Random Thoughts

joey con carne wrote:My Discovery+ lapsed. I haven't renewed it yet. Wondering what will happen with HBO and Discovery.

Wylde, since you've been keeping up with this, is there any chance you can let us know which services have plans to merge off the top of your head?

I know HBO and Discovery are merging at some point this year.

Paramount now has Showtime baked in for extra cost.

Are Disney and Hulu planning to merge it all together?

joey con carne wrote:Scientology seems interesting. I think their beliefs are fine. They are no more strange than any other religion out there.

Currently watching The King of Fighters movie based on the same name and character names of the video game. I like how they have Sean Faris playing a Japanese guy named Kyo Kusanagi.

joey con carne wrote:Hope you're having fun in Jury Duty.

joey con carne wrote:This sucks but I'm actually getting used to it. Maybe my other senses will get stronger. I can be a real-life superhero!

Rusty wrote:Did anyone catch the South Park episode ripping Prince Harry and the wife? Hilarious shit.

Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 16 years, effectively ensuring the former Hollywood mogul and convicted rapist will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Weinstein’s sentencing was held in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday morning, nearly two months after his Los Angeles trial concluded with a jury convicting him on three counts of rape and sexual assault.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence in New York, after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in that jurisdiction in his 2020 criminal trial. On Thursday, the judge ordered Weinstein to serve his L.A. sentence consecutively after New York.

Before he was sentenced, Weinstein addressed the court, making one final plea to Judge Lisa B. Lench. “I maintain that I’m innocent,” Weinstein said.

“This is about money and coming after me,” Weinstein said. “Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it… There are so many things wrong with this case. There is no evidence… This is a setup… I beg your mercy.”

Weinstein’s defense, led by Mark Werksman and Alan Jackson, asked the judge to sentence him to only three years, urging her to look to the man he was “before he became accused as a sexual predator,” and saying that he has “become a caricature because of the #MeToo movement.” His attorney noted that Weinstein has medical issues and is a father. “He’s a 70-year-old man in bad health,” Werksman said. “He lived a full, rich and productive life that included being a father five children… He has become to his children the disembodied voice on the telephone.”

Werksman hailed Weinstein’s work in the entertainment industry, urging the judge to recognize his accomplishments. “Mr. Weinstein did a lot of good for a lot of people in a 50-year career,” Werksman said. “He produced hundreds of films that were a joy to millions of people… He was a man that many famous movie stars would thank in their Oscar speeches… He gave generously to charities and political causes.”

After Weinstein and his attorneys spoke, the judge sentenced Weinstein to 16 years for the three charges on which the jury found him guilty. “These are not easy decisions to make, but this is my decision,” Lench said.

All three charges on which Weinstein were convicted were based on the counts relating to Jane Doe #1, a European model who testified she was raped by Weinstein at Mr. C Hotel after the L.A. Italia Film Festival in 2013.

Joe Doe #1 appeared in court, alongside her daughter, to deliver an emotional victim impact statement, crying throughout as she spoke at a podium. She urged the judge to put Weinstein behind bars for life. “There is no prison sentence long enough to erase the damage,” she said. “I hope you give him the maximum sentence allowed.”

“I have been carrying this weight, this trauma, that it was my fault for years,” Jane Doe #1 said, addressing the judge. “Before that night, I was a very happy and confident women… I was excited about my future… Everything changed after… Inside, I had fallen apart. I was punishing myself for what he did to me.”

When Weinstein spoke, Jane Doe #1 was audibly crying, and her tears were heard over his statement. Weinstein told the judge that Jane Doe #1 lied about the entire rape and maintained that he never sexually assaulted her, or even came in contact with her. “The fact is I don’t know this woman and she doesn’t know me,” Weinstein said. “This is a made up story. With all due respect, Jane Doe #1 is an actress and can turn on the tears… This isn’t true.”

