Month: March 2021

From child star to rockstar, Miley Cyrus has come a long way since she first began filming her breakout Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. She’s previously admitted that she “would love to” bring back the series in some capacity, but “timing is everything.” While she waits for the possibility of a Hannah Montana reboot, the singer reflects on how the show altered her life on the 15th anniversary of the series premiere.

Penning an open letter to her Hannah Montana alter ego on themed cardstock paper, Cyrus detailed the highs and lows of filming the series. Throughout the open letter, Cyrus named a few pivotal moments she experienced on set. She had her fair share of heartbreak, from losing her grandfather to getting her first period before a date. However, the series also had a positive impact on her life as she fell in love for the first time and made lifelong friends on set:

“It’s been a while. 15 years to be exact. Since the first time I slid those blonde bangs over my forehead in the best attempt to conceal my identity. Then slipped into a puke pink terry cloth robe with a bedazzled HM over the [heart]. I didn’t know then… that is where you would live forever. Not just in mine but millions of people around the world. Although you are considered to be an ‘alter ego’ in reality there was a time in my life when you held more of my identity in your love than I did in my bare hands.

You and I have been through it all together my friend. We’ve shared many firsts. A lot of lasts. Ups. Downs. Tears and laughs. I lost my Pappy, my dad’s father, while on set filming an early episode of Season 1. He wanted to hold on long enough to catch the premiere on March 24th. He passed February 28th. He did get to see the commercial that ran during High School Musical which he claimed was one of the proudest moments in his lifetime and he was a badass democratic state legislature. My heart was broken but fulfilled to know I could carry his name beside my dad’s through every credit.

I experienced falling in love for the first time in those years. Embarrassingly started my period in a pair of white capris, of course on the day a “cute guy” was cast and asked to have lunch with me. Instead I spent it in the bathroom with my mom sobbing and scrambling to find a pair of fresh denim. I gained so many friends over the 6 years spend on set.”

Read Cyrus’ full open letter below.

Always advocates for healthy food and cooking and eating together as a family, Ayesha Curry brought her husband and two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry on for an episode of Sesame Street this week to compete with Cookie Monster, Grover, and Elmo and teach kids how to put together nutritious meals in the morning.

Ayesha and Elmo cooked a “healthy and delicious pancake breakfast” with berries on top, while Cookie Monster gulped down the berries before Steph could even take a whack at cooking, as if he was playing with Jordan Crawford all over again.

Steph also taught the crew how playing basketball is a great form of exercise — as he is wont to do, he got the chance to show off his range by knocking down a jumper — and the couple educated the gang on how eating and playing outdoors can help students in the classroom as well. Clearly they aren’t taking the advice yet (and obviously a cookies-only diet is tough), as Grover was unable to guess the word “cook” despite a frankly unreasonable level of hinting from Ayesha, as well as cooking being the entire theme of the episode.

Together, the Currys are advocates for healthy lifestyles for children through their non-profit, Eat.Learn.Play.

Welcome to SNX DLX! This week, quality beats quantity as we have a pretty light offering of must-cop gems. Sure, this list only features six drops, but each of them could be your favorite of the season. What more could you want?

We have now officially entered the spring season, and, as a result, the colorways are getting more vibrant and playful. Still, some of the biggest collabs of the year are hovering out on the horizon. Expect mid to late April and the lead-up to summer to hold some highly anticipated drops (like the next Travis Scott Nike collab), but this week we’ve got dope drops for Yeezy and Air Max fans and of course, something for the Jordan heads as well.

Let’s dive into the best sneaker releases of the week!

Yeezy 700 v3 Kyanite

Delayed multiple times, this week finally brings the official release of the Yeezy 700 Kyanite. Utilizing the silhouette’s alien-like V3 design, the Kyanite features a wavy ocean blue and static white mesh upper with glow-in-the-dark overlays that give off a sort of exoskeleton look and are pretty much guaranteed to annoy everyone when we’re finally allowed to visit movie theaters again.

The Kyanite features a narrow throat with interior bootie construction and sits atop a chunky but lightweight off-white EVA midsole with a gum-toned outsole.

The Yeezy 700 v3 Kyanite is set to drop on March 25th for a retail price of $299. Pick up a pair at GOAT.

Nike Air Max 90 Bacon

One of the most coveted colorways of the Air Max 90 is getting a refresh this week. First dropped in 2004, the Bacon features a meat-inspired colorway with a suede and leather upper that combines fleshy pinks with blood red and browns to resemble, well, a strip of bacon.

But who doesn’t love bacon? You know, besides people who don’t eat meat. Regardless, this is dope.

