After a trying past few years, former child star Lindsay Lohan is at long last making her grand return to the silver screen in an upcoming Netflix holiday romcom and we now have our first look at it. The project, which is currently untitled, casts Lohan alongside actor and musician Chord Overstreet (Glee) and is slated to release sometime next year. However, while Netflix is keeping the movie’s title under wraps, the streaming service did reveal the plot of the upcoming film, which sounds a just a bit similar to Goldie Hawn’s Overboard and completely adorable:

“Lindsay Lohan will star in a new romantic comedy about a newly engaged and spoiled hotel heiress who finds herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner and his precocious daughter after getting total amnesia in a skiing accident.”

In addition to Lohan and Overstreet, George Young, Jack Wagner and Olivia Perez are also set to star in the feel-good holiday film. Janeen Damian (Hallmark Channel’s A Christmas Waltz) is directing the movie, which was written by Damian, Michael Damian, Jeff Bonnett, and Ron Oliver.

The upcoming film is merely the latest in Netflix’s ongoing tradition of creating original holiday programs such as A Christmas Prince, The Christmas Chronicles and The Princess Switch. Just last week, the streamer made news when it released the trailer for its first-ever gay holiday rom-com Single All the Way, which pairs Michael Urie and Philemon Chambers as best friends who grow even closer on a trip back to Urie’s hometown.

In addition to getting back into acting, Lohan is reportedly also planning her big return to music, releasing a 30-second video teaser last year followed by the song “Back to Me.” Here’s hoping the former star is in a better place and these projects are merely the first of many we’ll be getting from her.

Disney+ day churned out a whole slew of announcements and footage for upcoming TV series and other library additions. As it turns out, the streaming service also decided to offer an introductory $1.99 price for the first month, as opposed to the usual (non-bundled and non-otherwise-promoed) price of $7.99 per month. And because The Boys can’t resist causing some chaos, the heroes at Voight International decided to introduce their own streaming service, Voight+.

Homelander, Starlight, and the rest of the gang are here to extend a special offer, too, and they’re encouraging you to “[s]ign up now before the subscription increase next week.” Shot fired. Yes, is coming from Amazon, which currently costs $12.99 for its conventional monthly Prime package (with extra perks including free two-day shipping, and so on), but it’s still a decent (and ultimately good-natured?) joke.

They surely must have had this promo in the can and waiting for an optimal release moment. Whatever the case, it’s nice to see The Boys make an appearance ahead of a Season 3 premiere announcement. Surely that will happen soon, and maybe we can get a peek at the “Herogasm” episode that’s forthcoming and will surely outdo death-by-oral from Season 1 and Homelander’s solo act in the Season 2 finale.

One more thing: PEOPLE announced this week that Ant-Man himself, Paul Rudd, is this year’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” Well, Homelander would like to push that tiny little Marvel hero to the side. Vought’s Twitter account has declared him to be the “Sexiest Hero Alive.” Uh, congrats?

Happy Disney+ Day to all who celebrate.

The streamer held an event earlier today teasing some of its most-anticipated shows and movies dropping later this year and in 2022. Among them? A slate of Marvel series, some Star Wars titles, and reboots of nostalgic classics. Now, we couldn’t list everything coming from Disney+ — shows like Andor, Ahsoka, Ironheart, and Armor Wars are just too far down the pipeline for any real first-looks — but we did round-up some of the biggest news to come from Disney+ Day here. Even better, we decided to rank which shows and movies we’re most looking forward to. See if you agree with our picks below:

13. Echo

Another win for representation at Marvel, this series will introduce audiences to Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), a deaf, Native American hero who goes by the alter-ego Echo. Look out for her first in Hawkeye where she’s set to pop up.

12. X-Men ’97

Now that Marvel has access to the X-Men archives, they’re putting it to good use. This animated show is set to follow some of the biggest stories in the beloved ’90s timeline of the comic book series, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer for it.

