Latest news with #SeanEvans
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Awards Chatter' Live Pod: Sean Evans on a Decade of ‘Hot Ones,' Buying the Show From BuzzFeed and Interviewing Secrets
Sean Evans, the host of YouTube's Hot Ones — an unconventional interview program that launched a decade ago advertising itself as 'the show with hot questions, and even hotter wings,' and has gone on to release 369 episodes that have attracted more than 4 billion views and featured the consumption of some 3,000 spicy chicken wings — is the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, which was recorded in front of a journalism class at Chapman University. Hot Ones has been described by Vanity Fair as 'the closest thing the Internet has to a late-night talk show' and by the New York Times as 'a breakthrough pop-culture phenomenon' — the show has even been spoofed on Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons — while Evans, 39, has been hailed by Forbes as 'among the country's most revered interviewers' and by Bloomberg as 'the David Letterman of Generation YouTube.' More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Awards Chatter' Pod: Sissy Spacek on Her Collab 'Die My Love,' the 'New Hollywood' of the '70s and the Penises in 'Dying for Sex' YouTube Stays Atop TV Distributor Rankings in April In-Flight Entertainment: How a Live-Feed From LAX Became YouTube's Latest Hit Over the course of a conversation in front of — and eventually including — students enrolled in the Chapman University course 'The Art of the Interview,' Evans reflected on what was going on in his life and in journalism that resulted in the creation of Hot Ones for Complex's First We Feast blog, which was later acquired by BuzzFeed; how he prepares for and conducts interviews; what motivated and will result from the 2024 purchase, by Evans and a consortium of others, of Hot Ones from Buzzfeed for $82.5 million; how he feels about Hot Ones becoming eligible for Primetime Emmys in the same categories as the traditional late-night talk shows that inspired him as a kid; plus much more. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Aaron Paul Shares The Relentless Prank Bryan Cranston Would Pull On The Set Of ‘Breaking Bad': 'He Would Get Everybody In On It'
In spite of the often dark and grueling material of AMC's seminal crime drama Breaking Bad, it's nice to know stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul had a little fun on set — in the former's case, perhaps a bit too much fun. During a recent appearance on Sean Evans' popular Hot Ones series, on which Cranston has previously appeared, Paul relayed a hilarious behind-the-scenes tidbit, a relentless hallmark of production in which his co-star would repeatedly prank him about his character's death. More from Deadline Mark Johnson Re-Ups AMC Deal, Sets 'Black Vault' Drama As He Talks Anne Rice Universe Expansion, 'Great American Stories' Plan & Industry Correction Bryan Cranston Teases 'Malcolm in the Middle' Physical Comedy: "I'm, Of Course, Naked Again" Bryan Cranston Says Filming 'Malcolm In The Middle' Revival Was "So Rewarding" Since The "Whole Family" Is "Back Together" 'He's the hardest worker in the room, the most lovable — I mean, he's my best friend, my son's godfather, I adore him, I spoke to him for an hour on the phone last night. I really am obsessed with the guy, but he's also the most immature person I've ever met in my life, and I say that with just love and respect,' the Ash star prefaced. Paul then recalled an instance where The Studio actor came out of the production office and solemnly beckoned him to come over, a seeming harbinger of bad news. 'He goes, 'Come here, it's OK,' and he gives me this long hug,' the Black Mirror actor recounted. 'I'm like, 'What are you doing?' He's like, 'At least you go out in a big way, huh?' And I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' He goes, 'Did you read the latest script?' I go, 'No.' He goes, 'Oh, well, just read it, and I'm here if you need me.'' As such, Paul said he 'sprinted' into the office and asked to read the script — but upon perusing the final pages, he found his Jesse Pinkman alive and (mostly) well. 'He just made it seem like I died,' he said of his Dos Hombres Mezcal co-founder, 'but he would not stop, and he would get everybody in on it, like the costume designers said, 'Hey we gotta do your measurements for the casket, so if you could stay after work, that would be great.' I'm like, 'What are you talking about?'' In fact, his character was originally scripted to die at the end of Season 1, but the writers opted to keep Jesse alive as a result of Paul's chemistry with Cranston and the thematic foil his character offers Walter White; his character notably returns in the 2019 film El Camino. Paul certainly had the last laugh, turning to the camera and triumphantly declaring, 'But I made it!' (And, as we all know, a certain former teacher of chemistry did not.) A juggernaut of the prestige television era, Breaking Bad would go on to be nominated for 58 Emmys throughout its five-season run from 2008 through 2013, winning 16 statuettes, including three consecutive wins for Cranston (who also won a fourth as a producer on the show) and three total wins for Paul. The Vince Gilligan-created series also spawned the equally beloved Bob Odenkirk vehicle Better Call Saul, which clinched 53 Emmy nods but did not receive any awards during its run from 2015 to 2022. Watch Paul's episode of Hot Ones below: Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
