Viraldice

Brad Parscale's domestic violence arrest arrived on the heels of reports that he allegedly stole from both the Trump campaign and the RNC on top of the suspected money laundering. Naturally, the Trump family is afraid of what he might say to save his own ass, so this just got interesting. (Vanity Fair)

Jennifer Lopez's daughter is already a more accomplished writer than I am, and she's only 12 years old. (Lainey Gossip)

People think Tracee Ellis Ross and Harry Styles might be, you know. (Dlisted)

In case you missed it, Eric Trump outed then un-outed himself yesterday. It was a whole thing until his dad started activating white supremacists on live TV. (Celebitchy)

Jake Tapper boots Trumps campaign goblin from his air after he hems and haws about Trumps support for white supremacists pic.twitter.com/jabcidzpYf

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) September 30, 2020

The NFL postponed the Steelers-Titans game and is threatening to crack down on teams that aren't following COVID procedures. (The Root)

From Roxana: Carrie Wittmer conducts an ESSENTIAL INVESTIGATION for The Ringer into which Hollywood sex symbols actually have sex in their movies. OUR FAVORITE CHRIS MAKES AN APPEARANCE. (The Ringer)

For all you The Vow watchers, Seagrams liquor heiress Clare Bronfman has been sentenced to 81 months in prison following the investigation into NXIVM. (Vulture)

Disney+ has officially cast its Ms. Marvel. (Deadline)

I guess Jesus sent them to voicemail?

Evangelicals Ask Jesus To Cloud Biden With "Confusion" During Debate, Keep Moderator Wallace Restrained - https://t.co/fAxdkGvtDI pic.twitter.com/khLgEALA1H

— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) September 29, 2020

Last night, I fired off a rant on the presidential debate that managed to further alienate me from my family. Do enjoy! (Facebook)

Although, you'd think they'd be more interested in the fact that their Christly champion Donald Trump thinks evangelicals are full of shit. (The Atlantic)

I hate to give articles like this the traffic, but this is exactly the kind of pithy take that made me glad when Splinter went away. Imagine still writing smug, contrarian drivel like this with so much at stake. Real f**king cool. (Jezebel)

Because Pajiba Love took the night off for the debate, here are TWO Cannonball Read links for your wordy pleasure:

This year is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. Since publication, it has frequently landed on the American Library Association's Most Challenged Books Lists for addressing incest, sex, and teen pregnancy. Wanderlustful was happy she was able to read it after a few unsuccessful attempts. "Morrison's language is poetic and precise, packing a punch for how slim it is (200 generously spaced pages)." Were you unaware of teen pregnancy in your youth? (Cannonball Read 12)

Eleanor & Park has been frequently been challenged for the use of swearing, which Rainbow Rowell finds ironic because the language represents what the two teens are trying to escape. Tracy thought it was an excellent YA romance. "There were some wonderful moments in how the relationship was revealed and described." Have you read this coming-of-age story? (Cannonball Read 12)

has a man ever been more divorced than this pic.twitter.com/sF8lhLNfnl

— Adam Moussa (@adamjmoussa) September 30, 2020

Celebrated filmmaker Barry Jenkins has brought audiences such gorgeous, Black-led cinema as Medicine For Melancholy, Moonlight, and If Beale Street Can Talk. He is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, a critic-adored director, and his next project is the newly announced "follow up" to Disney's "live-action" Lion King, which Deadline reports may explore "Mufasa's origin story."

To say this was a surprising turn of events is an understatement. Jenkins has built his reputation on intimate indies, and now he's being offered a big, fat franchise that's been universally panned for its soullessness. Some fear this will be a waste of his talents. Others argue: don't we want great filmmakers to get the big fat checks that studio hacks do? Don't we want them to have the opportunity to bring their vision to the masses?

Put simply, Film Twitter was torn.

... what https://t.co/oij9dY6Sx9

— Norm Wilner (@normwilner) September 29, 2020

Barry Jenkins? Lion King sequel?

I...

I just...

I need a minute.

— Lisa Trifone (@LisaBeesa) September 29, 2020

Look, I love/trust Barry! I hated the photorealistic animation! I'm confused!

— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) September 29, 2020

Conflicted...I'm happy that Barry and Lulu are going to get some of that Disney money but I also want more movies like Moonlight & If Beale Street Could Talk and less movies like The Lion King (2019)

— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) September 29, 2020

Some weren't happy about the news.

The lion king (2019) is one of the most soulless cash grabs I've seen in a very long time.

So I'm not surprised that they're making a second but I am shocked at Barry Jenkins directing it.

— i bet on losing dogs is the best mitski song (@haaniyah_) September 29, 2020

Ah yes love to see our corporate overlords absorbing the most talented filmmakers of a new generation in order to make their IP more palatable to the artsy folks.

— Beatrice Loayza (@bealoayza) September 29, 2020

Maybe I'm naive to believe in some happy medium between being a struggling artist and directing a project that will be entirely previsualized before you set foot on the green-screened soundstage.

— A.A. Dowd (@AADowd) September 29, 2020

This is what you motherfuckers deserve for not going to see IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK https://t.co/ZcwbQA3Li5

— Jason Bailey (@jasondashbailey) September 29, 2020

Others supported Jenkins' choice.

Well Barry Jenkins has nowhere to go but up after the last Lion King

— Kathia Woods (@kathia_woods) September 29, 2020

If this was ANY other directior I would be skeptical. But Barry J? Tuh. pic.twitter.com/FbBSSFEnYl

— Erica Jordan (@TheNYCFilmChick) September 29, 2020

I mean, it's kind of unsurprising Disney would greenlight something that would not require anyone to show up on a set and would likely make money.

— Chris Feil (@chrisvfeil) September 29, 2020

you are all complaining as if you won't enjoy the next 10 Moonlights that disney money is going to finance. hell it'll finance the next 15.

— dilara (@IngmarBoobman) September 29, 2020

The man has given you:

Medicine for Melancholy
Moonlight
If Beale Street Could Talk

And is soon to release Underground Railroad... And he doesn't have some latitude?

Lol ok

— Robert Daniels (@812filmreviews) September 29, 2020

Maybe I can empathize bc I write about Black subject matter all the time, but Barry Jenkins has released the most emotionally taxing work on Black life in the history of cinema. Maybe he's taking THE LION KING because he wants to do something challenging but lighthearted.

— Robert Daniels (@812filmreviews) September 29, 2020

If y'all can't get excited about Barry Jenkins interpreting the Lion King, I pity you.

— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) September 29, 2020

"I LOVE Barry Jenkins and I am FURIOUS he's about to get a HUGE PAYCHECK!" - Film Twitter

— Chris Evangelista 🎃 (@cevangelista413) September 29, 2020

As for Jenkins, he and his brilliant filmmaker girlfriend Lulu Wang, shared their excitement for this opportunity.

This.

Yes, THIS👇🏿

'The Lion King' Sequel Set With 'Moonlight' Director Barry Jenkins To Helm For Walt Disney Studios https://t.co/Ev7Obi8Km8 via @Deadline

— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) September 29, 2020

pic.twitter.com/70yQh7Ip1S

— Lulu Wang (@thumbelulu) September 29, 2020

Ummmm, Lulu just sent this to me and man... well played SA 🙌🏿

Not a sequel. Not a remake.

All love... https://t.co/JGJclpEVMh

— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) September 29, 2020

This is what I think Barry Jenkins' Lion King is going to look like. pic.twitter.com/fBiO6LrnPu

— Somebody's Assistant (@Stuckonthe5) September 29, 2020

What do you think about this Lion King not-a-sequel news?

Celebrities touch up their social media photos (or pay someone to do so) on a daily basis.

So the fact that people are still talking about Khloe Kardashian's epic Photoshop fail from back in May should tell you how bad it was.

Fans claimed they literally didn't even recognize Khloe in the pic above.

Others pointed out that she retouched the photo so heavily that she made half of her necklace disappear.

You'd think Khloe would learn an important lesson after being so roundly roasted for trying to turn herself into something she's not.

But it doesn't appear that she did.

