Month: February 2022

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On a special new episode of Pod Yourself A Gun, Robert Iler stops by to talk about growing up on The Sopranos set with Tony Sirico making sure nobody is getting molested.

A big get for the PYAG boys, Robert Iler, the talented actor best known to this pod for playing mafia fail-son Anthony Soprano Jr and now known as the co-host of the Pajama Pants pod, joins Matt and Vince to talk about growing up on The Sopranos set, his influence on AJ’s Nu Metal wardrobe, partying so hard that the entire city of New York can’t keep up, and the life of a professional poker player.

If you are a regular listener, you’ll know that AJ Soprano is the podcast’s id. He just wants to chill, skate, eat ziti, and not destroy the environment. Listen as Matt and Vince get behind the scenes dirt from the actor who brought the unforgettable character to life.

The most surprising reveal from the extensive interview is that Robert has seen the first two episodes of every season (they were played at each season’s premiere party) and has no interest in seeing the rest of the series. I guess when you lived it, you don’t get the same satisfaction from seeing a young Paul Dano say “That p*ssy’s yours… We shall know forsooth.”

If you were Robert, would you have kept the prop money? Let us know in a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.

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-Description by Brent Flyberg.

Nintendo had a Direct on Wednesday primarily to focus on releases for the first half of 2022. While there was a definite hope for some heavy hitters, nobody was expecting too much for this Direct, especially since most of us thought that Nintendo had pretty much wrapped up some big releases over the holiday season. Oh, how wrong all of us were, because this Direct featured the return of a once dormant franchise, a handful of fantastic ports, an update to a multiplayer classic, and a sequel to one of the best JRPG franchises on the console. Here’s what we learned from a wild February Nintendo Direct.

Mario Strikers: Battle League

Arguably the biggest announcement of the entire direct was the return of the Mario Strikers franchise. No other game announced during the Direct has a wider appeal among both hardcore Nintendo fans and casual ones than a game like Strikers. Mario Strikers: Battle League is going to release this summer and it’s expected to come to us with a boatload of online features. While all of us were expecting that same chaotic gameplay we’ve come to know and love, none of us were expecting the plethora of online modes coming to this new game. The club mode in particular sounds incredibly fun and the perfect game for college dorms across the world. Let’s hope this game is as good as it looks.

Nintendo Switch Sports

Let’s stick with the sports theme and talk about Nintendo Switch Sports! Remember how fun Wii Sports was? Well what if that but new and on the Switch. That is basically what Nintendo Switch Sports is and that is all it really needed to be. The only downside is unlike Wii Sports this game likely isn’t going to be packed into every Switch sold from this point on the way Wii Sports was. Even so, with the return of old favorites like Bowling and Tennis alongside new additions like Volleyball and Soccer, this could still be a game worth spending the extra dollars on.

Splatoon 3 – Salmon Run Next Wave

The biggest complaint about Splatoon 2 at launch was how the new multiplayer mode, Salmon Run, was not available at all times. Hopefully, Splatoon 3 is going to fix that error and allow players free access to the upcoming mode and any changes made to it in Splatoon 3. We got a fun little tease of it during the Direct and we’re excited to try it out more when the game comes out this summer. Splatoon has always been a really fun alternative shooter for players that are tired of the Call of Duty type shooters of the world and a new game is exactly what we need.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe might just be a port of Mario Kart 8 on the Switch, but that hasn’t stopped Nintendo from giving it updates. While many of us were anticipating news about a rumored new Mario Kart game in development, Nintendo made it clear that its not quite done with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe yet. During the Direct, it announced paid DLC that is going to bring updated versions of 48 courses across the entire Mario Kart series. These courses will be released across six waves, but players can gain access to all of them by paying for the Booster Course Pass. If that sounds a lot like the way it handled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC then that’s because, well it is. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Xenoblade Chronicles is, in a literal sense, one of the biggest JRPG franchises out there. It isn’t as culturally relevant as a Final Fantasy or as popular as a Persona, but the worlds in these games are massive and a delight to explore. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is another one of these and the idea of falling in love with a new world yet again is incredibly exciting. Every JRPG has a niche that makes it fun and Xenoblade Chronicles more than anything else is fun to explore. Those words are so incredibly well crafted with little details spread out throughout all of them. Playtime for a regular playthrough of these games can easily exceed 100 hours and at least 30 of those hours will have been spent just exploring. Not checking off a checklist of quests. Not following the plot. Just exploring and seeing what the world has to offer. These games are fantastic and September can’t come soon enough.

