Month: July 2020

Alison Brie and Brie Larson haven’t appeared in a movie together (although first-name Brie did appear on Community with last-name Brie), but the actress’ Google results are forever intertwined for their Wheel of Fortune “Before and After” answer of a name. They even share a personal trainer, which last-name Brie, who appears in her husband Dave Franco’s directorial debut The Rental (out now), uses to motivate her during workouts.

When asked by the Hollywood Reporter if her trainer ever uses Captain Marvel-based taunts to get her to do another round of burpees, Brie replied, “Oh my god. Absolutely. I actually think it’s one of his favorite things to do. It’s one of his favorite motivational tools. He’s literally shown me videos of Brie’s workout to get my juices flowing and pump me up. And it works!” As long as she doesn’t have to push a 5,000-pound Jeep, although that’s the kind of intense training Brie will need to do to play Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk.

About those rumors:

You know, I’ve been trying to follow it online a little bit, and there don’t seem to be. But it is always funny to me when something kind of takes off on the internet, and I’m getting my updates from fans tagging me in things on Instagram. I’m like, “Oh interesting. Oh people are still talking about it. That’s cool.”

Instead of an Alison Brie-type, get the real deal. The Marvel Cinematic Universe can make our Alison Brie Larson dreams come true.

San Diego Comic-Con usually takes place around this time every year, but for obvious reasons, the 2020 edition has been canceled. Instead, virtual panels are being hosted as online livestream events. Yesterday, there was one for a new ThunderCats series, ThunderCats Roar, and the most appropriate musical guest joined the call: Thundercat.

It turns out the musician (who pops up at around 8:45 into the video below) is actually involved with the new show: He voices the villain Grune The Destroyer and also wrote the song “Grune the Destroyer Song.”

During the panel, Thundercat explained how he came to love and name himself after the franchise, discussing how he was obsessed with the show and ones like at as a young child. His fascination with the show got to the point where Thundercat’s mother wouldn’t buy him toys of the show’s characters “because she genuinely thought I would worship them.” He said his love of the show was rekindled as a teenager, and he explained how he came to be known himself as Thundercat:

“I would be working with people like Erykah Badu […] I would always have a ThunderCats shirt on. I would always have that shirt on, and it was because it made me feel comfortable in my skin. That was my identity. But it wasn’t something I would call myself. It became a name that was given to me because in the middle of working on stuff, anytime somebody needed to find me, my friends would go, ‘Find the guy with the ThunderCats shirt. […] And it stuck. And by the time I met Flying Lotus, he was like, ‘Oh, I’ve heard of you. You’re Thundercat.’”

He then described how it felt to be involved with ThunderCats Roar, saying, “When this moment happened, it was genuinely like… it was overwhelming for me. It felt like life was full-circle. It felt like, ‘Whoa… wow. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do.’”

Watch Thundercat discuss the show below, and listen to “Grune The Destroyer Song” above.

Without any actual blockbusters hitting the theaters (Mulan and Tenet were both delayed again this week), it’s not crazy to call 365 Days the movie of the summer.

That’s the case Forbes makes, at least, and it’s a solid argument: the Polish erotic thriller is a massive hit for Netflix, having spent 12 days as the most-watched title on the streaming service, second only to Spenser Confidential’s 18-day run. Other feats include: “365 Days was the first film to be knocked out of the #1 spot on the Daily Top 10 — only to regain that top position” and “365 Days is the third-most-streamed movie in the Netflix Top 10 era. Only Despicable Me and The Angry Birds Movie 2 sit ahead of it.” (It’s not listed on the list Netflix released last week, because those are only original movies.) Not bad for a foreign film with a no-name cast. I wonder why it’s so popular… never mind. 365 Days, as Forbes notes, is also close to breaking a Netflix record:

Not only is 365 Days on the brink of breaking the record for most consecutive days on the Daily Top 10, but the film has also inched dangerously close to becoming the top-streamed movie on Netflix in 2020.

The “basically porn” movie should pass Angry Birds Movie 2 within days (the system is based on points, where the longer a title stays in the top 10 and the higher it’s ranked, the more points it gets) and it’s within an achievable distance from consistently popular Despicable Me, which would make it the most-streamed movie of 2020. Your move, Tenet.

(Via Forbes)

This week, Netflix gives us a new season of a breakout German comedy, a sequel to a hit rom-com, and an animated flick starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt.

The stakes only get higher in How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)‘s second season as Moritz’s online empire grows. Joey King gives us more comedy and heartbreak in The Kissing Booth 2. And Krasinski, Blunt, and Danny DeVito play a trio trying to save a circus with the help of magical cookies. Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix this week of July 24.

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast): Season 2 (Netflix Original)

The first season of this German comedy exploded onto Netflix last year and was quickly renewed for a second season. Based on a weird, unbelievable, true story, the show follows an entrepreneurial high school student, who grows Europe’s largest online drug ring in the hopes of impressing the girl he loves. This season, Moritz gets in over his head as his business continues to boom, costing him relationships in his personal life and leading to some dangerous confrontations with competing drug lords.

