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If The Muppet Christmas Carol isn’t the best Christmas movie, it’s second behind Gremlins. But unless you owned the VHS, you haven’t seen the 1992 film in full.

“When Love is Gone,” the lovely tune sung by Mr. Humbug himself Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Michael Caine in an Oscar-worthy performance) and Belle (Meredith Braun), was cut from the theatrical version as “Disney felt it wouldn’t appeal to young viewers,” according to the BBC. The Paul Williams-written song is on the VHS version (and the soundtrack), but it was left off the DVD and Disney+ — until now.

Gizmodo reports that “starting December 9, you’ll be able to watch the movie in its entirety, as director Brian Henson originally envisioned, in time for its 30th anniversary… The reel that featured the song was recently unearthed and utilized to prepare a 4K remaster of the classic film.” Henson told Radio 2 his reaction when the reel was found:

“They actually hid it… So, I went down and they said, ‘But before we show it to you, we’ve got something else we want to show you’. And they put up reel four of Christmas Carol with ‘When Love Is Gone.’ I was like, ‘No, you did not!’ and they said, ‘Yes we did! We found it!’ I was so happy, I was so happy.”

It’s a bot-free Muppet Christmas miracle.

The complete The Muppet Christmas Carol comes to Disney+ on December 9.

(Via Gizmodo and BBC)

GloRilla and her gritty Memphis sound are hot right now; everyone seems to want a piece, including Ciara: Ciara announced on Wednesday via Instagram that the “FNF” rapper would be hopping on the remix to her recently released collaboration with Summer Walker, “Better Thangs.”

In the short clip, Ciara looks very dreamy while a snippet of the new track plays in the background.

“Anything I tell myself is possible, is possible!” she wrote. “That Glo flow!! wow!” @glorillapimp @SummerWalker #BetterThangsRemix 11/4″

GloRilla confirmed the information by tweeting, “Better thangs remix 11/4,” and tagging Ciara and Walker in the post, complete with fire and trophy emojis.

The remix, along with the original track and her latest song, “Jump,” will presumably be part of Ciara’s highly anticipated upcoming album. The singer recently said she was returning to her dance roots for the upcoming project.

“There’s so much energy in this album because I want to make the world dance — that’s always been my thing,” Ciara told Ebony. “It’s the tempo and beat I’ve been moving to in my music and the key sentiments I’ve poured into this album. There is an R&B core in these records. To be honest, this album feels nostalgic. It takes me back to my first album in a way that no project I’ve done to this point has before.”

So far, Ciara has not released an album title or release date.

Meet Pap Chanel, the rapper from Milledgeville, Georgia, who has racked up an impressive fanbase since her 2015 debut. On her rise to the top, Pap has worked with T.I., Trina, Lil Baby, and more, also amassing millions of listeners on Spotify. But her impact doesn’t stop there. You can listen to some of Pap’s catalog on Starz’s P-Valley, Hulu’s Woke, BET’s College Hill, and Madden NFL 23.

Today she performs her viral hit, “Apple Jacks,” a freestyle sampling from C-Murder’s classic “Down For My N****s.” She doesn’t waste time or energy with today’s Sessions performance. Not only does she start her performance on a high as soon as the track plays, dollar signs populate her entire outfit, living up to her name and group she started in middle school, Pap, which stands for pretty and paid.

Watch Pap Chanel perform “Apple Jacks” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

I didn’t think I’d want to watch a fake biopic, especially not one about a real guy in whom I’m actually interested — which is what Weird: The Al Yankovic Story basically is, a parody biopic about a parody musician. And yet, in throwing out almost everything real, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, strangely cuts right to the quick of the entire musical biopic genre. This is a better movie, a more honest reflection of its subject than Bohemian Rhapsody, parody or not.

Weird, from director Eric Appel, co-written by Yankovic, seems to know intuitively that it’s not actually insight into the subject that biopic audiences are after (assuming biopics sanctioned by the subject’s estate could ever even offer that, most don’t), or to see the subject as a metaphor for the American dream, or whatever. It’s simpler than that. We want to hear them play the hits. And maybe that’s less reductive and more pure than trying to dissect Johnny Cash or whoever in order to find the genius button.

The trailer was cute, of course, but I honestly didn’t know how long I’d be able to watch a series of (deliberately) dopey sketches about a series of dopey songs. And yet Weird ended up being not just cute or funny, but strangely thrilling, in the way earnest biopics are supposed to be. Even with loads of bullshit in between, fake origin stories for songs that consist entirely of Weird Al changing the lyrics of a hit pop song so that it’s about breakfast now, I still got the same weird goosebumps as when Eazy E nails the first line of “Boyz N Tha Hood” in Straight Outta Compton. I’m serious, actual goosebumps, at the sight of Daniel Radcliffe as a mall Santa version of Weird Al (as in, bearing all the identifiable totems of the persona but not really going for verisimilitude) leading a biker bar in “I Love Rocky Road.”

