Category: News

James Blake has been known to create music that makes listeners feel many different ways that are scattered amongst the wide-spanning “good-bad” spectrum. His vulnerability and elaborate songwriting stand out among his generation, but the English singer is looking to take things in a different direction with his new album Wind Down, available to purchase today (May 23). Created in collaboration with the German software company Endel and their signature AI engine, the project is aimed at helping listeners sleep by focusing on ambient sounds.

“The Wind Down soundscape I created with Endel lets me explore the more ambient side of my music and create a project to support people in a new way,” the 33-year-old said in a statement. The “Mile High” artist especially values the non-musical impact of it all, continuing, “It’s mesmerizing to hear how my music blends with the science-based sounds of Endel’s AI and I think we’ve invented something not just beautiful or even meaningful, but truly practical.”

Endel is no stranger to this concept or its derivatives, as the company previously worked with Grimes on her “AI Lullaby,” a music generator focused on sleep that was released in 2020. For James Blake, Wind Down arrives just seven months after his 2021 release Friends That Break Your Heart featuring SZA, JID, and more.

Listen to the “1st Soundscape” off of Wind Down above.

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

Grimes has been making a lot of headlines lately, but not for her music. The “Oblivion” singer always has a lot to share with the public, whether it’s stories about giving birth to her child with Elon Musk or being behind the cyber attack that took Hipster Runoff off the web.

A few months ago, though, she was teasing a new album titled Book 1, revealing some of the artwork options. She finally shared some new music of hers last night during her DJ set at the Electric Daisy Carnival festival. The song is called “Welcome To The Opera” and is as big and otherworldly as one might expect. At one point, her voice comes in, saying, “Join me for the next hour, as I take you on a techno odyssey.” Her vocals are as haunting as ever, wielded as an instrument against murky, sporadic synths and powerful bass.

Grimes divulged in January that before her next LP Book 1, she will be unveiling an EP titled Angels C*m First, which she described as a prelude to the album. It will feature her most recent single “Shinigami Eyes.”

Watch her ethereal performance of “Welcome To The Opera” at Electric Daisy Carnival above.

This past weekend, the 1969 Fender Mustang that Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana’s iconic “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video went up for auction via Julien’s Auctions. The starting price was expected to be somewhere between $600,000 and $800,000, but the guitar went for a whole lot more than that: Forbes reports the guitar sold for $4.5 million. Furthermore, the buyer is somebody sports fans know well: billionaire Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Irsay himself confirmed the news on Twitter, noting he purchased the six-string for The Jim Irsay Collection, the website of which notes, “Jim Irsay’s passion for rock music, American history, and pop culture led him to assemble a robust collection of historic and culturally significant artifacts over several decades that together make up The Jim Irsay Collection. An active philanthropist, Mr. Irsay hopes to establish a museum to share these treasures with the world.”

Irsay also said Cobain’s estate donated a portion of the proceeds to Kicking The Stigma, Irsay’s initiative focused on mental health and raising money for Indiana-area nonprofits.

In other recent Nirvana news, the band’s “Something In The Way” made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in April (31 years after its release) thanks to The Batman. Cobain’s final days are also being turned into an opera.

Revisit the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video below.

I don’t know who decided it’s Tom Cruise Week, but I’m glad they did. Top Gun: Maverick comes out this Friday after multiple delays (and decades since the original), while Paramount Pictures has released the first full-length trailer for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the seventh film in the Mission: Impossible series. There are no bad Mission: Impossible movies (yes, even Mission: Impossible 2 has its moments), and based on the trailer, Dead Reckoning Part One will continue that streak.

The trailer is mostly dialogue-free, except for an exchange between Eugene Kittridge, the IMF director from 1996’s Mission: Impossible, and Ethan Hunt (Cruise). “This is our chance to control the truth. The concepts of right and wrong for everyone for centuries to come. You’re fighting to save an ideal that doesn’t exist. Never did. You need to pick a side.” Ethan’s side apparently involves flying a motorcycle off a cliff. Good choice.

