TV

Sacha Baron Cohen's Purported Showtime Character Fires Back at Sarah Palin

Cohen's Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr. is demanding an apology from the former Republican vice presidential candidate, who claims she was duped into a "sick" interview for the comedian's new series, 'Who Is America?'

Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr. — a Sacha Baron Cohen character possibly featured in his upcoming Showtime series, Who Is America? — took to Twitter on Thursday to fire back at Sarah Palin for her recent Facebook remarks.

Days after Palin revealed in a lengthy post that she unknowingly participated in a "sick" interview with Cohen for his new show, the comedian's right-leaning MAGA enthusiast persona, Ruddick — the founder of Truthbrary.org, which features articles titled "Hollywood Satanic Elite," "Crooked Hillary" and "Obama Is a Kenyan," among others — responded in a heated (and facetious) social media statement.

"I am Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick, founder/ceo/accountant of Truthbrary.org and it was I that interviewed you," he began, clearing up Palin's claim that Cohen disguised himself as a wounded U.S. war veteran. "I did NOT say I was a War Vet. I was in the service — not military, but United Parcel, and I only fought for my country once."

Cohen's character continued: "When I shot a Mexican who came onto my property. (Coincidentally, just like our Great President, I was sadly prevented from joining the regular army on account of bone spurs bein discovered in my testies.)

Ruddick, who joined Twitter in May, then took aim at Palin for engaging in rhetoric about the authenticity of President Obama's birth certificate and her widely mocked assertion about Russia's proximity to her home state of Alaska.

"I have always admired you for TELLING THE TRUTH about Obama's birth certificate and the location of Russia," he wrote. "But ma'am I do believe you have been hit by a bullshit grenade and are now bleedin' FAKE NEWS."

The note concludes with a few more digs at Palin and a demand for an apology. "You used to hunt the most dangerous animals in the country, like wolves and people on welfare," Ruddick added. "So why hunt a fine citizen journalist like myself? I DEMAND AN APOLOGY."

He also included the following hashtags: #MAGA, #buildthewall and #boycottsachacohen.

Here's the truth @SarahPalinUSA #MAGA #buildthewall #boycottsashacohen pic.twitter.com/iFZWrFTxWL

— Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., PhD (@BillyWRuddick) July 12, 2018

On Tuesday, Palin wrote on Facebook that she was tricked into sitting down with Cohen. One day later, radio host and one-term U.S. Congressman Joe Walsh also claimed that he fell victim to Cohen's prank show.

"Out of respect for what I was led to believe would be a thoughtful discussion with someone who had served in uniform, I sat through a long 'interview' full of Hollywoodism’s disrespect and sarcasm — but finally had enough and literally, physically removed my mic and walked out, much to Cohen’s chagrin," Palin wrote in part. "The disrespect of our U.S. military and middle-class Americans via Cohen’s foreign commentaries under the guise of interview questions was perverse."

She also claimed that "the Cohen/CBS/Showtime production team purposefully dropped my daughter and me off at the wrong Washington, DC airport after the fake interview, knowing we’d miss all flights back home to Alaska." Palin added, "I wrote this off as yet another example of the sick nature that is media-slash-entertainment today."

Showtime had no comment when contacted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Who Is America? premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.

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John Oliver Enlists James Van Der Beek for 'Talkin' Tehran' Mock Podcast

The 'Last Week Tonight' host and the 'Dawson's Creek' star got into a heated exchange on the parody podcast.

John Oliver once again went after President Donald Trump and his administration on Sunday's Last Week Tonight.

Among this week's topics: Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, the Iran nuclear deal and the FBI raid on Trump's longtime attorney, Michael Cohen.

Oliver also played part of a parody podcast he joked that he was launching with James Van Der Beek called Talkin' Tehran. The audio bit featured the real voice of Van Der Beek as the two got into a heated exchange.

"If you didn't think that James Van Der Beek was an expert in Iranian history, you need to expand your expectations of what people are capable of," joked Oliver.

