To call “Long, Long Time” the best episode of The Last of Us is technically true. But considering there’s only been three episodes of the HBO series, it’s not giving it enough credit. The Bill and Frank-centric episode will likely go down as one of the best episodes for any show this year. “Long, Long Time” has it all: Ron Swanson making out with Armond from The White Lotus; a Linda Ronstadt song; a lovely but devastating ending.
So why is it being review-bombed on IMDb? Some one-star users are claiming it’s because the episode was boring, or whatever, but it’s mostly (and sadly) for the reason you think. Here’s a sample review: “To fit the preferences of all people, feel free to create separate shows about gay romance and love stories but don’t mix this up with regular shows most of us are trying to follow the story of.” And another: “Just forget everything good you built in the first two episodes and focus on your propaganda.”
The unequivocal quality of the episode has not stopped trolls from going after it on IMDB, where 30,468 people have given it 1 star reviews, creating a familiar “review bomb split” where a hugely disproportionate number of 1 stars, 28.4 percent of reviews in this case. By contrast, the first two episodes had 1.4 percent and 1.6 percent 1 star reviews instead. Those episodes have an average of 9.2/10, while “Long, Long Time” is a 7.9/10, far lower.
Bill and Frank’s sexuality is only hinted at in the video game, but the HBO series takes “a deep dive into a Queer post-apocalyptic love story that had no space to grow and flourish within a pixelated RPG world,” as our own Jessica Toomer wrote in her recap.
To quote someone who’s been on both Parks and Recreation and The White Lotus, “I hate people.” Unless those people are Bill, Frank, Joel, or Ellie. Then I love them.
Kate Winslet can currently be seen on the big screen as a tough Na’vi tribal leader in James Cameron’s lifelong aquatic passion projectAvatar 2. Still, we all know what the people really want: more of the Wawa-loving, cheez-wiz-eating, detective Marianne Sheehan. Unfortunately, we probably won’t be hearing Winslet channel her Delco accent anytime soon (though it’s not out of the question), but we have gotten the first look at her next HBO project, The Palace.
The Palace will be a limited series that takes place over “one year within the walls of the palace of a modern European regime as it begins to unravel.” Production is currently underway in Austria before heading to the United Kingdom. Succession’s Will Tracy will serve as showrunner alongside producer Frank Rich.
While there haven’t been any character details yet, the first image shows Winslet sitting in a regal palace and piercing someone with her intense stare that has been ingrained in history books. It’s the Kate we all know and love, though she is sadly missing a hoagie.
A new regime.
The Palace (WT), an HBO Original Limited Series starring Kate Winslet, is now in production. pic.twitter.com/Las1IFMvrT
Alongside Winslet, the series will star Matthias Schoenaerts, Guillaume Gallienne, Martha Plimpton, and Hugh Grant. Andrea Riseborough, who recently received a heavily-investigated Oscar nomination, is also set to star, which means she might be an Oscar winner by the time the series hits HBO. You never know.
Vic Mensa is on the comeback trail after releasing his spacey new single, “Strawberry Louis Vuitton,” with Thundercat and Maeta. On Wednesday night, he dropped by The Late Show to perform a dreamy rendition of the new song. While Thundercat had to sit this one out, Vic found the perfect replacement in Phony Ppl, the groovy R&B band that is starting to really discover its niche backing fellow rappers like Joey Badass and Megan Thee Stallion.
The five-piece band picks up the groove, providing a smooth counterpoint to Vic’s rough-edged but tender come-ons. Maeta, who features on the original, also appears here, providing backing vocals and cutting through with her honeyed ad-libs.
Mensa’s 2023 is off to a hot start. In addition to releasing the well-received “Strawberry Louis Vuitton,” he and fellow Chicagoan Chance The Rapper hosted their Black Star Line Festival in Accra, Ghana last month, bringing their message of unity to Vic’s father’s home country. The festival also afforded Vic the opportunity to provide clean water to 200,000 people in Ghana by building new water boreholes in locations that have historically gone without. Could all this activity mean that a new Vic Mensa album is on the way after six years without one? Let’s hope so!
Watch Vic Mensa perform “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” on The Late Show above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Gotta say, I don’t envy the coaches who have to fill out the roster for this year’s NBA All-Star Game. The starters being announced last week added a bit of clarity, but it certainly didn’t illuminate everything. Selecting reserves for each conference, particularly out East, was incredibly arduous. The pool of talent around the league these days is overflowing.
