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You already know if you are going to play Madden 24 or not. Honestly, you already know if you are going to play Madden 25 or not. The thing about Madden that makes it so difficult to talk about in the modern world of video games is that it is such a mainstay, such a constant force in the video game calendar. As long as the game reaches the quality of playable then people are going to buy it, they are going to sink hours into it, and it doesn’t actually matter if it’s as good as the games that many of us have such nostalgia for.

That’s why Madden 24 is what you choose to make of it, because I’ve been playing a lot of Madden 24 since it released and I am having a good time. I have an online franchise going with friends, we talk smack, make trades, put together dream teams, and get upset whenever Madden glitches occurs. The other day Justin Fields threw a pass to D.J. Moore and Moore’s knee hit the ground with the ball flying out of his hands like it was ejected via a spring. The commentary responded as if he had dropped the ball while the game itself gave him a first down. I’m unsure who was correct, but I was very mad about it. What I’m not as mad about is the feel of everything. I think players run the way they should, passes go where I want them to, and a big hit feels big. Madden 23 was in my opinion a step forward in this department and I’m happy to see that Madden 24 has built on that without breaking it.

I like how much of the game has cut away from the stuff that used to get in the way of me playing football. Franchise mode is relatively streamlined into a nice routine of adjusting weekly strategy, doing training, upgrading players and staff, playing the game, and repeating. There are dynamic objectives to make the season feel unique with players gaining superstar statuses or talking about how they want to improve, and while the interactions themselves feel fake, they at least give you something to strive for so not every game feels the same. Unfortunately, the PC version in particular has dealt with some sluggish menus that are supposedly going to get updated in a patch. My powerful gaming PC struggled to run the game until I adjusted settings to make the graphics look worse, but at least it’s running relatively smoothly now. I don’t have too much issue getting into a game as fast as I want to, and for a sports video game that is more important than anything else.

Even Superstar mode feels like it’s been more streamlined. Most of the cutscenes and weird plotlines are gone, and getting drafted to a team takes maybe 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much time you want to spend on the combine minigames. Those minigames, as well as the ones that you do in training, were a big selling point for this year because they were extremely popular back in the PS2/Xbox era of these games. They’re pretty fun, but extremely shallow. Maybe the originals were always this shallow, but I found myself skipping doing them because they would take away from the football games I wanted to play.

With Superstar letting you choose from being a QB, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, or cornerback, you’re free to live out whatever dream you want as long as you enjoy the grind of the game. Superstar maybe needs an overhaul even more than Franchise at this point in terms of giving you something to do, but if you want to role play yourself as a shutdown, smack-talking corner then this is the perfect game mode for you. Like everything else, it’s about what you choose to make of it.

Madden 24 made some small improvements over 23. I don’t know if it’s enough of one to justify the $70 price tag, but that isn’t going to actually deter those who want to play it. It’s a fun enough experience and I personally am enjoying myself. To add some personality to every game, my friends and I created custom coaches and give guys random motivations or personality traits. We’ve already had someone relocate a team to Australia but dressed them in traditional American colors because it’s fun to be silly like that. Do I suggest you go out and buy Madden 24 yourself? Only if that’s what you already want to do, because you already know what you’re going to get out of this. It’s Madden. It’s not changing. So make what you want out of it.

A review copy of Madden 24 was provided to UPROXX for this review. The game was played on a PC.

Miley Cyrus has been confessing lots in her TikTok series in support of her “Used To Be Young” single. From having to pay for her Bangerz tour by herself to her house burning down when she was overseas filming Black Mirror, the pop star has stories.

In a new clip, the “Flowers” singer talked about her skit for the 2015 VMAs that involved her grandmother baking edibles with Snoop Dogg. “I knew I really wanted a couple things in the show,” she said. “I wanted the Flaming Lips, I wanted drag queens, I wanted my grandma, and I wanted my pig in the show. So Snoop Dogg was the perfect kinda like connection.”

