Month: June 2022

June is upon us, even as a recent arrival, Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi is still getting started. There’s a trend to this month, though. Between The Boys, The Umbrella Academy, and Ms. Marvel, there’s a whole lot of superpowers at work, even though two of these shows happen to be subversive while the other’s full of glee. Hey, TV can bring the blockbusters as well as (and sometimes even better) than the theater can do.

In addition, followup seasons for streaming hits will arrive in plentiful supply. Only Murder In The Building and Physical represent two choices from that category, and South Park is making a streaming-only turn, too. Don’t knock the cable channels, though, because The Chi and P-Valley will offer up fresh seasons to satisfy their loyal fanbases. Oh, and those violently delightful robots shall return, too, because those hosts never really die. Here are the must-see shows coming your way in June.

South Park: The Streaming Wars (Paramount+ special streaming 6/1)

Few people could have predicted that this unapologetically raunchy animated show, which skewers every issue possible, would one day still be running while approaching its 25th anniversary. That momentous occasion will arrive on August 20, but first, the Paramount+-exclusive specials will continue. The streaming wars are a righteous mess already, so expect Trey Parker and Matt Stone to address the chaos appropriately, while Cartman’s got a beef that could endanger the existence of South Park.

Physical: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series streaming 6/3)

Rose Byrne and leg warmers continue front and center here while her Sheila Rubin’s still riding high from the success of her debut fitness video. This leads to even greater obstacles while personal and professional worlds collide. Is her husband too attracted to someone else, and can Sheila manage to construct a full-on fitness empire (with competitors and everything) while dealing with some disaster at home? Expect the neon lights to shine bright while addressing these dilemmas.

The Boys: Season 3 (Amazon Prime series streaming 6/3)

Homelander is most decidedly not okay after the events of the Season 2 finale, so plenty more increasingly sadistic behavior will soon arrive on that end. He’s got competition in the “hero of heroes” department, though, because the ripped and exhausted Jensen Ackles climbs aboard as Soldier Boy (a Captain America parody), and not only will we see the “Herogasm” episode, but we can all look forward to The Deep doing things that made Chace Crawford wondered if he’d work again. If we’re lucky, we’ll see more exploding heads and hopefully some followup on Homelander’s solo performance atop a skyscraper. Thank god the boys (and girls) are back in action.

P-Valley: Season 2 (Starz series returning 6/3)

The darkness has enveloped Chucalissa, Mississippi, and everyone’s survival is on the line. All the while, this strip-club tale is weaving the pandemic into the story while the locker room and the casino aren’t about fun times but, instead, about danger at every turn. Things get super political out there, too, and The Pynk is not immune to the peril with Autumn (Elarica Johnson) and Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan) attempting to keep their footing amid a sea of stilettos.

Ms. Marvel: Season 1 (Disney+ series streaming 6/8)

This series brings us Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Pakistani American teen from Jersey City. She’s a fan-fiction enthusiast and loves the Avengers, including Captain Marvel. Kamala somehow ends up with superpowers of her own (apparently sourcing from the same cosmic energy as Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers), and this show’s a roaring ball of glee that will help to set up The Marvels, which will not only include Kamala and Carol but also Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Paris) from WandaVision.

For All Mankind: Season 3 (Apple TV+ series streaming 6/10)

Joel Kinnaman and Shantel VanSanten return along with much of the rest of the ensemble cast , and this season keeps the alternate history going while moving into the future. The new frontier in the Space Race happens to be Mars, and the U.S. and Soviet Union find a third party who isn’t about to stay quiet. It’s a pressure cooker of a situation while the very future of mankind could be at stake, and one should expect plenty of loyalties to be tested amid mounting confrontations and clashes of national egos.

Peaky Blinders: Season 6 (BBC One/Netflix series streaming 6/10)

This season’s been sitting pretty for months now across the pond, but stateside viewers will finally get to see Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby kicking ass and fending off new rivals as he preps to head toward North America. The family’s missing its matriarch now (due to actress Helen McRory’s death), and it’s all coming down to a final batch of a half-dozen episodes, although one should expect some movies and spinoffs to eventually arrive. Dig that cockney rhyming slang!

Dark Winds (AMC and AMC+ series streaming 6/12)

(Mostly) Native American writers are doing the thing here as based upon Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee book series and the two 1970s Navajo cops (at a remote area near Monument Valley) who embark upon apparently unrelated crimes including a double murder case. In the process, they see things that make them think twice about their spiritual beliefs. The forces of evil swirl while the cops’ personal demons could actually be the key to emerging back into salvation territory. Are you intrigued? Good.

