Month: September 2022

After a highly anticipated Week 2 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers to kick off Amazon’s Thursday night slate, there was a bit less buzz for Thursday’s Week 3 tilt between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. With that said, the Browns and Steelers are long-time rivals and, in Cleveland, there was plenty of build-up about an AFC North battle under the lights.

In advance of kick-off, a new face raised the profile and the excitement level when Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell made an appearance alongside backcourt mate Darius Garland on the Browns sideline. In short order, Mitchell became part of the story by smashing a Pittsburgh guitar before the game started and keying the home crowd into a frenzy in the process.

Mitchell and Garland were anointed as “Dawg Pound captains” for the game in Cleveland, which is a perfect opportunity for the Cavs teammates before Media Day arrives. Mitchell, who arrived in a blockbuster trade from the Utah Jazz, already has Cleveland fans dreaming of big things alongside Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, and he is already making the rounds to immerse himself in the new city.

Overall, this isn’t a huge thing for Mitchell, but it is smart PR on all sides. Throwing in the guitar smash is a nice touch, and in Cleveland, diving in with both feet to the rest of the sports scene is perhaps the best move for a new face to lead the Cavaliers.

If all the TV shows were forced to bunk together in a giant warehouse and compete in a deadly contest where fans showed their appreciation by buying themed Halloween costumes, Squid Game would emerge the winner. For the second year in a row, the dystopian (read: not too far off) Netflix show is on track to have the most people sport its look on All Hallow’s Eve. What better way to party than with a mask that hides your entire face and hints that you’re willing to torture the poor to serve a faceless cabal of wealth-hoarding fat cats?

Other than buying the costume off Amazon.

It might seem controversial, but my iron clad theory about why Squid Game costumes are so popular is that they’re ridiculously easy and people are generally lazy. It’s one step up from a t-shirt that says “This is my costume” and it has the benefit of being culturally recognizable. Expect searches for green and red jumpsuits to skyrocket in the final days of October.

On the flip side, know that tons of other people will be dressing up like they’re in Squid Game, so if you’re looking for originality, look elsewhere. Like wearing a label that says “Property of Picasso” and a tampon around your neck that you’ve colored blue. After all, the best kind of costume is one you have to explain to everyone at the party.

(via Variety)

Weeks away from their hotly-anticipated third studio album, Blue Rev, Alvvays has shared a two-pack of new songs.

“Two new lambs for the cultural volcano! One more sweet slurp of alcopop dedicated to the girls wiping tables called ‘Belinda Says’ and the dial-up electronic dream ‘Very Online Guy,’” said Alvvays in a statement.

Accompanying the songs are two visuals, both of which are directed by the band. On “Very Online Guy” lead vocalist Molly Rankin takes aim at an internet reply guy. Both the video and the audio are digitally distorted, triggering the viewer’s PTSD of AOL memories.

“Belinda Says” pays tribute to Belinda Carlisle and its accompanying visual, a moving portrait, takes the viewers back to the days of MuchMusic in the ’80s, especially with the punchy electric guitar riffs throughout.

“We painted and shot the ‘Belinda Says’ video in our living room,” said the band. “We directed a mosaic-mode vid for ‘V.O.G’. with our video guru friend Colby. This was easily the funnest thing we’ve ever shot. Enjoy our clunky low-bit collage of aliased key clacking and step-dance scramble on your CRTs.”

Check out the videos for “Very Online Guy” and “Belinda Says” above.

Blue Rev is out 10/7 via Polyvinyl. Pre-save it here.

DJ Akademiks has built his social media platform off of trying to be friends with certain artists and dissing others. He often spews unpopular hot takes that have landed him in hot water, whether it be in person with guests back when he hosted Everyday Struggle on Complex, or through the internet. Recently, the music critic, for lack of a better word, drew the ire of many when he made disparaging comments about hip-hop’s pioneers. One person in particular who deemed it necessary to respond was actor and hip-hop legend LL Cool J.

