Month: October 2021

Vince Staples might be best-known for his sardonic social media personality and scathing, nihilistic gangsta raps, but he’s also quite the pitchman — remember his hilarious Sprite commercials? The Long Beach native puts all three skills to use on Pokemon 25: The Album, a companion compilation of tracks celebrating the generations-spanning multimedia franchise’s 25th anniversary. Vince contributes “Got ‘Em” to the album, which also features such names as J Balvin, Lil Yachty, Post Malone, and Tierra Whack and drops October 15.

Above, in a rare glimpse of earnestness from Vince, he breaks down the “evolution” — hehe — of “Got ‘Em” along with some “help” from Snorlax. Of course, if you know anything about Pokemon — which, as Vince points out in the video, you probably do — Snorlax’s assistance amounts to basically napping in the corner while Vince recounts his experiences playing the video game and watching the cartoon growing up. As he puts it, “It’s important to tap into your inner child or just not be jaded. There’s always room for excitement or fun or optimism if you can keep hold of the things that were important to you in childhood, it’ll put you into a good place.”

If that feels like a big swing from the rapper’s usual stance on such things, it might be time to go back and review his old work — despite the running thread of fatalistic acceptance of his dark surroundings, there have always been glimpses of optimism as seen through his mischievous sense of humor. That humor pops up in his Pokemon explainer, too; the latter portion of the clip consists of Vince comparing his “nap ability” to Snorlax’s and determining that despite being an expert in catching 40 winks whenever possible, the rotund road napper has a lot more experience in sawing logs at a moment’s notice.

You can watch Vince Staples talk up Pokemon 25 above and pre-order the album here.

The Toronto Raptors are back in the 6 after spending last season plying their trade in Florida. In response to restrictions put in place by Canada’s government during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Raptors were unable to play their home games in Scotiabank Arena last season, meaning it’s been a minute since the team’s most famous fan got to watch them in-person.

While we’re still on the long march towards the regular season, Drake made his triumphant return to watching the Raptors on Monday night during a preseason tilt against the Houston Rockets. At one point, because this is the preseason we are talking about here, Drake joined the team’s broadcasters while sitting courtside and having something to drink to talk about getting back into the arena.

The whole thing is a delight — it very much seems like Drake just showed up and they had a conversation like a bunch of old friends catching up with one another, Fred VanVleet throws his arms up when he realizes Drake is on the broadcast, just excellent television from top to bottom. This should absolutely happen more often, whether it’s Drake and the Raptors or any other superfan just showing up and radiating good vibes during a broadcast.

As for the game, Toronto beast Houston, 107-92.

Chucky: Season 1 (SYFY and USA, 10:00pm) — The good-bad news is that the O.G. homicidal doll shall never die. Granted, a mid-2020 teaser that kept things very mysterious regarding who would voice Chucky, but this trailer puts that mystery to rest. Mark Hamill may have been the most recent Chucky, but original voice actor Brad Dourif will return for this USA Network/SyFy sequel series. Also notably, Jennifer Tilly will return as Tiffany Valentine, but this trailer largely focuses on Zackary Arthur’s Jake, who makes the mistake of adopting Chucky at a garage sale. All hell breaks loose, and as Chucky puts it, this will be the “World Series of Slaughter.”

Stargirl (CW, 8:00pm) — Hey, Joel McHale will return to this series as a regular (after Starman’s very apparent death in the pilot episode) in Season 3, but for now, Courtney’s devastated to learn that Pat’s been keeping a major secret from her (Starman?). While working that out in her head, she and Jennie set off on a road trip to stop Eclipso.

Convergence: Courage in a Crisis (Netflix film) — This documentary poses an unlikely idea: did the pandemic really bring us together, as much as it’s torn humanity apart? Listen up for the argument that unsung heroes are pushing us toward a collectively brighter future.

Bright: Samurai Soul (Netflix film) — This anime movie takes place in between the Shogunate’s fall and the Meiji era’s rise, all while a wandering ronin and an orc (who’s working toward redemption) meet up with a young elf girl, and they all take a journey toward the land of the elves. In the process, they must evade a shady organization who aims to take the elf’s wand and use it to resurrect the Dark Lord’s power.

Supergirl (CW, 9:00pm) — Nyxly’s in kidnap-mode with William while Supergirl keeps attempting to acquire totems but realizes that a new strategy is warranted to save National City.

