Category: Worldwide

Former Uproxx cover star Tate McRae is back with a new single and video, “It’s OK I’m OK,” which she dropped today after completing the US leg of her most recent tour and spending the past week promoting the new song. In the video, McRae struts the sweltering streets of New York City in a series of risqué ensembles — including her birthday suit (which is pixelated, so don’t go getting any ideas) — and returning to her dance roots. The song finds her passing off her sloppy seconds to a would-be romantic rival, telling her “it’s okay, I’m okay, had him in the first place.”

McRae exploded into stardom in 2023 after releasing the attention-grabbing singles “Exes” and “Greedy,” following up with the release of her second studio album, Think Later. She’s spent the majority of this year on tour for the album, wrapping up recently with the US finale at Madison Square Garden in New York City. She’ll return to the road in November, hopping the pond to tour her presumed boyfriend, The Kid Laroi’s, homeland: Australia and New Zealand.

Whether the release of a new single means she’s got an album on the way remains to be seen, but in the streaming era, a year turnaround isn’t too bad. Since Think Later dropped in December, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see her once again gift her fans a new album to cap the year.

Watch Tate McRae’s video for “It’s Ok, I’m Ok” above.

That sound you just heard was millions of millennials crying out in anguish as yet another part of their childhoods died today. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pharrell Williams confirmed that he and his former production partner Chad Hugo, with whom he’d collaborated as The Neptunes throughout the late ’90s and 2000s, are no longer on speaking terms after Hugo filed a lawsuit against him over the use of their group name.

When asked about the status of their relationship, Pharrell replied only, “I always wish him the absolute best.” Pressed about whether the two are on speaking terms, he admitted, “No. But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute best, and I’m very grateful for our time together.”

The Neptunes collectively produced dozens of hits throughout their tenure as a hotly demanded duo, working with Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, and more. The duo also formed two-thirds of the experimental rock trio N.E.R.D. with Shay Haley, producing five albums from 2001 to 2017.

Hugo sued Williams in April after Pharrell allegedly filed for trademarks for the Neptunes’ name without including his former partner. Chad’s attorneys said this violated their standing agreement to split the group’s profits 50/50, while Pharrell’s reps argued that they had attempted to contact Hugo several times with no success.

Despite not speaking to Pharrell, Chad’s voice will be heard in Pharrell’s animated biopic, Piece By Piece, which uses documentary interviews with collaborators like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, who weren’t informed of its animated nature.

When you think of Topanga Canyon, California, visions of a bohemian enclave full of alternative hippies experimenting with psychedelic medicines comes to mind. Or would have… Fifty-ish years ago. During the 1960s, this unincorporated city – located just under 30 miles from Los Angeles – became a center for the West Coast hippie and psychedelic movements. This was a time when counterculture figures sought escape from mainstream society, and Topanga provided that haven. Music pioneers such as Neil Young, The Byrds, Canned Heat, Spirit, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Woody Guthrie frequented the area to find musical inspiration and reprieve from LA’s hustle.

It was a haven for rebels. A place for the mad ones to slow down.

Fast-forward half a century later and Topanga Canyon’s history of being a psychedelic epicenter is on the rise again. With a population of just under 10,000 people, its tight-knit community has blossomed into a hub of creative leaders, artists, healers, photographers, writers, and musicians, all of whom lean on the intentional participation and encouragement of one another. Places like Endless Color and the Secret Experience Elsewhere have created a beacon of community-led spaces, while locals regularly host backyard-style pop-up shows and mini-concerts when the need for artistic expression strikes.

“It’s a place where intimate, beautiful moments with musicians happen,” Shaina Rose, photographer, director, and wardrobe stylist told Uproxx. “There’s a special energy that can’t be denied. There’s so much music and art happening, a lot of it being more authentic and funkier than Malibu or LA, where people are trying to “make it big.” Everyone here is interconnected and, with that, there’s a true intentional and supportive artistic community.”

Rose goes on to explain that the mountains and natural environment play a pivotal role in shaping the overall attitude and energy of Topanga. Nestled between the San Fernando Valley and Malibu, its isolation (relative to SoCal at large) makes it a refuge for authentic expression and idealism. And a vector for the psychedelic new wave.

