In just a few weeks, season two of BMF will make its premiere on STARZ. The show, which is led by 50 Cent and its creator Randy Huggins, is the former’s latest contribution to the network, joining the expansive Power universe. BMF, short for Black Mafia Family is inspired by the true story of brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (played by Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (played by Da’Vinchi) who founded BMF in Detroit back in 1985. By the 2000s, it was a thriving drug operation with a distribution network throughout the United States. However, in 2005, it all came to an end when the DEA arrested the Flenory brothers and sentenced them to 30 years behind bars.
How Many Episodes Are In ‘BMF’ Season 2?
Season two of BMF will be a bit longer than its inaugural season. As opposed to the eight episodes that made up season one, season two will feature a total of ten episodes. Demetrius Flenory Jr. and Da’Vinchi will return as the faces of BMF as well as Russell Hornsby, Michole Briana White, Myles Truitt, and Steve Harris. New additions to the cast for season two include La La Anthony, Kelly Hu, Leslie Jones, City Girls’ Yung Miami, Mo’Nique, and Jalen Rose.
For more information on season two of BMF, you can check out an explainer here.
It’s an interesting query, right? The national pizza chain, most often found in malls (but not always) has that same sort of stink on it that places like Olive Garden, the Cheesecake Factory, and PF Changs have. Specialty restaurants that have a focus — though in Cheesecake’s case I guess that focus is chaos — but don’t really nail their concept all that well. Olive Garden’s Italian food would confuse the f*ck out of someone’s nonna, PF Changs originally focused on Chinese food but now has a pan-Asian menu for the sake of variety (and doesn’t do anything particularly well… though that might change!), and the Cheesecake Factory tries to simultaneously appeal to every person on the planet.
So we don’t blame you for writing off CPK as your typical mall chain for people who like basic ass food. I’ve certainly done it!
Pizza from California? Get the fuck out of here, and I say that as a proud native of Los Angeles. I have an older brother who has long been a fan of CPK but he also describes the restaurant as “not a place you go to when you actually want pizza, just a restaurant for food served on bread with melted cheese.” Under that heading, I’ve always been willing to eat CPK. If you want a pizza that has things on it that pizza isn’t supposed to have, like carne asada, or peanut sauce and bean sprouts — it’s your place.
Recently, I had the chance to try all 17 pizzas on CPK’s menu (there are actually 18 but we didn’t review plain cheese) and I don’t know if I agree with that original assessment anymore. Over the years, the chain has made a lot of changes to the core recipe… for the better. Now, if you asked me whether I rather have Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Round Table, or Little Caesars, I’m going to bring up CPK because they are hands down making better pizzas than any of the other national chains.
But which CPK pizza is best? We’re here to answer that question by reviewing and ranking all 18 pizzas on the menu, from the least essential to the most delicious. Let’s dive in!
But first… a word on the dough!
All of California Pizza Kitchen’s pizzas are made using the same dough (with the exception of the Cauliflower crust, which I will cover later in this article) and since we’re about to talk about the tasting notes of 18 pizzas, I’m not about to mention said dough 18 different times so I’m just going to talk about it in one big review here.
A few years back CPK completely revamped its dough recipe. The original dough featured a noticeable amount of sugar and was flattened into a perfect circle with a pizza press. As a result, the dough had absolutely no character, no air bubbles, no imperfections, it didn’t really come across as pizza — so much as an android’s idea of pizza. The best pizza is hand-stretched. The little imperfections that arise from human hands forming a pizza are what make a good pie so special and CPK has wisely started to hand-stretch all of their pizzas right before topping them, resulting in a crust that is light and crispy, while still offering that delicious chewy center that you expect if you’re a fan of artisan pizzas.
It’s not the yeasty-ist of pizzas, but it has a nice balance of salt and olive oil. The current form is a huge improvement over the OG and serves as a great base to let the toppings shine. You’re not going to bite into a CPK pizza and taste the sweetness as you might have a decade ago, and that’s a good thing.
Now, on to the ranking!
17 CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN PIZZAS, TASTE & RANKED:
17. Tostada Pizza
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Lettuce, tortilla strips, ranch, and Monterey Jack cheese over a black bean sauced crust with a side of flame-roasted salsa.
Tasting Notes:
As dumb, yes dumb, as this pizza sounds, I was actually surprised at how the flavors came together, but every ranking needs a bottom and the Tostada Pizza is easily the least essential pizza on the menu.
The black bean smear makes for an interesting base, but this pizza is loaded up with so much ranch and lettuce that it tastes more like a watery salad than a pizza, or a tostada. What makes a tostada good is the mix of savory flavors and the crunchy mouthfeel, this pizza has none of that. Instead, it’s mushy and tastes mostly of bitter romaine and creamy ranch. Sure, the tortilla strips provide a bit of crunch but… not enough.
The best part of this pizza is the salsa, which features roasted Serrano peppers and charred tomatoes, offering a spicy vegetal explosion of flavors. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really feel integrated with the build of the pizza and for that, it’s hard to consider the two entities as one thing.
The Bottom Line:
It doesn’t taste like a tostada or a pizza, instead, it tastes like a subpar salad. Skip it.
16. California Club
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, grilled chicken, mozzarella, avocado, wild arugula, fresh tomatoes, basil, and romaine tossed in lemon-pepper mayo.
Tasting Notes:
I don’t know why CPK insists on turning dishes that already exist (Tostadas, Club Sandwiches) into pizzas, but they can’t seem to stop doing it. The California Club features all sorts of great ingredients, but it’s impossible to eat this pizza without asking yourself, why am I eating it as a pizza and not, you know, AN ACTUAL SANDWICH!!