You can watch the trailer above.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One stars Cruise, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and Frederick Schmidt, as well as newcomers to the franchise, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, and Cary Elwes. Dead Reckoning Part Two comes out on June 28, 2024.

Rudy Giuliani is “the weirdest man in the history of politics,” but, somehow, even that designation is an understatement. He appears on The Masked Singer, he shaves in public after eating soup, and he has meltdown after meltdown after (literal) meltdown, including one this weekend at the Israel Day Parade in New York City.

The man formerly known as America’s Mayor was caught on video yelling at a heckler during the parade. It’s not clear what the heckler initially said, but it caught the attention of Giuliani, who fired back, “I reduced crime, you jackass. You are a brainwashed asshole.” When someone in the crowd sarcastically called Giuliani a “class act,” he replied, “I am a class act. You are probably as demented as Biden!” before walking away:

Giuliani, as he does in this video, has often claimed credit for a drop in crime rates in New York during his administration. However, analysts say the reality is much more complicated: PolitiFact notes the decline in crime rates actually began several years before Giuliani took office. And while the trend continued under his mayorship, it was also part of a nationwide decline in crime and the impact of his policies is debatable.

The altercation between Giuliani and the heckler comes days after he was questioned for nine hours by the January 6 committee for his involvement in attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. So, yeah, Rudy’s doing great!

(Via the Huffington Post)

Yesterday, Halsey took to TikTok to vent their frustrations about an issue they’re having with their record label: In a video, Halsey (whose last two albums were released by Capitol Records) claims they have a new single ready to go, but their label is preventing them from releasing it unless they “can fake a viral moment on TikTok.”

The video was actually a bit of a viral moment in itself, as it currently has over 7 million views and is one of Halsey’s most popular videos on the platform. It doesn’t appear it has resolved anything, though, as Halsey is still frustrated.

Hours after that video was shared, Halsey wrote on Twitter, “Talked to my label tonight after my tiktok tantrum. They said ‘wow the tiktok is going really strong!’ I was like ok cool so can I release my song now? They said ‘we’ll see!’ [upside-down smiling face emoji] tell me again how I’m making this up.”

In response to a fan suggesting they “drop it anyways,” Halsey noted, “I can’t they own the master.”

They continued, “I’ve been minding my own business on tour taking care of my baby. Four albums deep. Coasting. I’m way too established to stir something like this up for no reason or resort to this as a marketing tactic but now I’m in too deep so there’s no going back [shrugging emoji].” Halsey added, “the music video is literally already done lmao like.”

They capped off the thread, “I love y’all I’m watching tame impala right now living my best life [white heart emoji] thank u for all your love.”

Halsey also shared a follow-up video on TikTok, in which they listen to somebody off-camera talking to them about a potential strategy for rolling out the single. Halsey’s expression is clearly frustrated the whole time and when asked what’s wrong, they say, “I just hate this.” The person off-camera empathizes and Halsey adds, “It sucks.”

Find Halsey’s posts below.

Madison Cawthorn’s definitely a “sore loser” after losing his North Carolina primary last week. He then weakly promised, “The best is yet to come,” but John Oliver couldn’t resist giving the incendiary, far-right representative a final push out the congressional door. “[S]tates held their primaries resulting in, among other things, Madison Cawthorn losing his,” the Last Week Tonight host declared to begin this week’s episode on HBO. “Meaning he has now officially set a record for shortest term to ever be served by a little b*tch.”

