Month: December 2023

2023 was a great year for sneakers and the first year of this decade that felt unique to the 2020s. We’re no longer completely beholden to the styles and trends of the last decade; yes, the classics are still classics (don’t worry Jordan heads), but there’s a distinct freshness to this year as the trends of the last few years have faded away and been replaced with new aesthetics, new silhouettes, and a roster of “forgotten classics” that this decade can claim as its own.

Dad shoes are out. Sleek runners, utilitarian builds, and trail sneakers are in.

We cover the best sneakers weekly here at Uproxx and save for a few bad weeks, this year remained remarkably consistent from January to December. Even this week — as we close in on the holidays — brought some pairs that feel like they could be someone’s favorite. One even made this list!

This comes as a pleasant surprise because if you had asked me last year at this time how I thought 2023 would turn out, I would’ve guessed it would be a rough one. In last year’s list, I spent five whole paragraphs talking about the fall of Yeezy — a brand that dominated the first half of 2022. So, did we miss the brand this year?

Not even a little bit. Sneakerheads still had plenty of drops to froth over, geek out on, and feel brokenhearted about not being able to cop. In honor of their hypebeasting, we’re here to highlight the 20 best drops of the year and, if you missed the initial drop, guide you to where you can pick them up right now.

Salehe Bembury x Clarks Mud Moss Lugger Masala Orange, January 2023

Salehe Bembury is still churning out new colorways of his Pollex Clog, but by far our favorite Bemburry collaboration came not from the usual suspects like Crocs and New Balance but instead from Clarks.

The Mud Moss is a lugger-style shoe made from Lichen suede with leather and fabric accents, a crepe cup sole, and an asymmetric lace-up system. The sneaker dropped in three different colorways, but our favorite is the Masala Orange. Leave it to Bembury to make a fantastic orange-toned sneaker, the color has become his unofficial signature.

Find the Salehe Bembury x Clarks Mud Moss Lugger Masala Orange at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

A Ma Maniére x WMNS Air Jordan 12 Retro Black, February 2023

Last year, Atlanta-based brand A Ma Maniére was one of our favorites because of their luxury-leaning Jordan collaborations, and while the brand has been relatively quiet this year, they still found time to drop this gem.

How do you make one of the most luxurious Jordan silhouettes look even more elegant and next level? Collaborate with A Ma Maniére! This women’s exclusive features a nubuck upper in jet black with burgundy furry suede overlays and waxed rope laces over a maroon rubber outsole.

Find the A Ma Maniére x WMNS Air Jordan 12 Retro Black at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

JJJJound x New Balance 991 Made in UK Grey, February 2023

This year JJJJound kept busy with a steady drop of minimalist colorways across various brands, but the sneaker that stood out to us the most was this link-up with New Balance.

Coming out of the MiUK factory, this “Grey” 991 sports a mesh upper with pigskin suede overlays. The underlying mesh is grey but I’d clock this sneaker as tan if I had to pick one color. But hey, who am I to name sneaker colorways?

Naming issues aside, this was a great sneaker drop highlighting what makes JJJJound a vital collaborator in the sneaker space.

Find the JJJJound x New Balance 991 Made in UK Grey at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Nike Air Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined, March 2023

It feels obvious to include the White Cement Reimagined on a year-end sneaker list because it takes what is quite possibly the most iconic colorway of the Jordan 3 and… re-releases it! I debated not including this sneaker on this list because of that but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. At the end of the day, retro rerelease or not, this is still a great-looking sneaker!

The White Cement Reimagined features all the original 1988 specs: a white leather upper, elephant print overlays, and Varsity Red accents, but there is a slight yellowing at the midsole and heel piece, giving the sneaker an aged vibe. While I could see a lot of people wishing for a 1:1 recreation of the original, I think it’s interesting how the slightly aged look speaks to the sneaker’s heritage.

This is a 35-year-old shoe we’re dealing with and it still looks fresh even when it shows its age.

Find the Nike Air Jordan 3 White Cement reimagined at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Tiffany & Co x Nike Air Force 1 Low 1837, March 2023

How long did the pitch meeting last for this team-up between Tiffany & Co and Nike? It seems almost too obvious — take two NYC icons, the Air Force 1 and Tiffany & Co, and combine each brand’s most famous colors.

This sneaker is a triple black Air Force 1 with a robin’s egg blue swoosh with Nike branding in Tiffany’s iconic script. It looks like what AI would spit out if you asked it to dream up a collaboration between the two brands and yet, we can’t look away. Look at this thing! It’s beautiful.

The sneaker features a tumbled leather upper with a woven tongue tag, embroidered branding, and engraved details. It’s New York streetwear luxury at its finest.

Find the Tiffany & Co Nike Air Force 1 Low 1837 at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low Olive, April 2023

If you look at the early Travis Scott sneakers you’ll see designs that are indebted to the murky colors of Scott’s former mentor, Yeezy. Now, in 2023, it feels like Travis Scott has come into his own. The Travis Scott Nikes look distinctly Travis, and that’s not just because of the stupid large backward swoosh. One of the things I love about Travis’ Nike collaborations is how he’s made the low-top Jordan 1 cool.

Don’t get me wrong, the low has always had its fans, but let’s be real, the high top is the more popular of the two form factors. Travis brings that into question though. By far my favorite Travis x Nike collaboration was this women’s exclusive Olive.

The sneaker features a suede base in black with off-white leather overlays with a large olive backward swoosh in suede. It’s luxurious, sleek, and super clean.

Find the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low Olive at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Joe Freshgoods x New Balance Rainier Lil’ Block, April 2023

We can always count on Joe Freshgoods to drop fire and this year this collaboration with New Balance rose above the rest. The Rainier brings the Freshgoods aesthetic to NB’s hiking silhouette and features a ripstop textile upper with rope laces, a high-cut padded collar, and a waterproof GORE-TEX membrane.

Despite its chunky appearance, fans of the sneaker love it for its lightweight fit. Hiking shoes have never looked this good.

