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Jordan Fisher knows where the future is heading, it’s just taken a different path than maybe we all expected this year. Twitch streams were hugely popular long before a pandemic kept everyone inside a lot more than they’d have liked. But life in quarantine has made streaming more popular than ever, and it’s also changed what people want to see played in some ways.

Among Us, for example, is a surprise hit two years in the making, proof that you never quite know what games will make it big and how audiences will grow. What will be big, though, is the technology that fuels those Twitch streams and the way we live our modern lives. Which perhaps is why Fisher — an actor with a dedicated Twitch following and a lifelong love of gaming — was perfect to help Verizon launch its 5G campaign earlier this month.

When Uproxx spoke to Fisher, he was in “an undisclosed location” filming a movie he’s producing. But the To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You actor and streamer is also big into gaming, and talked to us about what games he wishes got more run on Twitch, how he balances his serious gaming with relaxation and what he wishes more people would watch on Twitch so he could play it more often.

Uproxx: You’re a big gamer and I know that’s taken up a lot of your time during the pandemic, but what else have you been up to these days?

Jordan Fisher: Well, a lot. I’m executive producing a film and starring in it, so that is 90 percent of my days. Just production meetings and being on set, writing, doing the thing. Going over shot lists, et cetera et cetera. Other than that, I’m streaming a lot and going over a few other projects and wrapping up wedding planning. Just kind of little bit of everything. I’m kind of like chicken with my head cut off at the moment but I am happy. That’s probably the most important thing.

Basically everything you said there has had the level of difficulty ramped up these days due to the pandemic, especially with a wedding and filming. How stressful has that been for you? Any advice on how to juggle things in times like these?

Stressful is an interesting kind of term because there’s so much of everything that’s out of our control and I think the just relinquishing as much control and power as possible, letting it be what it is and understanding the everyone is trying to do their job.

We’re fortunate to be able to get married at this time, regardless. We’re fortunate to work at this time, to film at this time. Yeah, there are all kinds of things and precautions that are not a part of our muscle memory with our day-to-day lives, and how we function and our work. It doesn’t really matter what we do, if you work in an office or on a set or a construction site, whatever the case may be, there’s a lot of muscle memory that comes into play that has to be tamed. You have to figure out how to function in a new way but at the end of the day we’re fortunate that we get to continue to work and make a living. It’s all very important to remember and I count my blessings every day.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/757964392?filter=archives&sort=time&t=3h37m0s

With all that’s going on, do you find gaming and streaming to actually relaxing or is it just more work? I know I cover gaming for a living and sometimes struggle to see it as something that is the leisure activity it’s supposed to be for most.

Yes and no. Funny, I was just talking to somebody about that. It was always important to me, especially because I’ve been gaming for close to three decades now, this is my lifeblood. Gaming has always been my first language, whether I’m playing at a super high level competitively or if I’m just chilling with some friends and having some good conversation sipping some beers over Discord and hanging, having a good time. Gaming has always been the thing that’s been my alternate universe. For you, I’m sure you can say the same thing. It’s, to an extent, the thing that should be able to take you away from your real life and be a separation from work.

But when you are one of the two of us, for example, that work in the gaming industry, it’s really easy for it to feel like work. One thousand percent there have been times where I’m like ‘I don’t want to play this game today, I don’t want to be entertaining and get on camera today. I don’t feel like chatting, I don’t feel like blah blah blah.’ But you do it, because you have to do it. And oftentimes I feel, to be honest with you, I often find that the days where I’m not in the mood to stream, when I’m not in the mood to play comp on Valorant, all of these things: it ends up becoming a really good session. It ends up becoming a really great stream. Something happens in there and I kind of relinquish that control.

So it was really important to me and those really close to me, my family, my fiancé, my super close friends as I found myself further thrust into the gaming space on an entertainment level, that it didn’t feel like work. So I could continue to have that as an escape. And I’ve always worked really hard to make that stay the same. And I think I’ve found, probably over the course of COVID more so, is taking time to game with friends off stream. And play and hang off stream. That’s what’s really kept my love for video gaming as fervent as it is, taking that time to just be a gamer and play games.

