Category: News

The video for HER’s “Fight For You” is here. HER’s soulful Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack single invokes the lasting legacy of the Black Panther Party, so it’s only right that the video does the same. Following a loose storyline, the video observes how the tragic cycle of state violence against Black Americans plays out across the decades, with a shooting in 1971 laying the foundation for an uprising HER and her father try to organize in 2021.

Using their shoe shop’s stature as a clear focal point of the community, HER delivers boots stamped “I am a revolutionary” to friends and family throughout the city, prompting former Panthers to remember their revolutionary calling. However, their activities attract the wrong kind of attention, causing the cycle to play out as it always has. Even then, hope is seen in a future generation that has already absorbed the lessons taught by the elder Panthers, proving that the system can kill a revolutionary but can’t kill the revolution.

HER previously performed the standout, Golden Globe- and Grammy-nominated track on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, while the Bay Area singer will also perform at the first-ever Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event highlighting the contributions of Black artists ahead of the main show on March 10. “Fight For You” also appears on the Oscars’ Best Original Song shortlist.

Watch the “Fight For You” video above.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new singles from St. Vincent and Japanese Breakfast, the long-delayed new effort from Tigers Jaw, and more. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Ian Sweet – Show Me How You Disappear

Each song on Ian Sweet’s third album marks a different stage in Jilian Medford’s journey toward embracing and understanding her anxiety. It’s an intense, but ultimately rewarding listen as the album’s ten tracks depict “the path to healing through music, delicately unpacking anxiety, depression, and trauma, while showing how Medford was able to rise above it all,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.

Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me

It’s hard to believe that Tigers Jaw have been around for the better part of 15 years at this point. I Won’t Care How You Remember Me is their sixth studio album to date, and also their most expansive. Throughout the album, the Scranton quartet finds inspiration from their early days playing in basements, as well as by looking toward the future of the band. “The result is a dense and impressive work from one of the most consistent (and underrated) bands in the indie punk scene,” I wrote in a recent interview for Uproxx.

Biitchseat – I’ll Become Kind EP

Talor Smith’s vocals sound almost theatrical on the latest effort from Cleveland’s Biitchseat. I’ll Become Kind is full of catchy indie-pop gems that would fit in as well in a Broadway venue as they would a sweaty club. It’s a demonstration of the group’s versatility and knack for anthemic songwriting that is not easily forgotten.

St. Vincent – “Pay Your Way In Pain”

In a statement announcing her anticipated new album, St. Vincent said that Daddy’s Home was inspired by “music made in New York from 1971 to ’76, typically post-flower child, kick the hippie idealism out of it, America’s in a recession but pre-disco, the sort of gritty, raw, wiggly nihilistic part of that.” Lead single “Pay Your Way In Pain” has that aesthetic on full display, a quirky and spastic number that reflects Annie Clark’s 2012 effort with David Byrne.

Japanese Breakfast – “Be Sweet”

With her new excellent and devastating memoir Crying In H Mart set for release next month, Michelle Zauner has returned to Japanese Breakfast for something a bit more joyful. The first single from her upcoming album Jubilee is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “an upbeat and optimistic new tune,” which was written alongisde Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing.

Rostam – “4Runner”

After a string of production projects and standalone singles over the last year, Rostam has officially announced his sophomore solo album Changephobia. “4Runner” showcases Rostam’s cutting-edge indie pop production, with breezy acoustic guitar and subdued percussion accented by a dreamy lead guitar.

Mitski – “The Baddy Man”

Although not an official release from Mitski, the songwriter is back with new music, in the form of a graphic novel soundtrack. “The Baddy Man” is what Caitlin White calls for Uproxx “a pretty straightforward, rollicking country track,” and is the first of many to come as part of the project.

Big Red Machine – “A Crime” (Sharon Van Etten cover)

Sharon Van Etten is commemorating a decade of her sophomore album Epic with a version of the album comprised of covers. The first taste of the effort is Big Red Machine’s rendition of “A Crime.” Where Van Etten’s original track was mostly just accompanied by an acoustic guitar, Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s version gives the number more of a full-band makeover, embracing thrashing percussion and distorted lead guitars.