It’s long overdue to make the teams 15 spots deep. When the number moved from 11 to 12 in 1982, there were only 23 teams. That’s 105 fewer players than a standard roster today (excluding two-way deals)! But alas, I braved onward and tried my hand at picking the 14 backups for this month’s exhibition in Salt Lake City.
Let me make a few of my housekeeping notes clear. The criteria is three frontcourt members, two backcourt players and two wildcards (frontcourt or backcourt) for the East and West. Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson were both named starters, but are currently sidelined with injuries, so I’ll also highlight one player from each conference to hypothetically replace them.
I don’t harp too much over games and minutes played, as long as everyone is hitting what I believe to be a reasonable threshold (65ish percent of games, 32-33 minutes a night). For instance, James Harden (16 games) and Paul George (17 games) missing some substantial time didn’t ruin their cases. Yet others such as Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson Jr. were dinged because neither has logged even 1,000 minutes this season; Jackson’s missed as many games as Harden, but played 300 fewer minutes, which is a massive discrepancy. Both Davis and Jackson have performed like All-Stars candidates when on the floor, but they’ve simply not been out there enough in my eyes unfortunately.
I try to weigh context as much as possible. Primary scoring and defensive options will usually be prioritized over secondary ones. The same applies for those on similar ground impact-wise with differing surrounding circumstances. I’ll typically favor the one whose context is less beneficial, or at least try to. I’m sure my rationale is not flawless or perfectly consistent. I can’t stress enough how limiting 12 spots are, the league has had certainly more than 24 All-Star-caliber players this season. It’s frustrating to make cuts to those who I think are of that standard.
Anyhow, well, *gulp* let’s do this thing, shall we?
In year three, the Oshkosh, Wisconsin native has cemented himself as a star. Prior to suffering knee and elbow injuries, Haliburton was leading the upstart Indiana Pacers, which have lost 9 of 10 amid his absence, to playoff contention at 23-19. He’s improved his downhill aggression (career-high 27 percent rim frequency) and capacity to endure physicality (career-high 56 percent shooting on two-pointers). He’s also assumed a much larger creation load and preserved high-level efficiency.
Shooting 39.9 percent beyond the arc, including 40.5 percent off the dribble, he’s proven to be a versatile and elite long-range shooter. His passing remains manipulative and creative to set up the likes of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. The 22-year-old is one of the game’s foremost initiators and it should earn him his inaugural All-Star appearance.
A fellow youthful star ball-handler from the Midwest Division joins Haliburton here. After punching his first ticket to the All-Star Game last season, the Vanderbilt product has backed up his play with another campaign worthy of such recognition. He’s adapted seamlessly to fit alongside Donovan Mitchell, thriving as an off-ball threat who can drill triples (47.2 percent on catch-and-shoot looks, 39.9 percent overall), jitter inside on the catch for buckets or dimes, and curl around screens to rise up for deep bombs.
When Mitchell sits, Garland takes on heightened ball-handling duties and showcases his snappy, live dribble playmaking skills, which have long existed. Across 1,386 possessions, Cleveland’s net rating is plus-5.4 with Garland on and Mitchell off. He’s carried some janky lineups short on creation and spacing, while also wiggling around picks, applying physicality at the point of attack and ensuring the two defensive anchors, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, aren’t taxed with every single responsibility on that end. Garland is just a really good player in the middle of another really good season.
As an MVP contender and (conservatively) one of the league’s five or so best players this year, Embiid is a victim of antiquated positional requirements. Nonetheless, his All-Star candidacy is straightforward. Cooking teams off the dribble, as a roll man, as a floor-spacer and in transition, he’s the NBA’s leading scorer on plus-6.2 relative true shooting (how far above or below one’s true shooting is from league average). He’s tallying a gargantuan 47.4 points per 100 possessions. He and Harden form arguably the most potent pick-and-roll duo.
By way of rim protection, deterrence and playmaking, he’s guiding a roster lacking interior size and point-of-attack depth to a top-10 defense; opponents’ rim frequency is 4.7 percent higher when he’s watching from the bench. The Sixers are 10.5 points better when he’s on the court. That’s all there is to it: dominant, voluminous offense (36.7 percent usage rate, fifth league-wide) supplemented by very good, even if sometimes inconsistent, defense.