She continued, “It’s my grandma doing what grandmas do — baking cookies — but what she doesn’t know is that they were actual edibles. RIP, she’ll never know.”

Her mother Trish added, “Oh, except on the ride there, cause I’m bringing Mom to the set and they give her her apron, [she asked] ‘Why does this say — my name’s not Mary Jane!’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, Mom.’”

“Used To Be Young” comes as she’s celebrating 10 years of her controversial album Bangerz. Earlier this year, she unveiled her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation.

The public knows Jimmy Fallon as the giggling, everything-is-great late-night host. But to those who worked on The Tonight Show, he could be “dismissive,” “irritable,” and “erratic.”

Rolling Stone spoke to two current and 14 former employees about The Tonight Show‘s “toxic” environment, and how those who worked with Fallon never knew if they were going to get a “good Jimmy” or “bad Jimmy” day. “Mentally, I was in the lowest place of my life,” one former staffer said. “I didn’t want to live anymore. I thought about taking my own life all the time. I knew deep down I would never actually do it, but in my head, I’m like, ‘Why do I think about this all the time?’”

Here’s an example of a “bad Jimmy” day, involving Jerry Seinfeld:

Two employees remember witnessing Fallon scold the crew member who was in charge of his cue cards in the middle of a taping with comedian Jerry Seinfeld. They say it was an uncomfortable moment. Seinfeld told Fallon to apologize to the cue-card production member, which he then allegedly did. The employees say this incident, which felt awkward to watch, did not make it to the version of the show that appeared on television.

“It was very awkward, and Jerry was like, ‘You should apologize to him,’ almost trying to make it a joke,” one says. “It was one of the strangest moments ever and so many people were there, so it’s kind of hard to forget.”

The Tonight Show has cycled through nine showrunners in the past nine years, leading to not only inconsistency in leadership but also a “pretty glum atmosphere” where people are afraid to tell Fallon “no.” One person who worked on the show said, “Everybody walked on eggshells… You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit. Look how many showrunners went so quickly. We know they didn’t last long.”

“It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone’s day is f*cked,” another former employee said. “People wouldn’t joke around in the office, and they wouldn’t stand around and talk to each other. It was very much like, focus on whatever it is that you have to do because Jimmy’s in a bad mood, and if he sees that, he might fly off.” You can read the entire expose at Rolling Stone.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Before Drake kicked off his and 21 Savage’s It’s All A Blur Tour in July, he staged an intimate “victory lap” concert at the legendary Apollo Theater in January. The It’s All A Blur Tour setlist and the Apollo show’s setlist each boast 40-plus songs, which is a roundabout way of stating the obvious: Drake has put out a lot of music.

Even so, Dennis Graham, Drake’s dad, feels comfortable in saying his son’s forthcoming For All The Dogs album will rank among Drake’s best-ever offerings.

“I had the pleasure of sitting in my Son’s dressing room and listening to this new album and I must say that it is some of the best music that I’ve heard him do, and I am sure that every Drake fan throughout the entire world is going feel this one,” Graham captioned an Instagram photo of the For All The Dogs artwork, drawn by Drake’s five-year-old son, Adonis. “Everything about For All The Dogs is what we’ve been waiting for, Congratulations Son I really feel this one.”

Drake left a comment saying, “Thanks dad [three smiley-with-sunglasses emojis] I was so happy you loved it.”

Earlier on Wednesday night, September 6, Drake confirmed September 22 as the release date for For All The Dogs with a throwback video of Graham, also known as “Cousin Dennis,” performing a cover of Albert King’s “Crosscut Saw.”

See both posts below.

Rihanna, otherwise known as “the hottest person to ever exist” in the eyes of Billie Eilish, just announced what will assuredly become the hottest sneakers of Fall 2023.

On Thursday morning, September 7, Rihanna and Puma jointly revealed their first collaboration since Puma confirmed a partnership with Rihanna’s Fenty earlier this year.

“we are back…,” states the caption of an Instagram post showing Rihanna rocking all-black in a soccer (or football) ball-themed room. “reintroducing the Avanti. available Sept. 15 at puma.com & select retailers globally.”

