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Joe Biden doesn’t go on all-caps rants about his political opponents — at least not in public. Behind the scenes, he’s just as sick of Donald Trump as Trump is of him.

During his first campaign speech of the 2024 election cycle (ah sh*t here we go again), Biden recalled Trump mocking Paul Pelosi after a home intruder nearly killed the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer. “At his rally, he jokes about an intruder, whipped up by the Big Trump Lie, taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi’s skull,” the president said. “And he thinks that’s funny. He laughed about it. What a sick…”

Biden intentionally stopped himself before finishing the sentence with an expletive, but according to Politico, “In private, he doesn’t stop short.”

The president has described Trump to longtime friends and close aides as a “sick f*ck” who delights in others’ misfortunes, according to three people who have heard the president use the profane description. According to one of the people who has spoken with the president, Biden recently said of Trump: “What a f*cking asshole the guy is.”

“It’s a shame that Crooked Joe Biden disrespects the presidency both publicly and privately,” Trump adviser Chris LaCivita said about Biden’s alleged comments. “But then again, it’s no surprise he disrespects the 45th president the same way he disrespects the American people with his failed policies.”

How dare Joe Biden use a few curse words. If only he would start acting like a real president and get criminally charged a bunch of times and vow to be a dictator.

(Via Politico)

The WWE 2K series is riding high after consecutive successful launches, with WWE 2K23 becoming the highest-rated game in the franchise’s history. After rolling out WarGames as a playable match, a bevy of updates to the franchise, and a really robust Showcase mode, it was hard to imagine how 2K could top last year’s iteration.

Over the weekend, I got a first look at WWE 2K24 as part of a hands-on preview event just hours before the Royal Rumble in St. Petersburg, and the early results are promising. The game is far from finished, but gameplay remains strong from last year’s edition and the graphics felt like a slight upgrade in terms of crisp character models, the return of the ramp facing camera view, and greater attention to detail in superstar entrances.

This year’s iteration has some significant additions that bolster the gameplay and add unpredictability and excitement to matches, like saving up three finishing moves for Super Finishers, opportunities to perform a top rope dive onto a group of opponents outside the ring, new Paybacks, throwing weapons, and a sleek new Trading Blows mini-game.

I saw the Trading Blows mini-game in action, which requires you to time holding the right button to keep superstars trading shots while the crowd goes nuts, and it felt like one of the most realistic additions to a game in recent memory. Add in the fact that 2K is porting in real WWE referees you see week to week in the ring, and it feels extremely close to a WWE-style TV presentation.

Showcase mode this year isn’t star-driven like last year’s journey through John Cena’s career. Rather, fans are taken through 40 years of WrestleMania, letting us re-live some of the biggest moments in professional wrestling via 2K’s Slingshot Tech, which blends gameplay to actual footage of the matches and back again. I found myself just as impressed as I was from last year’s version, as I had the chance to recreate Rhea Ripley’s show-stealing match with Charlotte Flair from WrestleMania 39 as part of the Showcase, yet again earning unlockable content by hitting certain match objectives.

Another highlight of 2K24 is the addition of new match types slated to roll out this year, which ranges from the Special Guest Referee, Ambulance Match, Casket Match, Gauntlet Match, and a revised Backstage Brawl. I had the chance to test drive the new four-person version of the Backstage Brawl as part of the hands-on event. The area is incredibly expansive, with a working elevator, breakable control room glass, and a vending machine with throwable sodas. The backstage area has a second level, but my only frustration in the space came when I couldn’t perform a diving maneuver from the upper section of the space a la Hell in a Cell.

I also got a quick look at the Ambulance Match, which offered no real surprises as far as how to finish the match. The gameplay is relatively simple — beat your opponent until they can’t escape your attempt to throw them into the back of the ambulance and complete a mini-game to close the door. Throughout the match, you can also open and close the ambulance doors, climb to the top of the ambulance, throw your opponent off, and beat them around the ring. In a first look, WWE’s Xavier Woods also shared an update I didn’t see live, which is that you can travel backstage during the Ambulance Match, interact with the Backstage Brawl area (around the 23 minute mark), and finish the match in a second ambulance positioned in that space.

Some of 2K’s biggest features weren’t immediately available, but I can’t wait to see what all is captured in this year’s full Showcase mode. Alongside returning matches like WarGames, I am looking forward to causing chaos in Special Guest Referee and making matches mean more with Double Title opportunities. Add in MyFaction, a revamped MyGM mode, new career experiences in MyRise, new stipulations in Universe, and a robust Creation Suite that features Create-A-Referee and Create-A-Sign, and 2K24 looks like it’s ready to keep building on the game’s recent success.

Uproxx was invited on a hosted trip by 2K Sports for reporting on this piece. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.

Taylor Swift has a busy schedule coming up: The Eras Tour resumes in Tokyo soon, Travis Kelce is playing in the Super Bowl, and the 2024 Grammy Awards are this weekend, on February 4. She should be able to make it to the Super Bowl, and she’s expected to attend the Grammys, but will she perform at the awards show?

