Month: November 2021

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert was awfully proud of her post-Halloween costume, a “Let’s Go Brandon” dress that, like much of the far right, won’t let a lame meme die. All of it began over a month ago when NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast (while interviewing NASCAR driver Brandon Brown at Talladega) mistook a crowd chanting “f*ck Joe Biden” for “Let’s Go Brandon.” Since then, conservative Twitter (and a certain segment of the music world) won’t let it go, but NASCAR officially wants to distance itself from all of that nonsense.

This might be surprising news, given that much of the sport’s audience skews to the right, but here’s how NASCAR president Steve Phelps addressed the subject in his State of the Sport address. He repeatedly called the slogan “unfortunate” (via the Miami Herald), and he elaborated via Deadline:

“I feel for Brandon. I think, unfortunately, it speaks to the state of where we are as a country. We do not want to associate ourselves with politics, the left or the right. We obviously have and we’ve always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president, no matter who is sitting.”

Not only did Phelps denounce the slogan, but he made clear that anyone who tries to use NASCAR trademarks on “Let’s Go Brandon” merch will have some legal action coming their way. “We will pursue whoever (is using logos) and get that stuff,” Phelps declared while putting his foot down. “That’s not OK. It’s not OK that you’re using our trademarks illegally, regardless of whether we agree with what the position is.”

Well, some NASCAR drivers either haven’t received the message (surely they have), or (more likely) they don’t care. Following Phelps’ address, Matt DiBenedetto let the slogan fly on Sunday while hopping into his car.

(Via Deadline & Miami Herald)

Dexter: New Blood returned on Sunday night, and in the process, we got to know a whole “new” Dexter Morgan, and we briefly grew reacquainted with the old Dexter, too. These days, he’s living as Jim Lindsay in frigid Iron Lake, NY, where line-dancing to Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” is a good way to spend a night. The revival has turned out to be, at least in the four episodes that I’ve seen so far, a bloody good time, even if it is pretty strange to see Dexter, you know, enjoying sex and romance. Well, he’s at least attempting to enjoy these things, and maybe he really does like sex (with non-fellow-serial killers) these days? Or perhaps he’s mostly keeping a foot in the door of law enforcement while dating a cop who likes to get busy in the back seat.

Yet I’m already veering from my primary objective here, which is to discuss how Dexter’s dealing with the ghosts of his past. And although his son, Harrison, does make a return in the season premiere after tracking down dad, I want to talk about that literal ghost in Dexter’s cabin home: Debra. Showtime didn’t make a secret of Jennifer Carpenter’s return to the show, although the details of how she’d return were kept under wraps. We didn’t have to wait long at all because New Blood whipped out the Deb right away in the premiere episode, “Cold Snap.” In Dexter’s mind, she looks pretty good, about eight years after being eaten up by fish at the bottom of the ocean.

Actually, this episode carried a lot of promise in the “do not delay the inevitable” department. By episode’s end, we received confirmation that Dexter killed again. “Tonight’s the night,” he declared (which is a nod back to that same inevitable phrase from the O.G. show). Jim Lindsay’s already no more, at least in spirit (even though Dexter will have to keep up appearances for everyone but Harrison), thanks to Matt Caldwell being enough of an irredeemable ass (by killing that innocent deer) to trigger Dexter’s code. Throughout, Debra was there with commentary for her struggling brother. The “reunion” at the beginning (and I mean the reunion between Debra and the audience) was a sweet one. She’s taken the place of Harry, and she’s giving Dexter emotional support and encouraging him to keep clean. She gently gives him hell, even, and pointedly, the camera shows that she’s not really there after a brief gesture of physical closeness at Dexter’s dining table, and I do find that amusing for the following reasons:

– Do we need to be explicitly shown that Debra’s not really alive? Probably, yes. Because otherwise, there’d be at least a few people (serious or not) who are far-too-online and would go nutso with speculation that she somehow, you know, survived being taken off life support and dumped into the ocean as a hurricane approached. Seriously, you know that someone would imagine some “clue” and roll with it. By showing that Deb’s only there in Dexter’s mind, we don’t need to be distracted by total silliness.