Why does this happen? Sure, partly it’s the same thrill of recognition Marvel piggies get when their favorite Millennium Kid makes a cameo in the new Galaxy Fox movie, but I also think there’s something about watching someone carve order from chaos. That there’s something weirdly gratifying about knowing exactly how a song is going to turn out and then having to wait for the characters themselves to discover it. It’s like watching a baby learn to walk. There’s an ineffable brilliance to a song, that, on some level, trying to explain only cheapens. It’s very reptilian brained to like music in the first place. Music is math, but it’s also magic. We’re all kind of snake charming each other. People quote musicians as fonts of sage wisdom, as if in our inherent superstitiousness we’re constantly tricking ourselves into believing that the vibrations wizard must know the universe’s secrets. It’s preposterous, but universally human.

Tonally, Weird matches the appeal of Weird Al’s music perfectly. Starring Rainn Wilson as a ClipArt version of parody song impresario Dr. Demento, who always wears his trademark tux and tophat, and who in this world is as culturally important as Wolfman Jack (played by Jack Black), Alfred Yankovic (Radcliffe, who I used to hate reflexively but has finally won me over) spends his life trying to please his dour factory worker father (Toby Huss), encouraged by his mother (the always fantastic Julianne Nicholson), while hiding his true passion — to become “not the technically best, but the most famous accordion player in a very specific genre.”

Evan Rachel Wood plays Madonna, and in a movie where most of the celebrity impressions succeed by not trying very hard, Wood is spooky-accurate in a way that feels almost accidental.

Above all, Weird is constantly riding that line between too-stupid-to-be-funny and so-stupid-it’s-hilarious. It doesn’t even try to make you believe that it’s actually Daniel Radcliffe singing, which, rather than taking you out of the action, only focuses the attention more on the extraordinary adroitness of Weird Al’s rubber-band voice (always his secret weapon).

There’s a conceptual purity to Weird Al, in his refusal to ever be serious or earnest for even a single second. It’s hard to maintain that kind of thing, and yet he has, which has allowed him to become a myth, the class clown instinct personified. To delve beyond the facade would ruin the show. Weird is perfect because it never does. We get a few snapshots of the real Weird Al over the credits, just like we would with any straight biopic, only here they quickly descend into a series of silly photoshops. Just as it should be.

‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ premieres exclusively on the Roku Channel November 4th. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can read more of his reviews here.

Megan Thee Stallion, who released her new album Traumazine earlier this year, deals with a lot of BS whether it’s because of the violence she experienced from Tory Lanez when he shot her in the foot or from her ongoing feud with her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment.

Today, the “Sweetest Pie” singer took to social media to clear up some apparent misconceptions about the case with her label. “No judge has ruled anything abt this 1501 case, this information is not accurate,” she wrote in a tweet. “the court date for this isn’t even until DECEMBER 12TH … we HAVE NOT went to court and got a summary judgment. Please stop spreading misinformation thanks.”

In August, after filing her lawsuit against 1501 Certified Entertainment, she also declared that she demanded $1 million in damages from the label. This was after the label countersued her, asserting that Something For Thee Hotties did not count as an album on her contract because it was not made up of all original material. This countersuit blames Roc Nation, Megan’s management company, for “trying to persuade its management clients to leave their record labels.”

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Avatar: The Way of Water will finally arrive (on December 16), 13 years after the first movie ignited a box-office storm and prompted discussions of whether motion-capture-and-CGI-boosted performances should be Oscar eligible. This event will have followed several years of head-scratching reactions about why one of the reported sequel titles happens to be The Seed Bearer, but here we are. Cameron has long-promised that Avatar II will blow audiences away to the point where they will “sh*t yourself with your mouth wide open,” so that’s something to look forward to experiencing. In 3D, no less.

There’s more to anticipate with Cameron’s return to Pandora. The cast (which includes several lead returning members) stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, along with Kate Winslet, Jemaine Clement, Edie Falco, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, and CCH Pounder. Also expect plenty of breath-holding action, given that Saldana competed with her fellow cast members in a relevant competition and only landed in third place after maintaining a five-minute stint. That’s nuts, but Kate Winslet actually bested Tom Cruise with her record. No thank you.

The movie promises more stunning visuals, which you can see in the below trailer.

Be warned that this film arrives with a reported runtime of over 3 hours. Audiences may grumble if this is an accurate factoid, given that the first movie remains the highest grossing movie in cinematic history. And as with the first film, characters will plop their consciousness into an Avatar, meaning that they’ll be maneuvering from within a Na’vi body. Here are more details via the film’s synopsis:

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.

Avatar: The Way Of Water arrives on December 16.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie pushed his Me Vs. Myself album release to December to avoid stacking up against Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss, but A Boogie’s competitive spirit is alive and well in “Ballin,” his vibey new single that first debuted yesterday in NBA 2K23 and officially released today (November 3).

“I’m a gamer. I spend way too much time playing 2K, it’s my favorite game,” A Boogie said in a press statement. “With this single, I wanted to give my fans a chance to first hear ‘Ballin’ in NBA2K. To be featured on the soundtrack for this season is big for me. I hope my fans enjoy it and all the gamers out there who play NBA2K everyday like me also enjoy listening to the song in the game.”

