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‘Spaceship Earth’ Director Matt Wolf On One The Best Twists This Year

In 1991, in the Arizona desert, eight human beings entered a sealed off ecosystem for two years in an effort to study if a self-sustained existence was possible for future colonization of other planets. Called Biosphere 2, back then, this was a pretty big story – that eventually faded into zeitgeist obscurity. Today, Pauly Shore’s 1996 movie Bio-Dome somehow has a larger cultural footprint. What’s fascinating about Matt Wolf’s Spaceship Earth (which will be available on-demand this weekend) is that not only does it get into the technical aspects of what made this mission remarkable, the documentary also explains why this event lost its place in history.

Mainly, the mission was fraught with controversy. From the makeup of the crew members – who might be better described as theater kids and/or commune residents than actual researchers – to some bending and/or breaking of the rules. (At one point a crew member leaves to have finger surgery and returns with new supplies. Another time, when carbon dioxide levels were getting too high, a scrubber was installed.) As Wolf explains, it wasn’t so much that these events happened, but more not being upfront with the media about these incidents cost them their credibility. And, in the process, their place in history.

And then, after people stopped paying attention, a villain showed up to sabotage all the research. And who the villain turned out to be is pretty nuts.

I have to admit, the idea of sequestering oneself for a substantial amount of time doesn’t seem that crazy anymore.

Oh, yeah. I’m sure there is a certain claustrophobia to it, but I think just having the option to go into nature. I live in New York City, too, and I go to a park where there’s five million drivers swarming around me. But I think if you were having a hard day, and you took me through the biosphere, you could climb up the trellis of the structure and go hang out in a tree or you could go diving and hang out with the coral reef. There was just a lot of room for private space beyond the living quarters.

I somewhat remember when this happened. But it kind of got lost to history.

And that’s precisely why I was interested in telling this story. I’m really drawn towards these kind of forgotten histories: where something was a huge story with huge global implications, but it’s kind of faded from collective memory. And I think it’s really the media depiction of the project that resulted in that. Which, at the end of the day, kind of rebuked as this failure or fraud. And, in fact, there were a lot of really innovative and meaningful things that were gleaned from the project. And it has a kind of enhanced relevance today with accelerating climate change and, of course now, the pandemic. But I think the media had the final verdict and the verdict was that it was a failure or a fraud. And that really diminished the legacy of the project. And for many decades it’s languished.

You’re right. But when you look at it on the surface, the people in charge of Biosphere did a pretty poor job of presenting it as something that wasn’t fraudulent? These were more theater kids than scientists. I almost can’t blame the media for being skeptical of what they were doing.

Yeah. But Biosphere 2 was in a laboratory. In an academic sense it was this closed system with a different kind of science that was based on observation and collecting data. So, the people who were stewards of that world had a variety of practical skills that shouldn’t only encompass academic science credentials. They had to be good farmers and gardeners and ecologists. But also the whole aspect of the project of being enclosed for two years through glass that people could look through. I mean, you have to be an adventurer, too. And I think the project was so outside the realm of anything that had been done and so futurist in it’s ambition and conceit. To me, it was not surprising that artists pursue it. I think what the problem was is that the presentation and representation of the project shied away from the reality of their background. And when the press caught on that these Biospherians didn’t have traditional scientific credentials, that lack of transparency bit them in the butt. But, at the same time, a lot of astronauts don’t have PhDs. They are on a mission. And that’s true of these guys too.

Well, yes, some astronauts are pilots.

Yeah, exactly. And I would say that a lot of them had practical skills, but that there wasn’t a defined skill set to pursue a project of this nature. To me, the issue wasn’t their academic credentials, it was a definition of what an experiment is. So, I can understand why that would raise eyebrows to a more traditional scientist. But, also, I think both kinds of inquiries are interesting and worthwhile and that just even creating the spectacle of Biosphere 2 is meaningful in terms of people thinking about the planet as one closed system itself and how people might be stewards of it.

Right. And I understand what their theory was and everything you just said, it’s I tend to think they would have gotten better press if they had maybe one scientist…

And, to that point, Dr. Roy Walford, the medical doctor was an established scientist, but he was also kind of an idiosyncratic performance artist, too. He had authored a book on the 120 Year Diet and did all this real academic research on aging and nutrition. He was also a wacky guy.