New McDonald's sauces bring the heat more than ever
"Hot Ones"is a phenomenon that no one saw coming. The premise is, honestly, weird. If you're not familiar, the laid-back host, Sean Evans, sits down with celebrities and, over a plate of 10 chicken wings doused with progressively hotter sauces, asks them a series of thoughtful questions. The celebrities are distracted and sometimes distraught by the spicy food, which can result in unexpectedly intimate conversations, as well as some outright hilarity. "Hot Ones" launched on YouTube in 2015, and in the 25 seasons and 350 episodes since, Evans has interviewed some of the most A+ of the A-listers you can think of, and has made many of them cry. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The likes of Tom Holland, Shaq, Jennifer Lawrence, and Margo Robbie have run the "Hot Ones" gauntlet. "'Hot Ones' - a breakthrough pop-culture phenomenon in which stars eat 10 progressively fiery wings (or, increasingly, a vegan substitute) while being asked 10 deeply researched questions - has built itself into an online pillar, holding steady amid the shifting tides of digital media," says The New York Times. Related: Pepsi makes major change that will anger some customers The show has nearly 15 million subscribers and more than 4 billion views on YouTube, plus millions of additional followers on Instagram and TikTok. No wonder McDonald's wants in on the action. McDonald's recently launched three "Hot Ones" sauces, but here's the bad news: the sauce collab is only happening in France. At least for now. McDonald's France offers: Hell Piñata: A smoky chipotle-infused mayonnaise with a mild kick, registering at a relatively mild 10,000 Scoville units. Thaï Toi: A sweet and sour blend featuring ginger and lemongrass, packing a punch at 70,000 Scoville units. Embrase-moi: A bold BBQ sauce infused with habanero peppers, reaching a gut-churning 200,000 Scoville units. Related: Trader Joe's sells out of TikTok famous treat (here's when it's back) The sauces are available with Chicken McNuggets and Veggie McPlant Nuggets in 6, 9, or 20 pieces, either à la carte or as part of a meal (excluding Happy Meals). The "Hot Ones" launch is part of a campaign featuring French rapper Naza, who takes on the spicy challenge under the guidance of host Kyan Khojandi. The McDonald's-"Hot Ones" spicy collab is only available in France for the time being, but American fans are salivating at the thought of a stateside release. Smuggling them from France even seems to be a thing. @noahsanchezofficial said, "I tried these! I took them on the plane back to Cali too lol, still have them" and @lakers209 said, "I brought back a 12 sets from my trip to France last year. They are all a lot hotter than you would expect." More Food: Applebee's brings back all-you-can-eat deal to take down Chili'sPopular Mexican chain reveals surprising growth plansStarbucks CEO shares plan for a whole new menu Given the popularity of "Hot Ones" and the growing appetite for spicy flavors, there's an expectation that McDonald's will expand this fiery experience beyond French borders, especially considering "Hot Ones" is an American export. For now, spicy-food lovers can indulge in this funky fusion of fast food and fiery flavors, leaving the rest of us to hope it comes ashore here soon. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
The Verge
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
A new movie taking on the tech bros
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 85, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, sorry in advance that this week is a tiny bit politics-y, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about Sean Evans and music fraud and ayahuasca, playing with the new Obsidian Bases feature, obsessing over every behind-the-scenes Final Reckoning video I can find, listening to MGK's ' Cliche ' more times than I'm proud of, installing some Elgato Key Lights to improve my WFH camera look, digging the latest beta of Artifacts, and downloading every podcast I can find because I have 20 hours of driving to do this weekend. I also have for you a very funny new movie about tech CEOs, a new place to WhatsApp, a great