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Not so often, a star comes around who breathes charisma into the air through every screen they appear on whether it’s your tv, the cinema, or your phone. Without moving, opening their mouths, or doing anything, really, their mere presence is intoxicating and uplifting, like a human endorphin trigger. HBO Max’s superhero – or more accurately, anti-superhero – series Peacemaker, set in the DC Extended Universe and a spin-off of James Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad shouldn’t work. It’s a show about a relentless bully’s unlikely journey from douchebag to a little bit less of a douchebag. It’s violent, vile, and messy. But John Cena – the titular Peacemaker – makes the series work because of his relentless charm and intoxicating energy.

In the fifth episode of Peacemaker, Chris Smith (Peacemaker) lists all of the people John Economos (Steve Agee) could have framed for a murder instead of his white supremacist father (played by Robert Patrick). “What about Ariana Grande or Drake?” he screams. “Brad Pitt or Payne Stewart or Doug the Pug? Khloe Kardashain?” Chris goes on and on (and on even more in a tag after the episode’s end credits). Listing a bunch of pop culture references is not a new or groundbreaking form of comedy in a television series, but it feels so fresh because John Cena’s cartoonish facial expressions both clash with and complement his domineering, massive physique. As Chris gets deeper into his list of people, his voice crackles and his veins pop as he cries, “Eugene Levy????” with a hint of pain but a bit of a wink.

Peacemaker/Chris is a little broken; one of those alpha male bullies who exaggerates his masculinity in a misguided effort to mask his pain. The series is about Chris softening up by connecting with people and confronting his buried feelings about his monstrous father and the way he was raised. The wink comes from Cena’s own self-awareness as a performer. While Cena’s performance is sincere and absorbing, there’s always an underlying, ironic awareness that he is John Cena that should not work, but does. It works so well, perhaps, because it lends well to series creator James Gunn’s irreverent tone and style. But essentially it all works because John Cena works best when he is aware that he is John Cena.

Cena’s pro-wrestling to movie star predecessor and peer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, while also extremely charismatic, is very different in comparison. Johnson has adopted a family-friendly aesthetic that has encompassed his career over the past decade. Johnson almost always plays the same type of guy, and typically does not perform with the meta-awareness that Cena does. Dwayne Johnson – even by simply changing his credit from “The Rock” to Dwayne” The Rock” Johnson to Dwayne Johnson over the course of his career, has abandoned his wrestling personality to be taken seriously as an actor. While in Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad, and 2018’s Blockers, John Cena embraces everything we know about him and puts it into each performance.

Chris’s emotional journey in Peacemaker heightens in episode five when he bonds with his co-workers after, against all odds, defeating an alien gorilla. He has a drink with his co-worker, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), who starts to see the human side of him. He also has an emotional moment with his pet eagle, Eagly, in a scene that only John Cena could pull off (all respect to Meryl Streep, who I’m sure would like to try acting with a CGI eagle). But the episode proves that Cena isn’t the only reason the series works. The rest of the cast of misfits – who play a team brought together to eliminate aliens known as butterflies that are taking over the brains of influential people – bounce off Cena’s magnetism brilliantly, but Orange Is the New Black’s Danielle Brooks is a stand out for her natural comedic chemistry with Cena, and the way she playfully competes with Cena’s charm. This team chemistry is demonstrated in the show’s opening credits in which the cast does a coordinated robotic dance with facial expressions that can only be described as “waiting at the DMV”. It’s funny on its own, but like the best opening credits in recent memory (Mad Men, Succession, Yellowjackets) it sets the tone for the series, which is not the same without the opening credit sequence.

Ultimately, the plot of Peacemaker doesn’t really matter. Peacemaker is merely a vehicle for John Cena to showcase his skills, skills that go beyond his natural charisma and into a range and depth as an actor, both comedic and dramatic. With Peacemaker, John Cena has proven that he can carry a show like he could probably carry me (five foot four, no muscles) — in the palm of his hand like a little bird.

‘Peacemaker’ is currently streaming via HBO Max.

Susan Sarandon’s never been one to stay quiet about her political beliefs, although she tends to take things to an extreme. Most recently, she actually protested at AOC’s office while complaining that the democratic socialist representative simply wasn’t far-left enough in the realization of promises, and Sarandon was “losing hope.” That followed Sarandon’s similar response to Bernie Sanders’ 2016 DNC speech, which the actress “literally had the worst time” while watching as a Sanders surrogate. Sarandon claims to be on the left without acting like she’s on the left, and she’s gone back and forth on Trump, and that includes arguing with Debra Messing.

