By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 48 seconds ago

When I heard we were getting a reboot of Jumanji, I was absolutely filled with dread. The original film was very special to me: it was a master class in acting from the late, great Robin Williams, and the plot about getting stuck inside a board game both frightened and delighted my adolescent self. I assumed any remake of this iconic film would be an insult to Williams and everyone else from the original Jumanji. Plus, the original sequel, Zathura: A Space Adventure, which was such a minor blip on the pop culture radar that I’d bet my board game collection you already forgot it ever existed.

Accordingly, I walked into my local theater in 2017, assuming that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle would be complete trash and that I would be hate-watching it from beginning to end. To my immense surprise, however, the movie used the original Jumanji as a springboard to tell an innovative and original story featuring a quirky cast that meshed together shockingly well. The result is a modern adventure comedy that’s as funny as it is family-friendly, and you can now stream it on Netflix.

Like A Rock

In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the titular tabletop adventure has been transformed into a ‘90s video game console that is discovered by some hapless high schoolers. They fire up this retro machine and are instantly sucked into the world of the game, which was heavily inspired by everything from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to the old Pitfall video game. In order to get back to reality, these teens (each stuck inside an adult body) must win the game. That means finding a way to stop its final boss: a mad professor who has taken control of the animals and turned everything in the jungle into a weapon.

The cast of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is eclectic, to put it mildly. Dwayne Johnson does his usual action hero thing, but he mercifully leans into his sillier side to embrace the broad comedy of this cinematic caper. The biggest punchlines come courtesy of two other, very different comedians: Kevin Hart, doing his reliably wacky schtick as a pint-sized sidekick, and Jack Black, playing hilariously against type as a teenage girl stuck in a man’s body. Rounding out the cast is Karen Gillan, the former Doctor Who companion who has now fully embraced her Marvel makeover as a modern action star.

If You Die In The Game, You Die In Real Life

The stakes never feel all that high in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, but that’s actually part of its appeal. This is a perfect movie when you want to grab a beer and just vibe out on the couch to pure, unadulterated fun. It’s great to watch with your friends because you don’t have to take the plot seriously, and everyone you invite over will love at least one member of the quirky cast. As long as your kiddos aren’t too young, this PG-13 movie is fun for the whole family, and if your teens live on Discord, they’ll enjoy the plot about being trapped in a life-or-death video game.

While Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is not the most original movie, it’s a great example of how a film can be greater than the sum of its parts. It’s based on the original Jumanji, and it brings in some of the “kids trapped in a fantastic world” elements of classics like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Its action/adventure elements are basically what you get if you smash the Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises together. Plus, the movie borrows heavily from the modern Marvel formula, with a brisk pace that always finds time for some surprisingly funny quips and unexpected punchlines.

Clean, Dumb Fun

As you can tell, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle isn’t a great choice for anyone looking for a wholly original film. But if you like the movies referenced above, this action-adventure is basically a buffet of genre goodness. Not a high-class buffet, either, but one of those local places that specialize in greasy carb bombs that slow down your heart in a “hurts so good” kinda way. In the spirit of those buffets, Welcome to the Jungle is not exactly a healthy part of your cinematic diet. But for anyone looking to consume a guilty pleasure of film, however, this Jumanji reboot really hits the spot.

Fittingly enough, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is true to the origins of the franchise. This isn’t a movie that will change your life, and it was never exactly in danger of taking home an Academy Award. But like all great board games and video games, it delivers the best kind of distractions in the form of a breezy plot, charismatic cast, and infectious humor. Whenever you’re ready for a much-needed break from the trials and tribulations of our hellworld, here’s some good news: you can now stream Jumanji: Welcome To the Jungle on Netflix. 

It should be perfectly safe. After all, there’s no way you could possibly get stuck in this movie for the next two decades, right?

Sister Wives star Kody Brown might not be married to Christine Brown Woolley anymore, but fans think, still to this day, she knows how to rattle him. When her new book arrived on shelves, fans scurried to read her insights on the Brown family. And low and behold, readers suggest that she got a jab in at Kody on the very first page of the book’s prologue.

Sister Wives: Kody Brown Easily Replaced?

Christine Brown Woolley’s new book is an eye-opener on a few topics having to do with Kody Brown and the entire Sister Wives family, both before and after his divorces. Her book, Sister Wife—A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom, offers what some fans see as a jab at Kody as soon as the first page. And this comes through to many fans without her ever using his name.

Reading her book, you get the feeling that she’s reborn after leaving her old life behind. Considering Christine Brown and Kody Brown have six kids together, she will always have ties to him. When she first introduced David Woolley to her kids, reports indicated Kody was not too happy.

From what the Sister Wives viewers caught on screen, it looked as if he felt like someone was taking his place. Now Christine’s new book seems to strengthen that thought for those reading it.