In the summer, the Topanga Days Festival has become an essential annual tradition — celebrating the artistic and free-spirited nature of the canyon’s residents every Memorial Day weekend. It’s the fall, though, where Topanga really gets to show off. On October 5th and 6th, Rose will host an open invite for all creatives for a first-of-its-kind Topanga Open Studios. The event is a great way for those who are “Topanga Curious” to support the town’s local artists while also getting a true and authentic look into the town’s art scene and the creatives who continue to build it up, brick by brick.

Think of it as a multi-venue art festival where a wristband and a map will lead you around the town to see new gallery spaces and meet the artists behind the art. Two weekends later — October 17th-20th — Topanga Film Festival will return for its 18th year to showcase thought-provoking films that push boundaries, promote social awareness, and reflect the unique and eclectic spirit of Topanga.

 

 

To showcase Topanga’s artistic community, Shaina Rose shared with us some of her best photos of the scene and offered some context and commentary.

A moment of stillness in a sea of canyon people swaying, dancing, and do-se-do-ing at Topanga Days. Regulars in the Topanga music swirl are Kayla, Taylor, Leah, Lisette, and Olivia.

Topanga’s own Will Worden had the pleasure of melting our hearts with his country crooning on the main stage at Topanga Days, left, while a group of the music scene regulars, Kayla, Taylor, Leah, Olivia, and Lisette, who help set the tone of the dance party are caught in their element down below.

Mermaid of the canyon, Summer Winter stands in a set we built in an open air covered deck oasis in the canyon, while on the right her sister Ciara / Micelf and French trumpet player Janoya prepare for their show to happen later that night at local pizza and music joint Endless Color.

The music in the canyon is not single noted – people come from all over the world to connect to the community, open spaces, and nature that inspire their sound. From country to disco funk to basement punk to ambient soundscapes, you can find it all.

Janoya plays a set at Endless Color.

Local Country Cowboy Will Worden and his fellow Texan summer bandmate Phil Hollie at sunset session in the heart of the canyon on the left while Janoya on the right sets the mood with layers of his trumpet.

After a long day in the sun of gracing the stage at Topanga Days, Hunter, left, Sage and Junior, right, jam on the keys at Fivestar Studio.

Local LA native Jeffertitti is known for his all vinyl DJ sets and non-genre music. Looking for an all night dance party? This is the place to be – dancing crews featuring a round up of Topanga locals and musicians.

When Ciara, of Micelf, sent me her EP early fall of last year I was an instant fan with it on repeat until it finally launched on streaming platforms (go listen and you’ll know what I mean). Left and right are behind-the-scenes promo for a playful shoot we did for her project, Micelf.

Last year my friend Zeke asked me to co-write and direct a narrative for his song “Mushroom Disco” under his project FriendsOf. What ensued was a classic tale of a wild journey of self-discovery, following the rabbit hole, and the messiness of being humans. These stills feature Zeke who played a mushroom cult leader and his “followers”, who are all friends and locals who brought the whole story to life through their whimsy + playfulness with the story. The music video is now live.

Longtime LA and once a Topanga local, Jeffertitti in his Reno Street Records studio, left, a space that has recorded many songs that are make their way into the Topanga Canyon sound scape. Friend and musician Grant of Depth on the right.

A common scene from a secret party in the hills at a Topanga Days pre-party disco. Nobody boogies on the dance floor quite like Cliff and Irene.

If only I could remember what vinyl was being spun as the whole room burst into a giant conga line! Another scene from the Topanga Days pre-party DJ’d by Jeffertitti.

I love capturing the essence of connection in the photos I capture or the essence of connection to oneself – such as the friendship that is clearly visible through the bond of Will Worden and DJ Jeffertitti on the left and Daniel on the right as he dances in the moment to whatever banger Titti was spinning.

You would never know you’re in the modern era when hanging out with local singer-songwriter Damon Quinn and country crooner Will Worden, left. Band mates of Wodern’s in their most authentic self at a Topanga Days party.

