The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Maxo Kream, Wale, and surprisingly enough, NBA All-Star Kawhi Leonard.

Among the releases this week was a notable new single debut from Flo Milli, who shared “Ice Baby” via a laid-back performance on A COLORS Show.

Friday saw the releases of Big Sean’s “What A Life,” and Lil Tjay’s “Not In The Mood” featuring Fivio Foreign and Kay Flock, and Cozz’s “Fortunate,” along with the releases listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 22, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Big Zuu — Navigate

The years-long explosion of new British hip-hop and grime has been impressive, as a once-maligned species of rap music has shown that it can flourish in the streaming era. Big Zuu brings in stalwarts of the genre like D Double E to pay homage as he pushes the genre forward.

BKTHERULA — Love Black

The Atlanta rap rebel continues her mission to utterly upend the conventions of beats and rhymes, delivering a wildly experimental project that shoves the bounds of hip-hop into a whole new corner and bullies them into submission.

Jpegmafia — LP!

After releasing a string of singles and repacking them as EPs, Jpeg finally collects the whole shebang with a few new tracks for his third official album.

Maxo Kream — Weight Of The World

Smartly opting for a traditional Tuesday release, the Houston native left plenty of room to digest his excellent new album, on which he processes the rough past two years and manages to turn pain into poetry.

Mega Ran — Live 95

Among a certain generation of gamers and hip-hop fans, the iteration of the popular game for which this tape is named was the pinnacle of the series. Nerdcore rapper Mega Ran deftly addresses its popularity with this loving homage to a bygone era.

Wale — Folarin II

Wale, Uproxx’s most recent cover artist, has been on a longterm mission to remind fans of the strength of his legacy. His latest album is exhibit A, saluting the records that inspired him and displaying the inarguable mastery of the craft that earned that lofty status.

Various Artists — Kawhi Leonard Presents: Culture Jam (Vol. 1)

NBA star Kawhi Leonard curates a compilation of some of his favorite artists in hip-hop. It’s not bad, featuring a variety of should-be jock jams from a group of some of hip-hop’s finest hitmakers — and some of its burgeoning stars, like BlueBucksClan (who truly belong, with their wild collection of sports references).

Singles/Videos

Dame D.O.L.L.A. — “Right One” Feat. Lil Wayne and Mozzy

The start of the NBA season hasn’t stopped Damian Lillard from getting in one last long-range shot from his off-season hobby, and like many of his logo shots, it’s all money.

Lakeyah — “Loving Me”

Milwaukee’s Lakeyah continues to promote her Gangsta Grillz album, My Time, with another standout.

Dom Kennedy — “Deep Thought”

The LA warm weather wizard releases a fittingly laid-back companion clip for one of his Westside Three standouts.

Problem — “Lionel Richy” Feat. Airplane James

Continuing the narrative from last week’s double dose of new videos, Compton’s Problem drops a flirtatious new single with assistance from another burgeoning West Coast star.

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

You enter the website for The Williamsburg Hotel in Brooklyn by clicking the line “Wanna Sleep With A Local?” It’s very on the nose when it comes to selling the sexiness of this hotel. It’s not a lie, either.

That being said, there are a million sexy hotels you can stay in around New York City, at varying levels of comfort and luxury. And staying outside of Manhattan is certainly a choice that sacrifices some accessibility. But if you’re down for a hotel that’s a little out of the way while also boasting one of the best views of the city in existence, you’ll be thrilled to find this gem. Plus, it’s across the street from one of the best craft beer spots in the five boroughs (more on that later).

Above everything else it has going for it, The Williamsburg Hotel is the sort of place that feels like it’s alive. It pulsates with energy; a destination onto itself. Locals and travelers mingle in the corridors, by the pool, and over avocado toast every morning. It’s those social aspects (and, yes, that aforementioned sexiness) that drove us to pick it as the first entry in our new “Hotels We Love” series.

