Bill Skarsgård hasn’t shied away from promising that Stephen King’s Pennywise the Clown will make a “pretty hardcore” return in It: Welcome To Derry. That revelation made the long wait for the HBO Max series feel more worthwhile, and that’s quite the turnaround from Bill’s early Pennywise days, which did not go well for Bill or his sleep patterns.
Despite his Pennywise being an unsettling hit during Andy Muschetti’s It movies, the Nosferatu actor didn’t plan on returning as Pennywise, but the (demonic) magic is happening again with the clown finally shown lurking in the sewer during It: Welcome To Derry‘s first full trailer earlier this week. The question remains, however (and since Pennywise habitually surfaces at 27-year intervals), when this series happens on the timeline of King’s It after the two Muschetti movies visited with the Loser’s Club in 1989 and 2016.
When Does It: Welcome To Derry Take Place?
Mainly in the 1960s. The trailer points toward 1962, but the series will also feature scenes from the 1930s when the Black Spot nightclub burns down. And that will propel the story further into the Mike Hanlon-focused interludes from within the It book.
Viewers can also expect other interludes to be adapted within It: Welcome To Derry, and Andy and Barbara Muschetti previously told Entertainment Weekly that “we felt that there was still a lot of story to be covered” from King’s vast novel, and “we are telling the stories of the interludes, writings by Mike Hanlon based on his investigation that includes interviews he conducts with the older people in the town.”
As King’s Constant Readers know, something rotten has always been going down in Derry, and the below trailer kicks off with a child attempting to hitchhike away from the fictional Maine city. Get ready to float.
Gorillaz have been at it for about a quarter-century now, and they have eight albums to their name: Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez (2020), and Cracker Island (2023). (A new one’s coming soon, too.) The group is now readying to celebrate their oeuvre with House Of Kong, a new exhibition.
A press release says of the it:
“Visitors to House of Kong will take a jaunt behind the curtain of Gorillaz’ extraordinary world. A journey through the band’s life of misadventures, musical innovation and ground-breaking virtual ways since these four outsiders — bassist Murdoc Niccals, singer 2D, drummer Russel Hobbs and guitarist Noodle — first came together to blow up a pre-digital world with the release of ‘Tomorrow Comes Today’ in 2000. An exhibition like no other, House of Kong is an experience for the brave and bold.”
The exhibition will be hosted at London’s Copper Box from August 8 to September 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Tickets are available here.
Ticket holders will also be able to access a pre-sale for four “very special standalone one-off limited-capacity live Gorillaz shows” at London’s Copper Box Arena on August 29, August 30, September 2, and September 3. More details about that are expected to be announced soon.
Brat was huge, but Charli XCX isn’t worried about following it up. In fact, she thinks her next album very well could “flop.”
Asked in a new Culted interview if she feels pressure for her next album to reach the culture-shifting heights of Brat, Charli said:
“I don’t really feel the pressure to create another record like Brat because when I was making it, even though I really believed in it and totally knew what I wanted to do with it, I had no idea how it would be received. I was really doing it for myself and marketing it in the way I wanted to for myself but I had no clue that people would kind of connect to it in the way that they did. So yeah, I don’t really feel the pressure because I feel that you can never really do the same thing twice and my next record will probably be a flop which I’m down for to be honest.”
She also spoke about the newfound success of “Party 4 U,” saying, “It takes me back to the time of the pandemic, really, because that’s when I was recording the vocals. It actually started a while before that — the initial idea. But we kind of never—I never really took it anywhere. So, yeah, now when I think of the song, I just think back to five years ago and how different the world was then. We were all inside. No one was hanging out. You know, it was kind of lonely.”
The title of Sleigh Bells’ recent album, Bunky Becky Birthday Boy, is silly-sounding on its surface (in a press release, they give permission to laugh at it), but it’s actually emotional and meaningful: The first two words are in honor of Alexis Krauss’ beloved dog who is no longer with us, while the latter two are in reference to Krauss’ young son. The combination of terms ultimately represents life and death.
The album itself isn’t all doom and gloom, though, as songs like the relentlessly upbeat and entertaining album opener “Bunky Pop” show. It’s a mission statement for the album, too, full of in-your-face guitars, sugar-sweet hooks, and exciting rhythms.