Right. He didn’t make it to 120. Though, he made it to 80. That’s a good run.

Yeah, he lived a good life. No, I’m not defensive of the project but I think part of the problem with the management of the project is how they set it up in the public eye. In a certain way they set the ground rules, whether intentionally or not…

Do you think if they laid all their cards at the beginning and said, “Here’s what we are, here’s what we’re doing,” they would have gotten less strife back?

Or, as a journalist, if you express skepticism and people withhold information, it’s only going to make you want to dig deeper and to substantiate those questions and to see what’s really going on. And so controversy was brewing because they weren’t being transparent and that’s a fatal flaw if you’re dealing with something on the world stage.

[Spoilers below about who the mysterious villain turns out to be. If you plan to watch Spaceship Earth and want to be shocked, stop reading. If you are on the fence, this bit of information below might make you want to watch.]

So the crazy thing, this movie has one of the best twists. When I first heard Steve Bannon’s name I did a double-take. “Wait, that Steve Bannon?”

I asked all the writers, “Please don’t give it away.” Because when it is a surprise for people, it makes the movie so much more exciting. And I think when the film premiered at Sundance, the audience audibly gasped. I could hear like a “What?” coming from the audience. And it’s one of those stories that just has so many twists and turns. It’s like Byzantine in its plot, but it’s kind of like the mission’s over so I guess the movie’s over. And then … bam, there’s another twist. And that twist really brings the consequences of the project into the present. Because this kind of contemporary political villain takes over Biosphere 2 and in a lot of sense, the political players that are in power right now, they’re taking over Biosphere I: our planet. And doing all sorts of things to pillage our natural world. So, it’s a kind of preshrank metaphor, you know? But of, course, now the fact that we’re quarantined maybe makes it a little more timely than that.

After the events of your movie end, I was reading more about hat happened. Apparently, they sue Bannon? And, in court, Bannon refers to one of the Biospherians as a “bimbo.”

Yeah. And it’s kind of like, we could go really soap opera-y with the film, or we could try to find bigger ideas in the intentions of the project, but also a cautionary tale in the downfall. So, in some ways, we kind of didn’t indulge in the tabloid-y stuff of Biosphere 2, even though there are tons of twists and turns. And I think the story, the word I would use is, it’s just bizarre. It’s a bizarre story. And the other thing is, as a filmmaker, how often do you come across a story that’s so unparalleled in that everything was filmed. So the fact that we had access to all this footage also just was wild. And so, embrace that stuff, but also then wanted to go into the gray areas and the nuance, and to try to unpack who these people were and what they aspire to. So, for us, that was the focus more so than the tabloid-y stuff. But yeah, there’s so much stuff, we had to find our focus on it.

Yeah, I get what you’re saying about tabloid-y but it still happened. There’s also a story about when they tried another mission in 1994, two of the people in the original project went and vandalized the biosphere and broke windows and opened doors to try to sabotage it. That’s pretty remarkable.

Yeah, there’s a lot of drama. It was real saga. Kind of an epic saga and soap opera to a certain extent.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

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One Of The Year’s Most Riveting Movies Might Be Playing At A Drive-In Theater Near You

The majority of movie theaters around the country remain closed (much to Christopher Nolan’s frustration) due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but drive-in theaters are open, and business is booming. The drive-in is a social distance-friendly way of seeing a movie in a public setting, not plopped on your couch, endlessly scrolling through Netflix. But what if you want to see something new, not The Goonies for the 47th time?

Amazon is hosting special screenings of The Vast of Night at select drive-in theaters around the country on May 15 and 16. The 1950s-set film, directed by Andrew Patterson and starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz, is one of the best things I’ve seen this year, although I hesitate to say too much about it. Even watching the trailer gives too much away; it’s one of those movies where the less you know, the better. But trust me (and others), The Vast of Night is really good, and the drive-in is an ideal setting to see it.

Here’s more on the movie:

In the twilight of the 1950s, on one fateful night in New Mexico, a young, winsome switchboard operator Fay and charismatic radio DJ Everett discover a strange audio frequency that could change their small town and the future forever. Dropped phone calls, AM radio signals, secret reels of tape forgotten in a library, switchboards, crossed patchlines and an anonymous phone call lead Fay and Everett on a scavenger hunt toward the unknown.

