Month: June 2021

Another season of Watchmen on HBO may not be in the cards, but its star certainly has a lot more action on the horizon. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will reportedly team up with Dwayne “The Rock Johnson” for his next project, one that takes him to Texas for an action movie.

Deadline reported Friday that Johnson will produce a movie called Emergency Contact, which will be set in Austin in the music scene. Details are scarce, but Johnson’s Seven Bucks will produce the movie while Abdul-Mateen is set to star in what’s billed as an action movie with a bit of a twist.

As Deadline detailed, it’s the latest project for Abdul-Mateen, who has launched himself into the stratosphere after the Damon Lindelof’s comic reimagining earned him an Emmy.

For Abdul-Mateen, Emergency continues the actor’s Hollywood ascent. He has been on a hot streak since playing a key role in HBO’s acclaimed limited series, Watchmen, for which he won an Emmy. He also garnered acclaim and awards buzz for portraying activist Bobby Seale in Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7. He has high-profile movies The Matrix 4 and Candyman due out later this year and in 2021 will shoot George Miller’s latest Mad Max project, Furiosa. Abdul-Mateen has become a Warners favorite as not only Matrix and Furiosa are from the studio, but he also starred as the villain in the company’s Aquaman, a role he is reprising for Aquman 2.

That’s quite the collection of high-profile projects to Abdul-Mateen’s name, but you could argue that an indie music-based action film set in Austin may officially make Emergency Contact his most intriguing project on the docket.

After an abnormally quiet week, Meghan McCain is getting back to her old self. During a panel discussion on Dr. Fauci’s emails, the conservative The View host resumed her criticisms of the disease specialist and took things to the next level by essentially accusing Fauci of wanting to be a celebrity. More specifically, McCain said that Fauci “clearly wanted to be a Kardashian” as she took issue with his magazine cover stories and being nominated for People’s “Sexiest Man Alive.”

You can see McCain’s rant kick in at the 4:44 mark below:

However, McCain’s rant took a dangerous turn when she began parroting conspiracy theories about COVID-19’s origin. While citing Fauci’s emails where he entertains the theory that the virus may have been an “accidental lab leak,” McCain started going to bat for Senator Tom Cotton and other Republicans who have floated theories that the virus was a bioweapon. While admitting that she’s not a scientist, McCain repeated right-wing talking points that “the Chinese government is testing viruses for other viruses which is something we don’t do in this country.” Via The Wrap:

“When this originally started people like Tom Cotten were writing op-eds and going on TV just raising questions and if you raise the question that, ‘hey, this might’ve come from the Chinese labs in Wuhan you were treated like you were Alex Jones with a tinfoil hat on your head and now you have Vanity Fair which is not a conservative publication by anybody’s definition writing huge profiles raising these questions and we have to understand where the virus originated from if we’re ever going to be able to god forbid face a threat like this going forward.”

McCain then demanded more transparency from Fauci to restore “the legitimacy of our institutions,” which is an interesting statement to make after spouting conspiracy theories that question that very legitimacy. To be clear, the government is investigating whether COVID-19 was a lab leak, which experts believe is a possibility, but not in the sense that Republicans have been portraying it. In short, there is very little evidence that COVID-19 is some sort of “bioweapon” that accidentally got out, or as the more dangerous theories suggest, was purposefully leaked.

(Via The View on Twitter)

Late last month, Netflix’s dramedy series Master Of None returned to the streaming service after a four-year hiatus with a renewed focus on Lena Waithe’s character Denise and her partner, Naomi Ackie’s Alicia. As the series now focuses on the ups and downs of a single relationship rather than Aziz Ansari’s character Dev’s quest romance, the third season bears the subtitle Moments In Love.

The subtitle also applies to a new “live music experience” released today to promote the show, which features up-and-coming Black and queer R&B artists telling their stories of love. Included in the performance are Asiahn, a Los Angeles singer-songwriter who has written for the likes of Dr. Dre and Drake, Avery Wilson, who gained notice as a contestant on The Voice, Durand Bernarr, who’s sung backing vocals for Erykah Badu and The Internet, and Tiffany Gouché, a longtime industry vet whose musical family includes D Smoke and SiR, her cousins.

“Moments In Love” also includes a conversation between Waithe and neo-soul pioneer Maxwell. Shot at Winston House, the performance highlights the same sort of complex, unconventional love depicted in the show, making it a perfect pairing — and a fitting introduction to some of the most unique and talented rising stars in music.

Watch “Moments In Love” in love above and catch season three Master Of None streaming now on Netflix.

For the first time in his decorated career, LeBron James got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. That statement lacks a ton of context — James wasn’t 100 percent, Anthony Davis was hurt, the Phoenix Suns were better than any other team he’d played in the first round of the postseason, etc. — but James will not start the summer a little earlier than he’s used to.

It’s shaping up to be a pretty good summer for James, if only because he has options. He could, if he chooses, focus all of his attention on promoting Space Jam: A New Legacy, he can head over to Tokyo to participate in the Summer Olympics, or he can do any of the other billion things that LeBron James has on his plate. After the Lakers fell on Thursday night, though, the reigning NBA Finals MVP made clear he has one clear-cut top priority.

