Month: October 2021

Celebrated singer Kacey Musgraves is familiar with the Grammy Awards. Her debut 2013 album Same Trailer Different Park won a Grammy for Best Country Album, as did her 2018 LP Golden Hour. Now with six wins and nine nominations to her name, some assumed her recent project Star-Crossed would similarly be recognized by the Recording Academy at their 2022 ceremony. It may still be, but apparently not as a country album.

The Recording Academy deemed Star-Crossed ineligible for a country award at their 64th annual Grammy Awards, which will take place on January 31, 2022. According to Billboard, the decision was made last week during the Recording Academy’s annual screening committee meeting, where submissions are reviewed and placed in various categories. Apparently, members of the committee didn’t see Star-Crossed as a fit for the country category, though it’s still eligible for all-genre awards.

Cindy Mabe, president of Universal Music Group Nashville, wasn’t happy with the Recording Academy’s decision. Mabe penned a letter to the Recording Academy to explain why she felt the decision was “inconsistent” with previous years. “This decision from the country committee to not accept star-crossed into the country albums category is very inconsistent and calls into question the other agendas that were part of this decision,” Mabe wrote.

Mabe went on to describe country music’s problem with gender diversity, namedropping Morgan Wallen along the way:

“The numbers speak and are a matter of public record with women making up only 10 percent of all country airplay. This year alone country music has been mired in the controversy surrounding one of the formats biggest artists, Morgan Wallen, who used a racial slur and grew fans and audience from it. THIS IS NOT ALL THAT WE ARE. Under the surface are the artists that change it all and they are led by the example of Kacey Musgraves. […] As a prime stakeholder in country music, I would really like to frame what’s happening in our genre right now and help you and the Grammy’s fully understand the importance of Kacey Musgraves to country music and why this decision is so much more than an entry point for an awards show. Taking her out of the country category actually does harm to a format struggling with change and inclusivity overall.”

Star-Crossed is out now via UMG Nashville/Interscope Records. Get it here.

There’s nothing more wonderful than being in the throes of falling in love with someone new. It feels like your senses are constantly heightened. Your stomach aches when they’re not around and you hope they’re thinking about you every moment of the day.

Falling in love is a truly wonderful feeling. However, that feeling of euphoria is temporary. The key is being able to take that exciting beginning and turn it into a loving relationship.

Unfortunately, not everyone who sparks those incredible feelings, in the beginning, winds up being a healthy partner long-term.

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Therapist Jeff Guenther believes that a lot of the behaviors that will take a relationship from the beginning infatuation phase to something lasting are pretty counter-intuitive.

Guenther is the co-founder of TherapyDen, a platform where people can find therapists for a wide variety of counseling needs.

Guenther shared three important things people shouldn’t do when they feel that they’re falling in love on TikTok recently. His thoughts must have really connected with people because the video has been seen over 2.8 million times.

1. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re actually in love

Guenther believes that even though the feelings are there, true love comes after you’ve seen all of the person’s foibles and still care enough to stick around. “Once you see how dumb and annoying they are, and you still think that you’re head over heels in love, then you’re more likely actually in love,” he says.

The therapist has a great point here. How many times do two people appear to be deeply in love only to have things blow up overnight after the first fight?

2. Don’t move fast

Even though you want to see this person every day of your life, Guenther thinks you should dial it back a bit. “See them up to two or three times during the week,” he says. He believes that by taking it easy in the beginning, you put yourself in a better position for things to work out long-term.

“Relationships start out hot and heavy, you have a tendency to crash and burn if you say ‘fuck it’ and spend every day with them,” he says.

3. Don’t make any big decisions

“You think you’re in love, you think they’re the one. And you decide to move in or quit school or follow their band,” he says. “Please don’t make big decisions at the start.”

Guenther makes a great point here as well. At the beginning of a relationship, we are so amped up on hormones and chemicals that we’re bound to make some bad decisions. A new relationship means a lot of new opportunities, but it’s best not to make any drastic decisions until the relationship has matured to the point where both people are level-headed.

The bigger point that Guenther appears to make in his video is that love is more of an action than a feeling. Sure, in the beginning, we can get overwhelmed by the feelings we have for a new love interest. However, everyone that’s been in a relationship that’s lasted over a decade knows that true love is more about paying attention, anticipating people’s needs, enjoying the simple things, and putting the other person first than being overwhelmed by passion.

President Biden has drawn a pretty clear-cut line at the amount of money he believes makes someone rich. In numerous speeches, he’s said that those making $400,000 or more should pay a higher tax rate because “they can afford to pay a little more.”

Biden has proposed a tax increase on high-income earners to help pay for the social spending the country has done to offset economic problems caused by the pandemic.

In a joint interview with Vice President Harris, Biden said, “I will raise taxes for anybody making over $400,000,” and anyone making less than that would face “no new taxes.”

