Month: February 2021

Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready: Season 2 (Netflix series) — Netflix’s stellar run of stand-up comedy specials took a bit of a breather in late 2020, but there’s some excellent news on the horizon. Girl’s Trip star Tiffany Haddish will return with a fresh collection of half-hour specials that includes a diverse crop of comedians who are near and dear to Haddish. These players include Chaunté Wayans (Wild n’ Out), April Macie (Last Comic Standing), Tracey Ashley (The Last O.G.), Aida Rodriguez (Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar), Flame Monroe (Def Comedy Jam), and Marlo Williams (BET’s Comicview). This season won’t drop a moment too soon because we could really use the laughs.

Fake Famous (HBO Documentary, 9:00pm) — Veteran journalist Nick Bilton’s a first time director here while journeying into the bizarre world of Los Angeles-based social media influencers who are jacking up their own followings in illicit ways, including armies of bots and purchases of fake followers. Look out for the costs of this immersive lifestyle to come roaring in from the sidelines.

Kid Cosmic (Netflix series) — This one is mostly for the younger crowd, but one never knows. The story follows an imaginative young boy who wishes to become a hero and stumbles upon 5 Cosmic Stones of Power in a spaceship that’s wrecked in the desert. Then he must assemble a team of fellow heroes to take back the stones. Sounds familiar?

Mixed-Ish (ABC, 9:30pm) — Rainbow is put in charge while Alicia and Denise are at odds over tho is the stronger Black woman while Paul and Harrison consider the concept of affection.

Black-Ish (ABC, 9:00pm) — Dre attempts to educate her white cousin on how to best be an ally, against the better judgement of Bow. And Olivia is attempting to psychoanalyze everyone, which should go over well.

Prodigal Son (FOX, 9:00pm) — The NYPD heads into a murder investigation in Martin’s territory, and he is utterly delighted as a result.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC, 8:00pm) — Zoe gets rebellious while dealing with a childhood neighbor, Aiden, and Max’s dad pops around for a visit.

Two Sentence Horror Stories (CW, 8:00pm) — A young woman who works at a nail salon is alarmed at the physical toll she soon feels after a shift, so she suspects a more sinister happening. Gross.

Trickster (CW, 9:00pm) — Jared’s discovery about his parents throws him for a loop, and then he learns that he’s in danger with Georgina. Also, Jared might be a Trickster.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Zendaya, Father James Martin

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Drew Barrymore, Talib; Nilüfer Yanya

Late Night With Seth Meyers — David Duchovny, Elizabeth Olsen, Wright Thompson

In case you missed these recent picks:

Everwood: All Seasons (Warner Bros. series on HBO Max) — One of Greg Berlanti’s most beloved series returns with two MCU stars in tow. Revisit Chris Pratt’s early aughts hair and marvel at how Emily VanCamp manages to look cool, and almost like she still appears today, beside the guy who who would go on to play Star-Lord. To be slightly more serious, this is an opportunity to catch up on all four seasons of a a dramedy that’s set in a fictional, idyllic Colorado town, where a city boy attempts to fit into the small-community vibe and relationships of all types swirl after a Manhattan physician decides to transplant to Everwood. There’s plenty of bright (and Pratt’s character is actually named Bright) and tragic and heartwarming moments to be found in this show.

Babylon 5: All Seasons (Warner Bros. series on HBO Max) — WarnerMedia’s streaming service keeps adding to its throwback library (last Wednesday, they did all of Everwood), and now, here’s something for the nerds. Revisit the futuristic space opera that takes place across five seasons and five miles of space station. There’s plenty of potential warfare concerning the Earth Alliance and plenty of personal drama.

This Friday on Youtube, Nipsey Hussle fans will be able to catch a “visual album experience” titled The Marathon live at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET. The video was teased by Nipsey’s Instagram, the Marathon Clothing account, and by animation studio Oki Doki, who apparently handled the rendering on the visuals. Oki Doki’s account describes the stream as “Celebrating the life of an incredible human, the Marathon mixtape, and the first week of #BlackHistoryYear.”

