Singer Lauren Jauregui is the latest Fifth Harmony member to pivot to a solo career, something that fans have been begging for ever since the group’s 2018 disbandment. Jauregui previously teased the beginning of a new era with her rhythmic 2020 single “Lento” and “50ft.” But now, over a year after the singles dropped, Jauregui has finally released details about her debut solo album.
Titled Prelude, Jauregui is set to further detail the upcoming solo debut project in a cinematic livestream. Jauregui announced Prelude with a the livestream’s trailer Wednesday, which previews an exquisitely choreographed performance complete with white, flowing outfits and plenty of flowers. The livestream, presented in partnership with the platform Moment House, airs October 14 and 15 and features several dancers, costume changes, and more.
Speaking about her upcoming project in a statement, Jauregui expressed her “deep gratitude” for the chance to finally share it with the world:
“Deep gratitude to be able to finally birth the beginning of this project into the world. ‘Prelude’ is a piece of my heart and I can’t wait for you all to hear what that sounds like.”
While Jauregui has shared only a few songs since leaving Fifth Harmony, the singer has still been hard at work both in and out of the studio. She’s spent the last few years recording and revising her music in anticipation for her debut release, as well as expressing her support for various social justice and human rights issues.
At this year’s VMAs, Lizzo and Cardi B’s “Rumors” was up for Song Of The Summer, a title that ultimately went to BTS’ “Butter.” Lizzo did end the evening with one award, though, as she and Yayayayummy won Best Artist x Creator Collab for the “mustard watermelon” TikTok trend they launched. Lizzo wasn’t at the ceremony, though, because she was keeping busy with… something else.
In a TikTok video yesterday, Lizzo hinted at what she was doing the night of the VMAs, with the clip’s text overlay reading, “I really won a VMA while I was getting my back blown out last night… I’ll be there next year promise.” In the video, “Rumors” plays in the background, and the lyrics heard in the clip are fitting: “All the rumors are true, yeah / I f*cked him and you, yeah.”
She also captioned her post, “WE WON THE FIRST @mtv VMA FOR A TIKTOK BESTIES!!! WE DID IT— WHERE MY MOONMAN AT?”
Naturally, a lot of the comments on the post reference Chris Evans, as Lizzo and the actor have had some flirtatious social media interactions in recent months. Lizzo didn’t indicate who she spent time with that evening, though.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
While it was easy enough to tell that Nicki Minaj’s tweet featuring a cousin’s vaccine horror story probably wasn’t true based on its junior high urban myth-level sourcing, a new report cast even more aspersions on the likely tall tale by citing one important missing factor. When even Tucker Carlson doesn’t believe you, it might be time to issue a retraction.
Nicki’s story cited her cousin in Trinidad, who told her that his friend’s wedding was canceled by his adverse reaction to a COVID vaccine — swollen testicles and impotence. However, the Health Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh, refuted the claim at a press conference, explaining that, “We could not respond in real-time yesterday to Ms. Minaj [because] we had to check and make sure that what she was claiming was either true or false. We did, and unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim. As far as we know, at this point in time, there has been no such reported side effect or adverse event.”
#BREAKING – Trinidad & Tobago Health Minister Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh responds to swollen testicle claim made by Trinidad-born entertainer @NICKIMINAJ; says there is no such reported case in Trinidad & Tobago (TTT) pic.twitter.com/NNsc9EUTKP
He further lamented the cost of the investigation in both time and effort, which could have gone to shoring up real COVID defenses that would actually help people. His comments echoed those of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who also had to debunk the AOL chain letter rumor-quality anecdote in an interview with Jake Tapper. Meanwhile, CNC3 Television in Port of Spain, Trinidad also had some thoughts on the tweet, directly admonishing Nicki for misusing her platform. Props for calling it a “Bacchanal story.”
Here is how the Nicki Minaj story was covered on CNC3 Television in Port of Spain, Trinidad. I assure you this is worth all 2:20 and it’s probably better than any U.S. network covered the story pic.twitter.com/LjO1CMlq1z
Seriously, though, Nicki’s cousin’s friend — if he even exists — should probably seek treatment for what sounds like a sexually transmitted disease… and then get the damn vaccine. I have no advice on repairing his relationship; next time, wear a condom or something. As for Nicki, a good prescription would be another social media hiatus… and getting the damn vaccine.
