Year: 2024

Even though he’s been a clown, a killer, and soon enough a crow, Bill Skarsgård had not ventured into vampire territory until recently. It only made sense that he would eventually get to that side of the supernatural neighborhood, especially since his brother used to hang out there all the time.

Skarsgård (Bill, the younger one) will lead Robert Eggers’ upcoming gothic horror remake Nosferatu as Count Orlok, a haunting vampire who becomes obsessed with a young woman, played by Lily-Rose Depp. Nicolas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe also star.

The film has been in the works for years, and Skarsgård has been interested since the beginning because of Eggers. The actor told Esquire that he fought hard for the role because “you get a crush on someone — you can’t stop thinking about that person. I’ve only had it a few times, but that was so true with Robert. It was like, ‘Whatever this guy does, I just want to be a part of anything that this guy is making.’” And thus, he went after Nosferatu.

Even though he might not be the Edward Cullen of vamps, Skarsgård explained that his Nosferatu is a different kind of creepy. “He’s gross,” he said. “But it is very sexualized. It’s playing with a sexual fetish about the power of the monster and what that appeal has to you. Hopefully you’ll get a little bit attracted by it and disgusted by your attraction at the same time.”

The actor also revealed that the role took a lot out of him, probably because of the whole evilness part. “It took its toll. It was like conjuring pure evil. It took a while for me to shake off the demon that had been conjured inside of me,” he said.

Unlike his Pennywise debut, his Nosferatu look won’t be revealed just yet, though he reportedly spent six hours every day in makeup and prosthetics. Skarsgård said, “I do not think people are gonna recognize me in it.” Maybe it’s a good thing, considering the aforementioned grossness.

Nosferatu is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 25.

(Via Esquire)

Wilco has announced a new EP, Hot Sun Cool Shroud. The six-track project will arrive in conjunction with Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival, set to take place at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.

The album follows 2023’s Cousin. Following the release of Cousin, Wilco lead vocalist Jeff Tweedy revisted material for the album the band recorded, but didn’t finish. He once again collaborated with engineering mixer Tom Schick to produce the six new songs.

“It’s fun to have something new to release at Solid Sound,” Tweedy said. “This year we’re putting out an EP with a summertime-after-dark kind of feeling. It starts off pretty hot, like heat during the day, has some instrumentals on it that are a little agitated and uncomfortable and ends with a cooling breeze. There are tracks on Hot Sun Cool Shroud that are more aggressive and angular than anything we’ve put out in a while, and a song about love melting you like ice cream into a puddle of sugary soup. All the pieces of summer, including the broody cicadas.”

You can see the Hot Sun Cool Shroud tracklist and five different cover arts below.

Wilco’s Hot Sun Cool Shroud Album Cover Artwork

Wilco’s Hot Sun Cool Shroud Tracklist

1. “Hot Sun”
2. “Livid”
3. “Ice Cream”
4. “Annihilation”
5. “Inside The Bell Bones”
6. “Say You Love Me”

Hot Sun Cool Shroud is out 6/28 via dBpm Records. Find more information here.

How will Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn be different than Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn or Kaley Cuoco’s Harley Quinn or even Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League‘s Harley Quinn? Well, for one thing, she won’t go by Harley Quinn.

In a recent interview with E! News at the premiere for her Gaga Chromatica Ball concert film, Lady Gaga discussed playing the latest big-screen iteration of Dr. Harleen Quinzel in Joker: Folie à Deux. “My version of Harley Quinn is Lee,” she said. “In many ways, I think this will be a very different Lee for people and I’m excited for people to see the story we want to tell.”

I get why Arthur Fleck would want to go by Joker. But Lee should have stuck with Harley (unless it’s a tribute to Lee Pace, then I understand).

“My version of Harley is mine, and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters, and I don’t want to give anything from the movie away,” Gaga told Access Hollywood, also at the Gaga Chromatica Ball premiere. “I think it’s really something you have to experience in the theater. This film has music. It has dance. It has amazing acting in it. I loved working with Joaquin [Phoenix]. I loved working with [director] Todd [Phillips]. What I will say is that I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.”

Joker: Folie à Deux opens in theaters on October 4.

