Robert Pattinson may already be Gotham’s Batman, but some fans are now wondering what he could do on the other side of the cape and cowl.

Pattinson’s performance in A24’s upcoming Primetime has sparked comparisons to the Joker, with clips from the film circulating across social media ahead of its theatrical release. Pattinson stars as a fictionalized version of To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen, bringing an eccentric and increasingly unsettling energy to the role.

That performance has apparently been enough to convince some fans that Pattinson could have made a memorable Clown Prince of Crime. One viral post suggesting his Joker could have been “generational” has accumulated more than seven million views.

When Entertainment Weekly asked Pattinson about the comparisons and the possibility of playing the iconic DC villain, the actor quickly pointed toward the man already occupying that corner of Gotham.

“Oh, Jesus. I mean, it’s such a great part…but Barry’s the man.”

Pattinson said.

Pattinson was referring to Barry Keoghan, who made a brief appearance as the Joker at the end of Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Keoghan also filmed a much longer deleted sequence in which Pattinson’s Batman visits the villain at Arkham while investigating the Riddler.

Robert Pattinson in ‘Primetime’. Credit: A24

Pattinson had nothing but praise for Keoghan while recalling their time filming the scene together.

“I loved doing that scene with him so much,” Pattinson said. “I love Barry as well. I think he’s such a phenomenal actor.”

Pattinson made his preference clear, adding that he wants to see Keoghan continue with the character.

“But yeah, I want him to do it. I’m much more interested in that.”

Whether Keoghan will return as the Joker in The Batman: Part II remains officially unclear. The character’s limited appearance in the first film, along with the subsequently released deleted scene, has fueled speculation about his future in Matt Reeves’ Gotham for years.

For now, Pattinson seems perfectly happy remaining on Batman’s side of the equation.

Primetime arrives in theaters September 25, while The Batman: Part II is currently scheduled to hit theaters February 18, 2028.

“We went in knowing this was a lean budget film with quite an expansive vision,” production visual effects supervisor Edward Douglas says. “We also knew that much of the aesthetic was driven by what Kane Parsons had done in his YouTube shorts, which were all 100% him in [computer graphics software program] Blender, other than a few little live-action bookends. One of the first things we set about doing was figuring out how we can take advantage of that kind of process and pipeline in a cinematic feature film environment. If we could do long stretches of CG backrooms the same way Kane did in his YouTube series, that would set us so far ahead. If I phone up a VFX vendor and say, ‘We have five minutes of full CG,’ there goes our entire movie budget.”

Building 100,000 Square Feet of Backrooms —On Set and With VFX

A24

A24

Instead, Douglas’ first call was to associate VFX supervisor Calvin Romeyn, who he’d previously worked with on films like The Monkey and Longlegs. Romeyn bridged that high/low-end gap, with his extensive background working in the big studio realm (Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker) as well as his experience making short films using Unreal Engine and Blender. “Ed’s like, ‘It’s this internet thing, you probably never heard of it, called The Backrooms’… I was like, ‘Hold up, are they doing a movie?’” Romeyn remembers. “I was very excited to be part of it. Having worked in Blender a lot in recent short films — but also my current company that I run now, Roxel Creative, uses Blender for all of our CGI — it was a very easy process transferring Kane’s working Blender files from older YouTube shorts, and then elevating that into feature quality.”

Parsons handed in files he created with 100,000 square feet of yellow-tinted backrooms he wanted shown in the film, which initially crashed the film team’s computer. Although production designer Danny Vermette was able to construct 30,000 square feet of that as physical sets across four stages, the VFX team took up the slack in adapting the rest of the director’s files to work within Will Soodik’s screenplay.

As Douglas recounts, “Once we realized our set footprint, we started breaking down what had to be visual effects. What’s a set extension? Where do actors interact? How far do the actors go? What do we want to light and have for our director of photography to work within, and what do we extend in visual effects? The proven methods from Kane Parsons in Blender saved us thousands of square feet of set we don’t have to build, that we never actually see our feature actors Chiwetel Ejiofor or Renate Reinsve interact with.”

“When we did a lot of the yellow wallpaper room extensions in [3D graphics software] Maya, we had this wealth of Blender files to build off of,” adds John Pierce, visual effects supervisor at Mr. Wolf VFX, which worked on Backrooms. “You had these style frames that were already there, and we were able to make that stuff blend seamlessly. That speaks to tremendous efforts Kane put into all of the detail of imagining this world in such depth. It was not a huge overall budget, but it all came together and you wouldn’t be able to tell what that film cost if you didn’t have the information. It’s a real testament to Kane and Ed and Calvin that those set extensions feel seamless. We had a lot of practical wallpaper, and you’re trying to marry those together. At Mr. Wolf, this is our business. We’re looking at every pixel to make sure no stone is left unturned.”

How Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve Walked Through Walls

A major aspect handled by Mr. Wolf was the film’s “wall clipping,” when various characters pass through what appears to be a solid wall to enter or exit the backrooms.

“It’s this minimalist, simplistic concept and yet achieving it ended up being complex,” says Pierce. “We built out all the geometry of the specific room where the clipping plane was taking place to make sure that we could see, and we also had scans and match moves of the actors to see specific points where they were actually crossing the plane itself, getting that alignment exactly correct. Taking into account the anatomy of the specific limb that was going through the wall at a given point, all of the specific fall off of the lighting, ambient or key.”

In the end, Douglas and his team wound up delivering 600 effects shots, which does not sound like much compared to your average studio movie — but considering the slow-paced Backrooms was made up of only 830 shots altogether, those VFX shots encompassed 75% of the film. The fact that the then-20-year-old Parsons knew CGI so intimately proved a huge advantage to the process.

“The big challenge with that sequence was the area we’re covering was close to a kilometer of actual distance from one end of the backrooms to the other… but the space that we had in the volume is like 40-feet long or something,” Romeyn says. “Kane would run from one side diagonally across the volume to the other, then we’d move the virtual set to meet up where he ended his last motion, and then he would continue the next one. We ended up with 15 separate passes that would all eventually be stitched together, with hand animation to clean up the transitions. It feels like one continuous segment of a person running through the backrooms when it’s really just Kane running around in circles in a volume.”

