It’s a shame people don’t call works of noir literature “book noir” the way “film noir” is the name of a genre (or movement) when you’re talking about movies, but either way, noir books do exist. Plenty of them were adapted into film noir movies, if you’re looking at the golden age of noir fiction, yet sticking to that period a little before – and then around – the middle of the 20th century means missing out on some great neo-noir movies, and also compelling noir books.

Enter James Ellroy, whose earliest novels were published around the start of the 1980s, and whose best novels started coming out nearer to the end of the decade in question. The 1990s was also a good decade for Ellroy, and he’s had some interesting books published in the 21st century, too. His works of noir and/or historical fiction are very intense, downbeat, violent, and unpredictable, and the following books of James Ellroy’s stand as his best.

8

‘Blood’s a Rover’ (2009)

Image via Windmill Books

Ellroy’s Underworld USA trilogy concluded with Blood’s a Rover, which is certainly the most challenging of the three, a little like how his other well-known series ended with its most out-there entry (more on that one shortly). The first of the Underworld USA books covers 1958 to 1963, the second 1963 to 1968, and Blood’s a Rover 1968 to approximately 1972… intentionally ducking away from covering the Watergate scandal, maybe because it was too convenient an endpoint?

Big historical events that happened in 1963 and 1968 were what the other two books, respectively, built to. Ellroy’s not super interested in establishing patterns, though, and that makes Blood’s a Rover admirable and sometimes frustrating. It’s uncompromising, at least; that can’t really be denied. It also pushes things especially far with how many of its characters are intensely unlikable, because most people here feel like they could be villains of any ordinary story, which contrasts with most Ellroy novels where you’ll have at least one prominent character who feels almost like a hero compared to everyone else. Blood’s a Rover is too miserable and cynical (even by Ellroy’s standards) for that.

7

‘White Jazz’ (1992)

Image via Arrow Books Ltd

Advertisement

The other big series that’s inevitably going to get mentioned alongside Underworld USA, if you’re talking about James Ellroy, is the L.A. Quartet, with the first book in that quadrilogy being the one that really put him on the map, as a writer of crime fiction. White Jazz is not that first book, though, instead being the fourth and easily the densest of the bunch. Again, it’s like Blood’s a Rover and its position within the overall saga it belongs to.

The best parts of White Jazz concern some threads left hanging from earlier books in the L.A. Quartet, making it a necessary sequel if you want some closure. It’s harder to recommend in other regards, because Ellroy goes all-out on his signature style of punchy sentences and a cutting of words that only the most ruthless of editors would consider unnecessary. The result is a book that tells a story which would usually be told across 600 to 700 pages, but Ellroy does it in about 350. It’s hard to keep up, to put it mildly, but if you can manage to avoid drowning while immersed in White Jazz, it can certainly be a rewarding read.

6

‘The Cold Six Thousand’ (2001)

Image via Cornerstone Digital

Advertisement

The Cold Six Thousand is the second book in the Underworld USA trilogy and, what do you know, also the second-best. Narratively, this one picks up right after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, with the lead-up to that event being what the first book focused on, and then The Cold Six Thousand ends up building to two more assassinations that happened just a couple of months apart in 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Robert F. Kennedy’s.

Characters both fictional and based on real-life people are involved in various shady events that, in Ellroy’s version of this historical period, contribute to those two assassinations eventually happening. That probably sounds a bit vague, but it’s hard to go into more detail than that without dedicating countless more paragraphs. The Cold Six Thousand is almost a bit much, but it’s a stronger effort overall than Blood’s a Rover, and there is ever-so-slightly more room for things to breathe than was the case with the plot of White Jazz.

5

‘My Dark Places’ (1996)

Image via Random House

Advertisement

The title here is certainly not deceitful, as My Dark Places does indeed go to some incredibly dark places. There might be more by way of cynicism in some of Ellroy’s fiction, but My Dark Places, which is part memoir and part true crime, could well be the boldest of all his books. What Ellroy acknowledges while getting painfully introspective about some very traumatic events sometimes proves hard to comprehend.

My Dark Places is about the murder of James Ellroy’s mother, Geneva “Jean” Ellroy, which happened when he was only 10 years old, detailing the aftermath and how it shaped Ellroy’s life and outlook on the world. Much of it also concerns his efforts, nearly four decades later, to assist in solving the murder (unsolved since 1958), desperate for any sort of closure. My Dark Places is beyond striking, as far as memoirs go, and very much worth reading, as long as you’re prepared for at least some of the heaviness you’re in for through the act of picking it up.

4

‘The Big Nowhere’ (1988)

Image via The Mysterious Press

Advertisement

The Big Nowhere complicates things, as the second of the L.A. Quartet books, in terms of its style and structure. There are three different point of view characters here, and that’s one reason why the scope of the story here is also more ambitious than the crime novels Ellroy had written before, with a fair few crimes needing to be solved, and certain ways those crimes are all linked, via conspiracies and all that.