Thanks to @vanderjames, co-host of the “Talkin’ Tehran with John Oliver and James Van Der Beek” podcast for lending his voice to tonight’s show. pic.twitter.com/cYtaFo7YmG

— Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight) April 23, 2018

Watch the clips, courtesy of RawStory, below.

John Oliver
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Macaulay Culkin Reveals Why He Won't Watch 'Home Alone'

The actor appears on Monday's episode of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' where he also talks about why he stepped away from the spotlight for several years.

A warning to Home Alone fans: Don't ask star Macaulay Culkin to re-create his iconic face from the 1990 hit film.

The actor, who appears on Monday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about his new Bunny Ears lifestyle brand and podcast of the same name, says he gets that request all the time but doesn't ever oblige.

"I've been there, done that already. I'm 37, OK? OK, Mom?" jokes the actor.

He also avoids watching the movie — he calls the annual holiday TV staple "background radiation at Christmastime" — and says people have asked to watch it with him, which is "flattering and creepy."

He also says that if he does catch parts of it, he remembers more of what was happening on set that day behind the scenes. "I can't watch it the same way other people do," he explains.

He also jokes that Christmastime is "my season," given how ubiquitous the movie is during that time of the year. He says he tries to avoid leaving the house around the holiday.

During his appearance, he also talks about growing up as part of a family of seven children living a one-bedroom apartment, getting his start in ballet, stepping back from the spotlight at age 14 to go to high school and more. Watch the clips below.

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'Westworld' Creators Explain Season 2 Premiere's "Unreliable" Time Twist

Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy tell THR about how one host's "lost in time" journey will impact the episodes ahead.

[This story contains spoilers for the season two premiere of HBO's Westworld, "Journey Into Night."]

Listen: Bernard Lowe has come unstuck in time.

In the season two premiere of HBO's Westworld, viewers were again tossed down a rabbit hole filled with theories, where one opened door leads to many more closed ones. Case in point: the story of Bernard, played by Jeffrey Wright, which plays out across multiple moments in time. Wright appears in at least three different, distinct periods of time throughout the episode, and may even be appearing as two different characters: Bernard, the scientist who learned the truth about his secret host origins near the end of season one; and Arnold, the park's co-founder upon whom Bernard is based.

The season begins with Wright, likely as Arnold but potentially as Bernard, sitting across from Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and embarking upon a dazed and confused conversation about dreams. When the dreamlike scene ends, Bernard wakes up on a shore with an apparent case of amnesia, surrounded by Quality Assurance soldiers; here, we learn that two weeks have passed since the park went dark, right around the time Dolores assassinated Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins). While traveling with the QA team, Bernard experiences blackouts and flashes of memory, eventually thrusting the viewer into the story of what happened to Bernard in the immediate aftermath of Ford's death. The premiere finally returns to Bernard "two weeks later," with QA, discovering a veritable ocean filled with dead hosts.

"I killed them," he tells new character Karl Strand (Gustaf Skarsgård) at the end of the episode, his face contorted and troubled. "All of them."

But did he really? Has Bernard experienced some sort of memory glitch that's wiping his recollection of killing the park's hosts at some point in the past two weeks — or should fans approach Bernard's story with extreme caution? Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the show's Tribeca Film Festival premiere, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy remained coy about the exact specifics surrounding the premiere's final scene, instead laying out their vision for how Bernard's experience with time will impact the season ahead.

"In the first season, we were playing cards down with the way that the hosts' memory works," said Nolan. "Which is to say, through the first season, we are not aware that Dolores is actually remembering things and mistaking them for reality. One of the things we were excited for in the second season was now playing cards up with the idea that hosts mistake their realities for their memories, get lost in time, bounce back and forth."

For those who require a refresher: Dolores' first season was spent tripping through different memories, retracing the path she once traveled with William (Jimmi Simpson), only to later realize she was living through an old experience. The storyline culminated with the reveal that William was a younger version of the Man in Black (Ed Harris), a twist many fans predicted in advance. Did the way in which viewers interacted with and guessed the Man in Black reveal influence Nolan and Joy's decision to play "cards up" with Bernard's interaction with reality, memory and time?

