Category: News

We’ve known about Puma’s upcoming signature sneaker for LaMelo Ball for some time now, as the reigning Rookie of the Year for the Charlotte Hornets has been wearing the shoe throughout the summer. However, up until Tuesday, it hadn’t had an official unveiling, complete with a release date, price point, and all of those things that are most important to the sneaker buying public.

That changed Tuesday when Puma announced the MB.01 will release in December at a $125 price point, with Puma.com and Foot Locker’s family of retailers carrying the sneaker. As for the performance details on the sneaker itself, it has a NitroFoam cushioned midsole with a mesh upper and a non-slip rubber outsole.

As for the aesthetics, it has the design from LaMelo’s tattoo on the lacing, as well as his “Not From Here” slogan at the base of the tongue, and 1-of-1 on the top, while also promising to boast a variety of bold colorways to match LaMelo’s personality on and off the court.

It is the first true signature for a current athlete from Puma, which re-entered the basketball space in 2018 with nods to its past with retro designs spun into modern sneaker tech, and has since put out the RS Dreamer from J.Cole and now adds the MB.01 to its lineup.

The Adult Swim Festival went virtual in 2020, and the event is returning in the same way this year: It was announced today that the fest is set to go down on YouTube and HBO Max on November 12 and 13, and a bulk of a lineup was also revealed.

It’s a multi-faceted event, but on the music side of things are previously unseen performances from Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Flying Lotus, Angel Olsen, Alessia Cara, Karol G, Kelly Lee Owens, The Armed, and Sheer Mag, with more artists set to be announced ahead of the show.

Meanwhile, there will also be livestreams and panels from Adult Swim favorites like Rick And Morty, Squidbillies, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Beyond that, episodes of shows like Rick And Morty, The Eric Andre Show, Robot Chicken, Joe Pera Talks With You, Metalocalpyse, and others will be broadcast, accompanied by live chats featuring surprise guests.

Adult Swim has long had its own specific presence carved out in the music world: For years now, the network has teamed up with (mostly alternative) artists to share new music, and they’re staying strong on that front. Just last month, for example, Soccer Mommy and Kero Kero Bonito shared a collaboration, “Rom Com 2021,” as part of the Adult Swim Singles series.

The Walking Dead has roared back to life (following a pandemic pause) with showrunner Angela Kang currently bringing the flagship series home in the 11th season with a 2022 conclusion. However, AMC’s zombie universe continues to expand at a relatively rapid pace. The Walking Dead: World Beyond is currently churning through Season 2, and Fear the Walking Dead returns on October 17 (for Season 7). There’s also a Carol-Daryl spinoff coming, and those Rick Grimes movies are supposedly still happening. And AMC has now revealed, on the heels of The Walking Dead: Origins limited series, that another show will arrive in 2022. That would be Tales Of The Walking Dead, which a press release describes as a “compliment” to the rest. So, stand-alone episodes will revolve around both new and established characters in the universe.

AMC made sure to note that these stories will exist in the same world as The Walking Dead, so presumably, this is all canon. Channing Powell and Scott Gimple will act as co-showrunners, and shooting shall begin in early 2022 with a quick-sounding turnaround. Gimple provided a statement:

“This series, more than any other in the Walking Dead Universe, runs on new voices, perspectives, and ideas — bringing to life stories unlike any we’ve told before,” Gimple said. “I’m thrilled to be Channing’s consigliere, helping in every way I can to make those new visions real for the best fans in TV.

“I started as a fan of ‘The Walking Dead’ and have ended up as a showrunner of what will hopefully be one of its most unique spin-offs.”

Clearly, there’s no end in sight to this universe until the end of time. Alright, that’s an exaggeration, but kudos to AMC and all involved for giving people an addictive, soap-opera universe that happens to co-exist with zombies. The Tales series will likely debut in 2022, and there are absolutely no clues so far about which established characters will be doing the anthology thing. A few suggestions: Daryl and Dog?