Worden and Quinn were walking back from the town center so I rolled my window town and snapped this picture, left. A very fitting next picture as I snapped a a man all dressed up hanging out of his window in his vintage car going up the boulevard for the Topanga Days parade.

After being gone on travel all winter, this image captures my joy to have a friend back in town – to see her in her essence. Local sweetie, light of the canyon, and singer-songwriter Ny Oh sips on her morning coffee in our friend’s garden as we get ready to go out for a full day of music at where she would play main stage at Topanga Days with Jonathan Wilson + the rest of his brilliant band.

Two of my favorite personalities and Uber talented musicians of the canyon, Dylan Meek, left, and Al Haus, right, in their element as they take the stage for Topanga Days in Will Worden’s stacked lineup of band mates.

As a visual storyteller, I love the expressions of most people and musicians, but maybe drummers are my favorite? Like any art, it brings out a certain side in someone, and I can’t help love the way each of my friends take on a certain body language when they’re caught really in the moment like Caleb Gomes, left. My dear friend Charlie Spillane, right, and I have a running friend joke where I now always take a picture of him with his big rig at any show whenever we find ourselves shooting the same show. I also really love how these two images pair together.

Live Music isn’t the same without the right audience to bring their energy to the space. I love looking out at the people and capturing the looks on their faces, the volume of folks in attendance, and the atmosphere of the energy they bring that the musicians feed of off. It’s all connected and you can really see that here, left, especially with a crowd full of local friends and fans. Now what would Topanga Days be without some of our own local heroes participating in a pie eating contest? The stage shares a home with many, including moments like this, right.

Tom Hardy will soon be back as Eddie Brock/Venom, so hopefully soon, Venom will smash the box office so hard that Morbius and Madame Webb will be seen as mere blips in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. With the third Venom movie, we will also meet a new villain.

In the latest trailer for Venom: The Last Dance, we get a solid look at Venom and Eddie‘s latest dilemma: an attack orchestrated by Knull, a villain in the Marvel universe who used his abilities to create symbiotes by experimenting with his powers and cosmic substances. He’s now heading to Earth and setting his sights on Eddie and Venom, but the actor who will play him is under wraps for now.

After a brief appearance in the newest trailer (shown above), fans began to speculate who would be portraying Knull. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Rhys Ifans joined the cast in an undisclosed role, and he briefly appears as a guitar-slinging hippie in the trailer. Fans might remember him as Dr. Curt Conners/The Lizard from 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Thanks to the Multiverse, it’s unclear if Ifans will be playing a new iteration of that character, or a whole different character entirely which, in this case, could be Knull… or just a guy playing a guitar.

An internet rumor has falsely concluded that Norman Reedus would be in the Knull role, but there has been nothing to suggest that is true. Besides, he’s busy right now. So who is playing Knull? We don’t know just yet. It could be a fun cameo from a fan-favorite actor, or it could just be someone unknown who has big shoes to fill. Whatever the case, he seems pretty mad for some reason!

Venom: The Last Dance hits theaters on October 25th.

AJ Griffin, the former blue-chip high school prospect who spent the first two seasons of his NBA career suiting up for the Atlanta Hawks, is reportedly considering calling it a career. According to Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic, both Griffin and his current team, the Houston Rockets, are planning for him to announce that he is leaving basketball altogether.

It is unclear why Griffin, who turned 21 at the end of August, would choose to step away from the game. He’s coming off of a difficult year for the Hawks, as he only appeared in 20 games due in part to lingering leg issues. He also missed the start of the year for personal reasons, and told the press when he returned to the team in December, “I would say that I am glad to be back. The team has been great to be able to support me through that time stepping away for a little, just for personal reasons. I definitely want to keep it brief and not put it all out there.”

The No. 16 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Duke, Griffin showed some promise during his first year with the Hawks, as he appeared in 72 games and averaged 8.9 points per game on 39 percent shooting from three. Atlanta sent him to Houston for the 44th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft earlier this offseason.

