Month: January 2023

Following the success of his album Fantasy Gateway album, Cuco is going to perform in concerts across the US next month. Today (January 18), the Mexican-American singer announced the dates for his Interdimensional Tour.

As a Los Angeles County native, Cuco is known for blending his blending his alternative music with influences of his Mexican heritage. He has brought an alternative edge to Latin music and conversely given alternative music a Chicano touch. Cuco best exemplified that sound with his second album Fantasy Gateway that was released in July. The LP featured his breakthrough hit “Sitting In The Corner” featuring Kacey Musgraves and Mexican singer Adriel Favela.

In support of the Fantasy Gateway album, Cuco will go on embark on the Interdimensional Tour next month. The tour kicks off in San Francisco on February 27. Going into March, Cuco will visit cities like San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and New York. The tour also includes Cuco’s two stops in Mexico City where he will open for Tame Impala. Check out his website for information on when tickets will be available.

Cuco’s Fantasy Gateway album also featured duets with Mexican-American singer DannyLux in “Decir Adios” and Mexican artist Bratty in “Fin Del Mundo.” Last month, Cuco released the heartfelt song “Pendant” as a tribute to his grandfather. To kick off 2023, he dropped the aptly-titled single “First Of The Year.”

Find his upcoming tour dates below.

02/27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
02/28 – Pomona, CA @ Glass House
03/01 – San Diego, CA @ North Park Observatory
03/02 – Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren
03/04 – Las Vegas, NV @ Portal – Area 15 (Meow Wolf)
03/06 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory OC
03/10 – Mexico City @ Palacio de los Deportes with Tame Impala
03/11 – Mexico City @ Palacio de los Deportes with Tame Impala
03/28 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/30 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall

Later this year, Zack Snyder will drop his sci-fi epic on Rebel Moon on Netflix, which just released the first footage from the highly anticipated film. If the brief preview gave off heavy Star Wars vibes, there’s a good reason for that. The film is a direct result of a pitch Snyder made to Lucasfilm back when Disney first acquired the franchise. Ultimately, the pitch never went past “meaningful conversations” and for years, Snyders denied online rumors that he almost made a Star Wars film. However, that all changed in 2021.

While promoting both Army of the Dead and the release of the Snyder Cut on HBO Max, the director confirmed the Lucasfilm talks and hinted that the film might see the light of a day as a standalone feature. “The 11-year-old me still wants to make that, and now, I know how to,” Snyder told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Turns out, he had up his sleeve.

A month later, Snyder and Netflix announced Rebel Moon. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” Snyder tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.”

Rebel finds its origins in a Star Wars pitch the filmmaker developed a decade ago. It was a more mature take on the universe created by George Lucas and didn’t move beyond meaningful conversations after The Walt Disney Co. acquired Lucasfilm in 2012.

According to Snyder, at one point Rebel Moon almost became a TV series, but he ultimately decided the best route was a full-on film, which will arrive later this year.

Rebel Moon premieres December 22, 2023 on Netflix.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

After the team’s best season in nearly a decade, the Memphis Grizzlies entered the 2022-23 campaign with considerable expectations. Memphis was thrust into the contender tier with good reason, and the Grizzlies’ combination of young talent, intriguing depth, and organizational stability was the envy of the league. Memphis didn’t exactly fall flat on its face at the start of the year, but the Grizzlies were just 12-9 at the end of November and just staying afloat rather than dominating the competition.

Since the calendar flipped to December, though, Memphis is the best team in the NBA. The Grizzlies are 18-4 since Dec. 1, outscoring opponents by 10.6 points per 100 possessions. That is the best mark in the league by more than three points, and Memphis is also on the league’s longest active winning streak, picking up 10 victories in a row. The Grizzlies are bludgeoning opponents with a 119.9 offensive rating and a 106.5 defensive rating in that 10-game sample, and Memphis is now projected as the favorite to win the Western Conference by the folks at FiveThirtyEight.

