Category: News

(SPOILERS for this week’s Fear The Walking Dead will be found below.)

Let me say this right up front: The lost character who resurfaced in this week’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead is not Madison. The fan community is very upset today with some online reviewers for vaguely teasing the possibility of Madison’s return in this week’s episode. The closest the episode gets to the return of Madison is a brief mention by Alicia of the Stadium. That’s it. Don’t listen to anyone who implies otherwise.

A lost character does resurface in the episode, however. Grace — the only character from last season we had not checked on yet — appears briefly in the final scene of the episode. She’s very pregnant, and Ginny is keeping her locked away in a small room for reasons we’ll get to in a moment.

The featured characters in this episode, however, are Alicia, Charlie, Strand, and Virginia’s sister, Dakota. Dakota is being transported by a convoy led by Strand, who seems to be eagerly doing the bidding of Virginia. The convoy, however, is massacred, Dakota runs away, and Strand is left up the proverbial sh*t creek without a paddle, knowing that if Virginia finds out he lost her sister, she’ll kill him.

Strand plays the only card he has: He reaches out to Alicia, who (along with Charlie) has been put on some sort of watch duty. Alicia, who is still pissed at Strand for how he played her in the season’s second episode, is reluctant to help, but eventually agrees to track down Dakota. Later in the episode — after she finds Dakota — Alicia radios Virginia, rats out Strand, and offers to rescue Dakota for Virginia in exchange for her and Charlie’s freedom. Alicia is all too willing to let Strand take the fall after what he did to her.

In the meantime, Alicia and Charlie track Dakota to the home of a taxidermist, and this is where things get disturbing: Ed, the taxidermist, has been working on zombies, attaching horns and antlers on to them to (as he explains it) scare people away from his home. I guess antler’d walkers are the post-apocalyptic equivalent of scarecrows.

Ed seems like a nice enough guy, just lonely, and loneliness in the zombie apocalypse is a dangerous thing. Turns out, Ed may have accidentally killed his family, and when Dakota and Alicia try to leave, Ed boards them in, because Ed needs the company. Alas, Charlie (hiding in the house with Ed unaware) tranquilizes Ed, although that doesn’t quite do the trick. When Ed and Alicia get into a struggle, Ed is impaled on a pair of his own antlers (that seemed inevitable) and the antler zombies -come crashing into Ed’s home. Alicia manages to fend off a few, but she is aided by the sudden appearance of Morgan, who arrives as he so often has this season) in the nick of time.

Once the zombies are cleared, Morgan and Alicia have some business with which to tend. Morgan tells Alicia about his hideaway, and because Alicia has grown fond of Dakota, she’s decided that they’ll take Dakota with them, Strand be damned. Morgan, however, has other plans: he wants to use Dakota as leverage to retrieve all their people still under Virginia’s control. Alicia, however, says no dice, and when she threatens to take Charlie and Dakota somewhere else (like the Stadium), Morgan says, “Oh wait! Nevermind! Let’s do this together.” He agrees to take Dakota back to his hideaway.

In the meantime, when Virginia learns that Morgan has Dakota, she blows a stack. She demands to know whose side Strand is on, and he says that he’s on her side (but is he?). That’s when Virginia shows Strand where she has a pregnant Grace hidden. In the closing seconds of the episode, Virginia tells Strand to leverage Grace for “every single person we took from that gulch.”

Virginia, it appears, is angling to start another All-Out War. Unfortunately, we have to wait until 2021 to find out what happens next.

Additional Notes

— The chessboard has been set up in a very compelling way moving ahead, with — as it stands at the moment — June, Strand, Sarah, and Wendell on Virginia’s side; Al, Dwight, Dakota, and Alicia with Morgan. John is in the wind, Daniel is working for Morgan from the inside, Grace is being held as leverage, and we don’t really know where Luciana and Wes stand at the moment. Plus, Sherry and her group are wild cards. It’s messy, but I expect that episode 8 (which was supposed to be the original midseason finale) will help settle these alliances.