Seriously, this pie has a lot of good going for it, the smokey and mouthwateringly savory Nueske bacon, the mix of buttery avocado and fresh basil and tomatoes, the tender grilled chicken, but this just isn’t the form factor to enjoy those flavors in. Instead, this pizza falls all over your plate as you take bite after bite.
The Bottom Line:
The flavors are good but the texture is all off. You’re better off enjoying this combination of ingredients the way it was intended, between two pieces of bread, not on top of a pizza.
15. Plant-Based BBQ Chicken Pizza
Dane Rivera
BBQ sauce, smoked Gouda, red onions fresh cilantro.
What’s On It?
Plant-based chicken, red onions, fresh cilantro, smoked Gouda, on a BBQ sauce smeared crust.
Tasting Notes:
Sweet, slightly smokey, buttery, and peppery… I actually have a lot more to say about CPK’s famous BBQ pizza but I’ll save those words for when I talk about the non-plant-based version of this pizza.
Instead, let’s focus on the plant-based chicken. Does it taste and feel like chicken? Not at all. It has this wet spongey texture that almost crumbles in your mouth and a plant-forward flavor that doesn’t taste anything like chicken. The CPK people told me that some customers act surprised when they find out that this isn’t actually chicken. Sorry, but those people have obviously never eaten chicken before.
If you don’t eat meat, this is a fine way to enjoy CPK’s flagship pizza, but for me, a person who not only eats meat but enjoys it very much, this just doesn’t taste anything like chicken. Still, the rest of the pizza is an absolute pleasure to eat. It almost feels wrong to rank it this low.
The Bottom Line:
If you don’t eat meat, consider ordering this pizza without any chicken at all. If you’ve tricked yourself into actually enjoying plant-based chicken… I suppose try this.
14. Wild Mushroom
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Shaved cremini, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms, scallions, Romano and mozzarella, cracked black pepper, and parmesan on top. Served with a side of white truffle oil.
Tasting Notes:
Okay, we’re officially out of the non-essential pizza territory and now we can talk about the good stuff. How much you like Wild Mushroom is going to be entirely dependent on how much you like mushrooms. I like mushrooms but I don’t love them, so unfortunately I’m going to have to rank this Wild Mushroom lower than some of the other varieties on offer.
Don’t let that fool you into thinking this isn’t good, it’s delicious with a strong mushroom-forward savory flavor that comes across as incredibly satisfying despite being an all-veggie pizza. The mushrooms are shaved paper thin here and cooked right on top of the pizza when it’s in the oven, allowing all of that umami quality to soak into the crust. A drizzle of white truffle oil helps to emphasize that umami quality for a really complex and piquant expression across your taste buds.
The cracked black pepper brings a floral earthiness that compliments the savory flavor perfectly, with the three-cheese blend offering salty, creamy, and nutty notes to bring it all together.
The Bottom Line:
It’s one of the best mushroom pies you’ll ever eat (BOLD! PERHAPS TRUE! FIGHT ME!). The trio of mushrooms used offers a wonderful savory flavor that makes each bite wonderfully satisfying. I like it a lot, but there are other pizzas I’d reach for first.
13. California Veggie
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Broccolini, eggplant, Cremini mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted corn, red onions, mozzarella, and goat cheese, on a tomato sauce-smeared pie.
Tasting Notes:
Here is the deal with the California Veggie, it has a lot of great ingredients on it, and just look at it, it looks delicious, but it just tastes like there is something missing here. And that thing missing is… meat. Now, I don’t say that as some carnivorous maniac who thinks that meat belongs on every pizza — I don’t believe that at all. But this combination of flavors desperately needs something greasy to tie it all together.
It comes across as way too vegetal, each bite has a sort of dullness to it. The mix of mozzarella and goat cheese provides a bit of a salty component, but it all gets soaked up by the mushrooms and eggplant, which makes the individual ingredients salty and doesn’t translate to the pizza itself.
Ultimately it lacks balance and that is its major weakness. Also broccoli on pizza? It’s a better idea in theory than in practice.
The Bottom Line:
If you’re not a vegetarian but this pizza sounds good to you, consider adding some sort of meat to it. It needs a greasy protein to complement the heavily vegetal flavors.
12. Hawaiian
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Tomato sauce, mozzarella, pineapple, scallions, applewood smoked ham.
Tasting Notes:
No matter where you’re ordering it from, the Hawaiian pizza is one of the most polarizing pizza builds ever, but there is a reason it’s available everywhere — this flavor combination just works. You may not like it, and that’s fine, respect, but there is something so delicious about this mix of savory, meaty, sweet, and tangy flavors.
CPK makes a great Hawaiian and that has to do with some seriously premium ingredients. The ham is meaty, sweet, and savory, and pairs excellently with the tangy sweet, and slightly sour chunks of pineapple with long strips of scallions adding a spicy component that works as a counterbalance to the dominating sweet and tart quality. Also, just look at this pizza, it has large foldable shavings of ham and huge slices of pineapple on it, it looks truly excessive but… that’s also kind of a weakness.
By using large pieces of ham and pineapple, this pizza has a structural issue, once your teeth bite into the toppings, they slip off the pizza into your mouth because that’s the path of least resistance. It’s great for a few bites but each slice offers an inconsistent eating experience.
The Bottom Line:
A great Hawaiian pizza with delicious toppings that taste premium, but what this pizza has in its presentation in lacks in delivery. The toppings tend to slide off once you bite into them, eventually leaving you with a pizza that is only topped with cheese.
11. Margherita
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Fresh mozzarella, mozzarella, basil, and parmesan with tomato sauce.
Tasting Notes:
Simplicity is this pizza’s strength. It utilizes just three main components: tomato, cheese, and basil, for the perfect medley of fresh flavors. Margherita pizzas generally come two ways in the states, either the pizza is made using a simple crushed tomato sauce or has slices of tomato spread across it, CPK goes for the former approach and it works in this pizza’s favor.