Of course, that doesn’t ensure anything, but the Grizzlies are also looking the part and appearing to be quite scary at full strength. Jaren Jackson Jr. missed the start of the season, but the Grizzlies are allowing only 1.02 points per possession when he’s on the floor, and he’s a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Desmond Bane is also rounding into form, including a 59 percent three-point clip in the last five games, and Ja Morant remains the centerpiece with a superstar level of performance.

The West remains an intriguing and wide-open gauntlet right now, but it certainly wouldn’t be crazy to install the Grizzlies as the favorite to emerge at the end. Memphis just throttled Phoenix by a 30-point margin on a national stage, and the Grizzlies are laying waste to anything in their path at this stage. There is a long way to go but, after a so-so start, Memphis is now rocking and rolling at its highest possible level.

Where do the Grizzlies rank this week in our DIME power rankings? You won’t have to scroll down very far.

1. Memphis Grizzlies (30-13, Last week — 1st)

The Grizzlies host the Cavaliers on Wednesday before heading out on a five-game road trip. Memphis may not continue to win every game, but the Grizzlies are very, very good and they’ve earned this spot.

2. Boston Celtics (33-12, Last week — 2nd)

Boston has the best season-long profile in the league, leading the NBA in net rating and offensive rating. The Celtics are also on a seven-game winning streak, with five of those victories coming on the road. Honestly, there is a good argument for Boston at No. 1 this week, and they are clearly in the top two alongside Memphis.

3. Denver Nuggets (31-13, Last week — 3rd)

All the Nuggets have done is continue to win. Denver is No. 2 in offense and No. 4 in net rating with an active seven-game winning streak. It also helps to have Nikola Jokic, who just put up a 36-12-10 performance on 13-for-14 shooting in a win over Portland. He’s an alien.

4. Philadelphia 76ers (28-16, Last week — 5th)

Philadelphia was 12-12. Now, Philadelphia is 28-16. The 76ers have a +6.8 net rating in the last 20 games and even managed to go 2-1 without Joel Embiid. By the way, Embiid is averaging 35.8 points on 56 percent shooting over the last 11 games.

5. Milwaukee Bucks (29-16, Last week — 6th)

On the court, the Bucks are doing just fine. The big story is Giannis Antetokounmpo missing four straight games and, even after a back-to-back sweep without him, the reality is that Milwaukee is probably drawing dead at the highest levels without Giannis and Khris Middleton available to juice the offense.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (28-17, Last week — 7th)

Donovan Mitchell is facing a groin issue, which is something to keep an eye on at this stage. Beyond that, Cleveland is hanging around the top tier after a trip to the west that wasn’t great but was bookended with a nice win over New Orleans.

7. Brooklyn Nets (27-16, Last week — 4th)

Out of respect for the full-season profile, Brooklyn doesn’t totally plummet. The Nets aren’t the same without Kevin Durant, though, and Brooklyn has dropped three in a row, including one without Kyrie Irving as well.

8. Sacramento Kings (24-18, Last week — 15th)

The Kings get a big bump on the strength of a winning streak and middling play all around them. Sacramento is on a four-game run, though it is worth noting that the wins came against Orlando, Houston (twice), and San Antonio. All they’re doing is taking care of business.

9. New Orleans Pelicans (26-18, Last week — 9th)

New Orleans is just trying to keep it together without both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. The Pelicans are 15-10 without Ingram and 3-4 without Zion (so far), and that is pretty respectable, all things considered.

10. Miami Heat (24-21, Last week — 11th)

Miami dug a massive hole and lost in Atlanta on Monday. That wasn’t a great performance in a playoff rematch, but the Heat are 12-6 in the last 18 and playing much better on the whole.

11. New York Knicks (25-20, Last week — 12th)

Both losses came at home, which isn’t great, but the Knicks are 7-2 in the last nine games. The trio of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson really has it going, and we live in a world where New York sits in the top ten of the league in offensive rating.

