Month: November 2020

Everyone loves My Cousin Vinny, the 1992 courtroom comedy that won Marisa Tomei her Oscar and unleashed Joe Pesci’s Brooklynese upon the deep South. But some enjoy it more than others. Take Rudy Giuliani, personal attorney to outgoing president Donald Trump and the chief figure in his still ongoing attempts to claim, without evidence, widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. During his latest spluttering press conference on Thursday, the former mayor of New York City said a number of alarming and/or surreal things. Among those was a random and lengthy treatise on the greatness of My Cousin Vinny.

Mere hours after the incident, one of the chief architects of the film has responded. Reached by The Hollywood Reporter for comment, director Jonathan Lynn had a witty retort: “I regard Giuliani’s praise of My Cousin Vinny as generous from the man who is currently giving the Comedy Performance of the Year.” (On top of directing that film, as well as Clue, he was also the co-creator of the classic British comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, so he’s no stranger to finding the ridiculousness in politics.)

Giuliani’s presser didn’t reach the cosmically weird levels of the instantly notorious Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle, but not for lack of trying. On top of his George Costanza-esque fulminating on My Cousin Vinny, he also sweated so bad that black goo — his hair dye, one hopes — started running down the side of his face. All in all, a very Mad Libs-y time we’re living in. And, it seems, it’s still far from over.

(Via THR)

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (Netflix film) — Once again, Vanessa Hudgens is dealing with a switcheroo as Duchess Margaret. She’s unexpectedly inherited the Montenaro throne while having relationship troubles, so it’s time for the lookalike(s) to help sort things out. Clearly, people love these movies, so one might as well roll with it.

Supernatural (CW, 8:00pm EST) — Get ready for a two hour event, including cast interviews along with the final ride for the most enturing sci-fi series in the United States.

The Unicorn (CBS, 9:30pm EST) — Walton Goggins is still crushing his Widower Wade role while juggling his dating life (now with Shannon, played by Justified co-star Natalie Zea), along with helping with algebra and other daughter-related matters.

Station 19 (ABC, 8:00pm EST) — The firefighter drama’s dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle, which is causing relationship strain for Maya and Carina and adds to sobriety struggles for Sullivan.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9:00pm EST) — The new COVID-19 reality continues for the Grey Sloan crew as a stubborn patient digs in his heels. Elsewhere, interns are running amuck, and Maggie is seeking comfort.

Star Trek: Discovery (CBS, 10:00pm EST) — An unwelcome visitor messes up an attempt for the U.S.S. Discovery crew to finally let their hair down and party.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — LL Cool J, Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Kristen Stewart, Mike Tyson, Zac Brown Band.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Sarah Paulson, Henry Golding, Car Seat Headrest

The Late Late Show With James Corden –Marc Maron, Royal Blood

Next-gen console season is upon us, and the standard problems that come with new machines from Sony and Microsoft are also here. Namely, that too many people want new consoles for demand to meet, which makes for a lot of angry folks online each time consoles become available.

The latest instance of online outrage came on Thursday, as Walmart once again promised more consoles coming on the market. Unless you got a preorder (or a review copy) it may be a struggle to find a console in stores, which is why many have taken to online ordering to find a new Xbox or PlayStation 5. But unfortunately, the same problems emerged among frustrated gamers who got all the way to the “place order” part of buying a console before discovering thing Walmart was out of stock.

And much like when sneakerheads take Ls on the SNKRS app, gamers quickly turned the latest missed opportunity on a new console into a meme of its own.

Even the Iron Sheik is fed up.

It’s important to note that this scarcity is temporary, and there are exactly zero games currently on the market that cannot be played on the last-gen consoles. But newer is better, and there’s certainly a lot of interest among gamers in hunkering down this winter with the latest in tech. It’s just a lot harder to do it than they’d like.

