Month: November 2022

The Brooklyn Nets and head coach Steve Nash “parted ways” on Tuesday, and while that phrase usually seems like a very nice way of saying a coach was fired, considering how the season was going and the headaches off the court the Nets stars were creating, it’s very possible Nash was more than happy to agree to leave the organization immediately when they talked to him about the future.

As for what comes next for the Nets, the situation seems so toxic that prospective coaches will likely have some serious questions before they sign on to take over the team. For one, you have to be prepared for whatever Kyrie Irving will say or do off the court, along with the looming question of whether Kevin Durant might once again try to push his way out next summer if (and likely when) the Nets let Irving walk. Even if you remove the off court concerns, on the floor there’s a legitimate question about how willing Durant and Irving would be to a coach trying to install a new scheme.

Because of all of that, it shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise that the name that immediately got floated as a leading candidate for the job is a former Nets assistant who has a relationship with Durant and Irving in Ime Udoka.

The problem, of course, is that Udoka is currently suspended by the Celtics for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, as well as allegations of using “crude language” with a “female subordinate.” The Celtics could block the Nets from interviewing Udoka, but as Woj notes they are fine letting him leave for another job — particularly given the strong start under Joe Mazzulla. As for Brooklyn’s interest in Udoka, they’ve reportedly been digging into what happened in Boston, as it has been abundantly clear that Nash was going to eventually be on the way out.

For a Nets team already putting out one fire off the court in the form of Kyrie Irving’s tweet linking to an anti-semitic movie, adding a coach embroiled in a scandal of his own would certainly bring more scrutiny their way. However, they’ve made their bed with their stars and Udoka has proven to be an excellent coach and is beloved by Durant, and as they’ve shown with Irving they’re willing to deal with plenty of off-court headaches to try and make KD happy.

Ken Jennings is comfortable with the Jeopardy! spotlight by now, but it’s clear he’s noticed some thing about fans of the show since he first appeared as a contestant in 2004. This includes how many grandmas seem to love chatting with the greatest Jeopardy! player of all time.

Now a host of Jeopardy!, Jennings is the man many have turned to as the show looks for stability in the wake of Alex Trebek’s death. While the search for a replacement host was full of drama and backstage intrigue, what’s left in Season 39 is a two-host pairing of Jennings and Mayim Bialik. And while some headlines about the show are occasionally more inflammatory than others, no one seems happier that things are calming down than Jennings himself.

In a Washington Post profile published on Monday, Jennings discussed taking over as an official Jeopardy! host and the responsibility he feels to the show itself as a steward following Trebek’s passing. Perhaps most notably, Jennings remarked on the important role the show has in the lives of so many fans, himself included. And that extends to one unique thing he’s realized over the years: grandmas really love him.

Another thing he remembers is the grandmas. When they spotted him in public, people would pull out their phones and start dialing their grandmas. “The thing that I learned as champion just from people coming up to me on the street or people wanting to put their grandma on the phone, is how much of a ritual purpose ‘Jeopardy!’ serves in people’s lives,” Jennings said. “Everybody has these fond multigenerational memories, and people just rely on it as part of their day. And I can’t think of another show like that anymore.”

It’s a funny thing to pick up on interacting with fans, but Jennings does make a very good point. In fact, many contestants like James Holzhauer, most notably, grew up watching with family and feel a special connection to the show as a result. It’s why so many people had opinions on who should host the show in the first place: for many, the show is about far more than just answering trivia questions correctly and as fast as possible.

The feature is a very good read, and includes some funny moments from Jennings such as his Reddit handle, which he joked was a clear indication he never thought he’d get to host the show. There’s also some tidbits about his relationship with James Holzhauer and those bad tweets he’s not too proud about these days.

(Via Washington Post)

Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in November. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.

