Month: September 2021

The United States men’s basketball team, fresh off of a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, are in the market for a new heard coach. Gregg Popovich took over the team following the end of Mike Krzyzewski’s tenure in 2016, and after finally getting through an Olympic cycle, is headed back to focusing all his time and effort on the San Antonio Spurs.

The obvious question now is who takes over a team that has the expectation of winning every single tournament in which it competes? According to Marc Stein, one name that has emerged from the pack of contenders is Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who has earned the distinction of being “a favorite” for the job.

Kerr has ties to the national team as a player and a coach — he was a member of the USA side that won the 1986 FIBA World Championship during his time as a standout at the University of Arizona, while he joined Popovich’s staff and was on the bench during the team’s run to Olympic gold earlier this year. When asked in the aftermath of the team’s win in Tokyo if he’d be interested in being Popovich’s successor by The Athletic, Kerr replied, “Of course I’d be interested. I mean, who wouldn’t be? I’ll leave it at that. I have no idea how it will all transpire; there are a lot of great candidates out there. And if I were to be considered, that would be an honor.”

The first reviews for Venom: Let There Be Carnage are in, and there’s a phrase that’s continually popping up amongst critics: love story. Those are probably words you’re not expecting for a movie that’s essentially about a giant alien symbiote fighting his blood red doppelganger, but judging by the reviews, director Andy Serkis let star Tom Hardy run wild with playing up the hilarious, co-dependent relationship between Venom and his human host Eddie Brock.

By all accounts, Woody Harrelson appears to be having a great time, also, playing the evil Carnage, but at the end of the day, the Venom sequel is earning rave reviews for the touching romance between Hardy and his black ooze alter-ego.

Here’s what critics are saying about Venom: Let There Be Carnage:

Mike Ryan, Uproxx:

Think back on Spider-Man 3 and how Venom was used in that movie. He was just “a monster.” And Sam Raimi has been pretty clear over the years that he never wanted to use Venom in the first place. But these movies have kind of cracked the Venom code by making it a love story between Eddie and Venom. Oh, and by making it as ridiculous as humanly possible.

Francesca Rivera, IGN:

Let There Be Carnage’s strongest assets are our villains: Kasady, Carnage, and Shriek (Naomie Harris). They are antagonists with style and showmanship, something lacking in many of Marvel’s movies, reveling in the disaster they leave in their wake. As Kasady, Harrelson channels his Natural Born Killers character, Mickey Knox, fighting against the abusive systems of his past. When he’s reunited with someone from his past who’s just as smart, brutal, and remorseless as he is and their chemistry takes hold, it’s actually hard not to root for them to burn everything to the ground.

Jason Guerrasio, Insider:

Let me put it this way, back when I wrote a review for the first one I mentioned “if the whole movie was Eddie and Venom arguing about the ethics of biting people’s head’s off… I would be the first in line for that.” Well… they went and made that movie!

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly:

Harrelson’s Cletus, with his homicidal-hillbilly energy and hair seemingly purloined from the wig room at Riverdale, doesn’t really need an extraterrestrial parasite to set him free; he looks like he’s having a ball. … That happy, heedless embrace of anarchy somehow serves the movie’s YOLO sensibility, and even comes to define it in its own way — if we’re all disposable space chum in this franchise game anyway, who needs a coherent narrative and character arcs?

William Bibbiani, The Wrap:

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is a bold and brisk superhero story, unlike any other mainstream Hollywood film in the genre. It crams a heck of a lot of movie into an hour and a half, but it doesn’t feel like it needed to be longer. It just feels like we need more movies like it.

K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone:

A few of its forays into strangeness outstay their welcome; you can feel the movie trying harder than the original had to to prove its bullshit-artistry bona fides. But this is still the cozy, goofy universe Hardy and gang carved out for us last time, with the benefit of Serkis making it altogether more lean — the main setup has already been accounted for; not much has changed — and doubling down on the man-baby theatrics that made Venom so disarmingly funny.

