Month: March 2022

Female comic book fans are used to waiting.

It’s what they’ve done for over a decade, gamely supporting countless Batman reboots and Spider-Man series; filling theater seats for the likes of Iron Man and Captain America. Women, in general, have modified their cinematic tastes over the years, acclimating to an industry that doesn’t always consider them a high priority when choosing which franchise to boost next – an industry that, up until a few years ago, seemingly couldn’t fathom the idea that a woman might double as a comic book nerd.

And then, Wonder Woman happened.

The film by Patty Jenkins – while not technically the first female-fronted superhero property to grace a screen – marked a huge step forward in the fight for equality amongst the preternaturally-powered-vigilantes-in-spandex set. While Marvel had been churning out crowd-pleasing ensemble-driven romps for years, they’d only allowed women a piece of the action, saving the headlining spots for the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth. Despite having robust plot potential with established characters like Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), sequels to already-cemented storylines were the bread-and-butter they were feeding audiences. At one point, the studio bumped back the release of a planned Captain Marvel outing a few months (along with Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther project, which jumped from 2017 to 2018) in favor of yet another Spider-Man entry after snagging the ability to bring the web-slinger into their universe. But DC – a studio still struggling, in many ways, to find a voice that separated its heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe crew – managed to beat their rivals to the finish line. They handed Jenkins the reigns, propelled a fairly unknown Gal Gadot to superstardom, and introduced a novel concept: women superheroes sell.

Fans who had been clamoring for better representation on screen finally had Gadot’s Diana Prince, an Amazonian descendent of gods whose compassion and belief in humanity fueled her superhuman abilities. Soon, Marvel’s Captain Marvel would follow, giving movie fans an introduction to Carol Danvers, a woman underestimated her entire life, who finally socks it to the patriarchy (literally) – on Earth and in space.

Sure, within the world of TV, women had been wearing capes and kicking ass for a while. From Linda Carter’s early days to more recent CW fare like Legends of Tomorrow and CBS’ Supergirl (a character that also got a solo film in the ’80s with Helen Slater in the lead), the small screen seemed more willing to experiment with genre – in terms of its heroes and its audience. But the idea that major studios would take (what they perceived as) a risk on female-fronted film franchises in this modern era was a longer time coming, and one that has sometimes had its share of stumbles (Wonder Woman: 1984), scrapped solo outings, and unwarranted backlash from a smaller subset of the fandom.

That pushback, coupled with Hollywood’s historical tendency to throw in the towel on planned diversity investments the minute a film’s projected box office numbers begin to dip, is what makes this renaissance of female-led superhero stories so exciting, hopeful even. It’s as if, with the success of shows like WandaVision and Hawkeye, and the long-awaited genesis of that solo Black Widow film, fans are finally seeing the fruits of their labor – and by labor we mean the unimaginable effort it’s taken to not rail at the lack of comic book heroines on screen for the last 10 years.

Take WandaVision, a show that likely would’ve been impossible to get made a decade ago. It’s a story about a grieving witch with superpowers who accidentally holds an entire town hostage in an alternate reality she’s created to live out a fantasized existence with her dead lover. Who the hell was pitching that in the Marvel boardroom back in the day? WandaVision expertly blended the best tropes in genre storytelling, packaging them for TV and using the medium to elevate the arcs of characters who never fully got their due on the big screen. Creator Jac Schaeffer was allowed to experiment with Wanda’s story – playing with different decades, testing shooting styles, introducing new heroes – in large part because Wanda’s abilities were so unique and her background was so singular that the possibilities in terms of plot were limitless. Even the wildest twists and most bizarre interactions on the show work, not in spite of the story being told from a woman’s point of view, but precisely because Wanda is a supernaturally powered heroine who’s suffered and lost her way.