Friday, November 4

• A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — Me Vs Myself (Atlantic)
• Alicia Keys — Santa Baby (Alicia Keys Records)
• Andy Bell — The Grounding Process EP (Sonic Cathedral)
• Anna Of The North — Crazy Life (PIAS)
• Barbra Streisand — Live At The Bon Soir (Columbia)
• Bert Jansch — Bert At The BBC (Secret Records)
• Big Joanie — Back Home (Kill Rock Stars)
• Boldy James — Mr. Ten08 (FXCK RXP)
• BRKN LOVE — Black Box (Spinefarm Records)
• Caleb Landry Jones — Gadzooks Vol. 2 (Sacred Bones)
• “Captain” Kirk Douglas — New Unknown (Whole Leap Records)
• Carla dal Forno — Come Around (Kallista Records)
• Cavetown — Worm Food (Sire Records)
• Coco & Clair Clair — Sexy (Nice Girl World)
• Connie Constance — Miss Power (Jump the Fence)
• Daniel Avery — Ultra Truth (Mute Records)
• Dayseeker — Dark Sun (Spinefarm Records)
• Dean Fertita — Tropical Gothclub (Third Man Records)
• Dermot Kennedy — Sonder (Interscope)
• Drake And 21 Savage — Her Loss (OVO)
• Ezra Collective — Where I’m Meant To Be (Partisan Records)
• First Aid Kit — Palomino (Columbia Records)
• Frank Bello — Then I’m Gone EP (Rare Bird)
• Ging — We’re Here, My Dear (self-released)
• Gold Dust — The Late Great Gold Dust (Centripetal Force Record)
• Jason Collett — Head Full Of Water (Arts & Crafts)
• Joji — Smithereens (Joji — Smithereens ()
• Julien Chang — The Sale (PIAS)
• La Femme — Teatro Lucido (Born Bad Records)
• Last Dinosaurs — From Mexico With Love (Nettwerk)
• Leslie Odom Jr. — Merry Merry (BMG)
• The Lone Bellow — Love Songs for Losers (Dualtone Records)
• Luke Evans — A Song For You (BMG)
• Magnolia Park — Baku’s Revenge (Epitaph Records)
• The Menzingers — On The Possible Past EP (Epitaph)
• Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains (Boominati)
• Mount Kimbie — MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning (Warp Records)
• MorMor — Semblance (Don’t Guess)
• The Offering — Seeing The Elephant (Century Media)
• Okay Kaya — SAP (Jagjaguwar)
• Old Fire — Voids (Western Vinyl)
• Phoenix — Alpha Zulu (Loyauté/Glassnote)
• The Pretty Reckless — Other Worlds (Fearless Records)
• Rahill — Sun Songs EP (Big Dada)
• Rayland Baxter — If I Were A Butterfly (ATO)
• Roxymore — Perpetual Now (Smalltown Supersound)
• Rush Davis + Kingdom — XMSN DS (Young Art Records)
• Seth Avett — Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown (Ramseur Rec.)
• Special Interest — Endure (Rough Trade Records)
• Spice Girls — SPICEWORLD 25 (UMC/Virgin)
• Spoon — Lucifer On The Moon (Matador)
• Suki Waterhouse — Milk Teeth EP (Sub Pop)
• Switchfoot — This Is Our Christmas Album (Fantasy Records)
• Taipei Houston — Once Bit Never Bored (C3 Records)
• Tenci — A Swollen River, A Well Overflowing (Keeled Scales)
• Tigerstate — Tigerstate (Fig Tree Music)
• Tobias — Two Birds (True Panther Sounds)
• Tom Skinner — Voices Of Bishara (Nonesuch)
• Turnover — Myself In The Way (Run For Cover)
• VOIVOD — Ultraman EP (Century Media Records)
• The Welcome Wagon — Esther (Asthmatic Kitty Records)
• William Fitzsimmons — Covers, Vol. 1 (Nettwerk Records)
• Yonatan Gat — American Quartet (Joyful Noise Recordings)