– Did Debra need to be a “domesticated” ghost, so to speak? Hmmm, maybe. Does that skeeve you out a little bit, to see her hanging out in a house robe? Don’t be afraid to admit it. These are adoptive siblings, but the Season 6 “incest” arc was still wildly gross, with Debra deciding that she was in love with Dexter, and the way that the writers handled the situation felt almost random. And to see Debra in this revival, hanging out in bed with Dexter, telling him, “You’re a changed man, almost 10 years without a kill, and I love you for it,” well, it’s a little bit evocative. Still, this happened after Dexter’s nightmare that Deb rose from ice water while he fished, so I can see why he conjured up some imaginary comfort from her. He should feel like sh*t about dumping her into the ocean.

– Should Debra have turned into a party pooper at the end of the episode, when Dexter killed again? Hell yes. Not everyone was a fan of Debra during the O.G. show, but I enjoyed it when she got punchy, so this is faithful to her character. I wish she would have lectured him over the dumb hurricane sh*t in the finale, too. Maybe that would have been too meta, and the whole “pulled into the icy grips of death” nightmare was enough to get the point across. And she did her best to intervene with Dexter reconnecting with Harrison (“You can’t. Everyone close to you dies. That’s why we’re here”) while the kid was standing in Dexter’s damn home. Through Deb, at least, Doakes got a shoutout, but I do question one aspect of what the writers did with Debra…

– There’s no way that Debra, in her alive state, would have told Dexter that Harrison would be safer with Hannah, given the whole Xanax ordeal and how Debra always wanted Dexter to be as far away from Hannah as possible. So there’s an inconsistency in character there, but we’re also seeing the manifested version of Debra here, not the real one, so I guess this is a Dexter POV thing. He knew all that Hannah was capable of doing, and he still believed that Harrison was better off with Hannah than with Dexter in his life while growing up. From here though, we know that Dexter’s going to try and be a real father to Harrison and care for him and try to guide him away from his own Dark Passenger, should it emerge. Godspeed, Harrison, and welcome back, Debra.

Showtime’s ‘Dexter: New Blood’ airs on Sundays.

What was supposed to be a joyous event turned into a tragedy over the weekend as eight people died during a crowd surge at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival on Friday, November 5. Now, Scott is facing multiple lawsuits over the event and Drake is a defendant in one of them.

As previously reported, Astroworld attendee Manuel Souza is suing Scott, Live Nation, and organizer ScoreMore. The lawsuit claims the incident was the result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.” It also calls the situation a “predictable and preventable tragedy.”

Souza’s attorney, Steve Kherkher of Kherkher Garcia LLP, wrote, “Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner. Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.”

Furthermore, NME reports that another suit was filed by Texas-based attorney Thomas J. Henry, on behalf of an unnamed Astroworld attendee. Listed as co-defendants are Scott, Drake, Live Nation, and NRG Stadium, and a press release from Henry’s law firm alleges the surge happened when Drake made a surprise appearance on stage.

“There is no excuse for the events that unfolded at NRG stadium on Friday night,” Henry said in a statement. “There is every indication that the performers, organizers, and venue were not only aware of the hectic crowd but also that injuries and potential deaths may have occurred. Still, they decided to put profits over their attendees and allowed the deadly show to go on.”

Beyond that, there’s yet another lawsuit, filed by civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump on behalf of Astroworld attendee Noah Gutierrez, who claims to have offered assistance to crowd members in need in the VIP section.

Crump wrote in a statement, “We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced — the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them. We will be pursuing justice for all our clients who were harmed in this tragic and preventable event.”

The statement also notes that Crump expects to file more lawsuits on behalf of other victims in the coming days, so it appears Scott’s plate is full when it comes to legal trouble.

If Joe Rogan becomes the president of Texas, blame Ted Cruz. The Big Bird-hating senator recently spoke at Texas A&M University, where he was asked about, among other topics, Texas seceding from the union, or “Texit.” (It can’t happen legally, but that hasn’t stopped anyone before.) “I understand the sentiment behind the question, [but] I’m not there yet,” Cruz answered. “I think Texas has a responsibility to the country, and I’m not ready to give up on America.” He added, “I love the country” with the conviction of someone who definitely didn’t flee this country during a deadly winter storm.