The Nike Air Max 90 Bacon is set to drop on March 26th for a retail price of $140. Pick it up via the Nike SNKRS app.

Air Jordan V Stealth 2.0

A release for true Air Jordan V heads, the Stealth 2.0 is an update on a popular 2006 colorway that features considerable material enhancements that make it superior to the OG. The 2.0 features an all-white tumbled leather upper with eye-catching reflective silver accents and a pleasingly contrasting black shark tooth (flames?) pattern along the midsole, with a subtle blue splatter that causes a slight shimmering effect.

The Air Jordan 5 Stealth 2.0 is set to drop on March 27th for a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair at Flight Club.

Dr. Martens x Atmos Collection

Dr. Martens has been going heavy on the collaborations these last few months and honestly, it’s a good look for the brand. Dr. Martens are like Vans, the core silhouettes are so strong that in order to drum up excitement they need to link up with an exciting brand or collaborator to infuse some weirdness into their offerings. This time around, they’ve linked up with Japanese streetwear label Atmos for new takes on the 1461 and Combs Tech silhouettes.

The new takes infuse some of Atmos’ signature fun into the otherwise tame silhouettes, adding a great deal of color via the hiker-style laces, semi-translucent midsole and an Atmos branded padded tongue.

The Dr. Martens x Atmos collection is set to drop on March 27th in a full-size range for a retail price of $130-$150. Pick up a pair at the Dr. Martens webstore.

Pharrell x Adidas NMD Hu Pink

If last week’s massive Triple Black Pharrell x Adidas collection was a little too stark for you, the rapper/designer is doing a total 180 this week by dropping a bubblegum pink iteration of the NMD Hu silhouette. Featuring a Primeknit upper in a soft pink upper with a matching BOOST midsole, outsole, and TPU cages, the NMD Hu utilizes a contrasting black interior which achieves a nice visual break between the sneaker’s design and your socks.

This means you can match these babies with pink socks without looking totally insane, which is great if you love pink, like, a lot.

The Pharrell x Adidas NMD Hu Pink is set to drop on March 27th for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair via the Adidas Confirmed app.

Nike Air Max 1 x CLOT Net

Nike and Hong Kong-based brand CLOT have linked up once again for a refresh of their 2006 Air Max 1 Net. Designed by CLOT label head Edison Chen, the Net combines western silhouettes with Eastern design sensibilities (which is essentially CLOT’s brand mission statement) updating the upper with a transparent perforated toe cap that reveals the sneaker’s graphic insole and will make a great preview window to show off your sock game.

The colorway combines suede with crimson red and sits atop a bright orange midsole with neon green detailing throughout. The outsole features a psychedelic reflexology chart, which is a cool detail.

The Clot Nike Air Max 1 Net is set to drop on March 27th for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

A miscarriage can be an incredibly traumatizing event for a woman, but because they are relatively common, they aren’t treated as seriously as they should be. According to the CDC, about 17% of American pregnancies end in miscarriage.

“Because it is medically common, the impact of miscarriage is often underestimated,” Janet Jaffe, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Reproductive Psychology in San Diego said according to the American Psychological Association.

“But miscarriage is a traumatic loss, not only of the pregnancy but of a woman’s sense of self and her hopes and dreams of the future. She has lost her ‘reproductive story,’ and it needs to be grieved,” she continued.

A study from Britain found that about 15% of women who miscarry experience significant depression and/or anxiety for up to three years after the event.

However, the experience is treated by most as a routine health issue, forgetting the incredible emotional trauma that can come with a miscarriage. The loss of a potential child strikes at the very heart of what it means to be human. To simply pass it off as a routine medical event is extremely callous.

A new law recently passed in New Zealand aims to provide time to heal for those intimately affected by miscarriage.

New Zealand’s parliament passed a new bill that gives women, their partners, and parents planning to have a child through adoption or surrogacy, three days of paid leave after a pregnancy loss. India is the only other country with such a law. It gives women six weeks of paid leave after a miscarriage or medical termination.

In the U.S., Reddit is the only employer that offers time off for a miscarriage. The tech company offers eight and a half weeks of fully paid leave for anyone who goes through a pregnancy loss — father or mother.

“The passing of this bill shows that once again New Zealand is leading the way for progressive and compassionate legislation, becoming only the second country in the world to provide leave for miscarriage and stillbirth,” Ginny Andersen, the MP in charge of the bill, said in a statement.

“The bill will give women and their partners time to come to terms with their loss without having to tap into sick leave. Because their grief is not a sickness, it is a loss. And loss takes time.”