Via Silver Screen and Roll:

“Nah, I think I’m gonna play for the Tune Squad this summer instead of the Olympics,” James said.

…

“I think that’s what my focus is on, is trying to beat he Monstars, or the Goon Squad, we call them now,” James said. “I didn’t have much success vs. the Suns, so I am gearing my attention to the Goon Squad here in July.”

It probably isn’t a shock that James is passing on going to Tokyo. Even beyond the fact that the Olympics are happening amid a global pandemic, James had a short offseason heading into the 2020-21 campaign and would assuredly love to take some time to rest up with an eye on next year.

Writer Michael Waldron scored one of the most enviable jobs in Hollywood when he was named head writer for the upcoming Loki TV series. While, on the one hand, the gig would be a dream job for any writer, it also comes with a lot of expectations—which Waldron seems to have exceeded. How else could one explain why Marvel president Kevin Feige would bring Waldron in to take over the writing on the MCU’s Doctor Strange sequel, and then tapping the writer (whose resume isn’t very long) to work on a top-secret Star Wars project?

But if you were to ask Waldron, who cut his teeth working as a production assistant for Dan Harmon on Community and Rick and Morty, the secret to his success, he’d likely give most of the credit to his writing heroes.

Given that the Marvel series finds Tom Hiddleston’s Loki at his most impish, Waldron told Vanity Fair that he felt the freedom to be inspired by a wide range of movies, TV shows, and genres, all of which found their way into the series. While he originally approached the series the same way he would an episode of Rick and Morty, which he produced and served as showrunner on for season 5, Waldron says he quickly learned that Loki would be an entirely different beast.

“I was watching Quentin Tarantino movies—Inglourious Basterds,” Waldron said of the movies that inspired Loki’s style, structure, and storylines. “Movies that luxuriate in long scenes of dialogue and tension building.” Among the other list of seemingly-having-nothing-in-common titles that made their way into season 1 of Loki: Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, and Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future. At the same time, according to Waldron:

“I’d say it’s something totally new! It’s MCU. It was important that every episode stood alone. The Leftovers or Watchmen, which I admired so much—every one of those episodes felt like a distinct short story. That’s the sign of a great episode of TV. ‘Oh, it’s that episode of Loki.’”

Eagle-eyed MCU fans have already mentioned noticing what seemed to be a reference to Mad Men in one of Loki’s trailers. Given that the Matthew Weiner series is Waldron’s very favorite TV show of all time, it hardly seems coincidental. Still, Waldron cites becoming the next Nora Ephron as his ultimate career goal, and believes that shines through in Loki.

“Mobius and Loki, that’s one of the love stories you might see in Loki for sure,” Waldron said. “Although if you print that, knowing our fans, they’re going to take it the wrong way.” Waldron suggests you think of it more like Tom Hanks’s FBI agent and Leonardo DiCaprio’s con man in Catch Me If You Can—Loki being the latter, with a little bit of Steve Jobs thrown in.

Loki will premiere on Disney+ on June 9th

(Via Vanity Fair)

It’s been ten years since Lady Gaga released her iconic 2011 album Born This Way, and she announced last month that she will be marking the occasion with a rerelease, Born This Way: The Tenth Anniversary. The album includes a handful of covers of Born This Way tracks, with the first of them being Big Freedia’s take on “Judas,” which was shared alongside the announcement.

Now the next Gaga cover has been shared, and this new rendition of the title track comes courtesy of Orville Peck. Naturally, Peck’s version of the song brings it into more country territory, and it serves as proof that Gaga’s songwriting just works regardless of whatever genre you stick her songs into.

Peck wrote on social media, “I am so honoured and excited to be a part of the iconic legacy of this song and album. Thank you @ladygaga for askin me and Happy Pride y’all !!”

Aside from “Born This Way” and “Judas,” the reissue will also feature re-worked versions of “Highway Unicorn,” “You & I,” “Marry The Night,” and “The Edge Of Glory,” although it’s not yet clear which artists have been tasked with covering those songs.

Listen to Peck’s cover of “Born This Way” above.

Born This Way: The Tenth Anniversary is out 6/18 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.

In a move that’s already making Scott Pilgrim vs. The World fans very happy, director Edgar Wright has revealed that an all-new expanded soundtrack will release later this summer, and it will finally include Brie Larson‘s scene-stealing cover of Metric’s “Black Sheep.” Wright announced the expanded soundtrack on Instagram along with a clip of Larson performing as Envy Adams, who was inspired by Metric singer Emily Haines, and even wore one of her outfits that Haines graciously provided for the film.

Via Instagram:

On July 9th, the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Expanded Edition) will be available on all digital music services. The expanded soundtrack includes demos from Beck and more music from the movie including Brie Larson’s performance of the @metric classic “Black Sheep”

The expanded soundtrack arrives on the heels of a never-before-seen version of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World that hit theaters back in April to celebrate the film’s 10th anniversary, which was a bold move during the pandemic. However, Wright had faith that fans would show up to see the film that was specifically designed for the theater experience.

