Month: August 2021

A week after he delivered a bizarre rant that included homophobic comments and attacks towards those with HIV/AIDS, DaBaby issued an apology for his words. “I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made,” he wrote. “Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important.” Some questioned the sincerity of the apology, a charge that will seem even more legitimate now that he’s deleted it from his Instagram page.

A screenshot of DaBaby’s profile that was shared around social media confirmed that the post had gone missing. If DaBaby intentionally deleted the apology from his Instagram, it certainly won’t quell the scorn he’s received since his comments were disseminated online. Madonna, Elton John, Questlove, and Dua Lipa, who collaborated with him for a remix of “Levitating,” have all reprimanded the rapper for his rant.

Furthermore, DaBaby has seen his anticipated festival run for 2021 nearly become nonexistent as Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, Day N Vegas, Austin City Limits, and more have removed him from the lineups to their festivals this year.

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

Less than two years after her 2019 debut Where Do We Go When We Fall Asleep?, Billie Eilish returned with its follow-up, Happier Than Ever. The album was primed to be another success for the young singer, and sure enough it was.

Happier Than Ever debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated August 14 thanks to 238,000 copies sold. That number is comprised of 153,000 pure album sales and 84,000 streaming equivalent album units. The pure album sales figure is the third-largest for an album released this year, sitting behind Taylor Swift’s Evermore and Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Billie Eilish’s sophomore album also sold 73,000 vinyl copies in its first week, making it the second-largest such feat in 2021, once again behind Taylor Swift’s Evermore. The vinyl sales for Happier Than Ever were so high it still would have gone No. 1 if only vinyls sales were counted for its first week.

Other notable albums within the top 10 of this week’s chart include the late Prince’s posthumous album Welcome 2 America at No. 4 and Isaiah Rashad’s The House Is Burning, which checked in at No. 7 for the top rap album of the week and the highest-charting album of his career.

You can revisit our review of Happier Than Ever here.

Markie Post, best known as easily flustered public defender Christine Sullivan on the about-to-be-revived Night Court, as well as The Fall Guy and Hearts Afire, passed away on Saturday following a ten-month battle with cancer. She was 70 years old.

Post’s career in the entertainment industry did not begin in front of the lens. It was behind it. She got her start behind the scenes of game shows during the ‘70s. She was an editor on Jeopardy! and an associate producer on Double Dare, which featured Alex Trebek. She eventually wound up in front of the camera, on Card Sharks.

She soon pivoted to acting, mostly on television. Her debut was on a 1979 episode of CHiPs, followed soon thereafter by appearances on The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers, Hart to Hart, B.J. and the Bear, Eight is Enough, and, like most TV regulars of the time, two episodes of The Love Boat.

Her first series regular gig was on The Fall Guy, the Lee Majors vehicle in which he played a stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter. She was on the show for three seasons, soon decamping for Night Court, which she joined in its third season. She was on the show for the rest of its nine-season run, until it ended in 1992.

When Night Court wrapped, she quickly moved to Hearts Afire, a D.C.-set comedy where she played a liberal reporter who clashes with a Republican senator’s aide, played by John Ritter. The show also featured Billy Bob Thornton, a few years before Sling Blade made him a star, and the legendary Ed Asner. It ran three seasons, ending in 1995.

Post made numerous appearances throughout the rest of her career, sometimes as one-offs, sometimes as recurring roles. She did three episods of Scrubs, a dozen and a half on Chicago P.D. In 1998 she played Cameron Diaz’s mom in There’s Something About Mary. Even as she got sick, she intended to keep pursuing acting gigs as a “side job.”

The news of her passing wasn’t made public until Sunday, and when it did she received widespread attention over social media. She was mourned by colleagues, including John Larroquette, with whom she frequently sparred on Night Court.

Others chimed in as well.

Some made sure to single out some of her great work.

Post will be missed. Night Court is not streaming as part of any subscription package, but you can purchase episodes on Amazon Prime. Hearts Afire, however, streams with ads on IMDb TV.

(Via Deadline)

The LOX are getting a well-deserved spotlight moment thanks to their epic Verzuz battle against Dipset last week. The trio, comprised of Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch, put on a helluva show in front of a large crowd at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Days later, it was revealed they will make a surprise appearance on Kanye West’s unreleased album Donda, which was confirmed after Kanye played their collaboration during a listening session for the project. Now they’ve been honored with a key to their hometown of Yonkers.

The key was accepted by Styles P, who received it from Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “We recognize LOX,” Spano said during a ceremony for the key. “We’re gonna give this to you. He doesn’t need it. He could go anywhere he wants but this will confirm it all.” Styles P also shared a video of him, Jadakiss, and Sheek Louch thanking Spano and the city of Yonkers.

