When Beyonce first released her house-influenced single “Break My Soul,” it was a pop culture-shifting moment. The single sparked a growing conversation about Black artists’ pioneering efforts in dance music, as well as reviving interest in genre staples such as Robin S.’s “Show Me Love.” Now, Beyonce has doubled down on the empowering track and her commitment to a traditional rollout for her new album, Renaissance (or maybe even quadrupled), by releasing a surprise, four-track EP of “Break My Soul” remixes.
Each of the new reworkings of the song is produced by a different standout DJ from the dance music world, including Honey Dijon, Nita Aviance, Terry Hunter, and will.i.am. Their respective takes add elements such as trance or church organs to transform the hit record and expand its inescapable dance floor appeal.
The new EP should help refocus the public’s attention on the music and tastemaking history lesson at the core of Renaissance after another of the album’s tracks inadvertently hijacked the public’s interest. After “Milkshake” singer Kelis called out Beyonce for supposedly sampling her on “Energy,” much of the discourse revolved around whether or not Beyonce should credit Kelis. However, Beyonce later removed the disputed vocal, keeping the actual interpolation of “Milkshake” that prompted the speculation.
Check out Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” remixes below via Spotify.
The Joker sequel has locked down a release date. Despite the apparent chaos at Warner Bros. Discovery following the cancellation of Batgirl (and rumblings of HBO Max’s fate hanging in the balance), the new regime has emphasized a commitment to theatrical releases. After Joker broke a billion dollars in global box office on a relatively small budget, naturally, Warner Bros. has been itching for a sequel, which was confirmed back in June.
According to Deadline, Joker: Folie à deux is set to hit theaters on October 24, 2024 and will reportedly begin production this December. Joaquin Phoenix will reprise his role, and there has been talks of Lady Gaga joining the film as a new version of Harley Quinn. Oh, and also, the sequel might be a musical.
Details on her character are being kept under wraps, but Joker is known for his on-off abusive relationship with Harley Quinn, his psychiatrist at the Arkham Asylum mental institution who falls in love with him and becomes his sidekick and partner in crime. It is unclear whether Phillips and company are using other DC characters or striking out on their own, as they did in many instances with the first movie.
The Joker: Folie à deux release date does reaffirm Warner Bros. Discovery’s commitment to focusing on theatrical releases as it attempts to figure out what to do with its struggling DC Comics films. Granted, the studio has had successes with Joker, The Batman, and Aquaman, but nowhere at the consistent level of Marvel. Reportedly, CEO David Zaslav is making moves to overhaul DC Films, and things are clearly getting interesting on that front following the shelving of Batgirl.
How many times have you watched the footage of beet-red conspiracy theorist Alex Jones finding out that his lawyers accidentally sent a digital copy of the entire content of his cell phone to the Sandy Hook parents’ lawyer?
It’s like a scene out of Law and Order or one of its 12 spinoffs, except no TV lawyer would be that dumb. Take it from former-Law and Order writer David Slack.
In response to NBC News senior reporter Ben Collins tweeting that he’s seen a lot of episodes of Law and Order but he’s never seen a twist as good as “Alex Jones’ lawyers accidentally sent Sandy Hook parents’ lawyers the entire contents of his phone and his long-hidden financials, but they waited 12 days to let him lie,” Slack replied, “Because on Law & Order. we wouldn’t have let a lawyer do something that dumb.”
Do I understand how the American legal system works? No. But would I be surprised if Jones fired his lawyer — who responded to his blunder by taking on the same pose as The Thinker — and hired Rudy Giuliani? Also no. They’re both being sued, and Jones wouldn’t have to worry about Rudy sending his text messages to another attorney. He might butt dial a private conversation to a reporter, but that’s just Rudy being Rudy.
Because on Law & Order. we wouldn’t have let a lawyer do something that dumb.
A Dirty Dancing sequel is on the way, and now, another Patrick Swayze classic is receiving the reboot treatment. This news arrives as a surprise, however, because the project is being reimagined with the leading man role portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal. Maybe that casting news is not what one would expect on paper, but Jake has been known to whoop some ass (see 2015’s Southpaw). Here’s everything we know about the project so far.