Rutherford Falls: Season 2 (Peacock series streaming 6/16)

This Michael Schur sitcom makes a return to follow up on his outings in Scranton and Pawnee. Ed Helms will return as Nathan Rutherford (yep, that has a ton to do with this town’s history), and he’s still accompanied by his best friend, Jana Schmieding’s Reagan. Expect more offbeat magic from The Good Place creator while the leading duo finds more romantic and professional obstacles to conquer. Let’s hear it for lifelong BFFs and knowing how someone will always have your back, no matter how absurd a situation or conundrum might be until things get ironed out.

The Umbrella Academy: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 6/22)

Ghostly Ben (Justin H. Min) ain’t so ghostly anymore, and he’s also not sweet and devoted to simply antagonizing Robert Sheehan’s Klaus anymore. The Sparrow Academy aims to be front and center, and the O.G. Hargreeves siblings must adjust to this strange new timeline where their common Bad Dad Reginald’s other kiddos exist. Oh, and there’s another rift in the universe, which actually leads Elliot Page’s Viktor to unite with a character who acted fully like an enemy last season. Gerard Way’s comic book series keeps on giving good adaptation, and hopefully, there will be more dancing to go with yet another apocalypse.

The Bear (FX on Hulu series streaming 6/23)

Jeremy Allen White can’t leave Chicago, it seems. The Shameless actor’s now portraying a chef who ends up back home and attempting to helm a sandwich shop for his family. There’s a highly emotional reason for this, and the actual realities of running this business turns out to be quite the challenge. In the midst of everything else, there’s a sense of humanity in how this show portrays relationships, while White’s character (Carmy) transforms his own sense of self and learns to find a second family.

The Chi: Season 5 (Showtime series returning 6/24)

This season fives into the highs and lows (but ultimately the highs) of Black love. That would include issues involving co-parenting and newfound parenting as well as diving into romantic relationships of many varieties. Meanwhile, Jada’s navigating her post-cancer life with a fresh eye toward what she really wants in life, and also importantly: careers and the sense of self ride high here. Oh, and Trig might be running for political office, just to make things even more chaotic when it comes to learning how to achieve a work-life balance.

Westworld: Season 4 (HBO series streaming 6/26)

If you completely didn’t understand the third season of this show, you’re definitely not alone, but the Westworld hasn’t confusion is part of the appeal here. It’s been over two years since Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores apparently went out of commission, but a death obviously isn’t a death when it comes to this show, as we’ve seen over and over again with these hosts. HBO promises that this season will present “a dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on earth.” Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson, Jeffrey Wright, and Aaron Paul are all back for more robot drama.

Only Murders in the Building: Season 2 (Hulu series streaming 6/28)

The dream trio of Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short will return after sticking the landing on their first season finale, and now, they must deal with the homicide investigation turning against them. The show turned around a second season in warp speed (less than a year after the show’s August 2021 debut), and expect a competing podcast to shake things up even more for the show’s sophomore round. Their neighbors have turned against Mabel, Charles, and Oliver, too. Madness!

It’s been quite a while since Rae Sremmurd gave the world a full body of work. To find that, you’d have to go back to 2018 when the rap duo composed of Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi released their third album SR3MM. The project arrived as a triple-disc with one side being a 9-track Rae Sremmurd release, and the remaining two discs being 9-track solo efforts from Swae and Slim. The rappers have shared some tidbits about their fourth album over the years, but music has yet to arrive from it. All of that could change soon as they teased the project once again from their social media accounts.

The rap duo posted an image of the number four of fire to the Rae Sremmurd Twitter page with the caption, “SREMM4LIFE.” In a second tweet that Swae Lee shared from his personal account, he added, “Bout to get a dose of this Sremmy.” Slim Jxmmi also chimed in with his own tweet, writing, “Time for that 4 foe four for phor.” All of the aforementioned posts seemingly confirm that new music from the project should arrive much sooner than later.

In an interview with Essence back in 2019, Rae Sremmurd seemingly confirmed that their upcoming fourth album would be set up like 2018’s SR3MM. For what it’s worth, that interview was more than three years ago, so it remains to be seen if that is still the plan for the duo.

You can view Rae Sremmurd’s tweets about Sremm4Life above.

