Month: April 2023

March overloaded the airwaves with too many fantastic, simultaneously returning shows — The Mandalorian, Yellowjackets, and Succession — yet there’s always room for more. If one asks, then one shall receive, and the streaming services are here to deliver the goods. A nun will fight an almighty yet surely up-to-no-help algorithm that has seduced the minds of the masses. A mutual case of road rage will change lives yet hurt no one (at least not permanently) in real life. And Bill Hader’s hitman will bid farewell to HBO.

In other words, TV will be here for you during those rainy springtime days. Here are the must see shows for April 2023.

Beef: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 4/6)

A24’s Beef lets all of the road rage hang out in this series, and the results won’t be pretty. Everything begins with a near collision, and then Ali Wong’s character flips the bird at Steven Yeun’s maxed-out counterpart, and then… it. is. on. The pair recently admitted (at the show’s SXSW premiere) that they were physically impacted by the stress of making this show, which is quite an endorsement in and of itself. The loads and loads of talent on display won’t hurt, either, while we watch these two get ridiculously carried away with attempting to ruin each other’s lives.

Schmigadoon!: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series streaming 4/6)

Musicals may not be your thing, but if they are, then you’ll be overjoyed to see Cabaret icon Alan Cumming back in action again. Oh, yes, and the show’s leading pair remains Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong, whose characters end up missing the first-season magic and try to return to 1960s and 1970s-era Schmicago. Ariana DeBose, Martin Short, Kristin Chenoweth, and Jane Krakowski are all back on tap this year, and you can’t resist the joy.

Rennervations: Season 1 (Disney+ series streaming 4/12)

Jeremy Renner has been through a lot lately, to put things mildly, due to his horrific snowplow accident that will leave him rehabbing for quite some time. Before that fateful event happened, though, he shot this four-part series that reimagines how vehicles can be custom-built to serve individual communities. It’s all about giving back, and these days, the world can’t have enough of that.

Barry: Season 4 (HBO series returning 4/16)

As one of several high-profile shows coming to an end in 2023, Bill Hader’s actor-hitman leading man will soon ride into the sunset as well. Barry is now behind bars, and we can blame (or thank) Henry Winkler’s mentor character for that one. NoHo Hank may not be dancing at the moment, but fingers are crossed that things will start looking up for him during this final season of the dark comedy series.

Waco: The Aftermath: Season 1 (Showtime series premiering 4/16)

Three full decades have passed since the federal siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. This five-part series takes a look back at the broader cultural view of the build-up and aftermath, which included Timothy McVeigh’s act of mass-murder terrorism in Oklahoma City. As well, the series includes an examination of the January 6 insurrection, so expect the response to be polarized.

Mrs. Davis: Season 1 (Peacock series streaming 4/20)

GLOW standout Betty Gilpin is teaming up with TV king Damon Lindelof in this show about a nun who fights an almighty algorithm. What’s not to enjoy about that, especially in this day and age? Gilpin plays Simone, not to be confused with the title character of the AI, and Margo Martindale co-stars. If there’s anything that Damon Lindelof has taught us in his post-Lost days, you never know precisely what to expect from his projects. Fingers crossed that we’ll somehow see a Lube Man crossover from his victorious Watchmen run.

Slip: Season 1 (Roku Channel series streaming 4/21)

Zoe Lister-Jones created and wrote this series, in which she also stars, about a bored woman who travels through parallel worlds to experience marriage to different spouses before she (ideally) resolves her current (and seemingly just alright, although not exciting) marriage in our “real” universe. And in the process, she will hopefully reconnect with herself as well.

Sweet Tooth: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 4/27)

The savory slam-dunk returns (courtesy of Team Downey) for another dose of the more-than-Mad Max vs. Bambi vibe. Christian Convery returns as the title character, also known by his proper name of Gus. He’s sadly been separated from Jeppard (Nonso Anozie) as of the first season finale, and now, Gus must gather strength to push back against the Last Men along with his fellow hybrids. Also on tap this season: discovering why the Great Crumble happened and curing the ill. Gus has got more gumption than the entire ensemble of The Walking Dead, alright.

