe we’re stretching it a little, saying that Bigfoot “could be” real.” Then again, maybe we’re not.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'The Simpsons' to Re-air First Full-Length Episode, Sets New Christmas Special With Jane Lynch
10 Sweetest Donut Scenes in Movies and TV, From 'The Simpsons' to 'Full Metal Jacket' (Videos)
'Simpsons' Producer Responds to Adi Shankar's Claim They'll Drop Apu: 'Does Not Speak for Our Show'
‘The Grudge’ US Movie Franchise, Ranked Worst to Best (Photos)
The “Ju-On” movies are among the most influential and prolific horror franchises of the last 30 years, but good luck trying to watch them all. Created by Takashi Shimizu, they tell the story of a murder so horrendously violent and hateful that it leaves a house horrifically cursed, so that anyone who enters it takes the evil with them, like a supernatural virus. What began as a couple of short films and TV movies eventually became a full-blown feature film franchise, which then led to a hit American remake franchise, and recently a showdown spin-off in which the ghosts from “The Grudge” fight the little girl from the original “The Ring.”
But since most of the “Ju-On” movies are currently hard to find in America, the remakes are holding down the fort for the series. With a new “The Grudge” in theaters, let’s see how the American films rank up against each other.
4. “The Grudge” (2020)
Nicolas Pesce’s “The Grudge” takes place in the same continuity as the other American films in the series, but this time it’s dreary and dull. The curse has taken hold in a suburban house in Pennsylvania, and an impressive ensemble of actors find themselves tormented by its evil spirits. But although “The Grudge” boasts the best cast in the series — Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, Jacki Weaver, John Cho, Betty Gilpin, Frankie Faison — it’s got only one mood, and that mood is depressive. The ghosts are merely a perfunctory addition to a series of drab melodramas, neither scary nor particularly meaningful. Just kinda there.
3. “The Grudge 3” (2009)
The majority of the “Grudge” movies are told in a non-linear fashion, with a series of interconnected stories from different times. “The Grudge 3” is the exception that proves why the rule is the rule. The ghosts from the first two “Grudges” are back and haunting an apartment complex in Chicago, but the ghosts never want anything other than to spread death and pain, so theres not much for “The Grudge 3” to build to. Cutting between multiple storylines gives the “Grudge” films a sense of omnipresent terror. Sticking with just one family whose fate is already sealed makes “The Grudge 3” play like just some unremarkable ghost story.
2. “The Grudge” (2004)
Not only did Takashi Shimizu direct the American remake of his own horror franchise, but he also kept the action entirely in Japan, even though almost all the characters are American. The result is a film that repeats many of the same beats that fans of the Japanese series were familiar with — mostly from “Ju-On: The Grudge,” but a few from other installments as well — but instead of playing like a modern tragedy about a haunted house, it plays like a cautionary tale about Americans running afoul of local superstitions. Whether that’s scarier or not may depend on which version you see first. Shimizu’s remake is creepy and effective, regardless.
1. “The Grudge 2” (2006)
Call us crazy, but although both of Takashi Shimizu’s American “Grudge” films are covering familiar territory, in the sequel his direction seems even more assured. The curse is back, of course, and hunting down teenaged girls who entered the haunted house on a dare, and following them all the way back to the United States, while the sister of the previous film’s protagonist learns firsthand just what horrors set this whole bizarre chain of events in motion. The shocks are most efficient and frequently more inventive, and Amber Tamblyn is a more emotionally invested protagonist.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'The Grudge' Becomes 20th Film to Receive an 'F' on CinemaScore
All 20 Movies That Flunked CinemaScore With F Grade, From 'Solaris' to 'The Grudge' (Photos)
'The Grudge' Remake Scares Up $1.8 Million at Thursday Box Office
'The Grudge' Film Review: Classy Cast Gets Trapped Inside Played-Out Sequel
Terry Gilliam: I’m ‘Tired’ of White Men Being ‘Blamed for Everything That Is Wrong’ in the World
Terry Gilliam’s mind is on the #MeToo movement, his self-identification as a “melanin-light male”… and says he has had enough of white males “being blamed for everything that is wrong with the world.”