“We are honored, humbled and appreciative to have the keys to the city,” the caption for the video read. “@sheeklouch @jadakiss @juicesforlife @farmacyforlife and myself will keep in mind and always remember the people are the True keys to the city !we will do what’s necessary to make it a healthier .safer , vibrant city for those coming after us .. and will push to make it happen in other cities as well.”

Ever since fans have returned to arenas and stadiums, there have seemingly been an abnormal number of pitch/field/court invasions, as people seem to be a bit too excited to be back at live sporting events.

The latest of these came at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the Angels were in town and there was a delay in the 7th inning for a fan running around in the outfield. The fan proved to be a difficult man to catch, as he dodged every single member of security who had all convened on the outfield to try and catch him. The fan then made his way back to the right field stands and seemed to have a chance to at least get back to the seats — although, what his plan was from there we’ll never know.

That’s because the Dodgers ballgirl was ready and about that action, checking the fan over the wall, sending him tumbling headfirst into the seats as security caught up and took him away.

Taking out field invaders certainly isn’t part of the ballboy/girl job description, but she was not about to let this man take any more of the game’s time trying to lead security on a wild chase through the stands, succeeding where security failed with a tremendous use of situational awareness to just check him over the boards.

Warning: This post contains some serious spoilers for The Suicide Squad, so be forewarned.
The Suicide Squad shared some similarities with its predecessor, though the sequel to the 2016 DC antihero film seems to be better received among critics. The James Gunn-helmed follow-up brought back some actors to reprise their roles, including Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. According to the film’s director, one of the most impressive stunts in the movie was all Robbie herself.

One of the film’s many unexpected departures is a solo expedition Quinn takes after her team gets largely blown to bits in the opening sequence. Captured by a dictator, with whom she has a murderous fling, she finds herself tortured for information she refuses to give up. One of the many brutal moments of the film features her being tasered until she passes out, but we quickly learn that was a bit of acting to facilitate her own escape.

As Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter in a lengthy interview, the part where Harley picks up keys with her toes and unlocks herself was all Robbie.

Yeah, the main thing is that she was able to just instantly grab the key with her foot and then twist herself backwards to put the key in the lock from the one shot. And I was like, “Oh my God.” It’s a real bummer because of that thing in front of her face, but if you look closely, you can see it’s Margot.

There’s a lot more in the interview, which gives more details about the decisions to do some pretty untraditional stuff in what could have been a much more straightforward superhero film. Gunn praises Robbie in general, details some of what may be ahead in the Peacemaker HBO Max series, and just generally had a lot to say about the tone and feel of the film. And while the box office returns may not have been as great as everyone wanted, the second go-around already seems to have more memorable moments to talk about than the first.

[via THR]

Late last month, Kanye West announced a listening session at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for his tenth album Donda, leaving many to believe that it would arrive shortly afterwards. Two weeks and one additional listening session later, fans are still waiting. At this point, Donda could be released any day now, but until then it seems like he’s shared the album’s first single.

“Hurricane,” which features Lil Baby and The Weeknd, is one of the many tracks that Kanye premiered during his most recent listening session for Donda, and it could possibly arrive as soon as midnight EST in the United States. As of Sunday morning, “Hurricane” was listed as track 2 on Apple Music’s pre-save page for the album. HipHop-N-More also reported that the single is already available in select international streaming markets, like Russia’s Yandex and Japan’s Line Music.

Moreover, according to Complex, KayCyy, who is credited as a songwriter on the track, teased its impending release in a now-deleted tweet, writing, “Y’all ready?” before adding shortly thereafter, “Ok I won’t say anything anymore.”

The upcoming single will be Kanye’s first track with Lil Baby, while it’ll be his third with The Weeknd. The duo first collaborated on the singer’s track “Tell Your Friends,” a track Kayne produced, from his sophomore album Beauty Behind The Madness. The second track together came a year later with Kanye’s “FML.”

T-Pain has faced his fair share of conflict in the music industry throughout his career. One big topic includes the negative reception toward auto-tune during the biggest points of his career. Many felt the singer’s use of the filter on his voice made it easier for singers who could not sing to find success in music, or as Usher allegedly put it, T-Pain “really f*cked up music for real singers.”

This resulted in another low moment for T-Pain with the release of Jay-Z’s “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” which many felt was targeted at the singer.

During a recent appearance on N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s Drink Champs, T-Pain reflected on that song and explained whether he felt it was a targeted attack against him.

