Month: December 2021

Michael B. Jordan stopped by The View on Thursday morning to promote his new movie, A Journal for Jordan, but what he mostly promoted was all kinds of thirst the second he stepped out on stage. As Whoopi Goldberg introduced the actor, a cameraman swooped into get the intro shot, but things noticeably went awry as he almost falls in front of Jordan who reacts as quickly as he can to help the crew member.

While the cameraman managed to avoid wiping out in front of the Black Panther actor, Jordan had another mess waiting for him when he made his way to the panel. Just as Whoopi managed to quiet down the audience, which was definitely feeling Jordan’s presence, Joy Behar lost control completely as she complimented the actor on his looks and made a crack about how she’s already “six months pregnant” just from looking at him.

“You know you’re not just a gorgeous guy,” Behar said with absolutely zero restraint. “You know, like they say, he’s fiiiiine!”

Things quieted down as the conversation finally shifted to A Journal for Jordan, but it didn’t take long for Behar to start asking how he got into such a romantic mood for the film and basically wanted to know if Jordan has a girlfriend. Joy was not playing around today.

The View fans watching at home not only loved Behar’s unbridled lust, but they were absolutely here for Jordan stopping by the daytime talk show. Like Behar, the reactions on social media were not shy.

(Via The View on Twitter)

The New Orleans Pelicans will be without a member of their young core for an indefinite period of time, with one report indicating that we won’t see him again this season. The team announced that second-year guard Kira Lewis Jr. suffered a torn ACL and a Grad 2 MCL sprain in his right knee, which will require surgery sometime in the future.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the injury will lead to Lewis missing the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

Lewis suffered the injury on Wednesday evening during the second quarter of the Pelicans’ 120-114 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets. At the time, the team announced that their 20-year-old guard suffered a knee sprain.

The No. 13 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of the University of Alabama, Lewis carved out a role as a bench contributor on this Pelicans squad. Lewis averaged 5.9 points, two assists, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.5 steals in 14.2 minutes per game, all of which came off the bench.

The Pelicans possess the worst record in the Western Conference, as the team sits 7-20 on the year and finds itself five games back of the Sacramento Kings for the 10-seed and the final spot in the conference’s play-in tournament. All of this has happened without the services of Zion Williamson, who is working his way back from offseason foot surgery.

Avatar came out in 2009, the year after Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By the time Avatar 2 finally — hopefully — comes out next December, there will have been 28 Marvel movies (it’s an apt comparison considering Disney owns both Captain America and the Na’vi). Why such a lengthy delay?

“The scripts are the blueprint from which we work,” producer told Jon Landau told Total Film magazine. “So a large portion of our time was writing… with the challenge that each of those four scripts had to individually resolve itself in a story that concludes with a big emotional resolution – but when you look at them as a whole, the connected story arc of all four movies creates an even larger epic saga.” In other words, the decade-long wait between Avatar and Avatar 2 is because James Cameron & Co. weren’t working on one film at a time — they were working on four sequels at once. If anyone can pull this off, it’s the guy who’s made two of the three highest-grossing movies of all-time.

Landau also teased some plot details about Avatar 2.

The Sullys’ idyllic life is disrupted when the RDA mining operation returns to Pandora, forcing Jake to take the family to “what is perceived as a safe harbor” at the reef. “And when you get to the reef, there’s a clan we call the Metkayina,” continues Landau. “The Sullys are no longer in the environment that they know, the rainforest. They become the fish out of water. They become the fish out of water both culturally and just environmentally.”

[extremely Milhouse voice] When are they going to get to the seed bearing?!?

Avatar 2 is scheduled to come out on December 16, 2022.

(Via Total Film)

When Khalid announced his new project Scenic Drive, and distinctly noted that it was a “tape” he was excited to deliver to fans, one thing came to mind. A little over three months ago, the Texas native offloaded a series of tweets that amounted to an honest admission of writer’s block and struggles with the “overwhelming” balance to meet expectations, remain authentic, and grow into something new and different as an artist. It’s truthfully something most, if not all artists, are forced to grapple with around their second and third albums. Sophomore slumps are already pressure-inducing enough, but even when they’re overcome, the pressure to do it a third time is just as high, if not even higher.

