Month: February 2023

In December, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie dropped his new album Me Vs. Myself featuring Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk, and Tory Lanez, after postponing its release to not compete with Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss. Now, he’s back with even more material.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie just shared a new version of “Secrets” featuring Mariah the Scientist. The track comes from his 2020 LP Artist 2.0. Her vocals are a gorgeous addition to an already great song, adding another layer of sensuality: “Meet me in the back, take me through the alley / Know you want a bad girl, know you want a savage,” she sings.

For some reason (likely due to a mistake), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie uploaded one YouTube video in which the audio for the song was missing. The comments are overflowing with jokes that end with fire emojis. One user wrote, “This Song Is Really A Secret.” Another wrote, “Greatest song I never heard.” One quipped, “This is a certified mute classic.” Luckily, there’s another posting of the video with audio.

Listen to the new version of “Secrets” above.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Chances are that if you have a package on your front porch right now, the same company that shipped it has some stellar televisual offerings to stream. That’s right. Prime Video has emerged as a tentpole of impressive original content, from true crime to cartoon superhero satires. Here are the 25 best original shows on Amazon Prime right now.

25. Dom

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Gabriel Leone, Flavio Tolezani, Filipe Braganca
Genre: Crime, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Breno Silveira
Trailer: Watch here

Prime Video’s first Brazilian series is a knockout. It focuses on a police officer named Victor who has dedicated his entire life to bringing down the drug trade. The only problem is that Victor’s son Dom is very, very much into cocaine. His addiction (and aptitude for the illicit business) sets them on divergent paths that strains a father’s devoting and a son’s loyalty. Jumping between Victor’s early days as a copy in the 1970s and Dom’s rise to infamy in the early 2000s, the series is based on true stories, but pushes the limits of drama, action, and familial loyalty.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

24. Hunters

Year: 2020-present
Cast: Logan Lerman, Al Pacino, Lena Olin, Jerrika Hinton, Saul Rubinek, Carol Kane, Josh Radnor, Tiffany Boone, and Kate Mulvany
Genre: Drama, Crime, Conspiracy Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 18 episodes
Created By: David Well
Trailer: Watch here

Also based on true stories, Hunters gives the sleek heist-y spy treatment to a diverse group of Nazi hunters trawling 1970s New York for baddies. It’s also Al Pacino‘s first role in a television series, which is wild to consider since he’s been working since said band of Nazi hunters has been on the prowl. The series balances its historical heaviness with some Ocean’s Eleven-esque fun, and the group has a fantastic rapport that makes you want to track down Hitler with them. That’s no exaggeration. The show leans all the way into historical fiction with Udo Kier playing Hitler (believe it), who has faked his death and is still trying to make reichs happen.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

23. Lularich

Year: 2021
Cast: Documentary Subjects
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Seasons 1: 4 episodes
Created By: Jenner Furst, Julia Willoughby Nason
Trailer: Watch here

Here’s a fun life lesson: if a company “hires” you but makes you buy all the products you’re meant to sell, you’re the customer. If they aggressively insist that you recruit new “salespeople,” the second red flag has gone up, and you should seek the exit ASAP. Those are just a few of the horrible truths lurking in Furst and Nason’s sharp investigation of LuLaRoe, the seemingly ubiquitous multi-level marketing company that ostensibly sells funky leggings (and who’s been inundated with lawsuits alleging it’s a pyramid scheme). Wife and husband co-founders DeAnne Brady and Mark Stidham sat down with the documentary crew for the project, offering absolutely rich content and some deranged takes that really round out this tragic suburban tale.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

22. Them

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Allison Pill, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Melody Hurd, and Ryan Kwanten
Genre: Horror, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 10 episodes
Created By: Little Marvin
Trailer: Watch here

Great news for the Emory Family: they found an amazing house in a great neighborhood in 1953 Los Angeles. Bad news: the white neighbors aren’t thrilled about a Black family moving in, and the malevolent spirits living inside the house don’t seem happy about it either. Little Marvin and executive producer Lena Waithe have crafted something that blends horror fantasy with historical fact, transforming bigotry into a monstrous presence that’s just as likely to leave dolls in nooses on your front porch as it is to reach out its ectoplasmic hands and snatch you into the closet. It’s a terrifying vision that simply does not let up, and every single second looks stunning in the dreamy costuming and architectural colors of the era.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

21. The Wheel Of Time

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Zoe Robins, Madeleine Madden, Joshua Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, and Barney Harris
Genre: High Fantasy, Drama, Adventure, Action
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Rafe Judkins
Trailer: Watch here

Robert Jordan‘s classic fantasy series is brought to gorgeous life with sweeping vistas of a magical realm where the balance of life is on the cusp of either renewal of complete destruction thanks to the reincarnation of a powerful being called The Dragon Reborn. It’s pretty important to figure out who it is, so the channeler Moiraine (Pike) sets out to gather five potential candidates who show a gift for channeling the One Power. Yet an existential threat to everything that everyone knows and lives for isn’t the only thing to worry about. Factions and the petty power-hungry threaten everyday life and vie for uneasy control. The production is a fantastical achievement that acts as complement and antidote to Tolkien clones of all stripes.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

20. Paper Girls

Year: 2022
Cast: Camryn Jones, Riley Lai Nelet, Sofia Rosinsky, Rina Strazza, Adina Porter, Ali Wong, and Nate Corddry
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Stephany Folsom
Trailer: Watch here

There’s no doubt that the massive success of Stranger Things played a role in Prime Video adapting Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang’s outstanding comic book about young girls who stumble into a time war, so it’s a real shame that the show only lasted one season. That’s especially true because it’s a blast. More than a nostalgia trip into the 1980s and a weirdo sci-fi riff on Olds versus The Youths in the timey wimey future, the show really threads the needle to deliver both heavy and lighthearted beats. All four paper girls are instant icons with a Goonies group dynamic that shines, and their adventure is epic enough for a front page of any decade.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

19. Tell Me Your Secrets

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Lily Rabe, Amy Brenneman, Hamish Linklater, and Enrique Murciano
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 10 episodes
Created By: Harriet Warner
Trailer: Watch here

There’s nothing simple or easy about Tell Me Your Secrets. While most of the biggest thrillers on TV are about hidden, shameful truths, this Harriet Warner series leans all the way into the ethical swamp to figure out where the bodies are buried. Emma (Rabe) is in witness protection, but she may have had something to do with the disappearance of Mary’s (Brenneman) daughter, so Mary hires a former serial rapist to track Emma down for revenge. It’s a three-way collision course that only requires the edge of your seat. Think of how much you’ll save on seats!

