Category: News

The season finale of House of the Dragon is next Sunday, but don’t cancel your HBO Max subscription on Monday. There’s a ton of good shows to come. HBO premiered a “coming soon” preview during Sunday’s episode of the Game of Thrones prequel series, including new footage from The Last of Us (clickers are the new walkers, pass it on) and Succession. “We’re killing the opposition! I’m going to build something better, faster, leaner, wilder,” Logan Roy yells to his Waystar Royco underlings with Tom at his side. “I love it here. I f*king love it!” Cousin Greg is thrilled, but Logan’s kids look miserable, especially Kendall. To be fair, Kendall always look miserable. Now he has company.

Here’s more on season four:

The sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson moves ever closer. The prospect of this seismic sale provokes existential angst and familial division among the Roys as they anticipate what their lives will look like once the deal is completed. A power struggle ensues as the family weighs up a future where their cultural and political weight is severely curtailed.

The sizzle reels also highlights The White Lotus season two (October 30th), The Idol (which answers the question, “What if the Weeknd’s scene from Uncut Gems was a TV show?”), Love and Death, and the returns of The Righteous Gemstones, Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm, How to with John Wilson, and A Black Lady Sketch Show.

You can watch the preview above.

In just a few days, on October 21, Taylor Swift is releasing Midnights, her tenth album. As is typical for an artist of Swift’s magnitude, there’s a busy promotional schedule surrounding the album drop, which Swift has now outlined.

In an Instagram post from last night (October 16), Swift shared a dry-erase board breakdown of what she’s going to be up to from October 20 to 28. Things kick off after this week’s Thursday Night Football kicks off, as a teaser trailer or some kind will air during the third quarter of the game broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.

The busiest day on the schedule is Friday the 21st. Aside from the album release, a “special very chaotic surprise” is set to take place/be unveiled at 3 a.m. ET, followed by the “Anti-Hero” video premiere at 8 a.m. ET and lyric videos dropping at 8 p.m. ET.

On the 24th, Swift is set to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the next day, she’s dropping another video for a song yet to be revealed. Finally, on October 28, she will guest on the UK’s The Graham Norton Show.

As for “Anti-Hero,” Swift previously said of the song, “Track 3, ‘Anti-Hero,’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before. You know, I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized, and that I, you know… not to sound too dark, but, like, I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person. But, don’t feel bad for me. You don’t need to.”

Check out Swift’s teaser video above.

Warner Bros. Discovery probably won’t be able to brush Ezra Miller’s problems under the rug that easily, The Flash actor has pled not guilty to felony burglary charges stemming from their arrest in Vermont earlier this year. Miller was arrested after surveillance footage and statements led to probable cause that the actor allegedly broke into a neighbor’s house and stole several bottles of alcohol.

Miller reportedly told police in June that they were simply getting cooking wine and vinegar for his mom, and that the house owner, Isaac Winokur, was a family friend who gave them to permission to enter the house. That excuse obviously didn’t fly. According to Deadline, a “jovial and chipper” Miller made a remote court appearance on Monday where they plead not guilty to the charges. While awaiting trial, the judge gave Miller instructions to stay away from Winokur. Via Deadline:

Miller faces a maximum of 26 years behind bars as well as over $2,000 in fines if found guilty of the charges stemming from the spring incident which entailed stealing three bottles of liquor –gin, vodka and rum — from Winokur’s pantry.

In a jovial and chipper mood Monday morning, the casually dressed actor will have to return to court per Superior Court Judge Kerry A. McDonald-Cady, virtually or in-person, at a yet to be determined future date for more proceedings in this matter.

Miller, whose attorney sat by them during the hearing, said, “I do understand,” following the judge’s instructions.

After a lengthy spat of damaging headlines (that are still rolling in), Miller has attempted to clean up their public image by issuing a public apology and reportedly entering treatment for “complex mental health issues.” However, despite the continued reports of their allegedly violent behavior, Warner Bros. Discovery has been moving full speed ahead on The Flash. Miller has been reportedly been shooting new scenes as recently as September 2022.

The newly-formed conglomerate desperately needs a box office win, and The Flash has reportedly been performing well with test audiences. However, the marketing of this film looks to be awkward, given its star’s legal woes.

