Alex Rodriguez has been a busy guy in recent weeks due to his interest in teaming up with former Walmart executive Marc Lore to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves. In addition to his various business interests, though, his name has popped up in tabloids due to his high-profile split from Jennifer Lopez after more than four years.
Lopez has since gotten back together with Ben Affleck, according to reports, as the two recently spent some time with one another in Montana. Rodriguez has not been asked about any of this, in large part because, well, he’s had other things to do than be asked about this. But according to Page Six, Rodriguez was recently pressed about their relationship, and he gave a pretty straightforward answer to the press.
“Go Yankees,” Rodriguez, who of course played for the New York Yankees, said.
Now, some might take this as shade towards Affleck, a well-documented Boston Red Sox fan, but this also seems like a thing A-Rod would say as a stock answer to literally anything you asked him that he did not want to actually answer. There’s that update on Rodriguez’s personal life, so let’s get a look into how things are going in Rodriguez’s pursuit of becoming an owner of an NBA team, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Tech entrepreneur Marc Lore and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez’s 30-day exclusive negotiating window to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves from Glen Taylor has ended without a formal deal.
Both sides are continuing to negotiate in good faith in an attempt to reach an agreement and it is possible that an extension to the window could be worked out, but one isn’t currently in place, sources told ESPN.
Rodriguez has attempted to purchase an ownership stake in another professional sports team, the New York Mets, in recent months, but that fell through. While this is an obvious setback in his pursuit of being part of the Timberwolves’ ownership group, the good news is that it does appear that there is still an avenue for this to work out.
During a congressional hearing meant to assess the country’s response to the pandemic, Paul attacked Dr. Fauci’s credibility, trying to inadvertently place blame for the pandemic on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) while also entertaining some popular far-right conspiracy theories related to the virus. Paul claimed that Fauci and the NIH allotted grants that funded “gain of function” research that may have been responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Gain of function” research is a fairly controversial form of scientific study that basically increases the lethality and infectious nature of a pathogen so that scientists can study how it affects people and craft countermeasures against it. Recently, it was discovered that the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a lab near the site where the first coronavirus cases were reported, had been conducting “gain of function” research using bat-originated coronaviruses. This does not mean that the virus leaked from the lab — either accidentally or on purpose. Like pretty much every other outbreak in history, COVID-19 is probably the result of the virus being passed from animal-to-human contact. Still, the news that a Wuhan lab had been experimenting with coronaviruses before one of the deadliest pandemics in history shut down the world for over a year is a good enough thread for Paul to link COVID-19 to Dr. Fauci.
Paul accused Fauci of funding research into coronaviruses in China, asking him to comment on whether he still supported NIH funding of “gain of function” research in Wuhan and Fauci — as politely as he could while trying to educate the conspiracy-mongering permed-poodle — shut down whatever it is Paul was trying to pin on him.
“We have not funded gain of function research on this virus in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. No matter how many times you say it, it didn’t happen.” — Fauci to Rand Paul pic.twitter.com/f0kMzGeP1B
“With all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect,” Fauci told Paul. “The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.” Fauci also clarified Paul’s misinformation on a grant the NIH did give to a group called EcoHealth Alliance, which did do research on the coronavirus in bats after the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s, though it was not “gain of function” research.
“Let me explain to you why that was done,” Fauci continued. “The SARS COV-1 originated in bats in China. It would have been irresponsible of us if we did not investigate the bat viruses and the serology to see who might have been infected. If you look at the grant and if you look at the progress reports, it is not gain-of-function, despite the fact that people tweet that and write about it.”
While Paul was trying to stir up suspicion and distrust in government scientists who have been leading the charge to find an answer to this deadly virus, Fauci was transparent about his frustrations with the lack of transparency from China and the need to investigate the origins of the virus. So yes, we should all be thinking seriously about “gain of function” research and trying to figure out where COVID-19 came from so we can anticipate the next outbreak… but no one should be getting their facts from an ophthalmologist, who thinks mask-wearing is just a thing people do for dramatic effect and that herd immunity is equal to a 22% infection rate.