Find the Joe Freshgoods x New Balance Rainier Lil’ Block at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 1906R Jade, May 2023

If 2023 showed us one thing it’s that New Balance is Nike’s biggest threat, and Aimé Leon Dore is largely to thank for that. This year the two brands’ best collaboration was the 1906R in Jade

The sneaker features a white mesh upper with synthetic overlays in green and metallic silver with dual branding and rides atop an ACTEVA LITE midsole with ABZROB SBS heel cushioning. Given that ALD founder and creative director Teddy Santis is now New Balance’s creative director, the shoe feels like a celebration and victory lap for the two brands.

Find the Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 1906R Green at aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Action Bronson x New Balance 990v6 Made in USA Lapiz Lazuli, June 2023

Action Bronson’s debut NB sneaker, the Baklava, made waves earlier this year and while I do like that sneaker a lot, the second drop is the one making our year-end list. The Lapis Lazuli features a mesh base in navy blue with a suede mudguard, microperforated suede overlays, and a yellowed midsole.

My favorite details exist on the heel though, which features a blast of purple mesh with a baby blue heel clip that pops against the darker colors of the rest of the sneaker. In Action Bronson, New Balance has found one of its greatest collaborators.

Find the Action Bronson x New Balance 990v6 Made in USA Lapis Lazuli at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Sporty & Rich x Adidas Samba OG Cream Blue, June 2023

Currently, Adidas’ most popular silhouette is the Samba, a sneaker that dates back to 1949. It’s amazing that a sneaker this old can remain popular and it’s a testament to the genius design of the brand’s older silhouettes. I wish some of that magic was present in the brand’s newer designs but it’s often not.

This collaboration with Emily Oberg’s Sporty and Rich features a leather upper in rich cream with suede overlays, a woven tongue tag, dual branding, a translucent gum outsole, and Aqua blue stripes. It’s without a doubt the best colorway of the Samba to drop all year, and that’s saying a lot considering the renewed popularity of this silhouette.

Find the Sporty & Rich x Adidas Samba OG Cream Blue at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Nike Zoom Vomero 5 Yellow Ochre, June 2023

The Vomero 5 is currently one of Nike’s most popular silhouettes and we couldn’t drop our year-end list without highlighting at least one of the colorways, even though the silhouette hasn’t received many high-profile collaborations this year, despite its popularity.

The Yellow Ochre features a mesh upper with synthetic leather and suede overlays, and reflective 3M details at several points across the sneaker. I love the bold look of this colorway, it’s the sort of sneaker that demands to be seen.

Find the Nike Zoom Vombero 5 Yellow Ochre at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Asics Gel Kayano 14 Silver Cream, July 2023

If you had told me in December of last year that a shiny metallic sneaker would land on my Best Sneakers of 2023 list, I would’ve called you crazy. But I can’t deny the Silver Cream Asics Gel Kayano 14, it just looks too good.

The sneaker sports an off-white mesh upper with bright synthetic silver overlays with black side stripes. While we’re not showing the brand that much love on this list, Asics had a strong year in 2023 and we expect more great drops from them next year.

Find the Gel Kayano 14 Silver Cream at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Fenty x PUMA Avanti VL Black, September 2023

Did Rihanna save PUMA?

When Fenty’s team-up with PUMA dropped in September of this year we saw a level of hype usually reserved for coveted Jordan colorway re-releases, and yes, the sort of reception that Yeezy used to garner. For about a week PUMA was the hottest brand in sneakers, and the Avanti VL makes it easy to see why.

The sneaker, which is a combination of PUMA’s King Football boot and Easy Rider running sneaker sports a premium leather upper with luxurious gold foil branding, leather piping, and a fold-over tongue in leather. My favorite detail about this drop was the reference it made to German designer Jil Sander King, who was the first designer ever to combine the world of high-end fashion and sportswear.

Modern streetwear would not be where it is today without King, and this sneaker feels like a celebration of streetwear’s takeover of the fashion world.

Find the Fenty x PUMA Avanti VL Black at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 Medellín Sunset, September 2023

We’re now living in the Balvin era of Nike. The Prince of Reggeaton is now Nike’s greatest celebrity collaborator, yes, even more so than Travis Scott.

The Sunset features a leather upper in coconut milk, gradient Solar Flare accents, an elephant print mudguard, and soft suede detailing. The yellow eyelets and hints of yellow at the seams draw your eye across the entire silhouette of the shoe. In the Sunset, J Balvin and Nike made a shoe that demands to be admired.

Find the J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 Sunset at aftermarket sites like GOAT and Stock X.

Concepts x 998 Made in USA ‘C-Note – 10th Anniversary,’ October 2023

Concepts and New Balance linked up this year for a reissue of the famed “C-Note,” a sneaker that looks to the $100 bill for inspiration. The running sneaker features a mesh upper with suede overlays, reflective accents, and olive green suede overlays with a hint of blue on the cream midsole and heel.

Find the Concepts x 998 Made in USA ‘C-Note’ at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

AURALEE x New Balance 1906R Bone White, October 2023

There isn’t another sneaker that dropped this year that exudes more Y2K vibes than Tokyo-based brand AURALEE’s team-up with New Balance. The 1906R features an open-knit mesh upper with leather and nubuck overlays, a terry cloth-lined collar, and an ACTEVA LITE midsole cushion.

The initial release dropped in two tonally opposite colorways, but our pick for this year is the Bone White due to its vintage vibes.

Find the AURALEE x New Balance 1906R Bone White at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Social Status x Nike Mac Attack SP Split Vision, October 2023

John McEnroe’s signature Nike sneaker, the Mac Attack is back! The shoe was reintroduced with an ad campaign that featured McEnroe and Travis Scott bonding over the courts. It was essentially a tease for a future collaboration that still hasn’t come out yet. Had it been released, we’re sure it would’ve made this list, but as we’ve been waiting other brands have been tackling the silhouette.

Our favorite this year is the Social Status take. The sneaker features a grey upper with reflective cracked leather overlays and nylon details. Red and yellow accents add some nice contrast at the heel and tongue.

