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Once Game of Thrones wrapped up with a final season that was universally beloved and no one, especially on social media and Reddit, had anything negative to say about it, co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss signed a $200 million deal with Netflix. They could have also kept making money from all future Thrones projects, including House of the Dragon and the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, as producers. They wouldn’t have to do anything, other than have their names appear in the credits. But according to the Hollywood Reporter, “they turned it down. Nobody does this.”

Benioff told the outlet that “HBO was kind of confused. I remember their lawyer saying, ‘But it’s just money, we’re just going to pay you.’” Weiss added, “I don’t think there is such a thing as free money. For us, if our name is on it, especially that, while being completely detached and uninvolved, it felt like the strain that would come with that hands-off approach — with its success or failure or anything in between — was not worth it.”

Instead, they decided to make 3 Body Problem with The Terror showrunner Alexander Woo. “We work better focused on one thing,” Weiss said. “It’s the elephant strategy versus the sea turtle strategy. The sea turtle has a thousand babies and points them all toward the ocean and hopes 10 make it. An elephant puts two years into one baby and guards it with its life and is devastated if the poachers come knocking. There are people who do amazing-amazing stuff while overseeing many projects at once, and I respect their ability to do that. It’s just not what we’re good at.”

Netflix’s 3 Body Problem premieres on March 21. You can watch the trailer below.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

There are many notable things about the year 2024. It is an election year. It is an Olympics year. It is the beginning of the mid-2020s. But I am only concerned with one particular notable thing about 2024: It is the earliest possible moment when it is acceptable to start talking about the best albums of the decade.

Some might disagree. “Only a moron would write about this now,” those people are saying. (Kind of harsh, to be honest.) But they are wrong. Dead wrong. I know this because, as a music writing professional, I am well versed in the science of these lists. And my expertise tells me that my speculation about the most consequential music of the 2020s has arrived precisely on time. We have already eaten up 40 percent of our current decade. Preparation for the act of ranking must commence now.

To clarify: I’m not really thinking about my choices for the decade’s best albums. (At least I’m not thinking all that deeply yet.) I’m more interested in what I think critics overall will pick as the best. I have thought a lot about this. Probably too much. But I believe I have cracked the code.

Let’s begin by looking at recent history. Here is a list of 10 well-regarded albums from the 2010s. I compiled it by looking at a variety of “Best of the 2010s” lists and mentally averaging the most common entries. My process was “imprecise” (my word) and “possibly half-assed” (my editor’s words). But nevertheless I think most people will agree that these are definitely among the most critically acclaimed records of the previous decade.

Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel … (2012)
Beyoncé, Beyoncé (2013)
D’Angelo, Black Messiah (2014)
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
Frank Ocean, Blonde (2016)
Frank Ocean, Channel Orange (2011)
Solange, A Seat At The Table (2016)
Taylor Swift, Red (2012)
Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires Of The City (2013)
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

It’s interesting to note how some of these albums have shifted in terms of their critical reputations. At the 40-percent mark of the 2010s, the consensus choice for album of the decade so far was easily My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Kanye West stood head and shoulders above all other artists as a figure of profound cultural import and intense music-critic obsession. Then Kanye started to lose his mind in the back half of the 2010s and MBDTF slipped a bit — though not completely off the charts. At that point, To Pimp A Butterfly seemed like the album of the 2010s, given Kendrick Lamar’s elevated status as a Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper. But if a website or publication made a best of 2010s list now, I suspect that Blonde would be the new “easy choice” for the top slot, as Frank Ocean in retrospect seems like the defining artist of the decade.

Back to my original point: Half of these albums came out in the first 40 percent of the 2010s, between 2010 and 2013. The other five came out in the mid-2010s, between 2014 and 2016. The late 2010s are completely absent. I am confident that, if you look at most decade lists, you will see a similar pattern. There might be some records from a year ending with 7, but that’s about as late as they generally go. For the most part, these lists are front-loaded with “early decade” music. (In the parlance of “best of the decade” lists, we can liken the “late” part of the decade to December on year-end lists.)

Why does this happen? There are two reasons:

1) Decade lists made in the moment are typically made up of albums that were loved immediately. The “grower” records that rise in esteem over time do better on retrospective decade lists made years after the fact.