The same can be said for Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson put years into the character, finding tiny moments of introspective study while battling alien invasions in Midtown and managing the male egos of her fellow Avengers in films like Civil War. It took the world ending – quite literally – along with a tragic sacrifice for Marvel to finally give us a glimpse of who Natasha Romanoff was away from the Avengers compound. Helmed by Aussie director Cate Shortland, the long-awaited Black Widow solo-film might have been a flashback (you know, to the days when the character was still ALIVE) but it eschewed treading old ground by focusing solely on Natasha’s other found family – the one she thought she’d lost to the Red Room years earlier. By highlighting the character’s unbreakable bond with her sister, Yelena (Florence Pugh) and her “parents” Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weiz) and the Red Guardian (David Harbour) shed invaluable light on a woman whose mysteriousness was her defining trait for too long. Natasha’s driving motivation throughout the film – to destroy the place that traumatized her as a child and to liberate the women still held captive there – felt decidedly feminist but, even more importantly, it reflected a woman’s growth, from victim to survivor to a needed catalyst for change.

That’s what so many of the new superhero projects with women at the forefront seem to be doing – spotlighting these characters in a way that celebrates the things that make them different from their male counterparts without shying away from the realities of what being a woman – even a mind-bogglingly powerful one – entails. We saw it with Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman, and we’re still seeing it with shows like Hawkeye as Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop fights to prove herself to her mentor (and her mother) and with Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman in The Batman. Whether you’d dub Selina Kyle a superhero or not, she is the only character in the film that feels on equal footing with the man in the cowl and her arc – from a young woman forced to survive on the streets, catering to men who view her as a commodity, to a vigilante seeking revenge, to the woman who saves the hero in the end (in more ways than one) – felt surprisingly fulfilling.

And with the success of these films and TV shows, fans of female superheroes only have more women kicking major ass to look forward to. From Nia DaCosta’s next entry in the Captain Marvel series to a spinoff focused on WandaVision’s antagonist Agatha Harkness, Taika Waititi’s new Thor film handing the hammer to Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, more of the Dora Milaje in the Black Panther sequel, Batgirl, Ms. Marvel, and the possibility of more Harley Quinn, likely in a Gotham City Sirens project, the future suddenly looks bright for women who have been waiting their turn for long enough. And, as long as these movies and shows continue to place characters above multiverse timelines, fleshing out everything that makes these women so compelling as superheroes, the wait will have been worth it.

This article originally appeared on 10.24.19

True acts of sportsmanship are always a delight to see. And a video shared by ESPN that captured a beautiful moment from a women’s soccer match is no exception.

In a WAFF Women’s Club Championship match between Jordan’s Shabab al Ordon Club and Arab Orthodox Club that took place last October, a Muslim player from the latter team had a minor collision with another player that partially removed her hijab.

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For women who cover their hair with the hijab, it is an expression of faith and symbol of modesty. For a hijabi woman to be seen in public without that covering is to feel inappropriately exposed.

The players on the opposing team didn’t wear hijab themselves, but they immediately recognized the potential embarrassment of the player. As soon as they saw her kneel down to replace her head covering, players from Shabab al Ordon Club started gathering around her, signaling their teammates to come and form a shield around her while she put everything back into place. It was a spontaneous act, clearly born of understanding, empathy, and respect. Even though those players did not practice the same custom, and even though it wasn’t even their own teammate, they supported this woman’s adherence to her faith tradition without hesitation and gave her the privacy she needed in the moment.

Watch how quickly the players came to her rescue:

Responses to the video have been largely positive. Some of the comments on the ESPN video include:

“Perfect example of respecting someone’s beliefs even if they aren’t yours. Kudos to them…”

“I don’t understand why it is important. But the fact is, I don’t need to understand it to respect it. That was an amazing show of respect.”

“The character and sportsmanship of these athletes is awe inspiring. Freedom of religion isn’t just for Christianity, but for all religions. Kudos.”

“Wow…beautiful. That is a demonstration on how to appreciate and respect differences. These young girls are leading the way. Fantastic!”

“If only the world were like this, where we all respected and appreciated one other’s differences. I don’t have to believe what you believe to respect you and your right to have that belief. Awesome moment.”

Some things are bigger than sports. What a wonderful example these women set for the world. Kudos, indeed.

Billie Eilish and Finneas, it would seem, are on a mission to get involved with as many iconic film institutions as possible: The pair penned a well-received James Bond theme for No Time To Die, and now they’ve worked on songs for Disney and Pixar’s latest movie, Turning Red.

Aside from 13-year-old Mei transforming into a giant red panda when her emotions get too intense, a core element of the movie seems to be a fictional boyband called 4*Town. That’s where Eilish and Finneas come in, as they wrote songs for the band and Finneas even voices one of the members. Now, in a couple of short videos from Pixar, Eilish and Finneas discuss their experience working on the movie.

