TV

‘SNL’ Embraces Chaos And Books Willem Dafoe And Katy Perry For The Same Episode

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Willem Dafoe Spider-Man
Sony

Over its four-and-a-half decades, Saturday Night Live has had plenty of Mad Libs-y host-musical guest(s) pairings. Al Gore and Phish. Tony Danza and Laurie Anderson. Old school entertainer Milton Berle and free jazz legend Ornette Coleman. Business magazine founder Steve Forbes and anti-capitalist rockers Rage Against the Machine. Some even become memes. There’s even an entire Twitter account dedicated to hosts improbably introducing musicians. So here’s another.

As per Deadline, for the episode of Jan. 29, the live sketch show has recruited beloved character actor Willem Dafoe and — why not! — pop goddess Katy Perry. For Perry, who is in the midst of her first Las Vegas residency, it’s her fourth time on the show. For Dafoe, it’s his first. Dafoe isn’t exactly a comedic actor, preferring serious art cinema and cutting up the occasional blockbuster, but he can be very funny. Witness The Lighthouse, in which he out-there enough to inspire an SNL sketch, well before they finally invited him on.

Besides, who doesn’t look Willem Dafoe? He can currently be seen in two big movies: dusting off his old Green Goblin duds in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is making all the money, and Guillermo del Toro’s star-studded remake of Nightmare Alley, which is not. He had a busy 2021, appearing in yet another Wes Anderson movie (The French Dispatch), yet another Paul Schrader (The Card Counter), and yet another with perhaps his most frequent collaborator, eccentric weirdo Abel Ferrara (Siberia).

Before this hot mess begins, feel free to visit the aforementioned SNL host/musical guest(s) Twitter account, where you see such inventive sights as this.

(Via Deadline)

‘The Story Of Hip-Hop With Chuck D’ Docuseries Is Coming To PBS

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Chuck D is a key figure in the history of hip-hop. There’s no denying that. In Jeff Chang’s seminal 2005 book, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, — arguably the definitive document on the history of hip-hop culture — The Public Enemy MC is featured prominently as a source and Public Enemy are justifiably a major part of the book’s comprehensive tracking of hip-hop’s sociopolitical shift in the late-80’s and early 90’s. So it’s fitting that Chuck D is now bringing The Story Of Hip-Hop With Chuck D, a four-part docuseries for TV that will document the history of hip-hop and air on PBS.

Produced by BBC Studios, the series is set to trace the history of hip-hop over the course of the past 40 years and will feature appearances from hip-hop legends like Run DMC, Queen Latifah, and LL Cool J. Chuck D, who developed the series with his manager Lorrie Boula shared a statement on the project:

“The hip-hop community has, from the start, been doing what the rest of media is only now catching up to,” said Chuck D. “Long before any conglomerate realized it was time to wake up, hip-hop had been speaking out and telling truths. Working with PBS and BBC is an opportunity to deliver these messages through new ways and help explain hip-hop’s place in history and hopefully inspire us all to take it further.”

The Story Of Hip-Hop With Chuck D is entering production and no word on yet on when it will be released.

Freddie Gibbs Gets In A Financial Fracas With Chris Redd In A Cut-For-Time ‘SNL’ Sketch

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Hip-hop fans got a pleasant surprise over the weekend when Freddie Gibbs popped up in a Saturday Night Live sketch, one that didn’t make the broadcast but was still shared on the SNL YouTube page.

The skit is a music video for a song called “All On Me” by an up-and-coming rapper named Lil T (played by Chris Redd), who just got signed to a record deal and is celebrating by spending loads of money in the club alongside his entourage, played by Kenan Thompson and host Ariana DeBose. Lil T is taken aback when he sees the massive tab he’s run up, though, so he starts being more frugal. Partway into the song, Gibbs pops up, rapping, “OK, Lil T, you up in the big leagues / See you spending big G’s like your boy Freddie G / Young’uns making money is something I like to see / Send him one big bottle of Ace, it’s on me.” Then, in accordance with the “club code,” Redd sends Gibbs something back: a bottle of Diet Coke. After chastising Redd for that move, Gibbs continues, “Old dude’s just being cheap / Shots for everybody and they all on T.”