The CDC is now recommending that all Americans avoid traveling for the holidays and advising that people not attempt to meet up with family members outside of their households this Thanksgiving, CNN reports. So if you were entertaining the idea of traveling this Thanksgiving, whether you were going to hop on a plane or pack up the car, the CDC’s message is simple: Please, don’t. In addition to the Thanksgiving travel advisory, the CDC has also updated its travel safety guidelines for the holiday season as a whole, including tips on how to safely use public transportation, visit public bathrooms, rest stops, get gas, visit hotels, and protocols to follow when stopping for food.

In a conference call with reporters, the CDC also warned families that returning college students and other loose household members pose a risk and should be treated with extra precautions.

“People who have not been living in your household for the 14 days before you are celebrating should not be considered members of your household and so you should take those extra precautions, even wearing marks within your own home,” says Dr. Erin Sauber-Schatz, the CDC’s lead for Community Intervention and Critical Population Task Force.

The CDC is also worried about multiple generations of family members mixing, as 40% of COVID-19 carriers are asymptomatic and suggests family members who do meet should continue to wear masks together and hold gatherings outside whenever possible. According to recent numbers from Johns Hopkins University, over 250,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19 with over 11.5 million people diagnosed with the virus since the pandemic’s start.

Wild Pink’s Yolk In The Fur was one of the most soaring indie rock albums of 2018, and now the John Ross-led band is ready to follow it up: The group’s first album on Royal Mountain Records, A Billion Little Lights, will be released on February 19, 2021. The album is heralded by “You Can Have It Back,” which, like the rest of the album, features backing vocals from Ratboys’ Julia Steiner.

Ross said of the track:

“This was the last song I wrote for the album, and it’s also one of the most fun to play live. Wild Pink songs typically don’t follow conventional song structures but with this one I did. Julia’s vocals totally make this song what it is, and I love Dan’s harmonies in the choruses — I wrote it with the intention of having someone else sing it, but ended up just singing it myself. This song is inspired by Fleetwood Mac and, once again, ‘If I Needed You’ by Townes Van Zandt (one of the greatest songs ever written). Special cameo by Computer The Dog.”

He also said of the video, “We shot this in Philly at the abandoned Mount Moriah Cemetery and Lisa Osicky, the main person in the video, choreographed a dance to the song played at double speed. Dan procured the Homburg hats and we windexed headstones like true professionals. The shoot was a blast and I’d highly recommend a hike through Mount Moriah to anyone.”

Ross also recently spoke with Uproxx about the album, saying, “”I wanted to have something very lush and just bigger than anything that I’d done before. And I got to play with amazing players, that was my favorite part.”

Watch the “You Can Have It Back” video above, find the A Billion Little Lights art and tracklist below, and read our interview with Ross here.

1. “The Wind Was Like A Train”
2. “Bigger Than Christmas”
3. “The Shining But Tropical”
4. “Amalfi”
5. “Oversharers Anonymous”
6. “You Can Have It Back”
7. “Family Friends”
8. “Track Mud”
9. “Pacific City”
10. “Die Outside”

A Billion Little Lights is out 2/19/2021 via Royal Mountain Records. Pre-order it here.

Deepak Chopra M.D. is a world-renowned (and hotly debated) pioneer in personal transformation and the author of Metahuman. More recently, he executive produced the documentary The Mindfulness Movement, launched a wellness podcast with his son Gotham Chopra called Now For Tomorrow, and released his new meditation platform Chopra App. Over a career that spans decades, the self-help guru has committed himself to a path to inner peace (even while the monetization of these practices comes under increased scrutiny).

With the possibility of another full lockdown seeming more likely by the day, we spoke to Chopra about his annual week of silence — in which he ditches from the non-stop news cycle and reconnects with his physical self. It’s a practice he thinks all of us should partake in (assuming we have the time and resources).

“After COVID is behind us, the vast majority of people will go back to the old way of living, until there is another crisis, because that is the way that most humans are programmed,” he says. “But there are some who will use this time to learn.”