12. Golden State Warriors (22-22, Last week — 18th)

The Warriors aren’t exactly in high gear when compared to last season, though the flashes are real. Stephen Curry tossed up 41 points on Monday in a road win, and Golden State gets default respect that they’ve earned in the big picture.

13. Atlanta Hawks (22-22, Last week — 19th)

The off-court vibes are horrendous in Atlanta with story after story about front office and ownership turmoil. On the court, though, the Hawks just had arguably their best three-game stretch of the season, sweeping a road back-to-back and then beating a Miami team that has flummoxed Atlanta for a while. Now, the Hawks go to Dallas for a Young vs. Doncic showdown on Wednesday, but Atlanta’s on-court performance feels different than it did a week ago.

14. Dallas Mavericks (24-21, Last week — 10th)

Dallas has dropped four of the last five, though it’s notable that Luka Doncic missed two of those games. The Mavericks have a thoroughly bizarre offensive profile that features dead-last rankings in assists, points in the paint, and fast break points while still landing in the top six or seven of the league in offensive efficiency. Luka is pretty good.

15. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-23, Last week — 24th)

The Thunder are… pretty good? Oklahoma City has outscored its opponents for the season, and the Thunder are 5-1 in the last six. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves every bit of praise, it was also a big weekend for Josh Giddey, who put up 25-10-6 on Friday and followed it with 28-9-9 on Sunday. That’ll do.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (22-23, Last week — 13th)

Minnesota got a positive bump last week and regresses a bit this time. The Wolves are 6-2 in the last eight, but just 2-2 in the last four with losses to Detroit and Utah. Another shrug emoji for Minnesota.

17. L.A. Clippers (23-23, Last week — 16th)

If anyone tells you they know what the Clippers really are at full strength, they probably don’t. Paul George returned from a five-game absence in a road loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday, which helps.

18. Utah Jazz (23-24, Last week — 21st)

Utah’s numbers over a pretty large sample are pretty ugly, but the Jazz are 3-1 in the last four. Monday’s one-point road win over Minnesota bumped the Jazz up a couple of spots in the pecking order.

19. Indiana Pacers (23-22, Last week — 8th)

I guess there might be a DIME curse. The Pacers were featured a week ago on the upswing and promptly turned around and lost four in a row. Indiana’s losing streak came against good competition and while shorthanded, but a crash in the rankings has to happen.

20. Los Angeles Lakers (20-24, Last week — 14th)

The reality of what the Lakers are and aren’t without Anthony Davis has set in if you’re paying attention. That doesn’t take away from the absurdity of LeBron James, who casually put up 48 points in a win over Houston on Monday. The man is 38 years old.

21. Portland Trail Blazers (21-23, Last week — 25th)

The Blazers haven’t beaten a team other than the Mavericks since Jan. 2. On the bright side, Portland played (and beat) Dallas twice this week to stop the bleeding of a losing streak.

22. Chicago Bulls (20-24, Last week — 20th)

Chicago is in Paris to play Detroit on Thursday, so it’s been quiet since Sunday. The Bulls did beat the Warriors on that particular day, with Nikola Vucevic posting his best game of the season with 43 points and 13 rebounds.

23. Toronto Raptors (20-25, Last week — 22nd)

Toronto’s road win in New York on MLK Day was encouraging. Unfortunately, the Raptors lost in ugly fashion at home to Atlanta and then turned around and lost to the Bucks without Giannis and Middleton on Tuesday. At the moment, the Raptors are out of the play-in tournament in the East, which is remarkable.

24. Phoenix Suns (21-24, Last week — 17th)

Devin Booker’s absence has to be noted when talking about how poorly Phoenix is playing. Still, the Suns are 2-12 in the last 14 games, and that is a staggeringly ugly run for an established contender. Obviously, the Suns are better than this when at even close to full strength, but things are going very poorly right now.

25. Washington Wizards (18-26, Last week — 26th)

Washington actually rises by a spot despite losing five of the last six games. The Wizards lost two single-digit games to quality teams and also beat the Bulls this week. That was good enough to avoid falling.

