It was Monday night, the night after the Academy Awards, feeling tired but also thrilled we could stop talking about the same ten movies that I decided, yes, I wanted to watch a movie. When the pandemic started here in New York City four years ago this week, I started a list of “movies I’m embarrassed I had never seen.” According to Letterboxd, as I type this – since March 14, 2020 – I have watched 1597 movies. Of these, 1080 have been first-time watches. (This is not a perfect science. Sometimes I forget to hit the “I’ve seen this before” button. Also, a good percentage of those would be new releases.) I mention this because I’ve been pretty motivated to watch movies I’ve never seen before over recent years. Anytime I feel guilty about not having seen a classic movie, I tell myself, “You know, if I watch right now, that feeling will be gone.” It gives me a sense of accomplishment. There’s still plenty I’d like to see, and will, but it’s gotten to the point I’m running out of movies I truly feel guilty having not seen.
Anyway, on Monday night I watched Kindergarten Cop on cable, a movie I’ve seen at least a dozen times. I watched it because it was on. It’s still my favorite way to watch movies.
Five years ago I wrote about the impending death of the random cable movie. At the time, it certainly looked like streaming was about to make cable television obsolete. Then, once the pandemic happened, studios went all in on streaming. This was mostly out of necessity, but the gradual changes that were happening were implemented almost immediately with seemingly unlimited amounts of money of support and … the future of streaming looks a lot more unclear now. And cable bundled with internet service remains my most affordable option – especially with Max, Paramount+, and Disney+ all included with my subscriptions.
And for whatever reason, streaming hasn’t been able to replicate the feeling of flipping through hundreds of channels and then going, “Ohhh, Kindergarten Cop is on,” and it already being halfway over. What’s weird is, when I’m in a “whatever is on cable,” mood, I really don’t want to watch a movie from the very beginning. Wherever it happens to be is fine. Goodfellas plays on a never-ending loop on cable. At this point it’s not surprising Goodfellas is playing, the surprise now is, “Oh, what part are we at?” Because of this, sometimes I wind up watching a movie I’ve seen many times, but not in full in quite awhile, and the first ten minutes feel unfamiliar because I so rarely see that part. I bet the stats on how many times I’ve seen the beginning of Weekend to Bernie’s compared to the ending would be startling. I bet it’s something like two times to 50 times.
(Scorsese movies are always a good example of this. Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed, and even The Aviator, and Shutter Island are on all the time. As long as cable exists, these movies will never go away. If The Irishman or Killers of the Flower Moon were on cable, I’d watch those dozens of times, too. But they aren’t. And I’m never going to go to Netflix or Apple+, respectively, to watch either of those. Because if I’m going to go out of my way to play a movie, it’s going to be something I’ve never seen. The Irishman just feels kind of gone because it’s never “on television” and, now that the Oscars are over, I suspect the same thing will happen to Killers of the Flower Moon. They will both just live on one specific different app each on a device that has many, many apps.)
This all came to a head last September when I contracted the novel coronavirus. (Also known as Covid-19.) Yeah, it was pretty terrible. I had it once before and it was basically a cold. This time, it was the worst thing I had ever had in my life – which included ten straight days of a fever. (This is where, undoubtedly, anti-vax people start yelling at me on social media, “Um, if you’re vaxxed, why was it so bad?” The problem was I was long overdue for my booster, but the advice at the time was to wait for the updated booster that would be out in September that protected against the new variant. I caught it before the new booster came out.) Between the fever hallucination, I was in no real position to make decisions about my viewing selections (or anything, really). I just let cable television do that for me.
According to Letterboxd (I barely remember any of this) I watched: Young Adult, Leaving Las Vegas, Road House, Election, The Firm, White Men Can’t Jump, Dragnet, The Karate Kid, Stand By Me, Rain Man, Clockwatchers, and Good Will Hunting. You know what? Not bad! And even at the time, I remember thinking how happy I was that cable movies were still an option. Also, being in bed for a week and a half, being shut off from the outside world … it was strangely comforting to know I was watching all these movies at the same time as other humans. I don’t know why that matters, but for some reason it really did.
Going back to the piece I wrote five years ago, today I’m less sure it’s going away than I was then. It’s just going to be more scattered. Movies like Tombstone and the aforementioned Goodfellas will seemingly play on cable forever and, ergo, live forever. New steamer-exclusive movies like Killers of the Flower Moon and Maestro will disappear. Popular Warner Bros. movies will always pop up on HBO. Popular Paramount movies will always pop up on Showtime. And then movies like Oppenheimer and The Holdovers, both owned by Comcast (Universal and Focus) will do their run on Peacock, then be licensed out to cable, which is smart.
But I wish the streamers like Amazon and Netflix would license out their movies this way. If nothing else just to keep them in the conversation. If I’m flipping through channels and Killers of the Flower Moon were on, I’d get sucked in. Everyone would. Because as long as these movies play on cable, they stick around. All those movies I listed, that I watched while sick, will have a longer shelf life than the original streaming movies that are brand new. Because they are all available for us when we need them most … the day after the Academy Awards or when we are in bed sick for 10 days.