The Kissing Booth 2 (Netflix Film)

Back in 2018, this rom-com starring Joey King and Jacob Elordi became the most rewatched original film in Netflix’s content library, and they’re hoping to recapture those eyes for a sequel that sees King’s Elle starting her senior year of high school and fielding new romantic interests while boyfriend Noah attends college at Harvard.

Animal Crackers (Netflix Film)

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt lead the voice cast of this long-delayed animated comedy. The story has something to do with a box of enchanted animal crackers, an evil uncle, and a family trying to save the circus, but here’s what sold us: Danny DeVito as a sad, animated clown.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 7/18
Gigantosaurus: Season 1
The Notebook

Avail. 7/19
The Last Dance

Avail. 7/20
Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love (Netflix Family)
How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast): Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Ip Man 4: The Finale
Jack Whitehall: I’m Only Joking (Netflix Comedy Special)
Street Food: Latin America (Netflix Documentary)

Avail. 7/22
61
Fear City: New York vs The Mafia (Netflix Documentary)
Love on the Spectrum (Netflix Documentary)
Norsemen: Season 3 (Netflix Original)
The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion
Signs (Netflix Original)
Spotlight

Avail. 7/23
The Larva Island Movie (Netflix Family)

Avail. 7/24
A Cantar (Sing On! Spain) (Netflix Original)
Animal Crackers (Netflix Film)
Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing (Netflix Family)
In the Dark: Season 2
The Kissing Booth 2 (Netflix Film)
Ofrenda a la tormenta (Netflix Film)

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 7/25
Dark Places
Ex Machina
Mississippi Grind

Leaving 7/26
Country Strong

Leaving 7/28
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Her

Leaving 7/29
The Incredibles 2

Leaving 7/31
Back to the Future
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part III
Can’t Hardly Wait
Casper
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Chernobyl Diaries
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Freedom Writers
Godzilla
Guess Who
Hancock
Hitch
Jarhead
Jarhead 2: Field of Fire
Jarhead 3: The Siege
Open Season
QB1: Beyond the Lights: Season 1
Resident Evil: Extinction
Romeo Must Die
Salt
Scary Movie 2
Searching for Sugar Man
Sex and the City 2
Stuart Little
The Edge of Seventeen
The Interview
The Pianist
The Pursuit of Happyness
Twister
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

About 24 hours ago, Taylor Swift announced that she would be releasing a new album, Folklore. At midnight last night, it came out, and now there are questions for which fans are trying to find answers.

When Swift announced the album, she thanked some of the people with whom she worked on the album, including Aaron Dessner, Justin Vernon, Jack Antonoff, and somebody named William Bowery. Bowery — who is credited as a songwriter on “Betty” and the Bon Iver collab “Exile” — doesn’t appear to be an established figure in the music world. However, fans have done some sleuthing and come to the conclusion that Bowery is actually a pseudonym for Swift’s boyfriend Joe Alwyn.

Fans believed the fake name is derived from the actor’s great-grandfather William Alwyn (a composer and music teacher) and the Bowery Hotel, where Swift and Alwyn were spotted in 2016. Alwyn apparently used to also play guitar and sing, and he studied English literature and drama at the University Of Bristol.

It certainly wouldn’t be out of Swift’s range to use easter eggs this way. In the chat of the YouTube premiere for her “Cardigan” video, Swift noted of Folklore, “One thing I did purposely on this album was put the Easter eggs in the lyrics, more than just the videos. I created character arcs & recurring themes that map out who is singing about who. For example there’s a collection of 3 songs I refer to as the Teenage Love Triangle. These 3 signs explore a love triangle from all 3 people’s perspectives at different times in their lives.”

Back with another song, Guapdad 4000 and his streak of activity and consistency continue. Kicking off the year with his Rona Raps and Falcon Fridays series, the Oakland native would continue to feed fans with content as we all resorted to the comfort of our homes for quarantine. Guapdad regularly shared content with fans, like his guest appearance in the “Don’t Hit Me Right Now” video with Bas, Cozz, Buddy, and Yung Baby Tate. Adding to his recent streak of releases, Guapdad taps Deante Hitchcock for their interestingly-titled track, “Orgasm Full Of Pain.”

The track serves as the two blossoming rappers’ first collaboration together, but Guapdad and Deante both had standout appearances with their contributions to the Revenge Of The Dreamers III album. With their “Orgasm Full Of Pain” release, the track follows a similar format as his “Lil Scammer That Could” collab with Denzel Curry. Taking a verse each, the two rappers details much of their frustrations in rap as well as their personal lives and describe the overwhelming feeling as an “orgasm full of pain.”

“Orgasm Full Of Pain” comes after Guapdad shared his “No Home For The Brave” track which followed his “Lil Scammer That Could” and as for Deante Hitchcock, the Atlanta-bred act shared his debut album Better back in May.

Listen to “Orgasm Full Of Pain” above.