Madison, of course, fell from swift grace after a conservative PAC (which also wants to unseat Lauren Boebert) took it upon themselves to campaign him out of office, and his reaction to his naked humping video sealed his political fate more than the footage itself. He’s since vowed to go “Dark MAGA,” and no one’s quite sure what that means, but in the meantime, Oliver would like to alert everyone to another Ultra-MAGA candidate in Pennsylvania. Nope, we’re not talking about Senate hopeful Dr. Oz or Kathy Barnette (who is out of the running) but a gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano, a January 6 attendee who won his race’s primary, and here’s what Oliver had to say about the guy:

“Yeah, he marched on the capital on Jan. 6, something which has become a weird point of pride for Republicans. It’s like hearing someone brag they were on the boat the night Natalie Wood died. I don’t know what’s more troubling there: that you think that makes you sound good or that some people might actually agree with you.”

From there, Oliver pointed out that Mastriano promised to install a secretary of state who’s “world-class person,” but as our host points out, “the only truly world-class people on the planet are Dolly Parton, and end of list.” Yup, Pennsylvania’s sure enduring a clown show this election season, and that Senate race remains one to watch. The GOP side is still subject to a recount and might go to Dr. Oz, but on the Democrat side, John Fetterman is sure to shake things up and (literally) tower over everyone. The world’s a dumpster fire, yes, but at least November won’t be boring.

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

TIE: 10. The Lost City (Paramount+ movie)

Here comes an updated version of Romancing The Stone with Channing Tatum as the doofus and beefcake who’s up against Sandra Bullock’s wildly successful romance-adventure novelist. Brad Pitt gets involved as a mercenary who’s tasked with saving everyone’s tush after a billionaire decides to turn into a kidnapper. Get ready for both gross-out and sexy scenes and, most importantly, look forward to some fun with this one.

TIE: 10. Ozark (Netflix series)

It’s the end of a Byrde family era, at least before they head back to Chicago, and there’s a lotta loose ends to tie up, especially where Ruth Langmore is concerned. The end of the show is savage and shattering with Killer Mike making a poetic turn in a short cameo that matters a lot when the finale episode rolls around. Yes, this show’s always strongly resembled Breaking Bad, but don’t expect the ending to match up to any previously established patterns.

9. The Northman (Focus Features film streaming on Amazon Prime)

Alexander Skarsgård’s in full-on viking mode here in a film that’s got Shakespearean swing along with a lot of heavy-metal furor. Robert Eggers is once again crushing his subject matter, and thank goodness that Anya Taylor Joy’s onboard. Actually, the cast is stacked and includes Nicole Kidman and Ethan Hawke, but perhaps one can most look forward to ripped Skarsgård pulling off a glorious fight scene atop a volcano. After all, you don’t see that every day.

8. Flight Attendant (HBO Max series)

Kaley Cuoco is no mere hired gun, and she’s miles beyond The Big Bang Theory territory while executive producing and playing the lead mess in this series. Her Cassie is newly sober and working a side gig as a CIA asset, so expect even more international intrigue alongside the obligatory murder business. Griffin Matthews and Zosie Mamet return while Rosie Perez does important things, and I’m really digging what Mae Martin’s doing as a newcomer.

7. We Own This City (HBO limited series on HBO Max)

Creator David Simon is back with Not-The Wire as he dives deep into the depths of Charm City’s sordid police force. As expected, the source material’s quite heavy and revolves around Justin Fenton’s book about Freddie Gray’s death in 2015. In other words, the cops are very bad, and that’s an interesting twist when one considers that Jon Bernthal (who portrayed The Punisher) is right in the middle of all the law enforcement shenanigans. Brace yourselves for everything to get ugly, and cross your fingers for the dogged investigator (Treat Williams) who wants to expose the layers of this rotten onion to the world.

6. George Carlin’s American Dream (HBO Documentary Film streaming on HBO Max)

Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio direct this exploration of the iconic and legendary comedian whose life and works will continue to inspire generations to come. The film bumps right up against Carlin’s 2008 death and the decades that stretched before while an expansive career included countless comedy specials and hundreds of nightly talk show appearances. His highly influential nature arrived with some controversy, and take a glimpse behind the curtain as family and substance abuse struggles reared their heads and things get awfully bare here. Also expect interviews from Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Bill Burr, Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt, Bette Midler, W. Kamau Bell, and more.