Find the Social Status x Nike Mac Attack SP Split Vision at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Nike Zoom Kobe 6 Protro Reverse Grinch, December 2023

Released quietly near the end of this year, the Nike Zoom Kobe 6 Protro Reverse Grinch’s drop was a loud reminder that Kobe’s Nike line is one of the brand’s finest. With the renewed interest in silhouettes from the ‘00s, the Kobe 6 (which first dropped in 2010) looks downright futuristic in 2023. It has all the sleek aesthetics typical of ‘00s sneaker style, but still manages to look alien and next level. Here is to hoping 2024 brings more Kobe drops from Nike.

The sneaker features a scaled micro-mesh upper in bright red with green laces and a black swoosh. As the name would imply, it’s a reverse color flip version of the original Grinch colorway.

Find the Nike Zoom Kobe 6 Protro Reverse Grinch at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Jordan 11 Gratitude, December 2023

The Gratitude is a refresh of the Jordan 11 Defining Moments, the sneaker’s greatest and most iconic colorway, and while I’ve mentioned in other entries that I don’t love highlighting refreshes, come on. What do you expect? The sneaker looks just as great as the day it dropped, I’d be lying if I didn’t say this is one of the year’s best drops.

The sneaker sports a premium leather upper with a knit collar and that iconic patent leather mudguard over a translucent outsole. To differentiate it from the original release, the outsole features a light yellowing that matches tonally with the gold Jumpman emblem.

Unlike all the other sneakers on this list, you can pick this one on drop date for retail price when it drops on December 9th via the Nike SNKRS app. The fact that a sneaker dropping this late in the game is making our year-end list puts into perspective just how strong this year in sneakers was. I’m telling you — 2023 is the year that keeps on giving.

SNEAKER OF THE YEAR: Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 Pine Green, March 2023

I’m a Jordan 4 guy. I think it’s simply the best sneaker in the entire Jordan lineage so when the Jordan 4 Pine Green dropped in March of this year, I was instantly on board. But what elevates this Jordan 4 above others is that it is a collaboration with Nike SB, resulting in a shoe that exhibits the best of both worlds of basketball sneaker and skate sneaker aesthetics.

The upper features a reinforced leather build with luxurious suede overlays and an eye-catching gum outsole. I especially love the way the Pine Green accents pop against the white base. The minimal design helps to highlight everything that makes the Jordan 4 great.

This is, without a doubt, our pick for the sneaker of the year for the way it highlights the influence that basketball and the world of skateboarding have had on the modern look of streetwear.

Find the Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 Pine Green at aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.

Taylor Swift isn’t the only artist with songs in the vault! This morning, December 8, The Killers dropped Rebel Diamonds, billed as a greatest hits album full of “20 songs for 20 years” of The Killers. But “Spirit,” the final song on the tracklist, is brand new.

“The Spirit” lives seamlessly beside The Killers classics like “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young,” or even this year’s “Your Side Of Town,” because it possesses the same synth-based, punchy vibe The Killers have become synonymous with. “Where does the Spirit go?” sings Brandon Flowers. “Is it someplace holy? / Is it holy and free? / I don’t know if it’s true / But I think that I want it / I want it to be.”

Flowers sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to dissect Rebel Diamonds, including “Spirit,” and toward the end of the hour-long conversation, he touched on what can be expected from The Killers in the future.

“I got 20 more [years] in me,” he said. “We are planning maybe some anniversary shows, which, I wish that I could tell more. […] The goal for me, which we need to get everybody on the phone, is to get all four of us to make a record.”

Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. have remained fixtures in The Killers. Mark Stoermer stopped touring with the band, and Dave Keuning announced his hiatus from touring in 2017.

Still, The Killers have planned several European dates for next summer. See those dates below, and listen to “Spirit” above.

For the past few years, Snoop Dogg has been one of the biggest advocates for NFTs while also criticizing the current streaming model. In 2022, after securing the rights to the Death Row Records catalog, he removed most of it from streaming services and kept them off until earlier this year. Meanwhile, he told fans he wanted to make Death Row an “NFT record label” and maneuvered to have his supergroup Mount Westmore’s first album released as an NFT on Gala Music.

In a new interview, he revealed what prompted his interest in NFTs: Only getting $45,000 from 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Appearing on the podcast Business Untitled, Snoop explained that creators were using his likeness and name to promote various products and although he was mad at first, his embracing them allowed every one to make money “and not have to pay Apple 30 percent… to directly get it, sell it, and resell it. That was like real estate.” The difference, he said, was “transparency.”

“That’s what the music industry and the film industry doesn’t have, so this was a way to show transparency,” he said. “‘Give me a song,’” he said from the perspective of a traditional label exec. “‘I’m taking 60 percent ’cause I’m putting it out for you, you getting 40 percent. That may sound like a lot, but you just made $100,000.’ In the streaming world… They just sent me some shit from Spotify, where I got a billion streams. My publisher hit me. I said, ‘Break that down, how much money is that?’ That sh*t wasn’t even $45,000… when [NFTs] came out, I could tell an artist that same song that you put out traditionally that didn’t make no money, give it to me. Every time you sell it, if somebody else sell it, you get 10 percent of it.”

As he points out, blockchain technology allows this moeny to be directly funneled from the point of purchase to the artist without having to go through admin at rights holders (which could not only delay a royalty payment but heavily eat into it, as well). This was actually the exciting use case for the tech that made it seem viable in the first place, and while the NFT craze derailed it somewhat (the apes were really dumb, sorry not sorry), that end case is still in play, offering artists an avenue around the streamers, which have notoriously low payouts for artists.

While Snoop’s $45,000 claim seems… mathematically iffy, at best, his point is still valid. Spotify has taken a lot of heat lately for its comically low payouts, so much that the company announced sweeping changes to free up more money in the royalty pool after some less than scrupulous creators found ways to game the system (of course, it also fired over a thousand employees, so… yeah). Since most of Snoop’s most popular music pre-dates streaming, it could just be that a lot of hands are grabbing pieces of the pie before he does — another legacy of the lopsided major label system (for the record, Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group). It’s fortunate that he’s found a new way to revitalize his original revenue stream, even if he’s got plenty of others, these days.