Love & Death: Season 1 (HBO Max series streaming 4/27)

Candy Montgomery already received a true-crime adaptation from Hulu and starring Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey, and now, here’s a second take starring Elizabeth Olsen (opposite Jesse Plemons) as an adulterous ax-murderer who sets her Texas community alight with homicidal scandal. David E. Kelley executive produces alongside Nicole Kidman, so you know that if they felt that this deserved another version, then it must be worth it.

The Afterparty: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series streaming 4/28)

If you wanted to add to your collection of little murder mysteries and haven’t given this series a go yet, you should probably catch up. In the first season, a high school reunion goes very bad when a pop star (Dave Franco) gets murdered, and then it’s suspect time with a host of familiar faces including Sam Richardson and Ben Schwartz. Also, Detective Tiffany Haddish at your service. Sold!

Citadel: Season 1 (Amazon Prime series streaming 4/28)

If you’ve been hankering to see more of The White Lotus‘ Leo Woodall, then you’re in luck, but he’s not the main attraction here. Rather, this series also stars Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra, and Stanley Tucci and revolves around the power vacuum left after a global spy agency collapses along with agents and operatives’ memories. They must get back to their usual selves despite the amnesia before a crime syndicate steps in to plug that void. People cannot get enough of these espionage series, and with this appealing cast, Prime Video should have a winner on its hands.

Fatal Attraction: Season 1 (Paramount+ series streaming 4/30)

You’ve surely seen the bunny-boiling original picture from 1987, and you know that Hollywood cannot resist updating everything. This version stars Lizzy Caplan as the seducer of Joshua Jackson’s married man, and this story about a so-called casual affair cannot possibly turn out well, no matter how they paint the story because stalkers have so many more tools at their disposal in the electronic age. Yikes. This will, however, apparently be a reimagining of sorts, so we’ll see what newness comes to the table and whether it justifies Caplan missing out on the Party Down revival.

With six and a half minutes left in the third quarter of Friday night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Davis went down with an injury. While holding his ankle after he failed to secure a defensive rebound, the ball bounced into the arms of Rudy Gobert, who stood at the free throw line and opted to kick it out to Mike Conley, who missed a three.

It was an 8-point Minnesota lead at the time, and in the immediate aftermath, the Lakers ripped off a 20-2 run, built themselves a lead, and ended up picking up a 123-111 that put them above-.500 for the first time this season. The moment where he opted to pass to Conley apparently stuck with Gobert, and after the game, he looked back on that as the moment where his decision to not be “too ruthless” cost his team.

In fairness to Gobert, Wenyen Gabriel was standing under the rim and D’Angelo Russell was in the vicinity if he decided to try dunking, while Davis laying there was also an impediment. But at the very least, the Lakers are probably extremely happy that Gobert decided to pass in this situation, especially if it did, indeed, lead to things snowballing for the Timberwolves and letting them go on a run.

As for Davis, he ended up being ok — he stayed in the game and went for 38 points and 17 rebounds in the win.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are heading to the national title game. In one of the best performances in Final Four history, Caitlin Clark put on a show to lead the Hawkeyes to a 77-73 lead over the South Carolina Gamecocks, which bounced the defending champions from the NCAA Tournament and handed them their first loss in 42 games.

The story of the first half was the Clark and Monika Czinano duo torching the vaunted South Carolina defense while Zia Cooke cooked and the Gamecocks pummeled the Hawkeyes on the offensive glass. Iowa led after one quarter, 22-12, thanks to Clark and their uptempo offense oftentimes catching SC’s defense on its collective heels. And to make matters worse for Carolina, late in the first quarter, Aliyah Boston picked up her second foul, which led to her getting benched for the rest of the half.