The obsession with Billie Eilish’s newly blonde hair continues. Since the singer revealed her platinum blonde look, fans have been wondering what exactly inspired the transformation. Eilish has no problem giving credit where credit is due, and she recently explained that a fan was what eventually convinced her to try out the new hairstyle.
Eilish appeared as the guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Monday where she spoke about her blonde locks. The singer said she came across a “fan edit” (presumably an image or video) in which they had edited her then neon green and black hair into a platinum blonde look:
“I’ve been wanting blonde for a while. I don’t know what came over me. I saw a fan edit when I had green hair, and it was like, me just with whatever hair color I had, and they just edited blonde hair on me, and I was like, ‘Ahhh! It’s so sick I want it!’ I kind of thought of it as a dream, I didn’t think it was going to happen because my hair’s been through so much, I thought it would burn it all off if I tried — but I did it.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Eilish described how surreal it was to finally be able to watch her The World’s A Little Blurry documentary. The singer said it took a full six hours to watch it the first time because she kept pausing it to freak out. “It took us like six hours to get through it because we kept pausing it over and over and screaming and running around,” she said. “It was crazy because they were filming me for like three years and I had no idea what they got on camera and what they didn’t. I’m pretty much myself in front of a camera, I don’t really have a line. So I was pretty worried about what was going to be in there, but I love it.”
The Athletics may follow the Raiders in moving from Oakland to Las Vegas as progress on their proposed new stadium site at Howard Terminal remains stalled.
On Tuesday, the team and Major League Baseball tried to apply pressure to Oakland city officials to approve their waterfront ballpark proposal by saying they will begin exploring relocation opportunities at the direction of the league, via ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“The future success of the A’s depends on a new ballpark,” A’s owner John Fisher said in a statement. “Oakland is a great baseball town, and we will continue to pursue our waterfront ballpark project. We will also follow MLB’s direction to explore other markets.”
The A’s proposal to build a stadium at Howard Terminal called for the team to privately finance the $1 billion stadium, but did call for a significant investment of north of $850 million from the city for infrastructure around the stadium site, which the mayor’s office has pushed back on. As the stalemate continues between the city and the team with their lease at the Oakland Coliseum set to run up in 2024, Major League Baseball made clear that staying in the Coliseum site, both in its current form or in building a new stadium in the same location, is not something they are willing to let happen.
“The Oakland Coliseum site is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball. We have instructed the Athletics to begin to explore other markets while they continue to pursue a waterfront ballpark in Oakland. The Athletics need a new ballpark to remain competitive, so it is now in our best interest to also consider other markets.”
As Passan notes, the frontrunner for the A’s services is expected to be Las Vegas, where the Raiders recently moved and the city also added the Aces and Golden Knights in recent years to enter into the pro sports marketplace. Vegas’ success with those teams has made the city the most talked about relocation or expansion site for the sports leagues that don’t have a team there already, and so it is unsurprising MLB seems to be steering the A’s in that direction. Passan also points to two Canadian cities, Montreal and Vancouver, as possible destinations along with Nashville, Charlotte, and Portland, but Vegas seems like the most likely destination should Oakland not budge on approving the proposal.
Major League Baseball is clearly looking to strong-arm the city into approving the plan, shutting down alternatives like building a new stadium in the Coliseum site and making it public that the relocating efforts will begin. MLB is certainly aware that if the A’s were to leave it would be the third and final professional sports team to leave Oakland in less than a decade, as the Warriors moved from Oracle Arena to the Chase Center in San Francisco and the Raiders likewise left the Coliseum for the desert oasis of Las Vegas. As such, they may feel the city can be pushed into not losing all of their franchises, but on the other hand, the city has shown it won’t budge on this issue and isn’t afraid of teams walking.
Back in December 2020, Tom Cruise went viral when he was secretly recorded tearing into crew members who were caught violating COVID restrictions on the set of Mission: Impossible 7. In a profanity-laced rant, the actor berated the crew who put the entire production into jeopardy after Cruise had jumped through significant hoops to get things back on track. That’s all after the pandemic threw the film industry into disarray as rolling shutdowns scuttled shoots and caused significant delays across the board.
