Alec Baldwin Calls Out Elon Musk for Criticizing Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy: 'But She IS the Most Beautiful Woman'

Alec Baldwin publicly criticized Elon Musk's complaints on social media regarding Lupita Nyong'o's casting in The Odyssey

NEED TO KNOW

• Christopher Nolan confirmed in a recent interview that Nyong'o will portray Helen of Troy and Helen's sister Clytemnestra

• The Odyssey is in theaters July 17

Alec Baldwincertainly thinksLupita Nyong'ofits the bill as Helen of Troy inThe Odyssey.

Baldwin, 68, shared a photo of Nyong'o, 43, onInstagramon Friday, May 15, in response toElon Muskafter heamplified racist-tinged criticismofChristopher Nolan's decision to cast Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, saying she wasn't fit to play "the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Dear Elon… but she IS the most beautiful woman in the world…Alec," Baldwin wrote in a caption to his post. The actor's wifeHilaria Baldwinappeared to approve of Alec's sentiment, leaving the emojis "🔥❤️" in a comment.

Nyong'o has been attached toThe OdysseysinceThe Hollywood Reporterfirst reported that she would appear in the movie's ensemble cast back in November 2024. Rumors began swirling that she would appear in the movie as Helen of Troy in recent months, though Nyong'o has yet to appear in thetworeleasedtrailersfor the movie.

Filmmaker Nolan, 55, confirmed that Nyong'o isportraying both Helen of Troy and her sister ClytemnestrainThe Odysseyin aTimemagazineprofile published Tuesday, May 12.

Helen of Troy is a pivotal figure in the ancient Greek epic poems known as Homer'sThe IliadandOdyssey, the latter of which serves as the basis for Nolan's new movie. Helen is more commonly associated withThe Iliaddue to her role in starting the mythical Trojan War, but she appears in Homer'sOdysseyin one scene with the character Telemachus, whomTom Hollandportrays in the new movie.

Helen's sister Clytemnestra, whom Nyong'o will also portray in the film, marries the Greek hero Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) before Agamemnon leads the Greeks to war against Troy.The OdysseyfollowsMatt Damonas its title character Odysseus, a hero of the Trojan War who is lost for 10 years after fighting alongside Agamemnon as he attempts to return to his home, Ithaca.

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Musk, the Tesla CEO and owner of X, has complained about Nyong'o's role in the movie a number of times on social media in recent months. In February, he claimed onXthat two-timeOscarwinner Nolan "has lost his integrity" by casting Nyong'o as Helen.

Whoopi Goldbergsimilarlyleapt to Nyong'o's defenseonThe Viewin February, in which she addressed Musk directly and stated that Nyong'o "is also considered one of the world's most beautiful women."

"So I'm not sure what you're trying to say," she said at the time. "You don't have to actually go to the movie. I don't know why you feel like you need to speak on this, and I would suggest looking in a mirror if you have any concerns about people's looks, if this is where we're going."

In addition to Damon, Holland, Nyong'o and Safdie, Nolan's new movie also featuresAnne Hathaway,Elliot Page,Mia Goth,Charlize Theron,Robert Pattinson,John Leguizamo, andZendayain its ensemble cast.

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The Odysseyis in theaters July 17.

Read the original article onPeople

byAndy Corry

in

May 15, 2026

Alec Baldwin Calls Out Elon Musk for Criticizing Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy: 'But She IS the Most Beautiful Woman'

Alec Baldwin publicly criticized Elon Musk's complaints on social media regarding Lupita Nyong'o's casting in The Odyssey ...

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Streak of seconds follows Scottie Scheffler as he pursues another first

Scottie Scheffler may not have won a golf tournament since January, but he certainly has come close.

Scheffler placed second in three straight starts to end April before taking a week off to prepare for this week's PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia.

While that accomplishment would stand out on any golfer's resume, Scheffler, being the World No. 1, is tasked with answering why he's come up short.