Christine Brown Calls Them “Dad Jokes”

Christine opens up her new book with what a typical day looks like in her life with David Woolley. She shares the house with David and her daughter Truely Brown.

Christine paints a picture of a very happy daughter, who comes downstairs with a towel, headed to the pool with friends. She also writes how Truely made protein pancakes for the family for breakfast. So, we assume “the family” consists of Christine, David, and Truely.

The third wife and now ex-wife of Kody Brown describes the playful banter between Truely and David while they are at the breakfast table. She writes how Truely playfully looks to Christine for help when David’s “dad jokes” get too much. So, the Sister Wives fans see Christine tagging David as dad for Truely.

Sister Wives: Christine Moves David Woolley into Dad Spot?

Up until her marriage to David Woolley, this Sister Wives star only knew how to share a husband. So, Kody was her part-time husband, as he had three other wives and families that he needed to spend time with.

But today, David, who calls Christine several times throughout the day, is all hers. Since Kody doesn’t see Truely very often, which is what Christine has said in the past, did this mom replace Kody with David as her dad figure? To some fans it sounds like she’s presenting David Woolley as the father figure for the only child she has left at home.

And if so, Sister Wives fans surmise that once Kody hears the buzz over what Christine wrote about “Dad,” he won’t be very happy. That’s because it looks like David very easily takes the place of a dad for Truely. But most of all, Christine paints a home of happiness and love, with Truely getting the attention she deserves today. And… her fans are thrilled for both mom and daughter.

Head back to Soap Dirt for the latest buzz on Sister Wives.

If you are an Italian-American, especially in the Tri-State area, you’re familiar with the slang terms we sometimes use to describe our favorite foods, like “muzzadell” (mozzarella), “rigot” (ricotta), and “proshut” (prosciutto).Most famously, though, the slang term “gabagool” exploded into pop culture, thanks to the HBO hit series The Sopranos. Tony Soprano’s (James Gandolfini) love for the thinly sliced cured meat, gabagool (cappicola), is probably one of the most famous details about the iconic character. However, in the series, gabagool has a deeper and much darker meaning derived from a traumatic experience in Tony’s childhood.

Tony Has a Traumatic Connection to Satriale’s Meat Market in ‘The Sopranos’ Season 3

In the Season 3 episode of The Sopranos, “Fortunate Son,” Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) is helping Tony get to the bottom of his most recent panic attack. She starts to see an odd connection between Tony’s anxiety attacks and meat. The panic attack that brought him to Dr. Melfi in the first place happened when he was grilling sausages, and the most recent one occurred while he was making a sandwich. Later in the episode, Tony is enjoying a delicious slice of gabagool from the fridge when he’s hit with a panic attack. He recalls a memory from when he was 11 years old, the first time he had an episode. Earlier that day, young Tony (Mark Damiano II) witnessed a truly brutal moment when his father, Johnny Boy (Joseph Siravo), and his Uncle Junior (Rocco Sisto) beat up the owner of the meat shop, Mr. Satriale (Lou Bonacki).

Although Tony’s father told him not to follow him inside, the young boy didn’t listen and walked in on his father chopping Mr. Satriale’s fingers off with a meat cleaver over an unpaid debt. While this would be traumatic for anyone to see, something Dr. Melfi points out, it left a particularly deep scar on young Tony. That night, when his father carved into the roast for dinner, Tony broke out into a cold sweat and “fainted,” hitting his head on the kitchen floor. From that moment on, his trauma became inextricably linked to Satriale’s Meat Market, the very place Tony would later frequent as an adult, buying meat to feed his family.

Eating Gabagool Triggers Tony’s Panic Attacks on ‘The Sopranos’

As Tony delves further into the memory with Dr. Melfi, she confirms that Tony’s experience that day was, in fact, his first panic attack and that it now makes sense why meat triggers him She also suggests that the meat symbolizes his father’s violent work, which was condoned by his mother, who cooked the meat he would bring home for free. Perhaps Tony’s anxiety stemmed from the fear that one day, he would have to live up to his father’s violent legacy. Even though Tony tries to downplay it, not wanting to think that deeply about “a slice of gabagool,” Dr. Melfi stresses that understanding the root cause of his anxiety is key to preventing future episodes.

Despite this breakthrough with Dr. Melfi, Tony has no desire to change the lifestyle that makes him Tony Soprano. He certainly isn’t going to stop eating gabagool, and his stubborn mindset about being a gangster keeps him from making any real progress in therapy. His deep connection to his father and the sense of power his work brings him is a recurring theme in The Sopranos, and this dynamic is underscored as Tony grapples with his trauma. The therapy scenes with Tony and Dr. Melfi are some of the most iconic of the whole series, but the ones in “Fortunate Son” stand out as particularly impactful.

