GoneTrending

The Cleveland Browns improved to 5-2 on the season with a thrilling 37-34 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati on Sunday that saw both teams trade the lead back and forth numerous times in the second half, with Baker Mayfield finding Donovan Peoples-Jones for the game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds to play.

Part of the reason Peoples-Jones was in position to make the game-winning catch was because of a knee injury suffered on the first drive of the game by star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., in which he hit his knee on a teammate as he somewhat awkwardly jumped to try and tackle a defender on an interception return.

Beckham was taken to the locker room and eventually was ruled out, and after the game reports emerged of concerns that the injury, which in real time didn’t cause too many to think about it being a long-term injury, was a serious one. On Monday morning, after further MRI testing, the Browns confirmed that Beckham was indeed expected to miss the rest of the 2020 season with a torn ACL in his left knee.

It’s a big loss for the Browns, as Beckham had recently found some form in the Browns new offense, most notably with his huge outing against the Cowboys a couple weeks back. With Beckham out, Jarvis Landry becomes the top receiver for Cleveland with the rookie Peoples-Jones being asked to take on a bigger role and, as we saw Sunday, Mayfield leaning even further on his tight ends.

Before Borat’s daughter, Tutar, interviews Rudy Giuliani in a scene from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm that ends with the former-New York City mayor sticking his hands down his pants in a hotel room (what a way to begin a sentence), she gets a makeover to become a “proper” lady. That includes a new dress, a father-daughter dance at a debutante ball, and dating advice from one of “America’s leading feminists,” Instagram influencer Macey Chanel. The self-described “sugar baby” tells Tutar that in order to impress a man, specifically Vice President Mike Pence, she has to be “kind of weak” and never “aggressive.” Tutar then opens a bottle of beer with her “small hole.”

IndieWire spoke to Chanel, who thought she was being recorded for a Netflix series. “This has been a super difficult time,” she said. “I was misled into playing a role and being cast as someone that does not reflect who I am. I have enjoyed a successful modeling an acting career where I can play any role given. In this case and probably many others I did not read the ‘fine’ print. As well as lacking the resources to read every casting contract.” When asked if she thought Tutar was a real person, and not a character magnificently played by Maria Bakalova, Chanel replied, “Absolutely not. She was another actress and was super talented, yet disgusting at the end.”

Whatever, I was proud of Tutar for opening that bottle.

Chanel says she’s going through a “super difficult time,” but she’s also embracing her viral fame. She posted the Borat Subsequent Moviefilm trailer to her Instagram (88,000-plus followers) with the caption, “High Five.” Her posts are also being flooded with Borat references, like this selfie where someone wrote, “Wowawooa wooman drive car.”

She still got off easier than the pro-life clinic guy.

(Via IndieWire)

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

We say artists are “ahead of their time” a lot but very rarely is it so applicable as it is to Dej Loaf. The pint-size Detroit MC arrived seemingly fully formed in 2014 with her second mixtape, Sell Sole, at the very peak of the “blog rap” craze and the resulting major-label feeding frenzy. Her viral single “Try Me” instantly sparked an intense interest in her tomboy looks and futuristic rhyming style. Her sing-song hooks drove further smashes like the Motor City all-star posse cut “Detroit Vs. Everybody” and The Game’s Tupac-saluting “Ryda.” Dej Loaf seemed poised to take over the world — and then, abruptly, it was like someone pressed “pause” on her career despite all her forward momentum.

Aside from one 2015 EP and a “commercial mixtape” that went criminally overlooked in 2016, Columbia Records went nearly four years without giving Dej Loaf a solid release date for her debut album, prompting her to cut ties in 2019. In 2017, the originally proposed release year, the label released a mere handful of confusing singles that buried Dej’s boisterous personality under incongruous, pop-reaching production and guest stars that just didn’t make any sense. Artists who came along after her adopting her ad-lib-ridden flows flourished as she languished in label limbo. Fortunately, her original style was so prescient that by returning to it on her independently released debut, fittingly titled Sell Sole II, the long-delayed project sounds just as timely and fresh as it did on “Try Me.”

