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The wait for The Sandman‘s second season might be longer than most Neil Gaiman addicts would prefer, but a bonus from the same world is about to arrive on Netflix.

Dead Boy Detectives is an adaptation of a Vertigo comic offshoot from The Sandman universe. The ghostly teenage gumshoes originally hailed from the iconic saga’s fourth graphic novel in an arc that is connected to the Dream (Tom Sturridge)/Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) beef. And as attendees of a British boarding school, Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland find themselves picking up cases that human detectives cannot handle.

What Time Will You Be Able To Watch ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ Season 1 On Netflix?

If this show follows the standard Netflix new release pattern, the first season will be available at 12:00am PST on April 25. That means that, soon enough, we’ll find out how many The Sandman easter eggs surface and whether any of The Endless siblings pop up. Death would be an ideal pick, yes? Let’s do the synopsis thing:

Meet Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, ‘the brains’ and ‘the brawn’ behind the Dead Boy Detectives agency. Teenagers born decades apart who find each other only in death, Edwin and Charles are best friends and ghosts… who solve mysteries. They will do anything to stick together – including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Nelson) and her friend Niko (Kitamura), they are able to crack some of the mortal realm’s most mystifying paranormal cases.

The eight-episode first season of Dead Boy Detectives will be streaming when you wake up on April 25.

It didn’t reach Brendan Fraser-in-The Whale “the only frame from the movie” status, but it feels like we’ve been seeing that image of Zendaya sitting on a bed with Mike Faist on one side of her and Josh O’Connor on the other for years. That’s only a slight hyperbole: Challengers was originally scheduled for August 2023, but it was pushed back to 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Thankfully, Luca Guadagnino’s sexy (and sex scene-free) tennis movie finally comes out this week, so we’ll be able to see the bed scene in context.

Speaking of that scene, Zendaya told Variety what was on her mind while taking such good care of her little white boys. “The only reason I really remember is because Beyoncé came out with ‘Break My Soul’ that day,” she said. “I was having a great day, like, ‘Y’all. Beyoncé’s single just dropped.’ That’s what I was focused on, to be honest.”

O’Connor joked, “We lost Zendaya for like a week. She was on set, normal, chatting with us. Then one day Beyoncé released something. They called ‘cut,’ and she immediately had headphones in. She was completely lost to the world.” Beyoncé: the only person who can make literally Zendaya lose her cool.

Here’s more on Challengers:

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.

Challengers opens in theaters on April 26. See it.

(Via Variety)

Ahead of an upcoming Talking Heads tribute album Everyone’s Getting Involved, Girl In Red has shared a cover of the band’s fan-favorite, “Girlfriend Is Better.”

On Girl In Red’s updated track, the singer/songwriter gives the song some funkadelic queer energy with soulful vocals and thumping percussion.

“Talking Heads is an iconic band that helped define my identity when I was a teenager and they continue to inspire young people all around the world,” said Girl In Red in a statement. “Being a part of this tribute is so sick and I’m super grateful I was given the opportunity.”

Upon the release of the “Girlfriend Is Better” cover, A24 has also revealed the tracklist for the cover album. The tracklist mirrors that of the original Stop Making Sense album, and features covers by Miley Cyrus, Teezo Touchdown, Paramore, BADBADNOTGOOD, and more.

You can listen to Girl In Red’s cover of “Girlfriend Is Better” above and see the Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense tracklist below.

1. “Psycho Killer” – Miley Cyrus
2. “Heaven” – The National
3. “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” – Blondshell
4. “Found A Job” – The Linda Lindas
5. “Slippery People” – Él Mató A Un Policía Motorizado
6. “Burning Down The House” – Paramore
7. “Life During Wartime” – Dj Tunez
8. “Making Flippy Floppy” – Teezo Touchdown
9. “Swamp” – Jean Dawson
10. “What A Day That Was” – The Cavemen.
11. “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” – BADBADNOTGOOD Feat. Norah Jones
12. “Once In A Lifetime” – Kevin Abstract
13. “Genius Of Love” – Toro Y Moi Feat. Brijean
14. “Girlfriend Is Better” – Girl In Red
15. “Take Me To The River” – Lorde
16. “Crosseyed And Painless” – Chicano Batman Feat. Money Mark

Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense is out 5/17 via A24 Music. Find more information here.

