Month: July 2022

(Spoilers for Season 3 of The Boys will be found below.)

The Boys skewers everything about superhero stories, and that will likely include the very concept of a “universe,” but nonetheless, a universe is definitely in the works because the Varsity spinoff is in process. And yes, there will be crossovers.

The last solid update we got on Varsity came from Patrick Schwarzenegger (The Staircase), who revealed that his dad (Arnold, obviously) was shocked to see stills from the series. “What the f*ck are you filming?” asked the Commando star who played a character that slaughtered an entire army without reloading. And that’s the beauty of The Boys in that it can freak out anyone.

The spinoff will, as the title indicates, will take place in an educational environment, which happens to be a college setting, and The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke (who was also heavily involved in the Diabolical animated spinoff) is filling in come blanks. As Kripke told Deadline, one should expect Season 3 to directly influence how Varsity begins. He mentions Soldier Boy, so perhaps there will be some tangential media coverage of the character’s resurfacing? That remains unclear, but Kripke does mention Victoria Neuman’s presidential campaign in the midst of some Cryptic Kripke discussion:

“There’s definitely crossover, and we’re doing our best to design a universe that sees some of the issues and storylines in Season 3 hand off to the first season in Varsity. Like there’s a presidential campaign happening in the background of that season, and there’s certain things that are happening at that school that are both in reaction to Season 3 of The Boys. There’s Soldier Boy, etcetera, but also some new storylines that are happening in that season of the spinoff that we have to pick up and take into Season 4 of the show.”

Maybe some heads are gonna pop? One can only hope. More to the point, we can cross fingers for some sort of Homelander crossover. Maybe he’ll take Ryan on a tour of the university? Or he could simply be a huge influence to the young Supes, or even show up. Antony Starr’s character appeared heavily within Diabolical, and he ended Season 3 of the O.G. series while proving that he really can do anything he wants, so the future (as the kids say) is wide open.

(Via Deadline)

Summer League isn’t just a showcase for players trying to break into the NBA, but also coaches and referees, as assistants get to move up the bench and step into bigger roles, and referees from the G League get to referee NBA games in an effort to prove themselves as well.

On Tuesday, a brand new referee made his debut at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in the second quarter of Knicks-Blazers, as former player and current ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson got his chance to try adjudicating a real live game. Jefferson spent the week in the ref meetings and put in the leg work to be ready, but sometimes all the preparation in the world can’t quite get you ready for game speed. On the first call of the game he had to make, Jefferson got an out of bounds decision wrong and heard it from players and the crowd, eventually overturning it with the help of another ref, while the Knicks coach gave him some grief over it.

Jefferson definitely took his responsibility seriously during play, but did have some fun with players and the crowd, even at one point hearing it from Tom Thibodeau who was seated courtside to watch the young Knicks.

Overall it was a fairly uneventful refereeing debut from Jefferson, which is a good thing for someone in that job. It’s one of the few where if no one notices you, you’re doing the right things, and if everyone is aware of your presence, it’s probably for the wrong reasons. It’ll be interesting to see how Jefferson’s experience trying to call fouls and everything else impacts how he views referees, because while it’s always easy to get mad at them from the couch, it is an almost impossibly difficult job with the speed of the NBA game.

When What We Do In The Shadows ended its third season, Staten Island’s resident group of immortal idiots had been scattered to the winds. Two members were packed in wooden crates on a trans-Atlantic trip bound for the Vampiric Council in London. One was left waiting at the train station, intent on having an Eat Pray Love moment on his own. One had died and, from his own corpse, emerged as a newborn replica with an adult-sized head and a chance to be a less boring version of his past self. And one had stayed behind to become that baby’s good time guru.

When season four of FX’s Emmy-nominated comedy series returns, a small time jump answers the question of where Nandor, Guillermo, Laszlo, Nadja, and Colin Robinson ultimately ended up while setting up an entirely different problem: What are they going to do now?

The answer to that might include vampiric nightclubs, home renovation shows, genies, demonic black markets, and nosferatu-approved rap bangers titled “Throat Juice,” but it might also tackle more serious themes, like nature vs. nurture, found family, and finding purpose in life – whether it be measured in human years or immortal ones.

UPROXX chatted with WWDITS stars Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou about an “ambitious” season four, why they want Nadja and Laszlo to go on the lam, and whether Berry should be the next Wolverine.

There’s a bit of a time jump when the show comes back. What have Laszlo and Nadja been up to?

