Month: November 2020

The Grammys have a new category this year. In an effort to better recognize the increasing breadth and variety of modern R&B, they’ve split the R&B Album category into two: Best Progressive R&B and Best R&B. The new range allows them to nominate more artists — five each — and give the nod to non-traditional contemporary R&B artists who aren’t forced to compete with genre mainstays like Alicia Keys and John Legend.

Although the Grammys have tried similar moves in the past, this year’s move is timely, as the style of some R&B has been reshaped by contributions from alt-rock, ambient music, hip-hop, EDM, trap, and other styles to make it something far more futuristic but still rooted in the tenets of the sound established in the late ’80s and early ’90s. From 2003 to 2011, more hip-hop-influenced albums could be found under Best Contemporary R&B Album, but they were shifted back to the main category after 2011. The new category was created as Best Urban Contemporary Album, but that name was phased out as a result of longstanding criticisms and the industry-wide revamping of “Urban” classifications after this summer’s “Blackout Tuesday.”

According to the Recording Academy, the new category “is intended to highlight albums that include the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance, and electronic music. It may also incorporate production elements found in pop, euro-pop, country, rock, folk, and alternative.” For its inaugural clutch of nominees, the Academy has acknowledged Chloe X Halle, Jhené Aiko, Free Nationals, Robert Glasper, and Thundercat. The traditional category includes Ant Clemons, Giveon, Gregory Porter, John Legend, and Luke James.

Speaking of Robert Glasper, the accomplished pianist/producer is planning his eighth annual Grammy Jam to coincide with 2021 Grammy Awards, gathering together some of the biggest names in R&B, jazz, and hip-hop for a special night of music. Check out the video from the 2020 edition above.

Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix film) — The Ron Howard-directed film isn’t getting great reviews, but audiences can now have their say while watching Amy Adams and Glenn Close both transform themselves for an Appalachian-set drama. This film’s based upon J.D. Vance’s memoir of the same name, and the story follows how Vance, a Yale Law student, returns to his hometown for a family crisis. In the process, he’s dealing with high drama amid his mother’s addictive struggles. It’s a modern-day exploration of the American Dream as fueled by complex dynamics and a multigenerational take on the common-yet-somehow-uncommon journey that each family member faces in different ways.

Black Narcissus (FX, Hulu) — All three hour-long episodes of FX and the BBC’s miniseries (starring Gemma Arterton) are now available on Hulu. This is a more methodical and reflective version of the story than the 1947 film and revolves around a group of nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, who journey to a remote part of the Himalayas on a mission, only to set up camp in a structure that once housed a harem and contains mysteries that could awaken forbidden desires.

FBI (CBS, 9:00pm EST) — The team’s on the hunt for a serial killer of women, and Jubal may have found a connection to a closed case that could solve the new one.

FBI: Most Wanted (CBS, 10:00pm EST) — A hacker-killer causes a car crash, which leads to all sorts of implications about technology, of course.

Big Sky (ABC, 10:00pm EST) — The new Ryan-Phillipe-starring series sees Cassie and Jenny searching for missing girls, and Ronald attempting to navigate a difficult relationship at home.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Barack Obama

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Kristen Stewart, Josh Duhamel, James Taylor

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Paul Bettany

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Amy Adams, Adam Davidson

In case you missed this weekend cheer:

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (Netflix film) — Everyone loves Dolly (who helped fund a promising COVID vaccine), so at least there’s one thing that you won’t be arguing about with your relatives (over Zoom) this holiday season. Featuring an album full of original Dolly music, this film (which co-stars Christine Baranski) revolves around how the coldest of hearts can melt in the face of family, love, and the enduring Christmas spirit of a small town.

As we finally have gotten through the frantic opening weekend of NBA free agency, media outlets have begun putting together their offseason winners and losers lists. Near the top of most every one of those in the winners column are the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that has upgraded its roster through trades and free agency in a manner not many expected.

