Call me biased, but Vince Staples’ self-titled album is still my pick for the best of the year so far. It’s incisive and vivid, paranoid and nostalgic, witty and world-weary, all at the same time. A perfect microcosm of the album’s worldview is its Fousheé-featuring single “Take Me Home,” which Vince and Fousheé stopped by The Tonight Show to perform Wednesday.
As stripped-down as the album is, the circular stage the two artists share is fittingly bare as they sit back-to-back under blue light, delivering their straight-faced performances directly into the camera. The stage itself rotates to bring each to the foreground for their respective verses/hooks.
Vince’s appearance on The Tonight Show is just one of the examples of his newfound commitment to his artistry, which he says he wanted to highlight on the new album. He recently performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts — again, with Fousheé, the lone feature on the album, as his special guest — and he plans to hit the road with Tyler The Creator on the Call Me If You Get Lost Tour. He also popped up in a cameo in Tyler’s Converse commercial, increasing his visibility as he enters the next phase of his career.
Watch Vince Staples’ Tonight Show performance of “Take Me Home” featuring Fousheé above.
Just one month after publicly declaring “I believe in science” and “I believe in the science of vaccination,” Sean Hannity seems to be changing his tune—or at least altering the lyrics. On Wednesday night, the Fox News host invited Ron DeSantis on his show to discuss the measures the Florida governor is taking to protect his residents from COVID-19, which has already killed more than 41,000 Floridians.
DeSantis—who has idiotically blamed his state’s COVID clusterf*ck on immigrants, while at the same time “heroically” vowing to protect his state from the tyranny of President Joe Biden, who has the audacity to want to eradicate the state of the deadly virus—shared with Hannity the many ways he is planning to “help” his state… which basically amounts to forgoing the very simple steps of wearing masks and getting vaccinated to avoid getting COVID in the first place and instead focus on setting up “centers” for people to receive treatments once they inevitably contract the virus because of the aforementioned lack of mask or vaccine mandates. Hannity praised DeSantis for the ass-backwardness of his plan:
“Now that the CDC has said in no uncertain terms [that for] even fully vaccinated people, the vaccine will not prevent you from getting COVID, you have now done something that I think is quite innovative. And that is you have now institutionalized and mobilized your state once again to build these… monoclonal antibodies centers, Regeneron centers, Eli Lilly centers. So when people that are fully vaccinated or not get COVID, they can get the infusion of Regeneron as quickly as possible.”
Regeneron, you may remember, is the drug that Donald Trump touted and was given when he himself was diagnosed with COVID, as did Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie. Texas Governor Greg Abbott—who tested positive for COVID earlier this week—is currently on a Regeneron regiment as well. As CNN reports, monoclonal antibodies like Regeneron “are meant to be used early in the course of the disease to keep it from progressing.” But, as emergency physician and health policy expert Dr. Leana Wen, noted (quite logically, we might add):
“We know what works to prevent people from contracting this disease in the first place, masking and vaccination. We should be focusing on these preventive measures. It’s totally backwards to say that we should be focused on treatment instead of emphasizing prevention, and the steps that we know work to stop COVID-19 in the first place.”
But DeSantis isn’t letting a little thing like science stand in the way of his plan—particularly when his biggest donor has a large financial stake in Regeneron. Of course, Hannity did his viewers no favors when he praised DeSantis’ “innovative” plan for attacking the coronavirus pandemic when he took some seriously dangerous liberties when he described Regeneron as “the most underreported therapeutic out there” and concluded the conversation by telling DeSantis that, “I applaud you and others for doing this and setting this up immediately, now that we—the science shows the vaccine will not necessarily protect you, it’s not protecting many people.”
You can watch the exchange below:
Hannity praises DeSantis for creating “Regeneron centers, Eli Lilly centers”, then declares “the science shows the vaccine will not necessarily protect you. It’s not protecting many people” pic.twitter.com/HRxZKTKKV7
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
It is time, once again, for a take on the Suicide Squad, the crew of DC villains who band together to cause chaos and/or save the day. This one is directed by Guardians of the Galaxy mastermind James Gunn and features everyone from Margot Robbie (as Harley Quinn, of course) to Idris Elba and Joel Kinnaman to Sylvester Stallone (as a giant talking CGI shark). It all looks weird and fun and kind of exactly what you need in a summer weekend movie. And then when you’re done you can click over and binge the Harley Quinn animated series on the same streaming service. Big weekend for you. Watch it on HBO Max.