For sure. And you can see on Twitch when trends pop up with certain games, people almost feel obligated to play titles that are popular just to attract eyeballs.

A thousand percent.

Is there a game maybe that you’re not playing on Twitch that is keeping you sane this year? Something maybe people aren’t paying as much attention to as you wish they would?

Yeah, there are probably a few. The mainstays right now, especially with it being Halloween time, it’s like clockwork every year there’s a new spooky party games that come around each year. I’m loving Phasmophobia at the moment. Obviously Among Us is the new big thing. But to be perfectly honest with you the game that I wish was more popular, the game I wish more people cared about in terms of watching it so that it was more successful on the streaming side of things is Overwatch.

Overwatch is, I just love it. I came in super late, I started playing it only last summer and I went on a bit of a grind. My community got to watch me go from placing in Gold my first round of placements to becoming a GM in DPS. To be able to go on that journey and watch that happen, watch me grow as a gamer and also to see me fall deeper and deeper in love with it has been a lot of fun. We’ll see with Overwatch 2. I know (Blizzard vice president) Jeff (Kaplan) wants to make it a little more viewable, a bit more watchable. Every studio and game developer knows very well now for the life of the game these days it has to be playable on YouTube, watchable on streams. We’ll see how they deconstruct and reconstruct Overwatch 2 and hopefully it becomes one of those Fortnite, Modern Warfare, League of Legends-type titans in the industry. It would make me very happy.

Oh, and World of Warcraft.

Obviously you have a deep connection to gaming and working with Verizon explaining how 5G works is something that isn’t much of a stretch for you. It must be nice to work with a company like this that’s tied directly to a passion of yours.

And actually cares about it? Yeah, 100 percent. Working with a company that actually, genuinely cares about gaming and gamers and understands the necessity for download and upload speed? One thousand percent. It’s one of those partnerships that just makes sense and I think you get to a point to where you start to be a little picky and choosey about who you align yourself with.

For me, any kind of partnership I take on I want to be fully and entirely authentic. I want it to really make sense and be a partnership I can actually be excited about and talk about with excitement. And this is that. I’m an absolute nerd, I love advancements in technology. I’m wired into, tapped into all of those different outlets and I want to see speeds be faster. I want to see things be more streamlined. I want to see, you know, hardware be sleeker and more sexy and all of these things.

And Verizon’s really doing that with data here. This is true 5G. Instantaneous access to things and especially for me, who travels a lot, to be able to get that kind of coverage and accessibility whether I’m on an airplane or train or boat or automobile, I want instant access to things I need whether they be for work or for pleasure. And I think that everybody wants it, even if you don’t know that you do.

It’s incredible what our phones are able to do and make happen through science. But we’re also only humans and we’re selfish and we want things to be faster than the day before and Verizon has raised the bar constantly in that. They really raised the bar with 3G and made it what it was, 4G LTE as well and 5G is going to be a massive game-changer and I’m excited to be one of the faces that helps spread the good news, if you will.

When you picture a ballerina, you may not picture someone who looks like Lizzy Howell. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

Howell is busting stereotypes and challenging people’s ideas of what a dancer should look like just by being herself and doing her thing in her own body. The now-19-year-old from Delaware has been dancing since she was five and has performed in venues around the world, including Eurovision 2019. She has won scholarships and trains up to four hours a day to perfect her skills in various styles of dance.

Jordan Matter Photography shared a documentary video about Howell on Facebook—part of his “Unstoppable” series—that has inspired thousands. In it, we get to see Howell’s impressive moves and clear love of the art form. Howell shares parts of her life story, including the loss of her mother in a car accident when she was little and how she was raised by a supportive aunt who helped her pursue her dance ambitions. She also explained how she’s had to deal with hate comments and bullying from people who judge her based on her appearance.

“I don’t think it’s right for people to judge off of one thing,” Howell says in the video. And she’s right—her size is just one thing.

