Ukraine Under Fire, Hollywood's Culture War, and Royal Drama

MayaMorning everybody. Welcome back to the Morning Rundown.

DavidGood to be here. Coffee's kicking in. Finally.

MayaWe're starting heavy today. Russian strikes hit Kyiv overnight, and the AP says at least six people died.

DavidYeah, and it's exposing real gaps in Ukraine's air defenses, makes you wonder how long the funding conversation keeps going without a real plan.

MayaWe'll dig into that.

DavidThen, total mood shift, Nolan's Oppenheimer just had a record-breaking opening weekend.

MayaAnd get this, even Ben Shapiro is calling it a masterpiece.

DavidWait, really?

MayaI know, right? We'll get into why later.

DavidPlus some royal family tension and Charlie Sheen's daughter firing back online about her OnlyFans money.

MayaLots on deck. David, walk us into Kyiv first.

DavidYeah, let's go.

MayaSo six people dead in Kyiv this weekend. Missiles, drones, bombs, the whole package, according to the AP.

DavidAnd it's not just Kyiv. Other cities got hit too. Dozens wounded.

MayaYeah, it started early Sunday and just... Didn't stop for hours.

Speaker 3Here's what got me reading that piece, though: the AP ties this surge in missiles directly to Ukraine hitting Russian oil facilities.

MayaSo it's retaliation.

Speaker 3Sort of a tit for tat, yeah. But the real story underneath is Ukraine straight up doesn't have enough Patriot systems to stop what's coming in.

MayaWait—after what—three years of this?

Speaker 3Right.

MayaWe're still talking about gaps in air defense?

Speaker 3Still—and Trump's apparently said he's open to licensing Ukraine to produce Patriots themselves.

MayaOkay, but that's a maybe, that's not a plan.

Speaker 3Exactly—no details on it, just a statement. And, look, I'm not trying to be cold about this, but somebody's gotta ask: how many billions have gone into this war and we're still watching apartment buildings get leveled because the defense grid has holes in it?

MayaI mean, come on, that's the part that gets lost—six people isn't a statistic. But six families waking up today without somebody.

Speaker 3No, you're right, totally right. I'm not minimizing that.

MayaI know, I know. I just, every time I read one of these I picture some mom checking on her kids in a hallway because the building's shaking.

Speaker 3Yeah.

MayaAnd then you've got the funding conversation happening in a totally different room, thousands of miles away on a totally different clock.

Speaker 3Right. That's the disconnect. Congress writes checks, the Pentagon ships hardware. And meanwhile, the actual system on the ground still can't cover the sky. At some point somebody in Washington has to say, here's the actual plan, here's the timeline, here's when this ends, not just here's the next tranche.

MayaDo we think Trump's Patriot idea actually gets Ukraine building their own by next year, or is that a headline that quietly disappears in two weeks?

Speaker 3I'd bet on the second one, honestly. But I'll believe it when there's actual manufacturing timeline attached. Attached.

MayaFair. So, bleak morning, I know. Let's find something lighter, because my brain needs it, honestly.

Speaker 3Same. What have you got?

MayaOkay, so Nolan's The Odyssey, you see the number?

Speaker 3I saw it beat Oppenheimer's opening, right?

MayaBeat it and then some. The AP and The Guardian both have it at 264.1 million worldwide. Domestic alone was 124.5 million.

Speaker 3For a three thousand year old poem in this market?

MayaI know! The Guardian called it his best opening since The Dark Knight Rises, adjusted for inflation.

Speaker 3That's wild, right? A three thousand year old poem outperforming superhero stuff.

MayaAnd get this: Variety's got Ben Shapiro calling it a masterpiece despite all the online outrage swirling around it.

Speaker 3Outrage over what, exactly?

MayaDepends who you ask, honestly, but it's the same pattern every time. Critics decide the narrative before most people even see the thing.

Speaker 3So the box office kind of overruled the noise.

MayaPretty much. Numbers don't really care what Twitter's mad about this week. Okay, actual numbers on the Odyssey now. This is bigger than I expected.

Speaker 3Hit me.

MayaTwo hundred and sixty four point one million dollars worldwide opening weekend. The Associated Press has it beating Nolan's own Oppenheimer debut.

Speaker 3Impressive, and Guardian staff called it his best opening since The Dark Knight Rises back in 2012.

