Jimmy Butler is still a member of the Miami Heat. This is despite the fact that he clearly wants a trade, the Heat seem like they want to get rid of him, and he has at least one team desperate to bring him on board in the Phoenix Suns, which would presumably give Butler a lucrative contract extension once the summer rolls around if they pulled off the very difficult deal to get him on board.
The tough thing for Phoenix is their paths to acquiring Butler are pretty narrow, and as this has dragged on, there’s been reporting that indicates Butler would be open to going anywhere if it meant getting out of Miami. As it turns out, though, there is an exception to this, according to Marc Spears.
“I was told today from someone close to the situation that his wishlist is just out of Miami,” Spears said on NBA Today. “With the exception to Memphis. Doesn’t wanna go to Memphis … but he does wanna finish his career wherever he goes.”
Now, it is interesting that Memphis gets this distinction, although it’s fair to assume that Butler wouldn’t want to go to a team in the middle of a complete rebuild like Washington or Utah. Still, Butler would presumably be a pretty good fit on the Grizzlies, which have been looking for a wing to slide in alongside Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. forever, so it’s interesting that this is the one place that he specifically does not want to go. But then again, it’s Jimmy Butler, so perhaps this is all a Jedi mind trick to get Pat Riley to send him to Memphis.
The NBA has spent a lot of energy in recent years trying to get some juice back into All-Star Weekend. They have tinkered with the format of just about every competition they have over the weekend to try and make it a bigger deal.
This year, the big change is to the All-Star Game itself, which will feature a mini-tournament between three teams of 8 All-Stars and the winning team from the Rising Stars competition. The new format mimics what they’ve done with the Rising Stars game, which has been an improvement if for no other reason than it keeps things moving. When it comes to the Saturday Night competitions, the most important thing is to have the biggest names participating.
That’s not a difficult thing to do with the Three-Point Shootout, as they regularly get stars to shoot, but the Skills Challenge and Dunk Contest have not been particularly popular among All-Star talent in recent years. The Dunk Contest’s issue is the risk-reward balance for stars is just not right, so you rarely get the biggest names participating. The league recently turned the Skills Challenge into a team competition in an effort to get bigger names involved — they got Giannis to participate alongside his brothers — and tried a similar approach this year to get LeBron participating in Saturday night festivities for the first time in two decades.
According to Chris Haynes, the league invited LeBron and Bronny James to be part of a Skills Challenge team, but they declined the invitation. Being the first father and son to participate in the Skills Challenge isn’t exactly the kind of accolade that’s getting LeBron all that excited and I think they realize there’s not a ton of upside to participating, while there’s a very good chance to become memes if things go wrong. I will give the NBA credit for recognizing this as the rare chance to get LeBron doing something on Saturday night, but unfortunately for them, the James family will not be one of the Skills Challenge teams.
We’re not far from the Super Bowl now, as the big game is set to go down on February 9. Now is about the time that the commercials start being shared online, and today (January 23), Taco Bell has unveiled their new Doja Cat-starring spot.
The ad starts by showing off a “Drive-Thru Cam” set-up at a Taco Bell location, which a voiceover explaining, “This year, Taco Bell is making fans the stars of their big game ad, not celebrities.” As this is happening, a couple in the drive-thru poses for a photo, and when they look at the shot, they notice they got photo-bombed by Doja.
An employee then chastises Doja, saying, “For the last time: No famous people!” Doja fires back, “I want to be in this ad!” They bicker band and forth before Doja eventually gives up and leaves… or rather, hides in the bushes.
Peter Sutherland is back in action. Night Action, that is.
The second The Night Agent season is now streaming on Netflix, and the story will take Gabriel Basso’s out-of-the-basement operative to Bangkok and New York City. Sure, there are a few D.C.-based scenes as well, but in contrast to the first season, Peter’s new assignment is very off-the-books. Until it isn’t.
Don’t worry, though. If you crave longer streaming TV seasons, then Peter’s return will gift a substantial amount of time to you, compared to other current ultrapopular spy series.
How Many Episodes Are In The Night Agent Season 2?
