Compton rapper Buddy’s new album, Superghetto, is out now. To celebrate and promote its release, he and fellow SoCal artist Blxst stopped by The Late Show to perform their standout from the new project, “Wait Too Long,” looking cooler than a fan in matching black-on-black ensembles.
Buddy opens the performance lounging on an armchair with a telephone — a nifty callback to the song’s music video — as Blxst croons the catchy chorus backed by a mellow groove from the duo’s band.
Superghetto is Buddy’s first new album since his 2018 debut, Harlan & Alondra. The album, which features Ari Lennox, Blxst, Tinashe, and T-Pain, clocks in at a smooth 10 tracks and features “Black 2,” “Hoochie Mama,” and “Wait Too Long” as singles.
As fans awaited the new album, Buddy delivered a string of solid guest appearances on projects like Dreamville’s Revenge Of The Dreamers III, which landed him his first platinum plaque, and Guapdad 4000’s debut album, Dior Deposits, as well as Tinashe’s latest on the single “Pasadena.” Buddy also teamed up with fellow LA area artist Kent Jamz to release a joint mixtape, Janktape, Vol. 1, spawning the single “Bad Boys.”
Watch Buddy and Blxst perform “Wait Too Long” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon above.
It’s been a while since Warpaint’s last album, Heads Up, which came out in 2016. Now, though, they have a new one on the way, as Radiate Like This is set for May. They announced that in January and shared the lead single “Champion,” and now they’ve dropped another new song from the LP, “Stevie.”
Warpaint says of the single, “‘Stevie’ is a love song, pure and true. Sincere as it comes with a little bit of Freak. A cosmic celebration of the thing we all look for in life. And our contribution to one of the most beloved song genres.”
The band’s Theresa “TT” Wayman previously said of recording the new album, “We got really lucky because the foundation of what we’ve recorded was recorded together. It would feel really disjointed if we had to write it from scratch from afar. It’s actually been amazing that we’ve been separate and had time to record the top layers and we can get even more considered with them. It’s really helping us that there are no time pressures and money constraints. […] I’ve been thinking a lot about lyrics and so I’ve been thinking about [Bob] Dylan a lot and how he strings a story together. He finds these perfect ways to say something that is so normal, it’s something that everyone experiences, but he unlocks this great metaphor for it.”
Listen to “Stevie” above.
Radiate Like This is out 5/6 via Virgin. Pre-order it here.
That Paul Rudd, what a stinker. Beginning in 2004, nearly every time the ageless Wet Hot American Summer and Ant-Man star would appear on one of Conan O Brien‘s many late-night talk shows, he would set up a clip from his new TV series or movie and end up playing the same scene from Mac and Me. It somehow never got old. It was just as funny in 2021, when he crashed Bill Hader’s interview near the end of Conan’s TBS run, as it was in 2004, when he was promoting the Friends series finale.
The Mac and Me bait and switch even works in podcast form, as Rudd proved in the most recent episode of Conan’s podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. It comes out of nowhere and catches Conan (and the listener) off guard. The set up begins with Rudd discussing a new series for Audible he’s been creating with Party Down co-creator Dan Etheridge. “I’ve been working on it and recording it with my friends, which has been great,” he says before listing everyone who’s involved. Rudd then explains the “sweet and funny” premise before asking if he can play a snippet from one of the episodes.
I think you can guess what happens next.
NOT PAUL RUDD PLAYING THE “MAC AND ME” CLIP ON CONAN O’BRIEN’S PODCAST i can’t with him pic.twitter.com/gxILR6teEO
— marti ⎊ ceo of paul rudd ⁷✧ (@IR0NLANG) March 28, 2022
“Oh for Christ’s sake,” Conan exclaims. “You can’t do that on a podcast.” I disagree. Also, everything Rudd said about the Audible series with Adam Scott and Ken Marino? It’s all fake. That’s commitment to the bit from the sexiest man alive.