In the months that followed, Khloe continued to change her look up repeatedly.

Last month, we had pics where Khloe looked like Kourtney Kardashian.

Prior to that, Khloe looked like Kylie Jenner for a single day.

Now, in what might be her most impressive feat to date, Khloe appears to have tranformed herself into Beyonce.

Yes, believe it or not, this is what Khloe Kardashian looks like in 2020:

Or perhaps we should say it's what she looks like in late September of 2020, as her appearance is sure to change again soon.

And maybe we should say it's what she wants fans to think she looks like in September of 2020, because while Khloe has had a fair amount of work done, this pic has also been heavily retouched.

The photo is an ad for Ipsy, a makeup subscription service that's also Khloe's latest "brand partner."

We're hoping the image was accompanied by some pretty thorough "your results may vary" fine print.

For obvious reasons, fans had a field day with Khloe's latest transformation.

Most of the commentary had to do with Khloe's unerring resemblance to Beyonce.

And yeah, there's really no denying that Khloe bears more than a passing resemblance to the music icon.

So we guess if you had "Khloe Kardashian abruptly turns into Beyonce" on your 2020 bingo card, this is your lucky day!

Others roasted Khloe in a broader sense, likening her to the shape-shifting Jaqen H'ghar in Game of Thrones.

Obviously, transforming into Beyonce is everyone's greatest dream -- but not like this.

All joking aside, all of these recent transformations have lots of fans concerned about Khloe's mental state.

Khloe is back with Tristan Thompson these days, and you would think that being in a committed relationship would have her feeling more confident than ever about her looks.

But Tristan is the same guy who repeatedly cheated on Khloe, often with much younger women.

Are all of these changes part of a desperate attempt to keep him interested this time?

We may never know for sure, but the situation is another reminder that stars sometimes suffer the same crises of self-esteem as the rest of us.

Lee Isaac Chung emerged from this past January’s Sundance Film Festival the undisputed victor, having secured both the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize as well as the US Dramatic Audience Award for his tender immigration epic Minari. And while the year that followed dealt several obstacles to the film’s release – and, indeed, life in general – it looks like this critical darling may soon come to the public.

Today brings the first trailer for Minari, an autobiographical look back on Chung’s boyhood in rural Arkansas. When he was barely a child, his family packed up everything they owned and left their home of South Korea to pursue the American dream on land they would cultivate themselves.

Steven Yeun portrays Jacob, the father of the Yi house and a self-fashioned farmer with plans to raise robust crops on a massive parcel of arable terrain. Alan Kim plays Chung’s mini-me David, who finds himself torn between preserving his heritage as a Korean and embracing assimilation as a burgeoning American. He finds solace in his understanding mother (Han Ye-ri) and his eccentric grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung), who help him navigate the new dimensions of his identity.

The trailer puts Chung’s delicate direction on fine display, as he contrasts the pastoral beauty of the countryside with the quotidian details of sleeping with grandma-smell. Hannah Woodhead, our gal in Sundance, wrote of the film in her first-look review: “It’s an affectionate, sometimes heartbreaking work about the magic of family, and how all the quirks our loved ones posses, even if they may frustrate us at times, shouldn’t be forgotten.”

Regrettably, the trailer doesn’t offer much in the way of a prospective release date beyond “Coming Soon,” which can’t come soon enough for our liking.

The post A Korean family chases the American dream in the Minari trailer appeared first on Little White Lies.

At the 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? Season 5 Tell All special, Andrei repeatedly insisted that he's "the man of the house."

Now, Elizabeth is defending his position as a stay-at-home dad from critics who say that Andrei is just lazy and that she's a pushover.

"I love you [two]," praises a fan commenter.

"Stop listening to your brother and sister," the fan instructs Libby.

"And," the commenter affirms, "there is nothing wrong with a stay-at-home dad."

Elizabeth saw the comment and responded.

“Nothing at all wrong with it!" Libby wrote in response to Andrei's SAH dad status.

She added: "He is an amazing daddy."

Season 5 of Happily Ever After? certainly gave us some cute moments between Elizabeth and Andrei despite the mountains of drama.

