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Nothing says starting fresh and clean like gutting out a restaurant and introducing a thoughtful chaos menu!

The Bear will return next month with a slew of new changes, both inside and out, for Carmy and Co. The restaurant team is hard at work giving the place a much-needed facelift, as long as they can keep their investors on board and their chefs in line. Should be easy and stress-free, much like the rest of the show.

The series stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy, who is working to build back his family restaurant after the death of his brother. White stars alongside Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Edwin Lee Gibson, and Abby Elliott, who are all working together to get the place up and running, no matter what it takes, even if it’s some misspelled merch. Would anyone eat at a place called The Berf?

Bob Odenkirk was recently announced as a guest star for this season, along with Shiva Baby’s Molly Gordon, who will play a mysterious girl from Carmy’s past. Maybe we will see Carmy finally get it on. Though it sure seems like he’s got enough on his plate. Literally. There are some weird things on that plate.

Thanks to the success of the first season, season two will have two more episodes than its predecessor, and all 10 of them will be dropping at once on June 22nd on Hulu. Check out the trailer above.

Ron DeSantis is getting thoroughly dragged for his remarks while signing a controversial new bill that effectively bans diversity, equality, and inclusion from public colleges and universities in Florida. The governor, who’s currently imperiled the state’s economy thanks to his ongoing feud with Disney, championed his education initiative that will focus Florida universities on “the basics” unlike those hoity-toity elite colleges favored by coastal elites.

“DEI would be better called discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,” DeSantis said. “What this bill says is that this whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in Florida.”

Via Orlando Sentinel:

DEI initiatives, generally designed to increase participation and promote opportunities for underrepresented groups, include academic courses focusing on women writers and LGBTQ+ history and aid for disadvantaged students.

“If you want to do things like gender ideology, go to Berkeley,” DeSantis said. “But for us, with our tax dollars, we want to focus on the classical mission of what a university is supposed to be.”

What makes DeSantis’ remarks particularly interesting is the fact that the governor attended both Yale and Harvard, which are about as coastal and elite as it gets when it comes to universities. Not only that, but both institutions are committed to DEI. Shortly after touting a return to basics in Florida, DeSantis was roundly roasted on Twitter as users made it a point to highlight the governor’s alma maters.

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via Orlando Sentinel)

Lizzo first teased an upcoming cameo on The Simpsons in February, and Entertainment Weekly reported at the time that her appearance would take place during the iconic animated series’ Season 34 finale. The finale is slated for this Sunday, May 21, so Lizzo heightened the anticipated by sharing a clip.

“Every Icon has been on @thesimpsons — now I can add my name to the list,” she captioned her Instagram post. “Thank you to the whole team for making this a dream come true (yes I’m wearing @yitty and playing @sashabfluting)!!!!!”

Sasha Flute’s (Lizzo’s beloved flute, for those not in the know) official Instagram account also posted, “Ok…. How do I say this w out gettin too cocky…. IM OFFICIALLY THE MOST FAMOUS FLUTE IN D WORLD. WE ARE TRULY WINNING FLOOT GANG.”

In the clip, Lizzo explains to Homer that she is “a projection of your psyche” because he’s “in the middle of a very traumatic life event.” They’re joined in a studio by Bart and Lisa. Bart (and melodically) slaps Homer across the face. “This beat is fire!” Lizzo says. “Hey, Lisa, how about I get Sasha Flute, you get your saxomaphone, and we jam?” And that’s exactly what they do.

Better still, the Grammy-winning, banger-generating singer who also plays a mean flute will be seen and heard in not just one but two roles in this season’s final episode. You can get a peek at both of them via these first-look images.

EW explained the context of the episode in February:

“‘Homer’s Adventure Through the Windshield Glass’ is a bit of a form-breaker for the long-running animated Fox comedy, as the entire episode takes place in the few seconds that Homer goes flying through the windshield of his car during an accident.

‘We had this idea for a long time, and it always felt like a pipe dream, but then we figured out a way to do it,” executive producer Tim Long tells EW. ‘Then the issue from a story point of view is: ‘Who is he going to talk to?’ We thought, ‘Well, his incredibly messy car is going to be filled with children’s toys and stuff.’ So she’s playing this happy little elf doll that comes to life and becomes his spirit guide.’”