Some of us have been waiting an entire year to see a glowed-up Dev Patel play a troubled, handsomely rugged knight in this trippy take on an Arthurian legend, but now that The Green Knight is finally streaming everywhere … well, we all win. Patel plays Gawain, the film’s should-be hero who must fulfill an oath and face off against a myth-like creature who demands his head. Talking foxes, blood magic, and literal giants all pop up, inhabiting a mystical, terrifying, otherworldly landscape from the twisted, creative genius of director David Lowery. Find it on your VOD outlet of choice.
In Beckett, John David Washington plays the title character, just a guy who is on vacation in Greece with his girlfriend (Alicia Vikander). After an automobile accident, during which Beckett sees someone he’s not supposed to see, he’s thrust into a game of espionage, intrigue, and geopolitical maneuvering that he never asked for. Director Ferdinando Cito Filomarino was heavily influenced by William Friedkin’s movies of the 1970s and he tries to recapture that here in a movie where, like the title character, we don’t really know what’s going on and there’s always a culpable sense of dread. Watch it on Netflix.
Though the plot gets a bit convoluted in the second half of the movie, the dazzling, movie star-esque performances here by The Rock, Emily Blunt, and Jesse Plemons make this an entertaining movie well worth watching. Set in 1916, this movie about a race to be the first to get to a tree with magical healing powers has a distinct Indiana Jones/Raiders of the Lost Ark vibe to it. In fact, a couple of the scenes play like homages to those earlier films. And Jesse Plemons appears to be having the time of his life portraying the villain in this film, and who on God’s green Earth doesn’t love Jesse Plemons?! Watch it on Disney+.
The last time Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson starred in a movie together, it was The Greatest Showman and it made $435 million at the box office. Reminiscence is being released on HBO Max the same day it comes out in theaters, so it won’t equal The Greatest Showman’s total gross. But the twisty thriller about nostalgia and lost love from Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy might make you say this is… what I’m watching tonight. Watch it on HBO Max.
6. Annette (VOD)
UGC
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A stand-up comedian (Adam Driver) and a world-famous opera singer (Marion Cotillard) have a child that turns out to be a wooden marionette doll, and the doll begins taunting them with its own singing voice after their marital problems lead to chaos. It sounds… weird. It sounds weird. There’s no way around that. But it does have an interesting cast and is getting solid reviews so maybe give it a run if you’re in the mood to have your mind bent a little. Find it on your VOD outlet of choice.
The story of a young woman who is the only hearing person in her family, living with her deaf parents and deaf brother, became the it movie of this year’s Sundance. It’s fair to wonder if this actually does hurt a film, expectations-wise. But it didn’t hurt last year’s then-record holder Palm Springs. And the producers of CODA surely didn’t care while they count their money. What’s surprising about all of this is CODA isn’t a deeply profound film. It’s just a really funny, feel-good movie about nice people doing nice things. And maybe that’s kind of rare these days. Give it a shot to put you in a good mood. Watch it on Apple TV+.
Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff finally gets a proper send-off in this actioner that aims to go back-to-basics but succeeds more on a personal level. The film fills in plenty of blanks following the events of Captain America: Civil War, but more importantly, we receive butt-kicking ladies in well-choreographed fight scenes and an emotionally resonant story that introduces us to the inner Natasha, as witnessed by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. She’s perhaps the only person in the world who’s allowed to tease Natasha, and their dynamic (and the chemistry between Scarlett and Florence) rules. The film also allows David Harbour to perform grunt-filled face work with a wild accent while the ladies swirl around him in hand-to-hand combat. It’s a winner. Watch it on Disney+ Premium.
It’s Nicolas Cage hunting down his enemies after the disappearance of his beloved truffle-sniffing pig. And it’s allegedly good. Like, really, honestly good, not Fun/Bad Good. You really can’t ask for much more out of a film. Or anything else, really. Track it down on your VOD service of choice.
