Category: News

As House of the Dragon wrapped its epic first season, fans of the Game of Thrones prequel series were hit with some bad news: Season 2 probably won’t arrive until 2024. But it looks like they won’t be the only ones waiting.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Andor are also looking at significantly long waits until their second seasons drop. However, unlike House of the Dragon which won’t start filming until next year, Rings of Power has already started production for its next season, and Andor will get the ball rolling in November. While it’s good to hear that the new seasons are definitely happening, that won’t change the long production schedules, which are becoming the norm for prestige series thanks to the final season of Game of Thrones. (Is there anything it didn’t ruin?)

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

The 2011 fantasy drama’s first seven seasons aired on an annual basis. Then fans waited two years for the climactic eighth and final season in 2019. Many slammed the final run from a creative standpoint, but the six episodes looked like feature films and broke ratings records. The season arguably set a new standard for how much money, effort and time can go into a season, as well as proving that a long wait won’t deter fans from coming back to a highly anticipated show.

Of course, those waits are nothing compared to what Stranger Things fans have been going through. Thanks to the pandemic, there was a massive three year gap between seasons three and four, and according to THR, the wait for the fifth and final season could take just as long. We’re talking 2025 until we’re treated to another round of incredibly descriptive squelching. That show loves a good squelch.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

If you didn’t learn anything from Mercury retrograde, Dove Cameron‘s new single “Bad Idea” is here to serve as your reminder. The pop singer’s new track produced by frequent collaborator Evan Blair (“Boyfriend” and “Breakfast“) chronicles the addictive nature of toxic romantic love.

The lyrics chronicle several emotionally exhaustive scenarios that many of us, unfortunately, find ourselves in. As Cameron sultrily sings in her signature low register, “I know I shouldn’t do it / but I’m gonna do it / know exactly where I shouldn’t go I’m running to it,” and, “We made it out the first time / still in love and half alive / we didn’t die but no guarantees this time,” it cuts deep — deep enough for you to examine what role you played in your own heartbreak.

In a press release (as Nylon notes), Cameron shares how the song came to be, stating, “This song was inspired by a text I got that was so intense, and such a bad idea, that I had to go straight into the studio the next morning to write about it. ‘Bad Idea’ is the moment before diving into what could potentially be a severe crash-and-burn but deciding to take the risk anyway.”

Fans feel Cameron might just have another hit on her hands, with one tweeting, “the holy trifecta is out.” Sharing in the excitement of the song’s rave reviews, Cameron promises a new album is certainly on the way.

There’s no word on when we can expect a full project from the former Disney star, but we will be ready when it drops. For now, we’ll just sit back and enjoy the singles Cameron releases.

Listen to “Bad Idea” above.

Bad Sisters asks: what if the March sisters from Louisa May Alcott’s novel “Little Women” had a horrific brother-in-law and plotted his murder?

Run, do not walk to your couch to watch Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters, a moody murder mystery that is uproariously funny but simultaneously a thorough study of women’s trauma. Filled with gorgeous Irish landscapes, staggering performances, and cozy sweaters, Bad Sisters is a perfect fall binge.

The series follows the Garvey sisters, a family of five sisters in Ireland. Their sister, Grace, is married to John Paul, an asshole who treats their sister horrifically. Grace’s sisters plot to kill the man, seeing it as the only way to free themselves, but more importantly, their sister, who is stuck in an abusive relationship with a monster. Meanwhile, an insurance agent, following the mysterious death of John Paul in a future timeline, suspects the sisters in his death and is on a mission to prove it.

The black comedy from Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, and Brett Baer is based on the Flemish series, Clan. All ten episodes of the Irish black comedy are available on Apple TV. Here are all the reasons why you should watch it.

Ireland

Ireland’s tourism either was behind this or it owes the show a debt. The beautiful, incredibly green island of Ireland has never looked more appetizing than it does in Bad Sisters, which is set in a small, charming town on the coast. The homes, ranging from cottage-core to modern minimalist, are gorgeous against the greenest grass you’ve ever seen and the rocky beaches will make you want to dive off a cliff into the water even if it’s freezing.

Class Bang

Bad Sisters accomplishes the impossible: it gets its audiences to not only root for people who are plotting a murder, it gets its audience to agree that it is completely reasonable and rational, the only way out. Danish actor — and star of 2017’s The Square — Claes Bang plays John Paul Williams, the nightmare brother-in-law whom the Garvey sisters spend most of the series trying to kill. It is not hyperbolic to say that John Paul is one of the vilest characters to appear on any screen, and he is probably among the most horrific characters in any story ever written since the beginning of storytelling. John Paul is an abusive misogynist pig, to say the least, but he knows precisely when to turn on the charm. It’s not an easy role for an actor to take: this character truly makes Joffrey Baratheon seem like Tom Hanks, but Bang took it and went as far as possible.

