Month: October 2021

While Disney is known for being a bit secretive when it comes to how their magic gets made, an upcoming documentary is here to shed some light on the company’s history as well as a whole lot of iconic artifacts that are sure to make fans swoon. For the first time ever, Disney is opening their archives up to the public in a full-length documentary titled Adventure Thru the Walt Disney Archives. While the film has previously been viewed by members of D23 — the official Disney fan club — this marks the first time the company has viewing access to the general public, well, if you have Disney+, that is. The documentary is set to premiere exclusively on the streaming service on November 19.

According to Collider, Adventure Thru the Walt Disney Archives will take fans on a journey through “the company’s vast history, examined through the lens of the objects and ephemera stored in the Walt Disney Archives.” Among the items showcased in the documentary are Mary Poppins’ carousel horse, the Haunted Mansion’s hitchhiking ghosts, and the piano used by Richard and Robert Sherman when they wrote “some of Disney’s most iconic songs, such as “Feed the Birds,” Walt Disney’s favorite tune.” In addition, the film will also feature never-before-seen interviews with some of Disney’s best and brightest, including executive chairman Bob Iger, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Pixar’s Pete Docter, Star Wars star Mark Hamill, and more.

The film comes shortly after The Walt Disney Archives celebrated its 50th anniversary. Founded by Disney veteran Dave Smith in June of 1970, the archives were created to “collect, preserve and make available for research the historical materials relating to Walt and the company he founded.” Over the past 50 years, the archive has collected millions of items pertaining to Disney’s history, and have contributed to several museums and exhibits across the country, such as the Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume exhibit which is currently on display at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture.

Directed by John Gleim and hosted by Don Hahn, the producer of iconic Disney films such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, Adventure Thru the Walt Disney Archives “will explore beloved parts of Disney’s history as displayed in the archives, speaking with team members to uncover iconic pieces remembered fondly by fans the world over.” While you’ll have to wait until November 19 to watch the film over on Disney+, you can view the trailer now.

In 2020, Bill Burr absolutely blasted Joe Rogan for saying that people who wear masks during the pandemic are “bitches.” Rogan, of course, went on to contract Covid-19 and then grew enormously fed-up (“bro, do I have to sue CNN?”) when people mocked him for taking Ivermectin, a medicine used for farm-animals as a dewormer, as part of his “kitchen sink” arsenal against the virus.

Well, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta decided to accept Rogan’s invitation (although he noted that friends tried to talk him out of the gesture) for a 3-hour podcast discussion, so that happened this week, and Rogan took issue with being mocked because “I literally got it from a doctor,” and “I can afford people medicine, motherf*cker.” Gupta ended up conceding that taking “horse dewormer” isn’t the most flattering thing to hear about yourself on TV, and well, was Gupta’s actual mission accomplished? Presumably, this was an “olive branch” sort of appearance from Gupta and meant to help pro- and anti-vaxxers to understand each other, and The View weighed in on the visit’s possible effectiveness. Sunny Hostin quickly established her position, which is basically that this was a waste of Gupta’s time:

“Sanjay said he went there to understand his thinking. I love Sanjay, we worked together. We used to do these medical legal segments on CNN. Sanjay is a brilliant man. I’m not so interested in understanding the Trump mind. I’m not so interested in understanding the anti-vax mind. Because I’m not interested in understanding crazy. I don’t think you can make sense of crazy.”

Hostin’s remarks arrived around the 2:40 mark below.

Point taken, but it’s worth noting that Hostin was the only lady of the bunch who felt the way. The rest of them (Ana Navarro, Joy Behar, and Sherri Shepherd) agreed that it was worth a shot for Gupta to maybe convince a few of Joe Rogan’s millions of monthly listeners on the subject of vaccines. Clearly, Gupta meant well, but whether or not any Rogan listeners who change their minds actually do speak up remains to be seen.

Two strangers sat down next to each other at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille in Gainesville, Florida, and had a great conversation that should have been filmed for all of America to see. It all started when Mark Hall of Ocala, Florida, commented on Dr. Duane Mitchell’s choice of appetizer: Brussel’s sprouts.

“That sounds awful. No, thank you,” Hall joked.

Dr. Mitchel told Hall he was a researcher at the University of Florida studying human diseases which kicked off a contentious but friendly conversation about the coronavirus vaccines. Dr. Mitchell had got the vaccine, but Hall had been firmly against it for a year and a half.