The two of them were downright playful at their Moldovan wedding.

But it is interesting to note that, during that same season, Elizabeth seemed to have a different opinion about Andrei.

As we saw in Moldova, after her father and brother arrived, Libby didn't back up Andrei's claim that she wanted him to be a stay-at-home parent.

Instead, she told him that she no longer felt that way.

Andrei, seemingly perplexed at her alleged change of heart, accused her of changing her mind on the spot.

Maybe Elizabeth was creating conflict on purpose in front of the cameras, and didn't really object to Andrei not working.

Alternatively, maybe she really is just a pushover for her family, and her father and brother peer pressured her into turning around and pressuring her husband into getting a job.

Of course ... Libby's attitude may have changed after Andrei's outrageous behavior in Moldova.

Andrei was thrilled to brag about living the good life in America, bragging to his visibly weirded out family and friends that he loves sending his wife off to work.

It seemed less a statement about getting to spend time with his daughter while taking pride in his wife's career and, from his tone on the show, more like a boast about how easy his life is.

This was only the tip of the iceberg, however.

Andrei seemed even more misogynistic than usual during the weeks leading up to the wedding.

Whether he was acting out for the cameras or to impress his family, he was acting deeply rude.

If the drama that played out on camera is to be believed, he nearly cost himself this second wedding, and perhaps his marriage.

We cannot say for sure how much of the absolute nonsense that went on in Moldova was just for TV -- from Elizabeth, from Andrei, or for the Potthast family.

But the issue of Andrei promising to get a job and then not doing so, turning down generous offers because of his undeserved sense of pride, is not new.

Some fans think that it isn't so much that Libby wanted him to be a stay-at-home parent as that she just gave up on him finding gainful employment ... and just accepted things as they were.

Now, we are totally on board with stay at home parents of any gender. It's an important job, one that fewer and fewer people can afford to do in our nightmarish economy.

(Of course, childcare is so expensive that some people with hefty salaries still find it cheaper to stay at home with the kids rather than continue working -- of those who can even afford to be parents)

Being a stay-at-home father is a great thing -- but critiques of Andrei assuming that role are less about gender and more about the man himself. And remember, it's Andrei who seems obsessed with gender, not fans.

View Slideshow: 90 Day Fiance Happily Ever After: Colt Faces Larissa and Jess at the Tell All

There's not much to say about the content of last night's debate. I heard not only the prim Dana Bash call it a "shitshow" on CNN, but the host of the NYTimes "The Daily" podcast also call it a "shitshow," in quoting a text from his own mother. That's exactly what it was: Donald Trump, unsurprisingly, decided to ignore the rules of the debate and ignore all decorum and spend the entire night talking over and interrupting both Joe Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace, who got a lot of sh*t for not handling the debate well, but I'm not sure there's anything he could have done to shut the President up.

Trump wanted to bait Biden into losing his temper by getting personal, repeatedly mentioning Hunter Biden (even in an exchange about the late Beau Biden), and Biden mostly didn't take the bait.

Trump interrupted Joe Biden as he spoke about his dead son, Beau. Trump interrupted Joe Biden and tried to attack his other son.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 30, 2020

He did tell the President to shut up a couple of times, and he did call the President a "clown," which is the thing that one independent voter in Ohio said turned him against Biden, because Biden apparently disrespected the office of the Presidency. I'm not kidding, either. You see a debate like this, and you check your echo chambers on social media, and you see even the pundit class going off on Trump, and you think, "Oh, well. Trump just shot himself in the foot, then raised the gun and ate it," and then you see some independent voter in Ohio watch the same debate as the rest of us saw and say, out loud, on television, "Well, I don't know. I just don't know." Democracy is amazing until you realize who is actually filling out those ballots. I'm sort of with QS here:

CNN's undecided voter interviews gives me less faith in America than anything Trump says.

— Perpetual Face Toucher (@BrianByrdman) September 30, 2020

David Brooks has faith in the voters, though. (F*ck you, David Brooks).

