Month: November 2020

Songbird, the pandemic thriller produced by Michael Bay, is barreling onto home theaters sooner than expected. The film, which was inspired by last spring’s COVID-19 lockdowns, will be available on PVOD on December 11. From there, it will head to whichever streaming platform snatches up the rights to the movie that many called “too soon” when Bay first announced news of its existence. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

The movie, notably the first to shoot in Los Angeles during the pandemic, takes place two years in the future, in which COVID-23 now wreaks havoc on the world by attacking the brain. Infected Americans are forced into quarantine camps called Q-Zones, while some fight back against these brutal restrictions. Amid this backdrop is the budding love story between a motorbike courier named Nico (K.J. Apa) who has rare immunity, and Sara (Sofia Carson), a young artist who is believed to be infected.

Directed by Adam Mason, Songbird also stars Craig Robinson, Bradley Whitford, Peter Stormare, Alexandra Daddario, and Demi Moore. While it’s no shock that the film completely skipped releasing in theaters, it’s release date will be an experiment, alright. Currently, the United States is experiencing a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases that already have health experts and public officials cautioning against traveling during the holidays. Not to mention, schools across the country are switching to all-virtual classes as talk of another lockdown hangs in the air. Then again, new shows and movies are at a premium as more people are stuck indoors, so maybe a pandemic thriller won’t be such a bitter pill to swallow if it saves folks from another night of reruns.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Just ahead of Lil Uzi Vert’s short-lived retirement, the rapper began teasing his long-awaited record Eternal Atake. The LP finally arrived in March after a surprise-drop and received a number of accolades. Along with debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the record was nominated for an AMA award. While most musicians would be over the moon about the nomination, Uzi isn’t holding his breath for a win.

Uzi’s Eternal Atake is nominated for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the upcoming AMAs, which takes place November 22. But because Uzi also shares the category with Lil Baby’s My Turn and Roddy Ricch’s Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, he isn’t confident that he’ll be taking home the trophy. Replying to a fan’s question about his reaction the nomination, Uzi succinctly replied: “My thoughts Oh yea I’m not winning that.”

Despite the long wait for Eternal Atake, it didn’t take Uzi long before he released yet another project — this time with Future. Last week, Uzi joined forces with Future for the 16-track effort Pluto X Baby Pluto. The duo had been teasing the project for several months and by the time it was officially released, Uzi had already set his sights on something else. A day following Pluto X Baby Pluto, Uzi teased that he has yet another project coming with Future.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Seventeen-year-old Michael Marshall had never been to a protest before, but on June 10, his mother dropped him off at Bayside Marketplace in Miami, Florida to join Black Lives Matter in their call for justice.

“It was important to me as a young Black man to go out there and stand with my people,” he told The Miami Herald. “It was important to represent something way bigger than me.”

The protests turned violent when demonstrators began vandalizing statues of Juan Ponce de León and Christopher Columbus. This resulted in the Miami Police Department deploying a response platoon against the demonstrators.

This caused a melee in which the 6-foot-4, nearly 300-pound Marshall whacked officer Raymon Washington in the head with his skateboard.

Boy, 17, faces charge after video shows him hit officer with skate board

www.youtube.com

Soon after Marshall struck the officer he had deep feelings of remorse. “When I was going home, I looked around and realized this took a hard curve and it wasn’t for me,” he said. Marshall, a standout Northwestern High football player, had never been in any trouble before or had any encounters with the police.

As Black man, Washington understood the protestors’ rage.

“The uproar — I understood it because I’m Black myself,” Washington said. “I still get stopped in my neighborhood in my car by the police. I get it. There is change that needs to happen but tearing up the city is not one way.”

Washington didn’t immediately realize he had been struck, but after things calmed down in downtown Miami, he vomited and was sent home. “I took a shower, ordered a pizza and slept for three days,” Washington said. “I woke up to my brother kicking in my front door. They thought I was dead.”

Washington was concussed by the blow. This added to the lingering effects of multiple concussions he received as an athlete in his youth.

After video of the teenager striking the officer spread online, Marshall turned himself in to authorities and was charged with aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer.

Julian Stroleny, the teenager’s lawyer, got to work on a plea deal that would spare Marshall a mark on his clean record and impede his promising football career.

“I had seen the pictures distributed by the media, I had seen the video, but the young man before me was kind, timid, humble, and incredibly remorseful,” Stroleny said. “He had no priors, excellent grades, and was a star athlete. Not even a detention at school.”

