On last week’s Parks and Rec, when Ron Swanson was asked whether or not he’s ever had a turkey burger, he responded with “Is that a fried turkey leg inside a grilled hamburger? If so, yes. Delicious.” Of course, someone has now made just such a burger: a five-pound monstrosity of meat, one that looks like it would put even the mustachioed one himself into a mighty food coma. If you think you’ve got a pushbroom thick enough to handle having this thing run ‘neath it, the recipe is included.
After three weeks atop the box office, Finding Dory has finally ceded its crown — to another animated movie. The Secret Life of Pets broke out with a remarkable $103 million opening, the best-ever for an original animated property. That’s nearly $30 million better than Zootopia managed in its first frame back in early March, and considering how that movie has since managed to crack $1 billion worldwide, the future looks equally bright for Pets, which comes via Universal and Illumination, the evil geniuses responsible for last year’s insidious everywhere hit, Minions.
Reggie Ossé, a.k.a. Combat Jack. Combat Jack — Reggie Ossé as he was known to his friends — was lying in his hospital bed. His big belly pressed tight against his blue gown. His face was gaunt, missing 10 or 15 of the pounds that typically rounded out his cheeks. It was late October, nearly two weeks after he’d checked in to Brooklyn’s NYU Lutheran Medical Center. His voice was weak, still above a whisper but lacking the Crown Heights–inflected intensity that, on his namesake podcast — the Combat Jack Show — had made him new-media royalty.
Just forget the 10-consecutive-days thing, okay? Succession seems to be grounded in a reality similar enough to ours (minus any explicit signs of COVID or Trump) that we hold its plots and characters to real-world standards. We publish an obituary for Logan Roy like he’s a real guy; we purchase Waystar Royco corporate gear to wear to our desk jobs. But the sped-up pace of events during season four (death, pregnancy, and, most of all, the return of Marcia) have revealed our favorite prestige corporate-intrigue drama to be more of a soap opera than it lets on.
This celebration of dorks, divas, and devotion to one’s art would feel sweet at any time, but as actors join writers on the picket line, it ends up being a little spicy as well. Immediacy is the last thing on the mind of Theater Camp, a cheerfully nostalgic movie filled with children who worship Liza Minnelli and adults who love the performing-arts sanctuary of their youth so much they came back as teachers.
Hit Man. Anybody up for a movie? The Toronto International Film Festival, trapped in the stalemate precipitated by the AMPTP’s questionable refusal to make a deal with Hollywood’s unions, opened this year with more films for sale than ever, per The Wrap. A total of 50 movies were available for acquisition deals at the start of the festival. Unfortunately for film sales, the buying aspect of it all is moving at a snail’s pace.
Multi-hyphenate J. Cole casually followed up his pro basketball debut with a new music video for “a m a r i” today. The new video, part of his sixth studio album, The Off-Season, has 36-year-old Jermaine Cole reminiscing on his rapid rise. “Made it out, it gotta mean something,” he finishes off, as his younger self holds onto him for dear life. “Hold onto your inner child,” flashes onto the screen.
See you at Dodgers stadium. Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem created a safe space for Tyler, the Creator to announce his annual music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. The upcoming festivities return for their ninth installment on November 11 and 12 at the usual venue: Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. The official lineup has yet to be announced, but previous years saw the likes of SZA, Solange, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Mac Miller grace the stage.
Photo: Getty Images Mortensen on The Road: Viggo Mortensen will star in the big-screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Oprah-approved apocalypse novel The Road. [MTV]
Joel to Close Shea Stadium: Billy Joel will play the last show ever at Shea Stadium before it’s demolished in 2008, provided he does not try to drive himself to the venue. [Newsday]
Led Zep Announce Reunion: Led Zeppelin have officially announced that they’ll set aside their differences to make lots of money.
When the YouTuber behind Mike’s Mic recaps TV, the results are often better than the shows themselves. Photo: Phebe Schmidt/Creative Direction: Phebe Schmidt; Lighting Direction: Alec Barnett; Hair and Makeup: Colette Miller; Set Design Assistant: Poppy Oliver; Retoucher: Dave Mercer This article was featured in One Great Story, New York’s reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly.
The reaction video has been a staple of YouTube for more than a decade.