Month: October 2021

Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to be a Game of the Year contender when it first hit consoles. Instead, it quickly became a game infamous for bugs and was removed from the PlayStation store before eventually returning. To make matters worse for CD Projekt Red, the developers of the game, they were later hacked.

Between trying to fix Cyberpunk, get the game back on the store, and recover from a very serious hack, it’s safe to say that CD Projekt hasn’t had much time for other projects at the moment. This is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that the next-generation versions of Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, are being delayed.

Cyberpunk really couldn’t be much more of a disaster for its developers. The plan for the game was always to release it on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One then release the next-generation version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S owners at a later date. Anyone who already owns the game and those consoles has still been able to play the game because they have backward compatibility, but those players will receive a free next-gen upgrade when the PS5 and Series X/S versions are officially available. It has now been more than a year since Cyberpunk‘s release and we still don’t have an exact date on when the upgrades will release, just that it’s going to be coming in 2022.

Once these upgrades do come out, the next-gen versions will likely be the best versions of the two games to date, but it has to be frustrating for everyone that it’s taken this long to create an upgrade for modern consoles. On the plus side, a delay will hopefully mean the games will release in a finished state this time around.

As the NBA tipped off the 2020-21 season on Tuesday night, the league began its 75th anniversary celebration in earnest. The league has rolled out a new logo, a new ad spot featuring current stars and legends, and is also unveiling a new 75 Greatest Players list, much as they did for the NBA at 50 in 1996.

The first 25 players were revealed on Tuesday night as the Inside the NBA crew introduced the first third of the list before the Bucks took down the Nets on ring night — which included Chuck and Shaq, who caused Barkley to lose it upon claiming he would “bust Wilt’s ass.” The list featured 20 players from the NBA at 50 list, with five newcomers in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki. On Wednesday, the list unveiling rolled on on ESPN with the NBA Today, as Magic Johnson joined the crew for the occasion and was, unsurprisingly, at the top of the second 25, along with a few of his fellow Lakers greats.

Once again, this list isn’t a ranking but simply a list of the 75 greatest in no particular order, alphabetical or otherwise.

Magic Johnson
James Worthy
Wilt Chamberlain
Jerry West
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen
Isiah Thomas
Clyde Drexler
Karl Malone
Patrick Ewing
Chris Paul
Allen Iverson
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
John Havlicek
Sam Jones
Robert Parish
Bill Sharman
Bill Walton
Walt Frazier
Paul Arizin
Rick Barry
Nate Thurmond
Wes Unseld

Combined with the 25 released on Tuesday (found below) we are now two-thirds of the way through the list, which will see the final 25 added on Thursday night on TNT.

Bill Russell
Hal Greer
Dirk Nowitzki
Bob Pettit
Oscar Robertson
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Kevin Durant
Elvin Hayes
Jerry Lucas
Willis Reed
Nate Archibald
Bob Cousy
Dave Cowens
James Harden
Hakeem Olajuwon
Kevin McHale
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
George Mikan
John Stockton
Steve Nash
Charles Barkley
Moses Malone
Julius Erving
George Gervin
David Robinson

The buyers of the Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, have been revealed as promised. PleasrDAO, a collective of self-declared “DeFi leaders, early NFT collectors, and digital artists,” with a penchant for “acquiring culturally significant pieces with a charitable twist.” The once-of-a-kind album, which was purchased by, “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli in 2015 for $2 million, certainly qualifies. The album, created by RZA in secret over a six-year period, was auctioned off as a kind of high-art stunt after only being played for a handful of people.

Shkreli, of course, lost possession of the album when it was seized by the US government after his 2018 conviction for securities fraud and subsequently auctioned off earlier this year. At the time of the sale, the buyers in question remained anonymous, agreeing to confidentiality with regard to the ultimate sale price. Today, though, The New York Times revealed PleasrDAO as the anonymous buyer in a story documenting both that sale price, $4 million, and the collective’s reasoning and ultimate goals for the album.

It should come as no surprise that the endgame is to make the album available to fans in some way — with permission from RZA and producer Cilvaringz — which, given the group’s own self-description, will likely involve non-fungible token (NFT) blockchain technology. Jamis Johnson, the group’s “Chief Pleasing Officer,” according to Rolling Stone, explained, “This album at its inception was a kind of protest against rent-seeking middlemen, people who are taking a cut away from the artist. Crypto very much shares that same ethos. The album itself is kind of the O.G. NFT.”