“To be able to see it with the best specs is obviously any filmmaker’s dream. You want people to see it as good as it could possibly be. I suspect that if you’re a fan of the movie, you’re going to get such a kick out of seeing it like this,” Wright said shortly before the 10th anniversary release.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Expanded Edition) drops on July 9, 2021.

(Via Edgar Wright on Instagram)

The Pimm’s Cup is the ultimate summer highball. It’s incredibly light and crazy refreshing. It’s also very low alcohol and clocks in at around one light beer in ABVs-per-highball-glass. The best part about a Pimm’s Cup is that you can make it in batches. In fact, these are better when you make them by the pitcher, making this the perfect summer batch cocktail to have in your arsenal.

Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based spirit that’s amped up with fruit juices, spices, herbs, and botanicals. It’s made specifically for summer sipping and mixing with fizzy drinks and more fruit. The Pimm’s Cup has a lot of variations but the original recipe of adding some Pimm’s No. 1 to lemonade (Sprite or 7-Up) with orange, strawberry, cucumber, and mint is the classic way to go.

And that’s what we’re mixing up today. Let’s get to it!

The Original Pimm’s Cup No. 1

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pimm’s No. 1
• 2 cups Sprite or 7-Up
• 5-10 strawberries (depending on size)
• 1 orange
• 1/4 cucumber
• Fresh mint
• Ice

You can snag a bottle of Pimm’s No. 1 for around $25 per bottle. One bottle will make about 2 1/2 pitchers give or take. As for the rest, it’s pretty straightforward and completely adjustable. Want to put in blueberries and peaches? Go. For. It. Want to use ginger ale instead of Sprite? No one is stopping you.

In fact, if you want to get really fancy, use champagne instead of Sprite. It’s dope, trust us.

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2-gallon pitcher
• Cutting board
• Kitchen knife
• Measuring cup
• Barspoon
• Small tongs
• Highball glasses

Method:

• Prep by slicing the strawberries, slice the orange into wheels, and thinly slice the cucumber into small wheels (skin on).
• Add ice to the pitcher and place the orange, cucumber, and strawberry slices around the pitcher in layers. Repeat until the pitcher is full.
• Pour in Pimm’s No. 1 and then the soda.
• Give it a small stir with a barspoon.
• Slap a large sprig of mint around the pitcher and the mint into the drink so it’s completely submerged.
• Serve the drink with ice, small tongs, and extra mint so people can add the fruit to their highball from the pitcher.

Bottom Line:

I can’t understate how refreshing this drink is. I know this is cliched but this is summer in a goddamn glass. It’s light, full of flavor, sweet, fruity, slightly savory, and straight gulp-able. The fruit gets a little boozy and offers you a nice fruit salad to snack on as you get tipsy in the hot summer sun, which is a nice bonus.

You can rest assured people will be lining up to kill off pitcher after pitcher of this summer classic until deep into September.

The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday night, and as a result, the Inside the NBA highlighted them in their very silly but very unfortunate eulogy of a segment, Gone Fishin’. The Portland Trail Blazers, who were eliminated earlier in the night by the Denver Nuggets, got first billing, with the Lakers going second.

L.A.’s fishin’ trip featured a ton of celebrities jumping off of a boat alongside LeBron James. There was one person in particular who was shrouded in mystery, largely because they were in a wheelchair and a gigantic full-body cast. It stands to reason this was meant to be an Anthony Davis dig, but Charles Barkley had another idea.

“Who is the guy in the wheelchair?” Kenny Smith asked.

“That would be Skip Bayless if I ever got him in a room by himself,” Barkley responded. “If I ever get Skip Bayless alone, that’s what he’s gonna need, a full body cast.”

Bayless, of course, has made his career off of having very hot LeBron James takes when he isn’t trying to fool people into thinking Tim Tebow is an NFL-level quarterback. Barkley has never made it a secret that he’s put off by Bayless’ schtick, so we’re gonna guess that the pair aren’t gonna hash things out on Fox Sports any time soon.

Reversing one of TikTok’s favorite challenges, a newly surfaced video proves the kids just might be alright. While the app has become known as a launching pad for some artists’ careers — artists like Bella Poarch, Foushee, and Lil Nas X — it’s also a place where the generation gap couldn’t be more evident as teens challenged their older relatives to identify stars of today like DaBaby, Lil Baby, and others. However, one parent flipped the trend, showing photos of stars to her toddler, and the wholesome video rapidly accumulated a huge number of views, jumping to other platforms as well.

Seeing photos of Beyonce, Cardi B, Chance The Rapper, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Pop Smoke, and Saweetie, the child correctly identifies most of them, getting extra excited for Cardi B and Doja, although we’ll give points for effort for exclamations of “Baby!” and “Pop Soaps!” However, one of the more inexplicable answers is for Megan Thee Stallion, who for some reason, the baby identifies as “Grandma.”

As these acts all hover in the upper echelons of the Hot 100 whenever they drop new music, it’s no wonder they’re kid-approved — or maybe it’s the other way around. In any case, judging by this toddler’s reactions, Cardi and Doja look to have long careers ahead of them — and Megan Thee Stallion might want to check her mail for that AARP card.

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