The new year is already off to an optimistic start thanks to the efforts of Inglewood’s breakout artist, D Smoke. The Grammy-nominated rapper returned with a brand-new song over the weekend, “It’s OK,” delivering a positive message and showcasing some talented youths in the song’s accompanying music video. D Smoke released the video today after debuting the song a few weeks ago.
The cleverly shot video sees D Smoke recruiting the kids as hype men, backup dancers, and musicians, as the video breaks down with a marching band and becoming an exuberant display of joy in a backlot. Throughout, D Smoke’s rapid-fire verses express his uplifting outlook — even when he flexes a pump-action shotgun and warns that he believes in using it for self-defense.
D Smoke, the winner of the inaugural season of Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, is nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy for his debut album, Black Habits. He most recently released the “Closer To God” video from the album with his brother SiR. He also appeared in Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe’s “Headshots” video and collaborated with Berkley’s Rexx Life Raj on the song “Optimistic” for Empire’s Voices For Change compilation.
Greta Thunberg’s damn good at Twitter, and she isn’t about to let a little thing like reaching adulthood destroy her streak. The award-winning environmental activist also knows how to wait for the right moment — she famously waited nearly a year to roast Donald Trump with a request that he “chill” out — and her eighteenth birthday was no exception. Thunberg posted a photo on Twitter to thank her supporters for recognizing her birthday. Naturally, her brand of snark was on point to troll climate-change deniers while feigning that she was ready to throw off the shackles of science.
“Thank you so much for all the well-wishes on my 18th birthday!” she tweeted. “Tonight you will find me down at the local pub exposing all the dark secrets behind the climate- and school strike conspiracy and my evil handlers who can no longer control me! I am free at last!!”
Thank you so much for all the well-wishes on my 18th birthday!
Tonight you will find me down at the local pub exposing all the dark secrets behind the climate- and school strike conspiracy and my evil handlers who can no longer control me! I am free at last!! pic.twitter.com/w1VBG83VVN
The “Flat Mars Society” shirt is a nice touch. Still, Thunberg knows when the time is right to be serious. She officially marked her birthday with Sunday Times interview, in which she declared that the best present would be to see people helping planet Earth heal. She also isn’t interested in receiving clothes as a gift: “I know people who have clothes, so I would ask them if I could borrow them or if they have something they don’t need any more. The worst-case scenario, I guess I’ll buy second-hand.”
Thunberg also declared that although she travels overseas by boat, she isn’t telling celebrities not to fly in airplanes. “I’m not telling anyone else what to do,” she declared. However, she warned that these A-listers are harming their own credibility by doing so: “[T]here is a risk when you are vocal about these things and don’t practise as you preach, then you will become criticised for that and what you are saying won’t be taken seriously.” Looks like Greta will be keeping it real for many, many years to come.
Jake Tapper isn’t afraid to call out Trump associates (like perpetual liar Kaleigh McEnany) for their shenanigans, and on Sunday afternoon, he nailed Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller to the wall. The CNN anchor had spent part of the weekend covering the audio footage of Donald Trump begging Georgia officials to rig the election in his favor, and Miller stepped in, only to be smacked hard by Tapper.
Long story short, Miller appeared to question the validity of the footage (due to him only being able to find part of it?), and Tapper pointed him toward the complete audio file. Tapper then added, “[A]nd while I have your attention pay your child support”
Tapper was referring to Miller’s paternity-involved saga related to a lawsuit filed by former Trump campaign staffer A.J. Delgado. In 2020, the Huffington Post reported that the campaign concealed payments to Miller when he became embroiled in legal proceedings to determine the amount of child support that Miller was required to pay. If true, the presumed intent by the campaign would be to protect Miller from having income factored into child support calculations, and Miller was previously called out on Twitter by Rep. Eric Stalwell (D-CA) on the issue: “Kids shouldn’t go hungry because Dad is a deadbeat.”
Well, Miller was incensed over Tapper bringing up the subject and responded, “You’re a fake news p***y, Jake. I’d like to see you say that to my face.”
You’re a fake news pussy, Jake. I’d like to see you say that to my face. https://t.co/5OaOMqojwp
Just a hunch here: Tapper would probably have no problem saying what he said directly to Miller’s face. People on Twitter appear to be here for it, too, if it happens.