This afternoon, Pixar shared a brief two-minute “featurette” titled “Panda Power,” in which Finneas and Eilish pop up for a few seconds to drop some quick quotes. Finneas says, “When we got approached about this project, we leapt at the opportunity.” Eilish added, “It’s literally been the most fun we’ve had writing.”

The movie is set in 2002 and 4*Town sounds very much like a boyband of the era (the asterisk in the band name is as obvious an *NSYNC reference as it gets). Eilish turned a year old at the end of 2002 and Finneas was five that year, so the two likely have fond childhood memories of the music of the era… even if Eilish’s are barely-formed baby memories.

Last week, Pixar shared a different “featurette” video focused just on 4*Town. Eilish and Finneas get more face-time in that one, with Finneas describing his and Eilish’s work on the movie as “songs in the style of [an] early ’00s boyband.” He continued, “It’s the really catchy melody and harmonies and claps and choreography. […] The main ingredient in these boybands is these young, hearthrob-y teens that kids fall in love with.”

Eilish also noted, “Mei and her friends’ passion for 4*Town, it really resonated with me just because I was the same. So accurate of how it feels when you’re that kind of fan. […] There’s this bond that you have people that feel the same. I just… I love the film.”

Elsewhere, director Domee Shi describes 4*Town as “the glue that holds these characters together.”

Watch the Turning Red “featurettes” above and below.

There’s a reason people from all around the world are drawn to New York City. The high-end fashion industry, bustling atmosphere, flashy broadway shows, a heaping of noteworthy tourist attractions, and of course, one of the best nightlife scenes in the nation. In other words: It full of cool people doing cool shit. Don’t ever be surprised if you find yourself walking home as the sun comes up on a Sunday morning in “The City.”

One of the newest additions to the NYC nightlife galaxy is Nebula, an event venue in the heart of midtown that brings massive electronic music talent to the city. With a slew of well-renowned performers in the venue’s lineup, Nebula’s goal is to revive the post-pandemic nightlife scene of the city through its musical programming, state-of-the-art technology, and top-notch hospitality.

The Nebula lineup includes New York-based producer and DJ AMÉMÉ, who will be making his debut appearance this Friday, March 11th (purchase tickets here). And since you’re clearly ready to hit the town and experience all that The Big Apple has to offer, we asked AMÉMÉ to share his guide to the best late-night spots in NYC.

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Gospel

Gospel is one of the few really good electronic scenes in Manhattan. I love going there because it has an intimate feel which I really appreciate, especially if I don’t want to party with one thousand people.

I recommend getting there early to avoid a line and definitely try one of their famous mocktails at the bar.

Balzem

One of my favorite spots! It doesn’t matter if I’m hungry or not (although I love the food!). It’s so central to everything and I know I’ll always run into a friend. They have a really amazing wine selection, my go-to is the pinot noir and my favorite dish is the chicken skewers.

House of Yes

I’ve been playing here for years, so it has this local feeling to me which makes me feel at home. It’s all-race/gender-friendly and has amazing vibes. They also do weekly events and each one is different from the next.

Definitely get your tickets before you arrive to avoid the long line.

A60 at Sixty Soho

The best city views from downtown. I love how small it is, it’s best to go get a cocktail and unwind. My personal preference: spicy mezcal margarita. As a plus, if you feel like staying past midnight, their lounge on the floor below, Butterfly Room, has a really nice party.

Cafe Mogador

It’s comfort food to me. I grew up eating Moroccan food so to have that in New York is special. They have a diverse menu for meat lovers and vegetarians, but my favorite dish is by far the lamb tagine. Also, I really love finishing my meal with Moroccan mint tea.

Elsewhere

I like what this venue stands for because they do their own thing. They always have a unique lineup and seek after the music that they believe in. There are three different rooms, including a rooftop!

19 Cleveland

I know all of the staff here and always feel so welcomed by them. They have amazing food and cocktails too! If you can figure out your way to the basement, there is usually a DJ playing down there with a very insider crew.