WHY IT’S AWESOME:

The Williamsburg’s sex appeal goes beyond the beautiful people that populate the common areas. The rooftop day parties (that turn into night parties) by the pool feature DJs spinning with the Manhattan skyline framing the whole scene. Then you have the bar scene popping in the lobby (even weeknights), the safe sex packs in the minibar, and the stylish overall vibe and design.

Hanging out in the lobby bar after people are done with dinner is a pretty sure-fire way to meet folks. If you strike out there, your room card gives you access to the rooftop bar and its party scene. It’s not wild per see, but it’ll be one hell of a party if you’re with the right crew.

if you want even more of a scene, you’re in Williamsburg. While it’s not the heart of Brooklyn, there’s plenty within walking distance if you want to get a bite, bar hop, or just grab a bodega sandwich (there’s a great little bodega with good sandwiches right across the street). Plus there’s about 20 years of residual cool kid energy permeating every block.

IN-HOUSE FOOD + DRINK:

The lobby bar connects to the main eatery. I only had breakfast there. It was good quality and locally sourced standards of 2021 — good eggs benny, avo toast with a lot of greens, farm-fresh eggs, etc. It was better than, say, the Marriott but it wasn’t life-changing and I’d probably have hit a diner or deli in the city if I had it to do over. The cappuccino was on point though. The room service is prompt and arrives piping hot, which is a nice touch.

The lobby and rooftop bars are very standard hotel bars with a decent cocktail menu, good local craft beer, and plenty of wine from all over. While the drinks are perfectly fine, you’re really only going to be going to these bars to meet people, the drinks are sort of secondary.

AMENITIES:

• Rooftop pool with 2 bars
• Free WiFi
• 24-hour gym & fitness center
• Pet program
• Bathrobes
• Work desk & chair
• Room service
• Stocked high-end minibar
• Apotheke toiletries
• Breakfast included

ROOM TYPES:

The standard rooms come with and without a small terrace, queen or king beds, flat-screen, and a bathroom that’s fitted with classic tiles and old-school brass fixtures. The shower sits between the bed and the bathroom in a glass conservatory so you can see from the shower to the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Beyond that, there are loft and skyline suites with a bit more room, bathtubs right next to floor-to-ceiling windows with views of either Manhattan or Brooklyn’s skyline, and showers that are big enough for two… or more.

THE BEST THING TO DO WITHIN A 15 MINUTE WALK:

This is easy. The Brooklyn Brewery taproom is kitty-corner on Wythe Ave and 11th. The taproom is usually open until nine or ten pm, making it the perfect place to tie a few on before heading back over to The Williamsburg just as the fun begins.

If you’re more into a dive bar scene, one block down 11th St. you’ll find The Whiskey Brooklyn. It’s a “whiskey” shop that’s really more of a dive bar with a fantastic whiskey list and decent cocktails.

THE BEST THING TO DO/EAT/DRINK WITHIN A $20 CAB RIDE:

Being in Williamsburg, it’s actually faster and easier to get into Midtown and the Village than swaths of Brooklyn. I would have put Di Fara Pizza here for pizza but it’s a good 45 to 60 minutes across Brooklyn to get to.

Sticking with the classic theme, I’m going with Katz Delicatessen. It’s a $20 taxi or Uber ride and takes about 20 minutes without major traffic. Plus, it’s Katz. I’m not sure you can go to New York and not go at least once. Order the pastrami on rye with a little mustard, grab a Dr. Brown’s soda (cherry obviously), and don’t sleep on the potato salad and knishes.

BED GAME:

This was a step up from a nice Hilton but a step below a Conrad. The beds were great but the pillows were a little stiff. The thread count on the sheets was average but very comfortable against the skin. Overall, this was a nice sleeping experience but not overly memorable.

Rating: 8/10

SEXINESS RATING:

Any high-end hotel that has lube and condoms in the minibar knows what’s up. Plus, you can easily meet people at the rooftop or lobby bar. Though, I’d recommend the rooftop bar since you’ll have the entire Manhattan skyline as your backdrop.

