Month: December 2021

It’s been just 24 hours since a homeless man lit the Christmas tree outside Fox News Headquarters in New York City on fire and everyone’s already sick of hearing about it. So sick in fact that a recent on-air guest absolutely lost it when the network’s host wouldn’t shut up about the blazing bush and how it somehow relates to the rampant crime causing chaos on American streets.

On a Thursday morning segment titled “America’s Crime Crisis,” host Harris Faulkner invoked the sage wisdom of one of New York’s top neighborhood watch volunteers, Meghan McCain. McCain famously tweeted updates on the “warzone” that the city had become thanks to protests happening earlier this year even though she was in her family’s estate in Virginia at the time.

So really, it makes sense that Faulkner would turn to her for help stirring up fear and outrage amongst Fox News viewers, reading bits from McCain’s Daily Mail column in which she stated, “I really don’t think people want to live in a city where even the Christmas trees need bodyguards.”

“Where are we right now that Christmas gets under attack, the trees, everything?” Faulkner asked before welcoming her guest, Democratic strategist Richard Goodstein. “It is such a signal, Richard, if they’ll set that tree on fire imagine what they will do to human beings walking around? Well, we’re finding out. The stabbings are off the charts in New York.”

Unfortunately for Faulkner, Goodstein didn’t take the bait. Instead of playing into the “War on Christmas” rhetoric Fox News has been pushing the past few days, Goodstein called out the show’s host and her fellow anchors for devoting more airtime to a burnt tree than to more serious issues, like how the unvaccinated are hurting our chances of ever ending the current pandemic.

“If Fox would put as much energy into decrying the anti-vaxxers — we have 100,000 people dead and one tree destroyed — I think there is a lack of, kind of, symmetry there,” he said. “I think that’s where the energy should go.”

Faulkner clapped back, saying the network is committed to covering all sides of the debate but her argument felt a bit weak considering other Fox News personalities like Brian Kilmeade and Tucker Carlson continue to push vaccine misinformation despite most likely being vaccinated themselves.

Here’s hoping we’re all granted a Christmas miracle this year: that the Fox News All American Christmas tree is quickly rebuilt so we don’t have to hear about it ever again.

You can watch the full exchange below:

(Via Mediaite)

The 25th anniversary of the Bloomington, Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian has marked a year-long effort to raise $250,000 for New Hope For Families, an organization that helps fight homelessness in the label’s hometown. They’ve used proceeds from the SC25 Editions series of albums, as well as the SC25 Singles series, to do so. But in its 25 years of existence, Secretly Canadian has grown into much more than just a single label. Secretly encompasses the label, Secretly Distribution, Secretly Publishing, and a group of labels including Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory, Ghostly, Numero, and 37d03d. Now all ten these entities have bound together for a groundbreaking pledge as the final stroke on the 25th Anniversary efforts.

The entire group has committed to offset 100 percent of carbon emissions and become climate positive by 2026. This is a similar move to what the UK-based Beggars Group and Ninja Tune announced earlier this year and it’s a welcome trend in the independent record industry that can hopefully inspire majors.

For context, Secretly says that it created 150 metric tons of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 (from buildings, vehicles, etc.). By implementing the use of solar panels and other carbon offsets, emissions quickly went down by 22 percent in 2020. In a thorough sustainability plan, Secretly outlined every step of how they’ll achieve this. They conclude:

“We are excited to lead the way to a more sustainable independent music industry. We are committed to be a positive force for change in the face of climate change, and hope that our action will inspire others. Will you join us?”

Secretly Group COO & co-founder Ben Swanson added an additional statement, “As we grapple with climate change’s increasingly dangerous and pervasive impacts, we also are reckoning with our role in contributing to climate change. With this sustainability plan, we move from awareness to action. We are encouraged by the commitments of our peers and hope to further inspire others to join the movement for climate action.”

For the last few years, the feud between Drake and Kanye West — sorry, I mean Ye — has been the subject of endless fascination and speculation among fans. Every shot from either side was relentlessly pondered and debated, and fans took great delight in parsing each artist’s output for secret subliminal disses while goading the confrontation at every turn.

