After being on air for over a decade, The Walking Dead universe is ending certain storylines while revitalizing others. At Comic-Con, AMC debuted two new trailers: one for the final eight episodes of the original monumental zombie series, and another for the highly-anticipated Tales Of The Walking Dead, a new anthology series revolving around various old and new Walking Dead characters, including the return of fan-favorite Samantha Morton as Alpha.

This time, fans will get a backstory on Alpha and who she was before she was…Alpha. The series will also feature Terry Crews, Olivia Munn, Anthony Edwards, and Parker Posey starring in their own separate stories each in the Walking Dead universe.

Meanwhile, the final season of The Walking Dead is also on its way, and every gory death and dramatic monologue from the past eleven seasons has been building up to this. As per the official description, “In the upcoming final episodes of The Walking Dead, threats lurk around every corner, dead and alive, as each group continues to get caught in uncontrollable situations. The looming pressure is cresting towards a day of reckoning for all. Will the sum of their individual journeys cumulate into one, or divide them forever?”

Tales Of The Walking Dead premieres on AMC on August 14th, while the final eight episodes of The Walking Dead premiere on October 2nd.

Vets suggested that Tiny Tina and Oopsie Daisy, two adorable kitten siblings, be put down due to an odd quirk they shared—endless shaking.

Tiny Tina and Oopsie Daisy were born with cerebellar hypoplasia, a neurological condition that affects a kitty’s fine motor skills, balance and coordination (VCA Animal Hospitals). It can occur when a pregnant cat is severely malnourished, or—more commonly—becomes infected with feline panleukopenia virus and passes the infection to her unborn kittens.

Symptoms of cerebellar hypoplasia might not become apparent until the kitten begins to walk around on its own, but usually involve jerky movements. It’s typical to see a wobbly gait known as hypermetria, as well as mild tremors, some of which may become more pronounced the more a cat tries to perform some kind of focused activity such as playing or drinking.

A now viral TikTok posted by their owner shows Tiny Tina and Oopsie Daisy go from looking like they’ve had too many shots of espresso to having no apparent symptoms whatsoever.

It might look like a miracle. But really, it’s just the result of patience and love.

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The video’s caption reads “sometimes, vets don’t know best. CH cats can live quality lives – they just need a little more help.”

@thekittyandmarley Sometimes, vets don’t know best. CH cats can live quality lives – they just need a little more help #chcat #chkitten #cerebellarhypoplasia ♬ original sound – Nick

Kittens can adapt to the disability over time. But, as with any special needs pet, they might require a little extra attention. With dedicated play time from their owner, Tiny Tina and Oopsie Daisy were able to build their little muscles. Plus they had each other. There’s a quick moment in the video where we see the two sisters licking each other’s faces, and that’s every bit as sweet as you’d imagine.

The video ends with two clearly healthy, thriving young cats. No shakes or jittering to be seen. Oopsie Daisy even shows off her impressive climbing skills on a cat tree at the very end.

In a follow up TikTok, their owner shared that the 1.5-year-old cats had such mild symptoms they didn’t even need special living accommodations.

@thekittyandmarley As a responsible pet owner – educate yourself, advocate for your pet, and find a vet who will work with you as a team to provide the best care for your pet. #chcats #cerebellarhypoplasia #responsiblepetowner ♬ Living My Best Life – Ben Rector

She also made sure to add the caveat that her videos were “in no way meant to bash the veterinary field,” adding that, “Vets are human and make mistakes. A good vet will admit when they’re unfamiliar with a condition and be willing to learn or refer you to a specialist.”

If a pet’s quality of life is undeniably compressed, then considering euthanization might be a responsible decision. However, animals with birth defects can go on to live happy, fulfilling lives. They can still make wonderful companions. They still deserve the very best from us. Kudos to this determined pet owner who acted on her compassion.

And of course, congrats to Oopsie Daisy and Tiny Tina, who now proudly goes by Tubby Tina. May all nine of your lives be filled with love and joy.

I’m not sporty or athletic, but that doesn’t stop me from loving a good sports story. Especially when those stories are focused on women and girls. So when I was introduced to “First Down” as a part of this year’s Outfest, I knew it was absolutely the kind of sports story I would love.

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This short film tells the story of an underdog team in America’s first girls’ tackle football league. Living in Utah, the girls, along with their coach Crys Sacco, have to overcome personal hardships to help the team to victory. The film’s director, Carrie Stett, talked to me about this dynamic group of young women and their beloved coach, and how sports can change lives.

