Month: December 2021

Not only has Lizzo mastered the art of creating the perfect pop banger, but she’s also mastered the art of creating the perfect TikTok. The singer has been on the social media app for a few years now and has already racked up 20 million followers. While she definitely posts raunchy content, like when she used her booty as a paintbrush, the singer also gets real about her mental health struggles. She also definitely has one thing down — the TikTok challenge.

Earlier this week, Lizzo hopped on the seemingly unappetizing yellow mustard and Oreo trend that’s been circulating the app. The trend is fairly simple for those who can stomach it. As the name of the challenge suggests, it’s just putting yellow mustard on an Oreo and eating it. Some people on the app say the taste isn’t too bad, so Lizzo tried it out herself.

“Tiktok made me try mustard & oreos,” she wrote in the TikTok’s caption. The video shows the singer opening up a brand new pack of Oreos and slathering the top of one with a healthy serving of yellow mustard. Once Lizzo eats the unsavory food combo, she looks a little confused. Lizzo never actually says whether or not it tastes good, but she does go in for a second Oreo.

Watch Lizzo attempt the mustard and Oreo TikTok challenge above.

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

Vinyl is back in a big way after a decade of streaming’s dominance, with Billboard reporting that vinyl sales have actually hit a 30-year high this past week. Americans purchased 2.11 million vinyl records in the week ending on December 23rd (perhaps in the pursuit of a last-minute Christmas gift?), which is the biggest sales week since 1991 when SoundScan first began tracking such things — long after vinyl had begun to lose popularity compared to other physical media like cassette tapes and CDs.

As part of that dominance, one of hip-hop’s most popular artists saw his own resurgence. Last week, Kid Cudi’s Man On The Moon III: The Chosen broke the record for the biggest rap album in Nielsen history. He’s also the male artist with the biggest sales week, with 41,500 sales of the vinyl. “This is HUGE,” he wrote in celebration on Instagram. I wanna thank everyone who went out and copped the vinyl! This is all because of YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL.”

https://www.instagram.com

Man On The Moon III, which was initially released December 11, 2020, featured appearances from Pop Smoke, Skepta, and Trippie Redd. Cudi recently said he plans to follow that album with two more in 2022, meaning more opportunities for him to defend his new record. Meanwhile, the best-selling vinyl overall was Adele’s 30, which sold 59,000 copies and capped Billboard’s vinyl chart for the fifth week in a row along with the overall albums chart — a testament to her decision to turn it in several months early to allow time to prepare the vinyl.

The NBA has been desperately trying to avoid postponing games this season, instituting new hardship rules that require teams to fill roster spots with unlimited 10-days for COVID absences that keep teams at the eight-player minimum needed to play games even as some teams have seen more than 10 regular players enter protocols. Most recently, the protocols for players returning was brought down from 10 days to five for asymptomatic players in accordance with new CDC guidelines, allowing players to return faster and avoid there being entire weeks where players who entered protocol on different days were all out.

However, for teams on road trips, sometimes if cases pile up there isn’t a way to fill those spots and get players into town in time for games, which is what happened on Wednesday with the Miami Heat. When PJ Tucker, Gabe Vincent, and Max Strus all entered protocols in the afternoon mere hours before a game with the Spurs in San Antonio, the Heat dipped below that eight active player limit and the NBA was left with no choice other than to postpone the game.

Overall, it’s the 10th game postponed this season by the NBA. The Spurs are dealing with their own key COVID absence in Dejounte Murray, as there have hardly been any teams in the league that have dodged significant COVID absences to this point. Miami’s next game will be in Houston on Friday, and one would expect some hardship signings to come in the next day or so to get them into Texas. The Spurs are likewise in action on Friday as they head to Memphis to face the Grizzlies.

While the Brooklyn Nets have struggled to stay healthy this season, the team still sits atop the Eastern Conference at 23-9. It’s a solid start, all things considered, for a squad with title-or-bust aspirations, and while they’re still waiting to have the services of Kyrie Irving, the 1-2 punch of Kevin Durant and James Harden have served as the Nets’ top scorers.

Brooklyn, of course, is not the first time the pair have been teammates, as Durant and Harden were running mates in Oklahoma City prior to the team’s decision to trade Harden to Houston. A little less than a decade later and both players have changed their games considerably, with Harden speaking to Malika Andrews of ESPN about how he’s seen his friend’s game evolve over the years.