While it’s unfortunate that Tony never fully breaks free from the same dangerous patterns, it is understandable why he isn’t willing to cut gabagool out of his diet. After all, it is a beloved and delicious food, but for Tony, it’s much more than that. The Sopranos writers cleverly use gabagool as a symbol of Tony’s connection to his violent lifestyle, making it a representation of the very thing that keeps him stuck in the same cycle of violence that defined his past, present, and future.

All seasons of The Sopranos are available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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Release Date

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1999 – 2007

Network

HBO

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Showrunner

David Chase

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Directors

Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García

Writers

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Michael Imperioli, Jason Cahill, Lawrence Konner, David Flebotte, James Manos, Jr., Salvatore Stabile, Toni Kalem, Mark Saraceni, Nick Santora

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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

ABC has officially ordered The Rookie spin-off, The Rookie: North, to a full series on the network.

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Release Date

October 16, 2018

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Showrunner

Alexi Hawley

Directors

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Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro

Writers

Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff

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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

Taking royal photos sounds fancy, but the British family decided to do it differently this time around. The Prince and Princess of Wales swapped the palace setting and upscale attire for a casual outdoor backdrop and everyday clothing. Kate Middleton‘s outfit was particularly chic, and as long as you have white pants and this striped sweater style, you can recreate the aesthetic all spring long.

To celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, Prince William and Princess Kate gathered their crew for the most relaxed royal photoshoot we’ve seen in ages. Middleton kept things low-key, pairing a short-sleeve knit sweater style with crisp white pants. The formula is simple yet so incredibly luxe.

This Anrabess Short-Sleeve Sweater Top appears identical to Middleton’s blouse, featuring the same clean crew neckline, classic horizontal stripes and ribbed-knit fabric. The wool-blend material gives it a structured drape while the ribbed texture adds a high-end flair.

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Anne Hathaway leans into clean tailoring, neutral palettes and timeless outfit pieces, all telltale characteristics of old money. Her latest New York appearance nailed the aesthetic, and all it took was this bag style. The actress was spotted in the Financial District looking mega wealthy. She wore a cropped blazer with wide-leg jeans, accessorizing with […]

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And if the thought of wearing wool in the springtime scares you, don’t worry! The breathable, lightweight feel and short-sleeve design make this cozy sweater ideal for the warm months. No clinging or overheating, just comfort and a sleek, flattering fit. Reviewers can attest! “It’s light enough to wear in the summer,” one shopper wrote. “Today was 85 degrees [Fahrenheit] and I was completely comfortable in it.”

Another Amazon fan said that it can “be accessorized nicely to look dressy or with jeans for a nice look.” They said the top is “flattering on all accounts,” and even admitted to buying four different styles.

Pair this knit blouse with the white jeans you already have, and you’ve cloned Middleton’s outfit. From brunches to in-office days, you’ll wear this duo through seasons and occasions without thinking twice. If you’ve been admiring their anniversary photo like Us, this is your sign to add a little royal style to your summer rotation. Your white jeans are waiting.

Get the Anrabess Short-Sleeve Sweater Top for $25 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

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Not only is Kate Middleton embracing pastels, but also the baby blue trend. Kate Middleton turned a royal visit into a fashion show, wearing a light blue blazer that was equally low-key and sophisticated. We’re copying the expensive look for only $42! During their 15th wedding anniversary, Prince William and Princess Kate stopped in at […]

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 18 seconds ago

Before she was the co-founder of The Honest Company, before Fantastic Four, and before she was Honey, Jessica Alba burst onto the scene as Max Guevera, the genetically enhanced former child soldier working with a band of underground hackers and mercenaries in a near-future dystopian Seattle. That’s the setting for James Cameron’s Dark Angel, 2000’s hottest and most expensive series.

No one could have guessed this would be Cameron’s follow-up to Titanic, but what was predicted even back then was that Fox would mishandle the show. That’s exactly what happened, and today, it’s nearly impossible to find a copy of Alba’s breakout hit. 

Dark Angel Changed Gears Between Seasons

In the year 2000, you could throw a rock and hit a female-led action series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess, V.I.P., and The X-Files were still on the air. All of them were instant classics, but James Cameron gave Dark Angel an edge the others didn’t have. Max didn’t hesitate to throw a punch, and it turns out that violence was often the answer. During her underground war against Manticore, the evil government agency that messed with her DNA and raised her as a child soldier (think Marvel’s Weapon X), Max is willing to go to brutal lengths to accomplish her mission. 

The series starts with Max ignoring her mission and living life as a courier, right up until a journalist activist, Logan (played by the very young-looking future NCIS Agent DiNozzo, portrayed by Michael Weatherly), is injured on a mission she rejected and is now confined to a wheelchair. Max picks up the fight with Logan acting as her “man in the chair,” and a lot of the fun of the series comes from their interactions, though the “will they, won’t they?” gets tiring because yes, yes they will, and we all know it.

