Month: June 2021

Donald Trump can’t score a book deal, but two of his cronies have.

In recent days, Jared Kushner, who served as the senior advisor to his father-in-law, and Kayleigh McEnany, the president’s longest-lasting press secretary, have both announced that they’re writing books. Kushner struck a deal with Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and his memoir will be “the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration, and the truth about what happened behind closed doors.” Meanwhile, McEnany has “delivered” the manuscript for For Such a Time as This: My Faith Journey through the White House and Beyond, which “describes her path to the White House podium, bringing the reader behind the scenes in the world’s most powerful building and illuminating how faith got her through.” Here’s more:

From White House intern to White House press secretary, from production assistant to national television host, from Catholic all-girls high school to Harvard Law School, God has guided my path through uncharted territory. In For Such a Time as This, I will chronicle my journey to the White House and offer never-before-told anecdotes about what really happened within the Trump administration. You will experience some of the most high stakes moments in the West Wing right alongside me as I reveal how faith got me through.

The shared theme: the truth. Kushner’s memoir is about “what happened” during his four years as Trump’s yes man, while McEnany’s book adds a qualifier to tell “what really happened.” But as Lionel Hutz once reminded us, there are two different truths. Considering McEnany can’t even tell the truth about not lying, no one believes them.

About a month ahead of Loki‘s premiere, Disney+ made the surprise move of bumping up the show’s release date and announcing via Tom Hiddleston that the series would drop new episodes on Wednesday instead of Friday, which had been the streaming service’s previous release strategy for The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. When the news first hit, the Hiddelston announcement made it seem like the Loki release change was a play on the show’s timeline-bending plot, and maybe something reserved just for that show. Not so much.

According to Variety, Disney+ has officially announced that Wednesdays are now the new Fridays for all of its original series:

According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the decision will apply to all scripted, unscripted, and animated series going forward. Disney Plus original movies will continue to be released on Fridays.

The move will officially take effect for all other Disney Plus shows aside from “Loki” beginning in July. As such, the premiere dates of multiple shows — including “Monsters at Work” and “Turner and Hooch” — have now shifted…

After just two weeks of releasing Loki episodes on Wednesday, Disney+ apparently likes what it’s seeing, which jibes with reports that the Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson time-cop buddy show is the biggest Marvel series on the streaming service yet. However, there are no indications that Disney+ plans to alter its practice of streaming new episodes at 3 A.M. EST, which has been a constant source of frustration for audiences and critics who either have to lose sleep to catch the latest episode or completely avoid social media until they have time to watch. Case in point: The big reveal from Loki Episode 2 was already trending on Twitter first thing Wednesday morning.

(Via Variety)

Earthgang is well-known by now for the spacey, surreal visuals that accompanied their debut album Mirrorland, but with their latest rollout, they’ve gone for a more down-to-earth approach. While the initial video for “Options” with Wale featured Claymation analogs for the Atlanta duo and their guest, the grounded storyline revolved more around the mechanics of relationships and dating. The video for the remix, which added breakout artist Coi Leray to the mix, strips down the concept further, landing all four rappers at a debauched house party.

Earthgang, who recently used their notoriety to help fund a community garden at a local Atlanta school, have been somewhat cagey about a follow-up to Mirrorland, joking that it would drop on the same day as J. Cole’s album before admitting that they didn’t even know when their Dreamville boss would be putting his album out (that album, The Off-Season, has since released to an impressive commercial response).

Meanwhile, the ATLiens have kept themselves in the pop culture conversation with releases like “Aretha” and their take on Drake’s “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” as well as returning to performing at New Zealand festival Bay Dreams and the upcoming Dreamville On The Rocks in Colorado, among others.

Watch Earthgang’s “Options Remix” video featuring Coi Leray and Wale above.

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

Amazon’s “Prime Day Show” — a trio of cinematic performances from Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi, and HER — is set to premiere tomorrow, June 17. Ahead of then, they have shared a behind-the-scenes look at Eilish’s performance, in which she describes why she chose Paris for the setting.

