Category: News

Last week saw the biggest balloon story since “Balloon Boy.” A mysterious object was spotted hovering over parts of the U.S. It was quickly deduced that it came from China. What was it doing here? China claimed it was a civilian-operated meteorological device. Some thought it was a surveillance device. Whatever it was, it was shot down by the the Air Force Saturday over the Atlantic — just in time to inspire the latest SNL Cold Open.

Bowen Yang — who has a history of playing vessels floating in oceans — played the balloon, seen deflated and floating in the ocean, mad as hell. “I entertain you people for four days, and then get shot by Biden! I can’t believe I’m Joe’s Osama,” Yang’s balloon railed.

When asked what he was doing looming over Montana, where he was first noticed by the public, he replied, “I love the show Yellowstone, so I was just there. It’s like Succession but outside. So what?”

It’s still unknown if it was a surveillance device, making the term “Chinese spy balloon” more an allegation. Yang’s version, at least, was definitely snooping. But, he argued, what’s the big deal?

“Everyone’s being surveilled constantly, but it’s always, shoot the balloon and never unplug Alexa,” Yang’s balloon said. “If you care so much about your data, what do you all keep your bank passwords in the Notes app? You mail your literal DNA to a company to find out if you’re like 10 percent French, but je suis just a balloon.”

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. That ’90s Show (Netflix series)

Nearly every member of the O.G. series dropped by for a visit, and Red and Kitty are of course still the grown-ups of the coolest basement in existence. This revival, while not quite as appealing as That ’70s Show, still managed to be enjoyable enough that Netflix swiftly greenlit a second season. Who knows whether we’ll see more Jackie and Kelso, but one can only hope, and every guest star seemed to enjoy being back on the scene. The audience isn’t a rabid one as with Cobra Kai, but there are much worse nostalgia grabs with which to spent your time than this one.

TIE: 10. Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24 film streaming on Hulu)

Michelle Yeoh is delivering all of the awards speeches and pointing out how she’s able to kick butt in the process) this season, and for good reason. This A24 movie also happens to feature plenty of hot dog fingers and bagels while dancing through a refreshing take on the otherwise overdone multiverse concept. This sci-fi story with heart will win you over, and Yeoh may be a lock on the Best Actress Oscar, too.

9. Poker Face (Peacock series)

Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson are a dream team in this not-Columbo-but-still-Columbo mystery of the week show. The co-stars (Adrian Brody, Benjamin Bratt, Dascha Polanco, Lil Rel Howery, Chloe Sevigny, and more) are all giving the most, and no one is doing cameos these days like Johnson (as with Glass Onion). Lyonne, however, is in command here as Charlie, who has a different kind of swagger Lyonne’s Russian Doll character, but both series prove that not only did Lyonne make a Hollywood comeback with OITNB, but she’s in charge and here to stay.

8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Marvel movie streaming on Disney+)

This sequel was guaranteed to be a resonant and emotional affair, and as our own Mike Ryan wrote in his review, it’s truly a miracle that the franchise continued to soar to the same heights without the late Chadwick Boseman. Naturally, there’s no replacing Boseman, but there is a new Black Panther. This film also has boasts one of the MCU’s greatest antagonists, who’s not straight-up villain and actually gives us a point of view that’s, at times reasonable. These films have come a long way since tossing Ultron into a movie and calling the “bad guy” aspect good.

7. Pamela, A Love Story (Documentary streaming on Netflix)

The impetus for this project happens to be Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, the idea of which disgusted Pamela so much that she still refers to the production as being full of “a**holes.” This documentary allows Pam to spread her truth (including a much more in-depth version of events) and show us her essence beyond having her public image dominated by a stolen home video. That was a traumatic experience and one that caused a domino effect upon her professional and personal lives. Pamela is doing great now, however, after having fought her way out of five bad marriages. She’s got a lot of adoration for the world, though, and her fans adore her back.