If you gave up hope that any rappers or social media personalities would take a responsible view of COVID vaccines after Nicki Minaj’s “swollen balls” fiasco, Blac Chyna is here to restore some of your faith in humanity. The “My Word” rapper became an unexpected pro-vaccine hero on Twitter after a fan’s video of her yelling at fellow travelers in the Miami International Airport to “just get the shot” went viral.

In the video, Chyna can be seen standing with her crew, yelling at someone offscreen to “go get the f*cking vaccine and stop being stupid, ho.” Unfortunately, the viral moment was couched inside a concerning, disjointed speech that had some wondering whether Blac Chyna was okay, but when one of the biggest entertainers in the world is telling people to do their own research and retweeting the conspiracy buffs on Fox News, I guess you accept any imperfect messenger you can get to counteract the destructive forces of vaccine skeptics (we’re at three-quarters of a million people dead, come on, people).

Fans quickly latched onto the video, launching Blac Chyna onto Twitter’s trending topics list with their reactions. While most approved of her outburst, a few worried that it might have been sparked by substance abuse and hoped that she would seek treatment. You can see more reactions below.

In a new interview to promote his latest film, The Last Duel starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, iconic director Ridley Scott weighed in on the news that Noah Hawley is bringing a live-action Alien series to FX. Despite Hawley hewing close to the original film’s anti-capitalist message, Scott has his concerns about the undertaking, and well, he didn’t hold back his thoughts.

In fairness, Scott is drawing on his experience making the prequel film Prometheus, which he feels demonstrated the inherent risk of going back to the xenomorph well too many times. Via The Independent:

“I never showed an alien in it” – it still made $404 million at the box office – “and the studio … said, ‘See, it didn’t do so well!’ Really?” He returned with 2017’s Alien: Covenant, “put the aliens back in there”, and the film made much less: $240m worldwide. “When you’ve got a marvellous beast, it does wear out and you have to actually think again.”

The franchise is now being rebooted as a TV series by Noah Hawley (who successfully turned Fargo into a long-running show). Wherever they go, whatever they do, “It’ll never be as good as the first one,” he grins. “That’s what I’ll say.”

Damn, Ridley Scott, tell us how you really feel. Hawley’s skill as a showrunner aside, capturing the magic of film franchises from the ’70s and ’80s is no easy task. Just look at the slew of failed Terminator sequels, and heck, even the divisive state of Star Wars. There’s also the Aliens vs. Predators movies, and the less we say about those, the better.

Anyway, good luck, Noah Hawley, we’re all counting on you back here.

(Via The Independent)

Tyga has been arrested in Hollywood and charged with felony domestic violence. The arrest took place after the rapper’s now ex-girlfriend, fashion designer and influencer Camaryn Swanson, posted a video to her Instagram page showing her alleged injuries, which included a massive black eye.

According to TMZ’s original report of the incident, officers said Swanson arrived at Tyga’s house around 3 a.m. on Monday morning. Police were called and Swanson told them Tyga put his hands on her. Officers said they were able to see visible marks.

On Instagram, Swanson claimed to have been “emotionally, mentally, and physically abused” by the rapper. She shared some screenshots of a text conversation with him to her Stories, refuting TMZ’s report that she showed up to his house “screaming.” Instead, Swanson alleges that the fighting happened when she asked Tyga to call her a car to take her home. “I didn’t show up ‘screaming’ or uninvited,” she wrote. “when I tried to leave he physically assaulted me and refused to let me leave for hours.”

Tyga’s arrest Tuesday was confirmed with the LA Police Department by Vulture, who reported that his case will be forwarded to the LA District Attorney’s Office, which will then determine which charges to will be brought against the rapper and whether or not prosecutors will ask for a different bail price. At the time of his arrest, Tyga’s bail was set at $50,000.

This essay is adapted from the HOTELS section of the 2021 Uproxx Fall Experiences Guide, found here.