MATT BERRY: So Laszlo was left bringing up baby Colin and that’s what he’s been doing the whole time, which you get to see at the beginning [of the season]. He had no choice in that because everybody left and he wanted to do the right thing.

NATASIA DEMETRIOU: [Nadja] was in London working with the vampiric council and I would say probably finding it a bit wanting and being a little bit unsatisfied with it, which is a big part of why I think she returns with her great new plan.

How did these two keep in touch? Quill-written letters?

MB: That’s exactly what it is. They have no interest in modern technology and it always ends up going badly. So yeah, they’ve done things the traditional way.

ND: A lot of quill sexting.

MB: All disgusting pictures of what they’re going to do with each other when they next meet.

Why is Nadja so obsessed with opening her own vampire nightclub this season?

ND: I mean, why wouldn’t you be? It is the perfect location for vampires to live their best lives, I think. You’ve always got access to blood. You’ve always got access to victims. You can create whatever rooms you want. I think Nadja and Laszlo love to do a little bit of performing on the microphone. So you’ve got your own personal stage at any time and a great place to sort of money launder. It’s a perfect front for demonic life, I would say.

These characters and this story are just so out there. How do you get back into the swing of things each season?

MB: It’s the same thought process that I’ve always used which is not to be surprised or outraged by anything that happens. I kind of need to remember that I have to look like I’ve possibly seen it before or would’ve read about it somewhere. I think it’s important for my character just to not be freaked out by anything.

ND: I think for me it’s probably the accent. I have to try and find it again because it’s sort of a cross between a million different accents. It’s so easy to slip into my own accent or Cockney or something so embarrassing. So I think that’s the main thing. I also try my best to make myself look undead or like immortal because as a human I slouch. But you remember these are very powerful sort of supernatural beings. I try to stand up a bit straighter and seem a little bit more in control, which is very different from my own life.

Matt, what excited you about Laszlo’s storyline this season?

MB: I was interested in how a completely self-obsessed and selfish character like Laszlo would react when being faced with fatherhood. And there’s some really good imagery this season, things like taking him to a park at night. I can’t remember what you call them over there.

ND: They call them parks.

MB: No, but where all the kids’ swings and slides are.

ND: A playground?

MB: Yeah! So that, but going there in the middle of the night with a kid. It’s still one of the craziest images and things that I’ve done because it’s something that you wouldn’t see, it’s kind of like hearing kids’ voices in the middle of the night in an open field, it would sort of freak you out.

Speaking of, the technology to shrink Mark Proksch doesn’t yet exist so how did you film those scenes with baby Colin Robinson?

MB: They were done with little kids with dots on their faces and kids of various ages and sort of sizes. They were all fantastic and weren’t thrown by any of the horrible things that were going on around them. None of them complained. They were all eager and enthusiastic. So yeah, it was a joy. But I love working with everyone on the cast, we’re all sort of very lucky like that.

ND: Who’s your favorite?

MB: Favorite out of the kids?

ND: No. Out of the cast?

The adults.

MB: Oh obviously the actress that plays my wife. I’ve said that many times and it’s completely true.

Good answer. Natasia, are we going to get a full single of ‘Throat Juice’ sometime this season?

ND: I’m afraid I could not disclose that. I’m in talks with BMI and Sony, so I can’t really speak on that. But the nightclub [episode] was amazing. And Fred Armisen, who Matt has obviously worked with before, came on and he was so effortlessly funny and so fun to improvise with. That was also what was so great about the nightclub — it brings in new people, and there are a few other people that also visited the nightclub [in some episodes] that were very exciting and fun to film with.

Are we going to get any flash-in-the-pan moments a la Jackie Daytona this season?

MB: Well, I don’t know about this season, but we’ve talked about it being really good if they sort of went on their own, on the run.

ND: Yeah, the two of us on the lam. That’s what me and Matt would like to conjure up. I feel like this season, everyone’s got such a mad storyline that’s quite big and involved — Kayvan, Harvey, Mark, we’ve all got a big thing. Every episode is kind of like standalone episodes, and there’s an amazing bit where the boys go into the Pine Barrens, and there’s like that whole storyline and then I’m at home with Harvey and a whole thing happens there. The whole season in and of itself is very ambitious and quite a spectacle.

Matt, people on the internet have a lot of opinions on what you should be doing with your comedic talent. I’m going to go down the list of things social media thinks Matt Berry would be good at. You both tell me what you think. First, Matt Berry should host the Oscars.