For more information on the drive-in screenings (tickets are only 50 cents), click here. For everyone else, The Vast of Night premieres on Amazon Prime Video on May 29.

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Charli XCX’s Groove-Driven ‘I Finally Understand’ Is Her Latest ‘How I’m Feeling Now’ Preview

Charli XCX has kept her fans very involved in the creation of her quarantine album, How I’m Feeling Now. Over the past week or so, she has asked for their input on her latest track, “I Finally Understand,” and today, the propulsive song has been released. The track was produced and co-written by Palmistry, who Charli says is “somebody who I’ve to work with for a really long time,” adding, “I’m glad that isolation has finally allowed us to connect from afar on our first song!” The song also features additional production from AG Cook.

Leading up to the song, she first teased it while asking fans for their input on the single art, writing last weekend, “i’m gonna drop a new song late next week. the chorus lyrics go ‘baby i love you bad and lately i finally understand that maybe, this feeling that I’ve found might kill me, put me in the ground.’ based off of those lyrics should I go for image 1 2 3 or 4?”

Yesterday, Charli offered a status report on the update, saying about half of the songs expected to make the album are mixed: “6 songs mixed / in the process of being mixed. 3 or 4 other song ideas floating around. Spoke w AG today and we both feel like doing an 11 track album could be cool…”

Listen to “I Finally Understand” above.

How I’m Feeling Now is out 5/15.

Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Lil Durk, Lil Baby, And Polo G Combine To Form A ‘3 Headed Goat’ On Durk’s Latest Single

As Lil Durk prepares for the release of his Cause Y’all Waited 2 mixtape this weekend, the Chicago rapper teams up with one of his Windy City neighbors, Polo G, and fellow “Lil” rapper, Lil Baby, to drop off the last single of the tape’s truncated promo run before it drops. “3 Headed Goat,” produced by Cicero and Aviator Keyz, finds the three rappers snapping off aggressive verses over a bass-heavy, high-speed beat. While Lil Baby handles the chorus, Durk and Baby fill their verses with brass knuckled punchlines.

Durk’s choice of rap partners comes as no surprise. While he’s a veteran of the rap game by now, he’s remained relevant by always knowing which artists are hot and being willing to share the spotlight with them. In the case of Lil Baby, the Atlanta spitter is one of the south’s foremost stars, with his sophomore album My Turn hitting No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart just a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, Polo G is next up in Chicago, breaking out last year with his intense debut album, Die A Legend, and its follow-up, The GOAT, right around the corner.

Cause Y’all Waited 2 is due this Friday, May 8 via Alamo Records and Interscope. Pre-order it here.

Listen to “3 Headed Goat” above.

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People Are Tweeting Songs That Perfectly Describe 2020, And I’m Crying Because They’re So Accurate


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Meek Mill Enthusiastically Welcomes A Newborn Son On His Birthday

Late last December, Meek Mill’s then-rumored girlfriend Milan Harris announced her pregnancy when she debuted her baby bump at her own fashion show. The reveal ignited further speculation over Meek and Harris’ relationship, which would mean that Meek was going to be a father for the second time around. Meek finally put the theories to rest when he announced that Harris gave birth to their baby Wednesday night. Moreover, the rapper’s newborn son now shares his same birthday.

Meek made the announcement on Twitter, writing that Harris had given birth to their son on the same day as his birthday. “Milano dropped me off a king on my birthday!” he wrote.

Meek’s exciting announcement arrives after months of advocating for prisoners amid the coronavirus. A longtime champion of prison reform, Meek and his nonprofit organization recently launched the S.A.F.E.R. Plan. The plan outlines how correctional facilities should safely prevent the virus’ spread among its inmates. Meek and Jay-Z’s REFORM Alliance also announced their plan to donate a large number of protective masks to prisons. The duo’s organization is working to donate a whopping 100,000 masks to various prisons around the country.

Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Kim Petras’ Sunny ‘Malibu’ Is An Upbeat Remedy For Quarantine Summer Blues

Kim Petras just as busy as just about anybody in 2019, when she had a nine-week stretch where she released a new single once per week, in the lead-up to her Clarity album. Understandably, Petras has taken a breather since then, but she’s not about to let summer pass without dropping a banger for the occasion. Today, she has released “Malibu,” a sunny pop-rock track that sounds like a 2020 descendant of Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.”

