Month: January 2022

While discussing the Democrat’s latest attempt to pass a voting rights bill, which would require possibly ending the filibuster, The View co-host Joy Behar unloaded on Senator Joe Manchin for his refusal to support the party’s efforts to pass the crucial voting reform. Never one to mince words, Behar openly questioned how Manchin and his partner in feet dragging, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, are still considered Democrats despite constantly bucking the party on key legislation.

Via The Wrap:

“This is a guy who basically doesn’t want the poor people in his state to have a child tax credit, because he thinks they will use the money for drugs. And he doesn’t want paid sick leave, because it might encourage people to lie so they can go on hunting trips,” Behar said. “Why are the West Virginians — why would they put up with this man who doesn’t give a hoot about them, the environment, or the Democratic Party, or the country at this point? Answer me that question.”

However, Ana Navarro pushed back by noting that Manchin is immensely popular in West Virginia and continues to win re-election despite attempts to primary him. In her opinion, Sinema is the one who is “hoodwinking” voters.

“Kyrsten Sinema was a progressive liberal, who used to show up and protest against Democrat moderates!” Navarro said. “And so I think she pulled a bait and switch on the voters of Arizona.”

(Via The Wrap)

In a move that would probably make his father proud, Eric Trump invoked the 5th amendment over 500 times in the span of just six hours after being questioned by prosecutors investigating suspected corruption with the Trump organization.

The interview in question happened in October 2020 when Trump was summoned for a deposition in the case New York Attorney General Tish James is building against his father’s real estate company. James is leading a years-long civil investigation into the Trump organization’s business dealings to determine whether Donald Trump and other high-ranking members of his team committed fraud with Trump specifically inflating his property values and misleading investors about his personal wealth. James subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump in December of 2020, but it sounds like she wanted a crack at Eric first.

According to case filings (via Raw Story), Trump sat for six hours of questioning where he refused to answer anything beyond basic background information when it came to his father’s business. When Trump didn’t feel comfortable answering a question, possibly because he was afraid to incriminate himself or his family members, he would plead the 5th. He apparently invoked the 5th amendment over 500 times during the interview — which has to be some kind of record — but after James made her filings public, he was quick to take to Twitter to give his thoughts on the investigation.

James, for her part, has been vocal about her determination to see the Trump family held accountable for their shady business dealings saying, “To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions. Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump.”

(Via Raw Story)

Wilco is currently in the midst of its Sky Blue Sky festival down in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The event kicked off on Monday the 17th, and so far, the band has given two performances, both of which were notable for different reasons.

During the January 17 show, the band busted out a couple of rarities, playing the Wilco (The Album) track “You Never Know” for the first time since 2014 (according to setlist.fm) and their Billy Bragg collaboration “At My Window Sad And Lonely” for the first time since 2015.

Then, on January 18, their set was filled with a bunch of guest appearances. In the middle of their main set, Soccer Mommy came on stage and played “Pot Kettle Black” with the group. Later on, Kurt Vile popped up to assist on “Passenger Side.” The band closed out their main set with “California Stars,” for which they were joined by Chris Funk of The Decemberists. Then, Mavis Staples joined them for a couple of her own songs for the encore: “You Are Not Alone” and “Freedom Highway.”

This follows another recent star-studded performance from Wilco: At the Austin City Limits Hall Of Fame ceremony, they played with Japanese Breakfast, Jason Isbell, and others.

Check out some videos from the sets (which Brooklyn Vegan rounded up) below.

According to TikTok, 2010’s indie twee style is apparently coming back. Therefore, it’s only right that Band Of Horses, whose 2006 album Everything All The Time had indie fans in an absolute choke hold, are also making a comeback. After delaying the release of their seventh studio album Things Are Great, Band Of Horses share the new track “Lights.”

The track calls back to the band’s roots. It beautifully melts together jangly guitar chords and wailing vocals to craft an anthemic tune that details a night one exceptionally wrong.

Shedding some light on what exactly inspired the song, Band Of Horses lead singer Ben Bridwell recounted a night that started in an indoor water park and ended with a broken-in home:

“I was with my family at an indoor water park hotel. On my last day there, I was walking down the hall and this guy was like, ‘Ben?’ It happened to be this dude that was producing the film that I was writing the score for. We met up in the family-friendly hotel bar which gets closed down by us at 10:00, at which point we then ended up in the parking lot. We get a little loose – nothing too crazy, but we ended up dodging security guards. Our story then goes on to when I’m back home and someone had broken into my house. With the cops that ended up being around, there were more people turning the lights on us, one way or another. At the parking lot of the hotel, it was the security guards turning them on to check on us out there and at home, it was the lights going on and off with these cops. I’m drawing metaphors here and there from these two stories. Also, things were going poorly for me at that time and that kind of peppers the entire track.”