The Oscars have always been a part of my life in a way where I don’t even remember when it all began. I don’t have any memories of the first ceremony I watched. My only Oscar memories are moments including Titanic sweeping, Halle Berry winning, Michelle Williams’ yellow dress with a bold red lip, and Martin Scorsese finally getting his due. In my family, watching the Oscars was a ritual on par with celebrations on major holidays. The glamour and the kerfuffle of the Oscars are, of course, the easiest things to enjoy about the awards show that has been dubbed the insufferable “Hollywood’s biggest night.” But I fell in love with the Oscars because the Oscars made me fall in love with cinema. The Oscars ceremony was once an expected but genuine variety show that was, at its heart, a love letter to cinema, a theme that’s since been abandoned in favor of high ratings and satisfaction from fans of Marvel movies, Zack Snyder’s filmography, and the celebrities most likely to go viral, as evidenced by the insulting 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night.
Even the worst Oscar broadcasts such as last year’s Steven Soderbergh-directed intimate affair (it’s looking way more charming in retrospect) are a celebration of a remarkable medium that involves an unfathomable amount of teamwork. Traditionally, the Oscars honored not just the celebrities in the industry, but the unknowns who work tirelessly (and for much less money than the celebrities, no doubt) to make a director’s vision happen or to make an actor’s transformation come to life.
The Oscars the way they used to be – that is, hosted by Billy Crystal on a big, towering stage with dramatic, educational if sometimes too technical and overlong explainers on the significance of cinema and the unsung creators who make films possible – made me the person I am now: an insufferable pop culture-obsessed person who has somehow made a living out of blogging about movies. I became invested in what I do as a direct result of the Oscars. Learning about how movies were made beyond director and actor ingrained in me from a young age the huge mistake of choosing to make movies my career.
Now, the Oscars are a popularity show instead of a celebration of an art form and an ode to the plethora of exhaustive work that non-celebrities do to make films possible. According to the Oscars of today, films are made by celebrities who just happen to show up in hair and makeup and costumes that appeared on their bodies out of nowhere. According to the Oscars of today, directors simply say “lights, camera, action!” and “cut!” and then the movie magically puts itself together in the right order. With most creative and technical categories edited out of the broadcast, the Oscars draw an insulting line between the value of celebrity and crew and even insult the celebrities along the way. The 94th Academy Awards broadcast suggests that some of the most essential elements to filmmaking such as editing, sound, and production design are not worthy of airtime, but reducing best-supporting actress nominee and modern acting legend Kirsten Dunst to an insulting bit is.
The first Academy Awards ceremony occurred in 1929 (it was not broadcast anywhere). Louis B. Mayer established the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its awards as a way to honor the achievements in a relatively new medium, and to unite the five branches of the industry: actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. In 2022, it is farther than ever from its original intention. Over the past several decades, the Oscars have evolved from an informative if shallow affair to a completely shallow PR opportunity. Mayer’s vision has morphed into a three-plus hour commercial for Disney content and a showcase for its most desirable stars.
There are many examples of this from Sunday night’s debacle, the most disturbing being a pre-recorded Chris Evans congratulating best-supporting actor winner Troy Kotsur on his win before presenting a trailer for Disney’sLightyear, in theaters this summer. Additionally, the show wasted time that could have been saved for presenting creative and technical awards on the “28th anniversary” of Pulp Fiction for absolutely no other reason than the fact that cast reunions are trendy right now. The ceremony also included a performance of the popular song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s Encanto, despite not being nominated for best original song.
Toward the end of the night, Kevin Costner – presenting the award for best director because Yellowstone is popular right now – popped off about the miracle of directing motion pictures with the story of a four-hour cowboy film he saw when he was seven years old.
“You can change a mind, you can change a trajectory of a life, of a career,” he said. “You can capture a heart. But you can’t do it alone.”
Costner’s speech was a traditional, boring, self-important, and dramatic tribute that went on too long, but it was the best thing about the night because that’s what the Oscars are for.