ND: Yes … actually no.

MB: Absolutely not. I have no interest in that.

ND: He’d be terrible. You’d lose him after the first one because he’d go and have a drink with one of his friends.

Matt Berry should play all of the parts in the Phantom of the Opera.

ND: Yes.

MB: I don’t think I’d do a good job of that one.

Matt Berry should host a celebrity cruise.

MB: I don’t want to host anything.

ND: Bad ideas. Bad ideas.

Matt Berry should be the next Wolverine.

ND: Oh, I agree!

MB: I don’t know. I’m sure whoever the current Wolverine is [but he’s probably] doing a fantastic job and doesn’t need my interference in any way.

The position is currently vacant.

MB: Is it? Well, maybe Danny DeVito could do it. He’d be better.

ND: I want to add a new one. Matt Barry is the new James Bond.

MB: If it was like the slightly past it, out-of-shape older brother, I’d be happy to do that.

Fans know that “Master Of Puppets,” the title track from the 1986 album of the same name, is one of Metallica’s biggest songs — it’s one of their 13 tracks to achieve at least Gold certification from the RIAA. So, it might be surprising to learn that when the song was released as a single back in the day, it didn’t actually make it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Now, though, that has changed thanks to Stranger Things.

On the new Hot 100 dated July 16, “Master Of Puppets” makes its debut at No. 40. It is now the band’s 17th song to appear on the chart and their first since “Cyanide” in 2008. It’s also just their eighth top-40 single and their first since 2008’s “The Day That Never Comes.” This is all happening after the song made a memorable appearance in the new season of Stranger Things, which has brought renewed attention to the classic track.

Meanwhile, Metallica appears to really be enjoying this new spotlight that’s shining on them at the moment. Aside from retweeting the above tweet about their new chart achievement, they’ve expressed how happy they are with how Stranger Things used their song and shared a welcoming message to Stranger Things fans who are just now learning about their music.

Nicki Minaj seems to be enjoying her time in the United Kingdom. She recently performed at the 2022 Wireless Festival where she was one of many female headliners for the showcase. After holding her performance at the Finsbury Park, North London edition of Wireless, Nicki decided to do a meet-and-greet with fans in Camden, UK. It was set to take place by Cafe Koko, but too many fans showed up at the location, and police were eventually forced to cancel the event due to concerns with overcrowding.

The Metropolitan police confirmed that staff at Cafe Koko were “concerned about significant crowding outside” and contacted them as the event’s start time approached. Organizers eventually went ahead and canceled the meet-and-greet “in the interests of safety.” Signs of overcrowding were clear as fans failed to maintain a singular line at Cafe Koko as Nicki arrived at the event.

This led to her sending out a tweet that asked fans to follow the rules set in place. “Guys, if you don’t get in a contained space they won’t let me get out the cars,” she wrote. “Pls don’t run in the streets. Please get in 1 place. 1 line [prayer hands emoji].”

The Guardian reports that police officers executed a “section 35 dispersal order” in order to clear the crowd. This allows a police officer to exclude a person from an area for up to 48 hours. Thankfully, no arrests were made at the event.

[This post contains spoilers for Better Call Saul]

Better Call Saul returned after a two-month break with a nice, quiet episode where nothing happened — except Lalo sending Kim to kill Gus Fring, while Jimmy is tied up inches away from Howard’s corpse, and Mike planting a surveillance sniper across the parking lot from Jimmy and Kim’s apartment, and Lalo holding Gus hostage, and Gus shooting Lalo, who laughs with his final breathe before choking on his own blood.

But other than that, it was basically an episode of Joe Pera Talks to You (RIP).

Speaking of RIP: Lalo Salamanca, the most fascinating character on TV, is no more. In an interview with Rolling Stone, writer Gordon Smith explained why, in a surprise move, he was killed off with five episodes to go in the season. “We felt like we had set these forces in motion, and we were having these two titans of our story clash, and unfortunately, we knew Gus had to come out the other side,” he said, adding, “We gave Lalo the gift of getting everything — his heart’s desire — and it destroys him.”

Meanwhile, the actor who plays Lalo, future James Bond villain (fingers crossed) Tony Dalton, was not destroyed by his death scene. He thinks it’s “genius” that, in a sense, Lalo is present for many of the biggest moments in Breaking Bad. Dalton was also asked by Variety how Lalo’s death impacts Gus heading into Breaking Bad.