Women–-

One of the most iconic moments in modern cinema is Saorise Ronan as Jo March saying “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty,” in 2019’s Little Women.

Bad Sisters, being about sisters, truly embodies this. The story centers on five sisters, all who have their own storylines within the main plot. Sharon Horgan’s Eva is a child-free career woman, who essentially took on the role of parental figure after their parents died in a car wreck. Ursula is struggling in her marriage and motherhood. Bibi is still suffering from the trauma of losing an eye in a car wreck (that was John Paul’s fault). The youngest, Becky, is trying to get her sisters to see her as an equal, not as the baby. Grace, the wife of the dreaded John Paul, suffers verbal and physical abuse and has complex and realistic feelings and reactions to it. The series gives each character her own thoughtful, unique arc, without using any stereotypes. Although each sister has her own individual story, the show is essentially about their unbreakable bond despite their differences. Jo March would be proud.

Clever use of managing multiple timelines

I can’t help but make references to Little Women. Remember back in 2019 when some people (mostly men) complained that Greta Gerwig’s Little Women was confusing because of its multiple timelines that shifted throughout the film? Bad Sisters moves forward and back in time similarly from scene to scene, but instead of using Florence Pugh’s bang status as a marker of the time, the frame pulls back, revealing a reel of film. The film moves forward or backward, then focuses back on the scene. Depending on whether the film moved, you know exactly where you are in the story immediately. This is by no means meant to suggest that Pugh’s bangs were a bad way of telling time: both strategies are perfect in their own unique ways.

Gleeson Family Supremacy

At this point, the Gleeson family is to Ireland what the Skarsgård family is to Sweden. In Bad Sisters, Brian Gleeson – son of Brendan, brother of Domhnall – plays Tom, the manic insurance agent who will do anything to avoid paying Grace’s insurance claim following John Paul’s death. This includes breaking into homes, stealing trash, and generally cosplaying as a goofy but weirdly savvy Irish Sherlock Holmes.

To say that Rihanna’s return to putting out new music this week was long-anticipated is an understatement. With the release of “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Soundtrack, Rihanna marked her first new solo release since her wildly popular album Anti dropped in early 2016. “Lift Me Up” takes a somber turn, set to heavenly strings as Rihanna sings a tune — which she co-wrote with Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, and Tems — dedicated to the memory of Chadwick Boseman. There have been reports that Rihanna has yet another song coming on the Wakanda Forever Soundtrack, too. That begs the question: when will she release a new album to follow Anti?

When Does Rihanna’s New Album Come Out?

Rihanna’s high-profile feature on the Wakanda Forever Soundtrack would seem like the best way to dip her toes in the water ahead of a new album release. Considering she’s also slated to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February, she will have the best promotional vehicles to announce a new album at her disposal. The Super Bowl performance already has the music world buzzing about a potential stadium tour — something she hasn’t done either since the Anti Tour in 2016.

And let’s be honest: it’d be a missed opportunity of sorts for Riri to not announce a new album surrounding the Super Bowl appearance. Lately, she’s been heavily focused on her “Savage x Fenty Vol. 4” fashion show, which arrives on November 9. This should give her plenty of time to start focusing on an album rollout in the lead-up to the Super Bowl from there. Right?

On the latest episode of Fresh Pair, Just Blaze and Katty Customs were joined by one-half of the legendary hip hop duo Run The Jewels, El-P, who was gifted a pair of seriously fly custom AF-1s. The custom pair featured a painted leather upper in a concrete colorway with striking blue accents and a swirling Swoosh that paid tribute to El-P’s solo album Fantastic Damage and his long and storied career as one of rap’s finest modern MCs.

The AF-1 is a sneaker that often looks best in its original black and white colorway, so what Katty was able to do with El-P’s custom sneaker is no small feat. But let’s face it, Nike is never going to drop something this fly. Luckily, El-P and Fresh Pair have teamed up to release five pairs of his special custom shoe to benefit the charity organization City Harvest.

Selling for $1,800 per pair (which is a steal for this level of detail) 100% of the profits will go directly to City Harvest, New York City’s largest food rescue organization. City Harvest has set a goal to rescue over 75 million pounds of fresh food and deliver to it food pantries, soup kitchens, and mobile markets across New York City’s five boroughs to help the people who need it most get fed as we enter the cold holiday months of New York City.

