Category: News

Back in June and amid ongoing Black Lives matter protests against police brutality, Paramount Network cancelled the highly-rated Cops after thirty-two seasons. A&E soon followed suit with Live PD, which ran for four highly-rated seasons. Paramount Network had also removed all mentions of the Cops series from its website following the death of George Floyd during his fatal apprehension by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin (who pushed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes). Now, Hollywood Reporter has reported that the long-running law enforcement reality show is in production again. Don’t expect to see the new episodes on Paramount Network, though, or anywhere in the U.S.

Langley Productions has “quietly” fired up production again in Washington State in order to fulfill contractual commitments within overseas territories. According to a press release, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has stated that “[w]e have a longstanding relationship with Cops and [series producer] Langley Productions, and we are pleased they have decided to return, highlighting the outstanding work our deputies provide to all of you.” Filming is currently scheduled to run through November on the show that ran for six years on Paramount Network following a twenty-five-year marathon on Fox.

The resumed production has not arrived without controversy. Here’s a local news video snippet to that effect from CBS affiliate KREM.

(Via Hollywood Reporter & KREM)

Dua Lipa fans have not been lacking in Future Nostalgia content. Aside from the album itself, Lipa has given a ton of TV performances in support of it, and she also released a completely remixed version, Club Future Nostalgia. Now she’s back with even more, and this time, it’s a remix of “Levitating” featuring DaBaby.

The rapper contributes a new verse to the track, beginning, “I’m one of the greatest, ain’t no debatin’ on it / I’m still levitating, I’m heavily medicated / Ironic I gave ’em love and they end up hatin’ on me / She told me love me and she been waitin’.” He and Lipa also appear together in a new video for the track, which was made in collaboration with TikTok and, like most other things from Future Nostalgia, is appropriately disco-inspired.

Lipa previously credited a social media break for helping her make Future Nostalgia, saying, “In all honesty, I don’t think I could have done my second record if I hadn’t taken a step back from social media. When you first start, when I first started putting new music out, everything was super positive and I had lots of nice messages. I think the more stuff you do, then there is criticism and comments and it all comes in thick and fast, and for a while it was really getting to me. I just felt like people had nothing but mean things to say or I was being picked on. It did upset me, it made me feel I didn’t deserve to do certain things.”

Watch the “Levitate” video above.

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

In his first movie since welcoming us to Marwen (and everyone responded, “Nah, we’re good”), director Robert Zemeckis adapted Roald Dahl’s novel The Witches, one of the author’s later and weirder works. The fantasy-comedy film, which stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, and Kristin Chenoweth, and was written by Zemeckis, Guillermo del Toro, and Kenya Barris, was originally supposed to be released on October 9, but it was taken off the schedule due to the pandemic. But in a surprise move, it’s still coming out in October, just in time for Halloween.

The Witches will debut on HBO Max on October 22 and “head into theaters internationally beginning October 28,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “The movie is described as a reimagining of Dahl’s story for modern audiences.” Here’s more:

[The Witches is a] darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks our young hero away to an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe—undercover—to carry out her nefarious plans.”

Zemeckis’ movies are best viewed on the big screen — think: Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Back to the Future Part II (which all came out within four years of each other, which is nuts to think about), and later works like The Walk — but we’ll take any Bobby Z (pair it with the Blank Check podcast miniseries) we can get.

Also, Roger Rabbit still rules.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Earlier today, news broke out that that former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus just days after flying with President Donald Trump to his recent debate with former Vice President Joe Biden. Presumably, after getting a test done, the President returned to Twitter to confirmed that he and his wife Melania also tested positive for coronavirus. Considering the fact that Trump has repeatedly downplayed the virus and wearing masks, even going as far as to mock Biden for frequently wearing a mask, some didn’t have a lot of sympathy for the president, especially on the music side of things.

After reading Trump’s tweet, Guapdad 4000 re-posted it and said, “Yes !! God is good !! call this man home satan.” Cardi B replied and used the opportunity to promote her new single with Blackpink saying, “‘BET YOU WANNA’ wear a mask now.” Charlamagne The God also weighed in, tweeting, “If you thought Trump saying “Covid is 99% harmless” was bad wait until you hear what he says after “surviving” Covid at 74 years old and 244 pounds…..”

Check out some more tweets from music figures in response to Trump’s positive test below.

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

Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19, just as The Simpsons predicted?