(Via Deadline)

Kanye West’s second appearance on the Drink Champs podcast proved to be every bit as controversial as his first. However, this time, the consequences may end up being direr for all involved after Kanye parroted an alt-right conspiracy theory about the death of Minnesota activist George Floyd. Falsely claiming that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose — despite video depicting a Minnesota police officer kneeling on his neck as gasped “I Can’t Breathe” — West not only spread harmful messaging but also opened himself and Drink Champs to possible legal action.

Lee Merritt, the civil rights lawyer who fought a number of high-profile social justice cases including that of Ahmaud Arbery, noted on Twitter, “While one cannot defame the dead, the family of George Floyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death. Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”

Floyd’s death was a galvanizing incident in the movement for social justice, prompting uprisings across the nation demanding police reform — and a corresponding backlash from white supremacist groups online. Also during the episode, Kanye doubled down on the antisemitic comments that had already gotten him banned from Instagram and Twitter.

GloRilla is everywhere, including the end zone at Lincoln Financial Field. Miles Sanders scored the opening touchdown of the home team’s Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys last night (October 16). The Philadelphia Eagles running back hit the GloRilla dance, joined by wide receiver Quez Watkins and tight end Dallas Goedert.

“Y’all I luv football so much like it’s the only sport I’ll ever watch so for dem to be hitting my jook move is crazzzyyyy,” the Memphis rapper tweeted with the heart and laugh-cry emojis. “Shoutout to the eagles & giants.”

The move began with GloRilla’s breakthrough single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” with Hitkidd, which led to her signing to Yo Gotti’s CMG Records this summer. “Tomorrow,” her single from the label’s compilation project Gangsta Art, received the remix treatment from Cardi B, resulting in “Tomorrow 2.”

Last week, the New York Giants celebrated their 27-22 upset victory over the Green Bay Packers in London by blasting “Tomorrow 2” in the locker room. Defensive end Jihad Ward went live on Instagram, showing the team dancing and rapping along to the track. Cardi tweeted, “LMAAAAOOOOOOOOO …love that for them ….AHAAAAA.”

“Tomorrow 2” debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month, becoming GloRilla’s first top-10 entry and Cardi’s 11th.

The Eagles improved to 6-0 by defeating the Cowboys 26-17, and GloRilla’s current run is just as dominant. The surging star will drop the aptly titled Anyways, Life’s Great… next month.

Anyways, Life’s Great… is out 11/11 via CMG and Interscope. Pre-save it here.

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

As the 6 p.m. ET deadline approaches, a number of players from the 2019 NBA Draft have gotten extensions done in the last week, most notably Jordan Poole and Tyler Herro getting nine-figure extensions in Golden State and Miami.

We’ve also seen some players from the back half of the draft lock up financial security, like Brandon Clarke in Memphis at 4 years, $52 million, but Monday brought word of the most unique extension of this cycle, as Houston worked out a 4-year, $82.5 million extension with Kevin Porter Jr., where only the first year is fully guaranteed.

Porter Jr. has taken a leap in production since arriving in Houston, last year averaging 15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while posting a career-best 37.5 percent shooting mark from three-point range. Porter Jr.’s development has shown his tremendous upside on the floor, but off the court he has still dealt with a few incidents that have colored his reputation since arriving in the league, like getting suspended one game last year for allegedly throwing something at assistant coach John Lucas at halftime and then leaving and getting fined for going to a club and violating COVID protocols in 2021.

Those situations are why Porter Jr.’s contract features the structure it does — which Woj referred to as “unique” — as the Rockets clearly believe in Porter Jr.’s potential to be a core piece of their rebuild and pay him as such, while leaving themselves with some outs if future incidents arise. For Porter Jr., he gets to stay with a team that believes in him and gets some financial security, with the potential to make an awful lot if he continues to produce and play to his talent level.

[Spoilers for Netflix’s The Watcher below]

The Watcher, the seven-episode series that’s currently #1 on Netflix‘s top-10 list, tells the real-life story of Maria and Derek Broaddus, who thought they bought an unassuming home in Westfield, New Jersey — until they received a letter in the mail.

“Dearest new neighbor at 657 Boulevard, allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood,” the typed note — with no return address — began before taking an ominous turn. “How did you end up here? Did 657 Boulevard call to you with its force within?” It goes on, “Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them too me.” The letter was signed “The Watcher.”