5. Hacks (HBO Max series)

Don’t get on Jean Smart’s bad side. Or at least, watch out when you cross the line with many of her character, especially Deborah Vance, who’s a curmudgeon for the ages and picks up a chainsaw at one point this season. Don’t forget, though, that Hannah Einbinder holds her own while her Ava dodges those narrative bullets and the two go on tour together. Everything’s more dramatic on the road, and this time, they can’t leave it all behind in Vegas.

4. The Staircase (HBO Max series)

Toni Collette fills in a lot of shading about Kathleen Peterson’s life before her death, for which her husband, Michael, ended up serving hard time. Collette is as magnificent as always, and Colin Firth puts on a master class of a layered performance while this show dramatizes the ground already laid by the O.G. true crime docuseries. The ensemble cast also includes Sophie Turner and Parker Posey (who is chewing every shred of upholstery in the courtroom), all while we wait for a certain theory (hopefully) for the birds.

3. Angelyne (Peacock series)

Emmy Rossum spent hours upon hours getting wigged and big bosomed to portray the Los Angeles billboard queen of decades past. Everything is incredibly pink here, and the show does explore Angelyne’s early years to enlightening effect although it ultimately does get lost in a sea of unreliable narration along the way. It’s a structureless, meandering yet purposeful hot mess that is at least worth the novelty of seeing Emmy move far beyond her longest role (Fiona Gallagher of Shameless) to date.

2. Barry (HBO series on HBO Max)

This masterpiece of Bill Hader-fronted dark comedy is still kicking and dedicated to staying silly along the way. Assassins rarely go out of style, and since we waited three long years for this season, let’s savor it until the very end. Besides, no one can ever say no to more Henry Winkler and Anthony Carrigan, unless you’re an absolute monster.

1. Better Call Saul (AMC series on AMC+)

Is Kim Wexler still alive? Yes, for now at least. Rhea Seehorn’s character clearly woke up (years ago) and chose chaos, and it’s anyone’s guess whether she’ll survive the impending collision with the Breaking Bad timeline. Meanwhile, all of the bad decisions are being made, and there’s a code to be cracked while the mid-season hiatus arrives. Also, the show gives us some cute doggies while we grip the seat handles and wait for all hell to break loose. Great TV!

The Western Conference Finals shifted to Dallas on Sunday night, as the Mavericks were desperate for a win to get into the series and make things interesting against the Warriors. After letting a 19-point lead evaporate in Game 2, all eyes were on Dallas to see if they could put together a complete performance against a Golden State team that simply does not offer much margin for error over 48 minutes.

Early on, it was the Warriors that landed the first punch, jumping out to a quick 12-point lead as they seemed to finally be tired of slow starts this postseason, piling in threes while the Mavs came out cold.

Dallas would hang in, as they started to turn up their defense and got a boost at the buzzer when Luka Doncic turned a missed Stephen Curry three into an answered prayer on the other end to cut the Warriors lead, somehow, to just three going to the second quarter.

It was there that the Mavs built on that positive momentum, taking a 9-point lead of their own, as Jalen Brunson got going and their defense tightened up considerably.

However, Golden State would close the second quarter with a flurry, with Stephen Curry reeling Dallas back in as they’d eventually take a one-point lead (with Curry getting a bit of a scare at the end of the half when he tripped over a waiter courtside).

Once again it was the Warriors who dominated the third quarter as they did in Game 2, as Draymond Green led the defense in putting the clamps on Dallas, who had just 21 in the quarter.

On the offensive end, the Warriors started to percolate, led by Curry who had 11 in the third quarter, headlined by this deep stepback in the final minute, as the Warriors pulled away against the ice cold Mavs to take a 10-point lead going to the fourth.

In the final period, the Mavs showed some signs of life, but, after struggling for much of the game, Klay Thompson showed up right on time to drill back-to-back threes — the first off yet another offensive board — to keep the Warriors ahead by double digits.

