Month: March 2023

Cate Blanchett has been one of the rock stars of awards season, and with good reason: She was pretty great as a disgraced conductor in the drama Tár. Of course, she still has to fend off Michelle Yeoh at the Oscars, which are next week. But there are still some awards shows left, including the Independent Spirit Awards, which was held Saturday night. Host Hasan Minhaj was unsparing in taking on the show itself, which he pointed out wasn’t even airing on television but on YouTube and the IMDb. At one point he even embarrassed Blanchett so much she hid under a table.

Minhaj was trying to generate some breakout moments that would get the show trending on social media. So he went straight into the crowd itself. He finds himself at the Tár table, asking the two-time Oscar-winning actress to make “some unhinged expressions” that will make a good “YouTube thumbnail face.”

Blanchett wasn’t having it. Her hands were already blocking her face by the time Minhaj was hovering over their table, but after he demanded she do some viral work, she disappeared under the table. “Is she coming out the other end?” he eventually asked after she refused to resurface. She didn’t, so Minhaj moved onto the film’s director, Todd Field. Alas, he followed his lead under the table.

You can watch the bit in the video above, and you can watch Minhaj’s monologue in the video below.

Travis Kelce made his Saturday Night Live debut this weekend, taking over the hosting role after his second Super Bowl win with the Chiefs earlier this year.

Kelce poked some fun at his brother in his opening monologue, taking some jabs at Jason after beating his Eagles in the first brother vs. brother matchup in Super Bowl history. Jason was set to make an appearance, alongside Travis and Chiefs offensive lineman Creed Humphrey in a pre-taped sketch, but that got cut for time. Luckily, SNL put it out as a digital exclusive and it proved to be one of the best sketches of the entire show.

Travis, Jason, and Creed teamed up to give back to the community in a unique way, as SNL once again dipped into the well of “NFL Gives Back” sketches with the three big men helping out by “lifting women up whose boyfriends can’t lift them.” The Kelces and Humphrey help women who have small boyfriends get that feeling they’re missing in their lives, by scooping them up and tossing them over their shoulder when their boyfriends fail to do so.

NFL charity sketches have a high success rate on SNL, as the one where Peyton Manning cusses out kids and rifles footballs at them is an all-timer. This one might not quite hit those highs but it would’ve been one of the highlights of the night had it not been cut for time.

Last weekend, Scott Adams saw the consequences of his actions: A recent racist rant, in which he called Black people a “hate group” and advised white people to “get the f*ck away” from them, led to the cancellation of his longtime comic strip, Dilbert, from gobs of newspapers. On the most recent Weekend Update, SNL double-dipped into the controversy. Not only did hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost drag him, but they even brought on Dilbert himself to do the same.

Featured player Michael Longfellow swung by in full Dilbert regalia to scorch his own creator. “Michael, I think I can speak for myself and the entire all-white staff at the Dilbert offices when I say this is a total shock,” he said. “I mean, most cartoonists are weird. But racist weird? Let’s just say, I never got that memo,” a winkingly lame nod to the strip’s office work humor.

Longfellow’s Dilbert also addressed his weird epidermis. “My hair is skin,” Dilbert lamented. “It’s the great tragedy of my life.”

He did say that Adams’ bigoted tirade did have one positive effect: It inspired him to delve into socialist thinkers like Karl Marx, leading him to think that there’s a looming race war. He knew he wanted to side with the progressives.

“Are you ready? Because Dilbert is ready,” Longfellow’s Dilbert conlduded. “I woke up this morning ready to take to the streets and paint the city with the blood of a white man.”

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

For the last couple weeks, Fox News has mostly stayed stum about one of the biggest stories around: that some really damning revelations have been made about Fox News as part of the pricey Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against them. If you only watch the conservative network, you may not know much about its hosts privately expressing disbelief at the kooky 2020 voter fraud conspiracy theories, or honcho Rupert Murdoch admitting he let them disseminate them on air.

SNL’s version of Fox News, however, was finally all over it. In their latest Cold Open, the sketch show had Fox & Friends hosts address the elephant in the room, if only after confusing boss Rupert Murdoch with now convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh. And with other things.

