Steven Spielberg has made no secret of his support for Joe Biden’s reelection, and now the Oscar winner is rolling up his shirt sleeves for the team.
08.04.2024 - 22:41 / variety.com
Shaheem Reid Imagine being Fat Joe, a fan of wrestling since boyhood. You used to watch the likes of Mil Mascaras, Chief Jay Strongbow and your absolute favorite, Don Muraco, on WWF programming with your grandfather every week on TV. You grew up to become a hip-hop star — and before you know it, WWF has invited you to be their guest at the sport’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania.
Joe and his best friend and fellow rap icon, the late Big Pun, took part in the festivities back in 1999, when they drove from New York to Philadelphia to watch WrestleMania 15. Joe remembers entering the VIP entrance at the First Union Center and nearly finding himself in an unsanctioned Mania match when Bob Backlund, a hero from Joe’s youth, put him in his dreaded finishing maneuver. “We go to WrestleMania, me and Big Pun — we were so hype,” Joe recalled with a laugh on Monday.
“As I’m walking in, I see the living legend, Bob Backlund. When I was a kid, Bob Backlund was the champ forever. I walk up to him and I go ‘Bobby Backlund!’ — and immediately he puts me in the ‘Cross Face Chickenwing’! And listen — it felt like if I moved either way, it would snap my neck.
“I didn’t ask to be in the Chicken hold!,” he laughed at the memory. “He just felt like doing it! He taught me a lesson, quick.” His and Pun’s night out was off to an unexpected but exciting start. “Pun loved WrestleMania!” Joe said.
“He didn’t go many places, but the minute we had a chance to go to WrestleMania, he was up for it. That was dope.” It’s been 25 years since WrestleMania last was hosted in Philadelphia, but last weekend was a triumphant return, with just over 145,000 tickets sold for the two nights. While Mania in 1999 (headlined by the Rock vs.
Steven Spielberg has made no secret of his support for Joe Biden’s reelection, and now the Oscar winner is rolling up his shirt sleeves for the team.
Alec Baldwin ‘maimed’ her after she attempted to ambush the star this week.On Monday (April 22), the performer went viral for sharing a video in which she accosted Baldwin in a Manhattan coffee shop.Barney repeatedly yelled and swore at Baldwin, demanding him to repeat the words “Free Palestine’. She continued to ambush Baldwin until the 30 Rock star eventually grew frustrated and slapped the phone from her hand.Now, in a new interview with Piers Morgan on his YouTube show Piers Morgan Uncensored, the performer has claimed that she was physically assaulted by Baldwin.“I’ve been waiting for you, Piers fucking Morgan!” she told the former CNN host.Barney appeared on the show wearing a neck brace, with one arm in a sling and the other using a crutch.
Shakira and Lele Pons have teamed up for some fun Instagram videos. The two shared videos and photos over the past couple of days, with Pons sharing an emotional statement and revealing how special it was to meet one of her idols. From the studio to the field: Gaby Espino in her debut as soccer captain before the Platino Awards Xcaret 2024Galilea Montijo and her boyfriend speak for the first time about their relationshipA post shared by Shakira (@shakira)The photos were shared by Shakira, showing the two laughing and making faces at the camera.
the Telegraph, admitting that the ordeal was “rough.”“This is not grandfather’s day, this is parents’ day. I say ‘I am a parent!’,” he told the outlet.
called Crackhead Barney & Friends.She continued to accost Baldwin before he went toward the door and motioned for her to get out, the less-than-minute video shows.“Just say ‘Free Palestine’ one time, one time,” she said as he shook his head no and held the door open.The podcast host also brought up his criminal case in New Mexico where he’s facing charges in the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust.”It was not immediately what shop this occurred in and when the confrontation took place.
Power couple Vick Hope and Calvin Harris were just two of the famous faces that attended BBC Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free's wedding to George Pritchard in Ibiza, Spain this week. Radio DJ Arielle looked sensational as she tied the knot on The White Isle, on Thursday, with close friend Vick, 34, sharing a glimpse inside her idyllic nuptials on social media.The presenter stunned in a statement yellow dress as she was joined by her superstar husband Calvin at the special occasion. Vick stunned in the summery dress which featured a subtle cowl neck design and thigh-high split, while Calvin looked suave in a navy suit which he paired with a grey T-shirt and white trainers.