In the 11.5 minute film, we meet several members of the team: Giselle, Abby aka JD, Liz and Riley. Stett found the team by researching places where young women were “receiving the benefits” of Title IX, which “gives women athletes the right to equal opportunity in sports in educational institutions that receive federal funds, from elementary schools to colleges and universities,” according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. Stett, a former athlete herself and huge football fan, revealed that after discovering the team she “just fell in love with them.” And when you see them, you totally understand why.

It takes some pretty dynamic young women to play tackle football, and the girls on the team clearly love what they’re doing. Unlike other sports such as basketball, tennis or swimming, football is seen exclusively as a man’s sport. But, of course, we all know that isn’t even the slightest bit true. Women’s football teams have existed for a long time, but don’t get nearly as much recognition as they should. This is especially true for school-aged girls who may be playing the sport. It’s still seen as shocking when a girl wants to play football. Not because of all the potential injuries, but simply because they’re girls. How utterly backward is that?

As we see in “First Down,” playing football gives these girls a sense of purpose and a sense of self that they haven’t been able to find anywhere else. Their sheer determination and love for the sport is one of the things that compelled Stett to tell their story. “What I loved about them is that they are underdogs,” she explained. “I just loved that they were such an example of girls from all backgrounds coming together. And some of them had real personal challenges. So to me that was very interesting as a storyteller, to give them a voice that they had never had.”

Several of the girls mention dealing with depression and anxiety. Giselle is open about her body image struggles and how she found more body confidence in playing football. Being surrounded by other girls who have similar body types and learning how to find the power in that to play football has given her a newfound sense of confidence. In the film, she mentions how after her first week of practice she cried. “I feel like I found something that I feel good about—something that can give me more confidence. Somewhere where I’m useful,” she said.

Liz talks pretty openly about living in a house with people dealing with addiction. She admits that her dad and brothers punch holes in the walls because of anger issues. Riley suffers from depression, anxiety and PTSD. She was placed in the foster care system at age 7 due to her biological mom’s addiction. She was adopted by the first lesbian couple allowed to foster in Utah.

“I just thought I’d never be able to play football because I’m a girl,” JD says. “Then this opportunity came for girls’ tackle football and I was like ‘Dad, Mom, please! You know how much I want to play football.’ And they were like ‘OK, we’ll sign you up.’” She is the team’s quarterback, and it’s clear that playing football gives her an immense sense of purpose.

“Some of the players had some trepidation with talking about their personal stories,” Stett explained. “It took time to get them to open up, but I think that what happened was, once they got to talking, they realized that they could talk maybe in a way they hadn’t been able to talk about any of this before.”

Much of their fear was eased by Coach Crys’ trust in Stett and her crew. At the first practice, Crys introduces himself as Crys, stating that the previous season, he had gone by Crystal. But now he’s using he/him pronouns. If it’s an issue for anyone, they don’t show it. They go on about their business and play football. As many of them point out, being on the team allows you to be who you are, and that’s the beauty of it all. In one scene, we see Crys being injected with testosterone, which is just part of his life.

“I didn’t go out seeking that storyline, it happened to be what Crys was dealing with at the time,” Stett said. “So we really just talked about it and Crys was, to his credit, very open about it. It was really important to me to let him be what he wanted to be—we were just capturing what happened.”

“First Down” focuses on the beginning of the season and the team’s goals and dreams for the season. At the time, they had never won a game, but their goal was to win the championship. We learn at the end that they didn’t win that year, but they did the following year. It was a really big deal for them, not just because as a team they want to win, but it shows people who may be watching that an underdog team like that deserves as many chances as they can get. Having a winning team can lead to more opportunities—not just for the girls, but for the league. Stett believes that films like this not only tell the stories of the individuals, but allow for more representation.

“I looked around for leagues, but very few of them have survived. There’s been some all over the country, but this is the one that’s made it. So there’s not a big infrastructure. This is an individual league, it’s not attached to or part of school, like other sports. And when it’s not part of school, it costs money and takes time and takes real involvement,” she pointed out.

When I asked Stett what she wants audiences to take away from “First Down,” she was contemplative. It’s a hefty question, but it leaves room for introspection. “I hope that it creates awareness that this exists, because most people say, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know that that existed,’” Stett said. “There’s so many levels that this could be eye-opening, but I also hope that people see the value in it.”

