Making the violent, funny and very queer 'Bottoms': 'It's radical to get to be ourselves'

LOS ANGELES — Three college friends have gone from putting on comedy shows in grungy NYC basements to being among the most celebrated young talents in Hollywood.

Their latest movie is "Bottoms," which opens this week in limited release before expanding on Sept. 1. It has a raucous energy rooted in absurdism, where anything can happen. And while the female-fronted R-rated comedies "No Hard Feelings" and "Joy Ride" both underperformed at the box office this summer, in a post-"Barbie" moment, suddenly the possibility of success seems reawakened.

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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has issued a warning about an “armed, dangerous person on or near campus.” An alert sent out just after 1 p.m. Monday urged people to go inside, avoid windows. At 1:50 p.m., officials posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the shelter-in-place order remained in effect and that it was “an ongoing situation.” Officials said as soon as they had verified information, they would share it. Campus officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking more details about the report. Video from the scene showed a heavy police presence on campus. Classes started last week at the state’s flagship university.

Monday

DETROIT — A prominent member of the far-right anti-government extremist Boogaloo movement in Michigan should spend 13 months in prison to deter him from committing more crimes and hurting people, federal prosecutors said.

Through Aug. 27

“Saturday Night Live” star Heidi Gardner and several entertainers are expected to take part in a virtual tailgate and concert experience before the NFL’s kickoff game in Kansas City next month. The show dubbed as the “World’s Largest Tailgate” looks to celebrate the start of the football season as the Super Bowl defending champion Chiefs host the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7. Along with Gardner’s appearance, the 90-minute show will be hosted by YouTube stars the Merrell Twins along with performances from DJ-producer duo Two Friends. The show will also feature internet personality Tabitha Swatosh and Donna Kelce, the mother of NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce.

Law enforcement in Alaska has prepared a first-of-its-kind report detailing missing Alaska Natives and American Indians. The Alaska Department of Public Safety's Missing Indigenous Persons Report includes the names of 280 people, dates of their last contact and whether police believe the disappearance was related to criminal activity. The circumstances of each missing person in classified into one of four categories: environmental, nonsuspicious, suspicious or unknown. The Anchorage Daily News reports about 75% of the cases fit in the environmental category. In those cases, the person is believed to have died or disappeared in the wilderness but their remains have never been found. Of the remaining cases, 18 were ruled suspicious, 30 as not suspicious and 17 unknown.

NFL

Getting around Chicago has long been difficult for David Zoltan, but nonetheless he once would have jumped on a bus to get a bite to eat. He would take public transit to meet up with friends, and to doctors’ appointments.

Authorities in Massachusetts have concluded a woman whose mutilated body was discovered on Cape Cod nearly 50 years ago was killed by her husband. The announcement by the Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois on Monday brings to a close one of the state's most famous cold cases. It was only in October that officials announced they had identified the woman, known until then as the “Lady of the Dunes,” as Ruth Marie Terry of Tennessee. She was 37 when she was killed. Since then, the focus turned to Terry’s husband, Guy Rockwell Muldavin, who had married her a few months before she disappeared.

Police are questioning the longtime boyfriend of a woman found shot and decomposing in her Bronx NYCHA apartment — and law enforcement sources say the couple’s missing young daughters were living with the suspect since the slaying.

At least $68 million in state rental assistance intended for New York City languished unspent for months despite demands from Mayor Eric Adams that the state and federal government cough up more cash to help with the city’s migrant crisis, the Daily News has learned.

A Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue helicopter carrying three crew members hit a Pompano Beach apartment building Monday morning.

A digital platform where college athletes can alert their administrations anonymously to improper or illegal conduct by coaches, teammates or others is expanding to allow them to report suspected gambling activity. RealResponse’s partnership with U.S. Integrity will come at no additional cost to some 150 athletic departments that are clients. The service builds on a tip hotline U.S. Integrity and RealResponse unveiled in May and will give college athletic administrators a direct line to investigators.

An oral history with pictures, “Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland” (airing on PBS, Monday through Wednesday) is a five-part journey through the three-decade political-sectarian conflict familiarly and conservatively known as “the Troubles.” Driven by the reminiscences and observations of …

California's attorney general has sued a Southern California school district over its new policy that requires schools to notify parents if their children change their gender identification or pronouns. Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the suit Monday against Chino Valley Unified School District. The district is one of several in Southern California that have adopted similar policies. Bonta says it amounts to “forced outing” of transgender students and violates their civil rights and the state constitution. A spokesperson said the district is working with its attorneys to review the lawsuit.