new accessory for your phone, a helpful crypto politics explainer, and much more. Short week this week, but still lots going on. Let's do it. (As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you reading / playing / watching / listening to / shopping for / doing with a Raspberry Pi this week? Tell me everything: installer@ And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here. And if you haven't subscribed, you should! You'll get every issue for free, a day early, in your inbox.) The Drop Mountainhead. I mean, is there a more me-coded pitch than ' Succession vibes, but about tech bros?' It's about a bunch of (pretty recognizable) billionaires who more or less run the world and are also more or less ruining it. You'll either find this hilarious, way too close to home, or both. WhatsApp for iPad. I will never, ever understand why Meta hates building iPad apps. But it finally launched the most important one! The app itself is extremely fine and exactly what you'd think it would be, but whatever. It exists! DO INSTAGRAM NEXT. Post Games. A new podcast from Chris Plante, the former editor-in-chief over at Polygon, all about video games. It's only a couple episodes deep, but so far I love the format: it's really smart and extremely thoughtful, but it's also very silly in spots. Big fan. The Popsockets Kick-Out Grip. I am a longtime, die-hard Popsockets user and evangelist, and the new model fixes my one gripe with the thing by working as both a landscape and portrait kickstand. $40 is highway robbery for a phone holder, but this is exactly the thing I wanted. ' Dance with Sabrina.' A new, real-time competitive rhythm game inside of Fortnite, in which you try to do well enough to earn the right to actually help create the show itself. Super fun concept, though all these games are better with pads, guitars, or really anything but a normal controller. Lazy 2.0. Lazy is a stealthy but fascinating note-taking tool, and it does an unusually good job of integrating with files and apps. The new version is very AI-forward, basically bringing a personalized chatbot and all your notes to your whole computer. Neat! Elden Ring Nightreign. A multiplayer-heavy spinoff of the game that I cannot get my gamer friends to shut up about, even years after it came out. I've seen a few people call the game a bit small and repetitive, but next to Elden Ring I suppose most things are. The Tapo DL100 Smart Deadbolt Door Lock. A $70 door lock with, as far as I can tell, every feature I want in a smart lock: a keypad, physical keys, super long battery life, and lots of assistant integrations. It does look… huge? But it's pretty bland-looking, which is a good thing. Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster. One of a few Titan-related documentaries coming this summer, meant to try and explain what led to the awful events of a couple years ago. I haven't seen this one yet, but the reviews are solid — and the story seems even sadder and more infuriating than we thought. ' The growing scandal of $TRUMP.' I love a good Zeke Faux take on crypto, whether it's a book or a Search Engine episode. This interview with Ezra Klein is a great explainer of how the Trump family got so into crypto and how it's being used to move money in deeply confusing and clearly corrupt ways. Screen share Cameron Faulkner isn't technically new to The Verge, he's just newly back at The Verge. In addition to being a commerce editor on our team, he also wrote one of the deepest dives into webcams you'll ever find, plays a lot of games, has more thoughts about monitors than any reasonable person should, and is extremely my kind of person. Since he's now so very back, I asked Cam to share his homescreen with us, as I always try to do with new people here. Here it is, plus some info on the apps he uses and why: The phone: Pixel 9 Pro. The wallpaper: It's an 'Emoji Workshop' creation, which is a feature that's built into Android 14 and more recent updates. It mashes together emoji into the patterns and colors of your choosing. I picked this one because I like sushi, and I love melon / coral color tones. The apps: Google Keep, Settings, Clock, Phone, Chrome, Pocket Casts, Messages, Spotify. I haven't downloaded a new app in ages. What's shown on my homescreen has been there, unmoved, for longer than I can remember. I have digital light switches, a to-do list with the great (but paid) Stuff widget, a simple Google Fit widget to show me how much I moved today, and a couple Google Photos widgets of my lovely wife and son. I could probably function just fine if every app shuffled its location on my homescreen, except for the bottom row. That's set in stone, never to be fiddled with. I also asked Cameron to share a few things he's into right now. Here's what he sent back: Righteous Gemstones on HBO Max. It's a much smarter comedy than I had assumed (but it's still