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‘And Just Like That’ Has A Samantha Problem

I’m a Sex And The City loyalist from way back, though not so much for its style obsessions and cosmos. More for its focus on dating, friendship, and the symbiotic dynamic between the two. Really, the show is one of the all-time best to tackle those topics, leaning on wit, guts, and the skills of its supernaturally gifted foursome and characters that complemented each other so well. Friendships sometimes end, however, creating a hole. And it’s one the Sex And The City sequel series (alliteration!) keeps falling into as it tries to navigate without Kim Cattrall and her character, Samantha Jones – perhaps the sharpest tool that showrunner Michael Patrick King previously had in his toolbox.

Cattrall has (repeatedly and unambiguously) stated that she is done, proving that out with her non-appearance this season, but King and the show haven’t been as able to let go. Even in the most recent episode, Samantha gets mentioned. This time as a sort of cautionary tale for friend drift. Repeatedly, and more tangibly, King has found a way to inject Samantha into key moments, such as when she sent flowers following the death of Big (which is kinda fucked up when you think about Cattrall’s public rejection of Parker’s IG sympathy after the loss of Cattrall’s brother). Or that text exchange after last week’s episode when the Samantha text bot triple-dotted Carrie after a vulnerable moment. I suspect the show is going to go on like this, occasionally commenting on the absence and the distance, conjuring the spirit of Samantha for reasons that aren’t quite clear.

So, should we just shrug and accept, or think up some alternative (and weird!) solutions to And Just Like That’s Samantha problem? Let’s go with the latter since it’s more fun.

Take Samantha Text Bot 9000 To A New Level

Having short typed exchanges be representative of the vivacious Samantha Jones is a shande (a shame so great I had to go Yiddish). I kinda get not wanting to kill her off especially after Pelotoning Big to the great beyond, but trapping her in a cell phone is cruel. Instead, let’s think bigger. Literally. Goodbye, cellphone, hello giant steel and piston-laden robot body that has been ensouled by Samantha’s essence and affixed with a tablet for a face.

Because the love of true friendship never really dims, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte could take possession of robot Samantha and re-incorporate her into the friend circle, with machine learning scanning recordings of Samantha’s voice to provide a very choppy, slightly off the mark reading of new dialogue. Think sex-positive Max Headroom for the new millennium. Not perfect, but something is better than nothing, right MPK?

An Iconic Stand In

In the same vein, the show producers could go more fantasy than sci-fi while borrowing from another iconic Cattrall role. This suggestion came from a friend during our weekly And Just Like That kvetch sessions: what if they brought in Cattrall’s mannequin double from the ‘80s film, Mannequin?

Hear me out. You sit the Mannequin mannequin down for brunch and task SJP, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristen Davis with just reacting to it like Cattrall is back even if, to us, it’s just a still mannequin. They could laugh at the Mannequin mannequin’s assumed quips, they could pretend to listen intently as it tells of its sexcapades. Maybe there’s some fishing line and some marionetting at play too. I don’t know, I’m more a big idea type than a details fella. Regardless, it’d be like old times, so long as we all can unlock the power of our imagination.

Too avant-garde? Fine. An alternative approach would be to have the Mannequin mannequin in scenes, but also have someone do a passing Kim Cattrall impression to verbalize for the mannequin. Mario Cantone is already sitting in as 4th chair with the group, maybe he could play Anthony, but also throw his voice to read Samantha’s lines? This is far-fetched, but it would still imbue the show with a measure of Samantha without the bother of actually having to convince Cattrall to be involved. So, bonus, right?

And Then There’s… Just Trying Something Else

One could glibly suggest caving to whatever Cattrall wants or suggest making a titanic financial offer to get her to come back, but she has literally stated that it’s not about money in a 2017 Daily Mail interview:

“This isn’t about more money, this is not about more scenes, it’s not about any of those things. This is about a clear decision, an empowered decision in my life to end one chapter and start another.”

With that in mind, the efforts to keep pulling Samantha back into the events of Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda’s lives feel a bit messed up. You could recast, sure. And Cattrall even endorsed that in that same interview (as well as urging the show to showcase new points of view… which it’s clumsily doing, but doing all the same). But the character is so closely tied to Cattrall that it feels disrespectful to continue the ruse that she’s involved in any of this. Cattrall made a choice, an “empowered decision” to disconnect her life from this show and that character. And continuing to sprinkle in Samantha — even in small doses — feels disrespectful to that choice, to a show that can live without her as something new, and to fans who get strung along seeing these blips as evidence that there might someday be a reunion when that seems nearly impossible. (And wow if a reunion happens will this be a bad take.)