‘Backrooms’ Most Horrifying Effects Were Actually Practical

A24

A24

Lest you think that all of Backrooms was rendered in a computer farm somewhere, several in-world characters who look like horrifying AI hallucinations were actually created with traditional, practical techniques.

Werner Pretorius, the film’s special makeup effects designer, said that the three malformed “still life” characters who appear in the kitchen scene — the bearded cake man, the red-headed woman, and the wheelchair man — were originally meant to be CGI creations, but evolved into practical makeup effects used on live actors due to budget constraints.

Pretorius explains, “I said to Kane, ‘What do these things look like?’ And he’s like, ‘I don’t know. It’s the backrooms, we’ll figure something out.’ He came back at us with some Photoshop designs he had done himself, which were very much like the warp function in Photoshop. Some of those elements would be really difficult to do practically. We can’t go from ear-to-ear with someone’s eye. That becomes problematic, so we reined them in a little bit. Then I said, ‘Hey, have you ever seen the sculpts of Evan Penny?’ He does these oversized hyper-realistic sculptures, and he does repetition. Basically, as AI would see things, the AI slop, the mistakes. Kane jumped on that. He’s like, ‘Oh my God, yeah, this is great! I love this because this is exactly what I was thinking for the backrooms where the AI makes mistakes. It just imagines stuff.’”

Pretorius continues, “We sculpted this thing and then 3D printed the mask, made everything so it fits the actor. We met Robert a week later, it was a really rushed timeline. There were some specific things we had to do to make Robert comfortable. We made some gloves so it’s quick on and off on set with the multi-fingers with an ‘AI made them’ vibe — but they still had to sort of move, which is a bit of a trick when it comes to gloves. I think he had a fitting the day before we shot.”

“Ed came to us at Zoic and challenged us to completely replace Pirate Clark’s head,” adds Zoic Studios VFX supervisor Edwin Rivera. “The desire was to get it to look more like Chiwetel and also have it emote more, which would have been challenging for the mask as it was originally conceived. It was a pretty compressed timeline, but the team did a pretty good job of not only making it look like Chiwetel but making it look not like Chiwetel?

“There’s a delicate balance because his proportions were gargantuan, and we wanted to save the practical hat,” Rivera continues. “So, given that his practical mask head was taller and more elongated, everything now gets proportionally wider as it gets taller. Ed was describing the backrooms as a memory, that these still lifes were misremembrances. One of the other analogies he made was a Star Trek transporter accident…that this poor character has been put together poorly, had animalistic urges, and was in terror the entire time.”

The peg leg of Pirate Clark was also rendered in CGI. Rivera recalls, “Tracking the peg leg was a bit of a challenge because we were tracking it to the ball of his foot, to his heel, because that was a direct connection that never slid or moved around while he was walking. Then we had to destroy it as well. Zoic’s effects department worked on creating the splinters and actually replacing the coat rack that she hits it with, as well. That shot at some point became almost entirely CG.”

Building the Next ‘Backrooms’

A24

A24

Because the concept of the backrooms is shared lore which sprang out of online threads, there have been some wildly expansive versions created, including cities in the sky and architecturally vast ocean floors amid the vast backroom mazes. With the success of the Backrooms film, a sequel seems assured, but the makers of the $10M original do not think an expanded budget will necessarily mean wildly fantastic new environments in the future.

“It’s Kane Parsons’ interpretation of the backrooms lore,” says Douglas. “There are other versions of the backrooms out there in the various wikis that have some vastly different environments, but this was very much grounded in Kane’s with the yellow wallpapered spaces, and everything reflecting that aesthetic. There wasn’t really a question of [including] some of these enormous, very different spaces from some of the other wikis, but I can imagine those sequels will absolutely expand out scope and build new and different things that fit into that world and be able to go bigger.”

Pierce concludes, “You’re just trying to make sure everything looks fantastic, and get everything done on time. What’s the sequel where the budget maybe explodes? One of the greatest things about Kane’s aesthetic is the minimalist approach. I imagine these new versions of the world that come out are still going to have this minimalist approach, not doing everything just for the sake of a huge budget and really being mindful. Whatever the next vision is could be super cool, because I think it’s still going to stay within that minimalist approach.”

Backrooms will be available to stream on HBO Max beginning September 25, and is currently available to rent or buy on streaming as well as Blu-ray/DVD through A24.

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Backrooms

Release Date

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May 27, 2026

Runtime

110 minutes

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Director

Kane Parsons

Writers

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Will Soodik

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PlaqueBoyMax is back with another tattoo, and social media is once again weighing in on his latest ink. The streamer and content creator has sparked another round of reactions after showing off a new cheetah tattoo along his rib cage. The latest addition comes just months after Max made headlines for his “DIVA” tattoo, which sparked plenty of conversation online and eventually led to a tense moment during Streamer University.

Related: Social Media Shares Thoughts After PlaqueboyMax Explains The Meaning Behind His New “DIVA” Tattoo (WATCH)

PlaqueboyMax Reveals New Tattoo

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, PlaqueBoyMax took to social media to show fans his latest tattoo. In a 15-second video, Max showed off the side of his stomach, revealing a fresh tattoo along his rib cage featuring a cheetah. The new ink quickly caught the attention of social media users, with fans and critics flooding the comments. See the tattoo below.

Social Media Reacts

As the video made its rounds online, social media users had plenty to say about Max’s latest ink.

Instagram user @ant_janay wrote, “I feel like he’s the new Dennis Rodman.” 