The bench came up big in Boston’s absence, though, particularly Laeticia Amihere and Kamilla Cardoso. With Boston sitting and watching the pair combined for 14 points and, crucially, nine offensive rebounds off of the bench in the first half, with those extra possessions oftentimes leading to points.

By the time the break rolled around, the Hawkeyes found themselves holding onto a 38-37 lead behind a 19-point, 6-assist half from the National Player of the Year. South Carolina, meanwhile, got 18 points and five boards from Cooke.

Iowa came out of the locker room and caught fire right away, scoring the first 10 points of the second half. Dawn Staley took a risk early on in the frame, as Boston picked up her third foul with 7:41 remaining in the quarter but remained in the game. The defending champions managed to keep the Hawkeyes within arm’s reach, but still, the 59-55 deficit marked only the second time all year that South Carolina found themselves trailing after three.

While the Gamecocks started the fourth with four straight points to take the lead, Clark responded with a haymaker. Iowa immediately went on a 7-2 run, with Clark pulling up from distance twice and setting up Czinano for a layup to regain the lead and build a cushion.

But the Hawkeyes could never quite put Carolina away, even when their offense would hit a cold spell. After a Raven Johnson three with 4:21 left in the fourth — the exact shot that Iowa’s defense was willing to give up all night — South Carolina went nearly three minutes without a basket. To compensate for it, their defense buckled down and limited the Hawkeyes to only one made field goal in the same period of time, a layup by Clark with 3:32 remaining.

A made free throw by Boston with 1:37 broke the cold spell, giving Iowa a 71-69 lead. Clark and Cooke traded layups as the game entered its final minute, and with less than seconds left, Clark launched from behind the three-point line in search of a dagger.

The ball went in and out, but in quite the twist of fate, an offensive rebound looked like it was going to slam the door shut on the Gamecocks. McKenna Warnock reeled in the miss and got the ball to her superstar guard, who was fouled and made it a two-possession game at the free throw line. While Johnson scored on the ensuing possession, Clark, who scored or assisted on every basket Iowa scored in the fourth, took care of business at the free throw line to ice the win.

Clark went for 41 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in the win, while Czinano went for 18 points. Cooke’s 24 points and eight rebounds led the way for the Gamecocks, while Cardoso had 14 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.

Earlier in the night, LSU took down Virginia Tech to earn a spot in the national championship game. The Tigers and the Hawkeyes will go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon.

The Exploding Hearts are returning with a bang as they announced an expanded and remastered reissue of their only album, Guitar Romantic. The record, which originally dropped in 2003, will include unheard tracks and new mixes of past songs, in honor of the 20th anniversary.

Later that year of its initial release, three of the band members passed away in a tragic car accident. Still, their legacy has lived on in the hearts of the fans and surviving guitarist Terry Six, which led to this updated album drop.

Six approached Third Man Records as the only label he wanted to work with for this release. He also reunited with the original producer, Pat Kearns, to unearth some hidden taps from that era.

As the first preview, the band dropped a new mix of “I’m A Pretender,” which had been remixed last year by their now-late member, “King” Louie Bankston.

Check out “I’m A Pretender (King Louie Mix)” above. Continue scrolling for The Exploding Hearts’ Guitar Romantic reissue tracklist.

1. “Modern Kicks”
2. “I’m A Pretender”
3. “Thorns In Roses”
4. “You’re Black And Blue”
5. “Sleeping Aides And Razorblades”
6. “Rumours In Town”
7. “Throwaway Style”
8. “Boulevard Trash”
9. “Jailbird”
10. “Still Crazy”
11. “Busy Signals (2023 Mix)”
12. “I’m A Pretender (King Louie Mix)”
13. “So Bored (2023 Mix)”

Guitar Romantic (Expanded And Remastered) is out 5/26 via Third Man Records. Find more information here.