2) This “precedent of love and prestige” effect, so to speak, favors albums that were released earlier in the decade. As a critic, you want to feel that the records under consideration have some staying power. Also, it’s easier to assess the importance of an album that’s already been out for several years. Reputation and mystique by then have been banked. And there’s less risk of overrating something that feels important in the moment. This explains why, for instance, Rolling Stone named The Clash’s London Calling as its best album of the 1980s — it came out in America in January 1980, which means it had more precedence of love and prestige than practically any other ’80s album. (It actually came out in December 1979 in the U.K.) The magazine acted similarly when it named Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991) the best album of the ’90s, followed by Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (1992). Nobody was going to argue against Nevermind or The Chronic in 1999 — the influence and impact of those records was undeniable. Time, as always, has a substantial home-field advantage.

Here’s the relevant takeaway: There’s a good chance the album that critical consensus eventually dictates as the best of the 2020s has already come out. But which album? Here are 10 records from the first 40 percent of the decade that have achieved a high level of acclaim, listed in alphabetical order.

Alvvays, Blue Rev (2022)
Fiona Apple, Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020)
Beyoncé, Renaissance (2022)
Boygenius, The Record (2023)
Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher (2020)
Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee (2021)
Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (2021)
Rosalìa, Motomami (2022)
Taylor Swift, Folklore (2020)
Tyler The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost (2021)
SZA, SOS (2022)

One might quibble with some of the choices. Perhaps you want to swap in Turnstile, Bad Bunny, or Wet Leg. But these feel like the early critical frontrunners to me. This list reflects the predominant shifts in music culture and critical thinking during the Biden administration, i.e. there’s less big-tent hip-hop and way more female singer-songwriters. As you might have noticed, there are three crossovers from the 2010s list, and two of them are very predictable: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. The third, Fiona Apple, has established a track record of releasing one critically adored album per decade. (See also: 2005’s Extraordinary Machine.)

Do I like any of these albums personally? Yes. I like four of them. Though the only serious contender for my personal list is Blue Rev. Speaking of my personal list, here are five albums I feel confident about proclaiming as “the best” from the first 40 percent of the 2020s, listed alphabetically:

Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Bob Dylan, Rough & Rowdy Ways
MJ Lenderman, Boat Songs
The War On Drugs, I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud

To clarify: my determination for “the best” is based on a variety of criteria, including what I listened to the most (I Don’t Live Here Anymore), what makes me happiest when it’s on (Boat Songs), what impressed me the most in terms of songwriting and thematic ambition (New Warm Dragon I Believe In You), what I suspect I will love the most in 20 years (Saint Cloud), and what has the longest song about the Kennedy assassination (Rough & Rowdy Ways).

Now, it’s very possible that the albums we don’t know about (or that don’t even exist yet) coming in the next 60 percent of the 2020s will blow away all of the records mentioned in this column. I actually hope that happens! It’s exciting to think about what’s potentially ahead of us! But let’s assume that at least half of the top 10 records of the decade have already come out. And let’s also say that one of those records ends up being No. 1. And (for the sake of fun and conversation) let’s imagine that we have $1 million to wager on that choice.

What’s the record I would bet on? Punisher.

It is influential for other popular and acclaimed artists in the 2020s. It was made by a person who (like Frank Ocean in the 2010s and unlike Taylor Swift and Beyoncé now) feels native to the current decade. I believe the next generation of music critics (who were in their teens in 2020) will look at it as definitional for its time and their age cohort. It’s the kind of record you pick if you’re trying to make a statement about an era. It’s also — this helps — a really good album. Even with the lack of 17-minute JFK assassination songs.

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

He was a boy (who humps graves). She was a girl (who pissed off the Catholic Church). Could I make it any more obvious?

Are Sabrina Carpenter And Barry Keoghan Dating?

Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan and singer Sabrina Carpenter, who were first seen together last month, are reportedly dating. According to the Daily Mail, Keoghan was “set to go public with his rumored new girlfriend Sabrina at the Golden Globes on Monday, but ended up taking to the red carpet solo.” The actor was previously with Alyson Kierans, who he has a son with.

“Barry thought it was best that Alyson was the first to know about him and Sabrina so she wouldn’t be hurt if she found out on social media,” a source said. “He is spending a lot of time in the States… Alyson and Barry still communicate for the sake of [their son] Brando and he has been open about his new relationship.”

Keoghan addressed his relationship with Kierans in a GQ cover story (the same one where he revealed he almost died from flesh-eating disease). “She’s done a great job and she’s an incredible mother,” he said, but nothing more.

Carpenter opened for Taylor Swift during The Eras Tour, and will do so again when the tour resumes in February. If she takes Keoghan as her date, he can show off his dance moves.

