Month: October 2022

Taylor Swift just dropped a new video for “Anti-Hero” and there’s a lot going on in it, everything from ghosts to multiple versions of Swift. Of particular interest to comedy fans, though, is the straight-up comedy sketch that pops up in the middle of it. It stars comedian Mike Birbiglia, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Mary Elizabeth Ellis, John Early, and Swift herself.

The skit begins at 2:12 into the video and runs for about two minutes. It starts during, and is based on, the part of the song where Swift sings, “I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money / She thinks I left them in the will / The family gathers around and reads it / And then someone screams out / “She’s laughing up at us from Hell.”

It takes place at Swift’s funeral as attendees sit in front of her casket and a portrait of an elderly Swift surrounded by many cats. We then get a look at the characters involved: Kimber (Swift’s daughter in law, played by Ellis), Preston (the son married to Kimber, played by Birbiglia), and Chad (Swift’s other son, played by Early). Preston gets up to read Swift’s will, discovering that she left her beach house to three of her cats, and her children were given 13 cents each.

They’re initially dismayed by the news until Chad has a realization, saying: “There’s probably a secret encoded message that means something else!” The enthusiasm is quickly dampened, though, as Preston reads from the will: “PS: There’s no secret encoded message that means something else. Love, Taylor.” As Preston reads, Swift, lying in the casket at her current age, cracks the top open and takes a peek at what’s going on. This reveal of no Easter eggs leads to argument and chaos before the song and video continue.

Swift said of the video, “The Anti-Hero video is HERE, which I wrote and directed. Watch my nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real time. with some help from the excellent @birbigs, @bejohnce, and @meellisday who fabulously portray… get ready for it… my grown sons and daughter in law? Anyway. Forever grateful to my incredible DP @The_RinaYang and our amazing crew.”

The first tweet also includes a behind-the-scenes photo of Swift, Bigbiglia, Ellis, and Early filming the funeral scene.

Birbiglia also offered his own behind-the-scenes pic, writing on Instagram, “The casting decision I did not see coming.”

Watch the “Anti-Hero” video above.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.

As is tradition any time Taylor Swift does anything, there’s been a lot of talk surrounding her latest album, Midnights. Now, though, those conversations can shift from speculation to reaction and analysis, as the album is out now. So too is a new video for “Anti-Hero.”

Swift previously said of the song:

“Track 3, ‘Anti-Hero,’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before. You know, I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized, and that I, you know… not to sound too dark, but I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person. But, don’t feel bad for me. You don’t need to.”

This song is a real guided tour throughout all the things that I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves, and it’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re going to be this person. So, yeah, I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest.”

Watch the “Anti-Hero” video above.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.

The Lakers, for the second straight time to open the season, were featured on TNT in a loss to a Western Conference contender, this time losing 103-97 to a Clippers team that never felt like they were really going full speed.

While it was a better showing from the Lakers in the sense that they battled back from a big first half deficit to make it competitive and even take a brief fourth quarter lead, the weaknesses of this roster were on full display. The team shot 9-of-45 from three, with their three point guards — Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn — combining to go 1-of-25 from the field. It was a horrific shooting performance, but that doesn’t feel like an outlier for this team as LeBron noted after their opening night loss to the Warriors that they simply don’t have many shooters.

Charles Barkley, who has already demanded the Lakers trade Russ for killing his joy for the game (something Paul George seems to agree with), once again ripped Rob Pelinka and the Lakers management for putting another “embarrassment” of a roster around James.

However, he also had a challenge for LeBron, which was to publicly call out Anthony Davis and demand that the Lakers lone star in his prime step up to be the best player on the team.

As Barkley notes, LeBron at 38 is still great but he can’t be expected to carry a team that has a star that was once considered a potential future face of the league (and was somehow named to the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players list). Charles’ point about Davis’ slide down the list of the league’s best is notable, as he was someone that many thought could become a perennial MVP contender, but instead he has been surpassed by a lot of guys and isn’t even considered on that shortlist for a variety of reasons.

Health is among them, and Davis took another bump on Thursday with a hard fall that left him bruised up and moving a bit gingerly in the second half, but he’s also just taken a step back since the Bubble, where he looked, briefly, like the final form many thought he could be. For the Lakers to have any chance, they certainly need to make a trade and upgrade the roster, but Barkley is probably right that they also need Davis to be more than just a sidekick and at least share the reins with James as an equal.

The Clippers beat the Lakers on Thursday night in their season opener, pushing the Lakers to 0-2 on the season after opening week losses to two of the West’s top contenders.