La Brea (NBC, 9:00pm) — Natalie Zea stars in this series about an LA sinkhole that sucks an unfortunate group into some primeval hellhole, where pterodactyls and bad CGI reside. It’s preposterous and not objectively good but might attract Manifest fans, and the sabertooth tiger cliffhanger dangles some promise. This week, food supplies are dwindling, so it’s time to head into the forest, which means primeval-hell creatures.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Khloe Kardashian, Meghan Tranior, Chloe

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Scott Speedman

In case you missed these streaming picks from last Tuesday:

The Closer (Netflix comedy special) — Dave Chappelle’s stand-up comedy run with Netflix has been a lucrative one for both parties. This combined body of work includes The Age of Spin, Deep in the Heart of Texas, Equanimity, The Bird Revelation, and Sticks & Stones, and the supposed final chapter is called The Closer. There’s no telling whether Chappelle and Netflix’s common goodwill (after CEO Ted Sarandos helped him receive The Chappelle Show license back, along with millions of dollars) will result in a re-upping of a deal beyond this sixth stand-up special, but for now, the The Closer (with returning, Emmy-award winning director Stan Lathan) is closing things out.

Escape The Undertaker (Netflix interactive special) — Following Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, and You Vs. Wild: Out Cold, this new interactive special features WWE Superstars aplenty. Uhhh, The Undertaker’s living in an extreme haunted house and The New Day tag team is simply trying to survive his wrath. I’m not gonna lie, this is awfully confusing stuff, but our next selection is not any less baffling.

After years of resting somewhere between a Hollywood pariah and a no longer in-demand actress, Megan Fox is having a bit of a comeback, but she wants the record to show that there are no hard feelings.

In a wild, yet insightful new interview that also chronicles her blossoming relationship with Machine Gun Kelly, Fox opens up about going from being the white-hot star of Transformers to being constantly ridiculed in the tabloids. While there was definitely a misogynistic bent to the coverage Fox received at the time, she’s made peace with the rough patch in her career. She’s also stopped looking at herself as a victim because “you’re giving away your power constantly.” Via British GQ:

‘It’s [made me grow] into a much more interesting human being than I would have been without that. So it allows you the space to have gratitude for something that previously you felt persecuted by. That’s the one thing in my life I did do a lot of work on, I do feel free from.’ Fox is thoughtful, having clearly spent a lot of time working through her own feelings about it. ‘So it’s not that I feel vindicated. I’m beyond that, because I don’t need to be right about it any more. Back then I was hurt – of course I did suffer tremendously – but, you know, I’m not looking for payback. I don’t need an apology.’

If Fox is trying to take her power back, it’s certainly working. Later this month, she can be seen alongside The White Lotus‘ Sydney Sweeney in the Netflix Original Night Teeth. And, just to say it again for the people in the back, she was really good in her arc on New Girl. This is an important thing people should know and/or remember, and this is as good an opportunity as any to do that.

(Via British GQ)

Move over “Sweet Caroline,” there’s a new anthem in Boston now. After last night’s improbable ALDS series victory over the favored Tampa Bay Rays, the wild card Boston Red Sox went through the typical motions of a playoff win. You know, line the locker room with plastic sheets and spray beer all over each other. But there was something different about this particular celebration…

You’d normally expect the tough guy baseball player types to belt out a jock jam rock song from say…Bon Jovi? Queen? Or in Boston’s case, Neil Diamond? But not your 2021 Red Sox. No sir. Xander Bogaerts, Kyle Schwarber, Kiké Hernandez, and the fellas broke out into “Dancing On My Own” by undisputed Swedish pop Queen Robyn… and it was glorious:

A true sad banger if there ever was one, it’s actually fairly appropriate considering not many people had the Red Sox pegged to beat the Rays and their best record in the American League. In fact, Robyn told BBC Newsbeat last year that she finds nostalgia and sentimentality “difficult” and she appreciates how the song “became something that took on meaning for a lot of people in different ways.”

It’s certainly playing into the underdog mentality of these Red Sox who already beat the Yankees in a one-game playoff before taking down the Rays. It’s nice to know that us sad boys and girls and professional athletes are inspired by the same music. And hey, Robyn is not just for when you’re all in your feels at the karaoke bar anymore.

Summer Walker’s album rollout for Still Over It, the follow-up to her 2019 debut, Over It, continues as the Atlanta singer announces her next single, “Ex For A Reason,” featuring JT of City Girls. In addition, she shared a partial tracklist revealing the first two songs and the final one, connecting each of the 20 songs to a specific date from August of 2019 to this past October 7.

Summer initially revealed the new album’s release date last Tuesday, sharing the “Still Over It” trailer which featured a throwback to her Over It photoshoot and a phone conversation she had with the then-incarcerated JT. The two promised to connect and it appears that the upcoming single will reveal further details of that conversation, judging from the date on the tracklist, while also marking the duo’s first collaboration on a record since JT’s release early last year.

Although Summer shared the titles of two more songs — “Bitter,” the album’s opener, and “Ciara’s Prayer,” the final track on the album — she has yet to release any other music from the project. Yet, anticipation for its release is sky-high among R&B fans, who have been awaiting a follow-up to Over It for over two years, perhaps driven by the social media drama she’s shared over that span and the certainty that she’d channel her real-life tea into her music.

We’ll certainly have a chance to find out on October 15, when the first single drops, and November 5, when the album does.