Last week, FX released a stress-filled teaser trailer for The Bear, which confirmed that there would be no rest after a successful second-season Family and Friends night at the overhauled eatery. A full trailer has now surfaced, and every indication is that this show will still have you on edge and loving every moment. Also, there’s been no secret about Carmy’s ability to get on everyone’s last nerve, but now, we know how he’s going to do it.

The extremely good news: Richie is still wearing suits. He’s also calling out the “scribblings of a madman” coming from Carmy.

The bad (but still good for us) news: Carmy might push everybody too far. His nonexistent emotional regulation (poor Marcus and his donuts) always left open the possibility that he’d eventually drive every chef up the wall. In this trailer, however, we’ll see how he’s getting that job done with the chefs feeling increasingly uncomfortable before Fak crows, “The vibe’s weird!”

There’s more. Carmy and Natalie have a loan to pay back with a self-induced short turnaround, and Uncle Jimmy is calling. Yet the dude in charge of the kitchen appears to be alienating even Sydney (with an unsettling Docusign agreement) and crushing morale with fine-dining perfectionism, and ugh, Claire still hasn’t fully walked away from a guy who has no room for romance in his head. Are you repelled but still intrigued? You’re not alone.

Pressure is on from every direction, and this place might blow. The synopsis reveals that Carmy will push his crew “to the highest level, all while doing their best just to stay in business. It’s a losing battle every single day,” and guess what? “Carmy pushes himself harder than ever, and demands excellence from his crew, who do their best to match his intensity.” Here’s more:

Their quest for culinary excellence will propel the crew to new levels and stress the bonds that hold the restaurant together. As the team grows in size, each member will strive to reach a greater level of service within their role. In the restaurant industry, you’re never on solid ground, and with that ever-changing landscape comes new challenges and opportunities. Our chefs have learned that every second counts, but this season we’ll find out if they have what it takes to make it to tomorrow.

The Bear returns on June 27.

Clairo is bringing it home. This summer, she will drop her third studio album, Charm. In support of the album, Clairo has announced residencies in Los Angeles and New York City.

The residencies will kick off this September, with five nights in each city. The first stop will be at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on September 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11. The following week, Clairo will arrive to New York City to perform at Webster Hall. Those shows will take place on September 14, 15, 17, 18, and 19.

Fans can pre-register to buy tickets on Clairo’s official website beginning today until Sunday, June 2 at 10 p.m. local time. The pre-sale will begin Tuesday, June 4 at 10 a.m. local time, with general on-sale beginning on June 6 at 10 a.m. local time.

These intimate venues will make for a close listening experience for Charm. According to a press release, Charm is “a collection of warm, ’70s-inspired grooves that move lithely between jazz, psychedelic folk and soul, an extroverted bounce back from her beloved 2021 album Sling.” The album was recorded with producer Michels and the process was strictly analogue. The bulk of the album’s production took place at the Queens-based studio Diamond Mine Recording and Allaire Studios.

Charm is out 7/12 via Clairo Records LLC. Find more information here.

The impending July 19 release of EA Sports College Football 25 has fans extremely excited, and that excitement has also featured a bit of frustration over the past few months with a lack of information and detail about the game.

We finally got covers and a gameplay trailer in May, but still there wasn’t much about the various game modes. Happily, that all changed today when the embargo lifted on everything we got to learn about the game at the EA Sports summit last week in Orlando, where a select group of media members, podcasters, and streamers got to play the game for the first time and sit through some fascinating presentations about the game.

We have detailed looks at gameplay, Dynasty mode, and Road to Glory, but I also wanted to directly answer as many of your questions as possible and asked folks on Twitter to send in the things they wanted to know. Here, I tried to answer all of them that I can, with the understanding that some things may change and additions could be coming between now and release (and various in-season patches).

HC/OC/DC selection is indeed back. You will be able to pick where you start your career (as well as your archetype and skill tree), and then you’ll get offers in the coaching carousel to jump to different schools based on your performance. As head coach, you can also use the coaching carousel to hire and fire coaches, looking to fill out your staff with the best possible fits for your program needs based on how you want to build it out — more recruiters, better tacticians, or better motivators. More on all that is in the full Dynasty breakdown.

