Category: News

It’s been two years since 2K made its debut in the golf video game business, and as such, there was some excitement about how they would build off of their very strong first entry, PGA Tour 2K21.

They got Tiger Woods to be the cover athlete, added more PGA Tour and LPGA Tour pros to their roster to be available to play in the game, and struck deals with a few more club and apparel companies, but the hope that the game would really expand in its second edition two years later just didn’t materialize. PGA Tour 2K23 is very similar to the first offering, with the same positives and negatives to the last edition.

We’ll start with the positives. The one thing that really makes this game stand out to its competition is the course creator. It’s the star of 2K and HB Studios’ offering, the best part of the game for every golfer who has believed they could construct a great course — or for those who want to get really weird. You can get lost in the course creator for days changing the smallest details in an effort to create your masterpiece, and it really is an impressive course building engine.

From a gameplay perspective, it’s still a game that can be as difficult as you want it to be, mirroring the maddening line all golfers toe between playing well and playing poorly. That remains a positive, to me, as it’s a game that keeps you coming back to try and improve in a way previous golf games didn’t because of how easy they are to master. You truly do have to think your way around a course and consider everything from the slope of the fairway to the wind to the elevation, which is what makes golf … golf.

However, 2K23 still has the same issues on the course as the previous game, where the rough and sand are far too penalizing and every course playing as if it were a US Open venue. Being able to hit shots only 65-70 percent of your normal distance out of the rough isn’t realistic on most PGA Tour courses, and if they just bumped that to 75-80 percent for heavy rough, it’d remain a challenge but not make some approaches impossible in a way that’s just not the case for PGA Tour players.

The swing system is almost identical to what was in 2K21, with the same issue of not being able to build a unique swing, just working within the one stock swing built into the game. It’s a disappointment considering the additions of so many pros to the game, as there’s nothing about their golf games that differentiate them. The tempo changes from full swings to the varying shot types you’ll hit around the green are maddening to figure out. That may not be a terrible thing, but beware that you’ll chunk some chips and bunker shots in baffling ways when you thought you made a decent stroke.

Overall, it’s still a good golf game with a few flaws, but for fans hoping for something like more expansion of the career mode, there’s not a ton. The best improvement is the addition of a badge system similar to NBA 2K. Figuring out your player and club builds are, genuinely, a great part of the game, as you can tinker with varying elements to try and make your player fit your style as best as possible—- it’s something of a middle ground for the inability to build a unique swing.

Beyond that, though, there’s not much to say about the career mode. You still play your “rival” heads up, one tournament at a time, trying to beat them to win some gear. Your sponsors don’t even so much as provide you with a base set of gear, but after you reach each tier, you get a random piece of equipment or accessory. The lack of majors — which all have a deal with EA Sports — remains a bit of a bummer, as does the lack of diversity of courses, as you have the various TPCs and then a bunch of created courses that fill in the gaps on the schedule.

The reality right now is that we have two golf games that have half of the formula for a great game, and as long as exclusive rights deals exist, I’m not sure we’ll ever get the complete experience. EA Sports’ return to the golf gaming arena will bring the four majors back as well, including all of the major championship courses we’re accustomed to playing in a game, headlined by Augusta National. 2K, meanwhile, has an incredible course creator engine and far superior gameplay to the EA games of the past, which leaves one to wonder if EA’s offering will be able to match that quality when it returns next spring.

All told, PGA Tour 2K23 is a good but incomplete golf game. If you have 2K21, you’re really not missing out on anything other than you can play as Tiger (or Michael Jordan or Stephen Curry) in quick play — but even then, it’s just a Tiger skin of the same golfer as all the rest. If you don’t and want to get a golf game, it’s a more than worthwhile investment. Maybe their next edition will open up the world further, but right now, we have a very similar game with a few updates and new faces.

50 Cent and his now 26-year-old son have been at odds for years. A recent spat online between the father and son duo played out for a global audience, exacerbating their ongoing division.