Britney Spears didn’t physically appear at the 2024 MTV VMAs but she was there in spirit. Host Megan Thee Stallion recreated the outfit that the pop legend wore for her 2001 VMAs performance of “I’m A Slave 4 U,” while Sabrina Carpenter played a snippet of audio from “Oops!… I Did It Again” during her “Please Please Please” / “Taste” / “Espresso” medley. She also kissed an alien, but Spears wants to know why she didn’t make out with a girl.

Spears didn’t watch the entirety of the VMAs (to be fair, the ceremony was over three hours long), but according to People, “she did catch Carpenter’s performance on YouTube.” She shared her thoughts in an Instagram video.

“Why is she kissing an alien onstage? I adore her. I love her to death. I didn’t understand that part. Why didn’t she kiss a girl?” Spears said, a likely reference to her famous 2003 VMAs kiss with Madonna. “That was weird. But I also thought that the whole thing was kind of weird altogether.” It could have been a girl alien. Who knows!

In a recent video interview with W magazine, Carpenter was asked to name people she had a crush on when she was younger. “It’s funny, all the posters on my wall were women,” she said. “All my girl crushes were Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande.” She didn’t specify if Britney Spears made the cut, but it would be very relatable if a crush called something she did “weird.”

You can watch Britney’s VMAs recap here.

FOX made the splashiest NFL broadcasting hire in years when they inked Tom Brady to a reported 10-year, $375 million deal to be their new lead NFL game analyst. Brady took the 2023 season off to prepare, but with very few reps in the booth, there was nothing that could get him fully settled into his new role until he had to call a real regular season game.

That happened for the first time on Sunday when the Cowboys beat the Browns in Cleveland, and the results were mixed. There were moments where Brady’s football knowledge shined, but he also seemed to struggle finding his rhythm to get his thoughts out in the flow of the game. He also had an awkward moment with Mike Pereira that only added to the feeling he was uncomfortable and out of place, and plenty of fans wondered if FOX had made a mistake given how good Greg Olsen was in that lead booth.

That’s not something we can know of one game, and Brady should get more comfortable in his new role as he gets more reps. That’s what his longtime Patriots teammate (and current FOX colleague) Rob Gronkowski expects, as he joined Kay Adams and offered a fair assessment of Brady’s first broadcast.

Gronk compared Brady in the booth to a No. 1 pick at quarterback in his first game, where there were clearly some jitters and things to fix but he ultimately delivered. It’s a good comparison, as Brady seemed a little antsy early on, trying to get all his thoughts out as quickly as possible, but settles in some later in the game — it helped that the pace slowed once Dallas was up big and both teams were just trying to get to the end of the game.

The key for Brady to be good in the booth is learning to self edit. He’s got a lot of things he wants to say but you can’t get them all in during the broadcast, and he’ll have to learn where he has time to fit more analysis in and where to keep it short. That’s a matter of learning the game flow, and that comes with reps. He should be able to figure that out but it comes with reps, just like a young player, and given he’s such a big name and on such a big contract, he will face plenty of criticism as he gets settled.

Audiences still love worthy comic book stories, and nobody loves audiences more than HBO, which has been examining what makes TV baddies tick for decades now.

HBO’s upcoming The Penguin already has a built-in fan base thanks to the DC fans. And who needs Batman anymore when his enemies are the ones providing all of the entertainment? Colin Farrell first debuted as Oswald Cobblepot in Matt Reeves’ The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, and now he has his very own show to torment the people of Gotham.

Farrell again looks almost unrecognizable in the new series, which is receiving favorable reviews from critics who have compared the gritty drama to The Sopranos. Unfortunately, the Penguin doesn’t go to therapy, so he is a little less in touch with his feelings than Tony Soprano.

Still, the series seems promising thanks to Farrell’s dedication to The Penguin/Oz and the impressive prosthetics, even though he isn’t crazy about that part of the job. The series also stars Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, daughter of deceased crime boss Carmine Falcone, as she paves her own path in Gotham’s criminal underworld. Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, and Shohreh Aghdashloo also star.

