With James Gunn finally revealing the first chapter in his upcoming DC Universe slate, one of the surprising additions is a new movie titled The Brave and the Bold. According to Gunn, this film will introduce a new Batman to the DCU along with his son Damian Wayne who takes on the mantle of Robin in the comics.
What makes The Brave and the Bold an interesting inclusion is that, until now, there has been little talk of Gunn’s plans for Batman. The upcoming The Flash movie was supposed to wipe away Ben Affleck‘s Batman and replace him with Michael Keaton, but clearly that strategy is out the window as Gunn lays out his more connected universe as DC gets ready to go toe-to-toe with Marvel.
“This is the introduction of the DCU Batman,” said Gunn. “Of Bruce Wayne and also introduces our favorite Robin, Damian Wayne, who is a little son of a bitch.” The movie will take inspiration from the now-classic Batman run written by Grant Morrison that introduced Batman to a son he never knew existed: a murderous tween raised by assassins. “It’s a very strange father-and-son story.”
In the comics, Damian Wayne is the son of Batman and Talia al Ghul, daughter of the classic villian Ra’s al Ghul. However, his existence is a surprise to Batman who has the kid unceremoniously dropped on his doorstep by his mother. While attempting to take him under his wing, Batman quickly learns that Damian has other, more deadly plans for dishing out justice, and he’s arrogantly confident in his ability to do so. He’s also the rightful heir to the Batman mantle, and Damian’s future as The Dark Knight is foreboding to say the least.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of new vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of the best vinyl releases of January below.
Bob Dylan — Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series Vol. 17
Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings
Over the decades, Bob Dylan has been generous with pulling back the curtain on parts of his career via his Bootleg Series releases (as evidenced by the fact that this new one is Vol. 17). This effort focuses on Dylan’s 1997 album Time Out Of Mind, and aside from all the extras, the base album has been given a new remix that promises to sound “more like how the songs came across when the musicians originally played them in the room.”
On Gloria, Sam Smith reaches a new career peak thanks to “Unholy” hitting No. 1 on the singles chart. Now the full album is out and it’s a work worth enjoying in its entirety, especially when you can get it on striking gold-colored vinyl.
Last year, Uproxx’s Steven Hyden declared that Wilco’s new album Cruel Country is the band’s “best in more than a decade.” Now they’re finally giving it a physical release, which includes the lovely blue and red vinyl pressing seen above. They’re going on tour, too.
Diamonds & Dancefloors leaked months ago (much to the upset of Ava Max), but now it’s officially out. The vinyl edition comes with alternate cover artwork with a bold red vinyl pressing that brings out the art’s highlights.
In a recent interview with Uproxx, White Reaper’s Tony Esposito explained what the band learned while making their latest album, “That we just have to persevere. That was the main thing, because there were definitely lots of times when I was like, ‘What’s the point of even doing this?’ Like, as soon as we make a decision, we’re going to get some email that’s going to blow everything up and push it back another month. And that just happened time and time again. Like I said, it was dark times there for a minute, but I’m glad that we stuck it out and finished, because it feels great now.”
In 1997, just a few years removed from their 1994 breakout album Dookie, Green Day dropped Nimrod, the parent album of one of their most recognizable songs, “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).” That was a bit over 25 years ago now, so the band is celebrating with reissues, the vinyl version of which features demos and a full “Live At The Electric Factory 1997” performance.
This one is still a bit of a mystery. What we do know about whatever Parton and Vinyl Me, Please have planned here is what VMP says of it: “Get ready to immerse yourself in Vinyl Me, Parton – the first of its kind, limited edition monthly record club curated with and dedicated to Dolly Parton herself. There will only be a limited amount of spots available. Join the interest list today and be one of the first notified when pre-orders open in February.”
Black Nasty — Talking To The People (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
There was so much superlative funk that dropped in the ’70s, and among those release is the underappreciated Talking To The People by Stax Records act Black Nasty. Vinyl Me, Please is giving the LP its flowers with a new pressing featuring audio remastered from the original master tapes.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s 2011 self-titled debut album was beloved, so following it had to be tough. Admirably, though, the band came through with 2013’s II, a strong sophomore effort that was also well-received. Now that it turns a decade old this year, Secretly Society has given it an exclusive reissue pressed on “strawberry shortcake splash” vinyl.
