Month: December 2022

Another one of Jack Harlow‘s manifestations has come to fruition. Yesterday (December 3), the rapper finally met the namesake for one of his songs from his sophomore album, Come Home, The Kids Miss You.

At Variety‘s annual Hitmakers brunch, Harlow met his Atlantic labelmate, Dua Lipa. Back in May, when Harlow released Come Home, The Kids Miss You, a song on the album called “Dua Lipa” features Harlow rapping about his affections for the “Levitating” singer.

On the song, Harlow raps, “Dua Lipa / I’m tryna do more with her than do a feature / I checked the web, they out here chewin’ me up.”

During the brunch, the two were seen smiling, enjoying a conversation, and then posing for pictures. Though the nature of their conversation is uncIear, the two appeared to be in good spirits.

Later during the ceremony, Harlow presented his and Lipa’s label with Variety‘s label of the year award.

“I do see a lot of resentment sometimes between artists and their labels,” said Harlow in his speech honoring Atlantic Records. “Me personally, I’ve had disagreements and frustrations, things that I think are natural to any partnership. But one thing I cannot dispute is that I was given a real chance to develop as an artist.”

Jack Harlow and Dua Lipa are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

For their latest episode, SNL dedicated the Cold Open to chaos MAGA candidate Herschel Walker. But Weekend Update dedicated significant real estate to an even more disastrous political figure: Kanye West. Last week the onetime brilliant musician continued torching his career and any goodwill, continuing to double down on his already virulent anti-Semitism. When he did an interview with Alex Jones, he somehow managed to be the nutty one, even uttering the words, “I like Hitler.” On Weekend Update, that earned him a particularly unflattering comparison.

“At this point, I don’t think Kanye is off his meds so much as he is immune to them,” cracked Colin Jost. “We’re basically dealing with the omicron variant of Kanye. We’d thought he’d fade away but now we realize we may have to live with the brain fog of long-haul Kanye.”

Jost also questioned his airing of an old anti-Semitic trope. “What I don’t understand about this Kanye stuff is if Jews do control the media, then how are we still seeing a new interview with Kanye every day?” he said, adding, “Also if Jews control the media, explain the 80-foot Christmas tree outside of NBC.”

Later Jost turned to Walker, pointing out the record number of early voters who have turned up for the Georgia Runoff, joking, “Herschel Walker has always encouraged his supporters to take care of voting early before it becomes a problem.”

You can watch the latest Weekend Update in the video above.

SZA teased at May’s Met Gala that her sophomore album was “ready to go” and advised her fans to prepare for “a SZA summer,” inducing a painful wait that lasted through the summer and fall. Finally, we’re in for a SZA winter. The multiplatinum singer-songwriter thrived as the musical guest on last night’s (December 3) Saturday Night Live, where she performed “Shirt,” debuted “Blind,” and confirmed the release date for S.O.S., the aforementioned sophomore album, is this Friday, December 9.

SZA was announced as SNL‘s December 3 musical guest in mid-November, and fans began cautiously believing that the long-awaited followup to 2017’s Ctrl would arrive in December. She told Billboard that December was the target for S.O.S., but fans still mostly adopted a believe-it-when-we-see it attitude.

It wasn’t until SZA shared the presumed cover art last week and “S.O.S. 12/9″ appeared behind her on stage at the end of her “Shirt” performance on SNL that full-fledged excitement was unlocked.

“We survived the SZA album drought,” one Twitter user wrote alongside a video of a woman tearfully turning her graduation tassel. Another tweeted a video of Miley Cyrus in an emotional Hannah Montana scene with the joke, “SZA leaving Nicki and Rihanna in the ‘lying about the album’ room.”

See more funny fan reactions to S.O.S.‘s confirmed arrival below.

S.O.S. is out 12/9 via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA.

As of this writing, the Georgia runoff is a few days away, with residents ready to determine who will claim one of the state’s Senate seats: Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock or Republican challenger Herschel Walker. It’s a mighty close race, which is worrying: Walker is, to put it lightly, a questionable choice, prone to some of the strangest gaffes in political history. GOP brass are clearly worried, and their anxiety fueled SNL’s latest Cold Open.

Kenan Thompson returned as the malapropism-friendly footballer-turned-MAGA candidate, joining a meeting with a trio of Republican higher-ups. Among them was James Austin Johnson’s Mitch McConnell, whom Thompson’s Walker calls “Mitch McDonalds.” It’s all downhill from there, with Walker blurting out one brain fart after another, including calling Planned Parenthood “Planned Parent Trap” as well as a reprise of arguably his funniest slip-of-the-tongue: the instant classic “This erection is for the people.”

