Tessa Thompson, Michael B. Jordan, Zoë Kravitz, and Sam Richardson, among hundreds of other Black artists and studio executives, have signed a letter asking Hollywood to divest from police and anti-Black content. The letter, written by Miss Juneteenth and Insecure star Kendrick Sampson and developed by Thompson and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Melina Abdullah, notes that “Hollywood and mainstream media have contributed to the criminalization of Black people, the misrepresentation of the legal system, and the glorification of police corruption and violence” and how that’s “had dire consequences on Black lives.”

It reads:

“Even with the recent successes of Black-led and produced films and television, myths of limited international sales and lack of universality of Black-led stories are used to reduce our content to smaller budgets and inadequate marketing campaigns. White people make up the smallest racial demographic globally, yet their stories are seen as internationally universal. When we do get the rare chance to tell our stories, our development, production, distribution, and marketing processes are often marred, filtered, and manipulated by the white gaze.”

On top of divesting from police and anti-Black content, the letter, which was also signed by numerous Black members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Billy Porter, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Idris Elba, Issa Rae, Octavia Spencer, and Viola Davis, also demands that Hollywood invest in anti-racist content and in “our community” and “our careers.”

You can read the whole letter here, and see the full list of demands at BLDPWR.

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Following a period of relative musical inactivity, JoJo has mounted a successful return. Her 2016 album, Mad Love, achieved a peak of No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and her latest, this year’s Good To Know, bowed at the same position on the Top R&B Albums chart. Now she has given her fans more of what they want with a new video for “Small Things.”

JoJo shared a note about the song and surreal video, writing in its description:

“I’ve been trying to wait for the right moment to share this video with you. With everything going on in the world and in our own backyard, I didn’t want anyone to misconstrue its release as some kind of indication that I’ve moved on from the revolution at hand, here in America. I want to say it clear as day: Black people made me who I am. Not only my longest standing friendships, but also the record executives, mentors, teachers, romantic partners, and loyal fans who believed in me and took a chance on me – they have all shaped me. Without their support in every way, and without the artists who inspire me to make music, I would not exist. My support for Black lives/art/love/safety/freedom is not a phase nor does it have an expiration date. I’m honored to be a part of R&B culture and I never take my warm reception for granted.

Here’s a piece of art that we made to express how painful it can be to hold in your feelings. To act like you’re okay, when- in all honesty- you’re not. I wanted to video to feel like catharsis.

A special thank you to these beautiful artists/dancers for blessing this video with their incredible talents – Morgan Choice, Halima Dodo, Dominique Battiste and Alexandra Carson.

‘The function of freedom is to try to free someone else.’ – Toni Morrison

Always grateful. Always yours,
Jo.”

Watch the “Small Things” video above.

JoJo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen is a show that’s only become more prescient in today’s America, but its future remains as murky as ever. Despite rave reviews from critics and viewers alike, there hasn’t been much in the way of progress on a second season of the superhero drama. And that includes some less-than committed statements from one of the show’s stars.

Variety reported Tuesday that Regina King, who stared as Angela Abar in all nine episode of the 2019 miniseries, isn’t sure if there will be a second season of the show. Appearing in the magazine’s Actors On Actors issue with Reese Witherspoon (herself the star of an HBO series with an uncertain future), King said it’s basically up to showrunner Damon Lindelof.

“I don’t know,” King told Witherspoon when asked about more episodes. “Honestly, I feel like I think HBO would want it back in a heartbeat, but if [showrunner] Damon Lindelof doesn’t see an entry point for Season 2, I think that the possibilities are infinite. But I feel that if Damon doesn’t see it, then it’s going to be a no for me.”

Relying on Lindelof for more Watchmen, however, isn’t great news for anyone who wants to see more of the show as soon as possible. He’s already admitted he’s skeptical about whether a second season that can build on the stunning one that’s already aired, calling the door “barely ajar” for more another go-round.

“I never wanna close the door completely because if two, three years from now I say, I just had another idea, it will be that much harder to open. But I would say it’s barely ajar. I think that there are no current plans to make any more Watchmen. If the idea comes, I would be enthusiastic about it, the idea may not come from me. I would be super excited about it coming from someone else. So my position hasn’t changed,” Lindelof told Deadline back in February at the WGAW Awards.

