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Award-winning documentarian Bing Liu makes his highly anticipated narrative feature debut with Preparation for the Next Life, arriving in select theaters September 5. The first official trailer and poster dropped today, offering a raw and stirring glimpse into a cross-cultural love story rooted in survival, trauma, and unexpected hope.

Based on the acclaimed debut novel by Atticus Lish and adapted for the screen by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Martyna Majok, the film stars Sebiye Behtiyar as Aishe, a resilient Uyghur immigrant navigating the harsh underworld of New York City’s Chinatown, and Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus, News of the World) as Skinner, a troubled American veteran returning from three harrowing tours in the Middle East.

A Love Born in the Shadows

Aishe, trained in discipline and endurance by her military father, flees repression in China only to be swallowed by another kind of invisibility, working long, thankless hours in unregulated restaurant kitchens. When she meets Skinner, their worlds collide in a fragile, makeshift connection born of shared dislocation.

Their romance is not a typical cinematic fantasy. Instead, it’s one forged by exhaustion, loneliness, and the aching desire for dignity in a world that has offered them none. Liu brings his documentary eye to the story’s realism, crafting scenes that pulse with emotional urgency and gritty authenticity.

As the trailer suggests, Preparation for the Next Life is not just about romantic connection. It’s about survival and the yearning for a new beginning. Liu avoids melodrama in favor of stark human truth, capturing the couple’s intimacy against the backdrop of precarity and systemic neglect.

A Creative Powerhouse Behind the Camera

The film boasts a powerhouse producing team that includes Oscar winners Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (Moonlight, 12 Years a Slave), Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak (If Beale Street Could Talk), and Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins, who serves as a producer alongside Liu. Brad Pitt also lends his name as an executive producer, deepening the pedigree of this ambitious indie drama.

Liu, best known for his searing documentary Minding the Gap, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2019, continues his exploration of working-class struggle and masculine vulnerability in Preparation for the Next Life. But here, he turns his lens toward the deeply interior lives of outsiders, immigrants, veterans, laborers, rendering them with care and complexity.

A Timely and Human Story

Released at a time when global migration, PTSD, and cross-cultural tensions remain headline issues, Preparation for the Next Life offers a deeply humane counterpoint. It centers those most often ignored, people who live in the margins, who love fiercely even when the world has given them little reason to hope.

Sebiye Behtiyar’s performance as Aishe is already being called a breakthrough, imbuing her character with steely strength and aching vulnerability. Fred Hechinger brings his trademark nuance to Skinner, crafting a portrait of a man whose body has returned from war, but whose mind remains stuck in combat.

Only in Theaters This Fall

With its September 5 release, Preparation for the Next Life positions itself as a powerful contender for awards season. Intimate, poetic, and socially resonant, it’s a film that dares to look where others turn away, offering in the process a testament to the fragile hope that two wounded people might find salvation in each other.

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The latest jobs report released by the Department of Labor shows that Black unemployment spiked to 7.2% in July, marking its highest rate since the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years ago.

“Trump says he’s ‘done more for Black Americans than anyone.’ If pushing Black unemployment to its highest level since 2021 is his idea of progress, we’d hate to see what failure looks like to him,” said Brandon Weathersby, a spokesperson for American Bridge 21st Century.

Weathersby told theGrio, “Instead of delivering on his promises to the working class, Trump is handing out tax breaks to billionaires while Black unemployment climbs and good-paying jobs disappear.” He added, “While Trump celebrates phony job numbers and lines the pockets of his ultra-rich donors, Black workers are paying the price.”

The Black unemployment rate has not seen its current level since December 2021, when it was 7.1%. The unemployment rate for Black workers reached its lowest level in U.S. history during the Biden administration at 5%.

President Donald Trump appeared incensed over Friday’s overall jobs numbers, which included a downward turn in the number of added jobs last month, which was only 73,000. In a Truth Social post, Trump announced the firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer as a result. The president, without any evidence, accused the Biden appointee of previously faking the jobs numbers to influence the 2024 election in favor of former Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Trump White House has been bullish about the president’s handling of the economy, touting his global tariffs and range of private sector investments. This week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt celebrated the recent GDP report showing a growth of 3%. The Trump spokesperson noted that it was “above market expectations” and said the president was “delivering on his promise to Make America Wealthy Again.”