Eventually Cecily Strong’s Marsha Blackburn advises he “lay low and focus on the message,” to which Walker responded, “Exactly. Just like Kanye.”

“No. No. The issues people care about — inflation, crime,” Blackburn replied.

Thompson’s Walker again drew from real life, adding: “Vampires, werewolves. They’re scared of the Geico gecko. We’re going to be looking at all of that.”

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

Two arrests have been made in connection to Takeoff’s murder. The 28-year-old Migos rapper was fatally shot in the early hours of November 1 outside of 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston, where he was attending a private event with Quavo. A manhunt ensued, with Houston Police Chief Troy Finner urging the public to exercise patience on November 22.

Also on November 22, Cameron Joshua, 22, (known as Lil Cam or Lil Cam 5th) was taken into custody by Houston’s Harris County Sheriff’s Office. The internet initially started speculating that Lil Cam 5th was linked to Takeoff’s murder, and on Wednesday, November 30, he was formally “charged in connection with the case,” as relayed by The Associated Press, but “is not believed to have fired” his illegal handgun during the shooting that tragically took Takeoff’s life.

The following day, Houston Police arrested 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark and charged him with the murder of Takeoff. ABC News reported yesterday (December 3) that Clark’s bond was set at $2 million during his first court appearance. “In requesting the $2 million bond, prosecutors argued that Clark posed a high flight risk because he had purchased tickets to Mexico two days before his arrest and applied for an expedited passport,” the report said.

Houston Police held a press conference on December 2, during which Sgt. Michael Burrow emphasized that “the investigation is still ongoing” and confirmed the alleged sequence of events on November 1.

“The event was a private party,” he said. “There was a lucrative dice game that went on at the event. There was an argument that happened afterwards outside the bowling alley, which led to the shooting. I can tell you that Takeoff was not involved in playing the dice game. He was not involved in the argument that happened outside. He was not armed. He was an innocent bystander.”

Burrow added that approximately 30 people were standing outside at the time of the shooting and “literally every single one of those people left the scene without giving a statement to police.” He asked them to come forward and give their statements to Houston Police. In the interim, Burrow said, his team used video surveillance, cellphone video and audio, physical evidence, shooting reconstruction, to confirm ballistic evidence, which led them to Clark as the shooter.

Takeoff (real name Kirsnick Khari Ball) was laid to rest at State Farm Arena in his hometown Atlanta on November 11. Offset honored him while performing at Miami Beach’s annual Art Basel on Thursday, December 1. On Friday, Takeoff’s first posthumous verse appeared on Metro Boomin’s newly released Heroes & Villains.

Netflix’s new original series, Wednesday, is proving to be one of the buzziest shows of the year. With movies and shows like You, Scream 5, X, and now Wednesday to her credit, Jenna Ortega is quickly proving to be the scream queen of her generation.

Ortega doesn’t seem to put off very easily, especially after revealing that she used to perform autopsies on animals in her yard. However, during a promotional Q&A session for Wednesday, a chapter of The Addams Family saga, she revealed that playing a certain song will get you removed from her presence.

In a clip shared by Netflix’s social accounts, Ortega drew a question from a jar, which read “What song is on your do-not-play list?”

Ortega responded, saying, “I’m not big on pop, and I feel like a couple years [ago], there was a song out called ‘Dance Monkey.’ If anyone ever played that in my house, they’re instantly being kicked out.”

The song Ortega is referring to is “Dance Monkey” by Australian pop singer Tones And I. “Dance Monkey” went viral on TikTok during the early days of the pandemic. But Ortega shouldn’t feel bad about not liking the song, because Tones herself even revealed she doesn’t enjoy performing it all the time.

“I wrote that song on my own, not trying to do a single thing, and it happened,” Tones said in an interview on Smallzy’s Surgery, “But I don’t want to chase that song. I loathe that song a lot of the time. A lot of times I don’t want to sing it.

Tones And I is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Black Adam (Warner Bros. movie streaming on Amazon Prime/VOD)

This comic book movie happens to be the long-gestating passion project of The Rock, as he initially announced like seven years ago, but sh*t happens, and sometimes, you gotta wait for dream time to happen. The film didn’t deliver a billion dollars, but it’s taking flight on VOD, something that Warner Bros. Discovery has undoubtedly noted for the future. And now we’re getting Henry Cavill back as Superman, so The Rock’s antihero truly did work magic while James Gunn prepares to redeem the DCEU/DCU.

