Month: October 2020

For the last few weeks, Fleetwood Mac has enjoyed a renewed jolt in popularity, and it’s all thanks to a viral TikTok trend centered around their hit song, “Dreams.” It’s gotten so big that the song — the band’s only No. 1 hit in the U.S. — recently re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, clocking in at No. 21. It all started with a video, in which user @420doggface208, real name Nathan Apodaca, recorded himself breezily long-boarding to the 1977 track while drinking from a bottle of Ocean Spray cranberry juice and, eventually, lip-synching along. Mick Fleetwood recently recreated the video and now, so has singer and author, Steve Nicks.

Nicks shared a video to both Twitter and TikTok that finds her sitting comfortably by her piano, singing along to the record while tying the laces of a pair of roller skates. The same bottle of Ocean Spray is present.

On top of making his own version of the video, Mick Fleetwood thanked Apodaca for making the song go viral. “We owe you and it’s such a celebration of everything. It’s so joyous and fun and I was just lead right into it,” he said in an interview with BBC. “I just want to say, outside of Fleetwood Mac, we owe you. It’s such a great story and so needed in days that are challenging I’ve heard you speaking and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

We’re only a few weeks away from a major, life-altering event that’s been breathlessly covered for ages: The Mandalorian is returning on Oct. 30. Granted, you won’t be able to plow through all of it before Election Day; the episodes are staggered week-by-week, the old fashioned way. And to keep you pumped for another dip into the Star Wars-verse while distracting you from the horrors of the real world, they’ve released a new, action-packed teaser

As noted by Entertainment Weekly, the teaser — only 30 seconds long — is a mix of Season 1 and Season 2, bringing back the Darksaber and, of course, our hero (Pedro Pascal) doting on Baby Yoda. And while none of the things that have been teased at in articles makes its way into the ad, keep your eyes peeled and you can see some flashes of brief new sights.

Granted, this has nothing on the full-length Season 2 trailer, which dropped last month, and which promised some things we see in this new teaser, among them our bounty hunter protagonist’s new jetpack, pushing him ever closer into Boba Fett territory. Here’s the plot description for the show’s second spin:

The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through a dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire.

The Mandalorian resumes on Disney+ starting Oct. 30.

(Via EW)

After missing the 2018 NFL season in a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Le’Veon Bell landed with the New York Jets on a gigantic four-year contract reported to be worth more than $52 million. Bell appeared in 15 games during the 2019 campaign, accumulating 789 rushing yards, 461 receiving yards, and four total touchdowns. However, Bell didn’t quite recapture his All-Pro form and, with the Jets off to a brutal start to the 2020 campaign, whispers circulated that New York could look to move Bell in a trade.

On Tuesday evening, the Jets waived the white flag on that idea, instead announcing the decision to release Bell.

At the same time, Bell reacted on Twitter to the news.

Though Bell’s entire four-year deal was, of course, not guaranteed in typical NFL fashion, he was owed considerable money for the 2020 season, including eight figures in guaranteed salary. It is not fully clear if the Jets will save any real money by making this move now but, at the very least, Bell leaves behind an eight-figure dead cap hit, which paints a picture of just how messy this situation actually was between the two sides.

The Jets are seemingly inching toward another version of a rebuild and, as a 28-year-old running back, it didn’t make much sense for Bell to be around for it. Still, this is the nuclear option after five weeks of the season, and it will be interesting to see where Bell ends up now that he is free to sign elsewhere.

The presidential election is just three weeks away, and in a normal year the bulk of voters would wait until early November to cast their votes. However, the coronavirus pandemic has forced voters to find alternatives to in-person voting. Looking to do her part to get out the vote, Lizzo has taken the initiative to set up a new phone line that offers registration information and more.

“Hey YOU. Have you felt the same disconnect from this country?” Lizzo posted on her Instagram feed. “Have YOU felt like this nation is your house but not your home? It’s because we are on stolen land trying to live within laws written by white men FOR white men in 1787.” She added, “I see YOU using your power of protest and your freedom of speech. I see YOU unlearning the narrow scope of our history and seeking the truth. ITS TIME TO USE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE. WE NEED YOU. DID YOU KNOW?”

