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Alternate broadcasts have become increasingly popular in recent years as broadcast networks have come to realize that they can reach more fans by presenting various viewpoints of big games. ESPN has seen success with their College Football Megacast for the national championship game, and brought that to the NFL this past season to great fanfare with the Manningcast that was an undeniable success for Monday Night Football.

The Manningcast in particular has seemingly led many to consider what kinds of opportunities exist for that kind of casual broadcast experience in other sports — with ESPN tabbing the Mannings to help them find talent to run similar alt broadcasts on their other sports. For the NBA, Charles Barkley is undoubtedly the name that most point to as the person they would be most interested in a Manningcast type role, and it seems TNT is ready to give that a try at the NBA All-Star Game by having Barkley and their Inside the NBA crew doing an alternate broadcast of Sunday night’s game in Cleveland on TBS.

This year’s All-Star experience will also include “Inside the All-Star Game,” innovative all-access coverage on TBS, including the Sports Emmy Award-winning studio team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, as they engage and entertain fans throughout the evening. They will be joined by current NBA All-Star Draymond Green and other All-Stars throughout the telecast.

TBS’ all-access NBA All-Star Game presentation will also include NBA All-Stars Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell, and Ja Morant among the players, both coaches and referee crew chief wearing mics throughout the entire game, allowing an opportunity to listen in live at any moment during the telecast. Coverage will also include locker room access and other behind-the-scenes capabilities, bringing fans closer to the game than ever before.

It’s going to be fascinating to see how this works out, but it’s hard to imagine it not being highly entertaining, particularly given the laid back nature of the game allows them to talk to guys from the bench who are actually participating in the event. Adding the mic’d up elements will also offer them other ways to bring a unique sound to the game, and it figures to be a fun time (and a nice trial run to see if this may be a format to consider for big playoff games on TNT in the future).

On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a new category for the Oscars, and the ladies of The View are not feeling it. The category will allow Twitter fans to vote for their favorite film through the #OscarsFanFavorite hashtag, which did not go over well on Tuesday’s episode of the daytime talk show. While co-host Joy Behar quipped that we already have a People’s Choice Awards, all eyes were on Whoopi Goldberg, who brought her expertise as an Academy member to the table.

“Moviegoers go to the movies for a different reason than Oscar voters do,” Whoopi explained. “We are voting on our particular knowledge. So, best actor comes from the group of actors who are voting. Best cinematographer is coming from the cinematographers.”

Whoopi took things even further by tackling the criticism that the Oscars are “snooty,” and why the average moviegoers shouldn’t be tasked with voting on films. Via The Wrap:

“People also believe that we are snooty, because we pick movies, sometimes, that people don’t know about,” Whoopi continued. “It’s because of their excellence — their excellence in any given category. That’s what it is, that’s why we do that. We don’t ask the audience to do that because who’s got the attention span?”

Speaking of “snooty,” co-hosts Sara Haines and Ana Navarro both argued that they actually like the elitist quality of the Oscars. Haines likes the “snobbery of knowing what makes a great, artistic film,” while Navarro says the awards show helps her find movies to watch.

“Well, you know, I have the pop culture knowledge of a radish,” Navarro said. “But there’s a bunch of movies that I watch because they won Oscars.”

(Via The Wrap)

From Founders Entertainment, the folks behind the Governors Ball Music Festival, comes Sound On Sound, a stacked new festival boasting an eclectic lineup of world-class musicians.

The two-day festival takes place at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut from September 24th to 25th. Headliners across the two days include Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, The Lumineers, and Stevie Nicks. Joining them on the bill of rock, alternative, and soul acts are The National, Brandi Carlisle, Jenny Lewis, Ziggy Marley, Father John Misty, and more.

The vision for Sound On Sound is to show that Connecticut is more than just a place to live and work. “You can enjoy everything from great State Parks to incredible music,” said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. “We’re investing in our cities, our green spaces, and in transportation, and it’s paying off. Our state is a growing entertainment hub where more and more concerts are being hosted, movies are being filmed, and families are vacationing.”

The festival will also offer a hyperlocal selection of Connecticut food and beverage vendors, including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. “As a Connecticut resident…I am proud to present a festival that celebrates exceptional music, hand-selected local food and libations, and outdoor fun spent at the beautiful Seaside Park,” said Jordan Wolowitz of Founders Entertainment in a statement.

Additionally, Sound On Sound plans to partner with Adam J. Lewis Academy, Make-A-Wish Connecticut, and Special Olympics Connecticut to give back to the local community, with more details to come later.

