Men's Journal's Blog, page 114
May 12, 2025
Tom Cruise Wants to Star in a Musical for His Next Movie Role
Tom Cruise has a surprising plan for his next movie role.
Fans have become used to seeing the Mission Impossible actor in action movies, performing death-defying stunts.
However, it appears that the acting legend wants to go in a new direction with his next big role.
Cruise made the revelation to London television presenter Edith Bowman on Sunday, May 11, 2025, according to People.
He revealed he wants to star in a musical, although that doesn't mean he will give up starring in other film genres.
Tom Cruise singing may not make sense at first, but he seemed emphatic about the idea. And he's done it before. Cruise starred in the musical Rock of Ages in 2012.
"Definitely a musical. Absolutely, musicals," the actor told Bowman, according to People. "You know, dramas, action adventures. It's endless. My goals are endless."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cruise already learned to sing for Rock of Ages, where he played a rocker.
“The first thing we had to find and discover is what is my voice and what is the voice of the character,” Cruise said at the premiere, according to THR. “It’s not just learning how to sing, I trained for five hours a day for many months, but it was also — in singing you have opera, you have pop, you’ve got Broadway, and then you’ve got rock. So it was finding out what is that rock voice and then kind of work on the behavior and the wardrobe from that.”
Cruise learned to sing from Glee's Adam Anders.
“Scary as h***,” Anders told THR of teaching Cruise to sing.
“I went over to his house to hear him sing and I didn’t know what to expect at all,” he said, according to THR. “He started singing and he didn’t know what he was doing, but his voice was unbelievably powerful and he could sing as high as he wanted to. I was like ‘We’re good! Now we just gotta work.’”
Why ‘The Last of Us’ Creator Nicknamed Bella Ramsey ‘Baby Shark’
When you hear the term “Baby Shark,” your brain probably automatically goes back to 2016 when an annoyingly catchy kids’ song with that very title took a bit out of the world and didn’t want to let go. For The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin, the phrase took on a very different—and much darker—meaning while filming Season 2 of the hit HBO series. Warning: Spoilers for all aired episodes of The Last of Us ahead.
In The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 5, “Feel Her Love,” audiences got to see a new side of Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and the brutality she is capable of. As Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) continue their adventures in Seattle, progressing ever-so-slightly to find out where Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the woman who took revenge on Joel (Pedro Pascal) in the most violent way possible.
Related: A Brutal Scene In ‘The Last of Us’ Boosted Interest in This Fancy French Cookware
In a thrilling chase season that seemed to take up much of the episode, Ellie and Dina get separated and Ellie finds her way to the hospital in Seattle, where she immediately tracks down Nora (Tati Gabrielle), the woman who held Ellie down and forced her to watch Abby’s traumatic interaction with Joel.
At one part in the sequence, when Ellie must decide whether to let Nora use her final minutes thinking about what she did to Joel, she seems to become a different person altogether.
“In that moment, in that hallway, [director] Stephen Williams and Bella and I discussed how this would challenge an audience because I think we all innately love Ellie and root for Ellie in part because Ellie is the protagonist—but not here,” The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter.
“She does this horrible thing—the look on her face and the way she transforms in that scene, I was scared of her, and I didn’t like her,” Mazin continued, “and I didn’t want her to do what she’s doing. Tim Good—the editor of that episode—and I referred to Bella in that scene as ‘baby shark’ because there’s something about her eyes that are so dark and dead. There’s this ferocity there that Bella can create. This is so far from what we saw just an episode earlier with her and Dina celebrating love and new life.”
May 11, 2025
Marvel Star Simu Liu Uses Shang-Chi Reference to Announce Engagement
Following a breakout Marvel performance for Simu Liu in the 2021 film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the 36-year-old actor got the nod to reprise his role alongside a lengthy list of fellow superheroes.
Liu is slated to play Shang-Chi in the highly anticipated 2026 film Avengers: Doomsday. While Marvel continues to keep the storyline and information about specific roles under wraps, it'll be interesting to see how pivotal Liu's role is, especially considering the popularity of his original movie.
However, before Liu dove into filming the next Avengers movie, he had some personal business to tend to first. Liu took to social media to announce his engagement to girlfriend Allison Hsu, revealing the news with a tip of the cap to Marvel by referencing Shang-Chi.