I'm the most horrified I've been in my career as a political journalist and the most relieved. This election won't be close. Have faith in the American people!

— David Brooks (@nytdavidbrooks) September 30, 2020

Still, reason did prevail, at least based on the polls.

New @CBSNews poll on who won debate:

48% Biden
41% Trump

— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) September 30, 2020

The CNN poll was even better for Biden.

CNN instant poll:

Who won the debate?

Joe Biden 60%
Donald Trump 28%

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 30, 2020

The punditry, at least on CNN and MSNBC, was at least a little satisfying, too.

Anderson Cooper: "I don't think we've ever seen a president of the United States completely lacking in shame. Just shameless. And immoral -- there's not a moral fiber in this man ... you can not have watched that debate and be proud of our president." pic.twitter.com/FRlMIwfydg

— Lis Power (@LisPower1) September 30, 2020

.@jaketapper "That was a hot mess. A dumpster fire inside a train wreck... a disgrace .. primarily because of President Trump." @DanaBashCNN: "That was a shitshow."

— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) September 30, 2020

Again, not that these polls matter that much, and I'm not even sure that the debate itself will change that many minds, despite the fact that the President refused to condemn white supremacists and, in fact, gave the Proud Boys a new slogan:

The Proud Boys on Telegram have now posted an image with its logo and Trump's remark. https://t.co/xSySGrohcm pic.twitter.com/UAJFsKCsbX

— Alex Kaplan (@AlKapDC) September 30, 2020

"Outside of the debate, Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs saw Trump's remarks as permission to ' fuck up' the group's foes.
'Trump basically said to go fuck them up!' Biggs wrote on Parler, an alternative social media network that courts conservatives. 'This makes me so happy.'"

Wut. https://t.co/KtyIy11s0z

— Pilar Melendez (@pbmelendez) September 30, 2020

Trump also, again, refused to say that he'd peacefully hand over the office if he loses, although Biden was good at least about saying that it's not Trump's decision to make. This, from Maddow, was probably the most on-point quote of the night:

.@maddow: "He is not participating in a re-election campaign. He is arguing that he should stay in office and the election should be negated. He treated the debate that way with a monstrous, just cavalcade of increasingly wild and obscene lies."

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 30, 2020

It's the voters' decision. Allowing the voters to decide the winner is the thing that Trump is so clearly terrified of. Lashing out, being petulant, and interrupting is his personality, but it also reflects a deep, deep sense of insecurity about an election, where he is down significantly in national polls and in the swing states. Being an asshole is all he has, and that's enough for the Brietbart crowd (and Megyn Kelly), but it's not enough to win an election, and Trump knows what the consequences of losing are for him. He won't be protected anymore. Banks can call in their loans. Prosecutors can file their charges. Does a former President still get Secret Service protection in prison?

We may soon find out.

Anyway, here's a few more bon mots from Twitter:

Tonight Joe Biden was basically arguing with an anti-masker at CVS

— Jennifer Hayden (@Scout_Finch) September 30, 2020

When you remember that @JoeBiden is a stutterer making his voice heard while being bullied and shouted at, this is a remarkable example of grace under fire.

— David Rambo (@Rambopolitan) September 30, 2020

Trump is showing us what it's like to be in an abusive relationship with a psychopath. Imagine him acting like that at home with someone in his family. Maybe that's why they all became mini-me psychos.

— Bridget Joy Masked Good Trouble (@bridget_joy_) September 30, 2020

Trump interrupted Biden and the moderator 128 times in 90 minutes.

— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) September 30, 2020

Politics aside, if any other American were on national TV bum-rushing a parent as they talked about a vet son having died of cancer, they'd be fired the next morning.

— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) September 30, 2020

Of all the rumors about the Duggar family -- and there are many -- one of the most unpleasant to contemplate is the claim that Jim Bob arranges his children's marriages.

Critics claim the patriarch hand-picks suitable partners for his children from other prominent fundamentalist families.

Now that Justin and Claire Spivey have entered a courtship while still in their teens, they've become the latest couple to be subjected to heavy scrutiny from arranged marriage theorists.

As usual, the Duggars have refused to acknowledge the speculation in any way.

