Month: September 2021

Hulu and FX announced today that they are dropping a follow-up to their Emmy-nominated documentary Framing Britney Spears, which was released last February in partnership with The New York Times. Called Controlling Britney Spears, the follow-up will air tonight on FX and Hulu at 10 p.m. ET. It’s also worth noting that it is coming out just days before Netflix’s Britney documentary, Britney vs Spears, which arrives on the streaming platform on September 28.

Like its predecessor, Controlling Britney Spears is directed by Samantha Stark and produced by Liz Day. It will explore what Spears’ life has been like under the confines of her conservatorship, which the pop performer is currently trying to extricate herself from.

“When Britney spoke publicly about her conservatorship in detail for the first time during a court hearing in June, she said a reason she hadn’t spoken up earlier is she didn’t think people would believe her,” Stark said in a statement. “She said she felt abused under the conservatorship and questioned whether the judge thought she was lying. Britney’s speech motivated the people in this film to seek us out to share their stories — at great risk to themselves — because they felt compelled to back up what Britney was saying with evidence they had or moments they witnessed.”

Day added, “Britney’s situation raises a lot of important questions about the conservatorship system at large and whether it is working properly. We felt that it was in the public interest to examine that.”

Controlling Britney Spears arrives on 9/24 at 10 p.m. ET via FX and Hulu.

All of Logic’s time hanging around with Juicy J is clearly rubbing off on him if the beat from his newly released “Perfect” remix is any indication. Featuring a trunk-thumping, throwback Memphis beat, the percussion-forward production wouldn’t have been out-of-place in the Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll during the cassette tape era. Naturally, that makes ASAP Ferg, a fellow adherent of the OG crunk sound, a perfect feature along with Lil Wayne, who can and will rap over anything and everything (check out his verse on Run The Jewels’ “Ooh La La” remix, as well).

The track is part of Logic’s unexpected but not entirely surprising comeback, which arguably started in January with the Doctor Destruction project. Logic’s “new artist” fooled absolutely no one with the voice-changing tech the project employed to disguise Bobby Bullet’s distinctive, dulcet tones, and sneaking an MF DOOM poster onto the cover art was probably a dead giveaway, as well (DOOM was well-known for his vast array of alter egos). Logic followed that up with a duo release alongside longtime DOOM collaborator Madlib as MadGic (kinda catchy, right?), then straight-up dropped a Michael Jordan homage to announce what everybody already knew.

And although he helped proved that rappers are really bad at retiring, he did use the downtime productively, finishing up his memoir, which details the effects of fame on his mental health.

Listen to Logic’s “Perfect” remix with Lil Wayne and ASAP Ferg above.

In May of 2018, the world learned that Grimes and Elon Musk were dating, when they appeared together at the Met Gala. Now, not long after this year’s Met Gala, things between the couple — who have a son, X AE A-XII Musk, together — have changed: Musk revealed today that he and Grimes are “semi-separated.”

He broke the news in a statement given to Page Six, which says, “We are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently, and are on great terms. It’s mostly that my work at SpaceX and Tesla requires me to be primarily in Texas or traveling overseas and her work is primarily in LA. She’s staying with me now and Baby X is in the adjacent room.”

The last time Grimes and Musk were seen together in public was at this year’s Met Gala; Although Grimes walked the red carpet alone, the two later met up inside. Meanwhile, in a TikTok video that Grimes posted last night, she tries to get X AE A-XII to say “mama,” and Musk’s voice can be heard in the clip, so it seems the two truly are on good terms as Musk says. Grimes, who often interacts with followers in the comments of her TikTok posts, does not appear to have addressed the semi-separation yet.

Rob Lowe and Netflix have teamed up for a new “one-off special” tackling the time-tested list of Hollywood clichés, and judging by the trailer, he’s bringing along some famous friends to help him get the job done. You might say he’s putting a team together, and dangit, that’s another cliché right there.