“He’s overly polished,” Harden said. “Natural talent, he knows the spots he wants to get to and he’s gonna get there. And it’s not on the defender, it’s on him whether he makes the shot or misses the shot.”

When asked if Durant is the frontrunner for the league’s MVP award, Harden said that he “for sure” deserves the honor. On the year, Durant, who previously won an MVP award in 2014, is averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 37 minutes per game.

Another day, another humiliating setback for Mike Lindell in his never-ending, and ultimately futile, quest to “prove” the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. In a new broadcast on his FrankSpeech.com website, Lindell revealed to his dozens of fans that he can no longer send them text messages filled with whacko conspiracy theories about the election thanks to Verizon. Via Raw Story:

“If you haven’t been getting text marketing or any texts from FrankSpeech and you’re wondering why that you’ve been taken off a list,” Lindell said, “No, it’s just because Verizon has stopped us from doing our text marketing. Just another big platform that went — I don’t know — that went south on us, that went left on us. They left us.”

Like all things Lindell, his story is short on details and evidence, but we’re guessing if Verizon really did put a stop to his website spamming people with Trump’s “Big Lie” — and that’s a big if — it was probably for a good reason. The MyPillow CEO has been on a non-stop crusade, which has yet to produce any sort of credible evidence of election fraud. In fact, over the summer, Lindell hosted a “Cyber Symposium,” which famously blew up in his face when his own cyber-security expert revealed that Lindell’s supposed cache of data contained no proof of election tampering.

Nevertheless, the MyPillow Guy persisted, and his crusade has put him at odds with natural allies like Fox News and right-wing Christian networks, who want nothing to do with his conspiratorial circus.

(Via Raw Story)

As first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Dallas Mavericks are signing free agent guard Isaiah Thomas to a contract.

The news was confirmed by Marc Stein, who said Thomas was en route to Sacramento to join the Mavs on the bench for their game against the Kings on Wednesday night.

Thomas, 32, recently saw out a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, filling in while the team dealt with several players in the league’s COVID-19 protocols. He appeared in four games for the Lakers, averaging 9.3 points and 1.5 assists a night. Before signing with Los Angeles, he played one game with the Grand Rapids Drive in the G League.

Currently, the Mavericks have several players — including Luka Doncic, Reggie Bullock, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Maxi Kleber — in the league’s health and safety protocols and could use another ball handler on the team to help them get through this spell. If Thomas sticks around, he also might be an interesting bet for a team that needs someone else who can provide an element of self-creation alongside Doncic. Thomas isn’t what he was back when he was with the Boston Celtics, but he’s looked healthier in recent stints than he has since being injured near the end of his Celtics tenure.

A recent thread on Ask Reddit posed the question: Which fictional character would make a great U.S.A. president?

Some answers were simple and lighthearted. Others were drawn out and thoughtful. Some characters are well-known. Others are a bit more obscure. Regardless, it’s a fun read and offers an insightful way to look at what it really means to be a leader.

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Optimus Prime—Transformers

This comment was so passionate I had to keep the entire thing:

“He’s the perfect balance of introspection, deliberation, decisive action, compassion, toughness, fighting spirit, humility, and inspires others to greatness not because of his ego, but because he sincerely wants the best for everyone. He’s eloquent enough to work with intellectuals, strong enough to keep corruption out, hard working and honest enough to connect with and inspire the working classes, and an absolute paragon of ethics. When it comes down to it, he puts his own ass on the line without hesitation. I’d vote for Optimus Prime. I’d work on his campaign staff. I’d canvas for Optimus. I’d fight his fights. He’s the heroic leader we need. I wish he were here.” – Cephelopodia

Jean-Luc Picard—Star Trek: The Next Generation

“Make it so” is an awfully good campaign slogan.

“This character has informed so much of what I think of as the political ideal that’s it’s almost absurd.” – Tactius_AMP

Aragorn—The Lord of the Rings

The King of Gondor rallied some intense loyalty and humorous political banter.

“He would have my allegiance until my sons, sons die.” – Radda210

“Well, he’s got eight years.” – AutismFractal

Captain Raymond Holt—Brooklyn 99

The stoic, pragmatic and serious-to-the-point-of-absurd police captain would bring a level of sophistication to the role. Plus he stands up for what he thinks is right.

The only drawback is we might have the more frivolous holidays cancelled. Like Christmas.