Weinstein’s team has focused intently on Jane Doe #1, using her as their argument to request a new trial with a new jury, which the judge shot down on Thursday morning, ahead of the sentencing. Jane Doe #1 will likely be the focal point of their appeal.

Weinstein’s attorneys have argued that the judge wrongly precluded them from introducing relevant evidence and argument, particularly centering around Jane Doe #1. Before the sentencing, Jackson delivered a lengthy argument as to why Weinstein should be granted a new trial, alleging that the judge “allowed perjury on the stand” from Jane Doe #1. He said the defense was “sandbagged by a lie told on the stand,” and claimed the jury “got sucked into the lies of Jane Doe #1.”

Two jurors were seated in the gallery on Thursday, which Weinstein referenced to the judge as support for him. Weinstein’s attorneys said the jury “would never have voted to convict if they knew the truth.” Lead prosecutor, deputy D.A. Paul Thompson, jabbed back at Weinstein’s attorneys, exclaiming, “It is certainly not the defense’s job to go hunt down jurors.”

Before denying Weinstein’s motion for a new trial, the judge said that speculating on whether jurors might have changed their verdict, based on evidence that wasn’t submitted into the case was “speculative” and not “appropriate.”

Shortly after court was dismissed on Thursday afternoon, the two jurors present spoke to reporters in the hallway. They said they had been in communication with the defense, and were interested in coming to Weinstein’s sentencing to gather more information. “I was never here to advocate,” a juror named Michael told Variety. “There is so much we don’t know in this case. The more info, the better because it helps flesh it out.” A juror named Jay said, “We weren’t on anybody’s side,” and expressed that even with more evidence, he’s unsure whether he would have changed his conviction. “I don’t know if he would have been acquitted. I don’t even know if it’s true that she lied,” Jay said. “I don’t feel bad,” he said of Weinstein. “We knew he was going to get sentenced.”

Thursday’s sentencing all but ensures that Weinstein, who will turn 71 years old next month, will spend the remainder of his life in prison, marking a stunning downfall for the the Oscar winner who reigned over Hollywood and was once one of the most powerful individuals in the entertainment industry.

His team, however, is still fighting for Weinstein’s freedom. Werksman and Jackson said on Thursday that they will be appealing the Los Angeles conviction. In New York, the Court of Appeals, which is the highest court in the state, agreed to hear Weinstein’s appeal of his 2020 sex crimes conviction.

In his L.A. trial, which ran from October through December 2022, prosecutors argued that Weinstein was a predator who used his power to lure and attack women in hotel rooms under the guise of a business meeting or audition, while his defense argued that the women willingly engaged in “transactional sex” because Weinstein was so influential in the entertainment industry.

Weinstein initially faced 11 charges in L.A., but four charges, all relating to Jane Doe #5, were dismissed in the midst of the trial. The jury delivered a split verdict, convicting him on the three counts relating to Jane Doe #1 but acquitting him of the sexual battery of a massage therapist, identified as Jane Doe #3. They could not reach a unanimous verdict on the charges involving two other accusers, aspiring actor and screenwriter Lauren Young, known as Jane Doe #2 in the case, and the First Partner of California, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who was Jane Doe #4. The judge declared a mistrial on those three charges.

Weinstein has been accused by more than 100 women who have publicly come forward with allegations of sexual assault, abuse and harassment that have spanned decades. His monumental fall was the fuse the ignited #MeToo in 2017, and the story of his survivors coming forward even inspired a major studio film, “She Said,” which was released in theaters last year. Weinstein has consistently maintained his innocence, denying any accusations of rape or assault, and his legal team has repeatedly stated that their client has unfairly been painted as the poster boy of the #MeToo movement.

Source: Variety

The series follows a father and daughter who, after learning “that they’ve each secretly been working as CIA operatives for years, realize their entire relationship has been a lie and they truly don’t know one another at all,” according to the official logline. “Forced to team up as partners, the series tackles universal family dynamics set against a global backdrop of spies, action and humor.”

joey con carne wrote:Julian Sands is still missing. I completely forgot about this until I saw something with John Malkovich on my news feed.