Titled Attack of the Hollywood Clichés, the special hosted by Lowe features Andrew Garfield (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Richard E. Grant (Loki), Florence Pugh (Black Widow), and other A-listers to be revealed when the special premieres. Up for discussion will be such well-worn tropes as looking back at explosions, delivering cheesy villainous dialog with conviction, and of course, gratuitous sex scenes.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Attack of the Hollywood Clichés! is a one-off special featuring some of the most famous films in cinematic history along with a plethora of Hollywood A-Listers, Screenwriters, Academics and Critics as they guide us through the funny, weird and controversial clichés which appear on our cinema screens. Posed in a classic crisp suit, Rob Lowe invites viewers to examine the Hollywood clichés filmmakers can’t help but use, time and time again. With the help of the experts, Attack of the Hollywood Clichés analyses the origins and evolutions of everything from ‘The Ticking Time Bomb’, to the ‘Meet-Cute’, and ‘Females Running in Stilettos’ – there’s also a ‘Wilhelm Scream’ montage for real movie buffs.

Attack of the Hollywood Clichés starts streaming September 28 on Netflix.

In 2020, Milwaukee-born, new Quality Control Music product Lakeyah said Time’s Up. Then, this spring, she promised In Due Time. Today, she’s back with another full-length project, declaring it My Time and bringing along DJ Drama to make it a Gangsta Grillz affair (thank you, Tyler, for reminding us about these mixtapes and giving Drama a reason to start doing them again). After kicking off the tape’s promotion with “313-414” featuring Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley, she keeps the ball rolling with a video for “Reason,” showing the grind she’s been on for the past year in stark black and white.

In addition to making a name for herself over the past year with standout appearances in City Girls’ “Female Goat” video and her own catchy single “Young & Ratchet,” Lakeyah’s profile skyrocketed when she was selected for the 2021 XXL Freshman Class. And while fans may not have realized the body of work behind her upon the initial announcement, her impressive cypher verse ensured their ears perked up and they were paying attention. Now, with the QC cosign and a whole Gangsta Grillz mixtape under her belt, it’s only a matter of time until she’s being mentioned among the top names in hip-hop.

Watch Lakeyah’s “Reason” video above.

My Time (Gangsta Grillz: Special Edition) is out now via Quality Control Music. Get it here.

Coldplay and BTS are now a few hours removed from the release of their new collaborative single, “My Universe.” Chris Martin has now spoken with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about it and described how tough it was to actually see BTS in South Korea due to the country’s COVID protocols.

He explained:

“The trip was… I don’t know if you know the film Back To The Future, but there’s an outfit that Doc Brown wears that’s a nuclear hazmat suit. Going to Korea was like hanging out with 10,000 people dressed like that. We had to go through, I think, 13 checkpoints and tests, and it was so difficult to get in. Then we got kicked out again after about 37 hours, had to leave again. It was tough. There was a point where I was locked in a little hotel room, cell-type situation. I was like, ‘OK, if my COVID test comes back wrong, I have no idea where I am.’ All I could see was at the edge of a dock and a car park. I was like, ‘I have no idea where I am. I don’t understand anything anyone’s saying to me, but somehow I have faith that we’re going see BTS tomorrow.’ And it happened.”

He also spoke about how great it was to work with the group, saying, “I love them, and we love them, and it’s been such a joy. It’s something you could look at so cynically, and we have at times, but anytime there’s actual communication or music between us, it just feels so good. So, I unabashedly and unashamedly feel really grateful for the song, grateful for the person that inspired the song, and grateful for the people we sing it with.”

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

I previously wrote about the return of touring for Uproxx’s fall preview of the most anticipated tours in hip-hop. But talking ain’t doing, and I had to get back out there myself after a year away. What I discovered in doing so? We are all a little rusty — artists and fans, both.

But, if you’re going to be a little rusty, Blxst has the blueprint for blowing past those first awkward speed bumps and putting on one hell of a show. Wednesday night at The Observatory in Santa Ana, the local rising star provided a pitch-perfect example for how to return from hiatus, even if you never really got a chance to tour in the first place.