Those are not exactly exciting signs if you want more of the show, but in a way it’s good that King has verbally committed to staying involved if Lindelof came up with a way forward. It’s unclear if HBO would try to make more without him, but King strongly implies here that she’s only in if he’s in, too, which complicates it even further.

Either way, we’ll always have Lube Man.

For twenty years a sequel to the Best Picture-winning Gladiator has been tossed around off and on. On the surface, it makes sense to make a sequel to an extremely popular film that won Best Picture (and has just been reissued with a brand new 4K disc). But, then again (spoiler alert), the fact Russell Crowe’s Maximus doesn’t survive the movie is kind of a problem. But it appears producer Douglas Wick and director Ridley Scott have maybe figured something out.

For Gladiator‘s 20th anniversary, I spoke to producer Douglas Wick who takes us through the ups and downs of trying to get this movie made (it was never easy). And, as it turns out, on the day we spoke Wick had just gotten off the phone with Scott about that sequel, and when I asked what he feels the odds are of it happening, he says it’s “more than 50 percent.”

I was watching your Oscar speech again. Do you wish you would have done a James Cameron and just went, “Are you not entertained?,” and just walked off? People would have remembered that.

The only problem with that is, they would remember you as just such a self-absorbed asshole. So, you’re working against that from the start.

It would be on every highlight reel though. You’d have to admit that.

It’s true though. You’re right.

Rewatching Gladiator, I found myself enjoying it more than I even thought I would, but also thinking this kind of movie wouldn’t win Best Picture today.

I mean, when you’re trying to guess on the Academy Awards, it’s always uphill. Occasionally movies that excel in a lot of different areas have a little bit of a shot. You know what I mean? If you’re in the music, production, design, costume, you start to get a little bit of a shot. If you were just a betting person, there’s a little bit of a thing where if you excel in all of those, because it’s a team sport: And when each member of the team does some of their best work, the team effort gets recognized.

While making it, did you think an Oscar was possible?

No, no. It was always one calamity after another, that, in retrospect, you either turned each of those disasters into an opportunity or each one was a nail in your coffin. And, so, as I’m sure you’ve read, there were challenges with a script along the way.

Yes.

By the way, the thing that’s not true is that there was ever just a 25-page draft. There were many, many, many drafts. But there were challenges. Like, at a certain point, fairly deep into the progress the discussion of, “Can you kill the leading man? And can that be part of a movie that’s this expensive?” So, as you’re racing towards the starting line, half-dressed, you’re worrying about all of those issues. You’re worrying about parts of the story that aren’t adding up. And so, no. You’re mostly hoping to survive.

Of all the movies you’ve done, is this the one that maybe caused the most stress during your life?

Well, in different ways. I mean, each has its challenges. On Stuart Little, I got a note in my office saying that the cat’s asshole had fallen off, and we had to shut down. With the stress, there’s a stress ailment called protruding asshole.

What?

Yeah. Stress-induced, and it was the only cat working that day, so we had to shut down. Gladiator had very specific challenges by the way the script was always evolving. When you’re working with Ridley Scott, who from fairly early on is sketching scenes, because he’s basically a painter, you’re seeing those, and you’re seeing what it could be. He very early on visualizes the whole movie. And then even when you say you can kill him, you have to have a Ridley who said, “Well, actually, I can deliver the afterlife. So it won’t be cheating. It will work.” So, there’s a million decisions all along the way that you’re struggling to make and not lose sight of the overview. And it’s only in retrospect that you kind of understand that at each one of those challenges, the movie got better instead of worse.

So how does the plan work to campaign for Best Picture? Gladiator came out on May. Do you go back to the studio and say, “I think we can make a run at this?”

The plan was, first, we’re going to try and find an audience for it.

Right.

And then everyone knew it was a big disadvantage for awards to open in May, but it was also an audience movie as much as it was an awards movie. I remember we were going to visit theaters that first Friday night. And as we pulled up, all the lines were guys dressed up in black leather jackets who were there to see a fight movie. And we were concerned. But the great life of the movie would be that it would rise as a drama. And interestingly, by Saturday night, when we visited theaters, there were suddenly equal parts women in line, which meant that the word was out that it was also a great drama. So that’s when you start to say, “Okay, this could really have a great life.”

Yeah I have friends who were too young to see this in theaters who think it’s just a bloody fight movie.

And by the way, a bunch of movies failed after Gladiator because they just did incredibly expensive dramas without the action. So it’s a very difficult balance to get.

A sequel has been talked about for 20 years. Take me through this. Is this still a thing?

