Steven Spielberg is one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, and any film with his name attached is sure to get eyes on it. That includes President Barack Obama, who is a cinephile himself. It turns out that Obama is totally bullying Spielberg over not being invited to an early screening for Disclosure Day. And the story is pretty delightful.

What we know about Disclosure Day is pretty limited, which has only helped to increase hype surrounding the mysterious project. Only time will tell if it becomes one of Steven Spielberg's best movies, but the former president is definitely invested. Spielberg recently appeared on the podcast IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, where the former First Lady revealed that President Obama is low-key beefing with the Jurassic Park filmmaker. In her words:

Honestly, can you blame him? The first reactions to Disclosure Day have been over the top, and there are plenty of movie fans who are chomping at the bit to see the mysterious blockbuster. That includes Barack Obama, who has been bullying Spielberg due to not getting early access. And the way he's doing it is pretty hilarious.

In addition to being fans of TV and film, the Obamas have also produced a number of projects over the years. So they're invested in the industry, as well as Spielberg's work in particular... especially since the former President got to visit the set of Disclosure Day. In the same podcast episode, the E.T. director shared more about the way the "bullying" is going down, offering:

Shots fired. Steven Spielberg is a big proponent of the theatrical experience, so President Obama seemingly hit him where it hurts. Not only is he threatening to watch the new movie on his phone, but to watch if vertically. As we know, this will cut out most of the frame... in addition to being a disservice to the way Disclosure Day was shot and edited. You can see the conversation between the director and the former First Lady below:

Luckily for both moviegoing audiences and Barack Obama, the wait for Disclosure Day is nearly over. The mysterious science-fiction movie will arrive in theaters on June 12th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And I can't wait to see what the former President thinks about Steven Spielberg's latest directorial venture.

May 21 marked the end of an era. After hosting The Late Show for 11 years, Stephen Colbert officially signed off as his program came to an end on the 2026 TV schedule. CBS canceled the late-night talk show last year, and it caused quite a stir in Hollywood and around the world, with many celebrities and fellow late-night talk show hosts showing their support for Colbert. That support has continued over the months, and following the finale, Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, and many more sent some sweet shoutouts.

Colbert went above and beyond for the final episodes of The Late Show, bringing on special guests and doing special segments. Thursday’s finale, which drew The Late Show’s biggest audience in 10 years, according to The New York Times, had appearances from some famous friends such as Jon Stewart and Bryan Cranston, and the host's fitting final guest was Paul McCartney. It was emotional and very sweet. And those feelings didn’t stop when the lights got turned off, as many celebrities took to social media to send messages to the beloved host:

• Samuel L Jackson: Your Comedic Salve will never be replaced for our wounded souls! Thanks for ALWAYS being our Dr FEELGOOD 🫵🏾‼️ @colbertlateshow @colbert
• Ryan Reynolds: Late night tv will never be the same. I’ll miss your tender embrace @colbertlateshow
• Jamie Lee Curtis: THANKS FOR THE LAUGHS @colbertlateshow @colbert
• Conan O’Brien: Here's to Stephen Colbert, a man of great integrity and wit. Onward, friend, to bigger and better things.
• Seth Meyers: For as great as he is on screen, Stephen is an even better person when the cameras stop rolling. A truly generous, kind and thoughtful man who elevates those around him. Can’t wait for his next chapter and grateful to know him.
• Marlee Matlin: One of my favorite interviews was with @StephenAtHome He GOT my humor. Wishing you only the best in your journey beyond your talk show. We need your voice more than ever! @colbertlateshow
• Barack Obama: For more than a decade, Stephen @Colbert has been one of the top voices of late night — making us laugh and, even more importantly, reminding us who we are and what America stands for. Michelle and I enjoyed being Stephen’s guests — even when the games were rigged — and we’re grateful to call him a friend.

All of these messages, plus many others, and the outpouring of love and support that Colbert has received in these last several months, show how much he and The Late Show matter. It’s clear that everyone has had a great time on the late-night talk show, and while many are still debating what truly led to the show’s cancellation, it’s obvious that a ton of people did not want it to happen.

In addition to the sweet messages, some late-night shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, aired reruns for part of the week out of respect.

That being said, not everyone has been respectful, as President Trump’s post about the final show is as mean-spirited as you’d think. However, overall, the support for Colbert and his program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Earlier this month, Colbert revealed what he’s doing the day afterThe Late Show ends, sharing that his brother was actually getting married in D.C., and it’s much more important than what’s going on with the show. Colbert’s been busy with the final episodes of The Late Show, but he still has his priorities straight when it comes to his family.

With The Late Show’s cancellation, the future of late-night television is in question. Following Jimmy Kimmel Live’s brief suspension last year and the cancellation of The Late Show, it's unclear what could happen next. However, thankfully, Colbert was able to go out with a bang and surrounded by a whole bunch of folks who adore him and his work. Those who missed the finale of The Late Show can stream it now with a Paramount+ subscription.

Many of Seth Rogen’s movies have pushed boundaries in regard to raunchy comedy. However, arguably none of them sent ripples throughout the political sphere like 2014’s The Interview did. The political satire flick, which Rogen co-directed with Evan Goldberg drew significant backlash and also became tied to the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures. Michael Lynton, who headed up the studio at that time and gave the movie the green light, recently reflected on the film and revealed former U.S. President Barack Obama’s reaction.

The Interview tells the story of two journalists – played by Rogen and James Franco – who organize an interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Randall Park). Ultimately, those plans are co-opted by the CIA, who task the pair with assassinating the politician. By the summer of 2014, amid promotion of the film, the North Korean government threatened action against the U.S. if the film was released. That November, Sony was hacked by a terrorist group with purported ties to North Korea.

Lynton reflects on that situation in his new memoir, From Mistakes to Meaning: Owning Your Past So It Doesn’t Own You, which is co-written by Joshua L. Steiner. As expected, many people were not pleased with the situation surrounding Rogen and co.’s film. Lynton revealed he even spoke to President Obama – who was still in the White House at the time, eight months after the hack. As the ex-studio exec explained in his book (via Variety), the Commander-in-chief shared a brutally honest take on how everything panned out:

Barack Obama has proven himself to be a pop culture connoisseur but, given his professional position at this time, it tracks that he would weigh in on The Interview. Considering the movie’s political subject matter, some may wonder why Michael Lynton decided to give it the go-ahead in the first place. Lynton cited a rivalry between Sony’s Amy Pascal and Universal’s Stacey Snider as a reason for the latter wanting Rogen’s latest “outrageous” film. Also, Lynton named a more personal reason for his rationale:

The Sony hack did indeed prove to be costly for the film studio, as a considerable amount of company details were divulged to the public. Personal information regarding employees was divulged as well. While North Korea denied launching the hack, the country didn’t express disapproval once it happened. In 2014, Seth Rogen was asked if he felt guilt over how the situation transpired and admitted that he found it hard to feel such a way at that point.

As for The Interview’s eventual release, the film was bumped back from its October 2014 release to December of that year. That time allowed for Rogen and co. to make required editorial alterations. After major theater chains declined to carry the film, Sony released it to digital platforms, and it grossed $40 million in digital rentals and an additional $12.3 million worldwide via a limited theatrical run. So, while the film ended making some money, that came at the expense of a hack and some shade from President Obama.

Kim Kardashian’s journey to become a lawyer continues, as we learned in November that she had failed her first attempt at the bar exam. As disappointed as she was at the news, she has vowed to keep grinding until she achieves this goal that she set for herself in 2019. The reality star’s friends and family rallied to encourage her to keep going, but she’s now revealed how none other than President Obama made her feel a lot better about what happened.

Those who keep up with The Kardashians (streaming with a Hulu subscription) have gotten to see a good bit of what Kim Kardashian has put into following in her late father’s footsteps to become a lawyer. We’ve seen her studying on the set of All’s Fair, celebrating her law school graduation and then melting down in the days ahead of the big test. When the results came, Kardashian announced the bad news publicly and said she received some pretty surprising responses. She told Complex:

OK, so Kim Kardashian is, at this point in her law career, effectively equal to where Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama were after one bar exam? That’s got to provide a little relief. Now the work continues, and the SKIMS boss said she might do one thing a little differently this time around:

Yeah, with literally everyone in the world being able to see the results of Kim Kardashian’s bar exam, there’s no point in trying to hide them, but if this mindset takes any of that outside pressure off, it’s definitely worth it.

It was kind of awful to see where Kim Kardashian was nine days ahead of the bar exam, as she broke down on The Kardashians episode “Dolly Freaking Parton,” crying as she told the camera:

It was equally heartbreaking when she got the results, as The Kardashians film crew was there to record the moment, along with sister Khloé, mom Kris Jenner and her son Saint, who wrapped his arms around his sobbing mother as she read the results.

I can only imagine putting that much work into something and then finding out you’ve got to go through it all over again, but at least she can rest assured, thanks to Barack Obama, that she’s in good company.

We’ll have to see how much of her bar exam journey continues to be shown on The Kardashians when Season 8 premieres on the 2026 TV schedule. A specific date has yet to be announced.

Season 2 of Severance was about as well-received as the first. It gave fans some answers while also providing plenty of twists, but one of the most fun came early in Season 2, when we were introduced to the voice of the Lumon building, and we discovered that it sounds exactly like Keanu Reeves. However, the John Wick actor wasn't Ben Stiller's first pick for the role, and his reaction to learning that said first pick was Barack Obama was incredible.

Keanu Reeve's Severance Role Was Offered To Barack Obama

In a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast, Keanu Reeves was asked about the fact that Ben Stiller had revealed he had initially offered the role of the Lumon building to Barack Obama. It turned out the John Wick star had no idea. Keanu said simply…

So, the Kelce brothers got to break the news to Keanu Reeves that he wasn’t the first choice for the voice of the claymation Lumon building.

A lot of actors might be disappointed that they weren’t the first choice and only got the role after somebody else turned it down. Reeves, however, takes it all in stride. While he initially seems to feel bad that he was a second choice, he ultimately decides that he doesn’t care that he wasn’t the first pick. He’s just happy he got the job. Reeves said…

Keanu has found some incredible success being the second choice in the past. It's now a well-known story that he only got the call for The Matrix after Will Smith turned the role down. Clearly, he doesn't take offense at being a second choice, and it's simply a fact that many iconic roles came about after other actors said no.

Ben Stiller Explained How He Wanted Barack Obama In Severance

Back in March, Stiller relayed the story of how he actually asked Barack Obama if he would perform the voice-over that Reeves ultimately ended up doing. While Obama apparently has an Apple TV+ subscription, as he's a fan of the series, he was unable to do it because former Presidents are really busy. Stiller said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!…

Keanu Reeves has an amazing voice and ended up being a great choice for Severance. That said, I will now always wonder about what we could have heard, because Barack Obama could have been incredible in the role.

Perhaps, if Barack Obama’s schedule opens up, there will be future opportunities for him in Season 3 of Severance. He says he likes the show, so it sounds like he’d be willing. If not, I’m sure Keanu Reeves will be happy to fill in.

After nearly a quarter-century on television, Curb Your Enthusiasm came to an end last year with 12 seasons and 120 episodes... but if you were thinking that Larry David was just going to ride off into the sunset after making his second hit comedy series, you were wrong. The TV icon and co-creator of Seinfeld has worked out a deal to develop a brand new show at HBO, and this project is not only wildly different than Curb, but it sees David collaborating with President Barack and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground.

The project was announced today via press release, and while the show doesn't have an official title yet, it's being described as a "half-hour sketch comedy limited series" that will poke fun at American history. The timing of the development is apropos, as the idea is that it will be ready to premiere for 2026 – the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The show is being scripted by Larry David and Curb Your Enthusiasm's Jeff Schaffer, who will not only co-writing scripts but is also an executive producer and will be directing.

The official statement from Larry David about the show's development has been released, and it's a delight unto itself – with shots fired in the direction of Jeff Bezos and his star-studded wedding thrown in for extra fun. Says David,

I didn't realize that taking retirement advice from recent Jason Statham movies was a thing, but Larry David makes me believe it.

Beyond David's involvement, it's unclear who else will specifically be starring on the show, but the HBO press release promises notable names. As you probably expected, there will be other Curb Your Enthusiasm stars in the mix (nobody is specifically mentioned), and the sketch series will also feature "noteworthy guest stars."

It will be curious to see how the show comes together, if not especially because Larry David got his start in sketch comedy. Prior to the creation of Seinfeld, the comedian hot his small screen start as a writer and performer on the short-lived show Fridays (which also featured Seinfeld star Michael Richards), and after that show was cancelled, he went on to be one of the writers on Saturday Night Live.

Be on the look out for more about the Curb Your Enthusiasm follow-up here on CinemaBlend in the coming months as more information about the show is made available – and if you're now in the mood for some Larry David-centric laughs, you can watch all 12 seasons of his hit premium cable comedy with an HBO Max subscription.

While the podcasting market continues to expand, with everyone and their mom seeming to have one, there truly are some gems on the airwaves. Regardless of your familiarity and regularity in dabbling, where does one start? As someone who dabbles in a few series and loves a good pop culture injection of any form, a celebrity-hosted show can offer a lot! These stars’ pods cover plenty of ground from BTS on favorite sets to politics to emotionally forward conversations. If you’re lost, in a rut or just looking for another stellar title to add to your audio arsenal, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive in!

Oprah’s Super Soul - Oprah Winfrey

We know her, we love her, and the dynamic Oprah Winfrey continues to evolve and push interviewing bounds. Super Soul is more or less an adaptation of her inspiration and often a spiritual talk show that ran through the early 2020s. Be prepared to hear some deep conversations if you aren’t already, though we all know it tends to come with the unmistakable Hollywood giant.