Rating: 10/10

THE VIEWS & PICS SPOTS:

I mean, you can see the photos in this article. We’ve mentioned the Manhattan skyline view about ten times by now. You get it. It’s not a property that stunts for the ‘gram but that’s almost always corny.

It definitely has plenty of cool angles, super stylish design, and lots of good lighting.

Rating: 9/10

BEST SEASON TO VISIT:

Is there a bad season to visit New York? No. That being said, to really get the most out of the roof, you’ll need to hit this place between April and September.

IF I HAD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ONE THING:

This corner of Brooklyn is really great if you want to spend your time just in Williamsburg. The rest of Brooklyn, though, feels/is further away than the Village. It feels kind of weird that it’s easier to party in the Village than Brooklyn from this hotel — I’m sure if you live in BK you get used to it.

BOOK HERE:

Expect to pay between $220 to $620 for a standard room to a skyline suite (more on weekends).

Click here to check availability.

We’d like to acknowledge and honor the original peoples of this land, the Munsee Lenape and Canarsie nations.

Donald Trump’s new social media network found its funding from a sketchy source, so perhaps it’s no surprise that there are now reports the entire platform itself may be stolen goods.

Truth Social, the free speech platform Trump desperately hopes will make his booting from Facebook and Twitter feel like a distant memory, hasn’t even launched just yet. But there’s been a small raft of controversy floating down the proverbial social feed of the platform, starting with the SPAC used to fund the venture. And now there are reports that the actual source code of Trump’s social media network is already breaking the rules.

As The Verge detailed on Friday, internet regulators aren’t happy with Trump’s platform because it seems to have directly violated licensing agreements in order to make the site exist in the first place. To put it plainly: it seems much of what makes Truth Social even work has been taken from a software called Mastodon, a free open-source platform that’s seen some use among far-right free speech seekers. But in this case, Trump’s site seems to be calling it proprietary. Which doesn’t sit well with people who are in charge of making sure users actually follow the rules.

The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) says former President Donald Trump’s new social network violated a free and open-source software licensing agreement by ripping off decentralized social network Mastodon. The Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) has 30 days to comply with the terms of the license before its access is terminated — forcing it to rebuild the platform or face legal action.

…

If Truth Social fails to make the source code available, the SFC could sue it for violating the terms of the license it used. Earlier this year, the group sued electronics maker Vizio for “repeated failures to fulfill even the basic requirements” of free software licensing. “We will be following this issue very closely and demanding that Trump’s Group give the corresponding source to all who use the site,” Kuhn writes.

And Vice reported earlier in the week that Mastodon’s founder isn’t happy with Trump or Truth Social, either. In fact, he claims the site appears at first glance to be an exact clone of his own work. That’s based on screenshots he’s seen of people who have managed to set up accounts on the site well before it’s even launched. In some cases, mentions of Mastodon and the company’s logo actually have appeared in places.

“Based on the screenshots I have seen, it absolutely is based on Mastodon,” Eugen Rochko, founder and lead developer of Mastodon told Motherboard in an email. He pointed to one screenshot of Truth Social’s error message, which is using the default Mastodon elephant mascot.

…

“The main thing is that Mastodon is free software, released under the AGPLv3 license, so anyone can use it—provided they comply with the license. The main part of the license is making the source code and any modifications to it available to the public,” Rochko told Motherboard. With Truth Social saying that its code is proprietary “that would be a problem, as that would indicate a license violation,” Rochko added.

In other words, Trump claiming the free software as his own is a violation of its rules. But if we know anything about Trump at this point, he tends to think the rules don’t apply to him very often. Whether this fight over software ends up in court is uncertain right now, but it’s clear that despite all that money he’s raised, Truth Social hasn’t done much but give Trump more bad attention in its early days.

Overwatch‘s sharp-shootin’ cowboy Jesse McCree now has a new name: Cole Cassidy. Blizzard announced the character’s updated name earlier today, in a tweet posted by Overwatch‘s offiical Twitter account. According to Blizzard, Cole Cassidy will “ride into Overwatch” on Tuesday, October 26, with all traces of his former alias removed from the game.