Fresh off his second All-NBA berth last spring, Siakam leveled up again. He’s buoying a Raptors squad severely short on ball-handling, playmaking and shooting, while navigating narrow quarters in the paint. His interior passing and processing speed are as sharp as ever. Utilizing perceptive footwork, a slippery, fluid handle and grating shoulder bumps, he comfortably reaches his spots in the paint and around the elbow to create space for himself or others.
Toronto is the 11th-ranked offense largely because of his blend of scoring and facilitating, as he posts career-highs in points per 100 possessions (32.8), usage rate (30.1 percent, 98th percentile among forwards) and assist rate (26.4 percent, 98th percentile). Defenses are constantly devoting waves of bodies his way and he seems to manage all of it without a hiccup.
Among the premier contenders for Defensive Player of the Year, Adebayo has been a steadying presence on a Miami team dealing with constant absences and climbing uphill following a 12-15 start. Along the way, Adebayo’s only missed four contests and is the bedrock of the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense. The 6’9 center usually toggles between dropping and switching — while sprinkling in some hedging and trapping — and excels at both types of ball-screen coverage.
When he drops, he astutely plays 1-on-2s well to disrupt ball-handlers and extinguish passing angles to rollers. When he switches, he overwhelms his assignments, sprawls his limbs out wide and siphons off any passing or driving windows. His change of direction and deceleration are remarkably crisp for someone of his stature.
Offensively, he’s pouring in a career-high 21.4 points per game as he further pursues off-the-bounce ventures, persists as a hulking screener and heady dribble handoff partner in an offense rich with off-ball movement. He’s a versatile and malleable star for a surging Heat squad.
Adebayo’s co-star, Butler has missed some time, but has been sensational during his minutes. His 32.1 points per 100 possessions are the second-most of his career as he’s ramped up the aggression to invigorate a sticky Miami offense (25th in offensive rating). Despite the scoring uptick, his plus-4.7 relative true shooting is the second-highest of his career as well. Among a 6’7, 230-pound frame, unflappable cadence and particular ower body flexibility, Butler constantly generates paint pressure and either incites help to prime the Heat’s floor-spacers/cutters or convert on his own.
Miami adheres to a no-middle scheme defensively reliant on aggressive nail help. Butler thrives with those duties. He’s perhaps the NBA’s best nail helper with brazen rotations, swift hands and exquisite timing. His closing speed after he baits offenses to throw passes is akin to an intrepid cornerback. Much like his frontcourt mate, he’s tremendously multifaceted and staunchly a star enjoying a prolific year.
During the initial nine games Harden suited up for before his foot injury, Philadelphia touted the fifth-ranked offense. Since his Dec. 5 return 26 games ago, the Sixers are second in offensive rating. He’s piloting an elite offense whenever he’s available. His pick-and-roll synergy with Embiid is blossoming. His 38.6 percent clip from deep is the second-best of his career. Defenses still treat his mere presence as a massive pressure point and his pacing, vision and ingenuity allow everyone to capitalize as a result. He’s been no worse than the third-most impactful passer this season, trailing only Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, if anyone.
Harden’s existence and skill-set are major components of Embiid’s ethereal scoring season. He helps the big fella sleepwalk into 20-plus shots every game and handle considerable scoring volume with ease. The varying avenues he has to deliver the ball to Embiid is wide-ranging, whether it’s prompt pocket passes, delightful behind-the-back dimes, rainbow entry passes or looping feeds over the top of traps. He’s tailored himself quite well to be a No. 2 option and is even embracing more spot-up reps beyond the arc. When everyone is healthy, Philadelpia’s offense is as good as there is around the Association and its All-Star point guard is arguably the driving force.
Just missed: Jaylen Brown*, Jrue Holiday, DeMar DeRozan, Julius Randle
*Brown would be my pick to fill in for Durant if the superstar wing can’t go. His malleable secondary scoring (27 points per game, 58.7 percent true shooting) and explosive, quick-hitting nature are platonic stylistic complements alongside Jayson Tatum offensively. Ultimately, I valued Harden and Garland’s playmaking, and Butler’s off-ball defense for the final three spots, despite Brown’s excellence. And, of course, his seven threes on Wednesday made this cut even less appealing.