Here’s what the critics are saying about The Penguin:

Glen Weldon, NPR:

The Penguin is the tale of a thug who becomes a boss, and the sacrifices he all-too-willingly makes along the way. That it succeeds as thoroughly as it does may be surprising, given its provenance as yet another Batman-without-Batman nugget of Warner’s IP, but the creators’ refusal to coast on what has gone before, and their willingness to let Farrell and Milioti dig into their characters so we can all sit back and watch them work with what they’ve unearthed is what makes for greatly satisfying TV.

The Penguin may not represent the cure for superhero fatigue, but it delivers a powerful dose of medicine that can treat its symptoms.

Roxana Hadidi, Vulture:

The Penguin is a portrait of a villain, and Farrell’s likability is its trickiest secret weapon. Both Milioti and Farrell are playing characters who veer into cartoon and caricature, but they retain within them the jagged edges of humanity — jealousy and greed, grief and lust, self-loathing and braggadociousness — that make The Penguin simultaneously pulpy and plausible. And, more effectively than either Christopher Nolan’s or Todd Phillips’s films, populist; like any worthwhile story about organized crime, The Penguin is really about what it takes to make it in America. What rules must one break to get ahead? Which alliances, and whose labor, should be protected in a dog-eat-dog world? What is the cost of tapping out of this system or trying to break the wheel?

Milioti and Farrell get parallel speeches about these questions, and The Penguin sometimes becomes repetitive in its treatment of the two of them as bizarro-mirror versions of each other…But that quality is forgivable when The Penguin gives its central pair so much room to grow, and the result is a spinoff that doesn’t need its cinematic precursor to light up the night.

Daniel Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter:

Oz proves capable of carrying this story, just not in a fresh way. That’s why attentions are likely to shift to Milioti’s Sofia, a character whose presence comes with less baggage from the comics. Sofia is treated more in that Cruella/Maleficent vein as women whose dark path is set in motion by the assumptions and restrictions of the patriarchy. Strutting around in the best examples of the series’ costume design, Milioti makes Sofia more plausible than Oz as a tragic victim and embodiment of everything wrong with Gotham, a figure you can feel sad for and scared of in equal measure. The mano a mano dynamic between the pair yields Milioti and Farrell’s best work, but the interplay viewers will crave peaks far too early.

Eric Goldman, TVLine:

The Penguin isn’t breaking any new ground and, Batman-connections aside, it’s a variation on a story we’ve seen many times before about gangsters with aspirations for more and the in-fighting between them. And yes, plenty about Oz’s demeanor and his complicated relationship with his mother (Deirdre O’Connell) will remind viewers of The Sopranos. But while this isn’t going to join that beloved series or the likes of Goodfellas or The Godfather among the pantheon of Best Mob Stories Ever, it’s an entertaining and well-told tale in its own right.

Ben Travers, IndieWire

The Penguin isn’t just another super-villain origin story, much like The Batman wasn’t just another superhero movie. (Meaning, it’s both and neither at once.) But even if it largely succeeds on its own terms, The Penguin could’ve benefited from a little more romance and variation, rather than a relentless and gloomy dose of reality.

Chase Hutchinson, Collider:

In many ways, the more simple scenes Farrell shares with Milioti (who is also excellent) are where The Penguin feels strongest, as these two characters circle each other with a combination of skepticism and solidarity. They may be the only people in the world who understand each other, but that also makes them uniquely able to destroy one another for their individual benefit. The Penguin drags us into a bleak world that has only been made worse by the acts of all the people the story follows. It’s a series that is still finding its legs and could never surpass The Sopranos, though there are no better acts to attempt to follow. Here’s to a potential second season when Oz goes to therapy. After everything he’s been through and has done to others, as well as what he will continue to do in his sad life, he certainly could use it.

Chris Evangelista, SlashFlim:

Farrell, once again unrecognizable under all that make-up, is consistently good throughout the series. While the majority of the cast around him leans a bit too heavily into their New Yawk-ish wise guy accents, Farrell seems to be flourishing playing such a despicable character. There is virtually nothing redeemable about Oz, and yet Farrell does manage to find a kind of wounded heart lurking inside this bulky monster. If “The Penguin” is worth watching at all, it’s to see the lead performances from Farrell and Milioti, whose Sofia is more or the less the co-lead character. Even when the story they’re stuck in lets them down, these two performers rise to the challenge and do exemplary work. The 8-hour movie approach ultimately fails the series, but you’ll likely find yourself drawn to these extremely flawed characters and all the damage they cause along the way.

