Category: News

FX’s Atlanta, one of the best TV shows to premiere in the 2010s, came to an end last night. It’s hard to pick the single episode that best represents Donald Glover’s surrealist comedy, but it might be the one where Darius meets a bleached-skin, Michael Jackson-like weirdo while trying to pick up a free piano. It’s #1 on IMDb, at least.

Following the series finale, Rolling Stone published a series retrospective with Hiro Murai, who directed “Teddy Perkins” and many of the best episodes of Atlanta. He discussed the genesis of the Teddy Perkins episode.

“[Glover and composer Ludwig Göransson] were talking about either Michael Jackson or one of the musicians who’s had skin bleaching or other work done. And Ludwig just said something like, ‘Imagine how terrifying this would be if you turned around in a dark alley and he was just standing there.’ So it started from this one-off aside, and we took that and blew it out into this horror movie/existential character study on what it is to be in popular music as a Black man.”

Teddy Perkins was played by Glover, who stayed in character the whole time. “We referred to him as ‘Teddy’ the whole shoot,” Murai said. “[Lakeith Stanfield] didn’t know who Teddy was for the first three days of shooting, and nobody would tell him. He was so uneasy! He basically interrogated every crew member to figure out who he was. And every time he asked me, ‘Who is this dude?’ I go, ‘It’s Teddy. We got the real guy.’”

Teddy (no longer played by Glover under all that makeup) even showed up at the Emmys, where Atlanta took home six trophies over four seasons. It deserved a lot more.

I’ll miss you the most, Farmer Paper Boi.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Now that Marvel’s highly-anticipated Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever sequel is out, the super-hyped companion soundtrack is also available. It features songs from Rihanna, Tems, E-40, Burna Boy, Stormzy, and more. Of course, all of the buzz has been about Rihanna’s two tracks, “Lift Me Up,” and “Born “Again,” which serve as the Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever Soundtrack’s opening and closing tracks, respectively.

For Rihanna to be making new solo music for the first time since Anti dropped in 2016 is notable in and of itself. But the fact that her first new songs were part of the Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever Soundtrack raised questions as to why and how she came to be on the project to begin with.

Why Did Rihanna Make Music For ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?’

Director Ryan Coogler was asked point blank about Rihanna’s involvement in the soundtrack during a press conference for the film. He said that he couldn’t take “sole credit” for getting Rihanna involved in the project, citing both composer Ludwig Göransson’s reputation, as well as Roc Nation’s Jay Brown and Jay-Z for helping to make the connection to Rihanna. Before revealing what Rihanna saw in the project, he first spoke about why she was such a great fit:

“But the truth is, we were looking for a great artist who could tell the story of the film, and embrace the themes of the film, and present them to the audience in a different packaging. You know, that’s what Kendrick did for us so beautifully with the first film. And this film is different. You know, it made sense that it would be a woman, it made sense that it could be someone who could speak to, not necessarily the words, but the feeling of motherhood, because that’s a major theme in this film.”

Then, he explained that how the trailer was the driving force for piquing her interest:

“And I think it timed up, that she was in that kinda space in her life. And she was open and it was really the trailer I think that, when she saw the performances that everybody was putting down in the trailer, that was what kinda put her over the edge and she said, ‘Hey, I wanna see this film, I wanna see if I can figure this out.’ We collaborated with this incredible singer Tems. And she and I wrote the words, Ludwig made the music. The music was recorded on, like, three continents.”

No easy task, but the songs are beautiful. “Lift Me Up” serves as an homage to the legacy of actor Chadwick Boseman and the rest in now film, music, and Rihanna history.

Nas and Hit-Boy’s King’s Disease trilogy of collaborative albums is finally complete, and to celebrate, they’re bringing all three albums to a special, one-night-only show in New York next year. Naturally, the only venue big or historical enough for such an occasion is the legendary Madison Square Garden, where iconic hip-hop events like The Greatest Rap Show Ever, Jay-Z’s first “farewell” show, and the Watch The Throne Tour took place. The duo announced the show on social media, sharing only the venue and date: February 24, 2023.