"I think it was last week my wife was like, ‘Hey, Scottie, you're like the first guy in PGA Tour history to have three solo runner-ups in a row.' I'm like, ‘Yeah, it's probably because the guy that was playing that good figured out a way to win one of those, he didn't come second in all three,'" Scheffler joked when speaking with reporters Tuesday.

"A little bit of it is bittersweet. Finishing second in a golf tournament is not bad, but, I mean -- especially in the way I did it in a couple of them. I was spotting guys so many strokes going into the weekend, mainly the Masters."

Scheffler followed a second-round 74 at Augusta National with a 65-68 on the weekend to land one stroke behind Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy. The next week on Hilton Head Island, S.C., he went 64-67 to make another weekend move but lost to Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the RBC Heritage.

Two weeks later, it was another signature event at the Cadillac Championship and another slow start somewhat patched by a better finish. He placed second at 13 under, but champion Cameron Young beat him by six shots in Miami.

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"You know you're playing good golf, and you'd love to get some wins," said Scheffler, 29. "Finishing second hurts, but I think when you reflect and you're looking at things to work on, there's a lot less to clean up when you're finishing second than there is when you're finishing 30th."

Of Scheffler's four career majors, he has yet to win one back-to-back; his Masters wins came two years apart before he added the PGA Championship and Open Championship to his resume in 2025. He will try to successfully defend a major title for the first time this week.

Defending a major title outside of the Masters requires some luck with the course rotation. Scheffler prevailed at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte last year, a course that hosts an annual PGA Tour stop. On Tuesday, Scheffler said he doesn't believe he's ever played golf in the Philadelphia area.

"I think a lot of it depends on the golf course. A lot of it depends on the conditions," Scheffler said of the test a PGA Championship presents. "If you look at this golf course specifically, between it being soft and firm, I think is two totally different tests. If you're looking at this golf course when it's soft, I think there's a lot of stuff you can kind of get away with in terms of like you can hit it pretty far offline. There's not many things to block you. ...

"But if you look at this golf course when it's firm, the fairways are hard to hit. Then if you want to get the ball close to a lot of these pins, you have to control your spin and control your distance really well, which is not that easy to do out of the rough."

Scheffler knows one thing: He'd prefer to have to answer questions about why he didn't win a tournament than merely celebrate decent finishes.

"I'd much rather have to sit here and be (asked), ‘Hey, how come you didn't win last week,' versus, ‘He finished 15th, like that was a pretty good start for you, game's starting to turn around.' It's a lot better playing good golf," he said. "... I think those questions are easier to answer."

--Field Level Media

byAndy Corry

in

May 14, 2026

Streak of seconds follows Scottie Scheffler as he pursues another first

Scottie Scheffler may not have won a golf tournament since January, but he certainly has come close. Scheffler placed second in t...

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Peter Jackson explains why he isn't directing the next “Lord of the Rings ”movie

Peter Jackson said he "didn't really think about the idea" of directing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

Key Points

• Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the previous films, is helming the project instead.

• "I thought, well, this story would actually be more interesting if Gollum himself directed it — and Andy is about as close as you can get," Jackson said.

Peter Jacksondoesn't think he's the right man to helm the next Middle-earth outing.

TheKing Kongfilmmaker discussed whyAndy Serkis, whom he directed in theLord of the RingsandHobbitmovies, was taking over as director on the franchise's upcoming installment,The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

"I thought, well, this story would actually be more interesting if Gollum himself directed it — and Andy is about as close as you can get," Jackson said on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where he accepted an honorary Palme d'Or, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.

"The film is very much an internal story about Gollum's psychology and his sort of addiction. It's a very personal story to Gollum the character. And so I thought, well, Andy knows this guy better than anybody," Jackson said.