"It was kind of embedded in the DNA of the show," said Joy. "Basically, when you're dealing with hosts who don't understand when they are, especially when you're trying to build and bridge empathy with them, it makes sense to constrain yourself to that point of view and experience the world as they start to learn more about it, as an audience member. There's a sort of mimicry that's happening there in a structural sense. I think that the ways in which we manipulate time … will be a little more above ground this season, because they're aware now that they're a little lost in time, but they're still lost."

"Bernard's awareness of what happened and the fact that he doesn't seem to remember a lot of what happened [after Ford's death] is something that we'd like to play within this season," added Nolan. "He's a bit unreliable. Jeffrey's a lovely person, but Bernard is a bit of an unreliable narrator in the second season."

What are your predictions for how the Bernard storyline will play out? Were you shocked at the ending of the premiere? Sound off in the comments below, and keep following THR.com/Westworld for more coverage.

Westworld
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'American Idol': Top 14 Sing for America's Vote

The top 10 will be announced Monday night.

The top 14 contestants on ABC's American Idol finally had the chance to sing for America’s vote on Sunday night, with judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on hand to offer feedback.

First up was country singer Caleb Lee Hutchinson singing “Midnight Train to Memphis” by Chris Stapleton, accompanying himself on the banjo. It was a straightforward and charming country performance, and his tone fit the song well. Perry praised his evolution as an artist, but Bryan didn’t love the song choice, as he tends to be more critical of the country performances since that’s his wheelhouse.

Michelle Sussette was up next, singing “Friends” by Marshmello & Anne Marie. As usual, she was confident onstage, giving off strong pop star vibes. Perry even compared her to Shakira. Sussette is one of the strongest performers in the competition, even though her vocals don’t necessarily stand out. Bryan pointed out that she has carved out a specific lane, which is definitely important at this stage of the competition.

Marcio Donaldson followed with an emotional performance of “It’s a Miracle” by Barry Manilow. He sang with confidence, delivering an original interpretation of the song and connecting on an emotional level, which has consistently been his strength in the competition. Richie praised his old-school sound, but Bryan didn’t love this song choice, either. Contestants definitely seemed to be under the pressure of having to sing for viewers’ votes on Sunday night.

Young singer Mara Justine next sang “This Is Me” by Keala Settle. She sang with conviction, putting a lot of feeling behind her vocal. Perry praised her journey and development on the show. The judges didn’t necessarily think it was the best performance vocally, but they were impressed by her stage presence.

Singing “Raging Fire” by former Idol winner Phillip Phillips, Garrett Jacobs brought experience and dynamics to his performance. But the judges seemed underwhelmed, with Richie suggesting that he wasn’t entirely focused while singing. There definitely seemed to be a nervous energy in the air.

Ada Vox, who has consistently delivered some of the best performances of the season, was up next. She sang “The Show Must Go On” by Queen, and it was appropriately theatrical and bold. She showcased her impressive range and nailed the wild high note. “You are on fire,” Perry said. Unlike so many of the others, Vox didn’t seem fazed by nerves.

Early frontrunner Catie Turner was up next, singing “Take Me to Church” by Hozier. As usual, she put some of her own spins on it, coming off as a true singer-songwriter in her originality and creativity. Bryan suggested that she could win, and Richie praised her authenticity. Since the beginning, Turner has had a strong sense of who she is.

Rocker Cade Foehner followed with a performance of “Black Magic Woman” by Fleetwood Mac, accompanying himself on the guitar. He was charming and sure of himself, as usual, but his vocals weren’t pitch perfect. His guitar playing tends to overshadow his voice. Even the judges seemed focused only on his charisma rather than his voice.

