Month: May 2021

With two top-ten Billboard singles to her name already, Olivia Rodrigo is looking for a third. Just a week out from the release of her debut album, Sour, the “Drivers License” songwriter is sitting pretty. Along with the unprecedented success of her first single, the love triangle drama it spawned, a Taylor Swift co-sign, and a solid second single in “Deja Vu,” tonight she’s shifting gears sonically. “Good 4 U” is much different in tone than the first two, which leaned into the sadness. This one will please any listeners who are fans of Paramore and “Misery Business” as it’s very reminiscent of the furiously sweet pop-punk style that Hayley Williams perfected.

Even if the tone and sound of the song are quite a departure, the theme and lyrics are still well within the same realm as her previous songs. “Good 4 U” is essentially about watching someone change and grow in a positive way after a break up, and the resentment that can come along with helping someone better themselves… only for them to move on to someone else. With Sour only a week away, this is the first indication we’ve gotten that the record might still have some surprises for us. Is there a metal song on there somewhere? Latent hip-hop? We’ll find out in a week! For now, check out “Good 4 U” above.

The streaming services do battle every single week, and as always, the viewers can only benefit from this rivalry. However, there’s a real first-world problem here in that, quite possibly, there’s too much content to sort out without a lot of effort. That’s where we come in, to help you decide which service will give you the most delight for your dollars on each given weekend. This week, the top prize goes to HBO Max, which is bringing us two highly gifted actresses — Angelina Jolie and Jean Smart — in fresh projects. Not only that, but HBO Max has a relevant new documentary from famed director Alex Gibney. And the currently running HBO Sunday night series are still cranking away each week, too, so there’s a lot of quality to appreciate here. Netflix comes in as a close second several new digs, including Ewan McGregor in a starring TV role before we see him pop over to Disney+ for his return to Star Wars.

Speaking of Disney+ and Star Wars, that service isn’t doing too shabbily this week, either, with a returning show and more of The Bad Batch. Likewise, Amazon Prime’s got Oscar winner Barry Jenkins new limited series that you must check out. Meanwhile, four other services — Apple TV+, Paramount+, Hulu, and Peacock — are taking a little breather from offering brand-spanking-new series, but you might want to catch up on what they released last week. Also, Paramount+ does have a new episode from Dave Grohl’s lovable series that launched last week. We’re getting closer to those summer vibes every day, and we hope you enjoy (at least some of) this streaming content.

HBO Max

Hacks (HBO Max series premiere) — Jean Smart’s not-so-quiet domination of recent prestige TV shows (Fargo, Watchmen, Mare of Easttown, Legion) and other popular shows of late (Big Mouth, Dirty John) has finally culminated with this leading-lady turn in a role she was arguably meant to play. Hacks hails from executive producer Michael Schur and has three Broad City alums (Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky) in the writers’ room, so get ready for a (Las Vegas) buffet of complex female characters. Smart portrays a legendary Vegas-rooted comedian who forges a “dark mentorship” to a 20-something newcomer in town. Among other highlights of this trailer, we see Smart shouting, “Eat your heart out Celine!” Don’t even think about missing this one.

Those Who Wish Me Dead (Warner Bros. movie on HBO Max) — Angelina Jolie’s in a straight-to-streaming movie, y’all, which does not mean that hell has frozen over, especially since the heat is on in this tense movie. She portrays a smoke jumper in Montana who is used to a life full of danger, but soon, she’s dealing with riskier situations than she ever signed up to handle. Part of this has to do with attempting to save the life of a skittish boy, who’s being chased by killers for some reason, and then an inferno goes completely haywire. This is an intense one, and Jon Bernthal and Nicholas Hoult co-star.

The Crime of the Century (HBO series on HBO Max) — Famed documentary director Alex Gibney takes aim at Big Pharma for a two-parter. This week, Part 1 deep-dives into how Purdue Pharma aggressively marketed OxyContin to get the highly profitable pill pushed through the FDA approvals for wide use without sufficient studies and evidence. The project also argues that this OxyContin-paved crisis made it much easier for even more dangerous prescription drugs to achieve the same results.

That Damn Michael Che (HBO Max series) — This show’s title kindly tells us which SNL star will be front and center. However, several other SNL stars from today and yesteryear shall be right beside him, and that includes Colin Quinn, who previously admitted that he wasn’t the best fit for Weekend Update, but he seems to be a good fit for a priest who’s gearing himself up to hear all of Michael Che’s sins. This season also won’t shy away from tackling the all-too-timely issue of policing. Yes, the series promises appearances from Cecily Strong, Heidi Gardner, Ellen Cleghorne, and Colin Jost. Also expect to see Billy Porter, Method Man, Omari Hardwick, and Geoffrey Owens.