Unless he is deliberately hiding somewhere safe, this is definitely bad. Ugh

WyldeMan wrote:It's been snowing here for the past two days, I guess we won't be having an Early Spring this year.

Hey Rust, a new season of Outback Opal Hunters has started and I'm deeply confused by what I just heard. In America when someone says "Grandma" they are always referring to a older woman but one of your people was really excited about finding some opal and said "That really tickles me Grandma right there boys" so I gotta ask, how and why is Grandma a term of excitement?

Rusty wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:It's been snowing here for the past two days, I guess we won't be having an Early Spring this year.

Hey Rust, a new season of Outback Opal Hunters has started and I'm deeply confused by what I just heard. In America when someone says "Grandma" they are always referring to a older woman but one of your people was really excited about finding some opal and said "That really tickles me Grandma right there boys" so I gotta ask, how and why is Grandma a term of excitement?

It's actually 'pickle me grandma'. It's just one of those sayings. 'Fuck me dead'; 'Dust my broom'. Who the fuck knows where they come from. They just exist

And yes, Grandma is a grandmother. The mother of one of your parents.


Speaking of Opal Hunters I forgot to bring it up earlier because I new you watched the show. A former opal hunter, Ron Selig was killed in an accident on his property a few months back. Not sure if you're familiar with him or not.

joey con carne wrote:Just read Tom Sizemore appears to be in pretty bad shape. Doesn’t sound like hes got much time left.

Rusty wrote:

joey con carne wrote:Just read Tom Sizemore appears to be in pretty bad shape. Doesn’t sound like hes got much time left.

Shit. Just read that. Dude suffered a brain aneurysm 10 days ago. Doc's have apparently told the family there's no further hope and should decide on  "end of life" matters.

WyldeMan wrote:It took me over an hour to get to the court house because of traffic on the freeway then another 20 minutes getting through the building due to parking garage elevators never arriving, then running across the parking garage and up 7 flights of stairs and a mad dash across the courtyard into the TSA style security, where I finally got to the room only to see it was overflowing with people and I arrived 15 minutes late due to all the delays...

However they were still checking people in so I wasn't in trouble. They reached capacity at the guy directly before me in line, so everybody from him back just had to provide the badge number to get credit and was sent home without ever having to do anything. Turns out, if I had got there on time I would have been stuck. Funny part, this was the only appointment I've ever been late for and I was hauling ass to avoid being late but in the end, being late along with another 40 people or so, meant we all went home. I still need to call in tonight to make sure they didn't run out of people but it's looking like it amounted to nothing.

WyldeMan wrote:Sizemore is finally officially dead.

joey con carne wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Sizemore is finally officially dead.

I know how much you admired him and his work. Are you going to do a retrospective of his career?

Rusty wrote:Speaking of Black Hawk Down, have you watched that recently? It's over 20 years old and the number of actors in that that became big, and are still working is fucking astounding. What a cast.

It was the first Hollywood movie for Eric Bana, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Tom Hardy, and Orlando Bloom (he had this and LOTR the same year) - and a bunch of other dudes.

WyldeMan wrote:Creed III is absolutely exploding at the box office. Studio box office estimates from this past Wednesday were projecting a $38 million opening weekend but it's over performing so much that as of this morning, it is looking more like a $58 million opening. While also pulling in another $42 million from overseas, so Creed III which had a $75 million production budget is already a $100 million movie after its first three days in release.

We’d love to get Mr. Feeny’s opinion on this one.

Boy Meets World actor Ben Savage has officially announced he’s running for U.S. Congress, little more than a month after he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to do so.

Savage will run as a Democrat for California’s 30th District seat, currently held by Rep. Adam Schiff (who is campaigning himself for the Senate seat held by soon-to-be-retired Democrat Dianne Feinstein).