Islands – “(We Like To) Do It With The Lights On”

Five years after announcing his retirement from new music, Nick Thorburn is back with… new music! “(We Like To) Do It With The Lights On” is the first taste of Islands’ “reunion” album Insomnia, a dance track drenched in shimmer guitars and Thorburn’s infectious vocal.

Proper – “Aficionado.”

We just named Proper one of the indie rockers to watch in 2021, and now they’re back with a new track. “Aficionado” isn’t linked to a larger release, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it ultimately ended up on the forthcoming Proper LP. The track makes the best of its lo-fi production, utilizing lyrical storytelling to keep the listener engaged, before diverting into an electronic spoken word section.

Jhariah – “Debt Collector”

Jhariah’s new single “Debt Collector” sounds like it was made specifically to be included in a video game (a good thing). After a quick opening with fast-paced chiptune flourishes that would be perfect for a Nintendo game, the full band kicks in to transform the song into a soundtrack for a skateboard game. It’s an incredibly exciting song, a signal of a bright future for the 20-year-old Bronx native.

Pollard – “Overhead”

Kyle Luck took a break from music after the demise of his legendary (in my eyes, at least) emo outfit Oliver Houston. He moved from Michigan to New York and took a few years to get settled. Now, he is ready to begin focusing on music once again with his solo project Pollard. His first solo single “Overhead” incorporates the intricate math-rock guitars that made Oliver Houston so exciting, but dials back the intensity to allow Luck’s introspective lyrics to step forward.

Sophie Coran – “S P A C E”

On her first track of 2021, Philadelphia songwriter Sophie Coran flexes her classical music training, seamlessly melding jazz and R&B into something truly fun and unique. Throughout “S P A C E,” there are flourishes of strings and unexpectedly pleasing chord progressions that are just added layers onto the impressive production and scope of the music.

Before Better Call Saul, before Breaking Bad, even before Mr. Show with Bob and David, Bob Odenkirk worked as a writer on Saturday Night Live. He was hired in 1987 and stayed on the sketch series until 1991 when he departed to write for Get a Life (an all-time comedy classic) and The Ben Stiller Show (ditto), where he met David Cross.

In a recent interview with PeopleTV‘s “Couch Surfing,” Odenkirk was asked what goes through his mind when he sees footage of himself from his SNL days (he occasionally appeared on camera, like during Catherine O’Hara’s monologue in a 1991 episode). “I was such a prick back then,” he answered. “I was so opinionated. I was a very opinionated comedy writer. I was a writer on the show and Lorne [Michaels] would sometimes have me do a part in the scene, a small part like that. And of course I was starstruck at Catherine O’Hara, who was just the best.” Still is the best.

Odenkirk has expressed regret with the way he acted in the early 1990s before, although last time, the soon-to-be action movie star used “dick” instead of “prick.” Same difference, I suppose. As he said on Michael Ian Black’s podcast back in 2015:

A big part of the challenge I had at Saturday Night Live was my own immaturity. I brought a lot of challenge to the show just because I was a person who was confrontational and suspicious of the establishment. When I was there I treated Lorne like a boss, like the boss of some dumb job I had. Only after I left did I go: the guy’s a creative guy and he created that show and he oversees the creative side of it, and he does overall a pretty damn good job… but I was like, ‘Who the f*ck is this guy to tell me who’s funny, f*ck him.’ I was a dick.

That’s good advice from Bob: don’t be a prick. Or a dick.

(Via EW)

March is the best time of year for college basketball fans. Hell, even if you don’t consider yourself someone who loves the sport, there is nothing quite like when conference tournaments beget the NCAA Tournament, and throughout the month, people get the chance to sit down and watch college basketball played by those with aspirations of winning a conference or national title.

Individuals who go on to have incredible careers in things that have nothing to do with the NBA become synonymous with this month due to the sheer chaos that comes from a collection of win or go home tournaments. When those moments happen, they get burned into our collective conscience. I can sit here and type out names like Ali Farokhmanesh and Kris Jenkins, and even if you have not thought of those names in years, you remember exactly where you were when the former hit the most audacious three in tournament history for 9-seed Northern Iowa to knock off 1-seed Kansas, or the latter drilled a triple at the buzzer to give Villanova a national championship over North Carolina.