“We’re living in a time where there’s always somebody responsible for your failures, and I don’t like this,” Gilliam said of the #MeToo movement in a Saturday interview with The Independent. “I want people to take responsibility and not just constantly point a finger at somebody else, saying, ‘You’ve ruined my life.'”
The director went on to suggest that Harvey Weinstein’s accusers were to blame for the “choices” they made.
Also Read: Terry Gilliam Lets Loose on 'Don Quixote,' Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Marvel and More
“There are many victims in Harvey’s life,” Gilliam said, “and I feel sympathy for them, but then, Hollywood is full of very ambitious people who are adults and they make choices. We all make choices, and I could tell you who did make the choice and who didn’t. I hate Harvey. I had to work with him and I know the abuse.”
He continued: “I can tell you about a very well-known actress coming up to me and saying, ‘What do I have to do to get in your film, Terry?’ I don’t understand why people behave as if this hasn’t been going on as long as there’ve been powerful people. I understand that men have had more power longer, but I’m tired, as a white male, of being blamed for everything that is wrong with the world. I didn’t do it!”
During the 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the former Monty Python member said he tells “the world now I’m a black lesbian” in response to calls to diversify the field of comedy.
Also Read: Terry Gilliam Trashes 'Black Panther': 'It's Utter Bulls--'
“I don’t like the term black or white. I’m now referring to myself as a melanin-light male. I can’t stand the simplistic, tribalistic behaviour that we’re going through at the moment,” he told The Independent, referring to his older comments.
“I’m talking about being a man accused of all the wrong in the world because I’m white-skinned. So I better not be a man. I better not be white. OK, since I don’t find men sexually attractive, I’ve got to be a lesbian. What else can I be? I like girls. These are just logical steps.”
Gilliam’s latest film, “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” will roll out in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin and other top markets starting April 19. The film will also be released on all major VOD platforms on the 19th, as well, and will continue to expand theatrically throughout the spring and beyond.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Terry Gilliam Lets Loose on 'Don Quixote,' Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Marvel and More
Harvey Weinstein's Lawyer Says Number of Accusers 'Helps' Mogul in Criminal Trial (Video)
Harvey Weinstein's Criminal Trial Starts Monday – Here's What to Expect
‘First Cow’ Director Kelly Reichardt Wins $50,000 Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant
“First Cow” director Kelly Reichardt has been given a $50,000 Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant designed to recognize a mid-career female director.
Reichardt won the third annual Bonnie Award, named for Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who became the first woman to pilot a major U.S. airline when she joined the award’s sponsor, American Airlines, in 1973.
Actress Alfre Woodard and filmmaker Jon M. Chu presented the award, one of four grants given out by Film Independent at its nominees brunch at the BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday.
Also Read: 'The Lighthouse,' 'Uncut Gems' Lead Nominees at Independent Spirit Awards
In addition to the $50,000 Bonnie Award, $25,000 unrestricted grants were given to an up-and-coming producer (Molly Asher), director (Rashaad Ernesto Green) and documentary director (Nadia Shihab).
Winners in the rest of the Spirit Awards categories will be announced during the main Spirit Awards show on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The nominees and winners:
BONNIE AWARD
Recognizes a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.
Marielle Heller
Kelly Reichardt *WINNER
Lulu Wang
PRODUCERS AWARD
Includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Mollye Asher *WINNER
Krista Parris
Ryan Zacarias
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Rashaad Ernesto Green, director of “Premature” *WINNER
Ash Mayfair, director of “The Third Wife”
Joe Talbot, director of “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Khalik Allah, director of “Black Mother”
Davy Rothbart, director of “17 Blocks”
Nadia Shihab , director of “Jaddoland” *WINNER
Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside, director of “América”
Related stories from TheWrap:
Aubrey Plaza to Return as Host of 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards
Jennifer Lopez Is a 'Survivor' This Awards Season and 4 Other Things We Learned at Palm Springs 2020
Golden Globes 2020: Can the Awards Show Buck Ratings Trends Again?