However, several economists say the data paints a different picture, reflecting a slowdown in growth and rising inflation for core goods.

Angela Hanks, chief of policy programs of The Century Foundation and a former Department of Labor official under the Biden administration, told theGrio that the “chaotic nature” of Trump’s policies has “made the economy less stable.”

“You can see how a tariff policy that’s on again, off again creates uncertainty for businesses, slows hiring, and will inevitably have a disproportionately negative effect on Black workers,” said Hanks.

She also said major cuts to economic lifelines for many Black and other vulnerable families, like Medicaid and SNAP–as outlined in the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” Trump’s more than $3 trillion budget law that includes major tax cuts for the wealthy—are also “threatening” to the economy.

The labor policy expert and researcher warned that the rise in Black unemployment could signal broader economic strains for the country.

“Black workers are often last hired, first fired, and so when you see Black unemployment rising, it’s both concerning for Black workers, but it also tends to suggest something deeper is going on in the economy,” she explained.

During the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, the data showed a rise in Black unemployment. Hanks warned, “It’s typically associated with some sort of crisis that’s happening more broadly.”

To some degree, the increased Black unemployment rate isn’t a total surprise. The rates for Black men and, more acutely, Black women, saw increases in recent months. The federal workforce, which has seen the biggest decline, is disproportionately Black.

“This is where we know Black workers are over-represented, and this doesn’t even reflect the large share of workers who are on administrative leave in the federal government through September,” warned Hanks, who said the country can expect to see more individuals out of the job market in the fall.

Black federal workers have found themselves at the center of President Trump’s agenda, which has included downsizing the federal workforce, which his administration sees as “wasteful” spending, reducing and dismantling several agencies and departments like the Department of Education, and, probably most significantly, eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion roles, which he has called “illegal discrimination.”

Hanks says the Trump administration’s targeting of DEI and undermining civil rights protections creates an environment for more discrimination, especially for Black workers.

“They’re saying to companies and others that they are willing to put up with discrimination,” she told theGrio. She noted that one of the offices axed as part of Trump’s shrinking of the federal government and attacks on DEI was the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contracting Compliance Programs. That office was tasked with ensuring federal contractors were following civil rights laws.

“Even if there is not a policy to discriminate, they certainly have created the environment that makes Black workers, workers of color, more exposed in their jobs,” she explained.

Hanks added, “The Trump administration is harming the economy in all of these different ways that are putting a strain on business owners…on Black workers and making our economy overall just less stable [and] less dynamic.”

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Toronto-born alt-pop provocateur Sophie Powers has teamed up with K-Pop’s newest global phenomenon ILLIT to reimagine their viral hit “jellyous” and the result is a kaleidoscopic, pulse-pounding anthem that bridges continents, cultures, and chaotic teenage dreams.

Originally released as part of ILLIT’s explosive mini-album bomb (June 2024), “jellyous” rapidly carved out a space in the K-pop canon thanks to its sticky-sweet chorus, staccato rhythms, and an infectious TikTok dance challenge that flooded FYPs across the globe. Now, Sophie Powers injects the track with her own brand of gritty, genre-warping energy, adding sharp-tongued verses and a rebellious edge that’s equal parts cyberpunk, riot grrrl, and hyperpop. The remix dropped today across all streaming platforms, already sparking a social media frenzy from ILLIT’s GLITs and Sophie’s Powerpuffs alike.

A New Pop Order: Sophie x ILLIT

This isn’t some surprise industry stunt or label-manufactured gimmick. It’s the product of mutual admiration and organic fan-to-idol evolution. Sophie first declared herself an ILLIT superfan earlier this year, posting her own Tick-Tack dance challenge to Instagram and even appearing on the group’s web series, where she stunned viewers with a stripped-back cover of Magnetic. The admiration was mutual. ILLIT later choreographed a now-viral routine to Sophie’s single “move with me,” proving that pop stars on opposite sides of the world are more creatively aligned than ever.

