Month: October 2021

While promoting his new film, Cmon Cmon, Joaquin Phoenix responded to rumors about a possible Joker sequel now that the film is both a box office and award-winning success. Among those rumors has been speculation that Phoenix is not interested in a sequel, but that didn’t seem to be the case when he sat down with The Playlist. Granted, Phoenix didn’t have much in the way of information, he did seem game for another turn as Arthur Fleck:

Asked if there was any movement on the film to his knowledge or whether they’d ever make a sequel, Phoenix seemed to be very open to a sequel still — as he was at the time of the film’s original release—but appeared to be in the dark on any updates or whether the sequel will actually come to pass. “I mean, I dunno. From when we were shooting, we started to —you know, uhh, this is an interesting guy. There are some things we could do with this guy and could [explore] further. But as to whether we actually will? I don’t know.”

So, that settles that.

As director Todd Phillips revealed shortly after the film brought in a boatload of cash for Warner Bros., obviously, the studio is very interested in getting a second movie off the ground. So the question isn’t whether the studio is ready, but whether Phillips and Phoenix can arrive at a story that won’t make a return to the Joker well seem like your run-of-the-mill comic book movie sequel.

After all, Joaquin is correct. If nothing else, the Joker is certainly “an interesting guy.”

(Via The Playlist)

In Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special The Closer, the veteran standup comic gives his perspective on the backlash against Charlotte rapper DaBaby in the wake of his homophobic comments at Rolling Loud. In one bit, Chappelle compares the reaction to DaBaby’s comments to a relatively muted after DaBaby allegedly shot and killed another man in a Walmart in self-defense: “In our country, you can shoot and kill a n***a but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings,” he summarizes.

While Chappelle’s bit elicited varied reactions from fans on social media, one notable person who approved of the bit is 50 Cent, who shared a clip on Instagram and offered some context from his unique perspective. “Dave Chappelle is a funny mother f*cker,” he wrote in the caption. “That was flawless. Hip hop loves things that are damaged, that’s the beauty of the culture. @dababy is on a new path. Music has changed everything. LOL” It seems in 50’s eyes rap provided a net positive for someone like DaBaby because although DaBaby has come under scrutiny, at least he’s not being assaulted in public (usually, he’s doing the assaulting, but that’s a different post).

Of course, 50 has been one of DaBaby’s staunchest supporters, even after the backlash. In an August interview, 50 compared DaBaby’s situation to that of Chris Brown, inadvertently highlighting the position that cancel culture doesn’t exist. Naturally, he says, as long as DaBaby keeps making hits, he should be able to bounce back from the awkwardly-worded call-to-action. History shows he might be right.

If you’ve been on TikTok at all in the past year, chances are you’ve heard one of PinkPantheress’ songs, even if you don’t know her name. PinkPantheress started making music in her college dorm at 3 a.m., in between work and classes as a creative outlet. After uploading some clips of her songs on TikTok, PinkPantheress absolutely blew up: Her song “Just For Me” has been used in over 2 million TikTok videos. After signing a record label deal, the 20-year-old UK musician is gearing up for her debut mixtape, To Hell With It.

After sharing a full-length version of her viral “Just For Me” track, PinkPantheress now delivers the sparkling new track “I Must Apologise.” Much like her other tracks, the instrumentals are built around a sample of a classic house track, Crystal Waters’ 1991 track “Gypsy Woman.” With her honeyed vocals, PinkPantheress urgently delivers lyrics about her relationship woes over cascading synths.

In a statement about the inspiration behind her new track, PinkPantheress said, “‘I Must Apologise’ is a fast-paced, upbeat track about someone telling lies all the time. It is a song that tells a niche tale underneath the synths of Crystal Waters’ track ‘Gypsy Woman.’”

Listen to “I Must Apologise” above.

To Hell With It is out 10/15 via Elektra Records/Parlophone Records. Pre-order it here.

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

Xbox likes to partner up with other major brands to create special items, like that time they made a fridge for the Xbox Series X. This leads us perfectly into Xbox’s latest themed piece of apparel.

Adidas and Xbox teamed up together to create some awesome Xbox-themed shoes. They’re celebrating 20 years of the Xbox, and according to a recent blog post, this won’t be the only shoe that comes out of this partnership.

This is just the beginning of our partnership with adidas, and over the next few months we’ll continue to mark our 20th anniversary by launching additional sneakers inspired by past and present Xbox console generations, including the first-ever sneaker available for purchase by our fans later this year.

This collaboration kicks off the global launch of the “Always Played In. Never Played Out” program, which celebrates popular eras of play over the last two decades, across sport, gaming, and lifestyle and the magic that happens when we all take time to play. As games are meant to be played, shoes are meant to be played in — from the concrete to the couch and beyond.

As for the shoes themselves, called the Xbox 20th Forum Tech, the iconic green that is associated with the brand is highlighted. The release says that the “translucent green details” are “inspired by the special edition release of the original Xbox console for the launch of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001.” Hopefully this partnership leads to Xbox 360 and Xbox One sneakers, too. If this first set is anything to go by, then we’d expect Adidas to knock them out of the park.