What we have here appears to be an extremely cute cartoon musical featuring a loaded cast (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Brian Tyree Henry, Gloria Freakin Estefan) and a sweet premise. Per the studio: “A music-loving kinkajou embarks on the journey of a lifetime to fulfill his destiny and deliver a love song for an old friend.” Round up the kiddos if you need an excuse and see if the happy tears flow. Watch it on Netflix.
The short version goes something like this: Val Kilmer has been pointing a camera at himself for 40 years or so and now all that footage — and more — has been edited and compiled and massaged into an eye-opening documentary that touches on the very nature of fame. Val Kilmer is a fascinating guy. Not everyone can turn four decades of home movies into an interesting watch. Most of us can’t, actually. It’s all pretty impressive. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
Anderson .Paak generated some attention earlier this week when he revealed some ink that’s more legally binding than it is aesthetic: He tattooed a statement on his arm that reads, “When I’m gone, please don’t release any posthumous albums or songs with my name attached. Those were just demos and never intended to be heard by the public.” While .Paak went extreme with getting that indelibly written on his arm, Lana Del Rey shared a similar sentiment, albeit not on her skin.
Yesterday, Del Rey showed her support for .Paak’s move by sharing the image of his tattoo, taking the opportunity to reveal that she has also taken steps to make sure that her unreleased music doesn’t see the light of day after her death. Alongside the image, she wrote, “it’s in my will but it’s also on his tattoo.”
Around the time that Netflix announced that Kevin Smith was developing a He-Man series that would complete the story from the classic ’80s cartoon, the streaming giant also teased that an all-new He-Man series was in the works. Well, apparently, Netflix wasn’t messing around because the trailer is already here.
Titled He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the new series is markedly different from Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation. While Revelation utilizes hand-drawn animated similar to Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender reboot, the new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series is a CG animated series that skews close to Trollhunters in both look and feel.
While He-Man has always been a mish-mash of medieval and sci-fi weaponry, this new series has a much more futuristic slant to it. It also seems aimed at younger audience than Revelation, so it’ll be interesting to see how angry nerds will react to this latest take on He-Man. (Spoiler alert: They’ll probably still be angry.)
Here’s the official synopsis:
On Eternia, the first planet of creation, a demonic tyrant rises: Skeletor! With dark armies at his command, Skeletor is on the march, hell-bent on capturing Eternia’s kingdoms, and its ultimate prize – Castle Grayskull, the ancient fortress of mystery said to contain the greatest power in the universe. It’s up to He-Man and his brave squad of rookie heroes to stop Skeletor and restore the peace. Both sides come armed with enchanted Power Weapons – transforming them into Masters of the Primal Powers of the Universe. It’s Master vs. Dark Master, He-Man vs. Skeletor – fighting for control of Eternia, Castle Grayskull, and the fate of us all. In the end, who will become MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE?
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe starts streaming September 16 on Netflix.
Ed Sheeran popped up in 2019 with his guest-heavy release No.6 Collaborations Project, but as far as solo albums, his most recent is 2017’s ÷ (also known as Divide). It’s been a while, but now Sheeran is officially ready to follow that up: Today, Sheeran announced a new album, which is titled, as fans probably suspected based on his established naming convention, = (or Equals). That’s set for release on October 29.
Sheeran says of the album:
“= (Equals) is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me. My life changed greatly over the past few years — I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album. I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.”
Alongside the announcement, Sheeran shared both a performance video and studio version of an emotional new single, “Visiting Hours,” which features backing vocals from Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Barnes. The song is actually one Sheeran fans have heard before: He tearfully performed it at the funeral of friend and Australian music industry icon Michael Gudinski back in March. Sheeran said of the track at the time, “In lockdown, I was able to have a guitar for quarantine. I always find the best way to process stuff is to write songs — be it good news, bad news, or whatever, and, yeah — here’s a song I finished last week.”
Listen to “Visiting Hours” above and find the = art and tracklist below.