That informed part of my reasoning for choosing Blxst as my own return show. Uproxx was high on the guy since even before the release of his fan-favorite EP, No Love Lost (which is also the title of his current tour — check out his UPROXX Sessions performance). Then, he was chosen as one of XXL‘s 2021 Freshman Class, causing his hype to skyrocket. Yet, even after all that, none of us has ever gotten to see him in tour context because his entire breakthrough happened during a global pandemic that basically shut down the industry.

So, of course, I had to make sure he’s the real deal. But also, going to shows can be overwhelming from the other side too. The Observatory has been pretty trusty for me over the years thanks to its out-of-the-way location (no Hollywood hustle and bustle), relatively cozy floor arrangement (I know my spots to get a good view without getting stepped on), and cheap drinks. I thought it’d be relatively easier to slip back into a groove somewhere I’ve been catching shows since even before it was my job.

That rust, though. For the first time, I actually had anxiety about getting to the venue late (I hate standing in line, so my tendency is to arrive right before the show starts in earnest), what I was going to wear (resolved by my old man tendency to just wear sweats to everything but weddings), and the whole entry rigamarole. I forgot my earplugs. I remembered to bring cash for parking. I give myself a cautious 7/10.

Blxst, meanwhile, saw some room for improvement right at the start of his set, as fans were treated to the sight of a roadie’s desktop while they struggled to switch backdrops from the opener’s simple static graphic to Blxst’s animated reel. However, the mishap may have illustrated Blxst’s greatest strength. While all this was going on behind him, he was actually performing his first song. I don’t think a whole bunch of people noticed the backdrop because the performer himself is so magnetic.

One thing that helped his stellar performance was the fact that No Love Lost is chock full of absolute slappers. “Overrated” got a huge pop, as did “Be Alone,” “Gang Slide,” and “Just Say’n.” He also peppered in joints from his and Bino Rideaux’s joint project Sixtape 2, and some of his more popular features with local acts like 1TakeJay and Kalan.FrFr, both of whom popped out to perform along with him. However, the crowd absolutely roared when Sacramento spitter Mozzy and LA summertime sovereign Dom Kennedy showed up to perform their songs with Blxst (Bino is on his own tour, and more than once I overheard a fellow attendee wish aloud for him to make an appearance).

Another tip for artists preparing to pop out: it helps to launch your tour with a rowdy local show. The young crowd — think early-20s, college-age kids, although The Observatory is an all-ages crowd (always get the mid-week show if you can) — was in his pocket from the jump. We’ve all spent months hearing his music at house parties, on our work/study playlists, and at local mainstays like the Drew League. On some songs, it almost seemed the crowd was doing all the singing for Blxst, although he and his talented backup singer were very impressive.

It’s clear that Blxst has spent time honing his live show, even if he couldn’t actually perform it for anyone yet. And that might be the biggest takeaway from his blueprint: use the time you have to perfect the craft of performing. While it seems a lot of artists throw together a setlist and head out, the long hiatus has, I believe, left fans hungry for more. Honestly, they deserve more. Before the pandemic, my last concert was an absolute yawner simply because it didn’t seem like the artists themselves felt like performing for fans was special. They’d taken it for granted. Blxst, who never got the chance to sing for an appreciative crowd, never did. He made it feel special for all of us — the artist and fans, both.

Rolling Stone reports Toronto rapper Tory Lanez’s defense is in “meaningful discussions” with prosecutors in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case to work out a plea deal and avoid trial. Kathy Ta, a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, told the judge at a hearing for the case Thursday and reiterated to Rolling Stone after, “We’re in possible settlement discussions.” However, she said that if no deal is reached by November 3, then there will be a preliminary hearing in December, and witnesses will start being called.

Lanez’s defense attorney, Shawn Holley, told Rolling Stone in a statement, “As in every case, the lawyers for the parties discuss the possibility of resolving the case. This case is no different. That said, our position as to what did and did not happen in this matter remains unchanged, and [Tory Lanez]’s plea of not guilty stands.”