Following the album’s April release, Sleigh Bells’ Krauss and Derek E. Miller sat down with Uproxx to talk about tornadoes, George Michael, AI, and more in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Miller: This is aspirational but: hopeful, ecstatic, sparkly, blue.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Miller: I’m going to resist the urge to say, “It doesn’t matter; In fact, NOTHING matters,” and be sincere. It would be rad to be remembered as a band that pushed themselves and the creative process as far as they could, loved it completely, and went about the business side of things in an honest and fair manner.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Miller: There are a few answers to this question… Alexis, H/D/H at Motown, etc., but I’m gonna go with George Michael. I used to sit with my legs crossed in front of the TV watching MTV, waiting for “Faith” to come on. The second the first shot of the jukebox appeared I would do a handstand and shout. “Faith” is so lean and tough in none of the obvious ways. And pretty. Old and new… a Bo Diddley rhythm with drum machines! All sorts of contradictions happening. Spicy adventure. The best of the best. He was scared but did it anyway… truly fearless and inspiring and that’s why I love him. We salute you, George. RIP.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
Miller: When I was about 6 or 7, I was playing tag with some neighborhood kids near my friend John S.’s house. We went inside for a snack… his mom gave us Capri-Suns and a bag of Sour Patch Kids. I ate a red one, my first ever, and lost my mind. I am still looking for it. Transformed me. Backup answer would be hot wings Dale style at Sports Grill in Miami. My favorite wing spot in the world.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Krauss: Oof, this is tough. I have to say it’s a tie between the first time I saw LCD Soundsystem when we opened for them, and then Fleetwood Mac at MSG. I really couldn’t believe how incredible they were so many years into their career. The chemistry on stage was ineffable.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
Krauss: “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Krauss: Definitely something baby- or bird-related.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Miller: This isn’t necessarily weird, but a handy thing back in the Poison The Well days was volunteering to sleep in seemingly undesirable spots while secretly liking those spots. Like beneath a bench seat in a 15 passenger van… I’d lay on top of a sleeping bag for extra padding/comfort and of course have a warm blanket and pillow. No dice if you’re claustrophobic, but I always loved it. It was dark and quiet and I could use my “sacrifice” when negotiating for other things like where to stop for lunch. Couple guys want to go to Wendy’s, I want Taco Bell, and since I suffer sleeping on the floor while you people sleep comfortably on the bench seats, we are getting tacos today! Only downside was sometimes the floor heating vent would be blasting you in the face. If you had a cold, which was common ’cause you’re forever loading in and out of a venue in the middle of a blizzard somewhere in the Midwest, your mouth would be open while you slept and the heater would blow directly into your lungs. Like sleeping with a blow dryer in your mouth. It hurt me.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
Miller: Massive fan of Chicago: shout-out Metro! Love a big city without the uppity factor. Shows are always high-energy. Great stuff. I’m pretty much down to play anywhere and everywhere as long as there’s a decent sound system to handle the subs/volume without dying and an excited crowd, big or small.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Krauss: Not to care so much about what other people think of me.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Miller: I’m a pretty OK cartoonist, not great, but it was the first thing I truly loved. Haven’t been surfing in a long time but I was dedicated, surfed competitively in the ESA and always made the final heat. Once when I was a kid, I was in the water at the same time as Kelly Slater at Sebastian Inlet. Seeing a human being move on the water like that with my own eyes was nuts. S/o Kelly the goat.
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?
Krauss: This would take a lot more than 1 million dollars, but free healthcare and quality public education to all kids.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
Miller: I feel AI should be used to advance education, engineering, science, medicine, etc. I do NOT support the use of AI as a writing tool. As a fan, I want to see people do a hard thing well because they are madly in love with it. This does not include entering prompts or however it’s done.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Miller: It would be held in my backyard and my dream lineup would look something like The Funk Brothers feat. Levi Stubbs and Martha Reeves, Deftones, George Michael, Janet Jackson, and Madonna performing The Immaculate Collection in its entirety. And if somebody had to cancel, maybe Nirvana or Public Enemy could step in. Or The Clash or Salt N Pepa or Burial???!????
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
Krauss: I’ve been a big fan of Ilana Glazer since Broad City and I love following them now, especially since they’ve become a mom. I also love learning about wild edibles from Alexis Nikole. Oh and I just discovered a guy who sings songs to curious animals and it absolutely melts me: @plumesofficiel.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Krauss: I was 19 and it was really important to me to get tattooed by a woman in NYC, since at that time there weren’t that many women tattoo artists, especially women shop owners. I got a pretty big traditional nautical style backpiece by Michelle Myles.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Krauss: Jump around a lot, run up and down stairs, drink water.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Krauss: I was equally obsessed with Claire and Leo in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo And Juliet. Oh my goodness, and that soundtrack just destroyed me. Still does.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
Miller: I’ve had the privilege of traveling for work/touring since high school; Sometimes home feels like a vacation for me, so I’d like to spend some time just hanging around my town with Adam Yauch if he was still with us. I didn’t get the chance to meet him, but I love Beastie Boys and Adam underwent such a radical transformation in his lifetime…knucklehead in the Licensed era to compassionate human being, all while maintaining his sense of humor and making amazing art in multiple mediums along the way. Boss.
What is your biggest fear?