Khalid is a star in his own right. Both of his albums, 2017’s American Teen and 2019’s Free Spirit, are multi-platinum bodies of work with the latter serving as his first No. 1 album. Plenty of awards feature Khalid’s name and his work, and it all contributes to the pressures he feels going into his third album, which he already revealed is titled Everything Is Changing. As a musician, there are practically three options when a mental roadblock is hit while crafting art: trudge through it, wait for it to go away, or divert onto a new and hopefully uninterrupted path. Khalid’s Scenic Drive is the result of his decision to do the last option.

On Scenic Drive, Khalid seeks to overcome his self-doubts by just letting things be. The intention behind this project is to seemingly just do it, to just release music, get back into the swing of things, and even self-supply a boost in confidence. The music on Scenic Drive is simple and appetizing at most as Khalid plays things safely while remaining in a comfortable pocket. It’s the kind of easygoing bass-heavy R&B music that’s romantic, lovelorn, and everything in the middle. It falls on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from what he said Everything Is Changing will present. He previously noted that the songs on the album center “around trying to find a purpose and a sense of self in a world where everything is digitally connected but emotionally disconnected.” All in all, a sharp contrast from what we hear on Scenic Drive.

For what it’s worth, Khalid’s latest project is simply an observant journey through one’s love life, whether it be his own or someone else. It touches on all areas, including the shy moments in the early stages where the respective parties are scared to admit their feelings as “Brand New” and “Open” detail. On the flip side, Khalid keeps things honest and straight to the point about a woman who fails to hold her end of the bargain in a relationship on “Retrograde” and “All Is Bad.” There’s also the hesitance to acknowledge that love is fading away on “Voicemail.” However, if there are tracks that are no doubt made from Khalid’s first-person point of view, it’s “Backseat” and “Scenic Drive.” These see the singer relishing in the natural beauty and existence of what surrounds him while appreciating the fact that he’s able to enjoy it all together.

Scenic Drive unwinds a tense mind through effortless music. It’s something that’s apparent from the moment that Alicia Keys’ free-floating harmonies fall from our speakers. Only Khalid himself knows what he sought through creating this project. Maybe it’s a creative dump in the name of clarity or a moment to refine his skills and return to form. Whatever it is, a sigh of relief as Scenic Drive concludes can be felt as Khalid lets go and allows things to be in their most natural sense. Aligning himself with talented artists like Lucky Daye, 6lack, Kiana Lede, JID, Majid Jordan, and more only add to the appeal of the whole project which is filled with good and enjoyable music. Hopefully, this makes things easier and less weighted for Khalid as he returns to working on Everything Is Changing.

Scenic Drive is out now via Right Hand Music/RCA. Get it here.

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

Few teams in NBA history have captivated basketball fans quite as much as the Showtime Lakers. The nickname bestowed on the Los Angeles Lakers teams from 1979-91 under the direction of owner Jerry Buss, the teams were famous for winning a whole bunch of games, playing a high-flying brand of ball, and possessing gobs of star power, from head coach Pat Riley to players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

That era of Lakers basketball will be the focus of Adam McKay’s new HBO Max series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which is set to come to the streaming service in March of 2022. On Thursday, HBO dropped its first trailer for the series, which features John C. Reilly as Buss, Dr. Solomon Hughes as Abdul-Jabbar, Adrien Brody as Riley, Quincy Isaiah as Johnson, and more.

The series was originally titled Showtime, based on the book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, but recently had its name changed due to the fact that Showtime is a direct competitor to HBO. It has also made headlines in recent days over its role in McKay’s friendship ending with Will Ferrell, as the latter — a well-documented Lakers fan — was originally cast to play Buss before McKay opted to give the role to Reilly.

As one of the top-selling artists globally, Ed Sheeran takes his job seriously, but his music isn’t his only priority. After his wife gave birth to their first child, Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran, the singer says he completely transformed the way he thought about his career and allowed him to find a new purpose.

The singer sat down to talk about what he’s been up to lately in an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The conversation eventually turned to his daughter and Sheeran began talking about how having Lyra changed his perspective on his work and music:

“I really love being a dad. I started off my job being my hobby, and therefore I did it every day, and then one day I got paid for it and then it became my job. Then I did my hobby every day, but it was also my job, and then when I had time off, I would still do it. I’d stop tour and go into the studio. And then I stopped studio and go back on tour because I love tour, and I just found I didn’t have any purpose outside of that, because when I was giving myself fixed time off of no work, I wasn’t doing anything I enjoyed because I love music. But this has actually given me purpose and something in life that is actually more important than my job.”

Watch Sheeran on Ellen above.