As part of the deal, he proposed a meeting between Washington and Marshall to reconcile.

However, Washington was hesitant.

“I was like, ‘No.’ I didn’t really have a good understanding of the juvenile justice system,” Washington said. “I’m used to dealing with adults — do the crime, do the time type of thing.”

But after Washington learned about Marshall’s athletic aspirations he agreed to meet with the teenager.

The two, along with members of Marshall’s family met in a State Attorney’s conference room where Washington read Marshall’s three-page letter of apology. The letter brought him to tears.

“I was that kid — a high school athlete, wanted to go to college. Had offers on the table. I was like, I don’t want to screw this kid up. If I can change one life, and that’s it, then that’s it,” Washington said. “I should have been dead three times this year. For some reason, God was like, you’re here for a reason.”

Marshall was devastated after learning the officer’s history with concussions.

The police officer then did something extraordinary. He gave the teenager his cellphone number and arranged for him to receive tutoring and offered him rides to and from football practice.

The two are now in regular communication through text messages and Washington has become a mentor to the teen.

Recently, Washington visited the teenager’s home and was in the stands for Northwestern’s game against its rival, Central High.

“We won. I played great,” Marshall said. “I played amazing. He was so proud of me.”

“The divide between police and the communities they service isn’t good for anybody,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. “This is a shining example of how we can overcome the tense relationships that exist. It’s a beautiful story.”

Marshall’s attorney has reached a plea deal with the state that includes Washington’s blessing. If he completes his probation and volunteer hours at the Miami Police Department, his record will be expunged at the age of 19.

Marshall is a senior looking to graduate this June. He has already received a few scholarships offers and hopes to play for a Division 1 team.

Not much has changed in the New York you explore in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. As you swing through a snowy cityscape everything should feel familiar. The buildings still look the same, the little shortcuts you’ve created for yourself are still there, and even the crimes taking place are the same. This is because Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a fresh coat of paint on a game that already exists. Except this time you’re playing as the new kid on the block, Spider-Man’s new protege, Miles Morales.

It would perhaps been unreasonable to expect Insomniac to bring us a whole new New York to Miles Morales just two years after Marvel’s Spider-Man hit the PlayStation 4. Video games like this just take too long to make, but the decision to make Miles Morales a standalone title meant they were going to need to find something that would help it stand out. Something beyond just a new story to make it unique. And what they chose to do was focus on the details and that is where this game is at its best (minor spoilers ahead).

It can sound like a hindrance for a game developer to be forced to use the same assets to make a new game, but in that challenge comes an advantage. They’ve already made this game before, and that time can be spent on making unique parts of the universe that add to what’s already there. Take Miles’s bedroom for example. When you first enter it you’ll notice a clear place on the wall where a painting used to reside. As you work through the game’s story that place on the wall will be met with anew coat of paint. Continue playing and a mural begins to form.

This may sound minor, but these small details are what the entire game is built on and it makes playing this game incredibly fun. It is also what separates it from the original Spider-Man the most. When Morales is swinging around town he’ll receive calls. If he receives them from his Mom he’ll frequently flip back and forth between Spanish and English. It’s not only a nod to his Mom’s Puerto Rican heritage but an opportunity to allow Morales to be himself. It’s an easy reminder that you aren’t playing as Peter Parker this time around, even if the setting is the same.

This attention to detail even goes into the gameplay. In Spider-Man (2018) Peter is a full-grown adult that has been doing the job for years now. He swings through the air gracefully and when webbing up enemies he does so with an ease and smoothness you would expect from a veteran hero. When you’re playing as Miles, however, you are reminded that he is a smaller teenager with nowhere near as much experience. He twists and turns while he swings and when he’s yanking someone with his webs he shows much more visible force while doing so than Peter ever did. This is a 17 year old novice you’re at the sticks of, and even with the extra super spider-aided strength, these powers all feel a bit new.

It’s all subtle presentation, and thankfully none of this will ever impact your ability to play the game. Combat is just as smooth as it was before and thanks to new gameplay additions such as Miles’s Electric Venom Powers there are extra wrinkles that help the game still feel new. You had far more gadgets at your disposal when playing as Peter, but what Miles lacks in gadgets he makes up for in powers. Superpowered punches, acrobatic crashes into the ground, and electric fast darts at enemies help Miles be his own hero, and players who master these powers will have the best time with the combat.