One man who has made a career out of bringing a special gravity to these moments is Gus Johnson, the revered broadcaster now with Fox Sports who will be on the call when the Big East does its annual tradition of descending upon Madison Square Garden for the conference tournament. Johnson’s work in numerous sports has made him one of the most versatile and highly-regarded broadcasters of his generation, but it’s his work calling college basketball games in particular that has made him a legend. Seemingly every basketball fan can think of a call that Johnson has made that has stuck with them over the years — they may not be a Gonzaga fan, for example, but they know that the slipper still fits.

After last year’s tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson will head to Madison Square Garden to work alongside Jim Jackson and Bill Raftery while the Big East sorts out a champion. It’ll be the second time this season Johnson has been in-arena calling a college basketball game, along with a Michigan State-Iowa tilt from earlier in the year.

“To have a chance to go to the Garden and watch the guys play in the tournament, which was canceled last year, it’s a big deal,” Johnson told Dime. “Even if there aren’t that many people there, it’s just nice to be out there at the Garden watching some good ball.”

Before that good ball takes place — the festivities begin on FS1 on Wednesday when No. 8 Georgetown and No. 9 Marquette tip off at 3 p.m. EST — Johnson and Dime spoke about the tournament, who interests him the most this year, his broadcast partners, and a recent award he won for his contributions to college athletics.

A few years back, I asked Raf this question, and before I tell you what he said, I want to ask you, what is it about the Big East tournament that makes it so special?

Well, it’s New York City, at the heart of New York City, the center of the world, as we like to say. The energy in the city when Big East basketball is played is just really special. New York fans know basketball, East Coast fans know basketball and love basketball. And they’re playing on hallowed grounds. It’s the world’s most famous arena. It’s just a special environment and atmosphere, and I think more than anything, that’s what makes it just a really special thing to be a part of.

Yeah. And it’s interesting because I went to the Big Ten tournament there. I actually got a very good game, I know you were calling it, the Penn State-Ohio State game a few years back where Penn State won on that last-second dunk. But for some reason, even amid all that excitement, I don’t know if you would agree with this, something just feels different about when the Big East is playing at Madison Square Garden.

Well, those are those people so they know it and they’ve been doing that and watching that for years, or going to the games for years. I was a part of that Big Ten Tournament and it was great, but it’s not the same feeling. You’re right about the Big Ten as it was for the Big East, because the Big East has been doing it for years there. It’s just home, and I think that’s why it’s a special thing to be a part of.

So what excites you the most about this year’s tournament? Obviously, it’s a little bit different because of the lack of fans, but it still has some of that gravity to it that is always going to come from being the Big East Tournament.

What I like about it is that hopefully we’re going to play it, more than anything. Last year’s was canceled. We missed out on that tournament and those seniors missed out on having a chance to play in their final Big East Tournament. So I think that them having a chance to actually play the tournament this year at the Garden and wrap up the regular season in the conference is a special thing.

I’m just hoping that everything goes right. It’s been a long, hard-fought journey dealing with COVID-19 for everybody, sports world included, Big East conference included, college basketball included. So it’s just a nice … hopefully everything will go off without a hitch and we’ll get some basketball.

I have one question about one specific team, and it’s how we got a really unfortunate piece of news earlier this week about Villanova’s Collin Gillespie not being in it. As a broadcaster, what sorts of things do you look out for when you’re calling the games for a team right when they start playing after being thrown a gigantic curveball — not specifically what you’re looking for with Villanova, but just as kind of a general thing?

What you’re looking for is who’s the next man up? Who’s going to take over? Now Justin Moore has to step up [ed. note — since our interview, Moore has suffered a sprained ankle and is doubtful to play in the tournament]. He’s a sophomore, replacing a senior, captain, national champion in Collin Gillespie, heart and soul, leader. So who steps up? Brandon Slater, [Bryan] Antoine, somebody’s got to step up in that role. And you know Villanova always has great players sitting on the bench ready to get an opportunity, waiting for their turn. So I think more than anything, talk about what happened with Collin and how great he was, but now Villanova’s still got to go out there and try to win a championship. You just focus on the next guy that’s going to take his place.