Deathloop rules. Arkane Studios, the creators of the Dishonored series, has a gem on their hand with the time loop game nobody can stop talking about. The concept is simple: The main character, Colt, wakes up on a beach unable to remember what happened the night before. Turns out, he’s been in a non-stop loop where the entire island keeps killing him for fun. The only way to get out of the loop is for Colt to eliminate the eight targets in a single day, and if he fails, it’s back to the beach.
The game is really fun and has garnered a lot of attention for taking a not-so-unique premise and making it fun. It’s so impressive that legendary developer Hideo Kojima wants to play it, which on its surface makes sense. But there’s just one problem: As someone who suffers from motion sickness, this is the kind of game that he believes will make him sick.
“DEATHLOOP”. It’s a time loop game with an interesting system. I want to play it, but it’s a FPS and I’ll probably get 3D-sick. Hmmm.
I’ve always get sick even though I was in the gymnastics team. On field trips, I sat at the front of the bus. I get sick on the swings. At amusement parks, I couldn’t go on the teacups, viking rides, flying carpets, octopus rides, or anything that spun. Roller coasters are fine. https://t.co/QfShUwyd2t
It says a lot about how good Deathloop must be that even someone with a history of motion sickness wants to play it. Interestingly enough, Kojima has made a first-person 3D game in the past: P.T., the infamous demo for the now-canceled Silent Hills, was a first-person horror experience. Regardless, it’s a bummer that he might not get to experience one of the best games of the year because of motion sickness. Maybe Arkane can throw him a bone and add in a third-person mode for him.
After flying in hot as the new Captain America, Anthony Mackie is crashing into the world of video games by signing onto a live-action Twisted Metal series from Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions. Mackie still star as John Doe in the half-hour action comedy from the creative team behind Deadpool, which will give the series an added boost as Sony gears up to shop it around to potential buyers. Also, the whole premise sounds pretty rad. Via Deadline:
Twisted Metal is a high-octane action comedy based on an original take by Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck.
Obviously, scoring Mackie is a huge get for the Twisted Metal series. The actor’s transformation into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new Captain America in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale went over huge with fans. Within hours of Mackie making his debut as Cap, Marvel announced a fourth Captain America movie featuring his Sam Wilson character in the title role.
Of course, the big question is whether we’ll see Mackie engage in vehicular combat with a murderous clown before he takes flight as Cap again, but frankly, either one sounds awesome. There’s been a whole entire pandemic. We’re not picky.
As with most things, the rules of conversational decorum spring from a mix of puritanical hokum and repetition that first wore a path in the grass before inspiring the construction of tracks that we’re all supposed to use when going back and forth with each other. What better way to avoid confusion and awkwardness? But why would we want to avoid those things? How boring. How uptight.
When I interviewed Norm Macdonald in 2017 for this very website, he said, “The only interesting guys are guys that think differently than every other single person.” Norm McDonald had little interest in staying on the tracks. The late comic, who passed away yesterday after a draw with cancer, made his own rules and mined the awkward spaces most comics run away from. Because silence is thought to be a killer when you’re trying to make someone laugh, but not for Norm. He was fearless, not as a high-minded socio-comedic strategy. More for kicks.
There are so many great Norm clips circulating right now as people remember the masterful and pure way he structured and delivered jokes, but I want to pull a few specific ones from the pile which specifically point to the fearlessness I’m honoring.
Norm Macdonald’s appearance at the Roast of Bob Saget was unlike anything ever seen before. Watch this legendary clip with additional footage. pic.twitter.com/nb6JECXn4H
First up is Norm’s appearance on Comedy Central’s Bob Saget roast. Delivered slow and low, Norm shows off a set of balls that’d put Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend to shame. It doesn’t matter if the individual jokes fall flat or feel hacky, earning only scattered applause and laughter — that’s the point. But you notice that it feels like the laughter is growing as it goes. Because fully assembled, this is an unforgettable bit of anti-comedy which roasts the weirdly resilient roast format. And, most importantly, everyone, Norm included, is having a grand time.