Modern Black femme artists are reveling in the spoils of dance music reentering the mainstream, not that it hasn’t been here all along. Staking claim to 1990s house music were vocalists Caron Wheeler, Robin S., Cece Peniston, and Crystal Waters, who often melded gospel tones with club-oriented production. Janet Jackson ruled the dancefloor with energetic choreography, disruptive sounds bespoke to her album-to-album evolution, and lyrics that prioritized her largely queer fanbase. Over time, Black women have seen the futurities of a genre that they shaped and, rightfully, continue to shift.
Breaking new ground for underrepresented dance communities was Beyoncé’s seventh album, Renaissance, which made the music icon the first Black woman to win a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. The masterpiece was Beyoncé’s first dalliance with an album concept of escapism, heard throughout its pulsating, 16-track rush. Post-Renaissance, the dance phenomenon has been ongoing, with Black women bringing the underground to the mainstream field on a grand scale.
The movement will only go further as artificial intelligence, techy aesthetics, counterculture parties and the return of true remix albums take the forefront. Renaissance was just the reintroduction, and perhaps a reawakening, for audiences to sit up and take notice of the contemporary Black female artists who’ve been on the dance music moodboard for years.
Perhaps matriarchal of the progressive Black dance culture resurgence, Kelela envisions an underground nirvana that underrepresented and queer communities can thrive in. Introduced to some as an alt-R&B vocalist who had not one but two guest features on Solange’s 2013 Saint Heron compilation, the D.C. native took shape on her cutting-edge debut mixtape, Cut 4 Me, released just one month before.
Kelela kept pushing creativity within her Warp Records collection, whether brief but potent (Hallucinogen), sexily haunting (Take Me Apart), or a masterclass in nightclub liveliness and comedowns (Raven). On the first anniversary of Raven, the LP got a remix edition, Rave:n, the Remixes, a pastiche to Take Me a_Part, the Remixes, because it isn’t a Kelela album rollout without her highlighting top-notch producers. Leading the new dance frontier with seductive vocals and sounds that bend subgenres, Kelela adventurously forms new worlds.
The music of pop and alt-R&B heroine Tinashe became enshrouded in dance-forward grooves after her 2019 split from RCA Records. Although the singer released three albums with the label, including her 2014 debut Aquarius, which featured the smash “2 On,” Tinashe had creative differences with RCA, along with inadequate promotion. Freed from depending on major label support, 2019 marked the year of reinvention for Tinashe, who channeled her early 2010s mixtape run on her first independent album, Songs for You.
The release was a salve from the choppy rollouts of Tinashe’s prior three albums, as she directly reintroduced the vibes to her fanbase, whom she affectionately calls ‘SweeTees.’ Songs like “Stormy Weather,” “Save Room for Us,” “Die a Little Bit” and “Perfect Crime” leaned on candied dance-pop and electronic, making it a hint towards the preternatural and psychedelic 2021 album 333 and the experimental LP BB/Ang3l, which dropped last year.
Embracing the latest technology – Tinashe used VR headsets in her 333 launch – and maintaining a highly-choreographed aesthetic, she recently brought viewers into her visual album and virtual performance, The BB/Angel Experience. Featured on the rapid new single “Zoom” with electronic/IDM producer Machinedrum, Tinashe’s just getting restarted, and we’re all bearing witness to her infallible ride through the dance space.
Dallas-born and raised artist Liv.e expands her radical take on R&B into hints of electronic and drum and bass on her sophomore album, Girl in the Half Pearl. From neo-soul roots (some liken her style to Erykah Badu, pioneer of the subgenre), Liv.e went from SoundCloud beginnings into groundbreaking status, with GITHP teetering between twitchy ballads and unconventional post-breakup cure-alls.
The LP was an aperture to its own electronic remixed version, GITHPREMIXEDITION, entirely produced by fellow Dallas native Ben Hixon, with Liv.e being tapped as a feature on Kelela’s Rave:n, the Remixes. Putting her own spin on dance, Liv.e makes listeners agog to hear what world she’ll bring us into next.
Overseas, noteworthy Black female artists in the UK are making a statement in dance music, essentially, due to the genre connecting to British audiences at the turn of the ‘90s. Nearly three decades later, we’ve met international sensation PinkPantheress, who found her footing on TikTok, where she hybridized garage, drum and bass, and syrupy hyperpop. Racking up fandom for her loosies on the social media platform offered PinkPantheress worldwide recognition. While she topped the charts with Ice Spice (“Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2”), she hasn’t compromised her energetic and quirky appeal.
Deconstructed club, alt-pop, and grime darling Shygirl opened the doors to Club Shy, her latest EP, where the South Londoner brought the masses into her saucily warped universe. Months before Shygirl unveiled the project, she caught the attention of Beyoncé, who gave her a spot as an opener on a London stop of the Renaissance World Tour. Apart from her Tinashe-assisted single “Heaven,” Shygirl was also on Rave:n, the Remixes, laying claim to the JD. Reid remix of “Holier,” where she traded rhapsodic notes with Kelela.
Skilled junglist, music producer, DJ, and vocalist Nia Archives touches upon drum and bass, and dancehall in her fearless works. She deejayed and freely danced alongside Jorja Smith last year when she dropped her since-viral take on Smith’s “Little Things,” and she’s kept us partying for the last five years. Since giving us a masterclass on breakbeats and global flair on EPs Headz Gone West, Forbidden Feelingz, and Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall, she’ll explore deeper dance terrain on her debut album Silence Is Loud, due next month.