During a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Andersen explained that miscarriages are a taboo subject in New Zealand and shouldn’t be the reason for conflict between employee and employer.

“The lack of clarity has meant some women have been in the position of having to argue with their employer about whether they are entitled to leave because they have lost their unborn child,” Andersen said. “A lot of women have had more than one miscarriage and it can be very traumatic and difficult if you are trying to hold down a job.”

Let’s hope that New Zealand’s new law calls much-needed attention to the grief that parents experience after a miscarriage and inspires world leaders will take necessary steps to create an environment where parents can heal after such personal trauma.

Upon seeing a painting of Simon Cowell surrounded by his dogs while touring the America’s Got Talent set, Jay Leno commented that the canines looked like something one would find “on the menu at a Korean restaurant.” That incident happened in 2019, but the former-late night host has been making offensive jokes about the Asian community, many of them based around lazily racist stereotypes, for over a decade.

Leno finally apologized during a recent Zoom call with the Media Action Network for Asian Americans leader Guy Aoki following an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, including a white gunman shooting and killing six Asian women last week.

“At the time I did those jokes, I genuinely thought them to be harmless. I was making fun of our enemy North Korea, and like most jokes, there was a ring of truth to them,” Leno told Aoki. “At the time, there was a prevailing attitude that some group is always complaining about something, so don’t worry about it. Whenever we received a complaint, there would be two sides to the discussion. Either ‘we need to deal with this’ or ‘screw ‘em if they can’t take a joke.’ Too many times I sided with the latter even when in my heart I knew it was wrong.” The two-time The Tonight Show host added that he was “issuing this apology. I do not consider this particular case to be another example of cancel culture but a legitimate wrong that was done on my part.”

Leno claims he knew his remarks were “wrong,” but he also says that his jokes have “a ring of truth to them.” It can’t be both. It’s also not the most convincing apology considering the “Korean restaurant” crack — which he made when the cameras weren’t on — happened only two years ago. This Last Week Tonight segment comes to mind.

(Via Variety)

In the world of bourbon, Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. is a big name. Among many other whiskey-related accomplishments, he was the driving force behind the passing of the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. This act was designed to keep the integrity of whiskey intact. To be labeled “bottled-in-bond,” the whiskey must be distilled in one season by a single distiller in one distillery. It also has to be aged in a federally bonded barrelhouse for a minimum of four years.

The best part? Bottled-in-bond whiskeys are bottled at exactly 100 proof. A potent 50% ABV.

To pay tribute to this important whiskey event, Buffalo Trace released a “Bottled in Bond Day” commemorative edition of its beloved E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel on March 3rd. But instead of simply releasing a special, hand-picked bottle this year, the brand collaborated with musician Chris Stapleton to release the bottles through the “Tennessee Whiskey” singer’s charitable fund, Outlaw State of Kind.

To add to the hype, every bottle was autographed by the Grammy award-winning musician. It’s no wonder that the bids for the first batch of bottles hit $16,000.

The first auction closed last week, but more have been heavily hinted at. Stay tuned to Stapleton’s Outlaw State Of Kind IG page for details. In the meantime, read our review below.

ABV: 50%

Price: No retail sales

The Whiskey:

Christ Stapleton has said in interviews that he’s had E.H. Taylor in studio. His sound engineer brought in a bottle to share with him and he’s been a fan ever since. So it should come as no surprise that he wanted to partner with Buffalo Trace for this exclusive bottling.

The bourbon itself was distilled at Buffalo Trace before being added to a barrel way back in 2012. It aged for nine years and was bottled at 100 proof. It’s big, bold, and brash, but still mellow, sweet, and comforting — just like the music of Stapleton himself.

Tasting Notes:

A bourbon like this deserves a nice nosing. There you’ll be met with the aromas of a musty rickhouse, charred oak, toasted vanilla beans, sweet treacle, and raisins. The first sip delivers notes of spicy cinnamon, pipe tobacco, buttery caramel, figs, and almond cookies. The finish is long, filled with pleasing heat (the Kentucky hug), and ends with a nice hit of mellow vanilla and brown sugar.

Bottom Line:

This is truly a special bottle. Not only is it amazing in quality, but its sale goes to a good cause. If you can afford one during the next round, grab a bottle. Not only will you be supporting a great cause, but you’ll have also had a delicious whiskey to savor.

By the time lockdown happened, The Flaming Lips were already expert social distancers. They had been toying with the practice of performing music in giant plastic bubbles, an idea that became ingenious in a time where people could not gather safely for indoor concerts. The band has seen success with their plastic space bubble tour thus far and now, vocalist Wayne Coyne is breaking into an industry that thrived during the pandemic: recreational cannabis.