The sneakers are sure to go fast, so if you miss out on your chance to cop a pair be sure to hit the City Harvest website and donate any amount you’d like, even a simple $1 donation will feed two New Yorkers for a day. To enter your chance to purchase a pair of the custom AF-1s, hit up Uproxx’s Life editor Steve Bramucci on IG @Steve_Bramucci or via email at [email protected].

Pol Granch released his new album Amor Escupido today (October 28). The Spanish singer-songwriter also dropped the delirious music video for “Que Todo Sea Probar.”

Granch received his breakthrough moment last year when he featured on Marc Seguí’s hit “Tiroteo.” After Rauw Alejandro jumped on the remix, their collaboration blew up around the world. The remix has amassed over 395 million streams on Spotify. Granch then started appearing on the hit Netflix series Elite soon after.

In his Amor Escupido album, Granch lets his romantic angst run wild. He embraces the pop-punk revival in his alternative cuts like “Kriño” and “No Te Bastó, Mi Corazón.” Granch also experiments with other genres like synth-pop in “Solo x Ti” and deep house in the Disclosure-like “Desconexión” featuring Garabatto. Reflecting his French heritage, he also sings in a bit in French in that song.

“The album is like a diary in which each page is a song [and] a harpoon that you throw to find what love is and where it takes you,” Granch said in a statement.

Granch also released the music video for “Que Todo Sea Probar.” In the funky dance track, he encourages his listeners to try everything when it comes to love. He manifests that message in the video that features people from all walks of life dancing with each other. Granch also shows his support for the LGBTQ+ community with a same-sex couple sharing a kiss among the euphoric crowd.

Granch is nominated for Best New Artist at the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards. He is already working on a second part of his Amor Escupido album.

Amor Escupido is out now via Sony Music Spain. Listen to it here.

Everyone knows that video games are more fun with your friends. Whether it’s a multiplayer game, going through a story in co-op mode, or having someone sit down next to you while you go through a single-player adventure, having someone else there to go through the experience with you can take an 8/10 game and turn it into a 10/10.

This applies to horror games, too, where a bond is created by going through the game together. Every scare, clutch, or intense moment is magnified by having someone right there in your ear screaming along with you. That’s why we went out and found some of the best horror games to play with friends as we get closer to Halloween.

Dead by Daylight

Have you ever wanted to experience what it’s like to be inside of a horror movie, to feel the fear that runs through your veins as Ghostface, Freddy Kruger, or Michael Myers chase you down? Then Dead by Daylight may be the game for you. This multiplayer game pits four survivors, all player controlled, against one player-controlled killer, and the objective for both sides is quite simple: The survivors need to escape and the killers need to hunt everyone down. While it’s framed as a team game, there isn’t really any penalty for being the lone survivor, but if you help teammates out, then you’ll have a better chance at surviving to the end.

While playing as the killer is plenty of fun, getting a good group of friends and playing together online can be a great time. Communication is a good way to overwhelm most killers, and if you go the extra mile to try and ensure most of the group survives, then you can have some clutch moments where a friend saves someone from the killer’s grasp as you both book it for the exit. I’ve watched one of my friends juke the killer and do exactly this. The exhilaration I felt as we escaped made me jump off my couch in excitement.

Phasmophobia

Who wants to go ghost hunting? You won’t be able to fight the ghosts at all, but you can document them for extra cash which you can then use to buy better ghost hunting equipment. Okay, so that’s only half the fun of Phasmophobia, the other half is letting it chill you to the bone as ghosts do their best to murder you. It’s up to the player to gather enough clues to to figure out what each ghost is before it goes haywire and kills everyone in the building. That said, if you’re sneaky enough and good at hiding, you should be able to survive the ghost attacks if it’s not in the room with you already.

Phasmophobia is at its best with friends. As a suggestion, only play the game through its internal chat, because the way audio works in the game players will sound more distant the farther they are from you, and you have to spend a lot of time talking through walkie-talkies. During hunts, all technological devices like the walkie-talkies shut off merely adding to the horror. You can still talk to anyone close to you, of course, but be wary because the ghost can still hear you.

The Quarry

Like Dead by Daylight, The Quarry is the opportunity for players to play through a horror movie. A spiritual successor to the extremely popular Until Dawn, it lets players control the actions of characters through quick-time events and decision making. It involves a lot of watching, and multiple endings, but the experience is a great time and lives up to the Until Dawn name for a lot of longtime fans.