Olivia Wilde‘s most recent movie, Don’t Worry Darling, was plagued with drama, including behind-the-scenes tension, casting fiascos, and alleged spitting. For her next film, she’s going to scale things back and make something deeply personal to her: a Christmas comedy where Santa Claus testifies in a divorce hearing.

Wilde is attached to direct Naughty, which Deadline described as “Bridesmaids in the North Pole.” The film follows Mallory, “whose only hope of securing custody of her son from her gaslighting trash-bag ex is to find Santa Claus and convince him to testify in her divorce hearing.” Cocaine Bear writer Jimmy Warden penned the script, while Margot Robbie is listed as a producer through her LuckyChap Entertainment production company.

Between LuckyChap’s recent success with the years biggest film in Barbie and Wilde being one of the more sought after female directors in town, the package is sure to garner attention from studios.

Every couple of years there’s a “naughty” Christmas movie: Bad Santa, A Bad Moms Christmas, other movies without “bad” in the title. Naughty takes things one step further by literally being called Naughty.

No casting has been announced yet, but something tells me Santa Claus won’t be played by “such a bitch” Tim Allen.

(Via Deadline)

The Rundown is a weekly column that highlights some of the biggest, weirdest, and most notable events of the week in entertainment. The number of items could vary, as could the subject matter. It will not always make a ton of sense. Some items might not even be about entertainment, to be honest, or from this week. The important thing is that it’s Friday, and we are here to have some fun.

ITEM NUMBER ONE – Give it to me

The holidays are a time for traditions. Putting up a tree, eating cookies, opening presents from family members who do not know what size shirt you wear, and so on. Those are some of the classics. But everyone has their own specific ones, too. Maybe you cook a special dish or play a fun little game or you sneak one naughty ornament onto your tree as a joke. I have one of these, too. I like to get blind with a jealous rage that other people in the entertainment industry get a fancy cake sent to them by Tom Cruise.

Background, quickly: Every year for many holidays now, Tom Cruise has sent a special cake to various co-stars and friends and members of the entertainment press. The cake is from Doan’s Bakery and is available on Goldbelly for $150 and is described thusly:

Doan’s Bakery ships its legendary white chocolate coconut bundt cake nationwide on Goldbelly! The White Chocolate Coconut Cake is Doan’s most famous creation and for good reason. They start with a ring of moist, luxurious coconut bundt cake, mix in chunks of sweet white chocolate, layer on rich cream cheese frosting, and then dust it all over with toasted coconut flakes. The result is a delicious, pillowy cake good enough to derail the strictest Hollywood diets.

And then every year a bunch of people post pictures of the cake when they receive it…

… and every year I do not get the cake.

I want this cake. I think I deserve this cake, honestly. I’ve been very good. I’ve been, at the very least, pretty good. Most of the time. I’ve rarely been bad. And even if I have, I don’t think Tom Cruise knows about it. Unless one of you told him. Did you rat me out to Tom Cruise? Is that why I haven’t gotten the cake? Because you snitched on me? I will never forgive you if this is the case.

It’s not even the cake itself that I want that badly, although I will always accept baked goods if they are offered to me. (Please do not send me poisoned baked goods. This will also make me upset at you.) I’m not a huge coconut fan. It’s more just that other people have it and I don’t. It’s not fair. Give me this cake. I do not want to buy it. I want Tom Cruise to send it to me.

Tom.

Tom Cruise.

Are you reading this?

Send me the cake.

Tom.

The cake.

I will give you my address.

Don’t listen to what all those people said about me not deserving it.

I do.

I deserve the cake.

Send me one.

Send me the cake, Tom.

I’ve seen all the Mission: Impossible movies.

I’ve earned a cake.

This cake.

Not that watching the movies was a grind or anything.

I love them.

Tom.

I did not mean for that to sound like an insult.

Let’s not get bogged down in it.

Forget I mentioned it at all, actually.

Just get the cake in the mail.

If not this year, then next.

But this year would be better.

Tom.

Send me the cake.

Please.

Thank you.

ITEM NUMBER TWO – Margot Robbie is cool

It is my position, and has been for a while, that Margot Robbie seems like a cool lady. I say this for many reasons, none of them firsthand. She just seems cool. And nothing she’s done recently has dissuaded me from that in any way. Like, look at this sit down she did with Cillian Murphy for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, where the stars of the summer Barbenheimer phenomenon had a nice little chat about, well… everything. Did you know Margot Robbie, like me, is a huge Peaky Blinders fan? Well, you do now. Again, very cool.

Here are my two favorite sections of their chat, though. First, the bit where she calls out a producer by name for suggesting she get the date of Barbie moved to create more room for Oppenheimer.

One of your producers, Chuck Roven, called me, because we worked together on some other projects. And he was like, “I think you guys should move your date.” And I was like, “We’re not moving our date. If you’re scared to be up against us, then you move your date.” And he’s like, “We’re not moving our date. I just think it’d be better for you to move.” And I was like, “We’re not moving!” I think this is a really great pairing, actually. It’s a perfect double billing, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.”

Hmm. Yes, correct. Good for her.

This part is my favorite, though. What started as a little discussion about wearing pink turned into something incredible.

ROBBIE: No, I’m not done with pink yet. Yeah, the costumes were incredible. I mean, you just can’t have a “Barbie” movie without the color pink. And everyone really got on board with that. I’d make a “On Wednesdays, we wear pink” day. Do you know that reference from “Mean Girls”?

MURPHY: I had forgotten that reference.

ROBBIE: On Wednesdays, they wear pink. And so if you didn’t wear pink on set, you got a fine. And then I’d donate it to charity. It’s always the guys, I feel like, that are like, “Oh, finally I have permission to wear pink and get dressed up!” It would get crazier and crazier until Ryan would be like, “I think I need a mink.” It would just get insane.