— No word yet on when Fear will return in 2021, but it is filming. The Walking Dead returns on February 28th, so it’ll be interesting to see if Fear returns after their 6 episodes, or if it runs concurrently. I would guess that it would come after, which means we may not see the back half of this season until April, and it would end in June, or around the same time that Fear seasons usually begin. AMC’s TWD schedule is all out of whack.

— Madison is not coming back. It’s disappointing that a few reviewers hinted that she might because fans who would have normally enjoyed this episode were left feeling disappointed that she did not return, despite some hyping that she might. That’s not cool. It’s one thing to speculate about something that might happen in episodes that we have not seen yet — that’s something we all do — but it’s another thing to imply something is in an episode that a reviewer has seen when that something is not.

— Nobody believes for a second that Strand is actually working with Virginia, do they?

— While disturbing, the fact that a taxidermist only attached antlers to walkers is probably the least upsetting thing he could have done. I expected to see stuffed zombie heads hanging on his wall.

— Strand’s convoy, by the way, was wiped out not by the spray painters, but by Morgan. However, Morgan insists that he did not take down Tank Town. There’s still yet another unknown out there: the spray painters, and the key they are trying to retrieve from Morgan.

This year’s AMAs showcased some of today’s biggest stars with scheduled sets by Billie Eilish, BTS, Dua Lipa, and DaBaby, but the awards show also featured some veteran acts. Nelly was invited to the stage to give a performance of his 2001 hit “Ride Wit Me” and his song brought up mixed emotions for viewers.

As Nelly shared his Country Grammar track on live TV, there was a clear generational divide seen on social media. Some viewers from the younger generation admitted they didn’t know who Nelly was while others were shocked to see that it’s been nearly two decades since the release of his seminal debut album.

Sharing their thoughts on Twitter, many were shocked to see that Gen Z didn’t recognize the singer.

Others were remembering Nelly’s looks.

Nelly’s performance also made some feel nostalgic.

In other Nelly news, the singer is currently appearing on this season of Dancing With The Stars — and he’s not sacrificing his style. Producers told the singer that he needed to wear approved dance shoes during his performances, but Nelly didn’t want to sport the classic all-black kicks. Instead, the singer was able to find a shoemaker to update his Jordan 3s with a Dancing With The Stars-approved heel.

Check out fans react to Nelly’s appearance at the 2020 AMAs above.

Dua Lip has been having a monster year. After the release of her second album Future Nostalgia earlier this year, she eventually followed that up with Club Future Nostalgia: The Remix Album, an entire remix record that included some icons from the club, house, and dance music world, and even featured Madonna and Missy Elliot on a reimagined version of “Levitating.”

That isn’t the only time that song has featured another superstar guest, either. THe official remix of “Levitating” features none other than DaBaby, one of the biggest rappers in the world at the moment, bringing his signature bouncy flow the track. And while Madonna, Missy Elliot and even DaBaby weren’t present for her performance of the song at the 2020 AMA’s tonight, seeing Dua perform it on her own was just as cosmic. In what looked like an outdoor performance, and surrounded by dancers who were carefully distanced from her, Dua dazzled and flirted with the camera all the way from London. After picking up an award earlier in the night for Best Pop Song for the same track, it was an all around great night for this still-rising pop star — who quite literally took flight at the end of her song tonight. Watch her performance above.

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

Ever since Billie Eilish took home Grammy Awards in four of the major categories earlier this year, many have been waiting to see where the singer will take her career. So far in 2020, Eilish has released a couple of one-off singles, including the theme song to the upcoming James Bond movie. But Eilish returned last week with the new thumping track “Therefore I Am,” and brought the tune to the 2020 AMAs stage Sunday night.

Appearing in a outfit similar to the one she wore for her recent video, Eilish brought fiery energy to her “Therefore I Am” performance. The singer made her way throughout a lit-up maze while delivering her single’s kiss-off lyrics with gusto.