“I’ve been against the shot since the shot was even born,” the Ocala resident said in a University of Florida video. “Timelines weren’t adding up for me. It seemed like the perfect storm.” However, that didn’t stop him from wanting to learn more and it made all of the difference.

“I literally just started bombarding him with questions,” Hall said. “It was a back and forth,” Mitchell, 50, told The Washington Post. “It was clear that he was skeptical, but he kept asking questions.”

Hall says his extensive personal research led him to be a vaccine skeptic. “It seemed like the information was forever changing. … I’ve stayed up dark, dark nights looking into information,” he said.

“Being that there’s so much political bias … I’m honestly not [a Republican conspiracy theorist or a liberal],” he said. “I try to think for myself and make rational decisions based upon facts.”

But there’s a big difference between doing your research online versus in a laboratory.

A Conversation Between a Vaccine-Hesitant Man and a Doctor

www.youtube.com

Dr. Mitchell enjoyed talking to Hall because “he was inquisitive instead of just opinionated,” and he enjoyed hearing his “preconceived notions” and “some of the information he had already heard.”

Dr. Mitchell never thought that he would change Hall’s mind but when both finished their dinner and drinks he made his final ask.

“He’s like, ‘So, have I convinced you to maybe get your vaccine?'” Hall recounted in a video posted by the University of Florida. “I made a joke. I said, ‘If you give it to me, I’ll take it.’ “

“Done. We’ll figure out a way,” he remembered Mitchell saying.

The two men exchanged numbers, although Dr. Mitchell doubted that anything would come of it. But soon after, Hall sent him a text and they set up an appointment for him to get his shot at the university’s clinic.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Mitchell told The Post.

Hall gave a simple answer when his friends asked why he changed his mind after a year and a half. “Because I shook a man’s hand,” he said. “I could look him in the eye and I knew with sincere conviction that he meant everything that he said.”

The encounter between the doctor and former anti-vaxxer shows what can happen when people listen to one another. Hall deserves a lot of credit for actually being someone who tries to make “rational decisions based upon facts,” instead of cherry-picking information that suited his preconceived notions. He’s also a wonderful example of someone being able to publicly admit they changed their mind which is tough for anyone.

Hall gets his shot with Dr. Mitchell.via The University of Florida / YouTube

As the NBA season approaches and training camps get underway, we’ll be taking a look at the player on each team that holds the key to unlocking their potential, and in Boston, that means their new point guard.

The Celtics underwhelmed last season and it led to an offseason with some significant changes. Gone is Danny Ainge, the longtime leader of the front office. In his place, Brad Stevens moves upstairs from the bench, with Ime Udoka coming in as head coach. Kemba Walker got flipped for Al Horford in an effort to get bolster their frontcourt and Walker’s replacement will be Dennis Schröder, snagged from the bargain bin of free agency.

Schröder is coming off a solid, if unspectacular season in Los Angeles (15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals per game on 43.7/33.5.84.8 shooting splits) with plenty to prove after getting effectively iced out by the rest of the league in free agency. He needs another prove it year to earn the big contract he thought was coming this summer, while the Celtics need a steady hand in the backcourt, making for a snug fit for both parties. Much like in L.A., there’s no doubting who are the leaders in Boston, both on the court (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) and in the locker room (those two plus Marcus Smart), which should allow Schröder to simply fall in line and play ball.

His point of attack defense remains a plus, even if his off-ball attention and effort can wax and wane to a frustrating degree, but when engaged and locked in he is a positive, pesky defensive presence. Offensively, his fit will be interesting. It would seem that with the Celtics he can fit more into a role like he played on the 2019-20 Thunder, where he thrived as part of a three-guard lineup with Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, posting the most efficient offensive output of his career as a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate. With Tatum as an elite on-ball creator and Brown improving in that regard as well, Schröder, if he can embrace that role again, will be part of a team-effort of setting the table and running the offense, with more creators around him who can set him up for shots.

Shooting has never been a strong point, but his last year in OKC was his best by far, hitting 38.5 percent from deep. Last year he fell back to 33.5 percent from three, certainly not helped by the lack of spacing in L.A., but there’s ample reason to be skeptical that season with the Thunder was anything but an outlier. If there were ever a spot where he can recreate some of that magic, it’s next to a pair of wing players that draw attention on the ball the way Tatum and Brown do. How effective he is as a shooter will likely dictate just how successful he is in Boston, and how much he can add to a Celtics team looking to get back into the top half of the East.