Two things here:

• I would pay $100 to watch Mean Girls in a home theater with Cillian Murphy
• Please stop what you’re doing right now and imagine a world where Cillian Murphy played Ken in Barbie

I can’t stop thinking about this. If you see me out this weekend with a stupid smile on my face, please know that I’m probably picturing this in my brain.

ITEM NUMBER THREE – I need people to keep asking Hugh Grant questions about Wonka

Hugh Grant is out doing press for Wonka, which is great. It’s great because it’s fun to see headlines about him and then remember “oh crap, Hugh Grant is playing an Oompa Loompa in the new Willy Wonka musical,” but mostly it’s great because he seems so cranky about it all. Just miserable. He’s talked to a few outlets about it and every quote he’s given them is funnier than the last. Like, there’s this one…

“I made a big fuss about it,” Grant said. “I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more.” Asked if the ends justified the means, he replied: “Not really.”

Grant later joked that it was nothing personal against Wonka and director Paul King. “I slightly hate [making films] but I have lots of children and need money,” he said.

… which is really very lovely. You can hear him saying it in his voice if you focus for a second. “I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more.” Good for Hugh Grant. I’m sure the studio is thrilled.

This one was great, too, where Hugh Grant talked to People Magazine and told them about the film director, Paul King, sending him an image of a nude Oompa Loompah for funsies.

“Paul, quite early on in the editing process, sent me a mock-up of the Oompa Loompa stark naked. And my little children were a little alarmed at that,” says father-of-five Grant, 63.

The reason for the nude image? “To amuse him,” says the actor, who also worked with King on 2017’s Paddington 2.

What is your favorite part of this? Is it the image of Hugh Grant’s face when he opened the email? Is it the thing where this is what the director of Paddington 2 is up to in his free time? Is it the thing where this is all in service of a musical where Timothee Chalamet plays Willy Wonka?

My favorite part is all of it. I hope the press tour never ends.

ITEM NUMBER FOUR – Please make a movie about the counterfeit olive oil

It brings me great pleasure to report that the counterfeit olive oil situation in Europe remains completely out of hand. Just unruly in every way. This week, various law enforcement agencies in Spain and Italy arrested almost a dozen people who were involved in the oil fraud operation. The news reports about it said the confiscated olive oil was “unfit for consumption,” which sounds bad, and that the operation produced over 60,000 gallons of it, which is… almost impressive actually. Bad, yes, but a little impressive.

From the report in the New York Times:

The Italian authorities have been particularly busy in recent years cracking down on mislabeled olive oil. The Olive Oil Times, a publication that covers the olive oil industry, reported that Italian officials prevented 2.3 million liters, or roughly 607,595 gallons, of virgin and refined olive oils labeled as extra virgin from being sold last year.

Two notes here:

• We actually discussed all of this once before but I really do love the idea of journalism majors getting jobs covering breaking news at The Olive Oil Times
• I need someone to make a movie about a loose-cannon law enforcement agent breaking up an illegal olive oil ring

Moving on.

Photos and videos of the investigation that were posted by Europol on social media hinted at a vast and detailed operation: towering silver barrels, safes filled with thick wads of cash, rows of computers, and containers filled to the brim with a thick, yellow-brown substance that investigators poured into small labeled bottles.

God yes. I’m serious now. I need this movie by next summer at the latest. Send Jason Statham into the warehouse. Let him punch a dozen armed goons in the throat. Have him knock over a huge drum of olive oil and make the goons slip and slide and fall down like cartoons. Cast Joaquin de Almeida as the head of the counterfeit olive oil conglomerate. The name might not leap out at you but Google him and you’ll know this is right. Give Statham’s character a name like Special Agent Steel Knifeman. We can do this.

We should do this.

We must do this.

ITEM NUMBER FIVE – I do not know why I am like this

Macaulay Culkin got a star on the Walk of Fame last week. That’s nice. He deserves it for Home Alone by itself. We’ve been watching and enjoying that movie as a society for over 30 years now. And he seems shockingly well-adjusted for a child star. I’m actually really happy for him. Good for Macaulay, man.

His Home Alone mom, Catherine O’Hara, who also deserves every nice thing in the world, presented him the star at the ceremony.

Working with him as a co-star, O’Hara marveled at how Culkin fully and seemingly effortlessly embodied his character. “It was as if this real boy, Kevin, was surrounded by actors and just went along with it for the fun.” She credits him for the movie becoming a global, and enduring, phenomenon: “He is the reason we have all made watching ‘Home Alone’ a family holiday tradition.”

Okay, but here’s where I’m weird. I read all that, about how well he’s doing as an adult and about how he has some cool new trinkets to show for it, and all I could think about was the time he showed up on The Righteous Gemstones as the estranged son of Baby Billy Freeman and Walton Goggins, as Baby Billy, said this to him…

Truly the mark of success. Maybe more so than a silly little star on a sidewalk. Either way, the man really is doing great. Let’s say it again: Good for Macaulay Culkin, man.

READER MAIL

If you have questions about television, movies, food, local news, weather, or whatever you want, shoot them to me on Twitter or at [email protected] (put “RUNDOWN” in the subject line). I am the first writer to ever answer reader mail in a column. Do not look up this last part.

From Drew:

I was watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas this week with my son and I had a thought that I really did not know what to do with other than email you about it. What if you took the scene where the Grinch stole all the presents in Whoville but replaced the “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” song with “Sinnerman” from The Thomas Crown Affair? Would that work? It’s still a heist, right? And should we also consider a Grinch movie where the Grinch wears a tuxedo and is voiced by Pierce Brosnan? I swear I wasn’t ignoring my son the whole time I was thinking about this.

Drew, this is a lovely email. I kind of want to edit this together to see if it works but there are three tiny problems:

• I will be devastated if it doesn’t
• I worry the copyright police will kick open my door and take all my electronics away, even my coffee maker
• If I start listening to the Grinch song I might just keep listening to it all day

I suddenly need to hear Rene Russo say “You’re a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss.”