PleasrDAO — which stands for “decentralized autonomous organization” — shares collective ownership among its 74 members and have Cilvaringz support to make the album more widely available through listening parties or gallery exhibitions, but for now, it remains bound to the terms of its original sale: It cannot be released to the general public or reproduced until 2103.

Bedouine’s Azniv Korkejian makes downright gorgeous folk music for day dreamers and lovers alike. She co-produced her third album, Waysides, with Beck and Sia confidant Gus Seyffert, which already includes lovely singles in the autumnal “It Wasn’t Me” and the somber “The Wave.” Now ahead of the album’s release this Friday, the video for “The Solitude” is out and it’s directed by Korkejian and Steady Holiday’s Dre Babinksi.

The song opens with Korkejian’s luscious acoustic guitar and a gentle cymbal, before her warm coo takes over in the most comforting way. In the video, she performs from a vintage ’60s color TV and it adds to the classic feel of the tune with just the right amount of whimsy. The opening track to the Waysides, which was recorded in LA and the Yucca Valley dessert, Korkejian explains that listening to a certain Joni Mitchell song, really opened up her mind when writing “The Solitude”:

“I was listening to Joni Mitchell’s ‘My Old Man’ and kept returning to the lyric ‘the bed’s too big, the frying pan’s too wide.’ I was so taken by that; conveying a feeling by describing a change in proportions. I wanted to expand on that and it became kind of an homage. Otherwise, it’s about the realization that I’m not impervious to codependencies or being in denial about them.”

Watch the video for “The Solitude” above, and below, find the Waysides art and Bedouine’s upcoming tour dates.

10/28/21 — Nashville, TN @ City Winery
10/29/21 — Birmingham, AL @ Alabama Theatre+
10/30/21 — Jacksonville, FL @ Suwannee Hulaween 2021
10/31/21 — New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater +
11/02/21 — St Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre +
11/04/21 — Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre, Roosevelt University +
11/05/21 — Chicago IL @ Auditorium Theatre, Roosevelt University +
11/06/21 — Chicago IL @ Auditorium Theatre, Roosevelt University +
11/27/21 — Pioneer Town, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s #
11/29/21 — Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl at the Linq Promenade #
12/01/21 — Boise, ID @ The Knitting Factory Concert House #
12/02/21 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot #
02/04/22 — Liverpool @ Leaf
02/05/22 — Gateshead @ The Sage 2
02/06/22 — Nottingham @ Glee Club
02/10/22 — Cambridge @ Junction 2
02/11/22 — Bristol @ Rough Trade
02/12/22 — Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
02/13/22 — Manchester @ YES
02/14/22 — Birmingham @ Hare & Hounds 2
02/16/22 — Brighton @ Komedia
02/17/22 — London @ Lafayette

+ with My Morning Jacket
# with Courtney Barnett

Waysides is out 10/22/2022 via The Orchard. Pre-order it here.

Despite (or perhaps because of) a lukewarm apology from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, several employees at the streaming giant staged a walkout this Wednesday to protest the company’s investment, promotion and hosting of Dave Chappelle’s latest stand-up special, The Closer.

The trans employees and their allies submitted a list of demands that detail internal changes needed at the company — changes that include content warnings on sensitive material and more concentrated efforts to promote trans talent. The removal of Chappelle’s recent special was not a condition listed though that seems to be the focus for Sarandos, who has apologized for the internal memo he sent to employees defending his choice to host the special on the streamer and detailing why he still won’t remove it.

All in all, it’s a mess right now and plenty of celebrities and Netflix talent have started throwing their support behind the walkout. Last week, comedian Hannah Gadsby torched Sarandos after he claimed harmful content on the streamer didn’t translate to real-world consequences. Now, a star of one of the streamer’s most popular original series has spoken up in defense of the company’s trans employees.

Elliot Page, who stars in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, shared a video on Twitter with a message of solidarity for the trans employees and their allies making their voices heard at Netflix today.

He joins a long list of celebs who have called out the streamer for its harmful content and irresponsible handling of the current Chappelle scandal — a list that includes everyone from Dan Levy to Jonathan Van Ness, Jameela Jamil, and Colton Haynes. The video Page shared also featured the organizer of the Stand Up in Solidarity rally, Ashlee Marie Preston, who thanked the Netflix employees staging the walkout for their commitment to creating “ethical entertainment.”

Here’s to hoping more in-house talent like Page puts the pressure on so that the company’s trans and nonbinary employees (and subscribers) can feel safe working there and good watching the streamer’s content again.