Sure, some skeptics wondered if Tim Burton’s Wednesday series could live up to the iconic version portrayed by Christina Ricci on the large screen. Every doubt evaporated, however, when Jenna Ortega — who will also soon star in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — unblinkingly materialized as the Addams Family daughter. The Netflix show volleyed not only into the stratosphere but also perches atop the streamer’s Top 10 Series of all time list in hours viewed. Not only that, but the first season’s total running time is less than most of the other entries on the list, so those hours look doubly impressive.

In other words, fears have no place when it comes to this show’s quality, although Ortega should send a shiver down your spine, not only for her spooky character but how well she pulls off that classic monotone. Not only is Ortega pitch perfect, but the series also set the title character into sleuthing motion with such success that a second season was speedily renewed with deadpan vigor. Let’s get down to business on where the Nevermore Academy’s chief outcast will go (and film) next.

Plot

This season, most filming will have moved to Ireland instead of Romania, and it remains to be seen how that might affect the show’s aesthetic. Wednesday Addams, however, will never change her ways. She will continue despising everything and return after solving multiple murders and saving Nevermore Academy. It’s also worth noting that Fred Armisen’s Uncle Fester arrived as such an onscreen treat that he will surface in his own spin off series soon. In other words, there will be a whole lot of gloomy Addams Fam to witness for years to come. (How horrible for Wednesday herself.)

So, although Netflix has stayed relatively mum about the actual plot of the next season, we can make a few guesses and gather hints from Ortega’s own words.

– Ortega has revealed that darkness will shine in this sophomore era with the series being “more action-packed” and “leaning into a little bit more horror.” The Scream VI actress also suggested that this season will feel more cinematic, although she did not elaborate on the reasons why that is the case.

– Not only will Uncle Fester be expanding the Addams-centric world on Netflix with his own show, but Netflix has confirmed that another new family member will be introduced for the second season, so perhaps we shall see Cousin Itt?

– Unfortunately, Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie) did indeed die in the first season, and we’ll discuss her replacement in the casting-news section below. And it’s a bummer to lose Christie’s presence, but at least we should see her on The Sandman again. Also, we should simply be relieved that Thing survived the first season.

– From there, expect followup on the season finale after Tyler was revealed to be The Hyde. Will we see Wednesday reckon with finding herself attracted to a murderous monster? Given her generally unemotional state, the show’s approach to following up on this development will be telling and should pave the way for the second season’s tone. As well, we should find out who is stalking Wednesday with disturbing messages (and imagery) via text message.

Cast

Jenna Ortega is back for more amateur detective deeds, and we can expect to see Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman as the perfect Morticia and Gomez again. Recently, Variety revealed that Steve Buscemi joined the cast as Nevermore Academy’s new principal (further confirming Gwendoline Christie’s departure), and Thandiwe Newton has also joined in an unspecified role.

As already mentioned, Fred Armisen will surface in his own Uncle Fester spin off, but perhaps he’ll make a trip into the principal series, too. As for the theory that Cousin Itt will arrive, let’s dreamcast Ryan Hurst, who is used to hiding his face and making us all sad in the process.

Release Date

Filming began this month and is expected to continue through December. Fingers are duly crossed for a spring 2025 release.

Trailer

Until Netflix lets some footage fly, this miserable video of a second-season announcement will have to do.

Early this month, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign canceled several listening events for their upcoming album Vultures 2 without warning or explanation. The canceled listening sessions were just part of an uneven rollout for the project, which they announced in January. After several setbacks, though, it appears that the album has a new tentative release date: May 3. Kanye revealed the release date during an appearance on influencer Justin LaBoy’s podcast.

Some skepticism about the release date is probably warranted. When Kanye and Ty first announced that Vultures would be released in three parts, they initially gave the second installment a March 8 release, with the third part billed for April 5. They’ve now blown past not only the second release date, but the release date for the third part as well. After missing the date for the first Vultures, they released the album in mid-February, only to run into problems with the distributor — namely, that FUGA, the company listed as distributor, had previously refused to work with Kanye over his antisemitic comments. The album was pulled from Apple Music, but still debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 because we crossed through the looking glass sometime in 2015.

