Month: July 2022

When it comes to The Art of the Deal, Donald Trump’s main rule seems to be: say yes to anyone who is willing to give you money. At the moment, as Mediaite reports, that means partnering with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament series, which Bloomberg described as the golf world’s “biggest controversy since the Tiger Woods sex scandal.” So, of course, Trump wants in on it.

According to NBC’s Marc Caputo, Trump is set to reap some serious financial rewards by hosting LIV Golf tournaments at his eponymous golf clubs in Bedminster, New Jersey and Doral, Florida. While Trump’s golf empire in general is known to be a money loser, his Bedminster and Doral clubs in particular have taken an even harder hit in recent years. According to Caputo:

Trump’s decision to tee off with LIV highlights his close ties to Saudi Arabia; he made his first foreign visit there as president, and its wealth fund injected $2 billion into his son-in-law’s company last year. The Trump-LIV partnership also represents a measure of paybacks. The PGA Tour and PGA of America yanked tournaments from Doral and Bedminster, respectively, following bigoted remarks he made on the campaign trail in 2016 (the PGA Tour said the move was financially motivated after losing the sponsorship for the event), and then his role in inciting the mob that ransacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump sued PGA of America and the case was settled in December.

The main objection to LIV—which has managed to steal big-name players like Phil Mickelson away from the PGA Tour by throwing millions of dollars their way—is in doing business with Saudi Arabia, which has an abominable record of human rights violations, including the murder of Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi. But Trump has never let a little thing like morality figure into his business decisions (or, really, any kind of decisions).

The former president will host his first LIV event later this month at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster and the competition will close out in October with a $50 million purse at Trump National Doral Miami.

(Via Mediaite)

Gizmo from Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a cute lil’ guy. Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian is also a cute lil’ guy.

But Joe Dante, the director of Gremlins (a perfect movie) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (an even more perfect movie — I didn’t realize it was possible to be more than perfect until I saw Gremlins 2: The New Batch), thinks Baby Yoda looks too much like his cute lil’ guy.

In an interview with San Francisco Chronicle‘s Datebook, Dante said, “I think the longevity of [the Gremlins movie] is really key to this one character [Gizmo], who is essentially like a baby. Which brings me, of course, to the subject of Baby Yoda, who is completely stolen and is just out-and-out copied. Shamelessly, I would think.”

Dante might have been joking around, but it’s more fun to imagine that he’s plotting his revenge. If Gremlins 3 ever gets made and Gizmo eats a green lizard wrapped in a robe, you’ll know why. Until then, HBO Max is making a Gremlins animated series, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, that “reveals the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing (future shop owner Mr. Wing in the 1984 feature film) met the young Mogwai called Gizmo.” It hopefully premieres later this year, while The Mandalorian returns in 2023.

(Via Datebook)

Pop wunderkind Maggie Rogers, after graduating from Harvard, is preparing for the release of her highly anticipated sophomore album Surrender to follow her breakthrough debut Heard It In A Past Life. After releasing the confident anthems “That’s Where I Am” and “Want Want,” she’s back today with “Horses.”

The twangy track has the texture of an old-timey folk ballad with detailed, moving lyrics off the bat: “Watch you go / Cross the street / Like a dream out my window / Sucking nicotine down my throat / Thinking of you giving head,” she intones. It also has the kind of wisdom you’d expect from those type of songs: “But the truth about drеams / Is they’re a feeling that meets you in between / What you want and what you really need.” Her vocals are stronger than ever.

About her recent single “Want Want,” the singer said, “‘Want Want’ started in Maine during the pandemic in a small studio assembled over my parents’ garage. I wrote and produced it with my old bandmate, Del Water Gap. It was really just about the fun of it all. Some bubblegum world to escape to in the middle of the isolation and darkness.”

Listen to “Horses” above.

Surrender is out 7/29 via Capitol. Pre-save it here.

When people talk about what makes Marvel’s Spider-Man and its follow-up about Miles Morales so great they usually talk about things like how it feels when you swing as Spider-Man, get into a fight, or look to grab all the collectibles scattered around the world. But without the depth supplied by truly amazing stories at the heart of both games, this would all feel like empty calorie experiences instead of the full meals that they are.