Cruise opened up to Empire about finally getting M:I 7 back in front of the cameras. Yes, part of it was so that he could return to the increasingly death-defying stunts that he’s become famous for, but the actor definitely feels the responsibility of making sure his team still has work. Via Empire:
“All those emotions were going through my mind,” he says. “I was thinking about the people I work with, and my industry. And for the whole crew to know that we’d started rolling on a movie was just a huge relief. It was very emotional, I gotta tell you.”
Those emotions definitely came out during the recorded rant where Cruise went off about he expected everyone on his set to be the “gold standard” as Hollywood was watching the Mission: Impossible 7 production closely to guide the way.
“We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf*ckers. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!” Cruise can be heard yelling. “You can tell it to the people who are losing their f*cking homes because our industry is shut down. It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education. That’s what I sleep with every night – the future of this f*cking industry!”
While Cruise was praised for taking the COVID-19 rules seriously, he was not without his detractors. Former Scientologist Leah Remini claims the rant was staged for publicity. “Tom does not care about the families of his crew; this is all for publicity,” Remini told The Underground Bunker. “I mean, how anyone is falling for this is just mindblowing. I would bet that Tom had this rant written for him and had his Scientology assistant record and release it.”
The FAA isn’t f*cking around with your unruly bullshit anymore on planes. It was announced today that they’re fining a passenger $10,500 for refusing to wear a mask on a JetBlue Airlines flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles. According to an FAA press release, “the passenger repeatedly ignored, and was abusive to, flight attendants who instructed him to wear a facemask.” It continues, “At one point, while not wearing a mask, he coughed and blew his nose into a blanket.”
In the same press release, the FAA also announced they were fining another passenger $9,000 for interfering with cabin crew during boarding. In this case, the FAA remarked that on yet another JetBlue flight from Los Angeles to Newark: “The passenger acted in a disruptive manner while boarding the flight.” The press release goes on, “He yelled, slammed overhead bins, and shouted profanities at the cabin crew, including threatening to harass a flight attendant during the entire flight. He also shouted profanities at the captain when the captain entered the cabin to ensure the passenger got off the plane.”
ICYMI: The FAA has proposed fines of $10.5K and $9K against two passengers for allegedly interfering with flight attendants. We have zero tolerance for unruly or dangerous behavior. Our fines can reach up to $35K. https://t.co/nmcdaR7G6K#FlySmartpic.twitter.com/XQBMqUbgOB
While those two fines may seem steep, they’re nowhere near as high as they could be. Back in January, the FAA mandated new regulations for dealing with “unruly” passengers after a spike in passenger disturbances thanks to people flying to Washington, DC for the failed coup on January 6th.
On January 13th, the FAA announced in a press release that they were adopting a “Stricter Unruly Passenger Policy.” That policy was meant to expire on March 31st of this year, but since the TSA extended their mandatory mask policy, the FAA extender their “stricter” passenger policy too — until at least September.
So, what does this “Stricter” policy entail? From the FAA press release: “Passengers who interfere with, physically assault, or threaten to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft face stiff penalties, including fines of up to $35,000 and imprisonment. This dangerous behavior can distract, disrupt, and threaten crewmembers’ safety functions.” As for the TSA, their fines are lower. They’ll fine you $250 for your first offense of not wearing a mask in line and $1,500 for a repeated offense.
The FAA specifically notes in their press release that this is in reaction to more and more flight attendants getting verbally and physically assaulted while asking unruly passengers to wear their masks. According to reports in The Guardian, this is starting to go beyond just fines (and possible jail time). The FAA and U.S. airlines have already banned 3,000 Americans from flying so far this year for refusing to wear masks on planes.
As with all things related to flying, it’s on you to know your rights and the rules. If you break these regulations, it’s not someone else’s fault that you “didn’t know” you were breaking them. It’d be nice to say, “just don’t be an asshole.” But we are all painfully aware of how much of an oversimplification of the American psyche that seems to be nowadays.