The best new hip-hop this week features albums, songs, and videos from Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert, and Joey Badass.

With one more week until Beyonce (and NAV) shut down the industry, it appears a lot of big steppers looked to get in and get out. Flo Milli released her album early, Future and Megan Thee Stallion turned the Hot Boys and Hot Girls into a Hot Family, and Joey Badass finally dropped off his long-awaited LP. Today could be considered Christmas, though with the music we know coming over the course of the next week, perhaps the first day of Hanukkah is more appropriate.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending July 22, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Icewear Vezzo — Rich Off Pints 3

Icewear Vezzo is one of the hottest young acts in the game and Rich Off Pints 3 puts that on full display. The man trades bars with Lil Baby, Lil Durk, G Herbo, Key Glock, and E-40, among others, across 14 tracks.

Joey Badass — 2000

The wait is finally over. Joey Badass is here with 2000, a 14-track LP featuring Diddy, Westside Gunn, Larry June, Chris Brown, Capella Grey, and JID. Judging by the singles he has released over the last few months, this is well worth the wait.

Shordie Shordie — More Than Music, Pt. 2

Shordie Shordie is back with a 17-song offering in More Than Music, Pt. 2. The album features Rich Homie Quan, Offset and Mozzy, meaning there will be a balanced helping of bars and bops.

BBM Deion — Shine

Bbm Deion is doing his thing at just the ripe age of 18. His latest EP Shine is a six-song warning shot to the rest of the rap game that his best days are just getting started.

Singles/Videos

Jay Worthy & Harry Fraud ft. Conway The Machine & Big Body Bes — “Helicopter Homicide”

“Helicopter Homicide” sounds exactly like what I imagine flying through the clouds sounds like. Peaceful and serene. The rappers, who may normally bring an aggressive grit to the lyrical battlefield, match the soft bass guitar and piano keys here with calm yet surgical flows. It is a truly refreshing listen.

Kelow Latesha ft. Asian Doll — “He Ain’t Mine”

“He Ain’t Mine” definitely carries video game final boss energy, and the dark-tinged vocals from Kelow Latesha and Asian Doll complement the sonics. They are fire and ice, sweet and sour, truly any ying-yang relationship that goes over well. The message is clear; they stand alone but are strong together.

Kai Ca$h ft. Devvon Terrell — “Can We Talk”

There are multiple elements as to why Kai Ca$h and Devvon Terrell’s latest collaboration “Can We Talk” is special. The interpolation of the classic Tevin Campbell hook, the “I Just Wanna Love You” sample, and the synergy between Ca$h’s smooth raps and Terrell’s bright, yearning vocals come together to make a fresh sound with a timeless feel. Most of all, they’re blending their manly dispositions with the pursuit of women they desire. There is not a bad time to play this record.

Ashoka x Deante Hitchcock — “Sleep On Me”

“Sleep On Me” is a fiery, three-minute inquiry. Ashoka and Deante Hitchock directly ask how they are slept on, but also show they shouldn’t be with shapeshifting flows and elite wordplay. It’s an especially impactful performance as the beat is a bit slow, but does not hinder the forcefulness of their lyrical attack.

TG Kommas ft. Fredo Bang — “Barefoot”

“Barefoot” is a fun video full of spinning skulls, gold uzis, virtual reality headsets, and cool visual effects. TG Kommas and Fredo Bang rap and dance throughout various scenes with completely carefree energy. Why would they have a care in the world, with all that ice and money?

Chitana ft. Young Dolph — “Love For Me”

“Love For Me” is a heartfelt devotion to the woman who stands by Chitana’s side. It is also special because the late Young Dolph gets a verse off matching the energy of Chitana’s crooning, only in his brooding southern drawl. It’s a smooth banger by all definitions.

Sonny Digital — “Vet”

Sonny Digital is having the time of his life in the “Vet” video. The legendary producer rides around on a motorcycle before eventually trading it for an icy white luxury vehicle. His hard work has definitely paid off, and now he can honestly just rap for fun.

38 Spesh x Ransom — “Last Gasp”

“Last Gasp” opens with a captivating soul sample before the lyricists 38 Spesh and Ransom throw their verbal jabs. If the record is a boxing match, they go the distance with calculated body shots and the occasional headshot. Not to mention, a complete switch of gameplan halfway through the bout in the form of a brief beat switch.