Nicki Minaj is busy, but she’s about to get busier as the new creative director of Maxim. The rapper has entered a multi-year, global partnership with MaximBet and will work with them on “merchandise, parties, partnerships, fan experiences and branding all designed to bring together entertainment, sports, celebrity and betting,” as per the website’s statement.

It also adds: “Minaj, who categorically disrupted the male-dominated industry of rap music, is doing the same with sports betting by bringing her style and ethos to MaximBet to illustrate the lifestyle components of the brand while vastly broadening its audience, including inviting more women into the fold.”

Minaj has many opinions that she’s often open about; she recently took to Twitter to discuss her thoughts on menswear. She had lots of advice that entertained her fans. If men wanted to be more attractive, she encouraged them to “wear gray sweatpants. Everyday. Well if they want some ass that day. With crispy sneakers.” However, there’s a downside, as well. The rapper warned, “If I see one scuff ima put my p*ssy back in the drawer.” She also mentioned light blue jeans, although it’s unclear which category those fall into: “Getting ass” or “back in the drawer.”

In the next few weeks, Pharrell will kick off the second edition of his Something In The Water music festival. He first debuted the showcase back in 2019 in his hometown of Virginia Beach, and while he intended to hold it again in the years that followed, some outside forces caused a second edition to be delayed until this year. The COVID pandemic forced cancellations in 2020 and 2021, and towards the end of the latter year, he announced that the festival would no longer be held in Virginia Beach due to the city’s “toxic energy” following their response to his cousin’s murder by a police officer.

Months later, Pharrell announced Something In The Water would bring its warm energy to Washington DC, and now, it appears that he may also perform a new song for the first time there. That’s because just a week before the festival kicks off, Pharrell will release “Cash In Cash Out,” his upcoming collaboration with Tyler the Creator and 21 Savage. The song is set to arrive on June 10 and Pharrell shared the news about it in an announcement that also provided a pre-save link for fans. The post also comes complete with artwork that presents animated versions of Pharrell, Tyler the Creator, and 21 Savage.

Pharrell’s announcement comes after Tyler won a Grammy for Best Rap Album for Call Me If You Get Lost earlier this year. As for 21 Savage, it comes after he brought his talents to the Coachella stage last month.

You can view the announcement for the song in the post above.

Everyone is on TikTok, including Pink Floyd. They joined yesterday, which was no ordinary day — it was the 50th anniversary of the first recording session for their 1973 classic The Dark Side of the Moon. Their first post had “Breathe (In the Air)” playing in the background while the video was their prism logo rotating.

The band said in a statement: “In giving the global platform access to their music, Pink Floyd encourages innovative film making through these unique mediums.”

Earlier this year, the band pulled their music from Russian streaming services. They made a statement about it on Twitter, saying, “To stand with the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the works of Pink Floyd, from 1987 onwards, and all of David Gilmour’s solo recordings are being removed from all digital music providers in Russia and Belarus from today.”

They also recently performed together again for their first original song in 26 years with “Hey, Hey Rise Up,” featuring Andriy Khlyvnyuk, the singer of the Ukrainian band BoomBox. All of the proceeds from the track went to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund. It was a momentous release, as the last time Pink Floyd release original music was 1994’s The Division Bell.

You can view Pink Floyd’s TikTok in the post above.

Netflix is the streamer that started it all, but its hot streak may have come to an end. The service has been losing subscribers left and right, to the point where they’ve done the unthinkable: threaten to launch a cheaper, ad-supported version to lure back those who vamoosed over their ever-rising prices. (Those angry over its stable of comics who keep making trans jokes may not be sated by that one.)

Another solution they’ve been daring to try: cut down on password sharing. That hasn’t happened in the U.S. yet, but Netflix has for the last two months been effectively beta testing it in three Latin American countries, namely Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru. And judging from a recent report that examined the latter nation, those efforts have been going pretty terribly.

As caught by Insider, Rest of World spoke to over a dozen Netflix subscribers in Peru, where they’ve found confusion over one of the main rules of password sharing: the idea that you can only share it with your “household.” Some think it means your family, who may not live in the same home. Alas, Netflix really does define “household” as people living in the same house, related or not. That confusion, though, has put people at risk of breaking the rules.

Mind you, Netflix subscribers in those three nations can share their passwords; they just need to add an additional monthly fee to their subscription — about $2 or $3 per person not in their household.

Thing is, even people who are still sharing passwords across “households” (that is, Netflix’s definition of the term) have yet to actually be penalized. So no one appears to be minding the store. And who’s to say how many subscribers they’ll lose once they start doing that.

