Month: October 2023

Paddington is a very good movie. Paddington 2 is better than Citizen Kane. How good will Paddington 3 be? We’ll found out in just over a year. “How many days are there until November 8th 2024? I’m already looking forward to watching our latest adventures on the big screen,” the official Paddington account on X delightfully revealed, along with the actual title of the movie, Paddington in Peru. Paddington 3 works just fine, too. Paddington won’t mind.

November 2024 is the U.K. release date. The U.S. has to wait until January 17, 2025.

Normally I would be upset that we have to wait an extra two months to see more Paddington adventures but November 8th is three days after Election Day in America, when everything will be very normal and chill. So… yeah. Good call.

Paddington in Peru stars Ben Whishaw as the voice of my friend Paddington, as well as Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer (replacing Sally Hawkins), Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas and Rachel Zegler. It’s directed by Dougal Wilson, who took over after Paddington and Paddington 2 filmmaker Paul King got the Wonka gig. The script is from Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont, with a story-by credit for Burton, King, and Simon Farnaby. Prepare to be delighted.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw a week defined by high-profile collaborations, from Charli XCX and Sam Smith to The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Charli XCX and Sam Smith — “In The City”

Charli and Smith are two of the most exciting artists in pop music right now, so of course the pair’s new collaboration, “In The City,” is worth checking out. It’s a radio- and club-ready anthem that’s all about partying on a fun night out, and both Charli and Smith sound fantastic on the lively tune.

The Kid Laroi, Jung Kook, and Central Cee — “Too Much”

“Too Much” is a real international affair: Australian pop-rap favorite The Kid Laroi, BTS star Jung Kook, and British rapper Central Cee come together on the new single, which avoids becoming a too-many-cooks-ism with all three slotting nicely into the smooth and punchy pop number.

Sampha — “Dancing Circles”

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Sampha: His debut album, Process, was released back in 2017. Now, though, he’s finally come through with a sophomore LP, Lahai. It’s gorgeous, too, with songs like “Dancing Circles” that highlight his idiosyncratic voice and engaging songwriting.

2 Chainz and Lil Wayne — “Presha”

Wayne and Chainz had a hit on their hands in 2016 with ColleGrove, so now they’re returning later this year with another team-up album, Welcome 2 ColleGrove. They unveiled “Presha” last week, which features the two rappers doing their thing over a beat that features a satisfying contrast between deep bass and high-pitch whistling.

City Girls — “Flashy” Feat. Kim Petras

It’s too bad summer has come and gone, because “Flashy” would have been perfect for warm weather. The City Girls and Kim Petras collab is more than welcome here in fall, though, and it sees the pop star and hip-hop duo do some deserved flexing.

Caroline Polachek — “Dang”

Polachek came through with the acclaimed Desire, I Want To Turn Into You earlier this year, but she’s not letting that be the end of her 2023. She released “Dang” last week, which she had the pleasure of premiering live on The Late Show with a fun TED Talk-themed performance.

The Rolling Stones — “Bite My Head Off” Feat. Paul McCartney

Uproxx’s Steven Hyden wrote of Hackney Diamonds, the new Rolling Stones album, “They sound muscular but not lumbering, catchy but not overly pandering to contemporary trends, and (most importantly) ‘admirably dignified’ without appearing ‘terrifyingly old.’ They don’t approach their ’60s and ’70s prime, but by now only committed haters and delusional sycophants would hold Hackney Diamonds to that standard.”

Griff — “Into The Walls”

Griff unveiled Vert1go Vol. 1 last week, an EP that marks her first release since her acclaimed 2021 debut album One Foot In Front Of The Other. Among the highlights is “Into The Walls,” which starts off sounding like an emotional piano ballad before the percussion comes in and kicks the track into a different, upbeat gear.

Dove Cameron — “Lethal Woman”

Cameron’s only 27, but she’s been in the spotlight for about a decade now, whether that’s been via acting or music. On the latter front, she finally has a debut album (Alchemical: Vol. 1) on the way, and she teased it last week with the bold and aggressive “Lethal Woman.”

Lola Brooke — “Pit Stop” Feat. French Montana

Uproxx’s Aaron Williams writes of Brooke and Montana’s new collaboration, “The track finds Lola Brooke goading a male addressee to spend big money at the strip club to prove he’s got it. Meanwhile, French’s verse contains the memorable missive, “Feelin’ like Jerry Jones, man, I hate you n****s.” Topical!”

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

Jim Jordan‘s attempt to be the next Speaker of the House became an embarrassing debacle last week as the Ohio Republican failed three times to lock down the vote. To add insult to injury, Jordan somehow managed to lose support with each round of voting before being thrown off the ballot by his own party during a secret ballot. John Oliver loved every minute of it.