Watch it on Amazon Prime

18. Goliath

Year: 2016-2021
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Nina Arianda, Tania Raymonde, Diana Hopper, Maria Bello, Olivia Thirlby, and William Hurt
Genre: Drama, Legal Procedural
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-4: 32 episodes
Created By: David E. Kelley, Jonathan Shapiro
Trailer: Watch here

If you haven’t already binged all of this stirring character study masquerading as a legal drama, it’s past time to put it on your radar. Thornton is magnificent as the washed up ace trial lawyer who gets his groove back with a case involving a young man who apparently committed suicide by blowing up a corporate boat. Good thing he’s not too washed up, because he jumps into the deep end with sharks who will eat you whole if you give them even a hint of blood. That includes his former partner and an endless array of new enemies. Through four seasons, the series builds and maintains a murderer’s row of acting talent, all anchored by Thornton playing an affable genius whose life is in shambles.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

17. Flack

Year: 2019-2021
Cast: Anna Paquin, Sophie Okonedo, Genevieve Angelson, Lydia Wilson, Rebecca Benson, Arinze Kene, Marc Warren, Rufus Jones, and Andrew Leung
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 12 episodes
Created By: Oliver Lansley
Trailer: Watch here

Robyn is a PR rep whose natural talents are lying and drinking. It also helps that she’s a moral black hole because she has to pull every questionable trick in the book to save her celebrity clients from moronic decisions, rebrand their entire personas, and otherwise protect them from a public that wants to devour them. As if House were a publicist, Paquin is excellent in the lead role here, but the real star is the litany of outlandish behavior and sticky situations she and her colleagues have to deal with (and cover up).

Watch it on Amazon Prime

16. Bosch

Year: 2014-2021
Cast: Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick, Annie Wersching, Sarah Clarke, Madison Lintz, Mimi Rogers, and Jeri Ryan
Genre: Police Procedural, Detective Noir, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-7: 68 episodes
Created By: Eric Overmyer
Trailer: Watch here

Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch is a staple of 1990s and early 2000s detective fiction. It’s actually bizarre that it took this long to get a TV series made from them, but Prime Video cracked the code by hiring Welliver to play the Vietnam veteran, LAPD detective with an appropriately dark backstory. They’re ideal noir stories that don’t forget that mystery fuels the engine, and there are enough episodes to fill a lost holiday weekend. Plus, there’s also Bosch: Legacy, which continues to tale, and, if you’re still hungry for more, Mickey Haller (aka The Lincoln Lawyer) is Bosch’s half-brother, so you can keep binging and keep it in the family.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

15. The Kids In The Hall

Year: 2022-present
Cast: Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson
Genre: Comedy, Sketch
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: The Kids In The Hall
Trailer: Watch here

Yes, there are technically 6 seasons and 109 episodes of this seminal sketch comedy show, but the Amazon revival is a thing unto itself. The fear with these kinds of reunions is that our beloved heroes — the ones who inspired decades of comics who have come since — will have lost a slapstick step. Well, you can squish those fears with your thumb and forefinger because the new series is fresh, hilarious, and maybe the finest work these silly Canadians have ever pulled off. It certainly features some of the ballsiest work of their career (figuratively and literally), classic characters prove timeless, and the cutting edge sketches prove that there’s absolutely no one as demented as The Kids in the Hall.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

14. Outer Range

Year: 2022-present
Cast: Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor, Tom Pelphrey, Tamara Podemski, Lewis Pullman, Will Patton, and Kristen Connolly
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Neo Western, Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Brian Watkins
Trailer: Watch here

Royal Abbott has a lot on his plate. His daughter-in-law has gone missing, a drifter has shown up on his land, they’ve got a feud brewing with a rival family trying to take his ranch, and there’s a super weird black void just hanging out in his pasture. In case you were wondering, the black void is where the sci-fi comes in. This is a lovely, strange gem of a show, and Brolin is the perfect pater familias to give it an air of western legitimacy alongside all the universe-bending existential squirreliness. He is a Man In Black after all — in both meanings of the phrase. Somehow, a show that’s like The X-Files and Yellowstone made a foal together works brilliantly.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

13. The Legend Of Vox Machina

Year: 2022-present
Cast: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham
Genre: Adult Animation, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Role Playing Vibes
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 24 episodes
Created By: Brandon Auman, Critical Role
Trailer: Watch here

The beloved Dungeons and Dragons campaigning podcast (and vodcast) Critical Role is the kind of program you could get lost in because some campaigns involve over 300 hours of content. The Legend of Vox Machina represents what can happen when veteran RPGers who also happen to be veteran voice actors tighten up those encounters into a thrilling, ridiculous romp through fantasy territory. There’s the half-elf Ranger, the human gunslinger, the gnome Cleric, the half-elf Rogue, the half-elf Druid, the scene-stealing barbarian, and the gnome bard. All of them band together for an epic quest marked equally by high adventure and dick jokes

Watch it on Amazon Prime

12. Small Axe

Year: 2020
Cast: Letitia Wright, John Boyega, Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings, Jack Lowden, and Michael Ward
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 5 episodes
Created By: Steve McQueen, Courttia Newland, Alastair Siddons
Trailer: Watch here

Steve McQueen‘s outstanding longform series features an array of stories meant to share several angles of the Black experience in Britain. They span decades, sharing the intimate lives and work of a Trinidadian restauranteur, a Black police officer seeking reforms, two young lovers who meet at a house party, an imprisoned novelist, and a group of students transferred out of mainstream schools so the system could forget about them. Beyond the on-point cast, McQueen goes 5 for 5 on masterpiece-level episodes, crafting scenes of immense joy and profound pain throughout this explosive menu of stories.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