Let’s just say that Susan Sarandon is politically messy, and then she raised more eyebrows while retweeting a #DefundThePolice meme that trashed NYPD cops who attended services for fallen Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora. The meme read, “I’m gonna tell me kids this is what fascism looks like.” And above that, the meme included this: “So, if all these cops weren’t needed for CRIME that day, doesn’t that mean they aren’t needed ANY day.” Here’s the NY Post‘s tweet to their coverage.

Sarandon has now deleted her retweet, and as one can imagine, it’s not going over well.

The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of the City of New York weighed in while labeling Sarandon as a “a wealthy actress, safe in her bubble, mocking heroes & making light of the crisis that cops are battling alongside our communities. NYC is uniting to stop the violence.” Officer Zeek Arkham joined in with a response as well.

In addition to the general backlash out there, there’s a definite trend of people (mainly on the left) who are stressing their disavowal of her. In other words, no one wants Susan Sarandon in their party. “People are reacting to Susan Sarandon’s tweet + claiming she represents the left (she doesn’t)” is only the beginning of the tweets pouring forth from people’s fingers.

Like Ted Cruz, maybe Susan Sarandon should take a break from tweeting.

It’s been scientifically proven that everyone, at some point in their lives, will turn on a TV show and – after hearing a hauntingly familiar voice that sounds like the equivalent of a sexy pile of garbage – ask themselves: Is that Jason Mantzoukas?

The actor has earned his unparalleled comedic reputation on-screen by honing a combustible combination of unhinged lunacy and restrained ridiculousness. With a mop of kinky curls and an unruly salt-and-pepper beard, his physical self is undeniably recognizable on TV series like Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, and The Good Place. He channels the zaddiness of an Oscar Isaac, blending it with the unkempt hygiene of a man who is on day three of an espresso bender – a potent mix of masculinity and mania that he brings to most of his iconic real-life characters on screen.

But while his corporeal form is easily distinguishable, his vocal performances are a bit harder to pin down.

Sure, Mantzoukas has a sound that Pajiba once described as “a sultry honk,” the grating, gritty sonance of a street-dwelling garbage pilferer that might melt your undergarments clean off or hold you at gunpoint for a pack of gum, depending on the day. But he does such a good job of inhabiting the strange, singular personalities of the legions of animated characters he’s now voiced, that, inevitably, you’re forced to question your auditory instincts – nay, reality itself.

These are some of Mantzoukas’ best voice performances over the years – whether you realized it was him or not.

Tommy Lee’s Penis — Pam & Tommy

Remember this moment, a time before you watched the first few episodes of Hulu’s upcoming biopic show about a rockstar and a Baywatch babe whose sex tape scandalized the masses. This moment is pure, untouched by the sight of Sebastian Stan’s prosthetic penis flailing wildly as it argues with his character, Tommy Lee, over the drummer’s decision to camp out in Pamela Anderson’s vagina instead of the Playboy mansion. The sight is just a bit nauseating, but the confusion over whose voicing this demonically-possessed appendage is even more upsetting. Unless you go in already knowing it’s Mantzoukas, whose scratchy timbre somehow perfectly fits this chode-like being. We didn’t, and we paid the price, focusing so much on why that deep-throated griping gave us a familiar pang that we couldn’t truly appreciate the demented genius on display. Don’t make the same mistake. Yes, Jason Mantzoukas voices Tommy Lee’s penis — here’s hoping Emmy voters take notice.

The Bee – Dickinson

In Apple TV+’s fever dream comedy about famed 19th American poet Emily Dickinson, Mantzoukas appears not as a literary peer to Hailee Steinfeld’s quirky imaginative outcast but as an insect. More specifically, as an animatronic talking bumblebee – an opium-induced hallucination that waltzes, chain-smokes, and makes sexual innuendos using pollen as some kind of metaphor. He pops up when Emily (Steinfeld) is feeling particularly lonesome, and though Bee only has a few credits over the course of the show’s three seasons, each of his appearances is both jarring and hilariously whimsical.