Simu Liu has announced he is engaged with a Shang-Chi reference 😂
— Austin Medeiros (@Austin_Medzz) May 11, 2025
Congrats to him and Allison 💍 pic.twitter.com/IZSYCkXgyN
According to People Magazine, Liu and Hsu were first linked in late 2022. Hsu currently leads the digital and social efforts at Interscope Records for high-profile names like Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish, per Forbes.
Following Shang-Chi, Liu was in the 2023 film Barbie and Arthur the King (2024). He's also slated to reprise his superhero role with Shang-Chi in the film's sequel, Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time.
Marvel's planned sequel starring Liu is far from surprising, considering Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings received impressive ratings from critics and fans alike. To go along with its 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, fans gave the film a stellar 98% rating, compiled over north of 10,000 verified reviews.
Related: Thunderbolts* Star Turns Heads With Big Florence Pugh Admission
'The Boys' Creator Loves Putting Homelander, Butcher on ‘the Same Emotional Journeys’
As fans continue to hold out for the most important update (the release date) about the fifth and final season of the popular Amazon Prime Video series The Boys, teasers slowly continue to surface.
Although the show isn't expected to return until some time in 2026, the tremendous amount of intrigue around how creators will approach the final season has left virtually everyone attempting to dig for spoilers.
Tack on the already created spin-off show Gen V and two expected future shows in Vought Rising and The Boys: Mexico, and it's easy to see why Homelander and company remain a popular topic of discussion.
However, while the chaos witnessed by fans through the first four seasons is already what most expect to see continue, the latest comments from The Boys creator Eric Kripke turned a few heads. Kripke offered interesting insight into how the show wants to continue to align Homelander and Billy Butcher while speaking with TV Insider, explaining that they're "two sides of the same coin."
Antony Starr attends 2019 Comic-Con International. While Kripke described Homelander and Butcher as each being "the epic hero and the villain of the show," he admitted they love to put the duo on the "same emotional journeys."
"[Homelander's] story in the season was one of mortality and legacy. He’s getting older, so he wants to go back and face his childhood and try to put all that behind him," Kripke explained. "He wants to try to be this good father and create this legacy moving forward, and all that’s very intentional, and it’s also exactly what Butcher’s going through."
"And by design, we always love it when we can put Butcher and Homelander around the same emotional journeys and see how they react to them because they [have this] two sides of the same coin thing where they’re the epic hero and villain of the show. So anytime that we get an opportunity to mirror what they’re going through, we take it."
The focus on aligning Homelander and Butcher from Kripke is noteworthy, especially considering that the fifth season will likely tie up several loose ends and offer closure on at least a few crucial storylines.
Considering how quickly things get off the rails for both Homelander and Butcher in the show, don't be surprised if the final season of The Boys features the two battling many of the same demons.
Related: Thunderbolts* Star Turns Heads With Big Florence Pugh Admission
Opening Statements Expected in Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial
Sean "Diddy" Combs is preparing for several major developments in court.
First, the formal selection of the jury is expected on Monday, May 12, 2025, according to USA Today.
Then, opening statements are expected to occur that same day. According to USA Today, the trial is starting an hour early in hopes of making time for the opening statements. That's when the public will get to hear both the federal prosecutors and the defense team make their cases for the first time in court, in detail, according to ABC 30.
The previous week was swamped by the jury selection process. The week of May 12, though, will be an especially big week in Combs' trial.
In addition, witnesses may start taking the stand as early as May 12, although the trial is not televised, according to ABC 30. Combs will start the process of facing his accusers and others as he battles the racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
There are 43 people left in the jury pool, and the first task at hand Monday will be "whittling" them down to 12, USA Today reported, a process both sides' attorneys will be involved in.
Combs would face a mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted on the charges, and he could face life in prison, ABC 7 reported, so a lot is at stake for the famed rapper, who once led a high-profile life of infamous white parties and celebrity.
Combs' lawyers plan to argue during their opening statement that he "may have committed domestic violence in his relationships with women," but his behavior "did not tip into coercion," according to ABC 30.
Combs' lawyers telegraphed their approach in court on Friday, May 9, according to the television station.
"We are going to take the position that there was mutual violence in their relationship," defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said, according to ABC 30, likely referring to accuser Cassie Ventura. "We're probably going to call it domestic violence."