Conference games are still locked and set in the dates based on the real rotation of games from the conferences themselves — or that EA eventually extrapolates into the future. However, you will be able to have more control over custom conferences, and can change rules to play more conference games, tweak every team’s annual guaranteed opponents, and more. I also believe game times will be a bit more fluid and smarter about big matchups in this year’s game than in the past, but that’s TBD on how well that works exactly.

Rivalry games are back, and they all have the appropriate name in the game — i.e., the War on I-4, the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s axe, etc. — and the trophies are also all in the game, which means there should be a trophy case for your Dynasty as well. As for NIL, there is not anything in this version for a pretty good reason, things have been constantly changing and up until literally the day of the presentation, schools weren’t allowed to do it themselves. They didn’t want to build an NIL system and have to scrap it, and since as a coach you weren’t supposed to be handing out money yourself, it’s not part of Dynasty beyond having one of the pitch grades for your school being Brand Recognition.

That last point goes hand-in-hand here, but even as NIL enters the game in future iterations, the answer to this will be: Not very. As I was told, the game is rated E for Everyone, so they’re not ever planning on giving you a chance to commit crimes (or anything seedy, really).

1. No crossplay for Online Dynasty. Only for Play Now, Ultimate Team, and Road to the College Football Playoff.
2. You do not start in high school any longer, instead picking your star level as a recruit and what’s important to you and getting offers based on what schools align with your pitch grades.
3. No dorm rooms to customize (that we saw), and most of the story mode seems to be played out of the main menu, with scenarios coming to you on your phone.
4. Managing GPA is all about allocating hours to study to be prepared for tests (which you will not have to take yourself). You have a progress bar telling you how prepared you are for that upcoming test, and that will determine how well you do and whether you keep a strong GPA or become academically ineligible.
5. It looks very good. The art team did a pretty incredible job with the look and feel of everything in the game — also, the weather will impact how the game plays, not just looks, so ball security is a bit tricky in the rain.

Five positions — QB/RB/WR/MLB/CB. As for playing both ways, we were told “stay tuned.” I don’t know if that means more news will be coming later on that and it will be available at launch or if that’s something they’ll explore for later or what. But, that’s what we know.

1. Full song list is here, but no to Enter Sandman or Baba O’Riley for now. They will look to add songs, but licensing costs will surely play a role (Metallica is expensive).
2. I’m not sure anything seemed rushed, but I do think there will be tweaks needed in the future. Road to Glory’s changes have gotten a lot of pushback from longtime fans of the mode, but I do think they’ll like it better (somewhat) once they get their hands on it. The new passing system is going to take some time to adjust to and will probably require some tuning. Homefield Advantage and Stadium Pulse will be the same thing, as it could be a bit more impactful than some will want. And I’d say the same with Wear & Tear, which gets me to your last question.
3. I don’t want to say definitively one way or another after three hours on the sticks, but I do think it probably is a bigger factor than a lot of people will want out of a video game. I appreciate what they want to do with it and think it can be a really good addition once they have some more time with it and can tune how impactful it is and that it doesn’t become the main thing.

You know it, baby.

Yes, you can import your full TeamBuilder school build, including unis, into Dynasty.

We did not learn much about Ultimate Team in EA CFB, so I don’t know what online modes will be associated with that, but Road to the College Football Playoff is basically an online season mode with ranked games that allow you to climb the rankings and make the playoff. From there, it’s Dynasty, Road to Glory, and Play Now as the other options.

Uproxx was invited on a hosted trip by EA Sports for reporting on this piece. They did not review or approve this story. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.

People are applauding one Amazon worker for delivering some delightful comedy along with some packages.

Erin Noyes, an artist who creates the most adorable miniature unicorn sculptures, shared the delightful moment her delivery guy decided to have some fun with the doorbell camera.

The footage, pasted to Noyes’ TikTok page, shows the doorbell sounding off an automated “you’re currently being recorded.”

Without missing a beat, the worker quips, “Hi, I currently don’t care!” and it only gets better from there.

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The man then flexes his arms toward the camera, and with full bravado yells “BECAUSE I’M AMAZON” like he’s making a WWE debut.

“Fedex don’t look like this! Fedex ain’t built like this!” he continues, showing off the guns once more before taking off.

