Month: July 2021

When Bill Murray requests that you dribble three basketballs while somehow balancing atop a foam roller and also spelling “portmanteau,” then you don’t say, “Nope.” The results of that request turned out well for Zalia Avant-garde.

After 14-year-old basketball champ (who’s from Louisiana) won the National Spelling Bee, she did the interview rounds as is customary. While speaking with NPR, she explained how she knew the spelling of “murraya,” which is a tropical-tree genus. In doing so, Zaila declared, “I’d like to send a thank you to Bill Murray because the reason I knew that word, murraya, was because of the movie Lost In Translation…. that’s how that word stuck in my head because it’s spelled like Bill Murray’s name.”

Well, Zaila got a (virtual) visit and congratulations from The Man himself during a non-virtual visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live! Murray’s currently doing the Cannes thing (and spectacularly so while wearing two watches in a meme-d photo), but he made the aforementioned request, and Zalia handled it like the champ that she is. “That a girl!” Murray declared in response.

Balancing on a foam roller while doing anything else is difficult, let alone while getting intellectual and sporty at the same time. Well, Murray made sure to toss in his on self-deprecating remark, too: “Coincidentally, I spelled your name right the other day.” Most of us will never be able to claim that same honor, so Zaila is truly achieving it all.

So, to begin, I don’t particularly love writing pieces like this for a couple of reasons. First, anything that kind of “gets personal,” they don’t age particularity well. It’s more a snapshot of the mood I was in that day than any kind of actual substance. (To the point I almost look at everything I wrote during the Trump administration as suspect.) Second, this involves an action that a famous person did, which, I get it, leads to a whole lot of (as Ted Lasso says himself in the first episode of the upcoming season) “Midwestern suspicion.” Was the motive “good press”? Look, I’d be asking the same thing. But this story is about something that happened over three years ago, before the Ted Lasso television series even began, so if Jason Sudeikis did what he did for “good press,” man, he’s really playing the long game here.

But here’s why I am sharing this: I see the positive effects that a positive character like Ted Lasso is having on people. His folksy niceness is infectious and, well, it sure as heck felt refreshing during its first season and it sure as heck feels refreshing during this second season. And, as it turns out, Jason Sudeikis, someone I’ve been fortunate to get to know a bit professionally, but certainly not well, did a truly nice thing for me when I really needed it and, frankly, I want people to know he did this. Also, the very few people I’ve actually told this story to always have a very positive reaction to it and now I just want to share it with others.

So back in late 2017 my dad died suddenly from a heart attack. It was a pretty, let’s say, lousy time in my life. (And if you’ve ever lost a parent, well, I probably don’t have to tell you that.) It’s a strange time where you kind of learn who cares about you and who doesn’t. I had close friends I never heard from, I had people I never thought I’d hear from reach out. (To be fair, what complicated this for me was being an only child. I didn’t really have a family support system to lean on, so most of the support I got, or needed, was from people I am not related to.) But, eventually, as time moves on, you’re just kind of left alone with your own depression about the whole thing.

A few months later Suedikis was doing press for his indie film, Kodachrome – a film in which, in a nutshell, Sudeikis is trying to make amends with his dying father, played by Ed Harris. And the four rolls of Kodachrome that his father leaves him and what that means. (Not a lot of people saw this movie, but it’s a very good movie.) When I interviewed Sudeikis for that film (who, again, I knew a little bit, professionally, from a piece I did on his and Will Forte’s infamous “Potato Chip” SNL sketch and the fact that we both went to high school in the Kansas City area) I had mentioned that a lot of the themes in his movie had, obviously, hit pretty close to home.

Like I said, I was in a pretty lousy place. There’s no way Jason Sudeikis could have known that, at that moment, I needed a pep talk. Or, well, maybe it was pretty obvious from vibe I gave off in the interview and I just didn’t realize it. So later that day I got an email from Jason Sudeikis and it was … pretty inspirational. And the few people I’ve showed it to over the years have always told me I should share it. That it’s something that, maybe, other people would benefit from reading. So I reached to Sudeikis to ask if he’d be okay with me publishing this email. He wrote back that it’s my story, and if I’m comfortable sharing it, then he is, too. (Followed by a fist and heart emoji.)