You can still upgrade both yourself and your gadgets by going across the town doing side missions. There are new collectibles to hoard and missions to complete, but they are of course optional. Players who are really enjoying the game will likely go out of their way to do all these and the rewards are absolutely worth it. Many of the extra side quests also create a little more story and world building to help flesh this game out even more, and perhaps set up some DLC or sequels in the process.

That will have to be where any set up exists because the story itself is very self-contained. If you are someone that did not play Spider-Man (2018) you can safely play Miles Morales with fear of minimal spoilers. A couple of major moments will be spoiled for you because they needed something with which to build the story for this game, but what follows is largely unique and excellent in its own right. As long as you like superheroes. It’s not formulaic by any means, but many of the superhero moments you expect from a superhero story are in Miles Morales, and fans of something like the Marvel Cinematic Universe will feel right at home in it, but others will likely lean on the great supporting characters, who are well-written, voice acted and feel like real people. There are no characters who exist merely for the sake of moving plot along. Everyone matters and during the few moments of the story that you may not enjoy it’s those characters that will push you through.

Fittingly, Insomniac made sure Spider-Man’s” Be Greater. Be Yourself” mantra was reflected in Miles Morales. This may initially look like the same Spider-Man, but when you look at the details it is so clear that it isn’t. It is well deserving of being its own stand alone title. It is unashamedly itself, which is what makes it excellent.

Back in August, Zack Snyder’s teaser trailer for his director’s cut of Justice League contained a curious Joker card that fueled speculation that, somehow, the Clown Prince of Crime would appear in the HBO Max project previously known as the Snyder Cut. The fan-hunch turned out to be correct, and Jared Leto was confirmed to be reprising his (much maligned) Suicide Squad incarnation of the greatest villain of Gotham for Snyder’s reshoots. Those reshoots turned out to be shorter than expected, but one also must remember that Snyder has so much extra footage from his principal photography that the director’s cut runtime will be massive. As far as Joker is concerned, Snyder has revealed that Leto’s Joker will appear differently than he did in Suicide Squad.

How so? Leto “little scene” will be part of the four minutes of new footage, and he will be “road-weary,” according to Snyder. Here’s what the director said during a Beyond The Trailer interview (via Bloody Disgusting):

“I wanted to, of course, honor what had been created with him because I thought it was really cool, but I also felt like… I’m not gonna tell you what happens in the little scene, but there is… some water has gone under the proverbial bridge between last we saw Joker and this sort-of appearance. He’s a road-weary Joker, I guess that’s a way of saying it.

So, what does this mean for Joker — no huffing and puffing over Harley Quinn, but what else? It actually doesn’t sound like we’re gonna see Joker interacting much with anyone, if only a few minutes of reshoot footage has materialized, and Leto wasn’t in any of Snyder’s original principal photography. Perhaps he’ll simply appear in a flashback or a dream sequence, and we totally know that Snyder’s fond of Knightmares, so that route would probably be a safe guess.

Snyder further elaborated while explaining that Leto was perfectly game to take on what Snyder “felt like was an inevitable course that the movie had to take,” which involved Joker. As Snyder put it, Leto “just kind of warmed up to this idea,” and “I am grateful and I am forever in debt to his kindness for doing it.” Yep, it’ll likely be a few minutes of Leto inside of a four-hour miniseries, but one can expect that Leto’s turn will be one of the most talked about moments.

Really though, wouldn’t it be something if we simply saw Leto’s face cackling from within that Joker card from the teaser trailer? Never say never, people.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear.

This week, Danileigh released her album Movie, Masego shared his song “Mystery Lady” with Don Toliver, and Tone Stith dropped off his love ballad “Devotion.” Check out the rest of the best new R&B music below.

Danileigh — Movie

Danileigh‘s second debut album Movie is here. The talented singer, rapper, songwriter, and dancer tapped in with Partynextdoor, Ty Dolla Sign, DaBaby, Gunna, and other industry heavyweights for the 16 track project, which includes the previously released singles “Monique” and “Dominican Mami” featuring Fivio Foreign. Danileigh did not come to play with her sophomore effort Movie.

Masego — “Mystery Lady” Feat. Don Toliver

Masego and Don Toliver connect for the music video to their sweet melodic jam “Mystery Lady.” The visual is complete with wavy beach vibes and a glowing sunset, while Masego aimlessly follows the object of his affection. The vibrant track lives on the singer’s recently released EP Studying Abroad.