“I just think Paris is so cute,” Eilish said. “It’s such a classic dream spot. I’ve been to Paris many times and I just think it’s so dreamy. And I wanted this to be dreamy, and Paris really just brought that to life, you know?”

She added, “In the middle of shooting, I was like, ‘Wow, I feel like I’m literally here in this world.’ It’s crazy, and I want [viewers] to feel like that, and I think that that will happen. It think that that’s kind of a guarantee, of just feeling transported and feeling like you’re there with me. It think that it’s going to be really cute.”

Amazon previously described the performance, “Billie brings a timeless, Parisian neighborhood to life with a series of cinematic performances. Set in the city known as the birthplace of cinema, it was directed by Billie Eilish and Sam Wrench, and features new music from Billie’s upcoming album, Happier Than Ever. This breathtaking musical tribute was inspired by Billie’s long-time admiration of a long gone era.”

Check out the behind-the-scenes video above.

So, Jon Stewart’s visit this week to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was really, uh, something. Stewart, who is preparing to host his own Apple TV+ current event series, gave the Sean Hannity crowd a reason (besides the toxic-burn-pit issue that’s impacting veterans’ health) to agree with him. That is to say, Stewart appeared to go all-in on the controversial “lab leak” theory (while noting that COVID may have originated in a Wuhan lab and somehow escaped) as Colbert maintained a skeptical stance.

“I believe we owe a great debt of gratitude to science,” Stewart told Colbert. “Science has in many ways helped ease the suffering of this pandemic… which was more than likely caused by science.” As one might expect, this segment caused a ruckus, given that the lab-leak theory has been seen as a fringe conspiracy theory, although outlets including Washington Post have pointed towards some element of credibility that’s possible, while New York Times points toward a lack of causative evidence. Stewart, though, kept pushing. “The Wuhan novel respiratory coronavirus lab,” he declared. “The disease is the same name as the lab. That’s just a little too weird!”

Whether or not Stewart — who is one of the most gifted satirists to have ever graced TV screens — was serious or joking remains a subject for debate. He sounded like he was being serious, at least at the beginning of his “science” discussion, although there’s plenty of debate out there on the topic. At this point, Stewart has not clarified his stance on the lab-leak theory, nor has he tweeted anything since May 31, when he wrote, “Dasani is the Arby’s of water.” That leaves people to assume that Stewart meant what he said, although it sure seemed spoofy when Stewart stood up and addressed the camera like some dude who’s been hanging out in his basement for decades:

“I have been alone so long. And when I realized that the laboratory was having the same name — first name and last name — of the evil that had been plaguing us, I thought to myself… that’s f*cked up.”

While everyone waits for Stewart to say something else, the right-wing is celebrating. That includes, of course, Ted Cruz, who issued a “Hallelujah” and a “Truth. Preach, brother, preach” to a Twitter user who commented that Stewart’s rant would have been blocked by Facebook a month ago, and now it’s on late-night network TV.

Cruz isn’t the only one celebrating. Ben Shapiro called Stewart’s appearance “magical,” and the debate on whether this was real continued.

Maybe we’ll hear more from Jon Stewart, or maybe he decided to drop a match and run away until The Problem With Jon Stewart debuts this fall on Apple TV+.

Megan Thee Stallion returned from a brief hiatus last week to issue a clap back to conservative politicians who are offended by her music. Releasing her “Thot Sh*t” video, Megan made fun of right-wingers who trash talk her music, but continue to obsessively follow her every career move. One conservative apparently took this critique to heart, as she took the visual as a personal affront.

GOP congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine was very outspoken about her disdain for Megan and Cardi B’s “WAP” video last year. Now, she’s taking aim at Megan’s latest song. In a video statement shared with TMZ, Lorraine mentioned that she felt personally targeted by Megan’s video:

“Megan Thee Stallion’s latest video, she’s referring to potentially me because we’ve feuded in the past with her videos like ‘WAP,’ but probably just the conservative political commentators on a whole that have called her out for her music videos and her outrageous, degrading songs in the past. So if I were to run again for office, I would say, ‘Look, we actually need to have better music, better examples of role models in our media and in our movies, and especially in our music because young people listen to music so much.’”