11. Prey

In case you forgot that Disney now owns Hulu, this new Predator prequel announcement should serve as a jarring reminder. Disney+ Day included a tease of the latest entry in the franchise which is set in 1719 and follows a young Comanche warrior, who must protect her people when the first Predator lands somewhere in North America. This project has been in limbo for a while, but after the poorly-received 2018 movie, maybe it can get fans interested again?

10. Ms. Marvel

Another Marvel offering, this series Iman Vellani plays Kamala Khan, a young Muslim-American girl who just so happens to be a huge Captain Marvel fan. The preview shows Khan absorbing some kind of energy blast which gives her superpowers after she says that “brown girls from Jersey City” aren’t really the types that save the world. We’re really glad she’s going to be wrong about that one.

Check out the preview on Disney+.

9. Secret Invasion

Again, Disney+ Day didn’t give us much video footage of this highly-anticipated series but it did give us a glimpse of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, sans eyepatch. The show takes place during the time in Spider-Man: Far From Home when Fury was thought to be off-world. Well, he was, and this series shows him dealing with a Skrull faction that has secretly been invading Earth for years.

8. Disenchanted

Perhaps the best Disney musical to ever exist in the history of cinema is now on Disney+ and, if that wasn’t the stuff of fairytales, fans are also getting a sequel to the film due out sometime next year. To make the announcement, the Mouse got America’s Sweetheart Amy Adams and McDreamy himself Patrick Dempsey to share the good news.

7. Willow

Disney+ Day is really serving up a whole meal for ’90s kids because they dropped a first-look at the cast of the sequel for another beloved fantasy film. Warwick Davis is back as the venturing dwarf sorcerer, and he’s joined by some familiar faces including his Solo costar Erin Kellyman. The story follows Willow as he helps a princess on her quest to rescue her twin brother. Just … don’t make any Lord of the Rings comparisons, okay?

6. Hocus Pocus 2

Speaking of witches, the Anderson sisters are officially returning to Salem in Fall 2022, and Disney+ shared the first look of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy in character as the powerful trio. This follow-up will be set 30 years after the events of the first film as three high school students accidentally summon Winnie, Sarah, and Mary and must stop them before they destroy the town.

5. Agatha: House of Harkness

No, Disney+ did not give us any new clips from this spin-off series centered on everyone’s favorite dog-killing witch, but that hasn’t dimmed out excitement about seeing Kathryn Hahn return to the role of Agatha Harkness. Even more exciting, Jac Schaeffer, who wrote and directed WandaVision, is coming back to helm the project. Not much is known about the plot here. It could follow Agatha during the Salem Witch Trials — she is a centuries-old spellcaster, so she’s definitely seen some things — or it could be set in more modern times. In the Fantastic Four comics, Agatha was once in charge of mentoring young gifted individuals so, if House of Harkness hints at the witch having her own private school for superpowered kids (maybe even some Fantastic Four members), we wouldn’t be mad at that turn of events.

4. Hawkeye

Ok, technically we’ve already seen a full trailer for this show and that really should’ve been sufficient to pique everyone’s interest but, if you’re still on the fence, the new Disney+ Day preview should get you adequately excited for this on-the-street-style Avengers spin-off. The new footage kicks off with Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton arguing over who’s going to drive the getaway car they just hotwired with Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop. What follows is an inventively-shot, slick-looking car chase as some Christmas rock blasts through the radio, and Steinfeld shows off her action chops. Sadly, no new footage of the Captain Rogers Musical pops up.

Check out the preview on Disney+.

3. She-Hulk

Good news Orphan Black fans, Tatiana Maslany is back on our small screens, and she’s playing the female version of the Hulk — with some key differences. In the preview from Disney+ Day, Maslany introduces herself as Jennifer Walters, a normal lawyer who can be seen doing some calming yoga exercises and heading to her corporate job. Of course, she’s only kind-of normal. We get a glimpse of Maslany’s green-tinted alter-ego, first in a comic-inspired suit and then again in a dress as she looks to be attending some paparazzi-filled red carpet event. We also see Walters in a glass box with a monitoring cap on her head as Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk explains that her transformation is triggered by fear and anger. The preview ends with Maslany and Ruffalo decked out in ’70s garb as her character warns, “Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” Ummm, ma’am, we think we will.