To really appreciate the way Norm used awkwardness as a weapon, we have to view him in slightly more uncomfortable situations. Because Norm, to his total credit, clearly didn’t love playing the game and he didn’t always play nice when he was asked to. As an example, here’s this gathering of YouTube comedy personalities from 2013.
It’s a pre-show where Norm is barely masking the stranger-in-a-strange-land feelings he’s having while there to celebrate viral comics he’s never heard of. Co-hosts Jenny Slate and Kassem G valiantly try to straddle the line between keeping order and giving this sweatpanted legend space to do his work. Norm? Like Superman drawing power from Earth’s sun, Norm is getting absolutely nourished by everyone’s lack of comfort, including The Lonely Island, who he introduces as “Samberg and the other two fellas.” It’s a near half-hour of awkwardness with Norm relishing the chance to be a volatile elder freaking out the kids for what he might say next.
Going back in time to 2000, there’s this absolute trainwreck with Norm on The View. Why is Norm on The View? An amazing question. This is more notable for the reaction of the hosts to Norm than anything he says, even though he insinuates, repeatedly, that Bill Clinton killed someone and that George W. Bush is pretty great.
[Side note: Norm occasionally kicked up controversy when things got political. It may be why he often strived to keep politics out of his act and flatly stated to us that he “hated politics” while praising the importance of comics who could make everyone laugh. But then he kept bringing it back to politics in the interview… which is pretty damn relatable because who doesn’t hate that shit while also failing to not be drawn back into it?]
Norm’s statement on The View, which was in response to a direct question about the election and not plucked out of thin air, turned Barbara Walters instantly apoplectic with Star Jones turning similarly dismissive of Norm and Joy Behar insulting him to his face to try and make him stop. This all happens over like three minutes, but Norm doesn’t really waver or intensify, so much as he just coasts, watching the car wreck as the hosts of The View go atomic. And I mean, it was so freaking easy to do it. It’s as though he set off firecrackers in the show’s throw pillow storage room.
Doesn’t it seem like fun to pull the thread on someone’s buttoned-up show plan, introducing mayhem and realness in a way that creates the rarest thing in entertainment — a fully unscripted, unanticipated moment? Unsurprisingly, some people, like Barbra Walters, hate it. But others love it. Look at how much fun Conan had with Norm over the years.
In his hybrid novel/memoir, Based On A True Story, Norm opens the final three pages by saying that the “events surrounding [his] departure” from Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update desk may be what he’s most remembered for. And that’s fair, but while it’s a case study in admirable antagonism how he kept taking a sledgehammer to the throbbing nerve of his NBC exec nemesis over his OJ trial coverage, the more interesting aspect of Norm’s Update term is in his relationship to silence and bombing.
I had a whole song worked up about how there was no panic or rush to the next thing. No effort to make people feel comfortable by cracking self-effacing jokes when Norm bombed, but Seth Meyers summed it up perfectly last night on Late Night:
“He just didn’t care if he was bombing. If he thought the jokes were good, he had exactly as much fun telling them to a dead audience than to one who appreciated them. For so many of us, we came up watching Norm and we thought that you were on the inside with him when you were watching him tell these jokes that you thought were great and no one in the room thought was good and you just felt this connection to him and that ability to just stare into an audience unblinkingly telling the jokes that you believed in.”
Goddamn was it thrilling to feel like a cool kid who “got” Norm and his brand of smart-by-way-of-being-silly comedy.
To be your own compass when it comes to telling jokes or being otherwise creative for an audience is difficult and a little dangerous, producing approximately one genius for every 5,000 flameouts who get high on their own supply. But Norm was an absolute genius who understood the scourge of self-seriousness and boilerplate entertainment and the fun he could have by steering things off the tracks to a more interesting place while challenging everyone else to keep up and similarly toss out the rule book. Though, sadly, few ever did. Here’s hoping his memory is an inspiration to others to go freak people out a little.
