Suicide Squad writer and director, David Ayer, took the time to interact with some fans over Twitter earlier this week about how misunderstood the character of the Joker, portrayed by Jared Leto, was in the 2016 DCEU film. Despite the immense hype that surrounded the super-villain centred movie prior to its release, Suicide Squad proved to be a widespread disappointment, with many diehard fans and newcomers alike regarding Jared's depiction of the Joker as particularly awful. Although he did have some large shoes to fill—most notably the late Heath Ledger's in 2008's The Dark Knight—his performance was still less than impressive, with some even deeming it the worst onscreen portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in history.

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However, Ayer certainly doesn't feel that way. In fact, he sympathizes with Jared to this day due to how much work he put into the character, only for it to be criticized so heavily. The filmmaker responded to a fan's explanation of why the Joker's notoriously mocked "Damaged" tattoo across his forehead was actually "ingenious" given the back story.

Joaquin Phoenix’s venture into the cinematic world of Gotham City could have looked a lot differently if Darren Aronofsky had gotten his way. The famous director revealed in an interview on Friday that he had had plans to develop a big-screen Batman adaptation years ago with Joaquin starring as the iconic superhero, but the studio, Warner Bros., had some issues with his casting choice.

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“The studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix,” Darren said. “I remember thinking, ‘Uh oh, we’re making two different films here.’ That’s a true story. It was a different time. The Batman I wrote was definitely a way different type of take than they ended up making.” Ultimately, the film never got made, and Joaquin would instead go on to play the Batman super villain, Joker, many years later. Not only that, but he would end up receiving tons of praise for his performance, even winning a handful of awards including an Oscar for Best Actor at this year’s ceremony. 

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Darren’s initial approach came about as a result of trying to completely counter the campy and comedic nature of 1997’s Batman & Robin, the most recent instalment in the franchise at the time. “The Batman that was out before me was Batman & Robin, the famous one with the nipples on the Batsuit, so I was really trying to undermine that and reinvent it,” he recalled. “That’s where my head went.” However, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins would go on to be the next Batman film, with Christian Bale in the lead role.

Do you think Joaquin Phoenix would have made a good Batman?

Most people unanimously agreed that Joker was a phenomenal film and that Joaquin Phoenix absolutely deserved to win the “Best Actor” award at this year’s Oscars ceremony for his portrayal of the titular character. Although Todd Phillips didn’t take home the “Best Director” trophy — Bong Joon-ho won for his equally-praised macabre thriller Parasite — he still was a good sport about it all, and even shared some dope behind the scenes imagery recently from their last day of shooting to celebrate Phoenix’s epic win.

 
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“All of these were taken on our last day of shooting,” Phillips wrote as a caption to go with the photos he posted on Instagram a few days ago, following up by adding, “It was bittersweet for sure— while it felt great to be done, we also had such an intense and unique experience— and then suddenly it just ends. What a ride this film has been and it all culminated with watching Joaquin walk up on that stage this weekend.” He ended his note by thanking the many fans that helped make it become the first R-rated film to gross over $1 billion, in addition to the 32nd-highest-grossing film of all time.

Enjoy the rare flicks from the set of Joker below, and let’s pray that we get a proper sequel so we can do this all over again very soon:

Joaquin Phoenix has been at the top of his activist game throughout award season so far. During his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, he mentioned the "link between animal agriculture and climate change." However, Phoenix is not merely posturing across the world's television screens. He's been putting his body behind his words by attending protests in connection to this cause. He ditched a SAG Awards after-party to stand at a vigil for pigs being taken to a slaughterhouse. His latest act of protest involved going to Jane Fonda's Fire Drill Fridays in Los Angeles.

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Since October 2019, Fonda has been hosting these rallies weekly in Washington, DC to demand that politicians properly address climate change. She has just moved this initiative to Los Angeles, where they will surely continue to attract celebrity participation. This past Friday (Feb. 7) marked Phoenix's second time attending Fire Drill Fridays. The rally he went to last month in the nation's capital resulted in him being arrested along with Martin Sheen. He attended this Friday's rally with his fiancee, Rooney Mara, where he went onstage to introduce environmental justice activist, Nalleli Cobo. 

Saturday Night Live returned this weekend with musical guest Halsey, but the most notable musical performance came during the episode’s “Weekend Update” segment, where Melissa Villaseñor tackled this year’s Best Picture nominations in a series of “white male rage” songs.

Villaseñor begins her song for Joker describing what she feels is only ostensibly the film’s plot, before announcing “the thing that this movie is really about,” which is “white male rage.”

Colin retorts by saying “I don’t remember that song in Joker, and I watch that movie every day while I work out.”