(Via Rest of World and Insider)

As we reach the end of May, a month to celebrate the Asian American Pacific Islander community, we are highlighting inspiring artisans with origins from Asian countries, celebrating their work and culture. This month is a chance for us to celebrate the diversity of the Asian diaspora and to uplift those in the AAPI community and beyond, all year round but, especially this month. At Upworthy, we are lucky to have an incredibly diverse team and we are honoured to share some personal stories by the creators and their collections at our store, where purchasing beautiful products directly goes towards supporting these artisans.

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Matta Nandrakwang’s Story

“My name is Matta Nandrakwang, I was born and raised in Chiang Rai, the northernmost province in Thailand next to the border with Myanmar (Burma). I grew up appreciating this naturally beautiful area, home to rich and diverse cultures as well as many ancient ethnic tribes. Since the area is rich with gems and the main activity was their trade, I began to learn and develop a passion for the various gemstones. I realized I had much to learn about gems and jewelry, and decided to enroll in gemology school. There I learned all about gems and jewelry making. I learned on my own about bead-making. This passion is still with me after many years. I have opened my own studio now, and I derive great joy from sharing my enthusiasm and knowledge of gems and jewelry with my visitors.” – Matta Nandrakwang

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Ying and Joy’s Story

“Hello! We are Ying and Joy, co-founders of a small clothing workshop in Chiang Mai. We create woven, knitted, hand-embroidered, and dyed garments. We were born and raised in Chiang Mai. We studied and worked here and were friends since working together at a clothing company. Our new chapter began with an unexpected change, but we turned crisis into opportunity in order to build our new home where our friends and family could live together. After the company closed, a group of women with different skills in our old factory had to return to their homes located in different parts of Chiang Mai. Some of them went back to longan farming. Most of them were over 40, so it was hard to find other garment factories to work in. Our project was the best way to help them. We used our contacts from our old company and started to develop our own pieces. Ying comes up with designs and marketing strategies. Joy performs quality control, exports, and contacts the leader of each women’s group. Our designs are inspired by love, nature, positive thoughts, happiness, our experiences, love, and passion. We hope you will love them.” – Ying and Joy

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Danai Leosawathiphong’s Story

“My name is Danai Leosawathiphong. I was born March 20, 1949 in northern Thailand. My grandfather was a Chinese immigrant from the Canton province. He emigrated to Thailand at the end of the 19th century when he was in his early twenties. He was a very hard working person trading goods all along the river and during that time he met my partner’s grandfather. In 1976, Ilkay and I came back to Thailand. Originally my family and partner’s family planned to get into mining. And in order to analyze the rocks, ores and minerals, we needed to set up a lab. Then my partner’s father suggested that we could also use the lab to create something representative of the area, and we came up with the idea of covering natural products such as exotic flowers and plants with gold. Well, the easiest way was to experiment with copper. I think our creations have a lot of potential.” – Danai Leosawathiphong

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Wayan Buana’s Story

“My name is I Wayan Buana. I was born in Sukawati, Bali in 1974. My father was a civil servant while my mother was a food seller. I’m the oldest child of four children. I remember my childhood was so happy. My parents really loved and took care of their children well. Because our family’s economic condition was so limited, I worked after school so I could pay the school fees of my siblings, and also help my parents. In Sukawati, most of the villagers are wood carvers, silversmiths and clothing sellers. It’s also famous because of its rich culture and arts. For those who are looking for inspiration, you can find tons of ideas amid Bali’s tranquil atmosphere and beautiful scenery.

My enthusiasm for silver jewelry crafting started when I was still in the 6th grade. The father of well-known featured artisan Komang Wijayana was the one who taught me. Once I was around 15, I was finally able to create jewelry by myself and help out with orders from clients. Another thing I love about making silver jewelry is because I can also preserve my ancestral culture. Most of my designs are influenced by Balinese traditions, and also the beauty of nature on the island.

When I received an award as your best-selling artisan in Bali, that motivated me to make even better jewelry. Since joining you in 2006, a lot has changed in my life. I now own a house where my family and I live, and this has been completely life-changing. One thing I can do to repay this is to give you my very best work.” – Wayan Buana

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Thatsanee and Ramphan’s Story

Thatsanee and Ramphan are two Thai artisans who have formed a very profitable alliance. Thatsanee, the business savvy woman behind this operation is very outgoing and engages easily in a conversation about her passion for celadon. Her background is in banking and management, but her heart fell for celadon production. She began a small celadon production business with a partner and has flourished for more than three decades. The fruits of her passion are now well evident.