11. Hanna

Year: 2019-2021
Cast: Esme Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Noah Taylor, Dermot Mulroney, and Ray Liotta
Genre: Drama, Action
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-3: 22 episodes
Created By: David Farr
Trailer: Watch here

A spinoff of the Joe Wright-Directed film, the TV series seeks to retell and deepen the story of a young girl infused with super soldier DNA who trains to be an assassin by her ex-CIA “dad.” You know it’s going to be a thrilling ride when someone orders that all the babies in the experimental genetics program be destroyed. On top of the head-spinning malice, the series serves up the promise of the original movie’s action sequences by refusing to pull its punches. Its tight, Bourne-style fighting as well as intricate spycraft woven into a deeply personal tale of a child who had absolutely no shot at a normal life.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

10. ZeroZeroZero

Year: 2020
Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Dane DeHaan, Noe Hernandez, and Gabriel Byrne
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Stefano Sollima, Leonardo Fasoli, Mauricio Katz
Trailer: Watch here

This Italian series is like watching How It’s Made but for cocaine. The clever conceit sees the plot launch with the sale of a large shipment of cocaine and follows said shipment through the totally smooth (sarcasm voice!) process of getting to the buyer. It’s an international crime family affair, featuring the Italian mafia, the cocaine suppliers in Mexico, and an American shipping company based in New Orleans. It truly takes a village. Unfortunately for the buyer, squabbling within his own ranks waylays the shipment to Morocco and things start to get pretty messy. It’s a sharp, aggressive show with enough prestige to premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

9. Jack Ryan

Year: 2018-present
Cast: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Abbie Cornish, Ali Suliman, Dina Shihabi, Noomi Rapace, and Michael Pena
Genre: Drama, Spy Thriller, Political Thriller, Action
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-3: 24 episodes
Created By: Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland
Trailer: Watch here

There have been many incarnations of Tom Clancy‘s immortal analyst character, the bookishly reluctant field operator who keeps having to solve who blew up what and who tried to assassinate whom. The Ryanverse is vast, and Krasinski has found a home in it, delivering a take on the character that should remind viewers that he was the boyishly handsome lead of The Office and in the running at one point to play Captain America. The thrills of the show put Ryan up against terrorist organizations, corrupt government officials, and a Soviet-obsessed plot to detonate a tactical nuke. The stakes are sky high, and Krasinksi carries off the character by not always keeping his cool.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

8. The Underground Railroad

Year: 2021
Cast: Thuso Mbedu, Joel Edgerton, Peter Mullan, Chase W. Dillon, Mychal-Bella Bowman, and Sheila Atim
Genre: Historical Fiction, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 10 episodes
Created By: Barry Jenkins
Trailer: Watch here

Based on the glorious Colson Whitehead novel, this series infuses tales of escaping from slavery with magical realism, making the underground railroad we learned about in history classes (outside Florida) a literal underground railroad. Mbedu plays Cora, an enslaved woman who jumps aboard to reach freedom in the North, stopping along the way in various major Southern cities while being chased by a slave catcher hungry for the bounty and a personal vendetta. It’s a serious subject, handled with unsurprising aplomb by Barry Jenkins, who finds all the right moments of humanity laced within a nightmare scenario featuring a wondrous subterranean train.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

7. A Very British Scandal

Year: 2021
Cast: Claire Foy, Paul Bettany, Julia Davis, Richard McCabe, and Sophia Myles
Genre: Historical Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 6 episodes
Created By: Sarah Phelps
Trailer: Watch here

Following on the heels of A Very English Scandal, which told the story of a sex scandal that brought down 1970s Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe, A Very British Scandal focuses on the chaotic divorce case between Margaret and Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyle and Chief of Clan Campbell. What? They warned you that it was VERY BRITISH. Claire Foy and Paul Bettany play the warring couple who seem to have no bottom to the accusations they let fly at each other. But more than just their relationship, the media itself is on trial here, showcasing its obsession with tabloid sensationalism.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

6. Invincible

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, and J.K. Simmons
Genre: Superhero, Adult Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Robert Kirkman
Trailer: Watch here

Being a teenager can be super awkward, especially if your father is the most physically powerful being on the planet and zips in spandex saving people all the time. Based on Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley’s comic series, and buoyed by Steven Yeun‘s superpowered charm, the show is an absolute blast. It’s an optimistic Watchmen, carrying a difficult message about responsibility and burden laid on those with powers (as well the bloody consequences). It’s the perfect show when you’ve got an MCU or DCU hangover.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

5. Good Omens

Year: 2019-present
Cast: Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Nick Offerman, Jon Hamm, Frances McDormand, Miranda Richardson, Michael McKean, Jack Whitehall, Adria Arjona, and Benedict Cumberbatch
Genre: Fantasy Comedy, Satire
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 6 episodes
Created By: Neil Gaiman
Trailer: Watch here

There’s no doubt that adapting Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman‘s novel about the potential end times was a complex task of finding right bits of the sprawling, century-hopping narrative to focus in on. Fortunately, the series had at least one ace up its sleeve: Gaiman. He probably knew a thing or two about the book. The result is a shaggy dog story about an Antichrist baby swap, a sparring demon and angel (who should just make out already), and a witch trying to stave off the four horseman of the apocalypse alongside a nebbish descendant of a famous witchfinder. Also, Heaven is weirdly in the throes of late-stage capitalism, and it’s unclear whether the earth is worth saving.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Year: 2017-present
Cast: Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Jane Lynch, Luke Kirby, and Stephanie Hsu
Genre: Period Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-4: 34 episodes
Created By: Amy Sherman-Palladino
Trailer: Watch here

After Gilmore Girls and Bunheads, Amy Sherman-Palladino set her sights on a fictional 1950s stand-up comic who dared to take the stage while being a woman. This winning show, perfect for everyone who listens to their podcasts at 1.5x speed, features unmatched wit and charm as Mrs. Maisel deals with divorce, public indecency arrests, and some serious will-they-won’t-they tension with Lenny Bruce. It’s got the schlemiel and the schlimazel, and fans of Everything Everywhere All At Once who burn straight through the delightful first three seasons will be further delighted when Stephanie Hsu shows up in season 4.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

3. Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power

Year: 2022-present
Cast: Morfydd Clark, Lenny Henry, Dylan Smith, Markella Kavenagh, Robert Aramayo, Benjamin Walker, Ismael Cruz Cordova, and Nazanin Boniadi
Genre: High Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Seasons 1: 8 episodes
Created By: J.D. Payne, Patrick McKay
Trailer: Watch here

Costing approximately eleventy billion dollars, this prequel to The Lord of the Rings franchise sought to bring its cinematic scope to your living room screen. By all accounts, they’ve done it, crafting jaw-dropping visions of Middle-earth as a playground for some familiar characters (who don’t seem to age a day!) as well as a large cast of new ones. It’s main focus is on the forging of the four rings of power coinciding with the rise of Sauron before he was just a floating flame eyeball, but interpersonal romance and conflict abounds between the elves, humans, Harfoots, and other fantastical beings.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

2. Fleabag

Year: 2016-2019
Cast: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Bill Paterson, Brett Gelman, and Jenny Rainsford
Genre: Black Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 12 episodes
Created By: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Trailer: Watch here

Making a perfect episode of television is incredibly difficult. Making 12 perfect episodes in a row is near impossible, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge somehow managed it with her peerless chronicle of single desperation, sibling jealousy, and clear mental unwellness. She plays a woman struggling with her family and dealing with the guilt over the death of her best friend. She’s also trying to date through her loneliness with people she’s dubbed Arsehole Guy and Bus Rodent. Clearly, she’s not making many good life choices, which is fantastically entertaining. She’s one of the pettiest characters in the pantheon, and the series is black comic genius.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

1. The Boys

Year: 2019-present
Cast: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Aya Cash, Jensen Ackles, Nathan Mitchell, and Elisabeth Shue
Genre: Superhero Satire, Black Comedy, Action, Adventure
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-3: 24 episodes
Created By: Eric Kripke
Trailer: Watch here

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s angry satirical comic emerged from the George W. Bush era, but it remains fiercely topical, and the live-action adaptation is a smirking slap to the face that’s ideal for our time of complete superhero domination at the box office and on small screens everywhere. Sure, it’s a send-up of superheroes, but it also has a lot of deeply uncomfortable things to say about our current political and social situations, epitomized by the very stable genius of the jingoistic Homelander. That character will no doubt emerge as an icon of our age, but more than trenchant chomps at the system, the show is also absurdly fun. There’s nothing like making bold statements while having a ball.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global are now locked in a messy fight over South Park. In a new lawsuit filed by WBD, the entertainment conglomerate claims that Paramount breached its contract with HBO Max by streaming South Park specials on Paramount+. After reaching a deal in 2019, HBO Max paid a small fortune for the exclusive streaming rights to Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s wildly popular animated series, and for a brief while, HBO Max was the only place for South Park content.

However, in August 2021, ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) signed a new deal with Parker and Stone, which included the duo making a series of specials for Paramount+. That move did not go unnoticed by HBO Max and attempts to resolve the dispute reportedly did not go well, prompting the lawsuit.

Via Variety:

The suit, filed Friday in New York state Supreme Court, asserts that Paramount breached the contract by steering “South Park” specials and other content to its own Paramount+ platform. The suit alleges that Paramount “blatantly intended to prop up Paramount+ at the expense of Warner/HBO,” and that Paramount engaged in “multiple and flagrant duplicitous contortions of fact and breaches of contract.”

“Warner/HBO brings this lawsuit to vindicate its rights and recover the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages incurred as a result of Defendants’ misconduct,” the suit alleges.

Considering HBO Max paid a whopping $500 million for the streaming rights to South Park episodes, it makes sense that Warner Bros. Discovery would like to protect that investment. However, if the arrangement provided wiggle room for South Park movies and specials, maybe not so much. Who knows? Not us! The important thing here is that all the lawyers are getting paid.

(Via Variety)

Early in the third quarter of a mid-January game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers, Blazers play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro set the stage for a third member of the broadcast crew to join on-air, someone other than sideline reporter Brooke Olzendam.

“Cory Jez with us here tonight,” Calabro says. “Jez, live at Moda, with the numbers!”

As Donovan Mitchell shot free throws, Jez, the broadcast’s Analytics Insider, slid onto the bottom of the screen. Amid one of Damian Lillard’s more dominant showings of the season, Jez recited how many pick-and-rolls Lillard had run to that point in the game (24) and how many points per 100 possessions Portland was generating on those opportunities (133).

In his first season as part of the Blazers’ crew, Jez holds a mantle as the lone Analytics Insider across all 30 NBA broadcasts. His title is legitimately unique. The broadcast has a deal with Second Spectrum, which enables Jez to share statistical insights like the ones mentioned above and quantify what everyone is watching. The type of information ranges from pick-and-roll production to points per possession against zone defenses to catch-and-shoot numbers, all drawn from the game occurring in the present moment.

“It’s so helpful to the listener or to the viewer to be able to quantify actions,” says Michael Holton, Television Studio Analyst. “Cory helps us with data that quantifies actions.”

Lillard dropped 50 points on 28 shots against a top-three defense and eviscerated the varying modes of pick-and-roll coverage thrown his direction. Anyone tuned in witnessed his vibrant and prolific outing. Jez’s contributions were merely a blend of the eye test and the analytics.

“I really think the goal is just give these fans an added layer of insight to how their team is performing, why they’re performing, why they’re doing what they’re doing, and put it in the appropriate context,” Jez says. “At the end of the day, analytics is a decision support mechanism.”

Blazers ownership, President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins, and the broadcast department went through an assessment of the “landscape of the industry” last spring. The organization wanted to “heighten the production values” and distinguish themselves from other telecasts around the league. Access and connectivity defined their vision for an amended broadcast. Inspiration for Jez’s job arose from national feeds, which periodically incorporate rules experts and former referees to share a credible perspective during critical or contentious calls and replays.

