Month: July 2021

As one of the original “political celebrities,” Susan Sarandon has been making her opinions known on all things political for decades now — whether or not anyone wants to hear it. And while she has courted controversy over the years, most recently for being a ride-or-die Bernie Broad, this week she took aim at an unlikely political target: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

On Monday, Sarandon took part in a protest outside of AOC’s office in the Bronx to let the congresswoman know that she was “losing hope” in the 31-year-old, as were many of her fellow supporters. The Oscar-winning actress took a hold of the megaphone to speak for the crowd, stating:

“I’m here to say to the squad, and especially AOC, who, you know did make a lot of promises, that we still have faith in you and we would like to see if you have a better plan than we’ve been able to see, please share it. If there’s a pathway you’ve got that we’re not aware of please share it. Because we’re losing hope here that you represent us.”

According to Mediaite, the event was part of a Medicare for All rally, which was held to demand that Joe Biden “declare a pandemic public health emergency and expand Medicare to every American using Section 1881A of the Social Security Act” and to “use every legislative tool available to pass Medicare for all in Congress, including withholding and leveraging your votes to demand single-payer as a condition for passing legislation.” The group also wants AOC to use her massive social media presence to get the word out about the aforementioned items, and to meet with those of her constituents who have been affected by the American healthcare system and members of the “Medicare for all movement… to plan and coordinate the above actions and a fearless new campaign for single-payer.”

You can watch the full clip above.

(Via Mediaite)

Billie Eilish is typically generous with her interviews, as she’s often open to sharing vulnerable insights about her life and career. There’s one quote, though, that made the rounds this week that seemed off-brand. Indeed, it was, because it was a fake quote spread by an Eilish parody news account. The “quote” was brought to Finneas’ attention and he offered a response.

The account posted a fake screenshot of a supposed interview Eilish did with People, in which she said, “When I got rich, I started balling my eyes out, I wanted to be poor so I can relate to most of my fans. I still want to be broke and poor, it looks really fun and cute.” A fan shared the tweet and mentioned Finneas, writing, “5k quotes again can you do something right for once and get this account suspended thank u.” Finneas responded, “Fake obviously. Honestly I just wish they’d label this account satire like the onion or something. I have no problem with a joke as long as people know it’s a joke.”

This comes a few days after Finneas called out the same account for “posting relentless lies.” Over the weekend, he cleared up confusion about his involvement with the new James Blake song, tweeting, “I had nothing to do with the writing or producing of James Blake’s incredible song ‘Say What You Will’. I was lucky enough to be in the video which you should check out if you haven’t yet but that is the extent of it! I never want credit for stuff I didn’t do!!” He then added, “Also the account BilliesUpdatess is posting relentless lies about billie so if you see that account, report and block Em.”

Aside from being a vigilant Twitter rumor debunker, Finneas was also the biggest songwriter of 2020 on Spotify.

On Tuesday morning, the United States women’s gymnastics team earned a silver medal in the team competition, which in a vacuum would’ve been a bit of a disappointment, but given the circumstances of Tuesday’s event was an impressive display because they did it without Simone Biles for three of the four rotations.

Biles withdrew herself from the competition after the first rotation where she barely was able to get her vault to her feet, saying after that she just didn’t have it mentally on Tuesday and needed to take a “back seat” in order to not hurt the team in the competition (or herself, physically). What followed was some loud idiots questioning her toughness, while the majority of fans offered support and love to Biles for showing the strength to know she didn’t have it and take the necessary steps to help herself and help the team.

Her post-competition press conference was powerful, as she spoke about the anxiety and stress she felt and how it was unlike anything she’d dealt with before at a competition. After her first vault she realized this was much more than nerves and she was going to put her health and the team’s success at risk and took herself out, but not before offering some powerful words of encouragement to her team before cheering them on from the sidelines.

Biles was non-committal about the individual portions of the competition still to come, saying she hoped to compete but would have to monitor where she was at, and word emerged on Wednesday morning that she would not compete in the Individual All-Around on Thursday to continue focusing on her mental health, as announced in a USA Gymnastics release that was incredibly supportive of Biles.

A decision on the individual apparatus competitions next week will be determined later, but whatever she does will have the full support of USA Gymnastics as well as her fans worldwide. Biles speaking on what she went through wasn’t necessary but it was incredibly strong and will help many others who have dealt with issues of anxiety that can have debilitating effects and show that it can happen to anyone at any time and the right course of action is to address it and do what is needed, even if that’s an incredibly difficult thing to do like withdrawing from Olympic competition.

After falling flat offensively late in the fourth quarter against France in their opening loss at the Olympics, the USA men’s basketball team took out their frustrations of their early struggles on Iran on Wednesday morning in Tokyo, bludgeoning the Iranian squad in what eventually became a 120-66 win.