For this new season, The Night Agent remains committed to delivering 10 episodes. A third season will also surface, although Netflix hasn’t yet revealed if the same tradition will continue.
As hinted above, Peter’s lengthy assignments stand in contrast to The Diplomat‘s recent six episode season that riled people up due to the finale’s seemingly abrupt ending (but will continue with an eight-episode third season). Netflix’s Black Doves and Apple TV+’s Slow Horses also favor the six-episode structure, but Peter goes long. That’s simply his thing.
This series also delivers forgivably complicated plots, so that the “longer” seasons don’t feel padded, and of course, this second season somehow includes plenty of Rose (Luciane Buchanan) despite the parting of ways for the doomed couple in the first season finale. Maybe that’s because Peter won’t stop answering the phone, even when he manages to successfully go AWOL.
The Night Agent‘s second season co-stars Brittany Snow, Teddy Sears, Arienne Mandi, and Amanda Warren, and be sure to carve out plenty of weekend time if you plan to binge.
In the announcement video, Lamar can be seen talking on the phone while walking the field at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, where the Super Bowl is being held this year. “You know this field a lot bigger than people think so that’s a must,” he says. “Exactly. Nah, I been thinking about a guest performer.” The clip then cuts SZA pouring blue Gatorade on Lamar as “Hey Now” from GNX plays.
You can watch the video from Apple Music above.
What song will SZA and Lamar perform together? “30 For 30” from Lana? “Luther” from GNX? Or going further back, “All The Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack? We’ll find out on February 9, followed by the kick off of the Grand National Tour in April.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar (who previously appeared alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show) said in a statement when he was announced as the headline performer last year. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards (a.k.a. the Oscars) were revealed this morning, and Ariana Grande earned a nod thanks to Wicked. As for how this honor stacks up to getting a Grammy nod, Grande would prefer not to say.
In a new interview with Variety shared today (January 23), Grande was asked if getting an Oscar nomination for her work on Wicked is “better than getting a Grammy nomination,” and she responded, “Oh my goodness. I’m burying my head in my tissue box. [Laughs]. Um… next question.”
Grammy nominations are certainly nothing new for Grande: She’s racked up 18 so far and earned two wins. Meanwhile, Grande’s new Best Supporting Actress nomination is her first-ever Academy Award consideration.
Meanwhile, Grande also reacted to her Oscar nomination with an Instagram post earlier today, the full text of which can be found below.
“picking my head up in between sobs to say thank you so much to @theacademy for this unfathomable recognition. i cannot stop crying, to no one’s surprise. i’m humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just before the big, beautiful bubble entered. i’m so proud of you, tiny.
thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for this acknowledgement @theacademy.
thank you @jonmchu for taking this chance on me and for being the most unbelievably brilliant leader, human being, and most fierce friend. i am so deeply proud of my beautiful Wicked family. i am so proud of my Elphie, my sister, my dear @cynthiaerivo. your brilliance is never ending and you deserve every flower (tulip) in every garden. i love you unconditionally, always.
i don’t quite have all my words yet, i’m still trying to breathe. but thank you. oh my goodness, thank you. Universal, Marc, my family, my heart.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. If you’re a hardcore sneakerhead you probably already know that January is famously a dead zone for new releases, so if you’ve unplugged from all things sneakers we’re here to catch any notable release from falling under your radar.
While January is a slow time for sneaker drops, one of this week’s releases is the latest six-sneaker Doernbecher Freestyle collection, so while we considered that one big release, feel free to consider that six separate releases, which means technically this list features 11 different sneakers!
It’s like we’re in the midst of summer! In truth, while the drops are scant this week, there are still some notable releases that are definitely worth your cash.
Here are the best sneakers dropping this week. Let’s dive in.
New Balance 1906A Great Plains/Sea Stone/Vintage Indigo
New Balance has been relatively quiet so far this year, and in terms of big collaborations or premium offerings, it’s going to stay that way for some time. But that isn’t to say New Balance isn’t still working on its core line. This week brings a new set of colorways for the 1906A silhouette. It’s not an ALD or Joe Freshgood’s release, but even without the big names, this is still a great design.