Lizzo also noted that 40% of eligible voters failed to vote in the 2016 election. “IF YOU WANT TO VOTE BUT DONT KNOW WHERE TO START: Text LIZZOBEVOTING to 26797 to make sure you’re registered to vote, confirm your polling location, and get reminders for all your elections,” her post concluded.

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

The thing about Derrick Henry is he’s gigantic and fast and strong and seems like an absolutely nightmare to tackle. This is what makes him a great running back, of course, but it also means that when he uses his size to his advantage, he’s capable of making professional athletes look silly.

An example of this came on Tuesday night’s rescheduled NFL game between the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills. The first half of the game was pretty ugly, which isn’t a huge surprise considering the teams involved in the game, but Henry was able to convince a pretty remarkable moment where he rag dolled Bills cornerback Josh Norman. Henry took a handoff that was designed to go up the middle, but instead bounced it to the outside, where Norman was the only person standing between himself and the first down line.

So Henry, in a moment of being gigantic, unleashed a stiff arm that sent Norman — who is listed at 6-foot and 200 pounds — flying backwards.

There were offsetting flags on the play, so it technically ended up not counting. But video is forever, and as the video shows, this is a moment that Norman is going to try to forget.

The second day of hearings for Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett was a more dramatic day than the first. While nowhere near as tumultuous as Brett Kavanaugh two years back, the things the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s potential replacement said — and, often, didn’t say — were, to many, alarming. She didn’t confirm that President Donald Trump, who nominated her, could delay the election. (He can’t, by the way.) She didn’t condemn voter intimidation. She hinted the Roe v. Wade could be overturned. She didn’t even commit to a peaceful transition of power after the election. (One slightly up note: She did claim, “I am not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act.” But, you know, we’ll see.)

Given the gravity of yet another conservative judge being added to the already rightward tilting Supreme Court — with mere weeks until the man who nominated Barrett could be voted out of office — the internet did what it always does: It made jokes. There was a lot of self-care going around social media, a lot of it hovering around a single moment: When Senator John Cornyn asked Barrett to show him her notepad, only for her to reveal it was empty. She didn’t take notes. She evidently didn’t need them. It was all in her head.

Honestly, that’s impressive! (Although maybe it’s less so given how often Barrett simply evaded questions, claiming she couldn’t answer hypotheticals because, she said, she wanted to take things case-by-case.) Conservatives, from Donald Trump Jr. on down, held it up as a superheroic feat, proof that their hoped-for justice had a really good brain.

Others, however, spotted a weakness: She’d held up a blank page, in clear view of the cameras. And a blank page is a great place to Photoshop some jokes. The Lincoln Project, the band of Never Trump Republican turncoats, were one of the ones who got that ball rolling.

And thus, the memes began. One person thought the blank notepad could be filled with her devious to-do list.

And a reference to The Handmaid’s Tale, which, with Barrett’s perhaps looming nomination, is coming closer than ever to fruition.

Another threw in a reference to the Democratic rival to Cornyn’s Senate seat.

There were Ted Cruz jokes.

Kathy Griffin realized doing nothing, leaving the empty notepad empty, was enough for a joke.

And there was one person who thought Barrett should be telling the Senate about the right thing to do in this unprecedented situation.

(Via Newsweek)

Tuesday was a normal one for Cardi B…until the rapper accidentally shared a topless photo of herself to her Instagram story. While the image did not remain on her Instagram story for long, a few people were able to catch a glimpse of the post, resulting in the image being shared all around social media. That’s when her fans came to the rescue, expressing solidarity by launching a racy new hashtag, #BoobsOutForCardi,” in which they posted topless photos of their own.

Cardi expressed her frustration at the accidental post over Twitter, but decided to go about her day, and not let the mistake haunt her. After all, she pointed out, it’s not the first time this has happened to her. “I’m going to eat my breakfast, and then I’m going to go to a party because I’m not even going to think about it. I am not going to think about it, ok? Nope, no I’m not. I’m not,” she said in a voice message left over the social media site. “It is what it is. Sh*t happens. F*ck it, it’s not even the first time. I mean, I used to f*cking be a stripper so whatever. Ay, Dios mío.”