‘Parasite’ Wins Best Picture From National Society of Film Critics: Complete Winners List
Bong Joon Ho‘s “Parasite” won Best Picture from the National Society of Film Critics, which met at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City on Saturday to choose its winners for the 54th time. The South Korean drama also won Best Screenplay from the group.
The society recognized two indies for the top acting prizes: Mary Kay Place for “Diane” and Antonio Banderas for Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory.” The supporting acting honors went to Brad Pitt for “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and Laura Dern for her work in both “Marriage Story” and “Little Women.”
The National Society of Film Critics was established in 1966, with its co-founders including Pauline Kael, Joe Morgenstern and Richard Schickel. The group currently has 60 active members. Members who have not seen most or all of the contending films can disqualify themselves from voting.
Also Read: New York Film Critics Circle Awards: 'The Irishman' Named Best Picture of 2019
For most of its history, the NSFC’s choices have been more idiosyncratic than the Academy’s, and often more oriented toward foreign cinema. Recent winners have included Jean-Luc Godard’s “Goodbye to Language,” the Coen brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis,” Michael Haneke’s “Amour,” Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” and Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.” Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider” won last year.
Only seven films in the group’s first 53 years won the NSFC’s top award and went on to win the Best Picture Oscar, including “Spotlight” in 2016 and “Moonlight” in 2017.
The 2019 National Society of Film Critics winners:
Best Picture:
Runners-up: “Parasite” (44 points)
Runners-up: “Little Women” (27 points); “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” (22 points)
Best Actor: Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory” (69 points)
Runners-up: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” (43 points); Adam Sandler, “Uncut Gems” (41 points)
Best Actress: Mary Kay Place, “Diane” (40 points)
Runners-up: Zhao Tao, “Ash Is Purest White” (28 points) Florence Pugh, “Midsommar” (25 points)
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” (64 points)
Runners-up: Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” (30 points) Wesley Snipes, “Dolemite Is My Name” and Song Kang Ho, “Parasite” (18 points, tie)
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” and “Little Women” (57 points)
Runners-up: Florence Pugh, “Little Women” (44 points) Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers” (26 points)
Also Read: 'Parasite' Wins Best Picture From Los Angeles Film Critics
Best Director: Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” (39 points)
Runners-up: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” (36 points); Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman” (31 points)
Best Screenplay: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, “Parasite” (37 points)
Runners-up: Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” (34 points); Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” (33 points)
Best Cinematography: Claire Mathon, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Atlantics” (41 points)
Runners-up: Robert Richardson, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” (29 points); Yorick Le Saux, “Little Women (22 points)
Best Nonfiction Film: “Honeyland” (33 points)
Runners-up: “American Factory” (28 points); “Apollo 11,” (27 points)
Film Heritage Award: “To the Museum of Modern Art for ‘Private Lives, Public Spaces,’ curated by Ron Magliozzi, which makes visible MoMA’s collection of more than 100 years of vernacular moving images, most of them home movies by the famous and unknown.” And to “Rialto Pictures, in its 22nd year, for distributing 4k restorations of beloved classics like ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ and presenting neglected work by masters such as ‘The White Sheik’ and, for the first time, the uncut version of ‘Christ Stopped at Eboli.'”
Brian Welk contributed to this report.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Golden Globes 2020: Can the Awards Show Buck Ratings Trends Again?
Jennifer Lopez Is a 'Survivor' This Awards Season and 4 Other Things We Learned at Palm Springs 2020
5 Awards Shows on One Night! Inside the Most Crammed Awards Season Ever
Does ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Have a Post-Credits Scene?
It’s been “Star Wars” overload over the past four years. After we got six movies in the juggernaut franchise in the first three decades of its existence, we’ve gotten five new films since 2015, including a new trilogy that was brought to a close in JJ Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
So far “The Rise of Skywalker” has earned the second-worst Rotten Tomatoes percentage, at 54 percent as of this writing, of the franchise, just barely edging out the 53 percent that “The Phantom Menace” earned. Even “Attack of the Clones” managed to get a 65-percent positive rating. Not that a Tomatometer score is necessarily a good gauge of how a film will be remembered, but it certainly works as a gauge for the how the discourse is going right now — which is to say that there’s been a lot of arguing about this one.