Long also shared that Lizzo “sang the hell out of” a song written for the episode titled “It Was Marge B*tch.” Fittingly, Lizzo dressed up as Marge Simpson for Halloween last year.

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

When Coi Leray dropped her new single “Players,” it occurred to several observers that it’d be the perfect tune for a partnership with the WNBA. Well, those observers were clearly onto something, as the song appears in a new preview for the 2023 season. Coi also appears via voiceover to detail all the ways the WNBA is “more than a game.”

“This league is a sisterhood,” she asserts. “It’s way more than just a game; it’s an empire — a fearless empire. More sideswiping steals: Check. We got hoops, drive, and passion. Easy! More buckets, extra sauce? Order up! More dimension-defying dimes, more dancing than a Saturday night — now this is what I call primetime.” As she speaks, highlights from past seasons of WNBA action play out with incredible VFX.

While “Players” has been a success for Coi, with multiple remixes including one featuring Busta Rhymes, the New Jersey rapper has continued to roll out new music, including the singles “Bops” and “My Body.” While she said the music industry is oversaturated, she’s clearly not afraid to mix it up, making sure she has plenty of opportunities to stand out.

Meanwhile, the WNBA is set for one of its biggest seasons to date after an exciting draft packed with college superstars (and a thrilling NCAA championship tournament that proved the power of women’s hoops) and a new television deal. A wild offseason saw some big names change cities and make splashy headlines, so more eyes than ever will be on the ever-growing league.

Jason Momoa was surprised about the lack of “drama” on the Fast X set, but he does have one complaint: LET THE MAN DRIVE, fast and/or furiously.

“My only one maybe like bummer of the whole thing,” the actor told Cinema Blend, “is I didn’t get to drive more, which is gonna change in the next one. That’ll be my massive request, is going like, ‘I would love to go to driving school.’ I would love to go learn that stuff.” Momoa is a Motorcycle Guy and figures he did “80 percent of the motorcycle stuff, which is great and I’m super happy that they trusted me to do it.” But “I really would love to drive more.”

Helen Mirren got her wish. Now it’s Momoa’s turn.

“It’s hard and they had so much to shoot,” he continued. “So a lot of that stuff like is in studio, but I want to drive more, man. So next one, when we come back I was just like, ‘I love it.’ So I’m hoping in the next one I can do a lot more driving.” He’ll probably even do it naked, if you ask nicely.

Fast X opens this week. Read our interview with director Louis Leterrier here.

(Via Cinema Blend)

Lance Reddick, the veteran actor who was best known for his roles in The Wire and John Wick, passed away in March, but in the months since, has received enough praise from co-stars for a lifetime. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne have both remarked on how beloved Reddick was and now, another co-star, Jack Harlow, has chimed in.

Reddick and Harlow both appear in White Men Can’t Jump, which is also Harlow’s film debut. Despite his relative inexperience, Harlow told Entertainment Tonight (via The Hollywood Reporter that he did get to work with the veteran actor and considered him “an absolute pleasure to be around.”

“I got about two days on set with Lance,” Harlow said. “I’m so glad you brought the legend up. Rest in peace to Lance.”

Harlow also talked about being bitten by the acting bug as a result of his work on the basketball remake, saying, “It felt good! It makes me hungry, I want more. I want to keep going. It’s just a taste, and it was great, but I’m excited to keep moving.” He’s doing just that; despite the Hulu premiere for White Men Can’t Jump still being a few days away, Harlow has already secured his next gig: a role in The Instigators alongside Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.

The streaming audience’s obsession with true crime is nothing new, but we’ve reached a point where actual true-crime series are starting to turn the genre on its head. This presents the opportunity for dramatizations to have some fun, too, which is the spirit of Peacock’s upcoming Based on a True Story show.