Miller: Outside of friends, loved ones, and just people in general getting hurt, I’m both attracted to and terrified of tornadoes. I’ve been in two. The first was a water spout when I was 12 or 13, the second was on July 13, 2022. It was an EF1, so not super crazy, but it tore right over my house/through my backyard while I sheltered in my scary-ass basement with all these spiders trying to crawl into my ears and lay their evil eggs. It’s a miracle me and my neighbors were unharmed: A big tree came down behind my house and took out a bunch of fences. But we lived!
Bunky Becky Birthday Boy is out now via Mom + Pop. Find more information here.
A special treat for fans, an intense look back Parton’s meteoric rise within the genre is on display in Nashville, Tennessee. Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker, an exhibit hosted at the Country Music Hall Of Fame will give visitors an intimate look into Parton’s professional and personal life.
On the exhibit is described as: “[A] focus on turning points in Parton’s life and career through the decades, where she overcame obstacles and ignored naysayers to become one of the most beloved and widely recognized celebrities across the world.”
Michael McCall, the museum’s associate director of editorial and exhibit co-curator, gushed about the curation. “People just think it was easy for [Dolly] — that she’s so talented and so charismatic,” he said. “But she had to fight every single step of the way against somebody who told her not to do that.”
A few notable pieces of artifacts featured in the exhibit in the original pencil-written lyrics to “Jolene,” the portable cassette recorder that Parton used to first record “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,”; wardrobe from 1980 film 9 To 5, and more.
The Country Music Hall Of Fame’s Dolly Parton: Journey Of A Seeker exhibit will be displayed through September 2026. Find more information here.
In a recent appearance on the Outlaws with TS Madison podcast, Chappell Roan defended herself against claims that she is a villain.
As she, co-guest Sasha Colby, and host Madison spoke about being put into a “villain era.” Chappell took a moment to slam the negative label users place on her.
“I think I’ve three [villain eras] in the past nine months,” she said. “Probably just because I was the new girl in the pop game. I was just like, ‘I don’t give a f*ck what you say to these girls that have been doing this since they were ten and were told this [treatment] is ok.”
She continued: “I didn’t become ‘famous’ until I was 26. So I had a lot of time to realize…this is what is is like to be an adult.”
As far as people’s interpretation of Chappell pushing back against mistreatment, she said: “I cannot bear people saying I’m something I’m not. That’s what’s really hard online. People just assume you’re the villain.”
Watch Chappell Roan and Sasha Colby’s full appearance on Outlaws with TS Madison above.
Despite his passover of North America, according to Billboard Bad Bunny’s forthcoming global run has already made history. In the outlet’s latest report, Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour has set multiple international ticket sales records.
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour has earned nine figures from 2.6 million tickets sold. In France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, Bad Bunny now holds the record for most ticket sold by a Latin artist. Bad Bunny dethrones the UK record previously held by Karol G.
Bad Bunny’s 12 stadium stops (with 600,000 tickets sold) in Spain is the biggest concert run ever for an artist in the country.
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour is scheduled to launch on November 21, 2025, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at Estádio Olímpico. The run will end on July 22, 2026, at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.
Click here to view Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour 2025 performance schedule.
The NFR Podcast claims Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is now the longest charting rap song in history (53 weeks). Billboard has verified its 53-week run on the Billboard 100 chart. However, the outlet has not confirmed “Not Like Us” as the longest charting rap song. However, it has stamped one notable achieved made by the track.
Over on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, “Not Like Us,” is the longest running tune of those 53 trackable weeks, 26 were spent at No. 1.
But Lamar does have a challenger on his heels–himself and SZA. Billboard revealed Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s GNX collaboration “Luther” has now secured its 21 week at No. 1 on the same chart. “Luther” ties the record previously held by SZA’s SOS track “Kill Bill.”
So, Lamar holds the longest (“Not Like Us”) and second longing (“Luther”) record on the Hot Rap Songs chart. While SZA maintains the third-longest command.
Over the past week or so, hip-hop has turned into a battle royale in which rappers from New York, led by Joey Badass, have been embroiled in a free-for-all back and forth with a bunch of LA rappers, largely represented by TDE rapper Ray Vaughn.
Joey was the one who kicked it all off with his song “The Ruler’s Back” in January, calling out Kendrick Lamar, who had spent the nine prior months whaling on Drake. Instead, he got responses from Ray Vaughn and Daylyt, two TDE affiliated rappers who clapped back with songs such as “Crashout Heritage” and “HIYU.”
After things cooled off in the intervening months, Joey stoked the embers of the competition with his freestyle for Red Bull Spiral, prompting another response from Vaughn, along with a slew of diss tracks from more LA natives like AZ Chike and Reason, while Joey’s fellow New Yorker CJ Fly backed him up. After yesterday’s flurry of songs, fans received a new batch of fiery invectives today; see below for the latest updates.