Cat Burns will support Sam Smith on the UK and European leg of their Gloria tour, beginning on April 12, and rejoin Ed Sheeran for the North American leg of his Mathematics Tour later this year. The 22-year-old UK artist will also make her debut appearances at Glastonbury and Governors Ball this June. Not to mention, Burns was nominated three times at the 2023 BRIT Awards.

In other words, she’s getting the most out of life, and she encouraging her growing fan base to do the same with her uplifting new single, “Live More & Love More.”

“It’s a very positive song about starting whatever it is you want to start and doing whatever it is you want to do in life because we only have one life, and we deserve to live it to the fullest,” Burns said in a statement.

She expanded on her mission for the track on Instagram. “My best attempt at telling you all to live your life to its absolute fullest,” Burns wrote. “Romanticize your life to this song. I wrote this with [Jordan Riley] and @gerardoconnell the absolute legends and it’s been such a quick turn around! We literally wrote this 6 weeks ago. Mental. Anyway happy listening! I hope you love it as much as I do.”

In the “Live More & Love More” lyric video, Burns contemplates life’s big questions while casually on the couch. “If there’s something you wanna do, just do it,” she belts. “Don’t let your head stop your heart from moving / If there’s someone you wanna talk to, talk to them / Who knows who we’d be if we just live more and love more.”

Watch “Live More & Love More” above.

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

Morray brought his 2022 track “Letter To Myself” to UPROXX Sessions in January before featuring on Macklemore’s recently released album, Ben. He’s continuing on his road toward his official debut LP with “High Price” featuring Lil Tjay.

The accompanying video sets the tone with women in the bathtub and Morray dripping in diamonds. “They say love don’t cost a thing, that’s lies,” he sings. “It cost time that you can’t get back, high price.” Morray contemplates the pros and cons of love with a melodically rapped verse, “I been focused on a mill dream / Chasin’ like I’m Meek / I done stood 10 toes down / Still had to face defeat / I’ve been looking for an empty soul that I can fill with love / Know I’m supposed to be a gangsta / Lately, I just need a hug.”

Lil Tjay meets up with the crew at a restaurant and adds his perspective, confessing that he’s never had a girlfriend, but “I ain’t gon’ lie to you, baby, you a bad one / Really deep inside, I hope you’ll be down to ride / If we really catch a vibe, just imagine us goin’ past ’em.”

“High Price” has all the makings of a momentum-builder. Is it setting the table for an album release? Last December, Morray told HipHopDX why it has taken so long.

“I’ve presented hella albums,” he said. “I’ve been ready for an album, don’t get me wrong. I’ve been ready. I’ve presented to [J.] Cole, he told me, ‘N****, you’re not ready.’ Do you know how hard it is to take that from somebody you look up to? I think I’m done, and you’re telling me I’m not? Back to the drawing board? But I appreciate him because this album is staying.”

Watch the “High Price” video above.

Jhené Aiko has finally returned to treat fans to some new solo material, three years after her last project, 2020’s Grammy-nominated Chilombo, dropped. Aiko’s new song, “Calm & Patient,” is a dreamy take that showcases her vocals and hopeful lyricism. The chill vibes make the song’s title feel all the more spot on.

“I’m satisfied with life / I do not just get by, I thrive / What a miracle to be up and alive / Sending love to those who are stuck in the fight / I cannot relate to the hate that they made up in their mind,” Aiko admits in the opening lines, setting forth the positive energy that’s present throughout the rest of the song.

Earlier this week, her manager, Ketrina “Taz” Askew shared that a new era was in the works — posting on an Instagram story, according to RapUp.

“Taking it back to simpler times, when we just put music out for the love of it,” Taz said. “Apologies @defjam and team, this one is for the Soulmates.”

Throughout last year, Aiko had contributed for a handful of collaborations, including “Water Sign” with August 08, Tyga and Pop Smoke’s “Sunshine,” and an appearance on Ab-Soul’s album tracklist back in December. During her break, she still kept busy, jumping on the soundtrack for Raya And The Last Dragon in 2021.