Cyrano, which boldly calls itself “the greatest love story ever told,” is coming to the big screen on December 31st. Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National wrote the music for the Erica Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical on which the film is based, and now they’re doing the same for the film adaptation. The movie stars Game Of Thrones favorite Peter Dinklage in the title role and also features Hillbilly Elegy’s Haley Bennett, as well as Kelvin Harrison Jr., who starred in recent flicks Luce and Waves.

The National lead singer Matt Berninger and songwriter Carin Besser wrote the lyrics for the music. The full soundtrack — which includes a new song from The National called “Somebody Desperate” — arrives on December 10th. The soundtrack’s first single, “Someone To Say,” drops this Friday, October 8th.

The film is directed by Joe Wright, who is no stranger to working with stars. He directed the 2005 Keira Knightley-starring Pride & Prejudice, as well as 2015’s Peter Pan origin film Pan with Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried.

Coming off of a 2021 Album Of The Year Grammy Award for their work on Taylor Swift’s Folklore, this isn’t the first time that Aaron and Bryce Dessner have scored a film. They composed the music for the 2016 thriller Transpecos (which won the 2016 South By Southwest Audience Prize) and for the 2013 Jack Kerouac adaptation Big Sur.

Watch the Cyrano trailer above.

Cyrano (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is out 12/10 via Decca Records. Pre-order it here.

Turns out that just as seamlessly as legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber can create a hit musical, he can dole out some harsh (but incredibly valid) criticism. In a recent interview with Variety, the mastermind composer behind Broadway musicals such as Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, and Jesus Christ Superstar came down hard on the 2019 film adaptation of his musical Cats, ultimately calling the production “off-the-scale-wrong” and director Tom Hooper’s approach to the material “ridiculous” — an opinion many shared. In fact, Webber claims the film was so bad, it ultimately caused him to adopt a dog, a first for the 73-year-old.

“Cats was off-the-scale all wrong. There wasn’t really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it and I just thought, ‘Oh, God, no.’ It was the first time in my 70-odd years on this planet that I went out and bought a dog. So the one good thing to come out of it is my little Havanese puppy.”

According to Webber, the Cats disaster began when the source material — which was sold to Amblin with the intent of the studio turning it into a Steven Spielberg-directed animated feature — was eventually given to Hooper, the director behind critically-acclaimed films such as Les Misérables and The Kings Speech. While the choice seemed a safe one at the time, Webber says the decision was ultimately “disastrous.”

However, Webber’s new furry companion has proven to be quite the silver lining throughout the whole ordeal. The composer says the puppy has been a “constant companion” to him throughout the pandemic, ultimately going so far as to register the pup as an emotional support animal to ensure he would be able to bring the dog with him on trips to New York. Webber then offered a short and mercilessly hilarious anecdote on that process, joking that Cats was so terrible it left him “emotionally damaged” enough to need a support animal.

“I wrote off and said I needed him with me at all times because I’m emotionally damaged and I must have this therapy dog,” says Lloyd Webber. “The airline wrote back and said, ‘Can you prove that you really need him?’ And I said ‘Yes, just see what Hollywood did to my musical “Cats.”’ Then the approval came back with a note saying, ‘No doctor’s report required.’”

As one of the most-followed K-pop groups on social media, BTS have an incredibly wide reach. They recently teamed up with the United Nations to put their massive following to good use: combating bullying.

BTS and the UN children’s agency UNICEF recently teamed up for the “Love Myself” campaign, a nod to their 2019 hit track “Love Yourself.” The campaign aimed to fight violence, abuse, and bullying, as well as promote self-esteem in young people. It consisted of promotional videos, hashtags, and exclusive merch. UNICEF also set up booths at BTS concerts across the globe and members of the K-pop group repeatedly spoke at the UN and even filmed a video there. According to a report from Billboard, the campaign kicked off in 2017 and was able to generate millions of tweets and raised a hefty $3.6 million to date.

“We as a team and as individuals grew, as well,” the K-pop group said about their experience with the “Love Yourself” campaign. “We hope that many people felt how the love received from others can become the power that allows them to love themselves.” The group continued that they hope to keep the campaign going “so we can help people find happiness and love.”

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore echoed the band’s statement about the success of the campaign. “The groundbreaking way in which BTS has helped spark a positive message with its ARMY is simply unmatched and incredibly invaluable,” Fore said in a statement.

After Meghan McCain exited The View, it sure seemed like the daytime talk show was washing their hands of the whole situation as viewers expressed how much they enjoyed the show now that McCain was gone. So it was very odd to see Meghan’s mom, Cindy McCain, fill in as a guest host on Wednesday morning, and not only that, but she came armed with an unusual anecdote about her infamously outspoken daughter.

During a segment on being “secretly impressed” with something your kids even though it got them in trouble, Cindy recalled a time when her son Jack threw Meghan through a screen door. Yup. As the McCain matriarch told the story, she was careful to note that Jack had been taught that boys should be careful with girls “and all of that,” but during a summer camping trip, the “feisty and tenacious” Meghan kept picking at him. Eventually, Jack lost his cool and hurld his sister through a screen door. While quickly noting that nobody got hurt, Cindy did laugh while noting that Meghan never messed with her brother again.

