Category: News

With every generation of games, there are usually a handful of genres that we see above all else. It’s usually game studios that attempt to follow up on a popular trend, add their spin on it, and sometimes redefine the way it’s viewed. These days those two genres are battle royales and class-based shooters.

So when Ubisoft began to tease a new entry into their popular Tom Clancy franchise, with a little teaser from IGN, the direction they were going in was clear. They were throwing their hat in the ring of the class-based shooter. On Monday, they revealed Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a game that is going to pull from previous Tom Clancy games to form factions that will compete against each other while accomplishing objectives. Typical class shooter stuff. That said, the trailer made sure to emphasize that this is a game that is going to focus on the shooting part of their shooter so we can expect a heavy emphasis on gameplay.

The developers in the video were right to put an emphasis on the shooting aspect of their game because class based shooters typically go one of two ways. They either take the Overwatch route and give everyone unique quirky powers, or they take the Apex Legends route and make the game about who is better at using their guns. This game appears to be more like the latter, but there could be some unique quirks to it that make it more than just an Apex clone. For starters, the factions from previous Tom Clancy games are all very unique and that feels like an opportunity to get really weird with the classes. If Ubisoft leans into that weirdness then they may have something on their hands here.

It will be interesting to see what direction they choose to take this game post-launch. A lot of these kinds of games have aspirations of being the next great esport, and put a heavy emphasis on their competitive modes, and with how much the trailer emphasized the shooting it sure feels like this will also be heading in that direction. If that is the direction they are taking, however, then they’ll need to make sure that the unique aspects of their game really stand out.

The way things have gone with recent Kanye West albums is that ahead of their release, West goes from completely off the radar to drumming up unreal amounts of hype. Well, the latter step seems to be taking place now. He apparently hosted a listening event for Donda over the weekend, and an associate declared the album is dropping this week. Now, another listening event is on the way, and it’s a big one.

Some West associates, including Pusha T, shared a minimalist flyer for the event, which is scheduled for July 22 at 8 p.m. at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a 75,000-capacity venue where the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons play their home games.

The reported cover art for the album has also surfaced, and it’s an abstract painting that looks like a woman, painted in red on a gray background. The art was made by the late French-American artist Louise Bourgeois (and not West’s daughter North, as some have speculated), who died at 98 in 2010.

A couple days ago, what may be the tracklist for the album also leaked. Furthermore, a post on the Kanye West subreddit r/WestDayEver collects information from users who were supposedly at the first listening party. The thread indicates that the album will feature appearances from Lil Baby, Post Malone, Griselda, KayCyy, Travis Scott, and Baby Keem.

Of course, West has famously not released albums on their expected street dates — he previously said Donda was coming in 2020 — so only time will tell if this week actually brings new music from West.

Call of Duty: Warzone is one of those games where the element of surprise can be the ultimate advantage in a fight. A death potentially means the end of an entire run and heading back to the main menu. If someone gets the advantage on you and gets a few cheap shots off then that could be the difference they need to win a firefight.

That’s why the latest glitch we’re seeing out of Call of Duty: Warzone is extremely concerning. While we expect a game like this to have a lot of glitches, because it’s over 100 players all going into one giant map, there are certain kinds of glitches that can ruin the entire experience. Apparently, there are red doors that, if players go through an elaborate sequence of events, can make the player invisible. This is starting to become noticed among players and the videos are really a sight to behold. It’s like a bad magic show.

Nothing is more frustrating in a multiplayer shooter than being unable to see where you’re getting shot from, but when that player was, in reality, standing in front of them the entire time then that merely enhances that frustration. It also raises an interesting question though. Since the way players have to activate this glitch is so elaborate then shouldn’t Raven Software be able to ban players exploiting it? They recently had a huge ban of over 50,000 players for rampant cheating. Does this fall into that category?

It could, but that depends on how much of a problem these players exploiting this glitch actually are. One of the bigger issues with Warzone right now is the players making an active effort to cheat through programs like aimbots. These cheaters have been a problem since launch and are getting more creative.

