'Ocean's 11' prequel director deep-sixed?



Where would Hollywood be without “creative differences”? It’s like a “Get Out of Jail Free” card with no feelings hurt. At least none that we can see.

Director Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) just left the “Ocean’s 11” prequel over that oh-so-Tinsel Town excuse. But why? No, really, why?

'Is California overregulated?' Kimmel asked, presumably a setup for the Democrat to counter his critics.

The film is set to star Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper, and it’s got money-making IP written all over it. What’s not to love, at least from a director’s point of view?

We may never know. But nothing will stop Hollywood when it’s time to prequel-ize a hit franchise. And we can always drown our sorrows in “Ocean's 14,” starring most of the saga’s original cast. Phew …

Hassle's back?

“The View” hosts ganged up on right-leaning Meghan McCain until she couldn’t take it any longer. That was all the way back in 2021, and the show has been conservative-free ever since. Sorry, anti-Trumper Alyssa Farah Griffin doesn’t remotely count.

This week, the show’s previous token conservative made a rousing comeback. Elisabeth Hasselbeck rejoined the show briefly while Griffin is out on maternity leave. But the show she left in 2013 doesn’t resemble the current version.

Crazy is now the order of the day, the week, and the month. So when Hasselbeck shared a few obvious observations, it didn’t go over well. She noted that Sunny Hostin cheered on President Barack Obama’s Libya bombing but blasted President Donald Trump for the current Iran campaign.

The back-and-forth proved so heated that the far-Left Variety suggested that Hasselbeck come back to the show full-time. It came with a catch, natch. The scribe wants her pro-Trump views to be rebuffed by her fellow “View” hosts.

If leftists need Whoopi and Co. to have their ideological backs, the Democrats are in worse shape than we feared …

RELATED: DB Sweeney: 'Protector' star finds Hollywood longevity without selling his soul

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images | Magenta Light Studios

Keister-kissing Kimmel

No one throws softballs quite like Jimmy Kimmel. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is the safest of spaces for the AOCs of the world to push their talking points without a hint of, well, journalism.

Yet Gavin Newsom just flunked that test.

The California governor joined Kimmel to promote his new book, “Sure, I Grew Up Rich, but … Squirrel!” when he admitted an inconvenient truth: The Golden State is drowning in regulations.

“Is California overregulated?” Kimmel asked, presumably a setup for the Democrat to counter his critics.

Except Newsom said “yes” in so many words.

He described those “well-meaning laws” that have handcuffed Californians and sent residents fleeing the state. Except Newsom has a plan, one that apparently hasn’t been introduced to the state he governs yet. Any day now, Captain Vocal Fry. It’s called the “Abundance Agenda,” and it’s exactly the word salad we expected from Newsom.

Maybe the next time he visits Kimmel, he’ll stumble upon a better answer. Or Kimmel will realize Newsom is the 2028 version of Kamala Harris. Keep him in bubble wrap until Election Day …

Catfight

This might be the dumbest reason ever not to vote for an actor. Jessie Buckley’s heart-wrenching turn in “Hamnet” earned her raves and, more recently, a Best Actress nomination.

And she stands a solid chance of winning, or at least she did until she lost the all-important “cat” vote.

The Irish Times published a Pulitzer-level think piece suggesting the actress’ anti-cat comments could hurt her Oscar chances.

Laugh all you want, but is that argument any worse than others we’re hearing this Oscar season? Take Timothee Chalamet, the uber-talented star of “Marty Supreme.” He too is Oscar-nominated, but the word around Hollywood is that the actor is too “arrogant.” His celebrity “swagger” is a problem that could cost him votes.

Maybe the bigger problem is easier to spot. He’s a straight white male actor, and that doesn’t check off a single diversity box.

Better luck next year, kid …

Crack record

Billy Idol could be the worst drug counselor ever. The 1980s rocker, the star of the new documentary “Billy Idol Should Be Dead,” confessed that he kicked his heroin habit with a peculiar medication.

Crack.

