Month: February 2021

Sean Hannity is no stranger to conspiracy theories. After all, he was obsessed with Seth Rich and promoted a conspiracy theory about the murdered DNC staffer who police believe died in a botched robbery attempt. The theory was so egregious (not to mention debunked by Snopes) that Fox News retracted an online story about it, and the story edged into later lawsuit settlement land. Hannity also hung onto the voter fraud conspiracies as long as possible, but he wants no part of wacky QAnon loving, freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as Congress goes about removing her from committees.

Mitch McConnell even tore into Greene on the Senate floor for spreading conspiracy theories including but not limited to the following: (1) Believing school shootings were staged (and harassing survivors, including David Hogg); (2) Believing that a plane did not crash into the Pentagon on 9/11; (3) Believing that a Jewish “space laser” starts California wildfires; (4) Calling for the execution of Democratic lawmakers and FBI agents. All of this is far too much even for Hannity.

Perhaps Hannity is swayed by the House vote to drop Greene from committees, but here’s what he had to say about those space lasers on Wednesday night: “I have no earthly clue whatsoever what would cause someone to believe such a thing.”

As for the 9/11 lies from Greene, Hannity offered, “Sorry, but we all know as a fact that a plane did hit the Pentagon, and it was real.” And he also blasted Greene for harassing Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. “He lost friends that day. And she accused him of being a trained actor,” he declared. “I’m sorry. I don’t go there. I think kids are off the table. The poor kid had been through hell; the families had lost loved ones, they are all watching this.”

As for David Hogg, he’s pleased to see the vote to dismiss Greene from committees.

Much of Finneas‘ accolades (including several Grammy Awards) have been for his production work on his sister Billie Eilish’s debut album. However, he still has an notable career as a solo artist, including his 2019 EP Blood Harmony and a handful of singles he released this past year. Now, Finneas returns to expand his catalog with the upbeat song “American Cliché.”

The single is more playful compared to his recent release, “Where the Poison Is,” a quiet ballad which took aim at the Donald Trump administration. “American Cliché,” on the other hand, is rousing. It boasts big-band brass instruments and joyous lyrical delivery fit for a musical. The track was originally meant for live shows, but the singer recorded and produced it following pressure from fans.

Tweeting about the decision to share “American Cliché” as a single, Finneas said his fans had “bullied” him into finishing it. “‘American Cliché’ is out now and I just wanted you to know, your cyber bullying absolutely worked and is absolutely the only reason I went back to it and produced it,” he wrote. “I now love the song and am wildly proud of it, but the only reason I worked on it was you. Bullying me”

Just ahead of the single’s release, Finneas revealed in an interview that he’s close to putting the finishing touches on Eilish’s sophomore album: “She’s said it, so I’m not spilling the beans for her, but we are working really hard on her second album. It’s actually almost done, which we’re really excited about. She’s the only person I’ve worked with in-person in the whole year. So everything else has been over Zoom.”

Listen to “American Cliché” above.

There are multiple Cinderella movies on Disney+, including the 1950 animated original and its two direct-to-video sequels (Cinderella II: Dreams Come True and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time), but not the best Cinderella movie. I’m sorry, Gus, but it’s true.

1997’s Cinderella, the made-for-TV movie musical with a diverse cast led by Brandy as the titular princess and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, is inexplicably not available on the streaming service, despite its cultural significance. As Refinery29‘s Sesali Bowen wrote, “I hadn’t been able to dream up a Cinderella with braids or a fairy godmother with natural hair before 1997’s Cinderella, and I know it meant the same thing for many other Black girls. It was one of the rare moments where we got to see ourselves in the fairytale.” But finally — FINALLY — Cinderella is coming to Disney+.

The “impossible” came true.

Cinderella premiered during ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney on November 2, 1997. More than 60 million viewers tuned into the televised broadcast of the live-action fairy tale adaptation… In addition to becoming a fan favorite, the musical movie was also a critical success. It earned seven Emmy nominations in 1998, winning for art direction for a variety or music program.

Cinderella, which also stars Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle, Victor Garber, Seinfeld: The Return star Jason Alexander, and Paolo Montalban as Prince Charming, comes to Disney+ on February 12.

Atlanta rising star Yung Baby Tate joins buzzing Australian hip-hop sensation Tkay Maidza to dress up as some of their favorite pop culture icons in the irreverent video for Tkay’s new single “Kim.” The video pays homage to several famous bearers of the name, from the trendsetting rapper to the ubiquitous socialite.