Mare Of Easttown (HBO series streaming on HBO Max) — Kate Winslet returns not only to TV but to HBO (a decade after her award-winning Mildred Pierce turn) to star as a hard-vaping detective in a small town where she both portrays and elevates the “complicated” cop trope. She’s captivating while digging into a murder mystery that has rocked her small town and caused the community to feel utterly claustrophobic. This show will suck you in, and you won’t mind one bit.

The Nevers (HBO series streaming on HBO Max) — This Joss Whedon-created show offers an intriguing setup about a group of “orphans” (almost exclusively women) who find themselves “gifted” with supernaturally-powered abilities. Although there’s far too many plot lines (and some plot holes), there’s also a fair amount of butt-kicking, and the atmosphere is killer. The embattled Buffy and Firefly creator officially exited the series last year, but you won’t be able to forget his presence.

Netflix

Halston (Netflix limited series) — The newest Ryan Murphy production stars Ewan McGregor as legendary fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, a.k.a., “Halston,” who volleyed his solo operation into a global fashion empire. In doing so, Halston embodied and defined 1970s and ’80s Manhattan with all of its glitz, sex, and fame accoutrements, along with the trappings and the Andy Warhol-drenched atmosphere. A hostile takeover eventually threatens his control for the Halston name, and expect McGregor to be even flashier and scenery-chewing here than in Birds of Prey. Krysta Rodriguez stars as Liza Minnelli, and she’s a dead ringer, so sit back and enjoy how Halson caused a seismic shift in the fashion industry before his iconic brand lost all of its luster.

The Woman in the Window (Netflix film) — After HBO’s Sharp Objects, no one needs convincing to believe that Amy Adams is quite adept at playing a woman on the verge. Here’s she’s portraying a woman (who is, yes, in the window) who either saw something terrible happen across the street or at least believes as much. She’s agoraphobic, and her neighbor does indeed disappear, so there’s that. Yet since this is a psychological thriller from director Joe Wright, so one can guess that the resolution (which is based upon the best selling novel of the same name) will be anything but straightforward.

Love, Death & Robots: Volume 2 (Netflix series) — Two years ago, Netflix previewed this adult-animated series from co-executive producers David Fincher and Tim Miller, with the “messed up audiences only” label. Comfortingly, it sure looks like not a whole lot has changed for the show’s vibe. As with the Emmy-winning first season of this show, this trailer tells us to expect more existential “robots-gone-wild” but fewer of them (along with “naked giants” and “Christmas demons”), as the series included eighteen short films in the initial round but will crank out eight more for this second batch. All will keep the seemingly infinite number of animation styles going, including a very simple-looking installment that, uh, involves a poop-scooping robot.

Oxygen (Netflix film) — Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D, Horns) brings this survival thriller to Netflix. Mélanie Laurent (6 Underground, Inglourious Basterds) stars as a woman who has no idea why she’s waking up in a cryogenic pod. She’s running out of oxygen fast, all while attempting to find her way out of this awful situation.

The Upshaws (Netflix series) — Mike Epps and Kim Fields star in this sitcom about a Black working class family, but of course, family life is wayyy messier than it initially seems. Wanda Sykes not only co-created this show but stars as a sardonic sister-in-law, and hopefully, they’ll get through this together.

The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix limited series) — Netflix continues to delve deeper into the true crime realm with new selections every month. Now, the streamer is taking on the case of serial killer David Berkowitz, a.k.a. “Son of Sam,” who was arrested and convicted after a stream of murders in the late 1970s. Upon Berkowitz’s capture, New Yorkers felt a sense of relief after Berkowitz could no longer stalk the streets, but journalist Maury Terry didn’t rest easy. He felt convinced that Berkowitz had a partner (or more than one), and this documentary series will dive down that rabbit hole.

Amazon Prime

The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime limited series) — Awe-inspiring cinematography aside in this trailer, one of the biggest attractions to this project, of course, is Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight) in the director’s seat while helming a 10-part adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Also, Brad Pitt’s executive producing here through his Plan B production company. The story chronicles the desperate bid for freedom by slave Cora Randall (newcomer Thuso Mbedu), and she’s pursued by a bounty hunter, Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton), who not only wishes to complete his straight-up mission by returning Cora to a Georgia plantation but to settle a personal score. The ensemble cast includes William Jackson Harper (as Royal, who was born free and helps guide Cora along part of her journey), Lily Rabe, and Damon “Dewey Crowe” Herriman.

Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse (Amazon Prime film) — Michael B. Jordon stars as an elite Navy SEAL who’s seeking justice after the murder of his pregnant wife. In the process, he (naturally) stumbles upon an international conspiracy. It’s the origin story of one of the most beloved Clancy characters in his entire Jack Ryan universe.

Disney+

Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Episode 3 (Disney+ series) — You might prefer to think of this show as the Star Wars franchise’s version of D.C.’s Suicide Squad, but fear no Leto-Joker intrusion. Instead, this The Clone Wars spinoff follows the conclusion of its flagship series that recently wound down on Disney+. Dave Filoni is executive producing, and the show focuses on a mercenary squad of sorts that’s made up of (as the title indicates) “the Bad Batch” or Clone Force 99. These elite soldiers stand apart from standard clones due to their unique physical capabilities like super strength, super eyesight, and so on.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: Season 2 premiere (Disney+ series) — Expect a lot of references to the High School Musical 2 film starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. Also anticipate the return of an old rivalry and a programming switch that puts the students into a whole new set of routines to master. Derek Hough joins the cast as an antagonist, and there’s a long-distance relationship shift in the cards for Nini and Ricky. That’s rarely good news for characters, but at least the audience can enjoy all the musical numbers along the emotional way.

Big Shot (Disney+ series) — David E. Kelley co-created and executive produces this series starring John Stamos as a down-on-his luck, ousted NCAA coach who’s attempting to get back on his (angry) feet with a ritzy private high-school gig. While reluctantly seeking redemption, Coach learns that his new team benefits from him showing some actual emotion beyond rage and stoicism, so he must — gasp — learn how to be vulnerable and empathetic. He might actually become a better person, too.

Apple TV+

Mythic Quest: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series) — Two pandemic specials sustained viewers between seasons of Rob McElhenney’s workplace comedy, which shall see plenty of awkward maneuvering while the crew comes back to the office after you-know-what forced the work-at-home situation. They’re hoping to build upon the Raven’s Banquet success with a new expansion, but nothing’s going smoothly. In short, sometimes the bigger battle than the work itself is learning (and in this case, relearning) how to achieve harmony with one’s coworkers, but here’s great news: Snoop Dogg stops by this season to spread his feel-good… vibes.

Paramount+

From Cradle To Stage (Paramount+ series) — This Dave Grohl-directed series follows Dave and his mom, Virginia, meeting up with Pharrell Williams and his mom. In the process, we learn that both artists are terrified of disappointing their maternal figures and also both started rocking out in their small Virginia hometowns.

Hulu

Shrill: Season 3 (Hulu series) — The Lorne Michaels and Elizabeth Banks-produced series picks up with Aidy Bryant’s Annie feeling good about breaking up with her awful boyfriend and crushing everything at work. However, now that she can have everything that she wants, she must decide, you know, what she really wants. A blind date, an embarrassing doctor’s visit, and a wild girl’s night are all on tap this season, so get ready to be vicariously awkward.

Peacock

Girls5Eva (Peacock series) — Tina Fey and Robert Carlock haven’t swung and missed yet while executive producing together, and here’s their latest joint project about a one-and-done, Spice Girls-esque 1990s girl group who get one more shot at stardom. Unfortunately, they’re all balancing real-life stressors like family, day jobs, and aches and pains that one doesn’t exactly deal with during early-20s life when abusing one’s body simply comes with the territory. Busy Phillips stars alongside Sarah Bareilles, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.

The concept of Guys Being Dudes means many things, starting with the inherent truth that when a guy is in need of some assistance with a hamstring cramp on national television you help a dude out.

That truth was honored in hilarious fashion on Thursday night when Charles Barkley cramped up on Inside The NBA. Enter Shaq, who during a commercial break gave him a few whacks in a very compromising position we fortunately were able to enjoy because TNT kept the cameras rolling.

The video is classic Inside The NBA, with Ernie Johnson narrating Chuck getting so tense watching Suns/Trail Blazers that he started cramping up. Shaq, laughing as he leans over the desk in an effort to stretch out a bit, is more than willing to come over and use his extremely large pro athlete hands to help give him some relief. Both Shaq and Chuck are laughing through the video, with the former asking them to “strike that from the tape” despite the obvious gold the crew has captured here.