UK alt-pop singer Holly Humberstone first made a name for herself with her relatable debut EP, which ignited a global following. Now with a massive US tour and the brand-new EP The Walls Are Way Too Thin in the works, Humberstone makes her The Tonight Show debut with a captivating performance of her breakup anthem “Scarlett.”

Humberstone’s performance is set to a rainy backdrop. Delivering her cutting lyrics while playing both the guitar and keyboard parts, the 21-year-old proves herself a force to be reckoned with.

Previously explaining the inspiration behind “Scarlett” in a statement, Humberstone said the song was inspired by true events:

“This track is my absolute favourite. It’s a f*ck you to the guy that was going out with my closest friend Scarlett and it was written as they were breaking up. The relationship was totally one sided and lasted for years. Scarlett was all in and had pretty much planned their future and it was pretty clear to me that he was stringing her along, until he broke up with her in a really insensitive and heartless way. I was her closest confidant and so I knew everything she was feeling, and I’d see how passive he was with her at parties first hand. She vented to me for probably about a year and so I went through all the stages of a break up with her and watched as she slowly realised her worth and that he wasn’t worth her tears anymore. I wanted to write this one from her point of view. It’s a pretty positive song as it’s about her finally letting go, realising his many faults and taking back her life.”

Watch Humberstone perform “Scarlett” on The Tonight Show above.

The Walls Are Way Too Thin is out 11/5 via Darkroom/Interscope/Polydor. Pre-order it here.

Bella Poarch is one of the fastest-rising stars out there right now. Her TikToks and streams have led to her getting recognized by giants in the industry such as 100 Thieves and FaZe Clan, while her interests go beyond just being an internet personality — her debut single, “Build a Bitch,” dropped earlier this year.

Poarch is now taking another step in her career as she becomes a brand ambassador for HyperX. The creator of many tools that streamers everywhere use, HyperX signed Poarch to help showcased many of those same tools, such as their microphones. Poarch will work with HyperX to tell unique stories around her love of gaming and passion for developing and performing music and streaming.

“I’m loving the opportunity to bring my style and passion for life and music to the HyperX family,” Poarch said in a statement. “I bring my love for people to be happy and healthy in everything they do and look forward to sharing this with HyperX fans, family, and community.”

Poarch signing this deal gives HyperX another big name in their list of ambassadors that include Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, basketball players Gordon Hayward and Aerial Powers, tennis player Daniil Medvedev, ice hockey player Filip Forsberg, international soccer player Dele Alli, professional race car driver Sage Karam, skateboarder Minna Stess, and more than 25 global streamers and influencers.

Bella Poarch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Gorillaz leader Damon Albarn is taking a bit of a break from leading Gorillaz with a new solo album, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows. That’s set for release next month, but in the meantime, Albarn has shared a new single, “The Tower Of Montevideo.” On a basic drum-machine beat, Albarn sings on the relaxing track, which is rounded out by a lush arrangement of synths, horns, and piano.

Additionally, he also shared a live performance video of the song.

Albarn previously said of making the album, “I organized musicians, string players, three bass trombones, some percussion, and keyboards into an interesting arrangement. […] I took some of these real-time, extreme elemental experiences [of Iceland] and then tried to develop more formal pop songs with that as my source. I wanted to see where that would take me. Sometimes it took me down to Uruguay and Montevideo. Other times I went to Iran, Iceland, or Devon. With travel being curtailed, it was kind of nice to be able to make a record that put me strangely in those places for a moment or two.”

Listen to “The Tower Of Montevideo” and watch the performance video above.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is out 11/12 via Transgressive Records. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Performing on stage at Charli XCX’s LA Pride event last June, rising pop star Gia Woods flips her newly blonde hair and strikes a pose in a petite two piece outfit, working every angle like she was born to be in front of the camera. With her sensual choreography and confident stage presence, it’s impossible to tell Woods grew up as a self-described shy and antisocial person in a conservative Persian family.

It was music that helped her grow from being too nervous to even order at a restaurant to confidently performing in front of thousands. “[Singing] was the only way to use my voice without having to directly talk to somebody,” Woods recalls over the phone while celebrating the release of her EP, Heartbreak County. “Music is exactly why I finally became confident.” Now armed with two EPs and a bold sense of conviction, Woods is pop music’s latest disrupter. Her shimmering four-track Heartbreak County EP gives a voice to young queer girls who don’t feel seen. It offers an erudite reflection on the dark side of fame masked with buoyant beats and dance-ready production. Songs like “Oh My God” and “Next Girlfriend” pay homage to the hot pink and bedazzled era of Y2K pop while putting her own distinct spin on what it means to be a woman in the pop sphere.