Slated to be the third member of the 2018 Draft to make an All-Star cameo, the spindly 6’5 guard is absolutely torching defenses in 2022-23. According to PBPStats, 87.8 percent of Gilgeous-Alexander’s field goal attempts are self-created this season (any touch lasting at least two seconds before a shot), which trails only Doncic (90.4 percent) around the league. Gilgeous-Alexander’s effective field goal percentage on those shots is 52.4, three points above the NBA average. Simply put, he’s shouldering a massive creation burden and prospering on elite efficiency.
Wielding brilliant change of pace, flexibility and ball-handling, he explores as he wishes inside the paint. When he ends his live dribble, that’s only the beginning. He’ll bust out pivots, body bumps, fakes, and contorts himself however needed to find his preferred shot. His dexterity translates to his passing, where he’ll succinctly thread the needle from a live dribble, often through traffic, to set up teammates.
His defensive motor is also revving more than ever this season. Thanks to his 6-foot-11 wingspan, he applies his rangy limbs to provide secondary rim protection, pickpocket or strip ball-handlers and inhabit the passing lanes. The 24-year-old guard is resembling a full-fledged superstar.
Riding a torrid 10-game stretch (38.8 points, 73 percent true shooting), Lillard is authoring what might be his best season yet. Featured in a new offense in his first full year under head coach Chauncey Billups, Lillard has assimilated to much more off-ball usage, partially to accommodate Anfernee Simons’ rising stardom. The veteran has handled it swimmingly, flying around screens to hoist threes and paving the way for Simons at times.
However, Lillard remains a prolific ball-screen wizard; he ranks in the 94th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler (1.114 points per possession and 92nd percentile in isolation (1.201 PPP). His burst is entirely back following abdominal surgery last year, which is even more lethal in conjunction with his long-range gumption (37 percent clip, career-high .554 three-point rate). Defenders can’t stay in front of him at all and he’s converting a career-high 65 percent of his shot at the basket. When he dropped 50 on the Cavaliers’ top-three defense last month, he sliced them up, regardless of their pick-and-roll coverage and repeatedly burned past Allen to score inside. At age 32, Lillard looks as effective as ever. This is a heck of a year for him.
Sabonis is the nucleus of the Kings’ second-ranked offense. Their profits are contingent on his crushing screens, dribble handoff craft and passing acumen as they surround him with various ball-handlers and keen off-ball release valves. He’s been spectacular. Sacramento’s offense is 8.9 points better per 100 possessions when he’s out there and 12.3 points better overall (defense included).
When the bevy of off-ball actions fail and opponents sell out to deny everyone else, Sabonis is skilled enough to score on his own, too, plowing his way through defenders or relying on deft footwork to scurry around them. That’s often the Kings’ last resort and speaks to their dynamic attack, all of which revolves around the greatness of their center. He’s a no-doubt All-Star.
Speaking of cogs of elite offenses, welcome to the show, Lauri Markkanen. The former seventh overall pick is amid an exceptional campaign. Led by first-year head coach Will Hardy, the Utah Jazz’s offense is intricately designed and Markkanen sits at the heart of it. He’s a highly gifted and versatile scorer for Utah’s fourth-ranked offense. After years of struggling inside the arc and playing through contact, he’s leveraging his marriage of size, movement skills, and ball-handling prowess to rock out at all three levels.
He’s shooting 43 percent from deep (93rd percentile among forwards), 48 percent from midrange (89th percentile) and 69 percent at the rim (67th percentile). His .355 free-throw rate is easily a career-best and underscores his newfound willingness to chisel through defenders. Whether it’s pindowns, duck-ins or pick-and-rolls, Utah is regularly feeding him the ball on the move and he’s displaying his feathery touch across the court. He’s proving himself a tremendous play-finisher in a variety of usages on a substantial workload. That’s quite the player at 7 feet tall and 25 years old, and he’s more than deserving of getting to represent the Jazz at home in Salt Lake.
Quietly plying his trade, George’s All-Star season has somewhat understandably been overshadowed by the Los Angeles Clippers’ erratic year. But nonetheless, the smooth swingman is once again vying for an appearance at the league’s midseason festivities.
He’s drilling 38.5 percent of his threes and doing so in dueling manners (38.5 percent on catch-and-shoots, 39 percent on pull-ups). He gracefully wedges himself between ball-handlers and screens to stay attached, a preposterous achievement at 6’8. Those hands of his are still slyly devastating and enable him to subtly pickpocket assignments or strip the ball on drives. He’s finishing at the best rate of his career (69 percent around the rim) after serious pitfalls in 2021-22 (59 percent).