Dennis Lorenzo sang “In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes, and it was his personal best performance of the competition so far. He showed a different side of his voice and performance abilities, working the stage and coming off as seasoned and sure of himself. It was raw and authentic, and Bryan pointed out that he has shown a lot of different sides of his artistry.

Maddie Poppe was up next, singing “Homeward Bound” by Simon and Garfunkel. She gave an understated but gorgeous performance, her phrasing on point and her lyrical interpretation moving. Perry compared her to Joni Mitchell, which definitely seems to be the lane Poppe has been carving out for herself.

Jurnee followed by singing “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. It was a strong song choice for her, allowing her to show off different dynamics and even rap a little bit. Like Sussette, she came off as a seasoned pop star ready for the spotlight. Her confidence has been unshakeable. "Thank you for showing us another element, another side," Bryan said. Perry called her a true artist.

Singing “This Is Gospel” by Panic at the Disco, Jonny Brenns gave a unique and interesting performance. It was a risky song choice, but it worked. His vocal wasn’t pitch perfect, but he showed ambition and was a good entertainer. Perry said it was fun but admitted the vocal needed some work.

Michael J. Woodard sang “Titanium” by Sia, which was an ambitious song choice, but he pulled it off, giving it an edge that made it sound like his own. He sang boldly without oversinging, and it was a seasoned and compelling performance. Bryan praised his ability to draw people in. He certainly showcased that magnetism tonight.

Gabby Barrett closed out the performances by singing the emotional Miley Cyrus ballad “The Climb.” It wasn’t necessarily the most exciting song choice, but she sang it well, exhibiting a star quality that she has yet to show in the competition. “A star is born,” Richie said.

On Monday night, four contestants will be eliminated from the competition. Who has your vote?

American Idol
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'Westworld' Star on Subverting Expectations With His "Empowering" Nude Scene

Actor Simon Quarterman speaks with THR about how his breakout moment in the premiere goes beyond his character's journey and the season's greater themes.

[This story contains spoilers for the season two premiere of HBO's Westworld.]

Any given ranking of the greatest characters on Westworld likely contains a few reliable players toward the top: Maeve (Thandie Newton) and Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), certainly. Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman), however? Maybe not so much.

Indeed, by many accounts, the park's narrative director is likely near the bottom of most of those lists, and it's not hard to see why. Throughout the HBO show's first season, actor Simon Quarterman brought Sizemore to life with a stunning mix of pettiness and self-righteousness, the poster boy for narcissism and the fragile human ego fully flayed and displayed as a key shade in Westworld's greater thematic portrait. The fact that Sizemore regularly abused hosts and openly whined about not getting credit he felt he was owed didn't help endear the character to audiences, certainly not with so many mechanical gunslingers and machinating string-pullers to consider.

Consider it one of the great surprises of season two thus far, then, that Sizemore stands front and center in one of the premiere's single most arresting moments, at the start of a rich new narrative alongside Maeve and Hector Escaton (Rodrigo Santoro). With all hell breaking loose throughout the park, Sizemore quickly links up with Maeve and forms a deal: if she provides protection, he can lead the way on her quest to find her daughter. Granted, the self-serving Sizemore immediately tries to break the deal when security forces show up, but the bargain resumes once Maeve dispatches these men with ruthless efficiency.

Once teamed up with both Maeve and Hector, Sizemore and the hosts prepare to venture out into the increasingly wild Westworld, dressing for the part appropriately. First, before donning the Western attire, Maeve gives Sizemore a taste of what life is like on her side of existence: by commanding him to strip completely naked. Sizemore begrudgingly obliges, leaving both Maeve and the camera staring on at the man's nude form with an unflinching gaze.

While Quarterman's nakedness in the premiere is not the first instance of full frontal male nudity in Westworld, it marks an important moment for the series. Throughout the first season, humans lorded over naked hosts with casual regularity. Here, through Sizemore, Westworld subverts an image that became all too common in the show's inaugural year. It quickly establishes just how much the status quo has changed as creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy chart out the next movement in their epic.

