Month: February 2024

In a nostalgia-fueled move at this year’s SAG awards, Netflix reunited the casts of several beloved award winners, including Modern Family, The Lord of the Rings, and the fine folks of Breaking Bad. Even though they all just reunited for Better Call Saul, it’s the thought that counts!

The cast of Breaking Bad decided to go off-script as they presented the award for best ensemble in a drama series, an award they won 10 years ago. Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Bob Odenkirk, R.J. Mitte, Anna Gunn, Jonathan Banks, Dean Norris and Betsy Brandt all took the stage, and chaos naturally ensued.

Gunn, who portrayed Walt’s wife, Skyler, began the segment by channeling some Sesame Street logic. “Ensemble – the E stands for the excellence that each cast member brings to every exciting episode,” She said. They turned over to Odenkirk, who continued, “And the letter N… N stands for no, no f—ing way I’m going to do this cheesy thing where you say each letter of the word. I’m not doing it,” Odenkirk joked. This was the first time the ceremony was streamed on Netflix, where cursing is a lot more lax than say NBC. But imagine if they could curse on Law & Order?

Paul, a rule-follower, added, “I think we have to, it’s on the teleprompter,” while Norris quipped, “Teleprompter my a–; I got a beer and a couple shots backstage, so let’s get this thing going.”

Finally, Banks (the voice of reason) added, “It’s an award show, they can’t fire us so, f–k ’em!” Even though Netflix cannot fire the Breaking Bad cast, it does have the power to take El Camino off of streaming at any given point, so keep that in mind next time you want to call the streamer out for anything.

Before the award was announced, you could hear Banks also asking, “Where’s Giancarlo?” referring to Giancarlo Esposito, the incomparable Gus Frig. It seems like Esposito is too busy with his new Netflix show to worry about some award show. On Netflix.

Also, Succession won, but you probably already know that. Check out the presentation above.

(Via People)

Kevin Costner (probably?) isn’t returning for the final episodes of Yellowstone, but he’s not done with Westerns entirely. The actor directed, co-wrote, and stars in Horizon: An American Saga, a post-Civil War epic that will take place over four separate movies. It’s like Avatar, but instead of direhoses, there’s, uh, different kinds of horses. You can see the first trailer for the first two chapters above.

The rest of the cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt, and Jamie Campbell Bower.

“When no one wanted to make the first one, I got the bright idea to make four,” Costner said during an event for the trailer, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “So I don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I wanted it to step away from what we usually see in Westerns where there’s a town that’s already there.” He called making Horizon: An American Saga “by far the biggest struggle” in his career. And one of the most expensive.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Horizon: An American Saga explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won — and lost — through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.

The first chapter of Horizon: An American Saga opens in theaters on June 28, followed by chapter two on August 16, 2024.

PJ Harvey is hitting the road again this fall, much to the anticipation of fans, as she announced a new North American tour in support of her album I Inside The Old Year Dying. It has been seven years since she last toured the continent.

Tickets for the run of shows will open in a mailing presale starting tomorrow, February 27, followed by the public sale opening this Friday, March 1.

Along with the reveal, Harvey also released the video for her song “Seem An I.” Directed by Colm Bairéad, it stars Ruth Wilson.

“Ruth and I became friends after working together on Clio Barnard’s film Dark River,” Harvey wrote in a statement. “I have always greatly admired Ruth’s work as an actor, so had long harboured a dream that we might work together again in some way.”

Check out the video for “Seem An I” above. Continue scrolling for a complete list of Harvey’s North American tour dates. Additional information can be found here.