Having put up with Meghan for four years, the co-hosts obviously got a laugh out of the wild anecdote, but at the same time, you can tell that Joy Behar was surprised that it was the story Cindy picked for an example of being “secretly impressed” with your kid’s bad behavior. Imagine your mom going on live TV and admitting she thought it was awesome when your brother launched you through a screen door. That should make things interesting at Thanksgiving.

Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham’s new book is the gift that keeps on giving — unless you’re Donald Trump and would rather your attempts to bribe heads of state remain on the down-low.

The latest revelation from her tell-all, I’ll Take Your Questions Now, focuses on a meeting Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2019. This was a follow-up to that now-infamous chat which led to Trump’s first impeachment, as Democrats in Congress argued that transcripts of the first meeting between the two men proved the former president tried to bribe Zelensky, withholding approved funding in exchange for a “favor” that might have had something to do with investigating Hunter Biden’s dealings within the country. According to Grisham (via Raw Story), Trump joked about the ongoing investigation into that call while complaining about the lack of Diet Coke provided at the 2019 UN General Assembly.

“Why no Diet Coke for me?” Trump asked, according to the book. “Then he turned to President Zelensky. ‘It’s probably because everyone would call it a bribe,’ he said with annoyance. They briefly touched on the now-infamous phone call. Trump asked Zelensky, ‘Can you believe all the hype about this?’”

Now, Trump’s love of diet soda is well-documented — President Biden removed a button that Trump had installed on his Oval Office desk, which he pushed to alert an aide whenever he wanted a new beverage delivered. But, according to Grisham, the tasteless joke which stemmed from Trump’s aspartame craving, left Zelensky “visibly irritated.”

Having a fellow world leader complain about the lack of carbonated beverage options when you’re trying to build international relationships? Yeah, that would probably irritate us too.

(Via Raw Story)

In today’s episode of “WTF, America?”, we head to Virginia Beach, where a Black family of Navy veterans is battling a racist, wackadoodle neighbor who is terrorizing them with lights and racist recordings every time they enter or leave their own home.

Jannique Martinez told NBC affiliate WAVY that the neighbor has been harassing her family and others in the neighborhood for more than a year.

“Whenever we would step out of our house, the monkey noises would start. It’s so racist, and it’s disgusting. I don’t even know how else to explain it,” Martinez said.

Martinez told WAVY that the neighbor is retaliating for her complaining about him playing his music so loud it shook her house. But Martinez’s family is not the only one to have audio blasted and lights flashing when they leave their home. According to Martinez, the neighbor has eight security cameras on his property aimed at his neighbors and different songs he blasts at each one. She said the racist audio directed at her family gets triggered even when her children are playing outside.

“My son is terrified of him. Terrified, terrified,” Martinez said. “The N-word situation … they came to me and said, ‘Mom, what’s that?’ I didn’t subject my kids to that. I didn’t think they would ever have to learn what this means.”

They have gone to the police who say while it is “offensive” they cannot take any action since no laws are being br… https://t.co/hsCDMMwr5m

— chris evans (@chris_notcapn)
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The police issued a statement saying that while the neighbor’s behaviors are “appalling and offensive,” they aren’t criminal, according to the city attorney and Virginia magistrates.

“This means the VBPD has had no authority to invervene and warrants were not supported,” the police department wrote. “We will closely monitor the situation, investigate complaints and, within the limits of the law, help this family with this most unpleasant situation.”

https://t.co/5KVUnhvJRX

— Virginia Beach PD (@VBPD)
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People are calling b.s. on the city’s “we can’t do anything” response. Virginia Beach has a noise ordinance that this situation should surely fall under. And how such behavior doesn’t qualify as harassment or a hate crime is a head-scratcher.

Martinez said she has tried talking to the magistrate, going through the civil court and consulting a lawyer, but has come up empty-handed.

“According to the law, it’s just a statement or a phrase or he’s not doing enough or bodily harm or threats to my family,” said Martinez. “Why does it have to go that far before something that can be done? People shouldn’t have to live like this. I spent 11 years in the military. My husband is also in the military. We fought for this country, but yet there’s no one to fight for us.”

Martinez’s experience echoes those of countless people who have been stalked or harassed by someone who manages to skirt the edge of criminality. It’s frightening to constantly wonder if or when someone’s behavior will escalate from creepy and disturbing to physically harmful, and frustrating that the psychological harm of such behavior isn’t considered enough for the law to intervene.

The story is being shared widely on social media and people are ready to throw down for the Martinez family. Neighbors did rally together to protest the neighbor’s gross behavior on September 24. Martinez told the Virginian-Pilot that her 7-year-old showed courage at the rally. He even made his own sign like the ones his mom and other community members held—one that read “Spread Love, Not Hate.”

Yes, little man. Don’t let the racists win. This kind of garbage has no place in civil society and if the law doesn’t provide protection from targeted harassment at someone’s own home, then something in the law needs to change.