It’s dizzying, like a lot of James Ellroy books, and also pretty upsetting in parts. Saying that might not sound like much when Blood’s a Rover and My Dark Places have already been singled out for being depressing and particularly downbeat, but hey, what can you do? It’s another Ellroy novel that scratches that itch, really digging in its nails and drawing blood in the process, but the hurt is possibly what you’re here for (or at least anticipating), in any event.

3

‘The Black Dahlia’ (1987)

Image via The Mysterious Press

Advertisement

Before My Dark Places, James Ellroy explored similar things in the book that opened the L.A. Quartet: The Black Dahlia. The murder at the center of this story did really happen, to a woman named Elizabeth Short who ended up being known as the Black Dahlia, and it was also infamously unsolved in real life. If that’s not enough to make it line up with My Dark Places, then the dedication at the start of The Black Dahlia (“to Geneva Hilliker Ellroy”) definitely will.

The main characters, though, are fictional, and the story’s ultimately about them getting wrapped up in the Black Dahlia case, and torn apart psychologically by all the uncertainty and anxiety that came with it. Plenty of things expanded on thematically in later James Ellroy books are present here, with that leading to it being a good deal more approachable than most of his other novels. It’s the ideal starting point, if you want to tackle Ellroy’s body of work, since it was his first great book, and the one that justifiably made him a well-known writer of crime fiction.

2

‘L.A. Confidential’ (1990)

Image via The Mysterious Press

Advertisement

The style and structure of The Big Nowhere are retained in L.A. Confidential, with three protagonists being cycled through here (and the multiple point of view thing is something he’d continued with the Underworld USA trilogy, of course). It’s an arguable refinement of what already worked in The Big Nowhere, with these two books being perhaps the most similar out of any potential pairing in Ellroy’s whole bibliography.

Call it a Goodfellas to Casino situation, if you want to make a film/director-related comparison, but he really makes it work, and there’s enough here, in L.A. Confidential, to stop it from feeling exclusively like a retread. The retreading is also compelling anyway, because what James Ellroy did in The Big Nowhere arguably deserved to be repeated and then built upon. Crime, conspiracies, death, show-business, copious amounts of immorality… it’s all here.

Advertisement

L.A. Confidential

Advertisement

Release Date

September 19, 1997

Runtime

Advertisement

138 Minutes

Director

Curtis Hanson

Advertisement

Writers

Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

1

‘American Tabloid’ (1995)

Image via Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

The basic premise of American Tabloid was already alluded to, when talking about the other two books in the Underworld USA trilogy. This one’s set between 1958 and 1963, and so it works as something of a sequel to the L.A. Quartet books, too, since the events of that series begin in the late 1940s and then end around the end of the 1950s, with a few characters and historical figures being relevant to both of the series in question.

American Tabloid benefits from being about an especially interesting and dramatic period in American history, and it builds up an immense amount of dread throughout. This time in history is depicted as the start of a downfall for the entire United States, which sounds like a bit much for one book to handle, but American Tabloid does pack a whole lot into its nearly 600 pages, with the next two books then showing the even more chaotic fallout of what happens here. Still, what does happen here is the most interesting, and overall, American Tabloid manages to be Ellroy’s most impressive and compelling novel.

Starring comedian Mae Martin playing a version of themself, Feel Good is the funniest, most heartfelt show streaming on Netflix, and it’s only 12 episodes long. Uptight formerly-straight woman, George (played by Charlotte Ritchie of Call the Midwife) falls hard for Mae Martin, who is recovering from a cocaine addiction. Martin’s writing paints a witty, poignant portrait of addiction that somehow manages to be laugh-out-loud hilarious. The show tracks the development of Mae and George’s relationship, finding the comedy in situations like coming out to homophobic loved ones, learning how to love without codependency, and reckoning with a difficult past. There’s also a particularly gut-busting scene featuring a horny Alien reference (no spoilers—it’s too good). Funnier than Friends or The Office, its runtime is under five hours, making Feel Good the best bang-for-your-buck comedy on streaming.

Despite the fact that you could binge the entire show in an afternoon, Feel Good tackles the complex intersection of love and addiction with clarity, compassion, and remarkable humor. Part of what makes the show so funny is that all the characters believe they are in a drama, experiencing high stakes at every turn. By allowing humor and drama to co-exist, Feel Good is able to transition seamlessly from pure comedy to pure disaster without any unpleasant whiplash. (Though there’s pleasant whiplash aplenty.) The dual presence of comedy and drama speaks to the emotional heart of the show: in life, one can be grappling with impossibly difficult things and still find pleasure, joy, and humor. In fact, Feel Good posits that one can’t always tell pain and pleasure apart.

‘Feel Good’ is Surprisingly Optimistic

Image via Netflix

Early in their relationship, it becomes clear that Mae has swapped one addiction (cocaine) for another (her new girlfriend, George). In Episode 2, George goes to a wedding without Mae. To keep from calling George constantly, Mae goes to great lengths to separate herself from her phone, eventually getting herself locked out of her apartment without any shoes on. This neurotic behavior serves to show how strong Mae’s compulsions are when it comes to George. Mae says to her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, “I love grapes. Sometimes I think I just love George, but I actually also love grapes.” Mae and George are both keeping secrets: after 3 months dating, Mae hasn’t told George about her addiction, and George hasn’t come out to her friends or family.