Tory Lanez is accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet as she walked away from him following an argument after a party in Hollywood last summer. Megan was reportedly walking away from Tory’s vehicle when the Toronto rapper opened fire. He was charged in October with felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 22 years and eight months in prison. Some Megan Thee Stallion fans thought he suffered a major setback in his defense after he cryptically tweeted, “It’s been real,” but it turned out to be his way of getting attention as he began promoting his next album.

On Thursday night’s episode of The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, roving correspondent Jordan Klepper filed a cringe-inducing report from Johnston County, North Carolina—just about 40 miles southeast of Raleigh—where he marched with a group of anti-maskers to what he described as “America’s new Thunderdome”: a school board meeting.

As Klepper explained:

“North Carolina parents are desperate to get their kids back into schools. But with packed ICUs and COVID cases in children four times what they were last year, new studies and the CDC are recommending masks as a way to keep in-person learning. But packed school board meetings and new stars of the right are upset. Because putting on a piece of cloth is just too much!”

Klepper spoke with a handful of these concerned citizens (at least one of whom admitted she doesn’t even vote), who cited everything from acne to carbon monoxide (?) to “breathing” (??) among the reasons masks were harmful to children. One woman, who didn’t even want to think about how surgeons are able to wear masks for long stretches of time, also didn’t seem to want to bring science into the equation at all. As she sees it, the problem with masks is, “You’re breathing in the toxins that your body is trying to get rid of.” When Klepper told her about recent studies, including by the CDC and nearby Duke University, that have concluded the importance of wearing masks indoors and when in close proximity to others—you know, like in a school—she wasn’t buying it. (The same woman also compared masks to a form of slavery and thinks that social distancing rules are the same rules that Satanists abide by.)

“I challenge anyone to put a mask on and, five minutes later, smell that funk and think it’s good for them,” she posited. We’re not sure exactly what her diet or oral hygiene routine consists of, but that’s another story. When Klepper pointed out that science and smell test seemed to be on opposing sides, and wanted to confirm that she was “going with the smell test,” her answer was a definitive “Yes!”

While the parents Klepper spoke with don’t seem too concerned with their kids ending up in an ICU, they are concerned with their children being taught about racism in the classroom. So these multitaskers used their mask issues to protest that, too.

The real catchphrase of the day, according to Klepper, was “I don’t co-parent with the government.” When he responded to one mom’s declaration of this mantra, he suggested not getting pregnant in Texas. (She didn’t seem to get the joke.) And when Klepper dared to suggest that sending her kids to public school was, in fact, “co-parenting with the government,” she was defiant: “No, it isn’t. Because you know why? We have a board of education, we also elect who our officials are; we get to have a voice.” Klepper’s response: “Right, so you work with the government. In parenting decisions.” She agreed.

You can watch the full clip above.

Lee Pace is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He played elf royalty in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. And he has a starring role in the new Apple TV+ series Foundation, based on Isaac Asimov’s classic science fiction book series of the name. I’m tempting to call Pace a Nerd Icon, but “Intergalactic Emperor Daddy” has a better ring to it.

The Halt and Catch Fire actor (if you haven’t watched Halt and Catch Fire, please do so ASAP) was granted the space daddy moniker following the release of the Foundation trailer. His response: “I’m deeply flattered,” he told Esquire. “My mother would be so proud.” His mom may not want to search “Pace daddy” on Twitter. It gets intense.

Also intense is the fandom for Pushing Daisies, the wholesomely morbid ABC series that he starred on. It was canceled after two cult-beloved seasons, but Pace says he and creator Bryan Fuller “always joke” about bringing it back, “fantasize about it,” and there are “ideas for it, and they sound so cool.” He recognizes that everyone in the cast is busy, him most of all, but “I would love to be with everyone again… I’m game for it.”

Until then, there’s Foundation, which premiered on Apple TV+ today, September 24.

(Via Esquire)