Month: September 2022

The NFL Pro Bowl has long been considered the worst of all the major four men’s sports’ All-Star games, mainly because “taking it easy” in football yields a far worse product than doing the same in basketball, baseball, or hockey.

Football is inherently a violent game and when players main goal is to avoid injury, the result is not particularly enjoyable to watch. For years, fans and media have thrown ideas around about how to improve the Pro Bowl, and it seems the league is finally ready to make a big swing and try something new. On Monday, the NFL announced a new format for the Pro Bowl that will replace the game itself with a flag football game, while the week leading up to that will feature various other competitions (as has been the case in recent years).

The NFL cited feedback it’s gotten from players, coaches, and executives as the impetus for the changes, noting that players enjoyed the multiday element of recent Pro Bowl weeks, but that getting rid of the tackle football game and replacing it with flag football will allow them to be more competitive while removing a good bit of tackle football’s most dangerous elements — via the Associated Press.

“The feedback very directly from guys who had been in the Pro Bowl recently was to keep the construct of the week, make sure you’re having that multiday element,” NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said. “It was overwhelmingly positive both from players as well as from clubs.”

Peyton Manning’s production company will be heavily involved in helping craft the multiday event schedule, with Manning also coaching one of the flag teams. One would figure they’ll keep some of the competitions from recent years, as the Best Catch competition, in particular, has been a hit, while also creating some new elements — and maybe bringing back some old favorites. We’d love to see the old QB challenge come back in full, and with the move to flag football I hope they find a way to shine the light on the big fellas who won’t exactly get much opportunity to do much when the physical contact portion of the game is removed.

They may be operating in two different sports, but the Memphis Grizzlies just put the Atlanta Falcons to shame in the marketing game. Last month, the Falcons were lambasted for their “Rise Up” season promo video, which featured New Jersey native Rotimi singing an generic, off-brand motivational anthem for some reason. While the attempt was a promising step in the NFL’s ongoing efforts to appeal to younger fans (and, well… you know), it also showed how far the league has to go to catch up to the NBA.

Today, though, the Grizzlies showed just how much more in-touch with the zeitgeist the NBA really is with their own 2022-23 season hype video. Instead of a moderately well-known out-of-towner best recognized for his role in Power, the Grizz tapped hometown rising star GloRilla, whose breakout single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” began and ended the “song of the summer” debate this year, to narrate their “Big Memphis” promo and show how teams can highlight the connection with their respective cities. Glo’s distinctive voice booms out over a thumping trap track, declaring, “This is our city… everything we do here is big!”

After the success of “F.N.F.,” Memphis godfather Yo Gotti signed GloRilla to his label Collective Music Group, releasing a remix of the track featuring JT of City Girls and Latto (and nixing another remix featuring Saweetie). Since then, her breakout year continued this past weekend as Cardi B joined her on the boisterous “Tomorrow 2” and ASAP Rocky brought her out during his short headlining set at Rolling Loud New York.

Whatever else happens with the Memphis Grizzlies this year, they’ve started off their season with a big win, and GloRilla is already proving herself to be the people’s champ of 2022.

Happy Outbreak Day!

OK, maybe it wasn’t the happiest of days in The Last of Us universe, considering all the death and cannibalism and Rat Kings that would soon spread across the globe. But in the real world, today is a good day. Why? Because in honor (?) of the nine-year anniversary of Outbreak Day, HBO has released the teaser trailer for The Last of Us.

Based on one of the most acclaimed video games ever (and its excellent if divisive sequel), the series follows Joel (played by Pedro Pascal), a grizzly and grieving middle-aged man, who’s tasked with escorting Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenager who’s immune to the deadly virus, across a post-apocalyptic United States. The teaser effectively captures the same sense of intense moodiness — and constant threat of danger — as the video game, which Pascal told GQ was the intention.