To avoid talking about their problems, the pair engage in increasingly ridiculous sexual roleplay, which they are hilariously bad at. George admits to spending 300 pounds on a police uniform to roleplay with Mae, and when Mae only half-plays along with the fantasy, asking to speak to her lawyer, George responds, entirely horrified at what she’s saying, that Mae’s lawyer is taking personal time “because his kid’s got ALS.” In a landscape of pessimistic media that explores humanity’s worst (see: BoJack Horseman, Breaking Bad, Black Mirror), Feel Good believes that people can get better, and there’s a lot to laugh at while doing so.

Mae Martin’s Writing Uses Tension Masterfully for Both Comedy and Drama

Image via Netflix

Every time Mae or George finds a way to come clean to the other about their shortcomings, even by accident or disaster, they grow closer. They stumble into the truth that hiding from pain only makes it stronger. The parts where they stumble are what makes the show funny, like any sitcom is funny. Shows like How I Met Your Mother and New Girl are built on idiot plots in which characters are rubber-banded closer to and further away from each other. It’s not just the negative tension that’s funny, however. Watching Feel Good is like riding a wave of tension, and the show is smart enough to manipulate that tension to produce both humor and anxiety, which often amplify each other.

Martin’s writing is clever enough and the show’s actors are charismatic enough that drawing closer together is also funny. In one scene, George ends up in the hospital, and finally comes out to her friends in spectacular fashion, proudly declaring to Mae, “I love you,” before pulling a purple strap-on out of her purse. Everyone is shocked and embarrassed except for George and Mae, who finally get to be out in front of other people, including the old woman sharing a hospital room with George, who watches them make out once the doctor leaves. Tension creates comedy when pulling characters apart, but also when bringing them back together.

‘Feel Good’ Escapes the Trap of the Sitcom

The sitcom genre depends on everything staying the same. There can be infinite hijinks and gags if the world resets at the end of every episode. In The Office, Jim can put all of Dwight’s things into the vending machine, but he has to give Dwight a bag of quarters to get them all back and reset for the next episode. The unchangeability of the sitcom is such an established rule that meta-inclined shows like Community play with this convention, recognizing it in-dialogue and then re-setting at the end of an episode anyway.

While Feel Good‘s comedy is very situational, it escapes the trap of the genre by allowing the characters to change. In a conversation with Mae’s mom, played by Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe from Friends), Mae says “I just can’t even remember what I used to think about before George.” Over Skype, Mae’s mom says, “Well, before George, you thought about Nicole, who was your true love. Before that, you thought about Caroline, who, oh yes, was also your true love. And before that it was drugs.” Mae’s mom may be direct and unforgiving in her assessment, but Mae does begin to recognize that her relationship with George follows the patterns of addiction, and that both she and George deserve better.

Growth certainly isn’t linear, and viewers may question if Mae and George are even ultimately right for each other, but the characters do grow. In a climactic argument at the end of Season 1, Mae says to George, “I think you’re right that I need to be okay on my own, because what I’m doing now is just jumping from thing to thing, and that’s not healthy.” The characters move from failure, to recognition of failure, to attempts at healing and amends. The traditional sitcom structure actually mirrors the cycle of addiction, in which tension rises and resolution is sought and nothing really changes. Feel Good seeks to break that cycle in the structure of the show as well as in the lives of its characters. With wit, heart, and an incredibly economical runtime, Feel Good is one comedy that no one should skip.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Release Date

2020 – 2021-00-00

Network

Advertisement

Channel 4

Directors

Luke Snellin

Advertisement

Writers

Mae Martin

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Halloween is coming, and we’re officially ready to trade our everyday tees for something a little more spooky. But if you’re not exactly looking to spend hours putting together an elaborate costume, there’s an easier way to get into the Halloween spirit: a really good shirt. From playful graphics and cheeky phrases to creepy-cute designs that won’t make you look like you raided the clearance bin, the right tee can make a festive statement without going full ‘haunted house.’

Amazon has plenty of options that prove Halloween shirts don’t have to be cheesy. Whether you’re dressing for a Halloween party, planning a pumpkin-patch outing or simply want an excuse to wear something delightfully witchy, these styles make getting dressed a little more fun. We rounded up 13 Halloween shirts that bring plenty of personality to your seasonal wardrobe, and they start at only $10.

13 Cute Amazon Halloween Tees

1. For Witchy Women: Calling all witches! This cotton-blend crewneck brings the Halloween attitude with five illustrated witches and a cheeky ‘girls will be girls’ slogan. The vintage-inspired graphic gives the tee plenty of personality without requiring a full costume, making it an easy pick for everything from pumpkin carving parties to casual October weekends.