The sneaker features a lightweight mesh upper with synthetic overlays, with ACTEVA LITE midsole cushioning, and three eye-catching colorways, including Great Plains, Sea Stone, and Vintage.
The New Balance 1906A is out now for a retail price of $169.99. Pick up a pair at New Balance.
If you’re looking for a luxurious take on the Jordan 5 that is minimal enough to go with just about any fit, look no further than this week’s Jordan 5 Golden Ticket.
This women’s exclusive features a creamy white leather upper with chocolate accents at the midsole, throat, and branding, with a metallic gold sharktooth and tongue. It’s the closest the Jordan 5 has come to the quiet luxury trend.
The Women’s Air Jordan 5 Golden Ticket is out now for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Air Jordan 11 Retro Low “Year of the Snake” Summit White and Football Grey
2025 is the year of the snake, so like every year, we’re going to get a bunch of Lunar New Year-themed sneakers. But unlike, say the year of the dog, the year of the snake offers sneaker brands to use this opportunity to roll out snakeskin-like fabrics, like on this Jordan 11 “Year of the Snake.”
This sneaker features a leather upper with faux snakeskin overlays over a full-length Nike Air cushion, and a contoured mudguard. While the sneaker is mostly dressed in tones of white, the snakeskin overlays bring in a nice contrasting pop of color that strangely looks more colorful the longer you look at it.
The Air Jordan 11 Retro Low “Year of the Snake” Summit White and Football Grey is out now for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Like the modern comfort and shape of Devin Booker’s signature sneaker, but love the classic look of the legendary Nike Cortez? Well, this week there is a sneaker tailor-made just for you.
We’re not sure who asked for this, we imagine it was Book himself, but regardless, we’re happy it’s here.
The Book 1 Cortez takes the classic look and colorway of the Nike Cortez (aka the shoe of LA) and applies it to the modern shape and comfort of the Book 1. It’s one part workwear, one part functional performance-oriented b-ball sneaker.
The Nike Book 1 Cortez White and Varsity Red is set to drop on January 24th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
James Harden’s latest release from Adidas is giving us heavy cyborg vibes. The sneaker features a textile and synthetic upper over a BOOST midsole equipped with Lightstrike cushioning and a lightweight fit designed to keep your court game moving fast.
What I particularly like about this rendition of the Volume 9 is the way the metallic sheen has a sort of warm aura to it. Metallic sneakers can often look cold, but this one is straight up radiating heat.
The Adidas Harden Volume 9 Cyber Metallic is set to drop on January 25th at 12:00 AM PST for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair at Adidas.
Every year Nike teams up with the Portland-based Doernbecher Children’s Hospital for a special collection of sneakers made in collaboration between Nike’s design team and some of the hospital’s young patients. Some of those designs gain legendary status. So you may be looking at a future classic!
This year we’re getting new takes on the SNDR, Air Max DN, Pegasus 41, Jordan 6, Sabrina 2, and Air 180. Each sneaker brings something interesting and fun to the table, but our favorite is Connor’s Air Max DN.
The Nike Doernbecher Freestyle 2025 Collection is set to drop on January 25th at 12:00 AM PST for a retail range of $130-$185. Shop the collection here or at aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.
With her new album The Breeze Grew A Fire coming out next month, R&B singer-songwriter Mereba shared the video for single “Phone Me.”
“This song is a sisterhood/friendship anthem dedicated to those classic bestie friendships that may have changed over the years, but are still cherished deeply,” Mereba said about the single. “The experiences we shared helped us shape our journeys and have confidence in our destinies. I just wanted a fun, joyful song celebrating my chosen sisters and brothers.”
For The Breeze Grew A Fire, Mereba said she went “back to me being on my own for the creation of a lot of the songs, and it was really important for me at this time of life because I was a little disconnected from the world, and from who I was. So I was trying to find my way back to myself first. What do I like? What do I want to hear? What do I want to say to people now?”
You can watch the video for “Phone Me” above, and check out Mereba’s tour dates below.