Between players cheating intentionally, and some exploiting a glitch, Warzone is often not a very fun game to play at the moment. Which is disappointing, because it’s one of the better battle royale games out there.

Clairo, who just released her sophomore album Sling last week, has said that she doesn’t plan to play any live shows unless there’s added security in place for her fans.

Speaking to NME, Clairo (real name Claire Cottrill) said she wanted to look out for fans’ safety around assault, harassment, and other such uncomfortable situations at her shows. Overall, she wants to create a safer environment, saying, “We’re talking to some companies right now. We’ve made extra room on our tour bus for at least two more members of security.”

She expanded on that point, saying, “I’m lucky that [misconduct] never happened to me, but experiencing some of that in my adult life, I can’t believe how brave I was to go to shows by myself and be so carefree. If I can’t provide this [security] on tour, then I won’t tour – that’s my mentality at the moment. […] I really do feel in my heart of hearts that there’s going to be a wave of tours that are really stamped as the ‘safe tour’ and provide all this. Touring is one of the only things that hasn’t changed much. Granted, a lot of things need to change in the industry, but this is definitely one of them.”

Slingis out now via Fader Label/Republic Records. Get it here.

We’re slowly inching towards Fall which means many of your favorite TV shows — and a handful of new ones — are making their way back to streaming.

That’s the case over on Hulu, where everything from Archer to the final season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine drops this month. There’s also a lineup of Hulu originals to look forward to including Nicole Kidman’s wellness-focused thriller and a murder-mystery starring Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez.

Here’s everything streaming on Hulu this August.

Nine Perfect Strangers: Series Premiere (Hulu Original streaming 8/13)

Nicole Kidman leads an all-star cast in this thriller about a wellness retreat, the mysterious director who runs it, and the unfortunate souls who come to her hoping to be healed. Kidman, of course, plays the soft-spoken tyrant overseeing this mindfulness commune. She appears to be the twin of the Goop-ed up Gwyneth Paltrow, who seems to enjoy wringing the misery out of everyone, from Melissa McCarthy to Samara Weaving, Luke Evans, Manny Jacinto, and Regina Hall.

Only Murders in the Building: Series Premiere (Hulu Original streaming 8/31)

Martin Short and Steve Martin team up again, this time for a murder-mystery comedy series that recruits Selena Gomez to be the third-wheel in their crime-solving trio. The three all live in a New York City building that doubles as the setting for a terrible murder, and they’re just nosy enough to find out who did the deed.

Avail. 8/1
Hamilton’s Pharmacopia: Complete Season 3 (Vice)
10 to Midnight (1983)
21 (2008)
30 Days Of Night (2007)
30 Minutes Or Less (2011)
All About E (2015)
Alpha & Omega (2010)
Are We There Yet? (2005)
As Good as It Gets (1997)
Attack The Block (2011)
The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)
Bagdad Cafe (1988)
The Beast Within (1982)
Black Swan (2009)
Blood Games (1991)
Blood On Satan’s Claw (1970)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Cherry Pop (2017)
Christina’s House (2001)
Contagion (2011)
Every Breath You Take (2021)
The Final Girls (2015)
First Knight (1995)
Fish Don’t Blink (2002)
Fred Claus (2007)
Freelancers (2012)
French Postcards (1979)
From Prada To Nada (2011)
Garbo Talks (1984)
Getting Go: The Go Doc Project (2013)
The Girl King (2015)
The Grudge (2004)
Gulliver’s Travels (2009)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
The Hawaiians (1970)
Heart of Midnight (1989)
Heartbreakers (2001)
Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party (2015)
Henry V (1989)
Hondo (1953)
The Hot Chick (2002)
The Hunter (1980)
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
I Love You, Don’t Touch Me! (1998)
It’s Kind Of A Funny Story (2010)
Jack And Jill (2011)
The Killing Streets (1991)
King Arthur (2004)
Kingpin (1996)
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
Liz in September (2014)
Mad Max (1980)
Miami Blues (1990)
Mirror Mirror (2012)
Mud (2013)
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Naz & Maalik (2015)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Plaza Suite (1971)
Roadhouse 66 (1984)
Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Rudy (1993)
Shane (1953)
Shark Tale (2002)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
Special Effects (1984)
Spellbinder (1988)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Those People (2015)
Toy Soldiers (1991)
Transcendence (2014)
Under The Tuscan Sun (2003)
The Vatican Tapes (2015)
Watchmen (2009)

