Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg Join Forces to Slay Vampires in 'Day Shift'

They say religion is the opiate of the masses. That may be true, but if so, entertainment is not far behind, and movies are perhaps its most effective delivery method.

There are likely several reasons "Top Gun: Maverick" clocked a billion dollars at the box office 36 years after the original, but one of them is surely the collective need for a break from reality.

In a world where global warming, class wars, political unrest and a persistent pandemic have made life — less than optimal— sometimes 120 minutes in a fantasy world is the perfect prescription for the new-millennium blues.

With that in mind, the mad doctors at Netflix may have stumbled onto this summer's best remedy for that ailment with their latest offer.

Combining the talents of two of hip-hop and R&Bs finest, "Day Shift" is a modern-day take on the vampire genre that looks better than it has any right to be if the final cut lives up to the action-packed trailer.

Tha Dogg gone Vampire Huntin. #DayShift out on @netflix August 12th 👏🏿👏🏿🍿 pic.twitter.com/lfF0F9rL8n

— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) July 11, 2022

Rap legend Snoop Dogg and Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, who has also been nominated for eight Grammys for his musical contribution and won one, portray unionized vampire hunters in the tale. It's a twist that Starbucks' corporate is sure to hate but it provides context for the motivation of Foxx's character, who has fallen out of favor with the union and is doing jobs on the side when not cleaning pools to make ends meet. The duo is joined by Dave Franco in a role that plays to his talents as a straight-man and comic relief.

Netflix boasts the film is “from the people who taught John Wick how to kick ass" in the trailer, and the movie does have strong ties to the highly praised action trilogy.

Director JJ Perry was a second unit director and stunt coordinator whose previous credits include the John Wick franchise, and the movie was adapted from an original script by Tyler Tice that has been revised by Shay Hatten ("John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum" and "John Wick: Chapter 4").

Check out the synopsis below and watch the official trailer.

Day Shift tells the story of longtime vampire hunter Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx), a man whose relationship with his wife (Meagan Good) and daughter (Zion Broadnax) is somewhat strained because of his secret line of work. While Bud’s family generally goes with the story that he works as a pool cleaner, in reality, he’s one of the many vampire hunters operating around the world to take out the blood-sucking ghouls for sizable bounties. Unlike Bud, who somehow managed to get himself booted from the union in the past, hunters like Big John Elliott (Snoop Dogg) count on their membership to get paid and stay involved in the larger fight against evil.

Watch: Aretha Franklin's Granddaughter Auditions for 'American Idol'

Grace Franklin on "American Idol."

Even coming from a royal lineage is not a guarantee to get you a spot on "American Idol."

Grace Franklin, the 15-year-old granddaughter of the Queen of Soul, found that out the hard way when she auditioned for the long-running musical talent show on its 20th season premiere Sunday.

When asked how she came to stand before the judges, the teenager said, "My grandma is Aretha Franklin."

The statement elicited surprise from R&B legend Lionel Richie.

"Stop right there, that's your grandma!" exclaimed the "All Night Long" singer.

Unfortunately for young Grace, the elation would not last.

The music neophyte, who shared with the audience in a pre-taped segment before the audition, "I don't think I could fully grasp the fact that she [Franklin] was known worldwide, because to me she was always just grandma," sang two songs.

Her take on "Killing Me Softly," as popularized by Lauryn Hill of the Fugees, was called "a little sleepy and subdued" by country superstar and "Idol" judge Luke Bryan. Her next attempt at Franklin's hit "Ain't No Way," was agreed to be more "in her lane" by the judges, but that was not enough to sway Bryan and Richie who voted for her not to advance.

Bryan sternly declared, "For right now I'm a no," before Richie took a slightly gentler approach on the deciding vote.

"Grace Franklin, I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards," he said. "Go back and get a running start and come at this again."

Perry, who voted her through to the show's next round, stormed off the stage following the decision.

As she exited the judges' chambers the "Teenage Dream" singer said, "She's got stardust on her! There's something wrong with your ears. Y'all are insane!"

Richie, however, was not done. He rose from his seat to address Grace directly and told her, "Trust me! If you go and come back and put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you, you're going to be something amazing and I don't want to be the one to make you tip over and fall at this stage," and gave her a hug.