Here is a look into Chopra’s practice in silence began, how he spends the days, and why it could be beneficial for you, even if you start with just 5 minutes per day.

So how does your “week of silence” start?

For forty years, every year, I have taken a week of silence. I have done it in the past with groups of people, but this year was special, because I did it alone.

I usually go to bed somewhere around 10 o’clock at night. Before that happens, I do a practice called Yoga Nidra, which is a meditation and form of body awareness. I then ask myself certain questions before falling asleep, things that I want to ponder. During that time I slowly pull away from the other senses, until I am in deep sleep, or what we call fundamental awareness.

I wake up at 6 am. I make sure to get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. When I awaken, I stay there lying in bed for a moment, waiting for the answers to the questions that I asked myself the night before. Then I write them down.

And at that point, you’re silent all day?

Once I am properly woken up, I start my meditation, which is usually one hour. Followed by yoga and reading for another hour. During this special week of silence though, I did two hours of meditation and then two hours of yoga and reading.

I am done with my full morning wellness routine by 10 in the morning or so. Then I will try to go on a walk, either by myself or with my wife, through the village. I take this time to breathe, take in the beautiful nature, and this Earth. I listen to the sounds of the world around me.

Let’s keep going through it bit by bit.

By noon I am having my main meal of the day, which is a diverse plant-based meal, with lots of probiotics. That is when I get the majority of my energy to use.

During the afternoon I relax at home. I don’t watch television. I don’t write or read during this time, which means more time to reflect and ask myself essential questions. Why do we exist? What is our reality and what do we really want? What is our purpose? Do we have a soul?

Simple stuff!

I will also walk around the house and look at some of the beautiful paintings I have gotten over the years. I have collected them for this very purpose, and I think it is important to surround you with things that bring you happiness or thought.

Then, in the evening, I do another mantra meditation with some breathing. I guess to some it might be considered a boring life, or a boring way to spend your day. But for me, it has become an important time. It takes a lot of practice, but it is very fun once you get into the flow.

In a way the experience of this week makes me feel sad, because I think of the way that people usually live, like biological robots. Sleepwalking our way to extinction with warfare, biological weapons, poisoning our food chain, and destroying our environment.

But I think there is also good that can come from this. I would be very happy if more people started meditating. For those, I say start off my taking five minutes every day just to sit quietly. The next time, take another five minutes and start to reflect. Start to ask yourself questions about your purpose, what makes you happy, and what you are grateful for.

Don’t try to know the answers, just experience the feelings you have and live the questions.

That’s like “Mindfulness 101”?

Then start a mantra-based practice like Transcendental Mediation or primordial sound. On our site, we have meditation courses for free. Meditation is useful for not just mental and physical healing, but also spiritual healing. The acceptance that the essential you is not what is born and dies, what is born and dies is a thought or perception or feeling. If I look at you and then I look away, the two images I have of you are different, in the rate that we change.

There is scientific research now that shows how the practice can prevent illness and getting sick during this time. I know that it helps me on a daily basis. I am totally at peace. I have no fear of death. I am very joyful.

Ava Max’s 2018 single “Sweet But Psycho” was streamed over two billion times before the singer even put out her debut album Heaven & Hell. Now that the Gold-certified record has been out for a few months, the singer is finally sharing some other releases she’s been sitting on.

The maximalist pop star returned Thursday to share the electronic banger “My Head & My Heart.” Over an exuberant and heavily-layered beat, Max sings of reflecting on a past relationship and feeling relieved that she made the right choice to leave. “Baby, now and then / I think about me now and who I could have been / And then I picture all the perfect that we lived / ‘Til I cut the strings on your tiny violin,” she sings.

In a statement about the single, Max said she’s been working on the track for months: “I’ve been working on ‘My Head And My Heart’ in the studio this fall and waiting for the right moment to share it. I am so excited that it is out today, and I cannot wait for everyone to hear it!”

Listen to “My Head & My Heart” above.

Heaven & Hell is out now via Atlantic. Get it here.