It’s funny. I had, literally, two hours ago, a conversation with Ridley about the sequel, which we’re working on. And where we all feel Gladiator is a really unique movie. I mean, the main character of the movie is dead. So, when you start a new movie, it’s not like you say, “Oh, I’ve got a return role for these movie stars.” And also, everyone has such respect for the movie, that there’s just real clarity that unless we get it on paper, we’re not going to do it. No one wants some cynical shadow to make some bucks.

I read there was a script where Maximus traveled through time, showing up at different points in history like in Vietnam.

What’s that?

This was maybe ten years ago or so?

Oh, there was a Nick Cave script that Russell developed…

Yes, was that real?

Well, it was only real in that it was written. And it was basically about him trying to rejoin his family in the afterlife.

So was it was ever seriously considered?

No. That was, I think, too difficult and too kind of off-topic.

You said you spoke to Ridley Scott earlier today. What do you think the odds of this sequel happening is?

I’d certainly say more than 50 percent.

Those are good odds.

It’s also an honest answer.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

After announcing that he would be releasing a new EP for his birthday and collecting fans’ addresses, Atlanta crooner 6lack revealed that the EP, titled 6 Pc Hot, will also come with a bottle of his own hot sauce for fans who signed up on his cleverly-designed 6lackbox website. 6lackbox also received an update with links leading to social justice resources, voter registration, and a guide to “Black-owned” businesses. There’s also a password-protected “folder” of info on his upcoming third album.

6lack’s announcement comes after he again stoked the popular online debate about the pronunciation of his name, but rather than simply focus on promoting his latest project, the rapper/singer pointed the focus to supporting Black people at a time the national conversation has centered on ways to disrupt America’s culture of racism and anti-Blackness. At the end of May, 6lack penned an open letter to fans addressing the fraught climate on his social media and while he could have stopped there, he remained committed to pushing toward true change.

His dedication to going the extra mile even extends to more lighthearted subjects as well, though, as evidenced by his starting a hot sauce brand, 600 Degrees, to go with the theme of his new EP. 6lack will also make an appearance on Spillage Village‘s upcoming group album, so he’s remaining pretty busy this year.

Check out 6lackbox.com for more info.

June is Pride Month and, with the pandemic, Pride celebrations are moving online. To make sure Pride can still be commemorated to the fullest, nonprofit organization Pride Live has organized a star-studded virtual celebration. The organization tapped celebrities like Taylor Swift and even Barack Obama to appear in a special livestream honoring the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.

On Tuesday, Pride Live announced their third annual Stonewall Day. Taking place online, rather than in person at the Stonewall Inn, the livestream gathers LGBTQ celebrities and allies for an all-out celebration. Along with inviting Swift and Obama, Pride Live confirmed Hayley Kiyoko, Katy Perry, Kesha, and many more for the event. Proceeds from the event will benefit LGBTQ organizations affected by the pandemic like Brave Space Alliance, TransLatin@ Coalition, and the Trans Ally Coalition.

In a statement alongside the virtual event’s announcement, Pride Live board director Dr. Yvette Burton spoke to the importance of commemorating the Stonewall uprising: “From Marsha P. Johnson’s revolution at Stonewall, to the recent murders of Dominique Fells and Riah Milton, the protection of trans people of color continues to be the litmus test of freedom and equal opportunities. Policies such as the Trump administration’s reversed protections for transgender people in the U.S. health-care system, adds the disproportionate effect of fatal violence, impacted by the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia across communities and families.”

Check out Stonewall Day’s full list of virtual appearances above.

Pride Live’s Stonewall Day streaming event kicks off 6/26 at 3 p.m. ET. Watch it here.

After facing renewed and heightened criticism for his use of blackface while hosting Comedy Central’s The Man Show from 1999 to 2003, Jimmy Kimmel has issued a statement apologizing for his insensitive sketches.

Despite being on vacation, Kimmel addressed his controversial impression of former NBA star Karl Malone and says he has “evolved” and “matured” since his time on The Man Show and as a radio shock jock where the impression first started. Kimmel also apologized for not tackling the subject when it was brought up over the years.

“I have long been reluctant to address this, as I knew doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us,” Kimmel said in a statement. “That delay was a mistake.”