President Josiah Bartlet—The West Wing

“During 2020 with all the presidential speeches that sounded non presidential, I kept thinking that we needed a couple of Josiah Barlet speeches during that time.” – southdakotagirl

Uncle Iroh—Avatar: The Last Airbender

For those not familiar with “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” Uncle Iroh was a fan favorite, arguably for being the show’s moral compass and source of wisdom. Which was pretty remarkable, considering he was technically on the “bad side.”

“Calm, wise, friendly and best of all he already got all that war crime stuff out of his system years ago. He’d be the best us President in history.” – Lord Noodles

“…Iroh is the benevolent father we need, with quiet dignity and terrifying power.” – spaceman_spyff

Kermit the Frog—The Muppets

“The lovers, the dreamers, and me would vote for him” – DrOddcat

Steve Rogers—Captain America

I mean, he does stand for America’s ideals like no other. He has integrity, courage, honesty and let’s not forget stamina. He can do this all day, after all.

Leslie Knope—Parks and Recreation

“Leslie wouldn’t get sucked in to corruption. She would negotiate and compromise, as one should, but she wouldn’t “make deals” like most politicians. Above all else, she would always be honest!” – Happy_Camper45

“And she has binders of plans for everything” – Big_Economy_1729

(Sadly, there were very few female characters I saw on the thread. I’m hoping I just didn’t scroll far down enough.)

Last but not least … Captain Planet

Maybe then we’d take climate change seriously.

Okay, look, maybe it’s impossible for a real-life person to 100% embody these heroic traits. But that’s the beauty of fiction: It reveals our ultimate potential (for both good and bad). It can’t always take into account all the complexities and inevitable drawbacks of the human condition. It can, however, inspire us to be better.

Maybe there is no President Picard or President Rogers out there, but seeing them portrayed in our stories is still important. Observing the virtues they represent (and let’s not forget that they are representations and symbols, rather than multidimensional human beings, after all) might help inspire the next generation of heroes, leaders and politicians. That’s what well-written characters do.

In the meantime, I’ll start working on my campaign for “Ted Lasso”’s Keeley Jones for President.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint reunited for an HBO Max special. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts “invites fans on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time,” according to the official description, but it wasn’t always a magical time for the cast. Both Watson and Grint confess in the special that they considered leaving the series.

“You were considering pulling out, I’ve never really spoken to you about that,” Grint says at one point to Watson (via Decider). She replied, “Yeah. I think I was scared. I don’t know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, this is kind of forever now… The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way.”

As actor Tom Felton (who played Draco Malfoy) pointed out, Watson also had to shoulder the responsibility of being the franchise’s sole female lead from a young age. “People definitely forget what she took on and how gracefully she did it,” he said during the reunion. “Dan and Rupert, they had each other. I had my cronies, whereas Emma was not only younger, she was by herself.”

Grint had his issues with fame, as well. He frequently contemplated “what life would be like if I called it a day.” But they both stuck around for all eight films and made so much money that they rarely appear in movies anymore (Watson’s last movie was 2019’s brilliant Little Women, while Grint sticks to the small screen). You gotta respect that. But you must also give it up for Radcliffe, who will play a farting corpse, Allen Ginsberg, an eccentric rich guy named Fairfax, whatever you need. Watson and Grint took one path, Radcliffe took another, but they’re all winners because none of them are in the much-maligned Fantastic Beasts.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts premieres on January 1.

The true Tyrese Gibson-heads among us have known for years that the Fast/Furious comic relief character is so obsessed with Benihana’s that he had his own custom replica built in his backyard, an amenity known as “Gibsihana.” As Gibson told Uproxx back in June, “I’ve probably fed about 7,000 people in the last ten years and it’s like the favorite thing to do.”

My personal theory is that Gibson became Benihana-pilled when he starred alongside Devon Aoki in his first Fast film, 2 Fast 2 Furious; Aoki, of course, being the heir to the Benihana fortune — the daughter of Benihana’s founder, the Olympic wrestler turned restaurateur turned hot air balloon pioneer Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki. But who knows, one doesn’t necessarily need a personal connection to appreciate an onion volcano.

Before now, the only glimpses the world had to Gibsihana was through Aziz Ansari’s Instagram posts from 2016. But then this year, Tyrese put the house on the market. Having bought it for $1.385 million back in 2011, it was originally listed for $3.5 million in Spring of 2021. It was reportedly relisted in November for $2.895 million, by The Oppenheim Group, of Selling Sunset fame. (If your realtor doesn’t have a reality show what are you even doing?)