Meanwhile, on March 8, Kanye delayed Vultures 2, attributing the delay to an internal debate about adopting a direct-to-consumer distribution method.

Vultures 2 is (supposedly) out on 5/3.

Babehoven’s music incorporates stillness while gently, encouragingly nudging you forward. The indie-folk duo of songwriters Maya Bon and Ryan Albert creates a space where you can sit for a while, reflecting on how you’ve arrived at your present moment while granting you the time to contemplate where you’re headed next. Water’s Here In You, their latest album, progresses at a leisurely pace, like a lazy river that relaxes you while carrying you to its eventual endpoint. Bon’s soothing vocals intermingle with faint guitars and hushed drums, resembling a single organism with intricate moving parts, however effortlessly simple it all seems at first glance.

Nowhere is this more apparent than on the gorgeous closing track, “Ella’s From Somewhere Else,” a six-minute ode to Bon’s childhood dog and Squirrel Flower’s Ella O’Conner Williams. Through her dual tribute to others, she uncovers realizations about herself: “In the magic, I found wonder / I found fear,” Bon sings. Whether it’s wonder or fear that Babehoven find themselves in, there’s always a universal thread coursing through their music: magic.

Ahead of the record’s release this Friday, Bon sat down with Uproxx to talk about her indecisiveness in getting her first tattoo, her love of knitting and ceramics, and why Cat Stevens’ “Trouble” makes her emotional in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Lush, emotional, honest, human

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

I’d like to be remembered as a songwriter who wore my heart on my sleeve, creating a sense of connection through song.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Each year I come to the table with different songwriting inspos depending on what I’m listening to and feeling. I’ve currently been practicing the song “Lonely, Cold Seed” in preparation for our upcoming May/June tour so I’ll focus on this song in particular because it’s fresh on the mind. This song takes great inspiration from Kristine Leschper’s album The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door. I adore this album and find it very inspiring both in production and lyrical content!

Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?

My family friend Oguri is an incredible cook. I think the best meal I’ve ever had was at his house in 2012: chicken katsu with Japanese curry and finely sliced cabbage. It was perfect!

Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.

Ryan and I saw Tuvan throat singers Chirgilchin and Yuliyana Krivoshapkina at Zebulon in 2019. I still think about it to this day. It was magical.

What song never fails to make you emotional?

“Trouble” by Cat Stevens. I listen to this song when I need to cry. Ever since I was little, I start bawling as soon as the song starts. I think it started after I saw the movie Harold And Maude as a five-year-old (one of my favorite movies to this day). “Trouble” starts playing when they wheel Maude away in a hospital bed. I’m tearing up just thinking about it now.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Turning heart inside out” — I was trying to think of a good word to summarize this feeling to answer question number one. Didn’t find one!

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

We slept in someone’s basement that was very dirty and smelly with a bunch of cats running all over us while we slept. Someone kept coming down into the basement to smoke weed throughout the night so we were also all getting hot boxed while we tried to sleep. In the night, we overheated because there was no air circulation. Ryan went to open the window and found that it was stuck. He worked on it for a while and when it finally pried open, it whacked him in the head so hard he had to sit down for a while. Not a good night. To be honest, I’m sure there have been way worse situations but I can’t remember them now thanks to selective memory :~)

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?

We love playing in NYC. We have a super supportive listener base there now. They make us feel cherished! I’d love to perform in London soon. I was born there and lived there until I was 5. I have some family friends there I’d love to play for!

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Life will get better! You won’t be in this much pain forever! Take risks, make changes that are hard, explore!

What’s one of your hidden talents?

Knitting and ceramics! I love to knit and play with clay. I sell some of my pieces.

If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?

Oof, this is a hard question. I’d have to divide the money up and support many causes. For one, I’d give a large chunk of it to help people in Gaza in any way possible (free Palestine, ceasefire now, end the occupation, end the genocide!!!!). I’d hope to support an environmental org that focuses on urban heat island effect to help depave, repurpose brownfields, make rooftop gardens, and paint roofs white. I’d also give a huge chunk of the money to invest in wildlife crossings for migratory species. I’d give a bunch of money to investing in affordable housing and housing for houseless people.