King’s Disease III, which dropped today via Mass Appeal, caps an impressive run of four albums in just three years for the new dynamic duo. The series helped Nas, who called Hit-Boy his Quincy Jones (tacitly comparing himself to Michael Jackson, one of the greatest performers of all time), win his first-ever Grammy Award after being shut out at the show for decades and revitalized his perception among hip-hop fans disappointed by his last album, 2018’s Nasir, which was produced by a clearly distracted Kanye West and 2019’s Lost Tapes 2.

In addition to finally finding the perfect production lane for Nas — modern-sounding beats that found a middle ground with the gritty boom-bap of his youth — the three King’s Disease albums and Magic also modernized his collaboration pool, bringing in younger artists like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, ASAPs Ferg and Rocky, Big Sean, Don Toliver, Lil Durk, and YG. However, Nas goes completely solo on the latest edition, which you can listen to here.

In case you blinked, we’re already three weeks into the NBA season. Every team has played double-digit games. Christmas decorations are out in droves. The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers currently maintain the first and second seeds, respectively, in the West, and it doesn’t feel fluky. The college season is in full swing. Everything in basketball that could be happening is happening, and it’s a whirlwind. A vortex of unexpected play, promising growth, and continual advancement of the game as it ebbs and flows into what the 2022-23 season holds in store for us.

Basketball, it’s pretty special.

Without further adieu, we dive back into the Most Intriguing Players in the league this week (you can read last week’s drop here). A reminder, most intriguing does not mean the best. This is a reflection of players who have caught my eye for one reason or another. If I wasn’t reigned into a concise three player breakdown, I would be rattling off 36 percent of the league in one column, so major shout out to my editor. (Ed. note: No problem, Mark.)

Josh Green

The Dallas Mavericks are in an odd place as they start the season. Luka Doncic is off to, undeniably, one of the greatest offensive stretches we’ve seen to start a season.

But, he’s slowed down after a torrid first nine games, which is extremely understandable given his monster 39.6 percent usage rate during that span. The offense has felt kind of my turn, your turn between Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie, and to be fair, it’s worked well. With Christian Wood out the past two games, the bench offense has struggled mightily, but the defense has remained sturdy. This is a good basketball team, although at times, it is lacking in pop and dynamism outside Doncic.

One potential solution to this: Third year wing Josh Green, who is putting together more and more consistent glimmers of oomph that are enticing.

He still doesn’t shoot a lot, but he’s shooting more, and with absurd efficacy to start the season. He’s going to be left open as he continues to cement his status as a shooter, but the signs are encouraging, even if subliminal.

Green has a fantastic feel for the game as a cutter and secondary playmaker, using his athletic gravity to make things happen in the open floor. Alongside Doncic, arguably the largest gravity swell in the league, Green can exploit pockets that wouldn’t be nearly as malleable or open playing with a less magnetic star ball-handler.

He’s capable of attacking space off the bounce, driving to continue scrambling defenses, and throwing some fantastic connective dimes to keep plays moving.

He brings a little chaos and randomness on either end, and the Mavs need more of that to keep climbing in the West. Green’s continued growth in the season is worth tracking.

Kelly Olynyk

As mentioned at the top, the Utah Jazz are 10-3, the only 10-win team in the West and the first team in the league to reach 10 wins. Lauri Markkanen looks like an All-Star and player the Jazz should prioritize in their rebuild. Jordan Clarkson is playing the best basketball of his career. The team is cohesive. It’s deep. There’s shooting and ball-handling across the board. This isn’t the best team in the West in a playoff series, but they’re putting together replicable, consistent, good play. It’s awesome.

Kelly Olynyk has been central to their success, even if he’s not the first player you’d shout out in the aggregate.