And now, the artistic chemistry has culminated in this turbocharged new version of “jellyous.” Where the original track exuded youthful confidence and bubblegum swagger, Sophie’s additions bring a delicious sense of chaos, carving out a sonic space that feels more underground club than Seoul soundstage.

“I’m so excited to share my collaboration with ILLIT,” said Sophie Powers in a statement. “I watched the show they came from on Netflix and have loved seeing their journey from the very beginning. The girls are so talented and inspiring, and it’s crazy to think I’m the same age as Yunah, Minju, and Moka. This song is so special to me, and I hope it reminds people to chase their dreams the way ILLIT has.”

The Remix: What It Sounds Like

Let’s break it down: the “jellyous (ft. Sophie Powers)” remix takes the original’s shimmering pop skeleton and cranks up the volume both literally and metaphorically. Sophie’s verses slice through the track like broken glass under neon light, teetering between bratty flirtation and existential coolness. She doesn’t just sing on the remix she claims space in it.

The chorus remains intact (because why mess with perfection?), but Sophie’s layering think grungy background growls, ethereal harmonies, and sly vocal ad-libs elevates it into something nastier, bolder, and, frankly, better suited to mosh pits and late-night cry-dances. If the original was an Instagram filter, the remix is a grainy film photo taken in a basement rave at 2 a.m.

Sophie Powers: The Anti-Pop Pop Star

At just 21, Sophie Powers has already made a name for herself as one of pop’s most daring new voices. Since her 2022 debut, she’s attracted praise from PAPER, The FADER, Stereogum, and Billboard for her “no-filter” approach to songwriting and fearless self-expression.

In their place raw guitars, anti-capitalist fashion, and lyrics that bounce between nihilistic and life-affirming in the space of a single verse. Her recent singles “move with me” and “head empty no thoughts” are masterclasses in catharsis, blending punk aggression with pop sheen in a way that’s both ironic and deeply sincere.

Live, she’s a force of nature. Her recent performances at the UK’s Slam Dunk Festival and the Vans Warped Tour have only solidified her reputation as a hurricane in platform boots screaming, sweating, and rallying crowds of misfits with every chorus.

ILLIT: The New Vanguard of K-Pop

Meanwhile, ILLIT is barely a year into their career and already being hailed as the future of K-pop. Formed on Netflix’s reality competition [insert fictional or real show title, if known], the five-member girl group: Yunah, Minju, Moka, Iroha, and Wonhee has stormed the industry with a mix of nostalgic Y2K aesthetics and razor-sharp choreography.

“jellyous” was the breakthrough: a sugary yet menacing track that let each member shine vocally and visually. But their quick rise isn’t just due to clever marketing. ILLIT has demonstrated real versatility, effortlessly transitioning between bubblegum pop, electro-ballads, and now, this Sophie-fueled remix, with enviable ease. And let’s be clear, collaborating with a Western artist like Sophie this early in their careers shows a boldness that mirrors her own.

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With her paw print tattoos and golden hair, Eve is living the soft life. However, contrary to popular belief, it’s not merely because of her wealthy British husband.

During a recent appearance on the “Angie Martinez In Real Life” podcast, the 46-year-old rapper and actress opened up about her life today, and how her perceived comfortable lifestyle didn’t come from marriage but from inner work. 

 “Yes … I worked on myself,” said the “Who’s That Girl,” performer in a clip. “So, it’s not just ‘soft life’ because of the man I’m with, because some people have this idea of what my life is because of this man or whatever.” 

She added, “It’s because I f— worked hard on my own s—.” 

The “Barbershop” star also cleared up some misconceptions about her husband, British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper.

“He’s not a billionaire. I need to clear that up. He’s not a billionaire,” the two-time platinum-selling artist said, adding, “He ain’t broke, but I ain’t broke either. So, I’m not gonna be with a broke dude. You know what I mean?”

She also explained that Cooper has only amplified her inner journey. 

“Before I met him, I was doing work. But because I have him, it helped me do better work because he’s a good dude. I’m, like, really lucky,” she shared. 