So here it is. I honestly hope this is the right decision putting this out there. Again, it just came at a time I really needed to hear something like this and, from all people, it was Jason Sudeikis. And I know it’s probably been a, let’s say, unusual year for him for a lot of reasons, so I just want people to know he did this.

Just wanted to shoot ya a quick note and let ya know that I’m so sorry for your loss. And I thank you for feeling comfortable enough with me to share. Please please please feel ZERO regret in doing so.

It’s important and fucking necessary for us human beings to do that. To connect. To share. And to not concern ourselves too much with the outcome of such bravery. Especially the men of the world. Our generation is the first to “understand” that notion, but darn it, I’d love to try and be the first generation of fellas to “live” the notion as well. So let’s both continue to attempt to be on that “side of history,” shall we?

I wish you all the luck and openness in the universe on finding the “four rolls of Kodachrome” your own father left you. Because he did. It’s out there. I know it is.

The one thing I want you to consider though is that it might not be physically “out there”, because it might actually be living inside of you. And through you. And merely accepting that possibility might be where and when the “finding” happens.

You see deeply into things for a living. Allow yourself the experience of doing that to yourself, for yourself.

Okay man. Be well. Always good to see and speak with you.

yours,
Jason

So, yeah, there actually is a lot of Ted Lasso in the real Jason Sudeikis.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The next installment of the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher is here. For this round, viral favorites 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose take on another hypnotic Nick Mira production to display their varying takes of the annual tradition.

Rubi Rose sets things off with a fittingly raunchy verse in her signature husky verse, followed by a braggadocious, bouncy approach from Pooh Shiesty. Flo Milli drops in and steals the show, turning up the energy with both her bright looks and quirky punchlines, leaving 42 Dugg to bring the baton home with a laid-back verse.

While Blxst and Toosii’s Cypher was competent and the first group of MCs was uneven but attention-grabbing, this year’s batch of Freshmen has certainly added to growing sense that hip-hop’s women are doing more to stand out than the men. So far, the consensus MVP of this year’s Freshmen has been Lakeyah, who’s sharp wit and precise flow impressed fans, while Flo Milli brought something a little different with her perky output. Even Coi Leray, maligned as her performance has been, brought something different to the table and looked like she was having fun instead of just trying to look cool.
Watch XXL’s Freshman Cypher with 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose above.

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

More involved visits from musical guests have become more and more popular in recent years. Cardi B co-hosted The Tonight Show in 2018. Dave Grohl did the same thing just a couple months ago. Ed Sheeran recently wrapped up a week-long stay on The Late Late Show. The latest artist to enjoy a multi-night late-night stay is BTS, who guested on The Tonight Show twice this week. Their first episode featured an interview with the group and a performance of “Permission To Dance.” For the second night, they brought their current No. 1 hit, “Butter,” to the show.

Like their rendition of “Permission To Dance” before it, the “Butter” performance was pre-taped for The Tonight Show. Instead of taking to a stage, the group got set up in a gigantic bridge at night, taking advantage of the water under them, the cityscape behind them, and lighting to create quite the visual scene.

On their first Tonight Show episode of the week, the group revealed that they haven’t actually met Sheeran yet despite the fact that they have now made multiple songs with him.

Watch BTS perform “Butter” above.

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

One of the best trends in video games today is the rise of creation tools. From Super Mario Maker to Dreams, gamers are gaining access to more tools that let them make their own fun, the result of which are some really creative ideas from players.

This creativity and ability to make anything we want in games is starting to get noticed outside the gaming industry. deadmau5, one of the most well-known electronic music producers out there, sees the potential in giving players the ability to create and is offering players of the game Core an opportunity to put their creativity to the test. Players using Core can try to use the tools inside the game to create a deadmau5 music video for his new single, “Lights.”

“I’ve been blown away by the creativity I’ve seen on Core,” deadmau5 said. “Some of my passions are game, experience, and world design, and Core’s capabilities as a platform and its creators who are capable of doing all kinds of cool stuff are the next level in user generated art and experiences. I’m looking forward to checking out what fans and artists will create for my new single with ‘Lights.’”