It’s honestly a bit surprising that Shaq has not endorsed a product that explicitly fixes this issue of hamstring cramps, but as someone who has had a physical therapist laugh at the condition of my hamstrings I can safely say that both Chuck and I are interested if an entrepreneur is willing to give Shaq another bag. Safe to say, it made for great TV on a big night in basketball.

Truly giving the people what they want.

For the past couple of years, Leon Bridges was steadily working on his upcoming third album. It’s an effort that follows his 2018 release, Good Thing, and in the months and years leading up to the forthcoming project, Bridges shared singles like “All About You” with Lucky Daye and “Sweeter.” Now, the Fort Worth-bred act returns with his newest track, “Motorbike.” The breezy song finds him dreaming of riding in the wind with his partner in love seated behind him with their arms wrapped around the singer. This exact desire is display in the singer’s warm video for the song, which is directed by Anderson .Paak.

The new song comes less than two days after an official announcement from Bridges about his third album. He revealed in an Instagram post that the project will be titled Gold-Diggers Sound, named after the recording studio the album was created in. “I created this world with @rickyreed and @natemercereau at Gold Diggers Studio in East Hollywood over the course of two very long years,” Bridges wrote under the post. “With immense joy, greater purpose, and sometimes doubt, I labored over these eleven songs, but the record truly came together when I immersed myself in everything @golddiggersla making it my home, my escape, and the center of my creative world.”

He added, “The record features some remarkably talented friends, longtime collaborators and I believe it’s my most personal album yet.”

Press play on the video above to hear “Motorbike.”

Gold-Diggers Sound is out 7/23 via Columbia. Pre-order it here.

If you’re a fan of Russ, I have some great news for you. The Atlanta-bred rapper is back to releasing a new song every week for his supporters, something he did early in his career to help him reach the breakout moment he arrived at in 2015. Russ shared that the weekly releases would be returning last week in a tweet writing, “DROPPIN A SONG A WEEK AND IGNORING EVERYBODY.” Now, for its second installment, he shares his latest single, “Status.” The new effort sees Russ cruising through bars about women, friends who doubted him, and his growing popularity all while keeping his emotions in a nonchalant state.

Russ’ latest drop comes after he kicked off his return last week with “Small Talk.” That track brought plenty of energy from Russ as he declared no interest in small talk when there’s business to be taken care of. While the two tracks signal a consistent return to music, they aren’t the first piece of music Russ has delivered in 2021. Prior to that, he dropped a number of singles which include “Ugly” with Lil Baby, “Bankrupt,” “Misunderstood,” and “Hard For Me.”

As for fans who might be interested in a new project from Russ, they may have to wait a bit as he delivered two of them in 2020 with Shake The Snow Globe and Chomp, which should be enough to keep listeners satisfied when paired with the new singles.

Press play on the new track in the video above.

Real Time With Bill Maher is taking a week off after its host reportedly contracted COVID-19. The breakthrough case, as Maher was reportedly vaccinated, has shut down production on the HBO news program and means the network will have to

As The Hollywood Reporter detailed, Maher tested positive while gearing up for the Friday show’s weekly schedule, but so far isn’t showing any severe symptoms, in part because he’s fully vaccinated according to the network.

Maher tested positive during weekly checks of the show’s staff. Per HBO, the host is fully vaccinated, is not showing any symptoms and “feels fine.”

“Real Time production has taken every precaution following COVID CDC guidelines,” HBO said in a statement. “No other staff or crew members have tested positive at this time. The show will be rescheduled at a later date.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Max Brooks and Dan Carlin were the scheduled guests for Real Time on Friday.

As THR pointed out, Maher was the first show of its kind to bring back an audience in September, albeit limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Maher’s positive test makes him one of the rare breakthrough cases of coronavirus, as he was reportedly fully vaccinated at the time. But that he’s apparently feeling fine means, at least in theory, that vaccine is doing its job to make it a milder case of infection thus far. Hopefully he continues to feel fine and the news is a mere blip — and his inclusion in a very small statistical oddity — in the show’s production schedule and no one else on the show tests positive.

21 Savage recently found himself in a new position. The rapper was given the green light to curate and executive produce the soundtrack for the newly-released film, Spiral: From The Book Of Saw. Considering that the new movie is a horror film, the gruesome tales that appear in 21 Savage’s music, as well as the haunting production that accompanies it, make the Atlanta rapper the ideal artist to provide a soundtrack for the film. On it, 21 Savage calls on a pair of his fellow ATL comrades, Young Thug and Gunna, for a stirring new track titled, “Emergency.”