From what little we’ve seen, the experience appears to be a stunning visual tribute to the late, great Nipsey Hussle, as well as his beloved Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles. Nipsey’s estate first teased the project in December of 2020, writing, “In commemoration of this anniversary we’re proud to announce our collaborative effort with @okidoki to bring to life an interactive live visual album experience coming in 2021. The experience will give viewers [an] intimate look at the era that helped shape this masterpiece. The people, the places, the stories, and more.”

Meanwhile, Nipsey Hussle’s voice made a posthumous appearance on his All Money In artist J Stone’s new album The Definition Of Pain, with J Stone assuring fans more new music is on the way.

Tune in to The Marathon visual album experience on Friday 6pm PT / 9pm ET on YouTube.

If you missed the virtual film screenings for Minari throughout the fall, A24 has you covered. “.@MinariMovie is for everyone! That’s why we’re launching the A24 Screening Room, with virtual screenings starting Feb 12 in addition to a limited theatrical release,” the distributer tweeted on Tuesday.

This is excellent news as Minari, starring Steven Yeun as the father of a Korean-American family who moves from California to a small town in Arkansas, was one of the best movies of 2020. It’s sweet, it’s sad, and there’s a very good recurring joke about Mountain Dew that I won’t ruin. Minari is also expected to an Oscars contender, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay for writer and director Lee Isaac Chung, and a possible historic nomination for Yeun. Here’s more about the film:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

To buy tickets for the virtual screenings, click here.

After scoring over $30,000 during the Reddit traders run on GameStop stocks last week, college student Hunter Kahn made it a point to bring happiness to other’s lives with his new wealth. The Cornell University student personally delivered a treasure trove of Nintendo Switch consoles, games, and accessories to Children’s Minnesota Hospital. “There’s no group of people more deserving of receiving a bunch of video games than some kids going through a hard time,” Kahn told CNN who confirmed the donation after the real life Robin Hood’s generosity went viral. Here’s the message Kahn wrote in an effort to encourage others to share their GameStop wealth via Instagram:

As a beneficiary of the recent events on Wall Street I think it is important that myself and others pay forward our good fortune. These events have highlighted a lot of corruption and with this transfer of power it is important that we don’t become men in suits ourselves. I am proud to announce my humble donation of 6 Nintendo Switches and games to go with them to the Children’s Minnesota Hospital.

You can see Kahn’s full post below:

As for the kids, they were thrilled to receive the Nintendo Switch consoles and are already putting them to good use, according to Children’s Minnesota Foundation president Jennifer Soderholm who thanked Kahn for the surprising donation. “We’re so grateful for this generous donation that will help bring joy to kids at our hospitals, especially during these challenging times,” she told CNN in a statement. “It’s inspiring to see young people in our community choosing to give back and pay it forward.”

(Via CNN)

Cam Akers, like many rookie running backs, needed some time to get used to life in the NFL during his first season in the league. The growing pains were very much worth it for the team and the player — 520 of his 748 yards from scrimmage during the regular season came in the Los Angeles Rams’ final five games of the year, and despite the fact that his team was bounced in the conference semis, Akers is the NFL’s leading postseason rusher up to this point with 221 yards over a pair of games.

Akers also knows what it’s like to beat one of the two teams participating in Sunday’s Super Bowl. The Rams didn’t play the Kansas City Chiefs this season, but in Week 11, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to L.A., 27-24. Akers didn’t have his most productive game — five carries for 15 yards and one catch for four yards that went for a touchdown — but he played a role in his team knocking off a squad that is 60 minutes away from lifting the Lombardi Trophy.

With that in mind, Uproxx Spots caught up with Akers on behalf of Panini to discuss the Bucs, Sunday’s matchup, his rookie year, and more.

You were on one of four teams to beat Tampa Bay this season. I’m interested in what you remember from the lead-up to that game, particularly what you guys wanted to emphasize going in?