Kay Flock ft. B-Lovee & Dougie B — “Brotherly Love Pt. 2”

“Brotherly Love Pt. 2” lives up to the name. Kay Flock, B-Loveee, and Dougie B all rap with a chaotic fury that somehow meshes well together. This record may need to skip the car test because the drum-laden drill beat and yelling may blow your audio system. It’s big energy though.

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

The senatorial race in Pennsylvania will be one of the most watched races come November, as current Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman and his many tattoos face off against controversial TV quack Dr. Oz. Fortunately for the millions of politicos keeping an eye on the race, Fetterman is making it entertaining as hell.

When he’s not owning Dr. Oz on Twitter, Fetterman is regularly reminding voters that Oz is not a Pennsylvanian. In fact, Oz didn’t even purchase a home in the state until earlier this year, and when filling out his “new” address on some forms, he actually managed to misspell the town name. Fetterman is loving every last one of Oz’s gaffes.

Last week, Fetterman basically broke the internet when he enlisted the help of Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi to remind Dr. Oz that he’s a Jersey Guy through-and-through—and that she loves him for it.

Now Fetterman has taken his campaign to make Dr. Oz the Garden State’s most famous resident to the next level by starting a campaign to see the former TV show host be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Fetterman even created a petition, which you can sign here.

As it turns out, Dr. Oz is totally eligible—and the congressman for his district, Bill Pascrell, is totally into the idea.

Let’s go Oz!

Gone are the days of McDonalds’ plastic toy tie-ins, now fans can get the highest quality superhero movie merch for only several (million) dollars! Or at least that’s the case with Marvel’s new infinity stone collaboration. To have the fate of the world in the palm of your hand for just a few million is kind of a great deal.

Today at Comic-Con, Marvel unveiled a new collection of replica Infinity Stones from East Continental Gems. As told in the Avengers universe, the six infinity stones represent Time, Space, Reality, Mind, Power, and Soul. Of course, you don’t have to be Thanos to collect these stones, but you do need to have several million laying around.

The collection is expected to be one of the most valuable Marvel items, as the six stones combined are over 150 carats and come with a total estimated value of about $25 million. Seeing as Thanos doesn’t use USD, this is pretty reasonable! Each of the stones will be displayed in an exclusive Infinity Gauntlet specially crafted by Gentle Giant Ltd.

Paul Gitter, SVP, Marvel Consumer Products, says that this is a unique way for fans to get a gold of some one-of-a-kind merchandise. “Fans and collectors are a very important consumers for Marvel, since they truly live the Marvel lifestyle every day and are always seeking to connect with the brand in new and unique ways,” Gitter explains. “We feel this authentic gemstone collection is cool and unexpected and extends the reach of the Marvel brand.”

For fans who don’t want to have ALL that power, East Continental Gems will also be issuing a limited-edition Reality Stone in September 2022 as part of a future collection.

For the past week, Lil Uzi Vert has been releasing singles ahead of the Red & White EP. Today, after sharing “Space Cadet,” “I Know,” and “Flex Up” individually, Uzi released these three tracks along with a fourth, “Hittin My Shoulder,” to DSPs. Meanwhile, over on SoundCloud, it looks like the mischievous rapper has released the nine-track EP in full, circumventing a traditional release.

The Red & White EP is intended as a prelude to Uzi’s The Pink Tape — the title drawing a clear connection between the two projects — which was delayed last year so that the Philadelphia rapper could make sure the follow-up to Eternal Atake and its companion album Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World 2 “won’t suck.”

In the meantime, Uzi’s kept busy, contributing features to such projects as Nigo’s I Know Nigo album (he appears on the single “Heavy“), and headlining music festivals like HARD Summer Music Festival and Uzi’s hometown’s Made In America Festival. Uzi also popped up at both Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival and the UK’s Wireless Festival.

But the buzz among fans mostly focused on Uzi’s subtle mid-week announcement that the rapper now goes by the “they/them” pronouns, which refer to non-binary people. Uzi revealed as much with a simple Instagram bio change, which was later confirmed by a spokesperson.

You can check out “Hittin My Shoulder” from Red & White above and stream the full EP here.

Well, we’ve done it. The number of televised Jan. 6th Committee Hearings has officially surpassed the number of Harry Potter films in the original franchise. And, to celebrate this milestone that literally no one is keeping track of, we’d like to remind those paying attention to the political investigation that everyone, including his own state, absolutely hates Josh Hawley.