Britney Spears’ conservatorship situation has been a prime documentary subject as the topic grows more complicated and fans grow more curious about what’s happening. Now, a new documentary, The Battle For Britney: Fans, Cash And A Conservatorship, has premiered via BBC Select, and it apparently makes some bold claims about Spears and the conservatorship.
The Daily Beast, which discusses the documentary with skepticism, notes that like Framing Britney Spears, the newer doc doesn’t feature “anyone who has any real access to Spears in her current life in any meaningful way.” The program is hosted by Mobeen Azhar, and in it, he explores court records obtained by fans, which he does not prove are legitimate. These records indicate that Spears conservatorship “relates to dementia placement or treatment.” If these (unverified) documents are accurate, they may imply that either Spears has a publicly unacknowledged case of dementia, or, as the publication put it, “Spears’ father and the people on her team that filed for the conservatorship did so under fraudulent pretenses in order to ensure they could make money off the estate and Spears would be unable to get out of the arrangement.”
Spears recently disavowed all the documentaries about her, writing on Instagram, “Geez !!!! 2021 is definitely way better than 2020 but I never knew it was gonna be like THIS [flushed face emojis] !!!! So many documentaries about me this year with other people’s takes on my life … what can I say … I’m deeply flattered !!!! These documentaries are so hypocritical … they criticize the media and then do the same thing [thinking emojis]????? Damn … I don’t know y’all but I’m thrilled to remind you all that although I’ve had some pretty tough times in my life … I’ve had waaaayyyy more amazing times in my life and unfortunately my friends … I think the world is more interested in the negative [shrugging emojis] !!!! I mean … isn’t this supposed to be a business and society about THE FUTURE [sneezing emojis] ???? Why highlight the most negative and traumatizing times in my life from forever ago ???? I mean DAMN …”
Young Dolph & Key Glock still aren’t stopping, even nearly two months after the release of their latest joint album Dum & Dummer 2. After putting out videos for “Aspen,” “Sleep With The Roaches,” “Penguins,” “Rain Rain,” and more, they keep the ball rolling today with the video for “A Goat & A Dolphin.”
The most prominent feature of this video is its female talent, this time in the form of a short-haired young woman in a bikini who twerks behind Key Glock as he raps. The scene switches for Dolph’s verses, adopting a red filter as the two rappers stand back-to-back in a smoky room, adding more women who catwalk through the scene, occasionally pausing to mug at the camera or briefly interact with the rappers.
In an era when most rappers drop a project and forget about it within a few weeks, Dolph and Glock’s commitment to bringing attention to their latest effort is commendable — and smart. They continue to run up the streaming numbers long after the album’s release, a rarity in an increasingly packed slate of big-name releases from major label artists who can afford to stretch their rollouts for months on end. With Dolph announcing his pending retirement last month, he’ll be leaving the game on an extremely high note and earning his time off.
Ever since his No. 1 album After Hours was snubbed of a 2020 Grammy Award, The Weeknd has not been shy about his criticism of The Recording Academy, even promising to boycott the organization going forward. But The Weeknd isn’t the first singer to publicly call out The Recording Academy for their problematic practices. Village People’s Victor Willis (aka the cop) has a long history of outing the Grammys’ discriminatory practices — and he’s now telling The Weeknd to “lighten up.”
Back in 2017, Willis was outspoken about his disdain for the Grammys. He even reportedly send a letter to The Recording Academy’s president claiming there were “secret committees” that existed to “override the decision of Grammy voters in the event the select committee does not like who the Grammy voter has chosen” for the biggest awards. Willis also cited the controversy around Adele beating out Beyonce in every major category that year. “If certain people at the Grammys don’t like who the voters have chosen,” he wrote, “a Grammy committee will simply override the voters and subsequently select who they think should win. Like Adele, maybe?”
But now, Willis has turned his attention to The Weeknd’s recent comments about the Recording Academy. Penning an open letter to The Weeknd on Facebook, Willis claimed The Weeknd stayed silent when he was “benefiting from those secret committees” in the past. The Village People singer also applauded the work of The Recording Academy’s interm CEO Harvey Mason Jr.:
“Pssst, ‘The Weeknd,’ lighten up on the Grammys already why don’t cha!? I know a thing or two about attacking the Grammys, and their once secret committees. I must say you’re not handling this in the spirit of Black protest of this important issue. You see, while Black artists like me were making honest complaints about the secret committees, you were busy racking up one Grammy after another under those secret committees.