He told Bill Maher on the comic’s “Club Random” podcast about his unique path toward sobriety. Sort of.

“Once you’re trying to get off heroin, what do you go to? You go to something else. I started smoking crack to get off heroin. … It worked. It worked.”

Maybe Keith Richards should have tried that long ago.

Tourette advocate's BAFTA slur gets no empathy from stars



It was a perfect Hollywood moment. Perfectly revealing, that is.

John Davidson, the inspiration behind the film “I Swear,” earned an invitation to the recent BAFTA awards gala. The film chronicles the life of a man suffering from Tourette syndrome, a condition that finds the sufferer sharing cruel, involuntary outbursts.

We don’t want to spoil the film, but it’s likely China and India won’t be name-checked enough in the screenplay.

They. Can’t. Help. Themselves.

Sadly, Davidson’s inability to control his tongue tainted the early moments of the ceremony. His swears could be heard in the venue, even though he wasn’t on the stage at the time.

Host Alan Cumming apologized for Davidson’s comments early in the show, noting the cruel nature of the incurable condition. But when Davidson’s racially charged comments bled into the audio feed while black performers Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage, the reaction was hyperbolic.

Yes, the “N-word” remains a vile reminder of our bigoted past, an awful word that has earned its toxic brand. But Davidson didn’t mean to utter the foul word. He literally couldn’t help himself.

Yet the same artistic community that pleads for empathy and understanding recoiled at the moment. The story has lingered for days in the legacy media. Jamie Foxx publicly called out Davidson, while one BAFTA judge quit after the incident.

They ignored the facts of his condition and embraced their victim status, even though Davidson is the ultimate victim. The real villain is the person in charge of the show’s feed who didn’t bleep out the offending words.

May he or she never work an awards broadcast again.

The kerfuffle punished poor Davidson all over again. And instead of basking in a personal triumph — a movie that asked people to understand and forgive his tragic condition — he got a nightmare he’ll never forget ...

RELATED: 'He meant that s**t': Actors rage after man with Tourette's yells N-word during award show

Photos by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage (L), Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images (R)

Pine-ing away

Imagine watching your Oscar-winning wife star in a rom-com alongside a handsome leading man. That’s the reality Dave McCary faces, and it’s all his fault.

McCary is married to “Bugonia” star Emma Stone, and he’s agreed to direct her in the upcoming romance “The Catch.” Her co-star? None other than Captain Kirk himself, Chris Pine.

It’s unclear if the film will have an “intimacy coordinator” on set, but we image Pine will be more than a little nervous when he goes in for a buss. Hope he sets his phaser on, “Hey, it’s in the script” …

Inconvenient Truth 2: Electric Boogaloo

Remember when “An Inconvenient Truth” forced America to do everything possible to stop global war — we mean climate change? Or when “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Don’t Look Up” did the job? Or the dozen-plus documentaries pleading with U.S. voters to do something, anything, about global apocalypse, economic fallout be darned?

No? That’s OK. Turns out we were all waiting for this movie to change everything.

The project, based on the book “Losing Earth,” is set in 1980 and shows climate expects warning the world that something must be done, or else. Filming is set to begin shortly under director Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight,” “Win Win”).

The cast and crew are a who’s who of Hollywood, including Paul Rudd, John Turturro, Paul Giamatti, Jason Clarke, Tatiana Maslany, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck. The latter two superstars are executive producers on the project.

We don’t want to spoil the film, but it’s likely China and India won’t be name-checked enough in the screenplay, nor any of Al Gore’s “Inconvenient” predictions ...

'View' boo-boo

“The View” wants to be sued oh, so badly.

The dumber-than-dumb ABC show routinely creeps up to the line, only to read a few “legal notes” later to save its skin. And sadly, their collective TDS appears incurable.

The latest example?

Sunny Hostin read an alleged excerpt from the Epstein files that said President Donald Trump had once sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl. The claim is part of the more preposterous side of the files, wild allegations that have no credibility. Otherwise legacy media outlets would be covering it 24-7 and/or the Biden administration would have leaked it years ago.

