Month: January 2021

Like a lot of couples, Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor‘s characters in the new HBO Max original, Locked Down, found themselves trapped together due to a nationwide quarantine. But unlike other couples, they decide to mix things up with a high-stakes jewelry heist. Shot in London during the pandemic, the first trailer for the romantic comedy showcases Hathaway and Ejiofor’s relationship falling apart while navigating a new world of Zoom calls and toilet paper hoarding. Director Doug Liman shows a skilled hand at dealing with a troubled couple who rekindles their love life with a little illegal activity, thanks to his work on the smash hit Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Ben Kingsley, Mindy Kaling, and Stephen Merchant also stop by for some blink-and-you’ll-miss-them cameos.

Announced back in September under the original name of Lockdown and with Hathaway already attached, Locked Down came together pretty quickly despite shooting in pandemic conditions in the UK and with only a $10 million budget. However, Warner Bros. clearly liked what they saw and snatched up the streaming rights to the film in early December, when it was fast-tracked for a release on HBO Max.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Just as they decide to separate, Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor) find life has other plans when they are stuck at home in a mandatory lockdown. Co-habitation is proving to be a challenge, but fueled by poetry and copious amounts of wine, it will bring them closer together in the most surprising way.

Locked Down starts streaming January 14 on HBO Max.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got another taste of the forthcoming tenth Foo Fighters album, a remix album of Grimes’ Miss Anthropocene, and an excellent covers EP from Hovvdy. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter right here to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Grimes – Miss Anthropocene (Rave Edition)

Following in the footsteps of Dua Lipa, who brought new attention to Future Nostalgia with the reworked remix album Club Future Nostalgia, Grimes is back with a new “Rave” version of Miss Anthropocene nearly a year after the album’s initial release. While the tracklist is the same, each of the songs has been reimagined by the likes of Channel Tres and Julien Bracht, breathing new life into an already inventive album.

Hovvdy – Covers 2

Austin lo-fi indie-pop duo Hovvdy (one of the most underrated bands out there right now) had a relatively quiet 2020, popping up here and there to share a couple of new singles. To close out the year, the band has shared an EP of covers, featuring their takes on songs from Charli XCX, Coldplay, Paramore, and Frou Frou. Put through a Hovvdy filter, most of these tracks are almost unrecognizable until the chorus kicks in.

Foo Fighters – “No Son Of Mine”

With Medicine After Midnight right around the corner, Foo Fighters have shared another preview of their tenth studio album. “No Son Of Mine” is a frantic rocker, straying from a conventional time signature and ramping up the riffs. “Pour a drink, turn it up, close your eyes and imagine that festival field blowing up to this. Because it f*cking will,” Dave Grohl said in a handwritten statement.

The Black Keys – “Keep My Name Outta Your Mouth”/“Black Mud Pt II”

As part of the deluxe ten-year edition of their breakthrough album Brothers, The Black Keys have shared two previously unreleased tracks. “Keep My Name Outta Your Mouth” and “Black Mud Pt. II” fit in perfectly with their Brothers track brethren (hehe), expanding on the distorted blues sound that launched the duo to arena headlining status and yielded some of their biggest hits to date.

Jeff Rosenstock – “Caring”/“Illegal Fireworks And Hiding Bottles In The Sand”

2020 was never lacking in new music from Jeff Rosenstock. From the surprise release of No Dream to his ongoing 2020 Dump collection, the punk maestro had a prolific year. He wrapped up the ongoing release with “Caring,” an acoustic duet with Laura Stevenson, and a new rocker called “Illegal Fireworks And Hiding Bottles In The Sand.” Rosenstock announced the release on Instagram, writing, “Wishing every one of you patience, health, kindness, love and massive success and financial gains that test your character in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine in 2021. Farewell, bad year.”

La Dispute – “Fifteen”/“Kinross”

We’ve been eagerly awaiting a new La Dispute LP since Panorama landed at No. 2 on our mid-year list of 2019’s best indie albums. Well, nothing better to tide us over than two new tracks from the Michigan post-hardcore outfit that “combines jazz, spoken word, and post-hardcore all into one roiling, beautiful mess,” according to Caitlin White.

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

The Weeknd’s chart-topping album After Hours debuted in March and the singer has been steadily releasing videos alongside the album since. Previously, The Weeknd has appeared in videos and performances with his face wrapped in bandages. But now, he’s taking off the gauze to reveal some massive plastic surgery in his “Save Your Tears” video.