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Howell shares that she’s been bullied in dance since she was six, and how it still happens when she goes to dance conventions. She sees people staring at her and whispering about her, but she says the successes she’s had in dance and reassurances from other people keep her going.

“Most dancers are skinny, and I’m not,” Howell says. “I think a lot of people can relate to me in that sort of way. They see me as an inspiration because I’ve been told I’ve been told to quit dance multiple times and I haven’t.”

“Dance is what I love and it’s everything to me,” she says. “So I think that just keeps me going.”

Howell also has a message for people who might be tempted to say unkind things: “Whatever you say on social media is going to be seen by somebody and it could hurt their feelings. You know, you can’t just say something that you think is funny but it might affect somebody else’s feelings. I’m a very sensitive person, so I take everything to heart. There’s a bunch of people that are like me that take it the same way.”

Howell says dance is like therapy for her, which makes it all the worse for people to use her body size as a dancer as an excuse to be jerks. It might be surprising to see someone with Howell’s body type doing the kind of dance she does, but anyone who comments negatively on a person’s body—especially a young person has worked hard to train their body to create art—is a first-rate a-hole.

A few years have passed since Howell was interviewed for the “Unstoppable” video, and she’s still showing that she truly is unstoppable. She now has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and regularly posts videos of her dancing in the studio.

Thank you for showing us what bucking the status quo looks like, Lizzy. Keep being bold, dancing beautifully, and showing the haters you won’t let them stop you.

Teyana Taylor shared her ambitious 23-track record The Album back in June. To further flesh out her songs’ concepts, the singer took on the role of video director and assumed the moniker Spike Tey. So far, Taylor has shared a handful of visuals, her sultry “Concrete” video being the latest. Now for her “Lose Each Other” video, Taylor was able to tap the legendary Elton John to lend a hand.

Directed by Taylor herself, the video opens with John sitting stoically behind the piano. Taylor adopts a handful of styles to illuminate the song’s meaning and calls upon two graceful dancers to move in unison to her soaring vocals.

In a statement about working with John, Taylor said, “‘Lose Each Other’ is such a special record for me, and I wanted the visual to feel just as big. I told my team ‘you know what would be dope? If I could have Elton John open the video on the piano!!’ […] Not that I thought it could really happen, but just putting it out there in the universe. So as we were working through treatment ideas and solidifying logistics for the video, an international phone number calls me…. and for a second I almost didn’t answer, but my intuition spoke, I answered. All I hear is…’Hello darling, it’s Elton. I’d LOVE to do your video!’ I FREAKED OUT!”

Echoing Taylor’s statement, John said, “When Teyana Taylor released her debut album, I became a huge fan. She was a guest on my Rocket Hour and I fell in love with her original spirit. Aside from her brilliant music, Teyana is one of the most visually dazzling artists working in music today. So I jumped at the chance to be in her latest video ‘Lose Each Other.’”

Speaking about her experience filming the visual, Taylor added, “As a director I wanted the imagery to be simple, yet powerful, which is why I choose an all-white background and bold looks. I wanted my audience to understand how love’s hardships can also be beautiful.

Watch Taylor and John’s “Lose Each Other” video above.

The Album is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

As far as independent rappers go, Brooklyn’s Kota The Friend has been having a decent year, all things considered. His May album Everything was well-received, thanks to features from Bas, Kyle, Joey Badass, and Tobi Lou, while his “Trade Places With Them Jeans” freestyle with Guapdad 4000 capped off the latter’s Falcon Fridays series and helped raise both raise their respective profiles among fans with way more time for music discovery on their hands due to the economic shutdown caused by COVID0-19. Kota also celebrated an improved credit score; it may seem simple, but for a rapper working without the backing of a major label, it means a lot.

But time marches on and it’s apparently time for Kota to get right back to work. To that end, he’s returned to releasing music shortly after his 27th birthday with the release of “Dragon,” a spirited single in the same vein as his Lyrics To Go projects. Over a mellow beat, Kota imagines giving advice to his younger self, saying, “If I could go back, I would say to him / ‘Just focus on your spirit and you’ll make it, kid / And do right by the women that you make it with.’”