While many are hopeful that Eilish’s new single signals the beginning of a new era, the singer hasn’t offered much in the form of confirmation. However, Eilish’s brother and producer Finneas did recently reveal a few details about her next release. “Billie’s album, and my album, they won’t be a bummer COVID record,” Finneas said. “I have a desperate desire not to release them during COVID-19. It’s the vaccine record! I want it to be the album everyone’s out dancing in the streets to.”

Watch Eilish perform “Therefore I Am” at the 2020 AMAs above.

Fresh off the release of her official debut album, Good News, Megan Thee Stallion showed up at the 2020 AMAs on her A-game. With a whole range of hits she could’ve easily performed tonight, she chose to go with her new single, “Body,” and delivered the kind of show-stopping performance she’s quickly become known for.

Of course, it’s hard to call Good News a debut album when Meg has already established such a career for herself off the strength of her mixtapes, and a lot of the loosie singles that have helped her get there are included on this release. “Body,” however, is brand new, and Megan and her dancers made it seem that way with tight choreography and lots of her signature twerking. She could’ve easily gone with her “Shots Fired” track, a song that fans thought would diss Tory Lanez, and indeed did, in a ferocious fashion. Lanez was involved in shooting Megan earlier this year, and then tried to deny his crime, a bizarre and disgusting cycle for all involved.

Probably eager to put all that behind her, Megan focused on everything that’s been going right for her this year, and the asset that is and always will be her body. Watch above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Coming to you live from downtown Los Angeles, for the 2020 AMA’s The Weeknd was sporting an entire face bandage during his performance of two songs off After Hours. Abel Tesfaye has been infamously showing up with an injured or bandaged face during this year, to mimic the aesthetic of his new album, which has been achieved with makeup and is not actually injuries. The entire face bandage he sported during his acceptance speech for R&aB album world had a few viewers who weren’t familiar with the shtick uneasy, but as far as we know, Abel is fine.

For his performance, The Weeknd opted for an outdoor show, walking along the length of the 6th Street Bridge (an infamous bridge in LA) and setting off fireworks in his wake. The bandages on his face perhaps make a bit more sense now, as they probably also helped him remain incognito while getting around the outdoor location. Kicking off with a jazzy solo from none other than Kenny G, Abel launched into a medley of the two latest singles off his album, “In Your Eyes” and “Save Your Tears.” Walking while singing and hitting all his marks for the plethora of fireworks isn’t an easy, phone-it-in show, Abel really brought it. Check out the video above.

The Lakers entered this offseason with few expecting a major roster overhaul, but as free agency has unfolded they’ve been among the league’s most active teams. They’ve brought back the likes of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but have also traded for Dennis Schröder and signed Montrezl Harrell and Wesley Matthews in free agency — with Dwight Howard and Danny Green leaving and both ending up in Philadelphia.

With Howard gone, the Lakers have been looking to bring in another true center for when they don’t want to go small with Anthony Davis (who will re-sign at some point in the near future) and Harrell, and Marc Gasol has been at the top of their list of targets. Creating enough room for Gasol required a trade of JaVale McGee, and on Sunday evening they found a partner in the Cavaliers to ship McGee and a second round pick to Cleveland, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, with two non-guaranteed players in Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie going back to L.A.

Shortly after that deal was announced, Woj and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Gasol had agreed to a deal with the Lakers.

The Lakers clearly felt that the team that won the championship last year needed some significant upgrades this season and have certainly shaken up the roster in a way not everyone thought they would or could. Gasol was not at his best in the playoffs last year for Toronto, but brings some playmaking to their frontcourt as an excellent passer, and can give them some solid team defense in bursts. Matthews looks to fill the Danny Green role of 3-and-D vet, while Schröder is a bit of a lottery ticket in that they hope his shooting from last year in OKC wasn’t a mirage and he can be an upgrade in the backcourt as a two-way point guard who is capable of playing off-ball.