While nine Republican-led states have recently quit the voter accuracy organization called ERIC, Georgia election officials say the numbers tell the story: It’s working.

Coronavirus cases are continuing to rise locally and across the nation.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 28, 2023--

RADNOR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 28, 2023--

Convicted former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been transferred to Oklahoma to begin his time in federal prison. Bureau of Prisons records show the 64-year-old Republican was recently moved to the federal transfer center in Oklahoma City. He had been held in the Butler County Jail in southwestern Ohio since being sentenced in June to 20 years for racketeering conspiracy for his role in the largest corruption scheme in Ohio history. Fifty-one-year-old ex-lobbyist Matt Borger received five years, which he is serving at the federal prison in Milan, Michigan, near Ann Arbor.

The man who became known as “Joe the Plumber” after he gained fame during the 2008 U.S. presidential election has died. The family of Samuel Wurzelbacher says he died Sunday in Wisconsin. He was 49 and had pancreatic cancer. He was thrust into the political spotlight after questioning Barack Obama about his economic policies during the 2008 presidential campaign. He went from toiling as a plumber in suburban Toledo, Ohio, to life as a media sensation when he asked Obama about his tax plan during a campaign stop.

A 32-year-old man was arrested after detectives discovered Sunday what they initially thought was a deadly crash was actually a fatal shooting, according to Dallas police.

The judge who will determine where Mark Meadows and at least four other defendants in Georgia’s election subversion case should be tried has been on the federal bench for 12 years and is no stranger to high-profile cases.

Detroit News. August 26, 2023.

Donald Trump will be arraigned on racketeering and election interference charges in Georgia on Sept. 6 at 9:30 a.m., authorities announced Monday morning.

Cleveland Plain Dealer. August 27, 2023.

Another season of “And Just Like That” has come to an end, and what a wild ride it has been.

A federal judge has set a trial date of March 4 for former President Donald Trump’s federal election case trial.

Judicial officials say two Russian citizens who were recently detained in Beirut on suspicion of spying for Israel were referred to an investigative military judge who issued arrest warrants for them. The officials said Monday that two Russians were detained “several weeks ago” in Beirut as they were leaving the country through the capital’s international airport. A Lebanese newspaper reported that the Russians were sent to spy on the militant Hezbollah group. Israel and Hezbollah fought to a draw in a month-long war in Lebanon in 2006. Hezbollah has in the past claimed downing Israeli drones, and Israel’s military also has said in the past that they have shot down Hezbollah drones.

Legendary musician Elton John was briefly hospitalized over the weekend after falling at his home on the French Riviera.

The box office results are in and Sony’s racing movie “Gran Turismo” won the weekend over “Barbie” after all. On Sunday, “Gran Turismo” appeared to be neck-and-neck with “Barbie,” with both hovering just over $17 million. But Monday actuals reported by the studios provided a clear winner. “Gran Turismo” ended up with $17.4 million from North American theaters against “Barbie’s” $15.1 million. It was an unusual weekend in multiplexes. U.S. movie theaters held the second annual National Cinema Day on Sunday, offering $4 tickets. This might have been part of the reason why the Sunday estimate for “Barbie” was perhaps a bit too bullish.

Civil rights advocates have filed a lawsuit challenging an Indiana law that prohibits gender-affirming surgery for inmates. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill into law in April. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit against the Indiana Department of Corrections in federal court on Monday. The lawsuit alleges that the law violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. The ACLU maintains that transgender surgery can be lifesaving. Health experts have found that gender dysphoria can lead to an increased risk of suicide. A spokesperson for the corrections department declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Hawaii’s electric utility acknowledged its power lines started a wildfire on Maui but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and leaving the scene, only to have a second wildfire break out nearby and become the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. Hawaiian Electric Company released a statement Sunday in response to Maui County’s lawsuit blaming the utility for failing to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions. Hawaiian Electric called that complaint “factually and legally irresponsible,” and said its power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours before the second blaze started. Maui County didn't immediate respond.

DETROIT — It was the Summer of Taylor.

France’s education minister has announced a ban on long robes in classrooms starting with the new school year, saying the garments worn mainly by Muslims are testing secularism in the nation’s schools. Critics say that abayas, worn by women, and khamis, the male garb, are no more than a fashion statement — not an ostentatious sign of religion banned from classrooms by a 2004 law. For education chief Gabriel Attal, the garments are “an infringement on secularism,” a foundational principle for France, and, in some cases, a bid to destabilize schools.

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Keke Palmer celebrated her birthday this weekend with ex(?)-boyfriend Darius Jackson following reports that the actor and the fitness instructor had parted ways.

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