Month: March 2021

Taylor Swift can rejoice for the time being as she has one less legal battle to deal with. The singer and Utah’s Evermore theme park have agreed to drop their lawsuits against each without exchanging any money. A spokesperson for the singer confirmed the news in a statement to Billboard that said, “As a resolution of both lawsuits, the parties will drop and dismiss their respective suits without monetary settlement.” The lawsuit’s conclusion continues what’s been a celebratory month for Swift, one that began with an Album Of The Year at this month’s Grammy Awards.

The issues between Swift and the Utah theme park began when the latter sued the singer for trademark infringement less than two months after the release of her Evermore album. The park requested millions in damages and all legal fees while its director claimed that some of the guests who came to the park asked “if the Evermore Album was the result of a collaboration between Evermore and Taylor Swift or some other type of relationship.” The accusations were quickly denied by Swift’s team through a statement that responded to the claims. “It is inconceivable that there is any likelihood of confusion between your client’s theme park and related products and Ms. Swift’s music and related products,” it read.

It’s been almost two years since Brockhampton released their fifth album, Ginger, and since then the band has kept things fairly quiet outside of a remix of “Sugar” with Dua Lipa and a string of singles they released last spring, including “Things Can’t Stay The Same,” “Twisted,” and “Downside.” Now it looks like the group is ready to begin the rollout of their sixth album. On Wednesday night they dropped their new single, “Buzzkill,” featuring Danny Brown. The track arrived with a trippy video that finds the Brockhampton collective wreaking absolute havoc in a technicolor universe while Danny Brown joins in for an attention-grabbing verse.

Following the release of Ginger in 2019, Brockhampton kept the pedal to the floor for the next few months. They stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform “Ginger” and “Sugar” before bringing their talents to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform the latter once again. They also released a pair of videos for “Sugar,” which later became the band’s most successful single to date.

While their upcoming sixth album remains untitled, Brockhampton’s head producer Romil Hemnani revealed in an interview with i-D that the initials for the upcoming project are “RR.” Some fans believed that its full title is Roadrunner after they noticed band members, including Jabari Manwa, wearing “Roadrunner” apparel. As for the upcoming album, Hemnani said, “I’m excited about it, it’s my favourite one yet.”

You can watch the video above.

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Chrissy Teigen has long been one of those celebrities who’s so good (although not always) at Twitter that being on Twitter is sometimes what makes her most famous. But no more. She’s gone. On Wednesday she announced that, after 10 years of being good at social media, she was deleting her account. And then she went and actually deleted it.

She didn’t go quietly. Like many famous people who quit Twitter, she did it with a lengthy farewell and explanation. “Hey. For over 10 years, you guys have been my world,” she began. “I honestly owe so much to this world we have created here. I truly consider so many of you my actual friends. But it’s time for me to say goodbye. This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that’s the right time to call something.”

She went on:

“My life goal is to make people happy. The pain I feel when I don’t is too much for me. I’ve always been portrayed as the strong clap back girl but I’m just not … I encourage you to know and never forget that your words matter. No matter what you see, what that person portrays, or your intention.

For years I have taken so many small, 2-follower count punches that at this point, I am honestly deeply bruised. I have made my mistakes, throughout years and in front of hundreds of thousands, and been held accountable for them. I’ve learned an incredible amount here. God I have said f—ed up s— and killed myself over it as much as you killed me. But one thing I haven’t learned is how to block out the negativity.

“I’m just a sensitive s—, okay!? I don’t wanna be this way! I just am! But I love you guys and I cherish our time together, I truly do. I also hate you.”

So there you have it. Now she can go back to doing the things she was doing before she got sucked into Twitter. In fact, it was only Tuesday that she announced she was launching a line of plant-based cleaning products with Kris Jenner.