The video furthers the singer’s faux physical transformation, which he has been chronicling through his entire After Hours album cycle. The Weeknd was previously seen with his face bloodied and bandaged, even at awards shows. Now, the singer appears healed, revealing a massive facelift and plastic surgery. But while his physical features are restored, it’s clear his mental state is unraveling. The visual depicts The Weeknd in a manic state at a surreal awards show where he stumbles through the crowded ballroom and even fakes-out the crowd with a confetti pistol.

The visual arrives following The Weeknd’s spat with the Recording Academy. After Hours did not receive a single Grammy nomination, despite being one of the highest-charting albums of the year. The singer slammed the Grammys as “corrupt” after claiming the Recording Academy didn’t consider him for any nominations because he had agreed to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Watch The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” video above.

After Hours is out now via Republic. Get it here.

Making regular McDonald’s french fries at home is one of those cooking tasks that seems… a little absurd. You can go into any McDonald’s in the world and get an order of fries for $2 to $3 in less than a minute. They’ll usually be piping hot, perfectly seasoned, and pretty goddamn delicious.

Why try to recreate what the Golden Arches never screws up?

Here’s why: The McDonald’s french fries we get today aren’t quite as delicious as they used to be, thanks to a massive change in the recipe in 1990 — a once little-known food fact that has become (relatively) common knowledge. Back in 2017, Malcolm Gladwell took on the issue of McDonald’s changing up their fry recipe on his podcast, Revisionist History. The author pinned everything to a pivot the Golden Arches made on July 23, 1990, when they stopped using beef tallow in their fryers. He asserted that the fries pre-1990 didn’t just taste better in our nostalgia-hazed minds, they were better.

The logic holds up. French fries fried in duck or beef fat are always more deeply flavored and generally tastier than those dipped in corn, canola, or veggie oils. The current iteration at Mickey D’s are treated to have “beef essence” through the addition of wheat and milk extracts, but c’mon, that’s no substitute. Sure, they still rule, but now each bite begs the question: Could these be even better?

To answer that question, I tried to recreate the classic McDonald’s french fries at home and then compared them with some fresh fries from a local McDonald’s down the street. Besides the beef tallow, I followed the steps that McDonald’s uses to make their fries today — blanching them in a sugar/vinegar brine, pre-frying, freezing, and re-frying the potatoes before seasoning them.

What You’ll Need in the Kitchen:

• Kitchen knife
• Cutting board
• 2 large, heavy-bottomed pots
• Slotted spoon
• Baking sheet
• Large bowl
• Paper towels
• Container for freezing (Ziplock bag works too)
• Thermometer

Classic McDonald’s French Fries

Ingredients:

• 3 Shepody potatoes
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2-lbs. beef tallow
• Salt
• Water

McDonald’s uses a lot of ingredients to recreate the beef tallow beef essence lost by cooking their fries in vegetable oils. I’m skipping all those additives and sticking with the barebones recipe of a sugar and vinegar brine to blanch, an initial fry, freezing, and second fry. I’m also just using Shepody potatoes, which is one of four potatoes McDonald’s uses for their fries. I didn’t have the time during a lockdown to track down Ranger Russets, Umatilla Russets, and Russet Burbanks.

Shepody potatoes are perfectly fine for making fries at home anyway.

The biggest change-up here is, obviously, that I’m using real-deal beef tallow from Belgium. Why? Because let’s face it, if there’s any culture that knows its way around a good fry right now, it’s Belgium. The cones of frites you can get on pretty much every other street corner in that small country are arguably the best in the world. And that comes down to the beef tallow they’re fried in.

Step 1:

First, I get two heavy-bottomed pots on the stove. In one, I’ve added two pounds of beef tallow. I turn the heat on low to allow the tallow to melt slowly. You want it to become a liquid before you turn up the heat for frying.

In the other pot, I add about half a gallon of tap water and a half-cup each of white sugar and white vinegar. I put that on high to bring it up to just under a boil and completely dissolve the sugar.

While the fat is melting and the water is warming, I start processing my potatoes. McDonald’s fries are peeled in a huge machine. I like a peel on my fries, so I leave it on. It also saves time.

I then use a kitchen knife to cut the potato length-wise into oblong disks that are just under one-quarter-inch thick. I then julienne those into long matchsticks. I make sure to cut them a little bigger than I want, as they’ll shrink as they cook.

The cut potatoes go straight into the warm water. I bring the water just to boil. As soon as that happens, I use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a towel-lined cutting board.