Much of Utah’s offense flows from the elbows and the perimeter, utilizing the shooting gravity of their bigs and quality decision-making they possess as DHO threats. Olynyk stirs the offense and influences it without routinely being the one finishing plays.

He toes the lines of legality as a screener, always moving juuuust subtly enough. He’s evasive in how he screens, sometimes opting to outright bulldoze, or at times dancing like a ballerina, flipping multiple times to pester a defender into inopportune lanes. Olynyk is top-notch at opening up shooters. In turn, he can dive off DHO keepers. He can playmake and score from the post. He can even run inverted pick and rolls well due to his handle and touch.

He is the turnkey that unlocks the upper percentile this offense has hit.

Part of me never wants to see this Jazz team disassembled, and the other part of me thinks about the multitude of contending teams that would benefit from his services. A reunion in Miami makes so much sense for either side. I can envision few players who fit what Golden State needs while also making them better like he could. For now, there’s no place he makes more sense in than the best team in the West.

Jerami Grant

There have been few, if any, teams more enjoyable to watch in the early season than the Portland Trail Blazers. As my colleague Jackson Frank has astutely noted, a team that was starved for wings in the past few seasons is now teeming with wings and versatile forwards throughout the roster.

Chauncey Billups’ defensive schemes make more sense with this season’s talent, running zone frequently, pressing early to slow opposition, and playing extremely connected on that end. Damian Lillard is calling out coverages and competing. Portland will close games and employ frequent lineups without a true center on the court. Their defensive activity is infectious, and their status as the fifth-best defense in the league feels sustainable.

They’re still finding their offensive form, but make no mistake, this Portland team is good. Lillard looks unhampered and back to his superstar ways. Let’s highlight someone else: Jerami Grant has been electric, and an inarguably perfect fit for this team, their playstyle, and what they needed.

While I doubt the 44 percent from deep holds, the process of Grant’s scoring and overall flow within the offense has been stellar and not something I foresaw. Most of his offense is coming off of his catch-and-drive game, something drastically improved during his time with the Pistons.

We still see some ball stopping, but the blend of isolations and face-up scoring has been a necessary addition to this team, as his ability to get to the line has been crucial to the team drawing free throws at the fourth-highest clip in the NBA.

He’s been dynamic as a rover for the defense, helping backline and at the rim. He’s been incredibly active in one of the better zone defenses I’ve seen employed in recent memory.

Grant has never really been a “go get that guy and stop him” type of defender. He’s more of a player who can guard a variety of archetypes adequately and add more value through his off-ball ranginess. Portland has put him perfectly in their defense as a multifaceted events creator. Would he make my All-Defense team at the moment? Probably not, but that I’d have to consider it is a testament to how stellar he’s been in his role.

This is the best version of Jerami Grant we’ve seen in the NBA. He knows what he needs to do in a defined role, but also has room for the creativity and on-ball chops he’s toyed with the past few seasons. Any doubts you had about what Grant could contribute in a winning role as an impactful player should be reconsidered.

The Black Eyed Peas released their new album Elevation today (November 11). The group led by will.i.am teamed up with multiple Latin acts like Shakira, Anitta, Daddy Yankee, and Anuel AA. Perhaps most notably, though, Black Eyed Peas’ latest addition J. Rey Soul joins the group for “Double D’Z.” On that one, will.i.am’s lyrics are pulled from Adam Levine’s alleged DMs with model Sumner Stroh; The refrain goes, “Holy f*ck, holy f*ckin’ f*ck / The body of yours is absurd.”

The Black Eyed Peas first dabbled in the Latin market with their 2020 album Translation. Taboo, who is of Mexican descent, is the group’s link to the Latin music scene. That LP featured the global hits like “Ritmo” with J Balvin and “Girl Like Me” with Shakira. Now they are taking that sound to the next level with the aptly-titled Elevation.

Shakira regrouped with the Black Eyed Peas for the stellar hit “Don’t You Worry” featuring David Guetta. The music video for their feel-good anthem has amassed over 114 million views on YouTube. The group also recently released the video for “Simply The Best” featuring Anitta and Dominican dembow star El Alfa.