As you doubtlessly know, there’s a long history of Spidey in pop culture — in the comics, as Saturday Morning cartoons, earlier games, and across four distinct franchises — but these specific games rank right up there with some of the best in terms of story. Further, they distinguish themselves in such a way that they help to avoid some of the fatigue that can set in with superhero stories. Because these games lean into the charm of Spider-Man as a character and concept, offering stories that aren’t always larger than life or devoid of the kinds of entanglements and anxieties that we all feel. These are stories about people going through life, working through relationships, and coming to terms with who they are and what they can become.

So you’ve got your mechanics and your storytelling, but the key to these games and why they excel comes from the concerted effort to blend the two.

Let’s go back to those swing mechanics as an example since that’s part of these games. The cliche response is “You FEEL like Spider-Man,” but let’s go deeper: why do you feel like Spider-Man? It isn’t just because of the weight of each swing on the controller, but the different way that these characters move around. Peter Parker moves flings himself from building to building with the expertise of a longtime superhero that knows the city’s streets and alleys like the back of his hand. Every movement is determined and confident, born from years and years of experience.

Compare this to his eventual protege, Miles Morales. When players take a stroll in his shoes they’re now in the role of a teenage hero who doesn’t have quite the same level of mastery that a seasoned veteran like Peter Parker does. Not yet, at least. As a result, his swinging feels more awkward and he has moments where he looks like he doesn’t have full control over his movement, stumbling when he lands on ledges. But as time goes by, not only does the player become more skilled with his movement, but in turn so does Miles. An expert player utilizing Miles can transform his swinging action from awkward to stylish in a way that defines the experience of playing the game, aligning the player’s rising confidence levels with Miles’.

That’s not the only place where story and action meld masterfully. Where the game’s animation is at its best unsurprisingly comes from its cutscenes. Specifically, the emotional moments where you gain so much from being able to read — through body language and expressions — so much more than mere words can reveal. It’s these subtle moments that make these stories about Peter Parker and Miles Morales pop, leaving an impact that won’t soon fade from the player’s memory as they continue on.

There are a few specific examples that come to mind as the perfect example of this. One occurs when Peter Parker is texting his longtime lover, and current ex-girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. They’ve been trying to potentially rekindle their relationship, but there are mixed feelings no doubt drawing on their long shared history that stand in the way. You can just feel the awkwardness in the scene as you watch Peter move around, weighed down by anxiety and other heady emotions.

This scene only works as well as it does because of the animations that play throughout it. The pacing, the way his eyes don’t stay static despite being in a suit. This is a minor moment in the overall story, but it’s so powerful for its vulnerability and relatability that you can’t deny its value to the game and your experience.

Another example of this is a huge spoiler, so turn back now if you haven’t already played these games, but when we see Peter’s face after defeating Doc Ock in the first game when he sees his mentor, the person he looked up to more than anyone else who has been trying to kill him throughout the game’s final act. This is the villain, and he’s heartbroken.

Peter’s face contorts and you can tell that he genuinely does not know what to do in this moment. Despite years of being Spider-Man, nothing has prepared him for this, and when he finally makes his choice you can feel the pain through the screen. It takes an already very emotional scene and connects you to this character in a powerful way. Once again, the game is blending story and action to pull the player in closer, aided by subtlety.

Fair warning, we have to spoil a key moment in Miles’ story as well. One that raises the bar on poignancy as we see the death of Miles’ friend, Phin.

Miles is doing his best to hold the energy he’s absorbed, but we can sense his anguish and the determination on Phin’s face when she decides what she needs to do. All before that final, heartwrenching sad smile.

Again, these games provide a total package that’s hard to pull off. It’s no wonder that a sequel starring both characters is on the way. Will that game be as successful as these two, both in terms of copies sold, craft, and complex storytelling? One only hopes because it’s a winning formula that elevates not just the material but blockbuster games on the whole.