Netflix knows that the holidays are coming, and with that, there’s guaranteed to be a whole lot of family togetherness (and the need to “get away” when the chance presents itself). The streaming service has you covered on that end with a whole heaping helping of content that’s bigger than your ideal Thanksgiving meal. In other words, no stale leftovers will be found here, only several seasons of returning beloved shows, some A-lister-filled movies, and many classic additions to the library, including Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Snakes on a Plane, Stripes, and 21 Jump Street.

In short, though, this is an action-packed month on the fresh content front. Red Notice will finally bring The Rock, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds together in one movie. Narcos: Mexico will take a “final blow” at the drug war, and Cowboy Bebop will go bounty hunting. More seasons of Masters of the Universe: Revelation, F is for Family, and Gentified are also on the way, and I guess it’s also good news that Tiger King 2 has almost arrived? Hmm.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix in November.

Red Notice (Netflix film streaming 11/11)

A few years ago, Netflix set the stage for their supposed biggest (and most expensive) movie ever, and a lot of that has to do with the leading cast: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. Well, we’re finally about to see what hundreds of millions of dollars purchased, so it should be a genuine blockbuster in your living room. Gal plays a notorious crook who mops the floor with Johnson’s FBI agent and Reynolds’ (also notorious) art thief, and yeah, I hope they never catch her. Even though she won’t be wielding the Wonder Woman magic lasso, she’s guaranteed to kick ass.

Narcos: Mexico: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 11/5)

Drug lord extraordinaire Félix Gallardo warned Agent Walt Breslin that he’d freed a circus of animals within the drug war, and he wasn’t joking. The cartels are poppin’ in what will be the final season of the spinoff to the Pablo Escobar-centered beginnings of Narcos. Fortunately, the spirit of Pablo is still around, sort-of, given that actor Wagner Moura has returned to direct, and Breslin and the fledgling DEA sure have their work cut out for them with hydra heads springing up everywhere. That includes El Chapo, who’s all up in the Sinaloa business, and the tagline for this season is absolutely magnificent: “THE FINAL BLOW.” No subtlety there.

Cowboy Bebop (Netflix series streaming 11/19)

Bounty hunting never looked so stylish, and from the looks of this teaser, Netflix is not messing around with their adaptation of a cult-classic anime property. John Cho stars as Spike Spiegel, who’s in stunt mode alongside Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) while dodging death and making money. The spirit of the source material appears to be honored with an action-focused, aesthetic punch, and even non-anime fans who adore ultra-stylization (as with Scott Pilgrim and Sin City) should be intrigued. Heck, even the most casual Quentin Tarantino fan should toss this selection into the queue.

Big Mouth: Season 5 (Netflix series streaming 11/5)

The hormone monsters are back for another round with an all-star voice cast that includes Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Maya Rudolph, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Rannells, Jordan Peele, and Richard Kind. Oh, and Kumail Nanjiani will be starring as himself, somehow, while shirtless. Settle in as hate spirals and a hate worm and all kinds of other amorphous creatures take over eighth grade. Man, middle school was the worst, right? One might as well vent some angst by seeing how these bizarro creatures (including a love bug) navigate the hurdles.

Gentefied: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 11/10)

If you haven’t had the pleasure of binging this heartwarming dramedy yet, it’s time to get caught up. Glorious character actor Joaquín Cosío (Narcos: Mexico) is up for deportation, and the siblings must work to save his ass while continuing to explore their own Mexican-American identity, save their taco shop, and generally be badass while wrapping their arms around the American Dream. That dream, of course, might be a double-edged sword because success also threatens the communities and values that the family’s hoping to help preserve. It’s a charming series full of authentic characters, and they must save Pops.

Bruised (Netflix series streaming 11/24)

Halle Berry lands in the director’s seat for the first time and also in the cage as a disgraced MMA fighter working toward redemption (both on the professional and personal levels). A classic tale! Really though, Halle’s here to redeem sports movies, as well, which could use some sprucing up following the Space Jam 2 mess. The Oscar winner portrays Jackie Justice who’s full of regret over the shambles her life has become and attempts a career comeback when her soon unexpectedly pops back into her life.