The Wythe Hotel

This place really represents Williamsburg to me. I love the architecture and that there are multiple places to hang out here. Whether it’s to go for lunch, work, or enjoy the rooftop views, the Wythe Hotel has it all.

Many moons ago, in 2017, Amy Schumer was attached to the upcoming Barbie live-action movie, which she was slated to star in and write. She left the project due to “scheduling conflicts” that, at the time, were attributed to her 2018 romantic comedy I Feel Pretty. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the comedian opened up about what actually drove her to part ways with the studio.

Schumer explains that she didn’t like the direction that then-studio, Sony, was going in (the project later moved to Warner Bros). “They definitely didn’t want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it,” the Oscars host admitted. Schumer and her writing partner Kim Caramele wrote Barbie as an “ambitious inventor,” but the studio insisted that she “invent” a high heel made out of Jell-O, which seems a bit silly, even for a movie based on a plastic doll.

To top it all off, the company then sent her a pair of really expensive shoes to celebrate, which made Schumer feel iffy. “The idea that that’s just what every woman must want, right there, I should have gone, ‘You’ve got the wrong gal,’” she added. Schumer left the project shortly after, and Margot Robbie was cast.

Schumer left her UTA team after that. “I felt like I was disappointing my team by not being Barbie,” the actress admitted. Instead, she will play a very important role in the upcoming Oscars by being one of three hosts. That’s pretty monumental in its own right. She also stars in the upcoming Hulu series Life & Beth alongside Michael Cera, while the Barbie movie is still in production, after nearly five years. It seems like leaving the project behind didn’t hurt her career one bit!

Back in the late stages of the so-called “blog rap” era, just before streaming services became a thing in earnest and Billboard began counting streams as album-equivalent units, rap crews had proliferated all over the country, encompassing such loose confederations as the ASAP Mob, Raider Klan, and SaveMoney, the Chicago-based clique that included future superstars like Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa in their numbers.

Since then, many of these groups have dispersed or been sublimated into the increasingly fragmented tapestry of the post-streaming landscape, and more than a few have been forgotten about. However, at least one, SaveMoney, is looking to make a comeback, backed by one of their most successful members, Chance The Rapper, who shared the group’s first single under the SaveMoney banner in nearly eight years, “Bag Boy.”

Featuring group members Joey Purp and Kami along with guest artist DEXLVL, the new track is a laid-back, guitar-driven slow-burner Chance tweeted out with the cryptic message, “And it begins,” suggesting that there may well be more coming — something Chance, Kami, and Joey even teased in 2018, though nothing came of it then. And while both Joey Purp and Kami have collaborated a few times over the years, he hasn’t often tagged the SaveMoney Twitter account (which retweeted his message), which could mean that the group is planning a larger reunion now that Chance and Vic are back on good terms, too. Check out Chance’s tweet below and stream the new track here.

I’ve watched Moses Storm’s Trash White comedy special multiple times since its debut on HBO Max earlier this year and a few things continue to stand out. Namely that this is something unique in tone and visual presentation for a comedy special, and that Storm’s portrait of his less than fairytale upbringing might be more resonant than you’d think when listening to tales about family grifts and living in an abandoned bus. Particularly if you had a less than perfect childhood. Or, at least, I know that was my experience as someone that moved something like 20 times in 20 years, never really finding comfort outside of my closed ranked family until it was time to leave.

Around a dozen years into a career that began at 18 — partly as a means of finding an outlet to express himself and some kind of vocation that wouldn’t hold his non-standard education against him — Storm is finally encountering the recognition of a job well done. But it’s not just craft on display here (including some of the skills he learned from his family, like the misdirection he’s applying with his “criticism” of TED Talk comedy specials in the special). It’s perseverance and emotional evolution. A reckoning spread over time that fueled his rise as a storyteller/comedian. As he told me when we spoke a couple of weeks ago about this long journey and his big ambitions for himself and comedy as a visual medium, it wasn’t easy getting people to give him the chance to do something different with inspired set design and audiovisual elements, raising the stakes on what is, essentially, his introduction to comedy fans everywhere. It also wasn’t quick to get to a place of forgiveness. Perhaps you can relate to that too.

I’ve had a few bumps along the road with my family too. So the special really spoke to me. Has there been any blowback for you with your family and you being so open on stage about your upbringing?