(Via EW)

Pierce Brosnan has laid a bit low since his Bond years, doing smaller thrillers, like the Jackie Chan co-starrer The Foreigner, as well as warbling through the Mamma Mia diptych. (Speaking of, he played Will Ferrell’s anti-music father in the Eurovision movie.) But that’s about to change: As per The Hollywood Reporter, he’s belatedly getting into the superhero game, playing a key role in the DCEU Dwayne Johnson-starrer Black Adam.

While Johnson is playing one of the DC line’s most notorious villains — as an anti-hero, it appears — Brosnan is not. In fact, he’s cast as one of the comic line’s oldest characters, Dr. Fate, who first appeared in 1940 and is the son of an archaeologist who was taught sorcery. It’s unclear how all this will fit together, but the film is said to feature the appearance of the Justice Society, the precursor of the Justice League, with a cast that already includes Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.

So good for Brosnan. He’s the first former James Bond to get involved in comics cinema since Sean Connery did The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003 — a film that proved to be his blockbuster swan song.

(Via THR)

Kyle Lowry likely played his last game in a Toronto Raptors uniform — at least for now — on Wednesday night. If it was indeed his last game as a Raptor, he put a fitting end on a legendary tenure with the franchise, posting a modest 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, but was a career-high +42 in a 135-111 blowout over the Denver Nuggets.

It’s a shame that he didn’t get a sendoff in front of the Toronto faithful, with whom he ingratiated himself like few players get to with a city, but it was a perfect, Lowry-ian performance before he is likely dealt to the Sixers or Heat (or, less likely, the Lakers). After the game, Lowry was emotional leaving the court, spotting the TSN cameras in the tunnel and offering an apparent goodbye.

Nick Nurse, who has seen much of Lowry’s tenure as an assistant and most recently as his head coach, spoke about his star with the knowledge that this was likely it, calling him “maybe the greatest Raptor” to ever play for the franchise.

Raptors fans will be mad, if anything, that Nurse included the “maybe” qualifier, as Lowry’s impact on the franchise is hard to overstate. In nine seasons, he made the leap to being an All-Star six times, led them to a level of consistency the franchise had never had, even if the early years saw annual playoff heartbreak, and finally was the emotional leader of their championship squad in 2019. How quickly it’s regressed from that championship to this is a strange journey, but so it goes in professional sports.

As for Lowry, he started by shouting out the Raptors’ all-woman broadcast, the first in NBA history.

From there, he couldn’t help but note how weird it was out there on Wednesday and how crazy it would’ve been in Toronto, but he was thrilled to get the win.

Lowry wouldn’t speak as if his time with Toronto was officially over, but said that being in Tampa he misses the Toronto fans and the arena staff at Scotiabank Arena.

He even got the most Toronto of sendoffs mid-presser, as Drake FaceTimed him during his availability.

Lowry was “flattered” by Nurse’s comment saying he is arguably the greatest Raptor, noting he can’t call himself that.

As for his personal growth, on and off the court, Lowry talked about his maturity and work ethic that have gotten him so far.

Lowry has said he will retire a Raptor, even if that means signing a one-day contract or coming back for a year later on. Then, he can get a proper sendoff from the fans, but for now, it’s a bittersweet moment where it seems all parties know what’s coming but none can fully speak on it.

The Toronto Raptors of Tampa aren’t likely to factor much in the postseason conversation, but they still are going to be in charge of the playoff fates of some teams. On Thursday, two of the Raptors top players are expected to be traded, as Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell now seem all but assuredly to have reached the end of their tenures in Toronto — one that, happily, ended with a blowout win over the Nuggets.

For Lowry, it’s one as the franchise’s all-time great, who, whenever he makes a return to Toronto in future seasons, will be greeted with well-deserved ovations. For Powell, it’s as a breakout player who it appears doesn’t fit into the team’s long-term calculus, headed for a big payday this summer from someone and the Raptors not eager to be the ones breaking the bank on the budding guard. In both cases, the interest in them is significant, particularly among contenders, many of whom are looking at this trade deadline knowing they need to upgrade their roster in order to give themselves the best chance at competing for a title.