As someone who grew up in LA, Woods has seen what happens when fame corrupts a person. She notes that much of the superficiality associated with the birthplace of the influencer comes more from LA transplants than natives, but she still attended high school parties at the houses of famous actors — a stark contrast to her traditional upbringing. Woods’ Heartbreak County song “Fame Kills” explores how fame can lead to an artist’s downfall, and according to Woods, “literally sums up” her entire project. It’s a chilled out bop that opens with atmospheric synths and a bouncy beat as she sings of the prevalence of drug use among burnt out celebrities. She name drops several members of the 27 Club, musicians, artists, and actors who died at the age of 27 after catapulting to fame.

“Growing up in LA, I’ve been around and seen a lot of famous people come and go,” Woods says about her inspiration behind “Fame Kills.” “LA can look like it’s all glitz and glam, but it’s honestly really dark too.” Woods has noticed that once an artist achieves a certain level of popularity, people start essentially bullying them online. “When someone’s doing really well or someone’s having a really amazing moment, we always have to find a way to bring them down,” she says. “Artists see people talking and putting them down in the press and in the media. I think that’s why artists lose themselves, because they’re so vulnerable and they’re so open and they put themselves out there. And then this whole other side of the world is judging them and putting them down. That’s why, a lot of the time, fame can lead to drugs, alcohol, losing control, and losing the focus of why you even started music.”

After witnessing first hand the dangers of fame, Woods is breaking the mold of the “perfect pop star.” As someone who has been subjected to the pervasive misogyny in the music industry, Woods notes how female pop stars are expected to look and dress a type of way. “I think we need to stop putting pop stars on this pedestal,” she says. “We are allowed to look bad sometimes, we’re allowed to sound bad sometimes, we’re allowed to say the wrong f*cking things, nobody is perfect.” Particularly as a queer musician, Woods has experienced the pressure to say the right thing. “I’ve never really felt that I needed to be this perfect artist. I’ve always wanted to do my own thing. I’ve always been on my own path,” she says. And she strives to use her platform to inspire young girls to similarly forge their own futures.

Woods has already received countless messages from fans who thank her for inspiring them to be their authentic selves. After releasing her debut single “Only A Girl” in 2016, a snappy WLW anthem. Woods used the song as her way of coming out to her family and music team. To this day, the singer still gets messages from people in their teens to their mid-40s who say her music has inspired them to come out. One women even told her that hearing “Only A Girl” inspired her to leave her husband. “People ask what my biggest goal is, and it’s being a part of people’s journeys who are discovering themselves,” Woods says. “I’m eternally grateful that I could play any part in that, just because I didn’t really have anyone to look up to you growing up.”

The singer’s Heartbreak County song “Next Girlfriend” is a sultry and buzzing maximalist pop tune about finding an intense connection with another woman, a song she wishes existed when she was young. Before releasing “Only A Girl,” Woods describes herself as “super closeted and super, super, super alone.” She adds, “I didn’t even think I could ever come out until I had the motivation and support system from my music team.” Part of Woods’ hesitation to come out came from growing up in a household she described as “old fashioned.” She started dating her best friend in high school, was going out to parties, and experiencing all her “firsts,” all while her parents were unaware. “It was definitely weird growing up with a Persian family who were old fashioned because I did really feel like I was Hannah Montana,” she said, describing the difference between her home life and personal life. “My family outside of my family was showing me the world around me. And when I was home, it felt like my parents just didn’t tell me sh*t. I was my own teacher throughout all of it.”

Now, after having several girlfriends and finding success in the music industry, her mom is more accepting of her identity. But she still needs to set boundaries, like when she recently blocked her mom on Instagram after her insensitive response to a Heartbreak County teaser that showed Woods making out with a girl. “She was just reminding me of my childhood experience with her. I literally just hung up the phone and I blocked her on Instagram,” Woods recalls. “We’ve come so far, are you really trying to go backwards now? And are you seriously still asking these questions? I’m kissing a f*cking girl. Get the f*ck over it. If I was kissing a boy, you would not call me right now.”

