Month: October 2021

In what could be considered a chicken-and-egg medical breakthrough, a new study suggests that a commonly prescribed antidepressant could reduce the risk of getting a severe case of COVID-19 by nearly one-third.

According to CNN, a study conducted with approximately 1,500 individuals seemed to show that fluvoxamine, a generic antidepressant that is sold under the brand name Luvox, could help in reducing the severity of COVID in patients who are taking the drug. While the medication is generally used to treat clinical depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, it turns out that it may also help with inflammation—enough that it can reliably reduce the severity of COVID-19.

Dr. Angela Reiersen, an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis and one of the authors of the study, which was published in The Lancet Global Health on Wednesday, says: “Fluvoxamine may reduce the production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines, that can be triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

As CNN reports:

“Reierson and colleagues gave 741 volunteers with Covid-19 100 mg of fluvoxamine twice a day for 10 days while 756 volunteers got a placebo. Among the patients who got fluvoxamine, 79— or about 11 percent—needed treatment in an ER or hospital room compared to nearly 16 percent of those given placebos. It was a 5 percent decrease in absolute risk and a 32 percent decrease in relative risk.”

While more studies are needed before any firm conclusions can be reached about the effectiveness of Luvox in lessening the effects of COVID, the good news is that it could be a cost-effective measure in reducing the likeliness of an individual with COVID needing to be hospitalized because of the virus. “A 10-day course of fluvoxamine costs approximately $4 even in well-resourced settings,” according to the paper. And while it’s not a cure for COVID-19, the researchers say that the drug’s “safety, tolerability, ease of use, low cost, and widespread availability… might influence national and international guidelines on the clinical management of COVID-19.”

(Via CNN)

Of the many dumb things that Donald Trump has ever said—and there have been lots and lots of them—bragging about being “smart” for not paying his taxes is right up there with crowing about how he likes grab women “by the p*ssy” in most despicable quotes. Yet here were are, more than five years and one full presidential term later, and the former president is still desperate to prevent his tax returns from ever seeing the light of day.

As NBC News reports, Trump’s lawyers were pleading with a federal judge on Tuesday to prevent their client’s tax returns from being handed over to the House Ways and Means Committee via either the Treasury Department and/or the IRS. While committee chairman Richard Neal has requested the returns as part of an ongoing examination into how the President of the United States’ taxes are audited by the IRS, lawyers for Trump are calling bullsh*t and saying that the real goal is to find something embarrassing about their client. Which seems like an argument that only the lawyer for someone with something really embarrassing hiding in their tax returns might make.

According to NBC News, lawyers for Trump issued a statement claiming:

“No one believes that Chairman Neal requested President Trump’s tax returns so he can study legislation about IRS audits. No one. Chairman Neal admits that this justification was a mere litigation strategy. His fellow Committee-Members don’t buy it either.

Anyone who’s paid even minimal attention to American politics understands what’s happening here: President Trump did not voluntarily disclose his tax returns during the campaign, his political opponents assume the information would damage him, and so his opponents want to force the disclosure.”

Back in July, according to The Hill, the Department of Justice weighed in on the matter and ruled that the Treasury Department must hand over Trump’s taxes, as requested. “The statute at issue here is unambiguous: ‘Upon written request’ of the chairman of one of the three congressional tax committees, the Secretary ‘shall furnish’ the requested tax information to the Committee,” Dawn Johnsen, a Biden-appointed acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, said at the time. Still, Team Trump isn’t budging—and they’re invoking that whole executive privilege-type argument yet again in saying that “The committee’s request is effectively a request to a sitting president: it was issued while President Trump was in office, was continuously pursued, and has always been tied to his status as president.”

Whether that argument holds any water is yet to be determined, but a hearing has been scheduled for November 16th in order to attempt to sort it out.

(Via NBC News)

The 2021 American Music Awards aren’t that far away, as the AMAs are set to go down on November 21 on ABC. The nominees weren’t known before today, but the full list was revealed this morning.

Artist Of The Year is a crowded field, as it features Ariana Grande, BTS, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd. Rodrigo is also up for New Artist Of The Year, alongside The Kid Laroi, 24kGoldn, Giveon, and Masked Wolf. There’s also a lot going on in the Favorite Male Pop Artist field, as nominated there are Drake, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, and The Weeknd. Meanwhile, up for Favorite Female Pop Artist are Grande, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Rodrigo, and Swift.

As for rap, up for Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist are Drake, Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, Polo G, and Pop Smoke, while nominated in the female category are Cardi B, Coi Leray, Erica Banks, Megan Thee Stallion, and Saweetie. On a related note, Ye (formerly Kanye West) is up for Favorite Gospel Artist, competing against Kirk Franklin, Koryn Hawthorne, Maverick City Music, and Tasha Cobbs Leonard.