“I’m surprised because I’m such a fan of dominions. The little yellow guys with the overalls,” said Bowen Yang’s Brian Kilmeade, who later admitted that he wasn’t in the loop on the fact that the voter fraud conspiracies spread after the 2020 election were BS.

They then said the texts, from the likes of Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, were simply taken out of context. For instance, one in which Sean Hannity wrote “Sean Hannity is insane,” Yang’s Kilmeade claimed, was missing the rest. “It’s Rudy Giuliani is insane-ly hot,” he said.

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

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

10: TIE. You (Netflix series)

Stalker Joe is taking a bit of a reprieve on the streaming charts this week while fans await the second half of the season, which shall arrive in about a week. Until then, catch up on his total lack of coping skills when someone stalks him despite his new persona, Professor Jonathan Moore. This season isn’t as steamy for Joe, but other characters do get it on in some raunchy ways, and it’s quite intriguing (although admittedly troublesome) that the Internet is still holding a candle for Penn Badgley’s leading character.

10: TIE. The Consultant (Amazon Prime series)

I don’t know man. If I walked into work, and Christoph Waltz was there to evaluate me, I’d promptly hide under a desk. The most frightening actor in history portrays (as the title suggests) a corporate consultant who likes to smell people. Fortunately, this is also a darkly comedic thriller series, so if you dig Severance, you’ll probably also enjoy watching this selection, too.

9. Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon series)

Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, portrays the lead singer of a Fleetwood Mac-esque band, but here’s a decent aside: Keough admits to totally lying about her vocal abilities even though she nabbed the role. The series co-stars Sam Claflin, who’s a world away from his The Hunger Games days here, and if you wanted to whirl away on tour with a rock ‘n’ roll band from your living room, this weekend would be your chance to begin.

8. The Walking Dead (AMC series on AMC+ and Netflix)

Much like Walkers, this franchise keeps staggering through the mud while we await more spinoffs. Fortunately, we’re finally seeing more about Rick Grimes’ spinoff and hearing about the more revolting Walkers than we’ve ever seen before now. In other words, between anticipation for the three main-series spinoffs and the final season of Fear The Walking Dead, it’s no wonder that people are still binging this show.

7. The Whale (A24 film streaming on VOD and Amazon)

This is not the easiest watch in the world, but it’s worth the journey of watching Brendan Fraser truly ascend to Oscar-worthy territory after he’s been clawing his way back to Hollywood A-lister status for quite some time and including his Doom Patrol turn. In addition to that HBO Max show (recently RIP) and this Darren Aronofsky picture, we’ll soon see him in a little joint called Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. The Brenaissance has been a long time coming, but what matters is that it’s here.

6. Outer Banks (Netflix series)

This season re-teams the audience with characters who simply cannot chill out and enjoy Poguelandia, so of course, one can expect more danger and intrigue and the search for treasure. This is an incredibly silly show at this point, but at least the show seems self-aware enough to embrace that fact. Soap operatics will abound, and people eat this stuff up.

5. Poker Face (Peacock series)

Let’s just say that things get really intense in this week’s episode for Natasha Lyonne’s latest hard-walking-and-talking protagonist, Charlie. She and Rian Johnson have really come together to bring us a magnificent return to mystery-of-the-week format on TV, and we are lucky to reap the benefits of their collective creativity. Also, my gosh, the steady supply of guest stars here — including Joseph Gordon Levitt, Adrian Brody, Benjamin Bratt, Lil Rel Howery, Chloe Sevigny, and Dascha Polanco — cannot be beat. Between Natasha’s connections and Rian’s knack for interweaving cameos, this show has been a pleasure.

4. Bel-Air (Peacock series)

Will’s spirit remains strong and intact, if a little less effervescent, in this darker take on the original 1990s sitcom. Dramatic territory worked out in a rare display of franchise reinvention, and but this season, it’s growing more apparent that Will must consider the feelings of others in addition to working towards his own development. This season, Jabari Banks returns as Will with Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil and Cassandra Freeman as Aunt Viv. Also, rapper Saweetie is on tap for a cameo, and Olly Sholotan returns as Carlton, who will not be doing the dance popularized by Alfonso Ribeiro’s version.

3. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal (Netflix limited series)

This series has been, not coincidentally, timed to release alongside the real-life trial of formerly prominent attorney and disgraced heir Alex Murdaugh. That trial recently ended, and a verdict came swiftly regarding the deaths of Alex’s son and wife, and this series aims to take a hard look at the evidence, along with damage control from the defendant, who may have been financially motivated, at the very least. The series also takes a grim look at the legal system and those who know how to (again, allegedly) manipulate it from within their own sordid stories.

2. The Mandalorian (Disney+ series)

Finally, the little guy who will never let us down: Grogu, a.k.a., “Baby Yoda.” Although he’s using the Force to snatch candy, his real new adventures have already begun with Pedro Pascal having a true moment on TV these days. One character’s ongoing absence has already been explained, and easter eggs are arriving like mad, but if you are wondering whether or not to watch the Boba Fett series before returning to this show, that’s probably a good idea. Also wonderful: Jon Favreau believes that The Mandalorian can keep flowing for several seasons to come.

1. The Last Of Us (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

Last week’s harrowing episode built (in an emotional sense) upon the one that came before, and only two episodes remain in this season that has made a miraculous leap from video game to true prestige series. Somehow, Pedro Pascal stars in the two biggest shows on TV right now, which is quite a turn from several years ago, when people felt bad that he got killed off Game of Thrones so quickly. Things change! And they stay the same because he remains as charismatic, and Craig Mazin has gone from being known best as one of the The Hangover filmmakers to a mainstay for delivering epic HBO shows. Also, yes, he did kind-of save us from a terrible pilot for GoT, too.

In her second performance of the night, Kelsea Ballerini took to the Saturday Night Live stage for a performance of her song, “Penthouse.”

During the performance, Ballerini and her backing band were dressed in all white, creating a minimalistic aesthetic, while allowing the pure emotions from her lyrics and vocals to shine through.

“We played the part five nights, but we were never there on the weekends, baby / We got along real nice, but when I left town, did you hate / One day, the curtain started coming down / You changed the second we were moving out / I guess wrong can look alright / When you’re playing home in a penthouse, baby,” she sings on the song’s chorus.

While Ballerini has been open about the fact that her divorce from singer Morgan Evans has taken a toll on her, she revealed in an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she is finally finding moments of joy in this new chapter of her life. She is learning how to navigate dating and balance it with fame.

“I do want to be respectful… and everything is new for me—dating, being photographed with someone. It’s all really new, and I’m tip-toeing. And I’m happy. I’m really relearning a lot about myself and how I show up in a relationship and how I show up for myself. It’s been a really beautiful reawakening.”

You can check out the performance above.

Morgan Evans is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In her debut appearance on Saturday Night Live, Kelsea Ballerini brought it all to the table. Tonight (March 4), she performed “Blindsided” from her new EP, Rolling Up The Welcome Mat.

During the performance, Ballerini danced the pain away, while detailing the events that led to the dissolution of her marriage.

“I’d go write a song and you’d go for a walk / We had to get drunk to ever really talk / I told you what I needed, didn’t have to read my mind / So, were you blindsided or were you just blind?,” Ballerini sang.

Ballerini’s SNL performance, along with her most recent EP, follows her divorce from fellow country singer Morgan Evans. In a recent interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Ballerini opened up about the divorce. She revealed that while she is in a good place now, she wasn’t happy that he had released a song — “Over For You” — before they had finalized their divorce. On the song, Evans claimed he was “blindsided” by the divorce.

“His healing journey is his healing journey, but to publicly exploit that feels a little nasty to me, before it’s final,” she said. “Now we’re months past it. We’re moving on, and I’ve taken the time to actually sit in my feelings and go through that grieving process and take ownership of what I brought to the table, too.”

You can check out the performance above.

Morgan Evans is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In his heavyweight debut, Jon Jones (27-1) submitted Ciryl Gane (11-2) to claim the vacant heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 285.