Related: Sean 'Diddy' Combs Makes Unexpected 9-Word Statement in Court
Patrick Mahomes Inducted Into Texas High School Hall of Fame
At just 29 years old, Patrick Mahomes has already put together an NFL resume so impressive that a future spot in Canton, Ohio, is nothing short of a lock.
Mahomes has led the Kansas City Chiefs to three Super Bowl victories, taking home the Super Bowl MVP award in each. The No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft has been named NFL Most Valuable Player twice (2018, 2022) and is a six-time Pro Bowler.
While virtually all NFL fans are well aware of Mahomes' success at the professional level, the latest honor he received goes back to the earlier stages of his playing career. Mahomes revealed on Instagram that he was inducted into the Texas High School Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Patrick Mahomes was officially inducted to the Texas High School Hall of Fame last night 🙌
— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) May 11, 2025
📸: @patrickmahomes on IG pic.twitter.com/NjFl2S9eaj
"Whitehouse, Texas is where it all began. It’s an honor to be inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame." Mahomes wrote on Instagram.
He also revealed that he and Adidas Football are signing 15 high schools to Team Mahomes, and each will wear his Gladiator logo on their uniforms. The first school Mahomes announced from that list was his former stomping grounds, Whitehouse High School.
According to The Sporting News, Mahomes was a two-year starter at Whitehouse High School, playing 25 games. Over that span, he threw for 8,458 yards, 96 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while tacking on 21 rushing scores.
Mahomes' best statistical season came in 2013, when he threw for 4,619 yards, 50 touchdowns and just six interceptions over 13 games and tacked on 940 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
Mahomes is gearing up for his ninth NFL season, and he and the Chiefs are set to begin training camp the week of July 15, 2025.
Related: Deion Sanders' Son Turns Heads With Behavior at NFL Media Session
TGI Fridays Is Shrinking Rapidly After Closing 185 Locations
A beloved restaurant chain is rapidly closing locations, with 30 locations closing in just one recent month alone and 185 being lost in just over a year.
TGI Fridays used to be a popular restaurant chain, familiar to people throughout the US. But now the number of restaurants that remain open is shrinking rapidly.
According to the chain's website, there are now only 85 TGI Fridays restaurants left in the entire U.S. The restaurants are located in 19 states. Georgia has the most remaining with seven, according to the website.
According to CNN, this represents a "sharp decline," from the 270 locations that were left at the beginning of 2024. The chain had 600 restaurants across the U.S. at its height in 2008, after launching in 1965, CNN reported.
In late 2024, the parent company for the brand filed for bankruptcy and has now been closing locations with "an additional 30 locations shuttering over the past month," in March, 2025, CNN reported.
The company told CNN in April 2025 that TGI Fridays is "now led by franchisees, with a franchisee advisory board empowering and shaping brand-wide decisions.”
However, according to the company's website, TGI Fridays has more locations in other countries, 44 in all. There are a total of 461 restaurants in all of those countries, the site says, calling the chain "the original casual dining bar and grill."
In November, TGI Fridays announced that it had filed "voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the Northern District of Texas. The Company expects to use the time and legal protections made available through the Chapter 11 restructuring process to allow the Company to explore strategic alternatives in order to ensure the long-term viability of the brand," its statement reads.
Related: Beloved Ice Cream Chain Suddenly Closes Multiple Stores
Shedeur Sanders ‘Thankful’ for Browns Teammates After Completing Rookie Minicamp
Shedeur Sanders may have been the sixth quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL draft, but his every move is already discussed like the first-round selection most expected him to be.
While the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback was at the center of an unprecedented fall to the fifth round in April's draft, he now enters a crowded positional battle as a member of the Cleveland Browns. Among the players competing with Sanders in Cleveland is fellow rookie and ex-Oregon star Dillon Gabriel, whom the Browns selected in the third round, 50 picks earlier.
Sanders officially wrapped up the first stage of his professional career this week, as the Browns finished rookie minicamp. Following his debut in orange and brown, the 23-year-old took to social media to send a message praising his teammates.
Thankful for every player apart of our Rookie minicamp. Great relationships was made during our time together. 🧡 pic.twitter.com/sMmx46P5yl
— Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) May 12, 2025
"Thankful for every player apart of our Rookie minicamp. Great relationships was made during our time together," Sanders wrote.