Voting for this year’s awards is set to open at 9:30 a.m. ET, and fans can vote today through November 16 by searching for “AMAs” on TikTok.

Check out the full list of nominees below.

Artist Of The Year
Taylor Swift
Ariana Grande
BTS
Drake
Olivia Rodrigo
The Weeknd

Favorite Trending Song
Erica Banks — “Buss It”
Måneskin — “Beggin”
Megan Thee Stallion — “Body”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Popp Hunna — “Adderall (Corvette Corvette)”

New Artist Of The Year
24kGoldn
Giveon
Masked Wolf
Olivia Rodrigo
The Kid Laroi

Collaboration Of The Year
24kGoldn Feat. Iann Dior — “Mood”
Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez — “Dákiti”
Chris Brown and Young Thug — “Go Crazy”
Doja Cat Feat. SZA — “Kiss Me More”
Justin Bieber Feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon — “Peaches”

Favorite Music Video
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) — “Leave The Door Open”
Cardi B — “Up”
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
The Weeknd — “Save Your Tears”

Favorite Male Pop Artist
Drake
Ed Sheeran
Justin Bieber
Lil Nas X
The Weeknd

Favorite Female Pop Artist
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Dua Lipa
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift

Favorite Pop Duo or Group
AJR
BTS
Glass Animals
Maroon 5
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak)

Favorite Pop Album
Ariana Grande — Positions
Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia
Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
Taylor Swift — Evermore
The Kid Laroi — F*ck Love

Favorite Pop Song
BTS — “Butter”
Doja Cat Feat. SZA — “Kiss Me More”
Dua Lipa — “Levitating”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
The Weeknd and Ariana Grande — “Save Your Tears (Remix)”

Favorite Male Country Artist
Chris Stapleton
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen

Favorite Female Country Artist
Carrie Underwood
Gabby Barrett
Kacey Musgraves
Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert

Favorite Country Duo or Group
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Lady A
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band

Favorite Country Album
Chris Stapleton — Starting Over
Gabby Barrett — Goldmine
Lee Brice — Hey World
Luke Bryan — Born Here Live Here Die Here
Morgan Wallen — Dangerous: The Double Album

Favorite Country Song
Chris Stapleton — “Starting Over”
Chris Young and Kane Brown — “Famous Friends”
Gabby Barrett — “The Good Ones”
Luke Combs — “Forever After All”
Walker Hayes — “Fancy Like”

Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist
Drake
Lil Baby
Moneybagg Yo
Polo G
Pop Smoke

Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Cardi B
Coi Leray
Erica Banks
Megan Thee Stallion
Saweetie

Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Drake — Certified Lover Boy
Juice WRLD — Legends Never Die
Megan Thee Stallion — Good News
Pop Smoke — Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
Rod Wave — SoulFly

Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Cardi B — “Up”
Internet Money Feat. Gunna, Don Toliver, and Nav — “Lemonade”
Lil Tjay Feat. 6lack — “Calling My Phone”
Polo G — “Rapstar”
Pop Smoke — “What You Know Bout Love”

Favorite Male R&B Artist
Chris Brown
Giveon
Tank
The Weeknd
Usher

Favorite Female R&B Artist
Doja Cat
HER
Jazmine Sullivan
Jhené Aiko
SZA

Favorite R&B Album
Doja Cat — Planet Her
Giveon — When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time
HER — Back Of My Mind
Jazmine Sullivan — Heaux Tales
Queen Naija — Missunderstood

Favorite R&B Song
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) — “Leave The Door Open”
Chris Brown and Young Thug — “Go Crazy”
Giveon — “Heartbreak Anniversary”
HER — “Damage”
Jazmine Sullivan — “Pick Up Your Feelings”

Favorite Male Latin Artist
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Maluma
Ozuna
Rauw Alejandro

Favorite Female Latin Artist
Becky G
Kali Uchis
Karol G
Natti Natasha
Rosalía

Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga
Calibre 50
Eslabon Armado
La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De Rene Camacho
Los Dos Carnales

Favorite Latin Album
Bad Bunny — El Último Tour Del Mundo
Kali Uchis — Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)
Karol G — KG0516
Maluma — Papi Juancho
Rauw Alejandro — Afrodisíaco

Favorite Latin Song
Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez — “Dákiti”
Bad Bunny and Rosalía — “La Noche De Anoche”
Farruko — “Pepas”
Kali Uchis — “Telepatía”
Maluma and The Weeknd — “Hawái (Remix)”

Favorite Rock Artist
AJR
All Time Low
Foo Fighters
Glass Animals
Machine Gun Kelly