For a franchise that has shown so many breakups through the years, it’s weird that it’s failing to observe the clearest lesson about them: don’t draw things out or cause drama for drama’s sake. Free And Just Like That to be the next chapter it’s been billed as — one without the baggage of a relationship it can’t fully explore anymore.

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CNN’s John Berman Compared Ted Cruz To Reek From ‘Game Of Thrones’ For Groveling To Tucker Carlson

If you thought Ted Cruz ditching Texas for sunny Cancun during a historic winter death that killed at least 246 people was bad, well, you’re right. It was bad. But the senator sunk nearly as low on Thursday night when he essentially asked for repentance from Tucker Carlson for calling what happened on January, 6, 2020, a “violent terrorist attack” (the one time he got something right, he almost immediately backtracked).

“There are a lot of dumb people in the Congress. You are not one of them,” Carlson said at the beginning of the interview. “I think you’re smarter than I am. And you never use words carelessly. And yet you called this a terror attack when by no definition was it a terror attack. That’s a lie. You told that lie on purpose, and I’m wondering why you did.”

Cruz replied, “When you aired your episode last night, I sent you a text shortly thereafter and said listen, I would like to go on because the way I phrased things yesterday, it was sloppy and it was frankly dumb.” Carlson wasn’t buying what “cowardly” Cruz was selling, and neither was anyone on Twitter or CNN’s New Day anchor John Berman.

“Can I just say one more thing about Ted Cruz?” Berman asked co-host Brianna Keilar on Friday morning. “It’s like 7:28 a.m. Ted Cruz, do you know where your spine is? I thought he handled it better in Game of Thrones when he was Theon Greyjoy to Ramsay Bolton there. Honestly, that was like Reek, that was like watching Reek in Game of Thrones there for how he was addressing him… I was so uncomfortable watching that.”

For all three people who still haven’t watched Game of Thrones (or if you Eternal Sunshine-d it away after the series finale), Reek is Ramsay’s pet name for Theon while he emasculates, humiliates, and tortures him. I guess Ted is used to it by now.

You can watch the CNN clip below.

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Here’s Everything New On Netflix This Week, Including Vampire Classics And The Last Call For ‘The Twilight Saga’

2022 is officially on the scene, thank goodness. Netflix has plenty of excellent stuff coming our way in the coming weeks, but the streaming service is taking an unusual route this week: all of the new original content releases are pretty tame. Fortunately, there’s plenty of licensed content that entered the library as of January 1, so there’s no shortage of potential queue additions for you. So, even if you’ve already watched two of the better new original Netflix show seasons (The Witcher, Cobra Kai) that recently hit the streaming service, then you are still in luck.

Two pretty incredible vampire movies (Interview With The Vampire, The Lost Boys) from decades past arrived this week. Feel free to revisit them or watch them for the first time for all of their pop-culture glory and undeniably beautiful bloodsuckers. In addition, all of The Twilight Saga is still available to stream, but only for about a week longer until those sparkly vamps evaporate.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.

Interview With The Vampire (Warner bros. film streaming 1/1)

No one took Tom Cruise seriously when he plucked up this Anne Rice-created role, and boy, did he ever show us. As Lestat, Tom dominated the night while showing the ropes to Louis, portrayed to perfection by a tortured Brad Pitt. Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas shone in their limited roles, and this was the breakout role for young Kirsten Dunst, who proved to be a menacing little Claudia. Not even for a moment will you find this film to be scary, but the performance are captivating, and the Guns ‘n’ Roses finale strikes the right note.

The Lost Boys (Warner Bros. film streaming 1/1)

Lord have mercy. Vampires have never, ever been this cool, and all due credit goes to Joel Schumacher and a menacing, trenchcoat-wearing Kiefer Sutherland for making the annoying Frog Brothers not matter so much here. Dianne Weist and Jamie Gertz and Jason Patric and Alex Winter all hop into this pulpy bloodsucker saga while giving it their all, and that sax guy remains unforgettable. Yep, this was a Coreys project, as well, but one can never forget Kiefer’s immortal chant: “Be one of us.” Yes, please.