“I was simply expecting some art supplies for my art business, and instead, I was delivered SO much more,” Noyes wrote in her video’s caption.

@whisperfillies When I was simply expecting some supplies for my art business, and instead I was delivered SO much more 😂. FedEx don’t look like this! #amazon #amazonfinds #amazonprime #prime #fedex #happymail #gymlife #fitnessmotivation #artistsoninstagram #amazondriver #ringdoorbell #sculptor #fantasyartist #gymrat #gymaddict #gymlife ♬ original sound – Erin Noyes

Viewers were equally in love with the video, which has racked up nearly 26 million views.

“This needs to be an Amazon commercial,” one person petitioned.

Another wrote, “You ordered the entertaining package,” to which Noyes replied, “I need to figure out how to order it again.”

Probably no one comes face to face with doorbell cams as much as delivery workers, so it makes sense that a few have learned to incorporate them into their routine. Back in 2022, another Amazon driver used it to alert a house that it had no visible address markers, which could have been a serious safety concern.

Of course, doorbell cameras have caught all kinds of candid moments—not just those from delivery drivers. People have used them to share heartfelt advice, give lighthearted pregnancy updates to neighbors, show what default parenting looks like on a regular basis, and so much more. This might not have been the technology’s original purpose, but it sure is a wholesome perk, and one that’s bound to keep on coming.

Americans have a style and personality all their own, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just noticeable when they travel aboard. Americans often stand out because of their outgoing personalities. They are friendly and enjoy having casual conversations with strangers.

This is an endearing trait to a lot of people in more reserved cultures, although it can also come off as a little brash.

An American characteristic that isn’t quite endearing to people in other countries is that they can be rather loud. In Europe, one can always notice the Americans in the restaurant because they can be heard from across the room.

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A Reddit user named Frosty-Ad3575 wanted to know the specific ways that Americans stand out when traveling abroad, so they asked the AskReddit subforum: “What’s an obvious sign that someone is an American?”

The post was popular, receiving nearly 6,000 responses in just 6 days. The most popular ones described how Americans’ unique personalities, style of dress, dental hygiene and body language make them easy to spot.

Here are 14 “obvious” signs that someone is an American.

1. Posture

“Apparently, the CIA trains American agents to not lean on things if they go undercover in foreign countries because Americans lean on anything they can while standing around.” — Clown1998

“I bet MI6 trains British agents to lean on everything if they go undercover in America because Americans lean on anything they can while standing around.” — KingoftheMongoose

2. The date

“MMDDYYYY.” — LowRevolution6175

3. Distances are different

“Anything under 4 hours is ‘close by.'” — Grey-Canary

“Everything in Europe is around the corner if you’re from the US. I can drive the whole day and not leave my state, but in Europe, I can pass through 4 countries in that same time frame.” — JayHitter

4. They’re polite to servers

“In the touristy cafe-restaurant I worked at:

If they asked me for the nicest spot we had

If they asked me my recommendation without seeing the menu first

I would walk to the table, and they would say right away ‘hey, how are you doing?’ This one threw me off a lot at first. Why is this person asking me how I’m doing?? I’m just there to take the order. I got used to it, and I think they found my awkwardness cute.

They would ask my name when I greeted them and took their order.

I’m Northern European.” — Muc_99

“It’s under-appreciated just how polite, friendly, and sincere Americans are in general. It blew my mind the first time I came to the US, and I love that my children are growing up with those same values.” — Irishweather5000

5. The water bottles

“I was told, ‘Americans carry water bottles around like they’re worried they’ll never have access to clean water ever again.'” — Kosher_Dill

“I don’t care what anyone says. If you think carrying a water bottle when walking a lot is weird, you’re probably slightly dehydrated all the time and are just desensitized to it. You seriously need to drink water frequently if you want to be ideally healthy.” — Tan11

6. Smiling

“I was in Germany this past summer, and I realized smiling at everyone you make eye contact with is very American. When I went to London on the same trip, they seemed less weirded out by it but would awkwardly return the smile. I was taught to always start with a disarming smile. Never realized it was American.” — 12ozFitz

7. “More ice, please.”