Lorraine continues to note that some particularly diehard Megan and Cardi B fans have sent her threatening messages. But in her mind, she really thinks she’s doing something to “help these people.” “I feel threatened. I worry sometimes if they’re going to come after me or they really will find my address and kill me or doing something terrible to me,” she said. “That’s a shame because I’m trying to help these people, I’m trying to help them see that they can be more than their ‘WAP.’”

Lorraine concluded her rant by doubling down on her assertion that Megan’s music is “garbage.” “I’m trying to help them realize that there’s a positive way to be successful in society that doesn’t mean selling your body on the streets and getting that money,” she said. “But they don’t really care, they’re going to listen to the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion no matter what, and it’s not going to stop me from standing up for what I believe in, which is that this music is garbage and we need to do better for our youth, we need to do better for our culture.”

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

Let’s start here with an admission: I’m not a TV critic who devours every possible bite of zombie programming. No one can watch every show, after all, and although I’ve dug many post-apocalyptic, zombie films out there, including George Romero’s earliest films (Night of the Living Dead, c’mon) and enjoyed Zack Snyder’s contributions (although Army of the Dead was at least 30 minutes too long), I do prefer zombie fare that isn’t too stressful. That doesn’t sound logical, I realize. By “stressful,” I mean that it’s refreshing (to me) when a zombie show or movie can mostly be about zombies. Zombies and action, yes. Zombies and heists, sure. Zombies and comedy, awesome. The first Zombieland was fantastic. It kept things simple and swiftly moving. I’m good with that.

Nothing too complicated, please, for there’s so much heaviness in this world already. Give me adrenaline-pumping action when it comes to fleeing the undead. It’s also tempting to say that I enjoy “mindless” zombie fare, but that would be inaccurate, not to mention rude. I simply need a break from post-apocalyptic selections with vast ensemble casts or profound commentary on the state of society, or consumerism, or any other weighty theme. Enter Netflix’s Black Summer series, which returns this week and does something that a lot of zombie-apocalypse shows don’t do: keeps things simple. And although knowing about zombie lore would enhance the experience, you don’t need to know too much to enjoy this show as a random watch.

Not that I’m complaining about the zombie-littered TV landscape. There’s obviously the wildly popular The Walking Dead universe, although the intricate web that’s woven by the flagship show and the spinoffs is, again, more complicated for casual TV viewing after tucking into the other shows that I write about. Not only that, but our own Dustin Rowles is the resident TWD universe expert here, which gives me a chance to simply opt into the zombie-filled stuff that best suit my tastes. And that’s where Black Summer (which Dustin also enjoys, and he’s joined by Stephen King and Adam Goldberg in his fandom) comes in. Make no mistake: Black Summer is damn exciting.

The best argument that I have here — in the spirit of the show — is this: Black Summer is stripped down to the bones. It’s a show about zombies and the humans who flee them, period. There are no long stretches of exposition, no romantic interludes, no complicated backstories, and no distracting storylines or extra padding. Instead, the show (which is an unofficial prequel to SyFy’s Z Nation, though that is not a necessary prewatch) drops a handful of principal characters into the mayhem, six weeks into the zombie-virus apocalypse.

What results is a very economical bingewatch (the best kind). The first season is eight episodes long, and those episodes grow progressively shorter, as if the walls are closing in not only on characters but the audience. Characters come and go and there’s a core group that will engage you enough to invest in their plights. One of them would be Rose, played by Jamie King, who kicks ass, unlike what she’s done in Heart of Dixie, in Sin City, or during her supermodel days. A few other shell-shocked characters, Spears (Justin Chu Cary) and Sun (Christina Lee) are worth remembering, and to say anything else would spoil what’s coming, yet Season 2 is as compelling as the first round.