There are numerous differences between The Watcher and Reeves Wiedeman’s New York magazine article the show is based on, including Maria and Derek’s names being changed to Nora and Dean, played by Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale, but one thing remains the same: the identity of The Watcher. Or lack there of. As Netflix’s Tudum writes, “To date, Westfield police have not uncovered the identity of the Watcher.”

This is not news to anyone who read the article, but a lot of people who are experiencing the story of The Watcher for the first time through the Netflix series are feeling let down by the ending (the last thing viewers see before the credits is, “The Watcher case remains unsolved”). And they’re unsurprisingly voicing their frustration on social media.

Counterpoint: not knowing the identity of The Watcher is creepier than if it was, like, the next-door neighbor, or whatever. But it wouldn’t be a Ryan Murphy show without some controversy.

The internet never misses an opportunity to troll Drake. The table was set this time when FC Barcelona announced it would wear kits with Drake’s OVO owl on the front for Sunday’s (October 16) El Clásico match against Real Madrid. The gesture was to commemorate Drake becoming the first-ever artist to surpass 50 billion Spotify streams. It also revived the “Drake Curse” discourse.

For the uninitiated, the “Drake Curse” is roughly defined by the failure of the teams supported by Drake. Barça fans were immediately spooked when the club unveiled its OVO jersey, and their worst fear came true. Real Madrid toppled their LaLiga rivals 3-1, behind goals from Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, and Federico Valverde.

Online chirping almost certainly doesn’t bother Drake one iota, but he may be hurting a little bit over how much money he lost after betting Arsenal and Barça to win. The Gunners handled their business, beating Leeds United 1-0 behind a Bukayo Saka goal, but Barcelona couldn’t get it done.

In Drake’s defense, nobody has been able to beat Los Blancos lately. Madrid is riding a 16-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. Their last loss, ironically, came in a friendly match with Barcelona on July 23 in Las Vegas.

While tackling the more serious topic of transgender rights during Sunday night’s episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver couldn’t help but slip into a few jabs at his own network. During his deep dive into the importance of providing gender-affirming care, Oliver fired off a quick barb at House of the Dragon, HBO’s current tentpole title and ratings juggernaut.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

Oliver showed video of an interview with a young transgender girl expressing her irritation that she could not use the girls bathroom at school, which had installed security guards outside the bathroom. “Oh, I hate that!” she said.

“That is brutal,” Oliver said. “It’s so dark it is genuinely hard to watch — which would also, coincidentally, be a pretty accurate tagline for House of the Dragon,” he quipped of HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff.

Later in the segment, Oliver peppered in a jab at the wonky HBO Max app while discussing puberty blockers. “Think of it like a pause button — that thing you can’t do easily on the HBO Max app.”

Naturally, this isn’t the first time that Oliver has called out his place of employment. Following the Batgirl debacle, the late night host tore into the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery and its new practice of axing content for a tax write-off.

“Hi there, new business daddy!” Oliver said just a few days after the DC Comics movie was shelved. “Seems like you’re doing a really great job. I do get the vague sense that you’re burning down my network for the insurance money, but I’m sure that will all pass.”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

This year, Broken Social Scene is celebrating 20 years of their iconic 2002 album You Forgot It In People with an anniversary tour. They wrapped up a two-night stand at New York City’s Webster Hall last night (October 16) and fans got a super unexpected surprise: Meryl Streep and Tracey Ullman joined the Canadian indie rockers on stage to sing “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” (the band’s second most-streamed song on Spotify with about 33 million plays, a close second to “Sweetest Kill”).

Fan-shot video shows Ullman and Streep sharing a microphone as they sing the song’s classic repeated outro (“Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me”). This was clearly an exciting moment for Streep, as she spent it filming with her phone and seemed blown away once the song was over.

This was actually the final night of the tour, so what a way for Broken Social Scene to wrap it up. After the show, the band shared a message in an Instagram Story, writing, “Tour has ended. Thank you to everyone involved. To all the people who came out. All the cities, venues, staff, promoters. To the crew. To the YFIP of past/present. Old school/new school.”

Watch Streep and Ullman join Broken Social Scene on “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” above.