Gibbs shared a clip of the skit and wrote on Twitter, “Man shout out my dog Chris Redd for putting me on this SNL sh*t. Live from New York!!!”

Watch the sketch above.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

R&B Star Joyce Wrice Sings The ‘Proud Family’ Reboot’s Theme Song

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LA-based R&B singer Joyce Wrice has quietly made a name for herself locally thanks to the feel-good, throwback vibes 2021 debut album Overgrown, but her next project just might make her a household name — at least, if your household includes any demographic that grew up on Disney Channel staple The Proud Family. It’s fitting that an artist who made nostalgia her stock in trade has been selected to sing the theme song for the Proud Family reboot coming soon to Disney +.

“I am so excited to share that I’ll be singing the reimagined theme song for #TheProudFamilyLouderAndProuder” she tweeted. “I am a huge fan of the original series and am honored to be a part of the #DisneyPlus Revival. I can’t wait for you to hear it!!”

The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder will follow the ongoing coming-of-age adventures of Penny Proud and her friends as they enter the world of dating — opposed, as always, by Penny’s overbearing dad Oscar. Judging from the trailer that dropped earlier today, the storylines will expand the scope of the show to encompass modern-day topics and the various pop culture changes that have taken place since the original groundbreaking series broke boundaries in the early 2000s.

In addition, the show will feature a who’s-who of Black entertainment talent including Lizzo, Tiffany Haddish, Gabrielle Union, Lil Nas X, and more.

As far as Wrice’s involvement goes, Disney dropped a cute featurette to explain how the burgeoning star was pulled into the project to put her own unique spin on the theme song originally made famous by Destiny’s Child. You can check that out below and watch the trailer above, and keep an eye out — something tells me Ms. Wrice’s rise to superstardom is just beginning.

Yes, Lawd! Anderson .Paak Sings, Dances, And Drums With Elmo And Cookie Monster On ‘Sesame Street’

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You gotta give it up to Sesame Street and the stellar slate of musical guests that have already appeared in the show’s 52nd season. The lineup of artists once again looks like it was picked by a team of people who clearly have their finger on the pop culture pulse. First, it was Billie Eilish and her ode to the Number 2 (the actual number, not… you know) with the Count. Then it was Kacey Musgraves‘ bouncy disco-pop tune about colors. And now in the latest episode, the multi-talented Anderson .Paak joined Elmo and Cookie Monster to sing about the many Holidays we all celebrated (in case you didn’t know, holiday starts with the letter “H.”)

.Paak began by walking down the step of the timeless Sesame Street stoop with flannel pants, a cardigan sweater, a newsboy cap, and an ear-to-ear smile that never leaves his face. He’s quickly joined by Elmo and Cookie Monster as .Paak leads the trio through a laundry list of notable holidays, paying homage to all denominations in the process. Among them they nod to M.L.K. Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Hannuakah, Ramadan, Diwali, Passover, Dia de Los Muertos, and Cookie Monster’s personal favorite, Christmas. “Ooh that makes me jolly!” he says while taking a bite out of a cookie shaped like a Christmas tree.

Paak closes out the song on the drums, and the best moment in the clip comes when he and Elmo prank Cookie Monster. “The world is out of cookies!” .Paak says to a noticeably distressed Cookie Monster. “No I’m serious! Ain’t no more cookies in the world, fam!” before Paak and Elmo shout in unison: “APRIL FOOLS.”

Nice work, Sesame Street. Nice work.

Watch Anderson Paak’s appearance on Sesame Street above.

The Bizarre ‘Atlanta’ Season 3 Teaser Will Make You Feel So Fresh, So Clean, So Happy ‘Atlanta’ Is Almost Back

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The most recent episode of FX’s brilliant comedy Atlanta aired in May 2018. It was a different time: Drake had the number one song in the country, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was dominating the box office, and the world was terrible.