In what appears to be one of his live streams this week, the New Jersey personality asked his viewers “Have you ever seen any of those old rappers who they be like ‘Oh, they’re the foundation of hip-hop’ really living good? Them n****s be looking really dusty, I kid you not,” and later said “Every time there be an old old n**** talking about hip-hop, you be like ‘Yo bro, are you sure you invented this? Cause everybody is living better than you.’”

As the clip made its rounds on social media, evidently LL Cool J was inspired to speak up on his peers’ behalf yesterday (September 21). In the video below, LL first acknowledged that he hadn’t gone live on Instagram since the pandemic began before responding to Akademiks’s comments.

“Let me explain something to you: don’t think just because somebody knows how to get money — or fails to get money — that they didn’t make a contribution to the culture. No one discusses Miles Davis’s bank account. We don’t talk about John Coltrane’s bank account. A lot of even rock musicians, a lot of great country artists, we don’t talk about their bank accounts.”

The “Luv U Better” artist added, “This idea that you have to have money or else you don’t have any value is a bad idea and it’s a misinformed way of looking at the world and the culture.” He continued on by saying that today’s artists, whom he loves, benefitted from the work that the rappers who came before them put in. He pointed out how managers, accountants, and teams focused on an artist’s success weren’t a thing early on.

“So just because [these pioneers] didn’t get rich, just because they weren’t able to pile up millions or billions of dollars, does not mean that they didn’t make a contribution to this culture. They created an industry that we all ate off of! They created an industry that you eat off of!” LL Cool J’s response received love from other rappers such as Busta Rhymes, Royce Da 5’9″, Lloyd Banks, and more.

Of course, DJ Akademiks could not learn his lesson and go quietly. He fired back at LL Cool J passionately today (September 22) in the clip above, saying “A lot of n****s grew up watching you and they all signed the same f*cked up deal 10, 15 years old after you did. What the f*ck did you do, my n****? It’s not that I don’t respect older artists, it’s that I know that when it comes to business, y’all didn’t do nothing.”

It seems DJ Akademiks has no interest in backing down and blames the flaws of the industry today on those who were there in its inception as it pertains to hip-hop. LL Cool J’s words may have fallen on deaf ears when it comes to Ak, but the hip-hop community is thankful for his thoughtful reply.

Check out the back and forth above.

DDG has been actively honing his boxing skills in the squared circle, going so far as to compare himself to Floyd Mayweather, and enjoying a life of love with his girlfriend Halle Bailey, one half of the pop duo Chloe x Halle. The 24-year-old is now looking to bring the hits and romance musically next Friday (September 30) as he gears up for his next project titled It’s Not Me It’s You. The rapper has assembled quite a cast of features to get the job done.

The 12-track effort will include appearances from Gunna, Polo G, Kevin Gates, NLE Choppa, and Babyface Ray. The Gunna-assisted “Elon Musk” has already been shared with the world, in addition to “If I Want You,” “Stay In My Circle,” and “Storyteller.” Thus, fans will be treated to eight completely new tracks next week. “If I Want You” was especially notable as the video featured DDG getting steamy with his lady, Halle Bailey.

As for 2022, DDG also appeared on Blueface’s “Meat This,” Baby Rich’s “Roll Tide,” and “Worth It” from Traetwothree’s Out The District. With momentum heading into It’s Not Me It’s You, and no shortage of confidence, time will tell if the tracks hit like the Mayweather jabs DDG aspires to possess.

Below find the It’s Not Me It’s You album art and tracklist.

1. “9 Lives” Feat. Polo G, NLE Choppa
2. “Elon Musk” Feat. Gunna
3. “Stay in My Circle”
4. “Relationship Issues”
5. “If I Want You”
6. “Not the Only One”
7. “Loyal Slut”
8. “Love Myself” Feat. Kevin Gates
9. “Storyteller”
10. “Remember Me”
11. “The Clinic” Feat. Babyface Ray
12. “Big Knots”

It’s Not Me It’s You is out 9/30 via DDG Entertainment and Epic. Pre-order it here.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music Artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The negative effects of climate change are all around us—countless devastating heatwaves, droughts so severe in some areas that long lost ancient relics have reappeared, and in other areas, extreme storms destroy entire communities.