PJ Harvey 2024 Tour Dates: North America

09/11 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/13 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
09/15 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/16 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/18 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall Fenway
09/21 — Laval, QC @ Place Bell
09/25 — Toronto, ON @ History
09/26 — Toronto, ON @ History
09/28 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre
09/30 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
10/02 — Minneapolis, MN @ Palace Theatre
10/06 — Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre
10/07 — Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds
10/10 — San Francisco, CA @ Masonic
10/11 — San Francisco, CA @ Masonic
10/14 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre

The first reviews for Shōgun are riding in, and critics are definitely impressed by the historical epic based on the classic James Clavell novel. Starring Hiroyuki Sanada and a sprawling cast, the ambitious FX series starts its 10-episode run this week, and based on the reviews, Shōgun delivers a whole lot of story. The comparisons to Game of Thrones are plenty as the show delivers a deep bench of characters and political intrigue that hasn’t been seen since Emilia Clarke hopped on a dragon and set her sights on the Iron Throne.

You can see what the Shōgun reviews are saying below:

Lacy Baugher Milas, Paste:

A lavish, ambitious adaptation of James Clavell’s popular novel of the same name, it’s a series that takes big swings, demands much of its audience, and insists that complex character dynamics are every bit as compelling as sweeping, bloody battles. Though it has its flaws, the show is both a genuine spectacle and genuinely spectacular, and if there’s any justice, it should be one of the biggest hits of the year.

Nick Schager, The Daily Beast:

Forty-four years after it was originally adapted into an acclaimed 1980 miniseries, James Clavell’s inspired-by-real-events 1975 novel Shōgun returns to the small-screen courtesy of FX, whose re-do (premiering Feb. 27) may not boast the star power of its predecessor (which was headlined by Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune) but compensates with a more expansive scope and richer narrative. Large-scale warfare, one-on-one showdowns, affairs, imprisonments, executions, assassins, espionage, betrayals, subterfuge, and military strategy are all delivered by this 10-episode epic, whose saga of a wayward Englishman in feudal Japan during a time of great crisis is, if never wholly exhilarating, a stately and compelling vision of honor and treachery.

Alison Herman, Variety:

As the plot ramps up, “Shōgun” delivers the well-rendered action one would expect from a martial story. In lieu of pitched battles, however, the scope is smaller: two boats racing to get out of a harbor, or a lone fighter facing off against a group of assailants. The tighter focus could be a matter of economy, though it also reflects the show’s interest in the interpersonal moments that can get drowned out in the cacophony of war. There are superficial similarities to “Game of Thrones” — five contenders for an empty throne, a storyline about two girlhood friends on opposite sides of a power struggle. But it’s this focus on people that truly unites the two series, and qualifies “Shōgun” to take up the mantle of thrillingly transportive event TV.

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter:

The international casting is tremendous, topped by Sanada, who serves as a producer in addition to his capacity as a source of instant authority and enigmatic, underplayed intelligence. Sawai has been tip-toeing around full-fledged stardom for several years, with supporting roles in Giri/Haji, Pachinko and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but this feels like her arrival. The actress inhabits Mariko so fully as a fragile, wavering soul and a stealthy badass that I wish the series has been able to give her and Jarvis a chance to sell the book’s lustier moments.

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal:

Created for TV by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, this “Shōgun” has dramatic advantages over the 1980 version starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune, acceptable content having evolved to a point where the brutality and perversity of Clavell’s narrative can be presented in a manner far more frank, violent and occasionally repellent than Reagan-era standards would have allowed. Call it good, call it relaxed, but the results feel far more authentic.

Kaiya Shunyata, RogerEbert.com:

With the current abysmal streaming landscape where shows are thrown onto services to collect dust like old VHS tapes, it’s impossible not to feel like TV has been in need of shows that feel like an event. The times of epics like “Breaking Bad” are long over, as are the times where series were able to sustain more than 10 episodes. However, there are still writers and directors who are attempting to craft television shows that feel epic, though some do it more successfully than others. It’s clear from the first episode that FX’s “Shōgun” is one of these shows.

Shōgun premieres February 27 on FX.