dumb in the best ways), and I'm delighted to have four seasons to catch up on. I'm really digging Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which achieves the feat of breakneck pacing (the game equivalent of a page-turner) and a style that rivals Persona 5, which is high praise. I have accrued well over a dozen Switch 2 accessories, and I'm excited to put them to the test once I get a console on launch day. Crowdsourced Here's what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you're into right now, as well! Email installer@ or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we'll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky. ' The Devil's Plan. This Netflix original South Korean reality show locks 14 contestants in a windowless living space that's part mansion, part prison, part room escape, and challenges them to eliminate each other in a series of complicated tabletop games. (If this sounds familiar, it's a spiritual successor to the beloved series The Genius from the mid-2010s.)' — Travis 'If you're a fan of Drive to Survive, I'm happy to report that the latest season of Netflix's series on NASCAR is finally good, and a reasonable substitute for that show once you've finished it.' — Christopher 'I switched to a Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel Watch 3 from an iPhone and Apple Watch about 6 months ago and found Open Bubbles, an open source alternative to BlueBubbles that does need a Mac but doesn't need that Mac to remain on, You just need a one-time hardware identifier from it, then it gives you full iMessage, Find My, FaceTime, and iCloud shared albums on Android and Windows using an email address. So long as you can get your contacts to iMessage your email instead of your number, it works great.' — Tim 'Playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the last time before Mario Kart World arrives next week and takes over my life!' — Ravi 'With Pocket being killed off I've started using my RSS reader — which is Inoreader — instead as a suitable replacement. I only switched over to Pocket after Omnivore shut down.' — James 'I just got a Boox Go 10.3 for my birthday and love it. The lack of front lighting is the biggest downfall. It is also only on Android 12 so I cannot load a corporate profile. It feels good to write on just, almost as good as my cheaper fountain pen and paper. It is helping me organize multiple notebooks and scraps of paper.' — Sean 'Giving Tweek a bit of a go, and for a lightweight weekly planner it's beautiful. I also currently use Motion for project management of personal tasks and when I was doing my Master's. I really like the Gantt view to map out long term personal and study projects. (I also got a student discount for Motion, but it's still expensive.)' — Astrid 'Might I suggest Elle Griffin's work at The Elysian? How she's thinking through speculative futures and a cooperative media system is fascinating.' — Zach ' GeForce Now on Steam Deck!' — Steve Signing off One of the reasons I like making this newsletter with all of you is that it's a weekly reminder that, hey, actually, there's a lot of awesome people doing awesome stuff out there on the internet. I spend a lot of my time talking to people who say AI is going to change everything, and we're all going to just AI ourselves into oblivion and be thrilled about it — a theory I increasingly think is both wrong and horrifying. And then this week I read a blog post from the great Dan Sinker, who called this moment 'the Who Cares Era, where completely disposable things are shoddily produced for people to mostly ignore.' You should read the whole thing, but here's a bit I really loved: 'Using extraordinary amounts of resources, it has the ability to create something good enough, a squint-and-it-looks-right simulacrum of normality. If you don't care, it's miraculous. If you do, the illusion falls apart pretty quickly. The fact that the userbase for AI chatbots has exploded exponentially demonstrates that good enough is, in fact, good enough for most people. Because most people don't care.' I don't think this describes everything and everyone, and neither does Sinker, but I do think it's more true than it should be. And I increasingly think our job, maybe our method of rebellion, is to be people who care, who have taste, who like and share and look for good things, who read and watch and look at those things on purpose instead of just staring slackjawed at whatever slop is placed between the ads they hope we won't really notice. I think there are a lot of fascinating ways that AI can be useful, but we can't let it train us to accept slop just because it's there. Sorry, this got more existential than I anticipated. But I've been thinking about it a lot, and I'm going to try and point Installer even more at the stuff that matters, made by people who care. I hope you'll hold me to that.