Other Latin acts who feature on Translation include reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee in the lofty “Baila Contigo” and Anuel AA in “Muevelo,” which features a house beat that’s similar to classic “Pump Up The Jam.” Ozuna and Nicky Jam are also part of the mix. Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger also features on the dance track “No One Loves Me.”

Elevation is out now via Sony Music Entertainment. Listen to it here.

Some artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Back in September, Warner Bros. Discovery continued its track of roller coaster decisions by announcing that a Constantine sequel starring Keanu Reeves is finally in the works and with original director Francis Lawrence at the helm. It was a surprising move, not just because of the state of flux with WB Discovery’s DC Comics properties, but because a reboot from J.J. Abrams was in the works. (Obviously, that is no longer the case.)

As for what happened, in a nutshell, Keanu spoke. According to Lawrence, things started moving very quickly behind the scenes after Reeves answered a question from Stephen Colbert about which character he’d love to play again. When he said “John Constantine,” the crowd went wild and that got the ball rolling. Keanu literally breathed life into the project.

“People finally saw that and went, ‘Oh, wait, maybe you guys can go and make the Constantine sequel.’ So it was sort of a variety of factors,” Lawrence told Collider before elaborating on one of the other major roadblocks: Rights issues.

All the DC [properties], because Vertigo is part of DC, that sort of like the control of those properties got complicated with Warner Bros. with DC, with JJ [Abrams]’s deal, you know, all those kinds of things. There’s a lot of complicating factors. So it was never Akiva, and Keanu, and I [who had] to be sort of convinced to do it. It was really trying to figure out how we can get some sort of control over the Constantine character again.

The Constantine sequel does not have a release window at the time of this writing, and Reeves is currently busy balancing his other major franchise: The ever-expanding John Wick universe. However, he did find time for a new Matrix movie and, given his passion for playing John Constantine again, we’re guessing the project will happen sooner rather than later. Keanu is that powerful.

(Via Collider)

While Jamie Lee Curtis has effectively been closing the door on one of her famous franchises (which she swears she is done with for real this time), there is one that she is keeping open, and that’s the potential for a Freaky Friday sequel. Curtis has been talking about it a lot lately, and she even admitted that she brought up the idea to her big mouse boss at Disney.

While we have known for a while that Curtis is on board with another Freaky installment, we hadn’t heard from her co-star Lindsay Lohan, who just returned to acting after a lengthy hiatus. Luckily for us, Lohan is also excited about this potential sequel.

Lohan stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to discuss her new Netflix holiday movie when the topic of a potential second Freaky Friday came up. It seems like she had already spoken to Curtis about the idea. “We did speak about it, yeah,” Lohan admitted. But did they use their special texting code????

The actress explained that Curtis had messaged her about a potential reunion while she was at work. “I was on set filming at the time, and [when] Jamie Lee Curtis writes you, you just get excited and distracted! Immediately, so I had to bring myself down to Earth and be like, ‘I’m on set, I have to focus.’ Then she said Freaky Friday 2, and I got more excited.” While she wouldn’t confirm anything, she did tell Fallon that both Lohan and Curtis are on board, saying “We would both be into it!”

As for a Mean Girls sequel, Lohan believes that’s “up to Tina Fey.” Considering that Fey’s last movie credit was “Vacumming Mom (Voice Only)” in 2021’s Free Guy, maybe she has some free time on her hands to write a quick draft.

(Via Collider)

In more news that reads like SNL-level satire, the guy who draws those Dilbert cartoons has finally turned on Donald Trump.

Why this should matter, we’re not sure. Obviously, it makes for a really funny headline, and it’s likely to piss Trump off considering that the Dilbert Guy — whose real name is Scott Adams — is just one of many former Trump fans now jumping ship after a disappointing Midterms performance. Adams’ day job is drawing cartoons that depict various aspects of office life via a main worker-bee named Dilbert. If you’ve never heard of him, or his drawings, it’s because they exist in these things called newspapers, which are rapidly going extinct.