“I firmly believe in standing up for what is right, ensuring equality and expanding opportunities for all,” Savage wrote in his announcement on Monday. “I’m running for Congress because it’s time to restore faith in government by offering reasonable, innovative and compassionate solutions to our country’s most pressing issues. And it’s time for new and passionate leaders who can help move our country forward. Leaders who want to see the government operating at maximum capacity, unhindered by political divisions and special interests.”

Savage previously dabbled in local politics: He ran for West Hollywood City Council in 2022 and tied for seventh place (per TMZ), receiving just over 6 percent of the vote. He also interned for Sen. Arlen Specter while attending Stanford University.

In addition to ABC’s coming-of-age sitcom Boy Meets World, where he played protagonist Cory Matthews, Savage starred on the Disney Channel follow-up Girl Meets World (in the same role), which ran for three seasons and ended in 2017. He recently opted against joining BMW castmates Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle for the rewatch podcast Pod Meets World, with Fishel informing listeners that Savage declined multiple offers to appear on the show.

joey con carne wrote:Just saw a trailer for a Beau is Afraid. All I can say is: what the fuck?

Needless to say, that trailer told me nothing but has me very interested in seeing that.

Ke Huy Quan & Harrison Ford Have ‘Indiana Jones’ Reunion On Oscar Stage

In September, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom stars Harrison Ford and Ke Huy Quan reunited after 38 years, with their sweet embrace backstage at the D23 Expo going viral on Instagram.

The two reunited again tonight on the Oscar stage at the culmination of the ceremony when Ford presented the Best Picture award to Everything Everywhere All At Once.

In the six months since their D23 chance encounter, Quan became a formidable awards contender for Everything Everywhere All At Once. His awards journey was capped tonight by his Supporting Actor Oscar win.

When Quan, joined by the rest of the Everything Everywhere All At Once team, later took the stage to accept the Best Picture Oscar in the final minutes of the telecast, Ford and Quan shared another sweet moment, celebrating together Quan’s big night with a hug.

You can watch below a video of exuberant Quan running into Ford’s arms and then jumping with joy as Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg watches on, smiling.

The moment struck a chord with fans who started sharing heart-warming collages of Ford and Quan hugging in Temple of Doom and at the Oscars.

Quan shot to stardom playing Short Round opposite Ford’s Indy in Temple of Doom. After a string of hits as a child actor, Quan fell off the radar as movie offers started to dry up until his big comeback with Everything Everywhere All At Once.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Awww! They recreated that shot.

Matthew McConaughey to Reteam With Woody Harrelson in Apple TV+ Comedy

The True Detective boys are getting the band back together.

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have signed on to team up again in a new comedy series for Apple TV+, TVLine has learned. The untitled scripted comedy is billed as “a heartfelt odd couple love story” that centers on “the strange and beautiful bond” between the two actors. “Matthew and Woody’s friendship is tested when their combined families attempt to live together on Matthew’s ranch in Texas,” per the official synopsis. (From the description, it sounds like McConaughey and Harrelson are playing fictionalized versions of themselves here, but Apple declined to provide any further character details.)

Emmy winner David West Read (Schitt’s Creek) will create the series and serve as an executive producer. Read is also the creator of Apple TV+’s upcoming series The Big Door Prize, starring Chris O’Dowd and premiering later this month on the streamer.

McConaughey and Harrelson last shared the screen as Louisiana detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart in the freshman season of True Detective, which aired on HBO in 2014. (Both actors earned Emmy nominations for their performances.) They also co-starred in the 1999 movie EDtv. McConaughey’s other TV credits include Eastbound & Down and Sex and the City. Harrelson first broke out as bartender Woody Boyd on Cheers; he’s next set to star opposite Justin Theroux in HBO’s upcoming Watergate retelling White House Plumbers.