This is a big win for Manticore Games, the developer of Core. Not only is this an opportunity to advertise their game, but it gives them the chance to really show what the community around Core is capable of as the kind of game that’s all about showing what players can do when they’re handed the reins.

“We’re thrilled that deadmau5 shares our passion for putting the power of artistic expression in as many creators’ hands as possible,” said Jordan Maynard, the chief creative officer and co-founder Manticore Games. “Core is more than just a place to play and make games; it has endless potential for new forms of social interactivity and artistry. We can’t wait to see the worlds our creators bring alive for the new video, and we look forward to working together with deadmau5 on future projects.”

During a Thursday morning segment on Olivia Rodrigo visiting the White House in an effort to urge young people to get the COVID vaccine, The View co-host Meghan McCain did what she does best: Made the conversation all about her. After simultaneously promoting the vaccine and questioning its efficacy (which is becoming a habit for her), McCain engaged in even more intellectual whiplash by arguing that, actually, Republicans aren’t behind widespread instances of vaccine hesitancy, but in a way, they kind-of are because Joe Biden’s administration should’ve taken McCain’s help when she offered it. Say what?

You can see McCain’s back-and-forth rant at the 5:55 mark below:

Via The Daily Beast:

“There’s lots of different demographics that are vaccine hesitant for a lot of reasons, and we need to be reaching out to people in lots of different ways,” Meghan McCain said Thursday on The View. “I’m going to say it again, I don’t think the White House is doing a good job reaching out to Republicans. I don’t. I’ve offered my help. They haven’t accepted it. They don’t care.”

Surprisingly, McCain isn’t embellishing here and appears to have inadvertently confirmed a previous report. According to Politico Playbook, McCain and her brother Jimmy offered to take the vaccine live on The View, but the White House never got back to her. Instead, the administration briefed Whoopi Goldberg and chose not to vaccinate McCain because she wasn’t eligible at the time.

Since then, McCain has repeatedly attacked Dr. Fauci and spread COVID conspiracy theories live on The View, which doesn’t really bolster her case for being the ideal candidate to convince vaccine hesitant Republicans.

(Via The View and The Daily Beast)

It’s been about a week since Welch producer Lewis Roberts released his glitchy album Agor under the moniker Koreless. To future explore the LP’s experimental sound, Koreless has tapped his friend and collaborator FKA Twigs to direct a video to the project’s ethereal track “White Picket Fence.”

Koreless’ “White Picket Fence” video marks the first time FKA Twigs has directed a visual for another artist. Shot in the English countryside, the fantastical visual sees Koreless pulling up to a pond in a bright green Lamborghini. A group of feral ravers sporting distressed clothing join him as the song’s gossamer vocal samples provide an atmospheric background.

Speaking about directing the video, Twigs praised Roberts’s music:

“Lewis is not only a dear friend of mine but also one of my favourite collaborators. His sonic palette is equally as alien and other worldly as it is grounded and in me it evokes feelings of being close to nature. For Lewis’ video I wanted to create this in a visual. The mystery intertwined with a feeling of familiarity. The ‘White Picket Fence’ visual is a modern day reenactment of a fable that doesn’t exist. Each character represents a sound in the music and the audience is a voyeur as the music is personified into a mystical happening. This is my first time directing a music video for another artist, I am so grateful to Koreless and Object & Animal for the opportunity.”

Echoing Twigs’ statement, Roberts added: “Twigs and I have spent a lot of time in the studio recently, I’ve got an enormous amount of respect for her as a musician and visual artist. I’d always loved how she brought her songs to life with her visual insights, and when she came to me with an idea for ‘White Picket Fence’ it was a no brainer. ‘White Picket Fence’ is one of the most precious songs on the album, but I trusted her to have full control and love the result.”

Watch the “White Picket Fence” video above.

Agor is out now via Young. Get it here.

As we enter a new age of technology where everything is becoming more digital, we’re starting to see video games go through their own evolution. Gone are the days of cartridges and discs as the go-to way to acquire games, and instead, they’re being placed into consoles and PCs directly via download. However, with services like Xbox Game Pass becoming more popular, there’s a push to move video games more into the cloud. This would allow players to skip (or at least shorten) the download process entirely and just play games immediately without a physical copy, similar to how many people watch their favorite movies and TV shows.

