Patrick Stewart confuses Tua Tagovailoa, throws Hey Arnold like a football in latest Paramount+ ad

Wait … what?

Paramount found an incredibly strange, wholly delightful way of advertising its streaming service ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl.

As part of its long-running marketing for Paramount+ featuring various of the company’s characters, the latest promo featured an unlikely pairing of folks trying to scale the Paramount mountain.

The advertisement features, go with us here, Sir Patrick Stewart, Drew Barrymore, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Survivor host Jeff Probst, Arnold from Hey Arnold!, Thomas Lennon’s Lt. Jim Dangle from Reno 911, Dora the Explorer, Knuckles from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, Master Chief from Halo, Peppa Pig and two members of the band Creed.

We cannot fully spoil what’s about to happen because it is beyond description.

Okay, that was incredible, but we are also so, so confused as to what just happened. Maybe they’ll get up Paramount Mountain one of these days?

Until then, we’ll take a sequel with this exact group sooner than later.

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MAVTV launching documentary on NHRA ace Antron Brown

MAVTV premieres the new episode of the original docuseries “THE LIFE,” on Thursday, Feb. 1, that shines the spotlight on Antron Brown, a three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion. “It’s an incredible experience to share my story with the MAVTV …

MAVTV premieres the new episode of the original docuseries “THE LIFE,” on Thursday, Feb. 1, that shines the spotlight on Antron Brown, a three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion.

“It’s an incredible experience to share my story with the MAVTV audience. From my early days in racing, through the blood, sweat and tears that went into building AB Motorsports, and touching those milestone moments — it’s been a real journey. I hope I can light a fire in everyone watching to show them that no dream is too far and no challenge too big, as long as you’ve got the drive to chase it down,” Brown said.

In “THE LIFE: Antron Brown,” fans will follow Brown through several weeks in his life, exploring both the personal journey and his professional experiences as a premier driver.

“‘THE LIFE’ immerses viewers into what it’s like to be an elite motorsports athlete, from glimpses into their daily routines and personal moments to the thrill behind the wheel,” said MAVTV President CJ Olivares. “We are proud to feature Antron, a fierce competitor and dynamically optimistic force in motorsports. His incredible journey and achievements in racing have provide him with a unique opportunity to mentor and inspire both fans and aspiring athletes alike. This series is our way of connecting our audience with the contemporary icons of the sport and bringing their compelling stories directly to our viewers.”

Brown has had a remarkable motorsports career with 74 career event titles (58 in Top Fuel, 16 in Pro Stock Motorcycle), a record of 26 consecutive top 10 finishes and three world championships. He formed his own team, AB Motorsports, which made an impressive NHRA debut in 2022, finishing ranked No. 2 in the standings during its rookie season. He has made history multiple times, including becoming the first African American to win a major U.S. auto racing championship.

“THE LIFE: Antron Brown” premieres only on MAVTV on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 8pm ET/PT.

Racing on TV, Jan. 31-Feb. 4

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Wednesday, January 31 Saudi 1 7:00-8:00pm (D) Saturday, February 3 Enduropale 7:00- 10:30am Daytona 2:00- 3:00pm (D) Detroit 3:00-6:00pm Clash practice, LA Coliseum 5:35pm Clash, LA Coliseum 8:00pm …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.


Wednesday, January 31

Saudi 1 7:00-8:00pm
(D)

Saturday, February 3

Enduropale 7:00-
10:30am

Daytona 2:00-
3:00pm (D)

Detroit 3:00-6:00pm

Clash practice,
LA Coliseum
5:35pm

Clash, LA
Coliseum
8:00pm

Saudi 2 10:30-11:30pm
(R)

Sunday, February 4

Enduropale 7:00-
10:30am

Daytona 10:00-
11:00am (D)

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Replay

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

  • SRO-america.com
  • SCCA.com
  • SpeedSport1.com
  • Ferrari Challenge
  • The Trans Am Series airs in 60-minute highlight shows in primetime on the MAVTV Network. For those wishing to tune in live, the entire lineup of SpeedTour events will stream for free on the SpeedTour TV YouTube page. SpeedTour TV will also air non-stop activity on Saturday and Sunday (SVRA, IGT and Trans Am). You can also watch all Trans Am event activity on the Trans Am YouTube page and Facebook page.
  • All NTT IndyCar Series stream live on Peacock Premium.