Check out the preview on Disney+.

2. Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac makes his Marvel debut in this fairly dark comic book property about a man with disassociative identity disorder and a taste for violence. Isaac’s Marc Spector hears voices in his head and believes he’s the incarnation of an Egyptian god named Khonshu. If you weren’t ready for Marvel to get that wild, just wait until you hear the Yorkshire accent Isaac’s sporting. The preview shows a confused and terrified Spector running around London and hiding in museums before giving us a glimpse of the actor in the iconic white suit and cape as Spector’s alter-ego viciously beats a man and later jumps between building rooftops. We’ve seen a behind-the-scenes look at the training Isaac’s undergone to bring the bloody vigilante to life, but watching Moon Knight in action proves the show is going to be much darker than anything Marvel’s done on Disney+ before. And we’re here for it.

Check out the preview on Disney+.

1. Obi-Wan Kenobi

Disney+ has a ton of Star Wars titles on its upcoming streaming roster, but few have been as hyped as this spin-off which sees Ewan McGregor returning to the role of the wise, somewhat-cheeky Jedi master. The show is set 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith as Obi-Wan enters a pretty dark time in his journey. His pupil has turned to the Dark Side, the Jedi council is destroyed, and he’s tasked with keeping a young Luke Skywalker safe from the Empire. In the preview on Disney+, McGregor teases another showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader (who will once again be played by Hayden Christensen in the series) by saying, “To have another swing at each other might be quite satisfying.” We certainly think so.

Check out the full preview on Disney+.

Jon Gruden’s tenure at the helm of the Las Vegas Raiders came to an end last month after a handful of emails from his time as an analyst for ESPN became public and showed him using racist and homophobic language. Now, Gruden has decided to take the league and its commissioner to court over allegations that he lost his job due to a “Soviet-style character assassination.”

According to a lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court on Thursday, the NFL and Roger Goodell are being sued for “a malicious and orchestrated campaign” that “sought to destroy the career and reputation of Jon Gruden.” The now-former coach’s lawyer released a statement to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, pointing out that Gruden’s emails were the only ones out of the entire 650,000 that the league collected as part of his investigation into the Washington Football Team that were made public.

Gruden used racist language in one email to describe NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith during the time of the 2011 NFL lockout, while others included homophobic slurs being used to describe Goodell and former Rams and Cowboys Michael Sam, who was the first openly gay player to get drafted.

While the Raiders did not fire Gruden as the result of these emails, the lawsuit alleges that the “Defendants ratcheted up the pressure by intimating that further documents would become public if Gruden was not fired. They followed through with this threat by leaking another batch of documents to the New York Times for an October 11, 2021 article.” Gruden was hired by the Raiders in 2018, his second stint as the franchise’s head coach, and compiled a 22-31 record before his resignation.

Over the summer, Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista started joking about a Lethal Weapon-style buddy cop movie that initially began as a tweet from Bautista before Momoa picked up the ball and ran with it during an appearance on The Late Late Show. Of course, you can’t toss out an idea like that without turning a few heads, and that’s exactly what happened as barely a week later, things started moving to get the film off the ground and shooting in Momoa’s home state of Hawaii. (The Aquaman star sweetened the deal by telling James Corden that Bautista will wear a Speedo and Momoa will bust out his trademark board shorts.)

Jump to this week, where the future buddy cop team are now wrapping up a four-studio bidding war, which reportedly saw MGM walk away with the winning bid for the untitled film. Via Deadline:

The duo pitched it all over town this week, with Jonathan Tropper writing. The connection between the writer and stars comes from See, the Apple TV+ drama series that stars the duo. Tropper also scripted the upcoming Shawn Levy-directed The Adam Project with Ryan Reynolds. The film came from an original idea from Momoa, Bautista and Tropper. The studio will develop it, but the principals have made rich deals that kick in when the picture goes into production.