Kota didn’t say whether “Dragon” would be part of a larger release but he rarely does anything without a plan, so it’s probably a safe bet that more new music is on the way.

Listen to “Dragon” above.

2019 was a nostalgic year for Tegan And Sara. More specifically, September 2019, as that’s when they released both Hey, I’m Just Like You, which consists of re-recorded songs they wrote as teenagers, and their joint memoir, High School. The book apparently generated some buzz in TV circles, as it was revealed today that High School is being adapted into a TV series of the same name.

Deadline reports the show is being developed for IMDb TV (Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service) by Clea DuVall (who is wriing the series, Plan B Entertainment, and Amazon Studios. Tegan And Sara will serve as executive producers.

The publication describes the series, “High School is a transcendent story of first loves and first songs. Through a backdrop of ’90s grunge and rave culture, the series tangles itself in the parallel and discordant memories of two sisters growing up down the hall from one another. This is a story about finding your own identity — a journey made even more complicated when you have a twin whose own struggle and self-discovery so closely mimics your own.”

The memoir was initially announced in late 2018, and the sisters said of it at the time, “‘How did you start your band? When did you know that you were gay? What were you like before Tegan And Sara?’ We have spent twenty years answering those complicated questions with simple answers. […] Writing High School gives us the opportunity to tell the intricate stories that shaped our relationship as sisters, musicians, and queer girls.”

Tegan And Sara is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got the the long-awaited debut solo album from The National’s Matt Berninger, a surprise return from Steady Holiday, and a rewarding change of pace from Sturgill Simpson. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

Matt Berninger – Serpentine Prison

The hotly-anticipated proper debut solo album from The National frontman is finally here. While Matt Berninger’s bandmate Aaron Dessner helped deliver a full-blown indie album from Taylor Swift just a few months ago, Serpentine Prison instead channels the best of The National’s dad-rock energy, delivering what Steven Hyden calls for Uproxx “a languid, low-key record apparently designed for graying Gen Xers and millennials quietly sipping whiskey cocktails while their children tear apart the house during lockdown.”

Kevin Morby – Sundowner

After giving us one of 2019’s best albums with Oh My God, Kevin Morby is back with Sundowner. The ten-track effort is what Morby called in a statement “a depiction of isolation. Of the past. Of an uncertain future.” There is a discernible longing in each track, inspired by Morby’s isolation while writing that was only diminished when Katie Crutchfield (a.k.a. Waxahatchee) started visiting him during the writing process.

Helena Deland – Someone New

Helena Deland’s debut full-length was written and recorded over a period of two years. The amount of care that went into the process can be heard throughout the album’s 47-minute runtime. The album is rooted in Deland’s fears of getting older and her constant nagging feeling that she might be missing out on life while waiting for it to start, a sentiment I think we can all relate to these days.

Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1

The latest from Sturgill Simpson takes on a different approach than his 2019 album Sound & Fury, putting aside the blazing arena rock jams in favor of a simpler, more laid back affair. By stripping back all of the extra instrumentals, Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1 is “the most sublime and delightful music he’s yet made on record, and the first album to truly harness the energy and charm he has a performer on stage,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.

Beabadoobee – Fake It Flowers

The debut album from 20-year-old rocker Beabadoobee sounds like it could have been ripped right from the credits of a teen comedy of the ’90s or early 2000’s. Throughout the album, Bea Kristi never shies away from digging into the difficulties of coming of age, making Fake It Flowers what I recently called “an epic film score for growing up.”

Tomberlin – Projections

After catching our attention with the delightful 2018 LP At Weddings, Tomberlin is back with a new EP produced by Alex G. Projections takes on a more robust full-band sound than its predecessor, a very exciting taste of what can be expected from Tomberlin as she looks toward her sophomore full-length.