Starring the previously underestimated Kaley Cuoco after her The Flight Attendant success, Kaley plays a woman who is so enthralled with true crime narratives that she finds a local serial killer’s proximity to be “exciting.” Also as shown in the above trailer, she gets a little hot and bothered with her husband while they embark upon solving a murder mystery. This series arrives from producers of The Boys and Ozark, if that tells you anything about how twisted things might get. From the synopsis:

Based On A True Story follows a realtor, a former tennis star and a plumber who seize a unique opportunity to capitalize on America’s obsession with true crime. Emmy Award nominee Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant) stars as ‘Ava Bartlett,’ alongside Chris Messina (Air) and Tom Bateman (Thirteen Lives) in your next obsession.

Based On A True Story will stream eight episodes for the binging on June 8.

Janelle Monáe is firmly in control within the rollout of their forthcoming LP The Age Of Pleasure. As Uproxx’s Aaron Williams put it, “It’s the story of America, of being Black, of being queer, of being non-binary, and always fighting to be seen, to be heard, and to not just survive in a hostile world but thrive.”

All eyes are on Monáe after the release of “Lipstick Lover” and its salacious video. Cardi B was inspired to share a very NSFW post, Monáe’s mother had questions about her daughter’s “nude booty,” and Jason Isbell didn’t understand how anybody could possibly criticize the “Lipstick Lover” video because “there are some things we all just agree is awesome.”

SZA sides with Isbell. She commented on an RNB RADAR Instagram post about “Lipstick Lover,” expressing admiration for Monáe’s “self-renaissance.” (It should also be noted that The Age Of Pleasure is due out June 9, aka 6/9, which is very likely not coincidental.)

“I love that it’s HER being free rn because people LOVE to box women in and claim that because your articulate respected and intelligent [eye-rolling emoji],” SZA wrote. “You can’t show your body or be sexual or anything else lol . It’s a ridiculous notion and I’m ALL FOR HER SELF RENAISSANCE [hearts-as-eyes emoji].”

Monáe also repurposed a clip from the “Lipstick Lover” video as a Mother’s Day tribute on Sunday, May 14. See their post below.

The Age Of Pleasure is out 6/9 via Wondaland Arts Society/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.

Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Fast X ends on a cliffhanger. Louis Leterrier, directing his first Fast movie (his previous movies include Now You See Me and The Incredible Hulk), very much wants you to know this as it upends basically how every other recent Fast movie ends. This isn’t like Tokyo Drift, where in the final moments we see the return of Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto, with the promise of more adventures to come. Fast X literally ends in the middle of a scene. There’s a very good chance the viewer won’t even see it coming. But this is all very much a part of the plan. And as Leterrier tells us, there is definitely a plan.

To emphasize this, the patented Fast family cookout happens at the beginning of the movie this time. Just after we watch some retconned scenes from Fast Five, Leterrier’s favorite installment. Dom and Brian (Paul Walker, using footage from Fast 5) are stealing the safe from the drug lord, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). What we don’t see in Fast Five and see now is Reyes has a son, Dante (Jason Momoa, who is really going for it) and he’s held a grudge all these years or what Dom and his crew did to his father. Now Dante is out for revenge, setting a plan in motion to frame Dom and his Family for a bombing in Rome, turning the whole crew into international outlaws.

Directing Fast movies seems like a daunting task – the set pieces; the stunts; a large amount of famous people, all with their own egos – it’s no wonder most of the past times I’ve spoken to directors for these movies, they all sound like five years have been taken off their lives. Heck, Justin Lin, who had directed five previous movies in this franchise abruptly left Fast X (he is still a credited screenwriter), to be replaced, while filming had already started, by Leterrier. For his part, Leterrier was hestitent to even begin talks because he had almost directed Fast 8, then things fell apart and he didn’t want to go through that again. But he says his experience on Fast X was the best of his career. And he’s slated to wrap up the franchise by directed the 11th and final film.

Speaking of that 11th film, before this interview happened, I was, let’s say, reminded that Leterrier would not be discussing spoilers or rumors about the next installment multiple times.

I want to start off by talking about spoilers and rumors for the next installment.

[Laughs] Okay, good.

I think it’d be a wise business decision if you just told me how this whole thing ends, so I can just put that on the internet.