Literally! With Rob Lowe - Rob Lowe

The 61-year-old Hollywood vet has wide-ranging conversations with plenty of well-known professionals. Whether it's well-established or rising stars in movies and TV, music or sports, Lowe jumps right in with them. And as a member of The Brat Pack, the pull he has with landing guests is pretty impressive and diverse.

Renegades: Born In The USA - Barak Obama, Bruce Springsteen

Though it only ran for one season and has 8 episodes to its name, the former president and The Boss’ collab rocked. Their conversations consisted of the changing dynamics of the USA through the lens of music, personal happenings, fatherhood and future revitalization. They also share their backstory on how the friendship and pod came to be.

Goop - Gwyneth Paltrow

Paltrow and Goop’s virality continues to regularly break the internet (especially those body-forward scented candles). But the Hollywood A-lister and her empire went to new heights with the addition of their own podcast, which she hosts. Naturally, it dives in holistically to grander topics with today’s ‘brightest thinkers and culture changers’ to dissect the conversation at hand.

Wiser Than Me - Julia Louis-Dreyfus

As always, when Louis-Dreyfus commits to a project, she knocks a role out of the park. One of her most recent titles as host of Wiser Than Me is no different; her interviewing women who are expert veterans in their given career is a true delight. She’s had everyone from Jane Goodall to Jane Fonda, and she’s just getting going.

Good Hang - Amy Poehler

Don’t overlook the Parks & Rec star’s Good Hang, even though it may be one of the newest entries on the list. Poehler’s sunshine bright vibes radiate through the show while she chats with A-list Hollywood names. But the most signature part shines through when she has a mini cameo from a friend of the guest who praises them ahead of the main convo. (If you haven’t seen or know where the viral clip of Rachel Dratch fumbling with headphones on a Zoom, now you do.)

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Conan O’Brien

In the comedian’s corner of the interview world, you can certainly expect his signature smart silliness he has brought to the masses over the decades. But why did he jump into the world? As the title implies, and per his summary, O’Brien realized after years of interviewing celebs, ‘the only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him,’ and wanted to change that.

Fly On The Wall - David Spade, Dana Carvey

While not an outright Saturday Night Live podcast, two huge alums, Spade and Carvey, lead this industry-leaning show. The pair has their fair share of guests and covers plenty of Studio 8H lore depending on who’s with them that week. Beyond the sketch show conversations, they often jump into current pop culture, current events and even fan-submitted fare.

Bill Gates And Rashida Jones Ask Big Questions - Bill Gates, Rashida Jones

Gates and Jones came together at the beginning of the pandemic in search of musing about some big questions. Though there are only five episodes, nothing seems off the table, from climate change to the psychology behind lying. But the unexpected co-hosts tackle these larger sociological and worldly topics with intentionality and ease.

The Big Podcast With Shaq - Shaquille O'Neal

The dynamic retired basketball player continues to surprise us with his plays (he just confirmed he was a Swiftie on the Kelces’ pod), and did just that when he kicked off his new podcast network by way of his own. Aptly named, Shaq and co-host Adam Lefkoe, of course, talk sports among themselves and alongside guests, but also hit a range of topics.

Minnie Questions - Minnie Driver

The Good Will Hunting actress’ offering sets up each interview through seven thoughtful questions. Though each question is relatively simple, it’s proven time and again that it unearths quite a conversation. Her therapy session meets fireside chat structure stands apart from other celebrity podcasts since its intention dives into a soulful exploration of life’s questions.

All There Is With Anderson Cooper - Anderson Cooper

While plenty of entries on the list cover an array of subjects from casual conversations, behind-the-scenes Hollywood magic and love and relationships, Cooper dives into loss (which he’s experienced multiple times over since childhood). What started as the beloved CNN news anchor processing the passing of his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, and the ins and outs that go along with it, has blossomed into something much more. He’s built a safe ground for guests and listeners alike to reflect and process the big topic.

Red Table Talk - Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris

The multi-generational, familial women-hosted show has gone viral a few times over since its inception on Facebook. Nothing, as we’ve seen, is off limits in this conversational style show and doesn’t shy away when things get nitty gritty. Though the OG got the axe in 2023, it got going again with no ties to Facebook, and its episode catalog continues to rank with some of the best Hollywood fodder out there today.

The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart - Jon Stewart

The beloved TV host has a podcast that pairs with his regularly scheduled show. The Weekly Show offers a more expansive look into our ever-developing world with notable minds in essential roles across the professional field. If you’re looking for even more Stewart material, he had a short-lived but excellent 2 season show called The Problem with Jon Stewart that dove into topics that were ‘too big for TV.’ With either, you can count on a laugh paired with some big, thought-provoking discussions.

SmartLess - Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean Hayes

SmartLess is like an improv dinner party you weren’t invited to, but somehow snuck into. Each episode brings a surprise guest to the table, and with it comes comedy, curiosity, and the kind of bromantic chaos that three A-listers with zero filters can deliver. It’s part talk show, part therapy session, and all charm—who would’ve guessed the vibe would be achieved by the Michael and Gob Bluth actors with a dash of the Jack McFarland actor.

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard

Maybe one of the most recognizable and longstanding on the list, Shepard started his series in 2018. Though the premise is relatively simple in terms of chatting with well-known faces, things can go deep quickly. The CHiPs alum has had ex-costars like Lauren Graham, incidentally spill about Parenthood peer, Mae Whitman’s baby daddy, and Oscar-nominated stars like Michelle Williams reflect about her late ex-partner, Heath Ledger. Needless to say, there’s a lot to work with here (and a 300+ episode backlog to sift through).

Office Ladies - Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer

Of course, there was bound to be at least one rewatch pod in the bunch, and with The Office ranking as one of the best sitcoms ever, it’s a natural pick to include. Kinsey (who played Angela Martin/Lipton/Schrute) and Fischer (who played Pam Beesly Halpert) recount excellent tidbits and memories as they rewatch the NBC classic while hosting Dunder Mifflin cast and crew members.

Life Is Short - Justin Long

First and foremost, I’ve got to give the Jeepers Creepers actor’s name for his show is A+ play on words (specifically short and long). But, behind the small chuckle the title of the pod offers is a surprisingly poignant base for Long and his brother, who co-hosts the show. The siblings jump in the deep end with their guests and discuss all there is about life, which includes everything from emojis to their perspective on life.

LeVar Burton Reads - LeVar Burton

Fiction lovers and previous PBS Kids unite! The beloved Reading Rainbow star’s pod is a modern-day take on the classic 26-year run show, but now catered toward adults. Short form stories are the main genre he dives into each week, and the whole thing feels just like a little bit of a time machine, for those who tuned in regularly to RR.

New Heights - Jason, Travis Kelce

No, I’m not talking about their mom, Donna Kelce, landing a spot on S4 of The Traitors US, but it’s worth mentioning. The NFL family show is full of BTS looks into being brothers while also playing football professionally. They also often go out of bounds of the shared ground and discuss everything from pop culture to UFOs.

The High Life - Ricki Lake

The former television host is getting back to her roots with The High Life. And while she still has plenty of Tinseltown names as guests, the focus with her offering is health and wellness. Nothing is off the table within the larger landscape; she hits everything from menopause to energy healing.

Las Culturistas - Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers

In case you’d like to know, this is my ride or die pick of the list. The college besties-turned-Hollywood-darling co-hosts have amassed a cult turned mainstream following thanks to culture catch-ups, regular bits they have A-list guests participate in (what sparked their interest in culture and their wry ‘I Don’t Think So Honey!’ critique of something) and their own award show. Clearly, I could go on about it, but if you need more proof, Tina Fey’s iconic advice to Yang speaks to why we, ‘readers, kayteighs, publicists, finalists and kyles,’ love it all.

WTF With Marc Maron - Marc Maron

The rough around the edges comedian and actor’s podcast is one of the most well-known celebrity series. As a blueprint of public figures' iterations to come, Maron got started in 2009 after his radio show got canned. In the decade-plus he’s been at it, he hosted writers, directors, comedians, actors and many more in the typical style that is commonplace today. But, heads up, he just announced his show will end this fall, so don’t miss out!

Podcrushed - Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, Sophie Ansari

The Gossip Girl alum’s shared show isn’t a far cry from the hit teen series fodder. They’ve just spun the clock a little further back to schoolyard drama and middle school crushes. Badgley, alongside Kavelin and Ansari, takes on listeners' stories, reads them and explores all the ins and outs of starting to grow up (and all the turmoil that tags along).

Broad Ideas - Rachel Bilson, Olivia Allen

While you may know of Bilson’s other pod, Beyond The O.C., involving ex-castmate Melinda Clarke, Broad Ideas includes her longtime bestie, Olivia Allen. The new duo essentially cover any ground two girlfriends would in any given conversation (mental health to ghosts are promised). But hosting a new guest to join in on the fun each week brings it to the next level.

The Mess Around With Hannah And Lamorne - Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone

If you know anything about where these two co-hosts met, you can probably guess this is a New Girl rewatch series. And if you know that, you probably know they played CeCe and Winston (Bishop), respectively, and the title comes from a bit that the characters shared. Also, plenty of past cast and crew come through to reminisce about all the shenanigans that went down in 4D.

Films To Be Buried With With Brett Goldstein - Brett Goldstein

Though he’s still relatively new to the scene, the Ted Lasso star is hitting it big (and is now on Shrinking). With that success, his unique corner of the recording studio has only found more success. And while the title of Goldstein’s show is pretty straightforward and self-explanatory, it has me hooked. I think it’s safe to say he’s just getting started.

At Your Service - Dua Lipa

While I haven’t actually listened to the singer and actress’ show, it may be the hidden gem on the list. Heading into her third season, she continues to host a slew of knockout guests, and her collection of candid conversations runs the gamut of interesting fare. Everything from psychedelics to running Apple.

Getting Better With Jonathan Van Ness - Jonathan Van Ness

Ever since being introduced as the current generation’s hair & grooming lead on Queer Eye, JVN has been stealing the show as they help build up others. By natural curiosity and the drive to learn, the Getting Better podcast helps them grow and build spaces to learn even more. The weekly episodic content comes in all shapes and sizes–from finance lessons to discourse on culture, they’ve got it covered.

Why Won’t You Date Me? - Nicole Byer

The Nailed It! host is also a pro-podcaster. If you go looking for Byer’s love and relationship pod, you may find quite a slew aside from the aforementioned one (Best Friends!, 90 Day Bae and Newcomers). But this humorously titled one is the most well-known and long-standing one, where she has everyone from friends and experts to an occasional ex or two dish all about dating and love.

Lovett Or Leave It - Jon Lovett

While Jon Lovett’s beginnings aren’t traditional Hollywood standards material, the comedian was a former speech writer for Barack Obama. From there, he and fellow Obama peers (Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau–not to be confused with the A-lister) then co-hosted Pod Save America. His newest show is a hybrid of political news mixed with fun, well-known guests, and a bit of shenanigans all tied into one, always providing a laugh.

The Bald And The Beautiful - Trixie Mattel And Katya Zamolodchikova

One of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s biggest winners, Trixie and ride or die fellow queen, Katya, have taken the world by storm together. After meeting on season 7, they quickly went on their way to make creative projects together, starting with their viral cult followed series, UNHhhh, to their aptly titled pod. It’s a lot of the same banter, just funneled into discussing pop culture and Tinseltown-leaning topics.

When it comes to NBA players, Anthony Edwards is easily one of the most unique players in the entire league, and I’m not necessarily referring to his killer skills on the court. The 23-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves star also has a distinct personality marked by high energy and supreme confidence. Both attributes were on display when Edwards spoke to LeBron James and former U.S. President Barack Obama amid the 2024 Summer Olympics. That clip turned a lot of heads, and fans now have more thoughts since it’s going viral again.

Anthony Edwards and LeBron James are just two of the players featured in the docuseries Court of Gold (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). During one particular episode, the U.S. Men’s Basketball team attends a reception with NBA fan Barack Obama. At one point, the former politician chops it up with Edwards, who declares himself “the truth” when prompted by Obama. The ex-POTUS then calls Lakers captain James over to get his take on the comments, and Edwards does not back down from his claim. Check it out:

It’s one thing to exude confidence, but it’s a whole other thing to prop yourself up while talking to a former president. This conversation is still as surreal as it was to me when I watched the show for the first time. As for why it’s going viral again, the Timberwolves and Lakers are currently locked in a first-round playoff series, with the former teaming holding a 3-1 lead, as of this writing. With the clip back in circulation, many shared their takes on “Ant”:

• He still needs to mature a bit but he’s quickly becoming must see tv - @OhioNakamoto
• Lol 😂 Ant would be talking crazy to Kobe too - @Abrantieosei25
• This kid confidence is unmatched[.] Love this kid - @onlyone_bob
• Ant ain't lyin...👏🏿💯 - @tbud4410
• That face when he got KD approval says enough. 💯 - @Sleex0

Some may disagree with just how headstrong Anthony Edwards is, but his talent is hard to deny. After being drafted with the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the shooting guard quickly made an impact on the T-Wolves, and he’s since been named to three All-Star teams and an All-NBA team. During the 2024 playoffs, he also led his team to the Western Conference Finals. On top of all that, Edwards has been spectacular during this recent series with the Lakers. LeBron James is certainly one of the NBA GOATS, but Edwards has the potential to be a legend as well if he remains on his current trajectory.

Anthony Edwards also follows in King James’ footsteps in another way, as he’s also dipped his toes into the world of acting. In the 2022 film Hustle, Edwards plays trash-talking basketball player Kermit Wilts and serves as a perfect heel. His performance was praised by critics, but Edwards doesn’t seem to have interest in any further acting work. With that, it would seem that any films and TV shows he appears in next will likely be unscripted fare.