Drake is currently traversing the country — with J. Cole in tow — on the latest leg of his It’s All A Blur Tour. Saturday’s show (February 24) brought the “You Broke My Heart” rapper to Cleveland, where he was joined onstage by surprise guests and hometown heroes Doe Boy and MGK. Drake and MGK last shared a stage in 2011, when Drake brought him out at the Cleveland show of his Club Paradise Tour. It looks like the more things change, the more they stay the same. Check out the video and see the remaining tour dates below.

Drake’s It’s All A Blur — Big As The What? Tour Dates

2/27 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
2/28 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
3/2 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
3/3 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
3/5 – Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum
3/6 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
3/7 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
3/10 – Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
3/14 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
3/15 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
3/18 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
3/19 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
3/23 – Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena ~
3/24 – Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena ~
3/27 – Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena at The BJCC ~
4/4 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena ~
4/5 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena ~
4/8 – Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum ~
4/15 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena +
4/16 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena +

+ Rescheduled dates
~ Without J. Cole

Globetrotting pop star Dua Lipa has been fittingly unveiled as YSL Beauty’s new Global Makeup Ambassador, which includes the launch of a new makeup campaign and a continued partnership between the two.

In Lipa’s recent music video for “Training Season,” she rocked the YSL Beauty Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick product, which is launching today as an introduction of what’s to come. This will be followed by the Loveshine franchise, which includes the new Lip Oil Stick product release.

“For me, fragrances and makeup are another form of self-expression, a way to explore my playfulness, my creativity, and my individuality,” Lipa shared in a statement. “I am thrilled to be on this journey as part of the YSL Beauty family.”

“Dua Lipa brings an electrifying energy to our brand, inspiring women to not just wear makeup, but to make a statement about who they are and what they stand for,” Stephan Bezy, YSL Beauty’s International General Manager, added. “Her influence is a celebration of individuality, a statement of empowerment, encouraging everyone to embrace their unique beauty with confidence.”

Lipa previously served as the Global Ambassador for YSL Beauty’s Libre fragrance since 2019, but now she will be taking over the makeup sector as well. YSL Beauty’s Loveshine will debut online in the US on March 15, and available in stores later next month.

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Before taking the stage to perform the entirety of their debut album Oracular Spectacular at Just Like Heaven Fest 2023, MGMT acted out a skit about how they wrote their breakout track “Kids.” They were sitting in a dorm room in 2002 and deciding whether or not they should try to be cool and hit up the frat party down the street. “No, let’s stay inside and make music instead,” they said.

That moment was over twenty years ago. What would they tell their younger selves now if they could go back in time to 2002? The duo — Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser — answered that question at an album release Q&A in Los Angeles the night before their fifth studio album Loss Of Life dropped. They first joked they would be surprised they were only releasing their fifth album (“That’s it? It’s been twenty years!”). But in all seriousness, MGMT would be glad they’re still around. VanWyngarden in particular thought they would have barely lasted as a band after college graduation.

A lot has happened since VanWyngarden and Goldwasser were holed up in a dorm room and messing around on a keyboard. They were quickly shot into indie stardom, something VanWyngarden noted during the Q&A took them nearly 15 years not to be “f*cked up” about. They’ve achieved commercial success and lived the rockstar lifestyles they satirized in their early music (dating models, staying in mansions, rubbing elbows with other celebrities). But with Loss Of Life, an album that’s purposely cyclical, MGMT return to their indie roots.

Loss Of Life marks the band’s exit from a major label in favor of indie rock favorite Mom + Pop Records. Now, they’re getting back to the heart of writing experimental indie rock songs in a way that feels like a matured return to form. With songs like the stand-out single “Mother Nature,” MGMT is doing what MGMT does best; penning swelling ballads that offer obscure-yet-poetic reflections on big-picture themes like love in the modern age and accepting that death is a part of the cycle of life.