2. Most Wonderful Time: Who says the most wonderful time of the year has to be December? This soft, stretchy cotton-blend crewneck makes a case for October instead, featuring a happy skeleton, jack-o’-lantern, fall leaves and the festive phrase front and center.

3. Spooky Sketch: The hand-drawn look gives this ’tis the season tee a little more charm than your average Halloween graphic. Pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, graves and other spooky illustrations come together across the oversized crewneck for a playful, lived-in feel. Add jeans and sneakers, and you’re ready for whatever October has planned.

4. Subtle Spook: For a Halloween look that’s more understated than over-the-top, this quarter-sleeve tee gets the job done. Tiny ghosts decorate each arm, while ‘spooky season’ appears in cursive around the neckline for a pretty seasonal touch. The V-neck silhouette makes it especially easy to style with your favorite jeans or leggings.

5. Coffin Cutie: This skeleton clearly has no complaints. The graphic features a coffin-dwelling skeleton giving a cheerful thumbs-up alongside the words ‘never better,’ bringing a hilarious twist to the spooky season.

6. Retro Arcade: Game night meets Halloween with this clever graphic tee, where a jack-o’-lantern takes on Pac-Man’s famous role and chases a trail of ghosts. The oversized crewneck gives the playful design a relaxed, casual feel that’s perfect for pairing with jeans, joggers or your favorite Halloween accessories.

7. Disney Pick: Mickey Mouse is getting in on the trick-or-treating fun. This 100% cotton tee features Disney’s favorite mouse dressed as a mummy, complete with pumpkins and a trick-or-treat basket. The lightweight fabric and classic fit make it an easy, everyday choice for Disney fans who like their Halloween style with a little extra nostalgia.

8. Basic Witch: Pumpkin spice season has entered the chat. This cheeky tee puts a Halloween spin on the instantly recognizable Starbucks-style coffee logo with ‘basic witch’ lettering, making it practically made for your next seasonal coffee run. The stretchy, round-neck design keeps the look casual and comfortable.

9. Haunted Main Street: This vintage-inspired graphic has all the makings of a Halloween night out: a jack-o’-lantern couple dancing beneath ‘Nightmare on Main Street’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’ lettering. The nostalgic artwork gives the tee the feel of a spooky souvenir from a fictional small town you’d absolutely want to visit.

10. Boo in Velvet: Sometimes all you need to say is “Boo!” This cozy sweatshirt makes the message a little more glamorous with 3D velvet lettering framed by shimmering gold thread. The soft, stretchy construction keeps it comfortable enough for a movie marathon, but the dimensional embroidery gives it plenty of festive flair.

11. A Love Letter to Halloween: This comfy tee features a collage of illustrated Halloween postage stamps for a charming, collected-over-time look. It comes in lavender, black, orange and cream, so you can choose between a classic spooky shade or something a little more unexpected.

12. Pet Parent Pumpkin: Pet parents, this one’s for you. Instead of traditional pumpkin details, this classic crewneck creates a jack-o’-lantern-inspired design from paw prints, giving your Halloween wardrobe a sweet nod to your four-legged bestie.

13. Playful Pattern: This long-sleeve V-neck tee packs a whole Halloween scene into its all-over pattern with ghosts, candy and pumpkins scattered throughout. The comfy, wrinkle-resistant fabric is the icing on the cake!

UsNow Fall Sale Alert: These chic fashion finds are up to 60% off – plus free shipping

Welcome to fall with our biggest sale of the season. Our favorite dresses, tops, handbags, and shoes are all on sale + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.

Shop the UsNow Fall Sale –>

Related: On the Go? This $22 Bag Keeps Essentials Organized Without the Bulk

Between work, errands, appointments and everything else packed into a busy day, your bag needs to keep up without weighing you down. Enter The Bagsmart Puffy Tote Bag, a carryall that’s roomy enough to hold all of your everyday essentials while keeping them organized and easy to reach, and it’s just $24 on Amazon. Unlike […]

Jennifer Aniston’s love life has long fascinated fans, but the latest insight into her relationship with Jim Curtis suggests their connection developed in a very different way than many might expect. 

Rather than starting with instant romance, the pair built a foundation away from the spotlight, letting a friendship grow before taking things further. 

According to Curtis, that slower path ultimately changed the way he approached love altogether.

Long before Jennifer Aniston and Jim Curtis became a couple, they spent months getting to know each other as friends. 

That early bond appears to have played a major role in reshaping the hypnotherapist’s perspective on relationships, especially compared with his past experiences.

“There was a many-month friendship first,” Curtis explained in a recent interview with Sunday Times Magazine, revealing that their connection evolved naturally rather than being driven by immediate romantic expectations.

For Curtis, that difference was significant. Reflecting on previous relationships, he admitted that his approach had often been influenced by a desire for validation. 

“In the past I’ve felt this idea of, ‘I need you to be in love with me,’” he said. This time, however, things unfolded differently. “The drive was more natural, more organic, less needy,” Curtis shared, adding, “I wasn’t searching for love anymore.”