Nestled in a Western Conference full of breakout efforts, George is simply doing what he’s long done and producing like the star he is.
The Grizzlies are the NBA’s top-ranked defense. Their rotation has often involved an array of defensively oriented players this season. The shooting and floor-spacing of the roster are suboptimal. There’s a grind-it-out ethos to this team built upon smothering opponents and surviving offensively.
That broad approach works because of Morant. He’s a relentless, intrepid, winding slasher who pursues the rim trip after trip without any concern of frugality. Desmond Bane’s lengthy absence (22 games missed) forced Morant to backpack a monstrous scoring and creation load. His 38 percent usage rate is third in the NBA. A career-high 76 percent of his buckets are unassisted (92nd percentile among point guards).
He ensures the rest of the rotation can be filled with defense-first dudes and has taken a leap on that end himself. He’s polished his attentiveness and positioning as a helper. Screens don’t entirely neutralize him as commonly. Morant’s fourth year has looked a bit different than year three’s arrival to stardom, but is similarly exquisite.
In spite of Karl-Anthony Towns missing 32 games and the sizable adjustments required to incorporate Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves are within a game of the No. 4 seed at 28-26. Edwards is the primary factor. He’s yet to miss a game this season. He’s taken a leap as a passer and pick-and-roll igniter. Minnesota’s spacing is quite cramped, but it doesn’t deter him from driving countless times every night. He’s become the team’s primary ball-handler and is scoring as well as ever (career-high 32.3 points per 100 possessions, career-high minus-0.4 relative true shooting).
When Towns went down, the Timberwolves’ season could’ve easily unraveled. They were 10-11. Consistency escaped them. Edwards didn’t let that happen. He’s prioritized establishing an offensive rapport with Gobert, and refined his patience and savvy as a creator. This final All-Star spot was a tough choice, but his responsibilities and cumbersome context render him my pick.
Just missed: De’Aaron Fox*, Aaron Gordon
*Selecting only one of Fox or Edwards was not a fun decision. If Williamson is out for the All-Star Game, I’d tab Fox to supplant him, since replacements don’t have to adhere to positional quotas. Fox’s composure as a creator and crunch-time exploits (119 points on 66 percent true shooting in 92 clutch minutes) have been masterful this season. The way he’s harmonized with Sabonis and effortlessly shifts speeds are key to Sacramento’s brigade.
I leaned Edwards’ direction because I think they’ve been of similar caliber. But Fox’s context is much more amplifying, at least offensively, where each of their All-Star talents are focused, though he also contributes greatly to that context. Again, it was a conflicting dilemma and both are worthy of the honor. Fox has truly been superb, and capped off his All-Star campaign with 31 points and 10 dime Wednesday.
All stats are accurate before games played on Feb. 1.
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.
Since the last update of this weekly R&B and Afrobeats column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists. Chlöe announced her debut album In Pieces and shared its lead single “Pray It Away” while Daniel Caesar returned with “Do You Like Me.” Ari Lennox shared a steamy video for “Waste My Time” while Kehlani, Brent Faiyaz, Chlöe, and more signed on for the Sol Blume 2023 Festival. Elsewhere, Ella Mai announced a deluxe edition of Heart On Sleeve ahead of her North American tour and SZA’s SOS registered a seventh straight week at No. 1 on the albums chart.
Here are some more releases on the new music front that you should check out:
Chlöe — “Pray It Away”
Chloe finally arrived with an update about her highly-anticipated solo debut album. In Pieces will arrive in March, and she kicks off its rollout with “Pray It Away.” It’s a pain-stricken ballad that Chloe uses to express her pain and maturity following a tough breakup. She could wish the worst on her former partner, but she knows it’s better to pray about it.
Daniel Caesar — “Do You Like Me?”
There’s a pretty good chance that Daniel Caesar’s third album arrives this year. After the release of “Please Do Not Lean” with BadBadNotGood, Caesar returns with “Do You Like Me.” The seductive number finds Caesar on a quest to discover whether he and his partner share the same feelings about each other.
Popcaan — Great Is He
A little over two years after Fixtape, Popcaan is back with his fifth album Great Is He. Through 17 songs, the Jamaican dancehall star shares records with Toni-Ann Signh, Burna Boy, Drake, and Chronic Law for an album that strikes as triumphant and glorious.