Listen to Jhené Aiko’s “Calm & Patient” above.

Tekashi 69 (real name Daniel Hernandez) was punched in the back of his head at a Miami nightclub last April but avoided serious injury. On March 21, however, Hernandez was attacked at LA Fitness in South Florida and wasn’t as lucky.

Lance Lazzaro, Hernandez’s attorney, confirmed to WPTV that Hernandez “tried fighting back and suffered cuts to his face and bruises” and was taken to the hospital for his injuries. Earlier today, March 31, the Associated Press reported that three men were arrested on assault and robbery charges in connection.

Also today, Tekashi 69 gave his side of the story on Instagram. He posted video of the attack alongside a lengthy caption:

“First time addressing the situation. For 2 years I been walking around with no security. Not saying I promote that BUT now you see I really never hid from anything. If you ever crossed my path or ever came to my house (you girls know who you are) ya can tell the world ‘Danny drives his own cars and be solo’ You know how many of you people seen me in real life by myself in gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants, etc. Anyway what happen here was nothing but cowardly. I’m not mad this happened. In the street there’s no rules so I cant say they were wrong. Obviously it wasn’t fair but again the streets has no rules. Just imagine having nothing to do to with a situation and feel obligated to make it your business. (Very weird) I’m happy to be here still. And I want to say I love my fans. Thank you. P.S : I never knew we respected jumping people. When did that ever become a W???”

The alleged attackers were identified as 43-year-old Rafael Medina, Jr., 23-year-old Octavious Medina, and 25-year-old Anthony Maldonado. They have been booked at Palm Beach County Jail.

Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering released And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow last November. Her first album since 2019’s Titanic Rising was named among Uproxx’s Best Albums Of 2022 because, in Steven Hyden’s words, it “spotlights her flair for beautiful soft-rock melodies that complement a serrated lyric edge.”

Her performance of the single “God Turn Me Into A Flower” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Thursday, March 30, showed everyone what Hyden meant by that.

Mering only needed a microphone and a synthesizer to captivate the audience. Her pristine vocals did all of the legwork, singing such poignant lines as, “You see the reflection, and you want it more than the truth / You yearn to be that dream you could never get to / ‘Cause the person on the other side has always just been you / Oh, God, turn me into a flower.”

Mering is scheduled to deliver more evocative performances as a supporting act on Phoenix and Beck’s co-headlining Summer Odyssey Tour. The trek begins on August 1 in Seattle, and Mering will join on August 18 in Rogers, Arkansas and continue serving as an opener until the end of the tour on September 10 in Columbia, Maryland. The other openers are Jenny Lewis, Japanese Breakfast, and Sir Chloe.

Watch Weyes Blood on Colbert above.

Jisoo from Blackpink has kicked off her solo endeavor with a two-song project that needs no introduction; it’s tilted Me and contains two songs, “Flower” and “All Eyes On Me.”

“Flower” opens with a snappy instrumental and finds Jisoo’s voice taking on a gentler note on the pop song. “I fly away like a blue butterfly / It’s all on you that you didn’t hold on / Even the times that we were in full bloom / A lie, lie, lie to me,” she emotionally adds in the translated lyrics, according to Genius.

Meanwhile, “All Eyes On Me” is a pure and fun dance record that lifts the listeners’ spirits with an enticing beat — perfect for the attention Jisoo demands.

Last year, Jisoo told Rolling Stone that she had some hesitancy about still being the only Blackpink member to not embark out for some solo jams.

“I’m not sure how much I want to go solo yet,” she said. “The music I listen to, the music I can do, and the music I want to do — what should I choose? I love songs with lots of instruments. I love different bands and rock music. What do people want from me? There’s a chaos of conflicting questions. So I’m still tilting my head in confusion. I’m not sure what will happen with my solo plans this year.”

Check out Jisoo’s “Flower” and “All Eyes On Me” above.