Watch the full audition below:

Watch: The Queen Bee Impersonates Adele on 'Carpool Karaoke'

Adele's rendition of Monster, while appearing on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" during a “Carpool Karaoke” segment in 2016, is the stuff of legend.

Both viewers and the musically-inclined host were left impressed by the 15-time Grammy Award winner's effortless flow and familiarity with the subject matter.

At the time the Queen Bee herself even co-signed the performance. She tweeted, "Adele is mad ratchet. I can’t take her #UK #WutsGood,” with the laughing emoji, seeming impressed with the take on her verse.

This past Thursday (Feb. 3) it was Minaj's turn to return the favor. While appearing on the talk show, she did her own take on the superstar chanteuse that was just as stunning.

“First of all, it’s Adele. Second of all, it’s ‘Monster.’ You guys made such an amazing freaking tag team,” Minaj said about the Adele impersination. “That made my day, my year. I probably got a thousand phone calls about that one thing.”

Nicki then got into character as Adele and spoke with a British accent.

“All right, in order for me to channel Adele, I sort of have to think like a black lady in London, right?” Nicki said while getting into the accent.

Adele is mad ratchet. I can't take her😂 #UK #WutsGood

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) January 14, 2016

She continued, “Because the thing is, normally, everybody knows … my British accent is sort of like a posh white lady. A rich white lady, right? But with Adele, I sort of have, like, to transform. She might have used to sell crack. Maybe she used to be hustling nickels and dimes in the hood and then she got her big break.”

Watch the entire video below:

Watch: Hip-Hop Legends Come Together in Epic Super Bowl Halftime Trailer

Last year we reported that Dr. Dre had assembled some of hip-hop's greatest talents to headline the 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Today, with the game closer on the horizon, the rapper and producer dropped a hype video for the event that has expectations soaring for the halftime experience at the first Super Bowl in Los Angeles since 1993.

In the nearly four-minute clip directed by F. Gary Gray, who had the same role on "Straight Outta Compton," the biographical movie about Dre's former group N.W.A. released in 2015, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar answer "The Call" from Dre and unite to head to the stadium together in their own unique ways.

Eminem opens the video battle-rapping his alter ego Slim Shady before getting the nod and jumping on his private plane. Snoop Dogg cruises the California streets to his frequent partner in rhyme in his custom lowrider. Blige announces she's back in a high-fashion photoshoot before jumping in her own slick ride, and Lamar wrestles with his own verses and smoking pen in an empty room before jumping on his custom bike to heed the call.

The soundtrack, scored by Adam Blackstone, transitions into Tupac Shakur's 1999 hit "California Love" as they come together and approach the stadium. It is in an homage to the deceased star who was a pivotal part of Death Row along with Dre and Snoop and the city in which the game will be played.

"The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career," Dr. Dre said in a statement when the lineup was originally announced.

"It will be an "unforgettable cultural moment," he added.

Whether or not that is true remains to be seen but the hype video has certainly made some fans believers. Watch the entire clip below:

Blue Ivy Carter Steals the Show in Jay-Z Tribute Video

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's true recent Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jay-Z must be basking in pure adulation. 

While the rapper was officially inducted to the hall in October, a new video was released shortly after the ceremony aired Saturday on HBO. In it a long list of luminaries, including his wife Beyoncé, pay tribute to the artist by reciting iconic lyrics from his body of work.

However, it was his nine-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who stood out from the pack of 30 celebs — including the likes of Kevin Hart, Rihanna, Halle Berry, David Letterman, Chris Rock, Ed Sheeran, Idris Elba, Lin-Manuel Miranda and LeBron James, reciting a censored line from her father's 1998 track "Ride or Die."

"Congrats S. Carter, ghostwriter. You paid the right price, so we just make your hits tighter," recites Blu before bursting into laughter.

What the entire video below:

WATCH: Snoop Dogg Shows Dr. Dre His Old School Car Collection

Watch two hip-hop legends link up as Snoop Dogg shows Dr. Dre his old school car collection:

Watch: Jay Z Gives Great Life Advice (ft. Will Smith) [VIDEO]

Watch Jay Z give life advice and drop many klassic joints below:

Watch: J Dilla's Influence On Hip-Hop [Never-Before-Seen Footage]

Friends, family and peers of the legendary hip hop producer J Dilla discuss his influence then head to Detroit to open Dilla's storage locker, never-before-seen to the public.