“That really made us think, well, what if we had a statistical, analytical person that would give us that information? Again, on a local level, no one’s doing it,” says Jeff Curtin, Director of Broadcasting. “Yeah, it was a risk. But it’s something that was, we’ve always been supported by ownership. It’s like, just try some ideas. If they don’t work, we’ll stop doing them. But, I think we found a gem with Cory Jez.”

Jez’s arrival is not the only change to the broadcast, either. An array of players have been mic’d up during games, including Lillard and Drew Eubanks. Interactive polls for fans are a popular feature. Graphics illuminating advanced data pop up throughout every broadcast. A couple of people were hired to join the production team, as well as a graphic designer who brings to life many of the statistics Jez shares. Everything is geared to maximizing the viewing experience for fans.

“For them to go, ‘Boy, this Portland telecast is something really special,’” Curtin says.

Jez’s role being unprecedented around the league elongated and complicated the hiring process a bit. There was no directory they could locate to guide them. They couldn’t inquire with another broadcast team for the position. They scoured Twitter, quickly realized the sports analytics community is quite well-connected and branched out from there.

At some point, Ben Falk, owner of Cleaning The Glass and former Analytics Manager for the Blazers, reached out to Jez, passed along the fact Portland was searching for someone to fill the gig, and said Jez’s name came to mind. The goal was always to hire an analytically savvy person first and develop them as an adept broadcaster over time. Jez fit the mold. His assimilation was eased by the familiarity shared among other on-air members in Calabro, Olzendam, Holton, and Lamar Hurd, all of whom tout more than half a decade of experiencing working Blazers broadcasts.

“It’s been quite an adjustment for me, frankly. I am a fish out of water and just trying to keep my head afloat with the broadcast stuff,” Jez says. “I think that’s probably part of the reason this has been, if folks wanna deem it successful thus far, is really due to Kevin, Lamar and Brooke, Michael, Francis [Williams], the studio folks, and everybody behind the scenes. I just have to show up and talk about the stuff that I know, and they make it really easy for me to do that.”

Jez’s preparation prior to and during games is rather extensive. He approaches his job much the same way he did as Director of Basketball Analytics with the Jazz when he helped prime assistant coaches for upcoming opponents by trying to answer these questions while observing film and sifting through data: Who does what? What stands out? What are their trends?

On Second Spectrum, he watches a slew of offensive and defensive possessions of Portland’s next matchup and notes different lineups, rotations, schemes, and preeminent players. Then, he supplements the eye test with information from Second Spectrum and Cleaning The Glass to establish the theme of his first couple on-air hits.

Usually, his pre-game and first quarter segments are scripted ahead of time. He’s also collaborating with the graphics design team before games to determine how the numbers he’s referencing or discovering can best be displayed visually and enhance the stories being told. Even if he’s not mentioning them during his sidebars, the graphics stem from his scrupulous research.

While the action unfolds, Jez is watching on two feeds. One is live and the other is on a ~10-second delay to let him pick up on anything he may miss initially. He’s tracking real-time data via Second Spectrum and Cleaning The Glass on two other screens. TV timeouts are his solace and afford him the bandwidth to ready for another segment as he researches what he’s seeing on the floor.

“I’m really read and reacting to the game,” Jez says. “Early on in the season, I was so concerned with staying eyes locked into the camera and not breaking eye contact. So, we kind of decided, like, you’re the stats guy, you’re looking off to your number. I think it kind of works within the production of what we’re doing. So, we’ve gotten a little more comfortable looking off screen to grab a number. But it’s pretty hectic.”

After receiving degrees from Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, Jez’s career began outside of the sports sector, where he cycled through jobs in data science, consulting, and data analysis, which he described as “boring shit.” An accomplished golfer who still participates competitively on the national stage, he also grew up around basketball, though JV high school basketball was the precipice of his hoops career. His father, Paul Jez, held the all-time assists record at Division III Randolph-Macon for more than 40 years and coached at VCU in the 1980s and 1990s.

When the Moneyball Era exploded early last decade, Jez realized being paid to watch sports was a possibility. He already tuned into League Pass six nights a week and considered himself an amateur Draft analyst and salary cap nerd. Maybe, he thought, he could parlay his deep-rooted passion for basketball, experience with data science, and proficiency with SQL and Python — two prominent softwares in the data science world — to enter the sports sphere as a full-time career.

“It was really just probably right place, right time,” he says.

Since then, he’s been employed by the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards in their analytics departments, founded his own golf analytics company, and worked for Austin FC of Major League Soccer. Periodically, he still consults with Austin FC and professionals on the PGA Tour.

When he connected with the Blazers this past summer, roughly 18 months removed from working in the NBA in a professional setting, he knew he missed the league and welcomed reigniting his career in a divergent role, this one public-facing. Whether it’s intentional or through osmosis, he’s noticed the entire broadcast team progressively involve advanced data into their analysis and thought-processes over the course of the season. Those who conduct research behind the scenes for folks like Calabaro and Hurd are relying on Second Spectrum or Cleaning The Glass instead of more antiquated data resources.

“Cory has just been fantastic with our team and he just knows the subject so well. He’s educating my team this season because we came in not knowing a lot,” Curtin says. “He’s selling stories, just like Brooke does, just like Lamar does.”

For instance, last month, the Atlanta Hawks were in town. At that time, the Hawks led the NBA in field goals made per game, but were just 21st in offensive rating. The broadcast explained why the latter number can be misleading with regard to evaluating offensive output.

“It was a slice of genius to bring Cory on board,” Holton says. “I like the human element of still being able to unpack basketball from the eye test perspective and I love the marriage of the two things. I think it’s working extremely well.”

Dionne Warwick is the undisputed Queen of Twitter. Whether she’s scolding the social media platform’s CEO, Elon Musk, roasting the stage names of some of today’s biggest stars, providing her two cents on trending topics, or pledging her allegiance to different recording artist’s stan clubs, the “Walk On By” singer has become everyone’s favorite Internet Aunt.

However, Warwick’s rich musical legacy often goes unacknowledged despite her popularity with the younger generation due to her online presence and likeness being the focal point for a few viral Saturday Night Live sketches. Now, that is where her documentary, Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over (named after her 1963 song), comes in.