It wasn’t a surprising result — the Americans were favored by more than 40 points — but they out-performed even those lofty expectations from the sportsbooks in what was the ultimate “get right” spot against an overwhelmed Iran side. Damian Lillard led the way for Team USA with 21 points, 18 of which came in the first half as he caught fire from deep, going 7-for-13 from beyond the arc for all of his points. At the break, Team USA led 60-30 and it was simply a matter of how much they would win by, and the answer was “a lot” as they ran it up to the final whistle, clearly a touch frustrated with Iran’s consistent ball pressure to the final whistle.

In total, six Americans finished in double figures, with Devin Booker (16), Jayson Tatum (14), Zach LaVine (13), Khris Middleton (10), and Kevin Durant (10) all getting themselves going on a night where, as a team, the USA shot 55 percent from the field and 49 percent from long range. Durant’s performance moved him within five points of Carmelo Anthony for the most points by an American in the Olympics all-time, as he will cement his status as a Team USA legend as this tournament wears on.

Iran simply didn’t have the size or firepower to keep up with the USA, but it was still a much more engaged effort from top to bottom for the squad even considering the massive talent gap. Former NBA-er Hamed Haddadi led Iran with 14 points and six rebounds, using his size advantage inside, but they just could not get much going offensively against the speed and length of the USA defense otherwise.

For the USA, it was the needed performance. An underwhelming win would’ve only furthered questions about this team’s cohesion, and they showed a much better attention to detail on both ends — helped by a scorching hot shooting night. After the game, Lillard spoke about how he personally felt like he changed his mindset to be more assertive rather than trying not to step on any toes in the opener, a difference that was apparent across the roster as the USA seemed far more decisive on offense.

Next up is a game with the Czech Republic, with a guaranteed berth in the next round up for grabs, and that will be a much sterner test, albeit one Team USA is expected to pass comfortably. We’ll see how much of their improvement against Iran they can carry over to that game, but at least for a few days they can enjoy some positive vibes coming off a dominant win, which is oddly a rarity this month.

The early star of the Tokyo Olympics basketball tournament was the sharpshooting robot that came out during halftime of the USA men’s loss to France over the weekend. The robot was, truly, automatic from all over the court, hitting free throws, threes, and even halfcourt shots to become an instant meme on basketball twitter, as people had jokes about Ben Simmons, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and how they could still dominate the robot because it was slow.

On Wednesday, the basketball robot made its return again to the court at Saitama Super Arena at halftime of the latest USA hoops game — this time, one in which the outcome was never in doubt as they led 60-30 at halftime over Iran. However, the robot’s performance on Wednesday left plenty to be desired, with it exiting the floor in shame, hands on its head, after missing back-to-back halfcourt shots.

One has to wonder if the robot is washed and already past its prime after this performance. Is it time for the Olympics to move the robot in a salary dump for some robot prospects? They have to at least consider it. Of those that stayed up to watch a blowout win for the Americans, there was plenty of chatter about the robot being a fraud as word emerged of its failings.

I do look forward to the robot’s comeback journey, littered with Instagram posts about how they called him a #WashedKing.

In deeply upsetting news, TMZ reports tonight that beloved actor and comic Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the set of Better Call Saul today and was rushed to a hospital where the 58-year-old is undergoing treatment. TMZ’s report was subsequently confirmed by Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.

Reports TMZ:

Production sources tell TMZ Odenkirk and cast were shooting in New Mexico Tuesday when the incident happened. We’re told Odenkirk went down, and was immediately surrounded by crew members who called an ambulance.

We’re told it’s unclear if he was conscious when he was transported, but a source close to Odenkirk tells us he is still in the hospital under the care of doctors.

Back in March, Odenkirk told Uproxx’s Mike Ryan that he worked with a trainer for two and half years to get into the best shape of his life for his lead role in the action film, Nobody.

I started training with Daniel Bernhardt, who’s maybe the greatest stunt actor on planet Earth right now. And he’s one of the guys I beat the shit out of in the bus. And you’ve seen him in Atomic Blonde and Barry. He was amazing in Barry. I mean, Daniel, he’s really the fucking best. And the fact that he took the time to train me for two-and-a-half years is a tribute to his patience and his kindness and generosity. So I trained, and then when I would shoot Saul. I would train here, at a gym, and Daniel would send me videos of things to do. But, basically, I just was steady at it for two-and-a-half-years before we shot.

Seeing as Odenkirk was in great shape for someone his age, let’s hope this was nothing too serious and maybe just a heat-related issue or something. Our thoughts are with him, his family, and his Better Call Saul colleagues.

The music world was supposed to be enjoying Kanye West’s tenth album Donda last weekend, but the rapper did not release it as expected despite a huge listening event for it. He premiered what appeared to be an unfinished version of the project last Thursday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With Donda failing to arrive on the intended release date of July 23, Kanye decided to move into the stadium in order to complete it before its rumored arrival on August 6. As he continues to put the finishing touches on the project, the rapper took to Instagram to show off what appears to be a makeshift bedroom made for him inside the stadium where the bumbling Atlanta Falcons play.