Everything is perfectly balanced here, this tomato sauce is bright and dominates the initial taste which settles into a salty, creamy, and nutty territory thanks to the combination of three kinds of cheese, and the basil provides a fresh lift on the backend with a subtle mint and black pepper after taste.
Thanks to a thin and crispy dough, this pizza has a lightness to it that makes for a great side dish rather than the main course. This means you could order something else off the menu. Something like another pizza!
The Bottom Line:
Simple, fresh, light, and delicious. Everything a good Margherita pizza should be.
10. Sicilian
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Spicy marinara sauce, Italian sausages, capicola, ham, salami, mozzarella, shaved parmesan, fresh basil, and oregano.
Tasting Notes:
The Sicilian is delicious, it’s a straight-up meat medley thanks to each bite featuring a blend of fennel-forward sausage, spicy and smokey capicola, with a bit of sweetness from the ham and a spicy finish courtesy of the salami and spicy marinara. The savory flavors dance on your taste buds while basil and oregano keep things tasting fresh and not overwhelmingly meaty.
So why is it landing in the chunky middle of the ranking? Because CPK has a handful of other pizzas that feature very similar builds but offer a more interesting combination of flavors. Unfortunately for CPK, they have so many damn pizzas that even some of the great ones are going to land in the middle of a ranking.
The Bottom Line:
A great pizza, especially if you’re looking for a savory mouthful of meat, but CPK makes other pizzas with similar builds that taste a bit better.
9. Five Cheese and Fresh Tomato
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Fresh mozzarella, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, smoked gouda, and Romano with tomato and basil.
Tasting Notes:
I get that CPK feels the need to have a Margherita pizza because its a classic build, but if you’re a fan of Margherita, save your money and order one at a place that specializes in Neapolitan pizza. If you’re dining in the halls of a CPK, however, just get the Five Cheese and Fresh tomato instead! The build is essentially the same, you’ve got the fresh mozzarella and the basil but instead of tomato sauce, you get juicy slices of tomato plus four other kinds of cheese to tantalize your tastebuds.
This pizza is a cheese lover’s dream, it’s salty, creamy, nutty, butty, smokey, and sharp, every sensation that cheese can provide, it’s here in this pizza.
The Bottom Line:
If you want a pizza that delivers the best experience for cheese heads, the Five Cheese and Fresh Tomato can’t be beaten.
8. Roasted Garlic Chicken (On Cauliflower Crust)
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Sweet onions, fresh mozzarella, garlic, parmesan, scallions, cracked black pepper
Tasting Notes:
This is the one pizza at CPK that I tried that was served on the gluten-free cauliflower crust (it’s recommended on the menu!) and I’m convinced that’s the reason it’s ranking here and not much higher. Look, in general, I don’t like cauliflower crust, I don’t have a gluten allergy and I’m not trying to stay away from bread so there is no real reason for me to enjoy cauliflower crust. Having said that, CPK’s cauliflower crust is amongst the best I’ve ever had. It doesn’t get overly soggy like most c-crusts, and it tastes pretty in line with what actual bread tastes like.
I love the flavor of this pizza, the chicken is tender and well seasoned, the black pepper adds a floral element that plays well with the strips of scallions and sweet caramelized onions, and the medley of garlic, parmesan, and fresh mozzarella is creamy, salty and mouthwateringly savory, and I couldn’t help but take bite after bite and dream about how much better it would taste on a pizza dough that wasn’t so chewy and floppy.
The Bottom Line:
A truly fantastic pizza that was held back by CPK’s own recommendation to order it on a cauliflower crust.
7. Spicy Chipotle Chicken
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Chipotle adobo sauce, chipotle chicken, shaved poblanos, Monterey Jack cheese, roasted corn, black bean salsa, fresh cilantro, and tangy lime cream.
Tasting Notes:
The only pizza on CPK’s entire menu that could be characterized as spicy. I love this pizza, the mix of adobo sauce and shaved poblano peppers create this wonderful mouthwatering spicy base while notes of fire-roasted corn and earthy black beans jump out and dominate the palate.
The chicken here is a bit different than other CPK chicken-topped pizzas, it’s smokier and better for it. To keep the pizza from being entirely dominated by smokey and spicy flavors, CPK adds some cilantro to the top which keeps things fresh and peppery. It’s a perfect journey of flavors for the palate.
The Bottom Line:
Spicy, earthy, smokey, and fresh, this is the sort of pizza that makes the CPK concept so great. You simply won’t find this pizza at any other national pizza chain and that’s a true shame for fans of flavor.
This ranking is starting to get really hard for me because each of the pizzas in the top ten is incredible, what makes one ranked over another are very small nitpicky things. Why isn’t Pepperoni ranked higher? Because it’s just a simple pepperoni pizza, ranking it any higher just feels wrong. And yet… I love this pizza.
I think the pepperoni is a near-perfect pizza build, sure it’s simple, but it’s one of the only single-topping pizzas that most people are happy to eat, that’s power!
What makes CPK’s take on the famous pie is the two different types of pepperoni. In addition to spicy pepperoni, CPK uses large four-inch cuts that are hand torn and thrown on the pizza haphazardly. The tears help the edges to crisp up and caramelize in this really delicious way and the two peps together create this great zesty and slightly spicy flavor.
The pepperoni leaks that delicious orange grease that only pepperoni can provide which soaks into the crust and hardens it a bit, creating a pizza crust that is even crispier than usual. The oregano is the perfect herbal finish that helps this single-topping pizza taste come across as complex. Writing about it makes me want to rank it even higher!
The Bottom Line:
It feels strange to order a pepperoni pizza at CPK, like you’re missing the point of the restaurant entirely. Resist that feeling though, because this is simply the best pepperoni pizza you’ll eat at a national pizza chain.