While there’s no director attached yet, Momoa and Bautista are hoping to start filming in 2023 after they finish up production on Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3. respectively. Also, after a global pandemic, we all need this win sooner rather than later. Momoa and Bautista stopping crime on the beach with huge Lethal Weapon vibes? Pour it in our veins.

(Via Deadline)

Home Sweet Home Alone (Disney+ film) — There’s no Macaulay Culkin, no Joe Pesci, and No Daniel Stern here, but this still looks like a marvelous reboot to the franchise. Archie Yates stars as Max Mercer, who’s as resourceful as Kevin McCallister when his family inadvertently leaves him behind while on vacation. Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney star as two married thieves who wanna steal a priceless heirloom, and expect Kenan Thompson to make an appearance amid all the holiday hijinks.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum: Season 2 (Disney+ series) — Jazzy Jeff Goldblum (no really, he’s a best-selling jazz artist, and not a DJ) catapulted to fame while unbuttoning his shirt during the first Jurassic Park film. These days, however, Jeff’s pursuing more intellectually curious endeavors, and that’s going down on his delightfully quirky National Geographic show on Disney+. After exploring the origins of ice cream (you must watch that episode), he’s about to leap into your heart for another round of episodes, this time while exploring magic, fireworks, monsters, dogs, and dance.

More Disney+ Day Content:: Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, Jungle Cruise, Olaf Presents, Ciao Alberto, and Marvel Studios’ 2021 Disney+ Day Special will arrive as previously announced. In addition, expect some new documentary action in Billie Eliish’s The Making of Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, Marvel Assembled: The Making of Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, and Marvel Studios Legends: Hawkeye.

Red Notice (Netflix film) — A few years ago, Netflix set the stage for their supposed biggest (and most expensive) movie ever, and a lot of that has to do with the leading cast: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. Well, we’re finally about to see what hundreds of millions of dollars purchased. Gal plays a notorious crook who mops the floor with Johnson’s FBI agent and Reynolds’ (also notorious) art thief, and yeah, I hope they never catch her. Even though she won’t be wielding the Wonder Woman magic lasso, she’s guaranteed to kick ass.

Here’s some regularly scheduled programming:

SNL (Saturday, NBC 10:29pm) — Host Jonathan Majors and musical guest Taylor Swift.

Blade Runner: Black Lotus (Saturday, Crunchyroll and Adult Swim) — This anime series takes place in 2032 LA, where a young woman awakens with deadly skills, a wiped memory, a locked data device and a black lotus tattoo. She sets off in search of her lost identity, and you can stream this new event series in Japanese (with subtitles) on Crunchyroll or watch the English dub on Adult Swim.

Succession (Sunday, HBO 9:00pm) — The annual shareholders’ meeting sees Logan’s health deteriorate, and Kendall learns to get along with the fam, for appearance’s sake.

Fear The Walking Dead (Sunday, CBS 9:00pm) — Dwight and Sherry’s entire future is up for grabs, along with their code, during a rescue mission.

Dexter (Sunday, Showtime 9:00pm) — The most beloved serial killer of all time, is back with a brand new life. The old life, however, is coming for him, and he’s way out of his element and out of practice. The new season is a bloody good time, and this week, Dexter’s gotta mop up his return to homicide and, you know, that Harrison thing.

BMF (Starz 8:00pm) — Meech is plotting for revenge while Lamar’s seeking shelter, and blood’s pouring in the streets while everything’s more complicated than ever.

Mayor of Kingstown (Paramount 9:00pm) — Jeremy Renner alongside Kyle Chandler and Dianne Wiest as a member of the power-brokering McLusky family, who are running their Michigan town with no hope for anyone else to prevail. Expect explosive drama and a gritty outlook, all while exploring the themes of justice and corruption and inequality. Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, Sons of Anarchy) co-created here. He did not come to play.

Hightown (Starz 9:00pm) — Frankie’s looking over one shoulder while Renee’s getting ruthless, all while Jackie and Ray are feeling some unsettling realities.