How do we know? Later in the show, legal scholar Joy Behar coaxed Hostin to clarify her earlier comments:

I want to be very careful here because these are allegations, and President Trump has consistently — they're unverified allegations, and President Trump has consistently denied all the allegations and any wrongdoing. BUT there was a presentation made by the FBI, and the witness stated that Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to Trump, who subsequently forced her head down and punched her in the head in response to something that she did.

Imagine if Hostin had been “very careful” in the first place.

It’s just a matter of time before someone on “The View” gets a tap on the shoulder to find legal documents in their face.

ET TU, U2? Irish rockers join Bruce on anti-ICE bandwagon



"In the Name of ... Unlimited Immigration?"

U2, the band that rocketed to fame with songs like the Martin Luther King Jr. tribute “Pride (In the Name of Love),” just put out a surprise EP “Days of Ash.” The stealth release includes a tribute to the late anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement activist Renee Good. The Irish rockers probably saw Bruce Springsteen getting all that fawning press for his anti-ICE tirades and wanted in on the action.

Goldberg once asked Epstein if she could hitch a ride on his plane. Or she claims someone did so on her behalf.

Still, the legendary band’s choice of martyrs is a mite suspect at this late date. “American Obituary” is the song’s tortured title, and it’s a sad reminder of how the foursome famously toured the U.S. in the Reagan era, a trek captured in the 1988 concert film “U2: Rattle and Hum.”

That documentary and accompanying album saw the Irish rockers luxuriating in American culture. Now, lead singer, Bono, is calling out MAGA and ignoring all the actions that led to Good’s tragic death.

The bright side? The band isn’t force-feeding us their music this time ...

Taylor's version

If you mock the left, they will come.

And by “they,” we mean viewers. Paramount Plus’ “Landman” series, starring the mighty Billy Bob Thornton, wrapped its second season with its highest ratings yet.

The show generated 1.62 billion minutes of viewing time during the week of Jan. 19-25, second only to Netflix’s “Stranger Things” for an original streaming series.

This season of “Landman” featured several swipes at the left, including a conversation mocking ABC’s “The View” and an extended assault on pronouns. The latter featured ditzy Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) sparring with her college’s woke administrator and, later, her nonbinary roommate.

Most shows wouldn’t dare broach these subjects, let alone in a farcical fashion, but showrunner Taylor Sheridan isn’t your average TV scribe. The heartland-friendly creator isn’t afraid to ruffle progressive feathers, and he does so while uncorking some elegantly written stories.

That may explain why the industry doesn’t shower him with Emmys, but he’s too busy juggling a half dozen (or more) shows to care ...

RELATED: 'I wasn't his girlfriend': Whoopi Goldberg breaks silence on her presence in the Epstein files

Photo (left): Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival; Photo (right): Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Best Pixel

Imagine there’s no virtue signaling at awards shows. It’s easy if you try.

Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey shared some thoughts on AI during a Variety/CNN town hall interview with fellow star Timothee Chalamet.

McConaughey earned his trophy for 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club,” and he fears future red carpets may be crowded with computer-generated competition.

“Will we be, in five years, having ‘the best AI film’? ‘The best AI actor?'” he said. “Maybe. I think that might be the thing; it becomes another category. It’s going to be in front of us in ways that we don’t even see. It’s going to get so good we’re not going to know the difference.”

Another plus? AI actors can’t walk down red carpets wearing those insufferable “ICE Out” pins ...

Carpet cringe

By George, I think he’s got it.

Comic actor Jamie Kennedy of “Scream” fame added a dollop of common sense to Hollywood’s anti-ICE histrionics. Kennedy shared his views on celebrity activism tied to the illegal immigration enforcers, and he refused to read the preapproved talking points.

Instead, he pointed out the hypocrisy of stars safely sashaying down the red carpet while demonizing law enforcement on the “Trying Not to Die” podcast.

