Month: August 2022

As Warner Bros. Discovery attempts to “reset” the DC Extended Universe following the sudden shelving of Batgirl, more and more insider sources continue to paint a picture of chaos behind the scenes. It’s to the point where very few DC Comics project are looking safe right now. According to a new report, the Joker sequel starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga is the only film that’s actually greenlight right now. Everything else is in development, and there’s no guarantee of the projects moving forward. That includes The Batman sequel, which is no longer a sure thing despite the first Robert Pattinson installment delivering a solid hit for Warner Bros. during the pandemic.

Via Variety:

Writer-director Matt Reeves is on track for a sequel with star Robert Pattinson, but the project remains in development and does not yet have a greenlight — any future film is years away. Several other DC properties have been in development as feature films, some for years — “Wonder Woman 3” (with Patty Jenkins directing), “Superman” (with Ta-Nehisi Coates writing), “Zatanna” (with Emerald Fennell writing) and “Static Shock” (with Michael B. Jordan producing) — but there haven’t been any substantive updates on these films since news of them first broke. (A spokesperson for Warner Bros. declined to comment for this story.)

The situation looks even more grim over on the HBO Max side. While Variety reports that Harley Quinn seems to be safe thanks to its large following (Although, again, the situation is very fluid), Doom Patrol and Titans are most likely headed for cancellation. Any previously announced series like J.J. Abrams Justice League Dark are not looking good either as the Batgirl fiasco made it clear that anything DC-related has a target on its back right now.

(Via Variety)

Just days after roasting his dad Dennis for getting a pretty goofy-looking tattoo of himself, Drake has gotten some new ink of his own. Drake’s collection of tattoos ranges from sentimental to celebratory to outright goofy, as well, but his latest addition is way more sentimental than it is subtle. Everybody knows how much Drake loves his mom; he’s done several songs about her already, including “Sandra’s Rose” from his 2018 album Scorpion. His new tattoo takes inspiration from his mom’s name as well, inking her initials “S.G.” (for Sandra Gale) just below his left eye.

Of course, as with all things involving Drake, fans had thoughts. A Twitter search of “Drake tattoo” yields a trove of opinions ranging from exasperation (“Drake pissing me off with these tattoos,” wrote one annoyed fan) to admiration. “Drake getting braids and a face tattoo in his 30’s, let’s you know anything is possible,” joked another fan. “Go ahead and tell your manager to f*ck off the next time he asks you to mop the floor. Yolo.”

Some didn’t even believe that the image Drake posted to Instagram was even real. “drake did not get a face tattoo,” wrote one disbeliever. “it’s no way a n**** this calculated didn’t consider those consequences. i don’t believe you.” And while it’s entirely possible Drake is just here for the jokes and didn’t actually get his mom’s initials inked on his face (FWIW, it looks very much like it’s real), it’s probably funnier if he did, right? Like, if you just listed “the most Drake things Drake could possibly do,” you’re hitting that option somewhere in the top 40. Remember, Drake is the type of guy to do a lot of things no one expects but that would be pretty hilarious to see him actually do in real life.

Millie Bobby Brown is one of the more talented under-20 actresses working in Hollywood today. Outside of her breakout role in Stranger Things, she also added a spunky energy to Netflix’s better-than-it-looks Enola Holmes, and she provided human depth to the CGI slug-fest that is Godzilla vs. Kong. But before she was cast as Eleven, Bobby Brown was told that she was “too mature” to make it as an actress. She was 10 years old.

“I always knew that I was mature and I couldn’t really help that,” Bobby Brown told Allure. “[I felt] like no one was quite like me in school and no one was as mature as I was, [hearing that] was really hard because I thought [maturity] was a good thing. And then being told that it wasn’t, that I wouldn’t make it in this industry, it was so hurtful.”

She continued:

“I got really down about that. My parents told me, ‘Just do this one last audition on tape and then you can go outside and play with your friends again.’ So I said, ‘Okay, yeah, I should do this one because it looks cool.’”

That audition was for Stranger Things. Three months later, she was cast as Eleven.

Bobby Brown will next appear in Enola Holmes 2, where she earned a record-breaking salary.

(Via Allure)

Did the idea of a “song of the summer” come about organically, or is it just some concept artificially invented by content-starved media companies? Either way, this week’s Indiecast episode has hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen debating which artist between Harry Styles, Kate Bush, and Seals & Crofts (really!) can claim the title.

Since this week’s episode is another No Meat Friday edition, Steven and Ian share a number of noteworthy indie music stories from this week. They walk through revelations from a new interview with The 1975’s Matty Healy, including his thoughts on cancel culture and how all his friends are comics. Plus, they share their thoughts about Rage Against The Machine amid their current tour and how Weezer’s Broadway musical was just canceled due to low ticket sales.