There’s always a constant battle with that.

A battle with yourself or battle with them?

With family members, because, I mean, there are things that are omitted that are not in there that are much worse, because I’m not talented enough to say these sad facts and then pull people out. I hope to get there one day. But yeah…there are two arguments, right? There’s one: it’s your story. You should do whatever. [What] I always feel guilty about is I’m talking about people that did not sign up for the public eye. It’s fine if I put something out and whatever publication wants to say whatever about me, but what I am doing is, I’m signing people up that did not sign up to be in this. So yes, there always is this respect for my siblings of, “okay, I know I really want to do this, but how is this going to make them feel?”

Before the special was ever turned in or released, I screened it for just my mom. So she didn’t have to find out at the same time as the general public did. I was like, “This is what this means to me. This is what I’m trying to do. You might not like it, but here’s what it is. And if something really hurts your feelings, I’ll take it out.” And she loved it. Because at the end of the day, it’s not someone bitching about their parents. It’s someone saying they forgive you because of their own mistakes.

I know that, within the context of my family, certain things made sense. But I think a lot of the time we share our stories, people judge those things without really knowing. So to me, there’s an affection woven throughout these stories that you’re telling. Almost like, that’s your tribe. And part of it is also pride of surviving. Is that fair to say?

Yeah. I cringe watching earlier stuff of mine because you just see an angry young man and I think “that’s not ready to be a show yet.” There’s the big mistake of like, if you’re in a really rough spot, you should get on stage and talk about it. And it’s not fully digested. And it was only when I came around to actual forgiveness… And a little bit more forgiveness happened, just putting the show together, because you have to write full, fleshed-out characters. No one’s just a villain in a vacuum who’s wrongdoing for no sake. There’s something behind it. And just trying to justify some of her behavior and some of the things we had to go through, even more forgiveness came from that. So it was only when I felt like I wasn’t complaining or it wasn’t this roast of my family that I felt like these stories were ready for the public to potentially rip apart.

There are other things that are in there that are just not ready. Because I accidentally found out that, oh shit, I am still very angry about that. It never goes away completely. But I don’t know. I’ve always liked watching performers that have fully processed it. I feel like they have something to say. Anyone can say they’re angry, but I think it’s more interesting to say how you got less angry, how you got over it. It is harder.

Is that journey of forgiveness something that happened largely because of your stage work or is it something that’s been happening off to the side?

It’s largely happening because of age. As you get older, you understand how just fallible you are and you’re own mistakes, how selfish I could be sometimes. I think that’s what the great thing is with age is you’ve finally come around to empathy. You know, I’ve never been one of those anti-PC comedians at all. It’s like if someone said a word that hurts their feelings, well then don’t say that. It’s as simple as that. Your job is to make people feel good, make them laugh. It’s not to push boundaries and be a truth sayer. At the end of the day, if you’re saying this is a comedy show and Netflix has categorized this as stand-up comedy… It’s just supposed to make me feel good and everything else is a bonus. If you can make people feel seen, if I can get something out of it… hearing you connect with it and having a similar experience, that always means more to me than someone just saying, “Oh, it’s funny. I like it. It’s great.” That’s cool, but when someone like you, who’s had a similar past, rough childhood, when they connect with it, that’s really been the most rewarding part.

Well yeah, everyone else’s childhoods were gumdrops and rainbows and Christmas carols. We don’t get enough stories to kind of remind us that kids with not the greatest childhood deserve to feel seen too sometimes.

It’s something that I wish I would’ve seen when I was going through it or when I was just angry about these things. I wish someone would’ve said “hey, some people just get lucky. They didn’t do anything. You didn’t do anything bad. It’s not that you’re not working hard enough. It’s not that your parents are some evil monsters. It’s just some people are born into a lucky situation.” It’s something that I wish I would’ve heard. I wish one of these performers would’ve said it.

With the response to this special, do you feel any internal pressure to quickly release the next one [which is teased at the end of this] and capitalize on people’s interest? A need to strike while it’s hot and get this out within the next year and then another one, another one. Is that something that’s weighing on your mind right now?