The first reviews are in for Moon Knight, Marvel’s latest live-action series for Disney+, and there’s a clear consensus across the board: Oscar Isaac is putting it up all on the screen in his performance as the mystical hero. Unlike the first batch of Marvel shows, which continued stories started in the films, Moon Knight is the first Disney+ series to fully introduce a new character to the MCU. While that’s exciting in its own right, another common theme in the reviews is that Moon Knight is an easy entry point for the MCU-curious. If you just want to see Isaac and his nemesis played by Ethan Hawke go at it, you don’t need to be familiar with any of the 20+ series and films that came before Moon Knight. It’s a rarity for Marvel these days.
So much of Moon Knight rests on Isaac’s shoulders as he, by sheer force of will, transforms what could have easily been a very confusing, disjointed show into something truly remarkable. In other words: Oscar Isaac is going for it. And, at least in the first four episodes, he doesn’t just go for it, he gets there.
It often feels like a throwback to Marvel’s classic approach to reworking lower profile comic book characters into household names meant to become key players within a larger cinematic universe. That relative change of pace is one of the things that Moon Knight has going for it compared to some of Marvel’s other recent series that tend to make more sense the more of the MCU you’ve consumed. But Moon Knight’s also a foray into the fraught world of character studies where bold acting and directorial choices jump out…
Here, Marvel’s attempting to do something it hasn’t lately done: Break a new character through the medium of TV. And “Moon Knight,” an adventurous limited series, suggests a way forward for a content-creation engine that’s come to feel overwhelming. There’s a freshness to it that’s enticing even for those outside the fandom.
It’s good that this show not only has these two stars but also uses them to their fullest because, as mentioned, Moon Knight isn’t widely known and the series itself is holding back a lot of information for the time being. That being said, hardcore Moon Knight fans out there who never thought this day would arrive might feel like collapsing at the sight of this crazed champion presented fully in front of their eyes. It’s also the perfect show to slip into if you’re an MCU casual, as it does keep the rest of the long-running story at arm’s length.
Marvel sent the first four episodes of Moon Knight to critics, and it says something that I burned through them all in one go and can’t wait to see what happens next. Moon Knight is weird, wild and so much fun.
The highest compliment I can give Moon Knight is that it often feels more like The Mummy than The Avengers.
While most Moon Knight reviews were generally positive, there were some who weren’t so sold on the MCU’s newest hero or Marvel’s continued struggle to find its groove on Disney+ series even with Oscar Isaac going for it whole hog:
The show’s pleasure comes from watching Isaac flex his action muscles, do intentionally silly accents and exhibit a flair for goofy comedy. But after watching four of the series’ six (45-minute-ish) episodes, I think it’s clear that the acting exercise stands out more than masked vigilante Moon Knight, his pair of alter egos or the story’s crash course in ancient Egyptian spirituality.
Given the character’s long history of being more exciting in theory than reality — and given that none of the previous MCU shows have been at their best in their finales — my hopes aren’t too high for the concluding chapters. There are many interesting aspects to Moon Knight, but neither the comic books nor this TV show named for him quite know what to do with them all.
“Moon Knight” is vaguely different, has no real connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and will be hailed by many as a deeply original chapter in the MCU. But when you look outside that limited worldview and recognize all the aforementioned touchstones it’s drawing from, “Moon Knight” is initially thought-provoking, but hardly the game changer that many devout fanboys will likely declare it.
Moon Knight premieres March 30 on Disney+ with new episodes streaming on Wednesdays.
At the beginning of the year, Interpol announced that they finished up their seventh studio album and would be heading out on a worldwide tour with Tycho, Matthew Dear, and Dry Cleaning. They’re back with more news today that they’ll also be embarking on a North American co-headlining run with Spoon, who just unveiled Lucifer On The Sofa, on the Lights, Camera, Factions tour.