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A breakdown by CNBC found that for the most part, Biden has been honest about his plan, and the only people who make less than $400,000 a year who would see a hike in their taxes are those who had a windfall event that put them over the threshold.

It’s worth noting that Biden’s idea of who is wealthy is a bit different than the man he served under as vice president. When Barack Obama was president he sought to raise taxes on the wealthy who he saw as those making $250,000 or more.

On the surface level, $400,00 does seem like a lot of money in comparison to the average American. Those making $400,000 and above represent the top 1.8% of taxpayers, earning about 25% of the nation’s income.

Some people make the point that $400,000 isn’t that much money for someone who lives in an expensive area such as Manhattan or San Francisco. However, the average household income in Manhattan is $138,000 so you’re doing pretty well if you’re making $400,000 or more.

That is assuming that you’re not wasting your money living extravagantly.

Twitter user Chief Resistance Officer asked his 30,000-plus Twitter followers if making $400,000 a year is considered “rich” and he got some thoughtful responses. The overwhelming opinion seems to be that if you make that much you are probably rich. If you’re making $400,000 or more and living paycheck-to-paycheck, you’re probably being irresponsible with your money.

Yes, $400k is rich.

If you don’t think making $400k a year makes you rich, you’re probably woefully out of touch.

It’s pretty easy to blow $400k a year if you live extravagantly in a big city.

On $400k a year, you’re probably rich, but not wealthy.

Some say that it matters where you live.

It’s all about how you manage your money.

WARNING TRUTH BOMBS AHEAD.

So what did we learn? The original poster says that $400K makes you “rich” but not “wealthy.”

in the end, it’s not what you make, but what you keep. There are a lot of people who can’t make ends meet making six figures and others who can do a lot with very little. It seems that the difference between both people is a sense of gratitude. Those who are grateful for what they have seemed to take better care of their money because they appreciate it. Whereas those who don’t appreciate what they have feel compelled to spend and spend until they think they’ll reach some mythical point of material happiness.

So, in the end, to be grateful is to be rich.

Oh yes, and be sure to tax the wealthy, whoever they may be.

An online scam has popped up on Telegram, a social networking site popular with QAnon conspiracy theorists. Fake social media accounts of celebrities have cropped up on the app and after luring in followers with fake Hollywood secrets, they begin flogging a coin with Donald Trump’s face on it that promises huge returns.

The coin features a picture of the president on one side and says, “Keep America Great” at the top. On the reverse side is the presidential seal.

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A proud Trump Coin owner.via Twitter

The coins go for as little as $8.95 each and a quick scan of the internet shows that they haven’t risen in value just yet.

The coin peddlers have created social media profiles for several celebrities, including Kirstie Alley, Sylvester Stallone, Denzel Washington, Elon Musk and Mel Gibson.

Kirstie Alley had to release a statement saying that she’s not involved in the scam. As did a representative for Sylvester Stallone.

“Mr. Stallone is officially not involved with Telegram,” the spokesperson said. “This is not his account, he does not post on the Telegram site. The account is counterfeit.”

An ad featuring Elon Musk suggests that the coins will skyrocket in value.

Telegram screenshotvia ariehkovler / Twitter

An ad with a Photoshopped Tucker Carlson claims that Trump Coins are going to go up in value once he is reinstated as president. A popular claim amongst the QAnon crowd is that Trump will be reinstated as president in the near future. But that has zero chance of happening.

“Scotus will hear the case to reinstate Donald Trump and the skyrocket of the Trump coin will happen!” the ad claims.

The ad also says that the coins will work as a form of social currency in the future and those that are lucky enough to have the foresight to buy them will be treated ‘differently” because they own the “SYMBOL OF AMERICA.”

Telegram screenshotvia ariehkovler / Twitter

Another account claiming to be from conservative actor James Woods says the Trump Coins will rise exponentially, much like Bitcoin. But that logic falls flat once one considers the fact that Bitcoin is built on blockchain technology and Trump coins are nothing but gold-plated tchotchkes.

Telegram screenshotvia ariehkovler / Twitter

Will Sommer, the host of the “Fever Dreams” podcast, believes it’s all an attempt by an opportunist to take advantage of an audience that doesn’t have the sharpest critical thinking skills.

“I think the lesson of Trump Coin is that when you have a situation like QAnon, these people have already self-identified as extremely gullible. And so a lot of people are then going to come in and sort of try to feed at the trough there,” Sommer said.

So if one of your relatives or friends tells you they’re going to get rich off of Trump Coins after he is reinstated in office, please talk them down from the lege, and explain that he isn’t coming back during Biden’s term and the coins have not gone up a penny.

Tell them to invest in Bitcoin instead, at least that’s gone up in value this week.