What we learned from the new ‘Star Wars – The Bad Batch’ trailer: Asajj Ventress is back.

Is Asajj Ventress here to help Clone Force 99 or harm them?

Your favorite group of misfit clones are about to return to a streaming service near you.

On Feb. 21, Star Wars: The Bad Batch comes back to Disney+ with its third and final season with a special three-episode premier. Earlier this week, we got a look at the trailer for the latest animated offering from Dave Filoni in a galaxy far, far away.

Hunter, Wrecker, Echo and Omega are back, of course, as are Crosshair, Phee (voiced by the great Wanda Sykes), Captain Rex and Emperor Palpatine.

But in the trailer, we also see some other familiar – and unexpected – characters pop up.

Let’s dive in and break it down.

A spoiler warning here for all things Star Wars, in case you’re unfamiliar with the animated shows, the books and extended universe lore.

Masters of the Air is worthy of its place alongside Band of Brothers and The Pacific

The Apple TV+ WWII epic features phenomenal performances by Austin Butler and Callum Turner.

On January 26, viewers can take to the skies on Apple TV+ thanks to the new miniseries Masters of the Air.

The 9-episode series follows the 100th Bomb Group during World War II as members of the squadron fly harrowing and dangerous missions. It’s the perfect end cap to complete the trilogy started with HBO’s Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

All three series were produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, and the latest entry is beyond worthy of it’s counterparts. Although the gap between the shows is large, Goetzman explained that it was necessary to ensure the technology was developed enough to properly execute the aviation scenes.

“We go at it like we’re making big movies,” Goetzman told For The Win in a recent interview. “One of the things we realized was we couldn’t do the stories in the air, and then finally when the technology came along — and we found a fantastic visual effects Oscar winner and supervisor in Stephen Rosenbaum — it was finally the time.”

And it was worth the wait.

 

Masters of the Air follows four main characters — Major Gale Cleven (Austin Butler), Major John Egan (Callum Turner), Lieutenant Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle) and Major Robert Rosenthal (Nate Mann) — throughout their wartime missions and experiences.

Much like Band of Brothers before it, Masters of the Air truly flourishes through the personal connections you form with the characters on screen. Butler and Turner are fantastic, both separately and when paired together. As the narrator, Boyle’s Crosby is wonderful. Mann’s “Rosie” brings an emotional gravitas to the screen. The missions will have you on the edge of your seat, fueled by anxiety and anticipation.

Since there are only about 10 airworthy B-17 bombers left, several models of the plane were built for the series, as were individual cockpits, gunner positions and fuselages for the more practical effects. The actors were put through a couple weeks of bootcamp to learn everything from aviation procedures to how to salute.

Masters of the Air is a triumph, and worthy of its place alongside its Emmy Award-winning predecessors.

The first two episodes are available on Apple TV+ now.

Kevin Durant posted a Real Housewives meme after his kerfuffle with Grant Williams

This is such a perfect use of the woman yelling at cat meme by KD.

There is no denying that 13-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant has a sense of humor, especially when he is online.

But he is also incredibly competitive and we saw that manifest yet again on Wednesday when the Suns defeated the Mavericks in a rivalry match between two teams that already have a history of beef with one another.

Many will remember this game because Dallas star Luka Doncic complained about a fan and asked for him to get ejected. Before that, however, Durant and teammate Jusuf Nurkic were involved in an altercation with Mavericks forward Grant Williams.

As part of the kerfuffle, players from the Mavericks and Suns had to get separated once tensions flared.