They started by trading two first round picks and Trevor Ariza to Houston for Robert Covington, addressing their most significant need: a defensive-minded wing player who can also space the floor. From there, they’ve brought back the likes of Rodney Hood and Carmelo Anthony, while trading for Enes Kanter and signing Derrick Jones Jr. and Harry Giles, further bolstering their wing and frontcourt rotations. The Blazers roster now looks like this, which, on paper, certainly looks like a significant upgrade over the group that was in the Bubble and made the charge for the 8-seed.

Damian Lillard
CJ McCollum
Robert Covington
Zach Collins
Jusuf Nurkic
Rodney Hood
Carmelo Anthony
Enes Kanter
Gary Trent Jr.
Derrick Jones Jr.
Anfernee Simons
Harry Giles
Nassir Little
CJ Elleby

The Blazers upgraded their starting five by adding Covington and also built out their depth to where they should feel comfortable going 10-deep on any given night, although backup point guard remains a question mark with Simons. They also have given themselves some interesting roster versatility and should be able to put their role players in better positions to succeed, particularly come playoff time if healthy.

For example, the emergence of Gary Trent Jr. in the Bubble was a welcome sight, but he’s far more likely to impact winning at this moment as a microwave off the bench in bursts rather than as a significant contributor because of the weaknesses on the defensive end of the floor. Having Hood back ahead of Trent in the rotation is big, and moving Anthony to a likely bench role — or at least a role with more limited minutes — will allow Terry Stotts to be more judicious with minutes and matchups than he was in the Bubble last season.

Offense was never the question for the Blazers last season, but their ceiling was capped by an inability to get consistent stops. Enter Covington and Jones, two players who are capable of switching and defending on the wing and smaller frontcourt players better than anyone the Blazers had on the roster previously. All of this coalesces around a team that should be eventually getting a healthy Zach Collins back into the frontcourt rotation — remember, the last time they had their core of Lillard, McCollum, Collins, and Nurkic healthy, they made it to the Western Conference Finals.

The task ahead for Stotts and this coaching staff is figuring out who fits where and what their best rotations look like, both for the regular season and adjusting for playoff matchups. That puzzle may take a little time to come together, but if it does, one has to think this is a team that has elevated itself into the conversation in the West for the tier behind the Lakers, who exist on their own plane of existence in the conference, and the Clippers, who, while facing questions, are the team that feels most solidly being a top-3 squad along with the Lakers of everyone else. From there, though, you can make a case that the third tier has at least six other teams, with a few sniffing to make their way into that conversation.

In the same tier as Portland you have Denver, which replaced Detroit-bound Jerami Grant with JaMychal Green and is otherwise mostly running things back, hoping Will Barton’s return and Michael Porter Jr.’s development account for a step forward. Utah is similarly bringing back mostly the same group plus Derrick Favors, hoping Bojan Bogdanovic being healthy is a difference maker in their quest to break through the second round barrier in the West.

Phoenix, like Portland, appears to be a team on the rise after a hot Bubble run and the addition of Chris Paul, who elevated OKC to a 5-seed a year ago, but are young and inexperienced otherwise. Dallas also has done some serious work this offseason to build around Luka Doncic by dealing for Josh Richardson and James Johnson and making some other signings on the fringes. And then you have the Golden State Warriors. While they won’t get the services of Klay Thompson back, they still have Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and now Kelly Oubre Jr. as a stopgap measure for at least a year until Thompson’s hopeful return from an Achilles tear. Houston meanwhile still exists in this realm so long as James Harden is in town, although things could get blown up at any moment for the Rockets.

Behind them, with the obvious caveat that one of the third tier teams could stumble and one of these could surprise, you find the Pelicans, which now have Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams anchoring things as veterans around their cavalcade of young stars. There’s the Grizzlies, last year’s big surprise which have mostly continued their stance as Draft Twitter’s favorite squad, adding more promising young players and locking down the likes of De’Anthony Melton and Jontay Porter to hopefully continue to build out their core. There’s the Spurs, which still have DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge (for now) and a quality supporting cast, and the Kings, which might be the biggest unknowns right now with Bogdan Bogdanovic’s offer sheet still in the ether and Buddy Hield’s future with the team also in doubt.