Avail. 8/4
The Devil You Know: Complete Seasons 1-2 (Vice)

Avail. 8/5
Princess Cyd (2017)

Avail. 8/6
Madagascar: A Little Wild: Complete Season 4 (Hulu Original)

Avail. 8/8
The Party (2018)

Avail. 8/9
Reservation Dogs: Series Premiere (FX on Hulu)

Avail. 8/10
Together Together (2021)

Avail. 8/11
Fantasy Island: Series Premiere (Fox)
AWOL (2016)

Avail. 8/12
Homeroom (2021) (Hulu Original)
The Force (2017)
Held (2021)
The Virtuoso (2021)
The Waiting Room (2012)

Avail. 8/13
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 8 Premiere (NBC)

Avail. 8/15
The Hate U Give (2018)
Silo (2019)

Avail. 8/17
Bachelor in Paradise: Season 7 Premiere (ABC)
The Skeleton Twins (2014)

Avail. 8/18
Nine Perfect Strangers: Series Premiere (Hulu Original)
The Marijuana Conspiracy (2021)
Unsane (2018)

Avail. 8/19
Blast Beat (2020)
Jungleland (2021)

Avail. 8/21
We Broke Up (2021)

Avail. 8/23
The Ultimate Surfer: Series Premiere (ABC)

Avail. 8/24
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013)

Avail. 8/26
American Horror Story: Season 10 Premiere (FX)
Archer: Season 12 Premiere (FXX)
Disobedience (2017)
Feral State (2021)
Love and Monsters (2021)

Avail. 8/27
Vacation Friends (2021) (Hulu Original)
Chaos Walking (2020)

Avail. 8/28
Four Good Days (2021)

Avail. 8/29
Horizon Line (2021)

Avail. 8/30
9/11: One Day in America: Series Premiere (National Geographic)
Spell (2020)

Avail. 8/31
Only Murders in the Building: Series Premiere (Hulu Original)

Leaving 8/14
Life Like (2019)
The Shape of Water (2017)

Leaving 8/24
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
The November Man (2014)

Leaving 8/30
The Chaser (2008)
Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016)
Like Father, Like Son (2013)
Nobody Knows (2004)
The One I Love (2014)
Still Walking (2008)
Leaving 8/31
10 to Midnight (1983)
50/50 (2011)
A Most Wanted Man (2014)
Across the Universe (2007)
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
Arachnophobia (1990)
As Good as It Gets (1997)
The A-Team (2010)
Bagdad Cafe (1988)
The Beast Within (1982)
Beetlejuice (1988)
The Best Man (1999)
The Big Chill (1983)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Blair Witch Project: Book of Shadows (2000)
Blood Games (1991)
Blood On Satan’s Claw (1970)
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
Bucky Larson Born to Be a Star (2011)
Christina’s House (2001)
Cliffhanger (1993)
The Company You Keep (2013)
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Conviction (2010)
The Cookout (2004)
Date Night (2010)
The Dead Zone (1983)
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)
Dragonfly (2002)
Dragonheart (1996)
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse (2014)
Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000)
Dragonheart: Battle For The Heartfire (2017)
Driven (2001)
Fish Don’t Blink (2002)
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Garbo Talks (1984)
Hancock (2008)
The Haunting (1999)
The Hawaiians (1970)
Heart of Midnight (1989)
Heartbreakers (2001)
Henry V (1989)
The Hustler (1961)
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
I Love You, Don’t Touch Me! (1998)
Jennifer 8 (1992)
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Just Wright (2009)
Kick-Ass (2010)
The Killing Streets (1991)
King Arthur (2004)
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2000)
Lady in a Cage (1964)
The Last House on the Left (2009)
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
Mad Max (1980)
The Mask (1994)
Miami Blues (1990)
Open Range (2003)
Ordinary People (1980)
The Outsider (1980)
Phat Girlz (2006)
Predators (2009)
Primary Colors (1998)
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Richie Rich (1994)
Roadhouse 66 (1984)
Rudy (1993)
Scrooged (1988)
The Sitter (2011)
The Skull (1965)
Shine a Light (2008)
Soul Survivors (2001)
Special Effects (1984)
Spellbinder (1988)
Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift (1990)
Still Waiting (2009)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Vanity Fair (2004)
The Virgin Suicides (2000)
Waiting… (2005)
Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Meghan McCain is in the midst of her final two weeks at The View, and while she’s seems notably more subdued than usual, the conservative co-host still managed to stay on brand by diving on a grenade for Fox News on Monday morning. During a segment on the pressing issue of vaccine hesitancy, and who’s to blame for American’s refusing to get the COVID vaccine despite cases beginning to rise from the Delta variant, McCain swatted away arguments that Fox News is responsible. McCain even went so far as to claim that she’s never heard anyone on the network discourage getting the vaccine, but she did add admit she could be wrong. (She was.)