Not the time. It being good is the other thing. I think going through the past two years of not being able to perform has given me a lot more patience. So no, the worst thing I would do, because I took a huge gamble with the first one as far as “this is not a TED Talk, now here’s a TED Talk”… if it [the next one] wasn’t good, if it didn’t properly pay off, that would hurt worse to me than people saying, like, “What? We don’t remember that one.” I think these are meant to be watched back-to-back, in hindsight. It might be a bad idea, but it’s exciting and it scares the shit out of me. I’m not the best performer. I don’t know anything about the industry. There are no hard and fast rules. I just know that the things that have absolutely scared the shit out of me are the things that have worked out for me.

As you evolve as a comedian, you can get out of clubs that sell chicken wings and you can start getting into theaters because the problem with comedy clubs is you don’t have their attention. You have their business, they are there to buy food and drinks and support this brick and mortar place. And then you happen to be doing an hour because that’s how long it takes to order two drinks, an appetizer, and an entree. That’s why the hour is there.

The goal for me is to make something that’s authentic for me next. And as I can move in and build my own audience, I’m not relying on comedy clubs that have been very kind to me and put up a complete unknown, taking a chance on me. As you evolve as a comedian, you can get out of clubs that sell chicken wings and you can start getting into theaters because the problem with comedy clubs is you don’t have their [the audience’s] attention. Now that I have a piece of work, it’s like, here’s what I want to be doing. I built the set. Usually, when they say here, you should be doing a special, you get a red curtain, three purple lights and a jib crane to scoop in on your “dating be weird” jokes. I wanted to do more with mine because of the career I wanted. It was dressing for the job I want. So it was like, well, let me make a theatrical show that has visual elements and it has video and a set, a wardrobe that’s purposely chosen, every inch of the set is used or it’s relevant to the story because that’s the job I want.

You’re leaving out the large letters to spell out your name.

Yeah. Oh, how could I forget? What a great one, because if anyone was confused about who they’re seeing, there are big block letters with your name. You come out with that swoop shot. Why I want to direct specials… and that’s why I co-directed this one. Because I personally, like you, have a lot of pet peeves about stand-up specials, the block letters being one of them. The unnecessary jib shots that don’t match the performer’s pace, energy, and material.

I want to direct specials because I think the crutch is sometimes comedians want to just be rock stars in their special. So they shoot it like a concert and it’s not conducive to every performer. Nate Bargatze shouldn’t be shot with drone shots and smoke machines and big black letters. But someone like Kevin Hart should be. So it’s just about tailoring angles, lenses, and set and tone to each performer and making standup a more visual medium because that is what it has evolved into. Stand-up, outside of my show, is relatively cheap to produce. So it’s become more and more visual. But a lot of us comedians, we have not kept up with the pace. We just focus on the material because that’s all we’ve ever had to do. And you got to look at the way you watch standup. For me, I’m the demo for standup. I love it. I do it. I have a vested interest. And even when I’m watching a special I really care about, I’m still loading the dishwasher. I’m on my phone, texting. There’s no reason to really look.

I agree. It’s an art form that is stuck in neutral visually. Not just visually, topically too. I like Aziz’s comedy, but I’ve seen the fucking special where somebody walks down the stairs of the Comedy Cellar, “and this is where I got started” and then they sit on the stool.

It’s called Louis on FX. Yeah. It’s called every episode of Louis. Yeah.

I’ve seen that thing before. And why would you use the same delivery system?

Even something like the apology special is now a trope because there’s so much standup where you have to be on the stool because you’re so sorry. The fact that you and I both know what big block letters were means that this is something that’s been drilled into us and done over and over again. Now, the complicated thing is that’s authentic to Aziz and I’m sure a lot of people like that. And a lot of people like the big block letters, but I think if you’re a newer comedian, to cut through any noise, you have to do something different. They’re very fortunate because they’re talented and they have multiple specials that are great that people love. As you get later in your career, you can do things that are considered tropes or that have been done before. But if you’re trying to break through, if you’re no one, like I am, then you got to figure out your own lane because you’re never going to pass those other guys.

Was that difficult to get that level of artistic control and budget?