Kanye shared an image of the room to his Instagram page, and in it, you can see a rather small bed, a few pairs of shoes, including the pair he wore to the Donda listening event, clothes hanging in a closet, and an opened luggage. The rapper shared the photo without a caption, but for what it’s worth, it’s interesting at the very least to see how he’s living as he continues work on Donda.

During his time at the stadium, Kanye took a break from working on Donda to hang out with the crowd that was in attendance at the stadium for the Atlanta United soccer game against Columbus Crew on July 24. Kanye was spotted in the stands with fans, who seemed surprised and delighted by his presence, before he decided to walk around and tour the stadium as the match continued.

You can view the post of Kanye’s living situation above.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is flying high after winning the NBA Finals with the Milwaukee Bucks and being named the NBA Finals MVP. He’s had a blast in the aftermath, with a pit stop to Chick-fil-A bringing a whole lot of joy to the fine folks of Milwaukee and an Instagram Story that celebrated a collection of players who, like him, became champions for the franchise that drafted them.

But unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, something popped up on Tuesday that reminded him of the fickleness of capitalism, even if you are a champion: Having to get a streaming service to watch something. Antetokounmpo wanted to know how he’d get to watch Team USA take on Iran at the Tokyo Olympics, sending out a tweet and looking for some guidance.

Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, Eric Nehm of The Athletic let him know that the game is airing on Peacock, which means he has to fork over some cash to get the streaming service.

Antetokounmpo quickly decided that if he has to fork over some cash there is no way he is going to tune into the game.

On one hand, Antetokounmpo has A LOT of money, so he can probably swing this. On the other, opting to not pay for streaming services which just make it harder to watch TV by hiding everything we like behind a paywall instead of just putting it on cable is an admirable moral stance. Anyway, if you’re like me and you pay for Peacock, the game is scheduled to tip on the app at 12:40 EST.

Earlier today, noted attention-shy GOP House members Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz headlined a press conference demanding justice for the domestic terrorists who stormed the U.S. Capital for Trump on January 6th. It did not go well. In what could have easily been confused for a scene straight out of HBO’s Veep, Greene and Gaetz fled after being relentlessly harassed by … one American hero armed with a whistle, while another heckler repeatedly yelled “are you a pedophile?” at possible sex criminal Gaetz.

Greene is big mad over the interruption of the sad Tuesday afternoon press conference.

Radical communist leftists are hell-bent on silencing free speech.

Just like in California, BLM / Antifa domestic terrorists formed a mob to try to shut down America First voices fighting for truth.

I refuse to back down to the vile left & will continue to demand answers on J6.

It’s probably worth noting that before the QAnon-loving congresswoman was inexplicably elected to Congress, she spent some of her time traveling around the country publicly harassing teen mass shooting survivors.

Greene also previously expressed support for executing Democrats.

Via CNN:

In one post, from January 2019, Greene liked a comment that said “a bullet to the head would be quicker” to remove House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In other posts, Greene liked comments about executing FBI agents who, in her eyes, were part of the “deep state” working against Trump.

But today Greene ran away from a press conference because of a guy with a whistle. Totally not snowflake-y at all, right?

Meanwhile, Greene’s potential 2022 Democratic opponent claims that one of the congresswoman’s staffers said today that Greene was going to kill her.

Everything is fine.

The heavy metal community has suffered an unfortunate loss of one of the genre’s biggest stars. Slipknot’s founding drummer Joey Jordison died on Monday at the age of 46. According to Rolling Stone, a representative for his family shared the news and revealed that Jordison died “peacefully in his sleep.” The cause of death was not specified and it remains unknown at the moment.

“Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow,” a statement from his family reads. “To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart, and his love for all things family and music.” They added, “The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans, and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.” Rolling Stone also revealed that the family of the late drummer plans to hold a private funeral service for him at some point in the future.

Over the course of a decade, Jordison helped contribute to the band’s first four albums: 1999’s Slipknot, 2001’s Iowa, 2004’s Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), and 2008’s All Hope Is Gone, which went on to be the band’s first No. 1 album. Jordison would depart from Slipknot in 2013 and that same year, he formed a new band, Scar The Martyr, with Jed Simon and Kris Norris.

That band would go their separate ways in 2016, leading to Jordison announcing a new extreme metal band, Sinsaenum, that same year. Here, Jordison was accompanied by Attila Csihar (of Mayhem and Sunn O)))), Sean Zitarsky (of Chimaira and Dååth), Frédéric Leclercq (of DragonForce), Stéphane Buriez (of Loudblast), and Heimoth (of Seth). He remained in the band, which released albums in 2016 and 2018, up until his death.