Insecure (Sunday, HBO 10:00pm) — Issa’s dealing with awkwardness while mixing a work event with a new relationship, all as Molly’s got multiple suitors coming her way.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 10:00pm) — Someone’s under suspicion, and it’s a full-on investigation.

Yellowjackets (Sunday, Showtime 10:00) — This show’s an intense survival epic and a psychological horror story with plenty of coming-of-age touches, too, all revolving around plane crash survivors in the wilderness. They’re initially a thriving team that divides without conquering and the show also visits their future, decades later, while they’re reliving trauma and realizing that you can never leave a past like that one behind for good. As if you needed another reason not to hop on an airplane these days, right?

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sunday, HBO 10:30pm) — Larry’s attempting to appeal to Woody Harrelson, and that dream brings unintended consequences, all after Larry takes Susie’s rabbi out golfing.

Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 11:00) — John Oliver, baby.

Here’s some more streaming goodness for your weekend.

Clifford The Big Red Dog (Paramount+ film) — This live-action movie is both adorable and symptomatic of utter chaos, but the first thing that’s worth remembering about the original animated series that “love” is the reason why Clifford is so big. Remember that when you start thinking about Venom tongue-reveal after spotting the “cute” tail wagging from underneath a blanket, and when he sprints into Central Park, attempting to “play” with an unfortunate human who’s stuck inside of a giant plastic hamster ball. Don’t even try to resist the Big Red Charisma.

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series) — Paul Rudd stars as the therapist from hell, who simply does not believe in boundaries, as the title of this show suggests. Will Ferrell plays his unfortunate patient, and the dark comedy series builds an unnerving tension while also charting decades of a relationship between these two men. Both Rudd and Ferrell can’t help but be funny, but their dramatic sides will shine through here, too. Fortunately, they’ve also got Kathryn Hahn and her serious wig game on board for extra clout, but when and where will Paul Rudd end up dancing in this story?

Always Jane: Season 1 (Amazon Prime series) — This series follows a transgender teen in rural New Jersey. Jane wants more than small-town life, but her family is pretty amazing, too, all while finding humor in the most unexpected places.

The Freak Brothers: Season 1 (Tubi series) — Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, and John Goodman play the title-character freaks in this animated series that updates The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comic (created by Gilbert Shelton) that first surfaced in 1968. They’re all stoners, and Tiffany Haddish voices their ornery cat as they barrel through San Francisco, looking for their next high.

Kamikaze: Season 1 (HBO Max series) — This Polish show might not be on your radar yet, but it arrives with a riveting premise: what happens to one’s identity when everything that matters in your life disappears in one panicked heartbeat? Marie Reuther portrays a young woman who gets a terrible text message — her entire family is about to go down in a plane crash — that changes everything.

Ragdoll: Season 1 (AMC+ series) — The Killing Eve producers are on the case in this psychological thriller series that follows a disgraced London Police detective, who’s making a sort-of comeback in a particularly grim case. That would be the discovery of a literal “ragdoll” of body parts (from six murder victims), and it’s the work of a serial killer who’s already got a hit list for six more people, including Mr. Detective Himself. He joins the team to race against time, and the series also captures the fractured personal lives of several people on and connected with the case.

Narcos: Mexico: Season 3 (Netflix series) — Drug lord extraordinaire Félix Gallardo warned Agent Walt Breslin that he’d freed a circus of animals within the drug war, and he wasn’t joking. The cartels are poppin’ while the show does a hell of a wrap-up job on the dramatization of a real-life saga (and the Pablo Escobar-centered beginnings of Narcos). Fortunately, the spirit of Pablo is still around, sort-of, given that actor Wagner Moura has returned to direct, and Breslin and the fledgling DEA sure have their work cut out for them with hydra heads springing up everywhere.

For better or worse, the world just can’t seem to stop talking about Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt, and Busy Philipps is merely the latest celebrity to join the conversation. Following Pratt announcing his leading roles in both the upcoming Super Mario Bros. and Garfield movies, the actor came under some serious fire for sharing a tribute to his wife to his Instagram with what many are calling a somewhat patronizing caption.

