Latest news with #WTF
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Marc Maron paid 50k to use one minute of Taylor Swift song
Marc Maron paid $50,000 to use just one minute of a Taylor Swift song in his stand-up special. The 61-year-old comic felt he needed Bigger Than the Whole Sky - a bonus track on the 3am edition of Taylor's 2022 album Midnights - for a pivotal moment in his HBO show Marc Maron: Panicked, so he got in touch with mutual friend Jack Antonoff for help in licensing the track, and while his pal was able to offer advice on going through official channels, he couldn't obtain him a discount on the fee. Speaking on Vulture's Good One podcast, Marc said: 'I know Jack Antonoff enough to text him — and he's the co-writer on that song. 'I said, 'I don't know what's proper or how to do this, but we're running out of money on this thing. It's probably going to come out of my pocket. Is there anything you can do about this song or talk to Taylor?' 'It was doable. 'I would have gone over the minute, [but] it would have been more money." Marc didn't know if Taylor, 35, has heard the specific joke that her team signed off on letting him use the track for, but he was "manifesting" that she would like it if she had. He said: 'It had to happen. The real fear [was], like, [if] she doesn't let you use it, and then what do you do? You can't do the bit on the special.' Marc previously explained he studied Midnights on a hike while trying to "figure out" why people like Taylor's music so much. He said on his own WTF podcast in 2023: 'I'm an open-minded guy, and I like music. I [wanted] to try to figure out what it is about Taylor Swift that everyone never shuts up about." After listening to the record, he added: 'I'm like, 'Alright. I get it.' It's pop music, but it's not dance music [and] it's, sort of, emotional. There's a lot of longing and sadness and isolation and processing these overwhelming feelings of melancholy." Marc previously hailed his new special - which premieres on Friday (01.08.25) - as the "best work" he has ever done. He added in a statement: 'Everything came together. 'The direction, the production design, the shirt and the bits. HBO gets me and I'm thrilled to be presented by them.'
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Comedian reveals what it costs to use one minute of Taylor Swift's music in a comedy special
Marc Maron has revealed he paid approximately $50,000 to feature Taylor Swift's 'Bigger Than the Whole Sky' in his latest stand-up special. Speaking on Vulture's Good One podcast, the comedian detailed the licensing process and the effort it took to secure the song. 'I think it came out to $50K or around that,' said Maron. 'I did everything I could to get the joke in front of her.' Despite knowing Swift's co-writer Jack Antonoff personally, Maron said Antonoff encouraged him to follow formal licensing procedures. Maron, 61, used about one minute of the track, explaining that exceeding that limit would have increased the fee. 'We couldn't even let it play out the special,' he noted. To work around that, Maron collaborated with a band to create custom music for the opening and closing. He said the decision to include the track was rooted in a personal connection. 'It had to happen,' Maron stated. 'The real fear is, like, she doesn't let you use it, and then what do you do?' Fortunately, Swift's team approved the request, though Maron doesn't know if she heard the bit herself. Maron previously discussed his emotional response to the song on his WTF podcast, describing how it moved him during a hike. The track, from Swift's 2022 Midnights album, explores themes of grief and emotional reflection, tones Maron felt resonated with the material in his show.
News18
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
When Kriti Sanon Felt ‘So Proud' On Revisiting Her Delhi School
Kriti Sanon, born in 1990, finished her schooling at Delhi Public School, RK Puram, New Delhi. Later, she earned a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Kriti Sanon will be celebrating her 35th birthday tomorrow, July 27. The actress, who was last seen in the Netflix film Do Patti, has been impressing fans with her versatile roles. Be it the feisty small-town girl Bitti in Bareilly Ki Barfi to the boldly independent Mimi, or a robot SIFRA in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, the actress has proven her mettle in playing diverse characters across genres. So, ahead of her birthday, let's rewind to 2022, when, during the promotions of Bhediya, Kriti took a trip down memory lane by revisiting her old school and reconnecting with her roots. Kriti Sanon, born in 1990, finished her schooling at Delhi Public School, RK Puram, New Delhi. Later, she earned a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from a well-known institute in Noida. Kriti Sanon Revisits School In November 2022, Kriti Sanon dropped a picture on X, posing outside her school gate. She exuded chic vibes in a black and white striped tube top, mini skirt and an oversized shirt. She completed her look with minimal makeup and open, wavy hair. Kriti's joy at going back to her school was unmissable as she spread out her arms and flashed a beaming smile. Back to school! 🏫 After 15years!! Such a proud feeling to be back to my school to promote my film #Bhediya 🐺!! Nostalgic! 🥹🥹D.P.S. has given me a lot.. it truly shaped the person I am today! And it was the best feeling to come back to say 'I made it!" 💃🏻❤️ — Kriti Sanon (@kritisanon) November 23, 2022 The side note read, 'Back to school! After 15years!! Such a proud feeling to be back at my school to promote my film Bhediya. Nostalgic! DPS, RK Puram, has given me a lot. It truly shaped the person I am today! And it was the best feeling to come back to say, 'I made it!'" Kriti Sanon's Family Background Last year, Kriti Sanon spoke about her humble family background. The actress, in an interview with Nikhil Kamath's WTF podcast, said, 'I would definitely say I'm privileged. I come from a middle-class family, but it's not like I ever felt the need to work because I had to earn. That was not there. My parents were working and… never made me feel that I didn't have money." Kriti Sanon added, 'I've not been someone who has been extremely rich and wealthy… I've a joint account with my father. I've no idea how much money is coming in and going out." Work-wise, Kriti Sanon will be sharing screen space with Dhanush in the film Tere Ishk Mein. The Anand L Rai directorial will premiere on November 28. First Published: July 26, 2025, 15:12 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Los Angeles Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Stephen Colbert's ‘Late Show' is canceled, but he won't go quietly into that goodnight