The Twilight Saga (Summit Entertainment film leaving 1/15)

These movies weren’t high art, but admittedly, they were incredibly watchable, both from an escapist and a humorist standpoint. Both Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have managed to eclipse the franchise with awards-circuit fare, and back then, who knew that we’d be talking about the latest actress to hit the screen as Princess Diana and a hard-boiled prequel version of Bruce Wayne? Sit back and enjoy the mind candy (along with roles played by Michael Sheen and Billy Burke, Bryce Dallas Howard, and J.D. Pardo, among many others) before it disappears in the sparkle of daylight.

Rebelde: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 1/5)

Here comes a sequel to the Mexican telenovela/soap opera that’s insanely popular in Argentina. The story revolves around a snooty boarding school where one can barely stomach the drama while students fight during a Battle of the Bands. Everyone here wants a musical career, but of course, there’s romantic and friendship-related hijinks along the way, along with a secret society that’s pulling strings.

Action Pack: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 1/4)

Park the kiddos in front of this one, so they can follow a new superhero class who operate on both hearts and smarts while vanquishing the villains who descend upon Hope Springs.

The Wasteland (Netflix film streaming 1/7)

A horrible creature begins to wreak havoc upon society, beginning with a family who chooses to live away from society in tranquility, which is suddenly in more jeopardy than it’s ever been before this story began.

Four To Dinner: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 1/5)

This Italian film follows the Sliding Doors and Ordinary Joe template while four single friends interact in parallel storylines while entering into coupledom.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 12/31
Cobra Kai: Season 4
The Lost Daughter
Queer Eye
: Season 6
Seal Team

Avail. 1/1
Chief Daddy 2 – Going for Broke
The Hook Up Plan: Season 3
300
1BR
Annie
(1982)
Big Fish
Braveheart
Cadillac Records
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(2005)
Doing Hard Time
Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother’s Fight To Save Her Daughter
First Sunday
Free Willy
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Geronimo: An American Legend
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Girl, Interrupted
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(2011)
Godzilla (1998)
Gremlins
Happy Feet
Hell or High Water
Hook
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Love You, Man
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
Interview with the Vampire
Just Go With It
Kung Fu Panda
Linewatch
The Longest Yard
(2005)
The Lost Boys
Midnight in Paris
Monsters vs. Aliens
Nacho Libre
The NeverEnding Story
Paranormal Activity
The Patriot
Road Trip
Runaway Bride
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Stand by Me
Superman Returns
Taxi Driver
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
(2007)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie
(1990)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator Salvation
The Town
Troy
True Grit
(2010)
The Wedding Singer
Wild Wild West
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
(1971)
Woo

Avail. 1/4
Action Pack

Avail. 1/5
Four to Dinner
Rebelde

Avail. 1/6
The Club: Part 2
The Wasteland

Avail. 1/7
Hype House
Johnny Test
: Season 2

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 1/10
Hardy Bucks: Seasons 1-4

Leaving 1/11
Betty White: First Lady of Television

Leaving 1/15
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Twilight

Leaving 1/17
The Bling Ring
Homefront

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Ye’s Yeezy Gap Is Teaming Up With Balenciaga For A New Collection

Ye’s Yeezy Gap partnership has so far offered more hype than it has actual products, but now he has announced a new venture: Yeezy Gap is teaming up with Balenciaga for a new collection called Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga.

The endeavor is a collaboration between Ye and Balenciaga creative director Demna (who also had a Ye-like name change recently, as they were previously known as Demna Gvasalia). It’s not currently clear what sort of items the collection will include, but the first drop is expected this June, with another following later in the year.

Ye teased the announcement by sharing an image of a contract related to the collaboration this morning. Additionally, he told Vogue, “It is a vision come true to work with Gap and Demna, the creative director of Balenciaga, to make incredible product available to everyone at all times.”

Demna also said, “This is a very different challenge. I’ve always appreciated the utilitarianism and the accessibility of Gap. I share some of the same sensibilities in my creative language. This project allowed me to join forces [with Ye] to create utilitarian fashion for all. […] There’s a certain urban minimalism and poetry in our aesthetics, [and] also a desire to push boundaries.”