Lise Pedersen “The Landscape and the Fury” by Switzerland’s Nicole Vögele took the Grand Jury Prize in the International Feature Film Competition at Swiss doc festival Visions du Réel on Friday. Shot on the Bosnian-Croatian border, which is also the European Union border, the film unveils the struggle of refugees being chased away by police and navigating a terrain still contaminated with mines from the Bosnian War.
Amy Dowden has expressed her determination to make a comeback to Strictly Come Dancing after her breast cancer diagnosis forced her to sit out the latest series.
Leena Tailor “I hope I can do the same one day,” Joey Fatone thought while watching the Backstreet Boys play one of their first major gigs in the early ‘90s. The Florida-based boy band were finding their feet in the music industry, while Fatone was yet to discover his own boy band path with NSYNC.
Former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock has shared some adorable new photos of her rarely seen twins.The My Love singer, 32, welcomed her two babies in August 2021 but opted not to reveal their names or gender. She also tries to keep their faces hidden on social media. In a recent post dedicated to showing fans what she has been up to in the month of April, the doting mum shared never-before-seen pictures and videos of her little ones.
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have shared ‘Song For Amy’, a song they wrote for the new Amy Winehouse biopic ‘Song For Amy’ – listen below.The delicate, orchestrated track features over the opening credits of the film, which is out in UK cinemas now. Elegant strings underscore Cave’s deeply felt vocals as he sings, “You say that it’s time for us to call it a day / But I will love you anyway”.Listen to ‘Song For Amy’ below:Director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Back to Black tells the Winehouse story in a feature film for the first time.
The grapplers hit it big on Peacock. WrestleMania XL, which took place April 6-7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, is now Peacock’s most-streamed entertainment event ever with 1.3 billion live minutes across both nights.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter WrestleMania 40 is the most-streamed entertainment event ever on Peacock, Variety has learned exclusively. Per the NBCUniversal streamer, the two night event at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia was viewed for 1.3 billion minutes over the weekend of April 6 & 7. Based on the average minute audience, night one of this year’s show was up 26% over night one from last year, while night two was up 30% over last year.
Joey King tied the knot with husband Steven Piet in September 2023 with a gorgeous wedding ceremony in Mallorca, Spain, but she actually secretly tied the knot before then!
Dua Lipa is enjoying herself. The British singer, who’s gearing up for the release of her new record “Radical Optimism,” has been traveling through Spain with her boyfriend, Callum Turner.
Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Prosecutors intend to argue that Alec Baldwin could not control his emotions on the set of “Rust,” and that he “shamelessly lied” and repeatedly changed his story after accidentally shooting the film’s cinematographer. The actor is due to go on trial in July in Santa Fe, N.M., on a charge of involuntary manslaughter for firing a prop gun and killing Halyna Hutchins. In a 32-page filing made public on Monday, prosecutor Kari Morrissey laid out the allegations against Baldwin in unprecedented detail.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Pure Fiction Television, the independent production company helmed by Tom Winchester (“Shogun,” “Clickbait,” “The Capture”), has secured the rights to bestselling author Dolores Redondo’s Baztan Trilogy and the prequel, “La Cara Norte Del Corazón” (The North Face of the Heart), and is developing them into a returning, premium international TV series. The trilogy and prequel novel, which feature homicide detective Amaia Salazar, are gripping psychological thrillers infused with mystery, mythology and superstition, set in the beautiful Basque region of Northern Spain, as well as in New Orleans.
Anna Tingley The CMT Awards returns to Austin this Sunday night. The ceremony will take place at the city’s Moody Center, airing live at 8 p.m. on the east coast and at the same hour, tape-delayed, on the west.
Shaheem Reid When you’re Lil Baby’s lil’ baby boy, there are perks to rolling with your old man, even if the elder Lil Baby isn’t even 30 — like going to WrestleMania XL and sitting with his friends Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, Wale and comedian-actor Druski. But more importantly, you get to sit in the front row and be close enough to cheer on the Rock as he literally hit “Rock Bottom.” On Saturday night, WWE put on its Super Bowl: night one of WrestleMania XL at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. “The biggest WrestleMania of all-time,” as it is being hyped, was headlined by the return of wrestler-turned Hollywood megastar the Rock.
Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The WWE‘s biggest event of the year is here with WrestleMania 2024. This year’s event features 13 matchups, including seven title bouts, spread over two nights on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.