Jake Tapper is not having any of Jason Miller’s bullshit and I am HERE for it. pic.twitter.com/HNV6MIjYUn
A year-and-a-half ago, Justin Bieber started an unexpected feud when he tweeted at Tom Cruise, “I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to fight in the octagon. Tom if you dont take this fight your scared and you will never live it down.” Bieber later insisted he was just joking around, saying, “I don’t know him. He’s tight. The story is I saw an interview with him, and he was just on my mind. It was just a random tweet. I do that stuff sometimes.”
Well, it looks like Cruise was on Bieber’s mind again over the weekend, as he invoked the feud on Instagram. Sharing a photo of himself as a boxer in his recent “Anyone” video, Bieber wrote, “Tom Cruise is toast.”
The comments were filled with support from some recognizable names, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who referenced the Rocky movies and wrote, “‘You’re gonna eat lightning and crap thunder’ go get em bro.” Bieber collaborator Benny Blanco also chimed in, “def knocking me out in the first round.”
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in January. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, January 1
Another Sky — Music For Winter Vol. 1 (Fiction)
Antonio Lopez — Roots & Wings (Head Above Music)
The Dirty Nil — Fuck Art (Dine Alone Records)
Grimes — Miss Anthropocene Rave Edition (4AD)
Reuther — Letting Go EP (Get Party Records)
The Soviet Machines — The Soviet Machines (self-released)
Friday, January 8
Aaron Frazer — Introducing… (Colemine Records)
Dante Elephante — Mid-Century Modern Romance (Born Losers Records)
Griselda Records — Conflicted (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Griselda Records)
Henrik Appel — Humanity (PNKSLM Recordings)
Hilang Child — Every Mover (Bella Union)
Jarle Skavhellen — Beech Street (Nettwerk)
Jeff Plate — Mother’s Day (Rat Pak Records)
Kaz Mirblouk — Careless By Contrast (Mock Records)
Modern Hut — I Don’t Want To Get Adjusted To This World (Don Giovanni Records)
Morgan Wallen — Dangerous: The Double Album (Republic Records)
Oska — Honeymoon Phase EP (Nettwerk)
Passenger — Songs For The Drunk And Broken Hearted (Nettwerk)
Viagra Boys — Welfare Jazz (YEAR0001)
Wax Tailor — The Shadow Of Their Suns (Lab’Oratoire)
The third season of Cobra Kai kicked off on January 1st, which was a perfect way to begin 2021. The series, which moved over from the now-defunct YouTube Red, found a huge audience on Netflix, and the third season is getting mostly rave reviews. I loved it, too, although I thought it had a bit of a “Negan” problem, which is to say that the season may have spent a little too much time on John Kreese and the bullying tactics of the new Cobra Kai. Still, in the end, it was as rousing as ever and closed out the season in a way that was both satisfying and successfully set up the fourth season.
If there is one glaring, weak link in Cobra Kai, however, it’s Anthony LaRusso. Viewers may remember him from season one as the lazy, entitled, tech-obsessed brat who cared more about whip cream than he did karate.
Netflix
To be clear, however, Anthony LaRusso was a Season One problem and not a Season Three problem, and that’s because Anthony LaRusso had only one scene in the entire third season, lingering on screen only long enough for viewers to wonder, “Is that the same kid?” It is, in fact, the same kid, Griffin Santopietro, who clearly hit his grown spurt between the second and third season (he’s 13 years old).
As it stands, however, Anthony was all but written out to the show. There were a couple of passing references to him this season (mostly about being at sleepovers). He obviously couldn’t be killed off the series, because Cobra Kai is not that kind of show. The original problem, unfortunately, is that in an effort to draw a stark contrast between Anthony and his father, Daniel LaRusso, in the first season, the writers overshot and annihilated the character so badly that they could only bring him back for a few scenes in three episodes in Season Two, and just the one in Season Three, where he eats a popsicle and expresses mock disappointing in his sister. At least his brand is still strong.
I understand why the writers tried what they tried in the opening season, and the idea was a good one. They wanted to show that Anthony had become basically the opposite of who Daniel was in the original Karate Kid — wealthy, entitled, lazy — and to illustrate that, for all his great qualities, Daniel still had some flaws, mostly in the parenting department. He is raising essentially his own Johnny Lawrence without any athletic skill. The character, however, did not resonate.