5. The Works
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Italian Sausage, rustic pepperoni, cremini mushrooms, mozzarella, red onions, green peppers, olives, and wild greek oregano, on a tomato sauce crust.
Tasting Notes:
The Works is the pizza I was thinking about when I said that CPK offers something similar in build to the Sicilian but better. Sure, you lose the capicola, ham, and salami which is a real shame, but what you lose in meats you gain in vegetables, and it makes all the difference.
The Italian sausage and pepperoni provide enough spicy, zesty, meaty goodness, while the cremini mushrooms bring an umami quality that makes the meat all the more savory, while red onions, green peppers, and olives bring on a sweet, peppery, and vegetal quality that makes this pizza incredibly satisfying. It hits all the flavor sensations you could possibly want.
It’s insane to me that CPK doesn’t have green peppers on more of their pizzas, though if you made me choose between the green peppers and the roasted poblanos… I’m going poblanos. Had CPK done that for me, this pizza might’ve hit number 1.
The Bottom Line:
The perfect balance between meaty and vegetal, greasy and fresh.
The Carne Asada pizza is the sort of pizza that CPK was invented to produce. You’re not going to get there anywhere else, and it’s a real shame because what a f*cking idea putting carne asada on pizza is! I love this — the steak is tender and packed with salty meaty flavors, the roasted poblanos provide a nice spicy and vegetal kick to each bite while the cilantro pesto and yellow onions keep things sweet and fresh.
The pizza is served alongside a housemade salsa verde, which I definitely recommend drizzling on your pizza. It’s not the spiciest salsa out there, but it provides a good amount of heat and a little tang which elevates the charred flavor of the carne asada. You can throw any number of meats on a CPK pizza and they’ll never compare to this beefy blast of flavors.
The Bottom Line:
Smokey, tender, juicy, and meaty. If you’re a true meat lover, you’re going to want the Carne Asada pizza above all others.
3. Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
Cremini mushrooms, rustic pepperoni, Italian sausage, basil, mozzarella, and oregano, on a tomato sauce pie.
Tasting Notes:
If you’re looking for CPK’s most savory pizza, it’s the Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage. This classic combination of flavors brings together zesty pepperoni, earthy fennel-forward sausage, and thinly shaved cremini mushrooms for the perfect medley of umami flavors.
The way it presents on the palate is a constantly shifting sensation of meaty flavors that make the mouth water while basil and oregano add a light burn of freshness that lingers on the aftertaste. It’s impossible not to love this pizza, even if you aren’t the biggest fan of mushrooms. The cremini shrooms are shaved so thin that you hardly get any of the texture from them, just the deep umami flavor as it seeps into the dough and accentuates the qualities of the sausage and pepperoni. This could easily be your favorite pizza; it’s not mine, but it’s damn close.
The Bottom Line:
Mouthwateringly savory, this is a near-perfect pizza and just might be your personal number one.
Choosing between numbers one and two in this ranking was a toss-up, I love this pizza. As far as I’m concerned, CPK exists to give us stuff like Thai Chicken pizza. For the record, it doesn’t taste anything like actual Thai food, but it does use peanut sauce, cilantro, and bean sprouts, which I guess is enough for CPK. I’m always going to be biased against calling this Thai Chicken Pizza because in my neighborhood (Long Beach) there is an actual Thai pizza restaurant that I frequent that makes Thai Curry Pizza and it’s legitimately one of my favorite pizzas of all time. That fact that CPK’s was still able to land in the number two spot — when Thai Curry Pizza exists in my life — is a testament to how good this is.
The false promise of the name aside, everything about this pizza just works. The peanut sauce is sweet with a hint of nutty bitterness and pairs excellently with the tender bites of chicken, while the bean sprouts, carrots, and scallions provide a great crunchy texture to the whole thing and a fresh finish that bounces between sweet and peppery.
Of all the pizzas, this one easily has the best mouthfeel. The only thing missing from this pizza is a spicy component, if it had that, it would’ve easily clinched the number one spot.
The Bottom Line:
One of CPK’s greatest creations. CPK’s Thai Pizza is so delicious that it blows my mind that more national pizza chains haven’t tried to create something similar.
1. Original BBQ Chicken Pizza
Dane Rivera
What’s On It?
BBQ sauce, BBQ Chicken, cilantro, mozzarella, smoked gouda, red onions
Tasting Notes:
It might be a little basic to put the Original BBQ chicken pizza at the number one spot because this build is the very reason CPK is even a thing. It’s the brand’s flagship pizza, first created in 1985, and so important to the brand that they put “Original” right in the name, implying that before they did, BBQ pizza wasn’t even a thing. We’re not here to debate that but you know what? Credit where credit is due, this pizza is perfect.
The BBQ sauce isn’t quite as smokey as you’d expect, instead, it has an addictive molasses sweetness to it that has a complex depth of flavor that never tastes boring. With a combination of barbecued chicken, smoked gouda, and red onions, each bite of this pizza bathes the palate in sweet and smokey sensations that taste so good that no CPK order is complete without ordering this pie.
Seriously, the next time you’re at CPK order any pizza that appeals most to you, and then also add the BBQ Chicken Pizza to your order as well because no meal is complete without it.
The Bottom Line:
The most essential pizza on CPK’s entire menu. Don’t visit CPK without ordering this pizza, even if you think you don’t like BBQ sauce, order this — it’ll change your mind.
After much speculation, RBD will officially be returning in 2023. After parting ways over a decade ago, the Mexican group that was spun-off from the telenovela Rebeldeannounced its comeback. Five of the six original members will joining forces once again.
RBD rose to prominence in 2004 thanks to the telenovela Rebelde. Anahí, Dulce María, Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, Maite Perroni, and Alfonso “Poncho” Herrera formed the Latin Grammy-nominated group. Gorillaz and Hilary Duff appeared as special guests during the series’ run. After embarking on multiple world tours, RBD called it quits in 2009.