Kirby is a pink ball that sucks up his enemies and steals their powers. This has been the premise of one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters for decades and in March he will be making his 3D adventure debut for the Nintendo Switch. For those of us who couldn’t wait to find out more about Kirby’s new game, Nintendo showed a tease of the upcoming game during Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct.

While the trailer did show us plenty of new features, and some more details about this new world we’ll be exploring, it also gave us a look at one of his new powers. Mouthful Mode. This is when Kirby sucks up something that is larger than expected.

Of course, with this new mode, there were immediately a few jokes about what Kirby can become with his new power.

Where most of the focus went though was on how Kirby briefly turned into a car and how bizarre it looked. He didn’t really become a car but instead just kind of bent his body around it like some kind of cover. It was a little uncomfortable, but also extremely funny.

So what did the internet immediately do with this new form of Kirby? Meme it of course. What else would it do?

It also came up with the only good nickname needed for this new Kirby form. Carby. Simple and effective. Just like Kirby!

If Nintendo wants to immediately become the most self aware company ever then they will sponsor a stock car in a NASCAR race this year to get a Carby paint job. Think about it Nintendo!

Justin Bieber he been quiet start so far this new year, but things are about to ramp up for him soon. The singer is set to both host and perform at a Homecoming event in Los Angeles during Super Bowl weekend, at which DJ and producer Marshmello will also perform. The show will come days before Bieber sets out on his Justice World Tour, which is set to feature Jaden, ¿Téo?, Eddie Benjamin, and Harry Hudson as opening acts. Days before all of this gets going, Bieber finds himself in a bit of controversy after he was spotted with another, controversial artist in the studio.

Bieber and Tory Lanez were pictured in the studio together and it earned harsh reactions from fans all over the music world. Tory is currently facing two felony gun charges for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot during the summer of 2020. He’s denied the allegations, but the matter has earned him plenty of criticism, with names like Kehlani, JoJo, Bun B and speaking out against him.

Considering the fact that an assault against a woman was committed, especially one that involved a gun, many fans hoped their favorite acts would distance themselves from Lanez. However, it’s not clear what Lanez and Bieber were doing in the studio together, and if any music was recorded. What we do know is a lot of people were not happy about it:

https://twitter.com/cooIpeopIe/status/1491556032602157065?s=20&t=RTN18xBLBjzsGa9q3TK5cw

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

On Wednesday there was good and bad news: Futurama was once again returning, this time to Hulu, much as Animaniacs did in 2020. But there was a catch: It will be without one of its key voice talents. John DiMaggio, the voice acting legend who played the beloved sci-fi cartoon’s foul-mouthed, alcoholic robot Bender, was reportedly not returning. The reason was allegedly stalled negotiations between he and the studio that produces the show. Still, there was hope that something could work out and the role wouldn’t have to be recast after all.

While DiMaggio hasn’t publicly commented on the dispute, he did do the next best thing: As caught by Deadline, he re-tweeted lots of Futurama fans miffed that he wasn’t returning.

“Without @TheJohnDiMaggio #Futurama & @hulu can bite my metal shiny ass,” one person commented, alluding to one of Bender’s favorite catchphrases. Another wrote that, without DiMaggio, “this isn’t good news, everyone,” this one referencing something said by another character, Professor Farnsworth, voiced by Billy West.

The good news is that every other major voice actor save DiMaggio was coming back, including West, who voices Philip J. Fry, the late ‘90s pizza delivery man who winds up unwittingly frozen for 1,000 years, awakening in a much-changed future. Ditto Katey Segal (Turanga Leela), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong), Phil La Marr (Hermes Conrad), and more.