Jackson is producing the film, which will see the return ofIan McKellenas Gandalf,Elijah Woodas Frodo, andLee Paceas Thranduil.Jamie Dornanis taking over fromViggo Mortensento play Aragorn (credited as "Strider"), whileKate Winsletand Leo Woodall are portraying new characters Marigol and Halvard, respectively.

Jackson said that he never even considered helming the project himself.

"I didn't really think much about the idea of me doing it at all," he said. "I thought the most exciting version of this movie is going to be if Andy Serkis makes it, because he's going to put a Gollum psychology on screen that you cannot imagine."

That said, Jackson also noted that he's happy to assist Serkis, who has previously directed movies likeVenom: Let There Be CarnageandAnimal Farm.

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"I mean, I'm there to help when I can help," he said. "If I can be of assistance at certain times and answer questions, I'm there. But I don't interfere."

Since finishing theHobbittrilogy in 2014, Jackson has worked exclusively on documentary projects likeThe Beatles: Get BackandThey Shall Not Grow Old. However, at the Cannes event, he revealed that he has plans to return to narrative filmmaking with a sequel to a prior project.

"We're actually writing the nextTintinfilm now," Jackson said. "The deal was that Steven [Spielberg] directs one and I direct another. So Steven did his film, and then for 15 years I haven't made mine."

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Jackson produced 2011'sThe Adventures of Tintin, in which Serkis portrayed Captain Haddock via performance capture. The filmmaker said he doesn't feel good about how long it has taken him to fulfill his promise to make a sequel to the animated film, which was based on the Belgian comic series by Hergé.

"I feel very awkward about that," Jackson said. "Steven's gracious enough not to sort of push me, but I know that I want to make it right. So I've been working with Fran [Walsh] on anotherTintinscript. I was writing it in the hotel room here just a couple of days ago."

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumhits theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAndy Corry

in

May 14, 2026

Peter Jackson explains why he isn't directing the next “Lord of the Rings ”movie

Peter Jackson said he "didn't really think about the idea" of directing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum . ...

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NFL schedule: Bills-Chiefs reportedly on Thanksgiving night to complete blockbuster slate

The NFL is absolutely stacking the Thanksgiving slate this season, according to reports.

The Buffalo Bills will host the Kansas City Chiefs on NBC on Thanksgiving night,according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.That comes after the Detroit Lions open the day hosting the Chicago Bears on CBS,also per Schultz,and theDallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagleson Fox, which was announced on Monday.

The NFL is also having a dedicated Thanksgiving Eve game for the first time ever, with theGreen Bay Packers visiting the Los Angeles Rams on Netflix.

The full NFL schedule release show will be Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network and ESPN.

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Bills-Chiefs is always a blockbuster regular season matchup, though this one features an early cloud hanging over it in the form of Patrick Mahomes’ health. His rehab is reportedly going well, and there will be plenty of time to get back up to speed before visiting Buffalo, but if he’s not the Mahomes of old then this matchup loses some sizzle. Still, it’ll be intriguing to watch the Chiefs deal with the Bills in their brand new stadium.

That’s four games featuring eight teams that all are expected to be playoff contenders, not to mention some pretty major draws. Things don’t always play out the way it seems they will on paper, especially in the NFL, but there’s no denying the NFL is throwing its scheduling weight behind the Thanksgiving holiday.

There’s also the Black Friday game, which hasn’t been announced yet but is a good bet to feature at least one strong draw.

What does that leave for Week 12 Sunday? Of course there are still buzzy teams left over, like the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots, the popular Pittsburgh Steelers, and more.

Even with options like those, it may well be a thinner slate that weekend overall. The NFL has clearly decided it’s OK with that. While everyone is stuffing their faces on Thanksgiving Eve and Day, they probably will be too.

byAndy Corry

in

May 14, 2026

NFL schedule: Bills-Chiefs reportedly on Thanksgiving night to complete blockbuster slate

The NFL is absolutely stacking the Thanksgiving slate this season, according to reports. The Buffalo Bills will host the Kansas C...

Read More