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

If there’s one thing creator Jay-Ann Lopez wants you to know about Black Girl Gamers, it’s that the organization is far too all-encompassing to dilute down to a single thing and too great in scope to be reduced. For example, you could say BGG is an agency and enterprise — a way for Black women to find opportunities and employment in the games industry — and you wouldn’t be wrong.

You can just as easily call the organization a business, focused on creating meaningful content, entertaining the world through its Twitch streams, and turning a profit. It’s also a place for learning, with workshops focused on instilling confidence and kind mentors aplenty.

The truth is, BGG is many things to many people. The best place to start when trying to define BGG, though, is with how it began: as a community.

When Lopez founded Black Girl Gamers in 2015, it primarily existed on a trio of community-driven platforms: Facebook, Discord, and Twitch. Over on Facebook and Discord, the BGG community established themselves as protected places where Black women could have conversations about gaming without fear of harassment and among people with similar lived experiences. The group’s Twitch channel, on the other hand, gave BGG a platform to looked outward and share their talents with the world.

Right from the start, Lopez was adamant BGG would be a group effort. Just as the Facebook and Discord groups could simply not operate with her as a sole member, Lopez knew the vision she had for BGG wouldn’t work if she were the only Black woman streaming under the Black Girl Gamers banner. Instead, she decided the channel would be utilized to uplift and foster a community of Black women who love gaming but did not love how gaming spaces sometimes made them feel.

“If you think about gaming now, it’s still bad, but it was even worse back then. There was less awareness and even less willingness to do anything,” Lopez tells Uproxx. “It started off with myself and three other black women, two of whom I’m still friends with now, just working and just looking after the community, essentially. And then it grew to have a Discord, grew to have a Twitch channel, and then from then on, it’s kind of turned into a community powered business as opposed to just a Facebook group … [but] the first thing is community and keeping the 7,000 to 8,000 Black women safe in the space. Then on top of that, it’s also providing opportunities.”

The list of opportunities at Black Girl Gamers grows nearly as quickly as the organization itself. It hosts external events, like a recent online summit that Lopez says went so well that the team is working to put together another. There are educational programs like a three-month mentorship course with Facebook Reality Labs designed to help Black women get involved in AR/VR spaces, workshops with various voice actors, and a workshop with Buildbox, a game development program that enables people to create games without coding. They’re upping the amount of consultation work they’re doing, which gives members the chance to work with AAA game publishers and build relationships with studios.

All these workshops and events are just the beginning. According to Lopez, Black Girl Gamers has also been hard at work creating their own “one-of-a-kind” internal talent agency that focuses on “specifically catering to the needs of Black women” and finding work for them that offers fair payment and doesn’t make them feel “tokenized.” While still fresh, Lopez says this arm of the organization is already thriving, with members landing paid opportunities with Anastasia Beverly Hills, Google, Netflix, Adidas, H&M, and more.

It’s part of Lopez’s larger effort to get more brands working with Black women and becoming leaders on the journey to create a more inclusive media landscape.

“I want [brands] to know they can be a part of that journey. They can work with us,” Lopez says. “You know, everyone needs to work and to improve, change, and progress. So, we are here to help. And I think that’s one of the main things to let go of, is the kind of hesitancy of thinking that you’ve done something wrong or have issues. Everyone has issues and everyone needs to work on them. So, why not consult with us or work with us in order to improve?”

Lopez knows there’s another hurdle to clear: Encouraging talented Black women to pursue their dreams and gaming career ambitions, something that has been historically difficult. Despite there being plenty of women and Black folks in the gaming community, both of those demographics have struggled with harassment, exclusion, and underrepresentation within the industry. As the intersection of these two identities, there’s no denying that Black women have faced even greater challenges when navigating gaming spaces, as well as a lot of fear.

Lopez, however, urges Black women not to deny this fear’s existence, but rather to acknowledge it and “do it anyway.”

“One thing I would say is that there’s a book — and it’s a really great book — called Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway,” Lopez says. “Even though fear exists, sometimes you have to push past it. And I’ve had to do it myself. Like, I’ve had times where I’ve literally been scared potentially for the business and the community because of racism and targeting, and just even myself. But you know, you just have to feel the fear and do it anyway. Because moving forward is the only option if I really want to make it. So I would say just feel the fear, and do it anyway.”