I know. I think it’s the best thing, right? You should do that.

After watching 10 of these movies now, I’ve come to the decision: Dom Toretto is a great driver.

Well, if you can drive down a dam, that’s it. That was, for me, the ultimate test. That should be in every driver’s test.

Multiple times he’s driven a car out of an airplane and survived. So once you can do that…

That’s easy.

That’s second nature now.

You know that. Yeah.

How does this work for you? Justin Lin leaves. Do you just hear the news? Or do they come to you?

There’s a phone call. I didn’t hear the news. I was finishing a movie and I was in the midst of it. And then my phone rang and it was Peter Cramer, the head of production at Universal. We were in touch, but he doesn’t call me often. And I texted him, “Oh, you must have butt-dialed me. Nice to hear from you.”

That would be funny if it was a butt-dial. It’s like, “You know what? As long as I have you on the line…”

Yeah, it might have been a butt-dial. He had explained to me the situation… Well, he tells me that Justin ended, he didn’t tell me the situation. And he said, “But anyway, we’re looking for a new director because we started shooting and we need you to come.” And it was not like handing me the keys to the kingdom. It was more like, “Are you available? Would you be interested? Can you read the script?” I said yes to all three.

I was into the idea of this Fast and Furious, reversed. Starting with the barbecue, going down, and finishing with a cliffhanger, and keep going. I had tons of questions for them. And we get on the call with the producers and I tell them what I thought and what I had in mind. And it went well and I went to another round of producers, then to the studio. Spoke to the cast and finished with Vin. And every time I was having one of those Zoom calls, everybody was in England, the meetings were getting better and better and better. So much so, that I was like, “I might get it.”

To tell you the truth, I have been very close. I’ve been… not burned. Not burned, but I’ve been very close to getting The Fast and the Furious once or twice in my life. And it didn’t happen.

So you’re thinking you’ve been down this road before. And I don’t want to go through this again and get my hopes up and then it doesn’t happen.

I’ve been down this road before. I mean, literally, there was one of the Fast and the Furious where I had the job, and then something happened and I didn’t have the job.

Which one was that?

It was Fast 8.

The one F. Gary Gray did, right?

Yeah. The one that Gary did. I thought my heart would be broken again, so I didn’t get attached.

But then you got two of them.

Yeah. Exactly. Well, I mean, not exactly. This one was supposed to be one movie. And then I got the job and then it scared me tremendously, because there was no prep and this movie was truly massive.

But in a weird way, isn’t that almost less pressure? Like, “Hey, you’re throwing me into the fire here. I haven’t had prep or anything.” If something goes wrong on a certain day, you’ve kind of got an actual excuse.

Yes, but there’s no movie that says, “Blah, blah blah. Oh, we didn’t have enough money. Oh, blah blah, blah.”

That’s true. Before the movie, it didn’t start out like, “Keep in mind folks…”

“Keep in mind, we don’t have this, but it’s good enough.” No one cares.

That’s a good point.

You know what I mean? So that’s very scary when you do this. I was like, okay. Well, it could end my career or I can do what I’ve always wanted to do and raise to the challenge, and actually get that and do it. I thought about it and, well, my wife pushed me. I mean, literally, I was dipping my toes in, and she pushed me into the deep end, and I was on the deep end.

I think that was good advice. I think you have to take the Fast and Furious movie offer.

Well, sure, you want to do The Fast and Furious movies, but you don’t want to do the worst one of the franchise. You know? You want to do the one that kills it all? The one that sort of says, “They were great, and then this Frenchie came.”

And on the other side of it too, every time I’ve interviewed a director of a Fast and Furious movie, they sound like they’ve lost five years off the end of their lives. To be fair, you don’t. But it seems like an exhausting experience.

It was the greatest. I’m not BS-ing you, this was the greatest experience of my life. I had the greatest time. Best crew, best cast, best studio. Everything was like, wow, I’m having the time of my life.

That’s great.

I loved it. I loved it. It was great. I think you can see it in the movie. There’s a sense of fun and excitement and everything, so I brought it forward. Immediately Vin and I clicked. The rest of the cast and I clicked. And we just got to work. And we just work, work, work, work, work.