In 2020, four members of RBD briefly reunited to record the single “Siempre He Estado Aquí.” The line-up that included Anahí, Dulce María, Chávez, and von Uckermann disbanded following a live-stream concert. This past year, Bad Bunny name-checked RBD in his song “Me Porto Bonito” from his Un Verano Sin Ti album. Karol G later invited Anahí to perform the RBD classic “Sálvame” at her concert in Mexico City.
After five of the members were spotted at a dinner together last month, it was revealed that they were plotting their comeback as RBD. Anahí, Dulce María, Perroni, Chávez, and von Uckermann all changed their profile pictures on Instagram today to the classic RBD logo. Their personal Instagram pages have been wiped to only include a video teasing the band’s reunion.
On the website SoyRebelde.World, fans can sign-up for more information on RBD’s comeback. There is also a countdown clock leading to the date, January 19, 2023, which will mark the band’s reunion. Though more details haven’t been offered, it’s being reported that RBD will embark on the Soy Rebelde World Tour next year.
Herrera is the only member that decided not to return for the RBD reunion. Since the disbandment of RBD in 2009, he has focused on his acting career in the US and Mexico.
The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers have clinched playoff berths through Week 15 of the NFL season. Music fans are more concerned with how the field is filling out for Super Bowl weekend, though. Rihanna will perform the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, so the bar is high.
Machine Gun Kelly and The Chainsmokers will try to live up to it. Billboardexclusively reported today (December 19) that MGK and The Chainsmokers are slated to co-headline Sports Illustrated‘s Super Bowl event at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona on Saturday, February 11. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, December 21, beginning at 10 a.m. local time here.
The 2023 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest will be kicked off by Paramore on Thursday, February 9. The event will be rounded out by Imagine Dragons, Kane Brown, Dave Matthews Band, and DJ Pee Wee.
Super Bowl LVII is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game will air on Fox.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kate Winslet has been happily swimming around in the waters of Pandora as of late, so she hasn’t really had time to think about the polar opposite of Pandora, also known as Philadelphia. Winslet starred in Mare Of Easttown last year and her portrayal of Philadelphia Detective Mare Sheehan secured her a handful of award wins and nominations, though she isn’t quite sure if she’s ready to go back into the land of Wawa just yet, if ever.
While on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Winslet discussed the prospect of a second season, though she isn’t quite sure how the story would continue. “I just don’t know what we’ll do,” Winslet said, adding that no confirmation has been made. “All I can say is no decision has been made. Honestly, it really hasn’t.” Even if the series did get another season, Winslet says that the nature of the series is what makes working on it difficult…but maybe not as difficult as…other projects.
“It was a lot for me to play that character. I’m not going to lie. Coming out the other side was frighteningly hard. It made me realize, ‘Oh my god, if I go to work now, it really hurts,’ and I have to look after myself. I have a family. I can’t just do that,” Winslet explained. On the one hand, it’s good that she didn’t have to hold her breath for several minutes in order to play Mare, on the other hand, she now has to live with the idea that she can easily slip back into a Delco accent.
“It’s not a case of being away for months and months and months on end or anything, but a lot goes into it,” the Avatar actress explained. “I can’t just go, ‘Oh yes, let’s just do it again.‘ It’s a colossal, colossal commitment and did really take a huge amount out of me. And I know it would do that again, it would have to, if I was going to give people what they want and ultimately deserve, to see out of Mare Sheehan. You never know.”
Even if the show would move forward with more seasons, Winslet feels like it ended on a satisfying note. “It was all so good and it was way more success and prominent as a piece of television than I think any of us could have anticipated or hoped for, and we all feel enormously proud of what we were able to do. I feel so proud of all of the actors.” Still, there is hope that another season could happen down the line. And now that Gritty is guest-starring on Philadelphia-based shows, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime for him.
Following his time-bending action thriller, Tenet, director Christopher Nolan has notably switched gears for his upcoming film, Oppenheimer. Starring Cillian Murphy and an all-star cast that includes Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr., the film marks Nolan’s second foray into history following the critically-acclaimed Dunkirk.
Based on the award-winning novel, American Prometheus, Nolan’s latest will center on the brilliant physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who’s best known as the “father of the atomic bomb,” for his work on the infamous Manhattan Project. Like the book, the film will grapple with Oppenheimer’s inner turmoil and attempts to control the terrifying power he helped unleash on the world following the Hiroshima bombing. Via The Pulitzer Prizes:
He was the author of a radical proposal to place international controls over atomic materials-an idea that is still relevant today. He opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb and criticized the Air Force’s plans to fight an infinitely dangerous nuclear war. In the now almost-forgotten hysteria of the early 1950s, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup, and, in response, Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss, Superbomb advocate Edward Teller and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover worked behind the scenes to have a hearing board find that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America’s nuclear secrets.
As seen in the epic official trailer, Murphy’s Oppenheimer is visibly distraught over the creation of the hydrogen bomb, and yet he still continues with its testing and development. Based on the trailer, Oppenheimer appears to labor under the belief that once the weapon’s awesome power is fully demonstrated in the desert, there will be an immediate reluctance to use it. (Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t go that way.)
Danny DeVito: actor, director, pro-union national treasure. But there’s one thing he’s not particulary good at it: following directions. DeVito was the guest on the latest episode of The Always Sunny Podcast, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia recap podcast hosted by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenney (with producer Megan Ganz), but he had a little trouble finding the studio.
“Oh my gosh, he’s late because he went to some people’s house,” DeVito said, referring to himself and why he was tardy getting to the recording. He drove himself and used “the thing” (old people code for “GPS”), but the address sent to him a house in the neighborhood with some “very big fans, and I took some selfies. We had a good time.”