Legendary actress Helen Mirren is at long last joining the wizarding world of Harry Potter, though perhaps not in the type of role you’d have expected. According to a Variety report, Mirren is set to host a four-part Harry Potter trivia competition in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The event, officially titled Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, is scheduled to air later this year on Cartoon Network’s ACME Night and TBS, and will later be available to stream on HBO Max alongside the rest of the Harry Potter series. While the event’s date has yet to be announced, it’s likely it will fall around November 14, the theatrical release date of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
According to Variety, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses will put ” superfans of the beloved book and film series to the test as they use their Harry Potter knowledge to compete for the coveted House Cup.” In addition to hundreds of trivia questions, the four-episode event will include special guest appearances, though who these guests will be has yet to be announced.
In the event’s press release, Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. global kids, young adults, and classics, said there was no one the studio deemed better than Mirren to “add some British grandeur to this event.” Mirren herself said she is “so pleased” to have a part in the upcoming event, stating the show will serve as a way for Warner Bros. to reignite the magic of the Harry Potter universe for its millions of fans.
“I knew someday I’d get a Harry Potter role, and I’m so pleased to take part in the 20-year film celebration. The films inspired such enchantment and wonder for so many of us, and it will be such a treat to reignite that magic for the countless fans who continue to revel in this spellbinding world.”
The world of stand-up comedy is not known to be kind. Competition usually wins over comradery. But when news of beloved “Weekend Update” anchor and comedian Norm Macdonald broke yesterday, that stereotype was turned on its head, as love poured out from fellow comedians across social media.
Today is a sad day. All of us here at SNL mourn the loss of Norm Macdonald, one of the most impactful comedic voice… https://t.co/EwAJgO8fdc
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) 1631656608.0
In every important way, in the world of stand-up, Norm was the best. An opinion shared by me and all peers. Alway… https://t.co/TVcBpza3yR
Norm’s success was prolific to say the least. In addition to his stand-up and SNL career, MacDonald appeared in numerous films, including Grown Ups, Dr. Dolittle, Jack and Jill, Billy Madison, Funny People, Screwed, and The Animal. He also appeared in various late-night talk shows including Late Night With Conan O’Brien and Late Night with David Letterman, and even had his own sitcom, The Norm Show, as well as a talk show for one season on Netflix back in 2018.
The Norm Show (Norm) – Season 1 Episode 1 (Norm and the Prototype)
O’Brien was one of the first to react to the news of Norm’s death, praising him as “the most unique comic voice I have ever encountered” and lamenting that “I will never laugh that hard again.”
I am absolutely devastated about Norm Macdonald. Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered and… https://t.co/3LjiZFOxHK
Bob Saget, who Norm famously roasted, also sent a tweet sharing how he and Norm met, “he was in my audience at 17 years old,” and went on to say ” no other voice in comedy has been as unique, brazen, brazen, dark, hilarious, and heartfelt.”
Devastated. Met Norm in Ottawa when he was in my audience at 17 years old. Been close for decades. We have lost a c… https://t.co/Va8cwfMJIl
Jim Carrey, who appeared on Norm’s live show, gave heartfelt mourning, saying, “my dear friend Norm passed after a brave 10 year battle…He was one of our most precious gems…I love him.”
My dear friend Norm MacDonald passed after a brave 10 year battle. He was one of our most precious gems. An honest… https://t.co/bfrQHdB4DV
But the tributes don’t stop there. Comedy greats like Steve Martin, all the Seths (McFarland, Rogan, and Meyers), Adam Sandler, Patton Oswalt, Jon Stewart and even Bob Odenkirk-who had his own health scare earlier this year- all sent their praises flooding to Twitter.
Every one of us loved Norm. Some of the hardest laughs of my life with this man. Most fearless funny original guy w… https://t.co/YpZdWeOd6O
This not only goes to show how far reaching and impactful Norm was as a talent, but how just one person’s individual spark can ignite the hearts and minds of many others.
NOOOOO GODDAMIT. Oh my God what is even happening.