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

Anthony Davis is an NBA champion thanks to a tremendous playoff run that saw him average 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in the Orlando Bubble.

Davis is, at present, a free agent, as he declined his player option for this year, but all indications are he’ll re-sign with the Lakers on a max deal when able on Friday. For now, Davis doesn’t want to talk about that, but he is happy to reflect on a wild 2019-20 season, his first in L.A. We got a chance to speak with Davis on behalf of Mobil 1 over Zoom on Monday, where the All-NBA big man explained what life was like in the Bubble, new hobbies and TV shows he got into in Orlando, what he learned from his first title run, balancing rest and preparation for next season, and how Lakers fans can get in on a raffle to win some signed championship apparel.

What was the Bubble experience like for you and what were the things you had to adjust to in order to find a routine and find a rhythm while you were there?

It wasn’t that bad. I think mainly it was just not being able to move around or do things on your own. You usually have a lot more freedom to kinda do what you want, and we were just confined to the hotel – for great reasons, obviously. But that was just the biggest adjustment of getting used to being in your room, wearing your mask, gotta go back to the hotel after a game and shower. So it was just really small adjustments to make, but it was all worth it for sure.

I know some guys got into pickleball and golf and stuff like that. Did you pick up any new hobbies while you were there just to pass the time?

I started playing a little chess. I learned how to play a little chess. We played a lot of video games, watched a lot of movies. That was really it. Nothing too exciting.

What were some of your favorite movies you watched while you were down there?

I watched this TV series called Away on Netflix that was pretty cool. I really like astrology and space and things like that, and it was about this lady going to space and separating her family going to Mars for the first time. So it was pretty cool. I think they’re coming out with a season two, so I’m pretty excited about that. That’s one of my favorites that I saw while I was in the Bubble.

From a basketball perspective, what was the biggest challenge of making a championship run in the Bubble and making sure you were getting in that locked in mentality you have to have for playoff basketball?

I think just not having fans around, knowing that it’s going to be quiet in the arenas. Just, even though we love our teammates a ton, just the time away from those guys is always great and just seeing these guys every day and seeing the coaching staff every day, getting used to that, being around the team 24/7 for three and a half months. So I think that was pretty different, but our mindset was always there. We came in with the mindset of, we’re going to come into the Bubble for three and a half months, we might as well make the most of it and win a championship. So, I think our mindset as a team was always there to go out and compete and to finish our job. So it was kinda easy on us to go out and do what we’re supposed to do.

Outside of All-Star and Summer League, there’s not a lot of times where the league is in one place and you see everyone. How did it change your relationship with guys? Was it a chance to get to know folks better, either on the Lakers or just in the league as a whole?

I didn’t hang out with anyone else if they wasn’t on our team, but I think that our team for sure got closer in the Bubble, which was great for us. We did a lot of activities as a team, whether it was video game tournaments or having dinners in our team meal room. Or watching a Verzuz battle, just things like that. We were trying to do as much as we can as a team, because before our families got in, that’s who our family was, and we were going to need everyone on that roster to win a championship. So we just tried to do as much as possible as a team.

Who’s the best gamer on the Lakers?

Depends on the game.

Ok, let’s go Madden.

Quinn Cook. It’s not even close.

Call of Duty.

It’s a couple. It’s a couple guys who are good on the team. We had KCP, JaVale, J.R., myself, Duds, we all kinda played Call of Duty a ton. So that was like our group when we played Call of Duty.

Any time you go through something new you’re going to learn from it. What are the things you’re going to take away from your first championship run?

It’s very tough. I mean, I think mentally that was one of the toughest seasons I’ve had. You know, going from playing to not playing, not knowing if you’re going to play again, and then coming into the Bubble and trying to compete for a championship. Obviously when you win a championship, the next season’s going to be the toughest because you have that target on your back, so — and the more and more you get to the later rounds, the tougher it gets. You can never underestimate your opponent. Guys perform well, guys raise their game. The level, even though we were in the Bubble, the level and intensity was still there, which made it fun.