OK, only half of that sentence is true. The president and First Lady Melania have contracted the coronavirus — after months of saying it would “disappear” and that “it affects virtually nobody” and generally downplaying a pandemic that has killed over one million people and 203,000 Americans, including Trump rally-attender Herman Cain. But The Simpsons did not foresee it happening, despite the image that you’ve probably seen on Twitter, the one of Trump’s lifeless body in a coffin. Simpsons did it? It did not.

As backed by Snopes (and confirmed by any halfway-informed Simpsons fan), that image is a fake. It’s not from an episode or even one of the web shorts with Dan Castellaneta as the voice of the president. The image “first appeared in a thread on a 4chan.org forum,” because of course it did, and has been around since early 2017:

The image was frequently shared along with messages stating that The Simpsons were foretelling President Trump’s death, since the show has reportedly predicted so many other major events: “The Simpsons have shown impressive ability to predict the future, we have witnessed horrifying events that have come true and that without doubt have passed into history… Recently, The Simpsons have brought to light a new prediction that could undoubtedly mark the world and Is the death of the current president.”

The Simpsons did accurately predict that Trump would become president, but the long-running animated series did not anticipate September 11 or, uh, the coronavirus. As writer Bill Oakley told the Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, “I don’t like [The Simpsons] being used for nefarious purposes. The idea that anyone misappropriates it to make coronavirus seem like an Asian plot is terrible. In terms of trying to place blame on Asia, I think that is gross.” The Disney-Fox thing, though? That’s a real one.

Rihanna’s annual Savage X Fenty fashion shows have become a big deal after last year’s was made available on Amazon Prime Video. That was the case for this year’s event as well, and the show went live when the clock struck midnight on October 2. Performing during this year’s event were Travis Scott, Roddy Ricch, Rosalia, Miguel, Bad Bunny, Ella Mai, and Mustard, along with special appearances from Bella Hadid, Big Sean, Cara Delevingne, Christian Combs, Demi Moore, Irina Shayk, Laura Harrier, Normani, Paloma Elsesser, Paris Hilton, Rico Nasty, Willow Smith, and Lizzo.

Lizzo, for one, was pretty excited about being involved, as she showed of her enthusiasm in a video shared to her Instagram Story last night. She posted a clip of she and some friends watching the show, specifically the part where she takes the stage and dances. Throughout the video, Lizzo’s pals were shouting and cheering as they watched Lizzo flash her seductive moves on stage.

This year’s show proved to be incredible popular. Upon trying to watch, some viewers were placed in a queue due to high traffic and greeted with a message that read, “Due to extremele high traffic from the Savage X Fenty Show, you’ve been placed in our online queue and will be granted access as soon as possible.”

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

Netflix is starting to roll out its Halloween content, but don’t worry, not everything dropping this week is a nightmare. In fact, The Good Place is finally giving streaming fans a look at its final season, proving there are still things to laugh about in 2020. And Lily Collins heads to Paris in a dramedy that serves up some lighthearted escapism. But if being scared sh*tless is your thing, Vampires vs. the Bronx should have enough monsters and mayhem to suffice.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix this week of Oct. 2.

The Good Place: Season 4 (series streaming 9/26)

The final run of this breakout comedy from creator Michael Schur has finally landed on Netflix. There’s have been some hellish twists, a return to Earth, chic bow-ties, human starter kits, inventive cuss words, and of course, Blake Bortles but our group of weirdos and misfits are finally ready to prove they belong in the Good Place. We think.

Emily in Paris (Netflix series streaming 10/2)

This soapy drama from Darren Star is basically what would’ve happened had L.C. chosen to go to Paris instead of shacking up with her no-good boyfriend on that season finale of The Hills. Kind of. It follows Lily Collins (Emily) as a young woman trying to make her dreams of living that Parisian life happen, scoring a new job and a fling or two along the way. Look, none of us can actually go to Paris right now, let alone leave our homes, so this is the best form of escapism we’re gonna get.