People are protesting ICE, and I understand the situation — but when you have actors from the red carpet of an award show, on there saying all of this stuff about "we’re under a fascist regime, we’re [under] authoritarianism ..." bro ... you’re literally guarded by the most top [security] — it’s insanity, you can’t say you’re under authoritarian rule when you’re literally being authoritarian.

Somewhere, Ricky Gervais is grinning ear to ear ...

Whoopi's whoopsie

“The View” is getting a crash course in Epstein files nuance.

The extreme-left show has pummeled President Donald Trump for being mentioned in the infamous files. But as everyone knows, a “mention” doesn’t mean much if there’s no “there-there.”

And to date, there isn’t, just a revelation that Trump cheered on police for investigating the ghoulish financier.

That hasn’t stopped the left or “The View” from connecting disparate dots. Until now. Turns out some “View” hosts, including Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, are in those files too.

Goldberg once asked Epstein if she could hitch a ride on his plane. Or she claims someone did so on her behalf.

Awkward!

Now, fellow listee Behar is lecturing viewers that she’s totally innocent, and everyone named in the files isn’t a monster. The other embarrassing part? Behar attended Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples:

"I was at Trump's wedding to Marla. Maybe Epstein was there too. Who knows? So that means I'm not guilty obviously, but these other ones, how are you going to decide who is really guilty and who is not? It’s very tricky!"

Tricky, you say? We say karma on steroids.

Horror show: 'The View' too scary for conservatives, boasts Behar



Talk about a booby prize.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) recently declared war on the GOP on several fronts, and instead of a trophy or plaque, she’ll get the honor of matching wits with those doyennes of derangement on "The View" next week.

The ever-present smile. The blazing hypocrisy. The fact that 'Escape from New York' is getting an all-too real sequel starting ASAP.

Apparently, Taylor Greene’s recent ideological about-face makes her the perfect conservative foil on a show that tends to veer — if not careen — left.

Co-host Joy Behar recently griped that the show can't book right-leaning guests because, "They're scared of us."

Sure, Joy. Just like I'm "scared" of the 8-year-old Minecraft zombies who'll be knocking on my door for Kit-Kats tonight.

Here's a trick to make "The View" more compelling — stop treating guests who don't agree with you like fun-size Snickers bars. It's OK to have more than one.

Pretty payday

Julia Roberts is a genius. Or at least, her agent is.

The Oscar winner isn’t as active in Hollywood as in her box office heyday, but she still convinced a movie studio to pay her $20 million for her to star in “After the Hunt.”

The Me Too-themed drama cast Roberts as a professor torn between a trusted colleague (Andrew Garfield) and a bright student (Ayo Edebiri), who claims said colleague sexually assaulted her.

The film has made just $9 million worldwide and is already fading after two weeks of release. The budget? A reported $80 million, including that hefty price tag for the erstwhile “Pretty Woman.”

Paying 1995 rates in 2025 — when even the most beloved Oscar-winner can't guarantee butts in seats? Well, Hollywood is the land of make-believe.

Billion-dollar baby

You first, Billie.

Androgynous crooner Billie Eilish is taking a bold stand against billionaires. The “Bad Guy” singer addressed a room full of rich, powerful people to accept an “innovator” award from the Wall Street Journal Magazine. Said room included mega billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, apparently.

She used the moment to lecture the ultra rich.

“Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. ... If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.”

Set aside the economic ignorance, the body shaming, and the fact that she’s a millionaire many times over. She just cut a gargantuan check to help defeat, check notes, "climate justice." Why not just go full Joker and set a mountain of cash on fire? At least she could write a song about it …

RELATED: 'The Naked Gun' remake is laugh-out-loud funny? Surely, you can't be serious

Don't mess with the Zohran

There’s nothing funny about the rise of Zohran Mamdani.

The future New York City mayor is a terror apologist, an anti-Israel zealot, and an economic illiterate. There’s more, but you get the picture. Still, political satirists should have a field day with Mamdani on so many levels.