Lana Del Rey – “Let Me Love You Like A Woman”

Lana Del Rey owned 2019 with Norman F*cking Rockwell and she is already prepping the release of a new album called Chemtrails Over The Country Club. Although there are few to no details about the album, “Let Me Love You Like A Woman” is our first taste, which finds Del Rey reminiscing about a new love that she has only known for a short time, but already envisioning their future together.

Rostam – “Unfold You”

In recent years, Rostam has focused primarily on producing, working with Clairo on Immunity and Haim on their new album Women In Music Pt. III. Although the ex-Vampire Weekend member has not formally announced a new project, “Unfold You” is his first official new solo music since 2017’s Half Light. “Under a lulling beat, mesmerizing saxophone licks, and shimmering keys, ‘Unfold You’ speaks to Rostam’s willingness to be open to a new love,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.

Local Natives – “Lemon” (feat. Sharon Van Etten)

With a new EP called Sour Lemon on the way, Local Natives teamed up with Sharon Van Etten for “Lemon,” which addresses a feeling of asynchronicity. In a statement about the song, Van Etten said that “Lemon” exists as a document of her blossoming friendship with Taylor Rice, with the writing and production process covering nearly a full year of their relationship.

Cloud Nothings – “Am I Something”

For the first time since their 2012 breakout album Attack On Memory, Cloud Nothings have teamed up with esteemed producer Steve Albini for their upcoming album The Shadow I Remember. Featuring Albini’s signature snappy drum sound, “Am I Something” signals a return to the band’s roots as well as the start of a new era.

I Am The Avalanche – “You’re No Good To Me Dead”

Earlier this month, New York punk outfit I Am The Avalanche announced their first new album in six years. The recording sessions for the band’s new album Dive were completed on March 15, just a few hours before much of the country went into quarantine mode, and you can hear the earnestness in Vinnie Caruana’s voice as he sings the track’s rollicking chorus.

Mamalarky – “You Make Me Smile”

While “Schism Trek,” the first single from Mamalarky‘s self-titled debut album took on a more rocking edge, “You Make Me Smile” is a more laid-back affair. With light, precise instrumentation and dreamy vocals, it shows the versatility of the Atlanta quartet.

Steady Holiday – “Living Life”

Steady Holiday went mostly dark after the release of her 2018 album Nobody’s Watching, but now Dre Babinski has reemerged to share new music in the form of the cinematic and emotional “Living Life.” “With cascading keys and anticipation-filling drums, ‘Living Life’ gives snapshots of simple interactions over the course of one night,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.

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

Not too long ago, John Wall was considered one of the brightest young point guards in the NBA. Before injuries started to take their toll, the five-time All-Star was an explosive athlete with uncanny court vision and, together with backcourt mate Bradley Beal, turned the Wizards into a perennial playoff team in the East.

Wall didn’t suit up at all last season, but according to the latest reports, is healthy once again and ready to make a comeback. Wall ruptured his Achilles prior to the 2019-2020 season, and although he said earlier this year that he was back to “110 percent,” he opted against joining the Wizards in the Orlando bubble this summer.

As he continues to prepare for next season, Wall made an appearance on ESPN’s Monday Tailgate to talk football, and while he was at it, showed off some serious multi-tasking skills.

Bruh John Wall was playing spades during a TV interview pic.twitter.com/RRAulljwam

— With all due respect… (@GoHeadYung_) October 20, 2020

We’re not sure what’s more impressive, the sheer audacity of keeping a card game going in the middle of a television appearance or being able to mostly answer the interviewer’s questions without getting too distracted.

It’s hard to tell, but Wall appears to be playing spades. At one point, it sounds like Wall says “board,” which means that his partner is going nil and he’s bidding the minimum four books. Hopefully, we can get an update on how the game played out during his next television appearance.

New Zealand four-piece The Beths shared their ardent sophomore record Jump Rope Gazers back in July. Ahead of the album’s release, the group shared a handful of videos to songs like “Out Of Sight,” “I’m Not Getting Excited,” “Dying To Believe,” and the album’s title track. Now, getting together once again, The Beths share a lighthearted video to their song “Mars, The God Of War.”