The lineup will also have The Goon Sax as openers. It’ll kick off in Asbury Park, New Jersey at the end of August and will close in Portland, Oregon in September. Check out the full dates below.
08/25 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summer Stage
08/26 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage #
08/27 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point
08/28 – Providence, RI @ Bold Point Pavilion
08/30 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! Outdoor
09/01 – Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J. Brady Music Center
09/02 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern %
09/03 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit
09/04 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
09/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE Outdoors
09/08 – Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River Park
09/09 – St. Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre
09/10 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
09/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
09/14 – Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
09/16 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
09/17 – Portland, OR @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
09/18 – Portland, OR @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
# Metric, Interpol, and Spoon
% Interpol only
* Spoon Only
It’s hard to believe that Bobby Shmurda has been a fixture in hip-hop for nearly eight years and still has yet to release his debut album, but it’s true. Sure, at least part of that is due to his extended stint at New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility after being convicted of conspiracy to murder, weapons possession, and reckless endangerment in 2014, but he was released from prison in February 2021. The flurry of positive press he received should have been the launching point for at least an EP or a mixtape, but the moment came and went without much new music.
Bobby may soon get the chance to begin releasing music again, though, as Bobby announced his departure from Epic Records on Instagram over the weekend. Bobby signed to Epic in 2014 at the height of the mania for his viral single “Hot N****,” but had expressed his frustration with the imprint since being released from prison. In a prior post on Instagram, explained, “I ain’t been in charge of my music since I was 19 years old and I just turned 27 and honestly idk when sh*t dropping. So don’t ask me shit go ask them mf’s since they wanna control everything!!!!!!!”
However, his more recent post was much more upbeat. “I just sign my release papers,” he wrote. “Also jus made ah milly today I can’t wait to drop.” He noted that he was shooting his first video as an independent artist and would be celebrating his newfound freedom into the week. With control over his music regained, perhaps the comeback we’ve all been waiting for can finally take place.
As spring settles in, the pop world has been blossoming with new releases. Charli XCX surprised us all with a deluxe version of the bombastic Crash that was released just last week, and Wallows, most known for their simmering collaboration with Clairo “Are You Bored Yet?,” unveiled Tell Me That It’s Over, the follow-up to 2019’s catchy Nothing Happens.
Beabadoobee, who rose instantly with her hit with Powfu “Death Bed (Coffee For Your Head),” released her debut album Fake It Flowers in 2020, which showed her moving in an alt-rock direction. Her new song “Talk” maintains that edge while still bubbling with infectious energy.
Wallows — “Marvelous”
On “Marvelous,” Wallows go all-in on optimism, declaring: “We know that we could be anything we want to be,” against sputtering, buoyant rhythms. It’s a completely healthy love song, which is rare, encouraging confidence over insecurity in a way that’s both inspiring and danceable.
Charli XCX — “Sorry If I Hurt You”
It’s practically impossible to talk about pop these days without mentioning Charli XCX. The deluxe tracks on Crash prove her skill at churning out unforgettable anthems, and this track impressively balances the weight of pain with uplifting electronic landscapes.
Tate McRae — “Chaotic”
This new piano ballad from Tate McRae is about the pain of having your pain recognized. Her vocals are sincere and hesitant as her friend notices her sadness: “You said it looks like I’ve been going through hell / How did you know? How could you tell?” It’s as cathartic and stunning as it is tragic.
Christina Perri — “Evergone”
Christina Perri has a knack for songs about heartbreak. What this track, “Evergone,” does so well is maintain hope in the face of it. Despite the ending of a relationship, she sings of the way love is infinite: “In the songs we sing and the ones we leave / We carry on / But no one is ever gone.”
Maren Morris — “Humble Quest”
Texas-native genre-blender Maren Morris is not trying to get ahead of herself on “Humble Quest”; it sounds like, for once, she’s learning to find a pace at which she’s comfortable moving. It’s a spiritual journey she’s on, and her determined vocals against twangy guitars that intensify throughout the song showcase her excitement to move forward in life.
