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Could there possibly be a year to look more forward to than 2021? Fortunately, Netflix planned this one out. The streaming service knew that we’d need the momentum to push forth (and away from our current global situation) and into brighter days. There’s so much more to anticipate in January than one could have ever expected, and you will definitely have no shortage of bingewatching opportunities while riding out the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

Plenty of original offerings are on the way, including a new Cobra Kai season to clean up all the damage done by warring senseis last year. Nic Cage will tell you the history of “F*ck” and many other swear words, and Headspace is here with the first of their crop of meditation aids. Also, there’s an Afterparty-themed show that will play weekly, a new season of Disenchantment, and several documentaries to discover in the full list of new content. Happy New Year!

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix in January.

Cobra Kai: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 1/8)

Cobra Kai‘s gearing up for Season 3 on Netflix soon, and this new trailer makes good on Ralph Macchio’s previous promise to us: “The best is yet to come in this series! And I believe in that.” The emotional stakes are certainly high. After Johnny and Daniel’s combined bad moves contributed heavily to Miguel landing in a hospital bed, Johnny’s looking for redemption. While he does the hard work in the hospital — and Kreese re-takes the dubious reigns of the Cobra Kai dojo, which makes me worried about him instructing Hawk to be even more of an anger-bear monster — Daniel-san heads to Okinawa, where an old rival is ready for him. The soul and fate of every sensei (and their students) are up for grabs. Hopefully, they’ll all make the right moves.

History of Swear Words (Netflix series streaming 1/5)

A Nic Cage series? Yes please. A Nic Cage series where he teaches us lessons about expletives? Give it to me now. Cage hosts here with an array of guests — including Jim Jefferies, Zainab Johnson, Nick Offerman, Sarah Silverman, Baron Vaughn, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Joel Kim Booster, DeRay Davis, Open Mike Eagle, Nikki Glaser, Patti Harrison, London Hughes — to dive deep into his proudly profane stance. Over the course of six episodes, you’ll learn about the origins of “F*ck,” “Sh*t,” “B*tch,” “D*ck,” “Pu**y,” and “Damn.” Alright!

Headspace Guide to Meditation (Netflix series streaming 1/1)

Need a little meditation (in)action? This series will be one of three Headspace projects in 2021, and this one will lead with eight episodes that will teach viewers different mindfulness techniques to learn the surprisingly difficult practices — including stress, sleep, and letting go — of how to meditate. It’s damn hard to do, especially in our current age where information never stops coming our way, but this series might help convince everyone that meditation can be both accessible and… easy? Not to mention interactive.

The Netflix Afterparty: The Best Shows Of The Worst Year (Netflix series streaming in January)

No can argue that 2020 has been a hellish year for humanity, but it’s still been a pretty great year for TV. We’ve ranked our favorites, and Netflix is now celebrating the most crowd-pleasing shows that the streaming service had to offer. Expect appearances from Anya Taylor-Joy of The Queen’s Gambit, Lily Collins of Emily in Paris, Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor of The Crown, and more. On tap as hosts? David Spade, Fortune Feimster, and London Hughes. And next year, this shall become a full-fledged weekly comedy panel show with the Cobra Kai cast and Bill Burr hosting the first 2021 episode.

Here’s the full list of titles coming to Netflix in January:

Avail. 1/1
Dream Home Makeover: Season 2
Headspace Guide to Meditation
The Minimalists: Less Is Now
Monarca: Season 2
What Happened to Mr. Cha?
17 Again
30 Minutes or Less
Abby Hatcher: Season 1
Blue Streak
Bonnie and Clyde
Can’t Hardly Wait
Catch Me If You Can
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cool Hand Luke
The Creative Brain
The Departed
Enter the Dragon
Gimme Shelter
Good Hair
Goodfellas
Gothika
The Haunted Hathaways: Seasons 1-2
Into the Wild
Julie & Julia
Mud
Mystic Pizza
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Eddie Murphy: Raw
Sex and the City: The Movie
Sex and the City 2
Sherlock Holmes
Striptease
Superbad
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Avail. 1/2
Asphalt Burning

Avail. 1/5
Gabby’s Dollhouse
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
History of Swear Words
LA’s Finest: Season 1
¡Nailed It! México: Season 3