He certainly shines during Court of Gold, which offers “full access” to several Olympic basketball squads. Director Jake Rogal not only captures the intensity of the competitions, but he also manages to humanize the players themselves. That’s Kevin Durant’s emotional interview about his love of basketball and even Ant-Man’s feelings on his professional prowess.

Unless something drastic happens, I imagine Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will beat LeBron James and the Lakers in their series. That’s sure to add more fuel to Edwards’ claims that he’s “the truth.” Despite that, I’m still not sure I’ll ever get over the sight of him hyping himself up in front of Barack Obama with no hesitation.

You could say that old pop culture wounds were re-opened after the 2025 TV schedule marked the magic that was Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show for Super Bowl LIX. As the Pulitzer Prize winner included “Not Like Us” into his big game centerpiece, his feud with Canadian rapper Drake was brought to the forefront of everyone’s minds yet again. And, now, thanks to the magic of archival video, fans are talking about how former U.S. President Barack Obama inadvertently took sides over the whole matter, long before it kicked off.

A 2016 Interview With President Obama Saw The Former Politician Side With Kendrick Lamar

The internet has a long memory, and today’s example of that practice in play is an interview that took place while the 44th president was in office. Certainly not shy about talking about pop culture, as seen in President Obama’s favorite movie of 2014, this example was focused on a hypothetical rap battle between Lamar and Drake. In a polite, but obviously biased way, Obama shared his winner in this memorable clip:

To be fair, that was a very even handed answer when it came to choosing sides in this brewing matter. With this article that, according to The Hill, dates back to 2016 - this moment came two years before Lamar would win his Pulitzer Prize, and a little under a decade before the arrival of “Not Like Us.”

It kind of feels like either President Barack Obama was read in on the matter ahead of the rest of us, or he was merely ahead of his time. In either case, the internet had some thoughts.

The Internet Isn’t Surprised That Obama Favored Kendrick Lamar Over Drake

In some feuds, it’s easy to know which side to step onto, and the Kendrick Lamar/Drake scenario appears to be one of them. But, besides the commentary people had on choosing sides, there were some pretty fun suggestions made amidst the analysis on why Obama had backed the right candidate:

• “Kendrick should have sampled this” - @shainajade92
• “He explained it perfectly there is a difference between an entertainer and lyricist.” - @victoriousaj
• “You think this why Kendrick said on that one song “Obama said what it do!” - @superr.bensonn
• “okay this isn't that impressive. kendrick is a PULITZER PRIZE WINNING writer. like he is literally on another level. kendrick makes art, drake sings his lil melodies like tf” - @space_noodles_
• “Yall thought Obama was gonna pick the Canadian?” - @minton__jr

Details like former President Obama’s thoughts on the modern NBA have reminded us that the man is still as pop culture savvy as anything. Yet this flashback is even more of a reminder of just how in touch he was with pop culture. It’s a skill that politicians on either side of the aisle have been known to use to great effect, and one would like to think that won’t go away any time soon. The same can be said about the families in such proximity as well, lest we forget the wild story behind Laura Bush’s favorite movie.

As we wait to see what becomes of Drake’s recent legal moves through actual litigation, the court of public opinion still seems to be resolutely in favor of the man some call K.Dot. The resurgence of Barack Obama’s comments, and the reactions it’s provoked, only serve to stoke those fires further, and it's anyone guess if there's anything that would ever change that.

If you've talked to anyone over the age of 50 about the NBA recently, you've probably heard about how much it's changed since the 90s. Everything from the physicality to the number of three-point shots taken a game is different, and not everyone believes the current product is as good as it once was. This includes former President Barack Obama, who noted one NBA event he'll be skipping on the 2025 TV schedule if it doesn't improve.

Speaking to Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton on the Young Man and The Three, Obama shared a major gripe he has with the NBA's current situation. He sadly didn't use this chance to bash the league for endangering the safety of Inside The NBA, but did bring up his big issue with the annual All-Star Game, and it's on that I agree with. As he put it:

He's not lying. Watch The Last Dance with a Netflix subscription, and you'll see that Michael Jordan, as well as every other superstar of that era, remained competitive when it came to just about anything. Isiah Thomas even called out a fan a while back for trying to say that Home Alone's Kevin McAllister wouldn't have a poster of him, so I'd argue a lot of those guys still have that competitive drive to this day.

Barack Obama is also correct in saying that current NBA superstars do not take the All-Star Game seriously. Tyrese Haliburton didn't deny it and even confessed they ignored older legends who tried to come in and encourage them to play better. Despite that, the former President of the United States did what he could in an attempt to explain why they need to take it seriously rather than goof off:

This gripe isn't new among NBA fans, to be sure. With zero stakes in who wins or loses and players with multi-million dollar contracts on the line, there's little incentive for them to risk injury by putting on a regular-season performance. The game is also closer to the postseason, where injuries can derail a franchise's hopes for a championship. With nothing to play for, some might consider a star going all-out foolish.

Adding stakes to the All-Star game would encourage players to take the game more seriously, as the same tactic worked for the Emirates In-Season tournament. A cash incentive, plus added win totals for the teams that advance, was a nice perk, but maybe the All-Star event could up the ante. For example, maybe the winning division gets home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.

If I were the NBA, I would consider it after this. A former President of the United States openly calling out a major highlight of your season as "broken" is a problem and one that the league should work to fix. Once that's done, maybe they can also find a way to replicate the success of Inside The NBA because I can already tell I'm going to be complaining when TNT doesn't have games anymore.

The NBA season is currently underway, and CinemaBlend has plenty of fans keeping tabs on the entertainment-related stories emerging from the regular season. Keep a look out for that, and for those who like Barack Obama's take above, check out who Shaquille O'Neal called out as two of the worst players in the league.

I don’t know about you, but I really miss the Obamas in the White House. And that’s the furthest I’ll go when making a political statement, because this is an entertainment website (where we talk about fictional Black presidents!); not a political website.   

That said, just because Barack and Michelle Obama have been out of the White House for several years now, that doesn’t mean that they’ve stayed out of the public eye. Unlike other former presidents who have built houses, or taken up painting, the Obamas have been busy with their company, Higher Ground Productions.   

And, being the most diverse presidential family in America’s history, it only makes sense that their production company would be equally diverse. In fact, with Higher Grounds, they even have it in their mission statement that they aim to elevate “new and diverse voices in the entertainment industry.” I’ve sampled many of these “diverse voices,” over the past few years, and here are some of my favorites (with one that is reportedly in the works that I am dying to see).  

Rustin  

Directed by George C. Wolfe, and starring Chris Rock, Aml Ameen, Audra McDonald, Jeffrey Wright, and an exceptional Colman Domingo in the titular role, Rustin is one of the best Civil Rights movies that I didn’t know I needed. It tells the story of Bayard Rustin, an openly gay Black man in a time when being openly gay (and Black, for that matter) was not only frowned upon, but also seen as being dangerous in this country.   

The story concerns how Rustin helped organize the famous March on Washington with Dr. King. But, here’s the thing. Rather than focusing primarily on MLK, which multiple movies have already done, it instead focuses on some of the key players of the movement that you may not have heard of, primarily Bayard Rustin, who I had honestly never heard of before this movie.  

What makes this film so special (and highly diverse) is that it doesn’t shy away from the fact that Rustin was both a Black man and a gay man, and both were equally important to him as a human being. I’m really happy that Rustin finally got his time in the spotlight. Now, if only we could get a few long overdue biopics for some other deserving Black figures...Just sayin’.     

Leave The World Behind 

Based on the novel by Rumaan Alam, directed by Sam Esmail, and starring Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon, and Julia Roberts, Leave the World Behind has been a really big hit for Netflix. 

It might be because this is an apocalyptic movie for our era. Instead of zombies, or some Mad Max-fight over gasoline, we instead get a story about a technological apocalypse. Like, what would happen if all the wi-fi was cut off, or if there was a cyberattack? That’s the kind of drama that we’re dealing with in this psychological thriller. The film feels both prescient, and yet, like a throwback at the same time. It also ratchets up the tension to like 11.  

Leave the World Behind actually has me really excited for the future of Higher Ground, as it showcases that the Obamas are not only interested in producing educational content, but also taut thrillers. Because this movie is attached to the Obamas, of course, there are conspiracy theories aplenty. Oh, and if you’re still digesting that ending, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.    

Becoming  

I have a copy of Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, in my basement that I’ve been meaning to read, and I will get to it. Someday. But, in the meantime, I’m happy that there was a documentary made about the former First Lady, as this film follows her around on her book tour.

What’s great about this documentary is that it also goes into Michelle Obama’s upbringing, and what made her into the woman that she eventually became (and is still, in a way, becoming). Through interviews, and old footage, we get a glimpse into her world. 

Unfortunately, being that this documentary is only about an hour and a half long, it really only goes into so much about her. I guess that’s why I really need to crack open that book, because what we get here is definitely still enticing.  

Working: What We Do All Day 

Directed by Caroline Suh, this four episode docuseries (narrated by Barack Obama!) features multiple people from all different walks of life discussing what they do on a day-to-day basis. We get people from different industries, such as home care, and a tech company, and we come to understand that even though they are all living very different lives, their jobs somewhat intersect in ways that one probably wouldn’t even imagine. 

What’s particularly special about this docuseries is that it feels very here-and-now. We have people worrying about how automation may affect their futures, but also how some people need to actually leave their jobs because the schedule is just too much. It’s both a hopeful, and yet sobering show that has its eyes on the present, but also the immediate future. 

Waffles + Mochi 

Along with all of the adult content from Higher Ground, they also have some great children’s programs. One of my favorites is Waffles + Mochi, which is an educational/cooking show where its puppet characters go to different parts of the world and sample new kinds of foods. 

Michelle Obama herself acts as a sort of host, as her character owns a grocery store, and she sometimes sends Waffles + Mochi out on adventures around the world. It’s a fun, silly show, with one of the weirdest catchphrases — “Listen to your vegetables, and eat your parents!” — that I’ve ever heard, and I love it. And, oh yeah, my kids love it, too!

We The People  

Created by Chris Nee (who also created Doc McStuffins), this series is pretty much Schoolhouse Rock!, but for the modern era. We get really short clips about topics such as the First Amendment, taxes, and immigration, all set to catchy tunes.  

As a writer who is also a teacher (and if you’re a teacher who’s reading this, then I love you), I now have a great resource when any of my students ask me about topics like the three branches of government, or federal vs. state power. I’m not sure if we’re getting a second season since this series debuted back in 2021, but I sure hope so.    

Ada Twist, Scientist  

Based on the picture book of the same name, the TV series Ada Twist, Scientist is kind of like Doc McStuffins. But instead of having fantasy elements, such as McStuffins using her imagination to make her toys come to life, this is more focused on scientific solutions, which makes sense, because the TV series is also from Chris Nee, the creator of Doc McStuffins. 

There are currently four seasons, and even though my kids of 8 and 7 are a bit too old for it, I recommend it for any parents who have pre-school aged kids. 

One That I Can't Wait To Watch - White Mountains 

Though there is no official confirmation yet of what is rumored to be titled White Mountains, there is apparently a Netflix film in the works about the first reported alien abduction in America, and I can't WAIT to see it if it turns out to be real.  

Based around the accounts of interracial couple, Barney and Betty Hill, the film would hopefully chronicle this bizarre account that took place in 1961, and Higher Grounds has reportedly been in the talks to produce it. Let me tell you. If this movie comes into fruition, and it’s anywhere near as good as Leave the World Behind, then sign me up! 

Those are just a few of the shows and movies from Higher Ground Productions, but they have so much more! Check them out if you haven’t already!    

Leave The World Behind has been a big hit on Netflix since it premiered on the 2023 movie schedule in early December. As one of the best thrillers of 2023 continues to rank high on Netflix’s most streamed movies this week, it’s time to debunk those conspiracy theories surrounding former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s involvement in the movie. 

Since the release starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke and executive produced by the Obamas tackles the topic of the end of the world via international hackers, conspiracy theorists have been having a field day about Leave The World Behind. After watching the movie throughout December, some viewers have taken to social media to comment their thoughts about it signaling the end of times. When the film’s director Sam Esmail was asked about this, here’s how he responded: 

For those who are feeling uneasy about the apocalyptic movie being some kind of hidden sign from the United States’ 44th president about how the end of the world will occur, let Leave The World Behind’s director Sam Esmail put your mind at ease. The script is actually based on a 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam of the same name, and as the filmmaker shared with Collider, the Obamas didn’t come on to the project until the movie was about to be shot. As Esmail continued: 

During the interview, Esmail admitted that he’d seen the Leave The World Behind conspiracy theories online, but shared that the producers did not have a huge influence on the script since it’s a book adaptation and had already been written. Previously, Esmail has shared that Barack Obama did help “ground” him a bit more on how things “might unfold in reality” in regards to his experience watching real-life crises unfold as president. 

The movie is one of many projects the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions have been behind this year. They also produced Netflix’s Rustin and American Symphony. Prior, Barack and Michelle Obama executive produced 2021’s Worth and Fatherhood starring Kevin Hart. While the subject matter of Leave The World Behind may feel more real thanks to the Obamas' involvement, Esmail’s comments debunk theories that the movie serves as some secret message from the former U.S. leader. 

Since Leave The World Behind was first screened, it has received positive buzz from critics, while audiences are generally less impressed. You can check it out for yourself right now with a Netflix subscription. After you see it, take a look at our breakdown for the Leave The World Behind ending. 