So what team interests you the most in this tournament, not necessarily the one you think is going to win, but the one you’ve watched this season, you’ve studied up on, and you’re really curious to see what they end up looking like once they get to the Garden?

Well, you always think about Villanova because they’ve won two national championships, and now they’re going to go into the tournament without maybe their most important player, their brain, Collin Gillespie. You think about him and you wonder what he could do. You look at Creighton, and coach McDermott got himself into hot water last week, and his team came out after that and played flat against Villanova on the road. You wonder how they’re going to adjust heading to the tournament from Omaha.

St. John’s is always an interesting story. They’ve had some good moments this year, and they’re playing at home. And then some other teams, like Xavier. Xavier’s got a good team. They’ve beaten some good teams this year. Travis Steele, their head coach, you wonder if Paul Scruggs and the rest of the X-men can come up here and go on a run. So a lot of interesting stories, but you just got to see. I think the Big East Tournament, more than anything, is just wide open for a team that gets hot.

Yeah. It always seems to be a mix of that, and then after the first game or two, you can just tell one team has that little extra swagger to their game and they always seem to be the one that’s there at the very end. Whether or not they win, it’s something completely different.

That’s true.

I want to ask about the two guys you’re calling the games with. First is Jim Jackson — my main focus is NBA, and I think he’s been one of the fastest rising stars in hoops broadcasting over the last couple of years, both college and in the NBA. What is it about him that makes him so good?

I taught him everything he knows. That’s what makes him so good. I taught him. He needs to pay me for that. [laughs]

No, Jimmy is just a great student of the game of basketball. He was an incredible player, college player of the year, first-round draft pick, lottery pick. Unfortunately, he hurt his ankle, but he had great moments in the NBA. And he’s just a good man and loves the game and loves broadcasting, brings a youthfulness to it. And he’s the All-American. That’s Jimmy Jackson, man. Midwest values, low-key, engaged. Those are all the things … and he’s a detail guy. To me, those are all the things that make him special.

And then Raf, best in the business, guy you’ve called a million games with. Could you just talk about the joy that you two seem to have working together and what it’s like working with someone who matches, every single night, your passion and your energy on calls?

I’ve been working with Raf for 25 years, and I just think that dating back to my days at … no, actually for longer than 25 years, because I used to work with Raf before I went to CBS when I was with the Big East Network. So damn near 30 years of working with Coach, and he’s just a good man, and he’s a coach, he knows the game without even thinking about it, just looking at it.

I love his stream of consciousness, man. He can go into stories and detail and technique and history in one sentence. And he has boundless energy and boundless enthusiasm. I still can’t hang with him, seriously. So I’m very fortunate to have two men like Raf and Jimmy that I work with on a regular basis. They make my job really easy.

Then the last thing I want to ask is you recently won the Jake Wade Media Award from CoSIDA. What was it like getting that call and learning that you’re getting an award for just how synonymous Gus Johnson is for bringing a sense of gravity to whatever game you’re calling?

Well, man, there’s some great men that are on that list that were there, and I’m so honored to be able to join them, men like Keith Jackson and Verne Lundquist and Dick Enberg and Dick Vitale and Robin Roberts, Jim Nantz, Tim Brando, Steve Scheer. Just to be on that list, for me, man, for a broadcaster that’s been doing college sports for many, many years, as a broadcaster, to me, that was like winning the Heisman Trophy. I don’t think I could put it any other way. It’s just one of the greatest honors of my life, greatest honors of my career. I’m very appreciative and I have so much gratitude. Words can’t express how much gratitude I have to be able to be chosen for something like the Jake Wade Award.

If you needed proof that Tucker Carlson is just a pre-teen schoolyard bully inhabiting an adult man’s body, might we direct you to this moment from his show last night

Carlson, who harbors an obsession with his competition over at CNN (his former employer), dedicated the closing minutes of his show to dragging CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter for … wearing shorts under the anchor desk. Apparently, the sight of Stelter’s undraped calf muscles — he did a tongue-in-cheek taping about the struggles of broadcasting during the coronavirus pandemic — so disturbed Carlson that he felt the need to make fun of Stelter on air.