– The project’s not newly in development. In fact, word began circling back in November 2021 that Gyllenhall could star in such a revamp as directed by Doug Limon. Now, it’s official, and together, they’ll put an updated spin on the 1980s film that saw Swayze star as an NYC philosophy student who heads down South to be a bouncer. The original film’s got some crushing and brutal fights, though there’s no telling whether that 1980s “sensibility” will work in 2022.
– Co-stars are coming. The MGM film’s gaining new life after the MGM/Amazon acquisition news, and the film will officially arrive under the Amazon Studios banner. Variety quotes Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke as calling the movie “a home run,” and Deadline reports that Gyllenhaal will be accompanied by UFC champ Conor McGregor within what will be his first major studio acting gig. Salke further promises to not go easy on the “action-packed” nature of this reimagining.
-What we don’t know. Do we have a release date? Nope, not yet! But we’ll keep you posted. Nor do we know what time period this movie will take place in, so we don’t know if this will be a period piece or contemporary, or what era of hairstyles we’ll see on Jake and Conor.
– The biggest pressing question. Bill Murray has not weighed in yet, although he will probably still pick up the phone every time he catches the movie on cable and sees Swayze’s sex scene with Kelly Lynch. Yep, there’s nothing like the original.
Picture it, if you will. You, your partner, and your dog are taking a hike through a mountain in England when you suddenly hear a noise. It’s something in the sky, and it’s getting closer and closer. It’s… it’s a helicopter! But it’s not just any helicopter breaking up the silence at the summit of High Crag. It’s a helicopter containing one of the world’s most famous actors, Tom Cruise, who hops out of the chopper, apologizes for disturbing your hike, compliments your dog, and then proceeds to jump off a cliff.
This is what happened to Sarah and Jason Haygarth, who discussed their encounter with Cruise with The Sun. “Sorry for disturbing your peaceful walk with all the noise — I like your dog,” they said the highly-paid Top Gun: Maverick star told them. Sarah replied, “Are you really going to jump off there?” Cruise nodded, smiled, and yelled back, “See you later, folks.” He was “as cool as a cucumber,” Sarah confirmed.
Cruise was filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two at the time, although I assume this (“this” meaning “jumping off a cliff and paragliding away”) is something he does for fun even when the cameras aren’t rolling. You can see the pics here, but if you, dear reader, have any equally eventful stories about meeting Tom Cruise, like the time you peed next to him at a Dave & Buster’s in Phoenix, please let me know.
The UConn Huskies will not have the services of their national player of the year when the 2022-23 college basketball season tips off. The program announced on Wednesday afternoon that star guard Paige Bueckers, who is about to begin her junior year in Storrs, suffered a torn ACL in her left knee on Monday while playing pickup basketball.
As a result of the injury, Bueckers, who was named an AP All-American honorable mention last year but earned unanimous All-American honors during her freshman campaign, will need to undergo surgery on Friday and won’t be able to take the floor this year.
“We’re all devastated for Paige,” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “She’s worked really hard to get stronger and healthier this offseason, and this is an unfortunate setback. Paige is obviously an amazing basketball player but she’s a better person and teammate and it’s really unfortunate that this has happened to her. We’ll miss her presence on the court, but she’ll do everything she can to still lead and help her teammates this season. Our program will support Paige through her healing process to help her come back better and stronger.”
Bueckers suffered a left knee injury last season that led to her missing nearly three months of action — she required surgery to repair an anterior tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear. After a brilliant freshman season that saw her get named the nation’s best player by the Associated Press and a number of other organizations, Bueckers was limited to 17 games as a sophomore.
The Wisconsin Old Fashioned — or brandy old fashioned if you don’t want to get all regional about it — is a stone-cold classic. The drink is a hyper-regional riff on the classic old fashioned, which dates back to the 1800s. This is more of an American suburbs take from the 1940s with a very Midwest vibe.
There are a few key differences at play with this cocktail vs. the typical iteration. One is obvious — the use of brandy instead of American whiskey. The next is the muddled fruit at the bottom of the drink. This is a descendant of the “Old Fashioned No. 2,” which also muddles its fruit but is rarely seen in today’s uber-hip cocktail scene. Lastly, this cocktail is treated a little bit like a highball — topped with fizzy soda. In most cases, that’s usually 7-Up, but I’ve seen it made with Squirt, club soda, and even, gasp, Sprite (I kid, I kid … but only barely, people get rigid about using 7-Up here).