Shared on November 2, the post was made to serve as an early birthday present to Pratt’s wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger. While the photo itself is fairly innocuous, the caption almost immediately set off alarms with some people, with Pratt writing, “she helps me with everything. In return, periodically, I open a jar of pickles. That’s the trade. Her heart is pure and it belongs to me. My greatest treasure right next to my Ken Griffey Jr Upper Deck Rookie card.”

While Pratt might not have intended for the post to come across maliciously, some were quick to point out how possessive Pratt sounded in his caption. Others drew attention to how strange it was to thank Schwarzenegger for a “healthy baby” following his first child with actress Anna Farris having various medical issues. Among those to critique Pratt’s words is Busy Philipps, who addressed the post in the latest episode of her podcast Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best. On the podcast, Phillips criticizes Pratt for “centering himself” and making “tired gender jokes,” telling listeners:

“You’re probably not the type of lady that will laugh enthusiastically if you’re with a man and he starts to make very tired gender jokes about responsibilities and duties and even like, the f***ing tired bit that he’s doing which is, ‘She runs the show I occasionally open a bag of pickles. That’s how f***ing dumb what he said is. You are a Marvel superhero. You made $480 million last year. You work non-stop. You don’t just open a f***ing jar of pickles.”

Phillips then continued to dig into Pratt, saying the post was “patronizing” and reinforced the notion of a power imbalance seen in many households. She also said Pratt saying Schwarzenegger is his “greatest treasure right next to my Ken Griffey Jr Upper Deck Rookie card” makes it seem as if the star views his wife as an object.

“He has possessions, and she’s one of them .. What she does in their household is probably a lot. She probably does a lot of the domestic labor. They have a kid and whatever. That is actually legitimately a lot of f***ing work. But by the way he’s talking about himself, putting himself in it, in the center of it, it makes it seem like it’s bulls***.”

Prior to Pratt remarrying, Philipps admitted the two were friends and she even went on a vacation with Pratt and Farris while the two were expecting their son, Jack. Philipps said in the “before times” the actor was “super nice and funny,” but also “drank a lot” and was a bit of a “doomsday prepper.” She then added she no longer has any relationship with Pratt.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from French Montana, Polo G, and more.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending November 10, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Femdot — Not For Sale

Chicago rapper Femdot is a proud member of Windy City’s introspective, hyper-articulate underground scene, much like lyrical stalwarts Mick Jenkins, Noname, and Saba. His newest project, released Monday after he premiered one of its songs on COLORS a few weeks ago, continues his tradition of aching interiority and dazzling displays of wordplay.

French Montana — They Got Amnesia

French Montana is convinced that the rap game has forgotten about all the hits he’s delivered — as evidenced by memes to that effect, which he responded to in a good enough nature. With that said, it appears he’s on a mission to remind us all that he’s a relatively strong hitmaker in his own right.

Joell Ortiz — Autograph

One of the last standing members of the blog era explosion of the late noughties, Ortiz remains laser-focused on delivering bruising, surprisingly poignant bars over neck-cracking beats. Autograph is billed as his most personal project to date, with features from fellow rap-first veterans Cyhi The Prynce, Kxng Crooked, and Sheek Louch of The Lox.

Landstrip Chip — Catch My Good Side

Atlanta behind-the-scenes string-puller Landstrip Chip hasn’t always flourished in front of the cameras, preferring instead to pen hits for the likes of City Girls, Dreamville, Gucci Mane, Latto, Tinashe, and more. Now, though, he’s got a new deal with Asylum and this new nine-track project teed up to reintroduce the world at large to his lustrous songwriting and performance.

Smiley — Buy Or Bye 2

OVO Sound’s newest signee looks to capitalize on the viral buzz from last year’s YYZ – LAX EP, delivering a longer tracklist this time around and tapping the talents of fellow Toronto rising star Pressa, LA underground upstart OhGeesy, Mobile, Alabama crooner Yung Bleu, and, of course, OVO headman Drake.