The result isn’t a surprise, but what remains fairly jarring is just how bad things are with Russell Westbrook. After an offseason in which the Lakers tried to Westbrook to no avail, all while saying they were crafting a plan for how to work him in better, the result has been a lot of the same in the first two games, with Russ struggling to find his place on a Lakers roster that is just not built for him (or the team as a whole) to succeed right now.

On Tuesday night, this led Charles Barkley to plead with the Lakers to trade Westbrook, saying they’ve taken all of the joy out of his life. Two days later, Westbrook’s former teammate Paul George concurred with Barkley after watching his friend have an 0-for-11 shooting night against his Clippers, diplomatically noting the disastrous roster construction of the Lakers and hoping that at some point Russ can find that joy again because he hates seeing him like this, via Dan Woike.

“I’m always a huge Russell supporter. I won’t undermine the great moments we had in Oklahoma. He was tremendous for my career. Honestly, I don’t get the shade or the hate or the stuff that’s thrown at him. He’s one of the best players to ever play this game. It’s hard when you’ve got the pressure they’re putting on him here. Quite frankly, it’s not the team that’s very…it’s not geared for him, with the roster they have as well. Like, it’s got to work both ways. He was very easily a 30-10-10 guy when he had the keys to the team. We can’t forget about that. For me, I just want him to keep having that joy, keep having that excitement, that fun. That’s what makes him special, the fact that he can do that on a nightly basis. I hate to see that it doesn’t look like it’s there for him. But, you know, hopefully in the end, it works out for him in his favor.”

That is the general consensus around the league, and at this point it’s pretty painful watching Westbrook and the Lakers. While Russ’ struggles get the majority of the headlines, the team as a whole is just a catastrophe shooting the ball, going 9-of-45 from three-point range in a six-point loss to the Clippers. The other Lakers point guards combined for a 1-for-14 night, as Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn were equally bad offensively, and after correctly noting that the team doesn’t have enough shooting after the opener, LeBron has resigned himself to his fate this year.

Westbrook is at the center of it all and he (and a pair of future first round picks) likely hold the key to potentially making this at least some better in a trade, but until the Lakers pull the trigger on a deal to bring in some real talent, we’re going to get this on a nightly basis, and Russell Westbrook won’t be the only one whose joy for basketball is stripped away during Lakers games this season.

In the midst of already scheduled and highly-anticipated new K-pop music this month, the roster of releases only grew bigger when ITZY announced a surprise pre-release English single last Sunday (October 16).

On Friday midnight (1 p.m. KST), the leading performance K-pop group unleashed their inner pop punk princess for their single “Boys Like You,” alongside a Halloween-themed music video to celebrate spooky season. With an addictive chorus that will get stuck in your head, and lyrics that will help you call out a boy playing games with you (“Boy, gonna diss me? / Boy, I’m so pissed / Boy, gonna miss me, / Boy, you are dismissed / ‘Cause I don’t fall for boys like you”), ITZY’s pre-release single is a pop track that further proves how relatable they can be.

The music video, on the other hand, follows the enemies to friends trope when Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna all turn against each other until they found out they were all getting played by the same guy and seek revenge.

ITZY’s “Boys Like You” releases ahead of the group’s US leg of their ITZY First World Tour: Checkmate. The K-pop quintet will kick off their US tour next Wednesday, October 26 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Check out the full tour dates below.

Taylor Swift‘s 10th studio album, Midnights is finally here. As Swifties are wont to do, fans are already picking apart the tracks. One of the tracks that have already proven to be buzzy is “Midnight Rain.”

On the album’s sixth track, Swift sings of the lingering effects of heartbreak, recalling the comfort that led to the demise of a relationship.

“He was sunshine I was midnight rain / He wanted it comfortable I wanted that pain / He wanted a bride, I was making my own name / Chasing that fame, he stayed the same / All of me changes like midnight,” she sings on the song’s chorus.

Throughout the song, listeners hear a low voice, singing portions of the song’s chorus.

Fans have already taken to Twitter to guess who the person behind the voice could be.

“what’s that voice on midnight rain is it just modulated voice or is it someone else,” asked one Twitter user.

“Who is this singing on Midnight Rain?!? Is this just Taylor’s voice with effects?” asked another.

A source close to Taylor confirmed to Uproxx, “That is Taylor’s voice pitched down on Midnight Rain”

Check out “Midnight Rain” above.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Stream it here.