Benjamin Lee, The Guardian:

Hardy, to his credit, works hard for that big paycheck yet again, not required to show off quite as much manic physicality as before but committing himself to the stupidity of it all with full vigor.

Christy Lemire, RoberEbert.com:

Under director Serkis, taking over for Ruben Fleischer, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is zippy and breezy. It’s not about the world ending, as is so often the case in comic-book extravaganzas, and it’s only sort of about one man’s struggle with his own literal and figurative demons. Besides giving a gung-ho physical performance, Hardy shares story-by credit with returning screenwriter Kelly Marcel—who, by the way, was wise enough to mine “Fifty Shades of Grey” for its inherent, absurd humor.

Kate Erbland, IndieWire:

No other big budget superhero franchise has gone so totally whole-hog on genuine comedy than “Venom,” and while the meat of the story sounds terrifying — alien symbiotes? a serial killer with superpowers? a hero who likes to eat people? — there’s hardly a heavy moment in the entire film. It is all very, very funny, but it’s also very, very silly. Which is not to imply that’s not welcome.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens in theaters on October 1.

Sturgill Simpson has canceled the remaining dates on his 2021 tour, citing a vocal cord injury. The singer/songwriter posted the news on Instagram, writing, “Turns out I did in fact unfortunately hemorrhage/rupture my vocal chords [sic] after all. I am currently getting the best treatment available and should fully recover but it’s gonna be a long hot minute before I can return to stage.”

He added, “I just wanted to turn this thing back on for about 15 seconds to say Im sorry to everyone that had tickets to the remaining shows and to thank everyone that has supported me over the years..its been an incredibly fun, rewarding, and educational journey. I played all the venues I dreamed about playing as a kid, met all my heroes, even became friends with most of them, and got to work and play with some of the finest musicians on the planet over the years.

But on the bright side, now I can finally really focus on other pursuits and areas of passionate interest..like becoming the best hitman I can be.”

Simpson, who released The Ballad Of Dood And Juanita in August, wrote on Instagram earlier in the month that he had lost his voice completely, but wasn’t sure the root cause: “Hoping just viral laryngitis or inhaling treated wood from backstage campfire at Merlefest,” he wrote about a week ago. “Or something equally stupid and not actual injury to vocal chords for playing too many shows in a row after not singing much for over 18 months.”

Feel better soon, Sturgill!

After making a show-stopping comeback with their 2019 album, the Jonas Brothers have been exploring a more groovy side to their pop sound. Once again showing off their kinetic energy, the boyband return with a vibrant video to their recently released single, “Who’s In Your Head.”

While the song itself was co-written by Britney Spears and N’SYNC collaborators Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, the visual was directed by Christian Breslauer. It follows several different women as the Jonas Brothers try to imagine the various scenarios currently occupying their thoughts. This gives way to Joe sitting naked in a giant cup of coffee, Nick free-falling through space, and the three brothers performing in a giant slab of wet concrete.

Watch the Jonas Brothers’ “Who’s In Your Head” video above and find their upcoming Remember This Tour dates below.

10/01 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
10/02 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
10/05 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
10/06 – Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
10/07 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
10/09 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
10/10 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
10/12 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
10/13 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
10/15 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place Amp
10/16 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/17 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
10/19 – Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
10/21 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
10/22 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
10/23 – The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
10/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
10/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

The weekend doesn’t officially begin until the first “ladies and gentlemen…” appears in my timeline. In case you’re not on Twitter, first off, please teach me your ways. Also, every Friday, the @CraigWeekend Twitter account tweets the same four-second clip of host Daniel Craig introducing musical guest the Weeknd from a 2020 episode of SNL.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he says with understated British enthusiasm, “… the Weeknd.”

“I was excited to have so many people following something that I was doing,” Miles Riehle, who runs @CraigWeekend, said about the account’s popularity. But one person who doesn’t follow it is James Bond himself, Daniel Craig. He hadn’t even heard of it until the New York Times brought it to his attention during a recent interview.