Mereba’s 2025 Tour Dates: Breeze Grew A Fire Tour
04/24 — Sacramento, CA @ Harlows Nightclub
04/25 — San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
04/27 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
04/28 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
05/01 — Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
05/04 — @ Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
05/06 — Chicago, IL @ Metro
05/07 — Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
05/09 — Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club
05/10 — Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmont
05/13 — Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
05/14 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall – Grand Ballroom
05/16 — Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
05/17 — Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre
05/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
The Breeze Grew A Fire is out 2/14 via Secretly Canadian. Find more information here.
New Selena Gomez music might be on the way, per an Instagram Story she posted yesterday (January 22).
The video starts with the camera on Gomez before she swings it around to reveal a home studio setup with a computer monitor (strategically covered by a heart emoji) and audio equipment. She then puts the camera back on herself and gives a happy smile.
Fiancé Benny Blanco also shared the video on TikTok, and in response to a comment that says “When ur producer is also ur husband,” Blanco wrote, “when ur wife is also selena gomez.”
Notably, this comes after Gomez has expressed over the past few months that music isn’t her top priority. In a September interview, Gomez called music “just a hobby that went out of control,” but immediately followed that by saying, “Now it is a part of who I am, so I don’t think I’m going anywhere.”
Then, when asked in November about making a new album, she said, “We’ll see, you never know.” Later that month, she said in a different interview, “Music isn’t going away. I just set it down for a second.”
Now, though, Gomez appears to at least be exploring the idea of actively making new music. Perhaps her recent engagement to super-producer Blanco has inspired her to start looking back in that direction again.
Sundance serves as a heat check for the coming year in film, debuting indies that go on to earn Oscar buzz and bigger budget projects that make their way to streaming platforms by year’s end. In other words, if you want to get a jumpstart on your moviegoing plans in 2025, Sundance is your crystal ball. And sure, you could head to snowy Park City to catch glimpses of A-listers like Ayo Edebiri, Josh O’Connor, Bowen Yang, Dev Patel, and more, or you could enjoy the magic of cinema from the comfort of your own home.
This year a slew of film premieres are being made available to the public as the fest rewards fans with online streamings of its most-promising titles. You can head here to grab your tickets, but first, here’s a round-up of films we’re especially excited for. Add them to your list and check back here for more coverage in the weeks ahead.
Sundance
Atropia
Imagine if HBO’s Westworld was a satirical takedown of America’s military-industrial complex. You’d likely arrive at Atropia, both the title of first-time director Hailey Gates’ bizarre, fascinating love story and the name of the city constructed on the outskirts of L.A. that her film revolves around. In Atropia, aspiring actors play pretend war games while real-life soldiers serve as insurgents and the lines blur between reality and fiction, morality and amusement, ambition and narcissism. Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner play the two lovers trapped in this Black Mirror-esque simulation where nothing is as it seems… or smells.
Bubble and squeak
Bubble & Squeak
Writer-director Evan Twohy takes what would normally make for fairly dramatic fare – a vacationing couple illegally smuggling goods across the border – and injects just the right amount of ridiculous into the proceedings to give audiences a wildly funny, surprisingly sharp rom-com. The Last Station’s Himesh Patel and Barry breakout Sarah Goldberg play the couple in question while the illicit items they’re transporting on holiday turn out to be cabbages – a garden vegetable banned by the nondescript country they’re visiting. When a gung-ho customs officer – Matt Berry putting his locutionary prowess to good use – decides to chase them down, the cracks in their marriage become chasms.
Sundance
Bunnylovr
Katarina Zhu writes, directs, and stars in this searingly sensitive drama about a cam girl searching for connection in a broken, often dangerous, world. Zhu’s Rebecca has always maintained strict boundaries with her online clientele but when she reunites with her dying, estranged father, the divide between personal and professional becomes blurred. Can intimacy ever be real when it’s commodified? Rachel Sennott plays Rebecca’s no-bullshit best friend while Hit Man’s Austin Amelio plays one of Rebecca’s more questionable cam fans.
Sundance
By Design
“A woman swaps bodies with a chair, and everyone likes her better as a chair.” The logline for this absurdist comedy starring Juliette Lewis should be enough of a hook, but writer-director Amanda Kramer promises to deliver more than just surface-level funny with her unforgiving examination of societal norms and how they affect our interior selves. But yes, Lewis cosplays as a chair and strikes up a relationship with the musician in whom’s apartment it (she?) sits. And yes, this whole strange experiment is narrated by Melanie Griffith. What more could you want?