“Fox & Friends is like the mothership of MAGA media, and if someone like Steve Doocy is warning people to get the vaccine, I think that’s effective,” McCain said. “Not everybody on Fox News is saying don’t get the vaccine. I actually haven’t heard anyone say that, but maybe I’m just misinformed.”

You can see McCain remarks at the 3:30 mark below:

In McCain’s defense, she is correct that Doocy did break from his Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade and encourage viewers to get vaccinated. However, the reason Doocy’s stance was so remarkable is that Fox News does have a significant problem with promoting vaccine disinformation, particularly from Tucker Carlson, and McCain’s co-host Sunny Hostin came prepared with the cold hard facts. Via Mediaite:

“When you look at the stats, Fox News has played a key role in disseminating anti-vaccine propaganda,” she proclaimed, before reporting subjective statistics on their coverage reported by liberal media watchdog Media Matters. “Media Matters found that between June 28th and July 12th, Fox aired 129 segments about coronavirus vaccine, and 60% either undermined or downplayed immunization efforts.”

Hostin then joined the chorus of media figures who want to know the vaccination status for Fox News’ hosts. “It’s just very sad when you think about it because I would bet my bottom dollar that every single of those Fox News hosts like Laura Ingraham, like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, I bet you they’re vaccinated, yet they are still pushing this propaganda.”

(Via The View on Twitter, Mediaite)

Stephen Colbert is “coming home,” we just don’t know exactly what that means just yet. The current host of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert teased something new on Monday with a cryptic video that looked a bit like a car commercial as a way of teasing a reappearance on Comedy Central later this year.

“Can you ever really go home again?” Colbert asked in a voiceover as a car is seen driving past a Welcome To South Carolina sign, a state where Colbert grew up. “Or do you have to build your own home?”

The footage shows Colbert looking perplexed, as well as overhead shots of tree-lined roads that make the whole thing look like an advertise for a luxury sedan. After a bit of that, though, Colbert admits he doesn’t know where he is. He asks someone off-camera for directions.

“Where the hell am I?” he says before on-screen wording says that Colbert is “coming home” to Comedy Central in the fall.

Colbert, of course, has a long history with the network. He first made a name for himself as a correspondent on The Daily Show before spinning off his character into a Fox News-spoofing Colbert Report. That led, of course, to his taking over the Ed Sullivan Theater for CBS’s late-night program after David Letterman retired.

Whether Colbert is doing a new show with the network or simply repurposing Late Night there is unclear right now, though the latter seems more unlikely. But something is happening here, as long as Colbert gets the right directions to wherever that something will be shot.

With a new season of Apex Legends comes a new character ready to suit up and join the battle to become legend. As a part of the battle royale’s upcoming Emergence season, Apex is introducing a new playable character referred to simply as Seer. According to his official EA page, the cursed artists’ play style is all about finding opportunities other players miss before seizing them “in the most beautiful way he can.”