AND NOW, THE NEWS

To Texas!

A mysterious giant Santa Claus inflatable has gotten locals excited for Christmas time in Hollytree.

MYSTERIOUS INFLATABLE SANTA

KETK is told it has been up for about a week now but no one knows who put it up.

“Nobody lives on this lot so we don’t know who installed Santa but isn’t that fun,” said Marsha Daugherty, a Hollytree resident.

FULL HBO DOCUSERIES FROM THE MCMILLIONS TEAM

Regardless, it has been a hit with the community, especially for children.

“I was shocked when I first saw it and I thought it was so big,” said resident Nate Navetta.

GET NATE ON CAMERA AT ONCE

Since being put up, some kids cannot go a day without seeing it.

“My family and I like to drive by it at night,” said Nate.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO NATE AND NATE ALONE

In May 2022, Tate McRae served as an Uproxx cover star around the release of her debut album, I Used To Think I Could Fly, and reflected on her innocent mindset when moving from her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Los Angeles, California at 17 years old.

“Being a Canadian who waltzed into LA, I was very naive,” the now-20-year-old told Caitlin White for Uproxx’s cover story. “I’d walk into every room and see the best in people. ‘Oh no, they wouldn’t hurt a fly. Deep down, they’re a good person.’ I’m just like that — I see the good in people. I had to pull back a bit from trusting everyone and thinking that everyone is in it for the right reasons.”

Eighteen months later, McRae may still see the best in people, but now, she believes in the best of herself. She owns every room — even when she’s not physically walking into it. If you’ve gone grocery shopping, turned on a radio, or scrolled TikTok in the past two months, you have likely heard “Greedy,” McRae’s lead single from her sophomore effort, Think Later, out today (December 8). The seed for McRae’s empowered, high-energy earworm, which became her first top-10 Billboard Hot 100 entry, was unintentionally planted by a man at a bar, drawn to McRae and intrigued to know more about her.

“I see you eyein’ me down, but you’ll never know much past my name,” McRae sings confidently. “Or how I’m runnin’ this room around and that I’m still half your age / Yeah, you’re lookin’ at me like I’m some sweet escape / Obvious that you want me, but I said / ‘I would want myself.’”

First of all, McRae made her name by welcoming people into her most private and vulnerable experiences, insecurities, and thoughts, so we know much more than we deserve to know about her coming of age. Everyone wants a piece of her for a reason. But McRae has not gotten herself here — from winning third place as a preteen on So You Think You Can Dance in 2016 to earning a record deal from RCA in 2019, then winning the hearts of millions with resolute, relatable platinum-certified songs like “You Broke Me First” and “She’s All I Wanna Be” — to impress a strange man at a bar, or any stranger anywhere.

McRae does it because this is all she’s ever wanted. She owes it to herself. She does it for her parents, who were on hand to witness her Saturday Night Live debut as the musical guest on the November 18 episode. She does it for her older brother, Tucker, a hockey player who partially represents why she placed her impressively choreographed, hockey-coded “Greedy” video in an empty hockey rink. In fact, she knew she was onto something when she felt proud to show her friends the “Greedy” video (per her Billboard cover story) because she had not always necessarily felt the same urge to share her past music with friends and family.

“I’ve been sitting on ‘Run For The Hills‘ for nearly a year now, and it has completely stood the test of time,” McRae tells Uproxx one day before Think Later arrives, when asked what track on the album earned her favorite reaction from her inner circle. (For the record, “Run For The Hills” is deliciously ominous in detailing dangerous but thrilling romance.) “It was always a favorite of my friends from Canada, and that always was important to me.”

Elsewhere on the 14-track, Ryan Tedder-produced album, McRae even more directly confirms that her most valued audience hasn’t changed. The acoustic-based, earnestly reflective track “Calgary” begins with McRae wistfully looking back at the childhood she sacrificed while nurturing the parts of that girl still alive within her, a passenger on her rocket ship approaching a different stratosphere of incomprehensible fame and resonance. (She will embark on her international headlining Think Later Tour in 2024, hitting such iconic venues as The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York City, as well as her first-ever headlining hometown concert in Calgary.)

“Same bar, same street,” she sings about her hometown. “Same fears, same dreams / Still trying to get my brother to like me / You said that I always seem to land on my feet / But I got problems hangin’ like a chain ’round my neck / Tryin’, but I’m barely seeing past 23.”

As the album’s title implies, McRae is trying her best to just focus on being 20, young, and free. To allow herself to be swept up in the adventure that comes with having her wildest dreams right in front of her, without worrying about how she might land. To live however feels truest and most satisfying to her. She hasn’t perfected that practice because she is human, and I’ve never met a human who has perfected living life, let alone a young woman forced to adapt to countless people dissecting how she chooses to live her life. But the point is that she’s trying. She’s willing to put her all into living imperfectly anyway, which might be the rarest characteristic a person can possess.

The bass-heavy title track captures this, as she sings in the hook, “Live now, think later / I do it so well.” We should thank her because that resulted in Think Later, proving she has perfected making a resounding pop album.

Below, McRae gave Uproxx a glimpse into how she’s indulging the present as her life, fueled by Think Later, rapidly changes.

When announcing Think Later, you said, “For the first time in my life, I lived this year a little less with my head and a little more with my intuition.” What allowed you to do that?

I fell in and out of love. I turned 20. I started paying attention to what felt right in the moment rather than overthinking every decision I made. I used to overanalyze everything, even while I’ve always had a fifth sense. I realized, over the course of writing this album and living life, that trusting my gut is always the right choice — even if it means facing consequences later.

At the same time, there’s “Calgary,” which finds you in your head. I absolutely adore it because who can’t relate to carrying around the same insecurities and traumas as our childhood selves? The vulnerability balances out the balls-out confidence oozing from “Greedy.” You have always been so good at capturing these intense, polarizing, yet relatable emotions, but was there an emotion on this album that was more difficult for you to articulate than others?