For his part, Quarterman not only sees his nude scene as subversive within the confines of Westworld, but as a "liberating" image on the grander stage of modern culture and the show's mission of female empowerment. In terms of his character, Quarterman sees the moment as a new beginning for Sizemore, who's about to dive into much deeper territory than he ever glimpsed in season one.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Quarterman opened up about watching the revealing scene in front of a packed crowd at the season two premiere in Hollywood, why he considers it "the most liberating thing" he has done in his career, how it serves to launch Sizemore's story in the weeks ahead, and his crucial role this season as two species come to learn and understand one another.

What was it like to watch the episode on the big screen at the Hollywood premiere?

It was amazing. I had actually watched the first episode, much to Jonah [Nolan's] disgust, on a little iPad. (Laughs.) I wanted to steel myself first by watching it on a tiny screen, before watching it on the big screen. I'm so glad I did it that way. It was incredible, watching it with such a big crowd. They seemed to really enjoy it. It was a hell of an experience.

It's certainly a sensitive episode for you. Is that why it was important to watch ahead of time?

That's why I'm glad I saw it on the small iPad, to break myself in before seeing it all on the big screen. I'm really glad I was able to watch it by myself. It's a very revealing scene for me. I had never done anything like that. I was curious to see how it all came out and how it was tackled. I'm really happy with how it was done. I felt like it really went well.

It's a powerful scene on a few levels, including how it subverts Westworld. Humans speak with naked hosts with casual regularity on the show, but seeing a host command a human to strip down naked quickly and visually expresses how much the status quo has changed. Was that how you interpreted the scene?

There's a few moving parts in the scene. There's the shift in power, in those terms, especially in seeing this happen with one of Maeve's creators, someone who writes her storylines and has controlled her actions and her mind. Seeing her take her creator and stripping him naked … we're seeing that shift in power now. The hosts are now in control.

But what's also interesting about the scene is how it relates to the masculine and the feminine. The feminine is now coming into power, and the masculine is being emasculated and put in a very vulnerable position. I think that's very important, particularly with this show. The women are the driving forces. Dolores and Maeve are the driving forces. I really enjoyed how we played it. Lee, even standing there, standing defiant and trying to defy being naked … and Maeve cuts that defiance down by looking away without saying a word. There's something very powerful there.

When did you first learn about the scene?

It was months before we shot it. I had seen Jonah and Lisa at a Christmas party. They sat me down and asked how I felt about being naked. I didn't even ask the context. I said, "Sure, of course." I knew there was going to be a good reason why. They didn't divulge what that reason was until I actually got the scene, months later, a couple of weeks before we shot it. Thankfully, it came up within the first episode and within the first week [of filming], so I was able to get it out of the way. I was so happy it happened in the first episode, and not episode 10, like Damocles' sword hanging overhead. We got it out of the way very quickly.

I have to tell you, it really is and was the most liberating thing I have done. I know Thandie talked about that a lot last year with her nude scenes, and I feel the same way. It was liberating and it was empowering. At the premiere, I knew the scene was coming up, and I went through a multitude of feelings about it. Once you see it in front of you, and you see yourself naked, so much falls away from you. It really didn't bother me, and I thought it might, you know? In fact, it left me feeling so happy that I had done it, and feeling incredibly liberated.

Did you speak with Thandie or anyone else who had filmed nude scenes in season one, about their experiences and what to expect?

Thandie and I talked a lot. I couldn't have done this scene with anyone better. The support from everyone — Rodrigo, Thandie and all of the crew — was amazing. It's hard to explain just how much respect these guys have when anyone is doing a scene like that. I spoke with Jonah the night before [filming the scene] and wanted to get a better idea of why this was happening, in terms of Lee's character development. It was also an opportunity to get a couple of breadcrumbs out of him, which are hard to come by! (Laughs.) And I did get a couple of breadcrumbs, which was great, and helped inform what I was about to do. In terms of shooting it, I was very clear that I wanted them to do exactly what they needed to do. I didn't want to be hiding in anyway. I didn't want them to feel like they needed to put the cameras in a certain place. I wanted them to shoot it the way they needed to shoot it in order to make the best episode possible.