The album’s cyclical nature is first apparent in the tracklisting. Seemingly flipped, the project kicks off with the recorded spoken word track “Loss Of Life (part 2)” and concludes with the poignant “Loss Of Life” (a song so heartfelt VanWyngarden teared up in the booth while recording). The opening track is a recording of the 13th-century Welsh poem I am Taliesin. I sing perfect metre, which speaks to reincarnation. “Mother Nature” follows the spoken prose, a nostalgia-inducing ballad which can be summarized as accepting ebbs and flows of pain and pleasure as they get older. “We both turned 40 while making this album, and we wanted to find a way to retain our light-hearted, playful approach to things but to challenge ourselves to have more of a sincere and hopeful message,” VanWyngarden told Billboard about making the album.

At a stage in their lives when they can finally be in a place of acceptance, Loss Of Life is one of their most serious (and most beautiful) records to date. “Nothing Changes” saunters through lyrics about the static tendencies of human nature and the urge to translate perceived signs from the universe into meaning. Meanwhile, their Christine And The Queens collaboration “Dancing In Babylon” (their first duet to ever make it on an album) is a vibrant piano ballad-turned-disco-pop number. MGMT say it was the last song written for the album, while the existential call-to-arms track “People In The Streets” was the first and set the tone for the album overall.

But even still, MGMT are able to lean into the playful silliness of their early projects. This is in part thanks to the duo revisiting early aughts demos while rehearsing for the aforementioned Just Like Heaven set and attempting to recreate some of that magic. Plus, VanWyngarden watched Goldwasser play a lot of the video game Elden Ring while writing Loss Of Life, which is why imagery of castles sneak into songs like “Mother Nature” and “Nothing To Declare.” The song “Bubblegum Dog” is a warbled and nonsensical psych-infused alt-rock song characterized by MGMT’s recognizable harpsichord melodies, ridiculous lyrics, and an accompanying video that VanWyngarden admits cheekily play into “fan lore and conspiracies.” “I Wish I Was Joking” may be a chilled-out track on the surface, but proves the band was having fun in the studio. With a watery effect over his voice, VanWyngarden laments about “municipal parking” and “six dollar coffee” before closing out with a reverb-heavy laugh track.

As a whole, Loss Of Life shows MGMT have gone full circle and come back to their foundations as an indie band, both sonically by shedding the dark melodies of 2018’s Little Dark Age in favor of a more buoyant sound, and literally by signing to an independent record label. They manage to bring a familiar whimsy to their music while finding peace with big existential ideas. While Loss Of Life may have overt themes of death and rebirth, one theme is omnipresent throughout the record: love. In fact, the final words VanWyngarden sings on album-closer “Loss Of Life” is a hopeful message: “Anyone can love.”

Loss Of Life is out now via Mom + Pop. Find more information here.

Back in 2016, American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis wrote an article for Town and Country about what serial killer Patrick Bateman would be up to now. “I think that if I had written the book in the past decade, perhaps Bateman would have been working in Silicon Valley,” he wrote. Easton Ellis imagined Bateman palling around with Mark Zuckerberg and using Tinder to find his next victim. We may soon find out, for better or worse.

Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider reports that Lionsgate is plotting “a new American Psycho movie” set in the modern day. That’s a departure from director Mary Herron’s 2000 film, which satirized the 1980s through Christian Bale’s Sports by Huey Lewis and the News-loving investment banker. Following that same formula would set the reboot/remake/whatever in the early 2010s.

Leaving aside the question of whether there should be a new American Psycho (look to American Psycho 2 to see how things can go terribly wrong), who should play Patrick Bateman in the remake? Social media has some ideas.

But really, there’s only one choice.

If the American Psycho remake gets Glenn Howerton the Oscar nomination he deserved for Blackberry, it will have all been worth it.

(Via The Insneider)

Over the past couple decades, The National and The War On Drugs have been two of the most revered bands in all of indie rock. They also both put on a heck of a live show, which makes today’s (February 26) news especially exciting: The bands have announced their joint Zen Diagram Tour, which will also feature support from Lucius on most dates.

The tour is set to last about a month, from mid-September to mid-October, hitting a variety of North American venues along the way, including the penultimate show at the Hollywood Bowl.