Friday, November 11

• Actress — Dummy Corporation (Ninja Tune)
• Ben LaMar Gay — Certain Reveries (International Anthem)
• Bill Frisell — Four (Blue Note)
• Bill Nace — Through A Room (Drag City)
• Breanna Barbara — Nothin’ But Time (Fuzz Club)
• Bright Eyes — Digital Ash In A Digital Urn: A Companion EP (Saddle Creek)
• Bright Eyes — I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning: A Companion EP (Saddle Creek)
• Bright Eyes — Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground: A Companion EP (Saddle Creek)
• Bruce Springsteen — Only The Strong Survive (Columbia Records)
• Chelsea Grin — Suffer In Hell (ONErpm)
• Christine And The Queens — Redcar les adorables étoiles (Because Music)
• Colin Stetson — Chimæra I (Room40)
• Drowse — Wane Into It (Flenser)
• Dubinski — Beyond Me (Gnu Roam Records/Kartel Music)
• Dumb — Pray 4 Tomorrow (Midheaven Mailorder)
• Duval Timothy — Meeting With A Judas Tree (Carrying Colour)
• FaltyDL — A Nurse To My Patience (Blueberry Records)
• Fitz And The Tantrums — Let Yourself Free (Elektra Records)
• Franz Nicolay — New River (Don Giovanni Records)
• GloRilla — Anyways, Life’s Great… EP (CMG/Interscope)
• Gold Panda — The Work (City Slang)
• Groove Armada — GA25 (BMG)
• The Human League — The Virgin Years (UMC/Virgin)
• Hyd — Clearing (PC Music)
• Jimmy Edgar — Liquids Heaven (Innovative Leisure)
• Jordana — I’m Doing Well, Thanks For Asking EP (Grand Jury)
• L.S. Dunes — Past Lives (Fantasy)
• Larkin Poe — Blood Harmony (Tricki-Woo Records)
• Lazerbreak — Lava Bangers II (Doomtree Records)
• Louis Tomlinson — Faith In The Future (Bertelsmann Music Group)
• Lyrics Born — Vision Board (Mobile Home Recordings)
• MGMT — 11-11-11 (Columbia)
• Nas — King’s Disease III (Mass Appeal)
• Plaid — Feorm Falorx (Warp)
• The Randy Paserntes — Now At Last (Colorfield Records)
• Run The Jewels — RTJ CU4TRO (Jewel Runners/BMG)
• The Shapeshifters — Let Loose (Glitterbox Recordings)
• Sizzy Rocket — Live Laugh Love (Lost Chrrry Records)
• SoFayGo — Pink Heartz (Cactus Jack)
• Soul Blind — Feel It All Around (Other People Records)
• Tyondai Braxton — Telekinesis (Nonesuch Records)
• Warhaus — Ha Ha Heartbreak (Play It Again Sam)
• The White Buffalo — Year Of The Dark Horse (Snakefarm Records)
• Young Culture — You Had To Be There (Equal Vision/Rude Records)
• Yuna — Y5 (Yuna)

Friday, November 18

• Adrian Quesada — Jaguar Sound (ATO Records)
• Badge Époque Ensemble & Lammping — Clouds Of Joy: Chance Of Reign (Telephone Explosion)
• Badlands — Call To Love (RITE)
• Billy Strings — ME/AND/DAD (Rounder Records)
• Born At Midnite — Alternity EP (Arbutus Records)
• Caitlin Rose — CAZIMI (Missing Piece Records)
• Colin Stetson — The Menu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Milan Records)
• Daniel Bachman — Almanac Behind (Three Lobed Recordings)
• Disturbed — Divisive (Reprise)
• DJ Yoda — Prom Nite (Lewis Recordings)
• Dolly Parton — Dolly Parton — Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection (Banquet Records)
• ENHYPEN — SADAME (Universal)
• Helen Ganya — Polish The Machine (Bella Union)
• Loreena McKennitt — Under A Winter’s Moon (UMe)
• Lowlife — Payday (Hellcat Records)
• Mandrake Handshake — The Triple Point Of Water EP (Glasshouse Records)
• Jim Keltner, Mike Watt, and Mike Baggetta — Everywhen We Go (BIG EGO Records)
• Neal Francis — Sentimental Garbage EP (ATO Records)
• Neil Young And Crazy Horse — World Record (Reprise Records)
• Nickelback — Get Rollin’ (Roadrunner)
• Pole — Tempus (Mute)
• Richard Dawson — The Ruby Cord (Weird World)
• Roddy Ricch — Feed The Street III (Atlantic Records)
• Röyksopp — Profound Mysteries III (Dog Triumph)
• Ruthie Foster — Healing Time (Blue Corn Music)
• Soen — Atlantis (Silver Lining Music)
• Soulside — A Brief Moment In The Sun (Dischord)
• Sunking — Smug (Anti Records)
• Veps — Oslo Park (Kanine Records)
• Weyes Blood — And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Sub Pop)
• Willie Nelson — Willie Nelson Live At Budokan (Sony)
• The Wombats — Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This? EP (The Wombats Label)

Friday, November 25

• Addie Brik — That Dog Don’t Hunt (Itza Records)
• Andy Bell — Untitled Film Stills EP (Sonic Cathedral)
• David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band — David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band Live At The Capitol Theatre (BMG)
• The Doors — Paris Blues (Rhino)
• La Muerte — Sortilegia (Consouling Sounds)
• Stormzy — This Is What I Mean (0207 Def Jam/Interscope Records)
• Vanessa Wagner — Mirrored (InFiné)
• Waajeed — Memoirs Of Hi-Tech Jazz (Tresor)
• Walt Disco — Always Sickening EP (Lucky Number)

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

This morning, following the record-breaking release of her tenth studio album, Midnights, Taylor Swift announced the North American leg of her new tour. Known as The Eras Tour, Swift will be pulling from four new studio albums and two re-recorded Taylor’s Version records since she last toured. That’s right: By the time her next shows kick off in March of 2023, it will mark five years since her time on the road for Reputation Stadium Tour.