26. Orlando Magic (16-28, Last week — 23rd)

The Magic had a heck of a run in December, but the regression monster arrived. Orlando is just 3-7 in the last ten games, though a closer look may be a little bit more encouraging given the quality of competition. Also, the Magic have a very strange four-day break between games with Orlando returning to the floor on Friday.

27. Detroit Pistons (12-35, Last week — 29th)

Detroit’s been out of action since Sunday as the Pistons will face the Bulls in Paris on Thursday. The Pistons did pick up a nice win over Minnesota to jump out of the bottom three, but Detroit is still 1-5 in the last six and 4-13 in the last 17.

28. San Antonio Spurs (14-31, Last week — 27th)

The Spurs snapped a five-game losing streak with a nice home win over Brooklyn on Tuesday. That victory isn’t quite as impressive when accounting for the absence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, though, and San Antonio’s season-long profile is gross.

29. Charlotte Hornets (11-34, Last week — 28th)

Wednesday will feature a headline-grabbing showdown between the last two teams on this list. The Hornets visit the Rockets (see below) in a battle for basement supremacy. Get your popcorn ready.

30. Houston Rockets (10-34, Last week — 30th)

It is really ugly for the Rockets. Houston is 1-16 over the last month and change, and the Rockets are on an 11-game losing streak. The league’s worst offense is the primary culprit, but the Rockets are also dire on defense and the vibes do not appear to be immaculate.

The ups and downs of Noel and Liam Gallagher’s relationship have been… interesting to say the least. After the two Oasis brothers maintained a very public feud, each going to pursue their own solo musical careers, they’ve recently both hinted at the possibility of a reunion.

“You should never say never,” Noel told BBC Radio Manchester, as NME notes. “It would have to take an extraordinary set of circumstances. That’s not to say that those circumstances would never come about.”

Liam has equally seemed up for the opportunity. “Why not f*ck all else going on this year,” he told a fan on Twitter today (January 18).

However, Liam has also had some choice words about his brother, even just this morning. “I do actually it’s the best 1 he’s done for long time his voice is still weak as piss though,” he answered after someone asked whether he liked Noel’s new song.

Noel first officially quit Oasis in 2009, citing Liam as the primary reason why. His tone has slightly shifted from last October when he claimed that there was “no point” to a reunion. In contrast, Liam said he would reunite Oasis for free — while Noel wanted 100 million Euros.

“We should never have split up, but we did, and this is where we’re at,” Liam told The Times.

Here’s hoping some good news is on the horizon for fans of both these two.

The internet is still abuzz over revelations around Shakira and Gerard Piqué‘s split. When did it all go wrong? What happened over the past 12 years? Who ate Shakira’s jam? While we can’t pinpoint exactly what let to the dissolution of their relationship, we have put together a nifty little timeline to catch you up to speed on where it all began, and what the latest news is.

June 2010 – Shakira and Gerard Piqué meet as she’s shooting the video for her FIFA World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)”

In an interview with TV3, Piqué opened up about meeting Shakira for the first time as she was filming the video for Waka Waka in South Africa. At the time, Piqué was representing Spain in the games. He kept in contact with Shakira during the cup, and made plans to meet up again upon her return.

“It all started when we were together in South Africa and I wrote to her. She was already there because she sang in the opening ceremony, and I asked her what the weather was like. It is the typical stupid question … it got to the point where I told her we would have to get to the World Cup final to see her again–she was singing at the final.”

May 2011 – Piqué joins Shakira on stage during a performance in Spain

Many fans took the soccer star joining Shakira during her performance as a confirmation of their relationship.

November 2012 – Shakira reveals she is pregnant with her first child

The pop icon shared an image of her showing off her baby bump, nestled with Piqué. “Podría estar 9 meses más así! I could have another 9 months like this!,” read the post’s caption.