Ramphan, quiet and reserved, is Chiangmai Celadons’ best artisan. Not only does her friendship with Thatsanee span many years, their unique skillsets produce exquisite products that span generations of Thai art and decoration. Ramphan started out as a student with a burning desire to learn more and the drive to constantly advance her skills. Today her unique “story-telling” style shows her exquisite attention to fine detail. After watching her work, I’m amazed at the concentration and attention required for the tiny, perfectly painted lines, swirls, and splashes to come together into fine Thai art.

From tableware to modern art, Thai celadon has made the leap into Thai Heritage Collections and art pieces. Thatsanee admits her products are no longer for everyday use but are specifically created to preserve the long-held techniques of the artisans and the culture of bygone Thai generations.

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Even before the show aired, Lucasfilm warned Obi-Wan Kenobi actress Moses Ingram that she may be the target of racism from the worst corners of the Star Wars fanbase. Sure enough, she was. After the spinoff premiered over the holiday weekend, Ingram was, like John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran before them, pelted with bigoted online attacks. On Tuesday, the Star Wars team formally stood by her, and later that day, so did star/executive producer Ewan McGregor.

The actor began the message by thanking people for making Obi-Wan Kenobi the “most-watched Disney+ premiere of all time.” He then shifted to the attacks on Ingram, which he unequivocally condemned, even calling out those angry that a franchise that has always included Black actors in prominent roles is still doing it.

“It seems that some of the fan base has decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist DMS. I heard some of them this morning, and it just broke my heart,” he said. He continued:

“Moses is a brilliant actor. She is a brilliant woman. And she is absolutely amazing in this series. She brings so much to the series, she brings so much to the franchise. And it just sickened me to my stomach that this had been happening. I just want to say as the lead actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses. We love Moses. And if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind. There’s no place for racism in this world. And I totally stand with Moses.”

On Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ingram plays the relentless and exacting Inquisitor hunting down Jedi, who are now considered illegal under Sith rule. New episodes drop on Disney+ every Thursday.

Last week, Top Gun: Maverick which stars Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and more, became available to watch in theatres and it wasted no time breaking box office records. Thursday night’s showing of Top Gun: Maverick was the highest preview sales ever recorded for a Memorial Day weekend as the film brought in $19.3 million. The movie also had the biggest opening weekend in Cruise’s career as he had yet to cross the $100 million-mark for a weekend in in his star career. The success of Top Gun: Maverick is also affecting those like Kenny Loggins who is seeing his 1986 record “Danger Zone,” which appeared in the original Top Gun film, shoot back up the iTunes thanks to its inclusion in the film.

During a recent interview with Variety, Loggins revealed that he recorded a new version of “Danger Zone” for Top Gun: Maverick, but it was left out of the new film. He explained why during the sit-down.

“I tried to do a re-recording where it was sounded, if not exactly like the original, as close as possible — but with better audio and sounds,” Loggins said. “Because that was 36 years ago and the audio had only gone so far. But he wanted the original vibe that song had.” He continued, “It was recorded at Musicland Studios so it was well-recorded, but it would have had a lot more punch if I could have done it in 5.0, but that said, he wanted to keep it reminiscent of the first “Top Gun” and set that mood right from the beginning.”

It remains to be seen if we’ll ever hear the new version of “Danger Zone,” but until then, you can revisit the original in the video above.

A couple of months ago, Arcade Fire finally released the long-awaited, new album We, following the 2017 album Everything Now. Along with the unveiling of the album, there was the unexpected announcement that Will Butler had exited the band. “I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete,” he wrote. “There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed—and the band has changed—over the last almost 20 years. Time for new things. I’m working on a new record; booking some shows this summer. I’m working on music for a David Adjmi play (which is so good). A few other projects percolating.”

One of those projects has already materialized; he has released “A Stranger’s House” and “Nearer To Thee,” his first new solo material since 2020’s Generations. He has also announced a small tour in August, kicking off in Cambridge, MA at The Sinclair and ending in Philadelphia, PA at Johnny Brenda’s.

Listen to “A Stranger’s House” above and “Nearer To Thee” below. Find the full tour dates below.

8/11 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
8/12 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
8/13 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
8/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
8/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made
8/20 – Washington, DC @ DC9
8/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s