He was also effusive about the process of working with Ye, saying, “There are very few people that I know, especially of Ye’s caliber, who really understand my work so well. He makes me come out of my comfort zone and be a better designer. There’s no ego when we collaborate, just a mutual drive to evolve and do something great and new.”

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Indiecast Kicks Off The New Year By Answering Listener Questions

And just like that, the holiday break is over and it’s already time to get back into reviewing albums and hashing out trends. Steve and Ian are both back from vacation and not wasting any time, diving right into the story of the Eve 6 guy arguing online with Steve Albini about Counting Crows, a topic that sounds like it was created in a lab specifically for Indiecast. They also chat about newly released music by Father John Misty and Radiohead side project The Smile, and the first performance in four years by emo legends The Hotelier.

To kick off the new year, Steve and Ian are diving into the mailbag to answer some more questions from you, the Indiecast listener. Topics covered include: “whoacore,” non-western music coverage, and a true first for the show, a five-question “Remember Some Guys” pop quiz for Ian. What will he score? Listen to find out, and let’s all get excited for another great year of reviewing albums and hashing out trends.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 71 on Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

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2 Chainz And 42 Dugg Dish Out A ‘Million Dollars Worth Of Game’

At some point this month, 2 Chainz will release his seventh album Dope Don’t Sell Itself. The Atlanta native confirmed the news to begin the new year, and whichever day it’s set to arrive, it’s set to be a promising follow-up to his 2020 release So Help Me God. The release of Dope Don’t Sell Itself could also mark the end of an era for 2 Chainz as he previously announced that his next album would be his “last trap album.” It remains to be seen if that statement will hold true, but until then, we can enjoy the first offering from Dope Don’t Sell Itself.

2 Chainz recruits help from Detroit rapper 42 Dugg and production from LilJuMadeDaBeat for his latest single, “Million Dollars Worth Of Game.” The track finds 2 Chainz standing tall as a veteran in both the rap game and the streets. With that comes the knowledge and wisdom he’s attained over the years, which he dishes over the track while 42 Dugg handles the hook and delivers a verse of his own on the song. The track is also paired with a music video that finds 2 Chainz and 42 Dugg in a lavish mansion surrounded by a cast of beautiful women.

The track arrives after 2 Chainz teamed up with DJ Premier for “Mortgage Free” which he released last month. As for 42 Dugg, the collaboration comes after he connected with Lil Durk in a video for their “Free Ric” track.

You can press play on “Million Dollars Worth Of Game” in the video above.

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

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The Weeknd And Tyler The Creator Find Themselves In Turmoil On ‘Here We Go… Again’

Finally, after months of hinting at a new album on the way and teases that warned “a dawn is coming,” The Weeknd has arrived with his latest body of work, Dawn FM. The Weeknd described the album: “Picture the album being like the listener is dead,” he said. “And they’re stuck in this purgatory state, which I always imagined would be like being stuck in traffic waiting to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.” He added, “it could feel celebratory, could feel bleak, however, you want to make it feel.”

You can now explore these possible feelings now that the album is here. Dawn FM’s guest acts include, among others, Tyler The Creator, who joins forces with The Weeknd for the first collaborations of their respective careers on “Here We Go… Again.” The Weeknd begins the song by celebrating his recent wins like performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2021. Despite the highlights, he touches on the downfalls of love and having to experience it multiple times, while Tyler echoes those thoughts on through his own verse.

The Weeknd and Tyler The Creator’s collaboration comes after the former shared his desire to work with Tyler last spring. “I got mad love for Tyler, the Creator, and what he’s doing right now. Tyler is funny, man,” The Weeknd said during an interview with GQ. The singer added, “He’s somebody that I really admire because he wears his feelings on his sleeve.”

Dawn FM checks in at 16 songs with additional features from Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Lil Wayne, and Oneohtrix Point Never.

You can listen to “Here We Go… Again” in the video above.

Dawn FM is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.

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Gunna, Future, And Young Thug Showcase The Best Of Atlanta With The Confident ‘Pushin P’

It’s been almost two years since Gunna dropped an album for the world to enjoy. That would be his 2020 release Wunna, which showed great growth in the Atlanta rapper’s career and became one of the more beloved rap projects of that year. So what’s next for Gunna? That would be the final installation in his trademark Drip Season mixtape series. The rapper released DS4EVER today and it comes with a healthy cast of guest acts, some of which fans expected and others they did not. An example of the former comes early on the album with “Pushin P” featuring Young Thug and Future.