The Recommendation Corner this week has Ian sharing music from Jouska while Steven gives a shout out to Canadian indie rock band Kiwi Jr.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 101 below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

The Scream franchise must be doing some hefty rewrites right about now, given that Neve Campbell recently announced that her character, Sidney Prescott, won’t play the game anymore. Neve’s co-stars rallied around her following her announcement that she’s a no-go for the sixth film, given that she felt undervalued by producers, who offered her a subpar salary compared to what she brings to the franchise. It’s a stark reminder that not even a Final Girl is guaranteed parity, and Campbell is sticking with her hardened stance.

Neve spoke to People about her new Red Cross initiative, and in doing so, she reiterated how “I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring to this franchise, and have brought to this franchise.” That’s been the case for over two decades because Sydney basically is the Scream franchise (even more than Courteney Cox’s Gail Weathers or David Arquette’s Deputy Dewey), and Neve believes that no similarly successful dude in Hollywood would be treated the same way:

“I honestly don’t believe that if I were a man and had done five installments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man… And in my soul, I just couldn’t do that. I couldn’t walk on set feeling that — feeling undervalued and feeling the unfairness, or lack of fairness, around that.”

It’s a valid (and probably accurate) point. Following Neve’s initial departure, ComicBook pointed out how Matthew Lillard (who played Stu Macher from the first movie) agreed while saying, “Did Tom Cruise take less money from Top Gun Maverick? F-ck no dude. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on?” And Jamie Kennedy claimed to have seen the Scream 6 script, in which Sid “played a heavy part.” We’ll find out how those rewrites went on Scream 6‘s March 31, 2023 release date.

Meanwhile, Neve is otherwise doing fantastic. She’ll soon be seen alongside Anthony Mackie in Peacock’s Twisted Metal adaptation, and she’ll return for a second season of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer series.

(Via People)

 

(For You)r Consideration is a weekly column breaking down the rappers and singers doing it RIGHT on TikTok and the viral trends and top songs taking over your FYP.

Return of the “Racks”

Over ten years ago, the Sonny Digital-produced “Racks” by YC introduced the mainstream to an up-and-coming rapper named Future and gave us the beat behind one of Lil Kim’s and Lil Wayne’s most iconic freestyles. Today, the song is the soundtrack to one of TikTok’s burgeoning trends where creators play with the age-old cliché, “If I had a dollar for every time…” and tell their For You Page about some very frequent, often awkward occurrences. Who would’ve thought the beat Sonny Digital sold to YC and his team for just $300 would play the background to over thirty thousand videos?

Get To That Money

If you’re not familiar with Arkansas’ viral king of choreography and rapper ZaeHD, you may have seen his videos cosplaying as an employee at a few popular restaurants and brands. Set to his single “GTTM” and inspired by the track’s music video, ZaeHD steps into work and does exactly what the lyrics say…”let’s get to that money.” From goofing off at the Apple Store to turning up with employees at Atlanta’s famous Slutty Vegan and somehow finding his way into a USPS uniform, the trend is pure comedy. And with just under ten thousand videos using the sound, it’s ripe for replication.

Steve Lacy’s Fans Aren’t Happy

Shortly after releasing his 2nd studio album Gemini Rights, guitarist-turned solo artist Steve Lacy announced his “Give You The World” tour, and fans went crazy. The $35 tickets sold out almost immediately, and fans have taken to TikTok using his song “Static” as background to their complaints. Lacy’s most devout followers have voiced their grievances with him and Ticketmaster about the size of the venues he’s set to play at and the over 300% markup on resale tickets. Lacy has yet to respond to complaints from friends but did use the sound on TikTok to show off a fresh set of braids. Watch below for some of our favorite Steve Lacy-hating videos.

There ain’t no rule that says a dog can’t play basketball, but there is a rule that disqualifies Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings from being a contestant again. But it’s one that the game show might be willing to break for the GOAT.

To prevent the kind of chicanery that led to the quiz show scandals of the 1950s, hosts are technically ineligible from participating in future episodes because they’ve “seen behind the curtain,” producer Sarah Foss explained on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast. That being said, if Jennings got the itch again and wanted to prove his chops against Tournament of Champions-eligible contestants Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, and Mattea Roach, executive producer Michael Davies might be willing to bend the rules.

“But I’m telling you, it’s like if Ken is the Greatest of All Time — kind of like Arnold Palmer who tees off at The Masters — if Ken came to me desperately and said, ‘This is it. I still want to play Jeopardy!,’ I cannot believe that I would completely close the door on Ken playing any form of Jeopardy! at any point in the future,” he said.