“On Sunday, the dwarf king aired footage of himself—oh, his chief minion rather—wearing no pants,” Carlson said during the segment. “The footage shows the little media hall monitor—calves and thighs fully exposed—when he appeared for a television report on CNN. Your move, Chris Cuomo!”

In case you were wondering what CNN host Cuomo and the name “dwarf king” are doing here, Carlson has been fascinated with — read: envious of — Cuomo’s physique, regularly deriding the TV personality for posting his workout routine on social media. “Dwarf king” is just one of the ridiculous, completely-reflective-of-Carlson’s-maturity-level nicknames the Fox News host has given CNN president Jeff Zucker over the years. It joins other humorless jabs like when Tucker called Stelter Zucker’s “house eunuch,” and sent the correspondent a box of jelly doughnuts as a prank a couple of years ago.

But it’s not just Carlson whose delicate sensibilities were offended by the sight of Stelter’s bare thighs. No, Sean Hannity was also, as he put it, “traumatized” by the image.

“OK, now you just traumatized me with Humpty Dumpty and I’m going to have that image seared into my memory for the rest of my life,” Hannity complained when Carlson asked for his thoughts. “Did you have to ruin my life? Ohhh, that is traumatic!”

While continuing to sift through the ramifications of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s candid interview with Oprah Winfrey, The View’s Meghan McCain went on a rant about the British monarchy that left Whoopi Goldberg so visually stunned that her facial reaction has people cracking up on social media.

The incident occurred Tuesday morning as McCain used her time during the panel discussion to talk about her childhood playing George Washington with her siblings while touting the McCain family legacy of fighting in the Revolutionary War. While she eventually segued into an info dump on the popularity of Prince William and Kate Middleton and how some British citizens find Prince Harry and Markle’s interview to be poorly time due to Prince Philip’s failing health, McCain returned to her rant about the proud American tradition of toppling monarchies, which she called “stupid.” It was all very weird, and yet very in character for McCain, who tends to make every topic about her.

Whoopi, who has never been shy about shutting McCain down or letting her know when she’s going off the rails, didn’t even know how to react this time around and sat there with a puzzled look on her face before simply saying, “OK.”

After the clip of Goldberg’s reaction went viral, the social media reactions started pouring in as everyone couldn’t get enough of Whoopi’s face:

You can see McCain’s full rant below at the 4:40 mark. Although, you’ll find that Whoopi’s reaction was left out of this The View clip on Twitter:

(Via The View on Twitter)

This week in the best new pop music, several big-name artists returned to serve up some energetic hits. Justin Bieber offered another preview of his impending album, Charli XCX joined The 1975 and No Rome for a glitchy banger, and Bebe Rexha shared her first new track of the year.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Justin Bieber — “Hold On”

Justin Bieber continues to tease his upcoming album Justice with the soulful single “Hold On.” The track differs from much of the sultry R&B music heard on his last LP, as it instead teeters between heart-tugging verses and a shimmering verses.

No Rome — “Spinning” Feat. Charli XCX, The 1975

Charli XCX may have been busy releasing music in 2020, and it looks like this year will be no different. Joining The 1975 and No Rome, the three shared the energetic number “Spinning” this week, pointing to the potential of a possible supergroup between the three acclaimed artists.

Bebe Rexha — “Sacrifice”

Following her cutting single “Baby I’m Jealous” with Doja Cat in 2020, Bebe Rexha shares “Sacrifice” as her first new track of the year. “Sacrifice” sees Rexha leaning into her dance sensibilities, crafting a soaring chorus over a club-ready beat.

Silk Sonic — “Leave The Door Open”

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars formed the group Silk Sonic after touring together in 2017, and this week, they dropped their debut single. “Leave The Door Open” previews a new era for the R&B duo, featuring both singers’ silky-smooth vocals over a lulling beat.

Finneas, Ashe — “Till Forever Falls Apart”

Finneas returned to share a soulful single, this time in collaboration with songwriter Ashe. In a statement about the single, Ashe said “Till Forever Falls Apart” is a reflection on acceptance. “If I’ve learned anything from ‘Moral Of The Story,’ it’s that accepting the hard truth is strangely comforting,” she said. “This song, while sounding like the most romantic song I’ve ever written, is about acceptance as well.”