6. The Walking Dead (AMC series on AMC+ and Netflix)

Before Daryl Dixon mysteriously washed up on a French beach, he kicked ass for eleven seasons of this series proper. Refresh yourself on this series before Fear The Walking Dead comes to an end, and at least three spinoffs will arrive in the next year. Before all is said and done, we’ll also see spinoffs revolving around Negan and Maggie as well as Rick Grimes and Michonne. Those Walkers don’t quit, and neither does this franchise.

5. The Menu (Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios film streaming on HBO Max)

Viewers cannot get enough of temperamental chefs or those who behave even more badly. In this case, Ralph Fiennes is much more sinister than the kitchen bad boys portrayed by Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) and Lucas Bravo (Emily In Paris). The same goes for every project inhabited by Anya Taylor-Joy, who helps to deliver the perfect cheeseburger to the audience after a shocking satire full of gruesome happenings. “Foodie horror” never hit the spot like this.

4. The Drew Barrymore Show (CBS Media Ventures show streaming on Paramount+)

No one knows why it took so long for Drew Barrymore to host her own talk show, but these days, it’s hard to imagine not being a daytime talk-show standout for the ages. She’s optimistic in an endearing way, but sometimes, she intentionally goes off the rails, and at other times, she’s trying to control the chaos as much as possible. David Letterman even stopped by to visit his old flasher-friend, and it’s impossible not to enjoy this show if you start watching, so consider yourself warned.

3. Skinamarink (Shudder original movie streaming on Shudder)

This horror movie arrived following a disconcerting trailer and then went on to gross 60 times its budget. This is an extreme example of low budget/high return, but it remains typical that horror movies can exist on shoestring budgets and then go on to take the box office by surprise storm. Also, people love having the bejesus scared out of them (what on earth is going on in this house?), and this movie promises to fit that bill.

2. M3GAN (Universal Pictures film streaming on Amazon Prime)

Speaking of high-dollar-recouping horror, this homicidal pile of hair and dance moves will make her return in a sequel. One day, protagonists might decide to use their common sense and not unleash AI upon the world. This movie is not that time. However, audiences are all the better for it while watching Allison Williams continue to scream-queen her way in horror films that are much better than anyone ever reasonably expected them to be. Also, James Wan and Jason Blumhouse rarely swing and miss, but we could use a Chucky crossover.

1. The Last Of Us (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

Craig Mazin does it again, which refers to a lot of impressive things about this show. His ability to increase his audience over time, however, feels unparalleled after this show and Chernobyl. Importantly, you do not have to play the video game to understand or enjoy this show. Also, this story does the undead very differently than The Walking Dead franchise, but the good news is that there’s room in TV hearts for both of them. Everything here is down to a fungus that will make you want to hide inside with your love as much as possible… and watch the latest epic HBO show.

Pedro Pascal ain’t doing so bad lately with plenty of irons in the fire. The Mandalorian shall soon return for Season 3 on Disney+, and The Last Of Us is already a juggernaut for HBO. The latter has proven to be a rarely successful video-game-to-TV adaptation, and SNL decided to try and do the same for another video game: Mario Kart.

In other words, Chris Pratt’s “it’s a me” voice has got some competition, and here’s something even better: this sketch can finally put a fork in the bad aftertaste that still lingers after Elon Musk brought us a live-action Wario while hosting in 2021.

This SNL spoof harbors no illusions of this also being a successful video game adaptation (hence the bad faux-reviews), but it does feed into the tendency for showbiz to keep trying to crank out what’s proven to already work. So, we’ve got a gritty Mario who’s attempting to also deal with a fungus that happens to be this production’s version of Goombas. He’s attempting to smuggle Princess Peach (Chloe Fineman) down Rainbow Road (what’s left of it), and of course, he’s pulling out firearms and not at all enjoying this ride.

Some joy can be found here in Bowen Yang’s Yoshi, who quickly announces himself as bisexual, and Kenan Thompson as Bowser. Yet one cannot forget that Mario is kind-of hating this task, as evidenced by his dreary “let’s a-go” exclamation. It’s a tough gig.

In their second performance of the night on the Saturday Night Live stage, Coldplay delivered an A Cappella version of “Human Heart.” The song features Jacob Collier, who was present during the performance of the song, which comes from the band’s 2021 album, Music Of The Spheres.