Black women in all scopes of dance music — we’d be remiss not to mention amapiano, industrial, and Jersey club — are elevating it past its outdated boundaries. Motion in the wide-ranging genre will persist as long as we welcome diverse perspectives because the rise in Black femme-forward dance isn’t a reclamation; the space has always been ours.
The Bear is currently working in the kitchen towards a June 2024 release for the third season. This will keep the show in an intense burn for three consecutive years straight, and hopefully soon, we’ll find out if Carmy decides to keep his head on straight regarding the restaurant vs. his personal life. Oh, and perhaps he will escape from that refrigerator at some point, too.
FX and Hulu know when to hold onto the reins tight when they’ve got a live one, and that is the case here for sure. Does that mean a fourth season is already in the cards? Reportedly, yes. The Hollywood Reporter reports that the next few seasons are secretly shooting back to back, which means we’ll see a whole lot more of Sydney positioning to take over the culinary world. Alright, I made that last part up, but admit it, that needs to happen. Here’s what THR‘s sources revealed:
Sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter that the Emmy-winning dark comedy has quietly been renewed for a fourth season. While FX declined comment on the pickup, sources note that seasons three and four will film back to back in a bid to keep the show on its annual release target as the cast and creatives continue to line their calendars with feature work as a result of the show’s widespread success.
‘Tis a wise move, too. Not only will the world want multiple additional seasons of The Bear, but the cast is growing increasingly in demand with other projects knocking down their doors. That’s the case for the whole ensemble cast, but in particular, Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (who is finally receiving his due after many underappreciated TV performances) are signing onto other projects like mad. So, scheduling considerations for The Bear will be much easier if they film a few seasons within a single block of time. It’s a win-win for all interested parties.
The first thing that caught my attention Orlando singer Isaiah Falls was how infectious, yet simple his breakout track “Florida Baby” is. Bouncy production that initially begins as sweet and tender before the drums arrive serves as the backdrop to Falls’ message to his “Florida Baby” — an independent woman who takes care of herself and doesn’t need a man, but doesn’t mind one if they’re worthwhile.
Falls’ vocals vary from song to song. The difference is sharp when you compare songs like “Florida Baby” and “Pain In My Voice.” On the former, Falls’ voice is pitched higher than other songs in his discography, and on “Pain In My Voice,” Falls’ vocals are brought down to earth to emphasize the emotions and pain he carries throughout the song. Then there’s “Sin On Purpose” which cements Falls’ voice as an instrument meant to be used in numerous ways, rather than just as is. The gritty “Flirty” and the soft and delicate “Tell The DJ” are additional examples of the wide field in which Falls employs his voice.
With a voice that plays all the roles he needs it to and songwriting that’s equally as good, Isaiah Falls has the ingredients to make a nice splash in 2024. A snippet he posted on TikTok is sure to make its rounds amongst ’90s R&B lovers this summer. Things are looking good for Isaiah Falls, so we caught up with the Florida native to learn about his inspirations, interests in and outside of music, and how he hopes to be remembered.
What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory is growing up in church and my parents being a part of the band.
Who inspired you to take music seriously?
My two older brothers, both artists themselves, heavily influenced me to pursue music.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
I pick up a guitar every now and then, but only know how to play a handful of chords. It’s definitely something I’d love to get more experience with.
What was your first job?
My first job was being a busboy at a restaurant cleaning tables.
What is your most prized possession?
My laptop is my most prized possession.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is my mother passing before being given the chance to experience better days and where my career will take us.
You get 24 hours to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
If I had 24 hours to myself to do absolutely anything with unlimited resources, I’d put all of my closest family and friends on a plane and take us somewhere special on vacation, probably somewhere like Greece, and treat them to anything they’d like.
What are your three most used emojis?
, , .
What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
A feature I need to secure in this lifetime is from Kendrick Lamar.
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
If I could appear in a current TV show’s future season, I’d choose Euphoria based on how the show is shot and directed.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
I respect Vince Staples for being unapologetically himself, and I admire that.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
My opinion is a PBJ sandwich is the best sandwich of all time.
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?
The best song I’ve ever heard in my life is “Slow Motion,” by Juvenile. It’s the perfect balance of “smooth” and “playa.”
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
I’ve only performed in a handful of places, but I really enjoy performing in my hometown Orlando, I’m most excited to perform in London.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
I’d have Tyler The Creator, Juvenile, Snoh Aalegra, SZA, and OutKast perform at my music festival. I’d host this festival in the middle of downtown Orlando.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
If it weren’t for music, and since I’m also a graphic designer, I’d lean more into being a creative director.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
I’d choose to see five years into the future to get a glimpse of my family and make sure they are doing well.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
If I could give advice to 18-year-old me I’d let him know to keep pursuing music, you are on the right track.
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
In 2050, I’d love for my music to be remembered as boundary-pushing and risk-taking.
PartyNextDoor is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
I know I said we at Uproxx do not engage in schadenfruede when I wrote about another Kanye West fail earlier this week, but the man is truly testing the limits of that policy this week.
Now, you’d think anyone who has followed the mercurial producer’s moves for the past, like, decade would understand the inherent risk involved in unskeptically engaging with anything he announces, but Roling Loud attendees were given the “Emperor’s New Clothes” treatment firsthand at his “special performance” last night in Inglewood, California.