I then use another towel to dry the potatoes by pressing down on them to extract as much moisture as I can. You want to get them as dry as possible, without mashing or breaking any of the sticks.

Step 2:

I use a thermometer to keep an eye on the beef tallow. When it hits 375f/190c, it’s ready to flash fry the potatoes.

I use a slotted spoon to drop the fries in a handful at a time. I make a single layer of fries in the hot fat and keep moving them as they fry with the slotted spoon. Mine end up taking almost three minutes to fry. You want them to just start taking on a yellowish color.

I remove the first batch to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to leech out the excess fat and fry up the second (and last) batch.

Again, it’ takes about three minutes to hit that yellowish color. The fries are cooked but they’re not crispy fries yet.

Step 3:

After I leech out as much of the excess fat as I can by gently tamping the fries with a paper towel, I place them in a freezer-safe container in as close to one layer as I can. Some recipes call for a single layer for freezing. That takes up a lot of freezer space most people don’t have. This way works fine too.

I then place the fries in the freezer for at least two hours or until the fries are frozen through. You can keep them for up to a month like this and pull them out in batches to fry up at will if you want.

Step 4:

This is where the magic happens. I get the beef tallow up to 400f/205c to finish the fries.

Now, if you order a freshly fried order of fries from McDonald’s, it takes about three-and-a-half minutes to get those fries. So, I’m aiming for three minutes as my frying time.

I drop the fries in and keep an eye on my temperature. I have to kick the flame up to get the tallow back up to temp as quickly as possible. I also use the slotted spoon to move them around a bit (basically emulating the basket shake of a professional frier).

After three minutes pass, I check the fries for doneness and they’re very done. They aren’t burnt but they also are not that lightly fried McDonald’s french fry either. Still, they’re super crispy and freakin’ delicious.

For the last batch, I fry for closer to two minutes before dropping them in the bowl and salting. The crispiness was there but the color was a bit closer to actual McDonald’s fries.

Bottom Line:

So, McDonald’s fries are McDonald’s fries. They’re crispy yet soft with plenty of salt. They’re delicious. These fries are also delicious. They’re fries after all. They did have that sweet edge with a beefiness for sure. But they really tasted like your average homemade fries. Okay, they were a little better than “average.” The beef tallow really shined through and made them very tasty.

As you can see above, they look similar to McDonald’s fries and have a close texture and feel to them. Maybe if I fried 50 more batches in my beef tallow, it’d start to build up some deeper flavor/seasoning. But that’s never happening. That being said, I do think the vinegar and sugar brine/blanch added a nice touch to the overall fry.

I guess it comes down to this: These are delicious. But cooking them three times and freezing them in between is way too much work for a side you can get for $2 at any McDonald’s, beef tallow or not. There are easier/ more straightforward fry recipes that we like every bit as much.

Sure, you may still decide to make this one — just know that you’re doing it to feed your curiosity as much as your hunger.

In a new oral history on the making of the 1996 sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys, director Terry Gilliam had some interesting words to say about working with Bruce Willis, particularly the shape of his mouth. While revealing that he chose Willis after shooting down A-list stars like Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage, who were at the top of their game during the mid-’90s, Gilliam described his one major issue with the Die Hard actor: he thinks Willis’ mouth looks like a butt.

“I had never been a great fan of Bruce’s before,” Gilliam told Inverse. “But I liked talking to him, and I thought, OK, this guy’s smart, he’s funny. I explained to him my concerns about him as an actor. I hated the Trumpian mouth he does in films. Rectal. It’s like I’m looking at somebody’s a**hole.”

Did he truly say “rectal” to Bruce Willis’ face? Gillaim doesn’t clarify, but Willis’ mouth wasn’t the only problem Gilliam ended up having with the actor, who had developed a reputation for being difficult on set. Despite assurances that he would “leave his entourage behind” and agreeing to work on 12 Monkeys for a fraction of usual salary for a chance to “stretch” as an actor, Gilliam said that Willis began to revert back to his old ways during the production:

Bruce was trying incredibly hard to just be an actor at work but he had been spoiled by success for so long. So he was in many ways like a kid who was pushing the limits constantly and then coming up with stupid excuses for being late on the set. There was one point he had something that looked like a note from his mother. We let Bruce go away for a long weekend and he came back and suddenly he was Bruce Willis Superstar again.

Despite the difficulties with Willis’ mouth and demeanor, 12 Monkeys went on to become a commercial and critical success, earning over $180 million on a $30 million budget.