Avail. 1/6
Ratones Paranoicos: The Band that Rocked Argentina
Surviving Death
Tony Parker: The Final Shot

Avail. 1/7
Pieces of a Woman

Avail. 1/8
Charming
The Idhun Chronicles: Part 2
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 5
Lupin
Mighty Little Bheem: Kite Festival
Pretend It’s a City
Stuck Apart

Avail. 1/10
Spring Breakers

Avail. 1/11
CRACK: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
The Intouchables

Avail. 1/12
Last Tango in Halifax: Season 4

Avail. 1/13
An Imperfect Murder
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

Avail. 1/15
Bling Empire
Carmen Sandiego: Season 4
Disenchantment: Part 3
Double Dad (Pai Em Dobro)
Henry Danger: Seasons 1-3
Hook
Kuroko’s Basketball: Season 1
The Magicians: Season 5
Outside the Wire
Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie
Pinkfong & Baby Shark’s Space Adventure

Avail. 1/16
A Monster Calls
Radium Girls

Avail. 1/18
Homefront

Avail. 1/19
Hello Ninja: Season 4

Avail. 1/20
Daughter From Another Mother (Madre solo hay dos)
Sightless
Spycraft

Avail. 1/21
Call My Agent!: Season 4

Avail. 1/22
Blown Away: Season 2
Busted!: Season 3
Fate: The Winx Saga
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous: Season 2
So My Grandma’s a Lesbian! (Salir del ropero)
The White Tiger

Avail. 1/23
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce)

Avail. 1/26
Go Dog Go

Avail. 1/27
Accomplice
Penguin Bloom

Avail. 1/29
Below Zero (Bajocero)
The Dig
Finding ‘Ohana
We Are: The Brooklyn Saints

Avail. 1/31
Fatima

Here’s the full list of titles leaving Netflix in January:

Leaving 1/1
Bloodsport

Leaving 1/3
QB1: Beyond the Lights: Season 2

Leaving 1/4
Mara

Leaving 1/5
The Monster

Leaving 1/7
The Tudors: Seasons 1-4

Leaving 1/8
Mary Poppins Returns

Leaving 1/14
Haven: Seasons 1-5
The Master

Leaving 1/15
A Serious Man
Dallas Buyers Club
Waco: Limited Series

Leaving 1/16
Friday Night Tykes: Seasons 1-4

Leaving 1/20
Fireplace 4K: Classic Crackling Fireplace from Fireplace for Your Home
Fireplace 4K: Crackling Birchwood from Fireplace for Your Home
Fireplace for Your Home: Season

Leaving 1/24
When Calls the Heart: Seasons 1-5

Leaving 1/26
We Are Your Friends

Leaving 1/29
Swiss Army Man

Leaving 1/30
The Hundred-Foot Journey

Leaving 1/31
A Thin Line Between Love & Hate
Braxton Family Values: Seasons 1-2
Death at a Funeral
Employee of the Month
For Colored Girls
Malicious
Mr. Deeds
Pineapple Express

Earlier this year, Kanye West followed in the footsteps of Jay-Z to become hip-hop’s second-ever billionaire. Forbes tallied the rapper’s earnings at $1.3 billion in April, although Kanye claimed it’s actually somewhere in the ballpark of $3.3 billion. Now, Kanye’s nearing the top of yet another one of Forbes‘ lists. The site unveiled the top-paid celebrities of 2020 and Kanye landed in second place. His name follows his sister-in-law Kylie Jenner on this list — but she more than doubled his earnings this year.

According to Forbes, Kanye West earned about $170 million this year. The main bulk of his earnings came from his shoe deal with Adidas as well as his Yeezy brand, which helped solidify his billionaire status. His GOOD Music label imprint and his discography also make up a large portion of his total wealth as they are valued at around $90 million.

Kylie Jenner, on the other hand, far surpassed Kanye’s earnings. At just 23 years old, Jenner raked in $590 million, well over double Kanye’s 2020 earnings. Much of her millions comes from selling a majority stake in her Kylie Cosmetics firm, which saw one of the biggest celebrity buy-outs of all time.

While Kanye and Jenner took home earned a lot this year, Forbes noted that the pandemic greatly impacted overall cash flow. This year’s top ten paid celebrities collectively earned $200 million less than in 2019.