It’s the similarity to TV and movies that should make it no surprise that media giant Netflix is reportedly planning on offering video games as well. According to a report from Bloomberg, Netflix wants to start offering video games within the next year and they’ve hired former members of EA and Facebook to turn that dream into a reality.

Mike Verdu will join Netflix as vice president of game development, reporting to Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters, the company said on Wednesday. Verdu was previously Facebook’s vice president in charge of working with developers to bring games and other content to Oculus virtual-reality headsets.

The idea is to offer video games on Netflix’s streaming platform within the next year, according to a person familiar with the situation. The games will appear alongside current fare as a new programming genre — similar to what Netflix did with documentaries or stand-up specials. The company doesn’t currently plan to charge extra for the content, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.

With video games being such a lucrative industry, it makes sense that Netflix would be trying to get in on the fun, especially with so many companies attempting to try and emulate the Netflix model in their own game offerings. It’s not uncommon to compare Game Pass or Google Stadia to the Netflix model because of the ease of access. Players pay a one-time fee, have an endless library of games, and then they pick and choose from that library.

While Netflix has already been involving itself more in games on the TV side and even had a segment in Summer Game Fest back in June, it’s eyebrow-raising to see they want to be into games before the end of the year. So far, cloud gaming has struggled to gain a footing because the majority of cloud offerings currently aren’t as quick or smooth as simply downloading and owning the game. But of course, with technology evolving, that could be a moot point in the very near future.

Now that Robert Downey Jr. has hung up his boots (and heavy armored suit) and said farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s free to do other things like, uh, play Dr. Dolittle in a CGI nightmare of a movie with a farting dragon? Hm, let’s try that again. Downey Jr. is free to do other things, like star in an HBO and A24 co-production from an acclaimed director based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning book? Much better.

Deadline reports that Downey Jr. will star in The Sympathizer, an adaptation of author Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel of the same name. Park Chan-wook, the genius filmmaker behind The Handmaiden, Oldboy, and The Little Drummer Girl miniseries with Florence Pugh and Michael Shannon, will direct and serve as co-showrunner:

Thanh Nguyen’s novel is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States. A worldwide search is underway for the lead role and the rest of the predominantly Vietnamese ensemble.

“Adapting Mr. Nguyen’s important and masterful work requires a visionary team. With director Park at the helm, I expect this to be a creative producing adventure for Susan, me and Team Downey, and a stimulating process for myself in playing these complex supporting roles,” Downey said in a statement. “A24 and HBO are the perfect combination of partners and co-parents… It’s exactly the type of challenge I’ve been craving, and I believe we will deliver an exceptional viewing experience to our audience.”

The Sympathizer is no Dolittle 2 (2Little?), but it’ll do.

(Via Deadline)

Foxing have released an impressive new video today for the title track of their forthcoming album, Draw Down The Moon. Starring Tony Award-winning actor André De Shields, the clip actually uses the set from St. Louis’ recent Shakespeare In The Park production of King Lear, which also starred De Shields.

Prior to this, the alt-emo luminaries have released album singles “Go Down Together,” “If I Believed In Love,” “Where The Lightning Strikes Twice,” and “Speak With The Dead,” the latter of which featuring indie experimentalists Why?.

Their fourth full length is “about the idea of your cosmic significance,” said the band’s Conor Murphy in a statement when the album was announced. “The way you feel like a tiny speck in the grand scheme of the universe, that’s a feeling everybody has. You can get lost thinking about how small you are. Draw Down The Moon explores how our connections to people and places and ideas are what binds us to the universe and reality.”

Press materials also noted that the band worked on the album in their St. Louis studio with guitarist Eric Hudson producing. Finally, the St. Louis outfit is releasing an upcoming concert film, Draw Down The Moon In St. Louis, which will air on August 6 at 6 p.m. PT. (Grab your tickets here.)

Draw Down The Moon is out 8/6 via Grand Paradise. Pre-order it here.