Tone Stith — “Devotion”

Tone Stith is giving all his “Devotion” to the love of his life on his latest romantic ballad. Produced by Swagg R’Celious, with crazy guitar work by Stith himself, the rising R&B singer (who has Drake’s stamp of approval) delivers a song with a tenderness that is much needed during these times.

Foushee — “Single Af”

Most people have heard Foushee’s viral TikTok song “Deep End.” The full-length song is just as good as the 15 seconds TikTokers are used to and so are the rest of the songs Foushee has tucked away including her recently released “Single Af.” Much like “Deep End,” on “Single Af,” Foushee beautifully basks in her feelings of singledom over somber production.

Phony Ppl — “On My Sh*t” Feat. Joey Badass

Phony Ppl tapped in with one of the best in the rap game for their latest track “On My Sh*t,” fellow Brooklyn native Joey Badass. The jazz-funk band’s album is expected to come sometime next year and is set to include their viral jam “Fkn Around” with Megan Thee Stallion.

Sainvil — “The Big Bounce Back”

Buzzing singer Sainvil continues to carve out a lane of his own with the release of the visual for his track “The Big Bounce Back” off his recently released project 2020 Was Hijacked. Wrapped in melodic fervor, Sainvil delivers a motivational message to never stay down after a break-up (or anything else in life that could keep you down).

Jayla Darden — “Let You Go”

Following up on her single “Demonstration,” Jayla Darden arrives with another R&B goodie this year titled “Let You Go.” Produced by Grammy-nominated hitmaker Bizness Boi, Jayla offers fans a taste of what’s to come after 2019’s Onto Something.

Otis Kane — “Fight For Love”

All is fair in love and war and rising R&B singer Otis Kane shared his passionate single “Fight For Love” to express just that sentiment. Featuring an intoxicating guitar solo, the Los Angeles native vocally exhibits what love really is.

Love Mansuy — (món-swee) side B

Love Mansuy makes good on his promise with (món-swee) side B, the follow-up to (món-swee) side A. Side B is still five songs deep like side A, but only Mansuy makes an appearance without any features.

Savannah Re — “Solid”

Toronto singer Savannah Re is making a name for herself here in the states as she works on her forthcoming EP Opia with Boi-1da. Her single “Solid” is a lovely demonstration of her vocal purity and why she’s up next.

Aya Nakamura — Aya

Malian-born, French singer Aya Nakamura has released her self-titled album Aya. The project features 17 songs with guest appearances from Stormzy on “Plus Jamais” and Ms. Banks on “Mon Lossa,” as well as her platinum hit “Jolie Nana” and Afropop goodie “Doudou.”

Check out this week’s R&B picks, plus more on Uproxx’s Spotify playlist below.

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

His Dark Materials (HBO, 9:00pm EST) — The Dust-filled fantasy series returns with Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson) digging into the secrets of a new world. Meanwhile, the Magisterium’s looking to clean up the past, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Lee Scoresby strikes out upon a new mission. There’s not as much polar-bear action this time around, but this Season 2’s a more grown-up ride.

Industry (HBO, 10:00pm EST) — The Succession-esque series about a younger crowd picks up with Pierpoint attempting to boost morale with a celebration dinner. However, Harper’s on edge, Kenny is drunken and irate, and Gus is alienating loads of people, all of which promises to ignite more drama in the London investment landscape.

Filthy Rich (FOX, 9:00pm EST) — Tensions hit an all-time high for the Monreaux family in conjunction with Antonio’s huge fight and Rose running into her ex-flame. Elsewhere, Becky’s questioning her own relationship, and unanswered questions abound throughout all dynamics.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Jake Tapper, BENEE

Jimmy Kimmel Live –Ryan Phillippe, David Cross, Wallows

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Chance The Rapper, Erin Andrews, G Herbo

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Maria Bakalova

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Kaley Cuoco, Cazzie David

In case you missed these weekend picks:

The Crown: Season 4 (Netflix series, Sunday) — The jewel of Netflix finally sh*ts all over the fairy tale while the cracks begin to appear for the Windsor family and on Downing Street. In other words, welcome to the era of Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) and Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), neither of whom fit in with the long-standing, carefully-crafted veneer that they experience in their dealings with the royal family. Things get dark while remaining glitzy, and the show does not shy away from what made the Iron Lady such a deeply unpopular figure.