When DeVito arrived, he “rang their little security bell, they came to the door, it was a newlywed couple, and they were very happy to see me.” He thought his It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-stars were busting his balls, but it was an honest mistake.
And a fun early holiday present for one lucky couple.
Danny DeVito is a national treasure. He got lost driving himself to the @alwayssunny podcast studio, ended up at some random house, and stopped to take selfies with the thrilled couple who answered the door. pic.twitter.com/BZg4aWwUMW
Elsewhere in the episode, DeVito discussed his love of getting thrown out of a window, and getting caught in a porta potty or a coil in his underwear, and slimed.
So far, Elon Musk’s tenure at Twitter has been marked by chaos, ineptitude, and worrying anti-journalist behavior, but under its next CEO, the vibe should be decidedly more chill. That is, of course, only if users who voted on a recent poll have their pick for the next person to run the platform. Snoop Dogg, who previously joked about buying Twitter after Elon initially balked on his own offer before being forced to follow through by a lawsuit issued by Twitter, ran a poll on his own feed asking fans, “Should I run Twitter?”
After a little of 2.5 million votes and with 6 hours left of the poll, the answer appears to be a resounding “yes” — although it’s possible that most users just think anyone would be better than Musk, whose antics have lost him his “world’s richest person” status and look like they might actually be the death of the platform he spent $44 billion on. Snoop, of course, will probably be way too busy getting his Broadus Foods cereal, children’s educational programming, and pet products businesses off the ground, but you never know. If nothing else, at least he knows how to use the app and doesn’t seem interested in using it to spread right-wing conspiracy theories, so that would be an improvement in itself.
Every year, Mariah Carey decides when it’s time for holiday music season to begin. It’s kinda true, but hey, no matter what the Billboard Hot 100 chart tells us, it’s not all about Mariah Carey at Christmastime (right?) There is in fact other new holiday music from artists who have never had children with Nick Cannon (shocking!) and many of them you’ll actually want to listen to. So check out our picks for the best new holiday music from the 2022 season below (And we promise, there’s only one Wham! cover in the mix)
The Linda Lindas – “Groovy Xmas”
Is there anything these kids can’t do? Teenage punks The Linda Lindas were inspired by holiday songs from some of their classic punk faves like Alice Bag, Redd Kross, and Shonen Knife, and “Groovy Xmas” definitely doesn’t take itself seriously. They hop around generational yuletide pop culture references from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, to PSL’s and yes, even Mariah Carey for a song that does its best to assure that the holidays are fun. (They even played it on Kimmel!)
Phoebe Bridgers – “So Much Wine”
Another year and another wonderful holiday cover to benefit a nonprofit by Phoebe Bridgers. This time, Bridgers takes on “So Much Wine” by alt-country duo The Handsome Family and is donating proceeds to the Los Angeles LGBT Center. It’s a sad song about having a loved one with a drinking problem, and trying your best to talk some sense into them around holiday time. A gentle acoustic guitar nestles up to a violin, and if that whistling sounds familiar, it’s because Andrew Bird joins Bridgers on this one.
David Byrne – “Fat Man’s Comin’”
After more than 50 years in the business, this is somehow the former Talking Heads leader’s first-ever holiday song. The horns sound like the opening to a sinister holiday villain flick. And Byrne said he had a different type of…err…villain, in mind for this one. “I wouldn’t call it a Christmas song, as the visitation of Santa (formerly known as St. Nicholas, who mainly did punishing) seems to have evolved to be a more secular consumer moment than a religious or spiritual affair.” Funny enough, Byrne actually wrote this song around the time when he was working with St. Vincent on Love This Giant, but thought it wasn’t right for that project (even though horns feel very much of that era.) The song is also a benefit for Byrne’s mental health-focused non-profit publication, Reasons To Be Cheerful.
Kurt Vile – “Must Be Santa”
It’s a Vile family Christmas! Kurt Vile was joined by his two young daughters for this cover of Bob Dylan’s cover (you following along?) of “Must Be Santa.” Gone is Dylan’s punk party accordion and in its place is a balmy, upbeat synth with the wee Viles joining pops on the hook.
Tkay Maidza – “Nights In December”
On “Nights In December,” the Zimbabwe-born, Aussie electro rapper shoots to recreate the feeling of wintertime in New York City (see: beautiful, but cold as heck!) The best part about this one is how it doesn’t really sound much like your typical holiday song, as much as an uptempo love song about capturing a year-end moment. She does it well.
Los Bitchos – “Los Chrismos”
The London instrumental foursome’s new internationally-inspired holiday tune is a blend of South American cumbia with Turkish psych and wavy Dick Dale-style guitars. And while it’s a largely lyricless tune (besides a “Christmas time! Sexy times!” chant), it feels decidedly of the holiday period; like what Santa might be playing in his sleigh as he races to deliver presents around the world.
Kadhja Bonet – “California Holiday”
Part of the new California Holiday EP of mostly covers that Bonet calls “a modern take on the typical magical Christmas story,” the title track represents the elegant singer’s first original holiday tune. This represents a milestone for her, as Bonet’s never been much of a fan of the holidays until recently. But with its warm strings, retro soul drums, and choral backing vocals, “California Holiday” shows that she’s very much on the other side of the Ebenezer Scrooge transformation.
Future Islands – “Last Christmas”
We promised you a Wham! cover and now you’ve got it. And look, there are once again a lot of covers of “Last Christmas” this year, but it’s Future Islands’ spin that does it best this time around. Maybe it’s because they don’t try to mess with George Michael timeless formula too much? Because it truly sounds like the soundtrack to an ’80s teen holiday movie. But perhaps it’s because Samuel T. Herring is one of the most engaging singers on the planet. And it’s not just an homage to the classic, it’s one that’s very much in the shape of the original.