I love hotels. That wasn’t always the case, though. For the longest time, I sort of viewed hotels as merely a necessary aspect of vacationing and/or traveling. A place to keep my stuff and get some sleep whenever I was away from home, off on some adventure, or attending a meeting or a conference for work. All I really cared about was finding a decent place that was reasonably nice and comfortable in a good location at a good rate — preferably something in the $100 per night range.

That was my sweet spot. If there was a halfway decent breakfast buffet tossed in, I was in heaven. Why people would spend more money to stay in what I considered “fancy” hotels was kind of baffling to me.

But at some point… a switch flipped and all of that changed. I suppose it was simply due to my evolution as a man and learning to have a greater appreciation for things like comfort and good service and architecture and design. Whatever the case, I’m now fulling in my “I just love a good hotel robe” era. I also appreciate an exceptional meal prepared by a great in-house restaurant delivered to my room via room service, intriguing art arranged in interesting ways, a unique color of paint on the walls, a pleasant in-room candle, a cloud-like mattress, etc.

In fact, my thinking on hotels has done a complete 180. Now, instead of traveling solely for destinations without giving much primary thought to the quality of the available accommodations, I’ll often consider traveling to a place solely because of the hotel properties availible.

In other words, there are places now on my travel bucket list simply due to the fact that they play host to hotels that I want to visit. What’s the bar for this kind of place? My standard for what I now consider a great hotel is relatively simple and two-pronged:

1. Could I live here — in the way that so many noted artists, musicians, and writers have spent significant stretches of time living in hotels — and be happy?
2. Is this a place where I’d be perfectly content to never leave the property — the type of place that, even if there are amazing things to do and see outside of its walls, I’d be fine spending all my time on the grounds?

I think my love and appreciation for this sort of property grew exponentially over the past year or so, during the COVID pandemic. Given that “things to do” options have been severely limited in many places, staying on a property so inviting that you don’t feel compelled to leave became even more important than it was before, in my eyes.

With that all said, there are two hotels that opened in New Orleans during the pandemic that I’ve spent time “staycationing” at that fit both of these aforementioned criteria. The Hotel Saint Vincent and The Chloe.

First, let’s talk about Hotel Saint Vincent. Hoo boy, where to even start with this one? Its history is so absurdly rich. It’s housed inside a building originally built in the mid-1800s which, for decades, served as an orphanage and “home for unwed mothers” run by Catholic nuns, Hotel Saint Vincent in recent years was one of New Orleans’ seediest (and perhaps haunted) hostels. Then, in a twist straight out of an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, the property’s owner vanished without a trace in 2015, which led to his heirs selling the property to a group fronted by famed Austin-based hotelier Liz Lambert (formerly of Bunkhouse Group, currently of MML Hospitality).

Under Lambert’s watchful eye, the seedy old hostel has transformed into what the Wall Street Journal accurately described as a “grand Italian resort in the heart of New Orleans.” The 75-room property features two restaurants that are both among the top new restaurants in New Orleans (a noteworthy distinction, considering it resides in one of the world’s great food cities): The elegant San Lorenzo, which offers coastal Italian cuisine, and the more casual Elizabeth Street Cafe, a French-Vietnamese cafe and bakery. Additionally, the hotel features two bars, the stunning Paradise Lounge, and the dimly lit, intimate, guests-only Chapel Club.

In its totality, the Hotel Saint Vincent is a true feast for the senses. Even on an auditory level, as the Hotel Saint Vincent’s opening celebration party was, fittingly, headlined by the band St. Vincent.

Now, let’s turn to The Chloe. The first hotel from restaurateur Robert LeBlanc of LeBlanc + Smith (Sylvain, Cavan, Barrel Proof, Longway Tavern, Meauxbar), The Chloe is a 14-room property housed in a Victorian-era mansion on New Orleans’ St. Charles Avenue (the city’s famed St. Charles streetcar passes right in front of the hotel) that was originally designed by local architect Thomas Sully. Many of the original design flourishes of the old building remain intact, most notably the dark woodwork, high ceilings, tile flooring, and sophisticated moldings.