Avail. TBA
Decoupled
Happiness Ever After

Avail. 11/1
The Claus Family
21 Jump Street
60 Days In: Season 6
A River Runs Through It
Addams Family Values
American Gangster
An Elf’s Story: The Elf on the Shelf
Angry Birds: Season 4 – Slingshot Stories
Bella and the Bulldogs: Season 2
The Big Wedding
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Elf Pets: Santa’s St. Bernards Save Christmas
First Knight
Forged in Fire: Season 7
Gather
The General’s Daughter
It Follows
Johnny Mnemonic
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Last Action Hero
Moneyball
Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher
My Dad’s Christmas Date
The Nightingale
Total Recall
Snakes on a Plane
Stripes
Tagged
Te Ata
Texas Rangers

Avail. 11/2
Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis
Ridley Jones: Season 2

Avail. 11/3
The Harder They Fall
Lords of Scam

Avail. 11/4
Catching Killers

Avail. 11/15
A Cop Movie
Big Mouth: Season 5
The Club
Glória
Love Hard
Meenakshi Sundareshwar
Narcos: Mexico: Season 3
The Unlikely Murderer
We Couldn’t Become Adults
Yara
Zero to Hero

Avail. 11/6
Arcane

Avail. 11/7
Father Christmas is Back

Avail. 11/9
Swap Shop
Your Life Is a Joke

Avail. 11/10
Animal
Gentefied: Season 2
Passing

Avail. 11/11
Love Never Lies
Red Notice

Avail. 11/12
Legacies: Season 3

Avail. 11/3
Arcane

Avail. 11/14
Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You

Avail. 11/15
America’s Next Top Model: Season 21
America’s Next Top Model: Season 22
Kuroko’s Basketball: Last Game
Lies and Deceit
Snowbound for Christmas
Survivor: Season 16
Survivor: Season 37

Avail. 11/16
Johnny Test’s Ultimate Meatloaf Quest
StoryBots: Laugh, Learn, Sing

Avail. 11/17
Christmas Flow
Prayers for the Stolen
The Queen of Flow: Season 2
Supergirl: Season 6
Tear Along the Dotted Line
Tiger King 2

Avail. 11/18
Carlos Ballarta: False Prophet
Dogs in Space
Lead Me Home
The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star

Avail. 11/19
Blown Away: Christmas
Cowboy Bebop
Dhamaka
Extinct
Hellbound
Love Me Instead
The Mind, Explained: Season 2
Procession
tick, tick…BOOM!

Avail. 11/20
Arcane
New World

Avail. 11/22
Outlaws
Vita & Virginia

Avail. 11/23
Masters of the Universe: Revelation: Part 2
Reasonable Doubt: A Tale of Two Kidnappings
Waffles + Mochi’s Holiday Feast

Avail. 11/24
A Boy Called Christmas
Bruised
Robin Robin
Selling Sunset: Season 4
True Story

Avail. 11/25
F is for Family: Season 5

Avail. 11/26
A Castle For Christmas
Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier
Green Snake
Light the Night
School of Chocolate
Spoiled Brats

Avail. 11/28
Elves

Avail. 11/29
14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible

Avail. 11/30
Charlie’s Colorforms City: Classic Tales with a Twist
Charlie’s Colorforms City: Snowy Stories
Charlie’s Colorforms City: The Lost Valentines Musical
Coming Home in the Dark
More the Merrier
The Summit of the Gods

Here’s the full list of titles leaving Netflix in November:

Leaving 11/1
My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree
My Little Pony: Happy Birthday to You!

Leaving 11/4
Bucket List
The Lovers

Leaving 11/5
The Late Bloomer

Leaving 11/7
Sleepless

Leaving 11/10
A Single Man

Leaving 11/11
Fruitvale Station

Leaving 11/14
America’s Next Top Model: Season 19
America’s Next Top Model: Season 20
K-on! the movie
K-On!: Seasons 1-2
Survivor: Season 20: Heroes vs Villains
Survivor: Season 28: Cagayan

Leaving 11/15
Safe House

Leaving 11/17
Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List

Leaving 11/19
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

Leaving 11/21
Beverly Hills Ninja
Machete Kills

Leaving 11/26
Broadchurch: Seasons 1-3

Leaving 11/29
Man Down: Seasons 1-4

Leaving 11/30
3 Days to Kill
A Knight’s Tale
American Outlaws
Are You The One: Seasons 1-2
Battlefield Earth
Chef
Clear and Present Danger
Freedom Writers
Glee: Seasons 1-6
The Happytime Murders
Ink Master: Seasons 1-2
Letters to Juliet
The Lincoln Lawyer
Million Dollar Baby
Peppermint
Pineapple Express
Rake: Seasons 1-4
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
School of Rock
Stargate SG-1: Seasons 1-10
TURN: Washington’s Spies: Seasons 1-4
Waterworld

About a month ago, Idles announced a new album, Crawler, and shared a video for its lead single, “The Beachland Ballroom.” It was indicated that the video was the first part of the song’s visual, and now, the band has shared the second part of their “The Beachland Ballroom” video. This time, it’s footage of the band performing the song, spliced with clips of Joe Talbot leaning off a roof with Michael Jackson-levels of gravity defiance.