Check out the festival poster with the full lineup below. A special presale for two-day GA and VIP tickets is available exclusively for Citi card members today through Friday, February 18th. Fans can also subscribe to the Sound On Sound email list and text notifications to receive a presale code with early access to tickets on Thursday, February 17th at 10 a.m. ET. General on-sale begins Friday, February 18th at noon ET.

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

Playing the MCU’s Bucky Barnes definitely qualifies as Sebastian Stan’s most high profile role, but he’s always found a way to squeeze smaller-budgeted films and genuinely interesting (and layered) projects into his career. Not only is he rocking out as Tommy Lee in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, but he’s played the mustached Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya and a dirty cop in The Devil All The Time. And every Sebastian Stan fan that’s worth their salt knows about The Covenant, a campy 2006 entry where he showed off some Jack Nicholson-esque sinister vibes, and I’m feeling some of those same vibes while watching this trailer for the Adam McKay-produced Fresh.

The film debuted at Sundance, where our own Vince Mancini called it a “a sublime combination of exuberant schlock and subtle detail, a broad, splattery romp that still rewards the viewer for paying close attention.” And the trailer sure drops a lot of hints about why Stan’s Steve seems like the perfect guy but turns out to be a nightmare, but it doesn’t give everything away. From the synopsis:

Fresh follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who meets the alluring Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a grocery store and — given her frustration with dating apps — takes a chance and gives him her number. After their first date, Noa is smitten and accepts Steve’s invitation to a romantic weekend getaway. Only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.

It’s a good thing that Valentine’s Day is said and done already, and between this and The Tinder Swindler, there’s something to be said for embracing the single life. And Stan hasn’t formally said goodbye to Bucky, of course, but the Winter Soldier’s definitely not the extent of his range. Dude has chops, maybe even literally in this movie.

Fresh will stream on Hulu beginning March 4.

On Monday, people started to notice a countdown that had appeared on Capcom’s website. The countdown had no explanation and simply said that there were six days and multiple hours left until something occurred. What was this something? Everyone had ideas, but so far nothing about the countdown has leaked out so the best everyone has been able to do is guess what the countdown means.

The prevailing theory right now though is that it has something to do with Resident Evil. Rumors have been swirling about a potential remake for Resident Evil 4 and this could very well be what the countdown is supposed to be related to. This theory gained a little bit of extra weight when the Twitter account for Resident Evil started teasing out info with the same imagery as the Resident Evil 4 pause menu.

https://twitter.com/REBHPortal/status/1493165355879247877

However, on Tuesday the Twitter account announced the addition of multiple games to their Resident Evil history page. It’s possible this Resident Evil info could have nothing to do with the countdown itself and could just be a big coincidence between the two. With Resident Evil being one of the biggest Capcom IPs it makes sense that fans would connect a random countdown to the franchise.

If it ends up not being Resident Evil then it would be fun for the countdown to be related to some news about Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, or maybe even Megaman. There are plenty of franchises to pull from here and we’re excited to see what this ends up being.

Beloved folk/rock sensation Kurt Vile is back to follow his 2018 album Bottle It In with Watch My Moves, arriving this spring. The lead single “Like Exploding Stones” is out now, a synthy, laid-back ballad in the realm of Mac DeMarco, with a cinematic, kaleidoscopic music video that features Sun Ra Arkestra’s James Stewart.

Watch My Moves is self-produced alongside Rob Schnapf, who’s known for working with monumental artists like Elliott Smith and Beck. It was recorded predominantly in Vile’s home studio in Philadelphia, welcoming his longtime band The Violators but also a throng of collaborators including Chastity Belt, Cate Le Bon, and notable percussionists Stella Mozgawa (of Warpaint) and Sarah Jones. The album features 14 original songs and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Wages Of Sin.” Vile will be heading out this spring on a US tour followed by a run in Europe.

Watch the video for “Like Exploding Stones” above. Below, find the Watch My Moves album art and tracklist, as well as Vile’s upcoming tour dates.