Much like the previous performance, Coldplay was surrounded by colorful lights on the stage, and in the hands of the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, who, once again, accompanied the band onstage. In the middle of “Human Heart,” as lead vocalist Chris Martin and the choir performed without instrumentation, the beat began to pick up. Martin then began to sing one of Coldplay’s signature hits, “Fix You.”

The song was originally released in 2005, on their album, X&Ybut has remained a fan favorite for nearly two decades. As “Fix You” progressed, Martin and the chorus began to sing louder and louder, displaying the wide range of emotions the song is known to evoke.

Whether the band plays old hits or new hits, we’ve seen that Coldplay’s music transcends time. Though, it appears the band may be gearing up for a new era soon. In an interview with Canadian publication City News, Martin revealed that they are almost finished with the follow-up to Music Of The Spheres.

“We’re finishing an album called Moon Music,” Martin said, “which is the second Music Of The Spheres volume, but that won’t come out for a little bit. We might start playing some songs at some point this year.”

In the meantime, you can heck out the performance of “Human Heart” and “Fix You” above.

2023 is looking like a busy year for Coldplay. Right now, the band is gearing up for the next leg of their Music Of The Spheres, which will kick off in March in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the meantime, the iconic UK band took to the Saturday Night Live bands, to perform some fan favorites.

In their first performance of the night, Coldplay performed “The Astronaut,” their collaboration with BTS’ Jin. During the performance, the band’s lead vocalist Chris Martin was joined by performers dressed in alien masks and colorful helmets, carrying vibrant light-up orbs. As the performance progressed, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers joined the band onstage, adding equally colorful harmonies. Actress Natasha Ofili offered interpretation for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.

Jin himself was not in attendance, as BTS is currently serving in the Korean military for their mandatory enlistment. Last October, Jin performed “The Astronaut” in Chile with Coldplay. During this performance, Martin recalled how the song came together. His account was captured in a fan-shared video.

“About six months ago, one of [BTS’] members called me up,” said Martin, “and he said, ‘I have to leave the band in December [to join] the army in Korea because that’s the rules there. And he said, ‘I need a song that says goodbye to everybody for a little while, and tells them that I love them… And so I said, ‘Okay, we’ll do a song together.’ And instead of being worried about it, I feel so excited about it, so grateful for this relationship that we have with BTS. And then this song arrived, and I was like, ‘This is one of our best songs – let’s give it to this gentleman.’”

You can check out the SNL performance of “The Astronaut” above.

Love is in the air this Grammy weekend. As we saw earlier in the night, Offset and Cardi B couldn’t keep their hands off of each other at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammys Gala. Also in attendance were Lizzo and her longtime boyfriend, Myke Wright.

Looking happily in love, Lizzo shared images of her and her man on her social media accounts, announcing a “Hard Launch” of their relationship.

Though, to hardcore Lizzo fans, this “Hard Launch” comes as no surprise at all. In her HBO Max documentary Love Lizzo, which premiered last November, Lizzo detailed her relationship with Wright, from their first meeting, to their first break-up, to the healing process, to finding their way back to each other.

As she mentions in a fan-favorite cut from her sophomore album, Special, Lizzo does not “Break Up Twice.” In an interview with Howard Stern that took place last December, Lizzo said her relationship with Wright is something she believes will last forever.

“Don’t waste your time, honey. I am very much in love with Myke.” She said. “There’s nobody else I’m going to be with for the rest of my life.”

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

We’re just hours away from the 2023 Grammy Awards, and things are heating up. Tonight (February 4), at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala, husband-wife duo Offset and Cardi B made an appearance.

While on the red carpet, the two couldn’t help but get handsy. As Offset grabbed Cardi B’s backside, the two kept French kissing.

Everyone on the red carpet was all for it, as you can hear attendees of the Gala cheering.

Cardi and Offset have long been open about their affection for each other. In a recent interview with Essence, Cardi shared one of their favorite make-out memories, which resulted in them getting married.