Billed to perform a “headlining” performance ahead of the festival proper, Kanye instead pulled a Frank Ocean at Coachella, instead just sort of standing around onstage while a DJ played his last album, Vultures 1. Fans were… let’s just say “displeased.”
“I’m not gonna say the show sucked but I just thought going to a Kanye show would be different,” wrote one disgruntled fan on Twitter.
And look — I said Uproxx wouldn’t engage in any schadenfruede, but fans on Twitter certainly did. “No way Kanye just dipped after playing vultures at rolling loud,” one joked. “At this rate he gonna stop showing up at all and tell his fans to imagine him performing, they’ll be like ‘I see him.’” Again… The Emperor’s New Clothes. (They’re already doing it, btw).
Rolling Loud just scammed Everyone into thinking Kanye would do a Performance tonight! pic.twitter.com/bAx9csGbYq
The disdain for Kanye’s latest anti-performance was palpable, but something tells me folks will keep coming back for more — sunk costs and all. It definitely sucks to see a first ballot hip-hop hall-of-famer turn into …. this, but the good news is, there are plenty of other artists out there to enjoy who haven’t become Nazi apologists. Check out some more reactions below.
No way Kanye just dipped after playing vultures at rolling loud.
At this rate he gonna stop showing up at all and tell his fans to imagine him performing, they’ll be like “I see him” pic.twitter.com/zneS3arkke
Rolling Loud day 1 takeaways: • No pat downs only metal detectors. • People starting mosh pits to soft songs. • Kanye stopped performing and they just played his old songs to kill time, and everyone thought he was still performing. • Every white person smelled.
I love Kanye, he is No.1 on my rappers, producers, creatives, entrepreneurs & GOATs lists, but his Rolling Loud performance should’ve been a lot more than just the usual listening parties. The last time we got a solid performance from him was at Circus Maximus in Italy. https://t.co/sHMCFHHQOC
Kanye really charged people hundreds of dollars to listen to his 4/10 album with him(he didn’t perform) and his fans are mad at rolling loud for false advertising. What a fall from grace
With the ambitious live-action adaptation of Fallout less than a month away, Amazon has ramped up the marketing machine for the upcoming series by unleashing the show’s secret weapon: Walton Goggins. Showrunner Jonathan Nolan has also dropped some exciting new tidbits about the new series, and it’s looking like audiences are in for one hell of a journey into the world of the hit video game.
Here’s everything we know so far about Fallout:
Plot
While specific plot details for Fallout are being kept tightly under wraps, the Prime Video series will undoubtedly have some wild sci-fi twists and turns thanks to the involvement of Westworld creator Jonathan Nolan. In a recent interview, Nolan opened up about his ambitious plans for the show, which involves making it as close to a new installment of the video game series as possible.
“Fallout, in my career, is closest to the work we did in adapting Batman, where there’s so much storytelling in the Batman universe that there is no canonical version of it, so you’re free to invent your own,” Nolan told Total Film. “Each of the [Fallout] games is a discrete story – different city, distinct protagonist – within the same mythology. Our series sits in relation to the games as the games sit in relation to each other. It’s almost like we’re Fallout 5. I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but it’s just a non-interactive version of it, right?”
Here’s the official synopsis:
Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two-hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.
Cast
As Fallout ramps up promotion ahead of its release date, fans have been going nuts over Walton Goggins‘ involvement in the series. The Righteous Gemstones star plays the noseless, irradiated bounty hunter known as The Ghoul, and his appearance in the latest Fallout trailer brought in huge reactions on social media.
During a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Goggins revealed that his character is 200 years old and was a normal guy named Cooper Howard. Judging by brief snippets from the trailer, it’s clear that Cooper goes through some things (both tragic and gruesome) before becoming the drugged-up gunslinger hunting Michael Emerson’s mystery character across post-apocalyptic ruins.
Here are the details on the rest of the main cast:
Lucy (Ella Purnell): An optimistic Vault Dweller with an all-American, can-do spirit. Her peaceful and idealistic nature is tested when people harm her loved ones.
Overseer Hank (Kyle MacLachlan): The Overseer of Vault 33 and Lucy’s father. He is eager to change the world for the better.
Maximus (Aaron Moten): A young soldier hides his tragic past as he serves in a militaristic faction called Brotherhood of Steel. He believes in the nobility of the Brotherhood’s mission to bring law and order to the Wasteland—and will do anything to further their goals.
Release Date
All eight episodes of Fallout Season 1 will start streaming April 11 on Amazon, so get ready to binge your way across the wasteland.
The NFL Draft is just around the corner. In a little over a month, the NFL is going to head to Detroit for its three-day spectacle where the best talent in college football makes the jump to the league. As the dust is starting to settle after the start of the new league year on Wednesday, it becomes a little easier to project out where all of these players are going to go.
You’re going to lead a whole lot of mock drafts over the next few weeks, and today, we decided to throw our hat into the ring. Our only rule is that we’re not going to project trades for now, and to make this easier, we used the mock draft tool from the fine folks at Pro Football Network, which we cannot recommend enough. Bill took the odd picks, while Robby took the even picks. Now, let’s begin with the obvious…
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina) — Caleb Williams, QB, USC
No reason to overcomplicate things. All signs point to the Bears taking Williams and hoping he can finally be their QB of the future. He needs to become a little more patient as a signal caller and seeing how he transitions to the NFL from Lincoln Riley’s high-flying offense that gave him a ton of freedom to play to his strengths will be interesting, but if he hits, he’ll be a star. Anyway, does anyone wanna trade for Justin Fields?