Even the standalone monster-of-the-week episodes tie into the larger mythology arc of bringing down Manticore. Dark Angel Season 1 is pulpy sci-fi fun with cheesy stunts, technobabble, and, after the multi-million dollar pilot, cheap special effects. Season 2 changes direction with the introduction of Alec (Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles, years before he got behind the wheel of a 1967 Chevy Impala), Max’s planned breeding partner, who instead becomes her co-worker as they burn down secret labs, liberate child soldiers, and deal with various mutants tied to a breeding cult.

Missing In Action For Decades

Dark Angel isn’t quite a cyberpunk series. The argument can be made for it since there are hackers, secret government programs, supersoldiers with animal DNA, and everyone hanging out at a bar/courier company. What it’s missing is the random neon lighting. 

Of course, when a sci-fi series becomes a hit, Fox has to mess with it somehow. The network argued that the series was routinely going over budget and put a hard cap on Dark Angel’s second season at $1.4 million. Two days after letting the cast and crew know that Season 3 was greenlit, Fox reversed course and canceled the show, citing low ratings as the reason. The switch from taking down Manticore to dealing with the mutant cult caused the show to lose viewers, and the move to Fox’s death slot on Friday nights from its previous Tuesday night placement didn’t help matters any. 

Why You Can’t Watch Dark Angel Today

As with many shows made before streaming was a possibility, Dark Angel’s music rights have kept it in limbo and off legal streaming in the United States for over two decades. The only way to watch it legally now is if you own the now-out-of-print DVD sets.

It’s a shame, as the series still has a fan following over 20 years later, and in a perfect world, Jessica Alba’s Max would be recognized alongside Cameron’s other leading ladies: Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley and Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Conner. 

Dwayne Johnson cracked several raunchy jokes about his pal Kevin Hart’s wife, Eniko Parrish, while Hart was just inches away from him.

On Sunday, May 10, Johnson, 54, was among the celebrities who took part in Netflix’s live The Roast of Kevin Hart special, poking fun at his Jumanji costar’s height and bedroom skills.

“I want to just take a moment to give a shout-out to all the ladies up here on this dais. You all look beautiful, magnificent, sexy,” the wrestler-turned-actor said before turning to Parrish, 41, who was sitting in the audience.

He then added, “You know who else looks sexy? Kevin’s wife, Eniko.”

Related: Tom Brady Calls Out Kevin Hart for Cheating on Wife Eniko Parrish

Tom Brady took a savage swipe at Kevin Hart — in the name of comedy. During Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart, which streamed live on the platform on Sunday, May 10, Brady, 48, appeared on stage to throw a brutal jab at Hart, 46. “All right, this won’t take long, because, as you guys […]

Hart, 46, appeared to bristle at Johnson’s remarks, exclaiming, “What the f***?” But the Smashing Machine actor said he was simply “giving her compliments.”

Johnson continued his routine, joking that Parrish “deserves an Academy Award for pretending she likes to f*** you.”

The actor then suggested that he and Parrish get together, “open up a bottle of tequila and, you know …” before exclaiming, “Stop squirming, Kevin!”

Fellow participant Chelsea Handler got in on the joke, telling Hart, “Don’t you think it’s time for Eniko to be with somebody that is bigger than her?”

Hart’s 5-foot-2 stature was also the butt of several jokes on Saturday night. Johnson quipped that he now understood why women love Hart. “He’s the same size and color as their favorite dildo, and the little motherf***er is twice as loud,” he said.

Johnson brought up Parrish again as he wrapped up his comedic roast, telling Hart, “I love you. … Just to prove it, just last week, I got a Kevin Hart tattoo on my c***. Yeah, life-size, too… Eniko, I’ll show you later. Kidding. She’s already seen it!”

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“Why would you say that about my f***ing wife? I want to talk to you later,” Hart clapped back, to which Johnson responded, “But you’re the one who said, ‘Hey, listen, f***ing say anything you want!’”

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Related: Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish’s Blended Family Album

Blended brood! Kevin Hart was a two-time father when he married Eniko Parrish, and the couple went on to have children of their own. The model welcomed her husband’s children with his ex-wife, Torrei Hart — Heaven and Hendrix — with open arms when they wed in August 2016 in California. Kevin explained via Instagram […]

NFL legend Tom Brady also took a brutal shot at Hart during his own roast, addressing Hart’s infidelity in 2017 while his wife was pregnant. (Hart publicly apologized to Parrish in an Instagram video after cheating on her during a trip to Las Vegas.)

“All right, this won’t take long, because, as you guys know, I’m a busy man,” Brady joked. “But I do have a few words for you before I return to my affairs in Las Vegas. Oh, wait, I’m talking about affairs in Las Vegas. Was that off? Not supposed to talk about affairs in Vegas? I think I broke another rule. F*** it. I talked about it.”