Eric Bellinger — “Decide”
On February 10, singer Eric Bellinger and producer Hitmaka will release their joint project, 1-800-Hit-Eazy: Line 2, the sequel to their 2021 effort 1-800-Hit-Eazy. Ahead of its release, the duo returns with their latest single “Decide,” a record Bellinger uses to win back a girl who he believes settled for less with another man.
Mannywellz — “Ouu Ahh”
Months after releasing his Unwanted EP, the follow-up to Mirage, a project highlighted by “Peaace” with Tems and “So Good,” Nigerian singer Mannywellz is back with more tunes. He checks in with “Ouu Ahh,” an exotic yet creeping record that presents a balance that truly satisfies the ear.
Boy Spyce — “Folake”
Nigerian afrobeats singer Boy Spyce released his debut self-titled EP last year. Afterward, he teamed with his Mavins record label, a group that includes Ayra Starr, Rema, Magixx, and more, for their joint project Chapter X. Now, Spyce is back with his latest single, “Folake,” and it’s simply the perfect record you could ask from him.
Pheelz — “Stand By You”
Nigerian singer Pheelz will release his Pheelz Good EP next month. Led by stellar collaborations that include the smash hit “Finesse” with BNXN fka Buju and “Electricity” with Davido, Pheelz is now showing off his solo talents with “Stand By You,” a sweet that Pheelz uses to express his commitment to his love interest.
The WRLDFMS Tony Williams — “UBUBU”
The WRLDFMS Tony Williams kicked off 2023 with the release “UBUBU.” Williams describes it as a track that “represents the confidence that it takes to be you, in a world that celebrates imitation and riding someone else’s wave.”
Zeina — “Whatever”
Egyptian-Lebanese singer Zeina checked in with “Whatever,” her first offering since 2023. The record touches on the bad experiences she’s had in friendship and the ways she was able to move on and recover. “Sometimes after you remove the ‘I love you so much glasses,’ even in regards to friends, you realize how much you’ve been done wrong,” she says about the song.
WanMor — “Mine”
Signed to 300 Entertainment and Mary J. Blige’s new label Beautiful Life Productions, R&B group WanMor are back with their new single “Mine.” The bouncy record balances a throwback R&B feel with the confidence of today’s R&B acts. “‘Mine’ is about our feelings for the girl we always wanted,” the group said about the song. “Being impressed by her in every way and wanting to tell everybody.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
However, there is one thing she’s not currently involved in, which her team had to hilariously clarify on social media: “Dolly Parton is not affiliated with, has not endorsed and is not associated with any keto or CBD gummy product. She’s more the cake, cookie, and cornbread type. – Team Dolly.”
The singer made headlines this week when the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar confirmed that Parton played a role in the success of the TV series. “Little known fact, the legend Dolly Parton was a producer,” she revealed on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. “And you know, we never saw her. We’d get Christmas gifts in the beginning that would have our name and I would think, ‘She doesn’t know who I am.’ And then one day somebody asked her about it and she complimented the show and my performance. And I was like ‘Oh, I can die now. Dolly Parton knows who I am and thinks I’m good.’ Her partner was Sandy Gallin and they produced Buffy.”
We are now just days away from the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5. (Here’s how to watch the show, in case you didn’t know, and here’s the full list of this year’s nominees.) The Recording Academy’s picks for who is going to win what awards are in, and all that’s left to do is wait and see who will be cement themselves in music history and take a golden gramophone trophy home.
Actually, there’s another thing left to do, not a requirement but a fun thought exercise: make picks for who the Academy has likely chosen for the four major awards (Best New Artist, Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year) and who we think should win them.
Make your own selections if you’d like, but if you wouldn’t mind hearing another perspective before you do, I’ve come up with some predictions and opinions. It wasn’t easy, because New Artist, Song, Record, and Album categories are stacked this year; A lot of new artists made an immediate impact on the music landscape, a number of songs are already being hailed as classics, and some albums on this year’s list are all-timers (at least one is if you ask Questlove, anyway).
So, before the 2023 Grammys officially kick off, let’s take a look at who probably will win the big four awards and who probably should get them.