Def Leppard’s one-armed drummer Rick Allen was attacked Monday by an apparent stranger outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL, with police saying Allen suffered a head injury after a teenager charged at the unsuspecting drummer and knocked him backwards onto the ground.

Max Edward Hartley, 19, an Ohio resident visiting Florida and reportedly on spring break, was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.

According to a Fort Lauderdale Police report, the 59-year-old Allen was smoking a cigarette outside the hotel when Hartley, who’d been hiding behind a pole, charged toward Allen “at a full run” and knocked him backwards to the ground. Allen struck his head on the pavement in the fall.

Police say a woman came out of the hotel to help Allen after seeing the incident and also was knocked to the ground by Hartley, who then grabbed the woman’s hair and dragged her back inside the hotel. Hartley was arrested after he ran to another nearby hotel, where he allegedly damaged a number of cars in a parking garage. After the charges were filed, he posted bail and was released.

According to WSVN-TV in Fort Lauderdale, Allen provided a sworn statement to police and told them that he wants to prosecute.

Information of Allen’s condition has not been released. Neither he nor the band has yet commented on the incident.

Def Leppard was in Florida for a March 12 concert with Mötley Crüe at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Allen lost his arm as a result of a 1984 automobile accident. He subsequently re-taught himself to play drums with just his right arm and both feet, using a custom-built kit, and has remained Def Leppard’s drummer ever since. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band has sold more than 35.5 million albums in the U.S. alone, including two Diamond-certified 10 million-sellers in Pyromania (1983) and Hysteria (1987).

Mint Mobile, the prepaid wireless brand in which Ryan Reynolds holds a minority ownership stake, has been acquired by T-Mobile in a deal worth up to $1.35 billion.

Under the pact, expected to close later this year, T-Mobile will acquire Ka’ena Corp. and its subsidiaries and brands: Mint Mobile, international wireless service Ultra Mobile and wholesaler Plum. T-Mobile said it will be able “to leverage Mint’s industry-leading digital [direct-to-consumer] marketing expertise as part of its broader portfolio to reach new customer segments and geographies.”

Following the deal’s close, Mint Mobile founders David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim will remain at T-Mobile to manage the brands, which will “generally” operate as a separate business unit.

Reynolds will continue in his creative role as a spokesman for Mint. The actor-entrepreneur owns a roughly 25% stake in Mint, according to Bloomberg, which previously reported on the company’s deal talks with T-Mobile.

“Mint Mobile is the best deal in wireless and today’s news only enhances our ability to deliver for our customers,” Reynolds said in a statement. “We are so happy T-Mobile beat out an aggressive last-minute bid from my mom, Tammy Reynolds, as we believe the excellence of their 5G network will provide a better strategic fit than my mom’s slightly-above-average mahjong skills. I am so proud of the entire Mint team and so excited for what’s to come.”

T-Mobile said it will maintain Mint Mobile’s current pricing plans, which start at $15 per month for unlimited talk and text and up to 4 GB of data/month.

T-Mobile will pay up to a maximum of $1.35 billion in a combination of 39% cash and 61% stock to acquire Ka’ena. The actual price to be paid by T-Mobile will be based on Ka’ena’s performance during certain periods before and after the closing and is also subject to working capital adjustments and other contractual reserves, the carrier said. T-Mobile said it does not currently expect the transaction to have any impact on the company’s 2023 financial guidance or its ongoing stock repurchase program.

“Mint has built an incredibly successful digital direct-to-consumer business that continues to deliver for customers on the Un-carrier’s leading 5G network and now we are excited to use our scale and owners’ economics to help supercharge it — and Ultra Mobile — into the future,” T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said in announcing the deal.

On social media, Reynolds shared a video (produced by his Maximum Effort advertising and production company) featuring Sievert. “Nice to have a new dad!” Reynolds exclaims at the end of the clip after he hugs the T-Mobile chief executive.