Good bye, Norm. You were never not 100% hilarious. https://t.co/loW3QsEjgW
Norm passed away after an undisclosed nine year battle with cancer. His longtime producing partner and friend, Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with him when he died, says “He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him….He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”
Though Norm might have struggled in private, the comedy world is publicly coming together to acknowledge the positive impact he made in an industry that can, at its worst, be a toxic environment. The collective reaction to Norm’s passing proves that at its best, however, the stand-up community is a tight knight family of creatives who relish in each other’s successes and share in each other’s remorse. Even in a time of devastating loss, that is worth celebrating.
Even though last night’s Verzuz battle at New York’s Madison Square Garden featured Ja Rule and Fat Joe, fans in the stream’s comments couldn’t stop bringing up 50 Cent. The Queens rapper had a highly public feud with Ja Rule throughout the 2000s as he rose to prominence and Ja declined in popularity — a decline he and his fans have always attributed to the beef, despite it likely being due more to the federal investigation into Ja’s label Murder Inc. and changing tastes in hip-hop overall.
However, the comments still irked Murder Inc. founder Irv Gotti, who exploded in the comments section. “All y’all talking about that 50 shit,” he railed. “All good. He got beat up stabbed up. Shot up. And sued us. That’s all I’m gonna say. Your hero ain’t what you think he is. Period. And facts.”
50 himself quickly caught wind of the commentary (does this guy have Google Alerts set for his rivals or what?) and popped up on Instagram to mock Gotti and Murder Inc. with a pair of posts crowing about his lopsided mid-2000s “victory.” “Wtf am i trending for, I said I ain’t doing whatever that shit is they doing,” he captioned the first. In its follow-up, he crowed, “I put they whole label out of business, f*ck with me if you want to. I would stay out of my way if i wasn’t me. LOL.” Naturally, both captions were filled with promotions for his various business ventures, including Branson Cognac and Bottle Rover, which is apparently an alcohol delivery service.
Later, on Atlanta radio’s Big Tigger Morning Show, Ja insisted that 50 would have been “nothing without that f*cking white boy,” obviously attributing his rival’s success to his association with Eminem, then one of the biggest names in hip-hop, and his attendant fanbase. Incidentally, most in either rappers’ camps and in hip-hop at large would rather have seen Ja go toe-to-toe with 50 on Verzuz, but 50 already put paid to that dream last year.
Ja can rest assured that, at least as far as Rap Twitter is concerned, he came out of last night’s competition the clear winner, decisively controlling the hits battle as Fat Joe spent far too many rounds emphasizing his “real hip-hop” clout and not enough playing his actual hits.
Jon Stewart makes his return to TV this month with The Problem with Jon Stewart (hopefully without bad theories). The Apple TV+ series, where he will “be in discussion with the people who are impacted by [an] issue — as well as those who have a hand in creating the impact,” is Stewart’s first series since he exited The Daily Show in 2015.
“The truth is I left The Daily Show for a reason. It didn’t feel like I was singing as joyful a song as I wanted to be singing, but my life was still really good. I had wonderful moments at the show, and I didn’t feel it was a burden. I just didn’t know what else to do with it, this gift — and being allowed to be on TV is a gift,” Stewart explained. He said he “never felt the weight of the world,” but “I felt the weight of the team. I had this group of people who were industrious, talented, funny as f*ck, and raring to go, and my mind was wandering.”
At least nothing happened a year later, in 2016, that would forever changed the course of the country. Speaking of big decisions, Stewart was also asked whether he considered adding a comma to the show’s title, to make it The Problem, with Jon Stewart instead of the winking The Problem of Jon Stewart.
“We’re all talking about, like, ‘OK, well, what do you think about a comma?’ It’s the thing that I love exposing with politics, which is, everything you see is an intention, somebody built it, somebody made a decision. Like, in the Iraq War, that whole, ‘We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud,’ that came from a meeting. That was a PR guy, and they had meetings every week to talk about the best way to talk about going to war. And that same meeting is the one that we had to figure out what to call this f*cking show. That’s what I love.
The Problem with Jon Stewart (no comma) premieres on September 30 on Apple TV+.
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