The scene not only subverts expectations within Westworld and serves to heighten the themes of the series, it also subverts what we know about Lee Sizemore. He's not the most liked character on the show; far from it. In stripping him down in this way, does this feel like the start of a new perspective on Lee?

It really is. It's the beginning of the breaking down of this man. Not only are the hosts breaking their internal patterns and the loops they're on in order to grow, but so too [are the humans], Lee in particular. This is the beginning of the breaking down of patterns he's been living in. He's stepping forward and beginning to learn and earn a new voice of his own. It's the beginning of that journey for him. I found it to be a very important scene in that way.

Here's what else I've found fascinating: the response of people seeing a naked man on screen. It's a little difficult for people to process. I've been asked so many questions like, "Were you wearing a prosthetic?" "Were you wearing a merkin?" "Did they put your head on another body?" It's like it's too much to take, for him to just stand there naked. I think it's quite potent, actually. We're stripping down this masculinity. It needs to be broken down in our society. We need to see more of that, and a softening of it. This was, I think, the start of a softening for Lee.

There's an odd couple quality to Maeve and Sizemore; a very unexpected pairing on paper, but perhaps they have more in common than initially realized…

Right. They both need something from each other when they meet at the start. Lee wants to survive. He can see immediately from Maeve that she has significant power against these hosts, and knows that his best bet to survive is going to be if he's with her. That's his best bet. And for Maeve, Lee knows the park. He can provide directions to the whereabouts of her daughter. That's how we begin their relationship. It's an interesting meeting, because they're both very headstrong. They butt heads, continually. It's great fun and great drama at points. But in the end, it seems like they're also learning things about themselves from one another. They're guiding each other on their own individual journeys. As well as the journey of finding and meeting Maeve's daughter, they're going on an individual odyssey within themselves.

In that way, it's not just a meeting of the minds between Maeve and Sizemore, but a meeting of the species between human and host.

Yes, very much so. Very much so. What can be learned from each other, as a robot and host, and as a human? It's almost like for both of them, this is a journey into a new form of humanity, a different layer of it. The first season for Maeve was very much about discovering her ego, almost. This season, it feels like she's discovering something deeper, a different voice. I think it's the same with Lee. The first season for Lee, it was all about ego, full stop. That was his overriding and overarching theme, ego. This season, it's the breaking down of that ego, and the deconstruction of it.

What did you make of Quarterman's performance in the premiere? Sound off in the comments below, and keep checking THR.com/Westworld for more coverage.

Westworld
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'The Voice': Team Blake and Team Alicia Strive for Top 12

In this story

Team Adam and Team Kelly will take the stage on Wednesday night.

The Live Playoffs continued Tuesday night on NBC's The Voice with 10 artists from Blake Shelton and Alicia Keys’ teams singing for a chance to advance to the top 12. After all 24 artists who made it to this round sang Monday night, the top vote-getter from each team automatically advanced. Now the rest are duking it out for the remaining slots. On Wednesday night, Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson’s teams will sing, and the results from both nights will be announced afterward.

Team Blake went first, starting with Spensha Baker singing “Smoke Break” by Carrie Underwood. It was a fun modern country performance that is likely to connect with Team Blake’s fan base. Clarkson commended her on the song choice, and Shelton seemed confident that she will be moving forward.

Wilkes next sang “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt. His arrangement was creative and ambitious, slowing the song down and making it edgier. He showcased his impressive range as well as a knack for artistry and crafting the whole picture when it comes to a performance. Shelton highlighted the fact that the artists choose their own songs this round, adding that it was a great choice for Wilkes.

Singing the Dolly Parton classic “9 to 5,” Pryor Baird followed with an entertaining performance. He put some of his own spins on the song, giving it a different sound with his raspy voice. Shelton said he deserves to be on the show.