Honestly, writing for this album came a lot more naturally because I was pulling from real experiences I had gone through. Both the experiences that led to the confident, empowered tracks like “Greedy” and the experiences that led to more contemplative, reflective, and nostalgic songs like “Calgary.” So many of my previous songs, especially those I wrote when I was first singing on YouTube, were from situations I imagined. The songs on this album are all so honest — no matter what the emotion was. I suppose, though, that writing sad songs has always felt easier because when I am sad, I find comfort in writing. Channeling my confident self needed to be a lot more intentional.

In “Calgary,” you sing about being 20 but still feeling 15, plus the hook in the title track of, “Live now, think later / I do it so well,” and the entire premise of “Plastic Palm Trees.” You have had a massive 2023, yet it feels like you are just on the cusp. Are you able to be present and let yourself be 20 years old with your whole life ahead of you and the whole world at your fingertips, or do you feel pressure from being in the pop game to act older, chase more “plastic palm trees,” so to speak, and live with a fast-forward mindset?

It’s funny because I always dreamed of leaving Calgary and moving to LA to pursue my dreams of music and dance. When I got to LA, I realized it’s not just a place of chasing your passions, but a place where a lot of people feel lonely. Over the last year or so, I’ve worked really hard to surround myself with good people that prioritize being present and celebrating what we are doing each day. I definitely have so much more I want to do, but I am trying really hard to not focus so much on the pressure.

The album is executive produced by Ryan Tedder. What did he pull out of you that nobody else had before?

When Ryan Tedder became my executive producer, he emerged as the glue I really had been seeking for my sophomore album. I felt my first album felt very all over the place musically; for Think Later, I really wanted cohesion. Ryan was able to take a step back and help me create a body of work that I felt incorporated the many genres and styles that shape me while still existing in one consistent world. He’s also just a musical genius.

I’m all in on this hockey aesthetic for Think Later. With the “Greedy” video, I love the locker room callback to Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets and “Damn Yankees.” What hockey term or aspect of hockey culture best describes your Think Later era?

My brother is a hockey player, and having grown up in Calgary, hockey has always been a part of my life. In creating the Think Later era, hockey just became a great way to pay homage to my roots and highlight the athleticism in my fashion, style, and approach to live performances.

Think Later is out now via RCA Records. Find more information here.

Contrary to what you might have heard, nobody died while filming Squid Game: The Challenge, though there was a chapped lip incident. Despite the buzz and initial backlash, some contestants did enjoy their time on the reality series, and others thought it was just plain silly.

Squid Game: The Challenge put 456 contestants together and had them compete in various challenges, mostly based on children’s games, like Battleship, Red Light Greenlight, and marbles. Runner-up Phil Cain/player 451 spoke to EW about his initial reactions to the final challenge, which was an intense game of Rock Paper Scissors, also known as every 8-year-old’s recess nightmare. Cain told the site:

Oh, my God. This is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen, but what better way to go out than Rock, Paper, Scissors, the simplest game ever? [Laughs] In a way, it was nice because it really was mostly chance — or I thought it was mostly chance. I didn’t realize that there might’ve been strategy behind it! [Laughs] That was kind of comforting being like, Whatever way this goes, at least we know it’s going to be fair. There’s no backstabbing anymore. There’s no more drama. It’s just a simple game. Let’s decide it right now.

Despite losing, Cain says that he is happy he was on the polarizing show. “It was a beautiful representation of what human nature really is in the face of adversity, because even though the game was literally pitting us against each other, it never felt like that,” he explained, “It never felt like it was me against them. It always felt like us vs. the game. It was an honor to be a part of that, and I’m pretty proud of myself for playing with integrity and never having to compromise on my values.”

Sure, it’s silly, but if you’re interested, season two is now casting!

(Via EW)

In June, Doja Cat will paint Lisbon, Portugal red with rhymes. Today (December 8), the “Attention” rapper has been announced as the latest headliner for Rock In Rio 2024. The festival is slated to occur across the second and third weekend in June. So far, several of the event’s highlighted acts have been announced. However, Doja Cat’s attendance marks a momentous occasion for more reasons than one.

Firstly, this is Doja Cat’s first time playing in the event. Also, her playing on June 23, 2024 gives her the honor of closing out the festival. In a statement, Roberta Medina, the Executive Vice President of Rock in Rio, spoke about the notable occasion: “To have Doja Cat headlining our lineup for the first time in Portugal is a privilege! It’s going to be four days of great joy to recharge the energy of everyone who passes through the City of Rock. As you can see from the names already announced, we’ve got rock, pop, hip-hop… music for the most mature to the youngest.”

Other performers on the lineup include Scorpions and Evanescence on June 15. Ed Sheeran, Calum Scott, and Jão will perform the following day. Doja Cat, Camila Cabello, Luísa Sonza, and Pedro Sampaio will perform on June 23. No entertainers have been announced for June 22 as of yet.

Rock In Rio 2024 is set to take place on June 15, 16, 22, and 23, 2024, at Parque Tejo in Lisboa, Portugal. Tickets are on sale now. Find more information here.

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

Poor Things is racking up rave reviews, particularly for Emma Stone‘s performance in the dark comedy from director Yorgos Lanthimos. The film only just arrived in theaters, but we have a ballpark guess for when you can watch Poor Things on streaming.

Since Poor Things is distributed by Searchlight Pictures, which is now owned by Disney, the film will most likely finding a streaming home on Hulu. If Poor Things follows a similar release strategy as a previous Searchlight release, Theater Camp, Decider calculates that the Emma Stone film could arrive on Hulu as early as February 8, 2024.

As for a VOD release, Poor Things will probably hit digital sometime in January 2024, presumably four weeks before it starts streaming on Hulu.

Here’s the official synopsis:

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Poor Things is now playing in theaters.

Four years since its inception, AEW is still doing everything it can to take the title of professional wrestling’s top promotion away from WWE. As history has shown, however, that’s not an easy thing to do — while Tony Khan has made moves in AEW’s programming, its quality of talent, and taking calculated risks, WWE continues to make clear that the leader in sports entertainment isn’t going anywhere.