“I talked to Giancarlo about it, the whole part where Gus is worried that Lalo is going to get him — you don’t see an uncertainty in Breaking Bad. You can see it a little bit in here, that weakness and Achilles’ heel. After Lalo dies, that cements Gus into the person that he becomes in Breaking Bad,” he said. “I hope Saul also has nightmares of Lalo.”

We’ll have much more on Better Call Saul throughout the day.

(Via Variety)

Rage Against The Machine have been making headlines lately, but tonight it’s not for a great reason. Consequence has reported that frontman Zack de la Rocha injured his leg during the band’s set at Chicago’s United Center tonight, July 11. Crew members helped him off the stage for a break, but he then returned and performed while sitting on a monitor.

This show was only the “Killing In The Name” band’s second one on their highly anticipated reunion tour that got postponed a handful of times due to the pandemic. Their first show back was in East Troy, Wisconsin at the Alpine Valley Music Theater, and they proved that they haven’t lost any of their bombast. They showed that they’re still the same outspoken advocates by flashing political messages on the screen behind them like one that read, “ABORT THE SUPREME COURT” and a visual of a cop car on fire.

This is not a surprise; they were one of many musicians to speak up about the recent overturning of Roe V. Wade. “We are disgusted by the repeal of Roe V. Wade and the devastating impact it will have on tens of millions of people,” the group wrote in part through a message about the donation.

Kid Cudi is preparing to release his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi on streaming services. The LP is 14 years old and contains his timeless hit “Day N Nite,” which has since gone platinum five times. However, the rapper decided to change the original album art, which quickly made fans go from excited to upset.

On Instagram, he shared the new cover, writing in the now-deleted caption: “This photo was taken by Mel D Cole on 9.22.08 in NYC. Right before my life changed forever.”

On Twitter, Cudi received a response that read: “im sorry cud but the og cover too iconic.” Cudi then quote-tweeted the post and wrote: “Im sorry but that cover i never liked and this is way better to see me at that time. Some of yall be so stuck on the past and dont wanna see any change its really sad. This photo is as equally if not more iconic. Ur bogus.”

A lot of the Instagram post comments have similar disappointed sentiments, and then there are other fans calling them out: “y’all worried about the cover when we finally get this on streaming,” one of them wrote.

A Kid Named Cudi will reach streaming services on 7/15.

Since taking over the Thor wing of the MCU with the threequel Ragnarok, Taika Waititi has taken it in some unusual directions. Suddenly Chris Hemsworth’s bellowing he-man was a lot funnier, for one thing. The latest, Love and Thunder, often shows only the faintest interest in being a standard Marvel movie, more interested in Taylor Swift references than hammer time. That’s gotten it some mixed reviews, but it made so much money over the weekend that there’s every possibility the very, very busy Waititi is back for round three. But if he does, things may be even more different.

In an interview with Insider, Waititi discusses potentially coming back for the fifth Thor. “I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it,” he say. He also had some stipulations. “But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story. Like making just a $5 million movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip. Like Nebraska.”

A black-and-white dramedy where Thor resurrects a crabby Odin and they drive around the Midwest? Why not! You could even bring Nebraska supporting player Bob Odenkirk into the MCU. There should be more low-budgeted, weirdo Marvel spinoffs, like that time Kirsten Dunst floated the idea of a freaky horror movie where her version of Spider-Man’s Mary Jane is freaking out because she’s impregnated with spider DNA. In fact, that one should still be made.

(Via Insider)

The memory of the legendary singer Amy Winehouse lives on in many ways. Her relentless talent continues to amaze people, as can be seen in a clip of her raw vocals going viral on TikTok, or her 2007 Glastonbury live performance album being released. Now it’s been announced that a new biopic about the “Back To Black” singer is in the works, according to Deadline and Variety.

Aptly titled Back to Black, the film has found its director in Sam Taylor-Johnson, who helmed Fifty Shades of Grey. It will be written by Matt Greenhalgh and produced by Studiocanal, Alison Owen, Debra Hayward, and Tracey Seaward. The Amy Winehouse Estate, including her father, is in support of the project.

Last year, Mark Ronson opened up in an interview about his regret over the ways in which he treated Winehouse. “Obviously, we had our ups and downs and it was troubling,” he told The Guardian. “I don’t know if I fully loved the way that I behaved around her. When she was going through addiction, I wish I’d been a little bit more upfront or confrontational about it. But I just was like, ‘Ah, she’ll sort it out — she did it already once.’ So, whatever.”