Another Instagram user @hackeawhimduggan wrote, “🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 cuh you ain’t gotta do all this”

While Instagram user @xinaryaa wrote, “Y’all know we gotta get old right? 😂”

Instagram user @mynamebeyonce wrote, “I really can’t keep saving you MAX fr”

Another Instagram user @dosofes wrote, “I was gonna get a cheetah tatt like that 😍😍😍”

While Instagram user @_juel1z wrote, “he a cheetah girl now”

Instagram user @nathanxwesley wrote, “idc that jawn fire yall some haters”

Another Instagram user @hope.jsn wrote, “it’s giving modern day prince”

While Instagram user @detrimintall wrote, “now he a cougar & a diva?” 

Max Previously Sparked Conversation With His “DIVA” Tattoo

The latest tattoo comes after Max previously had social media talking over another piece of rib-cage ink. In June, Max revealed a tattoo reading “DIVA” in all capital letters. The tattoo quickly became a topic of conversation, with some social media users questioning its meaning and others praising Max for expressing himself however he wanted.

The conversation surrounding the tattoo continued into July when streamer OjaySuave confronted Max about the ink during Streamer University. The exchange became emotional after Ojay criticized Max’s “DIVA” persona and questioned his choices on livestream. Max later addressed the moment, saying he intended to continue being himself despite outside opinions. He also encouraged people to be less judgmental of others.

Related: OjaySuave Responds After Facing Backlash For Criticizing PlaqueboyMax’s “DIVA” Tattoo At Streamer University (WATCH)

Ian Somerhalder took to social media to announce a hair supplement line and limited-edition “Vampire Diaries” daylight rings, drawing mixed reactions from fans.

Some questioned whether the former actor was relying on longtime fans to support his latest ventures. Earlier this year, Somerhalder also opened up about why he quit acting following the cancellation of his Netflix series “V Wars.”

Ian Somerhalder Unveils Hair Supplements And Daylight Rings

Ian Somerhalder has made headlines for his latest business venture. The “Vampire Diaries” actor, who played Damon Salvatore on the series, took to Instagram to announce a supplement called “HAIR.” He said it was “designed to support thicker, healthier hair and hair growth from within.”

Somerhalder said the pills, apparently created in collaboration with The Absorption Company, contain “clinically studied ingredients” and are designed for fast absorption. Images of him promoting the supplements soon drew a strong reaction from fans.

The retired actor also launched limited-edition “Vampire Diaries” daylight rings, modeled on the fictional jewelry that allowed his character and other vampires to walk in the sun. He said he would personally sign every collector box ordered.

Fans Question Ian Somerhalder’s Hair Supplement Pitch

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While some fans commended Somerhalder for the venture, others criticized what they saw as a financially motivated move.

One Reddit user said there was something “weird about actors who blew up through a CW or YA show” and later began “relying on the last standing die-hard fans who still dream of meeting them.”

Someone else wrote, “Maybe my standards for shills are too high, but I think your hair should look nice if you’re gonna be selling hair supplements.”

A third person added, “He looks rough here. Is he shilling supplements/vitamins, too? I guess their Twilight and Vampire Diaries money is drying up.”

Somerhalder Says “V Wars” Troubles Pushed Him Away From Acting

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Somerhalder and his wife have pursued several business ventures since he left Hollywood in 2019 and moved to a California farm.

On a July 9 episode of the “Haley on the Go” podcast, the 47-year-old shared what he called the “really honest, kind of controversial” reason he quit acting. He recalled how the cancellation of his Netflix series “V Wars” affected him.

“I wanted to do V Wars because it was me, not as a vampire; it was me as a scientist,” he said, per PEOPLE. “[We] shot the show, moved my whole family to Northern Ontario. Worked really hard on this thing for almost a year, and the show that got turned in wasn’t even watchable.”

“I said to the studio, I don’t want to put my name on this. I’ll give you the money back — I’ll give you millions of dollars. And they were like, ‘What? What are you talking about?’” he continued.

Ian Somerhalder Details The Power Struggle Behind “V Wars”

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Somerhalder said he and his producing partner, James Gibb, sought creative control of the show “to fix it,” but Netflix would not give them more money.

They went on to raise $6 million and spent long hours filming. Somerhalder said the exhaustion landed him “in the hospital.”

He described “V Wars” as a “hit” when it premiered in December 2019, but said it was canceled anyway.

“The execs were fighting, and someone quietly canceled the show. And the powers that be at Netflix were like, ‘It’s unfortunate. Yes, it shouldn’t have happened. We can’t go back, because it would set a precedent that would be terrible, so the show is done,” he said.

The experience convinced him it was time to leave acting. He said he did not want to keep creating something “for this executive who had issues in high school, so they want to exert power now, [to cancel it].”

Somerhalder Says He And Nikki Reed Sold Assets To Clear Debt

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The “Lost” alum said his move away from acting coincided with a major financial setback that left him and his wife in an “eight-figure hole.”

In a conversation with E! News, Somerhalder attributed the “financial upheaval” to a business he said he didn’t build properly.

“I retired from acting seven years ago,” he told the outlet. “I left an insanely lucrative career in television after financial upheaval from building a business that I didn’t build properly.”

He said fraud worsened the situation, but he and Nikki Reed climbed out of debt by selling much of what they owned.

“Eight figures is a hard hole to climb out of. But Nikki [Reed] and I did it. You know, she really negotiated us out of this deal, but we sold houses, paintings, cars, watches, everything,” he said.

“I should’ve been retiring off of one of the biggest TV shows in the world [instead of] starting companies that were not gonna pay me possibly ever,” the actor added.

For nearly 50 years, “Chippendales” has been a household name, entertaining in a way only they can. While the men in the show may have changed throughout the years, the talent, the vibe, and the overall message remains the same. 

The Vegas show has won the Best of Las Vegas gold award in the Best Male Revue Show category for 14 consecutive years proving that the show has stood the test of time. Chippendales has been a Vegas staple for more than two decades, and for the past year, has called Planet Hollywood home. 

The Blast recently checked out the well-known and beloved show and chatted with two dancers — Jayson and Alejandro — about their time in the show. 

The Host Of ‘Chippendales’ Loves Giving The Audience An ‘Experience’

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For more than 9 years, Jayson has been a part of “Chippendales” in Las Vegas. As the host, he gets a unique experience with the audience night after night. 