Taking stock of the changes in both Loaf’s image and production style from the original Sell Sole to its sequel, it looks safe to say that Sell Sole II is the album that she always wanted to make. The tragedy is that it’s the sort of album a female performer can only make independent of the major label system. The arc of her career has been mirrored in recent times by a number of other young women who had enough viral success in the Wild West days of SoundCloud at the start of the streaming era to draw attention from the majors, only to be promptly shelved when the “formulas” that those majors normally apply to female talent turned off those women’s day-one fans. Just look at Iggy Azalea, Kamaiyah, or Tinashe. When allowed the freedom to create on their own terms, their music has had more vitality and verve than it ever did with million-dollar budgets.

On her arrival, Dej Loaf already represented a departure from the trappings of traditionalist hip-hop and the prototype for the nascent brand of SoundCloud rap that would come to dominate XXL Freshman classes after her own appearance in 2015. But as one of the bridges between those two styles, she’s been left out of the conversation for far too long. It’s worth noting that Dej’s Freshman cover was the first in two years to feature a female artist (it actually had two, Dej and Tink — another casualty of the major label system who’s flourished as an independent artist after leaving her mentor Timbaland’s imprint in 2018). It’s also telling that within months of signing on to Columbia, she was being pushed to trade in her oversized hockey jerseys — a throwback to the baggy looks of MC Lyte and TLC — for designer lingerie in video shoots.

On Sell Sole II, the jersey-rocking, shit-talking Dej is back in full effect. Right from “Bird Call 2,” the scintillating intro, Dej goes back to her roots, reminding listeners that she comes from a family of hustlers and is grounded in “real-hip-hop.” References to rap classics like 400 Degreez and “U.N.I.T.Y.” litter the project, as do the clever, understated punchlines that proved Dej’s lyrical chops early in her career. “When you fly like Marjorie you need a n**** like Mr. Hightower,” she quips on “Queen.” Reuniting with Big Sean on “IDK,” the Motown duo rekindles the chemistry of “Back Up,” with Dej throwing the alley-oop for Sean’s 360-dunk of a verse. “I don’t know what your chain doin’ but that shit look like rust,” they jab at rivals. “I don’t know who they speakin’ on, but they shouldn’t speak on us.”

Elsewhere on the album, Dej reconnects with Rick Ross and blesses beats alongside the modern generation of rappers whose styles bear her influence. Gunna harmonizes with Loaf on “No Ceiling,” while fellow Detroiters 42 Dugg and Sada Baby amplify Dej’s hometown bravado on “Tap In.” Then, on “Simply” with Lil Uzi Vert, Dej makes a convincing case that she’s one of the Philly rapper’s most complementary collaborators — which makes sense, considering she and Uzi pioneered their own styles of rap in tandem during their shared come-ups. Their styles share enough elements that their eventual crossovers always leave me wondering why they don’t happen much more often.

Now that the diminutive Detroiter is fully in command of her own destiny again, they might. Sell Sole II is proof positive that artists must remain in the creative driver’s seat in order for their musical output to match fans’ expectations — and artists’ expectations of themselves. When she was reaching for that crossover appeal, Dej wasn’t making the music that she wanted, which meant her fans didn’t want it either. Formulas are fine for some artists but when you’re ahead of your time, you must create at your own pace and simply let the world catch up. It’s been six years since “Try Me,” but that sound is the pulse of the scene now. It looks like the world just might be aligning with where Dej Loaf has been all along.

Sell Sole II is out now via Yellow World. Get it here.

It looks like Youngboy Never Broke Again may be facing even more legal trouble this year after being arrested on gun charges in September. According to TMZ, Youngboy is being investigated for assault after being accused of jumping a potential collaborator at a studio in Katy, Texas.

The report from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office alleges that Youngboy was to meet with a man — whose identity is not revealed in the report — at a studio to work. When the man and his girlfriend arrived, they were told no women were allowed in the studio. The woman left, and the man says that when he went into the garage of the studio, someone threw a bag over his head and he was beaten and pistol-whipped.

He says he saw Youngboy once the bag was removed and the rapper FaceTimed his manager, who ordered him to release the alleged victim because of all his previously existing legal issues. The victim was dropped off in front of his house and driven to the hospital by his girlfriend and his mother. Police are investigating his claim as well as any possible motives for the alleged attack.

Youngboy’s history of legal issues extends back to 2018, when he was arrested for aggravated assault and kidnapping after throwing his then-girlfriend to the ground in a hotel and dragging her back to his room. He was also arrested in 2019 for weed possession and earlier this year for felony possession and stolen firearms charges.