When a guest checks in at The Chloe, they’re welcomed with a cocktail in one of the more gorgeous front desk/reception areas I’ve ever encountered. From there, one can take the elevator up to their room, but I highly recommend scaling the grand staircase, as it features deep red carpeting with images of alligators scrambling down them (a truly memorable signature design touch, to say the least). While each room features many wonderful touches, my personal favorites are the record players and the eclectic vinyl record collection from a local record store, Peaches Records.

The Chloe’s in-house restaurant is led by executive chef Todd Pulsinelli (formerly of August and Domenica) and features modern takes on classic New Orleans dishes, while also offering one of the best burgers in the city (and perhaps the country).

Finally, a few last things that I love very much about both Hotel Saint Vincent and The Chloe: each is dog-friendly (at this point, I essentially refuse to stay in any hotel that doesn’t allow dogs). No two rooms in either hotel are alike. They’re all meticulously designed and well thought out. Both hotels are located in architectural wonderland-like residential neighborhoods (the Lower Garden District and the Garden District, respectively). Both properties feature outdoor pool areas with outdoor bars perfect for lounging a boozy, sun-drenched day away. And both have striking but comfortable common areas for sitting, commiserating, and people-watching.

WHY 2021:

These are two of the finest hotels I’ve ever stayed in, and I could very easily see myself living in either, which is probably the ultimate compliment I could pay them. In a year when comfort is on everyone’s minds, viva la hotels!

Average Room Rate, The Hotel Saint Vincent: $200/night

Average Room Rate, The Chloe: $400/night

Check New Orleans’ COVID guidelines here.

We’d like to acknowledge and honor the original peoples of this land, the Chahta Yakni (Choctaw) and Chitimacha nations.

After nearly a decade off the air, gaming network G4 revealed last year a complete reboot of the network was in the works. Now, just over a year later, G4 has finally announced a date as to when we can expect to see our some of our favorite gaming shows and personalities make their return to the channel, and it’s just around the corner. According to the network, we can expect to see the return of the “fairly preposterous sandbox” on November 16.

“Since the initial announcement of G4’s revival at Comic-Con @ Home last year, we’ve been in constant dialogue with our audience through the content we’ve produced,” said Russell Arons, President, G4. “We made a promise to fans that we would build this network with their input and are proud to say that our promise has been kept. At G4, we never stopped playing and can’t wait to have our fans join us in our hilarious and fairly preposterous sandbox on November 16.”

Starting November 16, the channel will be available on linear television via Verizon Fios, Cox, and Xfinity TV, as well as be available to stream on Philo. In addition, G4 is also collaborating with Twitch on a “multi-year promotional and commercial partnership,” though what exactly that entails other than the channel being available on Twitch has yet to be disclosed. Last but not least, G4 has also confirmed the network will continue to create “channel-specific content” across its social media platforms, meaning now is the time to start following G4’s Insta and get subbed over to them on YouTube if you don’t want to miss anything.

The new G4 will launch with some familiar faces for the channel’s former fans in the shape of former hosts Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler. In addition to Pereira and Sessler, several other big-name creators will be joining the channel for the very first time, including esports personalities Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez, Ovilee May, and Froskurinn, WWE’s Xavier Woods (Austin Creed), YouTube stars Kassem G, Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil and Gina Darling, Twitch streamers Fiona Nova and Will Neff, and vStreamer CodeMiko.