“I can’t WAIT to see your gorgeous faces out there. It’s been a long time coming,” Swift wrote in the initial announcement.

Swift had planned for a number of shows for her 2019 album, Lover, in the form of Lover Fests held in different parts of the country. Initially postponed, the event was eventually canceled outright due to the pandemic. Fans who had tickets for those shows are being honored with first priority for the new tour.

Her return to the stage would be the first time she’s played those songs from Lover, as well as ones from Folklore, Evermore, Red (Taylor’s Version), Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and now, Midnights.

The promotional poster for Swift’s upcoming tour features images from all of her past album eras — including the ones she hasn’t re-recorded yet. This sparks an important question: Will she be dropping the rest of her re-recordings before then? She has yet to put out her owned versions of her self-titled debut album, Speak Now, 1989, and Reputation.

Only time will tell. Until then, presale for Taylor Swift’s long-awaited tour starts on November 15.

November 6 (in 1983) is the day that Will Byers went missing into the Upside Down on Stranger Things. November 6 (in 2022) is also Stranger Things Day in the real world, where the Netflix series is such a big hit that it made a nearly 40-year-old song into one of the biggest hits of the year. “cancel your plans, call your party, & tell them you are booked and busy all day nov. 6 bc STRANGER THINGS DAY IS COMING,” the Stranger Things account tweeted,” along with a tease of what fans can expect.

There will be “strange surprises, special guests, merch drops” (Paul Reiser Funko when?), as well as theatrical screenings of the second half of season four. “This year we are celebrating bigger and better than ever with screenings all over North America where you’ll be among the very first to see Stranger Things 4: Volume 2 on the big screen,” a statement from Netflix reads. “Come dressed to impress in your favorite Stranger Things costume and swag — prizes will be rewarded for best dressed! We’ll also have trivia, giveaways, and other surprises, making this an event you won’t want to miss.”

Screenings will be held in Atlanta, Austin, Texas, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Toronto, and Washington. If you live in Indiana, where Stranger Things takes place, you’re out of luck.

For more information on Stranger Things Day, head here.

As if fans weren’t already hyped up enough over the prospect of a collaborative album between 21 Savage and Drake fueled by more of the yin-and-yang chemistry of tracks like “Jimmy Cooks” and “Knife Talk,” the new dynamic duo also shared the spotlight on the cover of Vogue — or did they? When Drake shared photos of the supposed upcoming cover on social media, some fans were delighted but others were skeptical. While it’s perfectly plausible that the two rappers — who have been been considered stylish in their own rights — would appear on the cover, something felt … off. So…

Was Drake And 21 Savage’s ‘Vogue’ Magazine Cover Real?

Unfortunately for fans hoping to add the intriguing item to their collections, it was not. According to Rolling Stone‘s Simon Vozick-Levinson, it’s actually a self-made zine promoting the pair’s upcoming album, Her Loss. It appears that they’ve lightly vandalized the actual October issue of Vogue, inserting themselves in various ads and photoshopping the pictorials to include Savage’s signature tattoos — especially his forehead knife, which was the subject of a meme-turned-album-title way back in the halcyon days of 2017.

It’s a prime example of Drake and 21 Savage’s surprising shared sense of humor about constantly being memed. This time they were the ones to get the last laugh. Her Loss, meanwhile, is out on November 4.

After a 2-5 start to the season following an offseason in which the Nets top stars had already pushed for him to be fired, Steve Nash’s tenure as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets has come to an end.

Nash himself released a statement about the decision to part with the organization, which has been in turmoil for more than a year for a variety of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with him.

Nash went 94-67 in just over two seasons at the helm in Brooklyn, with a 7-9 postseason record most notably including a sweep at the hands of the Celtics in the first round a year ago. Nash’s on-court tactics left plenty to be desired, but it was never abundantly clear if that was a Nash problem or simply him giving way to what his stars want to do. In the end, the thing that brought Nash to Brooklyn was the thing that got him fired.