Writer/director Sam Email joins the show to discuss his new Netflix film Leave the World Behind (starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon). He details his relationship with Barack Obama and his role as a producer, how influences from the likes of Stanley Kubrick make it into his own work, and more. 

On Friday, we’ll be back with another full episode, and an exciting interview featuring two first-time guests to the show. …If it happens. Wish us luck!

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Since President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama left the White House in 2017, the couple have gotten into business in Hollywood by producing a number of projects in recent years. The couple’s next executive producing effort is Leave The World Behind. The movie coming out this December stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, and is helmed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. The director recently spoke about notes Obama gave during production, and the former U.S. president’s perspective on the movie’s topic sounds riveting. 

Leave The World Behind is among the many upcoming book adaptations to look forward to this fall. Based on Rumaan Alam’s novel of the same name, it’s a psychological thriller about two families that are strangers to one another that become entangled in an apocalyptic event in the same luxurious home. While speaking to Vanity Fair, Sam Esmail recalled the notes he received from President Barack Obama.  

Obama was such a fan of Alam’s 2020 novel that he placed the book on one of his famed summer reading lists prior to becoming the producer on the film adaptation. While Obama didn’t deal with the kind of state of emergency that occurs in the book, he certainly has a lengthy resume on crisis management and brought that to the producing effort through his and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions company. Esmail continued with these words: 

More specifically, Leave The World Behind follows Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke as a wealthy couple who drive out a remote luxury Airbnb in Long Island for a vacation away from their home in Brooklyn alongside their teen children. However, their idyllic time away is disrupted when an older Black couple show up one night identifying themselves as the home’s owners who have fled a blackout in the city to take shelter. The unique situation tests both parties' trust in the other. 

Could Leave The World Behind become the latest in great Julia Roberts movies? We’ll find out once the movie finds its first audiences. The family drama is first set to find its world premiere at AFI Fest on October 25 before it joins 2023 Netflix movie release dates on December 8. The Obamas are also the executive producers behind an upcoming biopic about gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, Rustin, which is heading to select theaters on November 3 before reaching Netflix subscribers on November 17.

She was simply the best. Tina Turner, an iconic singer and actress, has died at the age of 83, and as the tributes roll in, there’s reminder after reminder about how beloved she was. Following reports that the Queen of Rock n’ Roll passed away on Wednesday after a “long illness” in her home in Switzerland, celebrity reactions are rolling on a river of tears and gratitude for her. 

Among the big names paying tribute to Tina Turner on the day of her death is Halle Berry. The actress posted this on Instagram:  

The image sees Halle Berry being embraced by Turner alongside Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball when she recalled meeting her. The event that took place in 2006 was an event honoring twenty-five African Americans in the entertainment, civil rights and arts sectors. As Berry recalled, the late singer “rearranged” the actress with her presence on that day. Another celebrity also wrote about Turner is Mariah Carey with these words: 

Tina Turner had an impressive career in music that inspired the likes of Carey. The singer had numerous big hits across four decades and 12 Grammy awards. Some of her hits include “Private Dancer,” “The Best” and even the James Bond song “GoldenEye” from the 1995 movie starring Pierce Brosnan. Jennifer Hudson wrote this: 

Hudson thanked Turner for her incredible legacy she's left for the world. Tina Turner was born in 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, and grew up singing in her church choir before breaking into the music industry in the ‘60s. Nicki Minaj also had this to say about the Queen of Rock n’ Roll: 

Turner was a mainstay in the music industry, rolling with the tides between getting her start as a duo with Ike Turner in her early years before going solo in the ‘70s and reinventing herself. The 1993 Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got To Do With It portrayed the singer’s life, with Angela Bassett playing her. Amidst the passing of Turner, former President Barack Obama also penned the below tribute on social media: 

Tina Turner is survived by her husband and her children. Throughout her lifetime, Turner had two biological sons and adopted two children, one of whom, Raymond Craig Hill, died by a reported suicide back in 2018. Turner died at her home near Zurich, Switzerland. Here’s one more big-name tribute, with Elton John posting this: 

Can you imagine how many incredible artists Tina Turner knew? As family, friends and fans mourn her loss, she has such an incredible life to look back on. If you’d like to learn more about the singer/actress, you can check out the 2021 documentary about her called Tina, which is now streaming with an HBO Max subscription. 

Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who was also a civil rights activist, sports analyst and actor, died on Thursday in Los Angeles, California at the age of 87. Amidst the news that the NFL legend passed away peacefully in his home with his wife by his side, other influential people such as former President Barack Obama, LeBron James and more have taken to social media to pay tribute to the man who has been named one of the best running backs of all time. 

Jim Brown’s wife of over 25 years, Monique Brown broke the news on the late football player’s Instagram account. She shared the following message that includes a sweet photo of herself kissing her husband on the forehead: 

Monique Brown wrote that while “to the world he was an activist, actor, and football star,” to his family he was a “loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather.” The wife of Jim Brown ended the message by writing  “our hearts are broken.” The married couple share two children together and Jim Brown additionally shared three children with his first wife Sue and three more daughters from three other relationships.

Among the thousands of comments posted to remember Brown, famed NFL coach Deion Sanders, who currently heads the University of Colorado Boulder’s team said this: 

Jim Brown was born on February 17, 1936 in St. Simons Island, Georgia to a professional boxer Swinton Brown and his wife Theresa. After playing football in high school and college, Brown joined the NFL in 1957 as part of the Cleveland Browns. His football team also took to social media to post this tribute: 

Obama also wrote on social media shortly after the news of the NFL legend's passing, additionally highlighting his activism. Brown was portrayed by Aldis Hodge in the 2020 film One Night In Miami which highlighted this element of his career during the Civil Rights Movement and is available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription. Check out the former president’s comments: 

American rapper Flavor Flav shared a photo of himself and Jim Brown along with a message about the famed football star, and how he was his “mentor and hero.” Check out the photo: 

Additionally, Michael Douglas paid tribute to Jim Brown as well, calling him “one of the greatest players in NFL history.” While the actors never worked together, Jim Brown was in various movies over the years including the iconic Tim Burton movie Mars Attack! and the Stephen King adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger The Running Man. 

NBA legend LeBron James also called Jim Brown a “hero” in a post that shared what the late football player meant to him and how proud he was to call him a “friend.” Here’s the post. 

Across eight decades, Jim Brown had an incredible life that puts him among athletes who should get their own sports documentary series. Amidst his passing and as an outpouring of love online pays tribute to him, CinemaBlend forwards our condolences to Jim Brown’s family, friends and fans as they mourn the loss of a sports legend. 

Just over 30 years ago, Adam Sandler made his Saturday Night Live debut. Since then, he’s become one of the NBC shows biggest stars. Between his hilarious comedies and powerful dramatic performances, Sandler is a popular actor and certainly has a large circle of famous people he knows. But how big does that circle go? 

Adam Sandler spoke to CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell about his new Netflix release Hustle alongside basketball pro Juancho Hernangomez, and they were asked who their most famous contact in their phone is. Check out their responses (also in the video above): 

Sandler: "How about you just name a famous person and I’ll tell you if they’re in my phone?" 

Hernangomez: "OK, you got Barack Obama?" 

Sandler: "Hell yes… Well not Obama, but a guy who knows him." 

No one (or a select few) must have Barack Obama’s number, considering he was a former President of the United States and his phone would be blowing up 24/7. However, Adam Sandler admit he comes close, because he has a contact who could easily get in contact with the 44th U.S. President. That's impressive!

During the interview, Sean O’Connell harkened back to a scene in Hustle where Adam Sandler’s character, basketball scout Stanley Sugarman, calls basketball pro Dirk Nowinski to prove who he is. When posing the question of their most famous contact back to them, Juancho Hernangomez, who plays Sugarman’s recruit, said Sandler was likely his most famous contact. 

Sandler quipped that the player should never call him before Hernangomez asked him who his most famous contact would be. The comedian seemed overwhelmed with options before asking his Hustle co-star to name someone. He went straight to Obama, and Sandler delivered! Being one of the most famous comedy actors in the business for three decades brings a lot of networking potential and Sandler has certainly made a lot of contacts over the years. 

Hustle hit Netflix this past Friday to overall positive reviews from critics, notably pointing to Sandler for adding his charm to the sports dramedy. CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg gave Hustle three out of five stars in his review, saying that the movie has a “bland story,” but overcomes this with “engaging and compelling characters” including a great performance from Sandler, who previously wowed with Uncut Gems. 

The new movie, which you can stream with a Netflix subscription now, also stars Queen Latifah, Ben Foster and Robert Duvall, and features a number of NBA players including Boban Marjanović, Trae Young, Jordan Clarkson, Khris Middleton, Aaron Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and Matisse Thybulle. 

You can also learn more about the making of Adam Sandler’s latest movie with the ReelBlend podcast’s episode featuring Hustle director Jeremiah Zagar.

Being significant players in history, former Presidents Of The United States have long been portrayed in various forms of pop culture, and Barack Obama is no exception. Hell, he's even already been featured as the protagonist of a romantic drama, with Richard Tanne's Southside With You being released in 2016. In that movie the beloved politician was portrayed by actor Parker Sawyers – but it turns out that if Obama had his druthers, he would be played by Aubrey Drake Graham a.k.a. Drake in a biopic.

Former President Barack Obama is currently doing press rounds promoting his White House memoir A Promised Land, and it was while sitting down with Complex that he revealed his thoughts on the possibility of Drake playing him in a future film. The conversation was sparked by mention of the Grammy winner's previous comments from 2012 about wanting to portray the 44th President of the United States, and Obama most definitely didn't reject the idea, saying,

Barak Obama certainly has a point regarding Drake's talent. Not only is he presently one of the best-selling artists in the world right now, and the owner of four Grammy awards, but he also has a considerable amount of acting experience. Fans will be quick to remind those not in the know that he actually got his start on the small screen, portraying basketball star Jimmy Brooks on teen-centric Canadian soap opera Degrassi: The Next Generation. His career has been more music-centric since then, but he has played some small roles in the last decade, including a cameo in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and a voice part in Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Obviously some big moves would have to be made that would set up a project that would see Drake play Barack Obama in a biopic, none of which have actually been made yet, but for what it is worth, the former President definitely approves the casting selection – if not especially because his daughters would love to see it happen. He continued,

Other than all of the logistics that are involved in the making of a movie – particularly a biopic about a modern President of the United States – one little hiccup in this plan is Drake's age. The Canadian rapper is presently only 34 years old, which is 12 years younger than Barack Obama was when he was sworn in as the Commander in Chief. With no project yet in development, however, maybe that's a good thing. Assuming that a film doesn't get rolling before 2032, the next decade plus could be used as preparation time by the performer to get ready for the role of a lifetime.

Is Drake playing Barack Obama something you'd want to see happen when a biopic is eventually made? If not, who would you like to see get the role? Answer our poll below!

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Mark Hamill is no stranger to talking Star Wars on social media, and he’s also no stranger to publicly discussing his thoughts on politics or the current state of the world. Yesterday, he brought those topics together after the major media outlets declared Joe Biden the President-Elect, and to say his picture was a huge hit, at least with those who share his political affiliations, would be selling it short.

The picture tweet, which tied the most recent United States Presidents to the classic Star Wars movie trilogy, was liked more than 450,000 times and was retweeted more than 100,000 times. It also inspired plenty of Photoshops dropping Joe Biden into classic shots from A Galaxy Far, Far Away. You can check out Hamill’s very political and very on brand tweet below…

As a general rule, actors are not typically a shy group about sharing their political affiliations or feelings on the state of the world, but thanks to social media, the age of increased polarization we’re currently living in and the very strong feelings many hold about President Trump, those opinions have been even more prevalent over the past few weeks. It has been, however, the tweets referencing people’s own careers that have proved especially popular. For example, former Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus tweeted about Madam Vice President no longer just being a fictional character, and it was liked more than 500,000 times.

The most popular responses to Mark Hamill’s tweet were, of course, also Star Wars references too. Many dropped in Gifs of the Death Star blowing up. Others dropped in videos of celebrations from the Star Wars set. I think my personal favorites were people bringing back this incredible Photoshop made by Jim Lawson of Joe Biden in full costume getting ready to go fight the Empire. It’s just so well done…

Mark Hamill has over four million followers on Twitter. Given the effort he puts into it and how good he is at finding random things Star Wars fans will love, like this typo as an example, as well as providing behind the scenes facts, it’s likely his follower count will only continue to grow moving forward, even though he's seemingly done with the franchise in an official capacity. Expect his account to mostly go back to more on brand things for awhile, but don’t ever expect it to be completely Star Wars focused. He’s always going to find time to drop in his thoughts on the state of the world and other shows he likes and he’s always going to find time to support his co-stars and pay tribute to others in the entertainment industry, which he did recently with the passing of Sean Connery.

Over the eight years Barack Obama served as the 44th U.S. President, his wife Michelle found her voice both beside him and on her own. Following the Obama era, the couple have continued to be involved in the public space, such as through their deal with Netflix. A documentary about Michelle Obama called Becoming recently hit the platform, but the spotlight is firmly pointed on the former First Lady.

Becoming follows Michelle Obama during the 34-city book tour of her 2018 memoir of the same name, as she shares her personal journey of growing up in the south side of Chicago, college life, motherhood and other experiences. The documentary showcases Michelle inspiring Americans, especially young people of various backgrounds and visiting her family members along the way. Becoming director Nadia Hallgren discussed the choices made in the new Netflix film with these words:

While it might be expected for the former president to be at the center of Michelle’s story, Nadia Hallgren sought out to make a movie truly from the perspective of the First Lady. As Michelle explains in the documentary itself:

Becoming includes moments of Michelle returning to her childhood home in Chicago and reflecting on the struggles she faced long before she married Barack and entered the White House. Barack Obama certainly does come up over the course of the film, such as when Michelle dives into the personal attacks the former president received as the U.S. leader.