Joey’s day started with the release of “My Town,” bringing in battle rap veteran Loaded Lux as a hired gun to help him dispense disrespectful missives to Ray and Daylyt, sowing dissent between the two Californians. He ended the day the way he started, borrowing a decidedly West Coast aesthetic on “Crash Dummy,” accusing Ray of participating in the battle at the behest of Top Dawg to help him gain a buzz. He also continued calling out Kendrick, his true target, but the more the Pulitzer winner ignores him, the more one wonders if any of this will end up not being worth it.
Ray Vaughn — “Golden Eye”
Technically, Ray dropped last night, but late enough that he missed yesterday’s roundup. Over a 50 Cent flip, Ray declares “Pro Era don’t exist” as a result of having few Billboard hits over the past decade, taking aim at Joey’s crew alongside him.
Daylyt — “Ayo,” “ICantHoldUThisA,” “WordIsBon”
The most prolific participant in the “fair fade,” Daylyt dropped three separate tracks across the past eight hours. “Ayo” employs a series of beat sketches, putting the focus on his polysyllabic rhyme schemes, then on “ICantHoldUThisA,” he goes for a “Not Like Us” approach, turning a “Careless Whisper” interpolation into a turnt-up party song. Meanwhile, “WordIsBon” is a surprisingly heartfelt storytelling track in which Daylyt acknowledges Joey’s late friend and collaborator, Capital Steez, making it clear that all this is simply for sport.
Kai Cash — “KNICKS IN 6,” JaeWon — “Bobby Mercer,” Hitta J3 — “The Last Supper”
Okay, so, these guys all get their own section because they weren’t technically involved to begin with, but they’ve involved themselves. Kai Cash, hailing from Brooklyn, makes it clear that his contribution is pure team spirit. Meanwhile, JaeWon, best known as the offspring of The Lox’s Jadakiss, puts in his two cents over a track from his pops. It’s a little disconcerting how much he sounds like ‘Kiss, but even though he doesn’t have many personal jabs that land, it’s an impressive display of wordplay.
Meanwhile, Hitta J3, whom you may remember from his guest appearance on Kendrick’s GNX title track, contributes another voice from Los Angeles, offering a slightly different perspective from his more lyrically-focused brethren over the beat from Kenny’s Kendrick Lamar EP cut, “Rigamortis.”
There you have it, now that we’re all caught up, who do we think is the winner of the latest round, and do we think Kendrick Lamar will deign to put in an appearance? With the hometown dates on his GNX Tour coming up this week, it certainly would be an opportune time for him to acknowledge the ballyhoo. On the other hand, now that we’ve heard a number of lazy homophobic “jokes” in this battle royale, perhaps it’s time for everyone to take a beat to reflect and pivot to promoting whatever projects they’ve got out, rather than kind of a pointless conflict.
Ryan Murphy’s content faucet shows no sign of closing. His audience will tune into nearly anything he touches, all the way from FX’s American Horror Story to Netflix’s Monster to the 9-1-1 franchise, which recently bid farewell to 9-1-1: Lone Star (starring Rob Lowe, shown above) and will continue with 9-1-1 (previously on FOX but now on ABC) for a ninth season and likely beyond.
Will 9-1-1 be all by its lonesome now? Not even close. Those first responders are gearing up to have an ABC sister show in a new spin off, 9-1-1: Nashville, which was announced via Deadline earlier this year after producers scouted for locations and found Southern hospitality due to a generous tax credit. As Doctor Odyssey viewers also recently learned, that Joshua Jackson series got bumped, priority wise, with 9-1-1: Nashville now occupying that “slot” in the Ryan Murphy scheduling game, whenever that might be.
Does 9-1-1: Nashville Have A Premiere Date Yet?
No precise date has been revealed, but this spin off will premiere on the same date that 9-1-1 returns (in the 8:00-10:00 p.m. block) for the 2025-2026 season, so it’ll be a fall thing.
This new series is currently filming and will star Chris O’Donnell as Captain Don Sharpe. He will be joined by co-stars including LeAnn Rimes, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Jessica Capshaw. Additionally, storyline inspiration could come from the Tennessee city’s status as music hub.
Disney Television President Craig Erwich is not only calling 9-1-1: Nashville “a huge priority” but also promising a premiere event to remember with crossovers not being out of the picture:
“I think that the 9-1-1 team are truly the masters of event-izing television, the way that be-nado kicked off 9-1-1 last year. They have a really special event planned for 9-1-1: Nashville, and although we haven’t discussed [crossovers], I think it’s an incredible opportunity that I’m sure at some point we’ll figure out how to capitalize on.”
Is an LA/Nashville crossover really possible? Considering that Ryan Murphy did pull off a 9-1-1/Doctor Odyssey crossover, it’s fair to say that he can pretty much do anything that he wants on TV.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