Polo G — Hall Of Fame 2.0 [Deluxe Edition]

Following up his No. 1 album from June this year, Polo records a full album worth of material — 14 tracks — for a deluxe re-release.

Wynne & Christo — Do My Own Stunts [EP]

The Portland rapper and Pittsburgh producer teamed up to produce a six-song joint EP showcasing her deft, rapid-fire rhymes and his woozy, ribcage-rattling beats. Ranging from fast and furious battle rap to outer-spacey abstract braggadocio, the EP covers a lot of musical territory in a relatively short span, painting an optimistic picture of both artists’ respective futures.

Singles/Videos

Berwyn — “MIA”

Hailing from the streets of East London, Berwyn is a year removed from his debut mixtape Demotape/Vega and just months away from Tape 2/Fomalhaut and showing no signs of letting up anytime soon.

Blimes — “Swym”

After putting her stamp on the game with partner-in-rhyme Gifted Gab with last year’s Talk About It, the MC formerly known as Oh Blimey is back on the solo grind with a woozy, haunting comeback single packed with witty wordplay.

Loopy Ferrell — “Can’t Quit” Feat. G Herbo

A street-bred rapper from Mount Vernon, New York, Ferrell introduces his upcoming In The Loop We Trust, Vol. 1 project.

Pressa — “Dead Body” Feat. Rowdy Rebel

Toronto rapper Pressa taps in with the recently returned Rowdy Rebel for a haunting, chest-beating pledge of allegiance to the streets.

Remedy — “The Pulpit” Feat. Cappadonna, Conway The Machine & Ghostface Killah

Longtime Wu-Tang affiliate Remedy recruits two of the legendary rap crew’s members along with the Griselda ghoul for a four-minute onslaught of street-saturated lyricism.

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

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that a Home Alone sequel isn’t something that I was exactly dying to see in 2021. Even in 1990, when the original Home Alone was released, I probably wasn’t the target audience for it. Telling the story of Kevin McAllister, the forgotten child of a big Chicago area family who accidentally gets left behind on Christmas, it was a kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy for kids who, like Home Alone writer John Hughes, probably had huge families with lots of siblings and big, noisy Christmases and got sick of never having their own space.

As a rural only child (there are literally dozens of us!) with older cousins and no neighborhood children to speak of, I was alone often enough that it bordered on torture. As escapism, Home Filled With Other Kids For Some Reason probably would’ve been more my speed. In 2021, with the average household size steadily declining and most elementary school-aged kids coming off a year when they only got to see their friends through a computer screen, I have to imagine that the target demo for 2021’s version of Home Alone might be a lot more like me than like John Hughes. Loneliness seems more endemic to our current condition than parental neglect.

Yet we also live in a world where zombie IP seems to dictate a large chunk of our viewing options, timely or not. Remakes must flow! So it is we have a new Home Alone movie, Home Sweet Home Alone, the first Home Alone sequel since 1997’s Macauley-free Home Alone 3, though there were two more made-for-TV Homes Alone in 2002 and 2012. Thus, “another Home alone” isn’t exactly a fresh idea, but Disney+ sort of is, and so the latter demands the former.

All that being said: whichever crazy bastard decided to combine a Sacha Baron Cohen collaborator director (Dan Mazer) with Rob Delaney from Catastrophe, Ellie Kemper from The Office, Aisling Bea, and the chubby kid from Jojo Rabbit (Archie Yates) was clearly on to something. Or at least, this bastard was certainly more inspired than the last four or five Home Alone film creators, give or take. Home Sweet Home Alone has a unique comedic flavor that’s one part British comedy and one part American prestige television (Tim Simons, aka Jonah from Veep, also shows up playing Rob Delaney’s brother).

All these R-rated comedy heavy hitters and improvisers (combined with sharp dialogue, written by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell) make for a shockingly successful mix in this PG-rated comedy. At least for a while. Delaney and Kemper play Jeff and Pam McKenzie, a Winnetka couple on the verge of losing their house while Jeff struggles to find a job. Young Max Mercer (Yates) and his mum (Aisling Bea) bumble Britishly into the McKenzies’ open house one day, and through a series of coincidences, Max ends up in possession of a creepy antique doll Jeff thinks might be the key to solving all his money problems. But how to get that doll back??