Guapdad 4000 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

At the top of 2020, Gunna began teasing what would eventually be his sophomore album, Wunna. Originally teased for a winter release, the coronavirus threw much of its promotional plans arie and forced the YSL rapper to head back to the drawing board to give the album a proper rollout. Months later, Gunna delivered the 19-track effort with help from Young Thug, Roddy Ricch, Lil Baby, and more. Two months removed from that album, Gunna joins the recent industry wave and shares a deluxe version of Wunna.

Bringing a total of eight new songs to the table, the Wunna deluxe album sees Gunna working with some new names, one of them being Lil Uzi Vert. The two rappers bring forth their first collaboration since Gunna’s Drip Season 3 where they worked together on “At The Hotel.” Sharing another strong effort with the new track, Gunna and Lil Uzi Vert cruise unfazed on their new effort. The track is supported by its haunting production and the stop-and-go flow from Gunna and Lil Uzi.

As for the rest of the Wunna deluxe album, Gunna calls on Future, Young Thug (tallying his total appearances on Wunna to three), Yak Gotti, and Nav across the seven new tracks. Aiming to give the album a “new look,” Gunna opted to shuffle the original tracklist and randomly insert the new songs into the album for the deluxe rather than place the additions at the beginning or the end.

Listen to “Relentless” in the video above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Thursday seemed to be a regular weekday morning for fans of Taylor Swift until the singer emerged with some very unexpected news. Less than a year after sharing her seventh album Lover, Taylor announced that she would be living up to her last name in making a swift return with her eighth album, entitled Folklore. Along with the album’s release, she also shared the first video from Folklore.

Giving the album’s second track, “Cardigan,” the visual treatment, Taylor announced the video shortly after the album announcement. Written and directed by Taylor herself, it begins with Taylor playing the piano in a dimly-lit room, she then sees a golden light and matching sparkles coming out of the piano’s interior. Stepping inside she ends up in a magical rain forest filled with light and warmth. Witnessing the same light and sparkles come from her seat, she once again steps inside, only this time to end in midst of restless waves in the middle of ocean. For a third and final time, the golden light and sparkles shine from the piano’s interior prompting Taylor to step inside once again where she finally lands back in the dimly-lit room from the video’s start.

With the album announcement, Taylor revealed that Folklore was written during the coronavirus quarantine. In the Instagram post announcing the album, she revealed that she “poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings.” Taylor also revealed that the album, which is composed of 17 songs, was mostly crafted with help from The National’s and Big Red Machine’s Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote 11 songs. The remaining songs were written with help from Jack Antonoff, William Bowery, and Bon Iver, who guest features on “Exile.”

Watch the “Folklore” video above.

NBA teams in Orlando began taking part in competitive scrimmages this week, with plenty of attention paid to how players are rounding into form after the extended hiatus prompted by COVID-19. However, many players are choosing to place the focus on social justice and, in the case of Jerami Grant, Paul George, Donovan Mitchell, Alex Caruso and others, athletes are making it a point to demand justice for Breonna Taylor — the woman who was shot and killed by Louisville police while in her bed after they executed a no-knock warrant.

On Thursday evening, LeBron James addressed the media, both in person and over Zoom, following the Lakers’ first scrimmage, and he immediately made it clear that justice for Taylor was his focus. The NBA’s most visible and important player began by offering a statement and, when prompted to elaborate, he didn’t hold back.

After the opening statements, James was prompted about his team’s energy during the scrimmage and, in short order, he pivoted things back to Taylor, saying that energy the Lakers are utilizing on the court is “the same energy we have in seeking justice for Breonna Taylor.” Later, James continued to speak on racial inequality.

James then reflected on the progress, or lack thereof, in recent years, referring to the fact that Barack Obama was president in 2016.

At the conclusion, James pledged to “harp” on seeking justice for Taylor moving forward, using his substantial platform to promote awareness and enact change. As he said during a media availability that extended for more than ten minutes, James has been vocal in the past when he feels informed to do so, and that is certainly the case here. Given that the NBA will draw a great deal of attention in the coming weeks and months, messaging will be key and, in short, James has the largest voice in the sport, with a willingness and passion to speak his mind with passion and effectiveness.

Back in March, J Balvin returned with his fifth album, Colores, which boasted 11 songs as well as big collaborators, including Mr. Eazi, Diplo, DJ Snake, and Ronny J. A handful of months later he’s back with”Un Dia,” another all-star effort, this time Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, and producer Tainy.

Opening with a hook from Dua Lipa, the song focuses on struggles within their individual relationships, which her singing, “One day you’ll love me again / One day you’ll love me for sure.” J Balvin and Bad Bunny then each deliver verses of their own.The video presents a woman in her oceanside home seemingly frustrated as a result of the struggles between her and an off-screen partner who’s referred to in the song. However, as the video concludes the woman is able to lift her spirits as the song comes to a close.

Dua Lipa and Bad Bunny have both also shared new projects in 2020. Dua Lipa delivered her acclaimed Future Nostalgia album back in February, while Bad Bunny has been involved in two projects, February’s YHLQMDLG and May’s Las Que No Iban A Salir. J Balvin has shared a number of other videos from his new album, including “Negro,” “Gris,” “Rosa,” and “Azul.”

You can see the video for “Una Dia” above.

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