The track is one Gunna used to promote DS4EVER and announce its release date. “Pushin P” is a braggadocios anthem that captures the three Atlanta-based rap stars in confident spirits thanks to their success in rap, their wealth, and their large collection of lavish items. Prior to the song’s release, Gunna somewhat explained the meaning behind “Pushin P.” “P don’t just mean Playa, P also mean paper too,” he said. “You could be pushing this P with paper too.”

In total, DS4EVER presents 20 tracks and additional features from 21 Savage, Drake, G Herbo, Lil Baby, Kodak Black, Yung Bleu, Chloe Bailey, Nechie, Chris Brown, and Roddy Ricch.

You can listen to “Pushing P” in the video above.

DS4EVER is out now via YSL Records/300 Entertainment. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Stream The Weeknd’s New Album ‘Dawn FM’

The Weeknd has wasted no time in 2022 to release his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, which is officially out into the world and now streaming. The album features appearances from Quincy Jones, Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, Oneohtrix Point Never, and believe it or not, even actor Jim Carrey.

In the lead up to Dawn FM, a trailer described it as “A new sonic universe from the mind of the weekend.” While no singles were released ahead of time, the entire project is now streaming everywhere and you can listen to it here:

The online shop for the album is also live, and it features multiple different physical editions of the album including two separate “Collector’s Vinyl” copies with alternate album artwork. The album cover of a gray-haired Abel Tesfaye looking much older than he actually is, has become an instantly notorious image.

Stream The Weeknd’s new album, Dawn FM, above and check out the tracklist, album art and collector’s vinyl artwork below.

The Weeknd Dawn FM
The Weeknd

1. “Dawn FM”
2. “Gasoline”
3. “How Do I Make You Love Me?”
4. “Take My Breath”
5. “Sacrifice”
6. “A Tale By Quincy”
7. “Out Of Time”
8. “Here We Go… Again”
9. “Best Friends”
10. “Is There Someone Else?”
11. “Starry Eyes”
12. “Every Angel Is Terrifying”
13. “Don’t Break My Heart”
14. “I Heard You’re Married”
15. “Less Than Zero”
16. “Phantom Regret By Jim”

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Stream Gunna’s New Album ‘Drip Season 4,’ Featuring Future, Young Thug, Roddy Rich, And More

Nearly four years since the the third installment in his mixtape series dropped, the cycle is now complete as Gunna’s Drip Season 4 is officially out and available for streaming everywhere. DS4 arrives less than a week after Gunna announced the release date via an Instagram video trailer.

The list of features on Drip Season 4 is loaded, with appearances from a mix of usual suspects and new collaborators, including 21 Savage, Drake, G Herbo, Lil Baby, Young Thug, Kodak Black, Yung Bleu, and Chloe Bailey. The single “Too Easy” also features an appearance from Future, with the “Too Easy (Remix)” bonus track featuring both Roddy Rich and Future.

Gunna confirmed that Drip Season 4 is indeed the final installment of the mixtape series, commenting on a photo of the album cover on Instagram with “DS4 EVER The Fourth And Final Installment.”

Stream Gunna’s new album Drip Season 4 above and peep the full tracklist below.

1. “Private Island”
2. “Pushin P” feat. Future and Young Thug
3. “Poochie Gown”
4. “Mop” feat. Young Thug
5. “Thought I Was Playing” feat. 21 Savage
6. “Pussy Power” feat. Drake
7. “How You Do That” feat. Kodak Black
8. “Alotta Cake”
9. “Livin Wild”
10. “You & Me” feat. Chloë Bailey
11. “South to West”
12. “25K Jacket” feat. Lil Baby
13. “Too Easy” feat. Future
14. “IDK That Bitch” feat. G Herbo
15. “Flooded”
16. “Life of Sin” feat. Meechie
17. “Die Alone” feat. Yung Bleu and Chris Brown
18. “Missing Me”
19. “So Far Ahead > Empire”
20. “Too Easy (Remix)” feat. Future and Roddy Ricch

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.