Before becoming a “Chippendales” dancer, Jayson worked as a dancer in Florida at Disney. 

“My favorite part about being a ‘Chippendales’ dancer is, I would have to say, that we get the opportunity to travel across the US and internationally, as well as doing the show here in Vegas, and being able to give people the experience that they may never be able to see in their lives again,” he told The Blast exclusively. “For a lot of people, this is a once in a lifetime experience, whether we’re traveling to their state or country, so to put that show out there and see that audience reaction from it is kind of priceless. That is truthfully the bones of what it means to be a Chippendale, to enjoy the performance and that entertainment aspect of it.” 

A Side Of ‘Chippendales’ The Audience Doesn’t Exactly Get To See

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While the audience sees a lot (and we mean…a lot!) there are some aspects to putting on the show that they don’t exactly get to see. 

“I think a side the audience never gets to see is that for me as the host, a lot of it is vocalizing, you’re portraying this character, they’re embracing this character from you and sometimes to have to put on that show can be physically and mentally exhausting,” Jayson shared. “So to be able to come home and take that all off and decompress and relax is definitely a side the audience doesn’t see. When we’re out on stage, we’re giving it our all, we’re giving it 110% so to be able to go back and strip that all away and go back to normal human Jayson is probably a side that the audience doesn’t get to see.” 

When Jayson isn’t on the stage and just living his life, he’s still representing what being a “Chippendales” dancer is all about. He often gets recognized while he’s out and about in Vegas or at the airport. 

“Even when you’re out, sometimes you’re still putting on this part and you’re going to be recognized,” he said. “It is a world-renowned brand that has been around for 45 years now, so to put on these cuffs and collars, it’s a staple and it comes with the territory knowing when you’re out in public, you probably will be noticed.” 

Jayson Was Featured In Multiple Episodes Of ‘The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives’

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If you’re an avid “Mormon Wives” fan, you already know Jayson. He was featured in a few episodes, as well as in Jen and Zac Affleck’s TikToks when they visited the show off camera. 

“There’s been times when I’m in the airport and someone will say, ‘Wait, are you the ‘Chippendales’ from Mormon Wives?’” he said. “And I’m like, yeah that’s us.”

What keeps bringing him back to the stage night after night are the crowd interactions he gets to have. Every night is completely different from the last, so every show is unique. 

“My job as the narrator, the storyteller of the show, is to bring people into our world, allow them to feel comfortable, allow them to be vulnerable and let their walls down to embrace the sexuality, the sensuality, the fun and excitement of our show,” Jayson told The Blast. “To see how those reactions change consistently through the night each night that we do the show is kind of amazing. Truthfully, that’s the heartwarming part of it to me that keeps me coming back because I love being able to say that I touched someone or left a lasting impression on someone through the show.” 

‘Chippendales’ Dancer Alejandro Has Been Featured In Playgirl Twice

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Alejandro, a fan favorite at “Chippendales,” has bared it all in Playgirl, not once, but twice. He was featured once in 2025 and again just recently. When asked what was going through his mind when he was approached to do the photo shoot, he said, “Let’s go.” 

Alejandro has performed in multiple shows before landing on the “Chippendales” stage performing in a more sexual manner than previous shows.

“We don’t cross that line of it being dirty. We make it professional and make memories and fantasies that can go back home and say, you know what, we want to go back to ‘Chippendales’ again,” he told The Blast. “And that’s what I’m on the stage trying to do.” 

The best part of the job for Alejandro? “Taking a shower on stage, half naked with real water,” he confidently said with a smirk on his face. (While he was not performing the night The Blast was at the show, we know exactly what he’s referring to and if you’re ever been to the show, we’re sure you do, too!)

He added, “We create new things and we perform and people love it when we’re on stage and that’s one of the things that I like.” 

Misconceptions About Being A ‘Chippendales’ Dancer

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As with anything, there are some misconceptions floating around about “Chippendales” and Alejandro wants to clear some of that up.

“Some think we’re just taking our clothes off on stage and we’re strippers,” he said. “We are performers. We perform and take our clothes off.”

Another thing some may think is that once the guys are off the stage, that’s the end of their job, but that’s not true at all.

“My job is 24/7. I’m in the gym like it’s my office because it goes hand in hand with what I do. It’s a lifestyle,” he told The Blast. “I’ve been working out since I was a teenager. I’m an athlete too. I play volleyball, baseball, football, so when it comes to working out and being active, that goes with what I do too. It’s good for my mind and my body.” 

What’s next for someone who’s dominated the stage with “Chippendales” and the pages of Playgirl? He’s got some things in the works but he’s remaining tight-lipped about it at this time. But one thing’s for sure, Alejandro isn’t leaving the public eye. He plans to keep performing and modeling.  

For more information about Chippendales and to get tickets to an upcoming Vegas show, visit the website. 

Duke Dennis has been a trending topic over the past two weeks. Many have been giving him props after he made his runway debut in Kai Cenat’s ‘VIVET’ fashion show. He also had social media talking with the bars he dropped during AMP’s annual cipher. Now, things are taking a different turn as a nail tech is calling him out for allegedly missing his nail appointment.

RELATED: Okay! GloRilla & Duke Dennis Set Off Timelines After Linking Up For Iconic Collaboration (PHOTO + VIDEO)

Nail Tech Shows Receipts As She Calls Out Duke Dennis

On Monday (Sept. 21), a Houston nail tech started going viral after taking to TikTok with a video airing out Duke Dennis. The text on the video read, “Watch me set up for a celebrity client just for him to waste my time, money & products. Receipts at the end.”

The video included a slideshow showing the tech preparing for Duke’s appointment, including a VIP sign placed on the door for his arrival. She also included screenshots of messages exchanged between the two, showing their communication leading up to the scheduled nail appointment. In the messages, Duke appeared to confirm he planned to keep the appointment, but the nail tech says he never arrived.