“There’s a very, very creative way of honoring what’s important and also preserving what is iconic to the experience of the video game, and also things that you wouldn’t necessarily expect. And then directions that you would expect it to go, and it might not… They’re doing some really smart things, is all I can say,” he said about the HBO series, while also comparing it to The Mandalorian. If only Baby Yoda was there to protect Joel and Ellie from the Clickers.

The Last of Us premieres on HBO in 2023.

Elton John received the National Humanities Award from US president Joe Biden, as part of the A Night When Hope And History Rhyme event, which honored frontline workers, teachers, students, and LGBTQ+ advocates, according to NME.

While Elton played a number of his big hits like “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer” at the event, it wasn’t until the end when Biden awarded him the important medal. A tribute to both Elton’s decades-long musical career and his advocacy for helping those with HIV/AIDS, receiving the Humanities medal as an apparent surprise caused the singer to cry.

Biden noted in a statement that Elton was chosen “for moving our souls with his powerful voice and one of the defining song books of all time. An enduring icon and advocate with absolute courage, who found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma and advance the simple truth – that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”

“I’m never flabbergasted, but I’m flabbergasted, and humbled, and honoured by this incredible award from the United States of America,” John responded. “I will treasure this so much, and will make me double my effort to make sure this disease goes away. America’s kindness to me as a musician is second to none, but in the war against AIDS and HIV is even bigger.”

Watch Elton John receive the National Humanities Award above.

Rolling Loud has become the unofficial festival home for a number of rappers who are regulars on its roster. Its most recent event in New York featured mainstays like ASAP Rocky and Future. However, there is now one Rolling Loud regular who intends to cut ties with the long-running traveling festival. 21 Savage, who was billed to perform at Rolling Loud New York this weekend but did not take the stage ahead of Future as planned, pronounced via Twitter, “Rolling Loud will never get a show out of me ever again.”

According to XXL via attendees on Twitter, other artists who were unable to perform included Big Sean and Ski Mask The Slump God. Although the festival did not officially reveal why so many sets were canceled, concertgoers complained of late arrivals throughout the weekend. According to one user, Rolling Loud organizers told fans, “Don’t be mad at us! Be mad at the artists being late.”

Rolling Loud certainly wouldn’t be the first festival affected by late artist arrivals and other logistical issues. Many festivals are still working out the kinks from COVID-19-imposed hiatuses even two years later because of the wide-reaching effects of the live entertainment shutdown. Meanwhile, those artists who did get to perform found that they were in for a bumpy ride; while Nicki Minaj and Playboi Carti impressed with special guests, ASAP Rocky had to cut his set short and found himself facing an uncomfortable mosh pit mishap.

(Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon ahead)

After episode six of House of the Dragon shuffled in a new round of actors, many fans wondered if they would ever see Milly Alcock and Emma Carey as Rhaenyra and Alicent beyond that first handful of episodes. Alcock and Carey led the series for the first five episodes, portraying younger versions of the childhood best friends-turned enemies. At the beginning of episode six, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke took over the roles of their adult selves.

While this had been the plan from the beginning, it still stung to see the ladies quickly replaced, so when Variety asked showrunner Ryan Condal if they would return, he was hesitant. “I mean, look, I don’t know,” Condal admitted when asked if the previous actresses would return as Rhaenyra and Alicent. Condal then said they the two “are not a part of the story that we’re telling, yet. That’s not a thing that we’re doing right now,” but there is always a chance they return in the future.

Though there aren’t plans to bring back the younger actors, Condal says it could still happen. “There are things that we haven’t fully sorted out,” he explained. “I’m not closing the door on anything. So there, how’s that for an answer?” That seems like a pretty good compromise for now.

Even though Alcock and Carey are done for now, Condal says that choosing younger actors for the role ended up being the best move. “As great as Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke are, they were not the people that were going to begin the story. It was definitely a thing that we stressed over a lot. I think we succeeded. All four of them brought a tremendous performance to the show. I’m really proud of all of them.”