What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?

I feel confused about what it would mean for AI to be involved in the kind of music we make. To be honest, I’m curious what kind of song AI would make if I described my songwriting process to it.

You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.

Cluster, Cate Le Bon, Laraaji, Kristine Leschper, John Roseboro. I’m picturing less of a music festival and more of a “let’s get together and play music for each other and then maybe all play some songs together if we feel like it” kind of vibe. It would be held in my backyard on a beautiful, summer day. We’d throw some ribs on the grill and we’d all go swimming together after!

Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?

Ellington Peet, our drummer. He has the best eye for photos/designs and his story posts in particular are funny and unique.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I signed up for a tattoo with Screamie Weemie with no plan of what I wanted. I was 27 years old and I had wanted a tattoo for a decade but was too indecisive to make a move. I decided to choose a tattoo artist I love and just go and get a flash piece so that the decision making process was less intensive. I ended up finding a flash drawing that looks just like my dog Woody and it felt kismet. I love it so much!

What is your pre-show ritual?

I sing along to Jacobs Vocal Academy’s “5 Minute Vocal Warmup” and then my band and I share four deep breaths together.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Heath Ledger in The Patriot, lmao.

You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?

Ryan and I would go to a small town in the mountains of Croatia. We’d stay at a cute inn and explore my ancestral homeland!

What is your biggest fear?

Snakes :0

Water’s Here In You is out 4/26 via Double Double Whammy. Find more information here.

Last week, news broke that Keanu Reeves was tapped to voice the elusive Shadow in the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 3, which seems like a no-brainer, considering his signature dark and edgy vibe.

Idris Elba, the voice of Knuckles in the video game-turned-movie series, could not confirm nor deny the rumors, which were seemingly confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.

“I heard the rumors. Yeah, I know nothing,” Elba told GamesRadar+ during a recent interview for the Knuckles series. “But wow, Keanu, yeah? Big tings.”

While he couldn’t reveal anything about the upcoming film, he did say, “Everything’s in increments, right? So if that [hand in the middle] was Sonic 1, that [hand higher up] is Sonic 2 then Sonic 3 [puts hand even higher]. Ding ding ding ding.” Either that or he was learning to mime.

On the other hand, Jason Griffith, who voices the lil’ guy for the video game series, thinks that Reeves is “a great choice” and has no problem commenting on the rumors! He told TMZ, which is now a video game fan site for some reason, “One of the many rewards of being in this business is being asked to voice a character that’s so beloved and means so much to so many people. And then, to share that character with someone like Keanu… I mean, it’s such an honor.”

That honor will hit theaters this December. Please don’t get scammed by a Fake Keanu while we wait.

(Via Total Film)

The MTV Video Music Awards have built quite a legacy: This year’s show will mark the event’s 40th anniversary. Speaking of the 2024 VMAs, when is that going down?

When Will The 2024 MTV VMAs Be Held?

MTV announced today (April 24) that this year’s ceremony will take place on September 10 at New York’s UBS Arena.

In a statement (as Deadline reports), Bruce Gillmer — President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+ — said, “We’re excited to bring this year’s VMAs to UBS Arena, one of the country’s newest and most cutting-edge venues. Celebrating one of music’s biggest nights with the incredible, robust New York area fans is something we’ve been looking forward to since the moment last year’s show ended.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also said, “We are excited to welcome back the MTV Video Music Awards to New York State. From its origins at Radio City Music Hall in 1984 to this September’s event at the UBS Arena, the VMAs continue to captivate millions, showcasing the very best in music video artistry. As we prepare to host this 40th anniversary event, let’s embrace the spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our state’s cultural landscape.”

A specific time for the broadcast has not yet been announced. As Deadline notes, though, the ceremony will air “across MTV’s linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories.”