Big Sean and Jhene Aiko channel the classic Black romantic films of the ’90s in the full video for their collaboration “Body Language” from Sean’s album Detroit 2. The couple revisited the song after releasing a teaser earlier in the year as part of the promotion for Detroit 2. Where the original video didn’t include hook singer Ty Dolla Sign and simply followed Jhene and Sean on a romantic getaway, the new version goes full-on conceptual as the two reimagine fan-favorite scenes from Love Jones, Poetic Justice, and Waiting To Exhale.

Opening with a reference to Love Jones‘s spoken-word poetry readings with Sean taking the Darius role, the video sees them reproducing the workplace flirtation between Justice and Lucky from Poetic Justice, as well as the postal truck road trip. A reference to Waiting To Exhale‘s famed car-burning sequence appears as a flashback/fantasy of Jhene’s, while a mid-video interlude brings back Love Jones for a cab exchange between Jhene and her friend that praises Sean’s D-game. Ty appears in his own scenes, which reproduce the ill-fated bachelor party from The Best Man.

Meanwhile, Sean confirmed during a Reddit AMA that more new music is coming from him and his girlfriend Jhene, as they are working on another Twenty88 release.

Watch Big Sean’s “Body Language” video above.

The final episode of The Mandalorian Season 2 hits this Friday, but the show isn’t going away for awhile just yet. Disney+ has confirmed the rumors that a Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian special will air on Christmas Day. The behind-the-scenes series is a huge hit for fans, who are going to love only having to wait a week to watch the making of the second season. However, unlike Season 1, which had eight behind-the-scenes episodes, Season 2 will only have a one hour special as of now. But it will offer insights into the life-action debut of Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano ahead of her just-announced Disney+ series. Via StarWars.com:

From the triumphant return of legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett to the live-action debut of fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano, the second season of The Mandalorian is a fun, surprising, emotional thrill-ride, which has kept fans excited to see how each new weekly chapter will unfold. This Christmas, Disney+ takes viewers behind the scenes of the groundbreaking season in a new hour-long Making of Season Two special.

If you haven’t seen the first batch of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian episodes, it’s well worth the watch for fans of the bounty hunting series. The making-of series showcases the groundbreaking technology used to film each episode from only a tiny studio in Manhattan Beach, California. The state-of-the-art tech can instantly transports Mando to new locations at the press of a button. More importantly, there’s an entire episode dedicated to the creation of Baby Yoda, who’s a technical marvel in and of himself. The little guy requires a team of at least six animatronic and puppet experts who individually work different parts of his body to create the life-like cuteness that’s been absolutely dominating the pop culture landscape from the moment he raised his tiny finger.

(Via StarWars.com)

As some of Trump’s closest allies start to distance themselves from his administration, new information about how the White House grossly mismanaged the COVID-19 pandemic during this extremely tense election year is slowly coming to light.

The New York Times interviewed two senior members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after House Democrats began investigating whether political interference hampered the agency’s ability to do its job. Former chief of staff Kyle McGowan, and his deputy Amanda Campbell, went on record with the paper to reveal just how widespread and debilitating the influence of Trump’s administration was in preventing the CDC from enacting measures that could have slowed the spread of the virus.

In a wide-ranging talk, McGowan, who worked under Trump’s health secretary Tom Price before his appointment at the agency, shared how even the simplest guidelines on social distancing were heavily edited to prevent blowback on Trump and to protect businesses. (One of Trump’s biggest campaign points was the economy.) McGowan also detailed how other senior advisers to the president, people like Kellyanne Conway and Ivanka Trump, often directly interfered in mandates the CDC advocated for. Conway opposed restrictions on choirs and communion in faith communities, presumably because the strongest faction of Trump’s base identifies as Evangelicals. And Ivanka Trump took issue with the CDC’s recommendations when it came to schooling.

“Every time that the science clashed with the messaging, messaging won,” Mr. McGowan said.

McGowan listed other examples of increasingly bizarre interference on behalf of the White House including the Trump administration’s insistence that the agency do away with its COVID tracking app because the president’s team had already made a deal with Apple to partner on the tech giant’s program. Both McGowan and Campbell, along with a handful of other staffers, have since left the agency but as he told The Times, the damage done by Trump’s handling of the virus will take years for the CDC to overcome.