The new documentary has received positive reviews from critics, who have collectively awarded the film a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin called Michelle Obama “a natural storyteller – candid and witty, punctuating anecdotes with perfect pause-for-applause comic timing.” Other critics have applauded the film for highlighting Michelle’s side of things.

Barack Obama produced Becoming alongside Michelle following another collaboration with Netflix on the March documentary Crip Camp, which is about a New York summer camp that bred a group of activists who campaigned for disability rights. The Obamas will also produce the adaptation of sci-fi drama Exit West that explores refugee issues through a story about a city that has doors that can serve as portals to other places. Rogue One’s Riz Ahmed is set to star.

Becoming is available to stream on Netflix now. Check out what else is hitting the platform this month here.

Last night, ESPN’s 10 part documentary on Michael Jordan, The Last Dance, debuted. If the reaction on my Twitter timeline is any indication, people loved it. They couldn’t get enough of all the Jordan stories. They couldn’t get enough of the entire team’s feud with Jerry Krause, and hilariously, they couldn’t get enough of ex-President Barack Obama being referred to as “Former Chicago Resident.” Well, it turns out there’s a reason that last one happened.

Director Jason Hehir really wanted everyone who appeared in the documentary to have an authentic connection to the subject matter. He didn’t just want to get famous people to talk about Michael Jordan; so, when MJ mentioned his ability to get former President Obama, the filmmakers wanted to contextualize him as someone with knowledge of the situation beyond just his personal accomplishments. Here’s a portion of a quote Hehir gave Richard Deitsch from The Athletic…

At first glance, it seems like a great idea to include everyone possible in a documentary, but at some point, you have to make strategic cuts to advance the story and to allow people more time to talk who affected the story in more direct ways. I loved seeing President Obama randomly show up. I have no issue with him being a small piece of what we’re seeing, as a representative of fans in Chicago, but ultimately, I want to hear more from people who had, at the time, a more direct connection to the team.

That same logic also explains why we got Bill Clinton during the Scottie Pippen section of the documentary. Here is Hehir again explaining his reasoning for the inclusion of Bill Clinton…

If you didn’t get a chance to watch The Last Dance, I can’t recommend it enough. ESPN ran an uncensored swear-heavy version on ESPN and a censored version with bleeps on ESPN2. All two hours were compelling, and I’m honestly disappointed we’re only going to get 10 total parts. It feels like this story could be 30 hours long given how fascinating all the personalities are, and given none of us have anything to do right now, I’m sure people would watch. If my Twitter timeline is any indication, many did. So, hop on the bandwagon and join us all next Sunday at 9 PM EST. You might even get more from “Former Chicago Resident” Barack Obama.

By locking in big TV creators such as Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes, Netflix once again proved its dedication to bringing subscribers as much popular and mainstream fare as independently produced shows. But it was a different situation when the streaming giant confirmed its development deal with ex-First Couple Barack and Michelle Obama. The former publicly spoke about the Netflix partnership and shared why he and Michelle made this large and interesting jump from politics to informational entertainment. In his words:

Netflix's big deal with Barack and Michelle Obama was first rumored back in March, at which point it was posed that the programming they would be creating would lean away from politics and fall into the other social interests the couple have promoted over the years. And when speaking about those future projects at a tech conference in Las Vegas (via Business Insider), Obama really hammered home how focused they are on getting to the heart of the country by telling the vast and varied stories of its many different citizens. With part of the point being to inform, of course, but also to bring people together, which Netflix is able to do in a way that few entertainment outlets can. (Even if "being together" in this case technically consists of "enjoying the same content while many miles apart.")

No stranger to appearing in front of the camera on talk shows and other projects, Barack Obama most recently sat across from late night legend David Letterman for the host's chat series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, where he got to share many a story about his life and legacy. And during the tech conference, he stated that he wouldn't have made it to the Presidency had he not long-grasped the importance of stories. With the Netflix deal, they're looking for others with equally interesting and eye-opening tales. He went on to say this:

Barack Obama, who is the subject of another TV project that may one day come to life, aims to bring opposing sides of the country together with this new deal, which certainly won't be an easy feat. (I mean, at least it's not Upside Down creatures, right?) But if anyone is going to have the abundant resources to come anywhere near making harmony a reality, it's going to be Netflix and a former world leader. And if Lin-Manuel Miranda wanted to get involved, that could only help.

At this time, the projects are assumedly just now starting to take shape, so it's rather impossible to know when Netflix will debut its first series and documentaries from Barack and Michelle Obama. In the meantime, our 2018 Netflix schedule and our summer premiere schedule will clue you in on everything coming to streaming and elsewhere soon, such as Matt Groening's new animated series.

Former President Barack Obama may be directly getting into the world of show business, and a very big streaming service is wanting to lock him down. Obama, who has graced many TV programs during and after his presidency, is reportedly in serious talks with Netflix for a television deal unlike anything the world has ever seen. Netflix is reportedly prepared to pay Obama and his former First Lady Michelle Obama for a selection of exclusive content that would give the couple a global platform to continue their civic business even beyond their White House exit.

No concrete deals have emerged detailing what this content could be, but a lot of ideas have reportedly been floated in this negotiation. One pitch reportedly would see Barack Obama hosting a roundtable discussion of issues that were prevalent during his time in office, while another pitch suggested Michelle Obama could host a documentary about fitness and healthy eating in America. Another idea envisioned Obama producing fictional content, but with an inspirational message that would spotlight the ideas or issues the couple is most interested in. Right now, the only thing we know for sure is that neither side has nailed down exactly what show formats the Obama's could utilize for the platform, but it sounds as though Netflix is up for whatever it takes to get them on board.

For those expecting biting commentary on the current President, Barack Obama's Netflix deal will not attempt to undermine Donald Trump's administration. The New York Times' sources claim that Obama in no way wishes to directly respond to Trump or any conservative critics with this new programming. Considering the former President would have a potential Netflix audience of around 118 million people with any potential projects, it's undoubtedly smart to uplift and inform rather than target any other political entities or ideals. That, in addition to both of the Obamas' massive social media followings, provides quite an enormous platform to get a message out there.

If Netflix is unable to seal the deal with the Obamas, it's possible another platform still has a shot at snagging them up. Amazon and Apple are both reportedly also interested in bringing Barack and Michelle Obama to their respective platforms, although it hasn't been confirmed whether or not the former President has met with either company. Netflix has a solid chance of sealing the deal, though, since Barack Obama has solid relationships with Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos and chief executive Reed Hastings. Still, Netflix reportedly declined to comment when asked about the discussions with the Obamas.

Netflix doesn't have a Barack Obama series yet, but subscribers can see #44 on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, or learn about the former President's formative years in the biographical film Barry. For a look at other things that are guaranteed to be heading to Netflix, visit our Netflix premiere guide, and to see all the other upcoming shows on television in general, visit our midseason premiere guide.

Barry and Joe are getting a spinoff, and no, we aren't referring to the characters from The Flash. Instead, a group of individuals have been hustling to pitch an animated series featuring former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden traveling through time, and now it's actually looking like it could happen. Here's what we know about Barry & Joe- The Animated Series and how its recent success in crowd funding may ensure audiences get to actually see this crazy idea on their televisions.

In a true story of crowdfunding success, the Kickstarter for Barry & Joe- The Animated Series managed to raise $107,904 thanks to the help of 1,753 backers. Perhaps even more impressive is that 48 hours before the campaign ended, the project only had $75,000 raised. It appears as though there are a few seemingly affluent people out there who want to see Barack Obama and Joe Biden back in action, although the tease of this series being essentially a parody of Quantum Leap could also be enough to loosen up some wallets. Per their Kickstarter, the money raised will be used to produce a pilot episode, which will then be shopped to networks in hopes of obtaining a full series order.

The full story of Barry & Joe- The Animated Series will have Barack Obama and Joe Biden traveling through time with the aid of popular scientist Neil Degrasse Tyson in an attempt to rewrite moments in history. In a plot very similar to, but not entirely the same as Quantum Leap, both men are sent to the past and awaken to find themselves in their younger bodies. The two are then driven to find each other, and together, attempt to change history for the better.

Current President Donald Trump is mentioned as being in the potential series, although considering he's not a fan of his Saturday Night Live portrayals, he probably won't be too fond of the comparison of his character to Inspector Gadget's Doctor Claw. If it isn't evident by that prior sentence, the creators of Barry & Joe- The Animated Series have made it pretty clear Conservative and Republican audiences may not enjoy this show as much as Last Man Standing. If it's any consolation for that crowd, it's worth mentioning that this project has only crowd-funded enough money for a pilot and will need a network to pick it up for a full series to happen, so it's possible this effort may be short lived.

As the project is still in the early stages of development, there's really no telling when to expect Barry & Joe- The Animated Series. The good news is, there are so many great shows about to be on television within the next month that audiences will have plenty to look forward to while this project is being made. For a full list of shows coming in the next couple months, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide.

The storied relationship between President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama is the stuff of movies (called Southside with You). However, the tale in its entirety includes an aspect that people sometimes forget: the Obamas met in the latter half of their twenties. The Obamas became acquainted when their work lives crossed paths at Sidley & Austin, a Chicago law firm. Before that time, both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, née Robinson, lived full lives and dated other people. In fact, a new report indicates that Barack Obama was once engaged to a woman named Sheila Miyoshi Jager.

These days, Sheila Miyoshi Jager is a professor at Oberlin College in Ohio, but long ago, before Barack Obama could even admit to many people that he thought about running for president of the United States, Jager was on the cusp of marrying him. Pulitzer Prize-winning author David J. Garrow includes discussion of Mr. Obama's relationship with Jager in his new book Rising Star.

Rising Star out the story of Barack Obama's former relationship with Sheila Miyoshi Jager (via the Washington Post), indicating that Obama proposed to Jager in the summer of 1986 before he headed off to Harvard Law School. From the sound of it, Obama grappled with uncertainty about his life's direction---like people sometimes do, especially in their early twenties. Jager said in the book that she felt like Barack Obama proposed to her "out of a sense of desperation" over the idea that they were eventually going to break up once he moved away for law school. She indicated that Obama seemed not to have a lot of faith in the relationship, which led to him proposing to her out of fear of the unknown.

Apparently, the relationship became strained because his career ambitions and personal goals were pulling him in opposing directions. Barack Obama tried hard to "compartmentalize his work and home life," and Jager began to feel isolated from the professional life he was cultivating. The engagement began to dissolve when Barack Obama and his former fiancé reportedly started arguing about whether their relationship was a detriment to his public service ambitions and if social attitudes toward interracial marriage would prevent him from making his way to the top. According to Garrow's book, Obama "felt trapped between the woman he loved and the destiny he knew was his."

Today, of course, Barack and Michelle Obama have made history together, and they get to enjoy the perks of some well-earned vacation time. Sure, the story about Barack Obama's early love is chock full of twenty-something drama and heartache, but it is refreshing to get a glimpse at his rather "normal" life before the wheels began turning. Besides, we think it is safe to say everything turned out the way it should have.

He may no longer be the President of the United States, but Barack Obama is proving that he still deserves that coolest president ever title he earned after eight years in the office. I mean, what other former President spent his first few weeks after leaving the White House shredding some waves? Check out the video that Richard Branson uploaded to his YouTube channel below.

Barack Obama got in some kitesurfing with British billionaire Richard Branson while on vacation in the British Virgin Islands last week, and there's even some good video of our former President gliding along the water! Though it looks like he might be struggling to stay upright at first, Obama holds onto his kite and manages to skim the water for a good 100 meters. And between all the extreme sports, he also goofs off a bit with Branson and shows off a massive smile at the video's end. After eight years of politics, I don't blame him for beaming from ear to ear to just be having some fun finally.

Along with the video, Richard Branson wrote up a bit about the experience of shredding some waves with a former President on his website Virgin.com. As the video denotes, Branson has challenged Barack Obama to a friendly competition to see who could last longer in a water sport that they were not familiar with. Branson trained on the foilboard and made it about 50 meters, but Obama managed to take home the win by going twice as far kitesurfing.

While you would expect most former Presidents to just want to lay back and relax for the first time in four-to-eight years once they are finally relieved of command, apparently Barack Obama couldn't wait to get back to some extreme water sports. He did grow up surrounded by the surf culture of Hawaii, after all. Richard Branson writes that one of the first things Obama told him during his visit was about how his Secret Service team had prohibited him from going surfing after he was sworn in.

After eight years on solid ground, it's nice to see Barack get his feet wet again!

Last night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! featured one very famous guest. President Obama is making the interview rounds before leaving office at the end of his second term, and Kimmel was able to convince him to sit down for a second round of "Mean Tweets." You can give the amusing new segment a watch, below.

A lot of celebrities have willingly gone on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and read mean tweets about themselves before. Over the years, it has become apparent that the really amusing guests are the ones that respond to the tweets with more than a laugh or an eyeroll. During last night's episode, President Obama was happy to get in a retort or two. When one mean tweeter suggested he doesn't even look like he lifts, President Obama replied with, "Well, I lifted the ban on Cuban cigars; that's worth something."

The show took this a step further, even giving Barack Obama the opportunity to respond to one of the over-the-top things Donald Trump has been happy to tweet out to his followers over the last few months, including the now-infamous tweet about Obama being the worst.