The relationship reportedly began after Aniston interacted with some of Curtis’ Instagram content. The pair already shared interests in wellness and self-development before eventually being introduced through a mutual friend. 

Curtis also revealed that years before meeting the actress, he felt something unexpected was ahead. 

On his 47th birthday, he experienced what he described as a premonition that by age 50 he would find romance “with someone unlike anyone [he] had ever been in a relationship with,” a prediction that now appears to have taken on new meaning.

Aniston’s Inner Circle Reportedly Divided Over Curtis

If Jim Curtis recently opened up about finding a calmer, more organic kind of love with Jennifer Aniston, not everyone around the actress is viewing the relationship through the same lens.

Recently, The Blast reported that Aniston’s friends were split over her romance with the wellness coach. While some were thrilled to see her happy after years of keeping her personal life largely private, others were reportedly approaching the relationship with caution. 

Sources revealed that “some of Jen’s friends aren’t totally sold on Jim yet” and worried that he “could be an opportunist” who could sometimes come across as “performative.” 

The concerns seemed to stem less from any specific incident and more from how quickly Curtis became a visible part of Aniston’s public life. 

Since the couple went public, he has appeared in social media posts, spoken about their relationship in interviews, and recently shared the stage with her during a major book event in New York. 

However, there is another side to the story. Insiders familiar with the “Friends” actress said many people in her circle had fully embraced Curtis and believed he was genuinely good for her. 

Jennifer Aniston And Jim Curtis Make Rare Public Appearance Together

After years of delays and uncertainty surrounding Marvel Studios’ Blade, Mahershala Ali appears to have found a silver lining in the project that never made it to the screen.

The two-time Academy Award winner spent more than a year training to portray the vampire hunter, and although his version of Blade ultimately fell apart, Ali says those skills ended up becoming useful for his new action thriller, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.

Speaking about the extensive preparation he underwent for Blade, Ali revealed that he trained for more than a year before the Marvel project stalled. Rather than looking back on the experience entirely negatively, the actor joked that Marvel essentially helped prepare him for his next movie.

“Oh, absolutely. For a year, yeah. A little more than a year. I’m actually really grateful. They helped pay for our movie, so thank you.”

Ali added that he was able to train for a year and views Marvel’s investment in that preparation as a “wonderful contribution” to the new film.

From Blade to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

There is an interesting connection between the two projects.

Mahershala Ali, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is written and directed by Bassam Tariq, who was previously attached to direct Marvel’s Blade before departing the project in 2022. After Blade fell apart, Tariq had the opportunity to develop the original film and eventually reunite with Ali.

Ali stars as Latif, a devout Muslim, widowed father and contract killer attempting to balance his faith and family with an increasingly violent life. The film also stars John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito and Tramell Tillman.

The physical preparation Ali originally completed for Blade wasn’t wasted. The actor previously explained that he was able to carry the skills he developed during more than a year of Blade training directly into the new film.

Ali has also made it increasingly clear that his time as Marvel’s prospective Daywalker is over.

When recently asked about moving forward with Blade, Ali said he is “done” and ready to focus on other projects.

That follows comments he made earlier this summer confirming he had moved on from the long-delayed Marvel reboot. Ali was originally announced as Marvel’s new Blade at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, but the film endured years of creative changes, delays and turnover without reaching production.

In an unusual way, however, the failed Marvel project helped lead Ali and Tariq to the movie they ultimately made together.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother opens in select U.S. theaters September 25.

Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider has suffered a major legal defeat in his defamation lawsuit over the 2024 documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

California’s Second District Court of Appeal ruled Thursday in favor of Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures Television and producers Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, reversing an earlier decision that had allowed Schneider’s lawsuit to move forward.

Schneider filed the lawsuit in 2024, arguing that Quiet on Set falsely implied that he was involved in or facilitated the sexual abuse of children who worked on Nickelodeon productions.

The documentary examined allegations surrounding the working environment on several popular Nickelodeon shows while also detailing crimes committed by individuals including dialogue coach Brian Peck and production assistant Jason Handy.

Schneider argued that the documentary’s editing, including the placement of images and footage of him alongside discussions of abuse committed by others, could lead viewers to falsely associate him with those crimes.

The appeals court disagreed.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV [Warner bros.]

In its ruling, the three-judge panel determined that Quiet on Set clearly distinguished the allegations involving Schneider from the child sexual abuse attributed to other individuals featured in the documentary.

The court also pointed to the documentary’s acknowledgement that an investigation into Schneider’s conduct found inappropriate workplace behavior but no evidence that Schneider sexually abused children.

The decision overturns a 2024 ruling from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury, who had previously denied an attempt by the defendants to have Schneider’s lawsuit dismissed.

The defendants appealed that decision under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which provides protections against lawsuits targeting speech involving matters of public interest. The appeals panel unanimously sided with the defendants and concluded Schneider had not demonstrated a likelihood of succeeding with his defamation claim.

Schneider’s attorney Gerry Silver expressed disappointment with the ruling and said his legal team is evaluating its options for further review and appeal.