When Home Sweet Home Alone is just a general, light-hearted Christmas comedy, about down-on-his-luck Jeff and his obnoxious brother (Tim Simons) and this odd little British kid, it’s surprisingly enjoyable (minus a way over-the-top Pete Holmes who luckily ducks out early). There’s a subversive edge to the light comedy that you wouldn’t expect in Christmas comedy. “Is it even illegal to steal back something that was stolen from you in the first place?” Delaney asks.

“Yes!” Kemper hisses. “That’s what OJ got in trouble for! …The second time.”

Yet just when Home Sweet Home Alone seems to be firing on all cylinders, you can practically hear a studio exec demanding “But where are the booby traps?!”

Ah, yes, that.

Sadly, a little kid catching adults in a series of slapstick, weirdly mean-spirited booby trap gags is acknowledged as canon in the Home Alone series. No one denies this, and yet, I have to wonder: was that even really what people liked about Home Alone? Seems to me it was more about the fantasy of Kevin McAllister being all by himself on Christmas than Joe Pesci taking a flamethrower to the scalp (though Joe Pesci really was unmatched in the field of sounding like you’re swearing without really swearing). Home Sweet Home Alone seems slightly embarrassed to have to go throw this whole Nerf punji stick rigamarole, and maybe it should be.

The logic of IP maintenance dictates that certain parts of an original work are canon, and thus must reappear in the new iteration of that IP, regardless of how much it makes sense, or if the creators happened to accidentally discover a better movie along the way. The bits of Home Sweet Home Alone that are surprising and fun are in direct conflict with the bits that are required for it to be called “Home Alone.” Home Sweet Home Alone seems like it would’ve been a much better remake of Christmas Vacation than of Home Alone, when it could’ve been free to be about a dopey dad’s clumsy attempts to save Christmas for his family rather than about a little kid who outsmarts adults with a series of painful traps.

The booby trap bits of Home Sweet Home Alone are by far its weakest element, but there are at least 40 solid minutes of pretty funny light-hearted Christmas comedy outside of that, which is probably 30-35 more than anyone could or should expect from a Home Alone sequel. Does that make it a win? Probably so.

While I was watching, it felt like the specter of an inevitable cameo by adult Macauley Culkin was haunting the entire thing, like some post-modern version of Chekhov’s gun where ancient IP is not just mined for content but begging to be congratulated for it. Perhaps the ultimate testament to Home Sweet Home Alone is that this cameo never came.

‘Home Sweet Home Alone’ is available November 12th, exclusively on Disney+. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can check out his film review archive here.

There are still a lot of questions about this year’s fatal Astroworld festival, and it would seem some of those are coming from Travis Scott himself, who apparently didn’t know about the chaos that was happening in the crowd while he was on stage.

Edwin F. McPherson, Scott’s lawyer, spoke about it on Good Morning America today. He was asked how much responsibility Scott bears for what happened and he said, “That’s what the investigations are about, that’s what we’re trying to get to the bottom of is: who is responsible. Because it obviously was a systemic breakdown that we really need to get to the bottom of before we start pointing fingers at anyone.”

He also said that information about what was happening didn’t get to him while he was performing, saying, “I think we’ve seen footage of police half an hour later just walking about and not looking like it was a mass casualty event. Clearly, the important thing is that never got to Travis, that never got to Travis’s crew. He’s up there trying to perform, he does not have any ability to know what’s going on down below, certainly on a mass level.”

McPherson went on to say that Scott didn’t really have the full picture of what happened until the next day, saying, “Travis didn’t really understand the full effect of everything until the next morning, truly. He did not know what was going on. […] Understand that when he’s up on the stage and he has flash pods going off around him, and he has an ear-monitor that has music blasting through it and his own voice, he can’t hear anything, he can’t see anything.”

Watch McPherson’s interview above.