Youngboy Never Broke Again is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Fargo Frozen Five is Uproxx’s weekly collection of thoughts, observations, and goofball screencaps from each new episode the FX limited series’ fourth season. We do not guarantee that there will be five items every week. There could be four, or six, or a dozen. Who knows? This show doesn’t follow the rules. We shouldn’t have to either.

EPISODE 6 — “Camp Elegance” (or, “Kidnapping and Monologues”)

5b. Not a great week for my large ornery prince, Gaetano Fadda, chaos agent and, apparently, stabber of mannequins. You saw that, yes? You saw Gaetano at the beginning of the episode, wearing a tank top and a look of determination, just getting in some stabbing practice on a mannequin like he was Rachel McAdams in True Detective season two? God, I love this guy. I wish there had been a full episode that just followed him around as he ran errands. Like, the dry cleaner quotes him a higher price than he paid in Italy and his eyes go flying halfway out of his face and he burns the place down. The Gaetano Show. I would watch that. Although, considering that he now been kidnapped by the Cannons and is getting tuned up by a wannabe boxing champ, and that his brother does not appear to be in any big rush to get him back (no matter what New York says), it might have to be a prequel. I was so scared when it looked like he died. I was not ready to lose him. Not yet. Not like that, at least. Thankfully, not even a point-blank bullet to the melon can take down my beautiful Italian rhinoceros. A true champion.

5a. You would think, given all those words I just typed, that I would be upset at the team of Swanee and Zelmare for causing harm to Gaetano. And yet, I am not. Quite the opposite. I am happy for them. Yes, it does go against the outlaw spirit to perform kidnappings that were ordered by your boss, and yes, dragging him out of there on the rug did not seem like a lot of fun. But they did get to play dress-up and ambush some goons and crawl through windows, which all seems like stuff they’d enjoy. If you can’t be your own boss, find a job doing the things you like. Good for them.

4b. Well, Loy Cannon has been pushed far enough. His places of business were raided, there was an attempt on his oldest son’s life, and then, last week, worst of all, Doctor Senator was killed in the street by Gaetano and Calamita. It is officially a war now, and, as he said right before he went into his doll analogy with Odis, he’s not just at war with the Italians. He’s at war with the entire mindset that ranks people in America by skin color and background. The first step was yoinking Odis out of his own bathroom. The next step was supposed to be getting his youngest son back, although that went sideways a few different ways, which will itself lead to new twists of violence and misadventure. This was a slower episode as a whole, especially after the slaughterhouse robberies and assassinations and secret murder closet of the last few, but sometimes you need to step back and move some pieces around before you strike. War is coming. Most of these people won’t make it out alive. It’s very exciting.

4a. You know what I like about Loy Cannon? I’ll tell you. The man always has a monologue ready. The good kind, too, the kind where you have a hostage or a person in for a meeting and you start a speech on some topic that doesn’t seem connected at all to the subject at hand (dolls, Sugar Ray Robinson, etc.), but by the end, you tie it all back together. I love these. They fascinate me. I like to picture bad guys in front of the mirror the night before, running through their speeches and tweaking lines and anecdotes. I wonder if they lean on the same story too much and their henchmen get sick of hearing it. I need to know more about all of this. Take me to Villain University.

3b. The business with the youngest Cannon, Satchel (who was still under the care of the Faddas when the episode started, and was at the center of the “one side wants him back, the other side wanted to kill him” business), really makes our “Satchel Cannon grows up to be Mike Milligan from Fargo season two” theory look better than ever. He’s fleeing with Rabbi Milligan, who killed the hitman Josto sent to kill the boy. He doesn’t appear to have anyone else in his life he can trust. We’ve also seen one child-swapping double-cross this season, in which a young Rabbi Milligan killed his own father to help the Italians. The working theory here is that we see another, with young Satchel setting up his father and zero Faddas and zero Cannons making it out of this season alive. Do I have anything to back this theory up? Not really! It felt good when I typed it, though.