We’ve known about Puma’s upcoming signature sneaker for LaMelo Ball for some time now, as the reigning Rookie of the Year for the Charlotte Hornets has been wearing the shoe throughout the summer. However, up until Tuesday, it hadn’t had an official unveiling, complete with a release date, price point, and all of those things that are most important to the sneaker buying public.

That changed Tuesday when Puma announced the MB.01 will release in December at a $125 price point, with Puma.com and Foot Locker’s family of retailers carrying the sneaker. As for the performance details on the sneaker itself, it has a NitroFoam cushioned midsole with a mesh upper and a non-slip rubber outsole.

As for the aesthetics, it has the design from LaMelo’s tattoo on the lacing, as well as his “Not From Here” slogan at the base of the tongue, and 1-of-1 on the top, while also promising to boast a variety of bold colorways to match LaMelo’s personality on and off the court.

It is the first true signature for a current athlete from Puma, which re-entered the basketball space in 2018 with nods to its past with retro designs spun into modern sneaker tech, and has since put out the RS Dreamer from J.Cole and now adds the MB.01 to its lineup.

The Adult Swim Festival went virtual in 2020, and the event is returning in the same way this year: It was announced today that the fest is set to go down on YouTube and HBO Max on November 12 and 13, and a bulk of a lineup was also revealed.

It’s a multi-faceted event, but on the music side of things are previously unseen performances from Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Flying Lotus, Angel Olsen, Alessia Cara, Karol G, Kelly Lee Owens, The Armed, and Sheer Mag, with more artists set to be announced ahead of the show.

Meanwhile, there will also be livestreams and panels from Adult Swim favorites like Rick And Morty, Squidbillies, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Beyond that, episodes of shows like Rick And Morty, The Eric Andre Show, Robot Chicken, Joe Pera Talks With You, Metalocalpyse, and others will be broadcast, accompanied by live chats featuring surprise guests.

Adult Swim has long had its own specific presence carved out in the music world: For years now, the network has teamed up with (mostly alternative) artists to share new music, and they’re staying strong on that front. Just last month, for example, Soccer Mommy and Kero Kero Bonito shared a collaboration, “Rom Com 2021,” as part of the Adult Swim Singles series.

The Walking Dead has roared back to life (following a pandemic pause) with showrunner Angela Kang currently bringing the flagship series home in the 11th season with a 2022 conclusion. However, AMC’s zombie universe continues to expand at a relatively rapid pace. The Walking Dead: World Beyond is currently churning through Season 2, and Fear the Walking Dead returns on October 17 (for Season 7). There’s also a Carol-Daryl spinoff coming, and those Rick Grimes movies are supposedly still happening. And AMC has now revealed, on the heels of The Walking Dead: Origins limited series, that another show will arrive in 2022. That would be Tales Of The Walking Dead, which a press release describes as a “compliment” to the rest. So, stand-alone episodes will revolve around both new and established characters in the universe.

AMC made sure to note that these stories will exist in the same world as The Walking Dead, so presumably, this is all canon. Channing Powell and Scott Gimple will act as co-showrunners, and shooting shall begin in early 2022 with a quick-sounding turnaround. Gimple provided a statement:

“This series, more than any other in the Walking Dead Universe, runs on new voices, perspectives, and ideas — bringing to life stories unlike any we’ve told before,” Gimple said. “I’m thrilled to be Channing’s consigliere, helping in every way I can to make those new visions real for the best fans in TV.

“I started as a fan of ‘The Walking Dead’ and have ended up as a showrunner of what will hopefully be one of its most unique spin-offs.”

Clearly, there’s no end in sight to this universe until the end of time. Alright, that’s an exaggeration, but kudos to AMC and all involved for giving people an addictive, soap-opera universe that happens to co-exist with zombies. The Tales series will likely debut in 2022, and there are absolutely no clues so far about which established characters will be doing the anthology thing. A few suggestions: Daryl and Dog?

If you gave up hope that any rappers or social media personalities would take a responsible view of COVID vaccines after Nicki Minaj’s “swollen balls” fiasco, Blac Chyna is here to restore some of your faith in humanity. The “My Word” rapper became an unexpected pro-vaccine hero on Twitter after a fan’s video of her yelling at fellow travelers in the Miami International Airport to “just get the shot” went viral.

In the video, Chyna can be seen standing with her crew, yelling at someone offscreen to “go get the f*cking vaccine and stop being stupid, ho.” Unfortunately, the viral moment was couched inside a concerning, disjointed speech that had some wondering whether Blac Chyna was okay, but when one of the biggest entertainers in the world is telling people to do their own research and retweeting the conspiracy buffs on Fox News, I guess you accept any imperfect messenger you can get to counteract the destructive forces of vaccine skeptics (we’re at three-quarters of a million people dead, come on, people).

Fans quickly latched onto the video, launching Blac Chyna onto Twitter’s trending topics list with their reactions. While most approved of her outburst, a few worried that it might have been sparked by substance abuse and hoped that she would seek treatment. You can see more reactions below.