Atlantic Records
1. “Tides”
2. “Shivers”
3. “First Times”
4. “Bad Habits”
5. “Overpass Graffiti”
6. “The Joker And The Queen”
7. “Leave Your Life”
8. “Collide”
9. “2step”
10. “Stop The Rain”
11. “Love In Slow Motion”
12. “Visiting Hours”
13. “Sandman”
14. “Be Right Now”
= is out 10/29 via Atlantic Records. Pre-order it here.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Fox News’ stance on vaccines has been (and this is putting it generously) mixed. Take, for example, the Fox and Friends co-hosts (Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade), who sat down in May to let everyone know that they’d all been vaccinated against COVID-19. That hasn’t stopped Kilmeade from grumbling about the idea of virus-related mandates, and casually mentioning how easy it is to get a fake vaccine card. Not good! And that’s not the most dangerous talk out there. Tucker Carlson’s many months of vaccine skepticism adds up to an ill-advised cocktail, and he’s steadfastly refused to reveal whether he’s been vaccinated for Covid-19.
In fact, Tucker has deflected to asking people questions about their sex life whenever the subject comes up. All of this might become mighty awkward, if a new CNN report is accurate. The cable news network published details from a memo (which was posted in full by AdWeek) from Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott to employees. Scott declared that Fox News “asked all employees — whether on site as part of our essential workforce or working remotely — to upload their vaccination status.” That info will be popped into an internal database and must have been completed by August 17. Here’s more from CNN:
Scott added that while masks remain optional for vaccinated employees, the company is “requiring employees to wear a mask in small, confined spaces with limited opportunities for social distancing and where there are multiple employees, including control rooms.”
Scott, however, notably stopped short of saying that vaccines will be mandated to enter the offices.
Word of this memo follows after June reports that Fox News was quietly implementing its own version of a vaccine passport for employees. That happened amid Sean Hannity’s turnabout to urge people to take COVID seriously. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson is still not talking about his own vaccine status, but it sounds like he might have to open up to his bosses, at the very least. Should be interesting.
With Devonte’ Graham now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Charlotte Hornets decided to make sure LaMelo Ball has a long-term running mate in the team’s backcourt. According to Shams Charania of The Athlete, the team and veteran guard Terry Rozier came to terms on a contract extension.
The new deal is a max extension for Rozier, who has blossomed since coming to the team in 2019 after Kemba Walker left for the Boston Celtics, and is slated to pay him $97 million over the next four years. As a result, Rozier is signed with the team until the 2025-26 season.
Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier has agreed to a four-year, $97 million max contract extension, his agent Aaron Turner of @VerusTeam told @TheAthletic@Stadium. The guaranteed deal takes Rozier through the 2025-26 season.
After showing flashes during his time with the Celtics, Rozier has turned into a foundational piece in the Queen City. He’s started every game in which he’s appeared over the last two seasons and especially thrived last year as a running mate next to both Ball and Graham. Rozier was the team’s top scorer, averaging 20.4 points per game (the highest of his career) on 45 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent shooting from three. He also managed to put up career-best marks in assists (4.2 per game) and steals (1.3 a night) while tying his career-high with 4.4 rebounds per game.
Rozier was something of a streaky player during his time with Boston, but he’s managed to parlay more playing time and a consistent starting role in Charlotte into plenty of success on the floor. As a result, the team made it a point to keep him around for the foreseeable future.
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
There are moments in the early stages of season two that feel like they’re doubling down on the show’s signature positivity and niceness, but there’s no such thing as sweetness overload here as the show grows our affection for characters that are clearly taking a step forward in their arcs. Especially Ted, even though it seems like there may be some challenges ahead. Watch it on Apple TV+.
HBO’s The White Lotus took the world by storm this summer, and with good reason. Mike White’s tale of wealthy dopes had everything you could ask for: a great cast, a scenic location, a dead body, and more. The season finale aired last weekend but there’s still time to rip through all six episodes to find out just what, exactly, all the fuss was about. And so you have something to talk to your friends about. Get in there. Watch it on HBO Max.
The past year has been a good one for Nicole Kidman and her wigs. In Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers, she trades in the fiery boho chic armor of her New York socialite in The Undoing for the flowing, hauntingly ethereal robes of a wellness guru who’s constantly feasting on an accent goulash. In short, this series is a showcase for Kidman and the rest of the A-list cast that populates a retreat aptly named Tranquillum House – everyone from Melissa McCarthy to Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall, and more are guests in search of enlightenment, or, at least, enlightening. Come for the mindless drama of “rich white people problems,” stay for Manny Jacinto’s luscious locks. Watch it on Hulu.