Cloud Nothings — Attack On Memory (10th Anniversary Edition)
Carpark Records
Attack On Memory was the album that put Cloud Nothings on a lot of now-fans’ radars, and it turned ten years old last year. Now it’s getting a fresh reissue with a particularly enticing goodie: two bonus flexi 7-inch records that feature two previously unreleased songs from the original album sessions: “You Will Turn” and “Jambalaya.”
Coco Jones is finally blossoming into the multi-talented star she should have been a decade ago. Cut from the Disney cloth that also produced fan favorites like Raven Symone, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and Zendaya, Jones was destined for that same success. For her, however, Disney quickly went from the stepping stone it should’ve been and was for the aforementioned names, to a roadblock that eventually detoured her from achieving her dreams. Promised TV shows and movies were nixed and a record deal arrived and departed all while attempting to make the Tennessee-raised actress and singer something she wasn’t. They say good things come to those who wait, but for Coco Jones, her wait was actually an example of the entertainment industry’s mistreatment of dark-skin women.
The bright side is that the lows that Jones spent years hoping she would finally be able to climb out of are finally behind her. She stars in Bel-Air, Peacock’s reimagined version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as Hilary, a role she thrived in from the show’s start in February 2022. A month after the season one premiere, Jones signed a record deal with High Standardz and Def Jam Recordings, and in November of that year, she released her major label debut EP What I Didn’t Tell You which is highlighted by standout records like “Caliber” and “ICU.” It shouldn’t have taken this long for Jones to be granted her moment, and though she’ll certainly agree, she’s found her silver lining through it all. “I think what helped me to overall just take a breath and let things be is understanding that my journey has never worked out in the specific ways that I wanted it to — always better,” she tells me over a Zoom call. “Better in ways that I would have never known to pray for.”
Some of these ways include the opportunities to work with some of the industry’s most gifted names. She collaborated with Babyface on “Simple” from his Girls Night Out album and Teyana Taylor, under the moniker Spike Tey, directed Jones’ sultry and enticing video for “Caliber.” Despite these bright moments, Jones describes the flowers she’s received from the industry over the past year as “bittersweet,” and it’s for a reason you can’t really blame her for. “It’s kind of hard to describe,” she admits. “One part of me kind of feels like, ‘Oh wow, this is amazing.’ But then the other part of me is like, ‘Yeah, but I’ve been doing this. I tried to wake y’all up literally years ago!’” Still, whether it be Babyface, Teyana Taylor, or Janet Jackson, Jones is appreciative of the love they’ve shown her as there was once a time that it didn’t come her way from them and others. “She posted my whole performance of her song, ‘I Get Lonely,’ and that was crazy,” Jones said about Jackson. “That’s a legend. That’s somebody that I learned from.”
Coco Jones has been waking up the entertainment world for a little over two years now. In the fall of 2020, she took to YouTube to detail the negative experiences, much of which were in relation to colorism, that she had in the industry in response to a fan who asked, “What happened to Coco Jones?” Since then, she’s been honest about the trials and tribulations she faced in her career, re-introducing them to her God-given gifts that now have people diving into an open verse TikTok challenge to “ICU,” and highlighting the other pieces of the puzzle that make Coco, Coco. Slowly but surely, they finally acknowledged the alarm she’s been ringing. What I Didn’t Tell You spent its first week at No. 1 on Apple Music’s US R&B/Soul Chart, an accomplishment that Jones manifested prior to the EP’s release. “I was literally crying because I had edited a picture to make it look like it was my album that went No. 1, and I put that on my vision board,” she says. “So to see that in real life… like all I had to do a screenshot it.” It was a reaffirming moment for Jones, who admits to sometimes putting a ceiling on her aspirations to cushion an anticipated fall from an industry that’s knocked her down too many times. “Because I’ve had so many rejections, I get scared to have big expectations sometimes. So even seeing that [it’s like], Courtney, you really need to tap back into the nine-year-old you who was like, I’m literally going to take over the world.” In her words, this takeover could very well include a Coco Jones theme park, Coco Jones french fries, and/or the Coco Jones chicken nuggets she joked about during over conversation. “Whatever it’s going to be, it will be.”