However, through it all, there was one artist among their peers who never bought into the hype. Rick Ross previously noted that he “loved” the back and forth between the two, reminding fans that the antics didn’t really put either artist at risk. “Kanye posted Drake’s address on the Instagram, but who didn’t have Drake address already?” he said.

He reiterated a similar sentiment on Wednesday night during a live interview with Billboard at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles which Uproxx attended. “This wasn’t something that I really took seriously,” he said of the so-called beef between Drake and Ye. “These are two icons, forward-thinkers, highly intelligent brothers. I didn’t really see them taking it too seriously.”

However, like many, he enjoyed seeing the two call a ceasefire for a benefit concert set to take place this week at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “The Free Larry Hoover campaign is a great reason to come together and get on the stage. That’s what I’m excited about and happy to see these brothers pulling it off, and let’s make sure we tune in.”

Elsewhere in the interview, he also addressed his own supposed friction with Meek Mill after fans spent the summer speculating about simmering tensions between the Philly rapper and his mentor. Those rumors intensified with a line on Ross’ new single, “Little Havana” from his upcoming album Richer Than I Ever Been dropping this week.

“N****s soul being sold and still own a leash,” Ross raps on the track. “Roger Goodell boy, he ain’t a corniche / I was really throwin’ money, I really saw Meech / And I let them rappin’ n****s get closer to Meek.” However, at the Grammy Museum, Ross said there was no ill will behind the lyrics. “I feel like we’re both hustlers,” he said. “That’s one thing about life, you either grow together or grow apart. As a boss, you make that decision, because whatever it is you want to do, Ricky Rozay wants to see you do it. There’s a lot of people that didn’t last or was still down with me the way Meek is — so I want to see the homie shine regardless.”

Richer Than I Ever Been is out 12/10 via Epic Records.

You can have your Spider-Men and origin stories of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on. The only Disney movie I’m excited for is Deep Water. The erotic thriller (off to a good start) is directed by Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal, Unfaithful) and stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a couple “stuck in a loveless marriage that drives them to take pleasure in deadly mind games. But what begins as a way to spark life into their marriage quickly derails as people around them begin dying.”

If it wasn’t for Deep Water, Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas never would have started dating — and subsequently broken up, leading to the instantly iconic photos of a cardboard cutout of the No Time to Die star being left in the trash outside Affleck’s home. Even if the movie sucks, however unlikely that is, the press tour would be amazing.

Unfortunately, we may never get one. The Wrap reports:

Deep Water, a thriller from 20th Century Studios starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, has been removed from the theatrical release calendar. The film was originally set to be released January 14, 2022, but it was removed from the schedule released on Thursday. It’s unclear if the film will be rescheduled at a later date.

I’m not saying Disney prioritizing yet another live-action remake over the Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas erotic thriller is everything that’s wrong with movies these days, but I’m also not NOT saying it.

(Via The Wrap)

RuPaul fans are looking forward to the new year, as the 14th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is set to premiere on January 7, 2022 on VH1. Today, the show unveiled its guest judges and there’s a lot of musical firepower on the roster.

Appearing on the show next season (as TVLine notes) are Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, and Sarah McLachlan, as well as Taraji P. Henson, Andra Day, Loni Love, Christine Chiu, Ava Max, Nicole Byer, Ts Madison, Alec Mapa, Dove Cameron, and Dulce Sloan. Some of them also appear in a new teaser video for the upcoming season.

Fans of both Lizzo and Drag Race know that the artist and the show have a strong preexisting relationship. She was a guest judge on the show in 2018 and told Rolling Stone of the experience, “To work with RuPaul is a dream. It was a bucket list [item]. I’m very fortunate to have been in the same room as RuPaul. You learn so much just by watching the way RuPaul operates. Apparently there are some petitions for me to be a permanent judge [laughs].” In 2019, she also recruited a bunch of drag queens from the show for a new “Juice” video.

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

For years, NBA pundits and fans have responded to the league’s three-point revolution by saying “midrange is dead” or “midrange is a lost art.” It’s not necessarily reflective of reality — plenty of teams and players still occupy the midrange, just less so than before because they understand it’s a region that is best considered a comfortable secondary option.