The audience rejected it; in fact, the scenes with Anthony in the opening season were more uncomfortable than funny. It was smart to bury him. It might also, however, be fun to introduce him as something akin to The Next Karate Kid in Season Four, taking on the role of Hilary Swank’s character in a spiritual sense. It would be fitting, especially as the fourth installment of the series was the worst received of all the movies. If they choose to go that route, however, hopefully Griffin Santopietro can be remembered as fondly as Hilary Swank.
‘Cobra Kai’ Season Three is now streaming on Netflix.
Whenever somebody discusses any sort of ranking of the greatest rapper ever, it tends to generate a lot of discussion, as pretty much everybody has a different opinion on who is truly the best. It seems like every day, some famous music figure makes a declaration about who the elite rappers are, and now it’s DaBaby’s turn.
In an Instagram post from over the weekend, he declared that he and Lil Wayne are the “best rappers alive.” Sharing photos of himself and Wayne in the studio, he captioned his post, “Best rappers alive,” then tagged Wayne and added a goat emoji. He later shared the post on his Instagram Story and added, “Wayne music was our Bible!”
@dababy/Instagram
This is certainly not the first time DaBaby has publicly discussed his admiration for Lil Wayne. In late 2019, for example, DaBaby was asked about the one rapper he would like to collaborate with, and he responded, “I got a song with Lil Wayne. That was amazing so I’m good. That’s the GOAT in my era, that’s the GOAT. That’s probably who I was most influenced by music-wise growing up.”
Meanwhile, Eminem recently gave his pick for the best rapper ever, and his selection is… nobody.
It may no longer be the go-to punchline for bad series finales (congrats to Game of Thrones), but the final episode of Dexter is a notorious stinker. Airing on September 22, 2013, “Remember the Monsters?” was a “flabby, flaccid, manipulative, horrible cop out of an ending,” with serial killer Dexter Morgan, played by Michael C. Hall, leaving sunny Florida for the woods of Oregon to become a lumberjack. The Dexter revival won’t undo the finale — “What happened in the first eight years happened in the first eight years,” original showrunner Clyde Phillips said — but according to Hall, it will set things right.
“I think in this case, the story that’s being told is worth telling in a way that other proposals didn’t, and I think enough time has passed where it’s become intriguing in a way that it wasn’t before,” the Six Feet Under star told the Daily Beast when asked about bringing back Dexter as a 10-episode limited series. He continued:
“And let’s be real: people found the way that show left things pretty unsatisfying, and there’s always been a hope that a story would emerge that would be worth telling. I include myself in the group of people that wondered, ‘What the hell happened to that guy?’ So I’m excited to step back into it. I’ve never had that experience of playing a character this many years on.”
Hall, who was also in one of the best TV finales ever, believes that the negative response to the lumberjack ending was “warranted,” although “I certainly thought it was justifiable for Dexter to do what he did. I think some of the criticisms were about that, and some of the criticisms weren’t so much about the ‘what’ as they were about the ‘how,’ and those were valid, too.” How can Dexter undo a famously terrible ending? Two words:
Based on how popular Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” was in 2020, pretty much everybody has heard the hit single. That actually might not include Cardi’s own daughter, Kulture, though, as it looks as though Cardi doesn’t like Kulture listening to the explicit song.
In an Instagram Live video from after Christmas, Cardi is seen lip-syncing along to the song in her home, and a few seconds in, she notices Kulture entering the room in the background. When she turns around and spots her daughter, she quickly stops the song and exclaims, “No no no no no no no.” She then takes a drink, acting like nothing had happened.
Cardi B has defended the song’s lyrics on multiple occasions, even against her own label, which was hesitant to even release it, as Cardi previously explained, “I just wanted, like at least a top ten. ‘Cause, it got to the point one time that even my label asked, ‘Yo, are you sure? Because this song, it’s so raunchy. You cannot even play it in certain places.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not gonna make this girl do another verse to another song. She like the song and it’s fire.’ They were like, ‘You know, you’re right. It is what it is.’ And it just exceeded everything.”
Watch the video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Hulu welcomes a new (and hopefully brighter) year with several tons of beloved films (like Dead Poets Society, Boogie Nights, The Princess Bride) and a handful of original TV series and films. A spooky new thriller series and more Endlings arrive for TV buffs while film fans can enjoy a powerful entry about the sense of sound. Meanwhile, guilty pleasures like the Austin Powers trilogy and other franchises land to keep things weird and bingeworthy. Here’s what’s coming to Hulu in January.