Jay Blizerian/Guy Blizerian/Ghost of Socrates – Big Mouth

No one can compete with Maya Rudolph’s vocal performance on Netflix’s animated comedy Big Mouth, but Mantzoukas has carved out his own niche amongst the show’s unfairly talented cast, playing a pubescent dirtbag whose sexual kink just happens to be inanimate household objects. As Jay Blizerian, Mantzoukas delivers a crass, promiscuous pre-teen who pillow-f*cks his way through life. Loud, attention-seeking, and yet, oddly, pitiful, Jay is a David Copperfield wannabe bisexual with layers – if you can dig through all that jizz to find them. Mantzoukas continues his douchebag streak on the show, playing Jay’s negligent father Guy, a seedy divorce lawyer with some questionable one-liners, and a Queered-up version of Socrates – the dead philosopher who probably wasn’t gay but was definitely a know-it-all. Talk about range.

Vanbo – Solar Opposites

When the dysfunctional family alien refugees on Hulu’s Solar Opposites gets saddled with an extraterrestrial interloper after a time-traveling mission gone wrong, it’s Jason Mantzoukas’ inimitable tenor that delivers Vanbo’s iconic introductory greeting, “Hey futtbuckers.” He quickly becomes the episode’s antagonist, a butterfly effect in an annoying, purple-tinted package that Korvo and Terry must incinerate on Shlorp – for everyone’s sanity. Mantzoukas as a bro-ish Martian whose chest-heavy cackle sparks physical cringes wherever he goes? Practically the (animated) role he was born to play.

Alex Dorpenberger – Close Enough

A neurotic, depressed college professor, Alex Dorpenberger on HBO Max’s Close Enough might be one of the few animated characters on this list that doesn’t make you question whether he’s voiced by Jason Mantzoukas. That’s not because the actor is phoning it in. No, Dorpenberger is just as deranged and eccentric as every other Mantzoukas creation – he like Viking erotica, he lives with his best friend and ex-wife, he has a closet for a bedroom, and he’s an avid conspiracy theorist. But gazing at the cartoonish figure in his slouchy dress pants with his disheveled hair and scruffy caveman beard, you can see just a glimmer of Mantzoukas the man staring back.

Rex Splode – Invincible

Invincible on Amazon Prime Video is one of the more graphic offerings when it comes to animated superhero series on TV so it makes sense that the show would tap Mantzoukas to voice the sassy, arrogant, and emotionally-stunted Rex Splode. A terrible childhood coupled with a preternatural ability to literally blow sh*t up whenever he feels like it means Mantzoukas gets to have fun playing the team member no one wants. Is he a hero? Eh, but he’s damn fun to watch.

Mr. Mucus – Mucinex Commercials

Is the fact that Jason Mantzoukas voiced a gelatinous glob of nasal phlegm stranger than his role voicing a rockstar’s prosthetic penis? We can’t say. But it is weird, to hear this animated lump of fluid-like excretion using cologne czar Dennis Feinstein’s voice to plague the disease-ridden masses? Absolutely. Alas, this is what happens when T.J. Miller becomes too problematic to star in cold medicine commercials.

Though we couldn’t include them all, an honorary mention is reserved for every other animated character Mantzoukas has voiced over the years. From troll-like Tellarites on Star Trek: Prodigy to mangy, one-eyed wildcats on Fox’s Housebroken, Sad Sax Guy, Tim Snodgrass, and one of America’s founding fathers, Samuel Adams — you were all weird as hell, thanks to Mantzoukas’ iconic delivery and frenzied comedic timing. If we hear you again, we’ll try to remember that.

From Thursday morning to the weekend, Texas residents should expect freezing temperatures and icy conditions; tens of thousands of people are already without power. Sound familiar? The storm isn’t expected to be as bad as 2021’s historic winter blast, and officials “do not expect systemwide blackouts” to the energy grid. But speaking as someone who lives in Texas, it’s hard to have faith in our state leaders when 246 people died (although some estimates have the total closer to 750) during last year’s freeze.

Case in point: while Texans prepared for the worst in lengthy grocery store lines, Ted Cruz (the actual worst) was working on his stand-up routine on Twitter.

“Inflation is out of control. Gas prices are [up emoji]. Food prices are [up emoji]. Lumber prices are [up emoji]. And tickets to Cancun are up 32%!” the senator tweeted ahead of the storm. It was a joke about his cowardly trip to Cancun while his constituents froze to death (which he blamed on his daughters), but he was the only one who was laughing.