1. “Goin On A Plane Today”
2. “Flyin (Like A Fast Train)”
3. “Palace Of OKV In Reverse”
4. “Like Exploding Stones”
5. “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)”
6. “Hey Like A Child”
7. “Jesus On A Wire”
8. “Fo Sho”
9. “Cool Water”
10. “Chazzy Don’t Mind”
11. “(Shiny Things)”
12. “Say The Word”
13. “Wages Of Sin”
14. “Kurt Runner”
15. “Stuffed Leopard”

04/26 — Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa*
04/27 — Saxaphaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom*
04/28 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel*
04/30 — Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Music Festival
05/01 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium*
05/03 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly*
05/04 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall*
05/05 — Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater*
05/06 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater*
05/07 — San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater*
05/09 — Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren*
05/10 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park*
05/12 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at The Ace Hotel*
05/13 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
05/14 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
05/15 — Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery*
05/17 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom*
05/18 — Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom*
05/19 — Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory*
05/20 — Seattle, WA @ The Moore*
05/21 — Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
05/23 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
05/25 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue+
05/26 — Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom+
05/27 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall+
05/28 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall+
06/01 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall+
06/02 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall~
06/03 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer+
06/04 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer~
08/26 — London, UK @ All Points East Festival
08/27 — Bath, UK @ Forum
08/28 — Leeds, UK @ Stylus
08/29 — Glasgow, UK @ QMU
08/30 — Belfast, UK @ Limelight
08/31 — Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street
09/02 — Birmingham, UK @ Moseley Folk & Arts Festival
09/03 — Manchester, UK @ Manchester Psych Fest
09/04 — Dorset, UK @ End Of The Road Festival
09/05 — Antwerpen, Belgium @ OLT
09/12 — Köln, Germany @ Gloria Theater
09/13 — Amsterdam, the Netherlands @ Paradiso
09/14 — Nijmegen, the Netherlands @ Openluchttheater Goffert
09/15 — Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys
09/16 — Copenhagen, DK @ The Grey Hall
09/17 — Malmö, Sweden @ Plan B
09/19 — Kortrijk, Belgium @ Depart
09/20 — Paris, France @ Le Trianon

* with Chastity Belt
+ with Natural Information Society
~ with Sun Ra Arkestra

Watch My Moves is out 4/15 via Verve. Pre-order it here.

Tuesday was a big day in Brooklyn and Philadelphia as the two All-Stars who were traded for each other on Thursday met with the media and made their first public comments as members of their new teams.

There were plenty of questions for both and, unsurprisingly, neither was too keen on going into details on the situations they just left and how they got to the point they did, but there were some interesting nuggets from both. On the Sixers side, James Harden expressed his excitement to be playing alongside “the best big man in the league” in Joel Embiid, calling it a “perfect fit.” He also explained that it was his preference to end up in Philadelphia last year when he was looking for a trade out of Houston, saying “Philly was my first choice.”

When he was dealt to Brooklyn, the Sixers had offered a Ben Simmons package to Houston — which, somewhat ironically, was the beginning of the end of the Simmons era as he did not like being put into trade talks — but the Rockets chose the Nets package instead. At the time, there were plenty of whispers that one of the biggest reasons Harden was sent to the Nets and not the Sixers was that Tilman Fertitta didn’t want to trade him to Daryl Morey after Morey just left, and now the Nets reap the rewards of that Simmons package while the Rockets hope their stable of first round picks will eventually produce their next young core.

Although it has been decades since Dr. Dre himself was at the center of any hip-hop controversies, there was some speculation and debate ahead of his recent Super Bowl halftime show performance that the NFL worried parts of the show could become culture war flashpoints. While the moments in question went off without a hitch, some folks did find plenty to complain about — even after the NFL offered notes on how to tone down potentially troublesome moments during the performance.

Dr. Dre revealed what “minor changes” the NFL made to the set during an interview with TMZ. While he did acknowledge the rumor that the NFL had barred his co-star Eminem from kneeling during his set, Dre said the real changes came during Kendrick Lamar’s portion of the performance. “Em taking the knee, that was Em doing that on his own, and there was no problem with that,” he said. However, regarding Kendrick’s song, “M.A.A.D. City,” the opening line “if Pirus and Crips could all get along” didn’t fly.

“They had a problem with that, so we had to take that out,” he said. “No big deal, we get it. But, all in all, everybody came in, we were professional, everybody was on time. Everybody felt the magnitude of what this thing was, and what we were going to be able to accomplish. It was a fantastic experience.” You can watch Dre’s interview below.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week, we’ve got some very highly anticipated albums by Big Thief, Spoon, Empath, Orville Peck, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Big Thief’s new double album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You may be a mouthful to say, but it’s well worth a listen. The 20-track release was recorded in several locations across the country and is a perfect showcase of the group’s intimate and entrancing songwriting and vocalist Adrianne Lenker’s heart-tugging lyricism. Though ambitious, Big Thief executed the LP with conviction and Uproxx’s Steven Hyden called it a “masterpiece.”