Disagreements about finances have been a common thread between the two. In recent years, his son, Marquise Jackson, has taken to social media to share his disdain for his father and the lack of respect he has felt from 50 over time.

Through several viral posts, Jackson has alleged that the child support he received — nearly $7k — was not enough. Boldly attempting to grasp his father’s attention, Jackson said he would pay the rapper “In Da Club” rapper that amount to spend time with him.

Jackson continued to troll his father with various memes, even one where he juxtaposed his face on a poster for the rapper’s popular show Raising Kanan, changing the title to Rasing Marquise.

Only recently has 50 Cent responded to his son’s social media posts with a less than sympathetic reply. First, in a subliminal post on Twitter, the rapper posted a clip of him appearing on an episode of STARZ’s Power as Kanan fatally shooting his son.

“No caption needed,” the rapper wrote.

Even BMF star and son of Detroit kingpin Big Meech, Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr., offered his throughs on the situation, seemingly siding with 50. Then, in a clip posted to the Queens rapper’s Instagram account Thursday, 50 is seen working out and relaxing in a luxurious bubble bath as news plays in the background.

Despite the She-Hulk season finale taking a massive, fourth wall-breaking swing at the entire Marvel formula, the Disney+ series still couldn’t escape a MCU tradition: Introducing a shocking new character in the final moments.

After jetting off to space in the show’s second episode, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk made his inevitable return and he wasn’t alone. While arriving at a Walters family dinner (with special guest Daredevil), the Hulk introduced everyone to a new person in his life: His son, Skaar, played by actor Wil Deusner.

While the Hulk having a son might seem like a random event to toss out in the She-Hulk finale, it completely tracks with Skaar’s comic book roots. After Hulk took off to space earlier in the season, Marvel fans assumed the show was laying the groundwork for a World War Hulk movie. In that storyline, Hulk is rocketed into the space by the Illuminati and lands on Sakarr where he becomes the ruler of the planet and fathers a son. However, when his family is seemingly killed, Hulk returns to Earth to fight basically every single Marvel hero in a murderous rampage. Obviously, they work things out, and surprise, Skaar is still alive.

The MCU is going a different route. Sakarr was first featured in Thor: Ragnarok, which very loosely pulled elements from the Planet Hulk storyline that sets up World War Hulk. After a Thanos-sized detour, Hulk eventually makes it back to Sakarr in She-Hulk, where he clearly had a surprise waiting for him in the form of a son. However, when Hulk returns to Earth, he noticeably does not fight the entire planet. Instead, he cordially introduces his extended family to Skaar and sits down for a Fast & Furious style cookout.

As for where Skaar could pop up next is anybody’s guess. The MCU has been laying the groundwork for a new generation of heroes with Ms. Marvel, Florence Pugh’s Black Widow, Thor’s daughter in Love and Thunder, and now, an offspring for Earth’s strongest Avenger. Or Skaar could fight the whole planet in a World War Hulk movie that skews wildly from the comics. That’s the beauty of the MCU right now. It can go anywhere.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is available for streaming on Disney+.

Lil Yachty has come a long way from “Minnesota” — figuratively, and potentially, literally. The Atlanta rapper’s new single “Poland” has taken off, courtesy of some truly hilarious memes and a viral breakout on TikTok, as well as confused fans asking just what the heck “wock” is (they obviously haven’t been paying attention — or maybe they thought Moneybagg Yo’s “Wockesha” literally about a woman, despite its very literal and hilarious music video).

The song’s so popular that not only did Yachty end up shooting a second music video for it, but it’s also apparently reached the ears of Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who apparently contacted Quality Control CEO P Thomas and is interested in having Yachty visit. At least, that’s how it appears in a text conversation that P shared on social media.

“Thank you for the call,” Pee wrote. “Let’s make arrangements to get Mr. Yachty to [your] country to celebrate.” The Prime Minister replied, “Will check the schedule and get back with you. Thank you for your time.”