Cruz went on to list some of Texas’ greatest attributes — “we’re brash, we’re not shy, we’re sometimes larger than life” — and claimed that the state is single handedly “keeping America from going off a cliff and keeping America grounded on the values that built this country.” That being said, if the Democrats “fundamentally destroy the country,” then Cruz is ready to “take NASA, we take the military, we take the oil.” When questioned if he would take Austin resident Joe Rogan with him, Cruz (who welcomed the podcast host in 2020) replied, “Joe Rogan, he might be the president of Texas!”

President Rogan is a darkest timeline reality, but good for Ted for becoming self-aware: he knows no one wants him as president, even in his own state. You can watch Cruz’s interview here (the secession stuff starts around the 1:18:45 mark).

Nearly twelve years have passed since Avatar blue itself (hi Tobias) at the box office. We’ve only had a few updates of interest since that time. Five years later, James Cameron promised the following of his forthcoming “bitchin’” sequels: “You will sh*t yourself with your mouth wide open.” Then came the revelation that one of the sequels’ titles, apparently, is The Seed Bearer. Back to the first point, though, which isn’t something that John Oliver is buying anymore, if he ever did at all (surely, he did not).

The moment in question arrived after the Last Week Tonight host took humanity to task for a 2009 Climate Change Global Conference promise that richer nations would help poorer nations on the climate change issue within a decade. That, of course, has not happened, so Oliver had to whip out a ready comparison for what is, and what is not, an acceptable context for delay:

“There are things it’s ok to take a decade on and not deliver on: the Avatar sequels, for instance. Take your time on those, James Cameron. No one gives a sh*t…. “I will give anyone in this audience one thousand dollars right now if they remember either of these characters’ names.”

Yup, you had to google that last part, right? That leads to remembrance that Zoe Saldana played Neytiri and Sam Worthington played Jake Skully, a part that pretty much guaranteed that few people recognize him on the street because he ain’t blue. The more serious part of this conversation, though, involved Oliver’s insistence that we all have to “wake world leaders up, figuratively and, sadly in one case, literally.” At that point, Oliver dropped in with this screencap of President Biden from the 2021 Climate Change Global Conference. Yeah, that’s not a good look!

It was just this past summer that Nick Cannon cause the attention of social media and the entertainment world for the number of children he was seemingly having in a rather short amount of time. In June, model Alyssa Scott, the mother of Nick’s seventh child, revealed the birth of their baby boy Zen. Elsewhere, Cannon also had twin boys, Zion and Zillion, with Abby De La Rosa earlier this year, as that announcement came less than a week before Scott’s own. Furthermore, Cannon and Brittany Bell’s daughter Powerful Queen was born last December. In September, Cannon alluded to going celibate thanks to a conversation with his therapist, but he may break that rule for one individual.

Saweetie expressed her desire to have children in a tweet, writing, “I want some babies.” Cannon caught wind of her message and responded with a group of emojis that included a hand-raising one, a thinking face, and a laughing emoji. It all seems to be a joke from Cannon as it produced some laughs on the timeline. Saweetie has yet to reply to Cannon’s tweet.

The interaction comes after Anitta and Sweetie joined forces to perform “Faking Love” on The Late Late Show With James Corden.

Check out a screenshot above.

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

An investigation into the tragedy that occurred at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival is underway as there are questions many want answers to. One of those includes whether or not Travis was aware of the lifeless bodies and overall chaos that occurred in the crowd during the showcase. Thanks to videos that were posted on social media, many believe that he failed to react despite seeing what was happening in the audience. However, according to a new report from the Houston Chronicle, Live Nation, the promoter behind Astroworld, was aware of the matter and took steps to shut down the show.

The Houston Chronicle says police officials said Live Nation allegedly agreed to end the show shortly after multiple people collapsed around 9:38 PM local time. City officials said the show officially ended at 10:10 PM local time, however, those in the audience said that Travis completed his set and finished at around 10:15 PM. It’s unknown if the call to end the show was communicated to Travis and he chose the ignore it and continue performing.

The report arrived as Kylie Jenner, Travis’ partner, came to his defense after the tragedy. “Travis and I are broken and devastated,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in any way by yesterday’s events.” She added, “And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community, I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show, and in no world would have continued filming or performing.”