I don’t recall you complaining about the secret committees when you were benefiting from those secret committees. But on the one occasion the secret committees didn’t benefit you, the Grammys are suddenly corrupt, and it’s off with their heads? Under the circumstances, you’re much too talented to be pouting about the Grammys. And it seems you’re out for blood despite the secret committees being eliminated. Negative.
This important American institution known as the Grammys has an African American in there (Harvey Mason) that’s making real, meaningful and historic changes that will likely benefit the music business for decades to come. Cut the brotha some slack!”
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.
Chloe Moriondo – Blood Bunny
Chloe Moriondo has been steadily releasing new music over the last few years, but now the 18-year-old songwriter has focused all of her energy into a blistering pop-punk debut. Blood Bunny is a departure from the sound on Moriondo’s previous work, employing a full band to create absolutely alternative rock songs with biting lyrics and impressive arrangement.
Weezer – Van Weezer
After a few delays, Weezer have finally unleashed their tribute to the glam rock glory days. Van Weezer is chock full of huge riffs, soaring hooks, and guitar solos, making for a fun listen that fits well in Weezer’s all-over-the-place catalogue.
Squid – Bright Green Field
It feels like Squid have been giving us tastes of their debut album forever. Now, the British post-punkers have delivered Bright Green Field, featuring experimental and spastic arrangements and intricate instrumentation. If you’re looking for an album to truly take you on an adventure, look no further.
Modest Mouse – “We Are Between”
For the first time in six years, Modest Mouse is prepping a band new album. The Golden Casket is due June 25, and is previewed by “We Are Between,” a rousing and anthemic number that slots in with some of the band’s more accessible material.
Rostam – “From The Back Of A Cab”
Rostam’s sophomore solo album Changephobia is slated for release early next month, and we’ve already heard a handful of tracks. The latest offering is “From The Back Of A Cab,” a driving electronic number that really lets Rostam’s ethereal vocal shine.
Coldplay – “Higher Power”
Although Coldplay haven’t officially announced a new album just yet, that hasn’t stopped them from sharing a brand new song. “Higher Power” is what Caitlin White called for Uproxx a “stadium-ready bop,” and puts the band’s polished pop sensibilities on full display.
Health & Nine Inch Nails – “Isn’t Everyone”
After a few days of teasing, the collaboration between Health and Nine Inch Nails is finally here. “Isn’t Everyone” combines the bands’ complementary strengths, featuring “the harsh, electronic, industrial sound that both groups are known for,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx. Health was quite direct in their accompanying statement: “It’s f*cking Nine Inch Nails. That speaks for itself. You don’t need a clever quote to encapsulate it.”
Kennyhoopla – “Hollywood Sucks”
When I spoke to Travis Barker a few months back, he sung the praises of a new up-and-coming pop punker named Kennyhoopla. Barker has worked with Kennyhoopla on a few tracks to date, but “Hollywood Sucks” is certainly findng the duo hitting their groove for an invigorating pop-punk number that will surely be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Hurry – “It’s Dangerous”
It’s been nearly three years since we last heard from Hurry. The band’s new album Fake Ideas is out next month and features impossibly pretty and catchy pop rock songs that instantly evoke some of the greatest and most enduring indie rock,” according to Steven Hyden is a recent issue of the Indie Mixtape newsletter.
Madi Diaz – “Nervous”
On her third single for ANTI-, Nashville-based songwriter Madi Diaz is recognizing unhealthy coping mechanisms. “Nervous” is an excellent alt-rock number combining elements of folk and indie rock to welcome you into Diaz’s unique world.
Secondhand Sound – “Dominoes”
Also hailing from Nashville, Secondhand Sound take on a more distorted approach, inspired by Pixies and other 90’s rockers. “Dominoes” has the young quartet turning up their amps for dramatic swells as they tell the story of a summertime evening drive with a crush in the passenger seat. We’ve all been there.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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