Co-directed by Dave Wooley (the co-author of Dionne Warwick: My Life, As I See It and Say A Little Prayer) and David Heilbroner, the documentary serves as a reminder of Warwick’s impact has had in her over six-decade-long career. The conversation about nepotism babies in the music industry has fizzled out. However, there is there’s still a conversation to be had about musical families to which Warwick belongs to one of New Jersey’s most famous ones.

The Drinkard Singers, Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston, and Warwick all share a bloodline. Although her late cousin Whitney Houston may be more widely known to today’s music lovers, Warwick has an equally robust catalog and impact. In fact, pop singers like Rihanna and Lizzo owe a great deal to Warwick for the doors she knocked down in the genre after she became the first African-American woman to win a Grammy award in the pop category in 1968 for her song “Do You Know The Way To San Jose?”

While we await the day Warwick gets her major studio-backed biopic like her cousin, in which she hopes Teyana Taylor will play her, the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over is a great place to start familiarizing yourself with Warwick’s life story.

As a classically trained musician and songwriter, Warwick’s music is the actual musical manifestation of trickle-down economics. As a result, Warwick’s music has influenced and been covered by some of the most revered musicians, including Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, and Ahmad Jamal, not to mention the dozens of times her work has been sampled.

Warwick’s 1967 song “I Say A Little Prayer” was reimagined by the late Aretha Franklin. It became one of the singer’s most popular songs receiving several placements in television and movies, the latest being Sing 2. Her 1964 song, “A House Is Not A Home,” was covered by jazz music icon Ella Fitzgerald in 1968, gospel music trailblazer Mavis Staples in 1969, and R&B titan Luther Vandross in 1981. Her 1973 song “You’re Gonna Need Me” was sampled by one of hip-hop’s most respected producers, the late J Dilla, in 2006 on his song “Stop!,” Usher in 2004 on his song “Throwback” featuring Jadakiss off his diamond-certified album Confessions, and “Want You Back” by rapper Fabulous in 2012 which features Joe Budden and Teyana Taylor.

Next, her 1964 song “Walk On By” was sampled by rap legend Slick Rick in 1988 on his iconic track “Mona Lisa,” Logic in 2013 on his track by the same now. The song was also covered by Aretha Franklin the same year and in 1969 by the late Isaac Hayes. Lastly, Warwick’s 1963 “Anyone Who Had a Heart” was sampled by Mos Def on his song “Know That” in 1999, and former G.O.O.D. Music signee Cyhi the Prynce in 2014 on his song “Napoleon.”

Warwick also embodies what it means to be socially responsible with your platform as an entertainer. Neck and neck with her lengthy discography, Warwick’s advocacy work is just as vast. A large portion of Warwick’s documentary Don’t Make Me Over is dedicated to showcasing her philanthropy and advocacy work across several causes, including AIDS research and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Long before Lady Gaga was singing about being born this way or Sam Smith spoke out supporting the Marriage Act, there was Dionne Warwick’s 1985 song “That’s What Friends Are For.” The track, a cover of Rod Stewart’s 1982 single by the same name, was recorded by Warwick featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder to raise funds for AIDS research during the height of the epidemic. After its release, the song became a major hit raising over $3 million for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. According to the documentary, it has raised $10 million for AIDS research. It will continue to raise money perpetually as Warwick signed away the rights to the profits to the organization. The song also earned Warwick another Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group and the top spot on the charts.

Another cause Warwick lent her voice was misogyny in rap music in the 1990s. While it remains a pervasive problem over twenty years later, at one point, the New Jersey native called a meeting of hip-hop’s biggest names to discuss the matter. Rap legend Snoop Dogg, an attendee of the meeting, recounted how he was out gangstered by Warwick, making him rethink his role in the problem. In recent times, Warwick’s advocacy work has mainly been done behind the scenes. Still, there are moments when the musician takes to her beloved Twitter page to speak on a matter (most recently, Britney Spears’ conservatorship).

Yes, Dionne Warwick is the undisputed Queen of Twitter and everyone’s favorite Internet Aunt, but let’s not forget her hefty contributions to popular music as we know it today.

There’s just something about seeing pride swell in a parent’s face when their child reaches a dream they set out to achieve. It’s something that moves people to tears in the best way, and watching the reaction of Diana Flores’ parents is no exception. Flores is a 25-year-old quarterback for the world champion Women’s Mexico Flag Team, Mexico’s professional women’s flag football team.

In the clip, we find out from the writing on the screen that her parents and sister are about to watch a commercial that Flores participated in. But the surprise was that she not only participated in a commercial, but that she was the star of the ad that would premiere during the Super Bowl, which aired February 12.

The NFL recorded the moment her family sat down to watch the video. In the commercial, Flores is giving what appears to be a pre- or post-game interview when the reporter attempts to take one of her flags. This causes Flores to dodge and juke the reporter and others as she runs across town. At one point she stops short of the edge of a tall building, which causes her mother, who’s seeing the ad for the first time, to audibly gasp.

Once the commercial is over and the realization has set in, cue the tears. Her father’s delight is barely containable as he beams with pride and says in Spanish, “You are the star.”

Flores’ mom’s eyes are filled with tears as she tells the flag football star, “You told me you’d be in it, not that you’d be the star.”

The video didn’t end there, because the NFL was determined to make viewers ugly cry by continuing to film the family’s reaction. But the thing that got me, as someone who was extremely close with their stepdad, was when her dad called her princess and said, “You are powerful…powerful.” It was like suddenly my eyes were all blurry and something was caught in my throat.

But you don’t have to listen to me. Watch the wholesome moment below and see if you don’t feel a little verklempt.

u201cDiana Flores didnu2019t tell her family she was the star of the NFLu2019s Super Bowl commercial. nnThis is the moment she revealed it to them. u2764ufe0fud83eudd79 @diana_flores33u201d

— NFL (@NFL)
1676480846

Over the past few years, the outlandish increase in the cost of living for the average American has been hard on just about everyone. Prices on consumer goods have been through the roof as inflation reached its highest level in 40 years in June of 2022.