2. Washington Commanders — J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
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I’m not sold on Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels as stone-cold locks to go 2-3. J.J. McCarthy was always going to test well at the NFL Combine and was able to open some eyes as the main attraction in Indy since Williams, Maye, and Daniels all (bizarrely, in my view) took the entire event off. McCarthy is incredibly toolsy, with good movement skills and a very live arm, Michigan just didn’t particularly need him to do much en route to a national title. I don’t think he is anything close to a guaranteed thing at the NFL level and he made some questionable decisions at times, but so did all the QBs at the top of this year’s Draft. McCarthy does have some serious upside and figures to interview well throughout the process. There’s already been scuttle he’s moved past Daniels on some boards and I wouldn’t be shocked if he moved past Maye as well. On top of that, whether this should factor in to a team’s thought process or not, the Commanders didn’t really enjoy the UNC QB experience with Sam Howell, so I’m not sure they want to go to that well again with Maye.
3. New England Patriots — Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
After the Mac Jones experiment came to an end with his trade to Jacksonville, New England has to try again under center. Maye has to reel in his gunslinger tendencies that can get him in a ton of trouble, but he might be the most natural thrower of the football in this class and he’s a good athlete. Jerod Mayo banking on him to be the face of his franchise is not a bad decision at all.
4. Arizona Cardinals — Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
This is the consensus pick at No. 4 for a reason. Marvin Harrison Jr. has been WR1 since the middle of the 2022 season and did nothing to dissuade teams from that point this year — even if Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers made strong cases as well. The Cardinals desperately need a true No. 1 for Kyler Murray to throw to and it’s hard to envision them going anywhere other than receiver with this pick if they keep it. It’s possible they could consider moving back in a deep receiver class if a team like Denver wants to ensure one of the top 4 QBs and puts a big offer on the table, but if they stay at 4 this should be the Buckeye star.
5. Los Angeles Chargers — Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Nabers is just a flat-out monster. He’s an unbelievable route runner, attacks the ball when it’s in the air, and has a really reliable pair of hands on him. In the aftermath of the Keenan Allen trade to the Bears and Mike Williams getting cut, Justin Herbert needs a new favorite target. Nabers, the latest blue chip pass catcher from LSU, would be that guy from the jump.
6. New York Giants — Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
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The Giants receiver room has been dreadful in recent years and it’s time to get Daniel Jones a real No. 1 to at least see what he looks like with that kind of option. Odunze is a stud and the way he fights for downfield 50/50 balls is something that could be particularly valuable playing with Jones. New York’s gotta figure out if Jones is the guy or not (I don’t think he is, but he’s gonna get one more year) and even if he’s not, the next guy is going to need a star receiver.
7. Tennessee Titans — Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
Tennessee’s quarterbacks got sacked a ton last year, and while time will tell if Will Levis is the QB of the future, he has no chance if they can’t protect him. Alt would help in a big way. No one is better at winning in the trenches in this class than the monstrous offensive lineman from Notre Dame. He’s the best combination of pass and run blocking in this class, he has a blue chip pedigree (his dad was an All-Pro offensive lineman), and he’d start right away in Tennessee.
8. Atlanta Falcons — Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
The Falcons addressed their QB need with Kirk Cousins and then addressed their WR depth need with Rondale Moore. I think they still could be in play later in the draft for another pass catcher, but this has to be an EDGE and has to be Dallas Turner if he’s on the board. The Falcons were good on defense last year but still have a glaring need in terms of a guy that can get after the quarterback, as they haven’t had anyone hit double digit sacks in a Falcons uniform in a whole decade. Turner can do that (and more) and adding someone who can get pressures should make Raheem Morris very happy.
9. Chicago Bears — Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
Verse, who just keeps getting better, will be reinforcements along the Bears’ defensive line. The former Albany standout transferred to Florida State, where he was dominant off the edge thanks to his relentlessness and quick first step. In a division with Jordan Love, Jared Goff, and [SPOILER ALERT FOR TWO PICKS FROM NOW] a blue chip rookie QB, getting to the passer is of the highest priority, and Verse is going to do that a ton alongside Montez Sweat.
10. New York Jets — Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
If I were the Jets in this situation I would have to legitimately consider Jayden Daniels, given Aaron Rodgers is apparently mulling a VP run, but that should be sorted out by Draft night and if they’re going all-in for next year, they’ve got to get more offensive line help. While he has to get a little nastier as a run blocker, Fashanu is the best pass blocker in this class and his ceiling is the highest among the various offensive linemen in this class. No matter who is playing QB in New York, they can rest easy knowing their blind side will be taken care of when they drop back if Fashanu is in town.
11. Minnesota Vikings — Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
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Daniels falls a bit because we’re not projecting trades, but the reigning Heisman Trophy winner has a chance to be a blast in the NFL. He’s the most dangerous running QB to enter the league since Lamar Jackson, his speed and acceleration are rare, and his growth as a passer is real. His arm is simply good and not great, while he has this weird tendency to get blasted by defensive players in the open field. But his accuracy and ability to beat you with his brain make up for his flaws, and with Kirk Cousins gone, we’re positive Minnesota would love to bring him on board.