Heading into his first round of voting, Jordan lost after 20 Republican congressman voted against him. That number increased to 23 for the second round of voting. After briefly looking like he might take the hint and throw in the towel, Jordan went back for a third round of voting where the number of entrenched Republicans increased to 25. Realizing this could go on forever, the GOP held a closed door meeting where they held a secret ballot to pull Jordan’s nomination. He lost as 112 members voted to move on, while only 86 reps continued to back him.

Jordan’s exit from that meeting absolutely tickled the Last Week Tonight host.

“Jim Jordan went through three votes, enjoyably losing slightly more each time,” Oliver said via Raw Story. “And at one point was photographed coming out of a closed-door meeting with a hand-written note reading: ‘What is the real reason?’ Which looks less like a bid to be Speaker and more like an early draft of a suicide note.”

The late night host also tore into Texas Rep. Chip Roy, who attempted to spin the Jordan disaster as beneficial to the American public because they get to see the “sausage getting made.”

“Do not play that you’re laying this mess out in public to be transparent about how the sausage is made,” Oliver said. “It’s getting laid out because you’re incapable of making a sausage at all. When people go to the grocery store, they expect Oscar Meyer wieners, not Oscar Meyer’s a pig’s anus and other assorted animal parts.”

(Via Raw Story)

Lil Uzi Vert delivered what “the rap game needs,” as Uproxx’s Aaron Williams put it in his review of Pink Tape, Uzi’s third studio album that became the year’s first rap album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in July. Now, Uzi is hand-delivering Pink Tape with a North American headlining tour of the same name.

The Pink Tape Tour began on Saturday (October 21) in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will continue tonight (October 23) at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois. Opening night revealed, among many things, the Pink Tape Tour merch options.

According to a Lil Uzi Vert fan update account on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Reddit thread, the color scheme is predominantly true to the album’s cover: black, pink, and white. Pins are available for $10, with pink or black bandannas going for $20, vinyls of Pink Tape and Luv Is Rage 2 can be had for $30, and black or silver hats are listed at $35.

Short-sleeved graphic tees cost $45, long-sleeved graphic tees are $60, and a black Pink Tape hoodie is the highest-priced item at $100.

See all remaining Pink Tour dates here, and check out the photos of the merch table below.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘Tis the season for celebrity memoirs, and that means that oversharing is in high gear from entertainers. That includes John Stamos, who’s If You Would Have Told Me: A Memoir arrives in bookstores on October 24. He’s already dropped several tidbits, including how he caught his girlfriend in bed with Tony Danza and was ridiculously jealous of Jodie Sweetin getting more laughs than him from the Full House live audience.

Of course, Stamos also famously got the Olsen Twins fired as babies, so let’s just say that he had a bit of an envy issue on Full House, and as it turns out, he was not only envious of the kids but also had an issue with the late Bob Saget. Yes, that would be Stamos’ good friend Bob Saget, but Stamos claims that they were anything but friends at first. Stamos felt like Saget committed “sabotage” in order to be funnier for the audience. Via The Daily Beast:

Stamos and Saget did not initially get along when they started on Full House; Stamos’ actorly instincts apparently clashed with Saget’s “comedy Tourette’s.” While Stamos would obsess over small details in the script, he recalls, Saget would sabotage his efforts with jokes. Whenever the time came for another promotional photo, the two would jockey over who got to hold Michelle.

Yep, Bob and John both got jealous about who got to hold an Olsen Twin for promotional purposes, all after Stamos had inwardly grumbled, “I don’t wanna play second fiddle to some rugrats.” It was to the point of him begging, “Get me the f*ck off this show,” but hey, it’s a good thing that Stamos didn’t (or couldn’t) leave. If that had happened, he may have never gone onto other roles like the captivating Dr. Nicky on You. Also, we would have missed out on all that “Kokomo.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

It sure looks like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are dating, especially after the two both made surprise appearances on Saturday Night Live and followed that up with an NYC date night earlier this month. Still, neither of them have actually publicly, flat-out said they’re in a relationship. Kelce’s recent response to a fan might be telling, though.

In a video taken at Arrowhead Stadium, where Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs play their home games, this weekend, the NFL star was just standing around, waiting for an elevator as fans surrounded the area. One onlooker shouted, “Let’s go, Taylor’s boyfriend!” Kelce certainly didn’t appear to be bothered by being called Swift’s beau, as he responded by giving a small fist pump in the air and boarding the elevator immediately after.