It’s enough to say that Season 2 continues doing what Fear the Walking Dead did for the bulk of this last successful season: kept things sharp while focusing on standalone stories that will, presumably, bring things together later in a cohesive manner. I respect the restraint, especially where the urge is always to go bigger and better. Instead, Black Summer keeps things humming along and doesn’t modify its formula, which still works. If you’re gonna throw zombies at me, make them frightening and entertaining, I say.

The best part about Black Summer, though, is how smoothly it flows. That’s because there’s simply no time for anyone to dwell on particulars or worry. These characters flee from zombies, they either succeed or they fail, and life goes on, even if that only means a few more moments or days or months for these characters. Yes, it’s wise to not get too attached to any of these players because, ultimately, any of them could go out at any moment before rising up as a member of the undead. Those suckers are fast, and their senses are keen enough to prove that no human will ever get a restful night’s sleep again in this universe. Simple, brutal, and efficient. That’s Black Summer, even if it looks like Black Winter these days…

Netflix’s ‘Black Summer’ returns on June 17.

The Washington Wizards are the latest team to find itself in need of a new head coach. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Wizards and Scott Brooks could not come to terms on a new deal, and as a result, the two sides decided to part ways after five years.

Brooks took over in Washington in 2016 following a stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder. While his tenure in the nation’s capital started off with back-to-back playoff berths, the Wizards missed the postseason in each of the last two seasons and needed the play-in tournament to get in this year, where they promptly lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in five games.

Over the course of his tenure with the franchise, Brooks went 183-207. As for the next coach, Washington is in a bit of a tricky spot — Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook could, if he they choose, become unrestricted free agents at the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign, should they decide to turn down their player options. The Wizards’ front office has been steadfast in saying that Beal will not be traded, and if this is the case, it stands to reason that the organization will want to hire someone with an eye on making the playoffs next year.

Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, will not play for the Serbian National Team in the lead-up to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In a statement attributed to Jokic, the Nuggets star will not play for the Serbian National Team at upcoming Olympic qualifiers. Per ESPN, Jokic stated, “The simple condition of my body requires a longer absence from the field for recover and an inevitability that I must accept.” He added that him not playing in qualifying games was at the Nuggets’ suggestion.

It is unclear if Jokic will play in the Olympics if Serbia qualifies without him, but the task of qualifying becomes far more daunting without Jokic on the team. There are others NBA players on the roster — most notably Boban Marjanovic, Bogdan Bogdanovic (who, it must be said, is still in the playoffs with the Atlanta Hawks), and Nemanja Bjelica — but none close to the level of Jokic. Serbia won the silver medal back at the 2016 Olympics with Jokic.

Jokic was also third in the NBA minutes played this last season and didn’t miss a game. Denver being concerned about him getting time off after a long season is more than fair. It’s also reflective of a decision many stars will have to make for the Olympics.

Polo G wasn’t even born yet when the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Bulls tore up the NBA and redefined excellent in the game of basketball with six championships throughout the 1990s, but the Chicago native is mindful enough of their legacy to recognize that a nod to the greats would pair nicely with his new album Hall Of Fame. To that end, Polo shared “Hall Of Fame Conversations,” a video in which he interviews the NBA Hall Of Famer Scottie Pippen.

Polo turns out to be a pretty decent interviewer asking Pippen about the championships and accolades that the NBA legend has accumulated over the years. The conversation also allows Polo to speak on his own journey, highlighting how relatively quickly he’s reached the upper echelon of rap stardom over the course of his last three albums. Meanwhile, Scottie draws parallels between the rap game and hoops, complimenting the hard work that Polo has put in to follow his dream.

In addition to “Hall Of Fame Conversations,” Polo G has released videos for “Painting Pictures,” “No Return,” “Gang Gang,” and “Rapstar.”

Watch Polo G’s “Hall Of Fame Conversation” with NBA Hall Of Famer Scottie Pippen above.

Hall Of Fame is out now on Columbia. Get it here.