The Sister: Season 1 (Hulu original limited series streaming 1/22)
ITV commissioned this series with Hulu, and it’s already a hit in the U.K. The show’s based upon Burial, a best selling novel by Neil Cross (Luther) and involves a family’s life being rocked into oblivion when a presence from the past literally shows up on the porch with some unwelcome and shocking news. This development, of course, transforms into catastrophic decisions and long-lasting effects that aren’t so desirable.
The Ultimate Playlist of Noise (Hulu original film streaming 1/15)
A high-school senior must face up to the fact that his upcoming brain surgery will leave him deaf, and given that he adores music, he sets upon grabbing onto his own fate by recording the ultimate bucket-playlist. And then he takes a wild road trip alongside a struggling musician while they both experience transformative revelations.
Endlings: Season 2 (Hulu original series streaming 1/15)
Sci-fi fans will enjoy seeing the return of this crew, who must accept that they can change the future and (at least) make up for the mistakes of the past without achieving a full-on reckoning. The very fate of the planet and humanity depends on their continued fight, and the endearing group is here for it.
Avail. 1/1 Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest: Special (ABC) Fire Force: Season 2, Episodes 1-12 (DUBBED) (Funimation) 1900 (1977) 1900 (Extended Cut) (1977) A Night at the Roxbury (1998) American Gigolo (1980) Arachnophobia (1990) The Arrival (1996) Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002) Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) Bad Company (2002) Blade Runner: The Final Cut (2007) Blood Diamond (2006) Bloody Sunday (2002) Blow (2001) Boogie Nights (1997) Breakdown (1997) Broken Arrow (1996) The Brothers McMullen (1995) Bully (2001) Changing Lanes (2002) Chaplin (1992) Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009) Cloverfield (2008) Coneheads (1993) Constantine (2005) The Cooler (2003) The Core (2003) Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) Cujo (1983) Dance Flick (2009) Date Night (2010) Dead Poets Society (1989) Dead Presidents (1995) The Dead Zone (1983) Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2009) Donnie Brasco (1997) The Duff (2015) Enemy at the Gates (2001) Escape from Alcatraz (1979) Eve’s Bayou (1997) Face/Off (1997) The Firm (1993) The Foot Fist Way (2008) Footloose (1984) Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974) Frozen (2010) The Gift (2000) Girl Most Likely (2013) Good Luck Chuck (2007) Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) The Haunting (1999) Hell or High water (2016) Hondo (1953) Hot Shots! (1991) How Do You Know (2010) In & Out (1997) Indecent Proposal (1993) Internal Affairs (1990) Kiss the Girls (1997) The Ladies Man (2000) Last of the Mohicans: Director’s Cut (1992) The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) Like a Boss (2020) The Longest Yard (1974) Look Who’s Talking (1989) Look Who’s Talking Now (1993) Look Who’s Talking Too (1990) Lost In Space (1998) Love And Basketball (2000) Major League (1989) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) The Mexican (2001) More Than a Game (2008) Mousehunt (1997) My Best Friend’s Girl (2008) New In Town (2009) Night at the Museum (2006) Paycheck (2003) The Peacemaker (1997) Places in the Heart (1984) Poseidon (2006) Pride (2007) The Princess Bride (1987) Push (2009) The Quick and the Dead (1995) Regarding Henry (1991) The Relic (1997) The Rules Of Attraction (2002) Salt (2010) Save Yourselves (2020) Selena (1997) Shrek (2001) The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) Soul Plane (2004) Species (1995) Star Kid (1998) Star Trek Beyond (2016) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Starman (1984) Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift (1990) Super Dark Times (2017) The Three Musketeers (2011) The Truman Show (1998) Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) Virtuosity (1995) Walking Tall (1973) War (2007) Where Hope Grows (2015) Wonder Boys (2000) Young Adult (2011)
Avail. 1/4 Call Me Kat: Season 1 Finale (FOX) The Rookie: Season 3 Premiere (ABC)