Created by Amanda Peet and produced by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, The Chair tells the story of a new professor dealing with a failing English department at a fancy private university. It’s always nice to see Sandra Oh get a meaty lead role like this, and if her work on shows like Killing Eve is any indication, she’ll carry it well. Watch it on Netflix.
We’re in the multiverse after Loki‘s season finale. The MCU promises to show us a wealth of scenarios that stand separate from the existing movie lore. Agent Carter will take the serum and become Captain Carter. There’s a Zombie Captain America, and King T’Challa materializes elsewhere as Star Lord. Notably, Chadwick Boseman did voice work here, so you’ll be able to say a proper goodbye to his Black Panther. Let the good times and the tears roll. Watch it on Disney+.
Taika Waititi’s FX on Hulu follow-up to What We Do in the Shadowsbrings us a comedy series that’s co-written by Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. Yes, the lead quartet in this show rocks suits that look strikingly similar to the characters of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, yet they’re four Indigenous teens who want to commit crime and simply can’t pull it off. The show was shot in and near Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and these teens hope to make it all the way to California. The cast and crew come from indigenous communities, from where Harjo and Waititi are aiming their storytelling styles as well. Watch it on Hulu.
If you’re missing Narcos, rest assured that there’s so much blow in this docuseries, which gives the documentary treatment to the excess-filled life of two childhood pals who transformed into billionaire drug kingpins. There’s a tiger and bullfighting and speedboats and money flying everywhere, it’s no wonder why “Los Muchachos” were so darn popular. They were also slippery fellows, due to their world-champ powerboat-racing status. Watch it on Netflix.
8. Heels (Starz)
STARZ
Friday Night Lights was a great show about football that you didn’t have to like football to love. Starz hopes Heels can be a Friday Night Lights but for wrestling. The drama (from Loki showrunner Michael Waldron) stars Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig as Jack and Ace Spade, two brothers trying to keep their small-town indie wrestling league afloat. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t WOOOOO.
This zombie-apocalypse universe’s flagship series returns for one final rodeo with two spinoffs still in motion, so it’s time to wrap this puppy up before the various shows’ timelines begin to intersect. Negan’s no longer the show’s villain, Alpha’s been vanquished, and Carol’s about to split from the group. When one really thinks about all the careers that this show has bolstered (Steven Yeun, Dania Guerra, Jon Bernthal, and so on), it’s impressive that Norman Reedus has stuck it out for the long haul, so Daryl and Carol must end this show by literally riding off into the sunset by motorcycle. We’ll accept nothing else. Watch it on AMC Plus.
The long-running NBC/Fox cop series zips into its final season this fall, giving viewers one last go-round with Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero and Andre Braugher and the rest of the precinct. It will be sad to see them go, but it’s also comforting to know there are seven seasons just sitting there on Hulu if you need them. Really cushions the blow. So maybe dive back through the archives this weekend to get ready for the big goodbye that’s on the way. Watch it on Hulu.
A San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting descended into nuttiness earlier this week when the topic of mask mandates came up. Groups with names like ReOpen San Diego, Let Them Breathe, and San Diego Rise Up loudly shared their thoughts on wearing masks and proof of vaccinations, including one speaker (a white dude with dreadlocks) who told the supervisors, “You are about to open a pit of hell. You do not get a vaccine passport put on us. You know as the population who’s in control… Once you get a power, you never relinquish it.” He then started mockingly chanting “Heil Fauci!”
The meeting left many people speechless, but not Stephen Colbert.
After playing a clip of another anti-vaxxer noting that “Saturn is in the same place it was during the American Revolution in 1776 and you are the red coats,” The Late Show host called it the “most insane thing I have ever seen or heard.” Later, Colbert’s attention turned to the “pit of hell” guy, who he dubbed Blob Marley. “OK, little advice,” he said. “I can see you’re passionate, I can see this is important to you, but I just want to remind you of the phrase, you catch more flies with honey than you do with crystal meth.”
You can watch the monologue above.
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