This competition has led to an outstanding year for professional wrestling, particularly when it comes to the two major promotions in the U.S. As we wind down 2023, we’re here to look back on the biggest matches and moments from a year to remember in WWE and AEW.

10. Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland reach another level

This match wasn’t for everyone. It had lots of blood. There was violence — the image of Hangman drinking and spitting Swerve’s blood is etched in my mind — and incredible storytelling between a former champion finding his fire once again and a rising star becoming an undeniable pillar of AEW.

Swerve going over was the cherry on top of what looks to be a launching pad of a year that included him wrestling in front of 80,000 people at All In with Sting and defeating the likes of Page and former title contender Jay White. This felt like a match we’ll point back to years from now for Swerve, who’s been pounding on the glass ceiling, waiting to break completely through. He and Hangman could be multi-time world champions by the time they’re ready to hang their boots up.

9. Gunther breaks the Intercontinental Championship title reign

WWE’s next big star is quite clearly Gunther. He has been on the cusp of breaking through in recent years during his time as Intercontinental Champion, and all he needed was an absolute show-stealer of a WrestleMania match to kick off the year that made clear he’s going to be a face of WWE. Gunther had a series of really entertaining matches against Chad Gable and is still running through a dominant title run to set him up for his jump to the main event.

WWE hasn’t had a shortage of quality Intercontinental Championship reigns, and for Gunther to set himself apart to this level speaks volumes of what the business sees in him.

8. Bad Bunny leads WWE back to Puerto Rico

For the first time in 18 years, WWE returned to Puerto Rico for one of the most unexpectedly entertaining shows of the year.

On paper, the event looked about as good as any other show this year. But the crowd in San Juan took things to another level. It helped propel Iyo Sky to her eventual title win, gave a hero’s welcome to Zelina Vega, and offered a number of unforgettable moments during Bad Bunny’s moment against Damian Priest — we may never experience anything quite like his entrance before their San Juan Street Fight match ever again.

7. MJF becomes our scumbag

If The Bloodline doesn’t exist, this is likely the storyline of the year. AEW’s biggest villain, their biggest homegrown star, does everything in 2023. He becomes the biggest star in the company, is absolutely despised, is thrown into an odd couple storyline, and creates magic with Adam Cole.

Then as he’s slowly turning from AEW’s most hated to the promotion’s most loved, he goes on to open and close the biggest non-WWE show in history, packs over 80,000 people into Wembley Stadium to watch him nail a Kangaroo Kick and pin his best friend in the main event of their breakout show. He’s now far and away the promotion’s biggest star and has affectionately become our scumbag.

6. Sami Zayn turns on Roman Reigns

This was the storyline of the year. The universal backing of the lovable Sami Zayn gave us an iconic moment when he slammed a chair into the back of Roman Reigns at the conclusion of the Royal Rumble.

The trickle down effect over the coming months would be one to watch, with Zayn losing in his hometown of Montreal, but eventually overcoming the Usos to win the Tag Team titles at WrestleMania alongside Kevin Owens. That fallout has continued over the year, with Jimmy and Jey splitting as a team and settling on opposite shows. But everything goes back to that magical night at the Royal Rumble, when Sami’s split from The Bloodline became official.

5. Sting announces his retirement

There was a moment when a buckle bomb looked to have ended Sting’s career. Prematurely isn’t the right term, because it was plenty reasonable for The Icon to hang up his boots at that point, injury or not.

But when he showed up in AEW, got on the mic, and eventually wrestled in a return match, it was clear he had plenty left in the tank. Fast-forward three years later, and he’s writing his final chapter with a run that is up there with any from his unparalleled career.

4. Roman Reigns reaches 1,000 days as champion

One of the most significant runs in the modern era, Reigns joins only Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Pedro Morales, and Hulk Hogan as stars to have hit that milestone.

He had his standout moments, like matches against Sami Zayn, his WrestleMania showdown with Cody Rhodes, and igniting Jey Uso’s main event run. Regardless of how often the belt has been defended or which shows the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion has missed, Reigns’ title run is one for the ages.

3. CM Punk returns to AEW, leaves again, then joins WWE

One of the most polarizing stars in wrestling history, CM Punk is wrapping one of the wildest years in recent memory for an individual. Punk was on the shelf for a year, recovering from a torn tricep he injured in the main event of AEW All Out and a reported backstage brawl that involved the company’s EVPs, the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, among others.

In his return, things went sideways before they could even be rebuilt. Backstage reports continued to follow that repeated those talking points despite Punk heading up AEW’s new Collision show and the Elite operating on Wednesday Night Dynamite. After a reported scuffle ahead of AEW’s All ln show with Jack Perry, Punk was ousted from AEW.

Fast-forward a few months later, and the Cult of Personality is back in WWE, apparently mending the fences that led to his hiatus from professional wrestling and sparking the biggest shock return in recent memory.

2. AEW All In in London

Since its inception, AEW has yearned for an event that stood out as uniquely special — something that could be compared to its WrestleMania. When the promotion announced its intention to run at Wembley Stadium, assumptions were made on just how ambitious the company would be.

The gamble to essentially open the entire stadium up paid off, with more than 80,000 fans coming together for the history-making evening in London. AEW CEO Tony Khan has a great relationship with the folks at Wembley and it appears All In will become a yearly staple for the promotion. How AEW builds off the success of All In remains to be seen as the promotion continues to reload, with guys like Adam Copeland, Jay White, and Will Ospreay becoming permanent staples on the roster.

1. WWE merges with UFC to form TKO

The past year was a whirlwind for WWE, with Vince McMahon pursuing the sale of WWE, returning to the board of directors, and eventually leading a merger, bringing the UFC and WWE under one roof to form the sports and entertainment group TKO.

The move is monumental on multiple levels, first taking McMahon out of the driver’s seat of a company his family built. The collective power of the MMA and sports entertainment leaders coming together offers limitless opportunities for what the future may offer.