In addition to the announcement and date reveal, the post shared the in-game reason behind the game change. Turns out, Jesse McCree was merely a name chosen by Cassidy when he first joined The Deadlock Gang and embraced the life of an outlaw. However, after years of “running from his past,” Cassidy is ready to embrace his former self and true identity.

“The first thing a renegade loses is their name, and this one gave up his long ago. Running from his past meant running from himself, and each passing year only widened the divide between who he had been and what he had become. But in every cowboy’s life, there comes a time where he has to stop and make a stand. To make this new Overwatch better, to make things right, he had to be honest with his team and himself. The cowboy he was rode into the sunset, and Cole Cassidy faced the world at dawn.”

However, while Blizzard managed to come up with a pretty good spin on why they changed the outlaw’s name in Overwatch, the real reason behind the company removing Cassidy’s former name from the game is a lot less heartwarming. The change comes after Activision-Blizzard came under fire this past summer for creating a workplace driven by “frat boy culture,” in which their female employees were routinely harassed and discriminated against. One of the men called out for discriminatory and potentially predatory behavior was lead developer Jesse McCree, the man whom the Overwatch character was named after. McCree ultimately left the company a few months ago due to his involvement in the studio’s infamous “Cosby Suite,” but unfortunately the character’s name remained as a reminder of his time at the studio. Following his departure, however, the Overwatch team explained they would rename the character to something that “better represents” the company.

Ultimately, the team landed on Cole Cassidy, which is as solid an outlaw name as any, if you ask me. While the name change doesn’t erase Activision-Blizzard’s toxic workplace, troubling past, and a plethora of ongoing legal battles, it at least ensures a person who inflicted a lot of pain is no longer a permanent fixture in one of the company’s most popular titles.

It’s amazing how even the most harrowing of decisions can be transformed with a good sense of humor.

After suffering an ankle injury during a horseback riding accident at age 13, Jo Beckwith had exhausted all other options to escape from the lingering pain from the fracture, leaving her with no better choice than to amputate.

She could have buckled under the weight of such life-altering news (no one would blame her). Instead, Jo threw a farewell party the day before her surgery. Some of her friends showed up to write a goodbye letter, fun and lighthearted messages scribbled directly onto the ankle.

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In her video, Jo reads out some of the messages her friends gave to her foot, things like “bye little piggies,” and “have a nice trip.” She was quick to make sure we “got the pun” of that last one.

Of course, Jo also contributed a few words to her soon-to-be-ex appendage, which reads very much like a teenage break-up letter. She thanked it for all the “good times” they had together, said “it’s not me, it’s you,” and then signed off with “your blood supplier.” I didn’t even know this level of optimism was attainable.

Woman shares breakup letter with her foot before amputation.Tiktok

Beckwith noted that doing this actually felt very therapeutic and it reminded her of all the support she’d have going into surgery the next day.

Those who watched the video praised Beckwith for her creativity. One person wrote “You handled this so well. I love that you came up with this! It actually makes sense how this could be therapeutic!”

Since then, Jo, aka @footlessjo, has become an advocate for the mental health of amputees on TikTok. She posts everything from prosthetic reviews to intimacy to fitness challenges, always in a playful, candid, joyful tone. It’s a masterclass in resilience.

There are apparently at least 39 Barbie movies, but only one that matters: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. (Unless you’re five years old. Then you should probably watch Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase instead. No spoilers, but I hear puppies are involved.) The Oscar-nominated director’s follow-up to Little Women is a live-action movie based on the classic doll line starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and, as Deadline reported on Friday, Ryan Gosling as her on-again, off-again beach bum partner Ken.

Gosling initially passed on the role, but “insiders add that as pre-production dragged out and the studio remained persistent with him being their only choice, an opening in his schedule appeared, allowing him to sign on to the project… The film looks to be on the verge of a greenlight and the hope would be to shoot at the top of 2022.”