3a. Actually, wait. I lied. I do have something to back this theory up: Joe Bulo! Did you catch that? Right here…

Joe Bulo was also a character from Fargo season two. He was a bigwig in the Kansas City mob, played by Brad Garrett, who sent Mike Milligan to Fargo to mess up the Gerhardt family. Do you see it now? The Fadda’s getting wiped out and Joe Bulo — “out of New York” taking Kansas City with the estranged Cannon son becoming his ace buttonman? Doesn’t this line up perfectly? And why hasn’t there been a Fargo character named Ace Buttonman? All fair questions.

2. Another tough week for Odis Weff, a character who basically exists to get bullied by various crime bosses into doing their bidding. And bullied by visiting U.S. Marshals. He’s such a tremendous Charlie Brown figure, just getting walloped by life from every angle, that he can use this as an excuse for a bruise on his face…

… and no one digs too deep into it, like “Yeah, getting kicked in the face by a donkey does seem like something that would happen to Odis. Moving on.” This poor chump. I half expect him to die next week by falling into an open manhole.

1. If I could give you one piece of advice in these trying times, I suppose it would be to find one single thing in your entire life that brings you as much joy as murdering hospital patients brings Oraetta Mayflower. Preferably not, like, murdering hospital patients, though. Do not do that. Not even once. Not even just to see if you like it. Maybe you can get way into house plants. Or making paella. Think about it for a while this week. You deserve this kind of pure, concentrated happiness in your life. We all do.

The 2020 American Music Awards are set to air on November 22, but ahead of that, the full list of nominees has been shared. Dua Lipa, who has a pair of nominations herself, visited Good Morning America to help reveal some of the nominees.

Leading the pack are The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch, who each secured eight nominations. Megan Thee Stallion isn’t far behind them with five nominations, which makes her the most-nominated female artist.

Find the full list of nominations below.

Artist Of The Year
Justin Bieber
Post Malone
Roddy Ricch
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

New Artist Of The Year
Lewis Capaldi
Doja Cat
DaBaby
Lil Baby
Roddy Ricch
Megan Thee Stallion

Collaboration Of The Year
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
DaBaby Feat. Roddy Ricch — “Rockstar”
Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber — “10,000 Hours”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande — “Rain On Me”
Megan Thee Stallion Feat. Beyonce — “Savage Remix”

Favorite Social Artist
BTS
Billie Eilish
EXO
Ariana Grande
NCT 127

Favorite Music Video
Doja Cat — “Say So”
Future Feat. Drake — “Life Is Good”
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande — “Rain On Me”
Taylor Swift — “Cardigan”
The Weeknd — “Blinding Lights”

Favorite Male Artist — Pop/Rock
Justin Bieber
Post Malone
The Weeknd

Favorite Female Artist — Pop/Rock
Dua Lipa
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift

Favorite Duo Or Group — Pop/Rock
BTS
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5

Favorite Album — Pop/Rock
Harry Styles — Fine Line
Taylor Swift — Folklore
The Weeknd — After Hours

Favorite Song — Pop/Rock
Lewis Capaldi — “Someone You Loved”
Dua Lipa — “Don’t Start Now”
Post Malone — “Circles”
Roddy Ricch — “The Box”
The Weeknd — “Blinding Lights”

Favorite Male Artist — Country
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen

Favorite Female Artist — Country
Gabby Barrett
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris

Favorite Duo Or Group — Country
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion

Favorite Album — Country
Luke Combs — What You See Is What You Get
Blake Shelton — Fully Loaded: God’s Country
Morgan Wallen — If I Know Me

Favorite Song — Country
Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber — “10,000 Hours”
Maren Morris — “The Bones”
Blake Shelton (duet with Gwen Stefani) — “Nobody But You”

Favorite Male Artist — Rap/Hip-Hop
DaBaby
Juice WRLD
Roddy Ricch

Favorite Female Artist — Rap/Hip-Hop
Cardi B
Nicki Minaj
Megan Thee Stallion

Favorite Album — Rap/Hip-Hop
Lil Baby — My Turn
Lil Uzi Vert — Eternal Atake
Roddy Ricch — Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial

Favorite Song — Rap/Hip-Hop
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “Wap”
DaBaby Feat. Roddy Ricch — “Rockstar”
Roddy Ricch — “The Box”

Favorite Male Artist — Soul/R&B
Chris Brown
John Legend
The Weeknd

Favorite Female Artist — Soul/R&B
Jhene Aiko
Doja Cat
Summer Walker

Favorite Album — Soul/R&B
Doja Cat — Hot Pink
Summer Walker — Over It
The Weeknd — After Hours