G4 has also revealed its programming slate at launch, which — much like its cast — includes a nice mix of legacy shows as well as fresh, new content. Returning to the channel are iconic gaming programs Attack of the Show and Xplay, with each one of them promising to deliver the same content fans know and love from oh-so-many years ago though perhaps with a few much-needed updates. According to G4’s descriptions of the programs, Attack of the Show is billed to be “a welcoming place for any fan who wants to spend a couple of hours laughing, watching epic stunts and hilarious sketches, and deep-diving into the latest trends of the internet,” whereas Xplay “returns as a digital-first content brand that balances an authoritative loudmouth confidence with the absurdity of a public-access comedy sketch show, all while (somehow) maintaining enough credibility to book interviews with top industry luminaries.”

In addition to Attack of the Show and Xplay, the channel has entered an exclusive contract with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television giving them the rights to air all 167 episodes of the Ninja Warrior as well as three never-before-seen tournaments. The channel will also broadcast a comedy-esports show named Boosted, a Dungeons and Dragons limited-run series featuring Jack Black, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Smith, and DrLupo, and live esports programs via ESL Gaming. All these shows (and more) and set to debut on G4 on November 16, when the channel makes its big return to television.

There have been few albums this year that have allowed for such pure reflection as Cassandra Jenkins’ An Overview On Phenomenal Nature. The album’s modest seven songs leave a lasting mark between Jenkins’s gentle vocals, guitar, and ponderous moments of spoken word. But hearing some of the initial mixes of these songs, it gives a window into the unexpected directions in which they could have gone.

With the just-announced (An Overview On) An Overview On Phenomenal Nature, the New York native Jenkins presents the initial bones, sketches, demos and outtakes of these gorgeously languid tracks. Out November 19 via Ba Da Bing, it’s an insightful window into the evolution of these songs, like the “Hailey (pRemix)”, a drum machine-driven, low-key dance pop number. There’s even a new song from the initial sessions that Jenkins and producer Josh Kauffman (who has worked with everyone from Bob Weir to Taylor Swift) put down together.

Listen to”Hailey (pRemix)” above, see Cassandra Jenkins’s US and European tour dates here, and below, find the (An Overview On) An Overview On Phenomenal Nature art and tracklist.

1. “Michelangelo (Demo)”
2. “New Bikini First Take)”
3. “Crosshairs (Interlude)”
4. “Ms. Cassandra”
5. “American Spirits”
6. “Hailey (pRemix)”
7. “Ambiguous Norway (Instrumental)”
8. “Hard Drive (Security Guard)”

(An Overview On) An Overview on Phenomenal Nature is out 11/19 via Ba Da Bing Records. Pre-order it here.

If you thought that Tucker Carlson was just acting like a dumbass by ignoring science when it comes to his opinions on the COVID vaccine in order to score better ratings and more headlines, well, he’s got news for you: You’re wrong—he apparently really is that dumb!

On Monday night, the Fox News host went on a bit of a tear about the people who are suggesting that Carlson and his colleagues are simply playing dumb when it comes to the issues surrounding COVID-19, but he made it clear: “We are not pretending. At all. It’s real.”

As Raw Story reports, Carlson took aim specifically at Joe Biden, saying the president lied when he claimed that Fox News is mandating that all its employees be vaccinated against COVID—and mocked the network’s anchors for their false anti-vaxxer outrage, considering that 90 percent of them are fully vaccinated and that Fox head honcho Rupert Murdoch is pro-vaxx.

As Raw Story notes: “Carlson claimed that there is no vaccine mandate, but he left out quite a few facts. For example, Fox News says that you don’t have to get vaccinated if you agree to submit to daily coronavirus testing. The company also has an online vaccine passport system. Carlson conveniently left the information out, not giving his viewers the full truth.”

To be fair, Carlson has spent so much time spewing lies and anti-vax propaganda that it’s understandable he’d have trouble remembering exactly what the truth is. Fortunately, there is the internet, which swiftly assembled to throw the very publicly available HR documents of Carlson’s own employer back in his face.

Carlson, of course, has so far refused to say whether or not he has been vaccinated, probably because he has.

(Via Raw Story)