Favorite Inspirational Artist
Cain
Carrie Underwood
Elevation Worship
Lauren Daigle
Zach Williams

Favorite Gospel Artist
Kanye West
Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Maverick City Music
Tasha Cobbs Leonard

Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
David Guetta
Illenium
Marshmello
Regard
Tiësto

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

Because one hour per night of Tucker Carlson spewing lies, hate, and batsh*t conspiracy theories just wasn’t enough, Fox News has gone ahead and given the former bow tie addict a platform to air a three-part documentary series. On Wednesday night, the host shared a trailer for Patriot Purge, a Tucker Carlson Joint, which alleges to tell the “true story” behind the events of January 6th. Carlson’s version of the truth? That there’s a new “war on terror”—called “The War on Terror 2.0” in the trailer—and that it’s happening right here at home.

“The helicopters have left Afghanistan, and now they’ve landed here at home,” Carlson intones over footage of protestors at the Capitol and stock footage of scary men, presumably liberal Democrats, busting down doors with battering rams, assault rifles in hand, and waterboarding what I guess we’re supposed to assume are totally innocent everyday patriots who think like Carlson does and cite his unchecked rhetoric as fact?

“The left is hunting the right,” says one interview subject. “Sticking them in Guantanamo Bay, for American citizens, leaving them there to rot.”

Um, ok…

“False flags have happened in this country,” says another talking head as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” plays solemnly in the background, then adds the mic drop moment: “One of which may have been January 6th.”

Yeah, it’s gonna be like that.

Carlson called the series, which was produced under the “Tucker Carlson Originals” banner, “the best thing we’ve ever done.” Not exactly a high bar, but we digress. Patriot Purge premieres on November 1st. You can watch the inane trailer above.

Eternals is the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be directed by a Best Director winner in Chloé Zhao, whose Nomadland also took home Best Picture. But despite her immense talent and a stacked cast, including Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Kit Harington, and Salma Hayek, the superhero film has set an unwanted record:

Eternals is the lowest-rated MCU movie on Rotten Tomatoes.

Eternals has a 63 percent Fresh rating, which is three percent lower than the previous bottom-feeder, Thor: The Dark World (66 percent). Other less-loved Marvel movies include The Incredible Hulk (67 percent), Iron Man 2 (72 percent), and Avengers: Age of Ultron (76 percent). Meanwhile, the top five goes Black Panther (96 percent) at number one, followed by Avengers: Endgame (94 percent), Iron Man (94 percent), Thor: Ragnarok (93 percent), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (92 percent).

Eternals isn’t an outright critical disaster, the way 2016’s maddening Suicide Squad was for DC, and even the harshest reviews have nice things to say about Zhao making the film “as pictorially beautiful as any movie in the franchise.” (It’s still expected to make bank at the box office.) But as our own Vince Mancini wrote, “It feels like they aren’t really trying to get us, the audience, to engage with any of these characters on a serious emotional level. They’re simply trying to build a massive playground in which these pieces of IP can continue to interact with one another accumulating maximum value.”

Eternals opens on November 5.

It’s starting to seem like there’s nothing Michelle Zauner can’t do. The Japanese Breakfast leader and Crying In H Mart author released her brand new album Jubilee earlier this year, along with the aforementioned memoir. Currently on tour behind the record, all that hasn’t stopped her from getting back in the studio already to put together some live recordings and a special cover for fans. Accompanied by the the Quartet 121 string section for her contribution to Spotify’s Live At Electric Lady series, Zauner recorded new live versions of “Be Sweet,” “Savage Good Boy,” “Tactics,” and “Kokomo, IN.”

It might be the cover of Weezer’s classic Blue Album sleeper hit “Say It Ain’t So” that stands out the most here, though. The Japanese Breakfast version of the iconic indie tune is very different from the original, as Zauner takes creative license with a breathy vocal, and the tension of all the stringed accompaniments in the orchestra section build a whole new layer into the song.

“I played a very sloppy basement cover of ‘Say It Ain’t So’ once with my band in college, so it was fun to revisit it from the opposite angle, stripped down with a string quartet,” Zauner said of the track. “Craig Hendrix did the arrangement and Quartet 121 performed the hell out of it.”

Check out the entire EP above or here to hear Michelle doing her best Rivers Cuomo. If you like what you hear, make sure to check out Faye Webster’s live EP for the series as well.

There are few things in soccer that look cooler than a bicycle kick goal, and on Wednesday night, Dairon Asprilla of the Portland Timbers delivered an all-timer on a goalie mistake.