Once upon a time, the entire Hollywood industry shut down. On October 5, 1945, thousands of workers walked out of high-powered studios in the name of fairer working conditions. The epic strike took on the name of “Hollywood’s Bloody Friday.” For six months, all productions were severely delayed. That meant: nothing new on television. No movies to go to. No escape from the humdrum of real life. And in those times, no one even had the saving grace of YouTube or TikTok.

Cut to: October, 2021, and we are faced with the same situation. Which is bad news for those looking to binge new shows during their WFH job.

Entertainment has become a saving grace, if not an absolute necessity, during the pandemic. Many of us survived the shutdowns thanks to entertainment. Whether swooning over “Bridgerton” or gaping in awe at “Tiger King,” television has provided us a much-needed escape from reality. However, thanks to disputes over unlivable wages and inhumane working conditions, your favorite show might be stuck on a cliffhanger for a while.

Why is this happening?

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Starlets and action heroes in front of the camera often gain the glory of the public, yet behind the scenes, there are crew members—those who run sound, lighting, hair, makeup and camera departments—who normally contribute longer hours and more manpower to keep the wheels of the production running.

These crew members make up a union known as IATSE (the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists, and Allied Crafts). And this past Monday, IATSE once again voted “yes” on a strike approval after broken negotiations with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers). Yes, it’s the age-old story of the working man versus the money man. IATSE members are fighting for increased income, more rest periods and increased residual payments for streaming projects. If their demands are not met, IATSE has approved a unionwide walkout. Meaning history could very well repeat itself.

Below are a few sample horror stories taken from @iatsestories on Instagram, which depict a regular—yes, regular—day on set:

At best, film and TV crew members are unsung heroes; at worst, they are literally putting their lives in danger due to incredibly taxing working environments. A typical day for crew members is 12 hours. That can go up to 15 or 16 hours a day, without weekends, and sometimes without actual lunch breaks. That’s the equivalent schedule demands of many frontline workers. Only instead of saving lives, members of IATSE risk injury and even work related death. It hardly seems humane to force workers to sacrifice their physical, emotional and mental health in the name of entertainment. Let’s face it: A lot of the time we’re only half paying attention to the screen as we’re folding laundry.

For all the risk, the wages are often less than minimum wage. And though projects from major streaming platforms such as Netflix, AppleTV and Disney+ earn income that rivals—or even exceeds—those of traditionally released blockbusters, the payment terms remain the same as they did 10 years ago.These multimillion dollar companies have the same residual payment responsibilities as a fledgling start-up.

What happens next?

Negotiations are reforming between IATSE and AMPTP, thanks to IATSE’s historic strike authorization. Now that things are back on the bargaining table, perhaps a better, more fair contract can be ironed out between the two unions. Things do seem optimistic. Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit victory against Disney over “Black Widow” streaming profits shows an artist leveraging power away from a gigantic media conglomerate. Hopefully those without celebrity status, yet who contribute equally (if not more so) to the movie and television shows we love, will get the same fair treatment.

Scarlett Johansson wins lawsuit against Disney.
www.hollywoodreporter.com

If not, it might be reruns of “The Great British Bake Off” for all of us.

This article originally appeared on 9.22.14

One Human Family, Food for All

www.youtube.com

As the NBA gets set for the 2021-22 season to begin, there has been plenty of conversation about vaccine skepticism among a small but vocal percentage of players, most notably Kyrie Irving who is the most significant holdout in a market where he can’t play home games without getting the shot.

The Nets announced on Tuesday that Irving wouldn’t play for them at all until either he got vaccinated or the mandate in New York was lifted, but Irving is one of the exceptions to the rule as most of the league has gotten vaccinated. Over 95 percent of players come into this season having gotten the vaccine, as the last push before camp drew in chunk more of previous holdouts, and for the most part, they will experience the season much as they did pre-pandemic.

Those who haven’t gotten vaccinated, however, will return to the rigid protocols of last year, with added separation from teammates and coaches who can go to dinners and out on the town on the road. Some have bristled at that, but the league’s lone player-turned-majority owner, Michael Jordan, is all-in on the NBA’s protocols, as he noted in an interview with TODAY.

It’s far from a surprise that Jordan, now part of the Board of Governors, would say this, but it is notable considering that a number of the NBA’s most prominent active voices have been less than enthusiastic about endorsing the importance of the vaccine. Jordan makes no bones about his support of the league’s policies and his Hornets squad is among those that are all fully vaccinated, which seems less than coincidental given his stature and influence.

It also led many to imagine what the infamously competitive Jordan would’ve done if he had a teammate holding out and potentially missing games on a championship squad because they refused to get a vaccine, with the general consensus being Jordan giving them the shot himself if necessary.