We seem to be in an era of endings. The end of ethical norms, of the rule of law, of science, of democracy, of Marc Maron's 'WTF' podcast, possibly the world and the just-announced end of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' when the host's contract runs out in 10 months — which may presage the end of late-night television, at least on CBS, which says it has no plans to replace him or keep the show. 'This is all just going away,' Colbert said in a statement taped Thursday. Coincidentally, or not, Paramount, which owns CBS, is seeking regulatory approval from the Trump Administration to sell itself to the Hollywood studio Skydance. (I'd never heard of it either.) An official statement, claiming that the 'Late Show' cancellation represents 'a purely financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night … not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount' (italics mine) is — however true it might be — just the sort of thing to make one say, 'Pull the other one.' 'Other matters' would seem to refer to the merger and to Paramount's recent payment of $16 million to settle a frivolous Trump lawsuit over the perfectly routine editing of a '60 Minutes' Kamala Harris interview that was somehow supposed to give Harris an unfair advantage in the 2024 election and to have caused her opponent 'mental anguish' — a payment Colbert characterized in a monologue just a few days ago, as a 'big fat bribe': 'As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. And I don't know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company. But just taking a stab at it, I'd say $16 million would help.' Though he responded to his studio audience's supportive boos saying, 'Yeah, I share your feelings,' he was only kind to the network: 'I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners,' Colbert said. 'I'm so grateful to the Tiffany network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home.' But there have been plenty of surrogates to draw connections, provide context and bite harder, especially in light of the departure of '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens and CBS News president Wendy McMahon. 'Love you Stephen,' ABC host Jimmy Kimmel, posted on Instagram, 'adding 'F— you CBS and all your Sheldons.' (In January, ABC also settled a Trump suit for $16 million, over George Stephanopoulos calling Trump's sexual harassment conviction 'rape.') Of the remaining late night hosts, we may say that each is special in their own way. Colbert, 61dob: 5/13/1964, who has been at 'The Late Show' for 10 years, is the most mature, professorial and philosophical — gentle, a gentleman, and at times a mock-gentleman, addressing his audience as 'My fellow Americans,' or echoing Walter Winchell, 'Mr. and Mrs. America and All the Ships at Sea,' or as 'Ladies and Gentlemen.' He slaps himself in the face twice before every show to 'be in the moment … [to] only do this for the next hour.' Though he may still kick up his heels during a monologue, as an interviewer he is composed and thoughtful and curious — and funny, to be sure — to the degree each conversation demands. A committed (liberal) Catholic, he co-narrated the English-language audiobook of Pope Francis' 'Life: My Story Through History,' with Franciscan Father John Quigley, at the same time, he's a first-generation Dungeons & Dragons devotee, a lifelong reader of science fiction and a man of whom director Peter Jackson said, 'I have never met a bigger Tolkien geek in my life.' (Jackson cast him as 'Laketown spy' in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.') He's a person who will quote Gandalf in a conversation on grief and loss with Anderson Cooper, or, on 'The Friendship Onion' podcast with Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, a.k.a. Merry and Pippin, declare that after reading 'The Lord of the Rings' after college, 'I realized that Aragorn is the Apollonian model of manhood … The Hobbits are us. And we should love life as much as they do.' And he knows a thing or two about Ronnie James Dio. And grew up on Mad magazine, where young minds were taught to recognize the deceptions and hypocrisies of politics, business and media. Comedy Central's 'The Colbert Report,' which he hosted from 2005 through 2014, had a huge cultural effect beyond the reach of any late night host now, Colbert included. Because it ran on basic cable and not network television, and because Colbert hid within the character of a pompous conservative pundit, the show could take wild swings; to the extent it looked respectable, it was only a matter of irony. Colbert and Jon Stewart, on whose 'The Daily Show,' where Colbert had earlier worked, staged a 'Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear' on the National Mall in Washington that drew a crowd of more than 200,000; he ran for president twice and created a PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, '100 percent legal and at least 10 percent ethical.' During its run, he (or his writers) gave the world 'truthiness,' named 2006 Word of the Year by Merriam-Webster, which defined it as 'a truthful or seemingly truthful quality that is claimed for something not because of supporting facts or evidence but because of a feeling that it is true or a desire for it to be true.' Colbert was twice named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People. Ben & Jerry's created an ice cream flavor, Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream, in his honor, and NASA dubbed a piece of exercise equipment for use on the International Space Station the 'Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill,' or COLBERT. Testifying in character in 2010, before a House Judiciary subcommittee on legal status for immigrant farm workers, he said, as if looking into 2025, 'This is America,' he said, 'I don't want my tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian … My great grandfather did not travel over 4,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see the country overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor, I don't know if that's true. I'd like to have that stricken from the record.' The signal segment of 'The Late Show' is the 'Colbert Questionert' in which the host poses 15 questions 'ergonomically designed to penetrate straight to the soul of one of my guests and reveal their true being to the world.' (It's 'a scientifically verified survey; I've asked several scientists and they assured me — yeah, it's a survey.') Designed to create comic and/or sincere responses, they range from 'What's the best sandwich?' (Will Ferrell: 'Salami and grapefruit on rye, with a light sheen of mayonnaise.') to 'Apples or oranges?' (Colbert considers apple the correct answer, because you can put peanut butter on it.) to 'The rest of your life in five words.' (Tom Hanks: 'A magnificent cavalcade of color.') Cate Blanchett took it lying on Colbert's desk, as if in therapy. 'What do you think happens when we die?' he asked. 'You turn into a soup,' she replied. 'A human soup.' But it's Colbert's extended interviews and discussions, from 'The Late Show' and elsewhere, posted online, that dig the deepest and reveal the most about him in the bargain: a much circulated conversation with Nick Cave from last year; a long talk with Anderson Cooper, after the death of his mother, both about grief and gratitude; an episode of 'The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.,' from a couple of weeks ago. (Colbert describes himself as 'publicly Catholic,' not 'a public Catholic.') Such discussions perhaps point the way to a post-'Late Show' practice for Colbert, much as it became one for David Letterman, who passed the seat on to him. (He's only the second host since the show's premiere in 1993.) As to the field he'll be leaving next May, who can say? Taylor Tomlinson's 'After Midnight' game show, which followed 'The Late Show,' expired this week. Kimmel and Seth Meyers, who go as hard against Trump as does Colbert, and the milder Jimmy Fallon, seem for the moment safely fixed at their desks. Though new platforms and viewing habits have changed the way, and how much, it's consumed, late night television is by its temporal nature remains a special province, out at the edge of things, where edgy things may be said and tried. (Don't expect Colbert to go quietly into that goodnight.) Yet even as the No. 1 show in late night, 'The Late Show' reportedly loses money. There's something to that 'financial decision,' I'm sure; it's the 'purely' that smells. We'll see. 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,' Trump posted on his vanity social media site, going on to say that he 'hears' that 'Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert.' Trump and Colbert could not be farther apart as humans. The president sells fear; he uses it as a club. But the TV host is sanguine. 'You can't laugh and be afraid at the same time,' Colbert is fond of saying, sometimes adding, 'and the Devil cannot stand mockery.'
Elle
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Ayo Edebiri and Julia Roberts Face Off in Tense 'After The Hunt' Trailer
Luca Guadagnino is so back. The Oscar-nominated director's new film, After the Hunt, will officially be released this October. The film is written by first-time screenwriter Nora Garrett and stars Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield. Here's everything we know about the forthcoming psychological drama. The film follows a college professor (Julia Roberts) who gets caught in the middle of a campus scandal after her student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield) of 'crossing the line.' Per IndieWire, on an episode of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, Guadagnino shared that After The Hunt is one of his 'very rare' films that isn't about 'sexuality or love.' 'It's a very timely movie for where we are now,' he said, 'in terms of the society and the division in society and the extreme positions that we can have vis-a-vis an opinion in a way. It's about what happens in the milieu of academia between younger and older people and the idea of consent. I can tell you that it's very loaded. I can tell you that the movie is very provocative, but not in a stupid way, but I would say in a very articulate way.' He also added that this is Roberts's 'best performance' of her career. In another interview, Guadagnino also spoke about how much he enjoyed working with Edebiri. 'Ayo is a movie star in the real sense of bigness, and cinema, and excitement,' he told W. 'She has a commitment toward performance that you rarely find now. She absolutely commands your gaze. She's funny and she's extremely beautiful—and that is a very rare combination.' In addition to Roberts, Edebiri, and Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny round out the cast. In an interview with Deadline at this year's CinemaCon, Garfield revealed what it was like to work with Guadagnino for the first time. 'What was exciting and surprising about being with Luca on set was how loose he is, how relaxed he is, how spontaneous, in the moment, and totally focused [he is] when he needs to be,' he said. 'He seems to be allowing the day, the scene, and the moment to be found. And he's such a precise filmmaker, simultaneously.' Edebiri echoed those sentiments. She said that filming with Guadagnino was a 'mix of complete openness and specificity of vision.' She continued, 'As an actor that fosters you to come up with so many things and understandings of your character.' Yes! On July 16, Amazon MGM Studios released the official trailer. The film will be released in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on October 10 and will open nationwide on October 17. This story will be updated.