TIE: 10. Stutz (Netflix movie)

If you’re down for a more cerebral and humanity-affirming option, Jonah Hill directs this film that dives into the legacy (and The Tools) of world-leading shrink Phil Stutz. Hill gets very personal as well while revealing some of his struggles, and the doctor-patient pair delivers a therapeutic watch with plenty of multigenerational humor along the way. Mental health is important, y’all, so don’t ignore it.

9. Andor (Disney+ series)

Diego Luna returns as Cassian for the last time in this series that won’t leave the streaming charts. That’s happening for solid reason because (no offense to Baby Yoda) it’s nice to have a more grounded Star Wars star that isn’t awash in, well, the Grogu vibe. We’ll see that little guy again soon, but in the meantime, it’s time for the grownups to catch up on a story that’s somehow timely (showcasing the fight against fascism by a true rebellion hero) and barreling toward Season 2 as we speak.

8. Dead To Me (Netflix series)

This final season came and went too soon, but at least we got to see Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini heading into a sunset together, even if it was a bittersweet experience. These two enjoyed one of the best dynamics on TV in recent years, and Applegate’s MS threw several wrenches into her life and the production, but she fought like hell to get through it. That’s also what her character, Jen, would do, and surely, Judy would support her. As for James Marsden’s twins, those kind of dudes will come and go (and they should mostly go). Bring on the therapeutic rage metal for the final homicidal showdowns, please.

7. The Devil’s Hour (Amazon Prime series)

I don’t know about you, but if I began to wake up every day at 3:33am, I would start to wonder what’s up. Yet nothing has gone logically for Jessica Raine’s Lucy in ages, so let’s roll with it. Soon enough, she’s being tracked by a criminal and involved with a police investigation, and man, can a lady get some sleep already? Waking nightmares and sketchy neighbors swirl while Lucy helps to piece together clues. Peter Capaldi co-stars in this sinister story, and the whole season is there for the streaming.

6. Warrior Nun (Netflix series)

There’s a fairly sizable social media contingent who’s lobbying for a Season 3 of this show starring Alba Baptista as Ava, who is either the nun who warriors or the warrior who nuns. Or both! Seriously though, the show is about more than those two things, and Ava has literal Hell on her hands while aiming to rally the Sister-Warriors and end the unholy antics of Adriel. Maybe she’ll get to live a normal life one day? Oh, yet that would be no fun for us.

5. Tulsa King (Paramount Plus series)

Sylvester Stallone will be back again for Season 2 of this show that hails from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, who has got his own darn universe by now. Who would have thought this would come of Deputy Hale from Sons of Anarchy? TV is all the better for this turn of events, and Sly appears to relish being a mafia boss who tears through town and shakes up the heartland. He’s not only gotta clean things up professionally after decades behind bars, but his personal life took a big hit, too. It’s a good thing that Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire) is here to wrap his directing arms around this odd place where livestock occasionally wanders onto city streets.

4. Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX series on Hulu)

Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes star as a pair of ex-spouses who aren’t co-parenting so well. More specifically, Claire’s character falls off the radar and leaves Jesse’s (yes awkward) doctor fumbling at being a solo dad while stumbling through dating. The whole doctor thing helps him a lot, but he’s not having the best time while grappling with how life didn’t turn out as planned. Fortunately, he’s got supportive buddies in Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody. This is a remarkable story about human nature, and the Fleishman plight somehow doesn’t come off as self-indulgent, which says a lot about both Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s novel and the journey from book to screen.

3. The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special (Disney+ movie)

Guardians 3 will arrive next year for one last group rodeo, but before that happens, James Gunn has a nice little gift for you to keep under the tree for rewatches. (Spoiler Alert) People do feel pretty upset about one reference though! Enjoy the atmosphere that includes a seasonally-decorated Groot and most of the rest of the gang to keep Vin Diesel’s voice company. For some reason Kevin Bacon and Maria Bakalova are onboard, too.

2. The White Lotus (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

Get ready for penultimate episode time, baby. Aubrey Plaza’s Harper has been seething for weeks, and she’s fed up, so even if she doesn’t end up being the murderer (and I don’t think that she will be), those looks could kill. Portia and Tanya must now reckon with some uncomfortable truths (and whatever the hell her husband is doing), and Daphne could end up winning this whole thing, meaning that I hope she gets rid of that dead weight known as “Cameron.” Somehow, everyone is still miserable in paradise, but hey, that’s potentially better than being simply alright in winter weather.