Monday night marked a milestone for Late Night, as Seth Meyers welcomed back a live audience for the first time in 19 months. And while he was appreciative of having real, live engaged humans to interact with once again, he was even more thankful when he saw what the alternative could have been like.

As Meyers explained:

“The man just refuses to go away. On Saturday [Trump] went to Iowa to hold yet another rally, where he repeated the same deranged lies about the election that he’s been repeating for months. And yet, even his own crowd wasn’t exactly electrified by hearing the same old incoherent nonsense over and over again.”

Remember this?

Those are the faces of people hearing, yet again, about how Trump was up in the polls on Election Day (as pretty much everyone had predicted would be the case), then the polls closed and people started, you know, actually counting the votes… and his lead disappeared. The man whose wife immigrated to America also took a moment to describe immigration as “a sick thing happening to our country.”

The response to Trump’s tired-ass comments? Pretty much silence. Which made Meyers feel a bit better: “Wow—and I was worried about bringing audiences back!”

You can watch the full clip, which begins just before the 6:00 mark, above.

Cardi B and Offset are known for trying to one-up each other with expensive gifts. Last year, even though Cardi had filed for divorce, Offset gifted her a pricey Rolls Royce for her birthday. But this year, since the two have since rekindled their marriage, Offset showed his love by giving her an even bigger gift: an entire house.

Cardi celebrated another year around the sun with a major birthday bash. The theme was dancehall, according to one of her tweets, and the rapper told her guests to bring their best Caribbean dancehall looks. Per a report from TMZ, those in attendance included Chance The Rapper, 2 Chainz, Lizzo, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish, and Teyana Taylor.

Halfway through the celebration, Offset got on the microphone to unveil his gift. Armed with an entire video presentation, Offset revealed he bought Cardi an entire house in the Dominican Republic, her family’s homeland, complete with stunning architecture and a rooftop pool.

Along with the eye-catching birthday gift from Offset, many other celebrities wished Cardi a happy birthday to ring in her 29th year. Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, her recent collaborator Normani, and even Beyonce shared some sweet birthday wishes with the rapper. Even Halle Barry tweeted at Cardi, calling her a “sweet soul,” much to the rapper’s surprise. “Thank you soooo much… Like imagine Halle Berry wishing you a happy birthday? Like omgg,” she responded.

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

For a long time, it seemed as though Nicki Minaj was one of the very few successful female rappers in the US, charting well and holding her own against the guys at the expense of a talented crop of women who seemed to never pan out past their initial hit singles. Now, though, a plethora of rapping women have stormed the charts, upending the rap status quo and changing the complexion of hip-hop arguably for the better.

However, in a recent Instagram Live chat with her “Boyz” collaborator Jesy Nelson, Nicki expressed some disapproval of the modern wave of female talent in hip-hop, saying that this generation of rappers can’t take criticism. “The new females, it’s almost like they don’t want to be critiqued ever,” she complained. “It’s like everyone is just supposed to praise you 24/7. Why would you even want that? Let me tell you what happens when that happens. What happens is when you put out an album, the sales won’t translate because people have been lying to you, and they haven’t told you they don’t like a song… Then when you put an album out and you thinking everybody love you. I’ve seen it recently happen. You know they put an album out, and it doesn’t sell what they want it to sell. Well, that’s because a lot of people are lying to you for whatever reason. You should want people to be honest with you.”

When one Nicki fan excerpted that clip to Twitter, though, some fans were quick to call Nicki out, cleverly wondering whether “the call is coming from inside the house,” as the saying goes. Certainly, Nicki’s statement appears to — perhaps inadvertently — describe the disappointing rollout for Nicki’s 2018 album Queen. When that album stalled at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, the rapper conducted a vendetta of lashing out at media outlets and streaming platform companies for what she considered an “agenda” against her. The responses ranged from awed disbelief at what some fans saw as a stunning lack of self-awareness to wondering whether Nicki purposely pointed the spotlight at herself while playing the “my friend has a question” card.

Nicki’s most loyal fans, meanwhile, took to speculating about which artists she could be talking about, positing Drake, Lil Nas X, and Megan Thee Stallion as possible answers — because the Barbz are nothing if not delusional. For the record, Drake held the No. 1 spot for three weeks while Lil Nas X has had multiple No. 1 hit records and debuted at No. 2 on the albums chart with his debut album — also, neither are women, so chalk up homophobia to the list of offenses from that fan base. Likewise, Good News, Megan Thee Stallion’s debut album, also debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, moving over 100,000 album-equivalent units in its first week and going platinum earlier this year.

Hopefully, whichever artist Nicki was referring to has learned a lesson and expelled the yes men from their inner circle. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the live stream, Nicki wondered whether she was being algorithmically muted on social media after her vaccine misinformation fiasco. You can watch the whole stream below.