OK, maybe things haven’t changed that much, but it does feel like season two happened a lifetime ago. Do you remember what happened in the season two finale? I didn’t until looking it up (it involves a gun, a backpack, and Paper Boi telling Earn, “You my family”), and then I remembered why Atlanta was Uproxx‘s best show of 2018.

Thankfully, after a nearly four-year break, Atlanta is coming back in March. Ahead of the premiere, FX released a new teaser for season three that has Earn (Donald Glover), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), and Van (Zazie Beetz) stuck in a nightmare of capitalism. Over what sounds like a corny cover of “So Fresh, So Clean” by ATL legends Outkast, Paper Boi says, “These products scare me.” Thumbs up.

Here’s more:

Taking place almost entirely in Europe, season three finds “Earn” (Donald Glover), “Alfred / Paper Boi” (Brian Tyree Henry), “Darius” (LaKeith Stanfield), and “Van” (Zazie Beetz) in the midst of a successful European tour, as the group navigates their new surroundings as outsiders, and struggle to adjust to the newfound success they had aspired to.

Atlanta returns to FX on March 24, and hits Hulu the following day.

Ina Garten Dragged Reese Witherspoon’s Guide To Healthy Habits, Saying People Drink Should ‘Drink More Large Cosmos’ Instead

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A new year brings with it a bevy of breathless — and quickly ignored — resolutions. (Or at least jokes about same.) But this year, like last year, is a little different. Since 2020, we’ve been living amidst a once-in-a-century public health crisis that some people keep help making worse. We’ve developed, and nurtured, a lot of bad habits. So when 2022 rolled along, some celebrities offered people their own resolutions, to help people lead healthier lives in the face of unimaginable horror. But in the case of Reese Witherspoon, that do-goodery led to them being hilariously mocked.

On Monday — a few days after being dragged for supporting cryptocurrency — the Oscar-winning actress posted a list of life-changing activities she’s “working towards” in 2022. They were:

1. Start the day with a big glass of water
2. Get 10 minutes of outdoor light. [Stanford neuroscience professor Andrew Huberman] recommends morning light.
3. Spend 30-60 mins reading without distraction everyday.
4. In bed by 10pm. *no late night TV binges. Try to get 8 hours of rest!”

This is all basic but sage advice. Water, natural light, a good night’s sleep — all important. Reading is better for you than binge-watching, late night or any other time of day. You’re right, Reese.

But someone wasn’t having it. That person was Ina Garten, host of The Barefoot Contessa and serial cookbook author. In the post’s comments, Garten told Witherspoon that her advice may “sound great.” Alas, she also wrote, “Probably not doing any of those things!” She instead offered her own four tips that are…well, maybe not healthier but certainly more fun.

1. Drink more large cosmos
2. Stay up late watching addictive streaming series
3. Stay in bed in the morning playing Sudoko instead of reading a good book
4. Spend more time (safely) with people you love.”

She added, “In a pandemic, I do what I can.”

Reese Witherspoon Ina Garten
Instagram / @ReeseWitherspoon

Since the pandemic began two years ago, Garten has been a cheerleader for cosmos, the tasty cocktail made famous on Sex and the City two decades back. Last month she went on TODAY with Hoda and Jenna, where she told the hosts, “At the beginning of the pandemic I thought we all needed a treat so I did the largest cosmo anybody’s ever had.” They then all shared super-sized cocktails, during a morning chat show. Living one’s best life, for sure.

(Via People)

Ski Mask The Slump God Goes Horseback Riding With ‘Chillin Island’

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It’s early days, but the new HBO wilderness show Chilin Island is already poised to be an under-the-radar, online favorite. The premise of dragging popular rappers way out of their element to get in touch with nature — and ask goofy, stony questions under the stars — has massive viral potential and the show’s laid-back vibe makes it the perfect distraction from the extremely anxiety-inducing current events unfolding around us.