While addressing the Malone sketches, the late-night host went even further and admitted to doing impressions of Snoop Dogg and Oprah, which in hindsight, were not the best idea, and he regrets not recognizing it at the time. Via Deadline:

“On KROQ radio in the mid-90s, I did a recurring impression of the NBA player Karl Malone. In the late 90s, I continued impersonating Malone on TV. We hired makeup artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible. I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl’s skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head. I’ve done dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie, and many others. In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more. Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it is frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some to diminish my criticisms of social and other injustices,” he added.

Kimmel ended his apology by refusing to allow this incident to “cancel” him, although that decision will up to audiences. “I love this country too much to allow that,” he said. “I won’t be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas.”

You can read Kimmel’s full statement below:

(Via Deadline)

Picking a “cocktail of the summer” in 2020 feels incredibly fraught. The world is changing rapidly, festivities feel far from top of mind, and Americans ought to be staying home instead of gathering in indoor bars. Not exactly a recipe for boozy days and wild nights.

Although… maybe those are all perfect reasons to name a cocktail of the season. You probably need a recipe or two to try in your own backyard this summer. Something that makes it feel like a full-fledged party summer, even if it’s not. Our one rule for 2020? The recipe should be easy, adaptable, and one-off. You don’t want to make too many store runs. You don’t want to get bored. And you don’t need something that can be made in giant batches to accommodate some massive 4th of July party. It should also be as refreshing as hell. ‘Tis the season, after all.

That’s why we’re going with the Beer Spritz as our official cocktail of the summer 2020. So it is written, so shall it ever be.

The beer spritz has a couple of adaptations, but the overall idea is to add Campari to beer, stir, and serve. It’s pretty much the easiest highball you can make. You need some ice, a beer of your choice, an orange, and Campari. That’s it. With those humble ingredients, you’ll be ready to enjoy one of the most refreshing drinks in all of existence.

As a long time bartender, I’ve heard about and tasted beer in Campari long before this year. The Campari bar, Camparino, in Milan does a Beer Americano that’s become somewhat iconic on the cocktail circuit. But it didn’t really make an impact with me until a couple of weeks ago, when beer writer and historian, Mark Dredge (A Brief History of Lager), started posting about the Campari Radlers that he’s been making with his radler of choice. That got me thinking about my own favorite beer, Berliner Weisse, as a potential pairing. (I’ve also seen recipes calling for IPA, but more on that later.)

To help you do whatever meager, socially-distanced hosting you can manage this summer, we’re breaking down three easy ways to make a super refreshing Beer Spritz.

Classic Beer Spritz

This is the second easiest way to make this drink but the most refined and refreshing. This is also the most adaptable to your palate. As mentioned above, Mark Dredge is making these with a craft radler right now. And while I dig that version, I’m taking a different, though similar, path.

My preferred beer is the Berliner Weisse. This beer is kettle soured (where the wort is cooled for days while it sours before fermentation) with lacto bacteria, which adds citrus and creamy edge akin to yogurt. It’s sour, bright, and very low-alcohol. I’m using Stone’s Berliner Weisse for this recipe. I’ve also used Berliner Kindl’s Berliner Weisse to the same effect. The key here is to use a standard Berliner Weisse and not one that’s been mixed with fruit. You can of course, but it’s not really necessary.

Also, if this isn’t your jam, try it with other beers you dig. An IPA version is very popular on the internet, but I find that the overt hoppiness of an IPA drowns out the botanical bitterness of the Campari. Hefeweizen is another solid option as it adds softer depth with a hint of spice and banana. You can also use a funky Belgian ale, a lager, or whatever beer you want really. I’ve yet to give a porter or stout a try but nothing is stopping you from trying one as the summer drags on!

Ingredients:

• 4-oz. Berliner Weisse
• 2-oz. Campari
• Ice
• Orange peel

Method:

Fill a rocks glass with well-frozen ice cubes. Add in Campari. Slowly pour the Berliner Weisse over the ice. If you pour too fast, it’ll foam and overflow.

Give the drink a small stir. Peel off a finger of orange rind and spritz the oils over the top and rub the rind along the edges of the glass. Drop in the orange rind. Serve.

Verdict:

I can’t overstate how unbelievably refreshing this drink is. It’s like a bouquet of citrus fruits leaning towards grapefruit and pomelo. The orange adds a nice nose to the drink. The light-yet-creamy nature of the Berliner Weisse counterpoints the herbal bitterness of the Campari so damn well.

This will put an instant smile on your face.