Is Taylor Swift Performing At The 2024 Grammys?

It appears not, no.

In a new episode of the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast shared yesterday (February 1), Grammys executive producer Raj Kapoor didn’t rule out the possibility of Swift, who is not currently scheduled to perform during the broadcast, taking the stage. Kapoor said, “We’ve had a lot of last-minute things come in on the show. Sometimes they’ve happened days before, and yeah, we’re always open to the idea.”

Rolling Stone relayed that in a post about the episode, but they updated that post today to add, “Update: Rolling Stone learned Friday morning (Feb. 2) that Swift will not be performing at the Grammys because she has to immediately fly to Japan, where she’ll be resuming the Eras Tour with four back-to-back shows.”

This follows a previous report from Entertainment Tonight that also said Swift won’t perform, for the same reason Rolling Stone cited. ET said, “ET has exclusively learned that the ‘Karma’ singer, 34, will be in attendance at the Feb. 4 award show, however, she will not be performing as she has a quick turnaround before resuming her record-breaking Eras Tour on the other side of the world.”

So, as Kapoor noted, last-minute changes aren’t unprecedented, but in the case of Swift, it seems unlikely she’ll be able to perform this year.

The countless references to anime in her music make it abundantly clear that Megan Thee Stallion is a manga nerd (an otaku, if you will). But yesterday (February 1), the “Cobra” rapper showed off her deep Rolodex of reality television moments. While on the set of a secret project, Megan quickly caught up with her biggest Hottie fans on the internet radio broadcast app, Stationhead.

During the stream, Megan revealed that she’s finding herself in a much healthier mental space since the tumultuous obstacles she faced last year. After revealing that she’s working on a documentary about her life, she went on to say that she’s gotten reprimanded for giving away too much content online. However, users online believe that Megan subtly taunted her foe, Nicki Minaj, in the closing moments by leaning into her Roc Nation affiliation.

“Don’t make me call Porsha,” Megan joked about her management team getting reinforcements to stop her from oversharing. The reference to Bravo’s Real Housewives Of Atlanta then turned into, “Don’t make me call Roc Nation.”

After the clip hit social media, users online took the line to be shade toward Minaj based on her recent jabs at the company. On January 29, during the height of their (“Hiss” versus “Big Foot“) sparring season, Minaj slammed Roc Nation on X (formerly Twitter) for promoting Megan’s diss record toward her.

“Spending so much money,” she wrote. “But she’s the lil broke independent artist. Desiree, you gotta let it go, baby. The world knows she’s ass & can’t rap. Stop f*cking trying to make fetch happen. #BigFOOT. I just put out a song with no promo, no video, and it’s already #2. ”

Is it shade? It very well could be, and given Megan’s clever use of double entendres (that recently almost led to a potential lawsuit), you certainly can’t put it past her.

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

Henry Cavill has spoken before about his close call with becoming James Bond. The actor made it so far in the audition process for Casino Royale that the choice came down between him and Daniel Craig, who ultimately locked down the 007 role. Well, according to Argylle director Matthew Vaughn, Cavill got even closer to the role than he thought.

For a little background info, Vaughn played a significant role in Craig’s James Bond ascension thanks to casting the actor in the imminently cool British crime film Layer Cake. That performance put Craig on the map and on the path to 007. However, the decision was a close one.

“I’d go off and meet with Daniel and he said, ‘There’s this young guy called Henry Cavill who I think they’re seeing as well,’” Vaughn revealed during a SiriusXM interview (via Total Film) with Cavill sitting next to him. “We hadn’t done Stardust yet, and that’s how you came onto my radar.”

That’s when Vaughn dropped the bombshell news that Casino Royale director Martin Campbell actually preferred Cavill over Craig but was overruled by legendary Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.

“I know that the director preferred your audition, but Barbara preferred [Daniel Craig’s 2004 film] Layer Cake,” Vaughn said. “Then they decided you were too young. I probably shouldn’t have said that, but the Broccolis aren’t too keen on me anyway, so what have I got to lose?”

Vaughn’s recollection jibes with what Campbell has shared in interviews. Cavill was only 22 when he auditioned for Bond, but despite being in terrific shape, his age was too hard to overlook in the casting process. The role went to Craig, who was 38 at the time.

Argylle is now playing in theaters.

(Via Total Film)

Elmo, most people would contest, is among the more agreeable beings in entertainment history. For decades, the Sesame Street star has taught children about sharing, spelling, and other important things kids should know about as they grow up, all in a fun and upbeat demeanor. Basically, you don’t really hear about Elmo having enemies.

In a surprising (but also somewhat not surprising) turn of events, though, Elmo was recently attacked on live television by Larry David. Elmo and David were both appearing on Today yesterday (February 1), and during Elmo’s segment, David came out of nowhere, grabbed Elmo’s face, and started shaking it violently. Well, Elmo has found himself an ally in T-Pain.

First, here’s a video of the incident, as well as a fantastically executed artistic rendering for good measure.