Robbie (who will also produce under her LuckyChap Entertainment production banner) told British Vogue that making a Barbie movie “comes with a lot of baggage and a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it. People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Maybe I don’t…’”

This Barbie movie is getting dangerously attractive. Who are they going to get to play Barbie’s mom and dad? Michelle Pfeiffer and Idris Elba? Actually, that should absolutely happen. Thank you in advance.

(Via Deadline)

Duran Duran influenced club culture in the early 80s with both their self-titled 1981 debut and the seminal 1982 release Rio. The Birmingham band have remarkably stayed active ever since and today, released their 15th album with the expansive Future Past. Co-produced by the band, Erol Alkan, and Italo-disco innovator Giorgio Moroder, it features appearances from Mark Ronson, Tove Lo, CHAI and others.

It’s an ambitious endeavor for their first LP in six years and the Tove Lo-assisted “Give it All Up” is a standout. It pairs Simon Le Bon’s lead vocals, with Lo’s celestial dance floor vibes. The rhythm feels forged in an 80s ethos, but with glossy modern club panache. Blur’s Graham Coxon is on guitar and Nick Rhodes’s synth melody makes it all pop off. “Out of all the songs on the new album, it is the most influenced by alternative minimalist dance music,” bassist John Taylor said in a statement. Tove Lo added that “It’s that kind of emotional song that keeps building in desperation and energy so you wanna dance and cry to it at the same time. My favorite kind!”

Listen to “Give It All Up” above, and below, find the Future Past art and tracklist.

1. “Invisible”
2. “All Of You”
3. “Give It All Up (Feat. Tove Lo)”
4. “Anniversary”
5. “Future Past”
6. “Beautiful Lies”
7. “Tonight United”
8.”Wing”
9.”Nothing Less”
10. “Hammerhead (Feat. Ivorian Doll)”
11. “More Joy! (Feat. CHAI)”
12. “Falling (Feat. Mike Garson)”

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

As fall settles in, citrus, honey, and herbs are starting to dominate the cocktail vibe. While it’s not quite hot toddy season yet, it’s veering pretty close. So we’re mixing up a favorite of mine this time of year, the Herbed Honey Smash.

The heart of this cocktail is a honeyed Highland whisky, Aberfeldy. The whisky is built to highlight honeyed hues in the glass, which makes it perfect for mixing honey and herbal cocktails this time of year.

This cocktail is bright, herbaceous, and full of single malt goodness. What more can you ask for as the leaves fall and rain pitter-patters outside? Let’s get shaking!

Herbed Honey Smash

Serves 1. Served in a rocks glass.

Ingredients:

• 2-oz. Aberfeldy 12
• 1-oz. fresh lemon juice
• 2 barspoons fresh honey
• 4 fresh sage leaves
• Lemon peel
• Ice

This really is an Aberfeldy cocktail. It’s meant to highlight honey which is a cornerstone of that whisky from the Highlands. I’d argue that you need to use some quality honey in this as well — maybe find something local. As for the single malt, I’m using Aberfeldy 12, which is a great cocktail base for this, hot toddies, and any great Scotch cocktail you can think of.

As for the rest, you just need fresh lemons and fresh sage, both of which you should be able to find easily.

What You’ll Need:

• Cocktail shaker
• Fine mesh strainer
• Hand juicer
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Fruit peeler
• Pairing knife

Method:

• Pre-chill your rocks glass in a freezer (preferably overnight).
• Build by adding the whisky and lemon juice to the shaker then add a handful of ice.
• Next, add the honey and sage leaves and another handful of ice (don’t add the honey and sage first, as it’ll get stuck to the bottom of the shaker).
• Affix the lid to the shaker and shake vigorously until the shaker is almost too cold to hold.
• Retrieve the rocks glass from the freezer and fill it with fresh ice.
• Fine-strain the cocktail into the glass.
• Peel a thumb of lemon peel and spritz the oils over the cocktail. Discard the peel.
• Garnish with a sprig of fresh sage and serve.