On March 1, Puma confirmed the Fenty X Puma partnership by posting an Instagram photo with “She’s back” written above the respective logos for Fenty and Puma. “Coming soon,” the caption teased.

“While the musician-turned-mogul’s laid-back announcement may have been predictably Rihanna, the news itself is anything but predictable,” Vogue relayed at that time. “Rihanna’s relationship with Puma stretches back almost a decade: first joining the brand as creative director in 2014, she then released a series of sell-out sneakers and staged a number of shows at New York Fashion Week, receiving positive reviews from critics and customers alike. Her most recent collection for Puma was released in 2017, with the collaboration going on an unannounced hiatus while Rihanna pursued other projects.”

As captured by Highsnobiety in June, Rihanna told us without telling us what was to come with Puma by wearing the King Avanti silhouette while out and about.

And this week, Puma posted a video of Rihanna on set, being asked, “Do you have an idea where you’re going next?” She playfully responded, “Um, I mean, I know where I’m going next, but I can’t tell you that. What’s the fun in that?”

Donald Trump and Ann Coulter are locked in a war of words. The former president recently unloaded on the right-wing provocateur, who he referred to as “hostile” and a “stone cold loser.” Coulter gave it right back by accusing Trump of being too scared to do an interview with her, only she used much stronger words than “scared” and in all-caps, his preferred reading style.

“Trump begged me to come to Bedminster this week,” Coulter tweeted in response to Trump’s latest Truth Social screed. “I said only if I could record a substack with him, but the GIGANTIC P***Y is too afraid of me, so instead he did this.”

Trump attacked Coulter on Wednesday after she wrote a Facebook post praising Ron DeSantis as the only presidential candidate who will “use our military to defend Americans.” That was clearly enough to set Trump off.

“Ann Coulter, the washed up political ‘pundit’ who predicted my win in 2016, then went unbearably crazy with her demands and wanting to be a part of everything, to the consternation of all, has gone hostile and angry with every bit of her very ‘nervous’ energy. Like many others, I just didn’t want her around – She wasn’t worth the trouble!” Trump ranted.

A few moments later, he fired off another insult: “Page 2: Has been Ann Coulter is a Stone Cold Loser!!!”

Despite her far-right credentials, Coulter has been an outspoken critic of Trump. She’s previously called him a “liar and a con man,” and just last month, she referred to the former president as a “gigantic baby” while declaring he won’t be the Republican nominee.

(Via Ann Coulter on Twitter)

Earlier this week, the world learned that Joe Jonas (34) filed for divorce from Game Of Thrones star Sophie Turner (27), and very quickly, a “source with direct knowledge” spread the word to TMZ that this was all down to differing lifestyles that simply won’t jibe: “She likes to party, he likes to stay at home.”

The Internet then recalled that Sophie, during the pandemic, called herself a natural “homebody” and “introvert.” Then people started taking sides, and it’s gotten a bit ugly (despite a joint statement), as divorce tends to do. However, divorce in the public eye certainly adds another layer of emotions (and possible embarrassment over so-called “dirty laundry”), and Emily Ratajkowski is seemingly here to weigh in on the matter.

On TikTok, EmRata mentioned neither Sophie nor Joe by name, but she appears to be letting Sophie know that there are bright days ahead, especially considering that she’s still “got your whole life still ahead of you.” Also, being divorced at a young age means that you’re “still hot,” among other advantages to realizing that a relationship simply is not working out:

“So, it seems that a lot of young ladies are getting divorced before they turn 30. As someone who got married at 26 [who] has been separated for a little over a year [at] 32, I have to tell you, I don’t think there’s anything better … There is nothing better than being in your 30s, still being hot, maybe having a little bit of your own money, figuring out what you want to do with your life [and] everything, and having tried that married fantasy and realizing that it’s maybe not all it’s cracked up to be.”

Is this a bad thing for Sophie? No way, Emily appears to be saying. She feels pretty strongly, actually: “It’s good… Congratulations.”