As such, while the Raptors aren’t even guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament, currently 2.5 games out of 10th in the East, Masai Ujiri still will get the chance to dictate what teams get that much needed help. With Lowry, it seems fairly simple, as the Heat and Sixers are each vying for the former All-Star point guard to bolster their roster with a veteran, playoff-tested presence — although with the LeBron injury the Lakers reportedly can’t be ruled out of the Lowry hunt. In any case, it’s clear the Raptors are allowing Lowry to pick his spot, as he’s friends with Jimmy Butler and is a Philly native, making those two unsurprising destinations. Still, it’s a bit odd for a team so recently a title winner and contender to be the one dealing a star in conference to a rival, but that’s how swift the drop has been in Tampa this year.

Whichever team lands Lowry will immediately vault up the East pecking order. For Miami, it would enter them into the conversation with the top three in the conference, particularly knowing what their core is capable of in the playoffs after a Finals run last year. For Philly, it would give them someone else with playoff bonafides, something a team with less than great recent playoff memories could use, and would provide them with a creator other than Ben Simmons, something they desperately need to keep up with the Nets and Bucks. Whoever fails to land Lowry will have to go to Plan B, whether that be Lonzo Ball, George Hill, or another point guard on the market who won’t bring quite the same intangibles as Lowry.

It’s a position of power that Ujiri can wield, trying to extract the most out of an offer for Lowry (who turns 35 on Thursday). Toronto rightfully is pushing for the best possible return, and the Sixers and Heat are understandably not trying to offer an in-conference rival too much young talent that they’ll have to deal with for years to come. Whoever blinks first between Miami and Philly (or, I guess, L.A.) and offers up the best young player will likely land him, and in doing so, will be even further entrenched in the conversation as an East contender.

With Powell, it’s a far more fascinating exercise. He’s enjoying a breakout season as a scorer, averaging 19.5 points on career-best efficiency with a 49.5/43.4/86.8 shooting split, and the list of teams that have inquired on Powell is, very possibly, longer than the list that hasn’t.

Powell is the type of scorer that any contender craves, whether that be in a 6th Man role or as a starter, depending on their backcourt situation. He’s also, at 27 years old, young enough that up-and-coming teams see him as a potentially foundational piece, and with few teams having serious cap room next year, landing his Bird Rights provides an avenue to keep him long-term. With so many reported offers on Powell, Ujiri will spend Thursday trying to parse what the best package of players and assets the Raptors can get in a sell-high spot with Powell. Contenders will hope to bolster their backcourt depth with him, while others will see him as a player to take them to the next level in positioning themselves as a perennial playoff contender.

It’s rare that a team has two such pieces so firmly on the market at one trade deadline, but this is a Toronto team with ample talent. It just hasn’t coalesced in the same manner as it did a year ago. That fact will also likely dictate what the Raptors seek in a deal for Powell and Lowry, as young players who can be contributors sooner than later may be higher on their wish list than draft assets, although they’ll surely seek a balance of both. The Raptors aren’t looking for a long rebuild so much as a brief step back this season and a reassessment of how to build around the likes of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby. Thursday will be a pivotal day for the franchise, but also what they do is going to have significant short-term implications around the league, as where they send Powell and Lowry will have a major impact on this year’s playoff race.

Miley Cyrus’ climb to worldwide recognition began 15 years ago with the Disney Channel premiere of her TV show Hannah Montana. The series, aimed at young viewers, arrived on March 24, 2006 and continued for almost five years before ending in 2011. The show undoubtedly played a huge role in her career and she even admitted that she “would love to” bring it back in some way. But until that happens, a celebration of the anniversary is in order and the singer made sure to take a moment and reflect, but not without showing love to the Migos for their 2013 single “Hannah Montana.”

The rap trio took to Instagram to reveal that Miley sent them flowers as a thank you for the song. While the lyrics weren’t about the TV show or even Miley Cyrus herself, the singer still appreciated their decision to name the song after her character, which she shared in a message attached to the flowers. “I [love] your song about me! Keep rockin’!” she wrote before signing off on the note as Hannah Montana.