Vampires vs. the Bronx (Netflix film streaming 10/2)

It’s officially October, which means all of the streaming platforms are rolling out their spookiest content but Netflix has a pretty packed lineup and it begins with this horror-comedy that feels like a nice way to ease us all into the more nightmarish movies that are certainly on the way. The movie follows a group of teens forced to protect their Bronx neighborhood when the undead come knocking.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 9/26
The Good Place: Season 4

Avail. 9/27
Bad Teacher
Van Helsing: Season 4

Avail. 9/28
Whose Vote Counts, Explained

Avail. 9/29
Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia
Welcome to Sudden Death

Avail. 9/30
American Murder: The Family Next Door
Wentworth: Season 8

Avail. 10/1
Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood
Pasal Kau / All Because of You
The Worst Witch: Season 4
A.M.I.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Along Came a Spider
Bakugan: Armored Alliance: Season 2
Basic Instinct
Black ’47
Cape Fear
Code Lyoko: Seasons 1-4
The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
Employee of the Month
Enemy at the Gates
Evil: Season 1
Familiar Wife: Season 1
Fargo
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma: The Second Plate
Free State of Jones
Ghost Rider
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Gran Torino
Her
House of 1,000 Corpses
Human Nature
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
I’m Leaving Now
The Longest Yard (1974)
The Parkers: Seasons 1-5
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
The Prince & Me
Poseidon (2006)
The Outpost
Stranger than Fiction
Superman Returns
Sword Art Online: Alicization
Troy
The Unicorn: Season 1
WarGames
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Yogi Bear
You Cannot Hide: Season 1

Avail. 10/2
A Go! Go! Cory Carson Halloween
Ahí te encargo / You’ve Got This
The Binding
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Emily in Paris
Òlòtūré
Serious Men
Song Exploder
Vampires vs. the Bronx

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 10/6
The Water Diviner

Leaving 10/7
The Last Airbender

While his last album arrived in 2018 with Drogas Light, Lupe Fiasco has pressed forward with new music this year. Lupe teamed up with Soundtrakk for their double-sided single, Tape Tape, Lupe’s second project of the year. Side A of their new release comes with their “Oh Yes” track. It presents Lupe relying heavily on autotune — much more than what we find of his traditional sound — in order to get some singing. The same is found on Side B for their “Apologetic” collab.

The double-single arrives after Lupe debuted his “BBQ Chicken Freestyle” last week. The freestyle arrived after comparisons between him and Kendrick Lamar arose once again. The conversation was sparked after a fan asked Lupe on Twitter who he believed he was the better lyricist: him or Kendrick. Just like any talented wordsmith would do, Lupe replied and said he was the better lyricist and social media went into a bit of a frenzy as a result of his response. It wasn’t the first time Lupe spoke Kendrick’s lyricism, back in 2018, he said he didn’t believe Kendrick was a “top tier lyricist,” a claim that brought him plenty of backlash online.

Shifting back to the music, Lupe also teamed up with Florida producer Kaelin Ellis for House EP which they released back in July.

You can hear “Oh Yes” and “Apologetic” in the videos above.

After saying he would self-quarantine upon learning that former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks had tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, Donald Trump confirmed earlier tonight that he and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, had both tested positive for COVID-19.

After Hicks, one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, began to feel symptoms during the plane ride home from a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday (September 30), she was isolated from other passengers and tested Thursday. Her positive status was confirmed, leading Trump to tweet: “Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for COVID-19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!”

Just a few hours later, Trump confirmed the diagnosis for himself and Melania, writing, “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”

The diagnosis arrives just days after an eventful first debate with Democratic candidate Joe Biden, who criticized Trump’s mask policy and overall response to the pandemic crisis since early this year when Trump promised that the pandemic would pass by summer. In September, it was reported that Trump intentionally sought to downplay the seriousness of the virus despite admitting to knowing how deadly it could be.

Drake is currently putting the finishing touches on his upcoming album, Certified Lover Boy, which should hopefully release by the end of the year. Showing just how much of a “lover boy” he’s been in his life, Drake revealed a past relationship with one of R&B’s favorite singers on his latest guest verse.

Joining 21 Savage and Metro Boomin on “Mr. Right Now” from the newly-released album, Savage Mode II, Drake revealed that he and SZA dated back in the day. “Yeah, said she wanna f*ck to some SZA, wait,” Drake raps before making the big announcement. “‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08 / If you cool with it, baby, she can still play.”

The year of their relationship comes just a bit before Drake hit it big and long before SZA did, so it’s no surprise neither of their adoring fans caught wind of their love. The new collaboration comes after Drake lent a verse to Bryson Tiller’s “Outta Time” from his new album Anniversary. “Mr. Right Now” also marks the fourth time Drake and 21 Savage have collaborated with the previous two being “Sneakin,” “Sacrifices,” and “Issa,” a track that failed to get officially released after it was leaked to fans.

You can hear Drake make the big reveal in the video above.

Savage Mode II is out now via Epic. Get it here.