Cracked

Does everything have to serve a purpose? I mean, it might sound like an instrumentalist take, but if something doesn't serve any purpose, then why invest time, attention, energy, or space in it? Something that serves no purpose will inevitably consume some of those resources. Even "doing nothing" serves a purpose — to rest. Only one thing comes to mind right now that serves no purpose at all but that I still think is worth it, and that is enjoyment.

This week we lost two incredible legends, namely Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Coincidentally, they passed away a day apart, both at 80 years old. Their passing was obviously a shock to many, but the most surprising thing was the reaction of the internet. Obviously, people paid many tributes and sought to respect the loss… But even there was one extra detail that was impossible to ignore, and that had people talking. Do you know who else is 80 years old?

In a very short time, the singer Dolly Parton, the actor Tim Curry, and the actress Jaye P. Morgan passed away. And the curious thing is that all of them had participated in Muppet shows or movies. Miss Piggy acted directly with them, and for this reason (as a tribute) Piggy's official accounts posted farewell messages for each one of the late legends.

It's Friday, and this week had to work for it. Between Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Peter Cullen (the voice behind Optimus Prime for over 40 years), it's been one of those weeks that keeps reminding us the people who raised us on screen and in our headphones are just people, made of skin and bones, not just voices and faces we grew up with. So maybe that's exactly why we need this Friday more than usual. Call your people this weekend. Sit with them.

Jennifer Coolidge turns 65 this Friday, August 28. For me she's always going to be the mom obsessed with her looks in A Cinderella Story, specifically that Botox scene that somehow stuck in my head more than most of the actual plot. And that's before we even get to Paulette in Legally Blonde, doing the bend and snap like it was a documented scientific method. What's wild is that both roles work because Coolidge never plays them like a joke.

I grew up watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings, back when cartoons still ran on Saturday mornings. Yes, I'm 30, thank you for noticing. So here's what happened to Coyote vs. ACME. Warner Bros. finished the movie back in 2022. They tested it with real audiences, and it scored 14 points above the norm for a family film. Then, in November 2023, they decided to never release it at all. Not because it was bad.

I've been a Jack Black fan for longer than I can pin down, and it all traces back to 'School of Rock.' That soundtrack lived in my head for years, and it still does. I've been a Jack Black fan since School of Rock first got stuck in my head, and it never really left. That soundtrack turned me into a kid who insisted my parents let me stay up watching Dewey Finn teach algebra through guitar solos.

David Fincher turns 64 this Friday, August 28. My favorite of his movies is Gone Girl, which, let's be real, is true for a lot of women out there. There's something about Amy Dunne's whole plan that lives rent-free in a specific corner of the internet. And that's just one entry in a filmography full of movies people can't stop rewatching and quoting, from Fight Club and Se7en to Zodiac and The Social Network.

When you hear multiple rings of your brain's doorbell after this pre-list blurb, you don't have to roll your eyes like, “Ugh, it's those crazy neighborhood facts playing ding-dong ditch again!” We have it on good authority that these highly interesting movie facts actually want to come to chat! They told us themselves, and call us crazy, but we trust them.

Will Forte has a habit of falling in love with his films. He’s going to be a lot less lonely now that the critical community is ready to do the same. At long last, the canned, canceled and resurrected Looney Tunes film Coyote vs. Acme is in theaters where people other than the cast and crew can see it. Nearly three years after Warner Bros.