As we are speaking, it’s a Friday afternoon, and I am about to see my social media feeds populated with a video of you declaring it to be the weekend. Has the popularity of this gotten back to you in any way?

No, what is that?

After the concept was explained to him about how it welcomes people to the weekend, Craig said, “They do? It’s amazing. I don’t know what that is, but thank you. That’s lovely. I suppose I’d have to have social media to know what that was all about.”

But how does he feel about the week?

(Via the New York Times)

The calendar is nearing October and, in the NFL world, that means the regular season is beginning to kick into high gear. Week 4 brings an interesting slate of games to the table and, in this space, there is an ever-present search for value in the handicapping market. Week 3 was solidly successful with a 3-2 record, even as the Jets (totally) flopped and the Jaguars made a mess of things to lose by double-digits. Alas, we press on.

Before unveiling this week’s quintet of selections, let’s see what the full season looks like.

• Last Week: 3-2
• 2021 Season: 9-6

Come get these winners.

Chicago Bears (-2.5) over Detroit Lions

The Bears put together one of the least inspiring performances in recent history in Week 3, producing less than 100 total yards and giving Justin Fields no chance to succeed. That is an indictment on Chicago’s long-term situation under Matt Nagy, to be sure, but it also opens the door to some value here. From a power ranking standpoint, the Bears are better than the Lions, and they’re playing at home. This number is a bit of an overreaction, and nobody wants to have Chicago this week. We do.

New York Jets (+7.5) over Tennessee Titans

Mercifully, I’m not taking the Jaguars on Thursday, even against my better judgment. I am going back to the well with the Jets, though. For one, I am lower on Tennessee than some. I also don’t think the Jets are quite as bad offensively as they’ve looked to this point. Getting more than a touchdown at home is a buy point here.

New England Patriots (+7) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I am going to stand in front of the steamroller. More than 95 percent (!) of tickets are on the Buccaneers at multiple shops right now. The entire world is on Tampa Bay in Tom Brady’s return to Foxboro. I get it. The Bucs are better than the Pats. The narrative is riding strong for Brady to produce a big game. This is still a valuable number on New England, and I like to be on the opposite side of public opinion. The Patriots have a strong defense and Bill Belichick will have a game plan.

New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers UNDER 49.5 points

This could win in two ways. If the Patriots bow up against the Bucs and hold them in check defensively, this could be a slugfest. If things go terribly wrong for New England and they get blown out, it could also play to the advantage of the Under. Tampa Bay’s run defense is elite and, while they are vulnerable through the air, it is hard to see New England dialing up a 30-point performance with explosiveness. For good measure, the market is trending down here, and we’re hopping on before it gets to 49.

Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) over Las Vegas Raiders

There is a split building, at least in the ticket count, in advance of Monday night’s game. Las Vegas is undefeated and they have enjoyed high-profile wins. Los Angeles upset Kansas City last week and, quite honestly, I wish they hadn’t for market purposes. Alas, the Chargers are still the better team top to bottom, and I think the Raiders are a little bit overinflated right now. I don’t always love to give out favorites, but this is the side I want to be on.

Elton John is preparing to release his collaborative album The Lockdown Sessions, which features duets with everyone from Stevie Nicks to Eddie Vedder, Young Thug and Nicki Minaj. We’ve already heard tracks with Dua Lipa and Charlie Puth, and now Elton is sharing a gorgeous gospel duet with Stevie Wonder, “Finish Line,” featuring backing vocals from Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir.