Anticipation is high for Billie Eilish‘s upcoming third studio album, Hit Me Hard And Soft. Eilish doesn’t plan to release any singles ahead of the album — which arrives next month — however, she’s been teasing some of the lyrics and concepts.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Eilish revealed that an upcoming song, “Lunch,” was inspired by her realizing and embracing her queer identity.

“I wrote some of it before even doing anything with a girl, and then wrote the rest after,” Eilish said. “I’ve been in love with girls for my whole life, but I just didn’t understand — until, last year, I realized I wanted my face in a vagina.”

Some lucky fans got to hear “Lunch” during a Do Labs party at Coachella earlier this month, where Eilish previewed some of her new music. As indicated by her interview, the songs lyrics contain some queer, sexual undertones.

“I could eat that girl for lunch / Yeah, she dances on my tongue / Tastes like she might be the one / And I can never get enough / I could buy you so much stuff / It’s a craving, not a crush,” sings Eilish on the song’s chorus.

Hit Me Hard And Soft is out 5/17 via Interscope and Dark Room. Find more information here.

Warning: Spoilers for Shogun’s season finale “A Dream of a Dream” below.

And so, this is how Shogun ends – not with a crimson sky but a realized dream.

Over the course of 10 episodes the FX drama has courted all-out war, reveling in political power plays and colloquial sleights of hand as powerful men nursing decades-old grudges fought for control over feudal Japan. Based on James Carville’s formative novel, Shogun may have begun as a fish-out-of-water adventure with an Anglo hero whose sole motivation centered on retrieving his battered ship, his tortured crew, and sailing for more prosperous waters. But, like the many red herrings littering this fascinating small-screen tale, Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) was simply a pawn, a small piece on a larger board controlled by a grandmaster of subterfuge who sacrificed everything to see his vision of peace come to fruition.

For Hiroyuki Sanada, a producer on Shogun and its lead as puppet master Lord Yoshii Toranaga, the show’s climactic final scene could only end one way.
“This was never an action Samurai drama,” Sanada tells UPROXX. “It was always a human drama. Strategy was important.”

That’s why the series’ parting shot needed to ground itself, not on a battlefield, but in a conversation between two men fighting on opposite sides. After turning on Lord Toranaga and inadvertently causing the death of Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai), Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) is invited to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) with Lord Toranaga serving as his second. The pair sit on a rocky cliff, staring out at a sprawling lake as Yabushige questions the purpose of all the bloodshed and deception. It’s here, for the first time, that Toranaga reveals his master plan, trusting no one save a dead man with the full scope of his scheming.

A scene so important required more from Sanada than he’d ever given before.

“We changed the script a lot,” he explains. “Most of dialogue I created and translated in way that Samurai [would speak] — choosing the word or switching their positions. [Showrunner] Justin [Marks] and I created that together.”

The scene was eight pages of dialogue, filmed on a particularly cloudy day in British Columbia which meant, to chase the light and avoid rainfall, Sanada mimed the scene first, skipping the dialogue and simply moving as his character would so that takes wouldn’t be wasted before the sun went down. Like choregraphing a sword fight, Sanada was constantly “calculating the time and lighting” during the back-and-forth with Asano, switching between his “producer mind and acting mind” so the director could capture a wide angle view, making the pseudo-showdown feel sweeping and grand despite the lack of armies and promised violence. For his close-up, Sanada completed his monologue in one take, something he said came easy because he wrote so much of the script.

“It was almost like [I had] no mind, I was just telling the story and history,” he says. “I loved it because [Toranaga’s] vision was so clear and it became real. He made a peaceful era last a long time. That’s why he became a hero in Japan, my hero. And we need that kind of hero nowadays.”

Sanada, who’s been acting for over 60 years at this point, starring opposite everyone from Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves to Brad Pitt, is still surprised by the fan reaction to his FX adaptation – one that’s 70% subtitled and doesn’t prioritize its white male lead.

“Just like Blackthorne is learning our culture little by little, episode by episode, the audience [is too]” he says. And though there are no plans for a second season of Shogun, he hopes the series can serve as a blueprint for things to come.

“We’re showing the audience more culture with authenticity and respect,” he says of his show. “It’s going to be the new normal.”

All episodes of ‘Shogun’ are now streaming on FX on Hulu.