And the work, she said, never stops.

“People who know me, who know me intimately, my friends, know that I don’t stop working on myself. So, I do all the things. I do the healing, I do the acupuncture, I do the spinal energetics, I do the Reiki, I do the breath work… That’s my life. That’s who I am, for real. I do the work,” she explained.

Eve rose to fame in the late 1990s, known as the First Lady of Ruff Ryders, dominating hip-hop with Grammy-winning hits, acting roles, and even had her own sitcom. But after years in the entertainment industry, she took a step back from the limelight and met Cooper in 2010 while participating as a driver at the Gumball 3000 motor rally in London, which he founded. The pair married in 2014 and now share a son, 3-year-old Wilde Wolf.

While on the podcast, Eve shared that she had entered a period of not dating beyond “situations,” but she knew from the moment they met that he was bringing a different energy to the table.

“The moment we met, I was like ‘who is he?’ In a way that I never felt before,” she said in a clip. “In a way that I was like, ‘What does he do when he wakes up in the morning?’ Like, I wanna just know everything. I was fascinated.” 

After the rally he wound up visiting her in Los Angeles and Eve realized then she was ready for something “grown up” and serious. 

When Martinez asked if she had any advice for anyone else stuck in their situationship phase, Eve said it’s okay to admit if you want something more.

“You deserve what you want,” she said. 

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WNBA player Sophie Cunningham is demanding greater respect from the fans of the sport and its players following a bizarre and increasingly common practice of launching sex toys onto the field during competition.

Cunningham, the guard/forward with the Indiana Fever, posted to social media on August 1 after the latest such incident disrupted a game between the Golden State Valkyries and Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena.

“Stop throwing dildos on the court… you’re going to hurt one of us,” Cunningham tweeted, following the third-quarter interruption caused by a lime-green dildo being tossed onto the court.

This becomes the second incident in just a week, a troubling escalation that has sparked concern and confusion among players, commentators, and viewers alike.

Dildos and Disruptions: A Growing NSFW Trend

The Wintrust Arena crowd was stunned during the third quarter of the Valkyries-Sky game with the score sitting at 37–39 in Chicago’s favor when a neon green dildo flew onto the hardwood, prompting an abrupt timeout.

The sex toy was eventually taken away by arena staff; it was an uncomfortable reminder of what transpired three days earlier during a July 29 contest pitting the Atlanta Dream against the Valkyries.

In that match, which was tied at 75-75 in its final minute, announcer Morgan Ragan was on the call when she saw something odd out of the corner of her eye.

“Something flies on the court actually from the crowd,” Ragan narrated. “And you can see the object.”

Ragan and her announcer partner at first couldn’t determine what this mysterious object was, only that it was “green” and heading directly for them. But as cameras rolled in, the shocking truth unfolded.

“Oh my gosh. OK. OK. Inappropriate,” Ragan gasped. “Get them out of here, whoever it is.”

Security and police were heard laughing briefly before one officer removed the dildo using a towel. Play resumed after the brief pause with the Valkyries winning, 77–75.

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In recent years, Black gymnasts have been making waves on the Olympic stage. As USA Gymnastics reports increasing diversity in both the men’s and women’s gymnastics times, one coach is fighting to ensure that Black men have a space in the competitive gymnastics world.  

James Jones owns James Jones Gymnastics Academy in Georgia, Clayton County. The academy is home to the only all-Black boys’ competitive gymnastics team in the country. Since 2019, Jones has been running the academy alone. Over time, his community has grown in size and height, which has led to a search for a new gym location.  

“The ceiling is only 13 feet high. And so when we first came here, the boys were small. These boys are teenagers, and most of them are almost 6 feet,” Jones told HuffPost. “They’re literally kicking the ceiling.”

The owner, who is also an attorney, has spent the last year looking for a space within the county but has been met with continuous roadblocks due to stringent zoning restrictions. 