“Damage has been done to the C.D.C. that will take years to undo,” he said. “And that’s terrible to hear because it happened under my time there.”

(Via New York Times)

Over the weekend, Taylor Swift celebrated her 31st birthday with a “Dancing Witch” version of Evermore album opener “Willow.” Now she has added yet another dimension to the song by dropping another witchy new remix of it. This one is dubbed the “Moonlit Witch Version,” and it’s more based on synths than it is acoustic instrumentation.

Swift wrote of the new version of the song, “Ever find yourself waiting for the signal & meeting someone after dark & happening upon a majestic coven in the woods? Me neither but do you want your [music] to make you FEEL like that? Then the ‘willow moonlit witch version’ is for you.” The song’s producer and co-writer Aaron Dessner also tweeted of it, “We made THIS version of Willow too — And I love it just as much as the other versions!! (this one involved ditching my guitars and playing most of the synths I own :).”

The new release comes shortly after Swift sat down for an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, during which she revealed she nearly waited until 2021 to release Folklore, saying, “There was a time in the beginning of the process where I was like, ‘I will wait ’til January when things are looking more normal, then I will put out Folklore. I was like, that’s my old brain thinking that there’s any way that I can control this.”

Listen to the “Moonlit Witch Version” of “Willow” above.

Michael B. Jordan is known for his love of basketball, and he’s turning that passion into a showcase for up-and-coming Black players with an HBCU basketball showcase starting in 2021.

The Hoop Dreams Classic will feature two double-header (for men’s and women’s teams) between top HBCU basketball programs as well as “an immersive cultural experience” that highlights other aspect of HBCU campus life like a Battle of the Bands and college and career opportunities for young people.

“This past year has been the tipping point for so many, including myself, in revving up support for Black people,” Jordan said in a statement. “As a Newark native, I am committed to bringing change to the community and am honored to be able to present The Hoop Dreams Classic as a way to celebrate the value of community, education, and Black college experiences. Through our shared love of basketball, I look forward to bringing the communal spirit of HBCUs to the city that helped shape me into the man I am today.”

Jordan is partnering not only with the Hoop Dreams organization but also WME Sports (a division of Endeavor) and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the company run by the owners of the Philadelphia 76ers. Some of the money raised from the event will be used to support organizations aligned with HBCUs around Newark, where Jordan was raised.

Throughout 2020, companies and government institutions alike have placed more attention on HBCUs, and the sports world has followed suit. By putting together an event that could become an annual occurrence, Jordan is helping to make sure that support for HBCUs doesn’t stop now.

New York City collective Michelle stormed onto the indie scene earlier this year with their infectious and joyful single “Sunrise,” which featured prominently on all of my playlists this summer. Now, the group is gearing up for the release of their debut LP, which is slated for sometime in 2021, and promises electric verse-trading and an unique blend of elements of hip-hop, indie pop, and R&B.

To celebrate the holiday season, the group’s six members sat down to talk Die Hard, hating Michael Buble, and their love-hate relationship with snow in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What’s the best holiday gift you’ve ever received?

Julian Kaufman: A hug.

Layla Ku: A letter from Julian.

What is your earliest holiday memory?

Emma Lee: loud room, good smells, orange sweater.

What’s on your wish list for this year?

JK: A covid vaccine.

LK: Some semblance of what once was.

What holiday song can you not resist singing along to?

JK: “Let It Snow”

EL: “IIIIII don’t want a lot for Christma….” come on.

LK: Seconded. There is only one right answer to this question.

What’s the holiday song you wish you could zap out of existence?

Jamee Lockard: “Last Christmas”

LK: Michael Buble’s entire career.

What is your strangest holiday tradition?

EL: taping a drawing of an xmas tree on the wall in lieu of a tree.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

LK: Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Thoughts on snow?

JK: It’s great.

LK: It’s great and it sucks.

Charlie Kilgore: It’s great for the first day and a half, but it all goes downhill once the rock-hard, dirt-colored slush starts piling up.

What holiday movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

JL: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Sofia D’Angelo: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)

LK: Elf

Marry, F*ck, Kill: Santa, Thanksgiving Turkey, Hanukkah Harry.