House of the Dragon’s other showrunner Miguel Spochnik exited the series abruptly ahead of season two, which Condal is currently writing. Though the season is still in its early stages, Condal confirms that there won’t be any more major time jumps in season two. “I’m excited for the story that we’re going to tell in Season 2. There are thousands of people that go into the making of this. It’s on me to be able to be a great leader and try to inspire people, hopefully with some good writing, to get the very best work out of them and make another great season of the show.”

House of the Dragon airs Sundays on HBO.

(Via Variety)

Kevin Durant had a very normal summer for an NBA star. He took some time to vacation abroad, worked out a bunch, and requested a trade the day before free agency that lingered for almost two months before taking it back and committing to move forward with the same team. All, run of the mill summer activities.

As such, Monday’s media day was business as usual for Durant, who fielded questions on his summer, the team around him, and his commitment level to the Nets after a failed trade request. KD pushed back on the idea he had anything to prove to Nets fans, saying “that’s on you” if you have any doubts to his commitment to the franchise he tried to leave this summer.

While I fully believe Durant will do what he always does on the court despite what transpired in July and August — and that’s a credit to his professionalism and competitiveness as a player — it’s a bit funny for him to say “that’s on you” when he was the catalyst for this entire saga.

It’s absolutely fair to wonder what KD’s commitment is to the franchise long-term and whether another effort to get out of Brooklyn could come next offseason, but if there’s any player who can separate a desire to leave eventually from what he’s doing on the court, it’s Durant. From that perspective, he’s right, and I’d expect nothing less than his normal, dominant self on the floor this season. What happens after this season ends, though, is anyone’s guess.

Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige nailed it with their memorable Super Bowl Halftime Show performance from earlier this year. It was just revealed over the weekend that Rihanna will be performing at the 2023 Super Bowl, so Dre offered some advice. He also reflected on what his own experience was like.

In an interview with Apple Music 1 host Ebro Darden (as Pitchfork notes), Dre explained how nerve-wracking his performance was:

“It made me extremely nervous. I don’t know if I’ve ever been that nervous before. Not only that, I don’t know if I’ve ever looked more forward to a Monday morning. So it’s the preparation and making sure you have the right people around you. All of these people came through for me, and everybody was extremely enthusiastic about the show. We had a good time, although it’s a lot of things and a lot of people you have to depend on. You’re talking about at least 3000 people that you have to depend on to get this show right for 13 minutes. So it is an extreme amount of pressure, but it’s fun at the same time. When it’s done, it’s like goosebumps, bro. I got goosebumps, especially from the reaction that we got from the show, and especially being able to do the show with all of my friends.”

Of Rihanna, he said, “I just like her and what she does, and her get down, and how she approaches her artistry and the whole nine. It’s fantastic. She has the opportunity to really blow us away. I know we set the bar extremely high.”

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw a new Cardi B collab and Lil Nas X returning to the video game realm. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.

Glorilla and Cardi B — “Tomorrow 2”

It’s been well over four years since Cardi B released her debut (and so far, only) album, 2018’s Invasion Of Privacy. Despite the LP gap, Cardi has managed to stay culturally relevant in a number of ways. That includes collaborations like her latest, the Glorilla meet-up “Tomorrow 2,” on which the two touch on usual fare: bragging and shooing haters away.

Lil Nas X — “Star Walkin’”

Lil Nas X has popped up in video game-related endeavors on multiple occasions in recent years, including last week via his League Of Legends partnership. “Star Walkin’,” which soundtracks the game’s upcoming world championships in Mexico City, is an uplifting anthem that sounds perfect for its purpose.

Kid Cudi and Ty Dolla Sign — “Willing To Trust”

Cudi’s multi-tiered project Entergalactic (the album and accompanying TV special of the same name) is on the way in just a few days. Ahead of that, Cudi dropped a new song from it last week, “Willing To Trust,” a poignant number featuring Cudi’s Entergalactic (the show) co-star Ty Dolla Sign.

Freddie Gibbs — “Dark Hearted”

Shortly after a shot-filled freestyle on Hot 97, Gibbs did a 180 with the vulnerable single “Dark Hearted.” This one is a James Blake production and the somber aura he created is the perfect backdrop for Gibbs to drop a rapid verse about his struggles.