The “Spaghett”

If you’ve ever hung out a restaurant bar with the off-duty chefs and servers after the kitchen closes, you’ll know this drink. The Spaghett (also sometimes — and quite unfortunately — called the “Hobo Negroni”) is as simple as it gets and yet is way too tasty for what it is.

In Chicago, you’ll usually see these made with Miller High Life. I can’t get that in Berlin, so I had to go with MGD. It’s a little sweeter, but suits as a counterpoint to the Campari quite nicely.

In the end, if you don’t want to fuss with pouring beer and bitters into a glass and just need a quick and ultra-refreshing summer sipper right now, this is the play.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle Miller (High Life or MGD)
• 1-oz. Campari
• Orange Wedge

Method:

“Pour” off the neck of the beer bottle. Refill that neck with Campari. Shove in an orange wedge. Twirl. Drink.

Verdict:

There’s a part of me that can’t believe how good this is. This makes a cheap adjunct lager shine. I know, it sounds mad, but this is really refreshing and very quaffable. The Campari’s bitterness cuts through the cloyingly manufactured feel of the MGD. It’s orange, bitter, and slightly malty. Plus, you can make it in about five seconds with no need for any special equipment whatsoever.

Beer Americano

Speaking of special equipment, you do need a bar tool for this recipe. But before we get into that, let’s talk shop on this drink.

The recipe is from famed bar chef Tommaso Cecca, who runs Camparino in Milan. It’s a base of a classic Americano highball — that’s equal parts Campari and sweet, red vermouth. Then, Cecca tops the drink with a lager foam. It’s as striking as it is delicious.

The crucial part of this drink is that as the foam settles back into a liquid beer, it flavors the Americano base with lager. The drink slowly morphs as you drink it, adding complexity with each sip. Plus, it looks cool AF.

Ingredients:

• 3-oz. Birra Moretti (or Peroni)
• 3-oz. Campari
• 3-oz. Red Vermouth
• Ice
• Orange Peel

Method:

Add well-frozen ice to a red wine glass, filling it about half full. Next, add in the Campari and vermouth and stir until well chilled.

I then spritz the base with orange oils from an orange rind. I’ve also seen this done over top of the foam, or even both.

Next, I foam the beer. I use a cocktail shaker and a little Aerolatte foaming thing-y. This takes all of 20 seconds as the foam doubles and the triples in depth very quickly.

I then gently pour the foam directly over the base until it reaches the top of the glass. That’s it.

Verdict:

There’s always a sense of satisfaction when you recreate a drink that you truly admire. The depth of this version is undeniable. The addition of sweet vermouth adds a layer of sweetness and more botanicals to the mix. The slow seep of beer into the base and the effervescent foam add both dimension and texture that’s hard to find in any other highball on the market.

This is a very unique drink that’ll transport you to a sunny square in Milan. And, overall, it’s fairly easy to make.

The Final Verdict:

The Berliner Weisse Spritz wins this by a country mile. It’s super easy to make, looks great in a glass, and goes down amazingly well without being overly alcoholic.

I can’t get over that I’ve never had this before this summer. I’m thinking back on all the years of drinking Berliner Weisse every summer — sometimes spiked with woodruff syrup or some other berry syrup but never Campari. Well now, I know what’ll I’ll be drinking every summer for the rest of my days. Yes, it’s that tasty.

Ever since Missy Elliott made her appearance at the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show alongside Katy Perry, she has finally been receiving her due as a hip-hop national treasure. Her groundbreaking 1997 debut studio album Supa Dupa Fly has since been reissued, she was the first female rapper nominated and inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, and she even received an honorary degree from Berklee College of Music. Now, she’s about to receive yet another coveted honor, solidifying her place in pop culture: a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame.

“I’ve always dreamed of getting a star and now we here,” she said in a celebratory video posted to her Twitter. “I wanna say that I am a walking testimony because so many times I have wanted to quit,” she admitted. “I know so many people out there can relate when it’s not going right and it feels like it’s taking forever to happen but I kept pushing and pushing and pushing. I thank God for giving me the strength to keep going.”

As a testament to the power of pushing through, Missy was also honored last year with an MTV VMA Vanguard Award for her innovative music videos as she entered the 25th year of her ongoing career with the new EP Iconology, which spawned singles (and their accompanying videos paying homage to her iconic history) “Throw It Back,” “DripDemeanor,” “Why I Still Love You,” and “Cool Off.”

Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.