With all five episodes of Echo now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, Marvel fans quickly dove into the TV-MA miniseries and were immediately rewarded with a badass cameo from Charlie Cox as Daredevil.

In the premiere episode, Maya goes to work for the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onoforio) where she’s tasked with helping two of his goons clear out a rival operation. After getting over her initial shock at the violence and bloodshed, Maya quickly proves herself to be a capable asset and even relishes taking out her adversaries. Outside of a few wounds, it’s a successful mission all around. Until Daredevil shows up.

Building on the already brutal choreography that was a staple of the Marvel Netflix series, Echo holds her own against Daredevil, which is no easy task. (Kingpin knows she’s something special after this encounter.) But our boy Charlie Cox is operating on another level and is considerably more agile than anything Marvel fans have seen before. People are loving it and started going wild on social media shortly after Echo started streaming.

You can see some of the reactions below and head to Disney+ for the full fight scene.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Streaming exclusively on Disney, the origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.

Echo is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

We are weeks away from MGMT‘s upcoming album, Loss Of Life. Ahead of the album, the indie duo has shared a new single, “Nothing To Declare.”

“Nothing To Declare” features the two at their highest form of self-actualization, as they’ve lived and seen through so much, they have nothing to prove anymore.

“Until I stumble like a drunkard back to town / Then I end up where you are / Keeping the sanctuary warm / Don’t ask me who I am / Don’t ask me where I was,” MGMT sings on the song’s chorus.

The song’s video, directed by Joey Frank, stars disability activist Inga Perry, who has grown a large following through TikTok by spreading awareness of issues within the disabled community. Perry, who was born with upper limb aplasia, spends a day walking through Paris, who wraps up her European excursion at the Louvre, where she sees the Venus De Milo statue.

“When I was first approached by Joey to do this project, it was the parallelism in his vision that first drew me in,” Petry said in a statement. “We listened to ‘Nothing To Declare’ as he took me through the concept of the video and I was met with the juxtaposition of beauty and melancholy. Having grown up with no arms, I have been watched my whole life. In some respects, the Venus de Milo has always felt analogous to my life, and specifically to the character I portray in this film. She’s adored, respected, and almost constantly surrounded by people, and yet she stands alone and her past is unknown. There have always been questions surrounding her arms and she has never had to answer or prove her worth. From my perspective, she has nothing to declare. Playing this character that is different, and not just because she doesn’t have arms, but by the way she handles the difference and still feeds on new curiosity was a really beautiful experience.”

Watch the “Nothing To Declare” video above.

Loss Of Life is out 2/23 via Mom + Pop. Find more information here.

Taylor Swift is many things: the most successful signer/songwriter of her generation, a box office star, a cat mom. But most of all, she’s a government PsyOp, at least according to a bonkers conspiracy theory shared by Fox News host Jesse Watters. “I like her music,” he said during Tuesday’s episode of Jesse Watters Primetime. “She’s all right, but I mean, have you ever wondered why or how she blew up like this?” Maybe because she’s talented? Nope. “Around four years ago, the Pentagon Psychological Operations Unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO meeting. What kind of asset? A PsyOp for combatting online misinformation,” Watters explained.

Mediaite reports that he then aired a video from the 2019 International Conference on Cyber Conflict of a woman on stage giving a presentation.

“You came in here wanting to understand how you just go out and counter the information operation,” she said. “The idea is that social influence can help — can help encourage or promote behavior change… So, potentially as like a peaceful information operation… I include Taylor Swift in here because she’s– she’s, you know, a fairly influential online person. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her.”

Once the clip was over, Watters revealed, “Yeah, that’s real. Pentagon’s PsyOp unit pitched NATO on turning Taylor Swift into an asset.” What he left out, however, is that “the woman giving the presentation was not a Pentagon employee. Her name is Alicia Marie Bargar, a research engineer in applied physics at Johns Hopkins University.” Seems like that would be important to mention. But the haters are gonna hate hate hate, am I right?

Watters later admitted he “obviously has no evidence” that Swift is “a front for a covert political agenda,” but “we’re curious.” And we’re curious how quickly Swift’s team is going to send a strongly worded letter threatening legal action.

(Via Mediaite)

Selena Gomez is taking another social media break, after sharing the news yesterday (January 9). The announcement comes just days after the Golden Globes, where a moment between Gomez and her bestie, Taylor Swift, went viral. The two had been filmed gossiping at the event, with Swift and Keleigh Teller being shocked by what Gomez revealed to them.