While Tkay dons the crimson ensemble from Lil Kim’s 1997 “Crush On You” video and legendary asymmetrical look worn by the rapper at the 1999 VMAs, Tate instead opts for a costume inspired by the villain Shego from the 2000s animated series Kim Possible, rampaging through a miniature city as she raps a jaunty verse, boasting, “Bank account big, yeah, it’s somethin’ like my ego.”

Tate has plenty of reasons for both. Her buoyant, self-released 2019 debut album Girls was so well-received, she landed prized placements on the 2019 Dreamville compilation Revenge Of The Dreamers and the 2020 video for the song “Don’t Hit Me Right Now” with Bas, Buddy, Cozz, and Guapdad 4000, then she joined 2020 breakout star Flo Milli on her December single “I Am” after signing a label deal with Issa Rae’s Raedio and releasing her After The Rain EP.

Watch Tkay Maidza’s “Kim” video featuring Yung Baby Tate above.

Yung Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While promoting his latest film Cherry, Tom Holland couldn’t help but get Marvel fans hyped for his third solo Spider-Man film that’s currently in production. Holland called himself “that lucky little sh*t” for getting to star in the epic sequel, which he promises will be one of the biggest standalone movies that the MCU has ever seen. But just like Spidey, Holland managed to dodge and weave attempts to get him to reveal the plot or confirm rumors that the film will address the Multiverse by bringing back previous Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Via Variety:

I can say that it’s the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made. You sit down, read the script, and see what they’re trying to do, and they’re succeeding. It’s really impressive. I’ve never seen a standalone superhero movie quite like it. And I’m just, you know, again, that lucky little shit who happens to be Spider-Man in it.

Of course, the third Homecoming film is his now Holland’s sixth outing with Marvel, and he’s become quite the expert on getting fans pumped for a full Spidey experience. The actor recently helped unveiled the new “Web-Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure” ride coming to Disney parks in California and France. Holland praised the ride for actually putting fans in a real location, which is something he didn’t even get when he entered the Marvel universe. “When I first joined playing Spider-Man, I went to Avengers Headquarters and it was just a bunch of green screens. So the fact that there’s going to be a legit place where people can go and visit is pretty awesome,” Holland said in a first-look video. “For me, personally, it’s the most I’ve ever felt like Spider-Man.”

(Via Variety)

Fan voting for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game began this week, and fans have already tallied millions of votes for their favorite players across the league, led by Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry, all of whom have already garnered more than 2 million votes each.

The leaders for the starting units currently are James, Curry, Nikola Jokic, Kawhi Leonard, and Luka Doncic in the West as well as Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal, and Kyrie Irving in the East. Each side features three frontcourt players and two guards, though specific positions don’t matter here.

The fan vote, which accounts for 50 percent of the total vote to decide who starts the All-Star Game in each conference, can be conducted on Twitter or through the NBA’s website or app, where they can submit one ballot per day. Media and player voting accounts for 25 percent each, ending with five-player lineups on each side.

Teams are then drafted by captains (the top vote-getters in each conference), at which point conferences are ignored. The two captains go back and forth selecting players from the total 28-player pool until they each have a full squad. The NBA and the players’ union this week agreed to terms on an All-Star Weekend in Atlanta that will likely include some sort of skills competition in addition to the game.

Earlier this year, a song by Hayley Williams leaked. But rather than the track randomly popping up on the internet, Williams actually leaked it herself — on purpose. Under the cover of night, Williams handed a CD containing the track “My Limb” to a fan, instructing them to post it online. Apparently, Williams’ unconventional tactic was a ploy to drum up excitement surrounding a new release, because the singer has just announced her solo sophomore project is arriving this week.

Williams shared the cover art to her upcoming album, Flowers For Vases / Descansos, on her social media, saying that it’s slated for a release Friday. In a note about the project posted to her Instagram Stories, Williams wrote:

“This isn’t really a follow-up to Petals For Armor. If anything, it’s a prequel, or some sort of detour between parts 1 and 2 of Petals. Whatever it is, it has two names: Flowers For Vases and Descansos.

I had written a long and poetic press release but man, after 16 years of being in the music business, 6 albums, and a lot of ‘strategies’ for how to ‘roll-out’ a project in the right way… writing more words in an attempt to describe better words I’ve written for the album at hand just seemed so boring and silly. So I deleted what I had and this is all I’ll leave you with:

-I wrote and performed this album in it’s entirely. That’s a career first for me.
-I recorded it at my home in Nashville, the home at which I’ve resided since Paramore released After Laughter.
-2020 was really hard but I’m alive and so my job is to keep living and help others to do the same.
-Yes, Paramore is still a band.