Austin Giorgio was up next, singing “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber. It was a much different song choice for him, but this is definitely the stage of the competition to take risks, and his paid off, showing a different side of his voice and that he is more versatile than meets the eye. Keys praised his classic sound.

Closing out the Team Blake performances, Gary Edwards sang “America the Beautiful,” which was a bit of a pandering move on his part, but his vocal was strong and he put soul and emotion behind his singing. Clarkson commended his runs, and Shelton said he deserves to move on.

Terrence Cunningham got things started for Team Alicia by singing “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan. His arrangement turned it into a smooth ballad, and he showed more of his range on Tuesday night than Monday night. Eventually the performance gained momentum and became more uptempo, Cunningham showing a lot of layers. Keys and the other coaches were all blown away by his creativity with the song.

Christiana Danielle was up next. She chose to sing “Take Me to Church” by Hozier, and she proved yet again that she can sing just about anything and make it her own. She gave a solid rock performance with a lot of personality, and Clarkson went so far as to say she was the best contestant on the show even though she isn’t on her team.

Jackie Foster sang “Alone” by Heart, putting a lot of power behind her vocal. Her range was incredible, and Keys pointed out that she seems to have a strong grasp on who she is as an artist. That confidence certainly came through in her performance. She managed to sing boldly without oversinging.

Singing “Need You Bad” by Jazmine Sullivan, Kelsea Johnson was up next, and she also sang with a lot of confidence. She has sung a lot of different kinds of songs on the show so far, and this song choice was another great one. Keys said she’s carving out her own space.

The last artist of the night was Johnny Bliss, who decided to sing Adele’s “One and Only” in one of the most emotional performances of the evening. It wasn’t pitch-perfect, but his tone always stands out. Overall, Keys has an impressively versatile team, and Bliss definitely embodies that.

On Wednesday night, 10 artists from Team Adam and Team Kelly will sing. Then the top four vote-getters from each team will join Team Kelly’s Brynn Cartelli, Team Adam’s Sharane Calister, Team Blake’s Kyle Jade and Team Alicia’s Britton Buchanan in the top 12. The coaches also will have to chance to each pick an artist to round out the top 12. What did you think of Tuesday night’s performances?

The Voice Kelly Clarkson
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Sony Sues Brewer Over "Breaking Bud" Beer

The studio claims Knee Deep Brewing is infringing on its 'Breaking Bad' trademarks.

Legal trouble is brewing for a company that launched a Breaking Bad-inspired beer without a license from Sony Pictures Television.

Sony on Tuesday sued Knee Deep Brewing, claiming the company intentionally imitated the Breaking Bad logo and other design elements in order to capitalize on the fame of the AMC hit series, which "has been ranked by the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed show of all time and has been cited as one of the greatest television series in history."

The copying is gratuitous, Sony argues, and is clearly designed to avoid the difficulty of creating a unique brand.

"Simply put, rather than investing the time, effort and resources necessary to establish their own reputation and identity, Defendants have instead opted to hijack the famous brand identity associated with SPT and its BREAKING BAD show for Defendants’ own intended benefit," writes attorney Jean-Paul Jassy in the complaint. "Defendants’ unauthorized use of SPT’s trademarks and design elements threatens to erode the value of SPT’s BREAKING BAD Marks by undermining SPT’s continuing ability to attract licensees for such marks and secure compensation for the right to associate one’s products with the BREAKING BAD show."

Sony is suing for trademark infringement, dilution, false designation of origin and unfair competition, among other claims, and is seeking an injunction to stop Knee Deep from using "Breaking Bud" and the current design and logo and damages.

The brewery didn't immediately reply to a request for comment on the complaint, which is posted below.

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The duo also explain why their new show is like Kathy Lee and Hoda Kotb's 'Today' hour, but "something for the digital space that feels a little younger.”

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The former FBI director told the 'Late Show' host that he was "quite surprised" when President Trump fired him last year, but was mum on further details into the Russia investigation.

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