There are outliers, of course, such as Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, and Chris Paul. For many stars, though, it remains a vital counter to diversify one’s approach — usually a mandate for postseason success — and thrive where the defense is typically willing to concede space.

Months removed from a surprise Eastern Conference Finals appearance, Trae Young is diversifying his approach to thrive in the spaces the defense concedes and aiming to establish last season’s run as a yearly routine rather than any sort of outlier. He’s playing the best basketball of his career and issuing a legitimate case to be considered among the league’s best players.

Young’s pick-and-rolls with Clint Capela are one of the most effective actions in the game. Increasingly, opponents are sitting on Capela’s dives to the rim or switching screens altogether and preventing Young from effortlessly floating a lob to the big man. Just as he did last year, he’ll still parlay that real estate into open floaters. But driving so deep into the paint offers defenses a chance to acutely play the one-on-two and fluster Young as both a scorer and facilitator, a feat the Philadelphia 76ers accomplished for stretches during last spring’s playoff series.

So, instead of wiggling his way into precarious situations as often, Young is embracing more jumpers off the bounce inside the arc. According to Synergy, his floater frequency has dropped from 35.7 percent last season to 27.2 percent this season. Meanwhile, per Cleaning The Glass, his frequency of shots between 14 feet and the three-point arc, classified as “long midrange,” has ballooned to a career-high 18 percent. His previous career-high, set last year, was 13 percent.

When the opposition parks in Capela’s orbit on the roll and abandons Young, he’s seamlessly firing and cashing open pull-ups. He’s shooting 52 percent on long midrange attempts, which ranks in the 85th percentile. Few players can sustain that level of efficiency, but the quality of looks he’s generating from those spots is quite encouraging.

His yo-yo handle and jitterbug shiftiness also enable him to create space when the opportunities aren’t quite as simple, and he holsters a nasty shot fake to send defenders flying past him.

Last season, Young was a leading practitioner of the “short-stop” foul-drawing gambit, one the NBA has looked to legislate out as it grants defenses more freedom with physicality and aims to avoid rewarding scorers for hunting contact. Those general rules have contributed to Young’s free-throw rate declining from .468 over the past two years to a career-low .298 this year.

Rather than seeking those short-stop fouls as regularly, Young is snaking around high screens and effectively doubling the utility of the picks to manufacture separation and bury cozy pull-ups. By adapting his game, he’s avoided any precipitous drop in scoring efficiency. His 58.1 percent true shooting is 2.8 points higher than league average, better than last season’s mark of plus-1.7 and just behind his career-best of plus-3.0 set in 2019-20.

While other perimeter-oriented foul merchants like Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander haven’t yet tailored their shot-making to mitigate diminished free-throw rates, Young has recognized the merits of vacant hardwood and the dangers of a small guard venturing into the paint these days. Whereas defensive physicality could previously be consistently leveraged into free throws, the NBA’s amended officiating has reduced those opportunities. Young, unlike some contemporaries, is simply migrating away from all that reliance on trickery and toward the space available, resulting in easygoing shots.

In addition to a holistic leap from midrange, he’s also canning triples at a career-high rate of 39.2 percent after shooting 34.3 percent his initial three years. He’s long showcased feathery, elite touch inside the arc on floaters and free throws. Now, he’s marrying two-point excellence with long-range results.

Specifically, Young has been a deadeye on pull-up threes, draining 39.3 percent of them, well above his 33.5 percent clip the prior two seasons. Among 62 players hoisting at least two off-the-bounce threes per game, Young’s 39.3 percent number ranks fifth. Once a marksman whose volume and gumption exceeded true production, he’s achieving all three and it’s helping fuel a standout campaign.

Do not let the Atlanta Hawks’ middling 13-12 record confuse you. Young is at the apex of his game this season. He’s an All-NBA guard. Few ball-handlers have outshined him. His passing wizardry persists and seems a little more precise than before. His scoring has been fine-tuned to account for rule changes and the long ball is peaking to unmatched heights. Even if the three-point shooting mildly falls off, he’s produced a .357 free-throw rate the last 10 games, a notable uptick from .261 in the first 15 games. That could offset some shooting regression as he rediscovers his gaudy free-throw rate.