Another tweet, Cruz wrote, “It is better to be over prepared than underprepared for winter weather. Things to have on hand as the winter weather approaches: Extra warm clothes & blankets, portable lights and extra batteries, first-aid kit, [and] extra nonperishable food and water for family and pets.” You can imagine the replies to that one. Actually, you don’t have to. Here you go:

Think before you tweet, Ted. Or better yet, don’t tweet.

Britney Spears is in the midst of a major life change, as her long-standing conservatorship was recently terminated. Throughout the process of ending the conservatorship, she has on multiple occasions expressed gratitude to her lawyer Mathew Rosengart, like in October when she wrote, “Thankfully I found an amazing attorney Mathew Rosengart who has helped change my life !!!!” Now, Spears has again taken time to give thanks to Rosengart while also revealing that she has some new endeavors in the works.

Yesterday, Spears shared a couple photos of herself and Rosengart on Instagram and wrote, “This man has turned my life around … So many exciting projects ahead !!!! We accidentally matched for lunch !!!! Thank you for being so kind and respectful to me always [rose emojis]!!!!!! Pssss Mathew Rosengart … I simply adore you !!!!”

As for what Spears could have on the horizon, that remains unclear. Back in October, though, she did mention she was writing a book about murder. Meanwhile, while Spears hasn’t given any indication she’s ready to return to performing live, Madonna recently expressed interest in reuniting with Spears for a tour and re-creating their iconic kiss.

In multiple recent Instagram posts, Spears showed off a dress of hers and perhaps indicated she has an interest in fashion, writing in a caption, “If I ever did a clothing line it would be similar to this !!!!” Whatever Spears has planned, it’s possible she’ll be hesitant to promote it with interviews, as she recently said of her sister Jamie Lynn, “I wish I would be able to do what you’re doing and do interviews !!! I’m scared of all of it.”

In terms of music, Spears’ latest release was a 2020 reissue of her 2016 album Glory. This edition added “Mood Ring (By Demand),” which was previously titled “Mood Ring” when it was originally released as a bonus track of the Japanese version of Glory in 2016.

In the thick of the pandemic, modern day hip-hop renaissance man Open Mike Eagle gave hip-hop heads an incredible treat when he debuted the What Had Happened Was podcast with super producer Prince Paul. Mike had a knack for setting Paul at ease and it resulted in incredible stories about Paul’s work with De La Soul, Gravediggaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Chris Rock, and more. The hits kept coming with Season 2 in 2020 featuring none other than El-P of Run The Jewels. Much like the first season, each episode was a chapter in the subject’s career focusing on a specific album or project, and guided by the benevolent host, El-P took listeners through the ins and outs of RTJ, Company Flow, and everything in between.

The newly announced third season promises even more hip-hop geekery, as it features famed hip-hop exec Dante Ross. A mercurial figure in the Golden Age of hip-hop, Ross was responsible for ushering along acts like Digital Underground, Queen Latifah, and De La Soul while with Def Jam and Tommy Boy Records. Then, as the hip-hop A&R man at Elektra Records, Ross signed legends like Busta Rhymes, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Del The Funky Homosapien, and a whole lot more.

Suffice it to say, Ross is a hip-hop treasure trove of knowledge and he makes for a spectacular guest alongside the equally spectacular host. Open Mike Eagle’s Stony Island Pods network is now distributed by the much larger Talkhouse network and this season represents a well-deserved big step up for the very excellent show.

What Had Happened Was Season 3 with Dante Ross premieres Wednesday, February 9. Listen/subscribe here.

NLE Choppa ended the first month of the new year by releasing his sophomore album Me Vs. Me. It arrives nearly a year and a half after his debut album Top Shotta. That same year he was given a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class list with names like Jack Harlow, Rod Wave, Latto, and more. To continue the promotion behind his latest body of work, NLE Choppa returns with a video for “Trap Phone.” The visual finds him surrounded by his crew and a cast of women as he boasts about his street rap while showing off his charisma with a collection of energetic dance moves.