Luka came alive for Dallas in the fourth after a fairly quiet third quarter, keeping the Mavs attached despite Thompson and Poole both finally starting to find the bottom of the net from three.

However, the Mavs role players simply could not buy a three in Game 3, as Maxi Kleber, Reggie Bullock, and Davis Bertans combined to go 0-for-14 from deep. While Dallas continued to scuffle from beyond the arc, the Warriors continued to attack downhill, with Andrew Wiggins delivering the moment of the game with a monster dunk on Luka Doncic — that was initially and egregiously ruled an offensive foul and overturned after a Golden State challenge.

Wiggins was sensational for the Warriors all game, scoring 27 points and, maybe more importantly, pulling down 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive end as he and Kevon Looney continued to punish Dallas on the glass. The Warriors would never run away but the Mavs would also never make a real run, as Dallas once again had the same problem as Game 2 of being unable to get stops once their offense finally woke up after a third quarter lull.

The closest the Mavs got was within five with under a minute to go on a three by Doncic, but that was immediately answered by a Jordan Poole three in the corner to effectively put the game on ice, as Golden State would cruise from there to a 109-100 win.

Curry led the Warriors with 31 points, hitting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, and 11 assists, with Wiggins stepping up to be the second-leading scorer as he was tremendous on both ends of the floor once again in this series, and Klay adding 19 with timely shots amid a rough shooting night. Kevon Looney had nine points and 12 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, as he once again punished Dallas’ small-ball lineup as the Warriors advantage on the boards continues to win them games even as they struggle to knock down shots against the initial strong effort from the Mavs defense.

Dallas’ shooting woes and inability to clear the boards were once again, too much to overcome, as they shot 13-for-45 from three (28.9 percent). They continue to struggle to create consistent offense to avoid giving the Warriors the 8- and 10-point spurts that they use to bury teams (even when they themselves aren’t shooting great as a team). Luka had 40 points and 11 rebounds, while Spencer Dinwiddie gave them 26 points off the bench and Jalen Brunson had 20 points, but it was a three-man band as the rest of the team combined for 15 points. That’s not the recipe against a Warriors team that has as much floor balance as they do, and the result is a never-before-climbed hill facing Dallas.

With Golden State taking a 3-0 series lead, it is now a matter of when not if they advance to yet another NBA Finals, but Dallas will feel like they’ve had real chances at the last two but have failed to put together a full 48 minutes. Against this Warriors team, you can’t have long offensive droughts as Dallas has in the third quarters, because Golden State will steadily pull away on you, and then having to come back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter thins the margin for error down to nothing — and Dallas is yet to put forth a perfect close to a game on both ends.

The Mavs now will look to avoid a sweep on Tuesday night at home, and the Warriors have shown they’ll sleepwalk through a road closeout game this postseason, but it seems inevitable that Golden State gets a crack at ring number four.

The first half of Game 3 between the Warriors and Mavs in Dallas was hotly contested, with both teams making big runs only to end up with a 48-47 Golden State lead at the break.

The Warriors ran out to an early advantage, only for the Mavs to go on a late first, early second quarter run to take a lead of their own, with Golden State then clawing their way back in front by a point, thanks in large part to the efforts of Stephen Curry. The future Hall of Famer had 16 points to lead all scorers at the break, including one of his patented turnaround threes from the corner, but it was on a defensive closeout in the final seconds that disaster almost struck.

After running out to contest Reggie Bullock’s last-second three that rimmed out, Curry ended up on the sideline and tripped over a waiter crouched down taking a courtside fan’s order.

Luckily, Steph seemed fine, rubbing at his knee where he hit the floor a bit but otherwise not looking the worse for wear, and once it became clear everyone was alright, folks immediately had flashbacks to the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where Larry David tripped Shaq and blew out his knee at a Lakers game.

Luckily this wasn’t a repeat, but we should maybe reconsider having people taking orders from on the sidelines and look to do that from behind in the future.