Sam Smith – “Night Before Christmas”
Sam Smith can do no wrong. The LGBTQ+ icon just melted hearts with their subtle-but-powerful lyric tweak to “Stay With Me” at a Respect For Marriage Act celebratory performance on the wintery White House lawn. Now on this original holiday tune, Smith sings over a lush guitar and peaceful organ about a romantic evening in a fireplace-warmed living room. “Night Before Christmas” is also a part of Smith’s ongoing The Holly And The Ivy holiday compilation series, so we can expect more gems like this for years to come.
Remi Wolf – “Winter Wonderland”
Remi Wolf actually put out two holiday singles this year. But since we’ve already filled our quota of covers of Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” it’s her take on “Winter Wonderland” that we’ll highlight here. Wolf is clearly having a grand ol’ time on this classic, letting her vocal punctuations fly in elated space as she turns your speakers into a very cool holiday cabaret.
Emily King – “This Year”
If there were a theme to King’s new year-end tune, it’d be “treat yo-self!” The indie pop singer says that she, “…Wrote ‘This Year’ last New Year’s Eve after realizing I’d spent most of my time vying for the attention of someone who couldn’t love me back.” It celebrates getting comfortable with yourself and unapologetically thinking about your psyche first and foremost. It has a killer bridge as King sings, “This year gonna hit my stride, I’m livin in my best life, this year.”
The first song of Grohl & Kurstin’s yearly “The Hanukkah Sessions” for 2022 sees them being led by Apatow in a cover of Blood, Sweat & Tears’ 1968 flower child jam, “Spinning Wheel.” This was a live performance that took place at a full-on The Hanukkah Sessions event in Los Angeles earlier this month that’ll yield collabs with Beck, Pink, Karen O, and others for each of Hanukkah’s eight nights. Apatow was a gregarious vocalist, coming across like the beloved Krusty the Klown kicking off a holiday special. It’s a swell way to once again begin the delightful annual series.
Greeensleeves – “This Could Be Christmas (Slow)”
Back for its second year, Slow Xmas is a holiday comp produced by Blank Check with Griffin and David podcast producer Ben Hosley, where the prompt for the compilation had one demand: “Gotta be slow.” The artists take a range of interpretations on those directions: From Electric Santa’s krampus-slowcore “We Three Slow Kings,” or a very slowed-down Christmas tale by 99% Invisible podcast host Roman Mars, “A Slow Visit From St. Nicholas.” But it’s Greeensleeves’ “This Could Be Christmas” that drives slowly without feeling altered. A buzzing synth and heartbeat-like thump make the song feel like snuggling on a couch with a mulled wine in hand after a big meal.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Jean Smart is one of those actors that we, as a society, do not appreciate enough, even though she gets plenty of appreciation. It’s just not enough appreciation. She mentions ahead her goal as an actor was not to be pigeonholed – especially after the success of Designing Women – and it seems fair to say she’s avoided that. Objectively, Watchmen and The Brady Bunch Movie are very different things.
Now she stars in Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s new film about 1920s era Hollywood featuring an ensemble cast that whips us from debauched party to debauched party, and the casualties the industry takes along the way. It is quite a statement movie from Chazelle. And Smart has the key scene when Elinor St. John, a tabloid reporter, has a long, emotional scene with Brad Pitt’s Jack Conrad – explaining to him that, as movies transitioned from silent to sound, he’s not going to be the star he was. Basically, his time is up. It’s the backbone of the entire film and sticks out even more in contrast to the wiz, bam, pow pace of the rest of the film. And none of this is lost on Smart. In fact, when she read the script she took the role because of this scene, then assumed it would be cut because, as she explains, that’s usually what happens to an actor’s favorite scene.
What’s great about talking to Smart is she just seems to love acting and has the same enthusiasm for talking about Babylon and Watchmen (she has a thank you to Sigourney Weaver for turning down her role) as she does the aforementioned The Brady Bunch Movie or her first ever television series called Teachers Only, which co-starred Lynn Redgrave, Tim Reid, and Norman Fell. And, yes, all of these things get brought up, including a The Brady Bunch Movie scene that didn’t make the final movie she really wish had.
So … Elinor St. John?
Yes?
I assume there’s someone historically you are basing her on. But I’m also wondering if there is someone in your career that picked on you. Like, “That person would never give me a good review, and this is who I’m thinking of when I play this character.”
Oh, gosh. To the latter, no. Luckily, no. I did research a bit on a woman named Elinor Glynn, who was one of the very first female screenplay writers. She wrote a screenplay for Clara Bow. She coined the phrase “it girl.” She wrote very racy novels back at the time, in the day, and moved to Hollywood from England, because she wanted to be part of this crazy new business. But again, no. I mean, the part was so beautifully written, that I just basically based it on what was on the page, which was just Damien’s beautiful writing.
To be fair, I’ve never really read a bad word about you, so I can’t imagine there’s someone out there just giving you the business nonstop.
[Laughs] Isn’t that annoying?
Even back to Designing Women, which I watched when I was 12 years old. I’m originally from Missouri, and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason obviously is royalty there. So you don’t grow up in Missouri without watching her stuff.
Yes!
But I don’t remember anyone saying a bad word about you or that show. And I think that’s continued throughout your career.
Well, I think that’s good! I value my reputation, so I hope it’s still good. I feel very fortunate to do what I do, and to be given the chance to do what I do. That’s the thing about being an actor, that can be extremely frustrating. And I’ve seen it so much with friends of mine, who were extraordinarily talented but never really got the opportunity to show it. Unlike other art forms in this industry, as an actor, you have to be just invited to do what you want to do. You can’t just go off and act in a vacuum. You have to be given permission to do the thing that you so desperately love to do, unlike a writer or a songwriter, or a painter, who can do it all day long if they want.