Bottom Line:

You really can’t beat this drink. The honey sweetness comes through but is countered by the oily nature of the sage, which screams “fall!”

The whisky shines through as a great conduit for the honey, lemon, and sage while still holding onto the single malt nature of the juice. It’s grainy, honeyed, and full of florals.

If you have the time this weekend, this is a win all around. Shake up a couple and enjoy those leaves falling.

Click to download here.

The other day I got to interview Gabriel Rucker, chef/owner of Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon and food consultant on the movie Pig. He was the guy who got to teach Nicolas Cage to break down a squab and baste it with foaming butter, like you see in the movie. You can read the transcript of that here, but as always, I have to edit those for length and coherence. What we say verbally doesn’t always translate perfectly to the page, though I do my best.

Aaaaanyway, the upside is that those transcripts do come from actual recorded material, and thanks to the magic of technology, you can actually hear them, with your ears, and not just read them with your eyes. Some people like to read, some people like to listen, some people just want to watch the world burn. Whatever the case, I’m including the audio version here (with full permission) for your listening pleasure.

It’s right here on the Frotcast feed for free, though if you like audio versions of interviews like this and/or guys talking about movies and pop culture news every week, there’s lots more of that available to our subscribers at Patreon.com/frotcast. We’d love it if you subscribed. In fact we’d be lucky to have you. God bless.

Email us at [email protected]; leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sunday, HBO 10:30pm) — The world needed more Larry David and, by god, he’s giving it to us, even if he’s never gonna drop those curmudgeon ways. Expect the Seinfeld co-creator to bring his usual flavor and more of the iconic theme, so this is pure comfort food for those of us who are weary of all the ways that the world has transformed over the past 20 months or so. Larry hasn’t changed on us, and thank god for that.

Insecure (Sunday, HBO 10:00pm) — Issa Rae’s brainchild returns for one last block-party radio after a pretty substantial cliffhanger. This season, Issa begins by offering an olive branch to repair a relationship, and there’s likely a followup with Lawrence’s baby and the possibility of Nathan reentering the scene.

These streaming picks make great appetizers:

Dune (Warner Bros. film on HBO Max) — Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, and Stellan Skarsgård playing a 300-pound villain. Oh, and sandworms and spice, too. What more could you possibly want? Well, how about an interpretation of Frank Herbert’s classic from director Denis Villeneuve? That’s more like it, especially because David Lynch would love to pretend that his version never existed. Expect a mythic and epic and world-building journey of a hero, Paul Atreides (Chalamet), who must live up to his incredible destiny. No pressure, of course.

Night Teeth (Netflix film) — Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry play the lead-character vampires of this film, but there are also vampires played by Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney, so you know what that means: any human in their sights are in big trouble. That includes a college-student-turned-chauffeur, Benny (Jorge Lendeborg, Jr.), who’s tasked with driving the two primary vamps around to parties, where they can get their thirst on. Can Benny stay alive, can he save Los Angeles, and can he possibly do both things? Talk about a guilty pleasure of a movie.

Here’s some regularly scheduled programming:

SNL (Saturday, HBO 11:29pm) — Jason Sudeikis hosts with musical guest Brandi Carlile.

The Equalizer (Sunday, CBS 8:00pm) — Queen Latifah’s McCall is working on gaining some hefty leverage this week. She can do it.

Succession (Sunday, HBO 9:00pm) — Kendall’s still trying to get is siblings to defect from Team Logan, and by god, he’s going for Sandi, too. Meanwhile, Cousin Greg’s looking out for himself. Oh boy.

Fear The Walking Dead (Sunday, CBS 9:00pm) — No time jump last week left everyone awakening in the bunker (with a baby onboard for Morgan), and this week, the action might take place within about “Six Hours” (that’s the episode title).

Hightown (Sunday, Starz 9:00pm) — Jackie and Leslie’s ambitions are matching up nicely, on and off the force, and Frankie decides to forge ahead with Jorge, but Charmaine’s looking like a wild card.