With the “Star Wars” films going on break for the next three years after “The Rise of Skywalker,” and given that “The Mandalorian” hasn’t really driven much in the way of fun “Star Wars” discourse outside of all those Baby Yoda memes, maybe it’s a good thing that we got a film that’s causing so much consternation. We don’t get enough chances as it is to fight with everyone we know about something that actually doesn’t really matter. So we have to make it count when the opportunity arises.
Also Read: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Actually Makes 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Force Awakens' Worse
Given the impending hiatus for the films, it’s valid to wonder if “The Rise of Skywalker” might want to get into the post-credits scene game. Not all post-credits scenes are teases for future movies — there are plenty that simply serve as an extended epilogue. So is now the time when “Star Wars” joins this popular trend, by throwing in a bonus mid- or post-credits scene?
Unfortunately for fans hoping for any extra content during or after the credits, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has no post-credits or mid-credits scenes. Once the credits begin, the movie has no more content for you beyond just the credits themselves. We’ve still never had a post-credits scene on any “Star Wars” movie.
Given how many people put in a lot of work to bring the film to life, it’s not the worst idea in the world to stick around in appreciation for their effort. But if you gotta go, you gotta go — and you can rest assured you aren’t missing something crucial if you head out when the credits start.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Actually Makes 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Force Awakens' Worse
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' – We Need to Talk About This Rose Tico Situation
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' – How Is Emperor Palpatine Still Alive?
Harvey Weinstein’s Lawyer Says Number of Accusers ‘Helps’ Mogul in Criminal Trial (Video)
Donna Rotunno, one of Harvey Weinstein’s lead attorneys, says the sheer number of women who have come forward to accuse the disgraced movie mogul of sexual misconduct could actually help him in his criminal trial, which begins on Monday.
During a Saturday morning interview with CNN, host Michael Smerconish asked Rotunno how the court would be able to find a “fair and impartial jury” given that more than 100 women have publicly accused Weinstein of misconduct.
“In some ways, that number sort of helps us, because once the jury sits down and the jury hears that this is only about two women, I think they start to wonder how truthful those other circumstances are,” Rotunno said. “Or, if there were so many, why aren’t they a part of the criminal case?”
Also Read: Harvey Weinstein's Criminal Trial Starts Monday - Here's What to Expect
Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty, faces five counts, including for predatory sexual assault and rape, based on the accusations of Mimi Haleyi and an unnamed woman for incidents they say occurred in 2006 and 2013. Rotunno also asserted that the defense has a “wealth of evidence” to show that the accusations “don’t rise to the level of rape,” and said that the jury could not factor whether Weinstein testifies or not into their decision-making process.
As for the more high-profile celebrities who have come forward — like Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Rosanna Arquette and Mira Sorvino — most of their accounts will not be factored into the upcoming trial because the alleged incidents took place outside the statute of limitations or did not take place in New York, where the trial is being held.
Still, at least one actress is expected to take the stand: Annabella Sciorra, who has accused Weinstein of rape. While Weinstein cannot be charged for her account of an incident in the early 199os, which falls outside the statute of limitations, her testimony is expected to bolster the prosecution’s case against Weinstein. And when asked by Smerconish about cross-examining Sciorra, Rotunno said she anticipated the actress would be an “excellent witness on the stand.”
“Annabella Sciorra is an actress, and she has spent an entire life acting for a living, and I anticipate that she will be an excellent witness on the stand,” Rotunno said. “I’m sure she will be prepared to answer my questions, she will be ready for what I am going to ask her, and again, I think the circumstances and the facts and the evidence in the case will show to the jury that she, her statements don’t rise to the level of what the prosecution is asking the jury to convict Mr. Weinstein on.”