The next instance of Coco Jones continuously waking up her past doubters begins next month as season two of Bel-Air returns on February 23. The actress is expectedly tight-lipped about what we can expect for season two, but she confirms love is in the air for her character Hilary. “You can expect Hillary to be in love. Her and Jazz are definitely boo’d up, and without spoiling too much, someone from her past comes into play and shakes things up.” The similarities between Jones and her character Hilary are hard to ignore. Just like Jones, Hilary possesses the Gen-Z quality that makes us equipped to never settle for less than what we think if rightfully ours. “If I didn’t really love what I was doing, I would have given up [one of] the first 17 times I wanted to give up,” she notes. “I think for me, it was more like what if I go back home and start a completely different life and one day regret it? What if I was literally almost there? Now, I actually am almost to the place where I’ve always seen myself since I was nine years old.”
When I ask Jones what advice she’d give a young Black girl who was to ever find herself in a period of doubt like she was once in, she recalled something she was told during a conversation she had with SZA. “It was something about having this delusion, about how things are just going to work out,” she says. “Just live in your own world, where these things that you want for yourself will happen.” Jones continues, “Move and speak and think as if this is your world, and you can have anything […] and maybe sometimes it’s gonna look delusional, because the timeline is taking longer, and people on the outside who live in fear are like, ‘Girl maybe it’s time to give it on up and cash in your chips,’ but they don’t live in your world. They live in theirs.” To SZA’s point, there’s a moment where this delusion becomes something real and attainable. So after collaborating with Teyana Taylor and the legendary Babyface, it’s no surprise that Coco Jones is aiming higher and wider. She hopes to one day make records with Brandy, Bad Bunny, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tems, gospel artists like Cece Winans, and even country artists. She also aspires to have a career that can be most compared to Rihanna’s. The world is Coco Jones’ and she’s coming after everything she’s owed and then some.
What I Didn’t Tell You is out now via High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings. You can stream it here.
There are a lot of new things happening lately on streaming sites as we move into “Peak TV” finally after all this time. The latest streamer to make some big changes is Showtime, the home of various hits like Yellowjackets and Billions, which launched its own streaming service in 2015. It was announced this week that Paramount+ will be integrating with Showtime, merging all of their classic shows into the Paramount universe, sitting comfortably alongside Yellowstone and Beavis and Butt-Head. But what does this mean for current subscribers? A few things.
The change will go into effect later this year, titled “Paramount+ With Showtime,” which is… straightforward! Even though the name change is underwhelming, Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and Paramount Media, says that the merger is a good thing for Showtime, which will be able to use some of Paramount+’s giant mountain of resources. In a memo to staff, McCarthy said:
As a part of Paramount+, we can put more resources into building out the lanes that have made the SHOWTIME brand famous, as well as turning our hit shows into global hit franchises. To do this, we will divert investment away from areas that are underperforming and that account for less than 10% of our views. We have already begun conversations with our production partners about what content makes sense moving forward and which shows have franchise potential.
But with shiny new resources come some big changes, including three of Showtime’s recent original shows getting the axe: Jon Bernthal’s American Gigolo remake, Shailene Woodley,’s unaired Three Women, and the TV remake of Let The Right One in. There is a chance these shows can find a home somewhere else, which has been happening more and more as of late. The company is also expected to announce layoffs due to the merger.
As for the price, the company is expected to announce new pricing in the coming weeks, but as with any add-on, it will likely mean a price hike for anyone who wants access to their Showtime shows. As of right now, Paramount+ comes in at $9.99 a month, while Showtime’s premium plan costs $11.99. If you want to be able to watch Twin Peaks: The Return on the same streamer as South Park, you’re going to have to pay a little bit!
While the next week will rightfully see plenty of focus on the upcoming Grammy Awards, our neighbors up north have announced the nominees for their equivalent, the Junos. Sorry Canadians, but “Canadian Grammys” is pretty much the most convenient metaphor to get Americans to grasp the importance of the Junos — blame G.W. Bush.
The field is led (again) this year by Canada’s number-one pop export, The Weeknd, who’s nominated for Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Pop Album Of The Year, Juno Fan Choice, Single Of The Year for “Sacrifice,” and Songwriter Of The Year awards. Meanwhile, resurgent rocker Avril Lavigne and pop neophyte Tate McRae follow with five apiece. They’re followed by Preston Pablo and The Reklaws, with three nominations each.