For the Blazers, that means you could very easily be looking at a team that falls anywhere from the 3-seed to the 8-seed in the West, with another season in which the gap separating those teams is very narrow. In a season in which the league is introducing the play-in tournament for teams in the 7-10 range of each conference, the imperative of landing a top-6 seed is more important than ever but the difficulty of doing so is also arguably as high as it’s ever been in the West.

Portland undoubtedly got better this offseason, even amid questions about the backup point guard spot where Simons gets the nod, but with so many teams occupying the same tier as them, we’ll get a really good understanding of exactly how much better they’ve gotten. This is a team that two years ago thought it had positioned itself in the position Denver now finds itself in as the next in line behind the favorites, and the chase to get back to that spot as the team capable of threatening the favorites is as crowded as ever.

Lillard’s presence has always given them a fighting chance as we saw in the Bubble, but they seem to, at least on paper, have given him one of the best supporting casts he’s ever had. The upside there is that it provides a chance for the Blazers to reassert themselves as a top four team in the conference, but if things don’t work out for non-health reasons, it might indicate it’s time to reconsider the core they’ve built.

The Recording Academy unveiled their full list of nominations (well, almost full) for the 2021 Grammy Awards on Tuesday. Following the announcement, many artists were rejoicing about their nominations while others were critiquing the Recording Academy for their choices. Justin Bieber, however, was doing both.

Bieber secured four nominations for his recent album Changes. Each of the nominations were in pop categories, and Bieber wasn’t too happy with that classification. In an open letter penned to the Recording Academy and posted on social media, Bieber said he’s confused why his record is labeled as pop music:

“I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said I set out to make an R&B album. Changes was and is an R&B album. IT is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me. I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to make a project that would embody that sound. For this not to be put into that category feels weird considering from the chords to the melodies to the vocal style all the way down to the hip hop drums that were chosen it is undeniably, unmistakably an R&B album!”

Bieber noted that he isn’t “ungrateful” about the nominations and thanked his team for their hard work.

While Bieber is frustrated about falling into the pop category, the Recording Academy’s decision was apparently intentional. According to their website, the nomination categories are chosen by panel of over 150 experts “across various musical fields.” That means even if Bieber and his team pushed for Changes to be considered in R&B categories, the Recording Academy gets the final say.

Read Bieber’s open letter to the Recording Academy above.

Changes is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

This morning, the Recording Academy announced its list of 2021 Grammy nominations. Eagle-eyed music fans may have noticed something was a bit off about this year’s list, though. There are 84 categories for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, but only 83 sets of nominations were announced today. This means the Academy didn’t share the full list of nominees for the 63rd Grammys, and it turns out it’s all because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Academy’s official list of 2021 Grammy nominees, as posted on its website, doesn’t include any nominees for the Best Immersive Audio Album category. Instead, under that heading is a message revealing that the committee tasked with deciding that category’s nominees was unable to meet due to the pandemic, so nominees for the category will be announced at a later date. The message reads:

“Due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Best Immersive Audio Album Craft Committee was unable to meet. The judging of the entries in this category has been postponed until such time that we are able to meet in a way that is appropriate to judge the many formats and configurations of the entries and is safe for the committee members. The nominations for the 63rd GRAMMYs will be announced next year in addition to (and separately from) the 64th GRAMMY nominations in the category.”

While committees for other categories were presumably able to communicate and work in socially distanced ways, that may not have been as practical a solution for Best Immersive Audio Album. Since the category is more technically dependent than others, the Academy found they were unable to properly judge the category during the pandemic.

Find the (almost) full list of 2021 Grammy nominees here.

Inside the Bubble in Orlando, players had a lot of free time on their hands. It made for some great content all around, as several people used the opportunity to grow their personal brand. Jimmy Butler, for instance, finally got his fledgling java business off the ground and turned Big Face Coffee into a viral sensation.