EL: what

LK sus…

CK: F*ck Hanukkah Harry, marry the turkey, kill Santa for exploitation of elf labor.

What’s the one food you need on your Thanksgiving table?

JL: Stuffing!

Where’s the most interesting place you’ve ever spent the holidays?

JL: I spent last Thanksgiving in the Ecuadorian cloud forest

You decide to blow off the holidays and travel instead. Where are you going?

EL: I tell people I’m traveling and then I stay inside and learn how to make different soups. Or maybe it’s a one way ticket to Berlin.

LK: South of France.

If the holidays are a time for giving, what’s the charity you’d like to big up for the season?

JL: The Loveland Foundation!

What’s your favorite holiday drink?

SD: Hot chocolate. The only thing that cures the winter depression.

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

JK: No, but it could be.

CK: Absolutely.

LK: Is Fast and Furious?

How early is too early to decorate for the holiday season?

JK: October because it’s still ~spooky season~ but anytime in November is fair game.

SD: Holiday season begins December 1.

LK: Holiday season begins when the serotonin starts running low. So all year for me.

What’s your ideal way to spend New Years Eve?

EL: subway surfing till you find your place, ending the night having sweat glitter.

LK: Spending it somewhere you weren’t expecting to be, but happy to have ended up at.

As the year ends, how are you going to remember 2020?

LK: as a year of pain and magic and lots of learning.

CK: I’m not.

LK: What’s 2020?

The ball is dropping. What are you wishing for in the new year?

SD: More time with friends.

The debut LP from Michelle is due in 2021. Listen to “Unbound” and “Sunrise” here.

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

Rudy Giuliani’s downfall began when he bought into the “America’s mayor” narrative. But more recently, he’s slipped even further into nuttiness since joining President Donald Trump’s personal legal team. Among his many achievements, there was the Four Seasons Total Landscaping fiasco, the bad Joe Pesci impression and black ooze press conference, the wine lady witness, the farting, and he tested positive for COVID-19 after smearing a used cloth all over his face. But before all that, he got duped by Borat.

In Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Tutar (Maria Bakalova) trick Giuliani into putting himself into an unflattering position. It was pretty gross! It was also the plan “from day one” for father-and-daughter duo Borat and Tutar to target Giuliani, as the Borat sequel director Jason Woliner recently explained to Insider.

“Here’s the craziest thing: Giuliani was the name from day one,” he said. “Rudy was the name in the first version [of the script] I read… For the year and a half we were making this, he wasn’t at the level of prominence he is now. But suddenly just before this came out, he was trying to make a big splash.”

Woliner also credits Borat 2 for making it impossible to take Rudy seriously:

“A few days later the Guardian came out with the piece on his scene in the movie and that just blew up,” he said. “And from my vantage point, it discredited anything he was trying to do.”

It also didn’t help Rudy’s case when he referred to Borat as a real person.

(Via Insider)

Kacey Musgraves recently guest-starred on an episode of Scooby-Doo, and now, she’s taking her voice acting skills to the next level. The singer announced that she landed a leading role in the upcoming Studio Ghibli film Earwig And The Witch, and she says the opportunity is a dream come true for her. Musgraves will be voicing the part of a witch in the film, and on top of that, she is also slated to lend her vocals to a song for the film.

Announcing her part in Earwig And The Witch, Musgraves said the opportunity was a “bucket list moment” for her: “My dad brought a vhs tape of Totoro home when I was about 9 and I’ll never ever forget the comfort and the magic that movie (and many other Ghibli films) have given me. My sister has always been my Mei and I’ve always been her Satsuki. To say this was a full-circle, bucket list moment is an understatement.”

Earwig And The Witch is directed by Goro Miyazaki, with planning assistance from his father, legendary Academy Award-winner Hayao Miyazaki. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is based on a children’s novel by Diana Wynne Jones (who also penned Howl’s Moving Castle, upon which a classic Ghibli movie was based) and follows the story of Earwig, who is forced to live with a selfish witch at a young age and sets out to undercover mysterious secrets about her new guardian.

The film does not yet have a confirmed release date, but Musgraves reports that it’s due out some next spring.

Check out Musgraves’ announcement above.