Fortunately, this led to nothing more than technical fouls issued to Durant as well as Nurkic and Williams. So fans were able to laugh about how silly this looked when it was all said and done.

Jasmine Watkins shared a side-by-side screengrab of the dust-up next to the famous meme of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Taylor Armstrong screaming. (You will often see this image next to a cat.)

Durant saw the mashup of his emotive response next to Armstrong’s and shared it on his Instagram story.

Bravo, KD. He handled this one like an absolute champion.

[lawrence-related id=2192854,2192283,2183373,2173443]

Jon Stewart teased his Daily Show return with a perfect tweet about hitting the transfer portal

“I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility.”

After more than a year of searching, The Daily Show finally has a replacement for former host Trevor Noah.

Well, kinda.

News broke Wednesday that former host Jon Stewart would be returning to the show. For Mondays and that’s it. Still, it was a relevation from a late night institution and one of the few viable MTV Entertainment Group offerings besides “18 hours of Ridiculousness reruns.” Stewart hosted the show from 1999 to 2015, taking it from twee Weekend Update riff under Craig Kilborn to one of the most popular late night institutions in America.

He left in August 2015 and had a few ventures in the meantime; a Summerslam appearance here, a canceled Apple TV show there. Despite this, he remained best known for his social commentary behind the desk at Comedy Central.

And since Stewart is a known sports geek, he announced his return to The Daily Show in familiar fashion to anyone who watches too much college football.

Folks got pretty excited about this. Or mad. Or too excited. Anyway, stick around for the tweets that hopefully didn’t make too many people angry. Or maybe they did, because (gestures dismissively, sighs).

Racing on TV, January 26-29

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Friday, January 26 Saudi 1 11:00am Daytona 1:45-5:45pm Saturday, January 27 Saudi 2 11:00am Rolex 24 1:30-2:30pm Rolex 24 2:30-8:00pm 10:00-11:59pm Rolex 24 1:30-11:59pm Anaheim 8:30pm Sunday, January …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.


Friday, January 26

Saudi 1 11:00am

Daytona 1:45-5:45pm

Saturday, January 27

Saudi 2 11:00am

Rolex 24 1:30-2:30pm

Rolex 24 2:30-8:00pm
10:00-11:59pm

Rolex 24 1:30-11:59pm

Anaheim 8:30pm

Sunday, January 28

Rolex 24 12:00am-
2:40pm

Rolex 24 6:00am-
12:00pm

Rolex 24 12:00-2:00pm

KOH
highlights
12:00pm
(D)
7:00pm
(R)

Note: Highlights
air through Feb. 3
12:00pm
(D)
7:00pm
(R)

Monday, January 29

Anaheim 1:00-4:00am
(R)

Saudi 2 10:30am-
12:00pm
(D)

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Replay

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

  • SRO-america.com
  • SCCA.com
  • SpeedSport1.com
  • Ferrari Challenge
  • The Trans Am Series airs in 60-minute highlight shows in primetime on the MAVTV Network. For those wishing to tune in live, the entire lineup of SpeedTour events will stream for free on the SpeedTour TV YouTube page. SpeedTour TV will also air non-stop activity on Saturday and Sunday (SVRA, IGT and Trans Am). You can also watch all Trans Am event activity on the Trans Am YouTube page and Facebook page.
  • All NTT IndyCar Series stream live on Peacock Premium.

Everyone’s sharing their favorite sitcom scenes on X (Twitter) and it’s the best

It’s impossible to pick just one.

Every so often, a prompt goes viral on Twitter (now X) and something takes over our entire timelines. Sometimes, like the day everyone inexplicably shared their favorite 30 Rock clips, it’s absolutely delightful.

Such was the case on Tuesday as endless replies and quote tweets to a simple prompt flooded the TL. Aptly named Twitter user No Context Sitcoms (@oocsitcoms) asked a very simple question: “What’s the funniest scene you’ve watched in a sitcom?”