After Congresswoman Elaine Luria shared footage of the sedition-supporting senator fleeing the Capitol with his tail between his legs just hours after helping to incite a mob of insurrections into storming his workplace, Missouri’s Kansas City Star labeled Hawley a “laughingstock” in his home state in an article titled “Fist pumper to fleeing coward: Jan. 6 video shows Missouri who Josh Hawley really is.”

“A signature Hawley issue is masculinity — as in, how little of it American men seem to have these days,” the paper writes. “It’s a frequent topic in his speeches and on his podcast, where ‘the left-wing attack on manhood’ is a dire threat to our society. Regnery Publishing is set to release his book “Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs” next year. Twitter didn’t see much bravado as he ran from the mob on Luria’s video.”

Please enjoy this thread if you haven’t seen the video yet:

The paper went on to shame Hawley for stirring up the crowd and perpetuating the baseless claim that the election had been stolen before alluding to Representative Liz Cheney’s comment that more insiders involved in planning the coup were prepared to speak.

“But funny as the visual was, there is absolutely nothing amusing about Jan. 6, 2021,” it says. “We said that day Hawley has blood on his hands for his role in perpetuating the lies that drove thousands of people to violence. That remains true. Sen. Josh Hawley might not fear a little mockery of his hasty flight from Capitol marauders. But he might be justified if he’s afraid of what emails or text messages some previously-loyal staffer might be considering turning over to the House committee.”

(Via Kansas City Star)

Want to know the real reason why Thor: Love and Thunder only has a 67 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes? Not enough Groot. But luckily, everyone’s favorite tree voiced by a member of the Fast and Furious family is getting his own Disney+ show. I Am Groot is a collection of five shorts starring Baby Groot and some cute alien blobs who enjoy eating his fart leaves. It makes sense if you watch the trailer above… kind of.

In I Am Groot, Baby Groot is voiced by Vin Diesel, who recently celebrated his 55th birthday with his Fast and Furious co-star Helen Mirren. “They were having an amazing time,” a source told the New York Post. “It seems as if Diesel and Mirren have become good friends throughout filming. As they sang him ‘Happy Birthday,’ he changed the lyrics to ‘Happy birthday, dear Helen,’ because her birthday is July 26.” They also sipped on red wine and Prosecco, which Diesel was able to afford because he said “Groot” a few times in a recording studio. A good gig if you can get it.

Here’s more:

There’s no guarding the galaxy from this mischievous toddler! So get ready as Baby Groot takes center stage in his very owns series, exploring his glory days growing up — and getting into trouble — among the stars.

I Am Groot premieres on Disney+ on August 10.

Jack White just released his second solo album of 2022 in Entering Heaven Alive. Along with the April release of Fear Of The Dawn, it has been an incredibly productive year for the former White Stripes singer and guitarist. To hype up the latest release, White went on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night and in a segment called “Maybe Coming Soon,” the two poked fun at some other, more under-the-radar (and completely fictional) projects that White (and Colbert) have in store this year.

The gag included Colbert jokingly introducing White as “a man who considers me his closest personal friend,” revealing an image of three (very clearly) fake album covers and the pair riffed on each of these faux collabs. The first saw Colbert and White’s faces superimposed onto Simon & Garfunkel’s classic Bookends cover, and Colbert joked that White decided to do the entire album “cosplaying as a young Sigourney Weaver”; the resemblance was pretty remarkable. The second album cover saw the pair dressed up as mimes in KISS make up for the album French Kiss — Cirque Du Paris, which spoofed KISS’s Destroyer cover.

The final album was entitled Yo Ho Ho And A Basket Of Shrimp (Plus 29 Other Unauthorized Jingles For Long John Silver’s) and White said they wrote a sea shanty about jalapeño poppers. Then, the pair had an impromptu moment where an actual sea shanty, “Barrett’s Privateers,” was brought up and White seemed genuinely amazed that Colbert knew the words as they coursed through the song in impeccable fashion.

Look: sometimes a serious interview about big projects like White’s albums is what you want to see, but sometimes, you just wan to see the stars having a laugh… and singing sea shanties with late-night TV talk show hosts.

And yes, White did play an actual song, in the powerful “If I Die Tomorrow,” which you can watch below. Watch the Late Show segment with Jack White above.