Another aspect of Woods’ original dubiety to come out in her late teens was due to the representation of lesbians in the media. As a super feminine women who’s always rocking body suits and acrylic nails, Woods’ concept of queerness was influenced by the women she saw in TV and film at the time. “I didn’t even know you could just be gay and you can still dress and act however you want. The stereotypes really got in my head,” she said. “I was like, wow, I guess I could be super femme and still be gay. People still to this day don’t even believe [I’m gay]. Everyone’s always like, ‘Wait, really? With those nails?’”

That’s why Woods wrote Heartbreak County — to show young girls discovering their identity that they don’t need to fit a certain stereotype to be valid. To her, music is an escape, and she hopes that others will find solace in getting lost in the dancefloor-ready beats of songs like “Oh My God” or “Enough Of You.” But more than anything, Woods wants her listeners to know they’re not alone. “Wherever you’re growing up right now in whatever city, I want people to know that you’re not going to be stuck in that forever, even if it feels that you are.” The last takeaway she hopes listeners have from her EP, she notes with a twinge of sarcasm, is to “leave your husbands and block your parents on Instagram.”

Heartbreak County, Vol. 1 is out now via Snafu Records. Get it here.

Netflix is not having a great week—and CEO Ted Sarandos isn’t helping matters any by opening his mouth or hitting “send” on his memos. Amidst the increasing controversy surrounding accusations that Dave Chappelle’s new comedy special, The Closer, is homophobic and transphobic, Sarandos seems to be going out of his way to side with the comedian, while attempting to turn the conversation away from the offensive content of the special and make it a question of censorship and freedom of expression. On Wednesday, Variety published an internal memo from Sarandos that just made the whole situation even worse, as he noted:

“With The Closer, we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence etc.) Last year, we heard similar concerns about 365 Days and violence against women. While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.”

Where to begin?!

Not only is Sarandos attempting to put words into his employees’ mouths by stating that “the concern is not about offensive-to-some content.” That’s precisely the issue for many Netflix staffers. Like Terra Field, the trans engineer who was one of three staffers fired after speaking out against the company’s decision to air Chappelle’s special, only to then be reinstated. At this very moment, the company’s trans employees and their allies are planning a walkout on October 20.

Then there’s the part about Sarandos’ “strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.” First of all, he’s wrong. And doesn’t need to look much further than Netflix’s very own 2020 documentary Disclosure in which, per the company’s description, “leading trans creatives and thinkers share heartfelt perspectives and analysis about Hollywood’s impact on the trans community.”

As The Wrap reports, Sarandos’ memo has also caught the attention of GLAAD, one of the world’s most respected LGBTQ advocacy groups, who are calling Sarandos out for his extremely erroneous—and dangerous—view that there’s no connection between on-screen content and real-world actions. The group issued a statement, in which it noted:

“GLAAD was founded 36 years ago because media representation has consequences for LGBTQ people. Authentic media stories about LGBTQ lives have been cited as directly responsible for increasing public support for issues like marriage equality. But film and TV have also been filled with stereotypes and misinformation about us for decades, leading to real world harm, especially for trans people and LGBTQ people of color.”

GLAAD, too, pointed out the irony of the documentary Disclosure being a Netflix production, and tackling this very issue. As The Wrap notes, Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox appears in Disclosure and even cites a statistic from a GLAAD study which says that 80 percent of Americans don’t personally know any trans people. “So most of the information that Americans get about who transgender people are, what our lives are and are about, comes from the media,” according to Cox.

Netflix would not comment on GLAAD’s statement, nor is it commenting on Sarandos’ memo.

(Via The Wrap)

Are you ready to blackout with your rack out? Are you ready to show off just the right amount of ass meat? Mindy Kaling is. The prolific creator of The Mindy Project, Champions, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Never Have I Ever just shared the trailer for her newest project, The Sex Lives of College Girls, which will premiere on HBO Max on November 18.

Going all the way back to her time on The Office—on which she was a writer and executive producer in addition to one of its stars—Kaling has been consistently redefining the rules of the female protagonist and what women can and should be allowed to talk about. And, if the title didn’t clue you in, The Sex Lives of College Girls looks to be a continuation of that trend.

The show’s official description, according to HBO Max, is as follows: “Created by Emmy®-nominated writer/producer Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four college roommates as they arrive at New England’s prestigious Essex College. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating as they live out their new, free lives on campus.”

From the trailer, which you can watch above, the series definitely seems like it will dabble in Kaling’s unique style of cringe comedy, where even the most embarrassing moments can be a triumph if you treat them as such (see the treadmill scene).

The Sex Lives of College Girls will premiere exclusively on HBO Max on November 18, 2021.