In fact, a lot of that down time revolved around the consumption of beverages of some form or another, including those of the adult variety. Heat forward Meyers Leonard had his own moment in the sun as he made a name for himself for his ability to shotgun beers, a latent talent he has since been able to parlay into a lucrative partnership with Coors Light.

Like Butler, CJ McCollum used the opportunity to widen the exposure to his signature wine, Heritage 91, a Pinot Noir blend made in partnership with Adelsheim vineyards in Oregon wine country. It was apparently a huge hit inside the Bubble, so much so that Anthony Davis took a moment during at the free-throw line during the Lakers-Blazers opening-round series to give CJ props for creating such a richly-complex vintage.

Via Taylor Rooks of GQ:

Like a lot of people in lockdown in the outside world, players spent their free time inside the bubble drinking. And seemingly at the center of it all was CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers, who became something of the NBA’s unofficial source for wine. McCollum stacked his hotel room with cases of his own Pinot Noir blend, McCollum Heritage 91, keeping the thermostat at a cool 65 degrees. He gifted dozens of bottles to players, and CJ’s wine became a hot-ticket item—a bubble grail. Kawhi Leonard once stopped CJ to ask questions about the Pinot Noir and say he was a huge fan. (“I got the endorsement from Mr. Leonard!”) As was Anthony Davis, who, according to McCollum, stood next to him at the free-throw line during a Round 1 playoff game to tell him: “Thanks for that wine. That shit was good.”

CJ has joined a growing consortium of wine enthusiasts among the NBA ranks, one that features most of the Banana Boat crew and scores of others around the league. CJ is also part of a highly saturated and competitive market in Oregon, but there’s little doubt that his stardom and visibility will draw plenty of interest from connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike. He already has some significant fans in the NBA that can offer testimonials for him if needed.

(GQ)

There’s not much overlap between the intended audiences of Fred Rogers (aka Mister Rogers) and Prince. The former was presented to appeal to young children learning about the world they live in, while the latter’s work was made for anybody who wants sexed-up pop/funk/R&B/rock. What the two deceased figures do have in common, though, is that they both remain beloved by millions of fans, they’re both celebrated musicians, and somehow, they’re both nominated in the same category at the 2021 Grammys.

Prince and Rogers each have a posthumous release headlining the Best Historical Album category, as Prince’s 1999 Super Deluxe Edition and Rogers’ It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers are both nominated. They’re not the most likely opponents and it’s improbable that either of them ever suspected they’d one day compete for the same award, which makes this all the more fun. Prince and Rogers aren’t the only ones vying for the prize, though, as they are also up against Celebrated, 1895-1896 by Unique Quartette, Hittin’ The Ramp: The Early Years (1936 — 1943) by Nat King Cole, Souvenir by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, and Throw Down Your Heart: The Complete Africa Sessions by Béla Fleck.

If Rogers pulls out the win, this wouldn’t be his first Grammy victory. That came in in 2006 (after his death in 2003) when Songs From The Neighborhood: The Music Of Mister Rogers won the Grammy for Best Musical Album For Children. Prince, meanwhile, has won 7 of his 38 total Grammy nominations.

Find the full list of 2021 Grammy nominations here.

Ricky Schroder has reportedly called the police after receiving what he calls “threats” on social media after he proudly promoted his decision to help pay the $2 million bail for 17-year-old Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse. On Sunday, Schroder contacted authorities, who arrived at his house and viewed a series of online posts flagged by the former child star. However, the police ultimately determined that “none of the online comments rose to the level of a criminal threat.” Via TMZ:

While they weren’t life-threatening, some of the comments were pretty nasty … “Tbh thought he was dead. Would’ve been better,” “This was a racist move pure and simple,” and “Ricky Schroder can shove that silver spoon right up his own ass.”

Celebs including Bette Midler weighed in too, saying, “Who knew he could be so malevolent?”