What makes The Quarry different is that unlike Until Dawn this was designed with multiplayer in mind. Players can either be on the couch or online taking turns controlling different characters. An added benefit that is surely popular with streamers is that others can view in to the game online and make decisions via vote. This makes The Quarry one of those games that can be great to either play with a single friend, or a larger group, and no experience will ever feel the same thanks to the multiple endings. A great multiplayer experience from top to bottom.

Resident Evil 5

If you have ever seen the Resident Evil movies, you know they aren’t exactly scary, but more like campy action movies. The games, meanwhile, have some of the most horrifying moments in all of gaming. That is until Resident Evil 5 came along, made longtime character Chris Redfield the size of an NFL defensive lineman, and gave players a permanent partner throughout the game in Sheva Alomar. It’s not a particularly scary game, especially with some of the more ridiculous setpieces in the later game, but with a friend it’s a co-op masterpiece.

Resident Evil 5 is a ridiculous game. Chris, at one point, punches a boulder because it was in his way and it worked. Get a friend, order a pizza, crack open some drinks, and spend a memorable weekend playing through one of the most ridiculous “horror” games ever made. It’s unfortunately two players only, but you and that friend will surely bond as you go deeper into this game.

State of Decay 2

State of Decay 2 is less scary and more stressful. It’s a zombie survival game, so that means resource management, crafting, and looting are all in the cards for anyone that plays through this. The reason it’s fun with friends is that, if you choose to largely ignore the objectives, State of Decay 2 suddenly becomes your own personal Zombieland. Every decision is made to not further along the plot, but instead figure out where you should be spending your time next.

For a month, a group of friends and I picked this up in a sale on Steam and had the time of our lives as we ignored the plot and spent our time trying to find the best cars, the coolest places to live, and figure out fun new ways to mow down zombies. Be careful, though, because if you get too greedy, the horde will have its revenge on you and its curtains.

Nick Kroll‘s focus on childhood and adolescence has been central to the success and expanding universe of Big Mouth (which just returned for its 6th season after the debut of its spinoff, Human Resources). But in his recently released Netflix stand-up special, Little Big Boy, the focus expands to ponder matters related to his own child in addition to personal analogies and jokes about love, heartbreak, moms, snacking, and hypnosis, among other things.

It’s a mix that speaks to the life changes going on in Kroll’s life over the last couple of years after getting married and having a kid, and why our first question when we spoke with him recently was a check-in on the state of his arrested development. Kroll is upfront about being an in-progress adult. He’s also candid in explaining the nuanced approach to whether he wants future standup material to weave in stories about his wife and child, people who aren’t on stage with him, while also giving his thoughts on when people should show their kids Big Mouth, his favorite Mel Brooks films, and what it’s like to give notes to the legend while working together on the History Of The World Part 1 sequel.
Where are you on the sort of journey toward adulthood right now?

I mean, I think I’m further along in that journey than I was when I started the special. I started it in 2019, but a bunch of the material is much older than that. And then obviously with the lockdown, I then got married and had a baby, and I’ve taken on obviously more adult responsibilities. Theoretically, we become adults at 21 or 18, but I think most of us spend a lifetime actually trying to figure out how to be an adult, and I feel like I’m still very much on that journey.

Getting married and having a kid, these things are starting to play into your material. Is that something that you welcome? Are you looking forward to exploring that more?

It’s weird when you’re doing standup, so much of it is about your life. But your partner, your child, they’re not up on stage with you, and the child truly has made no choices about being involved in your material. So it’s something that I’m going to have to figure out going forward. I think it’s an ongoing conversation with my family about how and what I share, and what the material becomes.

Have you been on the road since your son was born? Are you starting to make decisions about your career based on having a kid?

I haven’t really been on the road much. A few weekends here and there. And I’m not sure, it does really change. Having a family really changes every decision you make professionally because you have other people to consider and take into account. And so I have to now figure out what that means. Definitely, conversations that have to have happened when I was a younger single man, I didn’t have to have those conversations. I could just take jobs or not. But the joy and benefit of that, of having a family so outweighs those conversations.

In terms of Big Mouth, do you have it planned out how far you want to take this? Are you thinking past adolescence at any point with this? I know you popped up in an episode last season, is that something you want to do again?

I don’t know if I’ll come back. That was a great idea from my partners. I would never pitch that, to be like, “Hey, you know what would be awesome? If a live-action me was on the show.” But my partners, Mark and Jen and Andrew and I, and our writers, I think we have we have innumerable stories to tell because puberty and sexual development and just being a teen have provided so much material. But ultimately it’s up to Netflix how many stories we tell, how many episodes and how many seasons we do.

How old is your kid going to have to be before you let him see Big Mouth?

