Month: January 2022

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 23 (NBC, 8:00pm) — Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, and the rest of the crew return to investigate a wave of Christmas Eve hate crimes. On a personal note, Rollins is dealing with a repeat visit from an old flame.

Law & Order: Organized Crime: Season 2 (NBC, 9:00pm) — Dylan McDermott recently returned, and Chris Meloni’s beard has been getting lost. This week, Stabler joins forces with an informant with a surprising identity after a notorious cybercriminal goes on the lam.

Ghosts: Season 1 (CBS, 9:00pm) — Is Sheryl a ghost now? That’s what Sam and Jay seek to find out, all while Sassapis is angling with his fellow ghosts about an overheard conversation.

The Wasteland (Netflix film) — 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.

In case you missed this streaming pick from last week:

The Lost Daughter (Netflix film) — Olivia Colman portrays Leda, a vacationer who becomes obsessed with a young mother and daughter who also hang on the beach while their extended family isn’t so idyllic. Leda also becomes consumed with her own past, which arrived with a difficult bout of young motherhood, and she falls into an impulsive act that rocks her inner world. Maggie Gyllenhaal finally becomes a first-time director here with her adapted script of the Elena Ferrante novel of the same name. Expect to also see plenty of Dakota Johnson, along with Jessie Buckley, Ed Harris, and Peter Sarsgaard.

As much as the internet and social media have been boons to the music industry — especially those artists in hip-hop, who can use these digital tools to build fanbases without the resources afforded to major artists — it can also be a detriment. This is mainly in the form of unsubstantiated and often ridiculous rumors that can spread online like wildfire in the time it takes the artist to leave their studio sessions.

NLE Choppa has found that out a few times, most recently this week, when a headline claiming he’d been hospitalized surfaced and circulated until he was able to call it out. While rappers getting hospitalized is unfortunately not all that unusual, in this case, the reason for his supposed medical emergency was so outrageous he couldn’t help but posit that “If you believe this, you just slow.” According to the headline, was actually from a satire page on Instagram, he’d been laid low after guzzling human breast milk, of all things.

It’s easy to see how his predilection toward homeopathic and alternative remedies might make him a ripe target for parody. In the past, he’s embraced vaccine conspiracy theories, offered chlorophyll as an alternative to lean, opposed McDonald’s’ collaboration with Travis Scott to promote vegan diets, and threatened to quit rap to become a full-time herbalist. Of course, there’s a limit to satire — and despite the page’s rather large disclaimer, there will always be those who are either incredibly credulous or who only hear the information second or third-hand. Remember, folks, always check the original source.

The last two E3’s have been odd, to say the least. With E3 2020 being cancelled completely and E3 2021 being a digital only event there was a hope for some that E3 2022 would be able to go back to being an in-person event. There were reports that it could be a digital and physical hybrid event of some kind, but there were definite hopes that 2022 would have the event return to being an in-person affair in some capacity.

However, it appears that will not be the case. On Thursday, the Electronic Software Association that hosts and runs E3 said in a statement to GamesBeat that due to concerns with COVID-19 the event would once again be digital only. While obviously last year’s showing was just fine doing that, it does mean that the ESA will not be able to make the likelier higher profits it would have received had the event been an in-person showing.

“Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022,” the ESA said in a statement to GamesBeat. “We are nonetheless excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

For some people, this is going to be unfortunate news. There’s a desire for the world to return to some sense of normalcy, and while many will argue that there just isn’t a need for giant stage show events like E3 anymore, a digital only event just isn’t the same. What we do wonder however is how much longer an event like E3 will be able to continue operation.

Further reports from IGN’s Rebekah Valentine only contributed to the idea that E3’s future is in doubt. It’s being reported that E3 potentially gave up on the idea of having an in-person E3 as recent as fall of 2021, and their lack of communication in regards to not only a physical E3 but a digital one is leaving many wondering if an event will be happening at all.