Silver also emphasized that the court acknowledged Quiet on Set presented no evidence that Schneider sexually abused members of his casts and that such an allegation would be false.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV premiered on Investigation Discovery in March 2024 and examined the experiences of former child actors and employees who worked on Nickelodeon productions during the network’s highly successful run of live-action programming.

Schneider was behind some of Nickelodeon’s biggest series, including The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly and Victorious. Nickelodeon and Schneider parted ways in 2018.

Alix Earle proves that staying on top of her fitness goals doesn’t have to mean spending hours at the gym!

The 25-year-old content creator recently shared how she keeps her abs snatched with a quick five-minute workout she can do while traveling. The best part is that she doesn’t need any equipment, meaning she can get it done right in her hotel room.

Alix Earle’s 5-Minute Ab Workout

In a TikTok video, Earle explained that she was traveling but still wanted to stick to her 2026 resolutions. With only five minutes to spare, she wanted something simple that she could do without any equipment. That’s when the influencer turned to Microsoft Copilot to put together an ab workout specifically for her.

The AI assistant came up with a five-minute routine with descriptions of each move, which Earle then copied. She also pointed out that the workout can easily be changed depending on how much time she has.

Advertisement

Need a longer workout? Earle can ask for 10 or 20 minutes instead. She can also switch it up and ask for a totally different routine the next day.

“So this is Miko,” Earle said. “He’s basically like my AI assistant, and he put together a 5-minute workout routine for me to do with little explanations underneath on how to do each move. You could ask him to do 10 minutes, 20 minutes, change the routine the next day.”

Staying Healthy While Traveling

The ab workout wasn’t the only way Earle wanted to stay on track while she was away from home. She also asked for other ways to maintain her health and wellness goals while traveling, and some of the suggestions were much simpler than squeezing in a full workout.

Carrying a water bottle, staying hydrated, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator were among the tips. For someone constantly on the go, those small changes can be easier to work into the day than finding time for a lengthy gym session.

She Admits Drinking Water Isn’t Always Easy

Earle also admitted that she isn’t always so good at drinking enough water. The advice was not just to tell her to drink more but to make it more fun and to make it a habit. Adding fruit like lemon or berries can make water more flavorful and linking water breaks to things she already does throughout the day can make them easier to remember. For example, she could take a big sip after finishing an email or after eating a meal.

Advertisement

“Well, if staying hydrated feels like a bit of a chore, let’s make it more fun and manageable,” Earle advised. “Maybe infuse your water with some fruit like lemon or berries so it tastes a bit more interesting, or link drinking with daily routines like every time you finish an email, or after you have a meal, you take a big sip. That way it becomes a habit tied to something you already do. So does that sound like a plan?”

Between a quick ab workout and a few simple wellness habits, Earle’s latest routine shows that staying active while traveling doesn’t have to be complicated.

How Alix Earle Maintains Her Fit Body

When not traveling, Earle likes to hit the gym, where she enjoys a full-body workout. In another TikTok video, the internet sensation said that it only takes her less than an hour to finish the routine. For a low-impact cardio warm-up, Earle started her workout with steps on the elliptical, spending 30 minutes at a level eight resistance.

Next up, Earle targets her glutes with three sets of 12 weighted squats, using a 20-pound (9-kilogram) weight, followed by 12 pulses. And considering she’s a known Pilates girl, this section feels especially Pilates-inspired.

Advertisement

Finally, Earle finishes with a series of glute and core exercises, including rainbow kicks, donkey kick pulses, fire hydrants, crunches, bicycle crunches, alternating leg lowers, scissor kicks, Russian twists, and alternating cross-body toe taps. The influencer performs each move for one minute, completing a full minute on each side when an exercise targets one side of the body.

Alix Earle Struggled With An Eating Disorder

In 2023, Earle admitted she had suffered an eating disorder while attending her “toxic” high school during an episode of her “Hot Mess” podcast. She explained that she “never had a problem with food” before high school, but during her sophomore year, she witnessed her classmates “paying thousands of dollars” to go on “extreme diets.”

“In my mind, I knew that this wasn’t normal at first, but after watching their habits and watching them lose weight and watching them be so satisfied over this, it became more normalized for me,” Earle, who graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School in New Jersey, recalled.

Looking back, she admitted that her school was a “very, very toxic environment when it came to girls’ relationships with food.”

“I just went down such a bad path with myself, with my body, with my image, and I started to have this sort of body dysmorphia. I would look in the mirror, and I would see someone way bigger than the person that I was,” Earle said. 

Advertisement

Her eating disorder worsened when she would come home from school hungry, which made her binge eat, but would feel guilty after, so she would purge after. The influencer was able to recover when she went to college and met friends who “helped” her realize her habits were “not healthy.”

Taylor Sheridan is best known for his prolific work on the small screen, dominating the streaming charts with the likes of Landman, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, and The Madison. Currently, the third season of his most pulse-racing series, Lioness, has been lighting up the streaming charts, destroying all the competition for over a month. Zoe Saldaña‘s Joe McNamara and her team of female operatives are once again the talk of the streaming town, and Sheridan’s name is at the top of another top ten.