Alas, this does sound a bit like Frankenstein’s Monster version of a simple old fashioned. Still, there is something nice under all of the tweaks that’s worth giving a shot, especially as the summer pushes into its hottest days. So, let’s get stirring!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
Add the two cherries, two orange slices, sugar, and bitters to a rocks glass. Muddle the fruit into the sugar until the cherries and orange start to fall apart into bits.
Fill the glass with ice and pour the brandy over the ice. Top with 7-Up and stir vigorously until everything is combined (for about five seconds).
Spear an orange wheel with a cherry for garnish and serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
This felt like a time machine to a bygone era. It’s sweet and fizzy at first, making it feel more like a highball than a cocktail. Then, the muddled fruit kicks in and creates an almost fruit punch or sangria vibe, with plenty of spices and botanicals and a hint of vanilla from the brandy. It’s actually a little too sippable and refreshing.
Thanks to that fruit punch feel once you dig into this cocktail, it becomes a great summer refresher. Suddenly, the oldness of the format of this drink disappears and the freshness of the bright and dark fruits with a good measure of spice feel almost tropical.
That said, this is on the sweeter side and might not be everyone’s jam. Still, if you’re looking for something to cool you off as the heat spikes, this is a good choice.
Occasionally last season, former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel elected to close games without Russell Westbrook in the lineup. Given Westbrook’s stature, vast collection of accolades, and the significant trade required to bring him to Los Angeles, such a move was somewhat surprising. Conversely, though, given his struggles in 2021-22 and discordant fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, such a move made sense, especially on the nights Westbrook’s jumper, defense, and decision-making lagged below the necessary threshold.
If those struggles continue into 2022-23, new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will enjoy the freedom to reduce Westbrook’s minutes, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“Ham will have more power to bench Westbrook down the stretch of games, according to league sources. (Former head coach Frank Vogel did so a few times last season),” Buha wrote in a recent mailbag article. “That could eventually extend to removing Westbrook from the starting lineup as well.”
Buha also speculated that Los Angeles’ regular closing lineup could be composed of James, Davis, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Austin Reaves, and Troy Brown, although he noted Stanley Johnson could supplant Toscano-Anderson, depending on how training camp unfolds.
And herein lies the problem for Los Angeles. Even if Westbrook’s foibles extend into next season, the alternatives and counters are not ideal solutions. Barring a Westbrook trade that bolsters the rotation significantly, the roster around James and Davis is quite lackluster. Toscano-Anderson is an effective, defensive-minded bench wing. Reaves is a sufficient closing option, fueled by his defensive exploits and complementary offense. I still reserve some optimism about Brown’s NBA future, but he was a fringe rotation forward on a Chicago Bulls team that lost in the first round in five games last season. Either him or Toscano-Anderson closing games for a team with title aspirations is suboptimal.
A renewed version of Westbrook, however likely or unlikely that is, provides this team a boost that none of the aforementioned Lakers probably can. It’s absolutely conceivable all of them prove to be better closing candidates than Westbrook next season, but that presumably spells trouble for Los Angeles’ overall quality as a team if it’s consistently the case.
This is not to say Westbrook deserves to close all the time, more so that his inability to do so would hamstring the roster and underline the lack of playoff-caliber and starting-caliber depth around James and Davis. Those two will be required to do some seriously heavy lifting, though their talents may certainly be up for the challenge. It’s simply a lot to ask is all.
JayWood wants his music to make his listeners feel good about themselves. It’s a goal JayWood, the moniker of Winnipeg-based musician Jeremy Haywood-Smith, had in mind when he started working on his sophomore album Slingshot. At the time, there weren’t many reasons for JayWood himself to feel a sense of joy; he was grieving the loss of his mother and reflecting on his experience as a young Black man living in a predominately white province of Manitoba amidst social uprisings in 2020. “I don’t think I’ve ever really felt activated or militant as much as I did the summer of 2020,” he said, commenting on his track “Shine.” “It was an exhausting time but I wanted to try to do something to commentate on everything that was happening.”