But it’s tough to do. It’s tough to win a championship, and to do it in the Bubble where guys had to adjust so much. And LeBron won now four, and he said by far that was the toughest one to win. And if he’s saying that was the toughest one to win and that was my first one, I hope the rest is pretty easy [laughs]. But it was fun. I think a lot of guys learned a lot about themselves through the time there, and it’s only going to make them better players.

What are the conversations you’ve been able to have with LeBron about keeping that level and being able to keep yourself at that championship level, because like you said, now everybody’s targeting you. What are the conversations you’ve had about what it takes to maintain that as he has for a decade plus now?

Yeah, we haven’t talked a lot about basketball after the championship. I think that’s something that can be talked about, but during the run he would come to me a lot, especially in the Western Conference Finals and the Finals, and he would always tell me, “Be you. I don’t need you to be nobody else but yourself.” And it was new for me. I’m not saying that it was tough to go out there and play basketball or anything like that, but it was definitely foreign, just cause I’ve never been there. So you would have nerves, even though fans weren’t there I had nerves going into Game 1 of both Western Conference Finals and the Finals just cause I’d never been there before. And I would kind of put pressure on myself, but I realized, I’ve been playing basketball all my life, so there’s no reason to put pressure on myself and I felt like I deserved to be there. So, it was, we never had too many conversations about it, but he would always give me this look or tell me, “Be yourself,” and I ended up being fine.

Celebrating the championship in 2020 is obviously very different than it’d usually be, but you and Mobil 1 are partnered to give away some signed championship apparel. How can Laker fans get involved with that and why is this something you wanted to do for them?

Yeah, like you said, me and Mobil 1 are teaming up again to offer some fans to win some exclusive signed apparel from me. It’ll be 14 fans and the sweepstakes are already open and it’ll be going through the end of the year on December 31. To enter you just go to ProtectYourCourt.com and sign up, and it’ll give you everything you need to know. It’s great for me. Laker fans, even though they couldn’t be there to support us and celebrate us as they would’ve been, it gives me a chance to connect with them and make them feel like they were a part of their championship run. Which they were, and sign some exclusive apparel for them to make them feel special.

This is obviously a crazy condensed offseason. How are you spending it to get some rest and then also balance that rest and getting ready for a season to start in just over a month?

Yeah, [sighs], it’s tough. You want to rest, but you constantly want to work because the season is starting so soon. It’s a balance. Right now I’m training every other day, whereas usually I’d be training every day, but still want to let my body rest and get that healing it needs. So I’m just going every other day and the days I’m not working out just really relaxing and getting treatment, doing some recovery things to help speed up the process.

Is that something you’ve learned over the years from being a young guy in the league is balancing that, because you always want to be in the gym, but work smart and take care of your body?

Absolutely. And I had some guys around me that have been able to help me along the way as far as recovery. The latest is LeBron, but I had Kendrick Perkins and Anthony Morrow, guys always telling me to take care of your body. Coaches, Kobe told me, everybody’s told me a lot about it and obviously you find your own ways to recover, but you know, I never used to ice after games when I was younger and I ice after every game now. Game Ready’s, Normatech, massages, all these things that you can take and do for your body to help it get better, and especially when you’re hurting. And it helps you down the road. It extends your playing career. I’ve found ways that help me that I think is very helpful for my body to recover but at the same time knowing that I have those things, it allows me to work even harder knowing I have the right team around me and the right tools around me to recover after an extraneous workout.

It’s Draft week and for you that’s been eight years since you’ve been drafted. If you could go back and give yourself any advice as a young player coming into the league what would you say?