Spoon — Lucifer On The Sofa

After being mainstays in indie music for more than two decades, Spoon prove they’re here to stay with the new album Lucifer On The Sofa. It’s their first full-length project in five years and with revved-up songs like “The Hardest Cut” and “Wild,” the new album was well worth the wait. Spoon’s goal in recording the project was to keep up the high energy they would bring to the stage on tour — and they definitely succeeded.

Orville Peck — Broncho: Chapter 1

Orville Peck‘s music has been killing it on TikTok lately thanks to an inclusion in HBOMax’s Euphoria, but the masked cowboy also just dropped the new EP Broncho: Chapter 1. The four-track project sees Peck leaning further into his country music-inspired twang while combining atmospheric production with catchy riffs.

Empath — Visitor

Philly four-piece Empath shared their highly anticipated album Visitor this week, taking their sound in a more fuzzy, synth-heavy direction. Incorporating samples taken everywhere from Minecraft to an air conditioner, Empath show off their innovative songwriting on the 11-track effort. “We never want to be tied down to one type of song or sound, and we love all kinds of improvisational music,” lead singer Catherine Elicson said about the LP.

Sharon Van Etten — “Porta”

Dropping her first new solo music of the year, Sharon Van Etten returned with the electrifying track “Porta.” Layered with resonating synths and a groove-driven beat, “Porta” marks a departure from her previous guitar-driven discography. Contrasting the buoyant beat, Van Etten said the song was actually written in 2020 at one of her “lowest lows,” speaking to experiencing “bouts of depression and anxiety and coping mechanisms” for much of her adult life.

Father John Misty — “Q4”

Father John Misty kicked off his new era of music with the cinematic track “Funny Girl,” and now he offers another look at his upcoming LP Chloë And The Next 20th Century with the triumphant track “Q4.” Draped with a dramatic string section, the song is heavily inspired by classical Hollywood and revolves around the story of a film adaptation of a book.

Mxmtoon — “Mona Lisa”

Armed with her sing-song lyrical delivery and a ukulele, Mxmtoon returns with the earnest tune “Mona Lisa.” The song Mxmtoon’s version of an empowering anthem as she sings of prioritizing her self-worth. “‘Mona Lisa’ is about wanting to be the subject of the art for once instead of being the creator,” she said about the track.

The Beths — “A Real Thing”

After making waves with their sophomore album Jump Rope Gazers, The Beths are back with a song that’s sure to make you smile. “A Real Thing” is a breezy and rollicking tune which lead singer Liz Stokes describes as “muddled, a bit frantic, a bit sinister” and was written directly following New Zealand and the US’ 2020 election. The song is meant to be a shining beam of optimism with a healthy dose of dread.

Chris Farren — Death Don’t Wait (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

While we were all picking up new hobbies like crocheting or an unhealthy TikTok addiction in lockdown, Chris Farren was hard at work. In just under three months, the musician wrote an entire score to a made-up movie, which he surprise released this week. Death Don’t Wait (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) pulls inspiration from iconic films like the Bond series with influences of surf rock and ’60s French pop. The LP is mostly instrumental with the exception of the album opener, which features stunning vocals by Laura Stevenson.

Orion Sun — “Dirty Dancer”

Kicking off a new era of music with the soulful track “Dirty Dancer,” Orion Sun proves she’s definitely one to watch. After finding success on her 2020 Mom+Pop records debut Hold Space For Me, Orion Sun continues her with her intimate songwriting and breathtaking vocals on “Dirty Dancer,” a song about pushing past insecurities and holding onto self-love.

Sunflower Bean — “Who Put You Up To This?”

New York trio Sunflower Bean dropped off the fluttering tune “Who Put You Up To This?” this week, officially announcing the group’s upcoming LP Headful Of Sugar. The soaring and euphoric single, much like the album as a whole, deals with the impermanence many have learned over the last few years. If nothing truly lasts, then “why not make what you want to make on your own terms?” vocalist/bassist Julia Cumming notes.

Pillow Queens — “Hearts & Minds”

Dublin four-piece Pillow Queens have made a name for themselves by touring with the likes of IDLES, Pussy Riot, and Future Islands. After creating buzz around their 2020 album, Pillow Queens are back with a new single heralding their upcoming LP Leave The Light On. Armed with resonating vocals and electrifying riffs, “Hearts & Minds” proves Pillow Queens should most definitely be on your radar.