Sundance
Love, Brooklyn
A love letter to New York that centers on a trio of Brooklynites navigating their changing city – and how that transformation bleeds into their personal lives – Love, Brooklyn is propped up by a masterful cast that includes Andre Holland, DeWanda Wise, and Nicole Beharie. Holland plays the free-spirit of the group, constantly challenged by the women in his life – Wise (a single mother attempting to date) and Beharie (an ambitious gallery owner wanting more from their life together).
Sundance
Plainclothes
Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey team up for this thrilling (at times, uncomfortably so) tale of an undercover police officer whose secret life is put in jeopardy while on assignment. Blyth’s Lucas is a young cop eager to prove himself. His chance comes when he’s tasked with luring and arresting gay men, a job that proves especially difficult when he falls for one of his marks (Tovey). A commentary on police surveillance and our inability to confront our own desires, the film plays with mediums, using lo-fi VHS footage to bring an authenticity that only heightens the tension for audiences.
Sundance
Train Dreams
The success of Taylor Sheridan’s universe and Peter Berg’s American Primeval prove that streaming audiences are clamoring for more historical fiction that reexamines the myth of the American West. Train Dreams does that – thrusting us back to the turn of the 20th century as Joel Edgerton plays Grainier, a day laborer helping to build a cross country railroad. But director Clint Bentley turns things introspective, using Grainier’s vantage on the cusp of making history to question our brief existence and how lasting of an impact one person can truly make.
Sundance
Twinless
Writer-director-actor James Sweeney crafts a bittersweet comedy centering on two grieving men seeking comfort in the strangest of places. Sweeney and co-star Dylan O’Brien play men who meet at a twin bereavement group and embark on a co-dependent friendship that pushes both to some uncomfortably funny places.
World Premieres
Sundance
Lurker
Saltburn breakout Archie Madekwe plays an on-the-rise pop star who befriends a retail worker (Théodore Pellerin) while escaping a rabid horde of fans. Their unexpected friendship pushes Pellerin’s character to some dark places as he fights to keep his spot within a celebrity’s entourage. What would you do to stay fame-adjacent?
Sundance
Opus
Ayo Edebiri plays an unsuspecting journalist invited to cover the decades-in-the-making return of an eccentric pop star in this darkly comedic thriller that grows more disturbing with every minute. John Malkovich plays Moretti, a musical icon who disappeared from the public eye only to launch a comeback 30 years later. How? By inviting his cultish fans and industry friends to convene at his desert compound for a listening party from hell.
Sundance
Rabbit Trap
Welsh folklore. Haunting children. ’70s era mysticism. This horror movie from Bryn Chainey has a bit of everything, all made better by the talents of Dev Patel as a withdrawn husband and Rosy McEwen as an avant-garde musician searching for inspiration in the wilderness. The usual nightmarish hijinks ensue when the couple stirs up ancient spirits with an axe to grind but hey, good art requires sacrifice, right?
Sundance
Rebuilding
An (unfortunately) timely portrait of loss, grief, and the heartwrenching exercise of rebuilding amongst the ruins, Max Walker-Silverman’s drama sees Josh O’Connor playing a rancher tasked with helping his family heal after a devastating fire wipes out their way of life. Meghann Fahy and True Detective’s Kali Reis join the Challengers star to give this Americana-set tragedy a more grounded feel.
Sundance
The Wedding Banquet
First, Andrew Ahn took us to Fire Island for a modern-day rom-com that gave Pride and Prejudice a Queer makeover. Now, he’s tackling another rite of passage, trading summer romance for wedding bells with a remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 comedy. Bowen Yang plays a man in need of a green card, and Kelly Marie Tran is his best friend willing to guarantee his citizenship by way of marriage. But things get complicated when his grandmother decides to throw a traditional, completely over-the-top ceremony that makes everyone – especially Yang’s long-term boyfriend – uncomfortable.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