“This isn’t an issue about money. It is an issue about zoning…I’ve been trying my best to relocate us to another location in Clayton County because this is one of the cheaper counties for commercial real estate,” Jones explained. “There are so many warehouses and buildings that are vacant and empty, but we can’t move to any. And at this point, I’m constructively being forced to close down because I can’t relocate the gym anywhere else.”

According to a Clayton County spokesperson, while Jones’s proposed warehouses would be ideal for their locations and sizes, they did not meet the zoning requirements, as they are designed for manufacturing. However, the county said it is “committed to working with Coach James or any applicant to find solutions in line with the County’s zoning policies.”

However, Jones’ desire to stay in Clayton County is not rooted in selfish frugality. To maintain its accessibility to the community, the James Jones Gymnastics Academy offers rates based on families’ incomes. So to avoid increasing families’ rates for the sake of high rent costs, Jones has been persistent in his search. 

“We really want to keep this program going for the community,” Kecia Blackmon, an academy parent, told WSB-TV. “It means a lot to us. It means a lot to the community. So please help us if you can.”

In an effort to save the academy, Jones launched a GoFundMe campaign on social media, which has received donations from stars like Jordan Chiles and Viola Davis. 

Ultimately, Jones’s work is driven by the power of representation. 

“I think that a lot of parents stifle the interest of their sons because they don’t even give them a chance to develop an interest in the sport,” he concluded. “If Black boys see other Black boys doing gymnastics, or boys in general, if it piques their interest, they will want to do it. They will want to join in as well.”

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American Eagle has responded after its latest denim campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney was greeted with an online backlash. The brand issued a statement on August 1 following backlash that the campaign slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” was a tone-deaf and offensive pun, one which some said was advocating for eugenics.

The ad, which debuted on July 23, features the Euphoria and Anyone But You star modeling American Eagle denim as she is accompanied by her German shepherd, Sully Bear. In one of the campaign clips that has been widely shared, Sweeney says, “Eyes up here,” as the camera pans across her body, with viewers questioning the intent of the commercial’s sexual tone and marketing strategy.

But it was not just the racy photos that created a buzz. Offense was taken at the headline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” which was seen as an objectionable allusion to Sweeney’s physical characteristics, such as her blonde hair, blue eyes, and white race, because of the homophone of “jeans” and “genes.” Critics took it a step further when some on social media linked the campaign to a legacy of beauty standards long predicated on exclusionary ideas.

One since-removed version of the ad even called out Sweeney’s blue eyes, fueling further speculation that the campaign was using retro, racially charged aesthetics. Some went as far as to say it was reminiscent of Nazi propaganda, with some accusing the brand of aping eugenics language for the sake of catchy wordplay.

In an statement published on Instagram, American Eagle denied those claims:

“‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

The company emphasized that the campaign’s focus was denim and individuality, not genetics or appearances.

However, there is still controversy over the tone and audience of the advertisement. Critics argued that the campaign was for the male gaze, despite being designed to sell women’s clothing. An Instagram commenter wrote under AE’s post, “This was not the move AE, we needed and wanted something DIFFERENT as women.”

The scandal has even touched the political arena. On July 29, Steven Cheung, Director of Communications at the White House, had this to say on X (formerly Twitter), “Cancel culture run amok,” suggesting that the outrage over the advert might be overboard.

As for Sydney Sweeney herself, the 27-year-old actress has remained largely removed from the drama. Aside from posting one image from the campaign on her Instagram grid, Sweeney has continued to post casual content featuring her dogs and snippets from her daily life, seemingly bypassing the media storm.

While not the inaugural fashion brand to be rebuked for sexy denim ads, this does bring to mind past controversies, such as the 1980 Calvin Klein campaign starring a then-15-year-old Brooke Shields. The campaign included the line, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Shields later told Vogue she was “naive” to the ad’s implications, although she did acknowledge its lasting cultural relevance.

“The controversy backfired,” Shields said in the 2021 interview. “The campaign was really successful, and then the underwear overtook the jeans.”

It remains to be seen if American Eagle’s latest marketing mishap will have the same destiny or enjoy the same lifespan. In the meantime, the brand insists that it’s standing by its campaign and standing by Sweeney.

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