Cyrus also shared a lengthy statement that about Hannah Montana that reflected on the highs and lows of the show. She also discussed important life events that occurred while filming what she took away from it when it came to an end.

The final day of the second round of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament produced some sensational games, including a pair of massive comebacks from 2-seeds Louisville and Texas A&M. The Cardinals trailed Northwestern 25-10 after one quarter, but steadily chipped away at the Wildcats lead, en route to a 62-53 win. The Aggies, however, needed an extra five minutes to put away a feisty Iowa State team that led by nine going into the fourth quarter.

Jordan Nixon helmed the comeback effort, scoring 35 points to help the Aggies claw their way back to even, hitting the game-tying bucket late.

The Cyclones, led by 32 points from Ashley Joens, would have a chance to win it, but a pair of Texas A&M blocks late forced overtime.

In the overtime period, Texas A&M jumped out to an early advantage, but Iowa State had an answer, taking a brief lead of their own at 80-78. Nixon refused to let the Aggies get upset, though, as she took the ball coast-to-coast with six seconds to play after an Iowa State miss for the game-winner.

It looks like the Cyclones try to take a foul as Nixon crosses midcourt, but the referees didn’t call it and Nixon is able to work into the lane, absorb the contact, and get the friendly roll for the buzzer-beater. It was a sensational finish and the first buzzer-beater of either NCAA Tournament, as the madness finally arrived in full in San Antonio. Afterwards, Nixon was emotional talking about the trust her teammates have in her and what the moment meant.

The past week has been a busy one for Verzuz, and it looks like the next couple of months will be just as active. Next month, SWV and Xscape will come together for a 20-song competition, bringing some of their best songs for another great showcase of R&B’s past. Surely we’ll be hearing SWV’s “Weak” and “Right Here” from their 1992 album, It’s About Time, and Xscape’s “Justin Kickin’ It” and “Understanding” from 1993’s Hummin’ Comin’ At ‘Cha, among others.

SWV and Xscape’s battle is the latest Verzuz duel announced within the past week. Earlier Timbaland and Swizz Beatz revealed the next battle will be between Earth, Wind & Free and The Isley Brothers on Easter Sunday. Less than three weeks later, Redman and Method Man will go head-to-head in a “How High” special on April 20. The platform also promoted three themed events: “Ladies Night,” “Mother’s Day Special,” and “Rematch,” as well as two additional untitled battles. The participants for these matchups have yet to be revealed.

But there’s one high-profile artist that Verzuz almost coaxed into a battle: Dr. Dre. During an episode of The Breakfast Club, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz revealed the rap legend backed out after Teddy Riley and Babyface’s heavy-flawed battle last April. “When Dr. Dre wasn’t feeling the sound from Teddy Riley and Babyface, that hurt our heart,” Swizz said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”

You can read the announcement for SWV and Xscape’s Verzuz above.

Chris Evans has a habit of accidentally sharing private things on the internet, but this is a relatively mild case: As per People, the erstwhile Captain America sat down for a virtual interview with ACE Universe, and he evidently thought it was no big deal to do it while a white tank under a Hawaiian shirt. But lots of other people thought it was a big deal: The internet was quick to point to some giant chest tattoos peeking out over the tank’s top.

Was it common knowledge that Steve Rogers’s chest was covered in tats? Apparently not. Are they new or newish? Not clear. Perhaps he used the end of his Marvel run as an excuse to try something new, like cover himself in tattoos like his former colleague Scarlett Johansson. Maybe he got bored during COVID and learned how to self-tattoo. But it’s clear this was news to some.

Soon other pictures of Evans’ tat-ripped body started appearing on social media, too.

In any case, people either fell or re-fell madly in love at the development that Chris Evans has a fair amount of tattoos he usually keeps hidden under shirts — or in comfy Knives Out sweaters.

Though some were distracted by his tight clothes.

Anyway, the big takeaway here is that people find Chris Evans attractive.

(Via People)