Directed by Callum Devlin and Annabel Kean, the “Mars, The God Of War” video depicts The Beths attempting to pull off a complicated heist. The band dons fake mustaches and dark sunglasses as cover before eventually getting themselves into trouble.

In a statement about the video, The Beths’ vocalist Liz Stokes said the playfulness of the visual reflects everyone’s giddy excitement about New Zealand being fully re-opened. “The video has a really silly energy that everyone really embraced,” Stokes said. “With NZ being COVID-free, there’s a real palpable joy and euphoria in being able to get together and make something. We feel very lucky and Sports Team smashed it out of the park once again.”

Directors Devlin and Kean added:

“As well as being genius musicians, in our minds The Beths are defined by being a committed, intelligent and extremely efficient team, and have turned the collaborative inner workings of an indie rock band into an art in itself. We wanted to explore that side of the band in the ultimate team-up genre; a high stakes twist laden heist movie. Obviously. Also, we seem to find the idea of The Beths entering into a life of crime frankly hilarious. We love working with The Beths. No band is more committed to exhausting every possible gag out of a situation. We initially plotted out the entire film, but decided to abandon it in favour of making as gag-dense a video as possible, if that makes sense.”

Watch The Beths’ “Mars, The God Of War” video above.

Jump Rope Gazers is out now via Carpark Records. Get it here.

James Cameron has a reputation for pushing his actors to their physical limits, but he found a willing participant in Sigourney Weaver, who has detailed the intense underwater training she endured for Avatar 2. The long-awaited sequel will center on the aquatic portions of the fictional planet of Pandora, which required Weaver to prep for months with elite military divers, who taught the 70-year-old actress how to hold her breath for up to six minutes.

“I had some concerns,” Weaver told The New York Times. “But that’s what the training was for. And I really wanted to do it. I didn’t want anyone to think, ‘Oh, she’s old, she can’t do this.’”

On top of learning how to conserve her oxygen, Weaver also had to work on her underwater acting, which required stifling reflexes that would show up on camera. Via IndieWire:

“Weaver and other members of the cast had to learn not to squint or clamp their mouths shut — both natural reactions when you’re submerged — during take after take in a gigantic water tank. She had weights around her waist and professional divers who sped her back to the surface for air at brief, regular intervals.”

While the work sounds grueling, Weaver embraced the challenge and says it’s important to her to never tell herself she can’t do something. “Let me at it! And we’ll see,” she tells the Times. Kate Winslet will also appear in the underwater film, but she’s already had plenty of practice with Cameron’s aquatic filming style while working on Titanic. The director once boasted that Winslet was so good at her training that she could hold her breath for seven minutes. Granted, that’s a minute longer than Weaver, but both actors’ underwater skills are equally impressive especially when you factor in the no-squinting part. Nothing about that is easy.

(Via New York Times)

It was revealed recently that Ice Cube worked with the Donald Trump administration on its Black outreach program, and the rapper received a lot of backlash for that. While defending himself, he declared, “I haven’t endorsed anybody,” but that hasn’t stopped some Trump supporters from assuming he’s on their side.

That includes Eric Trump, who shared an obviously edited photo of Ice Cube and 50 Cent (who appears to be voting for Trump after learning about Joe Biden’s tax plan) wearing Trump 2020 hats. In the original photo, Ice Cube is actually wearing a Big3 hat, while 50 sports a New York Yankees cap. Ice Cube wasn’t the biggest fan of the doctored image, as he shared Trump’s tweet (which has since been deleted) and commented, “N**** please…”

In a recent CNN interview, Ice Cube defended his work with the Trump administration, saying, “Your lead-ins are a little misleading. The Platinum Plan is not my plan. I came up with Contract With Black America [CWBA]. I didn’t run to work with any campaign. Both campaigns contacted me. Both campaigns wanted to talk to me about the Contract With Black America … I didn’t run to nobody, so that was real misleading to me. You said I ran over to the Trump team instead of the Biden team and that’s just not true. I’m willing to work with both teams. I’m just working with whoever is willing to work with me.”