This is Trae Young, a steadfast playmaking savant whose scoring is catching up to punctuate his status as an offensive virtuoso and budding top-10 superstar.

These past two years have been hard for everyone. Even celebrities, while extremely privileged, have struggled to balance work and life while turning out constant content in quarantine (celebrities — they’re just like us!). Saweetie knows this all too well. The rapper has been hustling hard this past year between firing off hit singles and making TV appearances. Because she’s constantly on the clock, Saweetie has been feeling burnt out. That’s why she hopes to one day build a wellness resort geared towards celebrities to focus on their mental health.

Saweetie recently sat down with People to talk about how her overloaded schedule is affecting her mental health:

“I try to take things day to day. Sometimes I can’t look at my calendar on my weekly schedule because it’ll give me anxiety,” she said. “I feel like what I’m working for is starting to pay off, so I’m just really grateful to be acknowledged. […] It’s like I live, sleep, eat and breathe music and business. My team is really small, so I have to take on responsibilities that eventually somebody else will, but because my team is small, I have to help them out. It’s just trying to find balance right now. I have no balance. Everything is just work, work, work and I don’t have an outlet. I don’t have a therapist. I don’t hang out with any of my friends because I work so much, so it’s just trying to thug it out into until the New Year. I feel like I’m being run down to the ground right now and my body doesn’t feel good. I’ve had mental breakdowns and it’s just really stressful, but it’s nice to be acknowledged because it lets me know that my hard work isn’t going unnoticed.

After seeing other musicians — like Doja Cat, for example — talk about the difficulties of constantly working, Saweetie says she hopes to one day “create a resort for celebrities and their mental health.” “You see artists, especially women artists, venting online and it really makes my soul sad that no one is protecting our mental health,” she told People. “We’re working so much and mental health is important because if we’re not healthy, then we can’t work and if we can’t work, there’s no music.”

She also hopes to build schools and “help out people in communities that look like me.” But along with hoping she takes after Gwyneth Paltrow’s massive wellness empire or leans into philanthropy, Saweetie also has the goal of one day becoming a billionaire. “If I can get some investors before I become a billionaire, creating a wellness resort for celebrities and public figures, athletes, entertainers is like one of my primary goals,” she said.

Read Saweetie’s full interview with People here.

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

The holiday season is a great time to spread kindness to loved ones and strangers alike. That’s not just common sense, it’s science. Research suggests that people are happier when they can see their generosity making a positive impact on someone else. You don’t need to give a huge amount, either: even donating a few dollars produces a “warm glow” for the giver and helps out a person in need.

When it comes to mobilizing communities to spread kindness to one another, T-Mobile doesn’t just talk about making the world a more joyous, equitable place—they deliver when it matters most.

“We don’t wait for change, we make it,” said Brigitta Witt, T-Mobile’s vice president of social impact and sustainability. “T-Mobile makes that change by focusing our efforts on three key areas. We strive to close the digital divide; promote diversity, equity, and inclusion inside and outside our walls; and build a more sustainable future.”

As we look ahead to 2022 and beyond, Witt noted that the challenges facing people and the planet cannot be solved by one company, sector, or country. But acknowledging this interconnectedness doesn’t preclude the company from giving big and taking bold steps to create a connected world where everyone can thrive.

T-Mobile’s inaugural 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report details their full scope of ESG initiatives, from post-disaster aid in Puerto Rico to climate risk mitigation to programs that invest in youth entrepreneurship like the Changemaker Challenge. Here are some of the highlights that set them apart:

Bridging the Digital Divide

To ensure everyone can participate in our increasingly digital world and the 5G economy, T-Mobile launched Project 10Million, a $10.7 billion campaign to give fast, reliable internet to 10 million student households in underserved communities.