Obama didn't take that lying down, cheekily stating that at least he will "go down as a President." Overall, some of the tweeted insults were less harsh than others, comparing President Obama to Nickelback and taunting him with the fact he looks like someone who would eat mustard. (Who is that anti-mustard?) However, a lot of these are a little harder hitting, or at least give Obama the opportunity to address them with good humor.

This isn't the first time President Obama has headed to late night and read mean tweets. The politician sat down on Jimmy Kimmel's late night show back in the spring of 2015 and also got in some good-natured trash talk about the tweets he was reading. So, he's had at least a little bit of practice at this before. Still, this will be the last time Barack Obama reads mean tweets while acting as the President of the United States of America.

President Obama didn't just simply pop in to film a "Mean Tweets" segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He also got into some more heavy-hitting topics, including voting, the Cubs, and whether or not he wishes he were running against Donald Trump. To see the more candid interview segments, head here.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET, only on ABC. To find out what shows are still heading to the schedule, check out our fall TV premiere schedule.

Good or bad, many American Presidents have a story worth telling. Whether it’s someone as timelessly iconic as Abraham Lincoln, or someone as recently notorious as George W. Bush, these public figures often travel long, tumultuous roads to the White House. President Barack Obama’s story is no different from any of his predecessors in that regard. A new biopic for the first black POTUS will soon hit the silver screen, and the perfect actor has been cast to play him.

According to THR, a new Barack Obama biopic – titled Barry – has found its lead in the form of actor Devvon Terrell. A newcomer to the Hollywood scene, audiences will most likely recognize Terrell for his work in Steve McQueen’s Oscar-winning drama 12 Years a Slave. Although he’s a relatively unknown actor, we have to say just looking at the photo of Terrell above, the resemblance is uncanny. Joining Terrell in the recent cast announcement is up-and-coming actress Anya Taylor-Joy, who just made a name for herself as the lead in the smash hit art-house horror film The Witch, which is currently in theaters.

The story of Barry centers upon a young Barack Obama as he struggles to find himself in New York City in 1981, long before he became the politician and President we know him as today. It makes a great deal of sense that we will soon see his formative years brought to life on the silver screen; they really are fascinating. As a biracial child of divorce, Barack Obama has most certainly struggled in a way unlike any other president in recent memory, and the movie will focus on the relationships he developed during his time as a student.

Barack Obama has easily become one of the most iconic presidents in American history, as well as one of the most polarizing. Some people love him, while some people absolutely hate him. All that being said, this film seems intent on taking an apolitical stance regarding its subject matter. Taking place years before Obama went anywhere near the White House, the movie will merely tell a story about a young man’s journey to becoming an American icon, not the divisive figure he became once elected president.

We will bring you more information related Barry as it becomes available to us. The film will be directed by Vikram Gandhi, and is based upon a screenplay written by Adam Mansbach.

Jerry Seinfeld has been very famous for a very long time, and there’s likely no end to the line of famous people that would be willing to work with him. Season 7 of Seinfeld’s Crackle series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is no exception to that rule, and the comedian will be joined by his biggest guest yet, as President Barack Obama will soon tag along for a ride and a dose of caffeine. Oh, and the rest of the guests aren’t half bad, either.

Obama is set to show up on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee immediately, as he’ll be a part of the Season 7 premiere next week. The episode was filmed earlier this month at the White House, and viewers can expect to see Seinfeld and the POTUS dragging the streets in a 1963 Corvette Stingray Split Window Coupe. To be expected, their conversation will revolve around life at the White House, among other aspects of Obama’s life.

Seinfeld said it was an “unforgettable day,” and called it his “own personal moonwalk,” as he said filming the episode was spiritually akin to his childhood dream of going into space. He also championed Obama’s humor and generosity as the traits responsible for this segment happening in the first place.

Audiences can look forward to a handful of other superstars making Seinfeld double over in laughter, too. The remaining five episodes of Season 7 will feature the boisterous Will Ferrell, the incomparable Steve Martin and the limelight-dodging genius Garry Shandling, as well as the always hilarious Kathleen Madigan and Sebastian Maniscalo. Considering this show has had everyone from Louis C.K. to Julia Louis-Dreyfus to Mel Brooks (and dozens of other high quality guests), it’s impossible to call this the best season yet, but it’ll likely be up there. Check out an Obama-free preview for Season 7 below.

In 2015, his penultimate year as President, Barack Obama has been all over television. Beyond his usual preempting spots from the Oval Office, he’s made some major talk show rounds, appearing onThe Daily Show, The Late Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, among others. Obama has also shown up on more politically minded programs as Face the Nation, The Situation Room, NBC Nightly News and more. Some of his weirder appearances have come courtesy of Running Wild with Bear Grylls and It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee will kick off Season 7 on Wednesday, December 30.

Just take one quick look at the already staggering box office numbers being put up by Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it’s clear there are some folks playing hooky from work. A lot of bosses received early morning phone calls today while employees on the other end of the line feigned twee sick voices, maybe throwing in a cough for good measure. We all know what’s going on, but we have to play the part, right? Turns out that it’s not just us normals who want to get out of our day jobs to go see Star Wars, the President of the United States is ditching work to see The Force Awakens, too.

Yeah, that’s right, Barack Obama is just like the rest of us in that he, too, needs to get on the road and watch him some Star Wars, though he probably doesn’t have far to go as it is screening in the White House—there are some definite perks to being the most powerful man in the world. Today was the President’s final press conference of the year, and when it was done, he ended it with a phrase many people are probably saying today as they leave the office:

He did holler a "Merry Christmas" to reporters over his shoulder as he beat a hasty retreat to that far, far away galaxy. What he should have done was invite them all along, this is the kind of movie you’re going to want to watch with a big ass crowd. Actually, he won’t be alone, as his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, is hosting the screening and there will be a number of service members and their families in attendance.

Opening the press conference in the White House press room, the President did joke that this wasn’t the most important thing going down on-site today. Before heading to the theater, Obama answered questions on a variety of topics ranging from terrorism to climate change.

Judging by the early numbers, the President is far from the only one making it a point to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens today. According to reports, the J.J. Abrams-directed space opera could earn somewhere between $250 and $275 million at the box office this weekend, obliterating the previous high opening of $208.8 million set earlier this year by Jurassic World.

As the President of the United States, Barack Obama has his own White House chef that undoubtedly prepares some fantastic meals for him, Michelle and the rest of the staff. But that luxury wasn’t afforded to him when he recently went on an Alaskan escapade for a special episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and he found himself getting ready for a meal of salmon carcass that was already half-eaten by an actual bear. Check it out in the clip below.

After seeing Michelle Rodriguez eat a urine-boiled mouse, one had to expect the POTUS to take on something much simpler for his Running Wild meal, and a piece of Alaskan salmon definitely turns the stomach less. Sure, it already had a bear’s grubby mitts on it, and it was left on a river bank, but that’s nothing a little fire can’t knock out. I’m going to see if any seafood restaurants around here can hook me up with a meal that’s been partially marinated in bear saliva.

It’s not like Obama would back away from this televised meal, but he took the news with as much grace as one could expect, and amusingly lamented the fact that Grylls told him that a bear had already gotten to it. I’m of the belief that if you’re feeding someone who has an aversion to most meats beyond beef, and you just cook it in a stew and never tell them what it actually is, they’ll eat it without much question or suspicion. On the flip side, you can also use beef and then tell them that it’s actually a half-eaten squirrel that you took out of a lion’s mouth.

According to Today, Obama expressed happiness about being on Running Wild as a means of not having to be in the office or wear a suit, and he explained that his presence meant there were two bears on the show.

The Obama-filled episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls doesn’t have a release date just yet, but you can expect to find it on NBC at some point later this fall. Maybe you’ll want to have a salmon dinner ready to go when it starts, pre-chewed by the animal of your choice.

The aca-awesome tones of the Barden Bellas ruled the box office over the weekend as Pitch Perfect 2 took on all comers and emerged victorious. The sequel to the surprise 2012 hit about an underdog collegiate a cappella group made more than $70 million in its debut, dusting Mad Max: Fury Road’s $44 million opening take, and knocking Marvel’s superhero extravaganza Avengers: Age of Ultron out of the top slot for the first time since its release.

While it may not be as strong a movie as the first film—there’s not as much story or character development, and it relies heavily on the bond established with these people last time—Pitch Perfect 2 is still a damn blast. The musical numbers are as good as you hope, and the jokes land more often than they don’t. One fun element is a number of cameos, some surprising, some less so, and to celebrate the success of Pitch Perfect 2, we thought we’d run through them real quick.

It should go without saying, but there are some SERIOUS SPOILERS for Pitch Perfect 2 beyond this point. You’ve been aca-warned.

One quick note: Part of the plot revolves around the Bellas, now the rock stars of collegiate a cappella, being disgraced in very public fashion. It involves Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy dangling from the ceiling and a lack of undergarments. This becomes big news, and in an early montage there are faux clips of various news shows, like The View, Today, and even Jimmy Kimmel, covering the incident. We decided to leave these out because they’re essentially just these people pretending to do their day jobs, and there are enough cameos that are way more fun to talk about.

Pentatonix

You can’t have a movie about a cappella without an appearance from arguably the most famous a cappella group in the world, Pentatonix. During the climactic scene at the world championship of a cappella, which is a thing that really happens, where the Bellas face off with the German aca-super group Das Sound Machine, the winners of NBC’s The Sing Off—Avi Kaplan, Kirstie Maldonado, Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, and Kevin Olusola—play the Canadian champions. They start off a montage to Journey’s "Any Way You Want It" that goes down in a multiple languages and features a number of other real life a cappella groups.

Robin Roberts

When Good Morning America host Robin Roberts shows up on screen for a moment, it got way more of a reaction from the audience than you might expect. Not only is she a famous TV journalist, we now know that she is a Barden Bella herself. As the Bella’s take the stage to sing an original song, "Flashlight," written by new addition Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), generations of former members take the stage along with the current crew. It’s a big emotional peak that cements their ultimate victory and hints at the larger history of the group (is Pitch Perfect going to get a Marvel-esque expanded universe now?), and Roberts is one of the trailblazers, donning the group's signature blue and yellow handkerchief for one last aca-hurrah.

Snoop Dog

This is, hands down, my favorite cameo out of an awesomely eclectic group of such appearances. Not only does Snoop Dogg show up—I’ll watch and listen to him do just about anything—but he’s in the studio recording a mash up of classic Christmas songs. A big plot point is Beca (Anna Kendrick) finally trying to break into the music business by interning at a recording studio run by Keegan-Michael Key’s neurotic producer. Relegated to getting coffee and performing menial tasks, when she sees an opportunity to make her mark, she takes it. And if you never knew that you wanted to see Anna Kendrick do a mash up of holiday songs with Snoop Dog, you really need to add that to your bucket list. It’s delightful, and this is the only Christmas album I can imagine willingly listening to.

David Cross

This isn’t a huge surprise since he shows up in a number of trailers and clips, but David Cross, playing the world’s biggest a cappella enthusiast, is the impetus behind what may be the best scene in Pitch Perfect 2. The wealthy aca-nut stages an epic vocal throwdown in his home that takes the game from the Riff Off in the first movie and kicks it up a notch with categories like "90s Hip Hop Jams," "Songs About Butts," and "I Dated John Mayer." (The last category has a fun reveal of its own.) The reason for this scene existing in the movie is a little specious, but it’s so damn good that you don’t care that it’s a bit overlong and doesn’t accomplish much in a narrative sense. And Cross lords over the whole thing like a maniacal wizard in an awesome bathrobe.

The Voice Coaches

Bumper Allen (Adam Devine) is still trying to break into the music biz on his own, and, after taking a slight detour for love, during the credits he winds up on NBC’s singing competition The Voice in a scene reportedly shot during the current season. Belting out "All Of Me," he catches Blake Shelton’s attention in short order, though the country star regrets that decision almost immediately. The rest of the crew, Pharell, Christina Aguilera, and Adam Levine all join the party by turning their chairs around, though after an awkward exchange—would you expect anything less from Bumper?—Aguilera has some definite second thoughts about the choice she made.

Barack And Michelle Obama

This isn’t your standard cameo, as it’s comprised of what appears to be news footage taken elsewhere and inserted into the movie, but it’s hilarious and kind of perfect. Fat Amy having a massive wardrobe malfunction and flashing her privates at the most powerful man in the world, Barack Obama, and the First Lady Michelle Obama, even if it’s just archival footage, is the inciting incident of the whole movie. And if you’re going to go for it, you might as well go big. You’re just not going to get the same reaction and public outrage if you flash Joe Biden or some random senator. Maybe if this had happened during half time at the Super Bowl, but that’s already been done, and the Bellas are all about breaking new ground.

Joe Lo Truglio/Reggie Watts/Jason Jones/John Hodgman

The Tonehangers have a memorable scene in Pitch Perfect, especially Joe Lo Truglio begging Fat Amy to use a trophy in inappropriate ways, and they’re back for another in Pitch Perfect 2, though with a mostly new lineup. Lo Truglio and Jason Jones are still getting off performing their oral magic, but they’ve enlisted a couple of replacements for Har Mar Superstar and Donald Faison in Comedy Bang! Bang! star Reggie Watts and The Daily Show regular John Hodgman. With Bumper Allen joining the team—shocking, I know—they’re as solid as ever, chasing that dream, with some sweet dance moves to up the ante at the Riff Off.

The Green Bay Packers

Again, this one isn’t a surprise, as numerous trailers and clips gave it away early on, but when the Green Bay Packers show up to compete in the Riff Off, it’s even better than you ever hoped for. Clay Matthews has shown that he’s down for some ridiculousness, appearing in things like The Mindy Project, but this time he’s enlisted teammates Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, Don Barclay, and David Bakhtiari—who reportedly lobbied hard for this appearance—and it doesn’t disappoint. You haven’t really lived until you’ve watched a bunch of beefy professional athletes in matching blazers harmonize to a Destiny’s Child cut. And no, Clay Matthews, we are not ready for this jelly.