A Boogie’s flow is as buttery as a Steph Curry jump shot. And, of course, the track features a Curry name-drop in the first verse: “Got my hoodie on like / Melo in the garden / Got my money up / I’m ballin’ like LeBron son / They want me to lose my breath / So I got to watch my step / Two 30s on my hip / I call ’em Steph and Seth.”

“Ballin” follows fellow Me Vs. Myself singles “Take Shots” featuring Tory Lanez and “BRO (Better Ride Out)” featuring Roddy Ricch.

Watch the visualizer above.

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

The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled out of the gate during the 2022-23 NBA season, as the team sits at 4-5 after being a popular pick during the preseason to be a contender in the Eastern Conference. One of the brightest spots through the first nine games has been the play of James Harden, who has showed signs of getting back to form after underwhelming after the team pulled off a deal at the trade deadline to acquire this services.

But according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the All-NBA guard is headed to the sidelines for a spell. Wojnarowski reports that Harden suffered a right foot tendon sprain, and as a result, he will be relegated to the bench for the next month or so.

The news was confirmed by John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

It is unclear when Harden suffered the injury. On Wednesday night, Harden played 35 minutes in Philadelphia’s 121-111 loss to the Washington Wizards. He has appeared in every game the Sixers have played this season, and has led the team with 22 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds in 36.8 minutes a night — he is the team’s leader in assists, is second to Joel Embiid in rebounding, and sits in third behind Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in scoring.

James Corden was already accused of stealing from Ricky Gervais this week, and though he admitted his fault there the Late Late Show host isn’t out of the woods on joke controversies just yet. In light of the accusations he took a punchline from a Gervais special, apparently inadvertently at least, another joke from years earlier has been given new light thanks to some fans of comedian Noel Fielding’s work.

As The Independent detailed on Thursday, Corden’s late-night catalog has faced some deeper investigation in the wake of Monday’s episode of The Late Late Show, in which Corden made a joke about Elon Musk buying Twitter that had the same guitar lesson-based plot Gervais had used in the past. Corden was quick to admit the joke was Gervais’s, and the latter speculated that a Late Late Show writer was likely influenced by his work. But it’s not the only time a joke has appeared very similar to another comedian’s material.

Corden, who at one point was banned from a restaurant for being mean to its staff, is now accused of borrowing material of Noel Fielding who, depending on what you watch on TV, is either most notable as a host of the Great British Baking Show or one of the unhinged lunatics behind A Mighty Boosh. The controversy dates back to a joke Fielding made in 2010, which can be found on YouTube.

During his set, Fielding had joked that the best way to stop someone from mugging you was to whisper, “Oi, mate,” which he suggested would make the attacker put down their knife and ask, “What is it?”

In 2017, Corden said during an interview on The Late Late Show that he finds the best way to avoid being mugged is to whisper to the robber, “You’re never going to believe what’s happened.” He said the culprit would put down their weapon and say, “What?”

At the time, Fielding replied to a fan who accused Corden of stealing his joke, writing: “I believe this is my material x.”

Fielding’s joke starts around the 4:30 mark of this video, from the 2010 Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. The setup is much longer than Corden’s quip, as the whisper material becomes central to Fielding’s stand-up routine at Just For Laughs. And while it’s not as word-for-word as Corden’s mishap with Gervais, it’s hard to argue against the jokes being very similar.

Unlike Monday’s controversy over Gervais, which drew a swift apology from Corden via the show’s Twitter account, the Late Late Show host has yet to address Fielding’s material just yet. Which is kind of ironic, as his show actually did a Great British Baking Show parody on Halloween night, the same day Corden’s first joke controversy was sparked.

We’ll have to wait and see what Corden says about this one, but it’s yet another weird controversy for the host to deal with in what’s becoming a very long year for him online.

[via The Independent]

Well, today is the day! After months of Netflix teasing and threatening that it would be introducing ads for a lower price point, this week, Netflix added their ad-supported tier for $6.99 a month… even though they said for years they would never have ads, but hey, people change! So do million-dollar companies too, evidently.

The only problem (well, there are a few problems but we don’t have time to dissect all of them) is that the shiny new plan doesn’t work for anyone with an Apple TV. They really tried though, and you have to give them credit for rushing to get ads on there instead of spending all that money churning out another season of Stranger Things before the cast is old enough to collect social security checks.

Apple TV owners who might have been itching to try out the new cheaper plan will have to wait a little longer. In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson said, “Basic with ads plan support on tvOS is not available at launch but coming soon.” We all know that when Netflix says “soon” it could mean anything from a few months to years, so that’s fun.

The fumble isn’t a huge surprise, since the ad-supported subscription was originally supposed to launch in 2023, and Netflix scrambled to get it out in time for the holidays when their main competitor Disney+ is also introducing ads. Ads! For everyone! All the time!

As of right now, Apple TV users who wish to try out the new plan will either have to use it on a different device or upgrade to a more expensive plan with no ads. Maybe this was their plan all along–to get people to pay for more plans! How many times can YOU use the word “plan” in a sentence?!

(Via Variety)