But the same cannot be said for Claire's mother, Hilary Spivey.

Hilary recently posted a series of photos of Justin and Claire on her Instagram page, and she sang the couple's praises in the caption.

“What a joy it’s been to watch the Lord at work in their lives this last year!” she wrote, according to The Ashley's Reality Roundup.

“Sweet Justin has already been a special part of our family and we greatly love him!"

There's been much talk about when Justin and Claire might get married, and based on Hilary's high praise, we'd say these two are likely headed for the altar sooner rather than later.

But in the comments section, folks generally seemed more concerned with Justin and Claire's past than with their future.

“Was this really God that brought these two together, or a brokered deal with Jim Bob?” asked one follower.

“So odd. Guess Jim Bob arranged this one too,” another chimed in, seemingly remarking on how quickly these two appear to be moving.

The Duggar method is to simply ignore such speculation, but Hilary wasn't interested in that approach.

"Jim Bob has never once arranged a marriage,” she replied.

“All of those kids have been equipped well for life. They can handle lots of responsibility at a young age, unlike most in society today," Hilary continued, sounding very Karen-esque.

“Justin’s daddy told him that he knew he would marry young cause he was so responsible,” she went on.

“Trust me…we’ve been blessed to know [the Duggars] for years.”

For starters, it's not like Hilary would really know if Jim Bob had arranged any of his other kids' marriages.

We know the two families are friendly, but they also live in different states.

On top of that "all Jim Bob did was instruct the kid to marry young and then introduce him to the daughter of a like-minded family" isn't exactly the sort of story that's likely to silence the arranged marriage crowd.

As for when these two might tie the knot, that remains to be seen, as they're courting under unique circumstances.

They've been together since at least December of last year, but due to Justin's age (he's only 17) and the coronavirus, it might be a while before these two say "I do" in front of a couple thousand of Jim Bob's closest friends.

But when the time is right, it seems these two are ready and willing to make it official.

After all, Jim Bob didn't go to the trouble of arranging this thing just for Claire and Justin to break up! Just kidding, JB!

View Slideshow: Duggar Courtship Rules: Do ANY of Jim Bob's Kids Actually Follow Them?

Little People, Big World kicked off a new season on Tuesday night.

But they did so by revisiting an old and unfortunate issue.

The popular TLC program premiered with "To Sell or Not To Sell," an episode that focused primarily on Matt and Amy once again butting heads over the future of their farm in Oregon.

Filmed months ago, the installment took us back to when the ex-spouses were discussing Amy selling a portion of her property to Matt and moving (not too far) away.

As has been covered already, this transaction went through in November of last year.

But fans saw this week, for the first time, just how challenging the gigantic change was for Amy -- and just how much of a hard time she was given about it by her former husband.

Amy Roloff and Chris Marek: When Will They Move In Together?

“I got engaged, I bought a house and I have two new grandchildren," Amy says in the clip above, recapping the past year or so.

Chris [Marek] hasn’t moved into the house full-time, but we are working hard to make this house our own. Life on the farm has definitely changed for me.

"I’m very excited to see where my life goes, but definitely leaving the farm after 30 years is not easy...

"It will feel strange not to be waking up each morning at the farmhouse, but … I’m excited for this new adventure."

Matt, meanwhile, was glad to have the real estate deal done.

But he talked about the decisions that still lay ahead.

“Amy’s living on the north side in the big house, which we still own together," he explained while delving into his buyout plans with girlfriend Caryn Chandler on the premiere.

"Since she bought a new house, she’s going to be moving out soon, so we’re going to need to figure out what we want to do with that side of the farm."

Elsewhere, the parents of four came together to try and finalize the sale... but this conversation turned heated, personal and even a bit ugly.

"You would be selling any memory of 20 years ago," Matt told Amy, trying to sympathize with her.

"You'd be getting money from the thing… the thing you spent 20 years building up, you would be getting money from that and you'd be waving goodbye, too."

Yes, exactly, Amy admitted in a subsequent confessional, classifying Matt less as understanding and more as bullying.