Lavigne’s nominations include Juno Fan Choice, Single Of The Year (“Bite Me”), Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, and Pop Album Of The Year. McRae is up for the same awards, with “She’s All I Wanna Be” nominated for Single Of The Year.
The Junos will be held on March 13 and broadcast live from Rogers Place in Edmonton on CBC Television, hosted by back-to-back emcee Simu Liu. You can check out the full list of nominees on JunoAwards.CA.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Boygenius, LCD Soundsystem, and Steve Lacy are attempting to fulfill the fan demand for shows this summer by headlining the very unique new Re:SET Tour, created by AEG. The current plan is for the three acts to take turns playing in outdoor venues in three cities each weekend.
The current map is Pasadena, San Diego, and Stanford on June 2-4; in New Orleans, Dallas, and Atlanta on June 9-11; in New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C. on June 16-18; and Chicago, Nashville, and Columbus on June 23-24.
Each headliner has also chosen opening acts that will join them on the tour. Boygenius are bringing Clairo, Dijon, and Bartees Strange. Steve Lacy’s acts are James Blake, Toro Y Moi, and Foushee. And LCD Soundsystem is including Jamie XX; Big Freedia, or L’Rain, “depending on dates,” per Variety. More acts are being announced soon.
“We challenged ourselves to conceive an event that would give both the artists and the fans a different experience,” AEG Presents’ Global Touring President, Gary Gersh, shared. “At the end of the day, they both want the same thing: great locations, incredible sound, fantastic sightlines, and the best local options for food and drinks. Re:SET is a very fairly priced, artist-driven weekend where you can hang with friends and enjoy an evening of amazing music.”
Presale registration is currently open now and available here. There will be both an artist presale on February 7 at 10 a.m. local time and a “local presale” on February 9 at the same time. General tickets for the Re:SET Tour go on sale on February 10.
More information, along with the specific city lineups for the tour, is available through their official website.
James Gunn has finally unveiled his upcoming slate for the DC Universe. After Gunn and producing partner Peter Safran took the reins for DC Studios in a surprising, yet welcomed decision by Warner Bros. Discovery, there have been months of rumors and speculations about what the new cinematic universe will look like. That speculation further kicked into overdrive when Henry Cavill announced he will not be returning as Superman despite appearing in Black Adam, and Patty Jenkins publicly exited Wonder Woman 3. Was the DC Universe headed for a full-scale reboot? Kinda.
Superman: Legacy
The Brave and The Bold (Will introduce new Batman and his son Damian Wayne) The Authority
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Swamp Thing
The Batman 2 (Not connected to overall DC Universe)
With the first details of Gunn’s new DC slate confirmed, there are a few surprises like The Authority and a few already announced projects like The Batman 2 and a new Superman movie. However, there appear to still be some vestiges of the old DC Extended Universe left, notably Supergirl (unless the role is recast following The Flash) and the Wonder Woman prequel series, Paradise Lost, which will be set in Themyscira and reportedly have a Game of Thrones vibes. In fact, Gunn told THR that nothing prohibits the old DCEU cast from returning.
Further cementing reports that Discovery execs were not pleased to see a marquee character like Superman sitting on the shelf, Superman: Legacy, which is being written by Gunn, already has a release date: July 11, 2025. And in what’s shaping up to be a banner year for the new DCU, The Batman 2 will reportedly arrive a few months later on Oct 25, 2025.
Nearly every time I write about Pamela Anderson, the (unsophisticated) first thought that runs through my head is this: “she’s really been through some sh*t.” This includes how she endured a private home movie ending up in circulation, which inspired an admittedly entertaining Hulu series. That home movie (and how it received a nod in Borat) also ended up being one reason why Pam split from Kid Rock. She then married and divorced Rick Solomon and Dan Hayhurst, and she wed Jon Peters for 12 days, which still led to him leaving her $10 million in his will. And I am not about to generally judge Pam’s love life because life is complicated, although I’ll admit to a side eye over whatever happened with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Assange was bad romantic news no matter how one paints matters, but one of the paparazzi’s highlights of 2016 happened to be how Pamela was frequently photographed coming and going from the Ecuadorian embassy in London. She even showed up with a ^^ vegan breakfast ^^ in tow, and although Pamela previously characterized assumptions (about a relationship between her and Julian) as “sexist,” she’s finally talking. That makes sense, given that January 31 is the release date for her Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, and her memoir, Love, Pamela. Via the Sunday Times and Insider, things did get “frisky,” alright:
“One night, Julian and I shared a strong bottle of mescal. We passed out, and I woke up at four in the morning with his cat on my chest,” Anderson wrote, the outlet reported. “We’d both fallen asleep following a slightly frisky, fun, alcohol-induced night together. My car was still waiting outside, and I’m sure that sent some tongues wagging.”