In the above trailer, Apex reveals not only Seer’s role in the upcoming game, but his origin story as well. According to the narrator, Seer (real name Obi) was born under the sign of the moth and was therefore cursed at birth. As a part of his cure, he was born with “eyes drawing us all to the flame,” seemingly implying that doom and gloom has a tendency to follow him. The narrator then continues, stating players must “refuse the child’s gaze or be undone,” as “one glance will reduce a mountain to dust, a king to a beggar, and an ocean to a desert.”

While what this means has yet to be determined, we should find out a bit more about Seer — as well as see how he controls in battle — when the Emergence launch trailer premieres on July 22 at EA Play Live. Apex Legends’ new Emergence season will be available starting on August 3.

The New Orleans Pelicans are getting ready for Zion Williamson’s third year in the NBA and the young star forward will be going into it with his third head coach in as many years. After firing Stan Van Gundy after one season, Suns assistant Willie Green is expected to be named the new Pelicans head coach once the NBA Finals are over, and he will be tasked with figuring out how to bring Williamson and Brandon Ingram’s talents together to make a playoff push.

New Orleans is already feeling the pressure to build a contender around Zion, as there are already rumblings that those around Williamson are not pleased with how things have gone in his first two seasons. As such, this offseason represents a big one if they are to make roster upgrades to crack into the hotly contested playoff race in the Western Conference.

An upgrade at point guard seems to be at the top of the wishlist for the Pelicans, as they seem ready to let Lonzo Ball walk in restricted free agency. As for who they will be targeting to replace Ball, Marc Stein brings word that Kyle Lowry will be their top free agent target.

Lowry would be a home run addition for the Pelicans, but it would almost have to happen in a sign-and-trade situation or by unloading either Eric Bledsoe or Steven Adams prior to a signing. The Pelicans will only have $15 million in space if they renounce all their cap holds and keep Adams and Bledsoe, which they very well could, and Lowry will command much more than that annually. The Pelicans do have plenty in the way of future picks (thanks to the Jrue Holiday trade) and salaries to make a sign-and-trade intriguing to the Raptors, but before any of that can be worked out, they’d have to get Lowry to want to join the squad.

That is a much taller order, as we know based on the teams the Raptors were discussing a Lowry deal with at the deadline that he’ll be looking for a chance to compete for another title. Convincing Lowry that they are just a player away from being a contender is going to be a tough sell, and while it makes all the sense in the world for New Orleans to make a strong push for Lowry, it’s a bit harder to see where the upside lies for the veteran guard in joining the Pelicans. Veteran stars are rarely all that excited about the prospects of playing with younger, unproven stars still finding their way, and while Zion is certainly special, Lowry’s window might not overlap with his and if other more apparent “win-now” teams come with a similar offer, it seems unlikely New Orleans will win that bidding war.

BTS’ hit single “Butter” has enjoyed a tremendous run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart: Last week, it spent its seventh straight/total week at No. 1. Now, though, “Butter” is no longer the top song in the country, but that doesn’t mean that BTS’ time is over: On the Hot 100 chart dated July 24, “Butter” was dethroned by BTS’ own “Permission To Dance,” which debuts at No. 1.

As for “Butter,” it now sits at No. 7. The last time an artist replaced themselves in the No. 1 spot was Drake, whose “In My Feelings” took over for “Nice For What” on the chart dated July 21, 2018.

“Permission To Dance” is now BTS’ whopping fifth No. 1 single, all of which have arrived in a span of under a year (ten months and two weeks, to be exact). That’s the fastest accumulation of five chart-topped since five Michael Jackson songs, all from Bad, went No. 1 over the course of nine months and two weeks in 1987 and 1988: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” with Siedah Garrett, “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man In The Mirror,” and “Dirty Diana.”

BTS is now just the fourth artist with at least four songs to debut at No. 1 (“Dynamite,” “Life Goes On,” “Butter,” and “Permission To Dance”). The others are Ariana Grande (who has five), Justin Bieber, and Drake (who have four each).

Since Ed Sheeran co-wrote the song, this is a big moment for him, too. It’s his fourth No. 1 song as a writer, following Justin Bieber’s “Love yourself” and his own “Shape Of You” and “Perfect.”

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