Ticket presales are set to start February 27 at 10 a.m. local time, while the general on-sale kicks off March 1 at 10 a.m. local time, via Live Nation.

Check out the tour dates below.

The National And The War On Drugs 2024 Tour Dates: Zen Diagram Tour

09/12 — Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion *
09/13 — New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium *
09/14 — Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center *
09/16 — Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
09/17 — Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at the Mann Center for Performing Arts *
09/19 — Laval, QC @ Place Bell *
09/20 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage *
09/21 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center *
09/24 — Chicago, IL @ United Center *
09/25 — Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill *
09/26 — Madison, WI @ Breese Stevens Field *
09/28 — Englewood, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
09/29 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Granary Live *
10/01 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena *
10/02 — Vancouver, BC @ Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena *
10/03 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center *
10/06 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre *
10/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
10/10 — Mexico City, MX @ Palacio De Los Deportes

* with Lucius

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 SZA tease her anticipated deluxe edition of SOS and Selena Gomez have some fun as she continues her musical comeback. 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.

SZA — “Saturn”

At some point, SZA is planning to drop Lana, an upcoming deluxe of SOS. We don’t know yet when that’s coming out, but she did preview it last week with the celestial single “Saturn.”

Selena Gomez — “Love On”

Gomez has some big plans on her new single, “Love On.” On the upbeat and super-fun (“Why are we conversin’ over this steak tartare / When we could be somewhere other than here makin’ out in the back of a car”) tune, Gomez sings about all the things she’d like to do with a special someone once she turns her love on.

Saweetie — “Richtivities”

Saweetie continues to honor the music that came before her on “Richtivities,” her first single of the year. As Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes, the song sees Saweetie choosing “to lean into hip-hop history with a soulful sample that sounds like it was inspired by DJ Paul and Juicy J’s beat for UGK’s ‘International Players Anthem (I Choose You).’”

Justin Timberlake — “Drown”

Timberlake is launching his new album, Everything I Thought It Was, in less than a month now. Like “Selfish” before it, last week’s new single “Drown” sees Timberlake getting into his emotional bag, although the theme here is less about devotion and more about betrayal.

Lil Durk — “Old Days”

The streets are getting some love songs soon with Lil Durk’s Love Songs 4 The Streets 3. He teased the new project days ago with “Old Days,” on which he reflects on his past and desire for peace.

Khruangbin — “May Ninth”

Vibe gods Khruangbin have A LA SALA dropping in a little over a month, but the important date of last week was “May Ninth,” a new single from the group that creates a groovy and relaxing atmosphere.

Lil Yachty — “Something Ether”

Lil Yachty has been trying out pretty much every musical style around lately, and he took another new step last week with “Something Ether.” Uproxx’s Aaron Williams writes of the new song, “Yachty smashes together noise rap and dubstep on ‘Something Ether,’ a glitchy, industrial banger sure to turn those traditionalists against him but garner an even wider variety of rage-ready fans.”

Earthgang — “Perfect Fantasy” Feat. Snoop Dogg

Almost exactly two years after the 2022 album Ghetto Gods, and a few months since they dropped the EP Earthgang Vs. The Algorithm: RIP Human Art, Earthgang has returned with another EP, Robophobia. As it seems, the group continues their trek into tech-inspired themes, and they linked up with Snoop Dogg on the soulful “Perfect Fantasy.”

Free Nationals, ASAP Rocky, and Anderson .Paak — “Gangsta”

Free Nationals reunited with frequent collaborator Anderson .Paak and brought ASAP Rocky into the fold with last week’s “Gangsta.” The song is built on a psychedelic soul groove and the video is a ton of fun, too, featuring younger versions of the artists getting involved in miscellaneous mischief.

Adrianne Lenker — “Fool”

Lenker is just as serious in her work with Big Thief as she is in her solo career, which continues next month with the release of Bright Future, a new album. What’s not the most serious thing is her video for “Fool,” a fun visual that features dancing cowboys, dogs in tutus, and other silliness abound.