Rent has been going up for the average American as well. From 2017 to 2022, the average year-over-year increase was 5.77%, with the most significant increase of an average of 14% occurring from 2021 to 2022.

Almost every American feels the pain of the increased living expenses, but it has to be especially hard on those living on a fixed income. Fox 4 News reports that when an 80-year-old retired man affectionately known as “Mr. James” saw his rent go up by $400, he had to work again to make ends meet. Callisburg High School in Texas hired Mr. James as a janitor, and the sight of seeing a man that old lifting garbage cans and scrubbing lunch tables didn’t sit right with some of the students.

“It’s just so sad seeing an 80-year-old man having to do things an 80-year-old shouldn’t have to do,” Callisburg senior Banner Tidwell said, according to KXII.

A few of the school’s students decided to do something about Mr. James’ situation and started a GoFundMe campaign called “Getting Mr. James out of this school” to raise some money for him so he could resume his retirement. The teens started with a goal of $10,000 that was quickly surpassed after Greyson Thurman, a Callisburg student, promoted it with a TikTok video that went viral.

Just 8 days after the GoFundMe campaign started, it has already raised $225,000 for Mr. James. “He doesn’t want any part of the spotlight. He’s appreciative of what these students have done,” the school’s principal, Jason Hooper, told Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

@grey.thurman

Go fund me is in the bio! My classmates and I hate seeing Mr. James here, no one his age should have to be cleaning our messes up to continue to live. #fyp#school#gofundme#fy#mrjames

“It’s crazy to see something that we knew people would have wanted to help. But we didn’t know it would blow up,” senior Marti Yousko, one of the campaign’s organizers, told KXII, “When we told him, he was kind of like, ‘dang, that’s alright!'” Yousko continued.

“It’s just amazing,” Hooper told KXII. ”You know of the need that was met because of three kind kids, but of all of our students who have pitched in to help that need.”

Incredibly, these students had the heart to realize Mr. James’ struggles and stepped up and do something about the situation. This is one of those stories that is both heartwarming and sad. It’s beautiful that the kids, the community and people around the world are helping Mr. James, but it’s terrible that an 80-year-old man would have to resort to going back to work in the first place. Especially in a country with so much wealth.

Fox 4 News reached out to the Callisburg Independent School District to see if Mr. James is still working at the school, and he hasn’t said anything about leaving his job just yet.

“Nobody deserves to work their whole life. They deserve to enjoy everything,” Thurman said.

At its best, fashion is a fun and empowering form of self-expression. At its worst, it is one of capitalism’s most insatiable monsters—overflowing landfills, exploiting laborers and animals, and upholding outdated and unhealthy beauty standards. The fact that many of the fashion industry’s controversial practices continue to survive seems to send a clear message: When profit is the end, it justifies the means.

This is one of the reasons why a college student by the name of Jacklyn Wells became the subject of a heated debate online.

Wells (who goes by @jbwells2 on TikTok) runs her store, Jack’s Vntg, on the secondhand fashion app Depop. Back in January 2023, Wells posted a “thrift store haul” video to her TikTok account, showing off multiple skirts, dresses and vintage coats of various styles.

While the video prompted a ton of compliments at Well’s rare finds, it also received a fair amount of backlash.

As originally reported by Buzzfeed, some people took umbrage with the fact that Wells resold her purchases online at a marked-up price. One TikTok user even noted that one patterned skirt was also available on Amazon for a similar price.

@jbwells2

the first jacket is everything

♬ original sound – Jack

This prompted a flurry of criticism as to the ethical implications created by Wells and others who resell on Depop.

Some people likened it to the way landlords might buy a building at a discounted rate in a low-income neighborhood and then up the rent by exorbitant amounts to turn a profit, pushing out those who can’t afford it.

Similarly, “thrift cycling” is seen by many as a practice that limits access to cheap clothing for those who might need it most.

Though Wells has addressed these comments previously in a video, she used Instagram to respond to the more recent backlash.

First, Wells explained that she herself was low-income and resold clothes as a way to put herself through school.

“At 16, I was abruptly living on my own with my sister for personal reasons…and needed to make more money somehow. I started selling thrifted clothing I already had in my closet wherever I could,” she wrote. “In college…I wasn’t sure how I was going to find time to support myself financially. I started Jack’s Vntg in February of 2022, still in school, with $100 to my name, and a lot of hope. Not to sound dramatic, but it saved my life. I was able to pay my bills, eat, and survive on my own as an 18-year-old.”

She also noted that she saw thrift cycling as a more sustainable alternative to fast fashion, saying “The more educated I became on harmful clothing production, the more I grew to hate fast fashion. I started to embrace the pieces I found in my local thrift stores, which were overflowing with clothing. I began to love sustainable fashion and thrifting.”

Wells continued, “Where I live, there are 20 goodwills. All overflowing, all restocking hourly, and all sending truckloads of excess clothing to the bins. It’s terrifying to see the amount of clothing going to waste, while fast fashion continues to pollute and abuse their workers. Reselling pushes circular fashion, sustainable consumption, and helps low-income individuals earn a living wage off of endless clothing.”

See on Instagram

Others came to Wells’ defense, saying that what she did individually is no different than what existing companies, thrift stores and antique shops do on a daily basis, along with the fact that resellers often collect specific styles and sizes, leaving plenty of clothes for others to purchase.

Many even noted that—considering the time and energy that goes into sifting through piles and piles of donated clothes—that the prices are quite reasonable.

Perhaps it is easier to call out the actions of an individual like Wells over entities like fast fashion empires Shein, Nasty Gal, and Amazon…or even the very Goodwills that are being picked from, but really, this is a much larger issue. Blame it on corporate greed, an overpopulated world or the downfall of humanity, but there is a widespread disconnect between what we consume and the actual cost of those items. Regardless, whether you believe individual efforts or more systemic changes create a larger impact on our world, it all begins with conversation. And at the very least, this is a conversation that is growing.

Rolling Loud founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif are truly looking to make the staple multi-day music festival a global phenomenon. As if organizing the three events this year, including Rolling Loud Los Angeles (set for March), Rolling Loud Thailand (scheduled for April), and Rolling Loud Portugal (scheduled for July), wasn’t enough, the company has announced yet another festival.