While Sanders has been a significant storyline after initially being projected as an early first-round pick, his response to the situation has also brought attention, specifically for how well he's dealt with it.
The former college star and son of Colorado coach and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders has seemingly done and said all of the right things since the head-scratching draft drama. Sanders has refused to dive too deep into his free-fall to the fifth round, and instead has openly been appreciative of his opportunity in Cleveland, as NFL.com's Coral Smith detailed.
Sanders said he's focused on practice and learning the playbook while driving home the fact that nothing from the draft matters now, stating that he's "excited" to be with the Browns.
"My story is going to be similar, you know, I was a late-round draft pick," Sanders said. "But we're here now, so none of that stuff matters, it just mattered on the day. I'm just excited to be here and ready to work."
Related: Deion Sanders' Son Turns Heads With Behavior at NFL Media Session
'Worst Car in History,' the Yugo, Is Making a Major Comeback
A car dubbed the "worst car in history" is making a comeback even though it hasn't been sold in the United States since the 1990s and went defunct globally about 17 years ago.
A local library in the U.S. even has a blog post on its website devoted to the car, along with the headline, "The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History."
"Poorly engineered, ugly, and cheap, it survived much longer as a punch line for comedians than it did as a vehicle on the roads," that post reads, calling it the "ultimate automotive failure."
But now it has a retro feel that is almost...cool.
According to Autopian, the car, called the Zastava Yugo, is an "Eastern European bargain-basement car that has advanced to cult status."
The car, which is known for its boxy look, was launched 45 years ago "based on Fiat technology," the site reported. "It was a hit on the domestic market and was subsequently exported, where it earned quite a bit of respect," Autopian reported.
Yugo is on the way back 👀 pic.twitter.com/Hhr84WgqtC
— Steve Fowler (@SteveFowler) May 6, 2025
But then it faded away, leaving the U.S. market completely in 1992 and going out of production globally in 2008, a victim, in part, of the Yugoslavia War, Autopian reported.
But now the Yugo is coming back. On May 6, 2025, a scale model of the new Yugo was unveiled, according to Car Magazine.
According to Hagerty.com, the company "traveled to the Car Design Event 2025 held in Munich, Germany, to show a 1:5-scale model of its upcoming econobox." The site proclaimed it "really cool."
The design is not exactly like the Yugos of lore, but rather is a "logical continuation of its predecessor," Hagerty.com reported.
According to Car Magazine, the Yugo brand was purchased by Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Bjelić, who has "links to the automotive industry in Germany."
The scale model introduced in Munich is the car that Bjelić intends "to put forward for production," the site reported. More details will come in September, and the brand may even produce an electric version, Car Magazine reported, although it's not clear which markets the new Yugos will be sold in or when.
Related: 10 Ways to Get the Best Deal on the Car You Want
Why Barbara Corcoran Just Walked Away From Her Dream Home
Barbara Corcoran is turning the page on a dream decades in the making. The Shark Tank star and real estate mogul just listed her two-story penthouse in Manhattan’s Carnegie Hill for $12 million, a luxury property she once could only admire from afar.
Back in 1992, Corcoran spotted the stunning duplex while working a side-gig as a messenger. Her real estate business was still struggling to find traction, but the penthouse—with its sweeping views of Central Park and oversized windows—stuck with her. “I asked the owner at the time to let me know if it ever went on sale,” she told The New York Times. More than two decades later, in 2015, it finally did. By then, Corcoran was a self-made multimillionaire.
She snapped it up for $10 million and poured years into transforming it into what she calls her “palace in the sky.” The 3,800-square-foot home features four bedrooms, four full baths, and a solarium dining room converted from an old greenhouse. The glass-walled room leads to a private terrace, making it ideal for dinner parties overlooking the Upper East Side.
But even dream homes aren’t forever. On Instagram, Corcoran shared that she and husband Bill Higgins are trading in the penthouse for a one-story home that better suits their needs. “It’s time to begin our next chapter,” she wrote, citing Higgins’ difficulty with the home’s staircase.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Barbara Corcoran (@barbaracorcoran)
Corcoran built her real estate empire from a $1,000 loan and sold it in 2001 for $66 million. She’s been a fixture on Shark Tank for 16 years and is known for her bold business instincts—something she clearly brought to her personal life, too.
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