When I asked Lopez if she had a mantra or mission statement she kept near-and-dear to her to help aid her through all the challenges and fears she’s encountered since creating Black Girl Gamers, she replied no without so much as a moment of hesitation. Instead, Lopez is driven by “a need” to ensure Black women are never excluded or erased from gaming history.

“It’s a need that is driving me. I know where there is an imbalance, I need to try and do something to help balance that out,” Lopez says. “I wanna guarantee that we’re not forgotten, that we’re never excluded. And that gaming is never the same … I want it to be cemented that we drove a lot of this change and we are legacy makers in this space.”

All of these successes — and the bonds formed between the women making it all happen — have already begun to shape Black Girl Gamers. It is a legacy built on instilling confidence in Black women, on giving them the resources and strength to “shoot their shot,” and making a difference in what they “can do, what they’re taking home, and how they can spend their money and their lives.”

So, what is Black Girl Gamers? Simply put, Black Girl Gamers is a legacy in the making — an ever-expanding movement that is directly contributing to a bigger, brighter, and more inclusive games industry — and their story has only just begun.

In a week, Metallica is playing a pair of 40th anniversary concerts, two hometown shows at Chase Center in San Francisco on December 17 and 19. There will be two ways to watch that show as it happens: If you’re a member of the band’s Fifth Member fan club, you can buy tickets to be there in person. Otherwise, Metallica is teaming up with The Coda Collection to broadcast the events as a free global livestream via Amazon Music and Prime Video Channels.

The concerts will stream on Amazon Music, Amazon Music’s Twitch channel, and Prime Video at midnight ET each night. After that, the shows will be available for on-demand viewing via The Coda Collection/Prime Video Channel.

On top of that, as part of the SF Takeover Film Fest, fans will be able to watch a pair of Metallica films via The Coda Collection/Prime Video Channel, over that weekend: the 1998 concert film Cunning Stunts and the 2009 concert film Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México, the latter of which was initially only released in Latin America.

Additionally, all of that is apparently just the beginning of Metallica and Coda’s relationship, as their partnership is set to “include a full slate of concert films, documentaries, and additional content spanning the band’s career arriving on the channel exclusively throughout 2022, alongside popular music films from the likes of Foo Fighters, Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, and many more.”

Learn more about the anniversary shows here.

Booksmart director Olivia Wilde covers the January 2022 issue of Vogue with a lot of the accompanying interview surrounding the future release of Don’t Worry Darling. That’s her followup effort, of course, which means the pressure is on after one critically acclaimed cinematic entry. In the piece, Wilde does admit that she hit up Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) for advice on how to handle the resulting “anxiety,” and he confirmed that the sophomore process is “Oh, so terrifying, so much scarier than the first.”

With that ammunition firmly in place, Wilde went for it. She cast Florence Pugh as her lead and Harry Styles (who she does not mention by name as her current partner, although she makes it clear that she’s very happy) in (what she very pointedly describes as) a supporting role. She also makes a fair point about onscreen female pleasure in mainstream movies. One only need to remember how Blue Valentine had to lobby to overturn an NC-17 rating because Ryan Gosling’s character goes down on the character played by Michelle Williams. Wilde refers to “the thrillers of Adrian Lyne, like Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal,” which she looks at as inspiration (at least in the sex department). Here’s what Wilde had to offer to Vogue on the movie’s passionate scenes:

“I kept saying, ‘Why isn’t there any good sex in film anymore?’ I realize how rarely we see female hunger on film, and specifically this type of female pleasure.”

And here’s how Vogue‘s Alexandra Schwartz described how a relevant Don’t Worry Darling scene turned out:

About those scenes I watched. Let’s just say that one, featuring a hardworking Styles and a most ​gratified Pugh, is going to generate some serious attention — and, if the devotion of Styles’s fan base is any indication, hysteria — when Don’t Worry Darling is released. When I work up the blushing courage to ask Wilde about it, she gets technical, talking about overhead angles and wraparound shots, though she readily volunteers that she intends for her audience to “realize how rarely they see female hunger, and specifically this type of female pleasure.”

From the looks of the teaser that Wilde recently posted on Instagram, there’s delivery:

Another note about Styles: as with Chloé Zhao with The Eternals, Wilde was inspired to cast Styles after seeing him in Dunkirk, and she explained how his schedule initially led to Shia LaBeouf being cast (and that fell apart). Then Harry circled back around, and Wilde explained, “I cannot tell you how many men read the script and said, ‘Unless it’s a two-hander, unless I’m in as much — or more — of the script than she is, it’s not worth it.’” Harry didn’t play that game.