Baby Tate — “Ain’t No Love” Feat. 2 Chainz

Baby Tate (a former Uproxx cover star) has her Mani/Pedi mixtape on the way, which makes her latest tease of it, last week’s “Ain’t No Love,” all the more fitting. In the song’s video, she and her crew take care of themselves at the nail salon before hitting the streets.

YG — “Maniac”

YG wasn’t pleased when his label dropped the I Got Issues tracklist recently, but the world’s gonna know it when the album drops this Friday. He teased it last week with “Maniac” and Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes of the song, “The Compton rapper subtly details the stressors that have been making his life ‘krazy’ since even before he got famous (see what I did there?), and brashly reveals the effect getting rich and famous has had on them.”

Alex G — “Immunity”

Thanks to songs like “Immunity,” God Save The Animals, the latest album from Alex G, is something special. In fact, Uproxx’s Ian Cohen just ranked it as Alex’s best album ever and noted, “Folky Alex G, abstract Alex G, slowcore Alex G, rawk Alex G, it’s all here, but God Save The Animals manages to circle back to his origins placing the vocals higher than they’d ever been since Race or Rules.”

Jamie xx — “Kill Dem”

While it’s been years since Jamie xx’s last solo album, 2015’s In Colour, he has dropped a small smattering of singles in the years since. That includes last week’s “Kill Dem.” Uproxx’s Adrian Spinelli notes the tune “is a direct homage to the energy, the hype, and the music he heard booming through the Notting Hill Carnival soundsystems in his youth and flowed through the speakers when he performed at Notting Hill for the first time this past summer.”

Giveon — “Time”

The upcoming movie Amsterdam has an all-star cast and it’s doing pretty well in the music department, too. Last week, Giveon shared “Time,” his contribution to the film’s soundtrack that actually features songwriting from Drake on the cinematic ballad.

The 1975 – “All I Need To Hear”

Matty Healy has said he and his band took a more comedic approach on their upcoming album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, but last week’s “All I Need To Hear” seems to stray from that. Instead, it’s a warm, downtempo, soulful ballad that sees Healy flexing his vocal chops in a more vulnerably emotional context.

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

On the surface, Charlize Theron appears to have no trouble locking down projects. She delivered the sleeper action hit The Old Guard (and has a sequel on the way), there’s the upcoming The School for Good and Evil (also for Netflix), her recurring role in the Fast and Furious films, and she surprised Marvel fans by landing the coveted role of Clea in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. But according to Theron, finding work is nowhere near as easy as it used to be. However, she’ll be the first to say that’s a good thing.

In a new cover feature for Harper’s Bazaar, Theron gets real about her level of fame and how being an “A-list star” is no longer enough in the new Hollywood landscape. That change has forced her to work smarter, not harder.

“I feel like I’m at a place where it is what it is,” Theron said. “Working more isn’t, I think, going to change my level of fame. It just has always been a mediocre ride. I’ve never been one of those people that’s at a Kim Kardashian level. But I feel like it’s just always been this thing.”

As Theron explains, her star power isn’t enough to greenlight projects anymore, and she actually prefers it that way. Via Harper’s Bazaar:

“I will say, back in the day, it used to be like, you want to have some of this fame so you can go make the shit that you really want to make,” she says. “But now it’s like, I pitch shit all day long and people are like, ‘No, thanks.’ I’m like, ‘I guess that’s not cash in the bank anymore.’ And that’s nice. It’s nice that you’re making things on the merit of how good they are versus this idea of, like, ‘Oh, you’re this thing, and we want to be in business with that thing.’ ”

Theron is also here for the recent changes in how actresses are being treated, particularly by male directors and producer. She’s on a mission to “create environments that feel like the things that I wish I had 30 years ago when I started.”

The School for Good and Evil starts streaming October 21 on Netflix.

(Via Harper’s Bazaar)