Favorite Song — Soul/R&B
Chris Brown Feat. Drake — “No Guidance”
Summer Walker — “Playing Games”
The Weeknd — “Heartless”

Favorite Male Artist — Latin
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Ozuna

Favorite Female Artist — Latin
Becky G
Karol G
Rosalía

Favorite Album — Latin
Anuel AA, Emmanuel
Bad Bunny — Las Que No Iban A Salir
Bad Bunny — YHLQMDLG

Favorite Song — Latin
Bad Bunny — “Vete”
Black Eyed Peas x J Balvin — “Ritmo (Bad Boys For Life)”
Karol G & Nicki Minaj “Tusa”

Favorite Artist — Alternative Rock
Billie Eilish
Tame Impala
Twenty One Pilots

Favorite Artist — Adult Contemporary
Lewis Capaldi
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5

Favorite Artist — Contemporary Inspirational
Lauren Daigle
For King & Country
Kanye West

Favorite Artist — Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
Kygo
Lady Gaga
Marshmello

Favorite Soundtrack
Birds Of Prey: The Album
Frozen II
Trolls: World Tour

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

Keeping up with the best new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Ariana Grande kick off a new era and Ty Dolla Sign come through with a cleverly titled effort. Yeah, it was a great week for the best new music. Check out the highlights below.

Ariana Grande — “Positions”

For months, Grande has dropped little hints about new music here and there, but they finally materialized last week with “Positions.” It also looks like the track may include a dig at a certain famous ex of Grande’s, as fans are speculating.

Ty Dolla Sign — Featuring Ty Dolla Sign

Ty Dolla Sign is a real Kevin Bacon figure in music, as he has worked with (or worked with somebody who has worked with, or worked with somebody who worked with somebody who…) basically everybody. He flexed his self-awareness with the title of his new album, Featuring Ty Dolla Sign, which includes appearances from Kid Cudi, Post Malone, Kanye West, Anderson Paak, and Thundercat (and that’s only in the first six tracks).

Gorillaz — Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

Gorillaz has spent 2020 dropping periodic loosies featuring a fascinating array of artists, and now they have collected those tracks and others on Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. The collection features everybody from Robert Smith to St. Vincent to Elton John to Earthgang.

Adrianne Lenker — Songs and Instrumentals

Like many artists, Adrianne Lenker took advantage of her newfound free time to be productive. In her case, the process involved retreating to a cabin in western Massachusetts, from which she emerged with a pair of new very different albums.

Julien Baker — “Faith Healer”

Even if some pop fans weren’t thrilled to hear about Baker’s new album, it’s big news in the indie community. It sounds like it’s going to be a step forward, too, as the lead single, “Faith Healer,” sees Baker broadening her instrumentation horizons.

Saweetie — “Back To The Streets” Feat. Jhene Aiko

Aiko hopped on a remix of Saweetie’s “My Type” last year, and now the pair has reconvened with Aiko joining Saweetie on her latest, “Back To The Streets.” Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes the track sees the artists “treating their love interests like a leased vehicle, enjoying the time they spend with them and making the most of it, all to return it and move on the to next new thing.”

Blackstarkids — Whatever, Man

Blackstarkids sent a cold email to Dirty Hit, and while that sort of thing doesn’t often work, the group’s material was good enough to get them signed. The group recently told Uproxx their new album is fun and not meant to be taken too seriously, and they suggested the mindset to have while listening to it: “Don’t just sit all stiff and try to form your opinion.”

Jean Dawson — Pixel Bath

ASAP Rocky obsessives noticed last week that the rapper popped up on an album from an up-and-comer named Jean Dawson. That’s the only feature on the young artist’s album, as it’s mostly focused on his diverse and confident material, which he described in a recent interview, “I want it to be controlled chaos. I just want it to feel like you’re in multiple places at the same exact time.”

Jack Harlow — “Tyler Herro”

Although the Miami Heat didn’t win the NBA title this year, Tyler Herro emerged as a clutch force during the postseason. He got some love from Jack Harlow, who made a song all about him and their shared outsider status, even recruiting the baller to appear in the video.