Through creating Slingshot, JayWood found escapism, comfort, and gratification. The album is conceptual in nature, built around a set of imagined characters and surreal interpretations of his own life which are meant to take place in the span of one day. Packed with intellectual, rhythmic tracks, Slingshot toes the line between classic indie rock and soulful bedroom pop. The album moves through lush beats on songs like “God Is A Reptile,” a jazzy and empowering track that describes working through insecurities, and hard-hitting, upbeat grooves like “All Night Long,” which speaks directly to social issues and the anxiety of impending climate collapse.
Celebrating the release of Slingshot, JayWood chats with Uproxx about Damon Albarn’s inspiration and being incredibly flexible in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Intentional, Vibey, Dense, Groovy
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
As something that can inspire some folks to make the art that they feel good about for themselves.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Portland is super dope, and they have all the vegan options.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Maybe Damon Albarn? I just loved the idea of constantly being able to reinvent your image and your sound without needing to make a big deal about it. I’m inspired by change!
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
I don’t know if I’ve had the best meal of my life yet. Nothing comes to mind, I’m fully blanking.
What album do you know every word to?
Probably Demon Days by Gorillaz.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
It might be Paul McCartney, I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to see him again but it was super special and fun.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
I love performing in casual clothing just because it’s super comfy but I should probably start dressing better tbh.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
I love Catatonic Youths on IG, that sh*t is too good. My biggest fear is ending up on there though.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
I think the whole Black Messiah album by D’Angelo has been played more times than I can count.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
“Summer Sonic Japan.” I’ve been wanting to go back to Japan for so damn long so this is me manifesting it.
What album makes for the perfect gift?
Mother by Cleo Sol is such a beautiful album, a good friend of mine recommended it and I really thought it was such a great gift so I think give it to the people you love.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
I remember we stayed at some tweens’ party house on my friends tour. It was pretty f*ckin gross tbh but the worst part was there were a bunch of drunk kids hanging out and there was like a little tween breakup happening while we trying to sleep. Also some kid tried to kiss everyone it was brutal.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
I have a panther head on my right thigh that I got with a good friend of mine! We went to a place here in Winnipeg where there’s a gumball machine and what comes out of it you get tattooed, it was my first pick and I was like hell yeah! I got very lucky with that.
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Oh jeez I haven’t listened to the radio in a while now but honestly anything super catchy will keep me listening.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Back in 2018 there were a series of moments I was going through a really rough time in my life and there were a small handful of people that helped me through that time. I was very hard to be around and hard to deal with but the fact that I was able to have a support system that helped me get back on track means the world to me. I won’t forget it.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
I’d say don’t try so hard and just stay in your own lane. Trust the process, go to therapy, go to the gym, stretch regularly, take more pictures with your family and friends and be kind to yourself and others. Also stop being a f*ck.
What’s the last show you went to?
I went to see a local band called Poodle Paddle. They just had their single release show and it was a lot of fun. I’m stoked to see what new music comes from Winnipeg.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Super random but it might be Midsommar? I don’t know what it is about cults that gets me super intrigued but yeah that movie is great.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
I’m actually incredibly flexible and I can bend in a lot of fun ways.
Slingshot is out now via Captured Tracks. Get it here.
Earlier this year, Uproxx featured rising Afrobeats star CKay as our January cover story subject, with Wongo Okon detailing CKay’s breakout with the 2019 single “Love Nwantiti.” Since then, “Love Nwantiti” has only increased in popularity, with a remix featuring Joeboy and Kuami Eugene accumulating nearly 300 million views on YouTube, an acoustic version racking up almost 200 million, and CKay’s Tonight Show debut exposing the song to millions more stateside.
Today, we’ve got CKay recalling his come-up in his own words to Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson in the latest episode of How I Blew Up. In his in-studio interview, he describes being an unsigned artist, uploading music to SoundCloud, becoming a trending topic on Twitter, how he adopted a persona as “Africa’s Boyfriend,” and the aftermath of his breakout single’s viral success.
“There were mixed emotions,” he admits. “It was like a mixture of people who were really gassed and people who were really pissed… To have my music having as much of an impact globally is an amazing feeling.” He also offers his thoughts on the importance of Billboard‘s new Afrobeats chart as the genre becomes a bigger international influence and says he was honored to be included in the discussion.
Watch the latest episode of How I Blew Up above.
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