Talbot previously said of the song, “It’s the most important song on the album, really. There’s so many bands that go through the small rooms and dream of making it into the big rooms. Being able to write a soul tune like this made me go, f*ck — we’re at a place where we’re actually allowed to go to these big rooms and be creative and not just go through the motions and really appreciate what we’ve got. The song is sort of an allegory of feeling lost and getting through it. It’s one that I really love singing.”

As for the album as a whole, press materials say “the group brings to life vivid stories of trauma, addiction and recovery with its most soul-stirring music to date. […] There are also fresh textures and experiments that push Idles into thrilling new territory.”

Watch the “Beachland Ballroom” video above.

Crawler is out 11/12 via Partisan Records. Pre-order it here.

In today’s UPROXX Sessions, Belly stops by to deliver a passionate performance of his song “Moment Of Silence.” The Canadian Roc Nation rapper got California cozy to show off the new track from his recently released album, See You Next Wednesday, rocking a colorful ensemble that countered his usual monochromatic looks. His performance drops after he previously made his React Like You Know debut, joining our panel to chat up Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick, Push” video.

Belly’s new album, See You Next Wednesday, marked a return to the limelight for him after releasing his last album, Immigrant, in 2018. Between then and now, he stayed busy behind the scenes, helping his XO Records benefactor The Weeknd with his smash hit album, After Hours, which won the two Toronto natives five 2021 Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys). Belly then made his return earlier this year with a string of singles promoting See You Next Wednesday, including “Better Believe” with Young Thug, “Die For It” featuring Nas, and “Requiem” with fellow Canadian Nav.

Watch Belly’s “Moment Of Silence” performance for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Lana Del Rey may have deleted all of her social media accounts, but that doesn’t mean she can’t still give her fans they content they want. Just days ahead of the release of her upcoming album Blue Banisters, the singer has debuted a serene video to its title track.

The visual is a quite literal representation of the songs’ lyrics. It opens with her on an expansive property overlooking the hills of California. She joins up with a group of friends, including her sister, Chuck, and they spend the day painting Del Rey’s outdoor banisters a cool-toned blue-grey color, baking cakes, and looking wistfully off into the distant landscape.

Previously speaking about her Blue Banisters album in a statement, Lana Del Rey addressed some recent criticisms and said the LP is meant to “chronicle” her career from the beginning:

“I guess you could say this album is about what it was like, what happened, and what it’s like now. If you’re interested go back and listen to the first three songs I put out earlier. They chronicle the beginning. […] As much as the on going criticism has been trying, it at least has pushed me to explore my own family tree, to dig deep, and to continue to exhibit the fact that God only cares about how I move through the world. And for all of the skepticism about feigning fragility and unreasonable explanations of not showing general accountability- I must say I’ve enjoyed moving through the world beautifully- as a woman with grace and dignity.”

Watch Del Rey’s “Blue Banisters” video above.

Blue Banisters is out 10/22 via Polydor Records/UMG. Pre-order it here.

Ever since President Joe Biden took office, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has been a frustrating obstacle to the Democratic Party, which has led to repeated rumors that he might jump ship by switching parties. As negotiations for Biden’s Build Back Better package have ramped up in recent days, a new report from Mother Jones claims Manchin has informed associates that he has a detailed plan for leaving the Democratic Party if he doesn’t like how things are headed.

However, shortly after the Mother Jones report was published, Manchin issued a swift and succinct denial, according to CNN’s Daniella Micaela: “It’s bullshit.”

According to Mother Jones DC Bureau Chief David Corn, Manchin was reportedly telling associates that if the Build Back Better negotiations didn’t go his way, he had a process in place to force Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s hand by threatening to leave the party:

He told associates that he has a two-step plan for exiting the party. First, he would send a letter to Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, removing himself from the Democratic leadership of the Senate. (He is vice chair of the Senate Democrats’ policy and communications committee.) Manchin hopes that would send a signal. He would then wait and see if that move had any impact on the negotiations. After about a week, he said, he would change his voter registration from Democrat to independent.

Whether those conversations actually took place is unknown, but if Manchin’s response is to believed, they did not, and any talk of him leaving the party is apparently BS. Isn’t politics neat?

(Via Daniella Diaz on Twitter, Mother Jones)