January 2013 – Shakira and Piqué welcome their first son

Shakira shared an image of their first son, Milan Piqué Mebarak, to Instagram a month after his birth. In the first photo, Shakira and Milan are watching Piqué play soccer.

January 2014 – Shakira and Rihanna release “Can’t Remember To Forget You,” and seemingly hints at Piqué’s jealousy

In the steamy video for their collaboration, “Can’t Remember To Forget You,” Shakira and Rihanna are seen embracing each other. She said in an interview with Billboard that month that this was because Piqué forbade her for shooting videos with men

“He’s very territorial, and since he no longer lets me do videos with men, well, I have to do them with women,” she said.

June 2014 – Shakira reveals that she and Piqué don’t plan to get married, but if she were to marry, he would be the one

In an interview with Glamour, Shakira said she didn’t have plans to marry Piqué, as they were happy in their home, with their son.

“We already have what’s essential, you know? We have a union, a love for each other, and a baby,” she said. “I think that those aspects of our relationship are already established, and marriage is not going to change them. But if I’m ever going to get married, he’s the one.”

January 2015 – Shakira and Pique reveal that they’re expecting their second child

She announced the news via Instagram, and shared his name, Sasha Piqué Mebarak

August 2017 – Shakira opens up about motherhood and says it’s the “hardest job” she’s ever had

She spoke to Hola! Magazine, saying, “I never thought it’d be so difficult, because it takes a lot of your energy. I think of my family a lot; I’m concerned about them all day. It’s physical, emotional, and intellectual wear and tear. Thinking of making an album seemed like a Herculean task, like climbing Mount Everest.”

January 2020 – Shakira doubled down on her choice not to marry Piqué

In an interview with 60 Minutes, Shakira revealed that she doesn’t want to get married, as she doesn’t want things to get stale within the dynamic.”To tell you the truth, marriage scares the shit out of me. I don’t want him to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend,” she teased. “His lover, his girlfriend. It’s like a little forbidden fruit, you know? I wanna keep him on his toes. I want him to think that anything’s possible depending on behavior.”

June 2022 – Shakira and Piqué announce their split

The news was confirmed via a joint statement from Shakira’s PR team. “We regret to confirm that we are separating,” they said. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”

September 2022 – Shakira opened up about the split

In an interview with Elle, Shakira discussed how she’s been handling the split. She revealed that it felt like the “darkest hour” of her life.

“I try to conceal the situation from [our kids] as much as I can,” Shakira said. “It’s really upsetting for two kids who are trying to process their parents’ separation. And sometimes I just feel like this is all a bad dream and that I’m going to wake up at some point. But no, it’s real. And what’s also real is the disappointment to see something as sacred and as special as I thought was the relationship I had with my kids’ father and see that turned into something vulgarized and cheapened by the media. And all of this while my dad has been in the ICU and I’ve been fighting on different fronts.”

October 2022 – Shakira releases “Monotonía,” a heartbreaking ballad thought to be about Piqué

On the collaboration with Ozuna, Shakira sings in Spanish, “It wasn’t your fault, it wasn’t my fault / It was monotony’s fault / I never said anything but it hurt / I knew this would happen.” The video sees her being shot in the heart by a former lover and later carrying her heart throughout the street.

November 2022 – Shakira and Piqué reach a custody agreement

The two revealed that they reached a custody agreement for their two children in a statement shared with ABC News: “Our sole objective is to provide our children with the utmost security and protection and hope that they can continue with their lives in a safe and calm environment.”

January 2023 – Shakira releases “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” which contains rigid details about their split

On the song, Shakira sings, “This is for you to be mortified, to chew and swallow, swallow and chew / I won’t get back with you, not if you cry, not even if you beg me / It’s clear that it’s not my fault if they criticize you.” She also alludes to the fact that now she is stuck living next door to Piqué’s mother.