Adams became a Trump stan sometime in the last few years. He’s since tweeted some controversial opinions about mass shootings, women’s rights, etc. But apparently, the final straw in his idolization of Trump came when the twice-impeached president attacked Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin via his Truth Social account.

This isn’t the first time the Dilbert Guy has publicly opposed Trump’s rhetoric while still professing to be a fan, but it seems like Trump’s insistence on alienating members of his party by resorting to crass name-calling and launching racially-charged barbs was too much for the guy who once suggested that if parents were worried their sons might become mass shooters, they should just kill them.

(Via RawStory)

In our timeline, Grease heartthrob Danny Zuko is played by John Travolta. But in one of those multiverses that Marvel is always going on about, one-half of Rydell High’s second favorite couple (Rizzo and Kenickie are #1, obviously) is portrayed by Henry Winkler.

The Barry star appeared on this week’s episode of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, where he discussed his post-Happy Days career. “It was so bad that not only could I not find work,” he said, “but I was sitting at my desk at Paramount and I literally thought, am I ever going to find anything with as much impact as the Fonz? How will I know? Will anybody ever ask me? I’m not getting any offers.” Winkler did get an offer, however: the co-lead role alongside Olivia Newton-John in Grease. Which he turned down.

“Are you a damn fool?” Wallace asked him. Harsh but fair, considering Grease became the highest-grossing musical ever at the time. “Yes. I am,” Winkler agreed. “Because I only realized, oh, afterwards, years afterwards. I thought I played the Fonz, I don’t want to do it again. I’m going to submit. It has already happened. I’m already typecast. I should have just shut up and had a really good time making that movie.” He added:

“Now, I go home. I say no. And I have a Diet Coke. John Travolta goes home and has done the movie and buys a plane.”

Aw. Cheer up, buddy. You won an Emmy for Barry, and you did great work on Children’s Hospital, Arrested Development, and Parks and Recreation. Besides, maybe you don’t have plane money, but Travolta wants what you have (fish pics).

Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? is on HBO Max now, and airs on CNN on Sundays.

With Yellowstone Season 5 set to unleash frontier vengeance this weekend, creator Taylor Sheridan has been making the interview rounds to promote a series that, frankly, doesn’t need a whole lot of help. Despite the advent of streaming, Yellowstone has been one of the rare basic cable hits. The show routinely brings in millions of viewers who tune in each week to see what fresh hell John Dutton (Kevin Costner) will exact on anyone reckless enough to come for his Montana ranch.

The show’s neo-western setting and heavily armed ranch hands have made it a pop culture juggernaut for conservative viewers, but if you tell Sheridan that the show is a Republican drama made for Republicans, he’ll literally laugh. Via The Atlantic:

Sheridan insists that Yellowstone is not a “red-state show.” “They refer to it as ‘the conservative show’ or ‘the Republican show’ or ‘the red-state Game of Thrones,’ ” he told me. “And I just sit back laughing. I’m like, ‘Really?’ The show’s talking about the displacement of Native Americans and the way Native American women were treated and about corporate greed and the gentrification of the West, and land-grabbing. That’s a red-state show?”

As The Atlantic notes, Yellowstone‘s politics don’t easily fit into one box or the other. Despite the seemingly conservative staples like guns, a yearning for “traditional” values, and masculine violence, the show also grapples with anti-capitalist themes as well as environmental destruction. According to Sheridan, this ambiguity is deliberate and part of his dedication to “responsible storytelling” that shows the “moral consequences of certain behaviors and decisions.”

“When I stepped into that world, I wanted there to be real consequences,” Sheridan told The Atlantic. “I wanted to never, ever shy away from, This was the price.”

Yellowstone Season 5 premieres November 13 on the Paramount Network.

(Via The Atlantic)