The Mandalorian: Chapter 11 (Disney+ series) — This week, the Baby Yoda star vehicle reveals why Pedro Pascal barely appears helmet-less, although the whole egg-genocide thing is still rattling fans to the core. For kicks, we ranked Cobb Vanth actor Timothy Olyphant in his lawman roles, including his turn as the galaxy’s coolest marshal.

And so it begins. Or continues. Whatever time is just a flat circle and it’s practically incalculable when the president of the United States keeps retweeting baseless conspiracy theories and voter fraud allegations while also maybe hyping his next business venture.

We’re well past the point when world leaders and high-ranking members of Congress have congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on winning the 2020 presidential election by what turned out to be a big margin. Biden easily defeated President Trump in the electoral college and outpaced him by an even larger margin in the popular vote. Still, Trump seems content to drag out the proceedings, refusing to facilitate a smooth transition and stirring up his supporters with unsupported claims of voter fraud. Tensions have risen so high that Trump is now attacking Fox News, who have quietly distanced themselves from the president’s latest play for power as his campaign has all but exhausted their legal appeals.

Trump encouraged his followers on Twitter to trade in his once-favorite conservative channel for obscure news network One America News (OANN).

And while it’s laughable that Trump is giving his Fox News groupies the silent treatment and publicly tweeting his support for a little-known channel whose major claim to fame is their willingness to give air-time to QAnon theories and other fringe groups, Howard Stern had a rather sobering warning for the guy who once came onto his show to make sexual advances on his own daughter.

Stern addressed the election madness on his program Monday, referencing the tweet and predicting it might be Trump’s way of hinting at his plans to launch his own news network once his presidency officially ends. Though Stern admitted to not being familiar with OANN, he cited reports he’d read about Trump’s after-office plans before unloading on the president’s failed business track-record and his inability to run anything, let alone a news network.

“He thinks running the country is hard, wait ‘til he has to run a news network,” Stern said. “That’ll fail inside of a year like all the other businesses. This is just insanity what’s going on.”

Stern also had some choice words for Trump regarding his post-election sh*t-stirring which has resulted in thousands of his followers claiming Biden’s win was “stolen” and even more attending a protest in D.C. this weekend where alt-right groups like The Proud Boys and conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones marched in Trump’s name.

“For once do something good for the country, calm down your f***ing loony hillbilly friends and tell them you lost the election and you’re going to help the transition,” Stern begged. “These loonies who follow you are all worked up; they think something was taken from them.”

Ahead of the premiere of the new season of The Eric Andre Show, it was revealed the latest slate of episodes would feature a bunch of musical talent, including Grimes, Anderson .Paak, Lil Yachty, Joey Badass, Toro y Moi, Big Freedia, Machine Gun Kelly, and Taco Bennett. Other guests have popped up as well, like Lizzo, who took to the streets in a green bodysuit and played some flute. Two new episodes aired last night, and they were packed with even more musicians.

One segment marked the return of “Rapper Warrior Ninja,” and participating this time around were Jpegmafia, Yachty, Trippie Redd, Murs, and Zach Fox. They were each tasked with trying to get across a raised platform while freestyling and dealing with Andre’s distractions. Jpegmafia had bursts of air shot at him from below, Yachty bailed after getting close to a dangling poop-like object, and ultimately, Zach Fox ended up winning. On the night’s other episode, meanwhile, Toro y Moi stopped by to ride a mechanical bull (or, in Spanish, toro).

Watch the “Rapper Warrior Ninja” clip above and the Toro Y Moi clip below.

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

Taylor Swift has been locked in an ongoing battle with Scooter Braun for the masters to her first six albums for more than a year, after Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Label Group in June 2019. According to Variety, that fight just developed a new wrinkle; Braun has reportedly sold the master rights to an as-yet-unknown investment fund for what is believed to be more than $300 million — the same amount Braun paid for Big Machine as a whole last year.

Braun still owns Big Machine, whose current roster includes Florida Georgia Line, Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum), Rascal Flatts, Sheryl Crow, and Thomas Rhett. The sale of Swift’s master rights is viewed, per Variety, as “as a big win for Braun, who profited handsomely from his initial investment.” Swift has characterized Braun as a “bully” in her ongoing crusade, vowing to re-record her first six albums so as to deprive him and Big Machine of the profits from them. Now that the term of her initial deal blocking her from doing so has expired, she is able to do so free of legal consequences from Braun and Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta.

The reason for the sale is posited in Variety‘s report as the incoming Biden administration and its steeper tax rate on capital gains, which could be prompting rights-holders to unload these valuable assets, despite their growing profitability.