The Redfin listing, linked in Tyrese’s Instagram profile, describes the 7-bedroom, 7-bath house as: “A fully private and gated Mediterranean estate in the Walnut Acres neighborhood of Woodland Hills situated on nearly half an acre of land. This impressive compound features a beautifully appointed 5,415 sq. ft. main house with additional backyard structures totaling 2,980 sq. ft.”

Raise your hand if your entire house could fit inside Tyrese’s “additional backyard structures.” Anyway, we’re probably all here for the pictures, so let’s get to the entree. Here it is, Gibsihana’s:

There doesn’t appear to be a sign announcing it as “Gibsihana,” (perhaps it was removed for easier branding by the future owners, I like to imagine it will soon become a Frank Stallonihana’s) — though it is helpfully situated on “Visionary Lane.” What a great idea, I think I’ll be buying my wife a customized “Boss Bitch Blvd” street sign for her birthday.

Here we have the interior:

I’m not sure what the circular mirror next to the hot hibachi is for. Perhaps for fixing your lipstick after Tyrese’s personal chef flips a seared shrimp into your mouth.

The house, of course, has plenty of other unique features, like this life-sized Transformer presiding over a backyard grotto, and the spa situated above the pool house. Aziz apparently partook in its services during his visit:

If you’re wondering about the repeating flying V logo motif, it seems to be explained by Tyrese’s Instagram profile text, which reads, “Chairman | CEO of www.VoltronTravel.com.” The V is the logo for Voltron Travel. Upon discovering this, I had high hopes, of Uproxx letting me one day expense some kind of Gibsiventure. But upon closer inspection, Voltron Travel appears merely to be a branded web hub, a search engine “powered by Priceline.” Not really sure what that means, but I doubt Tyrese Gibson would be planning me some kind of Hibachi Walkabout through Abu Dhabi like the banner images seem to promise.

There’s also this room somewhere in the backyard, decorated with an antique Coca-Cola vending machine, a disco ball, a sexy Egyptian statuette. With such a surplus of couches that a few would seem to be non-functional. What kid doesn’t dream of one day being able to afford a layer cake of couches?

Most other parts of the house are pretty garden variety rich dude, styled in Russian oligarch-chic, like this bathroom that looks a hotel in Dubai. It has a recording studio, multiple screening rooms, and my favorite feature, this basketball hoop sans-backboard inexplicably situated in the middle of an outdoor screening area:

Why no backboard? As Brian Grubb pondered in Slack, “you go to shoot a bank shot and a f*ckin’ bird flies out?” Also, who has to sit on the free-throw line during viewings of Black & Blue?

In any case, if you have about $3 million burning a hole in your pocket, you can definitely own this teriyaki fever dream, where you can host your own pedicure pool parties with unlimited spicy beef and everyone gets their own bathroom. Sound pretty f*cking boss, honestly.

Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Environmentalism has been a major topic in the music touring industry over the last few years. Coldplay recently plotted a sustainable stadium tour and Billie Eilish has worked to make brands more environmentally conscious. And as one of the top-touring artist of the past decade, Ed Sheeran is also taking steps to ensure he’s being environmentally friendly.

Sheeran recently spoke to BBC Radio London about his plans to curb the environmental impact of his touring — and it involves planting a lot of trees. The singer already owns a multi-million dollar estate, which includes at least seven different buildings on one property (including his own private pub!), but he’s now looking to buy up even more land. Sheeran’s goal is to “rewild” parts of the country in order to help the local flora and fauna.

“I’m trying to buy as much land as possible and plant as many trees as possible. I am trying to rewild as much of the UK as I can. I love my county and I love wildlife and the environment,” he said.

The singer acknowledges that touring in an environmentally friendly way can be very tough, but he says he’s still doing the best he can. “I feel like I am going to get my head bitten off anytime I say that, as my job is not a hugely sustainable job as I go and play in cities, but I am trying my best,” he said, adding, “I think it’s about finding the balance with that — and I honestly think that this next tour that I’m going on, at the end of the tour, I can’t see myself going on one of them like that again.”

Apparently, Sheeran already has a history of helping local wildlife. His UK property houses a pond and he even beekeeps. “I have got a massive beehive,” he said. “I have this massive wildlife pond with newts in it, salamanders, and there’s a grass snake that lives in there and hedgehogs.”

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