Buried (Sunday, Showtime 9:00pm) — This limited true-crime series details the story of Eileen Franklin, who suddenly experiences a decades-old memory of witnessing her childhood best friend get raped and murdered. This realization leads to the case of Susan Nason being reopened after stumping police for almost 20 years.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 10:00pm) — Season 2 continues with an ambiguously described episode that indicates this: family is not the name of the game.

American Rust (Sunday, Showtime 10:00) — Jeff Daniels can swing between being comedic and dramatic, and in his new Showtime series, American Rust, he’s decidedly the latter and latest star to take on a complicated cop role after Kate Winslet’s turn in Mare of Easttown. And notably, Bridges’ new role is also set in Pennsylvania with a focus this week on the Blue Mountains.

Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 11:00) — John Oliver, baby.

Here’s some more streaming goodness for the weekend.

Inside Job (Netflix series) — Lizzy Caplan and Christian Slater star in this adult animated comedy show that revolves around a shadow government that’s all up in global conspiracies. There are secret societies and orgies and shapeshifters and psychic mushrooms, along with an idealistic agent who hopes that she can make a difference in a world filled with unhinged characters.

Invasion: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series) — Apple TV+ has been crushing the outer-space game with All For Mankind, and with this Simon Kinberg sci-fi show, they’re bringing the (dubious) party to planet Earth. Kinberg, of course, has plenty of producing clout under his belt (The Martian, the Deadpool movies, Logan) and he’s teaming up here with procedural-minded director Jakob Verbruggen (The Alienist, The Fall) to focus on individual stories around the globe during the fallout of an alien invasion. There’s some Sam Neill flavor up in here, too, and if there’s a god, he’ll be wearing a hat in this show. Yes, it’s intense-looking show, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

Just Beyond: Season 1 (Disney+ series) — This horror-comedy anthology bases itself on R.L. Stine’s BOOM! Studios comic book series of the same name. Expect plenty of supernatural journeys (with a personally affecting touch) through alternate dimensions with witches, aliens, and ghosts onboard.

Guilty Party: Season 1 (Paramount+ series) — Kate Beckinsale stars in this charming-looking dramedy series about a disgraced (and opportunistic) journalist who works to redeem herself by digging for the real story on a young mother who was convicted of murdering her husband, a crime that the mother insists that she did not commit. Expect (strangely enough) some whimsy amid this seemingly serious premise, including some adversaries that are a real pain in the butt.

The Next Thing You Eat: Season 1 (Hulu series) — Chef David Chang teams up with director Morgan Nevill for six episodes that follow seismic changes in the way we eat. There’s a global perspective, and expect to see robots and lab-grown food and all manner of other surprises.

Snoop and Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween (Peacock special) — The dynamic duo re-teams again, this time to host a baking competition that’s geared toward the spookiest holiday of all. Expect to see giant chocolate spiders and cotton-candy cobwebs, all packed into room-sized, edible creations. These two have been tight since their inaugural recipe, mashed potatoes, so there’s simply no turning back, ever.

Jack and Kelly Osbourne: Night Of Terror (Discovery+ special) — The famed RMS Queen Mary becomes ground central for these two siblings (and kids of Ozzy and Sharon) as they journey into the unknown. Given that the ghost-filled ship shut down for the COVID pandemic, things are even spookier as filmed for this series because no one is (officially) touring, and they’re all alone. So, good luck to both the formerly skeptical Kelly and the true-believing Jack as they make their ways down this famed Long Island haunting venue.

Halloween Kills (Universal movie on Peacock) — A horror blockbuster is here to spook you in your living rooms, y’all. Michael Myers survives that damn fire, which leads to a fully-had-it-up-to-here mindset of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, who’s mad as hell at firefighters and vowing that Michael Myers is going down. If it was a matter of wills and badassery, she could make it happen, but that’s not how things usually roll out in this franchise. David Gordon Green directs again here, and he’ll be back for Halloween Ends, so good luck, Laurie.