12. Denver Broncos — Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
I expect the Broncos to look at trading up, especially if someone like Daniels is slipping, but if they stay put and the top 4 QBs are off the board, I will be fascinated to see what they do. Bo Nix, rather hysterically for anyone that remembers his time at Auburn, feels like the safest QB to take in this Draft. That’s an insane sentence to write, but he was clinical last year for Oregon, making smart decisions and picking teams apart underneath and over the middle. I think that is what Sean Payton wants out of a quarterback more than anything (see: Brees, Drew) and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Broncos felt Nix could be the guy — especially without there being a lot of excitement for next year’s QB class at the moment.
13. Las Vegas Raiders — Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Antonio Pierce sure seems like he wants to bring some nastiness and tenacity to Las Vegas’ defense, and with a need at corner, he’ll go out and get a real CB1. While Kool-Aid McKinstry entered this year as the Alabama corner everyone thought would be the first one off the board, Arnold was outstanding this year, as he’s an excellent man-to-man CB. He had five interceptions and 6.5 tackles for loss last year, and is really good at having his fingerprints all over a game.
14. New Orleans Saints — Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Fuaga’s versatility is an asset, as he can play guard or either tackle spot in the NFL. The important thing: He will keep his quarterback upright and add some real nastiness as a run blocker, which might be his biggest asset. New Orleans just needs help in the trenches, and picking the best player available along the offensive line is the smart move. Fortunately for them, Fuaga is a big time talent who will make them better.
15. Indianapolis Colts — Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
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Brock Bowers is, for my money, a top-5 player in this Draft class but teams are wary of burning a high pick on a tight end at this point and the teams in the top 10 and beyond have other needs to fill. The Colts, meanwhile, could have some fun with a weapon like Bowers in Shane Steichen’s offense. Giving Anthony Richardson more options in the passing game is important, and getting one of the best receiving talents in the Draft at 15 would be a win, regardless of his position.
16. Seattle Seahawks — Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
The Seahawks new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, was the OC for the Huskies last year, so he brings in a familiar face with this pick. The Seahawks have a very good running back in Kenneth Walker but need some help on their offensive line to really get rolling again on the ground. Some think Fautanu will have to bump inside at the NFL level, but I think he can pretty much play anywhere. His movement skills are fantastic and even if he’s a tad smaller than the prototypical tackle, I think he’s talented enough to hold up on the outside if needed, but in Seattle, he probably starts out at guard as that’s the biggest area of need.
The Jags can shore up the middle of their defense with Murphy, a wrecking ball of a defensive tackle. While he’s hardly a Vita Vea-type at the heart of a defense, Murphy plays with tremendous energy and flies off of the line of scrimmage, while his twitchiness is a problem for IOL in pass protection. He’d be part of a really dangerous defensive front alongside Josh Allen and Travon Walker.
18. Cincinnati Bengals — JC Latham, OT, Alabama
The Bengals need to protect Joe Burrow and also need to be able to run the ball better. How do you do that? You go get a JC Latham in the middle of this Draft. The Alabama tackle is a mammoth of a man (6’6, 346 pounds) and will drive defenders off the ball in the running game. In pass pro, there’s some things he can clean up like over-setting outside, but he’s powerful enough a hand striker to neutralize the rush and could help anchor the right side of Cincy’s line.
19. Los Angeles Rams — Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Los Angeles gets a potential standout cornerback to fill the hole left by Jalen Ramsey’s trade to the Miami Dolphins last year. Mitchell ran a 4.33 at six feet tall at the Combine, which came on the heels of a very strong showing at the Senior Bowl, which came on the heels of back-to-back All-American honors despite going to a MAC school. Don’t be stunned if he’s the first corner off the board, but for the purposes of our mock, the Rams will be happy he isn’t.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers — Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Diontae Johnson getting traded means the Steelers need some help in their receiving corps alongside George Pickens. While Malik Nabers rightfully gets the hype coming out of LSU this year, Brian Thomas Jr. is a burner (4.33 in the 40) with good size (6’3, 209 pounds) and with Russell Wilson coming to town, the more downfield threats you have the better as that’s still the strength of Wilson’s game. I’ll admit I’m not 100 percent sold on Thomas in Arthur Smith’s offense, but I’ll still roll with the talent and tools on this one.
21. Miami Dolphins — Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
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With both Andrew Van Ginkel and Christian Wilkins leaving in free agency, getting some reinforcements in the front seven is incredibly important for Miami. Fortunately for them, Latu falls, which is a huge win for them. He’s a gigantic (6’5, 259 pounds) and productive edge rusher — in two years at UCLA, he recorded 23.5 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, and two interceptions. As long as his medicals come back clean, he’s going to be a star.
22. Philadelphia Eagles — Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
The Eagles need a center and, would you look at that, the best center in the Draft is sitting right there at 22. This isn’t even really a reach for fit, as Powers-Johnson is a top-25 or 30 guy on most Big Boards. He was at the helm of one of the nation’s best OL groups at Oregon and I think he could quickly get up to speed in Philly working with the great Jeff Stoutland. The Eagles want to run the ball even more this year after signing Saquon Barkley and Powers-Johnson has the power and movement skills as a puller to come in and help that front clear the way for Saquon and Jalen Hurts.