Playing our game. That was our emphasis, really. It wasn’t keying on this one player, keying on that one player. Obviously you’ve got a gameplan for the best player, but just play our game, obviously. Once you get past the big names, it was just football for us, so our whole thing is just go out and play football. We did, and we came out on top.

Was there anything you remember about the game, specifically? Was it just that you guys were able to execute really well, or was there anything particularly noteworthy that stood out?

Just the preparation. That’s something that can’t go unnoticed. I feel like the preparation to get to the point to have the confidence that I played effective, played to win.

What really stuck out about the Bucs as you went up against them?

Their resilience. You’ve got a lot of football teams who are good while they’re up, can play while having the lead. But can’t many continue to play hard when they’re down and continue to fight and give effort. Just their resilience and their fight and desire to win.

I know the Chiefs have played and beaten them already, but let’s say Andy Reid calls and says “Cam, I want your advice on what I need to do on Sunday.” What are you telling him?

Run the football well. [laughs]

Let’s talk about Sunday, what’re you looking out for? What interests you about these two teams?

I’m just looking for a good game, honestly. I know a few people on each of the teams, I’m just looking for good performances out of some of the people I know, and a good game. Both of them are great teams, you’ve got Patrick Mahomes on one side, Tom Brady on the other. I’ll have my popcorn, I’ll be watching.

Are you a prediction guy or are you someone who tries to stay away from those?

I’m a prediction guy, but I don’t always share my predictions.

I’ll definitely be on the lookout for that this week.

I might drop one.

I wanna talk about you a little, you were a guy our site really liked coming into the 2020 Draft, took a little time to find your footing but you really exploded at the end. What was it about the first three months of the year that set you up for such a huge final month and a half?

Just the process, understanding it’s a process. My coach, position coach, every day just letting me know it’s a process, you’re gonna be just fine, just continue to work, and ultimately doing that, sticking with it. Anybody can tell you to do something and want you to do it, but you gotta wanna do it, you gotta understand it, you gotta see it for yourself. Just sticking with it, knowing what I’m capable of, and knowing what I can do, and going to do it.

Looking back on this year, where were you happy with your performance and are there any areas that you really wanna focus on as you’re heading into your first full NFL offseason?

I wasn’t happy at all. Well, I wouldn’t say happy, I wasn’t satisfied at all. Happy to get my rookie year under my belt, make some plays, but satisfied? I left a lot on the field, and when I say a lot, I mean way too much. Just learning from it and not repeating the same things I did last year is the ultimate goal for this upcoming season.

Are you one of those guys who is never satisfied because you think if you are, it’ll slow you down? Get you a little too comfortable?

No, I’m just never satisfied because I feel like I can always be better. It’s never about me getting worshiped, I just feel like I can always be better, somebody’s always in front of you, there’s always somebody better than me that I’m chasing. Knowing someone’s above me and knowing someone got better, I always want to be better.

One guy I wanna ask you about is Jalen Ramsey — both FSU guys, during camp, there was a story where he hit you good during 11 v. 11s and then called you “one of my favorite teammates already.” Know you’re on the other side of the ball but what do you learn from a guy as good as him with his mentality when you’re around him every day?

Speaking on that tackle, we were supposed to be thud and he did it, anyway. I’m just throwing that out there. [laughs]

I learn a lot from J-Ram, just the way he goes about being a pro. He approaches every day the same way, he goes to work every day the same way. You can tell that plays a part in his success, the way he prepares, the way he goes about being a person. That plays a part in his success. That’s a great person to have on your team, it’s always good to have the No. 1 corner in the world and the best defensive player in the world on your team.

When you’ve got guys like him and Aaron [Donald] setting the bar, you have to work hard to meet it.

Yessir. You see those guys work every day.

The Rams tweeted out a video from the beginning of the season where you said: “We’re really in the league. And we’re really just going like the wind, we don’t even realize we’re in it, we’re just playing ball still.” Was there a moment where that changed and it dawned on you that you finally made it?