Travis and festival organizers behind Astroworld received their first lawsuit over the tragedy on Saturday. An attendee who was hurt at the show is suing for negligence and gross negligence and is seeking at least $1 million in damages.

Jordan Love is in his second season with the Green Bay Packers after being taken late in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. That selection raised many eyebrows as Aaron Rodgers was showing no signs of slowing down and the bigger need seemed to be in adding more weapons around Rodgers.

It also irked Rodgers, who put forth an MVP campaign in 2020 and then tried to push his way out, causing quite the commotion this offseason. Ultimately, Rodgers returned and Love began Year 2 back on the bench watching the future Hall of Famer. However, in Week 9, Love found himself thrust into the starting lineup after Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 and we learned he was unvaccinated. That has been a dominant story all week as Rodgers flaunted the league’s safety protocols for unvaccinated players leading to an investigation from the NFL and he then gave a wild interview in which he, among other things, said he took advice from Joe Rogan on what he should do instead of taking the vaccine. Terry Bradshaw ripped him on Sunday morning for being a “liar” and being selfish by refusing the vaccine, and all the talk going into Green Bay’s trip to Kansas City was on everything but what was going to happen on the field.

It was an incredibly difficult position for Jordan Love to be thrust into, but it also presented an opportunity in the national game of the week on Fox to showcase his skills. Hoping to enjoy a breakout from Love was his family, as his girlfriend and mom were in Kansas City for the occasion, albeit barely, as the Chiefs didn’t exactly come up with the best tickets for the young QB’s family.

They are quite literally in the last row, backs against the wall, doing their best to see what Love was doing on the field. It’s apparently where the Chiefs provide opposing player tickets typically, per Erin Andrews on the broadcast, which means Arrowhead is probably not a beloved place for visiting families.

Despite starting the weekend with controversy, thanks to his interview on Drink Champs, Ye is ending the weekend on a peaceful note. At this weekend’s Sunday Service concert, which was livestreamed on Triller, Revolt, and YouTube, the rapper announced that he was dedicating it to the victims of Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival. The announcement was made moments before it kicked off at 4 pm EST and as viewers waited for the livestream to begin, a message read, “Sunday Service dedicated to the loved ones of Astroworld.”

The Sunday Service concert marks Ye’s second such event in as many weekends, having gone more than 18 months without holding one. Last week’s edition featured an appearance from Justin Bieber, Roddy Ricch, and Marilyn Manson, who faces multiple sexual and emotional abuse allegations. There, tracks from Ye’s tenth Donda, including “Come To Life,” “Hurricane,” and “Pure Souls,” were performed, while Bieber and Manson each led prayers during the service.

Ye recently delivered an unfiltered interview on N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s podcast Drink Champs. During the sit-down, which was released on Thursday night, Ye said the “worst thing I’ve ever done” was sign Big Sean and he doubled down on his support for Donald Trump. He also accused producer Just Blaze of stealing his production style, a claim that Jay-Z later pushed back on.

Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The tragedy that occurred at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival has already received its first lawsuit. According to Billboard. Manuel Souza, who was injured in the deadly incident, filed a petition in Harris County District Court on Saturday. Travis himself and Astroworld Festival organizers ScoreMore and Live Nation are named in the suit concerning the occurrence, which left eight dead and hundreds injured. The suit says the tragedy came as a result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.”

“Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” Souza’s attorney Steve Kherkher wrote in the lawsuit. “Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.” Souza claims that Travis and festival organizers ignored early warning signs, like attendees who “breached a security gate around the park, stampeded into the premises, and trampled over one another.” He adds that organizers “made the conscious decision to let the show go on, despite the extreme risk of harm to concertgoers that was escalating by the moment.”

“Eventually, due to defendants’ active decision to let the show go on, the scene devolved into a complete melee, resulting in the needless, untimely death of at least 8 people and injuries to scores of others,” Souza’s attorney wrote.

The lawsuit accuses Travis and organizers of both negligence and gross negligence and seeks at least $1 million in damages. Souza’s attorneys also named Travis’ Cactus Jack Records, LLC, and many other individuals and companies that were involved in the event. A restraining order preventing any destruction of evidence was also filed and it could wind up heading for court as soon as Monday.