That fan isn’t the first person to call Kelce the B-word (or rather, imply it): While calling a Chiefs game earlier this month, broadcasting legend and vegetable hater Al Michaels wasn’t quite sure what to call Swift, so he said, “And of course, looking on, is… his… well, at the moment… his good buddy and girlfriend… Taylor Swift.”

Meanwhile, Kelce recently admitted he thinks the NFL might need to chill out a bit about him and Swift, saying, “I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game. I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little more to what you’re watching. But at the same time, I think they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation. I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson resembles a chiseled statue. But apparently turning him into an actual statue is harder than it looks.

The Musée Grévin in Paris, France, debuted a wax statue of The Rock last week, and it was immediately roasted by people wondering why the Moana star has the same skin color as sick ET. “That’s not The Rock that’s The Pebble,” one person wrote on Instagram, while another joked, “This is some BS… That’s a whole white man.” Even The Rock himself has weighed in.

“I knew my boy @jamesjeffersonj had this Rock wax statue in his roasting crosshairs. ‘is this how y’all felt when you lost the Little Mermaid?’ legit belly laughed at this,” he wrote on Instagram in reference to a video from comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr. roasting the waxwork. The Rock continued:

For the record, I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris France so we can work at “updating” my wax figure here with some important details and improvements- starting with my skin color… And next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself.

Maybe this was a ploy by Musée Grévin to get The Rock to stop by with a crate of Teremana Tequila. If so, it worked.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have starred in some iconic movies together: Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers, and most recently, Holmes & Watson. Step Brothers in particular was a pop culture phenomenon, and one of the film’s most memorable moments remains the song “Boats ‘N Hoes.” All these years later, Ferrell and Reilly haven’t forgotten about the tune: This past weekend, the pair reunited to perform the song with Snoop Dogg.

This went down at the Best Night of Your Life 2 benefit show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The trio performed a verse of the song before transitioning into Snoop’s “Gin And Juice.” Ferrell and Reilly then surprised Snoop, whose 52nd birthday was on October 20, with a cake and a singing of “Happy Birthday.”

Snoop, meanwhile, recently spoke about how the last thing he wants to be is the smartest person on his team, saying, “What do I always say, y’all? I want to be the dumbest one on my team. I’ve always said that, I just said that the other night. Because if I’m the dumbest one on the team, I got some bad muthaf*ckas around me!”

Check out Ferrell, Reilly, and Snoop’s performance above.

“NFL” rapper Lil Uzi Vert’s long-awaited album, Pink Tape, quickly shot to the top of the music charts following its release. The 26-track album features appearances by Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Snow Strippers, Bring Me The Horizon, Don Toliver, and Babymetal. Breakout single “Just Wanna Rock” is amongst the records on the project.

Fans were ecstatic to learn that Uzi would perform the body of work around the country as part of their Pink Tape Tour. Yesterday (October 21), they kicked off the national run at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When the tour was first announced, Uzi did not confirm any opening act, which remains the case today. With no official supporting act, ticketholders wonder when Lil Uzi Vert will go on stage for their performance.

According to Setlist.fm, the doors for the Pink Tape Tour stops are scheduled to open around 7 p.m. local time. Uzi’s reported start time for each performance is 8 p.m. local, with the concert’s official run time being between 2 and 3 hours. Once Uzi begins their show, “Suicide Doors” is the opening track. View the full Pink Tape Tour setlist so far here.

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

Ahead of the release of his chart-topping album, Utopia, Travis Scott popped out for several live shows, including a show in Rome, Italy, and a surprise performance during Drake’s It’s All A Blur Tour Vancouver, Canada stop. But in July, an Easter egg deep in Scott’s “KPop” video revealed that he would embark on an arena tour before year’s end.

On October 11, Scott kicked off his Utopia: Circus Maximus Tour at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. So, what time does Scott go on stage? According to Setlist.fm, on average, the doors for each tour stop open at 7 p.m. local time. But the live festivities don’t begin until approximately 8:30 p.m. local time when guest opener Teezo gets the crowd hype for Scott. Teezo’s set reportedly runs for anywhere between twenty to thirty minutes.

After Teezo leaves the stage, there is a brief intermission as the set is swamped out. So far, on tour, Scott has started his set at 9:30 p.m. with the opening track, “Hyaena” (view the full setlist here). However, if you plan on shopping at the tour’s merch shop, you should plan to arrive much earlier.

Utopia is out now via Epic Records and Cactus Jack. Find out more information here. Limited tickets are available for the remaining Utopia: Circus Maximus Tour. Find more information here.