Of course, once they actually figure out what the wock is, they’ll probably ask him to leave it at home — effectively undermining the song’s ear-catching hook. Still, it’s a pretty impressive accomplishment for the 25-year-old rapper, whose career keeps humming along, expanding into such domains as frozen pizza and film.

Ben Simmons‘ ability to shoot the basketball has been under scrutiny for years now. It was a work in progress when he came into the league, and whether it’s been his struggles from the free throw line or his near-complete aversion to letting it fly from three, Simmons has just never gotten better at this.

There is a frequent debate about whether he needs to improve his shooting — Steve Nash has made clear that the Brooklyn Nets don’t care if he shoots — and as a result, people pay attention to just about anything related to this subject. An example came earlier this week when Simmons airballed a shot at a public event with his teammates.

Now, one (admittedly bad) airball from an outdoor event wouldn’t be a huge deal for most other people in the NBA, but things change when it’s Simmons. And ahead of Wednesday night’s preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Simmons addressed the whole thing to Nick Friedell of ESPN.

“It finds me all the time,” Simmons said. “And it doesn’t f—ing stop. Sometimes I’m even sick of it, but then I’m like, ‘OK, I’m Ben Simmons, you know? It comes with being Ben Simmons right now.’

“Even the other day there was a clip of me air balling a shot at the park. Meanwhile, like 10 guys airballed multiple shots. So it’s like people will find one clip and try to make it that everything — like Ben can’t do [this or that]. Like come on man, you think I’m just airballing every shot? It’s not true. But it comes with it, and you got to have tough skin and I realize that, but nah, I can’t take everything personally. It’s social media.”

The Nets would go on to beat the Bucks, 107-97, with Simmons going for seven points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, and two steals in 28 minutes of work.

As the summer winded to an end early last month, rapper Jeleel! found a way to fly higher and stay closer to the sun’s warmth. The Rhode Island-born and Los Angeles-based artist is what you would call a rage rapper, one who seeks to bring the same amount of energy out of a crowd as Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, many others have been known to do. However, unlike few, Jeleel! delivers twice the energy the crowd gives him.

It’s all apparent through the multiple videos that landed on social media and gave him a viral boost during the height of the 2022 festival season. One example came during the Made In America Festival in Philadelphia where Jeleel! climbed a stage to successfully execute a backflip that had everyone watching in deep prayer for all ligaments in his knees.

The theatrics continued at Rolling Loud in New York, where Uproxx was able to catch with Jeleel! In addition to the backflips and high-flying activity, another cool moment from Jeleel! came when he effortlessly caught a bottle of soda that was thrown in his direction as he performed on stage. He cracked it open, took a sip, and let out a yell that left his audience enamored all before he got back to business to finish his set.

In our brief conversation with Jeleel! before Rolling Loud New York, we talked about his stage presence, what he hopes to do in the future, and the new music he has on the way.

You’ve trended a few times over the past couple of months for your performances. How does it feel it see people react and be wowed by your performances time and time again?

It feels so good, man. It’s been a long time coming. I didn’t just come out of nowhere, I worked so hard. I’m just happy man, I feel blessed. Thank God.

What goes into your performances from a preparation aspect beforehand to even stuff that happens in the middle of it?

Okay, so sometimes I have some nerves so I’ll run fast as f*ck. I’ll run like sprints so I can get loose and I can breathe. It helps open up my lungs, but doing that, I pray before I go on and I like to stretch a little bit.

You had this crazy backflip that you did on stage a while back, and when I saw it, I was really praying for your knees. Have you ever gotten hurt during a show going crazy on stage?

There was one time I got hurt playing basketball when I was 16/17 years old. I was going up for a dunk and I fractured my tibia and ruptured my patellar tendon. But not really, I haven’t gotten hurt doing a flip or anything, thank God.

With some of the recent events that have happened at past shows, there’s definitely an added sense of caution and safety with performances. How do you make sure your fans are safe while also completely turning up and rocking out on stage?