T-Pain saw that and couldn’t believe what he was watching, tweeting, “I know I didn’t just see my mans @elmo assaulted on live TV.” He didn’t stop there, as he shared the tweet on his Instagram Story (as People notes) and added, “@Elmo say the word.” The apparent implication there is that should Elmo ask, T-Pain would eagerly square up and throw hands at the Curb Your Enthusiasm star.

David addressed the Elmo incident on Late Night With Seth Meyers, and he seemed far from remorseful. He explained that he was getting annoyed by Elmo talking about mental health and concluded, “And you know what? I would do it again!”

Argylle might not have been written by Taylor Swift, but there are still some mysteries about the action flick, which hits theaters this week. Again, it was not written by Swift (though technically some parts have been inspired by her).

The highly-anticipated movie comes from Matthew Vaughn, the mind behind Kingsman, and stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway, a best-selling author whose fictional stories start to mirror real-life crimes. Soon, Conway becomes targeted by actual spies, and Conway must team up with a real spy named Aiden (Sam Rockwell) to ensure her own safety. The film also stars Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Sofia Boutella, Rob Delaney Jing Lusi, and Chip, the backpack cat.

While the movie is full of various twists and turns, there actually is a post-credits scene that could possibly connect Argylle will some of Vaughn’s other works.

Spoilers below! If you don’t want to know what the scene is, back out now!

The post-credits scene reveals that the real agent Argylle is actually a Kingsmen agent, which puts Argylle in the Kingsman universe. The movie also teases a potential sequel, which Vaughn says is in the works. While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Vaughn confirmed they are working on more Argylle stories. “For Argylle, we have a book coming and we’re already planning Argylle 2. So there’s a universe and we’re trying to emulate Marvel superheroes with spies. We have Kingsman on one side, Argylle on the other, and we have an idea to bring them together.” Looks like they have been brought together rather quickly!

Steven and Ian begin this week’s episode by discussing the recent story about Talking Heads being offered $80 million to reunite for some festival gigs… and turning it down. Do they really hate each other that much? Or do they accept that you can’t perform Stop Making Sense-style magic in your 70s? The guys also apologize to the city of San Francisco for some recent sports-related slander and check in on Ian’s Fantasy Album team.

After that, they look ahead to the Grammys this weekend and make some predictions. Does Boygenius have a shot as a dark-horse pick? Which fanbase will be the angriest the following morning? Does any of this matter? They also talk about The Greatest Night In Pop, the very entertaining new documentary about the 1985 all-star single “We Are The World” that premiered on Netflix this week. Could such a song ever happen in 2024?

In Recommendation Corner, Ian goes to bat for the Norwegian emo band Flight Mode while Steven talks about the Philly “patio rock” band Memorytown.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 174 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

Where were you when Larry David BRUTALLY attacked Elmo? Probably watching it on your computer or phone, laughing. On Thursday, Today hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Craig Melvin were talking to Elmo and his weird dad Louie when, all of a sudden, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star entered the frame and gave Elmo the Iron Claw and air-punched Louie. He just as quickly walked off screen, leaving behind the carnage he caused.

“Mr. Larry, Elmo liked you before!” the Muppet yelled. “Let’s get back on the couch and just talk about how you’re feeling.” As Guthrie admonished him for going too far this time, David replied, “Somebody had to do it!”

Later that evening, David appeared on Late Night on Seth Meyers where he explained what the heck happened. “I don’t think I wanna talk about it,” he said at first. Host Seth Meyers used the word “throttle” to describe what happened to Elmo, which unleashed something in David.

“Yeah. Yeah, I did it. Yeah,” he confessed. “Elmo was talking. Okay? I was waiting to be interviewed. And Elmo was going on…” — this is when he broke into the world’s worst Elmo impression — “…he was going on about mental health. And I had to listen to every word. And I was going, ‘Oh my god, oh my god. I don’t think I can take another second of this.’ And so I got off my chair.” As far as explanations go, this one is pretty, pretty, pretty good.

David has no regrets.

You can watch the Late Night on Seth Meyers clip above.

Happy “What Would You Do If You Were Stuck In One Place And Every Day Was Exactly The Same, And Nothing That You Did Mattered” Day to those who celebrate.

Today is February 2nd, a.k.a. Groundhog Day (also Shakira and Paul Mescal’s birthdays). Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, which means an early spring is on the way. To be fair, “Phil has only been accurate about 40 percent of the time over the past 100 years,” according to the New York Post, but you’ll enjoy watching Groundhog Day, the movie, one hundred percent of the time.

The Harold Ramis-directed 1993 comedy, about a man (Bill Murray) who is stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive February 2nd over and over again, is available to stream on AMC’s website with a cable log-in or AMC+ with a subscription. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for it on Amazon, Vudu, or Apple TV+ (or watch the Groundhog Day-inspired Russian Doll on Netflix).

AMC is also airing the movie multiple times today, beginning at 11 a.m. EST.

Groundhog Day also stars Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, and in a tiny role, Michael Shannon. He’s so happy to be going to WrestleMania!