This effectively means that currently, E3 2022’s very existence is uncertain. With no dates set and no physical event planned, that would theoretically leave a possibility for a digital showcase. But in a follow-up communication with IGN, the ESA added that it could not confirm at this time whether or not there would be a digital event this year instead of the physical event, as there was in 2021.

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Other industry sources suggested that while they would typically have heard about formal plans for E3 by now — digital or physical — the ESA’s silence on the matter had been deafening, and they are unsure what the plan is at all, if any.

We’ve seen the importance of E3 shrink over the last few years. Major publishers like EA and Sony have pulled out of the event in some capacity, Nintendo has been hosting digital only directs instead of stage shows for years, and in this technological age, many of us aren’t sure what the purpose of E3 is anymore. Is it a trade show? An event to show off cool games? A convention? Does the ESA even know anymore? We’ll just have to wait and see what more information the ESA will have to share about whatever E3 is going to be. If there even is an E3 anymore.

Jill Scott recently rang in the new year by “speaking specifics” about her resolutions and “manifesting like crazy.” But unless the famed R&B singer was manifesting a sex tape rumor, it looks like her manifestations may not have been specific enough. The internet’s rumor mill was working overtime this week when Twitter lit up with speculations that Scott had a NSFW video floating around somewhere. But even the best sleuths couldn’t come up with any evidence the video existed before Scott caught wind of the talk.

Hours after Twitter lit up with rumors of her sex tape, Scott herself took to the app to shut down the gossip — and she had the best response. Rather than getting mad at people for believing the lie, Scott said she expects her fans to bring the same energy to supporting her actual career. “Say word!?! I expect this energy when my new movies, albums and tv show drop,” she wrote. “Ya’ll too much. #headedbacktowork #hydrate”

Of course, her mention of “movies” caught the attention of some.

While the rumors aren’t at all true, it’s not the first time Scott broke the internet. Back in 2020, Scott’s Verzuz battle with Erykah Badu broke the show’s previously-held viewership record by raking in over 750k viewers and garnering one billion impressions across the internet.

Jim Jones, of the Harlem rap crew The Diplomats, is a couple of years removed from his last full-length project, 2019’s El Capo, and while he’s off album cycle, that hasn’t stopped him from making the usual media rounds for rappers trying to stay relevant in the fast-paced streaming era. His latest stop was Angela Yee‘s Lip Service podcast, where she talks about relationships and sex with hip-hop and R&B stars — the perfect venue for the sort of unusual, potentially viral quote that keeps one’s name in the headlines.

Jones, who recently ended his feud with French Montana, definitely delivered, offering up a semi-scandalous description of one of his earliest learning experiences in the arena of intimacy. When asked about his sex education, Jones shared that his mom was a big part of it — including teaching him how to kiss. When Yee asked what instructions he was given, she — and her listeners — were surprised to learn that this part of his education was (ahem) hands-on. “There wasn’t no instructions, she showed me with her mouth,” Jones said.

Naturally, plenty of fans had opinions, with the sentiment that Jones was taken advantage of prevailing. Many of the messages that popped up found fans calling Jones an unknowing victim of abuse, with more than a few chastening other commenters for cracking wise about his revelation. You can see more reactions below.

There’s a good chance that you follow Selena Gomez on Instagram. The multi-hyphenate currently has about 286 million followers on the platform, making her account the seventh most-followed one overall. She was actually the most-followed person on Instagram for over two years before Cristiano Ronaldo took over that title (one he still holds today) in October 2018. Prior to that, only Instagram’s official account had more followers than Gomez. Now, though, Gomez admits that she used to have a “really dangerous” relationship with the platform.

In a new interview with InStyle, Gomez said of the role social media plays in her self-confidence:

“At one point, Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it. The older I got, the more I evolved and realized that I needed to take control of what I was feeling. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and feel confident to be who I am. Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I’ve ever made for my mental health. I created a system where I still don’t have my passwords. And the unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down. I’ll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much better relationship with myself.”