I’ll be like, “Yo, are having a good time?” And they’ll be like, “Yeah,” and I’ll be like, “Is everyone safe?” and I’ll be like okay, “hug each other” and then people hug each other laughs.

What’s one thing you would love to incorporate into your next few shows?

Maybe have like a WWE ring or some sh*t, you know? Or maybe like, someone comes in on stage and I just pick them up [and] put them through a table. Just sh*t like that, that’ll be hard.

You just dropped your new song “Deliver!” which still has the rage factor but also a touch of afrobeats under it. How did this come together and what inspired it?

I just want to show people that I’m more than just diving. I can do so many different types of music. I was just showing people that I could do afro rage. I can do whatever I want to do.

When it comes to your stage presence and rocking out at these shows, what do you want to be remembered for when it’s all said and done?

Making an impact. It’s all about impact for me, you know? Making an impact and helping people.

What do you have planned for your fans in the coming months to wrap up the year?

I’m gonna drop another song.

With the kind of energy and everything that Rolling Loud is known for, is there more pressure to really bring it when you perform?

Sometimes, but I’m gonna just do my best.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There have been significant changes brewing at Warner Bros over the last few months, which seemingly all started when Batgirl was unfairly given the axe, though it’s probably been bubbling under for quite some time. After months of various schedule shifts and show cancellations, the company announced it would merge with Discovery, which means even more changes are upon us. And the next one was just revealed: the death of its beloved animation channel Cartoon Network.

As a part of their “strategic realignment,” the WB laid off 82 animation employees this week, leaving 125 empty slots that will not be filled. As a part of the realignment, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios will merge to become one, meaning the company will still technically exist. However, it’s unclear how much control over their content they will have.

After the new boss David Zaslav took over, he expressed his desire to rely on popular franchises instead of new and unique content, which is basically what Cartoon Network thrived on for years, churning out cult hits like Over the Garden Wall, We Bare Bears, and Steven Universe. The current Cartoon Network roster is available for streaming on HBO Max.

As of right now, there still seem to be employees at Cartoon Network and various projects in the works, so it looks like CN will still exist in its limited capacity…for now!

It looks like only time will tell what will happen to the legendary animation studio when HBO Max and Discovery merge to become a single streamer next year. As far as cartoons in the HBO Max realm, we do know that Harley Quinn is safe, and for that we are grateful.

(Via Cartoon Brew and Variety)

In this week’s episode of Fresh Pair, Atlanta trap rap godfather T.I. sits down with Just Blaze and Katty Customs to recount his start and subsequent two decades in the rap business, share his top rap albums from the Georgia capital, and the trap museum that he founded to highlight the culture and history behind the genre he helped start so long ago.

Tip got his start — at least, as far as mainstream exposure goes — in 2000 when he signed to Arista Records and released his debut album I’m Serious a year later. But it wasn’t until 2003 that his popularity exploded after signing a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records for his own imprint Grand Hustle Records and putting out Trap Muzik, the album that gave the burgeoning Atlanta subgenre an official title and set the stage for nine more albums and a slew of platinum and gold hits throughout the next decade and a half. The same rules apply as last week’s list for The Game; here are T.I.’s ten best songs, ranked.

10. “Dead And Gone” Feat. Justin Timberlake

2008’s Paper Trail was probably Tip’s most obvious swing for mainstream hits, and “cross-cultural” appeal — understandably, considering he was facing a good 20 years on federal weapons charges. This was an open-handed petition for empathy, explaining his circumstances in plain terms and almost — but not quite — apologizing for his past actions. You can take a lot of points away for that but the savvy in recruiting Justin Timberlake at the height of his powers (before the backlash over cultural appropriation to come) is undeniable. “Dead And Gone” is also far less annoying in hindsight than “Live Your Life” or “Swagga Like Us,” even if it was never as big of a hit (it peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100).