MayaFor a poem nobody's touched since 10th grade English. That's wild, right?

Speaker 3Homer is outgrossing superhero movies now. Never thought I'd say that. And say that sends.

MayaAnd here's the part everyone's chewing on. Ben Shapiro called it a masterpiece.

Speaker 3Despite the outrage online, yeah, Variety ran that.

MayaOutrage over what, exactly?

Speaker 3Garmey casting gripes, mostly, but Shapiro is basically judging the film, not the internet tantrum around it.

MayaI mean, that's kind of rare these days.

Speaker 3Happens maybe once a decade.

MayaShifting to performances that actually earned the praise. John Leguizamo playing Eumaeus

Speaker 3The Hollywood Reporter had him saying it was "intense," that he tapped into "difficult, painful emotions from the depth of my soul.

MayaThat's not usually a line you get from a swords and sandals movie.

Speaker 3No—sounds like no one actually let him go there.

MayaNow, shifting gears, Larry David's new HBO show is going straight after RFK Jr.

Speaker 3Shocking.

MayaRight, HuffPost got him mocking the diet. I and the quote "moron" who put him in charge.

Speaker 3David's funny, I'll give him that; but notice who never gets the joke!

MayaMeaning—

Speaker 3I'm not saying David can't make the joke; I'm saying it's not exactly brave in that room.

MayaFair though Shapiro liking the Odyssey cuts the other way to day.

Speaker 3One data point still looks noticeable when you add it up over time.

MayaSpeaking of headlines not quite matching the actual story...

Speaker 3We've got a good one lined up.

MayaWait till you hear about Harry and Meghan's little reunion. Shifting gears, quick gossip before we go. So Meghan and Harry apparently sat down with King Charles.

Speaker 3I've saw the headlines. Royal reconciliation, right?

MayaThat's the framing. Cosmopolitan's reporting it was, quote, not exactly warm and fuzzy.

Speaker 3Shocking. A secret meeting with the king isn't a group hug.

MayaRight? No details on what was said, just that it happened and it was tense.

Speaker 3I mean, come on, these two haven't exactly been subtle about their feelings toward. and sort the family.

MayaTotally. But hey, at least they're in the same room now.

Speaker 3Progress, I guess. Baby steps.

MayaOh, before I forget, Charlie Sheen's daughter is in the news too.

Speaker 3Wait, which one?

MayaSami. She's 22 and Page Six says she's firing back at people claiming her dad bought her a fancy beach house.

Speaker 3And?

MayaHer actual quote, he hasn't given her a quote, a dime. She says she's paying for it herself with OnlyFans.

Speaker 3Wait, really? That's a pretty direct clapback.

MayaVery direct. I respect the honesty, honestly. She's not hiding it.

Speaker 3Yeah, and look, whatever you think of the platform, she's not asking her famous dad for a handout. That's kind of the opposite of the typical celebrity kid story.

MayaFair point. Okay, quick hits before we're out. Deadline's reporting Real Housewives Jeana Keough was diagnosed with tongue cancer. She's 70. Her daughter confirmed it.

Speaker 3Rough news, sending good thoughts her way.

MayaDefinitely. On a happier note, the 1975's Matty Healy married Gabbriette this weekend. The Cut says the wedding was at Madonna's old L.A. estate.

Speaker 3Of course it was Madonna's old house. Nothing normal about celebrity weddings anymore.

MayaRight? And last one, Khloé Kardashian's been posting tributes to her grandmother MJ, who passed. Page Six ran some of the throwback photos she shared.

Speaker 3Sweet way to remember her.

MayaYeah, it is. A lot packed into one Sunday. Royals, reality stars, weddings.

Speaker 3Busy news cycle for gossip, that's for sure.

MayaAll right, that's the rundown for today.

Speaker 3Yeah, six people in Kyiv gone overnight, that's the part that stays with me, not the funding debate.

MayaTotally. And then Nolan's Odyssey pulling off that opening felt like a nice reset after all that.

Speaker 3Meanwhile, Larry David's still roasting RFK Jr. on HBO. Hollywood really only swings one direction, and I mean, come on.

MayaWe'll keep poking at that one, don't worry.

Speaker 3If you're new here, subscribe and leave us a review, it actually helps.

MayaThanks for spending your morning with us. Seriously.

Speaker 3We'll catch you tomorrow.

MayaBye everybody.