Coyne announced Love Yer Brain, his brand of curated THC-infused edibles. The line of cannabis products will officially launch on 4/20, on the same day that Flaming Lips is scheduled to perform the entirety of their American Head album in a space bubble concert in their Oklahoma City hometown.

While Coyne revealed his Love Yer Brain company Tuesday, the musician is still keeping things fairly under wraps. He’s launched a website for the brand, but is waiting for 4/20 to share more details about specific products.

Coyne’s interest in the cannabis industry follows a trend of musicians launching their own line of products. Jay-Z previously found success with his luxury cannabis brand Monogram. Earlier this year, Ice Cube also announced he was getting into the cannabis industry. His brand, Fryday Kush, is inspired by his cult classic 1995 film Friday and boast some hand-curated, high-potency bud. Cube’s cannabis received a kind cosign from actor Kevin Smith, who also has a cannabis line on the market.

Love Yer Brain officially launches 4/20. Find out more information here.

The Flaming Lips are a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Amidst a career-best season for Chicago forward Lauri Markkanen, the Bulls are reportedly “listening to potential suitors” as the NBA trade deadline nears, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

In his fourth season out of the University of Arizona, Markannen finally seems to have found a role that suits him in Billy Donovan’s smaller and more versatile offensive scheme. Markkanen is posting a career-high three-point rate and a career-high true shooting percentage in 30 minutes per game, though a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder cost him 13 games in February, following a pelvis injury the prior month.

Looming over Chicago’s decision is Markkanen’s impending restricted free agency. Because of the advantage of having matching rights on any offer sheet a player signs, rarely in the NBA do restricted free agents change hands at the trade deadline before their contract expires.

Last fall, KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported that the Bulls and Markkanen were about $4 million apart on the salary for year one of a potential multiyear extension. If the two sides are still on a different page about Markkanen’s value, perhaps they don’t see a future together.

That could lead Chicago to be a little more aggressive in the final 24 or so hours before the trade deadline.

During a panel discussion on Senator Tammy Duckworth calling on the Biden Administration to improve its Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in its cabinet, Meghan McCain launched into a rant against using race and gender to determine the best candidate for the job instead of qualifications. Instead, the daughter of the late Senator John McCain believes that America should be a “meritocracy” where simply the best candidate wins, and she even went so far as to invoke Martin Luther King Jr. in her argument. Via Raw Story:

“We’re going to a place where even if [white] people need money, even if [white] people are qualified to get into Ivy Leagues, race and gender is more important than your skill qualifications, the content of your character,” she remarked. “It is not what Martin Luther King Jr. preached. I think this is a very, very slippery slope.”

You can see a sample of McCain railing against “identity politics” below:

McCain then took things one step further by noting that The View has only had one AAPI co-host in 25 years, so does that mean she or one of her hosts should leave to make room for an Asian American host? It was a pretty jarring question considering just two days ago McCain apologized for aiding Donald Trump’s anti-Asian rhetoric during the start of the pandemic, and now, she’s essentially arguing that she’s more qualified to host The View than an Asian candidate.

Despite the fact that she normally speaks last during these discussions, McCain’s argument didn’t go unchallenged. Co-host Sunny Hostin explained why America continues to fail to be a meritocracy. “For a long time, this country has exalted and advanced white, male mediocrity,” Hostin said. “It’s not about gender and race being more important and qualifications. It’s about the fact that there are many qualified women and minority candidates that never get the opportunity because, again, the advancement of white, male mediocrity.”

(Via Raw Story, Decider)

It’s been a strange past few days when it comes to one specific area of musical news: eyebrow-raising things being done with the ashes of deceased music legends. Earlier this week, one of Lemmy Kilmister’s friends received a bullet filled with the late rocker’s ashes, as the singer requested before his death. Now, it has been revealed that Prince’s ashes will also be subject to some unusual treatment.

The fifth anniversary of Prince’s death is coming up and to mark the occasion, Paisley Park officials are putting Prince’s ashes on display in the Minnesota compound. There will be no regular tours that day, but fans fortunate enough to reserve a visit through the Paisley Park website will be allowed in on April 21 for a 30-minute visit to the atrium. There will be 70 time slots available, with each slot limited to just 20 visitors.

Paisley Park Executive Director Alan Seiffert said in a statement, “We celebrate his life and legacy every day at Paisley Park, a place that Prince wanted to share with the world. So, on this day especially, we acknowledge the incredible force and inspiration Prince is in people’s lives and open up our doors for them to pay their respects.”