Cardi B is a busy person, as you can probably imagine. In addition to working on her second studio album, the workaholic mother of two has also been filming commercials for the Super Bowl, dealing with court cases, and running a few businesses. Unfortunately, all that apparently left little time for her to complete the community service required of her September plea deal in the 2018 strip club assault case against her.

This presumably is why Cardi found herself in court in New York City yesterday receiving a two-month extension on her 15 days of community service. Tuesday (January 17) was her original deadline but according to People, she hadn’t gotten around to completing any of the requirements while running around making surprise appearances at shows for Bad Bunny, GloRilla, and Lizzo, to say nothing of mourning the death of the late Takeoff, who was her husband Offset’s literal family.

In a statement, Cardi’s attorney said, “Personally and professionally, Cardi is dedicated to community service and charitable endeavors. She therefore appreciates the court giving her until March 1 to complete her community service commitment in Queens, New York.”

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Every streaming service wants what Peacock has with The Office: a comfort show, a background show, a show that you press play and leave on all day. Disney+’s The Office is The Simpsons. We’ve come a long way from Nazi Supermen Are Our Superiors.

The Wrap reports that although “half of the 10 most in-demand shows [on Disney+] are geared toward children,” The Simpsons is “consistently popular” with subscribers both young, old, and 30-something and childless. I’m a guy like 30-something and childless! The longest-running scripted series in U.S. primetime history “had the highest demand last month (52.75 times the average series demand) and has been one of the most popular shows on Disney+ since it first launched.” In second place: The Mandalorian (39.38 times), followed by The Owl House, Andor, and Gravity Falls:

The Mandalorian is also regularly among the most in-demand shows on Disney+. Strategically, it serves as an anchor for the ever-expanding Star Wars franchise. Last month, Andor was the fourth most in-demand show on the platform and last month Tales of the Jedi made the top 10 cut, but as spinoffs come and go, The Mandalorian has a steadily high level of demand.

The Mandalorian being #2 is impressive considering there hasn’t been a new episode since 2020 (The Book of Boba Fett doesn’t count). It’s also interesting that there’s no Marvel shows in the top-10. Unlike basically every Simpsons episode from season 1 to season 13, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is not endlessly rewatchable.

(Via The Wrap)

After gaining a cult-like status thanks to his brief tenure crafting the DC Extended Universe, Zack Snyder is getting ready to drop his first attempt at a massive sci-fi epic with Rebel Moon. The director continues to share a warm relationship with Netflix, which is footing the bill for the intergalactic tale that stems from Snyder’s dream of directing a Star Wars movie. In true George Lucas-style, he realized that he doesn’t need permission to make his own sci-fi adventure and quickly went to work crafting his own space-faring tale.

Here’s what we know so far about Rebel Moon:

Release Date

Rebel Moon will hit Netflix on December 22, 2023. Giving the film a prime holiday release is a definite sign of confidence from Netflix, which also saved Rian Johnson’s smash shit, Glass Onion, for the 2022 holiday season.

Cast

As always, Zack Snyder knows how to stack a film with a talent. Anchoring the film is Sofia Boutella, who will play a young woman attempting to gather allies to stop the forces of Ed Skrein‘s Regent Balisarius. Charlie Hunnam and Ray Fisher are also along for the ride in unknown roles. (Although, we do know that Hunnam will be dishing out lots of action as he reportedly “destroyed his back” prepping for Rebel Moon.) Djimon Hounsou, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Ed Skrein, Anthony Hopkins, and Cary Elwes round out the rest of the cast.

Plot

Here’s how Snyder described the plot in a July 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and since then, he’s kept the details of his sci-epic tightly under wraps:

The story is set in motion when a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Balisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand.

However, what we do know is that the film originated from Snyder’s interactions with Lucasfilm that almost led to him directing a Star Wars movie. Instead, he set out to make his own original story.

“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” Snyder told THR. “It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.”

Trailer

There is no official trailer for Rebel Moon as of this writing, but Netflix revealed the first footage from the film in the 2023 sizzle reel below:

Rebel Moon smashes into Netflix on December 22, 2023.