1. Wednesday (Netflix series)

The people have spoken. Netflix’s servers must have been taxed from this show’s record-busting peak week while everyone watched during Thanksgiving weekend. It’s also a goth-nostalgia resurrection worth noticing since it brings plenty of newness to The Addams Family table. Jenna Ortega’s riveting as the lead, and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán had no difficulty slipping into Morticia and Gomez’s well-heeled shoes. There’s plenty of mystery afoot and also a protagonist worth caring about, even if she’d probably hate that.

In her second performance of the night, SZA debuted a new song on the Saturday Night Live stage. Her latest cut from her upcoming album, S.O.S., which is called “Blind,” according to the SNL Twitter account, first appeared briefly at the end of the “Shirt” video. It’s a downtempo cut, on which SZA reiterates her disdain for her ex, no matter how much she misses them.

“It’s so embarrassing / All of the things I need living inside of me / I can’t see it / It’s so embarrassing
All of the love I seek living inside of me / I can’t see, I’m blind,” she sings on the song’s chorus.

Earlier in the night, she revealed the release date for S.O.S., and it’s arriving much sooner than we expected.

While we don’t know a whole lot about the album’s overall theme, SZA recently opened up about her process in Billboard, and how she “created the person I wanted to see in the world. That ‘girl next door’ energy, we don’t get to see in Black music. It’s always like ‘homegirl next door.’ I don’t have to fit a phenotype.”

Check out the performance of “Blind” above.

S.O.S. is out 12/9 via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA.

12/4/22 Update: It took five years, many pleas, and a lot more rumors, but at long last, we finally have a release date for SZA’s S.O.S, her long-awaited second album. During her performance on SNL, it was announced that the project will arrive on December 9, giving fans just five days to prepare themselves for SZA’s latest body of work.

11/30/22 Update: Staying on course with plans to release her sophomore album S.O.S. in January, SZA unveiled what appears to be the cover art for S.O.S. On it, SZA is sitting at the end of a diving board that’s above pure blue ocean waters. You can see the artwork for yourself below.

11/16/22 Original Article:SZA‘s long-anticipated sophomore album is finally on the horizon. In a recent interview with Billboard, SZA revealed that the album is titled S.O.S. and is currently planned to arrive sometime next month. The album marks her first in five years, following her 2017 debut, Ctrl.

Though she did not disclose an exact date, fans have already taken to Twitter to share their theories.

One fan on Twitter says he believes the album will arrive just before Christmas Day.

“The clock in the final minute of the “Shirt” video shows the time 12:21,” they said. “the license plate in the beginning says “NO CTRL, DEC 2022″. Argue in the comments.”

If SZA continues the pattern she established in 2020, a Christmas-time release date for S.O.S. shouldn’t be too far off. She surprised us on Christmas Day of 2020 by releasing her single, “Good Days.” In 2021, she dropped “I Hate U” on streaming platforms just weeks before Christmas. She has not confirmed if either of those songs, along with the Ty Dolla Sign-assisted “Hit Different,” which she released in September of 2020, will appear on S.O.S..

On December 3, SZA will perform on Saturday Night Live in an episode hosted by Keke Palmer. Ahead of the performance, she unveiled a teaser clip for a new song called “PSA.”

As for collaborators, SZA has kept rather mum, however, she revealed that she and producer Rodney Jerkins cut seven tracks in one day during the S.O.S. sessions in a recent interview with Complex.

“That was always my dream,” she said. “To work with [Jerkins] based on his work with Brandy and Amerie.”

S.O.S. is out 12/9 via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records.

Ahead of her upcoming sophomore album, S.O.S., SZA stopped by the Saturday Night Live stage tonight for an evening of laughs and good music. In her first performance of the Keke Palmer-hosted episode, SZA delivered a captivating performance of her much-acclaimed single, “Shirt.”

During her performance, SZA donned a baggy Harley Davidson and two layers of jeans, as she was joined by a group of dancers, who danced on beat to the song, in front of a transcendent ocean-colored screen.

Toward the end of the performance, the screen revealed the release date for S.O.S.

While the album is near, we don’t know much else about it. In a recent interview with Complex, SZA was rather cryptic about the album’s overall vibe.

“I don’t even know what this album is about and what it sounds like. Which is why I had to go to the mode of what feels good to my brain and to my energy and the songs that I think are hot, I just have to go with them,” she said. “I have no idea what it sounds like to anybody else. I really don’t know. It’s so bizarre. It’s weird that I can’t put my finger on it. It’s a little bit of everything. It’s a little aggressive. Some parts are incredibly soft. Some of them are ballads. I don’t know. It’s all over the place. It’s just where my heart is.”

Check out a clip of the performance above.

S.O.S. is out 12/9 via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records.