“I spent a year in Europe completely iceless to the point I forgot that was a thing. I stopped at a bar in Chicago fresh off the plane and not only did I get free tap water, but water with ice. I instantly felt at home.” — Outside-Crezz8119

8. Personal space

“As an American man, I’ve been told repeatedly by European and Asian friends that we simply take up space (not by being fat) as though we’re entitled to it. Men in other countries apparently don’t claim the same personal space we do.” — Potomacan

9. White teeth

“It’s even more bizarre that they assume we have braces or bleach our teeth because they’re straight and white. I have naturally straight white teeth. I brush them twice a day so they stay white. I don’t do anything special to them, but I remember being in London and some similar-aged students literally making fun of me for my teeth… it’s true that they don’t naturally look like headstones in an ancient graveyard, but there’s no need to make fun.” — DPretilloZbornak

10. Casual dress

“My friend went to Germany recently, and what people said about Americans is you can spot them a mile away because they’re the ones wearing pajamas in public. Apparently, in other countries, at least Germany, they dress a little more formally and in less baggy clothes than we do in America.” — MarcusWahlbezius

11. Baseball hats

“Baseball cap… even on an infant riding in a pram.” — SyntheticOne

12. Shoes

“Americans are shoe snobs (they don’t think they are, but they are). Setting aside wealthier business types, Americans generally wear more on-brand, on-trend, high-quality shoes than others.” — Mouflony

13. They’re loud

“That was my first thought. Americans yell at each other in normal conversation in public. I noticed it years ago in Europe, and now I can’t stand it in the US.” — SucccotashOther277

14. Occupation matters

“Immediately asking someone what they do for a living when meeting them. Our jobs and work are our entire identity.” — Bealzu

“I hate that about American culture. I’m an American and recently became a SAHM, so I don’t have an answer to ‘What do you do for a living?’ Half the time, I add the caveat, ‘Oh, my last job was with Apple,’ so that I’m not written off as an unemployed ‘loser.’ But it really is dumb to determine a person’s worth by what they do in order to afford food and shelter.” — WassupSassySasquatch

This article originally appeared on 1.4.24

Nicki Minaj is heading back on the road: This fall, the “FTCU” rapper will embark on a second North American leg of her buzzy Pink Friday 2 Tour.

The new North American leg will take place over the course of five weeks, kicking off in Philadelphia and wrapping in Minaj‘s hometown of Queens, New York.

The official presale for the second leg begins today at 2 p.m. ET, and fans can register and purchase tickets via Ticketmaster.

You can see the new tour dates below.

Nicki Minaj’s second North American leg Pink Friday 2 Tour dates

09/04 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
09/06 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
09/07 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/09 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
09/12 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
09/13 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
09/15 — Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena
09/17 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
09/18 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
09/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
09/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
09/23 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
09/26 — San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
09/28 — Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
10/01 — Kansas City, MO @ T Mobile Center
10/02 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
10/04 — Jacksonville, FL @ Vystar Memorial Coliseum
10/05 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
10/06 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
10/08 — Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
10/09 — Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
10/11 — Queens, NY @ UBS Arena

The Stranger Things kids have grown up before our eyes. Millie Bobby Brown is married, Finn Wolfhard is approximately nine-feet tall, and Sadie Sink is hanging out with Taylor Swift. Then there’s Gaten Matarazzo, who was Broadway-famous before he became Netflix-famous on Stranger Things. But even his extra time in the spotlight couldn’t prepare him for one encounter with a fan.

“I did one very recently — and this is not very funny, but the reactions around it were quite funny — where this woman in her 40s said straight up, ‘I’ve had a crush on you since you were 13.’ And I was like, ‘That’s upsetting.’ I’m sure she just meant, ‘Aw, this kid’s cute.’ But then she doubled down,” he said on the Inside of You podcast, according to Variety.

The mom told Matarazzo that she is “aware of the age difference,” which is an extra weird thing to say because her daughter was there, too. Her reaction to the flirting (?): “Mom, what the f*ck?” She was right to say it.

This wasn’t an isolated incident, either.

He said he’s taken photos with fans and “I’ve had a few butt grabs for sure.” He’s now 21 years old and in production on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, one of the biggest shows on Netflix.

No wonder celebrities are destroying the planet with their private planes: us regular folks make it weird.

You can listen to the podcast below.

(Via Variety)