In the caption, she wrote, “One part of owning a business nobody sees… going above & beyond for every client, this is what it looks like when you’ve a no call no show client @Duke Dennis #viral #foryoupage #houston #houstonnailtech.”

As the video began circulating, viewers flooded the internet with their reactions to the nail tech’s experience. “Y’all gotta stop treating these people like they’re Gods,” one person wrote, adding that regular clients do not receive the same treatment.

The nail tech responded, “Agreed, but I love all my clients.” Another viewer wrote, “Treating him like he Jesus or sum,” prompting her to joke, “Even Jesus shows up for me bruh.” Another viewer even suggested the nail tech should have required Duke to send a deposit like she would with other clients. The nail tech appeared to agree, responding, “Fr next time I will.”

Duke Dennis Takes Accountability For Missing Nail Appointment

The following day, Duke took to his Twitch platform to share his side of what went down with the nail appointment. The streamer first clarified how their conversation started, claiming the nail tech initially reached out after seeing he was in Houston. Duke then showed the full DMs from his phone, claiming the screenshots shared online left out how their conversation originally started. He shared how funny he thought the video was when he first saw it.

“When I woke up and seen that s***, I started crying laughing, and I reposted the s*** myself. I reposted it at 4 a.m. I wanted the world to see it as well. No cap.”

However, Duke took accountability for not letting the nail tech know that he would no longer make it to the appointment.

“Mind you, I will take full accountability as a grown man for not communicating,” Duke said. “It would have took me three seconds to hit her up and be like, ‘Yo, I apologize. I’m not coming.’”

While apologizing for his lack of communication, Duke still felt that the nail tech had taken the situation too far. He then addressed how the nail tech presented the situation on her TikTok, calling the video overly dramatic. Duke then argued that missing an appointment is something many people have done before and did not believe it was unusual. 

Things took a lighter turn when Duke addressed the sign she had prepared for his arrival, which included the AI-generated image and “VVIP” label. The streamer cracked up while questioning the wording on the sign and what the extra “V” was supposed to mean. “What the f*** is a VVIP? What the f*** a VVIP?” Duke asked, before joking, “Very, very important person.”

Duke also suggested the nail tech may have planned to create content around his visit and was disappointed when he never arrived. Despite everything that happened, Duke made it clear he was still willing to let the nail tech do his nails.

“I’ll still come by and let you do my nails. We can chop it up, we can laugh about it too,” he stated.

Duke ended that part of his response by calling the situation a learning experience for both of them and suggesting they keep future moments off the internet.

Social Media Reacts 

Folks gathered under The Shade Room Teens as they reacted to the situation involving Duke Dennis and the nail tech. Commenters couldn’t stop laughing as they heard Duke share his side of what went down.

Instagram user @kialashawn wrote, “Wait, she offered and act like he scheduled and played! 🤣🤣🤣🤣”

Instagram user __cremedela.creme added, “Lmao he don’t ever address stuff fr. Shorty pissed him off 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂”

While Instagram user @iamkaylakeranisha wrote, “‘wtf is a vvip’ I’m screaming 😂😂😂”

Instagram user @mmariisgalleryyyy wrote, “But idk why she came to the internet just because he was famous idk man 😂😂”

Instagram user @onlykimmysworldd added, “But what materials was wasted other then that sign nobody asked for I’m lost 😂😂😂”

While Instagram user @miracle_jellyy added, “Boy go get them nails done.”

Instagram user @jamie_desno added, “VVIP is killing me. As a celeb I’d turn around too if I seen a sign with my pic on the door telling people I’m in there 😂 good intentions, bad idea. Grow from it and learn.”

While Instagram user @keygetthegirlsmad wrote, “Right, what was the point of her going to the internet? Because he’s known? That’s how you mess up future business with other known people lol.”

RELATED: Oop! Duke Dennis Responds After Viral TikTok Video Claims Content Creator Group AMP Did Not Tip At Topgolf (WATCH)

Star Trek: Legacy, the proposed spin-off of the final season of Star Trek: Picard, now seems unlikely to happen. However, if you want to follow the adventures of Seven of Nine and the USS Enterprise-G, you still can with a brand-new series from IDW. Their new flagship Star Trek series has just launched, and its second issue is warping your way soon.

In Star Trek #1, which is on shelves now, the Federation discovers a new area of the galaxy, dubbed the Epsilon Corridor. A “wagon train” of Starfleet ships is sent to explore it as a possible home for a population of displaced alien refugees. Spearheading that wagon train is the Enterprise-G, the Federation flagship that was turned over to former Borg drone Seven of Nine in the closing moments of Picard. However, it may prove to be even more hazardous than Seven’s journey through the distant Delta Quadrant during Star Trek: Voyager, as a sinister force plots to ensure Starfleet never explores the region.

In issue #2, by writer Christopher Cantwell (Halt and Catch Fire), artist Dennis Menheere (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and letterer Jodie Troutman, the Enterprise and her companions, heavily armed Defiant-class ship the USS Lewis, and Vulcan ship the VSS Skon, have found a paradisical world that may just be the perfect new home for their cargo of refugees. But tempers soon flare as the ships descend into open conflict. Is this just the stress of the situation, or is an alien force turning them against each other? You’ll have to pre-order Star Trek #2 at your local comic shop before October 12; it will hit shelves on November 18.

Who’s on the Crew of the Enterprise-G?

In addition to Seven, the Enterprise‘s crew also includes two characters introduced in Picard: Jack Crusher, the son of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, and Sidney LaForge, the daughter of Geordi LaForge. The series also includes another pair of legacy characters in the form of Dr. Alexander Rohzenko, the once-wayward son of Worf who was last seen on-screen on Deep Space Nine, and Andorian communications specialist Lily Sato, a descendant of Star Trek: Enterprise linguistics expert Hoshi Sato. It also features a bevy of all-new characters whose depths will be explored in issues to come.

Star Trek #2 is on sale on November 18; pre-orders are due on October 12. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates. Get a free trial of Audible here.