Maybe it would be unfair for Jennings to be a contestant on regular Jeopardy!, where he shares hosting duties with Mayim Bialik — which makes this a perfect time to bring back Rock & Roll Jeopardy! on VH1. Hope you know your Steve Miller Band albums, Ken!

(Via CinemaBlend)

Earlier this year, MIA announced her sixth studio album Mata to follow up 2016’s AIM. She unveiled the first single “The One” and now she’s back with the new track “Popular,” an infectious, self-empowering anthem with a jangly rhythm. It builds up the hype for a catchy LP, though it still has no confirmed release date. Mata will mark the first MIA album released via her new partnership with Island Records, following a long-standing history with Interscope and XL Recordings.

MIA is known for her ability to provoke and stir up public conversation. In 2018, the performer got into trouble when the NFL sued MIA over the obscene gesture she flashed during her 2012 Super Bowl performance with Madonna. “If you’re talking about racism and sexism, that moment in my life showed the cracks in everyone I knew,” she said. “I was at Roc Nation at the time and Jay-Z was managing me. The lawsuit was so ridiculous, it proposed that they would keep one hundred percent of my earnings for the rest of my life if I ever earned more than $2 million dollars. Jay-Z was, like, ‘You should sign that sh*t’ and I was, like, ‘No.’”

Check out “Popular” above.

It is currently Megan Thee Stallion season: She’s just hours removed from releasing her new album Traumazine and shortly before that, she took over The Tonight Show by co-hosting alongside Jimmy Fallon.

She first popped up mid-way through the monologue and had a bunch of fun from the get-go, breaking even more than the famously break-heavy Fallon during some monologue jokes. Later on, she joined Fallon in writing some thank you notes, closing with, “Thank you Earth, for taking ‘hot girl summer’ way too literally.”

They also did some-hip-hop mad libs, starting by coming up with some words based on random prompts, then inserting them into hip-hop songs. Naturally, they had Meg do “Savage,” which ended up being about beans and farting.

Elsewhere in the show, she got interviewed by Fallon and spoke some about Traumazine, saying she’s looking to take control of her own narrative with the personal album. Her dog 4oe also had a few show-stealing moments. Megan and Fallon also teamed up to interview Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer, during which Meg declared her character Nancy is a “hot girl” and had fun interrogating her about Nancy’s romantic history.

Watch clips from the episode above and below.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Getting complimented on a job well done is typically something that should make one feel good — unless the praise in question is coming from Infowars. The nearly 25-year-old far right news website, which offers up wild conspiracy theories as easily as some news broadcasts share the time or weather, is struggling at the moment, ever since founder Alex Jones was found guilty (again) of defaming some of the parents of the 20 children who were violently murdered by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut nearly 10 years ago. Jones is now being asked to cough up as much as $150 million in compensation (with two more trials on the way), so has put Infowars into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as The New York Times reported.

But if Infowars goes the way of the dodo bird, loyal viewers can always switch over to Fox News — a network that Owen Shroyer, host of Infowars’ The War Room With Owen Shroyer, feels is practically indistinguishable from his nutty network these days, according to Media Matters. And largely because of Tucker Carlson’s “gumption.”

While even Shroyer admitted that Brian Kilmeade, who’s sitting in for Carlson this week, “is a bit of an establishment hack” (ouch!), he believes that Tucker is the real deal “for making sure the truth gets told even though you know some of the big sponsors, corporate ad buyers, and top execs at Fox probably don’t like [it].” As he further explained:

If you’ve been tuning into the War Room, I said Fox News at night sounds more like Infowars this week than ever before. Than ever before. So that’s kind of the time period we’re in now. We’re in the Infowars paradigm of understanding current events, politics, more so than ever before, and it was the raid of Mar-a-Lago, really, that pushed the Overton window that far, and so I see that as a great victory. I see that as the reinforcements arriving. I see that as the truth finally rising to the top despite the attempts to chill free speech, censor free speech, bully, intimidate, and terrorize people from speaking the truth. It all comes from the American left in our modern political parlance, but it was Infowars that was groundbreaking. It is Infowars that’s been set for destruction.

Shroyer, as The Wrap reports, was part of the group of hooligans who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. He was charged for his part in the coup in August 2021, but later told authorities that the charges against him should be dropped because he’s like “Jesus or the Dalai Lama.”

If ever there was a sign that the top brass at Fox News may want to rethink their “news” model, this would be it. You can watch Shroyer’s full diatribe above.

(Via Media Matters)