Making its inaugural debut in Germany, Rolling Loud is looking to bring its signature energy to the area from July 7th to July 9th. It’s set to be headlined by Wizkid (on July 7), Kendrick Lamar (July 8), and Travis Scott (July 9). Rolling Loud Germany will be held in Messe München, in the heart of the Bavarian capital, Germany’s third-largest city.

Other notable acts slated to perform include Gucci Mane, Lil Uzi Vert, Latto, Metro Boomin, Kodak Black, Joey Badass, Coi Leray, GloRilla, and Lola Brooke.

Although Rolling Loud Germany isn’t set to place until the summer, tickets for the festival will go on sale to the public on Monday, February 27, at noon central European time (6 a.m. ET/3 a.m. PT). To sign up or purchase tickets, visit germany.rollingloud.com.

You can see the full lineup below.

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

Cocaine Bear, a film based on the true story of a bear who accidentally snorted mounds of misplaced cocaine and went on a murderous rampage in the forests of Tennessee, is finally out in theaters. It’s a movie that feels tailor-made for a release date during Fat Bear Week — a conservationist’s version of March Madness, and not the week between Christmas and New Year’s when I stop counting calories and eat peanut butter straight from the jar with my bare hands — but that’s neither here nor there. Cocaine Bear is out now, ready to be judged by the masses who question what a honey-hunting furry oaf looks like when they’re high out of their mind on that sweet nose candy.

Cocaine Bear has emerged as a kind of of-the-moment icon, but don’t get it twisted, this is not the first carnivoran mammal to grace the big (or small) screen. Below, please find our ranking of the pop culture bears who walked so Cocaine Bear could run … wild through woods … higher than a bat’s ass … on the Devil’s sugar.

12. Ted

A walking, talking, constantly dry-humping case study in why nostalgia is toxic, this childhood teddy brought to life and forced to age into his 30s with Mark Wahlberg as his only companion is proof Toy Story got it wrong. Sometimes it is okay to outgrow our youth and hurl its stuffed carcass into a burning dumpster fire. Ted can’t help that he’s a plight to society, a foul-mouthed relic of his friend’s prepubescent immaturity, but he made a choice to commit sex acts on top of sellable produce and hygienically speaking, we can’t support that.

11. Fozzie

We hate to say this, but Fozzie would likely not survive our current cancel culture. It’s not that his jokes are too controversial, but there’s something about his pork-pied Blues Brothers vibe that feels like he’s one bad punchline away from becoming the Muppet Joker and in 2023, we only have room for one problematic bear.

10. Yogi Bear and Boo Boo Bear

Yogi Bear gets marks for his unwavering self-confidence. Boo Boo Bear gets marks for his strong moral compass. Both are furry amateur thieves who delight in wreaking havoc on the pic-a-nic baskets of unsuspecting park visitors. Who doesn’t love a chaotically good anti-hero? But it’s the existence of the 2010 film starring Dan Akroyd and Justin Timberlake as the lunch-swiping duo that brings their pop-culture power meter down a notch. Like Drew Barrymore impersonating a serial-killing-robotic-doll on daytime television, it’s something you just can’t unsee.

9. Coca-Cola Polar Bears

The Coca-Cola Bears are addicts, people! They crave that sugary, syrupy high only the brand’s glass bottles can give. They need help. They need to be drinking more water. But they’re cute and fluffy and endangered and floating on blocks of ice that are slowly melting because Kylie Jenner wants to beat Calabasas traffic by way of her private jet so really, if this is what brings them joy, we’ll take the Marie Kondo approach.

8. The Revenant Bear

This might anger some, but when you decide to do a ranking of the best bears in pop culture history, you don’t set out to make friends: The Revenant Bear is an ally. He was forced to lay eyes upon one-too-many deep dives into Leonardo DiCaprio’s strange dating history and he just snapped. He is all of us. But he didn’t finish the job, so we now have to read about the 19-year-old international model *he’s attending LA listening parties with. (Leo, not the bear.)

7. Baloo

This fun-loving sloth bear is the poster child for the quiet quitting crowd. An ant-munching, river-lazing, jungle-dwelling himbo, he’s a great hang and a loyal friend even if his party girl ways often get him into trouble. He is, in a nutshell, the Chris Hemsworth of bears.

6. Iorek Byrnison

Some bears are cute. Some are terrifying. And some, like this battle-scarred behemoth from HBO’s His Dark Materials, are undeniable sex symbols. Is it weird to lust after an armored polar bear who becomes the reluctant father figure for an abandoned girl with a terrible destiny? Sure, but that’s something the writers of this show should’ve thought about before adding mounds on mounds of muscle to this hunky chunk of CGI bear beef. We’re only responding as nature intended.

5. Po

A two-toned butterball who exists on dumplings and is voiced by the hottest chaos tornado in Hollywood – Jack Black? No notes.

4. Winnie the Pooh

Is he a pervert or a fashion pioneer? A body-confident rebel or a lazy bumpkin behind on his laundry? There’s a mystery to this Hundred Acre-dwelling teddy with a honey addiction and the dad bod to match. How did he get here? Why is he friends with a seven-year-old boy? What’s lurking behind those pitch-black button voids? We may never know, but we respect the allure.

3. Little John

When SZA told the ladies it was “cuffing season” and announced she was looking for a “big boy,” she was talking about petite John.

2. Paddington

This Peruvian immigrant in a blue toggle coat and red bucket hat stole our hearts – and all of the marmalade in England – nearly a decade ago and not even a brief prison stint in a jail designed by Wes Anderson could diminish our unhealthy attachment to this tiny troublemaker.

1. Cocaine Bear

In the words of camp icon Ariana DeBose: The category is an outstanding debut and Cocaine Bear (like Angela Bassett) did the thing. Cocaine Bear (like Jamie Lee Curtis) is all of us. When Stephen Spielberg uttered the words, “You saved Hollywood’s ass,” he wasn’t talking to Tom Cruise, he was addressing Cocaine Bear.