Nick Jonas — “This Is Heaven”

Last week, Nick Jonas announced his upcoming solo album Spaceman and now, he’s shared another preview of the record with “This Is Heaven.” Jonas said the song was inspired by his loving relationship with his life after they spent months apart while she was shooting a movie. “It was just meant to encapsulate kind of that euphoric feeling of being with your person,” he said.

Jensen McRae — “Starting To Get To You”

After her faux Phoebe Bridgers song went viral on social media, Jensen McRae is flexing her songwriting skills with a buoyant new single, which she wrote about the euphoric feeling of falling in love. “‘Starting To Get To You’ is about the slow burn. It’s about being friends with someone for a while and always wondering if maybe you could be something more, and then after a long time, everything just sort of falls into place and you see each other in a whole new light.”

Girl In Red — “Serotonin”

Girl In Red gained a cult following after releasing a handful of mixtapes and singles. Now, Girl In Red is back to announce her highly-anticipated debut album If I Could Make It Go Quiet with the moving track “Serotonin.” “If i could make it go quiet is an attempt to learn what it’s like to be human; to deal with the scariest parts of myself; to live with the pain of knowing I’m only flesh and bones; to be angry, broken, and unforgiving yet still able to wear my heart on my sleeve.”

Remi Wolf — “Photo ID” Feat. Dominic Fike

After Remi Wolf’s “Montecarlo” became the unofficial song of last summer, the singer tapped Dominic Fike to hop on a hyped-up version of the fan-favorite “Photo ID,” which appears on her debut EP, I’m Allergic To Dogs!. Fike brings a playfulness to the already upbeat track that’s mirrored by Wolf’s vitality.

Maroon 5 — “Beautiful Mistakes” Feat. Megan Thee Stallion

Adam Levine may think pop bands are a “dying breed,” but he continued to press forward with Maroon 5’s Megan Thee Stallion-featuring single “Beautiful Mistakes.” The charming track details the fallout of a relationship, and Levine praised Megan for bringing “the song to a whole new level” alongside its release.

Tate McRae — “Slower”

Tate McRae may have gotten her start as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance, but she’s made a name for herself in music through a handful of singles and EPs. “Slower” offers a lush look at her upcoming EP Too Young To Be Sad and features a snapping beat under McRae’s captivating vocals. She sings of wanting to move things along in a relationship, but feels as though it’s being stalled from the other end.

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

The New York Knicks turned heads during the 2020 NBA Draft with their second pick of the first round. After selecting Dayton’s Obi Toppin at No. 8 — a move that had been widely speculated in the lead-up to the Draft — the team decided to reach and nab Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley at No. 25. While he was a nice player in college, the thought with Quickley is he didn’t do all that much other than shoot, and as a result, he was more worthy of a second-round selection.

Of course, that has not been the case, as Quickley is among the most productive rookies in his class. He’s averaging 12.2 points in 18.8 minutes a night off the bench while connecting on 38.1 percent of his triples, and while he still has a way to go as a rookie guard in the NBA, the early returns are more promising than anyone could have expected.

Well, almost anyone, at least. A new story by Yaron Weitzman at the New York Post details the Knicks’ brain trust entering this season, and as it turns out, executive vice president and well-documented NBA power broker William Wesley — known for his nickname “World Wide Wes” — kept repeating “we need Quickley, get Quickley” as the team went through the 2020 Draft.

Wesley had entered the night giddy, FaceTiming friends and passing out key lime pies from a bakery he loves in Margate, N.J. But now he was furious. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. His face twisted into a frown. He stood up and paced around the room.

“Coach says we need shooting, Quickley’s the best shooter,” he said out loud, referring to Tom Thibodeau, who due to the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols had to participate in the draft via Zoom. Wesley joined Walt Perrin, the team’s assistant general manager, Aller and Rose for a huddle at the front of the room. Wesley kept pushing his case. Finally, Rose relented. A few minutes later, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that Quickley was being selected with the 25th pick.