Before the first trailer even hit, it was clear that Chris Hemsworth was getting jacked as hell for Thor: Love and Thunder. During the pandemic, the Marvel star frequently updated his Instagram account with photos and videos show his massive muscle gains, which audiences got a very good look at thanks to the God of Thunder having a nude scene in his latest film. However, there’s one person who was not a fan of Hemsworth getting more ripped than ever: His wife.

In a recent interview, Hemsworth reveals that his wife and fellow actress Elsa Pataky felt he went a tad overboard bulking up. “My wife was like, ‘Bleh, it’s too much,’” Hemsworth told USA Today. “There are a lot of my male friends who are like, ‘Yeah!’ but a lot of female friends and family are like, ‘Yuck.’”

In Pataky’s defense, Hemsworth admits he became obsessed with training during the pandemic:

“It came from boredom, sitting in COVID lockdown was like a prison,” says Hemsworth, whose routine included swimming, martial arts, weights and 6,000 calories a day to reach Asgardian awesomeness. “It was train, eat, train, eat. Nothing else to do. Then I turned up for the film bigger than I’ve ever been.”

Even Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi couldn’t believe how huge his star was when he arrived on set. “He’s huge already, but when I saw his arms, they were twice as big as normal, as wide as my head,” Waititi said. “Trainers and stuff are asking me how he does it? But it’s all natural.”

(Via USA Today)

The podcast-to-streaming-docuseries pipeline has proven quite lucrative over the past several months/years, so with Spotify branching out, it only makes sense that the music streaming giant would partner with television streaming giant Hulu to produce a docuseries about one of its own most popular podcasts, RapCaviar, titled RapCaviar Presents. According to The Hollywood Reporter the show will “explore major cultural topics from the perspectives of some of today’s top hip-hop artists.”

Those top artists include familiar names like Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Saweetie, and Tyler The Creator. The director behind the Tekashi 69 docuseries Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine, Karam Gill, is billed as executive producer and creative director, along with Av Accius (Murder In The Thirst) and Marcus A. Clarke (Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali).

Spotify’s RapCaviar playlist is credited with boosting the careers of new artists whose names appear on it alongside more established stars, including many of the focus artists of the upcoming series. Meanwhile, select artists have also performed at live shows bearing the playlist’s title and the indie label LVRN even performed a group cypher for the RapCaviar vertical.

And while those artists’ stories may very well offer fertile ground for a documentary or two, let’s not get carried away. While the podcast-to-streaming-docuseries process almost inevitably turns out a scripted series, I’m not sure anybody needs to see their stories dramatized by Emmy-baiting, peak TV-style directors and directors. Except me. As soon as I wrote that, I wanted it. Give it to me. NOW.

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

Fans have been asking for a new game in the Skate franchise for years — it was requested so often that responding to any EA announcement with “Skate 4” became a bit of a meme. So when a new game was finally announced in 2020, people unsurprisingly lost their minds. Unfortunately, we also knew a long wait was on the way, because the announcement was nothing more than an indication to fans that they planned on doing it.

Since that announcement, we’ve gotten bits and pieces here and there, and an update that the game was indeed in development about a year ago. On Thursday, EA hosted a stream to give fans a deeper look at what they can expect from the still developing game.

Among the news was some cool info about the name, Skate., and we learned that instead of a reboot, the game should be considered a brand new release. That means we should probably have different expectations for it as well — this is not going to be the same Skate game that many of us grew up loving. For starters, this game is being developed as a free-to-play experience, which means it’s going to have microtransactions for cosmetics and all of the benefits, and downsides, that come with that kind of game.

It might be time for us to look at this new Skate. game not as a AAA experience, but more of an indie homage to a beloved series. That isn’t always a bad thing. For starters, there’s going to be fan playtesting throughout development that players can sign up for. Also, a free-to-play game does mean that more of us are going to be able to play it without spending our money on it. If the game ends up being fun, then that’s great, it just might be a good idea for fans to keep all of this in mind as they wait for more information about the game.