The ever-present smile. The blazing hypocrisy. The fact that “Escape from New York” is getting an all-too real sequel starting ASAP.

Instead, comedians are standing down. Anyone shocked? A new study by Newsbusters shows that late-night comics are targeting everyone else in the crowded New York mayoral race save Mamdani.

“Only three out of 63 jokes were about the socialist front-runner,” the site tallied. And that doesn’t count comedian turned shill Jon Stewart comparing Mamdani to Jackie Robinson …

Kim K's moonshot

Reality stars say the darndest things.

It’s easy to poke fun at Kim Kardashian for her choice in suitors. That Kanye West pairing didn’t end well, did it?

Still, Ms. Kim is a savvy business person who transformed a sordid sex tape into a reality show empire. Just don’t ask her to teach a history class anytime soon.

Kardashian is co-starring with actress Sarah Paulson on the TV show “All’s Fair,” and apparently the two are quite chatty behind the scenes. Kardashian loves sharing her conspiracy theories with her co-star, including her belief that America never landed on the moon.

She pointed to a clip of Buzz Aldrin mishearing a question as part of her “proof.” In her defense, maybe she’s trying to recruit Candace Owens to her next reality show gig ...

'Fack' all

Comedy is truly on the comeback trail.

The woke mind virus is fading. Roasts are back in vogue. The recent “Naked Gun” reboot was funnier than anyone expected. Now, a new trailer for a “Downton Abbey” spoof looks like the year’s brightest surprise.

“Fackham Hall,” hitting theaters December 5, packs more laughs in its two-minute running time than some mainstream comedies. The physical shtick is priceless, and the oh, so stuffy “Downton Abbey” vibe begs for a good satirical swatting.

At this rate, even Jimmy Kimmel might make us laugh before 2025 ends.

‘The View’ co-hosts try to humiliate Cheryl Hines over vaccines and RFK Jr.— and fail miserably



If the show “The View” isn’t paid for by advertising from pharmaceutical companies, you’d never know, because they defend vaccines with a tenacity that can only be rivaled by the manufacturers themselves.

And in a recent interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s wife, Cheryl Hines, the panel could not have fought harder in favor of those pharmaceutical companies — never once grazing the truth despite minutes of speaking over Hines.

“You know, Cheryl, it’s not fair to really put you on the spot about him because you’re his wife. I know that. But when you say that they are pro-vaccine, it seems as though Bobby and Trump are casting doubt on the efficacy of the vaccine, which makes Americans very nervous,” co-host Joy Behar said.

“So, that’s the problem that we’re having,” she added.


“It’s interesting because I don’t know if you saw ‘60 Minutes’ just did a piece about the vaccine injury compensation program. So, people that have had vaccine injuries can be compensated if they can prove it. And they have paid out $5.4 billion for vaccine injuries,” Hines replied.

“So, my question is, can we do better?” she asked.

“Is it all vaccines or just the COVID vaccine?” Whoopi Goldberg interjected, to which Hines replied, “It’s all vaccines.”

“So, the question is — yes to vaccines. Yes, they are important, and they are an important part of our health care. Can we do better? Can we make them safer? Can we listen to parents who say, ‘My child got the vaccine and changed and stopped hitting markers, stopped developing the way they were developing.’ Can we listen to people when they say that instead of saying, ‘You’re crazy?’” Hines continued.

But that wasn’t all the ladies of ‘The View’ went after Hines for.

Sunny Hostin called RFK the “least qualified Department of Health and Human Services head that we’ve had in history,” lamenting that this is “very dangerous.”

Having previously pointed out that Obama’s head of HHS was an economist, Hines responded, “Why is he less qualified than an economist?”

“He has spent his career studying toxins, studying people’s health, fighting for one guy who was using Roundup for his job,” Hines continued.

“He has also spread a lot of misinformation, a lot of chaos, a lot of confusion. And I think it’s just a very dangerous thing,” Hostin continued, adding, “and I say it with the utmost respect.”

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales isn’t shocked by what she’s hearing from the women on ‘The View,’ but she is disgusted.