Later in the interview, Rotunno commented on the #MeToo movement and cautioned against the adage of “believe women.”
Also Read: Harvey Weinstein Served With New Lawsuit, Accused of Sexually Assaulting 16-Year-Old Model
“If we live under a system — whether it’s the justice system, whether it’s a system of social justice — to say that we must believe someone just because they make a claim, that’s problematic for you, for me, and for every American citizen,” Rotunno said. “I think there are many good things that come from #MeToo, but in the end, if #MeToo strips you of your rights to due process and a fair trial, then as a criminal defense attorney, I have to say that there’s problems with it.”
Watch the interview above.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Harvey Weinstein's Criminal Trial Starts Monday – Here's What to Expect
LA District Attorney Is Reviewing 8 Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Harvey Weinstein
January 3, 2020
Lawsuit That Accused Miley Cyrus of Copyright Infringement Is Dropped
Miley Cyrus and Jamaican composer Michael May, aka Flourgon, have come to an agreement that brings an end to a $300 million 2013 lawsuit in which he accused her of ripping off one of his songs from 25 years earlier.
May had filed the suit in a federal court in New York in March 2018, saying that Cyrus’ 2013 song “We Can’t Stop” replicated a reggae song he wrote in 1988 called “We Run Things,” which became a No. 1 hit in Jamaica, and “was additionally met with great acclaim in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America.”
May’s song contains the phrase “We run things. Things no run we.” Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop,” meanwhile, contains the chorus hook “We run things. Things don’t run we.”
Also Read: Miley Cyrus Lawsuit: Listen to the Jamaican Song 'We Can't Stop' Is Accused of Copying
In documents filed in a Southern District of New York court on Dec. 20, the two parties — along with Theron Thomas, Timothy Thomas, Michael Thomas, Michael Len Williams II aka Mike Will Made It / Mike Will and Larry Rudolph – have agreed that “this action shall be discontinued with prejudice…with each party to bear its or his own costs and attorneys’ fees.”
Dismissal “with prejudice” is a final judgment that bars the plaintiff from bringing an action on the same claim.
“We Can’t Stop” — which is about partying and recreational drug use — was released by RCA Records in June 2013 as the lead single on Cyrus’ fourth studio album, Bangerz. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Why Her Marriage to Liam Hemsworth Ended: 'I Have Nothing to Hide'
Netflix Drops Miley Cyrus' 'Black Mirror' Tracks – Listen to Ashley O's 'On a Roll' Here
15 Most Memorable, Outrageous Golden Globes Moments of All Time (Photos)
From poorly timed bathroom breaks to offensive jokes, TheWrap rounds up the most memorable moments from Hollywood’s booziest awards show
In 1980, Bette Midler tickled the audience with a “Golden Globes” pun while accepting the award for “The Rose.”
Cher was at a literal loss for words while accepting a Golden Globe for her role in “Silkwood” in 1984. “Just look at my dress until I can think of something,” the actress said.
When Christine Lahti won for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 1998, the “Chicago Hope” star was late to accept her award because she was in the ladies’ room, forcing Robin Williams to vamp on stage.
Ving Rhames won Best Actor in a TV Miniseries for his role in HBO’s “Don King: Only in America” in 1998, but when it came time to accept the award on stage, the actor decided it to pass it on to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon instead.
Renée Zellweger also made an ill-timed bathroom break at the Golden Globes, nearly missing her opportunity to collect her award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 2001.
Appearing slightly inebriated, Elizabeth Taylor almost made the mistake of naming 2001’s Best Drama winner before the nominees had even been announced.
Jack Nicholson gave a Valium-fueled acceptance speech for “About Schmidt” in 2003, admitting he thought the movie had been nominated in the wrong category.
Rather than giving a traditional acceptance speech, “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen launched into a long, slightly inappropriate anecdote while collecting his Golden Globe in 2007. “I saw some dark parts of America, an ugly side of America, a side of America that rarely sees the light of day,” he said. “I refer, of course, to the anus and testicles of my co-star Ken Davitian.”