Yes, it’s been difficult at every single step and at things that you’d think wouldn’t be a fight were a fight. Not with HBO. It’s just the people that you hire and work with are used to doing the set it and forget it specials. So this is why I stepped up, because I was asking for a lot. So if you are going to ask for a lot, you better be prepared to do a lot. So me helping build the actual set, physically painting things, driving around the streets of LA and picking up garbage [to construct the set]… In After Effects, editing ink and water. These are things I did, not because I’m this auteur that needs to control every step. It’s just we didn’t have the money to hire someone to do that. And we didn’t have people that are trained to do that. So we all just learned, and thank God a lot of people from Team Coco [the special is produced by Conan O’Brien’s company] just came down and volunteered their time to help me out. Our production company was great, even helping me find someone to edit it with because I did the initial first pass. I’ve been in every single step of this and I can’t wait till I’m successful enough where I don’t have to be. [Laughs]

Moses Storm’s ‘Trash White’ is streaming now on HBO Max

The new era of Florence And The Machine launched last month when the group mailed mysterious teasers to their fans. Since then, a lot has happened. Namely, they’ve dropped videos for two new songs, “King” and “Heaven In Here.” All this time, there’s been no official news of an album, but now we finally have some: The group revealed today their next LP is called Dance Fever.

Florence Welch shared the art (which was created by Autumn de Wilde) on social media and described the project as “a fairytale in 14 songs [blood drop emoji].” She also noted the album will be available for pre-order tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. GMT (3 a.m. ET, midnight PT). The album does not currently have an announced release date or tracklist, but “King” and “Heaven In Here” will presumably be included.

Not long after revealing the album cover, Welch also shared that she’s dropping a video for “My Love” tomorrow, also at 8 a.m. GMT. She unveiled a 24-second teaser video for the clip, which features ethereal music and Welch on stage in a ballroom.

Meanwhile, the group has some plans for this summer, as they’re one of the headliners of this year’s stacked Mad Cool Festival, which is set to go down in July.

In 2005, the world was introduced to a new sound in hip-hop music, one that was strange but somehow undeniable. That sound has come to be known as “chopped-and-screwed,” as it was pioneered by Houston DJ Screw and came to eventually define the regional Texas sound before taking over the mainstream. The song that brought this once underground style to widespread awareness — or at least helped a whole bunch, along with Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin” — was “Sittin’ Sidewayz,” the debut single from diamond-grilled rapper Paul Wall.

In today’s new edition of React Like You Know, our panel — consisting of millennial and Gen-Z artists like Almighty Jay, ASAP Tyy, Baby Tate, Lakeyah, OhGeesy, and Houston’s own KenTheMan — weighs in on the Houston musical movement, as well as other regional staples like slabs (big, candy-painted, classic cars with rims and hydraulics), OG Ron C, and grills. Baby Tate even admits to not knowing that Paul Wall is white when the song first came out, but Strick explains it perfectly: “You might see a white boy with a grill and wonder what’s going on, but sh*t — he with us!”

Watch the new episode of React Like You Know above.

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

Capitalizing on The Batman‘s box office success, HBO Max has officially confirmed that the previously reported spinoff starring Colin Farrell‘s Penguin has received a straight-to-series order. Titled The Penguin, the limited series will expand on Farrell’s small, but pivotal role in The Batman and explore the inner-workings of the mobster as he capitalizes on the power vacuum created by the events of the film. The spinoff will be executive produced by Farrell, Dylan Clark, and The Batman director Matt Reeves.

“Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman,’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill,” Reeves said in a statement provided by HBO Max. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”

As for Ferrell, he’s ready to step back into the role’s prosthetics that made him completely unrecognizable as the iconic Batman villain.

“The world that Matt Reeves created for ‘The Batman’ is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot,” Farrell said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more excited about continuing this exploration of Oz as he rises through the darkened ranks to become The Penguin. Will be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham for a little madness and a little mayhem.”

The Penguin series order arrives on the heels of recent confusion over the state of The Batman spinoffs. In interviews to promote the film, Reeves revealed that the previously announced Gotham PD spinoff was not happening. However, he clarified those remarks by saying the show has “evolved” to focus on Arkham Asylum instead of the Gotham police.

As for The Penguin, the status of that show didn’t seem in question until the Gotham PD news threw the current state of the spinoffs into flux. However, it appears Warner Bros. and HBO Max are fully aboard the project.

The Batman is currently playing in theaters.