Gomez also noted that therapy and self-care have been great for her, saying, “I’m a big believer in therapy, and I always feel so confident when I’m taking care of myself. If I’m not in the best headspace and my friends invite me out, I won’t go. I’ve lost my sense of FOMO, which I’m proud of. Sometimes I push myself too much, and it catches up to me. But I try to balance out everything as best as I can. I like to be there for my friends and celebrate everyone. But I have to make sure that I’m OK, you know? Because if I’m not OK, I can’t be OK for other people.”

Check out the full interview here.

Happy New Year everyone! We think 2022 has the potential to be one of the biggest years in gaming yet. With so many big titles coming out, some new hardware, and a full year of the new generation under our belts, we can’t see a downside for this year in gaming..

As we enter the new year, we’re expecting another strong year for Game Pass as well. Not only can we expect some new releases to come straight to the service, but we’re also anticipating playing some all-time classics as they’re added to it throughout the year. January is starting off no different by kicking off the year with some bangers. Not really interested in what’s coming? Why not try what’s been on the service for a while. These are our choices for the month.

One New – Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

One of the greatest video game franchises ever, Mass Effect was the must-play sci-fi RPG/third-person shooter of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 generation of consoles. The game was revered for its multilayered conversations and dialogue choices that would impact not only the outcome of events in the game, but events in future games. It made repeat play-throughs a must and gave everyone a different experience to talk about with friends. It’s hard to explain now, but getting together and discussing what choices led to which outcomes was a huge point in the franchise’s favor back when it first came out.

While many people felt the final ending of Mass Effect 3 as a low point for the franchise, it’s still an experience that is worth going through. It’s a perfect game for Game Pass because it gives everyone who hasn’t played it before a reliable entry point. Anyone who hasn’t played it can jump in for the first time ,while those of us who haven’t experienced it since the originals can see all the upgrades that were made in the Legendary Edition. This is the absolute must play on Game Pass this month.

One Going Away – Kingdom Hearts III

The biggest title leaving this month is Kingdom Hearts III. The climactic finish to the Xehanort Saga, Kingdom Hearts III is what some gamers wanted for 15 years. However, many of them were surprised to see that all those “spin-off” games that had been releasing over the years were actually establishing the main plot of the third game. Was it worth the wait? That depends on who you ask. The ending of this game left a lot of people feeling mixed and frustrated, because while it closes one chapter, it left open another.

That said, we still recommend this game because we’re sure some of you have been putting off completing the Kingdom Hearts trilogy for one reason or another. We don’t recommend making this your first Kingdom Hearts game, but if you want to see the absurdity and go in completely blind, we can’t stop you. The game is leaving on January 15, so play it while you can.

One Staying – Unpacking

Unpacking came out towards the end of 2021 and flew under the radar. It started to make some noise right as the new year hit and unfortunately missed out on a handful of Game of the Year lists because of that. It’s following the traditional indie path of spreading through word of mouth and then getting more popular as time goes on. One of the reasons it’s been getting popular has been because of Game Pass, which lets people try it out.

So, what is Unpacking? It’s puzzle game where you unpack a room, but the puzzle is less about where items should go and more about learning new details about the person for whom you’re unpacking. As the games goes on, you learn more about this person and see how they’ve changed or stayed the same throughout the years. Where the game truly shines though is in the details. You can spot small recognizable pieces like a Nintendo Game Cube, or a divot in a painting from where the fridge door has opened into it. Finding those small details and experiencing the very simple and relaxing gameplay makes this a great game to pop on whenever you’re stressed out. We recommend at minimum giving it a try.

Games coming to Game Pass in January

Gorogoa (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available Now
Olija (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available Now
The Pedestrian (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available Now
Embr (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 6
Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Console and PC) – January 6
Outer Wilds (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 6
Spelunky 2 (Console and PC) – January 13
The Anacrusis (Console and PC) – January 13

Leaving on January 15

Desperados III (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Ghost of a Tale (PC)
Kingdom Hearts III (Console)
Mount & Blade: Warband (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Pandemic (Console and PC)

Last year, UPROXX Sessions ended on a West Coast favorite, and for the first UPROXX Sessions of 2022, another one comes through with his own take on that laid-back LA sound. Compton veteran Jay Worthy pulls up to perform his verse from Westside Gunn’s “Survivor Series 95,” which also features Bay Area stalwart Larry June on the album version.