Many had then tried to figure out what the three friends were discussing. The prominent theory was that Gomez had asked Timothée Chalamet for a photo, and his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, said no. However, Gomez eventually shut the rumors down.

“Noooooo I told Taylor about two of my friends who hooked up,” Gomez wrote in an Instagram comment. “Not that that’s anyone business.”

Because of this, it seems she just wants to escape the rumor attention. “I’m off social media for a while,” Gomez shared in an Instagram Story, complete with a photo of her new boyfriend, Benny Blanco. “I’m focusing on what really matters.”

Fans are now trying to figure out which of Gomez’s friends hooked up. While we’ll probably never know, there is a hilarious rumor going around that two of her Only Murders In The Building co-stars could have been who she was talking about. Meryl Streep and Martin Short had been the suspected pair, but Short’s representative also shut the possibility down yesterday.

In less than a week, the first season of Love Island: All Stars will premiere for fans of the Love Island series to dive headfirst into. The All Stars season brings back some well-known names that appeared in various Love Island UK series and during an interview with The Mirror, Love Island’s Executive Producer Mike Spencer also revealed the changes to expect in the new season. The changes include the removal of Casa Amor this season and the reduction of the season from eight weeks to just five. Love Island: All Stars will be available to watch on ITV2 and ITVX, but where else can you watch the episodes?

Will Love Island: All Stars Be On Hulu?

Previous seasons of Love Island UK began to upload episodes to Hulu daily just two weeks after that season’s first episode. The same could happen with Love Island: All Stars, but that has yet to have been revealed by ITV or Hulu. In a press release officially announcing the Love Island: All Stars season, ITV wrote, ” Love Island: All Stars will launch across ITV1, ITV2, STV, and ITVX,” adding, “Love Island: All Stars will continue to resume on ITV2 and ITVX for the remainder of the series.”

With that being said, we’ll have to wait a bit to learn of any plans for Love Island: All Stars to land on Hulu or any other streaming platform.

‘Love Island: All Stars’ premieres on Monday, January 15 at 9 pm GMT/4 pm EST/1 pm PST via simulcast on ITV1, ITV2, and ITVX.

We know Olivia Rodrigo now as one of the world’s biggest music stars, forging her own rock-inspired path in the pop scene. Day-one fans, though, know that her first brushes with fame came as a child actor, leading the Disney shows Bizaardvark (from 2016 to 2019) and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019 to 2022).

While music has been her primary focus over the past few years, Rodrigo seems eager to get back to doing some acting.

During an interview at the Academy’s Governors Awards last night (January 9), Rodrigo told Variety, “I love movies, I love telling stories. I really want to do a coming-of-age thing, maybe before I’m actually of age. Maybe I am of age already.” She added, “I just love telling stories, whether than be in a song or movie, that’s really something that really excites me.”

She also noted that she’d like to collaborate with Noah Kahan, saying, “I think he’s so great and he’s very inspiring. One of these days.”

Rodrigo, meanwhile, is coming off a super successful 2023. Her sophomore album Guts was a major hit, as it went No. 1 and yielded the chart-topping single “Vampire” and the top-10 hit “Bad Idea Right?.” She’s also on the list of artists rumored to be headlining Coachella this year, although that has yet to be confirmed.

About a month ago now, Seth Meyers hosted Dua Lipa for what has become one of his most beloved Late Night segments, in which he and a celebrity guest spend some time day drinking together. At the end of their segment, it was noted that Dua wasn’t doing too hot with all the alcohol and actually had to leave the shoot early.

Well, Lipa returned to Late Night yesterday (January 9), where she and Meyers had a post-mortem on what happened and took care of some unfinished business, including getting the matching tattoos they initially planned to have done while day drinking.

Before that, though, they had an interview, in which Dua broke down what happened on the fateful day. She explained that during a lunch break, she took to the bar bathroom, where she promptly fell asleep before her team pulled the plug on the shoot and got her out of there in a wheelchair.

Later in the show, Meyers and Lipa did a couple things they didn’t get to do while day drinking. First there was the Barbie Dreamhouse shot luge, and then there was the ink. Celebrity tattoo artist Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy was on hand to do the deed, and while Lipa noted she already has some tattoos, this was Meyers’ first. So, he seemed relatively nervous about the whole thing, but he ultimately went through with it, matching Lipa’s small ankle tattoo of a star with one of his own, but on his calf.

Check out the clips above.