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Release Date

2020 – 2023-00-00

Network

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CBS All Access, Paramount+

Directors

Jonathan Frakes, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Akiva Goldsman, Joe Menendez, Lea Thompson, Michael Weaver, Terry Matalas, Deborah Kampmeier, Dan Liu

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Writers

Matt Okumura, Kiley Rossetter, Christopher B. Derrick

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Most people know Harlan Coben as Netflix’s go-to guy for twisty European thrillers, but Lazarus, his six-episode Prime Video series from late 2025, flew under the radar in a way that’s, well, kind of criminal. The setup will feel familiar if you’ve logged enough hours in Coben’s universe. A family secret, a homecoming nobody wanted, and a dead man who left behind more questions than answers. But if you burned through Missing You and are already restless for another Coben fix, this is the one that rewards you for wandering off Netflix. Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy are both excellent, the tone starts as a generational mystery and slides into something closer to horror, and it’s weirder than anything else in Coben’s TV catalog.

‘Lazarus’ Puts a Supernatural Spin on the Harlan Coben Formula

Claflin plays Joel Lazarus, a forensic psychiatrist who heads back to his family home after his father Jonathan, played by Nighy, dies by apparent suicide. That “apparent” is doing a lot of heavy lifting, because almost nothing about the circumstances surrounding Jonathan’s death adds up, and Joel knows it. His father was a renowned psychiatrist with a roster of deeply troubled clients, a complicated legacy, and, it turns out, a trail of cold cases that nobody thought to connect while he was alive. Joel starts pulling at those threads almost immediately, and the show makes it clear pretty early that Joel doesn’t want to find what he’s looking for.

So far, standard Coben territory: buried trauma, a protagonist who can’t stop digging. What makes Lazarus different is the supernatural layer that creeps in around the edges of the first episode and takes over entirely in the back half. Joel starts seeing things, visions of dead people connected to his father’s practice — including his own sister Sutton (Eloise Little), who was murdered 25 years earlier in a case that went cold. The show never fully commits to explaining whether these are grief-induced hallucinations or something more paranormal, and that ambiguity is what keeps the whole thing from tipping too far into camp.

Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy Carry ‘Lazarus’ Through Its Darkest Turns

Image via Prime Video

Claflin is good at playing a guy who thinks he’s in control long after everyone watching can see he isn’t. What makes Joel interesting is that he thinks he’s the detective in this story when he’s really the patient. He comes home to sort through his father’s death like it’s just another case, and by Episode 3, he’s unraveling, but still too stubborn to notice. Claflin really sells the gap between how Joel sees himself and how badly things are actually going for him.

Bill Nighy is the secret weapon here. His scenes are all flashbacks and visions, so you’re watching a dead man be fatherly and reassuring while the present-day storyline is slowly revealing he was anything but. Lazarus needs you to buy Jonathan as a good man before it pulls the rug, and Nighy makes that easy — too easy, honestly.

Alexandra Roach rounds out the family as Jenna, Joel’s sister, and the dynamic between the three Lazarus siblings (living and dead) is where the show finds most of its emotional weight. Kate Ashfield also turns up as the local detective working the cold cases, and the way her investigation mirrors and eventually collides with Joel’s gives the middle episodes a propulsive push right when the show needs it.

‘Lazarus’ Quickly Gets Under Your Skin

One of the smartest things Lazarus does is stay short. Six episodes, each hovering around 45 minutes, and the pacing reflects a show that knows it doesn’t have room to waste. The back half, in particular, goes to places that feel genuinely new for a Coben adaptation. Without giving anything away, the final two episodes reframe everything you thought you understood about Jonathan Lazarus and what his psychiatric practice was actually for. It’s a rare thriller ending that’s bleak without feeling cheap about it.

All six episodes of Lazarus are streaming now on Prime Video. Critics were split when it premiered in October 2025, but the audience response has been warmer, and it’s the kind of show that benefits from going in with low expectations and coming out rattled. If you’ve already worked your way through Coben’s Netflix catalog and assumed you’d seen every version of what he does, Lazarus is proof he has at least one more trick worth watching.

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Lazarus

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Release Date

2025 – 2025-00-00

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Network

Prime Video

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Wayne Che Yip

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Looksmaxxing influencer Braden Peters — better known online as Clavicular — has been at the center of several controversies.

Peters gained a substantial internet following after joining the “looksmaxxing” community, described as a group of men who “obsess over physical self-improvement in the hope that it’ll improve their dating odds,” according to a February 2026 GQ story.

In April 2026, Peters went viral when he abruptly ended and walked off the set of a sit-down with 60 Minutes Australia correspondent Adam Hegarty. Days later, Us Weekly confirmed that Peters had “suffered a suspected overdose” and had “since been hospitalized.”

The looksmaxxing influencer faced legal trouble in September 2026 when he was reportedly charged with rape and drugging a person for sex. He appeared to deny the accusations by tweeting: “Happens to all successful young men, people try to come for your money. Greed is evil.”

Scroll down to see his biggest controversies:

Clavicular Hospitalized After Suspected Overdose

One day after his hospitalization, Peters posted a selfie to X with blood visible on his face.

“Just got home, that was brutal. All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously that isn’t a real solution,” he wrote. “The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask.”

Hours later, Clavicular shared that he would be appearing at the grand opening of the Bacara nightclub in Miami, Florida.

“Hey guys, I’m all good. Bacara Club grand opening is still tonight, so I will see you guys at 12 [a.m.],” Clavicular said via his Instagram Story at the time.

Following the incident, Us confirmed that Clavicular’s rep quit. 

“Clavicular’s PR person Mitchell Jackson has quit working with the streamer until he agrees to get treatment for his addiction,” journalist Taylor Lorenz reported via X in April 2026. “Clavicular recently left the hospital against medical advice after an OD incident.”

Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza Sues Clavicular

According to court documents obtained by Us, influencer Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza filed a lawsuit against Peters for fraud, battery and causing emotional distress. Mendoza alleged that Peters wanted her to serve as the female face of looksmaxxing, and she said the two met when she was 16.