For his Sessions set, though, Jay rolls solo, decked out in a Supreme hoodie and balaclava, which has the added benefit of adhering to COVID safety regulations while he cruises through his boastful, tough-guy rhymes. Jay, who dropped three projects in 2021 (No Sleep for the Wicked, No Sleep for the Wicked, and Two4Two), is managed by Griselda Records and recently told Complex he’s working on a joint project with LA producer Dâm-Funk. Thanks to his independent status and prolific grind, though, he could drop anything at any time.

Watch Jay Worthy perform his “Survivor Series 95” 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.

FKA Twigs officially kicked off her new era of music last month with the simmering The Weeknd collaboration “Tears In The Club,” and fans won’t have to wait much longer to hear the rest of the project. On Wednesday, the UK singer officially announced that her 17-track mixtape, Caprisongs, is slated for a January 14 release and features artists like Jorja Smith and Daniel Caesar.

Unveiling the tracklist and cover art on social media, FKA Twigs wrote that the album is an ode to “togetherness” and marks her journey back to herself and her sound:

“CAPRISONGS is my journey back to myself through my amazing collaborators and friends. it’s bronzer in the sink, alco pop on the side, a cherry lolly, apple juice when you’re thirsty, friends in the park, your favourite person, that one sentence somebody said to you that changed everything, a club pre-game, your bestie who is always late but brings the most to the party, meeting a friend at the airport, just togetherness. And my world: London, Hackney, Los Angeles, New York City and Jamaica.

It’s my stubborn Caprisun ass telling me to work thru my pain by delivering at work, don’t think just go studio and create. My Sagi moon being the enigmatic temptress craving the club, to dance and to be social and my Pisces/Venus hot mess disastrous heart falling in love all over again. But this time with music and with myself.”

Check out FKA Twigs’ Caprisongs cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Ride The Dragon”
2. “Honda” Feat. Pa Salieu
3. “Meta Angel”
4. “Tears In The Club” Feat. The Weeknd
5. “Oh My Love”
6. “Pamplemousse”
7. “Caprisongs Interlude”
8. “Lightbeamers”
9. “Papi Bones” Feat. Shygirl
10. “Which Way” Feat. Dystopia
11. “Jealousy” Feat. Rema
12. “Careless” Feat. Daniel Caesar
13. “Minds Of Men”
14. “Minds Of Men (Outro)”
15. “Darjeeling” Feat. Jorja Smith and Unknown T
16. “Christi Interlude”
17. “Thank You Song”

Caprisongs is out 1/14 via Young Recordings/Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

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

While working remotely on Thursday after both co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sara Haines tested positive for COVID, the ladies of The View discussed Joe Biden’s January 6 speech where he specifically refused to say Donald Trump‘s name. To be clear, Biden did lay the blame for the U.S. Capitol attack at Trump’s feet, but he did it by repeatedly referring to him as “the former president,” which Ana Navarro felt was kind of weird. Ultimately she felt that Biden’s speech was “forceful” and “brilliant,” but Navarro would’ve appreciated seeing Trump get called out by name.

Via The Wrap:

“I am sorry he didn’t pronounce Donald Trump’s name,” Navarro said. “When he says the former president, which he said 16 times, he should have said Donald J. Trump is responsible for what happened, and said his name. This is not Harry Potter. Donald Trump is not Lord Voldemort. :et us call out his name and lay the blame where the blame should be placed.”

Joy Behar, on the other hand, disagreed and argued that Biden didn’t need to specifically say Trump’s name because everyone knows who he’s talking about.

“I think that Americans know precisely who he’s referring to,” Behar said. “Just as they knew for years that Whoopi, when she would say ‘you know who’, we know exactly who she was referring to. So I don’t think that that’s a big deal. It’s almost like [Biden] can’t say his name really, because it bothers him.”

(Via The Wrap)