Sheldon Rankins is gone, so the Texans need to add some beef along the defensive line. Newton fits that bill, as he was the lynchpin of the Illini defense and constantly made interior offensive linemen in the Big Ten look horrible. He knows how to play, and while he’s not a mountain of a man, he’s a physical, quick, and instinctive player at defensive tackle.
(Ed. note: This mock was completed before the Texans and the Vikings agreed to a trade to send this pick to Minnesota. The full details of the trade can be found here.)
24. Dallas Cowboys — Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
If they’re not bringing back Tyron Smith, the Cowboys have a need at tackle and while there’s some rawness to him, Mims has a chance to be an absolute beast at the next level. He is a giant, even for an offensive tackle, at 6’8, 340 pounds with 11 1/8 inch hands (which is insane). Those big ol’ mitts come in handy on the outside and while he didn’t get a ton of reps at Georgia due to injuries and star talent ahead of him on the roster early in his career, he was really good when he was on the field. He could end up being a steal at 24, and this deep into the Draft I think the upside is worth any risk to find your left tackle of the future.
25. Green Bay Packers — Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
Cooper DeJean is a popular pick here, but I’m going to make the case for Wiggins, who is a taller player with long arms who can absolutely fly — he ran a 4.28 second 40-yard dash at 6’1. He needs to fill out a bit (he’s only 173 pounds) and his run support is a question, but for a Packers defense that needs help in the back seven, he’s a high ceiling option with good instincts who can line up across from Jaire Alexander.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
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The Bucs saw Shaq Barrett leave in free agency and could use some juice on the edge. Chop Robinson is juice personified, as he is a twitchy athlete with all the tools to wreck shop from the outside in the NFL. He had a down year production wise in 2023, as offensive lines loaded up on him, which dropped his stock some, but he’s a first round talent and could look like a steal if he taps into his full potential.
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston) — Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
Is DeJean a safety or a corner in the NFL? Who cares, the guy is an outstanding football player. One of the best cornerbacks in college football over the last few years and a key part of the indomitable Hawkeye defense, DeJean is a physical, instinctive, and athletic option in the defensive backfield who would fill a position of need in Jonathan Gannon’s defense. As an added bonus, he’s an outstanding return man.
28. Buffalo Bills — Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
This is earlier than a lot of folks have for McConkey, but I think he’d fit exactly what the Bills need. I don’t think Buffalo needs a new Gabe Davis. I think they need someone else who can be a threat all over the field alongside Stefon Diggs. McConkey can scoot (4.39 in the 40) and is a route technician, infuriating the SEC’s top DBs throughout his time in Athens. Most project him as a slot, but much like Zay Flowers a year ago, I think even at 6’0, 186 pounds, he’s got the skills, speed, and route-running ability to have some positional versatility out wide as well.
29. Detroit Lions — Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
The Lions have to come out of this Draft with help at cornerback, and fortunately for them, a very good one falls to 29. McKinstry earned the trust of Nick Saban early in his career and never lost it, as he played a ton of football for the Crimson Tide and usually delivered. He’s comfortable manning receivers up and is revered for his preparation and football IQ, which is exactly what Detroit needs. Pairing him in the defensive backfield with fellow Crimson Tide standout Brian Branch would be a home run, and the crowd in the Motor City will certainly explode if Roger Goodell reads off this pick.
30. Baltimore Ravens — Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
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Baltimore needs some more juice in the passing game. Zay Flowers was a big addition last year but there’s some off-field issues still to be resolved with him and, even if he’s back in full, Lamar Jackson could use some more weaponry. Worthy ran a Combine record 4.21 in the 40, but the key is that his speed shows up just as impactfully on tape as it does in tights in Indy. He is the vertical spacing threat that the Ravens have been trying to find for awhile. With defenses likely needing to creep some safeties into the box to deal with Derrick Henry and Jackson in the running game, and the ever present threat of Mark Andrews in the middle of the field, Worthy would be a nightmare to deal with for defenses facing Baltimore.
31. San Francisco 49ers — Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
Whether he’s the replacement for Trent Williams at left tackle when that time comes or a long-term answer at right tackle, Guyton would give Kyle Shanahan one hell of a ball of clay at the end of his offensive line. He can really move for a guy who is 6’8 and 322 pounds, and while he only recorded 14 starts during his two years in Norman after transferring from TCU, Guyton looks the part and has as high of a ceiling as any lineman this year. Maybe the Niners want someone who isn’t as much of a project, but if they’re willing to take one on, the reward outweighs the risk.
32. Kansas City Chiefs — Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
The other top Texas receiver rounds out our first round, as it’s all but a lock that the Chiefs make receiver their priority with their first round selection. Kansas City’s need at WR is well-known, and Mitchell is an insane athlete who would be very fun in Kansas City. He ran a 4.34, jumped 39.5 in the vertical, and had a 11’4 inch broad jump at the Combine, which is to say, he’s got juice. He’s not a lock to be a long-term No. 1, but the upside is there and even if he’s a little inconsistent his vertical threat on the outside would be welcome alongside Rashee Rice.
When the first trailer dropped for Civil War, the latest film from Ex Machina and Men director Alex Garland, there were a lot of jokes about the seemingly ridiculous premise that California and Texas would ever band together to fight the United States government. Would you believe Garland pulled it off?
As the early reviews pile in after Civil War made its SXSW premiere, one thing has become abundantly clear: The film is not at all what people are expecting.