Via T-Mobile

Through this initiative, T-Mobile partners with districts like California’s 35,000-student Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to ensure students have equitable access to the tools they need to excel in school. As one of the most diverse in the country, one-third of OUSD’s students are learning English for the first time, and almost 9 out of 10 low-income students in its K–12 schools lack home internet connections.

“This left a huge disparity between those prepared with the tools for meaningful remote learning and those without,” Witt explained.

T-Mobile and #OaklandUndivided worked together with OUSD to give hotspots and wireless devices to students. With the help of Project 10Million, Witt said OUSD improved its student connectivity rate from 12% to 98%.

OUSD is just one of the thousands of school districts T-Mobile hopes Project 10Million will reach with free or highly subsidized data plans to Bridge the Digital Divide. As of September 2021, they have connected more than 3 million K–12 students across the country.

Equity In Action

The widespread outrage surrounding the murders of unarmed Black people and subsequent protests for racial and economic justice compelled T-Mobile to use its platform and voice to drive action and expand its existing diversity and inclusion commitments. This meant rethinking Equity In Action across its entire business.

Witt noted that in response to the murder of George Floyd last year, both T-Mobile and their employees (through a matching program), donated to the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund for a total of $550,000. Additionally, as part of a $25 million commitment that had previously been made to drive their broad diversity and inclusion work, they immediately donated to five organizations: NUL, NAN, NAACP, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and NCBCP for a total of $1.25 million.

The donations to nationally-known organizations are just one prong of T-Mobile’s Equity In Action commitments.

Via T-Mobile

In addition to the investments they’ve already made, the company has also established new programs for their employees, customers, and communities. Their NextTech Diversity Program provides career training and placement for thousands of underrepresented candidates to take on roles as 5G network technicians, while their Lead Magenta Next program creates more opportunities for previously untapped talent and strengthens their recruiting pipeline. Witt added they also recently launched a company-wide training called One Team, Together Learning Journey, which will take all employees through an expansive multi-year experience to help them form more inclusive habits in the workplace.

Mobilize for a Thriving Planet

Witt noted that meeting these social responsibility goals isn’t possible if we don’t have a healthy, thriving planet that’s resilient in the face of a changing climate. The company is on track to meet their goal of sourcing 100% renewable energy for their total electricity usage by the end of 2021. That goal, set back in 2018 with the RE100 pledge, was an industry first.

Via T-Mobile

“We take responsibility for our environmental footprint by putting a stake in the ground to go green to preserve our planet for future generations, while also setting an example that others can follow to do the same,” Witt said.

As part of its effort to Mobilize for a Thriving Planet, T-Mobile is also keen on reducing atmospheric carbon. They set two carbon reduction targets grounded in the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), and they’re “future-proofing” network infrastructure against the effects of climate change.

How you can help

T-Mobile is making thoughtful, meaningful investments towards its social responsibility goals, but they know engaging their communities is the best way to reach those in need.

Due to the pandemic, many are unable to afford holiday gifts for their families this year. You may be one of those people, or you may know someone who is struggling.

That’s why this December the company is partnering with Pay Away the LayAway, “an amazing organization working to make a difference for families in need by paying off their layaway balances that include gifts for their children, such as games, toys, books, backpacks, clothes, and coats,” Witt explained. “We understand how much of a financial strain the pandemic has put on families.”

T-Mobile is rallying employees and the general public to raise up to $1 million for this cause, and there’s still time to get in on the action. From now through December 14, everyone can join in donating to Pay Away the LayAway. T-Mobile is asking people to retweet the #TMobileGivesBack post to trigger a $5 donation to Pay Away the LayAway.

Fa la la la la layayaways with @PayAwayLayaway nn#TMobileGivesBack with your help (unless you’re an angry elf). For every retweet through 12/14, weu2019ll donate $5 to pay off layaways for families, up to $200k.pic.twitter.com/C8RgDbRcpt

— T-Mobile (@T-Mobile)
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“Because of the way we’ve set up this campaign, one-click or tweet will help make the difference for a family this holiday season. It’s so easy! And when we all work together, we can make a bigger impact,” Witt said.