Court documents alleged that Peters had sex with Mendoza “while she was knowingly intoxicated, to the point where she was unable to give consent” and that he referred to these encounters as a “pump and dump.”

The filing further alleged that Peters wanted to inject Mendoza’s face with a product to “melt fat on her cheeks,” during which he “stated or implied that he was acting with medical authority, including by referring to himself as a doctor or otherwise holding himself out as qualified to perform the injection.” Mendoza’s attorneys argued that Peters was not authorized to inject their client in November 2026. The alleged session was livestreamed.

“Peters intentionally injected Mendoza with an unapproved drug without consent, causing physical and psychological injuries to her,” the documents stated. “Under Florida law, these acts constitute battery.”

Peters’ attorney, Steve Kramer, denied the allegations in a statement to Us. “We are aware of the complaint recently filed against Mr. Peters,” Kramer said. “These are allegations only and remain unproven. Mr. Peters denies the claims and disputes the characterization of events. He will respond through the appropriate legal channels and intends to vigorously defend himself.”

Clavicular Arrested for Misdemeanor Battery

In March 2026, Peters was arrested in Fort Lauderdale and charged with misdemeanor battery. The bond was set at $1,000. (Us reached out to Peters’ rep for comment at the time.)

Us learned that there was a fight between Peters’ girlfriend, Violet Marie Lentz, and Jenny Popach — who previously went viral for breaking into the Hype House in June 2020. Peters was present for the incident.

Clavicular Avoided Jail Time After Shooting Allegedly Dead Alligator

Hours prior to his arrest in March 2026, Peters shot an already-dead alligator in the Florida Everglades during a livestream. Us understands that the alligator was dead when the influencer received permission from the boat’s driver to shoot it.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was made aware of the incident and issued a statement. “The FWC is aware of a video depicting individuals in the Everglades on an airboat who appear to be discharging firearms at an alligator,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement on X.

In May 2026, Peters was sentenced to six months of probation. He pleaded no contest to the charge of unlawfully discharging a firearm in public and avoided jail time as part of the plea agreement. The influencer must complete 20 hours of community service — which could not be livestreamed — and take a firearms safety course, per the New York Times.

If Peters follows the terms of the plea deal, the charge will be removed from his record. His lawyer, Jeffrey Neiman, said in a statement that the influencer “accepted responsibility for his conduct and reached a resolution that appropriately reflects the circumstances of this incident.”

“No individual was injured, and the alligator involved was already deceased prior to the events at issue,” he added.

Clavicular’s YouTube Channels Get Shut Down

In April 2026, Peters confirmed that two of his YouTube channels were shut down. In emails allegedly from YouTube shared by Peters, the channels were removed following “severe or repeated violations” of the website’s Community Guidelines.

“Very sad news this morning. My YouTube channels @ LiveWithClav & @ ClavLooksmax were terminated this morning with no warning or explanation,” he wrote via X at the time. “The channels consisted of livestream VODs and free courses created by me to help empower young men to be the best versions of themselves.”

“Me and my team worked hard to ensure we followed YouTube’s TOS very strictly, blurring out all inapproriate [sic] language and sensitive topics,” Clavicular’s social media post continued, tagging YouTube. “Could you please help in recovering my accounts?”

YouTube confirmed the termination in a separate statement. “We terminated the creator’s original channel back in November 2025,” a spokesperson for the platform told The Hollywood Reporter. “We removed these additional channels under our terms of service, which prohibit creating new channels after a termination.”

Clavicular Walks Off ‘’60 Minutes Australia’

In an interview that aired in April 2026, 60 Minutes Australia correspondent Hegarty asked Peters whether he identifies as an incel.

“How could you ask me that question as a follow-up after you asked me about my relationships to women? I mean, that’s quite literally the worst sequence of questions I think I’ve ever heard,” Peters said.

When Hegarty rephrased the question and pointed out that the “looksmaxxing” term originated in the incel community and asked about the associated, Peters replied, “I’m not linked to that group in any way.”

He continued, “Looksmaxxing is self improvement, right? So it’s about potentially even ascending out of that category. So that would be kind of one of the goals is to disassociate from being an incel and overcome that. So that doesn’t make sense.”

After Hegarty asked about his associations with controversial figures like Andrew Tate, Peters walked off and had his mic removed. A spokesperson for Peters told People: “When the journalist pressed him on a topic that isn’t of his expertise, Clavicular shut him down.”

Clavicular Placed Under Citizen’s Arrest in Shocking Video

On July 24, 2026, Clavicular’s friend and fellow influencer, Drago, posted a 5-minute video showing him involved in a scuffle with a security worker or bodyguard outside Miami’s City Hall over an apparent disagreement in a nearby club. In the footage, Clavicular is quickly wrestled to the asphalt and held in a headlock for close to three minutes.

Shortly after Clavicular complained that he couldn’t breathe, police arrived to separate the two parties. The video showed Clavicular later sitting in the backseat of a squad car while speaking to an officer, though there is no record that he was arrested.

Us reached out to the Miami-Dade Police Department for comment.

Following the incident, Clavicular paid tribute to Drago for documenting the incident, writing via X, “Drago is my right hand man, absolute legend. W Drago.”

Clavicular Was Charged With Rape and Drugging a Minor in 2026

In September 2026, The Bulwark reported that Clavicular was facing three criminal charges in Massachusetts, including rape and drugging a person for sex. The accusations were made by a minor accuser over an alleged incident that took place in Cape Cod in May 2025.

Clavicular seemingly responded to the accusations by sharing an alleged personal letter of thanks from the accuser and multiple private videos.

“Trying to get my attention in anyway [SIC] possible, a lawsuit? Seriously… really petty of you,” he tweeted.

A spokesperson for the influencer told The Hollywood Reporter, “Clavicular has not been physically served. As usual, the Bulwark is exaggerating the status of a case to boost traffic.”