Marcus Mumford didn’t just write and perform the Ted Lasso theme song because he wanted to stay in the TV game. We really should have seen this coming, but the Mumford & Sons singer was seemingly sharpening his chops on his own, while he worked his way towards his solo debut. Earlier this week, Mumford announced that his first ever solo album, Self-Titled, would be released on September 16th, with guest appearances from Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Brandi Carlile and Monica Martin, while teasing an upcoming track called “Cannibal.” Today, no stone has been left unturned, as Mumford has dropped the single and released the new album’s complete tracklist.

Officially the album’s lead single, “Cannibal” opens with a minimalist arrangement of just Mumford and an acoustic guitar. As the track builds, thundering drums jump in and Mumford unleashes one of those emotional explosions that we’ve come to expect from him. But this is a pop song through and through, more towards the style of Ed Sheeran, and less of a lean to the folk of Mumford & Sons. A star of his stature could take this new material to big heights.

Watch the video for “Cannibal” above and check out the Self-Titled album artwork and tracklist below.

1. “Cannibal”
2. “Grace”
3. “Prior Warning”
4. “Better Off High”
5. “Only Child”
6. “Dangerous Game” Feat. Clairo
7. “Better Angels”
8. “Go In Light” Feat. Monica Martin
9. “Stonecatcher” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
10. “How” Feat. Brandi Carlile

Self-Titled is out 9/16 via Capitol. Pre-order it here.

Lauren Boebert recently won her congressional primary election in Colorado, but otherwise, things aren’t going well for the rootin’ tootin’ lawmaker. She broke her silence on her husband’s arrest (for exposing his penis in a bowling alley) by somehow blaming the woman who was on the unfortunate receiving end of Jayson Boebert’s gesture. And then the world received word that her troubled (Rifle, Colorado) restaurant, Shooter’s Grill, was losing its lease and closing down as a result. That eatery, in which servers were encouraged to open-carry, was Boebert’s initial claim to fame.

Not that this development arrived as a total shock. Boebert adores her guns, and even though there was plenty of visible trouble — reports of the restaurant’s 2017 food poisoning outbreak via their pork sliders and ex-employees airing their grievances about not being paid while Boebert allegedly splashed out that money on luxury goods/breast implants — the time has now come (in 2022) for Shooter’s Grill to say goodbye.

Raw Story quotes Boebert as responding to the closing news by suggesting that there might soon be a “Shooters coffee shop with pastries and some easy breakfast sandwiches and merchandise.” Over on Twitter, though, Boebert is completely ignoring the news. If one reads between the lines, though, she’s got a culprit on her mind.

Yep, Boebert’s completely focused on inflation and even more so on Biden. Has she explicitly blamed him for Shooter’s Grill closing? No, but reading between the lines, she’s suggesting that overwhelming forces pushed her down. She’s ignoring the long-running troubles that have plagued the establishment, long before the economy started veering all over the place. In other words, she’s gonna keep on rootin’ and tootin.’

Donald Trump was none too pleased about his daughter Ivanka’s deer-in-headlights testimony to the House select committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol. In response to Ivanka saying that she “accepted” former-Attorney General William Barr’s assessment that there was no evidence of credible fraud in the 2020 election, the former-president took to his failing social media platform to rage. “Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results. She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!),” he wrote.

Trump was asked about Ivanka’s testimony in a recent interview with New York magazine correspondent Olivia Nuzzi. “Well, I think she wanted to be nice and respectful,” he said, “She’s a very high-quality person, and I don’t think she wanted to hurt anybody’s feelings. I thought that Barr was weak and pathetic, and I think that she doesn’t want to hurt somebody’s feelings.”

“Very high-quality person.” What a normal thing for a dad to say about his kid!

It came across like he was trying to convince himself of what he said. “I’m not even sure she knew what my feelings were. He didn’t want to be impeached, so he didn’t do his job in order to not get impeached,” he added, channeling his daughter channeling himself. “I don’t think she knew that.”

Has Donald talked to Ivanka since? “I’d rather not say.” So, no. He continued, “But she’s a good person, and she doesn’t want to hurt people’s feelings. She has respect for everybody, and there’s something very nice about that, actually.”

Eric wishes “Daddy T” would say something that nice about him.

(Via New York)