She added: “We joked about getting hitched on the front steps of the embassy – maybe then they wouldn’t arrest him? But then again, he joked, why would he give up one prison for another?”
In retrospect, it’s a relief that this “joke” about marriage never turned into anything real. Surely, it would not have changed anything about Assange’s ongoing situation involving a high-security U.K. prison. He didget married last year, but fortunately, Pamela was not involved. After all, she has some living to do out there.
Pamela: A Love Story is streaming on Netflix, and Love, Pamela is available in bookstores.
Lola Brooke is a just barely five-foot musical flame that has stolen the hearts of some of rap’s most influential acts, such as Lil Kim. The Brooklyn native has garnered the admiration of not only her peers like Coi Leray but acts like Cardi B. As the “Don’t Play With It” rapper continues to dominate across streaming platforms, she has set her eyes on the big stage.
With Brooke slated to make an appearance at several music festivals this summer, including Wireless Festival, she’ll have plenty of time to work out any kinks in her set now that she’ll be listed as the official opener for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s upcoming Me vs. Myself Tourfor both the North American and Europe wings.
This isn’t the first time the pair will share a stand with one another. A few weeks ago, the “Drowning” rapper brought Brooke out during his performance at Total Mortgage Arena. The following day, Brooke took to Instagram to share a clip of the surprise with the caption, “All these lights ain’t come overnight! Are you dumb?” responding to claims that she was an overnight success.
In the same post, Brooke went on to thank Boogie for his support, writing, “You a real one, A Boogie. Thank you,” closing with the Statue of Liberty emoji to show New York unity (even though the monument is actually physically located in New Jersey waters).
02/07 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
02/09 — Coralville, IA @ Xtreme Arena
02/10 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
02/11 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
02/15 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
02/17 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
02/19 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
02/21 — Toronto, ON @ Coca-Cola Coliseum
02/23 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
02/24 — Kingston, RI @ Ryan Center, University of Rhode Island
02/25 — Washington, DC @ Echostage
02/26 Washington, DC Echostage
02/28 — Dallas, TX @ Southside Ballroom
03/3 — Philadelphia, PA @ Liacoras Center
03/4 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
03/22 — Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
03/23 — Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham
03/24 — London, UK @ Alexandra Palace
To purchase tickets for any of the tour dates listed above, click here.
Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Being an assistant coach on a high school junior varsity team is usually a pretty low stakes position. Your job is to help teach fundamentals of the game and you hope that maybe a few of your kids can take to the sport and jump through the ranks to the varsity squad.
What is explicitly not in the job description is actually playing in games as a full grown adult, but that didn’t stop one coach in Virginia from doing just that when her team was down a player who was at a club tournament out of town, via WAVY TV 10.
Arlisha Boykins, a 22-year-old former assistant coach on the Churchland JV girls basketball team in Portsmouth, impersonated a 13-year-old player that played for the Truckers. The student athlete was out of town at a club basketball tournament, parents of the girl told WAVY TV 10 Sports Director Craig Loper.
You may be wondering how a 22-year-old can pull off being a 13-year-old, but luckily there is video of the game and she doesn’t stick out as much as you’d expect — until you see her absolutely sending opponent’s shots and muscling through contact for and-1 finishes.
A 22-year-old assistant coach on a JV girls basketball team in Virginia impersonated a 13-year-old player that was out of town
There are a lot of reasons this is bad and Boykins was rightfully removed from her position as an assistant coach and any affiliation with the school. The team has also decided not to play the rest of the season, which is a bummer for all of the kids. With all of that said, this is an incredibly funny video to watch because she swats that first shot like prime Dikembe Mutombo, and then she hits the and-1 celebration with so much confidence and flair.
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718 Princess (@lola.brooke)