9. “Why You Wanna”

Bald-faced bids for cross-gender appeal are always a little iffy in my book — y’know, the songs on the album “for the ladies” — but T.I. manages to make it work well, after taking a few cracks at it on pre-King projects. By 2006, though, he’d settled into his role and distanced himself just enough from the tough-guy image he’d cultivated on Trap Muzik that he was able to pull it off. It probably helps that the track interpolates a couple of the coolest songs from the previous decade, “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters (Black people invented house, and don’t you forget it) and “Find A Way” from A Tribe Called Quest.

8. “About the Money” Feat. Young Thug

The most recent song on this admittedly nostalgic list, this one is here mainly for being one of the first songs to introduce the rap world to the then-emerging Young Thug. Certainly, T.I. was the first major artist to see the potential in the skinny trapper with the slurred flow and co-sign what was to many a little too left-field. T.I. can take the last laugh now if he wants it, but considering Thugger’s current situation, maybe he’ll have to wait until that case is resolved. Still, T.I.’s ear for talent (however volatile) is undeniable (he also signed B.O.B., Killer Mike, and Travis Scott to Grand Hustle, which is an insane hit record to contemplate).

7. “24’s”

T.I.’s first single under Atlantic, the lead single from Trap Muzik introduced the world to the chemical reaction that is the connection between T.I. and DJ Toomp. Here was a Southern artist who kind of rapped like a country-ass Big L, flying in the face of New Yorkers’ preconceived notions of Dirty South rap with still maintaining an edge (and a drawl) that rooted him stalwartly in that infamous red clay. What a way to kick off your career (again).

6. “Bring ‘Em Out” Feat. Swizz Beatz

Ugh. I nearly chucked this one out of spite; its beat is (like most Swizz Beatz productions) way too busy and it’s still kind of a headache to get through — but maybe that’s because it’s the sort of song that everyone knows because everyone plays it so damn much. There’s something to be said about a song you hate but can’t help but hum along to. It was also T.I.’s first top-ten, so there’s that.

5. “Rubberband Man”

While “24’s” was the song that introduced T.I. to the larger rap audience outside of the Peach State, it was “Rubberband Man” that solidified the attention he’d been receiving, giving him his first appearance in the Top 40 and teeing up his entry into the US Rap chart’s top ten with its follow-up, “Let’s Get Away.” More often than not, the second hit is actually the one that defines an artist; “Rubberband Man” presented a hitmaker without equal.

4. “Top Back”

On King, T.I. took a straight-up victory lap after the success of Urban Legend, and “Top Back” is emblematic of the triumphant vibe. Toning back the gangster aesthetic for big flexes and a hypnotic flow, “Top Back” presented T.I. at his most confident, backed by a perfectly regal beat from Mannie Fresh, with whom he’s always had the best chemistry, his rock-solid partnership with DJ Toomp notwithstanding.

3. “Stand Up” Feat. Trick Daddy, Lil Wayne, and Lil Jon

Although it was never released as a single in its own right, “Stand Up” is undoubtedly one of T.I.’s absolute best songs. On it, he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with two of the South’s longest-running rap mainstays, including a Lil Wayne who was just beginning an absolutely devastating run that would last through the remainder of the decade. You may notice that this list is kind of Urban Legend heavy; that’s because it was the last time T.I. sounded this hungry while also being utterly self-possessed and confident enough to hang with the best.

2. “U Don’t Know Me”

If T.I. would come to be known as a slick hitmaker in his latter years, “U Don’t Know Me” is the song that ensured the streets would never turn away from him. Aggressive and gritty, but with a cocky flair that only the fast-talking Tip could master, the second single from Urban Legend was called a “Street Anthem of the Year” by Vibe magazine and established T.I. as a consistent hitmaker

1. “What You Know”

It might not be T.I.’s biggest hit, but real ones know that this anthem from King held the summer of 2006 in an absolute chokehold. It spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100 chart, with the RIAA certifying it platinum before the year was out. It was also the closing theme of ATL Tip’s acting debut and a bonafide hood classic coming-of-age tale that still spawns memes, pop culture moments, and nostalgic references to this day. “What You Know” is a rare example of a cult hit that also functions as an inescapable mega-smash.