This checks out — Emily previously spoke about divorce not being “a sad thing” because she thinks it’s highly preferable than people staying “unhappily married for a very long time because they’re so afraid of divorce.” In other words, Emily’s keeping her brand of relationship philosphy strong, and good on ya, Sophie Turner.

On Wednesday, September 6, Kourtney Kardashian Barker shared that her “urgent fetal surgery” was the reason behind Travis Barker, her husband since May 2022, abruptly leaving Blink-182’s reunion tour last weekend. Thankfully, the Barkers’ unborn child is “in [her] tummy and safe,” allowing for us to comfortably turn our collective attention back to something Tom DeLonge posted on August 25.

“@blink182 music video(s) and album are only weeks (days) away,” DeLonge wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “We are finally here.”

Also on Wednesday, Blink-182 indicated an exciting development. A portion of the iconic pop-punk band’s official website features the pop-up message, “SITE CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE.” Once you click “OKAY,” you’re met with a video showing a man wearing a hazmat suit in a bathroom stall. Blink-182 classics blare from his headphones as he cleans the urinals and scrubs graffiti from the wall. The graffiti relays several Easter egg-like messages, such as “Employees Must Connect To Spotify” and “Text 323-831-0182 For A Good Time.” And it wouldn’t be Blink-182 without a penis drawing, so there’s that as well.

Fans accounts captured the intriguing activity, which includes posters spotted in Toronto displaying the Blink logo below “One More Time…,” and both lie atop purported lyrics, “Do I have to die to hear you miss me?/ Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye?/ I don’t want to act like there’s tomorrow/ I don’t want to wait to do this one more time.”

DeLonge reunited with Barker and Mark Hoppus to jumpstart a new Blink era last October. The band’s only release so far since then is “Edging.” See all of their remaining reunion tour dates here.

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Doja Cat‘s new album Scarlet is finally weeks away from its release, after an album cover change and the singles “Attention,” “Paint The Town Red,” and “Demons.”

On Wednesday (September 6), the Victoria’s Secret World Tour had its launch event where stars hung out on the Pink Carpet. Doja revealed more about Scarlet in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the event.

“One thing that I wanted to mention was that I have music that came out — these three songs came out, these were the first three songs I made during the period that I was making music,” she said. “And then there’s a second half where I went to Malibu and I made all this music in ten days. That half is very different from the first half.”

When the interview asked it was different, Doja said, “I can’t tell you. But I am excited that it’s coming out soon. It’s two periods.”

This eclecticism in the album makes sense after she previously called the album rap, rave-influenced, R&B, and punk. “This new album is more introspective, but I’m not leaning so hard into that to where it becomes boring,” she said last month.

Scarlet is out 9/22 via RCA. Find more information here.

It was the Frost/Nixon that 2023 deserves: Tucker Carlson interviewing a convicted “con artist” who claims he did crack and had sex with Barack Obama in the late 1990s, as was the style at the time.

Carlson spoke to Larry Sinclair, who alleged that in 1999, “I had given Barack $250 to pay for coke, I start putting a line on a CD tray to snort and next thing I know he’s got a little pipe and he’s smoking it.” The Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair: Cocaine, Sex, Lies & Murder? author added, “So I just started rubbing my hand along his thighs to see where it was going, and it went the direction I had intended it to go.” The 40-minute interview is available on X — or better yet, you can skip it and watch this highlight instead.

“Crack it.”

Is it fair to judge an interview by an out-of-context clip? No. Should we take seriously a man who’s been convicted of fraud sharing his long-debunked tales about doing drugs and having sex with someone who hasn’t been president for seven years? Also no. Even Elon Musk, of all people, seems to think so.

“Mr Sinclair is not super convincing. Pics or…” he wrote on X. In another whatever-the-f*ck-tweets-are-called-now, he added, “Of course, the probability that his claims are true would have to rest on objective evidence, rather than claims made by someone with a dubious history.”

If Elon is doubting your claims…