“Of course! A wise man once said, ‘You can’t knock the hustle,’” he said. “I’m the face of this. Just like Lil Yachty was the face of mumble rap—anytime somebody talk about mumble rap, Lil Yachty was the first person to come up. I was the face of Auto-Tune. Anytime somebody said, ‘Auto-Tune,’ I’m the face. So, when you say Auto-Tune is wack, I’m the face.”

He continued, “If I woulda said f*ckin’ blue Yankees are terrible, everybody woulda been like, ‘Oh you dissin’ Jay-Z now?’ … Anytime [Jay] says something is wack, it’s trash.”

T-Pain then revealed that he almost released a diss song in response to “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” but his team advised him not to.

“I was, like, really drunk. I was ready to go,” he admitted. “I went into the studio and started recording the record and my managers were like, ‘I think we just need to take a break.’ … We were supposed to take a break for four months, I ended up taking a break for four years.”

You can watch the full episode of Drink Champs above.

We’re currently in the second summer plagued by coronavirus, and the pattern of news stories covering it has shifted considerably. By now scientists have a good idea of how COVID-19 is spread, how mask-wearing and vaccines can help limit the spread, and know some reliable ways to treat symptoms. Rather than panic and uncertainty, the biggest problem remaining in the United States is hesitancy and outright refusal to get vaccinated by a large portion of the population.

Vaccine misinformation runs rampant on social media, and while some are worried about symptoms or cannot get proper time off in case of side effects, many simply believe false claims spread over Facebook and/or conservative TV and radio. Some medical experts have called the current crisis a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” and while there are breakthrough cases of coronavirus and the Delta variant appears to be spread by vaccinated people in some circumstances, the large majority of those getting severely sick and dying are unvaccinated.

Which is why news that an anchor from right-wing TV outlet Newsmax dying of coronavirus complications is so notable. According to NBC News, one Dick Farrel died last week after a brief battle with the disease. In his final days, he abruptly pivoted away from COVID denial to advocating friends and family members to get vaccinated before it’s too late. His illness and death came just weeks after he called the vaccine “Bull Shid” in a post on Facebook.

Farrel was a vocal and staunch advocate against the coronavirus vaccine, which he posted about on social media and once called “bogus.” He also railed against figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who he called a “lying freak.”

However, after contracting Covid, friends said Farrel’s attitude about the vaccine and the virus changed, according to WPTV.

“COVID took one of my best friends! RIP Dick Farrel. He is the reason I took the shot. He texted me and told me to ‘Get it!’ He told me this virus is no joke and he said, ‘I wish I had gotten it!’” wrote Amy Leigh Hair, a friend of Farrel’s, on Facebook.

The story follows a familiar path in recent weeks, as reporters chronicle the unnecessary deaths of people who believed they could simply be stronger than the extremely deadly virus, which also has long-term symptoms much worse in those who remain unvaccinated. Whether it’s a 42-year-old fitness enthusiast who refused vaccines because of his health, several members of a largely unvaccinated Florida church whose pastor is now begging his flock to get the jab or Republican politicians dead shortly after sharing anti-mask memes online, this kind of story has become all too easy to predict.

Stories of anti-vaxxers belatedly regretting their decisions will only keep piling up as people continue to refuse sound medical advice.

It was supposed to be the celebrity party of the summer — had it not been for that pesky Delta variant. When the 60th birthday bash for former president Barack Obama went down on Saturday, it was a much more scaled-down affair than planned. At the last minute, big names were cut from the once-lavish guest list. Among the axed was Larry David, and when The New York Times revealed that one of comedy’s masters of disgruntlement had been disinvited, everyone thought the same thing: It would make a great Curb Your Enthusiasm joke.

The party, which was held at the Obamas’ $12 million mansion on Martha’s Vineyard, once had an epic guest list totaling 475 people. After cases started surging, especially in Republican-heavy states like Florida, that list was whittled down to, as a spokesperson told Fox News, “only family and close friends.”

Still, the 44th president has a lot of close friends. Jay-Z and Beyoncé were still on the list. So were George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Hudson, Bradley Cooper, Don Cheadle, and John Legend, who sang “Happy Birthday” to the two-term commander-in-chief. Cut from the list: David Letterman, David Axelrod, and Larry David. (The “David” thing is surely a coincidence.)

The 11th seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm is already in the can, and it’s set to premiere later this year. But when people learned that its creator and star, who has played a thinly-veiled version of himself for over 20 years, had been disinvited to Obama’s birthday party, people all but demanded he get ready on Season 12.

Truly, what could be a better way to end Curb Your Enthusiasm than to have “Larry David” discombobulate after getting axed from an Obama party? He could plan his pettiest, most ridiculous form of revenge yet. And he could even wind up in jail, just like the anti-heroes of the Larry David show that started it all, Seinfeld.

(Via NYT)