Best New Artist
Anitta
Domi & JD Beck
Latto
Måneskin
Molly Tuttle
Muni Long
Omar Apollo
Samara Joy
Tobe Nwigwe
Wet Leg
Who will win: Anitta
Who should win: Anitta
Really, it’s hard to call Anitta new. It’s been nearly a decade since the Brazilian superstar released her 2013 self-titled debut album, which went No. 1 in her home country. In recent times, though, she has profoundly broken out on a broader international level. Her 2022 album Versions Of Me was her first on Warner (previous releases came out via Warner Music Brasil) and its biggest single, “Envolver,” was a global hit: It’s her first solo track to place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (after the Cardi B and Myke Towers collab “Me Gusta” in 2020), it became a TikTok sensation, and it was the first song by a Brazilian artist to rank No. 1 on the daily Spotify Global Chart. Between all that and other viral moments, Anitta is currently the best version of herself and is only getting better. While the crop of Best New Artist nominees is strong, none of the others have yet reached Anitta-level success.
Song Of The Year
Adele — “Easy On Me”
Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
Bonnie Raitt — “Just Like That”
DJ Khaled — “God Did” Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, and Fridayy
Gayle — “ABCDEFU”
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”
Taylor Swift — “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)”
Who will win: Adele — “Easy On Me”
Who should win: Taylor Swift — “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)”
The new expanded version of “All Too Well” quickly became one of the most storied songs in Swift’s discography, an oeuvre that has not been wanting of praise. Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield proclaimed the tune “sums up Swift at her absolute best,” and in the age of allegedly waning attention spans, fans have streamed the lengthy song over 450 million times on Spotify and made it the longest No. 1 song in Billboard Hot 100 history. There’s a problem, though: The Grammys honor new music (relatively new, anyway; “ABCDEFU” came out in August 2021). “All Too Well,” which originates from 2012’s Red, isn’t exactly a brand new track. That may dissuade Grammy voters from giving it the trophy, but it also wouldn’t be a crime if Adele’s “Easy On Me,” another powerfully evocative former No. 1 single, ended up winning. Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” is also worth noting here, as it’s far from a pop tune but has nonetheless had pop tune success and acclaim.
Record Of The Year
ABBA — “Don’t Shut Me Down”
Adele — “Easy On Me”
Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius — “You And Me On The Rock”
Doja Cat — “Woman”
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
Mary J. Blige — “Good Morning Gorgeous”
Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”
Who will win: Adele — “Easy On Me”
Who should win: Harry Styles — “As It Was”
First, an important note: The Recording Academy previously explained, “Record Of The Year deals with a specific recording of a song and recognizes the artists, producers and engineers who contribute to that recording, while Song Of The Year deals with the composition of a song and recognizes the songwriters who wrote the song.”
So, broadly, Song is about songwriting and Record is about the finished recording. That said, Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is a gorgeously executed recording deserving of the Record Of The Year title. At its core, it’s a summery pop-rock song that sounds a lot like some beach-faring indie music from years back. But, that aesthetic has been revived and refreshed just enough for modern day, yielding a tune that sounds warmly and breezily nostalgic while also slotting nicely into the current pop landscape. Headphone listeners are rewarded with the one, too, as there are a lot of production treats and intricacies that are hard to appreciate on an iPhone speaker but that give the song new dimension when you pay attention to them. The results really speak for themselves: “As It Was” is the longest-running No. 1 song by a solo artist in Hot 100 history and it appears not too long from now, it’ll become the first song from 2022 to eclipse 2 billion Spotify streams.
Album Of The Year
ABBA — Voyage
Adele — 30
Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
Beyoncé — Renaissance
Brandi Carlile — In These Silent Days
Coldplay — Music Of The Spheres
Harry Styles — Harry’s House
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Lizzo — Special
Mary J. Blige — Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
Who will win: Adele — 30
Who should win: Beyoncé — Renaissance
Like many Grammy categories, pitting the nominees against each other is like comparing apples and oranges… and hammers and beach balls and secret family recipes. By what metrics do you measure products as wildly different as Album Of The Year nominees from Brandi Carlile, Adele, Coldplay, and Kendrick Lamar when they’re all up for the same award? It’s a task so impossible, it’s a wonder the Recording Academy is able to come to a decision at all year after year.