First game. It dawned on me way before that, but the first game, it was like, “Yeah, alright, we here now.” First game, in my first NFL game. Around the time of the first game, that’s when it was like, alright.

What do you have going on with Panini?

We’re doing a signing and we’re doing a little photoshoot.

As a kid, were you someone who collected stuff like cards, autographs, sports memorabilia?

My family did. My dad, he had all the cards and all of that stuff, my uncles. Seeing them with all the baseball cards and all the different basketball player cards, I was like, “Maybe one day I’ll have my own,” and here we are.

Was there any one card in any sport that you remember, or really sticks out, or you carried with you, something like that?

Nah, I wasn’t the carry a card around type.

You want people carrying around the Cam Akers card someday.

I do. That’d be perfect.

Alicia Bognanno, who performs music under the moniker Bully, has been open about her struggles with mental health in the past. In order to foster an open conversation about the importance of suicide awareness, Bognanno joined Sounds Of Saving to cover one of her favorite songs and discuss her experience being diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder.

Ahead of performing a rollicking rendition of PJ Harvey’s 1992 track “Dry,” Bognanno talked her own mental health diagnosis:

“Everyone’s brains work differently. Sometimes people’s brains need help in other places and sometimes medication can help with that and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. So to realize that this isn’t totally me, this is just a small part of me. A lot of musicians, like myself, are sober and dealing with mental health. I think it’s 85 percent of artists, or something, struggle with mental health. I have a link on my fridge for a suicide prevention hotline because you never know when people are going to need that. And people aren’t really vocal about it, so that should be readily available at all times.”

Speaking about the performance, Sounds of Saving said they are “thrilled to work with Bully on this, as Alicia is not only a great artist covering a classic PJ Harvey song but has been refreshingly candid and down to earth about her experience of living with Bipolar 2 disorder. While mental health conversations can often be vague and cliché, Alicia shares her story in such a real way that it makes us all feel more comfortable being open about our experience and how we manage it.”

Listen to Bognanno cover of PJ Harvey’s “Dry” above.

At this point, you almost feel bad for women named “Karen.” For the past couple of years, it seems there has been no end to the number of ways white women can annoy, harass, report, or otherwise trouble Black folks going about their business. To whit, the latest case proved not even the highest-profile among us avoid the dreaded Karen curse, as last night’s Lakers game was stopped mid-quarter to remove a loud (and uncovered) mouthed heckler and her husband from the arena after they trash-talked LeBron James.

Naturally, what with LeBron being one of the most famous athletes in the world, folks on social media had plenty of thoughts about the disruption, including LeBron’s peers and friends in the music biz. While James himself seemed unperturbed, tweeting “Courtside Karen was MAD MAD” on Twitter, his dubbing of the fan — real name Juliana Carlos — as “Courtside Karen” provided no small source of amusement to other big names like 2 Chainz, Drake, and Rick Ross, who left comments on posts about it on social media.

They weren’t the only ones; social media users collectively had a field day roasting Carlos for getting tossed from the game, especially when her defenses revealed a mindset that that could charitably be considered pretty tacky after the past year or so.

Check out some of the best responses below.

After Armie Hammer exited the role following a growing list of allegations on social media, Josh Duhamel has been officially confirmed as the romantic lead opposite Jennifer Lopez in the action comedy Shotgun Wedding. Jennifer Coolidge and Sonia Braga have also been added to the cast as Duhamel and Lopez’s mothers. Via Variety:

“We couldn’t be happier for our bride and groom of this ‘Shotgun Wedding,’” Erin Westerman, president of production for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “We know Josh and Jennifer will make a compelling and sexy on-screen couple and they will be fun sparring partners as their dream destination wedding erupts into a memorable nightmare.”

Hammer left the project in mid-January after a series of direct messages and accusations tied the actor to cannibalism roleplay and acting out “rape fantasies.” In a statement, Hammer denied the accusations and dropped out of Shotgun Wedding citing the need to be with his children. “I’m not responding to these bullsh*t claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic,” Hammer said. “Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.”