With all the visible decline on our planet, improvements might not be so obvious. But they do exist. All we need to do is look up.

Euro News announced on Sept. 19 that the Earth’s ozone layer, nature’s shield against UV radiation from the sun, has made significant progress against prior damage.

This is not only some much-needed relief against an onslaught of bad news for the environment, it also shows us that a better future is possible with concentrated effort.

It’s been 37 years since researcher Jonathan Shanklin first discovered a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica. His findings instigated arguably the biggest environmental movement of the 1980s, leading to the universally ratified Montreal Protocol, which phased out human-made, ozone-depleting chemicals (aka chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, remember those?) previously found in cleaning products, certain appliances and hairspray—just imagine how much hairspray was probably being used during that time to create the signature ’80s coif … yikes.

Increased UV radiation can lead to more cases of skin cancer, cataracts and impaired immune systems. It is also believed to be contributing to the increase in melanoma, the most fatal of all skin cancers. And it’s worth noting, since 1990, the risk of developing melanoma has more than doubled.

Though the potential danger of CFCs had been discovered as early as the mid-’70s, it would take a giant scare like a big gaping chasm in the sky for folks to really pay attention. But pretty soon it was a full-blown, mass hysteria sensation. One environmentalist even compared it to “AIDS from the sky” back in 1991.

Fast forward to 2022, and a new study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that the overall concentration of those damaging chemicals has dropped just over 50%, back to levels not seen since before 1980.

Of course, progress doesn’t mean perfection. Antarctica, which still experiences a large hole once a year, has seen a slower pace of reduction. But even still, chemicals have fallen 26%, the report revealed. And until it does close, the hole is being closely monitored using 3D imaging.

The Montreal Protocol has been a success in part because it forced corporations to come up with alternative solutions. Today we have plenty of brands that are environmentally conscious, but that wasn’t always the case. And lo and behold, a huge systemic shift caused a huge positive impact.

We still only have one planet to call our home and it will take a collective effort to protect it, just as it did to damage it. It can be easy to get nihilistic (or at the very least, anxious) when only the destruction is visible. That’s why it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate the small victories—it helps us hold onto hope and leads to more inspired action. Because, as we can see, for good or for bad, every action counts.

The Scooby Gang from Only Murders In The Building put themselves in danger, but everything comes out in the comedic wash. Meanwhile, journalist David Farrier seems to have pulled an Only Murders by investigating a real-life, ongoing true crime story and catching the attention of the perpetrator. Things aren’t as funny for him.

The trailer for Mister Organ is a twisty path that demands we scream “don’t open that door” both literally and metaphorically dozens of times. In the documentary, the creator behind Dark Tourist and the delightfully bizarre Tickled tracks down an extortionist who turns out to be a lot more dangerous than previously believed.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Journalist and filmmaker David Farrier unwittingly stumbles into a game of cat and mouse with a mystery man creating havoc in his neighborhood, wheel-clamping cars at a local antique store. That clamper was Michael Organ, and little did Farrier know that delving deeper into who Organ really is would be a thrilling and tension-filled three-year-long investigation — unearthing a trail of multiple court cases, inflated claims of royal bloodlines, ruined lives, and at least one stolen boat.”

The product of three years of investigation, Mister Organ will premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 24th. Hopefully, Farrier will explain during the press tour how he’s still alive.

There have been exactly eleventy billion adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, and the trailer for Rosaline proves that there is definitely room for one more. The movie — starring Kaitlyn Dever as Romeo’s scorned ex-girlfriend — looks like an absolute blast. Dever is clearly bringing her Book Smart energy to the irreverent retelling alongside some hints at thoroughly 1990s rom-com tropes. A guy helping her get her ex-boyfriend back? Check. Her getting close to Juliet to sabotage the relationship? Double check. Juliet poisoning herself to fake her own death?