Hope you enjoy Flowers For Vases / Descansos. If you don’t better luck next time.”

It’s been less than a year since Williams released her debut solo album, Petals For Armor, but she didn’t stop there. Following its release, the singer shared a handful of acoustic tracks in the form of the EP Petals For Armor: Self-Serenades.

Flowers For Vases / Descansos is out 2/5 via Atlantic.

Hayley Williams is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Over the years, Evan Rachel Wood has spoken out about being a victim of abuse, and a few days ago, she alleged that Marilyn Manson, with whom she used to be in a relationship, was her abuser. In the days since, the fallout has been swift: Manson’s label dropped him, he was cut from multiple TV shows, and he has been condemned by people like Trent Reznor. Now Phoebe Bridgers has spoken out, detailing an experience she had years ago.

Today, Bridgers wrote on Twitter, “I went to Marilyn Manson’s house when I was a teenager with some friends. I was a big fan. He referred to a room in his house as the ‘r*pe room,’ I thought it was just his horrible frat boy sense of humor. I stopped being a fan. I stand with everyone who came forward.” She added in another tweet, “The label knew, management knew, the band knew. Distancing themselves now, pretending to be shocked and horrified is f*cking pathetic.”

Manson addressed Wood’s allegations a few days ago, writing in a statement, “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality… My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”

With Trump twiddling his thumbs down in Florida (he can’t use them to Tweet anymore after all), the right-wing media needs a new conspiracy-theory-shouting horse to hitch its outrage wagon to, and there’s an obvious frontrunner in this race: the MyPillow guy.

Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, emerged as Trump’s biggest voter-fraud mouthpiece during the final weeks of his presidency, famously delivering documents suggesting the president invoke martial law in order to overturn the 2020 election. When that didn’t work, Lindell started using his platform, visiting right-wing networks like OAN and Newsmax to tout unproven allegations that Dominion, the tech company that owned machines in Georgia and other states, had somehow tampered with millions of votes. He spread those claims further on Twitter, eventually leading to his suspension (and the deactivation of his company’s account) when the social media site determined his increasingly bizarre statements were a threat to the public.

Which brings us to the current MyPillow Guy controversy: the feud he’s fueling between Fox News knockoffs OANN and Newsmax.

Both right-wing media companies are battling to secure viewership from Trump supporters disenfranchised by Fox News’ lukewarm commitment to sticking to the facts and Lindell seems to be the lynchpin in OAN’s plan for fake news-spewing domination. The network crafted a segment filled with faux outrage over a recent Lindell appearance on Newsmax that ended with one anchor walking off set after “censoring” the CEO’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

OANN tried to loop its rival network in with big tech “oligarchs halting the flow of information to benefit their own agendas,” claiming Newsmax was no better than Twitter because they demanded facts to backup Lindell’s wilder election allegations. Normally we wouldn’t complain about two right-wing news programs tearing each other apart over the MyPillow guy of all people, but watching these OANN anchors salivate over this chance to sabotage their competitors is kind of like watching the family dog beg for scraps at the dinner table. It’s just sad.

De’Aaron Fox has his eyes on an All-Star nod this season, but that does not mean he thinks the NBA should hold its annual midseason event amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Fox spoke to the media on Wednesday night following the Sacramento Kings’ 116-111 win over the Boston Celtics, and made it clear that he has major opposition to the league’s planned All-Star game this season.

“I mean, if I’m gonna be brutally honest, I think it’s stupid,” Fox said. “If we have to wear masks and do all this for a regular game, then what’s the point of bringing the All-Star Game back? Money makes the world go ’round, so, it is what it is.”

Fox was then asked about potentially participating in the game if he gets voted, and while he said yes, he made clear that his decision stems from the consequences of turning an invite down.

“You know you get fined,” Fox said while laughing. “If you’re supposed to be in it and you’re not hurt and you decide not to play, that’s a hefty fine, so hell yeah, I would play in it.”

This season, Fox is averaging a career-best 22.3 points per game with 6.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 32.6 minutes a night for the Kings, which sit 10-11 and are firmly in the race for a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. On Thursday morning, a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic indicated that the NBA and its players association have an agreement in place to hold an All-Star event on March 7 in Atlanta.