Business Insider
27-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
How YouTube is trying to cash in on big events and cultural moments
Hollywood has been courting YouTube's creators as it grows on the TV screen. Netflix, for one, has been beating the drum that it's financially better for creators than YouTube. YouTube doesn't pay creators directly for content or own it, unlike the legacy Hollywood model. Apart from a short-lived experiment in funding its own shows, it's stuck with supporting creators with tools like automatic dubbing, a TV-like interface to promote binge-watching, and features that let creators comment on and react to live events. And, of course, it typically shares 55% of the revenue from ads shown on creators' videos. YouTube execs often tout the $70 billion the company paid to creators, artists, and media companies over three years. YouTube has had limited success attracting blue-chip advertisers who have a bias for TV-like shows, though, something top creators like Sean Evans have complained about. The company's latest advertiser pitch hopes to change that. In the first of what YouTube hopes will be many examples, State Farm owned the recent PGA Championship on ranads on trending videos, takeovers on golf channels from creators like Grant Horvat and Good Good, and an integration into the new LOL Network series "Caddie & the Kid" from Kevin Hart's Hartbeat. "We can take that formula and literally apply it to any major moment on the calendar to ultimately help our clients tap into what we're calling the game on the game around the game phenomena," Brian Albert, managing director of YouTube Media Partnerships and Creative Works, told Business Insider. Hartbeat has made plenty of ad-supported shows for YouTube, but this was the first time YouTube brought an advertiser to the table. State Farm's involvement enabled Hartbeat to greenlight the show and spend more on episode length, travel, and talent, said Janina Lundy, who heads marketing and brand partnerships for Hartbeat. "Caddie & the Kid" follows MLB Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and comedian and former caddie Michael Collins on their golfing adventures. "It definitely did allow for it to be a bit more premium," Lundy said of State Farm's impact. YouTube wants more TV-like shows YouTube viewing is increasingly happening in the living room, and the platform is trying to keep the growth going. YouTube has been No. 1 in streaming watch time for the past few years, the company said in February, citing Nielsen data. That puts it ahead of Netflix, Disney, and Amazon's Prime Video. YouTube also shared that TV had become the primary device for YouTube viewing in the US, surpassing mobile in watch time. As YouTube becomes a bigger deal on TVs, big brand deals can help the platform improve the production value of its shows without paying upfront costs. YouTube is picking shows for its cultural moments packages that look like traditional TV, where it knows people tune in for those live events. Hartbeat makes shows specifically for YouTube but also makes cinematic entertainment for streamers, for example. Whether advertisers will buy in is an open question. Some are still unconvinced that YouTube content is on par with traditional TV. Two top video ad buyers told BI there are plenty of other places to buy into the cultural conversation, so YouTube's pitch is hardly unique. Advertisers who can afford to buy ads around the actual sports content may be less interested in a creator's spin on it. However, for those with smaller budgets who value YouTube's audience, its pitch could be attractive, one of the buyers said. If YouTube's pitch succeeds with bigger advertisers, it could broaden creators' access to advertisers and revenue. Except for the top level, YouTube creators often don't have direct relationships with blue-chip advertisers. Those who get chosen for "cultural" sponsorships, as YouTube calls them, would also get extra exposure on a dedicated hub to help them get discovered. "Many of our top creators have their own teams that have been trying to source brand partnerships for years. We've been facilitating these connections as well," Albert said. "What's new now is just the fact that we're wrapping it around this cultural moments' calendar."