Though she announced her 10th studio album, Midnights, at the MTV Video Music Awards back in August, Taylor Swift had not released a lead single to kick off the era. Until tonight, that is, upon the album’s release. On the album’s lead single, “Anti-Hero,” Swift recalls various tales, in which she always seems to root for the stories

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me / At tea time, everybody agrees / I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror / It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero,” she sings on the song’s chorus.

Elsewhere in the song, she sings, “I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money / She thinks I left them in the will / The family gathers around and reads it and someone screams out / ‘She’s laughing up at us from hell!’”

Of course, this particular line has sent the Swifties into a frenzy, as Swift has never mentioned having a daughter-in-law, nor even a child.

“I’m gonna need an explanation on how Anti-Hero is from someone else’s POV cause WHO IS THIS DAUGHTER-IN-LAW” said one Twitter user.

“You’re allowed to freak out that she’s dreaming about having a daughter in law,” said another Twitter user.

Check out “Anti-Hero” above.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Stream it here.

Roddy Ricch may still be out on the road with Post Malone, but he’s still making time to drop heaters. On his latest track, “Aston Martin Truck,” Roddy details his luxurious life over a glimmery beat.

On the Teddy Walton-produced track, Roddy expresses gratitude for his lifestyle, while maintaining a boastful demeanor.

“Aston Martin truck, ride it, tail out / Had to get a new butler, four new maids to clean my house / Got my mama, my daddy… a key to my house / Make $500,000 every time you see me out,” he raps on the song’s chorus.

“I’m about my money, about my cake, about my cream,” he raps elsewhere on the track.

In the song’s accompanying visual, Roddy is seen boarding private helicopters, spending time in Queens, New York, buying jewelry, and more.

The track is set to appear on Roddy’s upcoming album, Feed Tha Streets 3, which he says will be a more personal effort.

“I want to be closer to my fans and show all the sides no one ever sees,” said Roddy in an Instagram post. “I want to show my album process, my new journey of fatherhood and all the things that comes with the life of being RR.”

Check out “Aston Martin Truck” above.

Roddy Rich is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Carolina Panthers are in the midst of a full teardown, with the organization recently moving on from head coach Matt Rhule and jettisoning Robbie Anderson to Arizona between Week 6 and Week 7. However, Carolina took another giant step on Thursday evening, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the Panthers will trade star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for draft compensation.

Shortly after, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Panthers were discussing McCaffrey deals with both the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, ultimately agreeing with San Francisco on a deal that includes four picks.

McCaffrey, who is still only 26 years old, is one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the NFL, though he has struggled to stay on the field in recent years. McCaffrey has appeared in only 16 games since the start of the 2020 season but, when he is on the field, the former Stanford standout is always effective. In fact, he has 7,272 yards from scrimmage in 64 career games with 50 career touchdowns in less than six seasons.

On the San Francisco side, McCaffrey brings an intriguing element alongside Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and a creative offensive design under Kyle Shanahan. McCaffrey is best utilized as a versatile piece, headlined by elite receiving ability for a running back, but he also projects as the top ball carrier on a team that has used Jeff Wilson and Elijah Mitchell in prominent roles in recent months.

It remains to be seen as to whether McCaffrey can stay healthy but, if he does, San Francisco could have one of the best skill position groups in the NFL, making life easier for Jimmy Garoppolo. For Carolina, this is arguably the biggest step yet in the moves toward the future, and no one is safe from the trade block.

After teasing her “surprise projects” over the past week, Taylor Swift has revealed that her 10th studio album, Midnights will be accompanied by a series of short films. She announced the appropriately-titled “Midnights Music Movies” during the third quarter of the New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals football game on Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football.

The videos will feature appearances by Jack Antonoff, Laith Ashley, Mike Birbiglia, Laura Dern, Pat McGrath, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Dita Von Teese, and all three Haim sisters, Alana, Danielle, and Este. The “Midnights Music Movies” were directed by Swift herself, with cinematography by Rina Yang, who previously worked with Swift on the short film for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”

“I love storytelling, I love songwriting, I love writing videos, I love directing them,” said Swift in an introductory clip that played before the trailer. “…So we really wanted to challenge ourselves to do different things this time around and stretch, and I’m really proud of what we made and I really hope you like them.”

At the time of writing, it is unclear when she plans to release all of the visuals for Midnights, however, fans can expect the “Anti-Hero” video at 3 a.m. EST.

Check out the trailer for “Midnights Music Movies” above.

Midnights is out 10/21 via Republic. Pre-save it here.