Wesley, apparently, is known for holding Kentucky prospects in ultra high regard, and when it comes to Quickley, a source told Weitzman that he “pushed him like crazy.” As the saying goes, the only rule is it has to work, and while Quickley’s at the very beginning of his career, banking that World Wide Wes saw something no one else did has paid off so far.

Oscar Isaac is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood right now. He’s unpredictable on-screen, choosing roles that range from playful heroes in sci-fi franchises to morally-tormented crime lords and tech bros destroyed, quite literally, by their own hubris. And he’s talented — if all the awards and accolades he’s carted home over the years are anything to go by.

But it’s really not fair to honor the career of this ska-punk-band-leader-turned-thespian without acknowledging all of the facets of his career that set him apart which is why, instead of giving you some dull, uninspired catalog of his greatest works, we’re ranking Isaac’s contribution to film using the prestigious, industry-accepted “Thirst-Trap-Scale.” The “Thirst-Trap-Scale” (like the rotten tomatoes and thumbs up and five-star rating systems of the past) attempts to quantify a film, show, or performance based on its innate carnality.

Now, let us be clear: though Oscar Isaac is in fact a beautiful human being, the “Thirst-Trap-Scale” doesn’t reflect our feelings on the actor’s own attractiveness. Instead, we’re judging the characters he’s played — their looks, their wardrobes, their charisma — and deciding which have left audiences the most titillated. And we’re doing it for science. This is all very above-board. It’s been vetted by unbiased sources. It’s quite official. There’s no personal gain to be had by myself, the writer, or anyone who regularly simps for Team Ethnic Hips on social media …

Really.

9. Duke Leto Atreides in Dune

What can we say about this performance that John Boyega hasn’t already? Not only is Isaac inheriting a major role in a beloved sci-fi universe he’s also fully embracing the “zaddy” status the internet has been trying to thrust upon him for years with that chin bush. That’s called creative growth, people. The only reason this role doesn’t rank higher is because technically, the movie has yet to be released so we have only limited glimpses of Isaac brooding with Denis Villeneuve’s muted apocalyptic wasteland aesthetic littering the background. But it was enough to carry us through a pandemic-driven-thirst-drought last year, and that’s nothing to sneer at.

8. Prince John in Robin Hood

Look, I saw that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry tell-all. I’ve watched every episode of The Crown. I know the British monarchy is really just a group of in-bred colonizers plagued by early-onset-balding who deserve no allegiance from a commoner such as I. And normally I’d be all for watching these Royals burn and giving the spoils to the poor. But if you’re talking about thieving from this curly-haired beefcake, we’re gonna have problems. Even Cate Blanchett couldn’t sway me against whatever bizarre Prince John cosplay Isaac is pitching here and though the rest of movie is a total slog, watching Isaac work out his mommy issues while lording over a bunch of peasants is oddly satisfying. He didn’t have to make a hated historical figure that horny, but he did.

7. Abel Morales in A Most Violent Year

That he could even pull focus from the exquisite Jessica Chastain is a testament to Isaac’s inherent swag but add in some perfectly tailored coats and a pinch of mob boss bravado, and you’ve got this master class in on-screen thirst trapping. Yes, this is a very serious crime drama and yes, Isaac is fantastic as a reluctant modern-day oil baron forced to get his hands dirty to make a profit. But you know what should really be illegal? For Isaac to look that good in a turtle neck with a salt-and-peppered bouffant to boot. The man is a damn criminal.

6. Kane in Annihilation

Is he a genius military specialist with a cheating wife or an alien symbiote posing as a genius military specialist with a cheating wife? Do we really even care as long as he keeps spouting nonsense in that weird amalgam of every bad southern accent you’ve ever heard?

5. Poe Dameron in the Star Wars Trilogy

If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, did it really ever fall? If Oscar Isaac hadn’t alerted us to the size of his hips, would we have ever concerned ourselves with whether he could fit into the pilot seat of the Millenium Falcon? Ah, life’s sweet mysteries. But really, Isaac was one of the few bright spots of the sequel trilogy, playing a cocky wingman to Boyega’s Finn and the reluctant leader of the Resistance. He clearly had fun with the role, channeling the kind of roguish charm Harrison Ford patented in the original films and adding queer undertones to his bromance with the former Stormtrooper. We’ll never forgive Disney for denying Isaac the friends-turned-lovers space romance he so rightly deserved but we can reward his cheeky pandering by rating this spice smuggler above that previously mentioned spice lord. Side note: Oscar Isaac is proof Dune and Star Wars share a universe, no?