Soccer Mommy is one of the most promising indie acts out now. The Nashville singer, real name Sophie Allison, blends soft rock and pop music elements to create irresistible tracks. Unfortunately, shortly after releasing her breakout sophomore album, Color Theory, in February 2020, a global pandemic shut the world down. However, the guitarist refused to let that slow down her momentum. Instead, the vocalist found a way to make it work while on lockdown, starting with an at-home NPR Tiny Desk performance the following month.

Now, nearly three since that self-produced session, Sophie has finally made her in-person debut at NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. The rocker stopped by to play songs from that album as well as her latest album, Sometimes, Forever, including “Shotgun,” “Circle The Drain,” “Newdemo,” and “Still Clean.”

Joined by guitarist Julian Powell, keyboardist Rodrigo Avendano, bassist Nickolas Widener, and drum machiner Rollum Haas, Soccer Mommy delivers the performance fans have been patiently waiting for.

After the opening track, Sophie takes the time to address the crowd and recall back to her first appearance, “Thanks, y’all. Thank you for coming. I know those who will be watching this video can’t see that there are people here, but there are,” excitedly adding, “We’re finally doin’ it. ”

“[The band] was actually talking about it earlier. We were the first, or I guess it was just me, the first in-home tiny desk and the first [appearance] to be canceled as well,” said Sophie, “I think that was the first session-type thing I did as well. I did it on my iPhone because I didn’t have any of the gadgets people acquired over the pandemic for home videoing, but it was awesome. I’m happy to finally be home doing this.”

Watch the full performance above.

There shall be no Scooby Doo in HBO Max’s Velma, the Velma Dinkley origin series created by Mindy Kaling. The show is following in the footsteps of review-bombed shows like Amazon’s The Boys (because people were mad about the weekly release schedule) and Netflix’s Masters Of The Universe: Revelation (because people couldn’t stand it when Kevin Smith dared to sideline He-Man). Both shows went on to further streaming success, and no one can fully predict whether that’s in the cards for Velma, but rumor has it that the show will score a Season 2.

Let’s back up a moment. Velma follows on the heels of the 2022 HBO Max film (Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!) that canonized Velma as lesbian. Kaling has clarified that Velma and Daphne do kiss in this show, and admittedly, the episodes that have aired so far are, well, frenetic. That doesn’t seem to be what the hate is about, though. Angry peeps aren’t thrilled about the characters’ personalities being rewritten (including Velma being edgier and of South Asian descent). Also, the absence of Scoob is being held out as a downside and a blessing in disguise.

The complaints (see below) are rather vicious, as are the numbers. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, the aggregate critical score (57%) isn’t great, but the audience score is sitting at 6% with nearly 6,000 non-fans adding hate-watch voices:

Here’s a sampling of the dissent from Rotten Tomatoes’ audience side of the score:

– This tv show is disgustung . How dare they used the scoobydoo cartoon ,one of the best cartoons of all the times amd manged to create something so horrenduos ..? Horrible,i dont have words to describe this disgraceful show

– The substances that the writers were on when they decided to make the characters unlikable a-holes are certainly not in the periodic table

– A dishonest, hateful show — that does a complete and utter disservice to the source material. Avoid to maintain any integrity you might have.

– A hateful self-insert that assassinates characters who have brought laughter to folks for decades. What were they thinking? I guess the silver lining is that they didn’t screw up Scoob while they (Mindy K) were at it.

– Made account here just to leave this review

The complainers undoubtedly hope to work some magic in the form of a cancellation, but Comic Book did some sleuthing, and the Entertainment Identifier Registry points towards more Velma.

News of season two came to light this week when the Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR) updated its entries. The catalog now lists Velma season two as in the works under HBO Max and Warner Bros. The entry goes on to suggest season two will consist of 11 episodes, but other than that, few details are known about the project.

Velma premiered on January 12 with episodes planned through February 9. We’ll see if that second season materializes, and people will surely have something to say about the result.