The Penguin will premiere on Sunday, September 19th, with new episodes airing from September 29th until the season finale on November 10th.

Just over a month ago, Cardi B confirmed that she was pregnant with her third child. It turns out she was pretty far along at the time, as she confirmed today (September 12) that she has given birth.

She revealed the news with a gallery of photos and videos on Instagram. The post shows that Offset and their shared children Kulture and Wave were at the hospital with Cardi.

In the post caption, Cardi confirms she gave birth on September 7 and also writes, “The prettiest lil thing.”

When Cardi announced her pregnancy, she wrote, “With every ending comes a new beginning! I am so grateful to have shared this season with you, you have brought me more love, more life and most of all renewed my power! Reminded me that I can have it all! You’ve reminded me that I never have to choose between life, love, and my passion! I love you so much and can not wait for you to witness what you helped me accomplish, what you pushed me to do! It’s so much easier taking life’s twists, turns and test laying down, but you, your brother and your sister have shown me why it’s worth it to push through!”

Find Cardi’s baby post here.

The biggest strength of Flau’jae Johnson’s game? Her vision, on the court and in the studio.

The 2023 NCAA Champion, LSU guard, and rising rap star saw how nurturing her two passions – music and hoops – could help her pave her own path to success from an early age. She was spitting lines as young as age seven, performing in clubs around Savannah, Georgia and entering massively popular TV competitions like America’s Got Talent while practicing in the paint, developing her skills to catch the attention of Coach Kim Mulkey at the beginning of her high school career. In everything she does, on the stage and in the arena, there’s a strategy, a playbook, a game plan to reach the next level.

Just ask Lil Wayne.

In a new episode of UPROXX’s Beyond The Game, host Jeremy Hecht sat down with Johnson to chat about her meteoric rise in the worlds of music and sports and the smart strategic moves she has made along the way.

After giving WNBA legend Sue Bird a shout-out for introducing the Young Money mogul to her music during an interview on her ESPN talk show, Johnson mapped out how she seized her moment, initially connecting with Wayne on social before showing off her lyricism to one of his beats on a Sway In The Morning freestyle. The viral posts, the song selection, her choice of fit (a Tha Carter IV tee) – it was a play Mulkey herself might’ve drawn up, and it scored her a collab with the hip-hop icon.

“I had it all planned out,” Johnson tells Hecht in the video above. “This is going to go viral, he’s going to see it, and that’s what happened. It was all strategy. I gotta inspire him to want to do it.”

That hustle mentality is something Johnson was born with. The daughter of the late Camouflage, a promising young rapper from Savannah who died before his daughter was born, Johnson has always been determined to make her mark. She gained a following at an early age thanks to her reality competition appearances, working with Jermaine Dupree on a talent series that got her industry attention, but when music seemed to stall and basketball courted her, Johnson’s circle never let her give up on her initial dream. She credits her family – her mom, grandmother, and siblings – for believing in her multihyphenate abilities, and herself for making the choice to be more. More than just a rapper. More than just a basketball player. But instead, a cross-cultural icon-in-the-making.

“The price of regret is worse than the pain of getting it done right now,” Johnson told Hecht of the mentality she’s adopted to juggle the demanding schedules of collegiate ball and on-the-rise artist, adding she’s often guided by a simple question, “Are you going to be great today or are you going to be mediocre?”

That word doesn’t seem to fit all the young star has accomplished so far, from SEC titles and NCAA trophies to collaborations with Wayne and Wyclef Jean who’s dubbed their partnership in the booth as, “like Shaq and Kobe.” It certainly doesn’t describe Johnson’s no-holds-barred chat with Hecht where she recounts her unlikely beginnings as a rapper and ball player, her reality TV run, her fearlessness and setbacks, the artists she admires, and the songs that get her hype.

Nothing is off the table, in the episode and in terms of Johnson’s potential.