Petras says of the song, “‘Malibu’ is a return to color, the feeling of being in love, and the escapism pop that I love the most. After Clarity, I had cried all my tears and moved on, so this is a reflection of how I’ve been feeling. I just want ‘Malibu’ to be a fizzy, refreshing drink that comes to you during this quarantine and makes you forget all your anxieties. I hope this can be a little vitamin shot that brightens your day.”

She has also shared an animated visual for the track, which serves as a sort of infomercial/behind-the-scenes factory tour of Malibu Moon Tanning Oil, presumably made so tanners the world over no longer need a sunny day to get their bronze on.

Watch the “Malibu” video above.

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DMX Challenges Jay-Z To A ‘Verzuz’ Hits Battle

Although some of the proposed matchups for the Instagram hits battle series Verzuz have landed with more of a thud than a bang, every so often someone suggests a contest that makes perfect sense. For instance, on the latest episode of N.O.R.E.’s Drink Champs podcast, the hosts asked guest DMX who he’d want to trade hits with on Instagram and X set his sights high: “Jay.”

Yes, that’s “Jay” as in “Jay-Z,” with whom DMX has had a long, sometimes fraught but mostly fruitful relationship. The two New York rappers rose to prominence in the late ’90s as two of the main draws in hip-hop at the time. They even planned to become a group at one time along with Ja Rule; all three rappers shared the cover of XXL magazine’s June 1999 issue titled “Murder Inc.” Jay and DMX collaborated on numerous songs around the time and even appeared in a scene in the documentary Backstage freestyling during their 1999 Hard Knock Life tour.

Whle Verzuz has been proposed as an arena for any classic rap acts to finally hash out their differences, its creators Swizz Beats and Timbaland, as well as many of its participants, view it as more of a celebration of history, legacy, and culture. The next battle takes place Friday, May 8, between Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. Check out our post for more info.

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There’s Officially A New Release Date For Lady Gaga’s Upcoming Album, “Chromatica”


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Indie Mixtape 20: Diet Cig Presents ‘Too Expensive Or Too Sketchy Cheap’

Last week, Diet Cig revealed Do You Ever Wonder About Me?, the duo’s third full-length album and their most cohesive. Anchored by Alex Luciano’s infectious vocal stylings and Noah Bauman’s powerful percussion, the duo tears through ten power-pop tracks that center around introspection in the wake of lost love. But somehow, Diet Cig manages to fill Do You Ever Wonder About Me? with enough love itself to make you feel warm while listening.

In celebration of the new album, Luciano and Bauman sat down to talk Lorde, burritos, and Las Vegas in the latest Indie Mixtape 20.

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

Fun, cathartic, punk, personal.

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?

Relatable tunes that still make people feel less alone.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Boston, MA.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Chilaquiles burrito at a walk-up window in LA.

What album do you know every word to?

Melodrama by Lorde.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Kimya Dawson @ a church in Albany.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

A big bud press jumpsuit! I wear them on stage sometimes but we just got custom ones for tour! Makes it easy to pick out your outfit when theres only one piece, and no wardrobe malfunctions.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Right now I love @grossypelosi on instagram, the best cooking content!

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Cowboy Song by Thin Lizzy.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Can you see the live chat after the live stream youtube” lol we just did our livestream and I wanted to look at what people were saying in the chat afterwards!

What album makes for the perfect gift?

The Space Jam Soundtrack.

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

In a parking lot in the desert outside of Las Vegas because everything in Vegas was either too expensive or too sketchy cheap.

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

AC from The Spook School gave us matching apple tattoos while on tour with them at like 4am the last night!

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Lorde, Mallrat, Ratboys, Elah Hale.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Noah and my mom and our friends threw me a surprise birthday BBQ for my 23rd bday, it was so cute.

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

Stop doing everything the night before.

What’s the last show you went to?

The Addy record release show for Eclipse at Gallery 5 in Richmond.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

The Devil Wears Prada.

What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?

Toss him a bottle of Soylent.

Do You Ever Wonder About Me? is out now. Listen or pick up a record here.