Sheridan’s work on the big screen, because of how hugely popular his TV projects are, is arguably underrated. From adapting the work of Jack Ryan creator Tom Clancy in 2021’s Without Remorse and making his directorial debut with Wind River (discounting the 2011 horror film he made for a friend), to delivering nail-biting tension with Sicario, and his frankly unmatched Hell or High Water, Sheridan’s big-screen writing deserves more credit. One film that falls under the radar in particular is Those Who Wish Me Dead, which was also directed by Sheridan in only his second and most recent stint behind the camera.

A furiously tense action thriller, Those Who Wish Me Dead boasts an eye-catching cast, led by Angelina Jolie as smokejumper Hannah Faber, and also featuring the brilliant Jon Bernthal, Superman‘s Nicholas Hoult, and Game of Thrones veteran Aidan Gillen. The film was received positively by critics, scoring a 63% average rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and being called “another worthwhile entry into Sheridan’s lineup of neo-Westerns” in Collider’s review. At the time of writing, Those Who Wish Me Dead is a surprise streaming hit, ranking as one of the ten most-streamed movies on Netflix in the U.S. at the time of writing.

Jon Bernthal Has Had an Incredible 2026

Bernthal has had one of the busiest and most successful years of any actor so far in 2026. This began with the surprise Netflix hit His & Hers, which was followed by an acclaimed prequel episode ahead of the return of Christopher Storer’s The Bear. Marvel’s Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, then followed, which bridged the gap between the series and Bernthal’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Bernthal also teamed with Tom Holland on Christopher Nolan‘s historical epic The Odyssey, becoming part of the two biggest hits of the year so far.

Those Who Wish Me Dead is on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Picking just six movies out of everything released since 2000 is almost unfair, there’s probably fifty other movies from this stretch that could make an argument for a spot here too. But these six actually changed a genre, an industry standard, and what people expected walking into a movie theater afterward.

A couple of these took over a decade just to get made. One single film ended up sweeping almost every major award category it was nominated in. And they all still get brought up in conversations about the best movies ever made, not just the best movies of this particular quarter century. So, here is the six best ones out of all of them.

6

‘The Social Network’ (2010)

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

This movie has two guys arguing about website code and it looks like an actual thriller, and a lot of that comes down to Aaron Sorkin‘s script, where characters talk over each other at an extremely high speed. Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) comes across as brilliant and genuinely unlikable at the same time, and the movie never really tries to make you root for him, just understand him.

David Fincher directed it, and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) ends up as the actual emotional core of the story, a guy who gets pushed out of the company he helped start by his own best friend. Armie Hammer played both Winklevoss twins using some clever camera tricks and a body double, and Trent Reznor’s score, all cold synths and tension, won an Oscar as well.

5

‘Spirited Away’ (2001)

Image via Studio Ghibli

A ten-year-old girl wanders into a bathhouse for literal spirits after her parents get turned into pigs for eating food that wasn’t meant for them, and Hayao Miyazaki builds an entire believable world around that premise in under two hours. It is a beautifully made animated film which triggers more emotions than a non-animated one.

Chihiro has to work off her parents’ debt to the witch running the bathhouse just to save them, and along the way she meets No-Face, one of the strangest, quietly saddest characters in any animated movie. It became the first hand-drawn, non-English film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and it was the highest-grossing movie in Japan’s history for years after it came out.

4

‘Parasite’ (2019)

Image via NEON

A poor family cons their way into working for a wealthy one, one lie at a time, tutor, driver, housekeeper, until they’ve basically replaced the household staff completely, and Bong Joon-ho builds so much tension out of that setup before anything actually goes wrong.

The studio famously asked critics not to reveal anything about the second half of the movie before release, and that secrecy campaign worked, most people went in with zero idea where the story was headed. It became the first non-English language film to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars.

3

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Advertisement

George Miller had this script sitting around since before 2000, and actual production kept getting delayed for years, first by the Iraq War making the original filming location unsafe, then by unrelated financing problems, until the movie finally got shot more than a decade after it was first supposed to happen. Furiosa (Charlize Theron) shaved her head for the role, and production designer Colin Gibson built an entire fleet of custom vehicles from scratch, cars with exposed engines and mounted flame effects instead of anything added digitally later.

Tom Hardy and Theron reportedly didn’t get along great on set, and you can almost feel some of that tension in how little their characters actually talk to each other on screen. The whole movie ended up on more best-of-the-decade lists than almost anything else released that year, which is a strange thing to say about a movie that’s basically one long chase across the desert.

2

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)

Image via New Line Cinema

Advertisement

Peter Jackson closes out the trilogy with a movie that runs almost three and a half hours, and the Battle of Pelennor Fields alone justifies a good chunk of that runtime, thousands of soldiers, giant war elephants, a massive practical and digital effects operation happening all at once.

Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) finally steps into the role he’s been avoiding for two whole movies, and the film ties up basically every character’s arc from the entire trilogy without rushing through any of them. It won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for, tying the record for most wins by a single film, and the ending gets joked about constantly for having what feels like five or six separate places it could’ve stopped.

1

‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)

Image via Miramax Films

Advertisement

Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is an oil prospector who cares about exactly two things, money and beating everyone else around him. The movie in almost its entire opening stretch has barely any dialogue at all, just him digging, alone, in near silence.

Paul Thomas Anderson loosely based the story on an Upton Sinclair novel, and Jonny Greenwood’s score, all screeching strings and dread, makes even quiet scenes feel like something’s about to go wrong. Day-Lewis reportedly stayed in character for months during filming, and the bowling alley scene at the end, the one everyone quotes, is as unhinged as anything put on film that decade.

Advertisement

There Will Be Blood

Advertisement

Release Date

December 26, 2007

Runtime

Advertisement

158 minutes

Director

Paul Thomas Anderson

Advertisement

Writers

Paul Thomas Anderson

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Rapper Chingy has been in the spotlight for over two decades, and in a recent interview, the “Right Thurr” performer made a revelation that shocked everyone. Speaking with blogger Jason Lee, Chingy revealed that he’s a father of four, including Isaiah Russell-Bailey, a known actor who has appeared alongside Tia Mowry and Raven-Symoné. Shortly after, Chingy reportedly commented on his strained relationship with Bailey and claimed that his mother manipulated the young actor into disliking him. Bailey clapped back after a few days with a post that has since gone viral.

“I’ve stayed quiet about my relationship with my father because I’ve never felt the need to share that aspect of my life publicly,” he wrote. “But after seeing his comments, I feel compelled to speak for myself.”

Bailey added that Chingy’s statements about their relationship aren’t an “accurate representation.” He continued, “Saying something publicly doesn’t make it true. You cannot rewrite years of absence, neglect, or lack of involvement with a few paragraphs about love, support, and being there for your child.”

Bailey didn’t stop there. He said he clearly understood what his relationship with his father looked like growing up. “I know who was present and who wasn’t,” he wrote. “I know who supported me and who didn’t.”

Isaiah-Russell Bailey Defends His Mother On Instagram

Before his post, Bailey, known for his roles in Netflix’s “Family Reunion” and Disney’s “Raven’s Home,” praised his mother, Brittany Perry-Russell, an actor and choreographer, for always supporting him.

“Everything I am, I owe to the woman who has always been there,” he captioned a slideshow of photos. “Grateful for you always. #Mom.”

Advertisement

While Bailey didn’t mention Chingy directly, users assumed the actor’s post was a direct shot at the early-2000s rapper.

“Getting acknowledged for your successes by a parent will never equate to them actually stepping up to the responsibilities that shape you,” someone wrote. “It’s a slap in the face.”

Chingy’s Son Says His Mother Didn’t Manipulate Him

Elsewhere in his recent statement, Bailey denied Chingy’s reported claims that his son’s mother affected their father-son relationship, calling them “completely false.”

According to Bailey, 19, his mother “did not manipulate me into disliking my father. A parent doesn’t have to turn a child against someone who was already absent. My feelings are my own, and they come from my own experiences.”

Regarding his career, Bailey said he has only himself and his mother to thank for where he is. “The people who genuinely supported me know the sacrifices I and my mother had to make, as well as the setbacks and the work that went into getting here,” he shared.

Advertisement

Isaiah Russell-Bailey Says He Doesn’t Feel The Same About His Relationship With His Father

While Bailey’s post may have come out of left field, the actor clarified that he’d carried strong feelings about his relationship with his father for some time.

“What bothers me is the blatant attempt to present an image to the public that doesn’t match our reality, while implying that I somehow share that version of our relationship,” he posted. “I. DO. NOT.”

Bailey said that he wouldn’t “expose every private detail of our relationship,” but also said that he wouldn’t allow others to “speak for me, tell people how I feel, or use my name or my mom’s [name] to create a false picture of a nonexistent relationship for clout.”

Bailey finished, “I know the truth, and the people who were actually there know it too. I’ve said what I needed to say, and I won’t be speaking on this again.”

Chingy Responds: ‘I Love [My Son]’

After Bailey’s statement was shared online and reposted by popular blogs, such as The Shade Room, Chingy responded directly and said he felt compelled to “speak from my heart,” claiming people only heard one half of the story.

“Isaiah is my son. I love him, I’m proud of him, and nothing will ever change that,” Chingy said, adding that Bailey has “every right” to talk about his experiences and the “hurt” and disappointment he experienced. “As his father, I need to listen—even when what he says is difficult for me to hear.”

Advertisement

Chingy explained that he made efforts to connect with his son and be present in his life. He said private conversations, obstacles, and family dynamics affected that. Despite that, Chingy said he still offered financial support, over $200,000, and “made sincere efforts to maintain a relationship with him.”

“I’m willing to listen, take responsibility for my part, and have an honest conversation with him,” Chingy added. “But that conversation belongs between a father and his son—not on social media or among strangers choosing sides.”