Kether Donohue

As stated, in the climactic scene in Pitch Perfect 2 Barden Bellas from across generations show up to get in on the fun. In particular, eagle-eyed viewers will recognize Kether Donohue from the first film. She’s only in the movie for one scene, playing Alice, the Queen Bee of the Bellas who laments that she has to hand the pitch pipe over to Aubrey (Anna Camp) and Chloe (Brittany Snow)—you can only imagine how she felt after the vomit-palooza that followed. But apparently bygones are bygones, as she joins her sisters one more time for their triumphant moment on the world stage.

Lana/CJ Perry

Another of the Legacy Bellas you may recognize from Pitch Perfect is C.J. Perry, perhaps better known as professional wrestler Lana. As so many from that line of work are wont to do, she has been making inroads into acting in recent years, including as one of the Barden Bellas from the opening scene of the first film (she also played one of the Footnotes later on), a role she reprised for the finale this time around. She, too, couldn’t resist the pull of one last turn on stage, though if you blink, you might miss her.

Ever since Jimmy Kimmel introduced the hilarious segment Mean Tweets to Jimmy Kimmel Live! audiences, he’s gotten big names such as Chris Pratt, Katy Perry and even himself to verbalize their haters’ social media thoughts. But Kimmel topped them all tonight, as President Barack Obama stopped by the show and read a few mean tweets about himself. Check it out below!

Obama, who was originally supposed to hit Jimmy Kimmel Live! last year before having to cancel, seemed perfectly game to go through this segment. Of course, he’s also reading some of the tamest things that have ever been written on Twitter. Obviously Kimmel and his staff aren’t going to bring out any truly damning insults, as that would add a little too much discomfort, but I’m not truly convinced that it wasn’t the show’s writers that penned these gems. Especially the one about shining a flashlight in his ears to make his eyes light up. That’s some serious grade school trashtalk.

Really, that first one is the one that strikes the hardest, and Obama’s face is pretty priceless after he reads it. Nice of him to deliver a bit of presidential backtalk, such as when he calls an “lol” redundant when there was already a “haha” in the message. Shot fired. And he also now seems to grasp that certain kinds of jeans just aren’t meant for anyone to wear.

Obama, whom Kimmel jokingly introduced as “the first Kenyan-born Muslim Socialist ever elected president,” mused afterward that Kimmel should “see what the Senate says about me.” The interview itself was pretty amusing, with the POTUS admitting that he can’t use a cellphone with a recorder on it, he can’t drive, and he doesn’t walk around the White House in his underwear on sandwich hunts, even though he could. He also brought up that he and Sean Penn, Kimmel’s second guest, spoke in the green room, and he had something fun to say about Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

We assume he’s not talking specifically about Jeff Spicoli’s storyline. But then he also shared a few words about Area 51, so who knows?

Obama also appeared on The Colbert Report a few months ago before Stephen Colbert called it quits in anticipation for his Late Show gig. Where will he show up next? Fingers crossed for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

News flubs that occur live on the air during local or national broadcasts are often pretty strange, and such was the case with this weekend’s airing of the Fox 5 local news in San Diego. On February 13, 2015, a news report accidentally uploaded a photo of President Obama related to a sexual assault case. Catch the huge flub, below.

Just before Valentine’s Day, Fox 5 San Diego was doing an unfortunate report about a rape on the campus of San Diego State University. Reporter Kathleen Bade noted that the only suspect for the case would not be charged. Unfortunately, whoever was taking care of the visual effects during the episode posted a photo of President Obama with a giant red banner underneath noting “no charges.”

Whoops. I’m not sure that Bade even was aware of the over-the-shoulder mistake, as she continued on with her report like a real pro. The rest of the newscast went without incident, as footage showed the actual 20-year-old student who was involved in the sexual assault case on the college campus. Later in the video, you can see that the team apologized on air a few days later about using a photo of the President during a report about a local incident. Bade was thankfully able to avoid having to be the person to apologize; instead anchorwoman Misha DiBono was given the task.

According to the Times of San Diego, the mistake was an accident rather than a flub created by someone working behind the scenes. So, it wasn’t a vindictive live news moment, unlike the reporter in Alaska who quit live on the air last year. Accidental moments are oftentimes the most unintentionally funny, as occurred when these news anchors spotted a giant hulk statue in someone’s backyard. Obviously, accusing President Obama of rape is a much bigger affront, especially as it was more of a “WTF” mistake than a hysterical moment.

Regardless, it’s only a wee bit more offensive than Fox national news anchorwoman Megyn Kelly accidentally calling Mike Huckabee “Mike Fuckabee” live on the air. And it’s certainly not weirder than that British reporter who accidentally inhaled drugs while attempting his report. I guess what we are trying to say is, even when things look pretty bad for the local news, it could always get worse. You stay classy, San Diego.

President Obama decided to appeal to nostalgic gamers over Facebook today. A new ad published out by his office today promotes healthcare by using the classic game Oregon Trail.

Post by Barack Obama.

In case you don't get the joke, allow me to explain. In Oregon Trail, players are 19th century settlers traveling across the United States. Along the way, players can be stricken by all sorts of maladies including measles, snake bites and dysentery. Dysentery seems to be the one remembered by most Oregon Trail players, though - perhaps because it involves poop, nature's funniest byproduct.

Regardless of whether or not you're an Obama fan, I think we can agree the image is pretty funny. It's effective in its mission, too. The image takes a subject that's really dry (healthcare) and makes it eye-catching for youngish Facebook users. They're much more likely to click on a joking reference to a video game than some earnest plea by the president.

According to the website included in the Oregon Trail picture, January 29th is National Youth Enrollment Day. I'm pretty sure they just made that up but okay.

"Nearly 1 in 5 young adults don’t have health insurance. That’s not okay with us. And we bet it’s not okay with you," says the site.

It's been interesting to watch Washington's attitude toward games shift over the years. Traditionally politicians only gave them negative attention, slamming them so they could look moral and responsible to voters. Obama telling us to "put down the controller" back in 2008 seemed almost pleasant by comparison.

However, as more and more gamers reach the voting age, politicians have realized something: "We're not going to get them to quit video games so we may as well get them on our side." Obama actually ran advertisements within video games in the weeks before the 2008 election. John McCain's campaign, meanwhile, released a video game called Pork Invader that promised he would cut spending. In that same election, Ron Paul supporters marched in World of Warcraft.

Are some of these attempts to win over gamers cheesy? Absolutely. I'll take cornball pandering over fear-mongering any day, though.

If you never played Oregon Trail or you simply want to relive those days, you can play it and over 2,000 other classic games for free online now. Alternately, you could pick up the updated version of the game on mobile devices.

President of the United States Barack Obama has revealed that his favorite movie of 2014 was none other than Richard Linklater's Boyhood. Apparently the Commander in Chief has decided to take a break from his political duties to try his hand at film criticism, and in the process he made a pretty wise choice.

According to Politico, Barack Obama was recently asked by the press what his favorite movie of the year was, and his response was, "Boyhood was a great movie. That, I think, was my favorite movie this year." It's a rather smart choice, as Linklater's drama has been found on many professional critics' Top 10 lists of the year so far. Of course, we also don't necessarily know how much time he gets to go to the movies. maybe he hasn’t actually seen that many films this year, and Boyhood only triumphed because its main competition came from Transformers: Age Of Extinction, The Purge: Anarchy, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If that’s the case it would be understandable. I mean he is the President of the United States after all, so he is quite a busy man.

During the discussion, Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, also voiced her opinion on Gone Girl. It turns out that she wasn’t that fond of David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s engrossing novel. Here's what Mrs Obama declared,

Poor David Fincher. Surely he deserves a bit more respect than that, especially from the First Lady.

Boyhood has had a rather impressive year. The coming-of-age drama was filmed intermittently over an eleven-year period that stretched from May 2002 all the way through until October 2013, and it depicts the trials and tribulations of the young Mason Evans, Jr. (Ellar Coltrane), as well as his relationship with his mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette), his older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), and Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke), his father. The film sumptuously moves from being tragic one moment to amusing another, while it's constantly compelling and intimate. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette give the best performances of their careers, while Richard Linklater’s direction is composed throughout, never stretching for drama and constantly remaining patient and trusting its plot to engross. Over the last few weeks it has finished on top of a number of year-end lists, including those of The New York Times, The Washington Post, Indiewire and the British Film Institute. So it’s safe to say that Barack Obama chose wisely then.

Last night, Comedy Central aired the episode of The Colbert Report we’ve all been waiting for. While Stephen Colbert and his team were in our nation’s great capital for a visit to George Washington University they roped in the person who is arguably the biggest guest that a politically-oriented talk show can currently have on: President Obama. Catch him taking over The Colbert Report, below.

Colbert is preparing to introduce the new episode of The Colbert Report when President Obama walks onstage. The host exclaims he didn’t expect Obama for another three minutes, to which the President replies with a real zinger.

The President actually does a pretty good job with Colbert’s opening monologue, giving us “The Decree,” a segment which is all about Obamacare, its effects on the American populace, and how to kill it off before it gets any further by “scaring away young people.” Hilariously, the goal is to read the words exactly as they were written for Stephen Colbert, which means Obama not only refers to himself as Stephen Colbert a couple of times, he also goes on a rant about how “arrogant” the President actually is. But don’t take my word for it—seriously check out the opening; it even features Obama doing Colbert’s pen trick.

The President’s takeover of The Colbert Report was announced just a few days ago, during which Colbert also mentioned the awesomely appropriate name for last night’s episode, “Stephen Colbert Presents: Mr. Colbert Goes to Washington D.C. Ya Later, Legislator: Partisan is Such Sweet Sorrow: A Colbert Victory Lap, ‘014.” This isn’t the first time Barack Obama has popped up on a Comedy Central show. He has also appeared on The Daily Show and even briefly showed up on a pre-taped Colbert Report segment that also featured Hilary Clinton and John Edwards (at the time, he hadn’t even earned the POTUS title, yet). This time around, it’s a way bigger deal, as Obama was a huge part of the episode, which was taped at the university in front of a large crowd. I’m sure it was a security nightmare for his Secret Service team, but it was totally worth it for the final product.

It’s pretty sweet that the President was able to be a part of the show this year. Stephen Colbert only has a few more episodes left of The Colbert Report before he leaves Comedy Central to take over David Letterman’s timeslot over at CBS. The man already has big plans for his finale, and while we are sad his show is ending sooner rather than later, we’re happy he gets to do things as cool as event tapings and Barack Obama appearances until he completes his last monologue for Comedy Central.

When you have a talk show that’s dedicated to a certain subject matter, the goal is to always get the biggest name in the biz involved. Stephen Colbert is bringing the politically satirical Colbert Report to a close this month, but before he goes, he has landed his very first live interview with the President of the United States himself, Barack Obama. Patriotic rating: five bald eagles each sewing two American flags into the shape of an apple pie.

Colbert made the big announcement on The Colbert Report Thursday night, with the Presidential visit anchoring the show’s one-night-only trip to Washington D.C. The interview will take place on Monday at George Washington University, and I believe we can all appreciate the effort that went into this goofy and longwinded title for the episode, considering he’s got Washington’s main man sitting down with him.

It just can’t be topped. In the announcement, Colbert said he is “so honored to be sitting down with the man who sat down with Bill O’Reilly.” Nyuk, nyuk. What I would pay to see the three of them in the same room together, where each of them is down around two bottles of wine.

Obama has made appearances on The Colbert Report in the past, to be sure, just not in a proper interview setting. (The POTUS has been more keen on making appearances over at The Daily Show though.) He appeared via satellite as a senator in 2008 along with Hilary Clinton and John Edwards for a bit, and then again in 2009 via a pre-taped segment, which went along with Colbert shaving his head that time on the air. Check out the White House’s behind-the-scenes vid of that taping below.

This is one of The Colbert Report’s final episodes, with the last one airing on Thursday, December 18. He’ll have new Late Late Show host James Corden and Serial podcast host Sarah Koenig on after Obama, and he’s set to take on hosting duties of CBS’ Late Show next year.

What are the chances Colbert slips a question past Obama’s “Talk Show Question Squad Unit,” or whoever screens that kind of thing? Find out when Stephen Colbert out-Colberts himself on Monday, December 8, and head over to Comedy Central to watch the announcement as it happened.

Yesterday was an election day, and to celebrate President Obama’s message to the American population to vote, Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show team put together a fun video mashing up the leader’s message with Taylor Swift’s song, “Shake it Up.” Yes, it’s about as strange as you’d guess. You can catch the full segment, below.

Key to the President’s message is the word “vote,” and The Tonight Show team has him barking out the word over and over in the video. They also find some footage of President Obama actually saying “shake it off.” It’s short, it’s sweet and according to Fallon, it’s way catchier than the original message put out by Obama. Plus, we’re in favor of anything that puts President Obama in the limelight over Taylor Swift.

It’s also not that far from the message Obama has been repeating this week, which includes phrases like the following:

Jimmy Fallon has made a late night career out of creating fun and sometimes silly viral videos for his fans. He’s done some goofy videos with Brad Pitt, and he’s even had members of The Voice and popular celebrities including Emma Stone, Britney Spears and Sofia Vergara pop up to amuse his viewing audience. Which is why it is so nice to see him step a bit outside the box and use his powers of popularity to push a message with actual merit.