It also helps that the guests are so game, even when it’s clear they aren’t totally sure what’s going on. In a preview for the next episode of the oddball HBO show, Florida rapper Ski Mask The Slump God takes a mighty tumble in the desert after slipping down a steep hill while the show’s deadpan narrator Steven Wright ponders, “Which will die first — him or his Nintendo Switch?” Hopefully, it’s the switch; Ski Mask has an album to drop at some point this year after delaying the follow-up to his immensely fun 2018 debut Stokeley.

Still, it’s a blast watching the Chillin Island crew — fellow rappers Dap, Despot, and Lakutis of the New York underground scene — putting poor Ski Mask through a crash course in horseback riding, especially when it prompts him to wonder whether sex on a horse is possible. The jury’s out on that one, but you can check out the preview below and catch the episode tonight at 10:30 ET on HBO or stream it anytime thereafter on HBO Max.

Roddy Ricch Will Kick Off ‘SNL’s 2022 As The First Musical Guest Of The Year

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Roddy Ricch
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Roddy Ricch is fresh off the release of his second album, Live Life Fast, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. So, it’s only right that he is also Saturday Night Live‘s first musical guest of 2022, helping to kick off the remainder of the season when the show returns on January 15. The show will be hosted by Ariana DeBose, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story.

While Roddy is only weeks removed from the release of his latest album, it doesn’t look like he wants to rest on his laurels at all. He’s already begun promising that a new mixtape, Feed The Streets 3, will be released sometime this year as well. However, that may not come soon; he’s still promoting Live Life Fast, for which he’s released only a handful of singles, including “Late At Night,” which dropped last summer, and “25 Million,” which followed up the release of the album. Roddy’s known for slow-playing his rollouts — the video for “The Box” didn’t come out until weeks after it had dominated the charts — so fans will have plenty of opportunities to revisit the new album before the mixtape drops… including, of course, his performance on next week’s SNL.

What’s On Tonight: ‘The Book Of Boba Fett’ Is Nearly Upon Us On Disney+

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Disney+

The Book of Boba Fett: Season 1 Premiere (Disney+ series) — The middle-of-the-night drop now favored by Disney+ shows is coming your way. When that happens, the iconic bounty hunter turns into a crime lord following his surfacing in The Mandalorian‘s second season. The very dead Jabba the Hutt has left a void in the galactic organized-crime realm, and Boba Fett is all too happy to fill it, but not by ruling by fear. Rather, he’s asking for respect, so we’ll see how that goes. Expect to see mercenary Fennec Shand along the way as these two head into underworld adventures that take them to Tatooine. It’s doubtful that we’ll see any Baby Yoda here, but one can hope for a miracle.

In case you missed these recent picks:

Don’t Look Up (Netflix film) — Director Adam McKay brings us the latest assembling of an A-list cast (Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Kid Cudi, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, and Ariana Grande) to satirically tackle a pretty serious subject that’s dealt with in an unserious way. Here, an asteroid’s about to slam into Earth and potentially kill off humanity, and of course, people aren’t dealing with this in the most civilized way.

Being The Ricardos (Amazon Prime movie) — Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem take a stab at roles that are more challenging than mere physical transformations. As well, this isn’t merely a light and fluffy production, given that Aaron Sorkin has infused the story with not only the complexity of the pair’s working and professional relationships but also the drama inherent with cultural and political controversy. In addition, expect to see some scandalous accusations flying, along with peeks behind closed doors during one pivotal week of I Love Lucy production. J.K. Simmons also appears in this project because he’s basically in everything these days.

Emily In Paris: Season 2 (Netflix series) — Somehow, the newest show from primetime TV king Darren Star has already returned (pandemic be damned) to pull some attention from the Sex And The City revival. Lily Collins returns as the mildly offensive protagonist, who must clean up the mess from spending the night with the hot chef who very much has a girlfriend. Justice for the gross, unwashed skillet, y’all.