Netflix’s new Mila Kunis-starring movie, Luckiest Girl Alive, began streaming over the weekend, and let’s just say that people have strong feelings. The movie, which adapts a novel by Jessica Knoll (in a screenplay also by Knoll), has been criticized by viewers for its lack of a trigger warning. And that’s perfectly understandable, given that the film’s trailer only vaguely alludes to a high-school “incident,” when that incident actually turned out to be a mass shooting. In addition, Mila’s protagonist, Ani, endured multiple rapes by her fellow high schoolers. It’s a difficult movie to watch for those reasons, but those viewers who made it through did appreciate the the relatable way it portrayed trauma and its impossible-to-deny aftereffects.

In a new Vogue essay, Jessica Knoll discusses the long journey from bestselling book to movie, which the author describes as “nothing short of psychological warfare.” She rewrote the script several times, and the project hopped from Lionsgate to Netflix, where the casting process began. Mila Kunis popped into mind, and Knoll was sure that this wouldn’t go well due to the “risky” nature of the subject matter. As it turns out, Mila was excited to have been contacted for the project. At the time, “[s]he was looking for a dramatic role to take her back to her Black Swan days,” and overall, she loved the story, except for one thing, which she requested be changed. Via Vogue:

“The ending wasn’t there. That old ending, which already deviated from the ending of the book, which I had already written and rewritten dozens of times already, involved Ani getting a big fat book deal for coming forward with her story. There’s no arc for the character, Mila said in our first Zoom meeting. It’s all about using money and status as a crutch to feel superior to others, which is exactly who she is when we meet her at the start. Either let’s hang a lantern on that or let’s show at least an inkling of change. Mila was in, but only if I could resolve that. Preferably overnight, one of my producers added, joking but not.”

Knoll actually did come up with a new ending overnight: Ani still broke up with her wealthy fiancé, Luke, but she didn’t have an enormous book deal. Rather, she fostered a sense of community among survivors by penning an essay (in a pre-Me Too era) about how it’s alright to admit to not being alright. Ani acknowledged that striving for perfection (and “revenge” in life) is no way to recover from the damage that has been done by sexual assaults, and Luke had wanted her to stop tying her identity to what she’d endured, so she said see ya. It’s actually a more satisfying (and relatable) ending that way, rather than Ani continuing to secretly be miserable and put on a polished face.

The movie still could use a trigger warning, but hey, at least Scoot McNairy‘s teacher character is a genuinely good person and true to the book as well.

Luckiest Girl Alive is currently streaming on Netflix.

(Via Vogue)

Martin Scorsese‘s movies have made over $2 billion at the worldwide box office, but you won’t hear him bragging about that the next time he’s hanging out at the pool.

While speaking at the New York Film Festival, where his documentary about the New York Dolls singer David Johansen premiered on Wednesday, the Oscar-winning director discussed Hollywood’s “repulsive” obsession with how much movies make.

“Since the ’80s, there’s been a focus on numbers. It’s kind of repulsive,” he said. “The cost of a movie is one thing. Understand that a film costs a certain amount, they expect to at least get the amount back, plus, again. The emphasis is now on numbers, cost, the opening weekend, how much it made in the U.S.A., how much it made in England, how much it made in Asia, how much it made in the entire world, how many viewers it got.”

As a filmmaker, Scorsese continued, he finds this financial fixation “really insulting. I’ve always known that such considerations have no place at the New York Film Festival, and here’s the key also with this: There are no awards here. You don’t have to compete. You just have to love cinema here.” Marty has one word for the Marvel Cinematic Universe-obsessed box office prognosticators out there: silence.

(Via Indiewire)