During yesterday’s election, young people aged 18-29 only made up 13% of the voting population. Even if Fallon’s team simply put this viral video together for their own selfish 15-seconds-of-fame-on-a-Wednesday reasons, it still pushes the importance of voting on its TV audience, and that’s certainly never a bad thing. You can catch The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon over at NBC. New episodes air weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.

Over the years, Saturday Night Live has written plenty of sketches that haven’t made it to the live airing. Sometime sketches are cut in the early stages, while other times they are cut after bombing during rehearsal or simply due to time constraints. Now and again, however, there's a weird reason, like this one. Veteran SNL writer Robert Smigel told Live From New York biographers James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales that there was one political sketch that President Barack Obama actually got cut.

The bit in question was one of Smigel’s “TV Funhouse” sketches. It would have been a live action sketch following a video with colorful commentary on how the American populace often perceives race. Here’s what Smigel had to say, below.

According to the writer, the sketch did not go over well with “the standards people.” Smigel says Lorne Michaels had his back, though, eventually coming up with asking then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama whether or not the sketch worked.

As you may have guessed, Obama wasn’t exactly down with the basic premise of the sketch. Michaels says he called it “funny” but the “TV Funhouse” segment was ultimately cut for the very reason the standards department was worried about. It’s less of a shame that the sketch never made it to air than it is an amusing story with a terrific punchline. I can just imagine the sketch hanging in the balance with Obama getting the Gladiator task of giving it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. It makes the story way more exciting than the sketch that never was.

Live From New York is getting reworked with an added 200 pages that give insight into Saturday Night Live in the 2000s. THR has more excerpts from the new book available for avid SNL fans. Or you could always tune in to NBC, live from New York, on Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Not since Chris Farley has there been as awkward of an interviewer as Zach Galifianakis in Funny or Die’s Between Two Ferns. An interview show that literally takes place with Zach and his guest sitting between two ferns as the comedian asks pointed and often taboo questions. The latest show has Galifianakis interviewing the President of the United States, Barack Obama. The results are weird, insane, and awesome.

[[ br. br ]] The banter between the two is impeccable. Much of that goes to the editing style where awkward pauses, some of them appearing to be forced in via the edit, reign supreme. Still when Zach asks Obama, “What’s it like to be the last black President?” You cringe, you laugh, and then you wait for the response. But Obama’s riposte doesn’t come directly after that.

Instead in answering a different question the leader of the free world says of getting a third term:

[[ br. br ]]

Now to the why of Obama’s appearance on an internet comedy interview show full of awkwardness. The Obama administration has taken to social media and new media in general to try and spin the Affordable Care Act fiasco into a positive. Pointing out that more people are being covered that were not, and that the system is working. But you have to love Zach’s question of why would you use the guy who designed the Zune to make such an important website. Is Obamacare working? Sure, I guess it is, but the problem is that it’s not really enough. I’m torn on how I feel since Obamacare has led to this amazing episode of Between Two Ferns, and isn’t laughter the best medicine? It sure beats being able to get a yearly physical.

Politicians are very good at dodging issues. By responding with vague statements that don’t really mean anything or simply preventing the question from ever being asked, elected officials can keep themselves from taking a side on a very polarizing issue that might infuriate voters. Thanks to the White House’s We The People section of its website, however, President Obama will no longer be able to avoid one pressing issue: whether or not to deport Justin Bieber.

A petition calling for the Canadian singer to be kicked out of the country received more than one hundred thousand signatures, the threshold that triggers a required response from President Obama. Given he just hammered out his State Of The Union, it’s unlikely he’ll directly address the matter within the next day or so, but it’ll get handled sooner rather than later. Besides, it could prove to be a great chance to change the subject away from a topic he’s not interested in talking about.

In short, the petition asks the State Department to revoke Justin Bieber’s greencard for “dangerous, reckless, destructive and drug abusing” behavior. Here’s a portion of the text…

Given the Biebs hasn’t actually been convicted of anything and there are now serious questions as to whether or not he even stepped that far over the line, there’s no real chance the President will push to kick the Biebs out of the country. That would set a horrible precedent, and it would only piss off the millions of fans who bizarrely haven’t given up on him yet. That being said, there’s a very real chance we could get a pretty amusing and snarky retort. We shall see.

These petitions are usually answered on weekends. Whenever the President and his staff decide to answer the bell, we’ll bring you their response. Until then, try not to waste too much time getting annoyed about his nonsense.

President Barack Obama is a House of Cards fan. If we read too much into that realization, we might have cause to worry, but watch the video below and it seems clear that the President was making light of the dark nature of the Netflix political drama when meeting with tech CEOs at the White House this week. He asked Netflix chief of executive Reed Hastings if he brought an advance copy of the highly anticipated second season of the series. As you’ll see in the video below, Obama humorously notes the way the "ruthlessly efficient" lead character Frank Underwood is getting things done in the series:

Via NYMag.com, the video comes courtesy of Washington Post and shows our President getting some laughs by complimenting how “ruthlessly efficient” things are on House of Cards. “This guy’s getting a lot of stuff done,” he jokes, in reference to Kevin Spacey’s character. Of course, if you’re familiar with House of Cards, you know that Frank Underwood’s the kind of guy who will step on the necks of his opposition if it means advancing up the the political ladder and getting his way. For Frank Underwood, "getting a lot of stuff done" comes at a dark price, in some cases. It’s pretty obvious that President Obama is joking with his comments… right? At the very least, he may be planning on clearing his schedule for a couple of days next February like the rest of us when Season 2 debuts.

Obama’s jokes couldn’t be better timed for Netflix, really, when we consider the recent Golden Globe nominations the first season of House of Cards just received, not to mention Netflix recently announcing the February 14 premiere date for the full second season of the drama and then following that up with this full trailer for Season 2:

How, exactly, does Steven Spielberg follow up a critically acclaimed historical Oscar winner like Lincoln? Easy. He makes Obama, a biopic of a lame-duck president that can hit theaters before the Commander In Chief even leaves office. And who does he get to play Pres. Obama? Even easier. Spielberg leans on Daniel Day-Lewis, in this amusing sketch that was shared via The Guardian.

If you’ve watched the clip, then you know that it really isn’t Oscar winner Day-Lewis in the role, but Obama playing himself for the benefit of a spoof that aired during the 2013 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was held at the Washington Hilton Hotel over the weekend. It’s refreshing to see the President – like so many leaders before him – lean on self-deprecating humor to poke fun at his accent, his physical appearance and his “motivations” while playing Day-Lewis playing Obama. At least, we know for sure that this isn’t Day-Lewis, right? Because the dude is just that good.

Like clockwork, the Obama haters lashed out in comments sections saying the President shouldn’t be wasting time with jokes during times of national crisis. The same argument were made the years that George W. Bush took part in the annual Correspondents’ dinner, and when Bill Clinton did it the years prior to that. There’s no getting around half the populace hating you when you are in office. The best you can do is try to have a sense of humor about your predicament.

As for Spielberg, we really don’t know what his post-Lincoln project will be. He’s occupied at the moment preparing for Cannes, where he’ll lead the Grand Jury. But he dropped his planned Moses movie, and put Robopocalypse on the back burner. Obama won’t be next, but what WOULD you like Spielberg to tackle?

During times of tragedy, we look to our leaders to offer wisdom and to present a formal message to the rest of the world. That’s what we did after Pearl Harbor with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and that’s what we’ve done countless time with everyone from George W Bush after 9/11 to Barack Obama after Osama Bin Laden’s death.

Today was no different. Just hours after two explosions went off near the finish line at the Boston Marathon, President Obama walked to the podium and offered the roughly three minute speech embedded above. He very pointedly did not use the word “terrorism” to describe what happened, likely because that word has become interlinked with foreign extremists over the past decade and a half and the President didn’t want to imply a connection when that hasn’t been identified. That being said, he did make it clear the United States will hunt down and find out the people responsible for this and will make them answer for this regrettable action.

Like the President, Pop Blend sends out its sincerest thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Boston area, as well as everyone else affected by this tragedy. With tears, time and the resilience that makes America great, we will get through this.

For a month now we've been excitedly talking over all the possibilities brought up by J.J. Abrams directing Star Wars Episode VII, jumping over from rebooting the Star Trek universe and potentially finally uniting the warring sci-fi factions. But as it turns out, we don't have to wait for Abrams to unite the worlds of Trek and Wars. President Obama has already done it-- and completely by accident.

Talking to the press day about the sequester-- a government financing mess that's ongoing and about which we're not remotely qualified to talk-- Obama responded to a question asking why he didn't simply lock the disagreeing congressional leaders in a room and force them to hammer out a compromised. Obama started his answer by saying "I am not a dictator, I'm the president," and said that while most people agree his ideas for ending the sequester are reasonable, he can't force Congress to agree. His answer was typically long-winded, so read through the full sentence to get to the geeky stuff:

The Star Wars and Star Trek fanatics out there are already leaping in outrage, but if you missed it, here's the problem. There's such a thing as a Vulcan Mind Meld, which is used on Star Trek. And then there's a Jedi Mind Trick, which comes from Star Wars. They are not the same thing, and there is no such thing as as Jedi Mind Meld. You can watch Obama's remarks in the video below, plus a handy comparison of the Mind Meld vs. the Mind trick, in this video from Politico:

In the hour or two since Obama's gaffe lit up the Internet, the White House has also managed to get in on the joke, posting the below image on their Twitter feed:

I have no idea whether or not this silliness is good or bad for actually solving the issues that created the sequester, but I'm definitely a little delighted that my annual write-up about Star Wars has somehow come from the President.

The 2013 Inauguration ceremony takes place today and will see President Barack Obama swear in for his second term in office. Those of you who can't get to a television but want to watch the ceremony live can view it streaming online right here.

The video embed below comes courtesy of ABC News' Inauguration 2013 news coverage. The Official Presidential Inauguration Ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m. ET. It's a few minutes after 11 as we're posting this and it looks like people are still getting settled in as they wait for the start of the ceremony. The first family has just arrived, the seats appear to be mostly filled and the podium awaits as the festivities should begin soon. James Taylor is reportedly expected to perform before the President takes the oath.

According to the schedule on the live stream YouTube channel, ABC also has live coverage of the Inauguration Day festivities, the Inaugural Parade and at 5:30 p.m. ET, the ABC News Roundtable. So those who want to fill their day with inauguration coverage will have plenty to watch.

These past couple of weeks hundreds if not thousands of film critics have worked to try and put together their top 10 lists for 2012, determining which titles, above all the rest, stood out over the last 12 months. These personal lists are great because they really help audiences understand critics' individual tastes, and it's also a great way to discover movies that otherwise may have been missed.

But making a list of the best movies of the year isn't an activity left solely to critics. Just about all film fans take some time at the end of the year to reflect and pick out their favorite titles - even the President of the United States.

The Beasts of the Southern Wild Facebook page has uploaded a page from a People Magazine interview with President Barack Obama in which he lists off some of his favorite movies of the year. While not exactly a fully-detailed analysis or breakdown - just a simple answer to the question "A movie you loved so much this past year you'd see it again?" - the President responded to the query by naming Beasts of the Southern Wild (naturally, given the source), Life of Pi (he apparently enjoyed the book quite a bit as well) and Argo (which he calls "terrific").

Not exactly the most surprising list we've seen, as all three of those titles have appeared on multiple critical top 10s as well, but I suppose that's just a credit to the quality of those films. So now that the President has weighed in, what about you? What would you say your favorite movies of the year were? Let us know in the comments section below!

Hours after a gunman opened fired in a Kindergarten classroom and killed nearly thirty people, President Barack Obama walked to the podium and spoke to the nation about the collective grief we’re all feeling. Normally the consummate, unflappable professional, the politician had to calm himself on several occasions and even wiped away tears from his eyes as he spoke about his reaction as a parent.

As the leader of the Free World, one learns to handle certain burdens and to shoulder travesties too sad and miserable for words, but no matter how much experience one has, it’s impossible to prepare for the loss of many children’s lives during one cruel and vicious attack. You can take a look at the President’s speech in its entirety below…

Details are still very fuzzy on what exactly happened, but apparently, a shooter stormed a Connecticut elementary school, murdered multiple teachers and executed numerous children. Regardless of his motives and the specifics of how he carried out his actions, there is a gaping hole in the hearts of Americans today. There is no greater crime than selfishly ripping the innocence away from a child. At least a dozen and a half lives were lost before they even truly got started today, and that will never be okay.

Pop Blend’s deepest sympathies go out to everyone who was touched by today’s massacre. We don’t know the pain you’re feeling, but we’re still here and ready to listen, help and, as the President showed, cry along with you.

This year’s crop of Kennedy Center Honorees spent their afternoon being praised at the White House for contributions to the entertainment and artistic communities. Comedian David Letterman, ballerina Natalia Makarova, actor Dustin Hoffman, blues guitarist Buddy Guy and the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin were all the subject of gushing remarks by President Barack Obama as he continued the government’s tradition of “honoring some extraordinary people with no business being on the same stage together.”

According to ABC News, the president spent much of his time at the microphone discussing all of the honorees’ humble beginnings and how each of their journeys involved overcoming adversity before reaching the point where they made lasting contributions to society. Their quests were fundamentally American and, to him, prove the nation is still the greatest on Earth at cultivating, nurturing and providing the ideal environment for those with passion and dreams to thrive.

Every year, the Kennedy Center honors a group of men and women from a wide range of artistic fields who inspired others and achieved greatness over a long period of time. It’s hard to imagine how the selection committee could have possibly chosen people more worthy than those selected this year. Pop Blend’s sincerest thoughts go out to each and every one of them. They put smiles on our faces, made us think and implored entire generations of girls and boys to dream a little bigger.