Here’s what Elton had to say about teaming up with Stevie Wonder for their first(!) duet:

“I couldn’t be more proud of ‘Finish Line’ — I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the best records I’ve ever made. Stevie’s voice is as good as I can ever remember hearing him — he sounds like a 17-year-old again, he’s singing with a sheer joy and exuberance in his vocals. Andrew Watt has done an unbelievable job on the production. It was a magical process. I’ve always loved collaborating with Stevie, and I’m delighted that after 50 years of friendship we finally get to do a full blown duet. He has always been so kind and sweet to me, and his talent is beyond ridiculous. When you listen to what he does vocally and instrumentally on ‘Finish Line’ you think, this is a true genius here.”

Listen to “Finish Line” above. The Lockdown Sessions is out 10/22 on Interscope. Pre-order it here.

A few of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lil Nas X expressed his wish to work with Frank Ocean after meeting him at the Met Gala this past month. The younger artist looks up to Frank for obvious reasons and was able to let him know how much he means to Nas when they spoke. Nas also told Frank that he wants to collaborate with him, according to an interview the “Industry Baby” rapper gave to Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM radio show.

“I feel like I’ve met so many great people, but definitely Frank Ocean is top of my list,” Nas enthused. “Because for one, he represents a lot to me, and you’d never see Frank Ocean anywhere. He’s one of those people that are not real, you know? Outside of social media that was the first time we met, like, ever… [He was] giving props and congratulations and whatnot. And I was just saying the same thing to him. And just how much his music has shaped my life and [how I’m] hoping to collaborate with him.”

In a prior interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Nas addressed the impact that performers like Frank Ocean and Tyler The Creator had on him growing up. “I think artists like Frank and Tyler, they made it easier for me to be where I am, comfortably,” he said.

Watch Lil Nas X’s interview with Andy Cohen above.

Katy Perry had an incredible run in the early 2000s, even if that streak ended with the short-sighted Witness. But back in the day, especially with her record-breaking classic album, Teenage Dream, somehow in the middle of all that success she never won the music industry’s biggest award — a Grammy. In a recent issue of Variety, she actually addressed the fact that even with a whopping nine No. 1 hits, she’s never won the oh-so-coveted Grammy.

“In your career, you’ve sold over 48 million adjusted albums and your songs have accumulated 50 billion streams, yet you’ve never won a Grammy?” Variety‘s Shirley Halperin asked. Perry responded: “No, I’ve been nominated 13 times before. … To be honest, I always go by numbers, and they don’t lie. And I’m good with that. Everyone has an opinion and that’s wonderful, but numbers are numbers. Math is sacred.”

That’s very true Katy Perry, math is sacred. But math isn’t quite the same as critical respect from your peers… and though poptimism has come a long way in the last decade, pop wasn’t quite getting the respect back then that it does now. Honestly? I probably would’ve given Teenage Dream the trophy over Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs back in 2011. Everyone knows Funeral is the one in that band’s discography that actually had that kind of impact.

Check out Variety‘s full cover story here.

Limp Bizkit haven’t released much in the way of new music this decade, though they have been loudly debated on Music Twitter this year as fans took in HBO’s Woodstock ‘99 documentary. (Limp Bizkit were infamously blamed for inciting crowd violence during their set at the time.) Now, Fred Durst & Co. are back with “Dad Vibes,” a swaggering, upbeat jaunt that has Durst rapping, “Check out your dad with the swag on the floor / Momma gonna brag when I walk in the door / Y’all ain’t ever seen a guerrilla in the mist / Walk the line so fine with a blindfold.” Fans of the band might’ve heard “Dad Vibes” before, as it was playing over the loudspeaker during Limp Bizkit’s recent Lollapalooza set. Likewise, last month the band revealed new music would be “leaked” with a new album to follow soon after.

Limp Bizkit’s last studio album was 2011’s Gold Cobra. Though they were set to tour this year, the band had to cancel, telling Billboard, “In short, the system is still very flawed. Even if the performers, crews, staff, and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn’t ensure the safety of the audience as a whole. We are all in this together, and we all — individually and as a whole — have to make our best efforts to be as responsible and proactive as possible moving forward to combat and stop spreading COVID.”

Check out the lyric video for “Dad Vibes” above.