Speaking of being invited, how did this one work? Does Damien come to you?
I don’t know. I mean, I should ask him. I had not met Damien, I was a fan, certainly. And my agent called me and said, “You’ve been offered this part,” and I said, “Wow, cool. Let me read it.”
There’s a scene that really stands out with you and Brad Pitt where you explain to him his time as a star is over. That scene feels like the emotional core of what this whole movie is about.
I mean, Damien really crystallizes the idea of the movie in that scene. It’s a long scene, for a film, and I was so terrified that they would cut some of it. Because again, as an actor, invariably, the scene which motivated you to take the movie is usually the scene that gets cut. It was an extraordinary piece of writing. Again, like you say, it’s a speech that no actor ever wants to hear or even think that it’s even the truth. But the thing that’s strange about it, compared to maybe other businesses where you’re told, well, you’re just past your prime, or you’re no longer relevant, is that with acting, it’s something that’s intangible. You can’t really put your finger on why an audience will find somebody interesting and somebody else not. Or they’ll change their feeling about them, or something.
“It’s nothing, really. It’s not you, it’s not your voice, and it’s certainly not anything I wrote about you. It’s just the way it is. It’s just not your time anymore.” That’s terrifying to an actor. [Laughs] One thing good about being an actor, though, is they will always need old actors. So that’s good.
You mentioned it being a longer scene, but it’s also in a movie with so much going on, then this scene just takes its time, and it makes it even stand out more.
No, completely, completely. And I always say, when people talk about how much they love that scene, I say, well, part of it is Damien’s brilliance. Because he paces the movie in such a way, that when there’s a scene like that, that are very still, and more quiet, and that the audience suddenly, it pulls their attention. So I give credit to that, too.
Has anyone said anything like that to you? Because they would have been wrong, obviously.
Actually, no. I’ve been very lucky that way. I mean, seriously, as much as I loved acting, I don’t know how much perseverance I would have had if, in the beginning, right in college, and right out of college, I hadn’t gotten a lot of positive reinforcement. If I had just run up against a wall all the time, I wonder how long I would have kept just plugging away at it? I don’t know.
I had to look this up because I remember when I was a little kid you were on a show I watched, it was called Teachers Only.
[Laughs] Oh gosh…
That cast is pretty stacked and it probably feels like something that might be a success, and then it gets canceled.
Right. Well, that was my first time, really doing anything on camera. So it was just kind of fun. When it ended, I was like, Oh, well, I guess that happens. I didn’t know anything. That’s what brought me out to LA from New York, that show. I was immediately offered another series, which didn’t last very long. And then I did another one, which didn’t last very long. I did one on HBO, which went for a season, and then I did another one that didn’t last too long. Then I did Designing Women, which I did for five years.
You said you got so much positive reinforcement. Those were five things in a row that didn’t last before you got Designing Women. That has to take perseverance to keep going.
But I was really never out of work.
Oh, I see.
Yeah, and people told me, they thought I was good. I mean, I was offered other things that I didn’t necessarily want to do, but even before I started making money, I’ve tried to be very choosy about what I did. And I think that has paid off. And I’ve always tried to be very versatile. I never wanted to be pigeonholed as one kind of character or another, or get typecast. The first job I got offered after I left Designing Women was to play Aileen Wuornos, America’s first female serial killer.
Oh wow.
And I thought, “Why did they think of me for that part?”
That’s the same person Charlize Theron played? Is that right?
She did it as a feature later. Yeah, it was a network film. I would love to have had a chance to do it as a feature, without sponsors and sensors and things. That would have been nice. But it was so opposite of my character in Designing Women. I said, “Why did you think of me for this part?” And he said, “I wanted her to be sympathetic.”
Well, you’ve done a really good job of not being pigeonholed. You succeeded. Watchmen is very different than The Brady Bunch Movie. These are very different things.
I loved Watchman.
Can I ask you about The Brady Bunch Movie? I do have one thing I want to ask you about that.
Of course! Brady sandwich!
It was on TV the other day and I re-watched it. It’s such a statement on early ’70s culture, but now it also works as a statement on mid-’90s culture.
Yes, that was so much fun. And I loved working with Michael McKean. I’ve actually played his wife or girlfriend a few times. He’s so great. There was a scene there in that movie that they cut, and I thought, why would you cut that scene? Because it summed up the Bradys and their neighbors.
The Dittmeyers.
Yeah, the Dittmeyers! Because it was a scene where it showed both our driveways, and there was a little hedge that separated our two driveways? And the greenery, the hedge on the Bradys’ side was bright green, and the hedge outside of the driveway was dead. Then it showed both husbands leaving for work, and of course, the Bradys kiss each other. And she hands him his briefcase, and he goes off in his car. Mr. Dittmeyer comes out, and then he goes back in, yells something to me, and I heave his briefcase at him and he walks into his car. And I thought, that was so perfect, it was so hilarious. I don’t know why they didn’t leave it in, because it was a very short little bit. I don’t know why they would have cut it.
You mentioned Watchmen. I’m sure this isn’t a surprise, but people still talk about that show. You knew that before doing it, right? That this is something that’s going to last for a bit.
Watchmen was such an extraordinary experience, and I was so shocked and humbled to not have known that piece of our history. You know what I mean? My father was a history teacher, and taught U.S. history, and I thought, “How did I not know?” Astonishing.
Like I said, I grew up in Missouri. Guess what? They didn’t teach us that in school, and we were one state over.
No, isn’t that incredible? Well, it was a matter of shame, I’m sure, too, for a while. It was very last minute. And I meant to thank at some point, publicly. So I have to thank Sigourney Weaver for turning the part down. Yes, that was a really fun character. I loved that character.
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Experience the most star-studded night in sports on Sat, Feb 11 at the 