In a Western Conference that’s seen some of the middling teams get better but the top contenders all tread water or take a step back, the Lakers have, on paper, seemingly put some distance between themselves and the pack in the West if all goes well.

Kanye West is celebrating the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on Sunday and as a result, fans took to Twitter to celebrate the album and post their best memories of it like when they first bought the album or seeing the GOOD Music rapper perform live. Others used the anniversary to debate whether or not the 2010 album was the best release in Kanye’s catalog.

Others like Kim Kardashian, however, had a much more personal connection to the album. The wife of Kanye West revealed a very interesting tidbit about “Lost In The World” from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Sharing the news on her Instagram story, Kim said, “For those that don’t know the story of ‘Lost In The World’ on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy…. Kanye couldn’t come up with some lyrics and then realized he had them, it was what he wrote me for my 30th birthday card.” She added, “He took the poem he wrote me and made it the song,” before concluding the post with “Happy 10 year anniversary MBDTF.”

In the next post, she shared the birthday card Kanye gave her for her 30th birthday and it reveals the rapper ended up using the poem for the first verse of the song which reads:

You’re my devil, you’re my angel
You’re my heaven, you’re my hell
You’re my now, you’re my forever
You’re my freedom, you’re my jail
You’re my lies, you’re my truth
You’re my war, you’re my truce
You’re my questions, you’re my proof
You’re my stress and you’re my masseuse

Kim also shared the handwritten slip that Kanye used to write on as he created the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track.

You can check Kim Kardashian’s post above.

The Knicks have had a surprisingly quiet free agency, so far opting for smaller deals instead of the larger splashy ones they’re typically known for when they have money to spend. On Sunday, they continued their conservative approach to free agency with a reported signing of Austin Rivers.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks and Rivers reached an agreement on a one year deal to bring Rivers to New York. Rivers, who most recently played for the Rockets, will help shore up the Knicks guard rotation with another playmaker, because currently, their roster is lacking in that department.

This will be the fifth team Rivers has played for. While he does have point guard experience, his primary role in previous stops has been as a secondary ball handler on the floor next to the primary. There’s no reason to think he won’t keep this role in New York with the Knicks lacking many secondary creators. The few ball handlers they do have are all primary creators or scorers and Rivers can be a hybrid between creating for others while also looking to score himself.

Considering this is a one year deal, and Rivers fills a position of need, this is a good signing for New York. They get to buy low on a player that, while not spectacular, is more than serviceable. If he turns out to be better than expected then they can flip him at the trade deadline for assets or keep him around and let him help with the development of their young guys. These are the kind of low risk moves the Knicks have sorely need the last few times they’ve entered free agency with cap space, and as they let the big free agents this offseason come and go, keeping future flexibility is clearly still the focus in New York.

When the Cowboys drafted CeeDee Lamb you knew immediately they had someone who could be special. Lamb was a speed demon at Oklahoma that put on a highlight reel every game and was a featured part in the Sooners offensive attack. So far this season Lamb has had flashes, but he hadn’t yet had a breakout performance or sensational catch that signaled he had arrived as a rookie star receiver — in part due to the quarterback instability in Dallas so far this season.

During Sunday’s matchup against the Vikings, Lamb may have had his moment in what was has been the best catch of his young career. The Cowboys were deep into Vikings territory and looking to add another touchdown on the board. Anything else at this point would have been a victory for the Vikings defense. Dalton threw up a fade to Lamb, but while Lamb was looking back shoulder, the ball was towards the back pylon instead. The rookie’s adjustment to the pass turned into a highlight.

The back angle only further shows the incredible degree of difficulty on the grab.

Lamb makes this looks so easy despite it being a move that even the NFL’s best receivers struggle to make. What separates the elite receivers from the good ones is being able to make catches even on poorly thrown passes and expanding the target radius for your quarterback. On this one, Lamb does just that and brings it in so naturally he makes it look easy.

If Lamb’s career pans out the way many think it will then this is the kind of play that will be used as a coming out moment for him. A highlight catch in his rookie year where he made the difficult look easy.