I don’t mean that in a negative way, but you’re not joking around when you say it ends on a cliffhanger. Michelle Rodriguez even said, “You’re going to feel so cheated in a way, but then so gratified and excited about what’s to come.”

It really ends on a cliffhanger. But I would have not accepted, I think no one would’ve accepted this, had we not gone all the way to the end of the franchise. What we’ve got, as we were on set, is basically understanding where this franchise will end. And then, because we know that, we’re able to not only create this cliffhanger, but also seed all the elements that we’re going to need to fully arc out this whole franchise. And on what we hope is going to be a very satisfying ending. Sad, but satisfying. And then, we’re able to do all that stuff, because we knew where we were going. If you don’t know where you’re going, it’s impossible. I never understand how movies can be greenlit without that. I’m like, okay, you’re heading towards a catastrophe.

Well, like Star Wars. People weren’t happy with the third one of that trilogy.

Yeah, exactly. And then they reinvented the wheel and everything. I mean, Star Wars is a different thing, but I feel like here you know where it ends. Plus, also taste-wise, I know what I love about the franchise and what I want to push forth. So I was very much about that, about characters, about bringing back the reality, bringing back the cars and the racing, and all that stuff. Yeah, I agree with Michelle. Don’t go to see this movie like any regular Fast and Furious movie. The emotion will not be the same.

You’ve mentioned that Fast Five is your favorite, is that correct?

Oh, yeah.

Why? Also, did you make Fast Five a big part of this movie? Or was that already in?

No. That was already there. That’s why, when I read this script, I was like, oh, my God! And it’s Fast Five, too! And I get to reshoot that?! Fast Five is amazing.

I agree. I love Fast Five.

Justin was able to take a franchise that was really good. It’s like four, five, six … really, that’s a trilogy within the thing. But I think really Five is like his The Empire Strikes Back. And he was able to expand it. it’s very interesting. It’s kind of like a contrazoom. He was able to expand the scope and, at the same time, zoom in on the characters.

That’s a very, very difficult thing to do for the number five of a franchise. Where you completely change it and you reinvent this. It’s sort of like reinventing the wheel, but, at the same time, it’s more satisfying than had you stayed on the same course. And you go back, and you zoom in on the characters, and they’re evolving, and they have new challenges – personal challenges, babies are being born, friends are dying. It’s not about them, it’s about a greater cause. It’s really interesting, frankly. And the filmmaking is exquisite. I mean it’s just, it’s incredible.

What was it like for you to put Paul Walker up on screen again? I got kind of a little emotional seeing him again. It was so cool to see him playing Brian again on the big screen, with obviously, to be clear, old footage.

He’s such an important presence and to bring him back was emotional and needed. And just because he’s still alive in the franchise, we wanted to celebrate Brian and celebrate who… I mean, there’s so much Paul Walker in our movie here. There are unspoken scenes, emotional scenes when they talk about – there’s a lot of reverence to Paul in this movie. Meadow Walker is in the movie, she plays the stewardess. There’s so much Paul. That was an emotional moment. I was never lucky to get to know Paul, but his presence is felt. Like the moment you enter the Fast universe, you feel his presence. Everything is about Paul Walker. Even yesterday, I was at the car shop where we built all our cars, and there was his Supra there. Like he was there. Paul, his presence, is felt and honored. I wanted to pay homage. That’s it.

Well, the way this ends, I’m very much looking forward to the next one. Have to find out what happens.

[Laughs] That was the plan.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Every now and then a Tweet goes viral clowning Ed Sheeran’s everyman appearance juxtaposed against Beyoncé’s shimmering grandeur at the 2018 Global Citizen Festival: Mandel 100 concert. That snapshot of the two Grammy-winning superstars has spawned a litany of discourse that has been recycled and repackaged too many times to count. Nonetheless, it’s a smart entry point into understanding how Ed Sheeran approaches the concept of image, and how those choices inform his revelatory, and sometimes monotonous, new album – (Subtract).