Despite Gane accidentally kicking Jones below the belt to start the fight, Jones managed to control the middle of the Octagon to open the bout, walking Gane backwards before ultimately taking him to the ground. Jones sat Gane down early, then attacked a guillotine and submitted him quickly.

https://twitter.com/anotherFTBacct/status/1632257913850036224

Saturday marked Jones’ return to the UFC and his first bout in the heavyweight division. He hadn’t fought since 2020, earning a decision victory over Dominick Reyes while maintaining his dominance over the light heavyweight division. Jones is arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history, but his background is riddled in controversy amid two victories over another greatest of all-time contender, Daniel Cormier.

Gane, a former interim heavyweight champion, lost his lone title fight in a decision loss to Francis Ngannou in January 2022. He was able to get back on track before his showdown with Jones, knocking out Tui Tuivasa in September last year.

Jones claims the heavyweight crown after Ngannou vacated the belt earlier this year when he was released from his contract. With the win, Jones will likely go on to face off against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Ngannou in 2021.

Millions of fans of HBO’s latest hit series The Last of Us seem to have the same two burning questions: Does a TV show based on a video game really have any right to be this good? And does Joel die in The Last of Us game?

If you put any stock in the Tomatometer, Rotten Tomatoes users have named The Last of Us the best live-action TV adaptation of a video game ever, with a 96 percent approval score. (The Witcher comes in a distant second, with an 81 percent rating.) Which would seem to make the answer to that first question: No, it does NOT have a right to be this damn good — but we’re glad it is.

As for the fate of Joel, Pedro Pascal’s character (who could have been played by Mahershala Ali)? At the end of “Kin,” the series’ sixth episode, it seemed as if Joel might be a goner when the episode ended with him collapsing after being stabbed. In episode 7, “Left Behind,” we learned that all was not lost — yet. While Joel is still hanging in there as his smartass teenage companion Ellie (Game of Thrones show-stealer Bella Ramsey) does her best to tend to his wounds, despite his insistence that she keep moving, Ellie isn’t ready to move on from their time together just yet.

Does Joel die in The Last of Us video game?

For viewers who can’t bear the suspense and are looking to the show’s source material for possible answers on how it all might end for Joel when season 1 concludes on Sunday, Men’s Health reports some possibly good news: No, Joel does not die in the video game. However, the wounds he sustains from the unexpectedly brutal attack are actually much worse. As assistant editor Joshua St. Clair writes:

In the game, Joel and Ellie are fleeing from inside the hospital; the attackers have come in swarms — maybe 20 total — and Joel and Ellie must run-and-gun their way out. As Joel (and, in this moment, the player) makes for a door, leading from an outside corridor overlooking the hospital’s courtyard, a man bursts through, throwing Joel against the courtyard railing. It’s a moment where gameplay seamlessly transitions to cutscene: the two struggle, and then both fall. The perspective of the fall is a skyward view from the courtyard, where a protruding piece of rebar frames the foreground. Joel and the attacker fall towards the camera. Joel is impaled on the rebar.

Ouch!

Of course, there’s no rule that says any adaptation — video game or otherwise — needs to remain faithful to its source material. Bella Ramsey has said that she expects the season 1 finale to “divide people massively,” which some viewers have taken as a hint for bad things to come. But really, it just means that when The Last of Us comes to a conclusion on Sunday, March 5, anything can happen.

(Via Men’s Health)

SZA is pulling out all the stops on her SOS tour. Tonight (March 4), she performed the first of two New York City shows at Madison Square Garden. During her tour, a special guest made a surprise appearance on stage.

In a clip shared by The Hollywood Reporter, SZA brought out Phoebe Bridgers for a performance of “Ghost In The Machine” from SZA’s sophomore album, SOS. Surprising the audience, Bridgers performed her verse of their collab, alongside SZA.

Tonight marks the first time Bridgers and SZA have performed the song live together.

In an interview with NME, Bridgers revealed how the collaboration came together just days before SOS was supposed to drop.

“She just hit me up. She just sent me a DM, and then it all happened so fast,” said Bridgers. “I wasn’t really used to that in that pop world, because vinyl isn’t so much of a consideration until way later. It’s just like, ‘Do you want to be on this record? OK, it’s out next week.’ It was so recent, which I really like. I like that turnaround time. Personally, I sit on stuff for so long and it takes me years to make albums. I like seeing someone else’s world from that angle.”

Check out a clip of the “Ghost In The Machine” performance above.