But the lack of DiMaggio leaves a gaping hole, and it’s hard to imagine anyone summoning the right alchemy that he brought to the role of the show’s most gleefully caustic character. Here are some more tweets the actor nudgingly tweeted, intimating that he agrees.

Again, while DiMaggio hasn’t publicly commented on the development, sometimes retweets are endorsements. Should enough people raise a fuss, the bad news may not be bad for all that longer.

(Via Deadline)

Every time the Lakers appear to have reached rock bottom this season, they find they can dig a bit deeper, most recently getting blown out on national TV by the Milwaukee Bucks. That result prompted LeBron James to say he doesn’t see how the Lakers can get on the Bucks level this season, and numerous reports to emerge out of the locker room that they are of the belief that this team cannot compete at anywhere close to a championship level, no matter how healthy they are, this season.

That’s not exactly shocking news for anyone who has watched much of the Lakers this season, but players are usually the last to realize (or at least admit) that they aren’t capable of winning. With the trade deadline looming, that has only further fueled the idea that Russell Westbrook, who was held out of the closing rotation once again on Tuesday night, might be on the block as he has simply not fit what the Lakers need next to LeBron and Anthony Davis and often seems to be actively hurting the team’s chances of winning.

Inside the organization there seem to be two camps regarding Westbrook, based on the reporting that’s emerged recently, even if just about everyone agrees this isn’t working. The first is that they can’t move him at the trade deadline even if they probably should pull the rip cord, because they just can’t admit defeat on such a massive trade so soon after making it. The other, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin noted on Wednesday night’s SportsCenter, is ready to “rip the Band-Aid off” and try to make a Westbrook trade in the next 20 hours.

The problem, of course, is that trading Westbrook requires a team to want to trade for him. Finding that team is incredibly difficult, unless the Lakers want to run back last year’s Wizards-Rockets trade of John Wall for Russell Westbrook (and sending out their 2027 pick), or simply seeking out a place willing to eat a large chunk Westbrook’s salary along with a first round pick (having already given one of those up to get him) — say, in OKC for a homecoming. That seems to be about the list of suitors for Westbrook as of right now, but maybe the Lakers can find something a bit more palatable by Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

If they don’t, it’s hard to see any way this team comes back from this point to become a contender again this season, if for no other reason than it’s been about a month straight of leaks about how people internally don’t believe in Westbrook.

Social media can be a cold, cruel place, with users all too ready to pounce on anyone who missteps — especially if the offender is an entertainer with tons of followers and a catalog of beloved works. However, sometimes social media brings out the kinder side of people when they really behind someone who has been taken advantage of or otherwise harmed, offering messages of encouragement and support. Fortunately for Isaiah Rashad, he’s receiving the latter after a hacker reportedly leaked Isaiah’s sex tape, outing him in the process.

The TDE rapper is coming off a 2021 that saw him recovering from the destructive results of an addiction to prescription pills and alcohol to release the long-awaited follow-up to his fan-favorite 2016 debut album, The Sun’s Tirade. The new album, titled The House Is Burning, marked a successful comeback for the Chattanooga, Tennessee native, landing in the top ten of Billboard‘s US albums chart and spawning catchy singles such as “Lay Wit Ya,” “Headshots (4r Da Locals),” “Wat U Sed,” and “From The Garden,” with a deluxe version adding four new tracks including “RIP Young” with Juicy J and Project Pat.

While there are naturally plenty of toxic responses from trolls, the overwhelming majority of reactions have been supportive and comforting Rashad, while also admonishing the guilty parties. Rashad himself has yet to respond; stay tuned for any updates.

The Mario sports games are all great, but the underrated high point of the genre is arguably Mario Strikers. Mario’s arcade soccer franchise first debuted on the Nintendo GameCube and its fast-paced, intense gameplay became a quick favorite among fans. It turns out that when you take an already loved sport like soccer and give it wacky Mario powers-ups, it’s easy to fall in love.

Unfortunately, the last time we received a game in the Strikers franchise was Mario Strikers Charged on the Wii. As games like Mario Golf and Mario Tennis received numerous sequels, Mario Strikers fell into the background.