While most actors choose to thank family, friends and co-stars on stage, Mickey Rourke instead thanked Hollywood for giving him a second chance when he won in 2009 for “The Wrestler.”
Ricky Gervais’ second hosting gig in 2011 the host managed to offend Charlie Sheen, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Cher, the entire cast of “Sex and the City” and many more in just under 5 minutes.
While accepting her Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement achievement award in 2013, the famously private Jodie Foster cryptically came out of the closet while simultaneously rejecting the idea that it was anybody’s business.
In 2014, while presenting the award for Best Screenplay, Emma Thompson walked on stage with her shoes in one hand and a martini in another. When her hands proved too full to open the envelope, the veteran actress chucked her shoes to the side and handed her drink to the attendant.
While hosting the show in 2015, comedy duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler didn’t shy away from sensitive material, ripping into Bill Cosby over the multiple sexual assault allegations against him.
Hosts Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg opted for compliments over zingers in their 2019 monologue, but the duo’s stint as co-hosts will best be remembered for Oh’s heartfelt speech about progress and representation.
‘Project Runway’ Contestant Eliminated After Shading Host Karlie Kloss for Ties to Jared Kushner (Video)
Contestants and judges alike gasped audibly on the latest episode of “Project Runway” when one of the show’s contestants made a pointed joke about host Karlie Kloss’ family connection to Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — and was soon eliminated from the fashion design competition.
In the episode, which aired Thursday, contestants were asked to design an outfit for Kloss to wear at a charity event in Paris using only materials from a Goodwill store. Contestant Tyler Neasloney’s submission didn’t go over so well with judges — nor did his response to their questions.
Kloss asked Neasloney about the outfit he designed, which he said was “going for a very traditional like Montauk, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod, Americana vibe.”
Designer and judge Brandon Maxwell then noted that the challenge at hand was for contestants to design something that is “Super cool, A. Wearable, B. Chic, C. You got B. You got wearable. It’s definitely wearable in some place that is neither Paris nor Montauk or Martha’s Vineyard.”
Also Read: 'The Grudge' Remake Scares Up $1.8 Million at Thursday Box Office
“I cannot see Karlie wearing it anywhere, honestly,” Maxwell declared.
“Not even to dinner with the Kushners?” Neasloney replied with maximum shade.
Kloss is married to Joshua Kushner, younger brother of Jared. Kloss and Joshua Kushner are both Democrats and in several interviews she has tactfully distanced herself from Jared and his wife, Ivanka Trump. “I choose to focus on the values that I share with my husband, and those are the same liberal values that I was raised with and that have guided me throughout my life,” she told British Vogue in July.
On “Project Runway,” reactions to Neasloney’s joke were not positive. His fellow contestants gasped and cringed, with one of them saying “Holy s—.” The judges meanwhile sat stone-faced, and Kloss stared blankly at Neasloney for several seconds until he awkwardly tried to salvage the situation by saying, “That’s your husband!”
Kloss didn’t respond to that, keeping things focused on Neasloney’s design. “I was going to Paris. That was your challenge here. Keep it to the challenge.”
“This is not what I asked for. The fabrics are poor choices; I think they look cheap,” Kloss continued. “The pockets are kind of ill-placed. And if this is your aesthetic then that’s that, but this was about my aesthetic and the influence of my stylist. You really missed the mark here on all counts.”
After being dressed down (sorry), Neasloney went backstage where he attempted to climb out of the hole he had dug himself. “It did not come out how I meant it,” he said. “Not how I meant it. Sorry, Karlie.”
The apology didn’t save him, however — Neasloney was eliminated from the show shortly thereafter. Before he left, he apologized again to Kloss. “Karlie, I want you to know that I’m not a jerk, I’m professional,” he said. “What I said earlier had no hidden agenda, no meaning, no nothing like that.”
Watch the video, courtesy of TooFab, above.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' in Works at Bravo
Chuy Bravo, Chelsea Handler's Talk Show Sidekick, Dies at 63
'Queer as Folk' Reboot Moves From Bravo to NBCU Streaming Service
Steve Pond's Blog