4. Llewyn Davis in Inside Llewyn Davis

He’s so damn tired. Why is Oscar Isaac so damn tired in this movie? Because he’s been running through our minds for so long, that’s why. A starving artist who treks across ’60s era New York playing folk music and toting a cat around? Isaac knew what he was doing with this role and what he was doing was planting a sexual metaphor deep into our subconscious. Think about it.

3. Santiago “Pope” Garcia in Triple Frontier

This movie may be the closest we’ll ever come to a Pedro Pascal/Oscar Isaac rom-com. The setting: a remote South American jungle. The premise: some ex-military bros wanna recreate the movie Girls Trip but with guns and a chopper full of cash stolen from a powerful drug lord. To be fair, each actor involved in this action romp was thirst-trapping in his own way — save Sadffleck, but Isaac’s got the most skin in the game. He’s the ringleader, the mastermind with a plan to bring about justice and get his friends paid. He’s got a haircut that says, “I’ve seen things, man.” You have to respect the drip.

2. Nathan in Ex Machina
Ex Machina is a terrific sci-fi movie, and not just because Oscar Isaac performs a bisexually-lit ’70s-inspired dance montage about midway through. Said routine is both delightfully vivacious and unsettingly sinister, performed by a man who has no regard for the rules that govern polite society … or zip-up hoodies. In Ex Machina, Isaac plays the original techno Gatsby, a guy named Nathan who is at once both an egomaniac consumed by his own genius and a chill West Coast hippie type who just wants to hang and talk about his organic diet with you — as long as you sign the NDA first. We can only assume it was Isaac who told director Alex Garland that his Silicon Valley bro would only wear tank-tops and rimless eyeglasses, that he’d have a shaved head but full beard, that his arms would be swole even though he spent most of his day rearranging post-it notes on his vision board and tinkering with the attractive A.I.’s he had enslaved. We can only assume Isaac meant to make us question the very fabric of what humanity finds attractive with these choices. Well, he succeeded.

1. Blue Jones in Sucker Punch

This is the movie I blame for making me irrationally irate over the Addams family reboot. How can you look at this pencil-thin mustache and think, “No, Oscar Isaac should only voice the animated version of Gomez Adams.” How?! Now, admittedly, only one version of the character Isaac is playing here, a man named Blue Jones, is hot — and it’s not the grey-toned psych orderly who harbors a strange obsession with one of his patients. Sure, his alter-ego is a corrupt brothel owner who pimps and abuses women in a film that tries to say something about the relationship between sexism, misogyny and pop culture, but is it so wrong that we think Isaac’s charisma on-screen is so hot, it’s causing his stage makeup and emo eyeliner to literally melt off his moneymaker? (It is, isn’t it?)

Next week marks one year since The Weeknd released his acclaimed album After Hours. Since then, the singer has had many accomplishments. He was invited to perform at the Super Bowl half time show, and even honored with his own day by Toronto’s mayor. Now, The Weeknd can claim another impressive achievement: “Blinding Lights” was officially the best-selling song of 2020.

According to a year-end report released by the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry (IFPI), “Blinding Lights” sold more units globally than any other song last year. Coming behind him in second place is Tones And I with her 2019 track “Dance Monkey,” followed by Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” Saint Jhn’s “Roses,” and Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now.”

While The Weeknd had the highest-performing song of the year, he wasn’t the best-selling artist. That title was recently given to BTS after they had a wildly successful year. The Weeknd did, however, come in at fourth place behind Drake and Taylor Swift.

News of the massive success of “Blinding Lights” arrives shortly after the song secured another feat. On Monday, “Blinding Lights” became the first single to ever spend a full year in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “After Hours was always meant to be a very personal project. It’s a story I had to tell,” The Weeknd told Billboard about his chart victory. “The fact I’ve been able to tell it with the world listening is incredible. This Billboard chart record is truly a result of the fans. I’m so humbled and forever grateful to them.”

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