Civil War is focused less on how its titular conflict broke out and more on how a group of journalists engage with the reality of a modern-day war breaking out on American soil. Thanks to some visceral scenes that builds to a massive action sequence in the nation’s capital, the experience of Civil War surprisingly works.
With the precision and length of its violent battle sequences, it’s clear Civil War operates as a clarion call. Garland wrote the film in 2020 as he watched cogs on America’s self-mythologizing exceptionalist machine turn, propelling the nation into a nightmare. With this latest film, he sounds the alarm, wondering less about how a country walks blindly into its own destruction and more about what happens when it does.
Intended as a wake-up call, the long-fuse thriller — which starts slow and snowballs to a jaw-dropping raid on Washington, D.C. — embeds viewers alongside a dedicated team of journalists making their way to the Capitol while the country unravels around them. It’s the most upsetting dystopian vision yet from the sci-fi brain that killed off all of London for the zombie uprising depicted in “28 Days Later,” and one that can’t be easily consumed as entertainment. A provocative shock to the system, “Civil War” is designed to be divisive.
Alex Garland’s Civil War faces this what-if concept head on, imagining a future so very not-so-distant that you might accidentally mistake it for the present, in which the USA is once more at war against itself. The premise is a perfect opportunity to take a cold, hard, genre-inflected look at the American experiment’s current slouching toward self-destruction — the only question is whether Garland’s wild potboiler wants to explore or exploit our state of the nation, and the jury’s still out on that.
It’s almost perverse how little Civil War reveals about the sides of the central conflict, or the causes or crises that led to war. (Viewers who show up expecting an action movie that confirms their own political biases and demonizes their opponents are going to leave especially confused about what they just watched.) This isn’t a story about the causes or strategies of American civil war: It’s a personal story about the hows and whys of war journalism — and how the field changes for someone covering a war in their homeland instead of on foreign turf.
In real life, America is growing crueler and more divided by the day, and the social fabric of the country is disintegrating along with its infrastructure. But “Civil War” isn’t a plea for empathy, or even civility. It simply follows this trend to its logical end point, which is a country where militiamen with automatic weapons shoot strangers on sight and torture their old high school classmates in the burned-out shells of abandoned car washes. Everyone who isn’t directly affected by the violence pretends it isn’t happening, in the name of “stay[ing] out” of politics — a stance that the film condemns more strongly than any.
The movie is about journalists whose own country is cratering but who keep chasing the story and are determined to catch it even if it kills them. Would they have embedded themselves with Hitler’s army if they’d somehow survived behind enemy lines in Germany in the 1940s and been given the opportunity? I wouldn’t rule it out. They will probably come across as unlikable, or at least off-putting, to most viewers—the New York Times and other supposedly “neutral” mainstream outlets have come under fire in recent years for seeming to give the rise of American fascism the “both sides” treatment, and when their reporters are called out, they often say that their only duty is to tell the story. Certain members of certain professions have that code. Other members disagree. Both factions are represented in “Civil War,” but in a fictionalized context that asks “Is the storyteller’s highest obligation to tell what happened or choose a side?” and then lets the audience fight over the answer.
Traditionally, after giving birth, women take a few months away from work to bond with their new bundle of joy. But there’s nothing traditional about Sexyy Red.
The St. Louis rap phenomenon just can’t help but make her way to the booth. Throughout her pregnancy, she toured the world, snagging collaborations with Summer Walker, Nardo Wick, and more along the way. Her faux delivery was even the focus of Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy” video. Now, she is temporarily back from maternity leave to share a booming new single, “Get It Sexyy,” produced by Tay Keith.
“Slim thick, chrome skin / 5’5″, this b*tch a ten / Hair done, bills paid / Catch me slidin’ in a Benz / I ain’t lookin’ for no man / I ain’t recruiting no new friends / Louis bag filled with bands / Go on, Sexyy, do your dance,” raps Sexyy.
Back in February, after announcing the arrival of her second child, she took to Instagram to share her post-pregnancy agenda. Though the list was short, there were pretty big demands, including getting back to partying just in time for summer. “Get It Sexyy” makes good on that personal goal for the rapper, and her fans are surely going to use this to get their outside activities going.
On late Thursday night / early Friday morning, depending on which time zone you’re in, the former president shared a hype video on Truth Social. Mediaite reports that the footage, which is set to “Hold On, I’m Comin” by Sam & Dave, is “heavy with imagery from Trump’s presidency, an indication of his own nostalgia for the trappings of pre-defeat life as much as that of his fans.” The nearly three-minute video shows Trump walking, waving, and throwing footballs, for some reason. Spoiler alert: there’s a Kid Rock jump scare.
Trump posted the video on Truth Social, which he reportedly tried to convince fellow “adult toddler” Elon Musk to buy. “The overture to Musk, whose business empire includes SpaceX, Tesla and the social networking site X, did not lead to a deal,” according to the Washington Post. “But the conversation, which has not been previously reported, shows the two men have communicated more than was known. The two have had other conversations, too, Trump advisers say, about politics and business.”
Elon must be kicking himself that he missed out on gold like this.
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(@JoeSweatpants) 
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at rolling loud,” one joked. “At this rate he gonna stop showing up at all and tell his fans to imagine him performing, they’ll be like ‘I see him.’” Again… The Emperor’s New Clothes. (They’re 
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