At the end of 2019, The xx suggested that they were readying to release new music in 2020 with a teasing Instagram post, writing, “We’ve all been working on new music, can’t wait to share it with you.” However, the band didn’t drop any new songs in 2020 and they have also yet to in 2021. In fact, there’s been no new music since the band’s latest album, 2017’s I See You. Now, though, it appears at the very least that the gears may be turning on new The xx music.

Today, the trio shared a nine-second video of themselves, a sped-up clip that shows the band performing something, although the audio has been muted. The band didn’t caption the post, but the comments are full of users speculating about and hoping for new music.

It’s also possible the band is working on something else not directly related to the band, as they’ve been known to appear on each other’s solo material. In August 2020, for example, Young Turks managing director Matthew Thornhill noted, “At the moment, all of The xx are working on solo projects. Young Turks artists always collaborate together and The xx are no different. [Romy Madley Croft] and [Oliver Sim] both sung on [Jamie xx’s] record, Jamie is producing tracks, along with other people, for Romy and Oliver, so there’s a lot of collaboration between the band. They’re all working independently and hopefully some of that will see the light of day this year from all of them.”

Speaking of solo albums, Croft started teasing one in early 2020 and shared a new single, “Lifetime,” that September. In a The Guardian profile from November 2020, Romy’s upcoming solo album was described, “The album currently consists of 17 new songs, floating around in various stages of production, and heading towards a 2021 release.” Earlier this month, Romy teamed up with Th3 Emma for “Hot Summer Ice Cream,” her first new song since “Lifetime.”

Despite being the fictional homeland of Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas is actually quite a big deal in the UK. “Every year, my wife and I throw a big party at our house that involves group singing — a mix of traditional carols and cheesy festive pop songs,” Alt-J vocalist Joe Newman explains via email. But where many people are excited about giving or receiving gifts during the holiday season, Newman is actually more interested in the food and drink element of the holiday. “We generally try to cook something different every year — in 2021 it’s going to be a three bird roast comprising a pheasant inside a capon inside a goose. What more do you need?”

To celebrate the forthcoming release of Alt-J’s fourth studio album The Dream on February 11, Newman selected some of his favorite holiday music for the latest Uproxx Holiday Playlist to help ring in the time of the year and build upon the religious aspect of the season: “We will probably go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. We tend to go to the pub beforehand and roll in just as the first carol starts. I can’t wait.”

Check out the full playlist, along with Newman’s explanations for his picks, down below.

The Waitresses – “Christmas Wrapping”

I suppose this is the ultimate hipster Christmas song, but I love it all the same. Even stripped of its festive content it’s a great tune.

The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)

A big, ballsy Yuletide rock song in the tradition of Slade et al. I think this is the first, last, and only great Christmas pop song of the 21st century (so far…).

Bo Selecta – “Proper Crimbo”

l like to put this song on at Christmas parties to annoy people — and amuse myself. It was only funny for about 5 minutes when it came out in 2003, which makes it all the more amusing now.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono – “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”

This is always one of the loudest songs at our annual Christmas party — my friend Alec in particular really belts it out. You can split the room between people singing the two parts at the same time — it’s very advanced.

Mike Oldfield – “In Dulci Jubilo”

My wife introduced me to this song. It’s a wonderful combination of the sublime and the ridiculous – rather like Christmas itself. We like to put this one while we decorate the tree and dance around in a very silly manner.

Nat King Cole – “The Happiest Christmas Tree”

Utterly silly and adorable. Another one my wife got me into — I’d never heard this till I was in my mid 20s. Where had it been all my life? I sing it all year round now to make up for lost time.

The Sixteen – “Jesus Christ The Apple Tree (Elizabeth Poston)”

I learned to sing this when I was a chorister aged about 10. I’m not sure words can adequately describe its beauty. Light some candles and have a Christmas cry!

The Pogues – A Fairytale Of New York”

No Christmas is complete without this song. Just like most people’s Christmases it contains love, rage, music, excessive drinking, and, ultimately, reconciliation. I never get bored of it.

The Dream is out February 11 on Canvasback. Pre-order/pre-save here.

Alt-J is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.