The song is one of four records that appears on the soundtrack for Spiral: From The Book Of Saw. The project also flaunts appearances from Young Nudy, another Atlanta rapper that is more than worthy of their own attention. It also features Millie Go Lightly and members of 21 Savage’s Slaughter Gang collectives. The project arrives just seven months after 21 Savage made his return with Savage Mode II, his joint album with Metro Boomin. It was met with positive reviews from all around and it would go on to be his and Metro’s second chart-topping albums of their careers.

You can press play on the video above to hear “Emergency.”

Spiral: From The Book Of Saw Soundtrack is out now via Epic Records. Get it here.

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

This fall will mark three years since Migos released their last album, Culture II. The effort arrived at the height of their stardom, one that was sparked by the series’ predecessor and tracks like “Bad And Boujee.” Since then, music from the trio has been scarce, but it seems like all of that is about to change soon as they reunited for their latest single, “Straightenin,” which Quavo previewed in a video he posted on social media a couple of months ago. The teaser received a good response from fans and now that’s it’s here, fans seem very excited for the Migos’ upcoming album, Culture III.

The new track arrives with a video that portrays the trio surrounded by a large group of people while the Migos sit in luxury cars and hold large sums of money while flexing some muscle on the track. During an appearance on The ETCs podcast with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez, Quavo updated listeners on the album. “We done with the album, we just waiting on 2021, man, so everything can crack up,” he said. “We want the commotion, we want to move, we want to be outside. We want to drop it and go on tour. We want to have an album listening [party] and have people in that thang and really hearing the album.”

In February, Quavo returned with another Culture III update. “It’s coming real soon,” he said. “Less than a month and a half.” While that didn’t pan out to be true, it’s clear the album is well on its way to the ears of fans.

You can listen to “Straightenin” in the video above.

A couple of weeks ago, T-Pain made a shocking discovery on his Instagram account. It turns out that the “Bartender” singer had accidentally ignored direct messages on the app from some of music and entertainment’s biggest names. Rather than sit and sulk about the missed opportunities, T-Pain turned it into something to laugh and learn from while apologizing to those who he accidentally ignored over the years. Despite the long-overdue response, many of the artists that reached out to T-Pain were still open to collaborating with him and today we’ve received the first of what could be many collaborations.

T-Pain connected with Kehlani for their brand new single, “I Like Dat,” an effort that flips the former’s classic 2005 record, “Buy U A Drank.” The duo previewed the song during a town hall that T-Pain held to apologize to all the people he ignored via Instagram DMs. Kehlani herself was excited for the collaboration to finally come to fruition as she took to Twitter to share her thoughts. “woke up out my sleep to say i really have a song wit t pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” she wrote. “on the flipped beat of Buy You A Drank!!!!!!! this b*tch Buy You A Drank Part 2!!!! what is my life!!!!!!!!!!”

You can check out the new track in the video above.

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

The last full-length album Nicki Minaj delivered to the world came in August 2018 with Queen. The project was underwhelming and failed to live up to the hype and quality of her previous albums and mixtapes. In the years that followed since Queen, Minaj shared a few singles with fans, like “Yikes,” “Megatron,” and “Trollz” with Tekashi 69, but nothing led to a new album. Now, the hope is that will soon change as Minaj makes her long-awaited return through a re-release of one of her most popular mixtapes, Beam Me Up Scotty.

<iframe src=”https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/1TZv3bujNaYz646eezRE91&#8243; width=”700″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″ allowtransparency=”true” allow=”encrypted-media”></iframe>

The tape was uploaded with five new additions including “Seeing Green” with Drake and Lil Wayne, the trio’s first track together since 2018’s “No Frauds.” The re-release also features new songs with G Herbo and more. Anticipation for the new music began earlier this week when Minaj shared a picture of herself to her social media pages with a simple caption that read “F R I D A Y.” While that specific post did not confirm that music would be arriving, she would reveal that a new song was on the way in a later post writing in part, “New (music notes emoji) @ MIDNIGHT.”

The track arrives after some high and low moments for Minaj. Last month, the rapper’s 2014 record, “Anaconda,” became the first female solo rap song to reach a billion views on YouTube. She also tied Katy Perry and Rihanna for the most overall music videos with more than a billion views. The feat arrived after Minaj’s father was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident on Long Island, resulting in the arrest of a 70-year-old man.

Beam Me Up Scotty can be found on all DSPs here.