From his 2011 debut, Ed Sheeran has maneuvered the pop music scene as the red-haired acoustic singer-songwriter antithesis to the teen-pop froth of Justin Bieber, the moody genre mutations of The Weeknd, and the traditionalist showmanship of Bruno Mars. When it came to Ed, the shiny costumes and bombastic choreography of his contemporaries were replaced by dog whistles of musical “authenticity” – self-penned songs, formidable talent as an instrumentalist, and production choices that prioritized simplicity over experimentation. Operating in the acoustic pop singer-songwriter space comes with the assumption that your art is a genuine and honest reflection of your life, heart, and soul. So, when Ed likens Subtract to “opening the trapdoor into [his] soul,” the sentiment falls flat because that’s the entire point of the singer-songwriter brand. Subtract, which Ed describes as “the first time… [he’s] not trying to craft an album people will like,” simply doesn’t work as a statement Stripped-Back Acoustic Album because Ed’s entire career has been the premiere representation of Stripped-Back Acoustic music in mainstream contemporary pop. Nonetheless, the album works much better as an unflinching exploration of the labyrinthine ramifications of grief and loss. Colored by his wife’s mid-pregnancy cancer diagnosis, the loss of his dear friend Jamal Edwards, and the long-brewing “Thinking Out Loud”/“Let’s Get It On” copyright lawsuit, Subtract features Ed’s ever-consistent ear for melody, some of his most biting and insightful songwriting yet, and compounding sonic influences that impress as much as they befuddle.

Heavily inspired by the Kent coastline, Ed spends much of Subtract wading through aquatic metaphors. On album opener “Boat,” he peppers his vocal inflections with hints of Irish folk sensibilities to bolster lyrics like “They say that all scars will heal, but I know / Maybe I won’t / But the waves won’t break my boat.” “Salt Water,” one of the more immediate Subtract standouts, continues that lyric-vocal throughline with a gloomy melody that cradles such harrowing lyrics as “Now, I’m standing on the edge, gazing into hell / Or is it somethin’ else? I just can’t tell / When there’s nothin’ left, I close my eyes and take one step.” A stark look at the intensity of suicidal ideation, “Salt Water” finds Ed finally sinking his teeth into songwriting material that rejects the banality of his last record.

Aaron Dessner, who’s on a somewhat unlikely hot streak thanks to his work with The National and Taylor Swift (he was a primary collaborator on both her Folklore and Evermore albums), boasts production credits on each one of Subtract’s fourteen tracks. Most of the pair’s collaborations are fine guitar-centric pop songs, but, at times, their talents converge for some effective production choices. Take the pounding drums leading into the bridge of “End Of Youth,” a rollicking distant cousin of “Castle On The Hill,” or the more forceful rock feel of “Curtains,” for example. As is now expected, if not necessary, for an Ed Sheeran album, Subtract is substantially infused with a healthy dose of schmaltz. The Subtract song most successful in showcasing Sheeran’s specific brand of schmaltz is “Colourblind,” a starry-eyed waltz that blends an “Ave Maria”-evoking piano melody with lyrics that lean into a synesthesia metaphor to relay the boundlessness of forever love. For every moment of triumph that the Sheeran-Dessner union secures, there are just as many instances that are middling at best. “Life Goes On” and “Spark” are a pair of nondescript tracks that leave as quickly as they arrive, and “Dusty,” a hiccupping memorialization of Dusty Springfield-indebted daddy-daughter bonding, is far too apprehensive with its flirtations with electronica to leave any sort of lasting impression.

Subtract is overwhelmingly downtempo. So much so that gems in the album’s back half (like “Vega” and “Sycamore”) start to crumble under the looming monotony of so many successive ballads. Nevertheless, by the time Subtract reaches “The Hills Of Aberfeldy,” the Irish folk influences reemerge to bring the album to a hopeful close. There isn’t anything on Subtract that synthesizes the vastness of grief and catharsis into a bite-sized pop song as accurately and as effortlessly as “Eyes Closed,” but, even at its least impressive, Subtract is a respectable return to form for Ed Sheeran after 2021’s = (Equals).

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.