Avail. 1/5 The Bachelor: Season 25 Premiere (ABC) The Wall: Season 4 Premiere (NBC) Boruto: Complete Season 1 (DUBBED) (Viz)
Avail. 1/6 Gordon Ramsay’s American Road Trip: Series Premiere (FOX) Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Season 2 Premiere (NBC) Mighty Oak (2020)
Avail. 1/7 Name That Tune: Series Premiere (FOX) Vanderpump Rules: Complete Season 8 (Bravo) Gretel & Hansel (2020)
Avail. 1/8 The Hustler: Series Premiere (ABC) The Chase: Series Premiere (ABC) Celebrity Wheel of Fortune: Series Premiere (ABC) Mr. Mayor: Series Premiere (NBC) A Certain Scientific Railgun Part 2: Complete Season 3 (DUBBED) (Funimation) Celebs Go Dating: Complete Seasons 6 – 8 (All3Media) Tattoo Fixers Extreme UK: Complete Seasons 5 & 6 (All3Media)
Avail. 1/10 One-Punch Man: Complete Season 2 (DUBBED) (Viz)
Avail. 1/11 Lights Out (2016) The Rhythm Section (2020)
Avail. 1/12 A Little Late with Lilly Singh: Season 2 Premiere (NBC)
Avail. 1/13 Prodigal Son: Season 2 Premiere (FOX) The Resident: Season 4 Premiere (FOX) Everyone is Doing Great: Complete Season 1 (Endeavor Content)
Avail. 1/14 Call Your Mother: Series Premiere (ABC) Alone (2020) The Secrets We Keep (2020)
Avail. 1/15 Endlings: Complete Season 2 (Hulu Original) The Ultimate Playlist of Noise: Film Premiere (Hulu Original)
Avail. 1/17 Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Complete Season 3 (SUBBED) (Infinite Frontiers) No Escape (2020)
Avail. 1/18 I Don’t Know How She Does It (2011)
Avail. 1/19 9-1-1: Season 4 Premiere (FOX) 9-1-1: Lone Star: Season 2 Premiere (FOX)
Avail. 1/20 90 Day Fiancé: Self-Quarantined: Complete Season 1 (TLC) A Very Brady Renovation: Complete Season 1 (HGTV) Car Kings: Complete Season 1 (Discovery) Cutthroat Kitchen: Complete Season 14 (Food Network) Gold Rush: Complete Season 10 (Discovery) House Hunters International: Complete Season 138 (HGTV) House Hunters: Complete Season 163 (HGTV) Property Brothers: Forever Home: Complete Season 1 (HGTV) Puppy Bowl: Complete Seasons 14 & 15 (Animal Planet) River Monsters: Complete Season 9 (Animal Planet) Rob Riggle: Global Investigator: Complete Season 1 (Discovery) Rock The Block: Complete Season 1 (HGTV) Save My Skin: Complete Season 1 (TLC) Torn from the Headlines: New York Post Reports: Complete Season 1 (ID) Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein?: Complete Season 1 (ID) Worst Bakers in America: Complete Season 2 (Food Network) Worst Cooks in America: Complete Season 17 (Food Network)
Avail. 1/22 Derek Delgaudio’s In & Of Itself: Film Special Premiere (Hulu Original) The Sister: Complete Season 1 (Hulu Original) Grown-ish: Season 3B Premiere (Freeform) Terra Willy (2020)
Avail. 1/27 Mixed-Ish: Season 2 Premiere (ABC) The Haves and Have Nots: Complete Season 7B (OWN)
Leaving 1/24 Awaiting (2015) Janis: Little Blue Girl (2015) Le Ride (2016) Respectable: The Mary Millington Story (2016) Soufra (2017) The Ghoul (2015) The Heart of Nuba (2018)
Leaving 1/29 School Dance (2014)
Leaving 1/31 12 Rounds (2009) Arachnophobia (1990) Bad Company (2002) Beerfest (2006) Blow (2001) Blue City (1986) Breakdown (1997) Christmas In Compton (2012) Christmas In Vermont (2016) Click (2006) Cloverfield (2008) Constantine (2005) Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) Dance Flick (2009) Dead Presidents (1995) Death At A Funeral (2010) Donnie Brasco (1997) I Heart Huckabees (2003) In & Out (1997) Indecent Proposal (1993) Lady in a Cage (1964) Look Who’s Talking (1989) Look Who’s Talking Now (1993) Look Who’s Talking Too (1990) Love Hurts (1990) Major League (1989) Maverick (1994) My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) Next Day Air (2009) Once Upon A Time At Christmas (2017) Pride (2007) Shrink (2009) Spy Next Door (2010) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Sydney White (2007) The Blair Witch Project (1999) The Christmas Tale (2005) The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2009) The Eye (2008) The Fifth Element (1997) The Final Girls (2015) The Horse Whisperer (1998) The Ladies Man (2000) The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) The Longest Yard (1974) The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) The Pirates! Band Of Misfits (2012) The Prestige (2006) The Skull (1965) W. (2008)
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