Andrew Goldberg’s kids are older than mine. His take, which I think is a smart one and it’s what I tell basically any parents who are like, “When is it okay for my kids to watch?” I say what Andrew said, I repeat which is, when kids are the age of the kids on the show, then I think that’s when I would let my kid watch, I think because kids are going through all that stuff. It would be false to say that the kids who are the age of the kids on the show don’t know how to get access to a lot of content on the internet that is much less responsibly thought about than what we’re putting out, is what I will say.

Do you look at peers and judge yourself versus what they’re doing, are you competitive? Do you look at up-and-coming comics and does that light a fire under you, or is it all just self-contained as far as what’s driving you toward your goals?

I mean, it’s a combo. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sort of keeping tabs on my peers. I mean, slightly competitive, but also inspired by and excited to see what other people are doing, and try to figure out what my version of something is. That said, I also barely watch standup. It’s not fun for me to watch standup. I love comedy, but it’s not relaxing, because all I’m doing is watching like, “Oh, that’s how they did this, the special starts here or the camera work here.” And I also sometimes don’t want to see what other people are doing so that it doesn’t affect what I do.

One thing that’s been announced that I’m personally really excited about is the project with Mel Brooks and History Of The World, which is my favorite Mel Brooks movie. I’m curious what your three favorite Mel Brooks movies are.

Let’s see. I mean, History Of The World was huge for me growing up. Massive. The Producers was my favorite movie for much of my life. Blazing Saddles, is massively important to me, as was, later in life, Young Frankenstein. Those are four movies I would say are in my top 10 movies. The idea that I’m working with Mel Brooks, and specifically working on History Of The World: Part II is something that I barely can fathom as a reality.

Do we get Jews In Space, is that happening?

You’re going to have to tune in to see.

Oh don’t worry, I’ll be tuning in. What’s your favorite part of the film though?

I mean, The Inquisition is unstoppable musical comedy. The jokes, the visuals, it’s so unstoppable. I have so many favorites, but I would say The Inquisition really hits me. And unemployment spelled with a V, Bea Arthur as the unemployment officer.

“You’re a bullshit artist,” yeah.

“Did you bullshit today?”

Have you gotten to the stage yet where you’re kind of batting it around with him? Do you give him feedback? What’s it like to give Mel Brooks a note?

He’s narrating the show, and so I’ve been sort of filling him in about what we need and stuff like that, and it’s crazy to try to give direction to Mel Brooks. But to his credit, first off he’s still so funny it’s crazy. And two, he has been very nicely open to hearing an idea or a suggestion, which is beyond wild.

I think he’s taken direction before. From Sid Ceasar. Same thing right?

Sure. I think that was his last and only boss.

‘Big Moth’ and ‘Little Big Boy’ are both streaming on Netflix

Charli XCX is one of the most compelling pop stars right now, and she doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. Since her 2014 sophomore album Sucker really put her on the map, she’s only gotten bigger, especially with this year’s Crash. In a new interview with NME, she reminisced on her earlier years, specifically when her song “I Love It” went massive.

“I have a lot of quite confusing feelings about it. In part I was like, just straight-up jealous,” she said about the 2012 collaboration with Icona Pop. “I was jealous, and a little bit regretful. That song is kind of like when you go through a break-up and your ex gets a new partner before you or whatever, and you see it on the internet. You’re constantly reminded of it.”

In that same interview, she also talked about her relationship with celebrity: “To be famous – a stratospheric level of famous – you have to f*cking want that sh*t to happen to you, and you have to do the deal with the devil. You have to f*cking go there and run people over. I’m not saying it’s a negative thing: it’s not, but I think with Crash, I definitely wanted to play that game.”

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

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook will come off the bench Friday when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the intention for him to provide a playmaking presence in second units.

Due to a hamstring injury, Westbrook sat out the Lakers’ 110-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Through three games, the former MVP is averaging 10.3 points (36.6 percent true shooting), 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and two steals. He’s struggled mightily to score the ball effectively, even in a smaller role.

Friday will mark the first time since Nov. 28, 2008, Westbrook’s rookie year, that he’s coming off the bench. It’ll be just the 18th time in his career. He started the first three games this season for Los Angeles, as well as all 78 he played in 2021-22.

Aside from Lonnie Walker (15.3 points per game), the 0-4 Lakers haven’t received much offensive pop from their stable of guards thus far. Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Patrick Beverley, and Austin Reaves are averaging a combined 25.6 points and 9.9 assists per game. At the very least, this shift is an experiment to try and see if it’s the requisite move to help improve their collective guard play. We’ll get a better sense of its early returns when Los Angeles and Minnesota tip off inside Target Center at 8 p.m. EST Friday.