Nash was brought in to be the manager of egos on a team full of stars, but never seemed to thrive in that role despite Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being the driving forces in bringing him in for Kenny Atkinson. His tenure seemed doomed from the start, with Kyrie rather famously declaring initially that there was no head coach but that everyone brought ideas to the table. That proved to be prescient, as the Nets never formed a cohesive identity under Nash beyond “Kyrie and KD do stuff” and he is now relieved of his duties — and probably relieved to be done with the nightmare that is this Nets team.

I guess it’s true: That Rihanna reign just won’t let up! Fresh off the release of her new song “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, the pop star is turning her attention to her annual Savage X Fenty fashion show. Every year the presentation becomes more lavish, but this year’s just might be the biggest yet.

As rumors of what models will be draped in the sexy intimates line circle social media, thanks to her appearance on on Live With Kelly and Ryan, we can confirm actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, star of Abbott Elementary, will be one of them.

During her appearance earlier this morning, the Emmy-award winner confirmed the rumors were indeed correct. Ralph recalls being asked to participate in the show, stating, “I got a call from Rihanna. Yes, Riri. It’s through her, to the people, to you. It’s basically, ‘Ask her if she’d walk in the Savage show.”

Ralph ensure this year’s show is one for the history books, proclaiming, “But, to hear that you’ve been requested by her — and trust me, this is no Victoria’s Secret fashion show, baby. This is something on a different level. When I saw the choreography and I saw her vision that she had, walking through the mountains and all, I was like, alrighty then. This is special.”

Although this will be Ralph’s debut in an intimates fashion show, the proud mother of two is no stranger to showing after her curves to the world. Across her social media accounts, Ralph can be strutting her full-figured frame on her numerous poolside vacations. The other models better beware, Ralph’s fierce catwalk might just cost them a gig.

The Savage X Fenty Show, Vol. 4 will air on November 9 exclusively on Prime Video.

Michael Ealy is not exactly a newcomer to romantic movies, but he did forget to check his pits (or something to that effect) while filming a love scene with Taraji P. Henson. This is a blast from the past, but on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the host broached the subject of 2014’s Think Like A Man Too, which led to Kelly coaxing Michael to tell an embarrassing story.

The exchange happens after the 7:00 mark above and includes the embarrassment associated with Taraji telling Michael that he smelled quite “ripe” on set. To Kelly, Michael explained why he didn’t feel physically prepared for baring his body on camera, so he was hustling to look pumped in between takes, and “before this scene where I’m like shirtless in the bed with her and stuff like that, I did about 250 push-ups… in about 20, 25 minutes while they are setting up the shot… I was just working my ass off to try and to pump up the muscles.”

He further explained, “That’s a trick… It makes you a little moist.” That word caused a brief pause for obvious reasons, and Michael revised. “I was glistening, and I’m laying down with her and we were like in between takes,” he explained. “And she’s like kind of like in here, because I’m kind of on top of her. We’re just sitting there in between the takes, and she says to me, she goes, ‘Hmmm. You kind of ripe.’”

Taraji enjoyed this very much, according to Michael: “She was like, ‘Michael Ealy is not perfect.” He then conceded, “It was really hard to be romantic after that.” No kidding.

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a terrific start to the 2022 NFL season, taking a commanding lead in the NFC North at 6-1, a full 3.5 games clear of the Packers not even halfway through the season.

With the playoffs firmly in sight, the Vikings have decided to take an aggressive stance heading into the trade deadline as they look to bolster their roster and fill the void at the top of the NFC behind the Philadelphia Eagles. On Tuesday, the Vikings worked out a trade with their divisional rival in Detroit that lands them another weapon on offense, as tight end TJ Hockenson heads from the Lions to Minnesota, along with a pair of fourth round picks, for the Vikings second and third round pick.

Hockenson has 26 catches for 395 yards and three touchdowns this season, as he’s among the second tier of strong pass-catching tight ends in the NFL, behind the Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and George Kittle tier. The Vikings, who just lost Irv Smith Jr. for at least a few weeks with an ankle injury, will add Hockenson to a strong receiving corps led by Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, giving Kirk Cousins another target to throw to over the middle when defenses shift their attention to the perimeter.

Detroit now has two first and two second round picks in next year’s Draft, as they continue trying to build a roster that can not just compete (as they’ve done at times this year) but start to win games consistently when they put themselves in that position (something they have not).