Immediately, everyone started replying with their favorites, ranging from classics like The Golden Girls and Arrested Development to animated series like Bob’s Burgers to hits like Schitt’s Creek and Abbott Elementary.

Enjoy!

WWE Raw’s $5 billion price tag at Netflix means most of the sports you love will be streaming soon

Get ready to watch Big Ten football on Crunchyroll, or whatever.

Soon you won’t be able to find the WWE’s flagship weekly program on cable television. Beginning in 2025, Raw — formerly Monday Night Raw — is headed to Netflix.

The longtime cable staple was a ratings tentpole for the USA, what used to be TNN and, briefly, Sci-Fi Networks. Now it’s headed to streaming thanks to a megadeal that will put the WWE belts alongside Bojack Horseman, Stranger Things and Bridgerton next January. All for the price of $5 billion over 10 years.

This is a story with two narratives. The first is that pro wrestling’s wide appeal is the strongest its been since WWE’s Attitude Era where “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Degeneration X and various versions of The Undertaker and Mick Foley battled in the squared circle. The world’s biggest promotion has been operating at a different level from both an in-ring and storytelling level, creating a product that’s worth $500 million annually for 52 three-hour programs.

The other is that streaming services aren’t ceding any growth when it comes to live sports — or, in this case, sports entertainment. Raw marks Netflix’s first major foray into both sports and live streaming. It’s far from the first platform to break into the field.

Netflix could not ignore the success of Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football simulcasts. Or the loud grumbling and eventual submission to Peacock’s exclusive broadcast rights of the 2024 Wild Card showdown between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. And while those programs were handled very differently — Prime’s ability to mesh live advanced stats and predictive analysis added a unique layer to its coverage, while Peacock offered fans the opportunity to see plays three plays behind the box score and various buffering screens — they both served as drivers for new signups in an increasingly fractured streaming landscape.

That’s a big deal for Netflix, who’ll bid adieu to its most-watched property — Stranger Things — this year. Live sports was the one genre missing from its lineup, and while pro wrestling doesn’t have the cache of the NFL or NBA or MLB (streaming, occasionally, on Apple TV in the past and likely on Prime going forward) it’s more than a niche broadcast. It’s a part of the zeitgeist, a product that maintains a steady viewership and occasionally reaches greater heights on the shoulders of larger-than-life stars. It’s also a property that won’t be folded into Disney’s empire as the parent company of ESPN and all the over-air and streaming broadcasts that come with that.

This $5 billion deal is another cannon blast in the war for live broadcast rights. It’s terrible news for basic and premium cable channels. The only reliable driver of traditional Nielsen ratings — the metric through which advertising slots are priced and sold — is live sports.

Losing Raw is a bitter pill for the USA Network to swallow, but what happens when Prime or Max or Paramount+ or Netflix make a play for the NBA rights that will be up for bidding in 2025? Prime already has access to the regional networks that carry local MLB and NBA games following the bankruptcy of the brand behind Bally Sports Network; is the company whose goal is to be ubiquitous with selling everything you could ever want going to stop there?

The Pac-12 fell apart, in part, because a television deal with Apple TV couldn’t match the revenue more stable major conferences could offer schools via more traditional media rights deals. That’s something that is going to change significantly by the time Big Ten broadcast rights reset in 2030 or Big 12 rights do a year later. It’s possible we’re looking at a future where Wisconsin-UCLA is shown exclusively in seven minute clips on Quibi (I’m kidding, of course. Quibi died, if I remember correctly, because it couldn’t bear to part with its prosthetic golden arm).

This is great news for sports leagues and a further step into Darwinian survival for traditional networks. Major conference college sports and NFL games could be headed for a streaming service that doesn’t yet exist. Raw’s move to Netflix isn’t the start of this trend, but it’s a sign it won’t slow down.

And as long as the broadcasts are more Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football than Peacock, uh, anything, that’s good for sports fans too.