Annually, though, they do come up with a pick, one that makes fans mad regardless of who won. However, Beyoncé’s Renaissance would be a hard (but not impossible, as haters will prove should the album win) pick to hate, no matter your disposition. The LP has elements of dance, house, disco, pop, R&B, and probably dozens of other musical styles too numerous to mention here, all delivered by the incomparably confident, capable, and charismatic Beyoncé. Even putting her star power aside, Renaissance is a spectrum-spanning album that is full of mind-blowing musical moments. Here’s something that’s hard to make an argument against: Renaissance defined music in 2022 (and more importantly, during this year’s eligibility window from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022). That sounds like the Album Of The Year to me.
Production has only just begun on Squid Game: The Challenge, a new reality series based on the blockbuster Netflix series, and already contestants are coming forward with tales of “inhumane conditions.” The streaming giant had previously refuted claims that contestants were treated for frostbite, but being forced to compete in freezing cold temperatures continues to be a recurring theme.
“It was just the cruelest, meanest thing I’ve ever been through,” an anonymous contestant told Rolling Stone. “We were a human horse race, and they were treating us like horses out in the cold racing and [the race] was fixed.”
According to the contestants coming forward, the production reportedly struggled with turning the Squid Game series into a reality show that wouldn’t put people’s lives in danger like the show:
“All the torment and trauma we experienced wasn’t due to the game or the rigor of the game,” another former player adds. “It was the incompetencies of scale — they bit off more than they could chew.”
Four former players have detailed their experiences to Rolling Stone, confirming earlier reports that contestants were forced to play the show’s “Red Light, Green Light” game in inhumane conditions, spending up to nine hours inside a freezing airport hangar, unable to move for 30-minute stretches, with medics rushing in to tend to people who were unable to take the extreme cold. All requested that their names be withheld, citing their NDAs.
When reached for comment, Rolling Stone reports that Netflix referred to its prior statement when it first denied allegations of frostbite or serious injury. “While it was very cold on set — and participants were prepared for that — any claims of serious injury are untrue.”
Netflix just dropped the first trailer for Outer Banks season three, and it’s pure chaos. (Then again, what did you expect from a bunch of unsupervised teenage Pogues?)
The show’s third season is set to drop on February 23rd, and this latest look preps fans for the action-packed adventure that’s in store for John B. (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), and the rest of the crew. After being stranded on a desert island at the end of season two, it seems the group is enjoying its newfound island paradise, naming the chunk of sand “Poguelandia,” and taking a break from all those near-death experiences and gold-hunting conspiracies that chased them all summer.
Of course, nothing good lasts forever, and the trailer quickly sets up this season’s main conflict. Andy McQueen joins the cast this year, playing a Caribbean kingpin named Carlos Singh who is convinced the kids are in possession of certain artifacts that might lead him to El Dorado — yes, that mythical city of gold is the destination in mind this season. We’re a long way from the Outer Banks, guys.
While the crew tries to escape his henchmen, Rafe (Drew Starkey) is on his own warpath of sorts, one that seems to see him squaring off with his dad, Ward (Charles Esten), and causing even more trouble for the Pogues in the process. There are also hints of brewing romances between Sarah and her ex and JJ and Kiara, plus an emotional reunion between John B. and his father, Big John.
The Philadelphia Eagles will play for their second Super Bowl title in five years in 10 days, as they rolled through the NFC during the regular season as the top seed and cruised through the playoffs, winning their two games against the Giants and 49ers by a combined score of 69-14.
They’ve done so under the guidance of second-year head coach Nick Sirianni, who is one of the more fiery head coaches in the NFL, as he can regularly be seen firing up the crowd in Philly, jawing with the opposing sideline, and celebrating with his players after big plays. It certainly seems like the Eagles love his emotion and fire, but not everyone around the league is such a big fan.
Giants safety Julian Love joined the Good Morning Football crew on Thursday morning and made some comments that will undoubtedly get play in Philly, as he noted he’s not a fan of Sirianni’s sideline antics, saying the coach is on a “free ride” with the veteran Eagles and noted that “you guys can coach this team.”
Giants safety Julian Love on Nick Sirianni: “He’s in for a free ride right now. You guys could coach this team.”pic.twitter.com/GCUqIWob8S
The amount of credit a coach deserves for a great team is always a debate in the sports world, but for a Giants player to say this after the Eagles cooked them in the Divisional Round, it’s hard to take it as anything other than hating. Time will tell if Sirianni can continue to get the Eagles to this kind of level year after year, but it’s pretty hard to argue with the results so far. I will say this to Love’s credit, if anyone is an expert in teams having to coach themselves, it’s someone who played on the Joe Judge-era Giants teams.
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