(Via Inverse)

There’s nothing the folks at World Wrestling Entertainment love more than a good celebrity cameo appearance on their shows, as they have quite the history of celeb pop-ups and even celebs participating in matches. However, with the ongoing pandemic and shows in the Thunderdome with just virtual fans in attendance, there’s not a lot of incentive for seeking out the cheap pop that can come from a big star showing up.

So on Monday Night Raw, when they went ahead with their legends night that featured Hulk Hogan and Goldberg (who will apparently once again be making a title push at 54 years old), there wasn’t any real expectation of non-wrestling royalty being backstage — and there wasn’t. That didn’t stop them from running a gag insisting Cardi B was backstage, only for it to be revealed that it was the Boogeyman, which led to Cardi trending on Twitter to her confusion.

Once she was shown video of why she was trending alongside WWE, she had an incredible response in which she was furious with Vince McMahon that this was how her “WWE debut” went and that she would be coming for him.

When former WWE stars like Trish Stratus and Melina replied to Cardi, she began fan girling out, as, while she doesn’t currently watch WWE, she was once a big fan.

At this point, I’d bank on a Cardi B appearance on WWE TV by the end of 2021, because there’s no way WWE isn’t going to see all of these tweets about her being a wrestling fan and not beg her to make a proper debut at some point — hopefully sans Boogeyman.

For over 20 years now, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill has been regarded as one of the most important hip-hop albums in the genre’s canon. An undisputed classic, The Miseducation set the standards for both artistry and commercial success, yet in that time, the artist herself has rarely given interviews, perhaps put off by a series of controversies at her peak when her responses were taken out of context. However, she broke that trend for the podcast Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums on Amazon Music, responding by email to address the album’s impact and legacy, as well as why she never released a proper follow-up.

Ms. Hill notes that one of the results of her groundbreaking album was cracking the door for Black artists to more openly speak about systemic racism, although she expresses disappointment that she doesn’t get enough credit for doing so, despite taking most of the heat early. Putting it bluntly, “I was called crazy,” she says. “Now, over a decade later, we hear this as part of the mainstream chorus. Ok, so chalk some of it up to leadership and how that works. I was clearly ahead, but you also have to acknowledge the blatant denial that went down with that. The public abuse and ostracizing while suppressing and copying what I had done, with still no real acknowledgment that all of that even happened, is a lot.”

However, although she says she’s also “pretty critical” of her own work, she does appreciate why Miseducation is so universally beloved. “I challenged the norm and introduced a new standard. I believe The Miseducation did that and I believe I still do this — defy convention when the convention is questionable.”

Unfortunately, she says she never received the same level of support for her future endeavors, and detractors sapped her creative energy for producing another work on that level. “The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER,” she points out. While the label had largely left her to her own devices while recording the album, once it became the cultural juggernaut it had, more people than ever wanted to be associated with her genius. “People had included me in their own narratives of THEIR successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy.”

It’s a shame that Ms. Hill was never able to follow up The Miseducation, that she felt people tried to take advantage of her, and that critics put her through the wringer. Still, though, she has one of the “500 greatest albums” and that’s not nothing. You can listen to the podcast episode, which features H.E.R., Jamila Woods, and more, here.

It’s been a rough week for beans.

First, there was the still-ongoing Bean Dad saga, which began with a father mocking his daughter for not knowing how to use a can opener and ended with resurfaced racist and homophobic tweets (tell your off-line friends that “Bean Dad got Milkshake Duck’d,” and see how they respond). And now, Rowan Atkinson wants Mr. Bean to die.

OK, the British comedian didn’t use those words exactly, but the sentiment stands. “I don’t much enjoy playing him,” he told the Radio Times. “The weight of responsibility is not pleasant. I find it stressful and exhausting, and I look forward to the end of it.” Atkinson created Mr. Bean, a bumbling buffoon who responds to the various scraps he finds himself in with mumbles and cartoonish facial tics, in the 1980s — since then, there’s been TV shows, movies, and this “Yaaas Bean” shirt that I’m buying immediately.

Atkinson isn’t ready to bury Mr. Bean yet, however.

Atkinson’s lack of enjoyment does not preclude an animated film. “Having made an animated TV series, we’re now in the foothills of developing an animated movie for Mr. Bean — it’s easier for me to perform the character vocally than visually,” Atkinson said.

The movie will have Mr. Bean trying to kill himself, only to end up the king of England somehow. Besides, Atkinson can’t kill his most popular character (sorry, Johnny English and the “it’s a race” guy from Rat Race). Bean is immortal, assuming he doesn’t get canceled.