On the same day that he reached out to local law enforcement, Schroder also posted an image of himself holding a shotgun alongside a screencap of alleged threats that he received after announcing his involvement in posting Rittenhouse’s bail. The Silver Spoons star shared the photo on both Instagram and Twitter, but with notably different captions. On Twitter, he simply asked “To my Democrat Friends. This is the country want to live in?” On Instagram, Schroder’s caption contained a far more provocative statement that seemingly welcomed a confrontation. “I think you better bring your big boy pants,” he wrote. Both contained the hashtag #fuckantifa.

You can see Schroder’s Twitter and Instagram posts below:

(Via TMZ, Ricky Schroder on Instagram)

The Recording Academy unveiled its full list of 2021 Grammy nominations on Tuesday. While fans of The Weeknd and Harry Styles were disappointing to see the list, Beyonce’s listeners had reason to rejoice: The the singer racked up nine Grammy nominations, which helped her achieve an impressive title.

This year’s nominations mean that Beyonce holds 79 Grammy nominations, and 24 wins, throughout her career. The feat now makes her the most Grammy-nominated artist of all time, according to USA Today.

Beyonce’s Black Is King film and appearance on Megan Thee Stallion’s track “Savage” secured her reputation as the most Grammy-nominated artist of the year. The singer is up for awards for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, and Best Music Film.

Along with putting out music, Beyonce has been involved in a number of other endeavors this year. The singer debuted another collection of clothing from her Ivy Park brand, signed a multi-year partnership with the stationary bike company Peloton, and also revealed that she’s taken up the hobby of being a beekeeper and owns over 80,000 bees on her property.

See a roundup of all of this year’s Grammy nominations here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Sure, wearing a mask can be a little annoying, but being asked to put one on by the state, a family member or business isn’t tyranny. It’s a common-sense move to protect the spread of a virus that’s killed over 1.4 million people.

Most people understand that, but there are some who insist on putting the health of themselves and others in jeopardy by refusing to wear a mask.

These anti-maskers are incredibly frustrating to anyone who just wants this thing to be over and can’t understand why anyone could be so selfish.

A security guard in Hanover, Germany has become a viral hero for standing up to a misguided woman who selfishly confused inconvenience with oppression. And, in Germany, they know what real oppression looks like.

Security guard quitt job after Covididot compare herself to Sophie Scholl on an Anti-mask rally

www.youtube.com

On Saturday, Jana, a 22-year-old anti-masker was making a speech at an anti-lockdown protest when she compared herself to Sophie Scholl, a 21-year-old who was executed for standing up against the Nazis in 1943.

Scholl was convicted for high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother, Hans. She has since been seen as a stunning example of bravery in the face of oppression.

Jana, on the other hand, doesn’t want to wear a mask to help save the lives of others.

“I feel like Sophie Scholl, since I’ve been active in the resistance, giving speeches, going to protests, distributing flyers,” she said to a small round of applause.

“I am 22 years old, just like Sophie Scholl before she fell victim to the Nazis,” she continued. She then pledged to never give up and stand for “peace, love, and justice.”

Then the security guard charged with protecting her walked up to the stage and quit. “I won’t go along with such bullshit,” he told Jana. “I won’t provide security for such bullshit.”

His explanation for quitting was simple and powerful.

“This is trivializing the holocaust,” he rightfully proclaimed. After a few words with Jana, he walked away and she became overwhelmed by tears. Hopefully, she cried because she realized how ridiculous her words were.

via Zev / Twitter

While Jana thought that she was being a brave person by fighting back against lockdowns, the security guard is the true hero for standing up for civil responsibility at a time when we need it most. His job is to protect people and by shutting down Jana’s speech he may have saved some lives.

The only comparison that should be made between the COVID-19 pandemic and the Holocaust is that both fed on ignorance and led to senseless death and destruction.

German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, lashed out at Jana in a tweet on Sunday.

“Anyone today comparing themselves to Sophie Scholl or Anne Frank is making a mockery of the courage it took to stand up to the Nazis,” Maas tweeted.

“It trivializes the Holocaust and shows an unbearable forgetting of history. Nothing connects the corona protests with the resistance fighters. Nothing!”