“We were making out and he was like, ‘You’re going to have my baby one day,’ and I was like, ‘We ain’t having no baby. You have to marry me,’ and he was like, ‘Alright, let’s get married,’” Cardi said, recalling the events that led to them getting married in their home bedroom. “I was like, ‘Let’s just get married then. You said you wanted to marry me.’ And we did.”

Check out a saucy clip above from the Gala above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Golden State Warriors appeared to be in cruise control during their game against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, as the team was up by 20 points late in the third quarter when Mavs guard McKinley Wright IV attempted to drive to the rim. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Wright was met by Steph Curry, which led to the two players banging knees and Curry looking like he was in some serious pain.

Curry ended up getting called for a foul on the play, and after it happened, the former league MVP hobbled off the court and into the stands. He eventually made his way over to the Warriors bench and, after getting examined on the sideline, went into the locker room, where he took some time to point out that he was having some trouble with his left knee.

Curry was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game. It goes without saying, but for a Warriors team that is in a battle to remain afloat in the Western Conference, losing Curry for any period of time would be a gigantic problem. Entering Saturday night’s game, Golden State sat at 26-26, which put them in 10th place in the West and only a half game up on the Portland Trail Blazers in 11th.

We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available on Curry’s injury.

A new Paul McCartney documentary will arrive to screens soon. Tentatively titled Man On The Run, the upcoming documentary will take a look at Paul’s solo career after The Beatles‘ break-up, and detail the formation of Wings. Wings was a band comprised of Paul on vocals, Denny Laine on guitar and Denny Sewell on vocals. Paul’s wife, Linda McCartney, also played in Wings as a keyboardist.

The documentary will be directed by Morgan Neville, who also directed documentaries like 20 Feet from Stardom, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, and Won’t You Be My Neighbor.

“As a lifelong obsessive of all things McCartney, I’ve always felt that the 1970s were the great under-examined part of his story,” said Neville in a statement. “I’m thrilled to have the chance to explore and reappraise this crucial moment in a great artist’s life and work.”

The documentary will feature new interviews, as well as access to an archive from Paul and Linda’s home, featuring never-before-seen photos and videos. The archived footage and images will offer viewers and intimate look at the lives of Paul and Linda.

Additionally, viewers will get an intimate look at the second decade of Paul’s career, during which, he crafted hits like “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Another Day,” “Silly Love Songs,” and more.

Production for the documentary will be handled by Michele Anthony, David Blackman, Neville, Caitrin Rogers and Scott Rodger and Ben Chappell from MPL and Polygram Entertainment, the the film and television division of Universal Music Group.

“At its heart, this is a story of Linda and Paul’s enduring love and an artist finding his own voice after being in the most historic music group ever,” said Anthony in a statement. “Our film traces one of the most incredibly creative periods of Paul’s life which spawned a vital and legendary body of work that continues to impact people and culture in every corner of the globe. We are honored to present this story with unprecedented access to a treasure trove of material from Paul and Linda’s personal archive.”

As of now, the release date for the documentary is yet to be announced.

Late rapper Juice WRLD‘s music catalog was reportedly sold to Opus Music Group, according to Billboard. A source reported to the magazine that his catalog was sold as part of a nine-figure deal last year. As part of the deal, Opus now owns 90% of Juice WRLD’s interest in master recording income and 90% of his share of publishing ownership.

The acquired catalog includes all Juice’s previously released albums, mixtapes, singles, and EPs, as well as “hundreds” of unreleased songs. Though, his labels, Grade A Productions and Interscope Records still own Juice’s master recordings.

Neither Juice WRLD’s representatives nor Opus Music Group has directly commented on the matter, however, Opus did issue a statement to the magazine.

“To represent the body of work of Juice Wrld – whose cultural significance and generational influence can’t be overstated – is an honor and a responsibility,” said Opus Music Group to Billboard.

Juice WRLD released two albums, 2018’s Goodbye & Good Riddance and 2019’s Death Race To Love before his untimely death, as well as a collaborative album with Future called WRLD On Drugs. Since his death in 2019, two posthumous albums, Legends Never Die and Fighting Demons have been released.

According to Opus’ website, the publishing firm also owns recordings by Maluma and Rauw Alejandro.