Cardi is the latest celebrity to mistakenly post a private picture of themselves. Last month, actor Chris Evans accidentally shared another body part online, to the amusement of many.

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

Tuesday was a normal one for Cardi B…until the rapper accidentally shared a topless photo of herself to her Instagram story. While the image did not remain on her Instagram story for long, a few people were able to catch a glimpse of the post, resulting in the image being shared all around social media. That’s when her fans came to the rescue, expressing solidarity by launching a racy new hashtag, #BoobsOutForCardi,” in which they posted topless photos of their own.

Cardi expressed her frustration at the accidental post over Twitter, but decided to go about her day, and not let the mistake haunt her. After all, she pointed out, it’s not the first time this has happened to her. “I’m going to eat my breakfast, and then I’m going to go to a party because I’m not even going to think about it. I am not going to think about it, ok? Nope, no I’m not. I’m not,” she said in a voice message left over the social media site. “It is what it is. Sh*t happens. F*ck it, it’s not even the first time. I mean, I used to f*cking be a stripper so whatever. Ay, Dios mío.”

Cardi is the latest celebrity to mistakenly post a private picture of themselves. Last month, actor Chris Evans accidentally shared another body part online, to the amusement of many.

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

It’s the end of an era: As per Variety, earlier this month, Netflix ended its much-loved — and much-exploited — 30-day free trial window in the United States. There was no big announcement. In fact, it was first spotted, publicly anyway, by the blog TV Answer Man, prompting the streaming giant to put out a statement about the move. They said they’re “looking at different marketing promotions in the U.S. to attract new members.”

The free month-long trial is a common ploy among streamers as well as premium channels, who hope to get new subscribers too hooked to pull the plug. More enterprising folks, though, use it to binge the things they want then bail as the month comes to an end. So, sorry, people who wanted to plow through Stranger Things or GLOW or even Rob Schneider’s Real Rob and then bail, but you’re going to have to fork over some dough to do that.

The U.S. isn’t the first or even only place to lose the storied 30-day Netflix free promo. The company has been phasing it out in different markets (i.e., different countries) for the last two years, starting in Mexico. One nation that still has it is South Korea.

In today’s cut-throat streaming culture, 30 days did seem like a lot. As Deadline points out, HBO Max offers only a week of free exploring. And then there’s Disney+, which initially had the same offer but ended them soon as the Hamilton movie hit its coffers, intuiting (rightly!) that there would be a ton of people signing up for a free trial just to watch the show’s original cast strut their stuff. Anyway, pour one out for an era of generous freebies!

(Via Variety)

Last week Phoebe Bridgers announced that she would be launching her own imprint entitled Saddest Factory, which would fall under the Dead Oceans label. The imprint already has its first release: Dream-pop singer Claud’s light-hearted single “Gold.” The track arrives alongside a colorful Christina Xing-directed music video, one that finds them — plus a few others — attempting to assimilate to the norms of society. Their attempts to fall in line fall flat as the group ends up going rogue, going back to their true renegade selves.

In a press release for the video, Claud explained the ideas behind “Gold” and its video. “Imagine stepping onto a ship that’s moving back ‘n forth back ‘n forth but perfectly in time,” Claud said. “You know you’re sinking but at the same time you’re mesmerized by the way the ship synchronized itself with the sea. I have never been on a sinking ship in the middle of the sea but I have been in a relationship.”

They continued: “‘Gold’ is about contradictions; an instructor attempting to teach a class of monsters proper manners so they can assimilate; a relationship getting so tired and so old that even gold starts to rust (which isn’t scientifically possible).”

Last week, Bridgers explained her vision for Saddest Factory, revealing that it would not be limited to just one genre or sound. “If I like it and I listen to it for pleasure, then other people will like it and listen to it for pleasure. I don’t think I have any ethos other than, ‘Am I jealous?’” she said. “The vision of the label is simple: good songs, regardless of genre.”

You can watch the “Gold” video above.