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The details of this criminal case are similar to those made in a lawsuit filed by teenage influencer Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza earlier this year, though it was not immediately clear whether they were connected.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

When it comes to writing long, epic fantasy sagas, it can be hard to maintain consistency. Just look at Robert Jordan‘s The Wheel of Time, for example. At 15 novels long, many fans consider books seven through 10 to be a major downturn in quality. Not that the books are bad; it’s just that they certainly don’t live up to the quality of the rest of the series.

Every so often, though, an author is able to hit the ground running and keep their pace until they hit the finish line. This rare breed of fantasy novel often winds up becoming a piece of literary history, skyrocketing in popularity to attract millions of fans. Though it’s not super common, it’s not impossible. These are the best fantasy book series in which every installment is a masterpiece, rare achievements in literature that somehow get more impressive with each passing day.

‘Malazan: Book of the Fallen’ (1999-2011)

Image via Tor Fantasy

Steven Erikson‘s broader Malazan universe is actually still ongoing, with numerous spin-offs and prequels coming out, some of which are even written by other authors. However, the main sequence of events, Malazan: Book of the Fallen, is very much over, and is widely considered the strong point of the entire series. This epic fantasy series is a massive anthology of 10 whopping volumes, all following a complex and dark narrative.

The story is set in the Malazan Empire, a realm that has expanded to cover the entirety of a continent. Now, the oppressive regime sets its sights on a continent across the sea, seeking to expand its borders through conquest. The Malazan series received critical acclaim, with each volume getting stellar reviews, some of them from other prestigious fantasy authors. Ten books is kind of a tall order when it comes to consistency, since it can be hard for a writer to maintain that momentum for over a decade, yet Erikson pulls it off flawlessly. The Malazan series is considered one of the greatest modern fantasy series, one that every fan should know.

The ‘Earthsea’ Cycle (1968-2018)

Image via Gollancz

The Earthsea Cycle consists of six mainline novels, which came out between 1968 and 2001. This is a long time to wait between each book, of course, but at least it shows that Ursula K. Le Guin spent time and care on her beloved series. In any event, that’s not all the series has to offer: there are also several short stories to check out. The story is set on the titular planet of Earthsea, a flooded world that is mostly ocean, dotted only by a few island realms. Dragons roam the skies, and there is conflict between the human islands on the planet’s surface.

Earthsea is considered one of the most classic and quintessential fantasy series ever written, mostly because it feels so realistic. Even though it’s fiction, the empires and politics of Earthsea feel so real, almost like they could actually exist. Le Guin did very well fleshing out her cultures and her history, ensuring this series never gets boring. It’s perpetually fascinating, so much so that it wouldn’t be wrong to say that every single book in the series is a masterpiece of its own.

‘The Broken Empire’ Trilogy (2011-2013)

Image via Harper Voyager/Mark Lawrence

The Broken Empire Trilogy isn’t very long, but that only ensures it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Written by Mark Lawrence, the story is set in the eponymous Broken Empire, a shattered collection of realms encompassing Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia following a nuclear apocalypse. With the remnants of humanity reverted to the Dark Ages centuries after the bombs detonated, society has devolved into perpetual conflict. In what is today the Rhineland region, a young prince named Jorg Ancrath denies his father’s legacy and begins leading his own band of mercenaries across the wetlands of the Rhine.

Jorg is a self-described sociopath, cruel and callous, seeing his fellow mercenaries as nothing more than disposable pawns in a massive political game of chess. He commits horrific acts of violence just for fun and doesn’t seem at all capable of forming genuine friendships. While this makes him a morally reprehensible protagonist, it also makes him a fascinating read. As magical forces and strange beasts emerge from the wastelands, Jorg is only concerned with one thing: attaining as much power as humanly possible. This trilogy is the first in a broader universe that Lawrence created, which extends to some of his other books. However, this series is also his most consistent. Every single one of the books in the trilogy is so brilliantly written that it feels like a character study into the mind of a deeply disturbed and traumatized individual. It doesn’t glorify violence; rather, it explains why violence happens and paints a harrowing picture of how the search for power can often end in disaster.

The ‘Mistborn’ Saga (2006-)

Image via Tor Books

Brandon Sanderson is known for his shared literary universe known as the Cosmere. The basic premise of the universe is that each series or stand-alone story is set on its own planet in the same galaxy, each one with a unique and highly complex magic system. Some of these series, like The Stormlight Archive, for example, are kind of up and down. While none of them are by any means bad, their quality can ebb and flow a bit. Mistborn, however, is not one of those series.

Mistborn is sort of the “main” sequence of the Cosmere, which is set to be one massive series comprised of four or five distinct eras. The first era is a Medieval urban fantasy set in the city of Luthadel, concerning the attempt to overthrow the Lord Ruler’s oppressive regime and prevent the coming end of the world. The second era is a steampunk story with a Western twist, which is mainly about stopping wars and putting criminals to justice. So far, there are two short stories, one novella, and seven mainline novels. Of the novels, all of them are masterpieces. Each era has its own distinct charm, sense of humour, and lovable cast of characters. The quality in this one is just top-notch at all times. It’ll be exciting to see what the remaining eras bring to the series.

‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy (1954-1955)

Image via HarperCollins

J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy became famous for a reason. Tolkien was known to have developed a sprawling extended universe and mythology, creating entire languages, thousands of years of history, and highly detailed maps, all centred on his fictitious world commonly known as Middle-Earth. The Lord of the Rings is but a small part of this impressive legendarium. The trilogy, as many already know thanks to the incredible films that came out in the early 2000s, is about a quest to destroy a magical ring to stop the spreading influence of the Dark Lord Sauron.

Each book in the trilogy is split into two parts: one following the hobbits on their quest to destroy the Ring, and another featuring Aragorn as he wages war against Sauron, in an effort to divert his attention away from the hobbits. Contained within these pages are cinematic battle sequences, heroic tales of love and sacrifice, and the fight for the greater good. There’s moral wisdom to be found, and a plethora of inspiring moments, which is why fantasy fans keep coming back to them over and over again. To call this trilogy a masterpiece would honestly be kind of an understatement.