The advice I’d give myself coming in is, I had this coach Monty Williams who always used to tell me, no matter what goes on, never let anyone steal your joy for the game. You know, and at times during seasons I would get to a point where it’s like, I just wasn’t having fun. That’s when stress comes on, you have a lot of pressure on yourself and things like that and start thinking about other things. And for me, no matter with winning or losing I’ve always tried to enjoy the game of basketball. Knowing, like, it’s a game and you’re going out her to have fun. Obviously you want to compete and win, but your blessed to be in this situation and no matter what goes on, guys are going to get upset, it’s competition and things get heated, but I try to make sure I enjoy playing basketball all the time and that no one or anyone steals my joy for the game.

Last year, Apple handed out its inaugural Apple Music Awards, which takes a different approach than the major award shows. Instead of having a long list of honors, Apple does things in a more meat-and-potatoes way, only handing out five awards. Now they have announced their 2020 honorees, and it’s a strong list.

Lil Baby won Artist Of The Year, Megan Thee Stallion was named Breakthrough Artist Of The Year, Taylor Swift got Songwriter Of The Year, and Roddy Ricch earned a couple of honors: “The Box” was Top Song Of The Year and Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial was Top Album Of The Year.

Each artist offered a statement about their wins. Swift said:

“Winning Songwriter Of The Year in any capacity in any year would be so exciting, but I think it’s really special this particular year because songwriting was the one thing that kept me connected to my fans. It means a lot to me because the way that fans respond to the songs I write, and the emotional exchange, is what has really kept me going this year. So I really want to say thank you to the fans for that, and to everyone at Apple Music, thank you for everything that you do.”

Meg:

“I am so excited to be the Breakthrough Artist Of The Year. This is a really big accomplishment for me. Apple Music has been rocking with me for so long, even before making me an Up Next artist, and I am just very appreciative and very grateful. I will forever love y’all as much as y’all love me.”

Lil Baby:

“This year has changed me a lot. Now that I’m an artist, I feel like my voice can get heard through my music and I needed to say something. And my fans listened. So thank you to my fans and thank you to Apple Music for giving me a special way to connect to my fans.”

And Ricch:

“My first phone was the iPhone. It’s crazy making music could get me to the point where a platform like Apple could honor me or put me on a pedestal. I just appreciate Apple Music to the farthest extent. Winning this award motivates me to work even harder. This is confirmation that I am on the right track and doing what I gotta do to be the greatest in my own right.”

Apple also offered a statement about the awards, with Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, saying, “The Apple Music Awards is our opportunity to recognize and honor the incredible artists who we feel have deeply impacted and inspired the world and our customers, and helped us feel connected through music this year. We have an exciting week of music planned in December and are very much looking forward to celebrating together with these artists and their fans.”

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

James Bond may not officially be a Hitman, but the makers of the latter’s video game franchise looks to be getting a crack at the former. Thursday brought a teaser trailer from IO Interactive for Project 007, a James Bond video game.

The teaser didn’t show any gameplay. In fact, the nearly minute-long video was quite literally a detailed look down the barrel of a gun. A bullet gets loaded in said barrel, and soon the camera pivots to the signature barrel iconography from the James Bond series. Cue the music, and it’s clear that the Bond video game franchise is getting new life here.

A website for the project also appeared on Thursday, promising a new version of the James Bond story not tied to any current or future movie.

Project 007 (working title) is a brand new James Bond video game to be developed and published by IO Interactive.

Featuring a wholly original Bond story, players will step into the shoes of the world’s favorite Secret Agent to earn their OO status in the very first James Bond origin story.

The video and website doubled as a job announcement, as the site encouraged game designers and developers to “join the team.” So it’s safe to say that the title is in its early stages of development. But it certainly is good news for fans of some of the series’ more iconic games, and people immediately started talking about Goldeneye on Twitter.

However, don’t expect to see a next-gen Goldeneye anytime soon.

A Bond game is exciting, but perhaps more notable is the lack of movie tie-in, which may allow the game to be developed at its own pace. Whatever story we get will be intriguing, but as gamers have long known it’s often best not to pin your hopes to movie tie-in games and the crunch that can come from sticking to someone else’s deadline.