Again, rough week for beans.

(Via Variety)

Many pop musicians have taken a break from releasing music during the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some delectable tracks released just in time for the New Year. Justin Bieber returned for a new track, Lauv decided to ring in the New Year with a reflective tune, and Jacob Collier debuted a heartwarming ballad.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Justin Bieber — “Anyone”

After becoming a self-described R&B artist with last year’s album Changes, Justin Bieber has shared a handful of singles which point to his early catalog. “Anyone,” which he debuted during his New Year’s Eve livestream, is no exception. The song is a soaring declaration of his love peppered with a rolling beat and heartfelt lyrics, making it a standout of the best new pop music for this week.

Lauv — “2021”

2020 was undeniably Lauv’s breakout year after the singer independently released his debut album How I’m Feeling. But Lauv plans to keep up the momentum in 2021, and he’s cemented his intentions through song. Sharing the aptly titled “2021” in time for the New Year, Lauv expressed his excitement for what’s to come over shuffling instrumentals.

Jacob Collier — “The Sun Is In Your Eyes”

On the heels of three Grammy nominations, Jacob Collier shared the swooning acoustic number “The Sun Is In Your Eyes,” which was ripped off a voice memo on his phone. Along with sharing the tune, Collier has been teasing upcoming collaborations with artists like Daniel Caesar on his Instagram page, so the musician is sure to have some big releases up his sleeve in 2021.

Bailey Bryan — “Sober”

After releasing a slew of singles in 2020, Bailey Bryan is the New Year full steam ahead. Bryan shared the resonating song “Sober” this week. While showcasing her soaring vocals, Bailey delivers vulnerable lyrics about learning to heal from a past relationship.

The Hxliday — “Nxbxdy”

This week, 19-year-old Baltimore artist The Hxliday returned with the celebratory BatBxy EP. The six-track effort features “Nxbxdy,” a song about working through trust issues. “BatBxy is about my past year experiences. It’s a special note from me to my fans,” TheHxliday said about the EP. “I wanted to drop BatBxy on New Year’s Day specifically because I feel like it’s me stepping out of my old self. It’s about the learning process that I’ve been going through in 2020 going into the new me in 2021.”

Jung — “Heaven”

Swedish brother duo Jung returned this week to share the charming single “Heaven.” This Maroon 5-adjacent track features fluttering melodies, softly crashing snares, and feel-good lyrics which craft a upbeat song fit for setting this year’s intentions.

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

The Georgia Senate runoff (and one bizarre speech from the Trump rally) is in the forefront on this Tuesday, but in the background, rifle-toting Republican Lauren Boebert (representing Colorado) is already doing her thing on Capitol Hill. Or at least, that’s what she’s claiming to do in her bizarre new political add, in which she declares, “I WILL carry my Glock to Congress.” Surprise? Well, Boebert’s already a controversial figure in her home state, in which she owns a diner called Shooters Grill (actually located in Rifle, Colorado) and has been accused of providing a firearm to a minor staff member. She’s also got nearly a handful of arrests under her belt, according to the Denver Post.

Here’s the ad with Boebert strutting through D.C. while bragging that she’ll always support Second Amendment rights and protect her own family. She then stresses how, “[A]s a five-foot-tall, 100-pound woman I choose to protect myself legally, because I am my best security.” And Boebert even vows to arm herself in the halls of Congress.

It’s a wild ad, alright. Disgraced former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (who famously showcased gunfire and not much else in an ad) would have been proud, but of course, one cannot expect D.C. police to be thrilled about Boebert’s slippery-slope spectacle. NBC Washington reports that Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee planned to have a chat with Boeber and isn’t impressed by her bragging. “That congresswoman, whoever it is, I guess it was from Colorado,” Contee declared. “[W]ill be subjected to the same penalties as anyone else that’s caught on the District of Columbia streets that’s carrying a firearm.”

Oh, but there’s a twist here. The Washington Post received word from a Boebert spokesperson, who has clarified that “she was not carrying the gun throughout the video shoot, despite the opening scene.” Basically, she doesn’t want to get arrested (again), and that could happen because a concealed-carry license from Colorado would not fly with D.C.’s gun laws, “and nonresidents must register firearms with D.C. police.”

Let’s just say that Boebert’s being roundly mocked by Twitter, including the label of “value village discount rack sarah palin.” Ouch.

2021’s shaping up to be a strange year already.

(Via NBC Washington & Washington Post)