1. In what will be one of A24’s boldest releases yet (except for Everything Everywhere All At Once), and that’s still a high bar to clear, they are doing their first musical and they’re making damn sure it’s rated R. Thanks to the wickedly sharp humor of Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp and the directing talents of Borat’s very own Larry Charles (and managing to have Megan Thee Stallion and Nathan Lee in the same movie), 2023 might be the year with Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Dicks: The Musical. Get your first taste here, then look for its release on Sept. 29th.
2. Due to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike still not being over, Issa Rae’s latest dramedy, Rap Sh!t, will now be premiering Nov. 9th instead of next week (Deadline). In its place, get ready for way more reality TV on HBO Max that you didn’t ask for.
3. Carmen Christopher who brilliantly blends being dry, absurd, and hysterically aggressive is setting to go on big ol’ North American tour from the end of this month all the way to the end of the year. Do not miss out on his Waverunner tour whether or not it’s close to where you live or not (go get tickets for a city near you here).
4. At one point in time, Leslie David Baker, often known and celebrated as Stanley Hudson from the American version of The Office attempted to crowdfund a spin-off that would center around Stanley. After years of delays (and the double strike), Baker has opted to refund all his backers on Kickstarter (Deadline). When Tinseltown is all back up and running, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this project get revived again, perhaps even without needing to be crowdfunded.
5. Conan O’Brien remembers and pays tribute to Paul Reubens on the latest episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. He also reminds us all that Reubens was amazing even he was not being Pee Wee Herman.
6. One day, a Trump joke will feel as dated as Nixon joke. We only hope that, somehow, America/the world got better enough where either won’t be relevant anymore.