Despite this, fans continued asking for a new game in the franchise, and their wishes were finally answered during Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct. Mario Strikers: Battle League has been unveiled, and it looks just as wacky as the two previous games in the franchise. With this sequel, we’re getting new power-ups, new sidekicks, and new online multiplayer.

For over a decade, fans have been waiting for a new Mario Strikers game. It had been so long that it honestly started to feel like we were never going to get a sequel. That made Wednesday’s announcement a very pleasant surprise, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that the online additions are all brilliant. Many friendships will be ended this summer in intense battles on the pitch. It’s going to be so fun.

Big winners are all the rage on American game shows. Jeopardy! had two all-timers in the last six months alone: Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider, the latter who wound up being second only to Ken Jennings in terms of consecutive wins. Co-host Mayim Bialik even floated a theory on why that is. The trend has even seeped into Wheel of Fortune, the show that ether follows or precedes Jeopardy!, depending on the market, to the surprise of longtime host Pat Sajak.

As per People, Tuesday night’s episode saw something that’s never happened on the show over its 47-year history: Contestants won the much-coveted, super-rare $100,000 grand prize two nights in a row.

It all started on the episode that aired Monday, when Lisa Kramer ended the show not only triumphant but with a total haul of $116,700. Then it happened again. On Tuesday night’s show, Mark Baer surprised Sajak by nabbing yet another grand prize, bringing his cume to $126,550.

When Baer nabbed the prize, Sajak was genuinely taken aback. “It’s never happened. And wouldn’t you know it, I just sold all my confetti stock,” he joked. “There’s always something new around here, isn’t there? That’s incredible.”

This comes after the show celebrated another milestone: In December, Sajak celebrated his 40th anniversary of hosting the phrase-guessing show.

When the big day came, Sajak put it all into perspective. “When I started hosting ‘Wheel’ (with Susan Stafford) on this date 40 years ago, the top 10 TV shows included ‘Dallas,’ ‘Three’s Company,’ ‘The Jeffersons’ and ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’” he tweeted. “Ronald Reagan was in his 1st year as president. Number 1 song: Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical.’”

(Via People)

ESPN has been searching for years for a hit broadcast booth for Monday Night Football, and while they still may be searching for that, they have absolutely found a winner with their Manningcast alternative broadcast on ESPN2. Some good news for fans is that the Manningcast is going to continue through the 2024 season during Monday Night Football, but that won’t be all.

After signing a deal with Peyton and Eli Manning to have them do 10 broadcasts this season in which they sat on couches at home, talked ball, and had guests come on for interviews, Disney was clearly looking for a way to replicate that in other areas. However, a big part of the appeal of the Manningcast is, specifically, that it is the Mannings, not just any pair of former players, and that has been the stumbling block for just about every discussion about how to create a copycat broadcast in other sports. Few players are as well known as the Mannings and make viewers want to watch them talk about anything and everything, and it appears Disney and ESPN have come to that recognition themselves.

To help find those personalities, ESPN has worked out a new expanded deal with Peyton, Eli, and Omaha Productions that will keep the Mannings on a 10-game Monday Night Football schedule through 2024, but also have them produce alternative broadcasts for UFC fights, golf, and college football — with other hosts in the Manning roles.

The extension will add a fourth year (through 2024 season) for Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, featuring a 10-game annual slate of alternative productions to ESPN’s traditional Monday Night Football telecast. Additionally, the agreement calls for alternative presentations (with other hosts) for UFC, college football and golf to be produced by Omaha Productions in collaboration with ESPN.

For each of those sport categories, there will be multiple events per year showcasing alternative viewing options. For college football, the commitment will be comprised of regular-season and post-season matchups, including the College Football Playoff National Championship. For golf and UFC, select events will be included annually. Hosts for each sport will be named at a future date.

Initial reports suggested it would be Peyton and Eli doing UFC events, which would’ve been fascinating to see, but seeking out hosts more familiar with those sports is probably the smart move. The most consistent strength of the Manningcast is their insight into the game of football and how easily they break down the game in a smart, digestible manner. However, finding athletes from the world of UFC, golf, and college football with the same cache will be tough, but having Peyton and Eli running the show might intrigue bigger names to hop on board.