Look, we get it. If you saw the news at all over the weekend, you probably saw something about Special Counsel Robert Mueller finally turning over the findings of his 675-day Russia investigation. Entertainment news likely fell by the wayside. But that's why The Monitor is here: To fulfill your pop culture cravings. So, what'd you miss? Well, writer-director Jordan Peele's Us did very well for itself. Also, one of the Jonas Brothers knows how Game of Thrones ends. Oh, and Pose just made one of the most predictable casting calls of all time. Let's get it going.
Everyone knew that Jordan Peele's Get Out followup Us would be big—but it turns out it's major. Over the weekend the film garnered the second-biggest opening so far this year after Captain Marvel, pulling in $70 million in North America. The movie's boffo box office also earned it the distinction of being the biggest opening weekend for an original horror movie and the biggest opening for an R-rated film after Ted. It would've landed the biggest horror opening weekend of all time, but the (non-original IP) films It and Halloween came out slightly ahead. Guess that just means Peele has something to shoot for when he comes back for a three-peat on his next movie.
Here's a thing that would never happen in Westeros: Twitter users got mad at Sophie Turner for allegedly revealing Game of Thrones spoilers to her friends. Yes, really. Apparently, the actress who plays Sansa Stark cannot gripe about work to anyone on the off-chance she reveals the sacred details of HBO's massively popular fantasy show. It's gotten so bad that Turner is now clarifying what she said. "I was on Twitter and saw these headlines like 'Twitter followers are being so mean to Sophie Turner after reports she told her friends the ending of Game of Thrones,'" Turner told Entertainment Weekly. "The truth is I've only told two people." One of those people now keeping the secret of the Seven Kingdoms? Turner's fiance Joe Jonas. Raise your hand if you thought you'd read about a Jonas Brother knowing the end to one of the most popular TV shows of all time in 2019. No one? We didn't think so.
Not one to let Pepsi be the only company to leverage her signature catchphrase, rapper Cardi B has filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark "Okurrr." Reportedly, this means you'll soon be seeing the phrase on all manner of merch. We like it like that.
Finally, in Obvious Casting news, FX's Pose has cast Broadway living legend Patti LuPone for its second season. During a talk at PaleyFest last weekend, showrunner Ryan Murphy revealed that Season 2 of the show, set in New York City's ball scene, will fast-forward to a very specific moment in 1990—the day that Madonna's "Vogue" is released. The song, which drew a lot of its inspiration (if not all of it) from ball culture, will play a big role in the second season, Murphy said. As for LuPone, she'll play a character who shares a lot of screentime with Mj Rodriguez's Blanca. "[LuPone] loves the show and we wrote this part, so she's coming to play with us in a couple of weeks," Murphy said during the PaleyFest panel. Considering LuPone was already a Tony winner by 1990, she could just play herself, but this sounds cool too.
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