“‘The utmost respect,’” she mocks. “Like, it’s just so tacky. ‘With all due respect, I actually think your husband is a terrible ... person.’ Like, you can’t just say stuff like that. And it’s just so laughable.”

Gonzales points out that Joe Biden’s HHS secretary was Xavier Becerra, who had zero medical background.

“He was also a former politician and a lawyer. And the closest thing that he came to anything health-related was bringing felony charges against the Center for Medical Progress activists who exposed Planned Parenthood for allegedly selling fetal tissue,” Gonzales explains.

Not only that, but Biden’s assistant secretary for health was “Rachel” Levine — a transgender woman.

“That just tells you all you need to know about all of these recent Health and Human Services secretaries who haven’t given a s**t that we have become more sick,” Gonzales says, “We have become sicker than ever before.”

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

‘The View’ hosts want illegal immigrants to do blackface at Super Bowl?



As fear spreads that those with “dark skin” will be targeted at the 2026 Super Bowl after halftime show headliner Bad Bunny was announced, “The View” co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg had some suggestions for illegal immigrants thinking of attending.

“One thing I thought of, though — you know, Kristi Noem, the one who killed the dog. She killed Cricket, yeah. Who does that? Who shoots a puppy? Only her. Anyway, she’s threatening to go to the Super Bowl when Bad Bunny is there and round up all these people that are illegal immigrants,” Behar said.

“Do you think that she would go if it was Garth Brooks or Eminem or Taylor Swift or any other white person?” she asked.

“How’s she going to know who’s who?” Whoopi Goldberg asked.


“Because the Supreme Court has given permission to question anyone who has a Spanish accent, who has a dark skin,” Behar answered.

That’s when Whoopi handed out some unsolicited advice to those illegal immigrants who may plan on attending the Super Bowl.

“Everybody, get a little cocoa butter. Sit in the sun. That’s the first thing. And then — and this is the only time you can probably ever do this — give yourself a Latin accent,” Goldberg explained.

“During the Nazi occupation, there was one country — I believe it was Denmark or Norway, one of those — where everybody put the Jewish star on, and they didn’t know who was Jewish and who was not,” Behar added.

“I mean, this is why they’re on our unfunniest wanted list,” BlazeTV co-host Jeff Fisher says on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”

“It’s unthinkable that they’re on the air still,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray agrees.

“It started out sucking,” he continues, “and it’s gone downhill since.”

“It’s gotten worse,” executive producer Keith Malinak laughs.

Want more from Pat Gray?

To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

‘The View’ praises Pope Leo’s controversial pro-life remarks



After the pope’s controversial comments on abortion — where he aimed his ire at pro-lifers and pointed out what he seemed to believe was hypocrisy surrounding their stance on the death penalty — those on the left are feeling emboldened.

Especially the women on “The View.”

“You know, I think he’s right. If you are pro-choice and pro-death penalty, you’re at least consistent,” Joy Behar said in response to Pope Leo XIV’s statement.

“As a lifelong Catholic, I am against abortion. I’m also against the death penalty. I’m also against guns. I’m also against the starvation of children. I’m a humanitarian above all because I believe that all life is precious,” Sunny Hostin replied.


“That’s why I find there is a hypocrisy with certain Christians who are pro-life, but they will pull that electric chair switch. They are pro-life, but they have their AR-15s in their cabinet. They are pro-life, but they don’t mind immigrant families being torn from each other. They are pro-life, but they don’t care about little children’s subsidies being taken away from them. That is not pro-life,” she added.

“Let’s just take a quick survey,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray says on “Pat Gray Unleashed.” “For or against the starvation of children?”

“I’ve got to be for that, okay. Because we’re evil Republicans,” he says.

“I just can’t take this line of reasoning that has no reason involved with it,” Gray continues, noting that the death penalty and abortion aren’t even close to the same.

“It boggles my mind how you can draw that equivalency,” he adds.

Want more from Pat Gray?

To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.