Me Vs. Me arrives with sixteen songs and features from Young Thug, Polo G, G Herbo, and Moneybagg Yo. The project dropped a week after its original release date after NLE Choppa delayed it out of respect for Long Live Young Dolph, the compilation album that was released in honor of Young Dolph who was shot and killed in November. “Trap Phone” joins songs like “Stompin,” “Mmm Hmm,” “Unapologetic,” and “Drop Sh*t” as records from Me Vs. Me to receive the visual treatment.

You can watch the video for “Trap Phone” above.

Me Vs. Me is out now via Warner Records. You can stream it here.

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

Faouzia fans have been watching the young pop star slowly but surely build a career for herself in the music industry. Sure, it doesn’t hurt that her signature style is incredibly strong as well, but the Moroccan-born pop star’s powerhouse voice is really what sets her apart from the rest. Last year the 21-year-old artist released a couple of excellent new singles, “Hero” in the summer followed up by “Puppet” in the fall, and both helped establish her within the mainstream pop world. Though she was born in Morocco, Faouzia was raised in Canada but is quickly becoming a crossover artist in America.

After a sold-out show in Los Angeles right on the heels of her new releases, Faouzia has clearly been hard at work prepping a video to go along with her newest single. And this week, the clip is finally here. “The idea for the ‘Puppet’ video is one I had been thinking of since I first wrote the song,” Faouzia said. “I’ve been not only thinking about what I wanted the visuals to be, but also about how I wanted to portray the meaning of the song through fashion, makeup, hair, and a story that feels true to myself.”

Collaborating with Kyle Cogan on the visual, Faouzia explains that each of the costume changes represents another version of the captured character. “I worked with Kyle Cogan on this one and he’s done such a phenomenal job at bringing it to life,” she explained. “The main character has been captured, strung up in wires to be examined and commanded by the faceless men. As we delve into her mind, we see four versions of her, each representing a different element of lost control. While each character has their own meaning for me, I’m excited to see how everyone connects with each variation as I know everyone will see different reflections of their own lives.”

There’s plenty of her signature high-fashion looks, some disorienting fisheye camera lenses, and so many costume changes, as those who would have this pop star do their bidding get a wake up call. It’s right there in the lyrics of the song, but clearly, her rebellion just needed the right setting for her to break free. Check out the dramatic clip above and keep an ear out for more new music from Faouzia, hopefully coming very soon.

Earlier this week, Rihanna shocked the world by revealing she and her boyfriend ASAP Rocky are expecting their first child together. The news arrived a little over a year after rumors surfaced about the pair’s romance. The couple shared pictures from a photoshoot they did together in New York, which features Rihanna rocking a pink Chanel jacket that was halfway unbuttoned to show her baby bump. Just a few days after those pictures arrived, Rihanna returns with another one to celebrate the start of Black History Month.

The new picture also showed Rihanna’s baby bump, which she captioned, “How the gang pulled up to black history month.” She also included a pair of pictures from her photoshoot in the Instagram post. Shortly after Rihanna shared the news about her pregnancy, her father Ronald Fenty gave his reaction to it during an interview with TMZ. “When I got the news, I was so excited and ecstatic,” he said. “And I’m just hoping it will have ten fingers and ten toes.” Ronald also revealed his hope for the baby’s gender. “I’m looking for a girl,” he said. “I already have two grandsons, so I’m looking for a daughter now.”

The announcement arrived after her Clara Lionel Foundation pledged $15 million for organizations that are fighting against climate change.

Gunna is off to a great start this year. He released his third album, DS4EVER, last month and it topped the Billboard 200, giving the rapper his second No. 1 album as a solo artist and his third altogether, thanks to YSL’s Slime Langauge 2. He’s also giving back to the community that helped him become the success he is today.

Gunna teamed up with Goodr, a sustainable food waste management and hunger relief company, to open a free grocery store in Atlanta’s Ronald E. McNair Middle School, which he attended as a teenager. Called Goodr Grocery Store, it will serve more than 900 students and allow them to pick from his favorite foods and snacks, as well as fresh produce and toiletries. There’s also a “Drip Closet” section that offers clothes and sneakers — even Nike Air Jordans.

“I have the highest regard for Gunna’s dedication to giving back to the community that raised him,” Goodr founder and CEO Jasmine Crowe said in a statement. “Goodr and Gunna have teamed for the greater good several times in the past couple years. His commitment is inspiring.”

The company plans to launch more free grocery stores in schools and community centers across the country.

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