24kGoldn, Travis Barker – “In My Head”
“Mood” singer 24kGoldn teamed up with Travis Barker to give his already-catchy anthems even more of a kick. The three-minute track is about being so deep in an infatuation that it makes you regret finding this person in the first place: “Ain’t a secret, you my weakness, shouldn’t-a let you in,” he raps.
Mxmtoon — “Sad Disco”
“Sad Disco” by Mxmtoon is the exhilarating soundtrack to a Friday night alone. “It’s a song meant to make you find joy in the quiet, to emulate that feeling of being alone in your bedroom, blasting music through a pair of headphones in the middle of the night,” she said, and it absolutely achieves this amazing goal.
Fireboy DML – “Playboy”
This leisurely track by Fireboy DML is anchored by a slow, pulsating beat that sends heatwaves under Fireboy DML’s flawless flow: “Make nobody follow my shadow / Bring more cups let Hennessy flow / Sweet white wine and anything goes,” he warbles invitingly.
Koffee — “Shine”
Against simple, encouraging guitar chords, Koffee deadpans about the casual darkness of waking up: “Sun’s out, issa siren / Gun violence tiring.” She’s not pessimistic though; she asks in earnest for some help: “Oh Lord, have mercy, shine your light pon me, yeah / Guide me, show me ah what my eyes can’t see.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The takes are still rolling in about Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at the Oscars, from Judd Apatow, Jimmy Kimmel, Howard Stern, Tiffany Haddish… It’s now officially weird if you haven’t weighed in with your stance on the incident. We can now welcome Julian Casablancas to the club; the Strokes leader joined the discourse with a long-winded, rambly Instagram post.
He wrote:
“imm bummed no one stood up for Chris Rock in the moment and after, will smith shoulda tried to stand up to Eminem and Dr Dre same way…isn’t it Chris Rock job’s (!?) to make fun of people in the audience, very weird. congratulation to will smith for bringing a MILLION times more attention to his wifes embarrassing thing that no one woulda known about otherwise.
Will Smith has sucked (yet continued to be full of himself) since Independence Day…
of course actors and mega-celebrities defend their elk i guess…? (not all, i know – but still) i wish i was there to try and defend Chris Rock, idk maybe bad look cause i’m white or whatever but chris rock is kind of a slender dude and will smith trained for a boxing movie for a year so i feel that was just an act of bullying… – trying to redeem his Tupac jealousy issues (?) under the guise of being some fake hero who needs anger management… he might need mental treatment, idk, or just retire for the sake of overall movie quality.”
Tom Cruise’s eternal (and relatable to many) frustration with pandemic delays will soon ease up, at least for one of this franchises. Top Gun: Maverick hasn’t been delayed as many times as Morbius (which arrives on April 1), but the original plan was for Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to fly back into theaters in June 2020. That didn’t happen, but the good news is that Maverick brings Tom back to Cannes for the first time in 30 years. So ready your “need for speed” because it’s finally happening.
Also, the the Iceman is definitely in tow (although, where is he?), and we learn where his chess piece is played in this final trailer. The dynamics here are fraught with tension, per usual, and Jon Hamm’s Vice Admiral Cyclone declares that he’s not exactly a Maverick fan and didn’t ask him to return to the Top Gun program. Rather, that call was made by Iceman, who’s now Admiral Tom Kazanzky. Oh boy. And Tom’s got another more tension apparent here, and that would be with the son of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. Miles Teller is stepping into those shoes with the call sign of Rooster. Can we get a wingman here? Wait and see, but hopefully, this sequel will be a cross-generational hit and sort-of the Cobra Kai of fighter-pilot stories.
There’s plenty of high-in-the-sky action being teased, and yep, a silhouette of a volleyball game. From the synopsis:
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw, call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, a.k.a. “Goose.” Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
Top Gun: Maverick arrives in U.S. theaters on May 27.
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