As she explained in a candid moment:

"I feel a vulnerability and I do not feel strong or tough… or the confidence that I always thought I had dealing with Matt and I think that's happened for so many years...

"He intimidates me and he can intimidate me very easily or I allow him to do that."

"I don't think he's trying to hurt me. I just don't think he's aware of what he does."

Weeks after Matt's initial offer, Amy followed up with a counter offer and the pair eventually agreed on a price.

Matt then ended up buying 32 acres of Roloff Farms from Amy just this past August, taking out a loan of $825,000 to do so.

What does this mean Amy's stake in the actual business? 

We'd have to imagine it will be greatly diminished, if not erased entirely.

Watch Little People, Big World Season 21 Episode 1 Online

But we'll also need to wait until a new season to find out because cameras stopped rolling on these latest episodes a long, long time ago.

The exes, who got married in 1987, bought the Oregon property together in 1990 for $185,000.

Crazy, right?

Whatever happens down the line, both can say for certain that they madde out extremely well in this business endeavor.

View Slideshow: Little People, Big World: The Roloffs' Shocking Scandals... REVEALED!

The question of who gets to tell Black stories and who decides how they are told has been a constant challenge for Black artists. These are just a few concerns grappled with in The Forty-Year-Old Version as we follow a struggling playwright who rediscovers her creativity on the eve of a milestone birthday. Written, directed and starring Radha Blank, this semi-autobiographical tale offers a lively exploration of art and self-fulfilment.

Once an up-and-comer, spotlighted with an acclaimed ‘30 under 30’ playwriting prize, Radha (Blank) is pushing 40 and teaches dramatic writing to inner-city kids who remind her of her has-been status. With the support of her best friend and agent, Archie (Peter Kim), Radha is determined to secure a regional production for her new play.

This pursuit forces her to navigate the distinctly white world of theatre, where New York’s metropolitan elite, rather than entirely shutting out Black stories as they had done for decades past, run towards them, but with a cheerfully sinister preference for tales of Black pain and trauma.

Frustrated by her play about gentrification being labelled ‘inauthentic’, Radha begins to rap her truth. Aching joints, spotty periods and further hallmarks of middle age pepper her passioned freestyle. This moment of clarity sets her on a path of forging a new sense of self as RadhaMUS Prime. Hip hop doesn’t require her to make the creative sacrifices she is having to make in order to have her play debut on Broadway.

Blank is in her element when fashioning the satirical noose for liberals to whitesplain their way into as they fawn over Black stories with all the ‘I-would-have-voted-for-Obama-a-third-time-if-I-could’ energy of the Armitages’ in Get Out. Yet rather than taking over the bodies of Black people, these white people co-opt their stories. With well-meaning white women taking a particular satirical skewering, some scenes are so hilarious it’s a wonder the actors themselves were able to utter their lines on soy milk’s intricate connection to life’s purpose while maintaining a straight face.

Blank also excels when telling the story of New York. The roaming shots of Brooklyn and Harlem, almost entirely shot in black-and-white, are reminiscent of Spike Lee’s career-launching She’s Gotta Have it. Blank served as a writer on Netflix’s 2017 series adaptation of the film and it’s clear she shares Lee’s nostalgia for the New York of old. The boom bap of early ’90s hip hop underscores Radha’s New York as the soundtrack of her search for self.

Expertly sprinkled vignettes involving different members of her neighbourhood capture these characters airing their unsolicited opinions about Radha’s predicament while also acting as an important reminder of community. Each element serves to illustrate New York as it exists, in the voices of its residents, despite taking place in an environment where true authenticity and diverse voices are often stifled and overpowered.

Even with a few pacing issues, and some subplots that are slightly undercooked, The Forty-Year-Old Version is an enjoyably heartfelt film about the artist’s struggle. Suitably sharp when it needs to be, its discussion around the right to tell stories is woefully underserved in mainstream Hollywood – as are roles for plus-size Black female protagonists over 40. Blank’s directorial debut is a triumph and should excite anyone who believes the best in life is yet to come.

The post The Forty-Year-Old Version appeared first on Little White Lies.