The Timbers tried to hit the San Jose Earthquake on a quick counterattack, but had it seemingly snuffed out by San Jose goalie JT Marcinkowski on a through ball into the box meant for Asprilla. However, when Marcinkowski fumbled the ball, Asprilla was there and created a moment of magic that will almost certainly serve as the goal of the year in MLS.

To hit a bicycle from that far out and at that angle and get the right amount of pace and accuracy on it to score as the Earthquake defenders all try desperately to chase back and save it is truly outrageous. He hits that from 20-plus yards out and manages to have the perfect touch and placement to bury it in the back of the net for Portland’s second goal of the night. That gave Portland some helpful cushion in what ended as a 2-0 win, an important result to keep them four points clear of Real Salt Lake in the final playoff spot in the West.

It is a goal that will be replayed again and again, rightfully so, and is simply a moment of brilliance from Asprilla.

There are few players in the NBA off to a better start to the 2021-22 season than Harrison Barnes, as the veteran wing has come out firing to start his 10th season in the league. Through four games, Barnes is averaging 26.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for the 2-2 Sacramento Kings, posting an outrageous 51.4/51.5/78.3 shooting split.

At some point, Barnes will cool off at least a touch, but for now he is engulfed in flames and is seventh in the league in scoring per game, tied with last year’s MVP Nikola Jokic. Wednesday night was not the night for Barnes’ hot streak to end, as the Phoenix Suns learned the hard way when he had 22 points, nine rebounds, and four assists to help keep the Kings in lock step with the reigning Western Conference champs.

Tied at 107-107 with under two seconds to play, the Kings had a sideline out for the final possession of regulation and ran an action to get Barnes and Buddy Hield working off of each other to let De’Aaron Fox pick the best option. He chose Barnes as he came towards the ball rather than Hield working towards the middle of the floor, and that proved to be the correct choice.

It was great defense from Devin Booker, but there was just nothing more he could do once Barnes rose and fired, knocking down the winner on the road. For the Kings as a whole, it’s a big win as they continue trying to learn how to finish these types of games off — the next step for them in becoming a real playoff contender. We’ll see how long Barnes can keep up this kind of offensive level, but until he shows signs of slowing down, Sacramento will keep feeding him and seeing how far he can take them.

At the end of 2020, rapper Casanova was one of 18 members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation group that were arrested after the FBI sought their detainment for charges that included racketeering, murder, and more. It’s all a result of their alleged involvement in firearm possession, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and unemployment fraud. Nearly a year after he was arrested, Casanova, who was called the “full-fledged, committed leader of the gang,” remains behind bars at a Westchester County Jail in New York. On Wednesday, his manager sent out a plea for help on Casanova’s behalf through his Instagram page to prove his innocence.

“This is a public service announcement to all my fans and very important friends,” Casanova wrote. “I’ve been incarcerated for almost one year now, exhausted all remedies and spent a significant amount of money on legal fees to prove my innocence.” He added, “The charges against me are false, they don’t represent or reflect the person that I am. They are simply using my past criminal history to crucify me in court.” He continued his message, writing:

I’m calling on all the great people with meaningful and powerful voices to help me with this matter. If there’s anything you can do to help whether if it’s contacting my legal attorney to see that I played NO role in this case or having a private investigator look into actual role and not the alleged accusations against me. Any help provided will be a blessing, because I feel defeated one’s past shouldn’t be the reason why you can’t be afforded a successful future.

The message concluded with the phone and fax information for Casanova’s lawyer.

Dave Chappelle, who once quit his highly profitable Comedy Central show because he was uncomfortable with the people enjoying it for the wrong reasons, has made a lot of strange allies of late. The comic’s recent special, The Closer — much like a number of his other recent specials — devotes a largish chunk to him making trans jokes. While that’s enraged many, including trans employees at Netflix, which paid for and streams The Closer, it’s delighted those on the far right. And that includes trans person and failed California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner.

As caught by Deadline, Jenner took to Twitter with a clip from a recent live show in which Chappelle addressed the backlash against his latest round of anti-trans jokes. He said that he’s willing to meet with Netflix’s trans employees but only on his terms. He also told people not to blame the LGBTQ community for his woes. The problem, he said, was “corporate interests and what I can say and what I cannot say.”

Jenner had his back — sort of. “Dave Chappelle is 100% right,” she wrote. “This isn’t about the LGBTQ movement. It’s about woke cancel culture run amok, trying to silence free speech. We must never yield or bow to those who wish to stop us from speaking our minds.”

But Chappelle never used the words “cancel culture.” Again, he used the word “corporate interests,” which is too vague to fit Jenner’s specific characterization.

Since transitioning, Jenner has refused to take the progressive side. Instead, she’s sided more often than not with those who are against trans people like her.

(Via Deadline)