Don’t Worry Darling arrives on… September 23, 2022. That’s a long wait!

(Via Vogue)

To say that we write about whisk(e)y a lot is a bit of an understatement. We do. But it wasn’t that long ago that the best-selling alcohol in the world was a clear spirit. Vodka dominated alcohol sales for decades until the most recent whiskey revival took hold and pushed the un-aged spirit to the background.

That’s a shame because as we’ve said, again and again, vodka is an incredibly nuanced spirit and worth your time, even as a sipper. The spirit is massively varied thanks to very different corners of the world making it and the recipe for its mash bill ranging from grains to root vegetables to fruits. There is a lot out there is what we’re saying and there’s a lot that is very sippable with a rock or even on its own.

To find these surprising sippers from small and large distilleries, we asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the vodkas they’d actually drink straight or on the rocks. Check out all of their answers below.

WÓDKA [Vodka]

Kimberly Schow, bar director at Hotel Dryce in Fort Worth, Texas

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $15

Why This Vodka?

WÓDKA [Vodka] is great to drink on its own. It’s a well-made Polish rye vodka that isn’t distilled from pure GNS (grain neutral spirit), making it a clean vodka to sip and savor.

Grey Goose Vodka

Lewis Caputa, lead bartender of Rosina inside The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

Why This Vodka?

Grey Goose is my pick. It is one of the crispest vodkas you can have. There’s a reason you often find it at the top of best-tasting vodkas lists.

Haku Vodka

Christopher Devern, lead bartender of Red Owl Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $26

Why This Vodka?

This Japanese vodka is distilled from 100 percent rice and is bamboo charcoal filtered. It’s a subtly sweet vodka with amazing smoothness and roundness and a peppery finish. Try this on the rocks with a twist of lemon or lime.

Absolut Vodka

Josh Curtis, bar director at the Malibu Beach Inn in Malibu, California

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20

Why This Vodka?

Absolut vodka is one of the best on the market. Its Swedish roots from 1879 have a quality distillation process that makes for less of a hangover than other brands. Its light licorice and cream soda notes aim for ease of drinkability.

Stateside Urbancraft Vodka

Jamie Shaw, beverage manager at Stella of New Hope in New Hope, Pennsylvania

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $27

Why This Vodka?

I’d go for something super crisp and clean and put it on the rocks with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Stateside makes a really great clean, highly sippable vodka, and I love supporting local companies as well.

Konik’s Tail Vodka

Federico Doldi, bartender at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $56

Why This Vodka?

I really love Konik’s Tail. This is a premium Polish vodka that just arrived in the U.S. It’s made from a number of different grains — ancient spelt, golden rye, and early winter wheat. It has a creamy mouthfeel with caramel and raspberry on the palate.

Absolut Elyx

Christopher Rodriguez, lead bartender at Lucy Restaurant & Bar in Yountville, California

ABV: 42.3%

Average Price: $36

Why This Vodka?

One vodka I can drink straight or on the rocks is Absolut Elyx. It is made with single estate winter wheat and is distilled in copper. With a slightly higher proof than most vodkas, it has a nice body with light heat.

Ketel One Vodka

John Tran, restaurant manager of BluSky Restaurant & Bar in Anaheim, California

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

Why This Vodka?

Ketel One Vodka is a delicious vodka. The wheat is pronounced and the citrus notes just make it so refreshing. The fact that they do a combination of pot still and Coffey still balances it out to be a crisp vodka and one that is oily with texture.

Belvedere Vodka

Zach Wilks, bartender at Anthony’s Chophouse in Carmel, Indiana

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $45

Why This Vodka?

I started bartending in the late ’90s when vodka martinis were probably the top-selling drink at most bars, and Belvedere was the best of the best. Back then a slightly dirty martini with Belvedere and blue cheese olives was my favorite thing to drink, it’s still the first drink I order when I’m dining in a steakhouse. I love Belvedere even on its own for its creamy mouthfeel and touch of black pepper, it almost comes across as savory.

Chopin Vodka

John “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick, spiritual advisor at Warren American Whiskey Kitchen in Delray, Florida

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20

Why This Vodka?

I don’t drink vodka but if I did, I’d probably defer to Chopin. I think vodkas distilled from potatoes are among the best. It’s crisp, clean, and surprisingly easy to drink neat or on the rocks.