She goes on to hit The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and 1917. Before finishing, she takes a stab about Little Women being snubbed despite big performances because of, again, “white male rage.” 

The Little Women mention is a salient argument: Female directors infamously have failed to be recognized by the Academy. Booksmart director Oliva Wilde recently spoke with Vulture about Greta Gerwig’s snub saying, “It’s hard because you look at someone like Greta Gerwig — her film was nominated for Best Picture, so surely she deserved a Best Director nomination. How can you recognize a film for Best Picture and not award that director with the same recognition? And she deserves it… Critically, women’s films did better this year than men’s films. It’s gotta mean that there’s progress. It’s complicated.”

Adam Driver also returned as Kylo Ren for another “Undercover Boss” sketch that you can find here.

On Sunday night, Joaquin Phoenix won "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture" at the SAG Awards for his performance in Joker. He also snagged "Best Actor" at the Golden Globes, but he doesn't seem to be too focused on himself amid all this award season praise.

After making a brief appearance at a SAG Award after party on Sunday night, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Phoenix left to attend a vigil for pigs at a nearby slaughterhouse. The actor joined the activist group, Los Angeles Animal Save, outside the Farmer John processing plant in Vernon, California, which is located less than five miles outside Los Angeles. The vigil entailed giving water and support to the pigs before they are sent to their deaths. Videos show Phoenix, still dressed in his tux, going up to the trailer that contains the pigs to bear witness to their plight.

Sunday evening, Joaquin Phoenix took home the SAG Award for Best Actor for his role in Joker and as he accepted the prize, the seasoned actor used his platform as an opportunity to honor the other actors hosted in the same category while also paying homage to the Joker before him.

“I’m standing here on the shoulders of my favorite actor, Heath Ledger," he would say to begin his speech.

He went on to highlight the talent of fellow m=nominees such as Leonardo DiCaprio, who was up for his lead role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

The Mortal Kombat series has been popular for almost three decades at this point. Mortal Kombat 11 dropped last March to critical acclaim and fan praise. At the game's drop, fans were teased with images of downloadable extra characters set to launch as DLC. Gamers have already been blessed with a playable Terminator T-800, and now they will have another new character to brutalize their opponents with. NetherRealm Studios released a trailer for The Joker, Batman's arch-nemesis and the latest playable guest in Mortal Kombat 11. The 2-minute video highlights a slew of savage combat moves that will be a blast to use in-game. The trailer is comprised of in-game combat footage. The Joker's fatalities are amazing.

Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell grew up as a huge fan of comic books, which is the reason why his Adidas signature sneaker line carries the “Issue #1” moniker. Tying in to Mitchell’s love for comics and his “Spida” nickname, Adidas has already released a plethora of Spider-Man colorways of the D.O.N Issue #1.

Now, it looks like Adidas is shifting their focus to Gotham with a Joker-themed colorway.

Adidas

Though Adidas has not yet confirmed the “Joker” nickname or any release details, rumors suggest the special edition kicks will be available on February 1 for the retail price of $100.

The Adidas D.O.N. Issue #1 features a propulsion clip on the side for lateral support and a wider outsole to provide stability for landing from above-the-rim leaps. Adidas’ Bounce cushioning ensures a comfortable ride, and a unique, wavy tread pattern, which represents Mitchell’s unconventional path to the NBA, helps drive his illusive speed.

Check out our unboxing of the OG Adidas D.O.N Issue #1 below, followed by additional photos of the Joker-themed colorway below.

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Wendy Williams is catching some heat for making comments about Joaquin Phoenix's cleft palate on a recent episode of her daytime television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. This particular episode aired on Jan. 7 during Wendy's 'Hot Topics' segment where she came to Beyonce's defense for refusing to stand during the announcement of Phoenix's Golden Globes Best Actor Award acceptance speech. 

In the segment, Williams jokingly teases Phoenix about his condition stating, "When he shaves off his mustache he’s got a hairline fracture,” she said. “He’s got one of those — what do you call it? Cleft lip, cleft palate."

Williams followed up her comment by hooking her finger over her top lip in order to imitate the somewhat common birth defect. Now, nearly a week later, fans and activists are making an uproar about Williams' taunting comments that affect children around the globe. 

British celebrity, Carol Vorderman, 59, who also happens to be an ambassador for the Cleft Lip and Palate Association, Tweeted out her disdain for Williams’ comments saying, "I really am disgusted by this @wendywilliams.. Mimicking a cleft lip, and making a joke about it, is disgraceful. Have you any idea the pain and operations a child with cleft must go through as they grow?"