Rico Nasty — “Don’t Like Me” Feat. Don Toliver and Gucci Mane

Rico has been as prolific as anybody over the past few months, and she continued her hot streak last week with “Don’t Like Me.” She wasn’t the only one hitting out at her haters, as Don Toliver and Gucci Mane joined her on the track.

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

Most of the MCU discussion this year has revolved around how Black Widow‘s calendar moves pushed back The Eternals, but there’s another Phase 4 MCU film that also got shuffled around on release dates and saw production challenges. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings began filming in February, and by March, the film suspended production while Destin Daniel Cretton was awaiting the results of a coronavirus test. And as we’ve all seen, nearly every short delay has turned into a longer one this year while movie theaters struggle to stay afloat.

Well, there’s finally some good news on the MCU feature film front: Shang-Chi leading man Simu Liu announced on Instagram that the movie has finally wrapped filming. “We made a baby!!!” Liu wrote. “We can’t wait to introduce him to the world in 9 months.”

Yep, it’s nine months until the film’s July 2021 release date. When it arrives, Shang-Chi will be Marvel Studios’ first Asian-led tentpole movie. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Marvel crafted the film with authenticity by almost exclusively pursuing an Asian cast and Asian filmmakers. Kevin Feige previously revealed that the film included “a 98% Asian cast” that will feature Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, and Ronnie Chieng.

Of course, one wonders how Disney will handle the rollout amid ongoing pandemic fallout. Over in China, where the movie has been expected to perform well, exhibition is booming once again, but if U.S. theaters still aren’t a feasible option for a wide release at that point, a decision will have to be made on whether any MCU movies will be going the Disney+-Mulan route, as will be the case with Pixar’s Soul on Christmas. Then again, we’ll have to wait and see if Black Widow can keep its May 2021 date before learning more about the Shang-Chi plan.

In the meantime, here’s another wrap photo from Destin Daniel Cretton.

Taylor Swift’s album Folkore has made a handful of visits to the top of the Billboard 200 chart this year. It debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 8 and spent its first six weeks in that spot. After a two-week break, it returned to No. 1 for one more week on the chart dated October 3. The album again fell from the top, this time for three weeks, and now, Folklore is once again No. 1 for the eighth total week.

The album jumped all the way up from the No. 10 spot, thanks primarily to a drastic increase in sales from Swift’s webstore, where she offered autographed CD versions of the album for $25 for a limited time. Of the 77,000 equivalent album units earned in the US in the week ending October 22, 57,000 of those were album sales. That puts the album’s total album sales at a hair over a million (1.04 million), which makes it both the first album to sell a million copies in 2020 and the first album released in 2020 to sell a million.

The eighth week on top extends Folklore‘s run as the album with the most weeks at No. 1 since Drake’s Views remained in the top spot for 13 nonconsecutive weeks back in 2016.

Revisit our review of Folklore here.

During Friday’s virtual Seinfeld reunion with Julia Louis-Drefyus and Jason Alexander, co-creator Larry David revealed his favorite episode of the NBC sitcom. Unsurprisingly, it’s the episode that won David his first Emmy: “The Contest,” a.k.a. the episode about masturbation where the word “masturbation” is famously never said.

“I didn’t even put on the board, because I didn’t want them asking. I just wanted them to come and see the read through. [When they did,] I had worked myself up into a lather because the read through really went great. I was watching [the network executives] and I couldn’t tell how much they liked it,” David said. “But I was ready to pack the whole thing in if they didn’t let us do this show: ‘I’m quitting. I’m quitting. I’m gonna quit.’” But the executives surprisingly didn’t object, and years later, “The Contest” was named the greatest episode of all-time by TV Guide. Not just for Seinfeld, but for all TV shows.

David believes “The Contest” put Seinfeld into another level of popularity. “That show changed something about how we were perceived in television land,” he said. “It really catapulted us to another place. It moved us to another level, I think.” It’s also one of Louis-Drefyus’s favorites. She praised the episode for having a “very feminist point of view, and kind of critical I think, looking back on it.” “The Contest” has an ambiguous ending over who won (not Kramer), but as we learned in the Seinfeld finale, George cheated, making Jerry the champion. David confirmed as much during the reunion, saying, “George throws out a line, he says he cheated. So, I guess, then Jerry won it.”

He only won because Izzy Mandelbaum wasn’t invited to participate. Mandelbaum!

(Via Hollywood Reporter)