Since then, the online allegations against Hammer have increased, causing him to exit two more projects. On Monday, his ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers issued a statement on Instagram where she supported Hammer’s alleged victims. “Heartbreak aside, I am listening, and will continue to listen and educate myself on these delicate matters,” Chambers wrote. “I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know. I support any victim of assault or abuse and urge anyone who has experienced this pain to seek the help she or he needs to heal.”

You can see her full statement below:

(Via Variety)

Here’s some music trivia: Michael Jackson was just 11 years old when Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” on which he sings lead vocals, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That probably makes him the youngest person to have a No. 1 song, but now there’s an even younger new artist making waves: Sacred Bones has announced a new album, Sounds Of The Unborn, from an artist named Luca Yupanqui, who “performed” on the album before they were even born.

It happened like this: The child’s parents, Psychic Ills bassist Elizabeth Hart and Lee “Scratch” Perry collaborator Iván Diaz Mathé, used “biosonic MIDI technology, which translated Luca’s in utero movements into sound.” Sacred Bones describes the recording and production process:

“They designed a ritual, a kind of joint meditation for the three of them, with the MIDI devices hooked to Elizabeth’s stomach, transcribing its vibrations into Iván’s synthesizers. They let the free-form meditations flow without much interference, just falling deeper into trance and feeling the unity. After five hour-long sessions, the shape of an album began to emerge. Elizabeth and Iván then edited and mixed the results of the sessions, respecting the sounds as they were produced, trying to intervene as little as possible, allowing Luca’s message to exist in its raw form.

Elizabeth and Iván mixed the album in 2020. Luca, now an infant, sat in the studio with them while they worked. Her awareness of what was happening was astounding. She would open her eyes wide and stare at her parents, seemingly recognizing her own sounds from the womb, knowing that they were revisiting those rituals that made them come together as one. Those mixing sessions were technically the first time Luca had heard her own music, but her reaction made it clear that that wasn’t really the case — she had already lived it. “

The first taste of the album, “V4.3 pt. 2,” is out now, so listen to that above and check out the Sounds Of The Unborn art and tracklist below.

1. “V5”
2. “V4.3 pt.2”
3. “V2.1”
4. “V2.2”
5. “V3.2”
6. “V4.2”
7. “V4.1”
8. “V1”
9. “V3.1”
10. “V4.3 pt.1”

Sounds Of The Unborn is out 4/2 via Sacred Bones. Pre-order it here.

Evan Rachel Wood has advocated for years as a survivor or abuse and rape, and she came forward this week to name ex-partner Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser. She accused him of “grooming” and “horrifically abusing” her over the course of their relationship, which went public in 2007 (when she was 19 years old, and he was 38) and ended in 2010. Over the past few years, Wood has testified for expanded statutes for abuse and rape survivors’ rights in front of both Congress and California lawmakers, and one of those lawmakers is taking action by asking the FBI to investigate the “alleged cases” against Manson.

The Westworld star posted the letter (from California State Senator Susan Rubio to FBI Director Christopher Wray) to her Instagram account, and it’s clear that the letter was sent nine days prior to Wood’s statement about Manson this week. The letter alludes to multiple cases against the singer:

“Since some of the alleged cases against Mr. Warner are from California, I am especially alarmed. Individuals who engage in this kind of abuse are often serial offenders. If these allegations are true, and no investigation is undertaken, we will be failing the victims and allowing a possible perpetrator to continue abusing unsuspecting victims. That must not be allowed to happen.”

In response to Wood’s Monday Instagram post, four other women came forward against Manson with allegations of abuse against him. This has led to his agency, CAA, dropping him as a client after his record label, Loma Vista Recordings, announced that they’d removed him from their roster. Two TV shows (AMC’s Creepshow anthology series and Starz’s ongoing American Gods) that filmed appearances by Manson also followed suit.

Hours after Wood’s initial statement, Manson issued a statement of his own to deny any wrongdoing. “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” he wrote. “My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”