Alright, so that’s not in My Best Friend’s Wedding. Fair enough.

Still, that “same pale hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline” is Juliet’s cousin (rethinking Romeo’s whole deal yet?), so it’s a fantastic idea to inject her into the most famous Western romantic tragedy of all time. Especially when she’s got a modern penchant for curse words and drinking.

Directed by Karen Maine (who wrote Obvious Child and wrote/directed Yes, God, Yes), Rosaline is based off the Rebecca Serle novel with a script from comedic titans Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (Disaster Artist, 500 Days of Summer). It also stars Minnie Driver, Isabela Merced, and Bradley Whitford, who would have voted for King James I for a third term.

It hits Hulu October 14th, which gives everyone just enough time to scramble for Shakespearean Halloween costumes.

Trombone Champ was officially released to the world on Sept. 16, and in a few short days, it spread through word of mouth to become one of the top-selling games on Steam. Everyone wants to play one of the most hysterically funny games of the year. While it feels like a joke, trust us: it’s real and just as funny as the initial trailer makes it look.

As everyone discovered Trombone Champ, clips of it began spreading across the internet, as people wanted to share how funny the game is. It resulted in a series of absolutely incredible clips of people playing the game … that is until they add more songs and it gets even better. For now, let’s all get a little patriotic and stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “O Canada.”

Such beautiful renditions fill me with the kind of patriotic pride that can only be conveyed through music. Of course, Trombone Champ does more than let you play anthems — you can also play classical music, or get in the holiday spirit with Christmas music via a virtual trombone.

Trombone Champ wasn’t going to stop there. Have you ever wanted to hear circus music played poorly on a trombone, or maybe “William Tell Overture”? Then grab a glass of wine, sit down, and listen to a masterpiece at work.

If you do decide to get Trombone Champ and master every song, then don’t fret, because expert players will be able to make their own tracks through the game’s freestyle mode. Someone already brought in the coming of autumn with a rendition of “September” by Earth, Wind, & Fire, and then we got some hot TikTok memes to remind us all that anything is possible with a trombone in hand.

Trombone Champ is available on Steam for $15 and everyone should go make their own beautiful trombone music right now.

Pierce Brosnan is a man of many talents. The Irish actor played a hot potential stepdad who is allergic to pepper in Mrs. Doubtfire. He was the James Bond of the 1990s in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day. In perhaps his most important role of all, Brosnan gave the world his gift of song as one of the potential dads in 2008’s Mamma Mia and 2018’s Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.

Despite playing James Bond for nearly a decade, Brosnan does not give a crap about James Bond, as evidenced by a recent interview in which he threw subtle shade at No Time to Die and literally said that he does not care who plays the Brit spy next. In the interview with GQ U.K., the actor, who is promoting his upcoming DC film Black Adam opposite The Rock, said this when asked who he thinks should play James Bond next:

“Who should do it? I don’t care,” Brosnan said. “It’ll be interesting to see who they get, who the man shall be. Whoever he be, I wish him well.”

In the article, the author noted that Brosnan said all this in a “tone that indicates it’s maybe not actually that interesting.” Personally, I am obsessed with Brosnan’s energy and hope to learn something from it.

Brosnan also shared his take on the Craig collection with some kind words about 2012’s Skyfall, but he did not have anything nice to say about last year’s No Time to Die, which marked the end of the Craig Bond saga by killing the character. “I saw the last one and I saw Skyfall. I love Skyfall,” Brosnan said. “I’m not too sure about the last one. Daniel always gives of his heart. Very courageous, very strong. But…”

In a separate video interview shared on GQ’s YouTube channel (and featured above), Brosnan said that he liked Craig’s performance in the franchise. “I have the greatest admiration for Daniel Craig and what he did. The physicality he brought to the performance was monumental.”

(Via GQ U.K.)