Listen to “Lights” above.

Things Are Great is out 3/4 via BMG. Pre-order it here.

Variety published a good cover story today about Pam & Tommy, Hulu’s upcoming limited series about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s stolen sex tape. There’s interviews with Lily James and Sebastian Stan, who play the Baywatch actress and Mötley Crüe drummer, respectively, and assurance from writer Robert Siegel that… never mind all that. I’m committing the same sin as Variety, which is burying the lede.

Midway through the feature comes this detail:

Once viewers catch episode two of Pam & Tommy, they’ll all be talking about a specific scene in which Tommy, who had just met Pamela, wonders whether he’s falling in love — and discusses it in a heart-to-heart talk with his penis. The penis tête-à-tête is inspired by an actual passage in [Tommy Lee’s autobiography] Tommyland: In the series, Stan, as Lee, is seen carrying on a conversation with the chatty organ (voiced by actor Jason Mantzoukas).

To recap: that’s The Good Place, Big Mouth, and John Wick: Chapter 3 star Jason Mantzoukas — the Hey Nongman (Dongman?) himself — as the voice of a talking penis. I knew he was good at playing d*cks, but this is ridiculous.

I haven’t seen a second of Pam & Tommy, but between this Mantzoukas-as-a-talking-penis development, James and Stan’s physical transformations, and Seth Rogen playing a gun like a guitar, I’m ready to declare it the Best Show of 2022.

(Via Variety)

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. We have to say, we’re a bit worried about the way the 2022 sneaker season is rolling out so far. Yes, we’ve had a few notable releases each week this year. But 2022’s output so far is seriously lacking in comparison to the early days of 2021. Overall, It feels a bit like this month is a wasted one. On the bright side, we’re seeing a lot of variety from different brands, but nothing that is really blowing us away and certainly nothing that is a contender for the best sneakers of 2022 come next December.

Yeezy and Lebron fans will still find a lot to love throughout this month though, this week brings the first retro rerelease of the LeBron South Coast, a new variation of the massively popular Yeezy Boost 350, and a few notable brand and retailer collaborations courtesy of Vans and Kyrie Irving. Let’s get into it, and fingers crossed things start to really pick up by the month’s close.

Nike LeBron 9 South Coast

LeBron’s Nike collaborations are finally reaching retro status. In celebration of the LeBron 9’s 10th anniversary, Nike is dropping a South Coast edition of the sneaker which combines neon accents over a black upper with eye-catching pink palm tree graphics on the insole and collar.

Unlike most LeBron’s — which tend to be more unruly and out there design-wise compared to Air Jordans — the LeBron 9 has a classy simplicity to it. Maybe it’s because this shoe hasn’t been in heavy rotation for a decade, but it’s looking especially good to us!

The Nike LeBron 9 South Coast is set to drop on January 20th for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Blue Tint

We’re not sure what Yeezy Brand has planned for 2022, but last year saw Ye’s label ditch its usual minimalist earth tone obsession for something more vibrant and we’re hoping that trend continues this year. Yeezy’s first release of the year, unfortunately, gives us no indication of what the brand has planned, but luckily for us, it’s still a dope shoe.

Utilizing the fan-favorite 350 V2 silhouette, the Blue Tint features a grey primeknit upper with subtle blue tint accents on the midsole and throat with hi-res red accents on the labeling. Yeezy brand suggests ordering a 1/2 size up for this snug-fitting pair.

The Yeezy Boost 350 V2 is set to drop on January 22nd for a retail price of $230. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore, via Yeezy Supply, or on aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Sneaker Room x Nike Kyrie 7 “I Love You Mom”

It’s safe to say that I don’t “get” Kyrie Irving’s Nike collaborations. The designs are playfully weird to the point that some are straight-up unwearable, and the concepts are always puzzling (see Irving’s SpongeBob Collection) but this linkup with Sneaker Room that pays tribute to both Irving and Sneaker Room founder Suraj Kaufman’s late mothers is beautiful and, dare I say, tender.

Featuring four sneakers in bold and bright colorways, the “I Love You Mom” capsule pays tribute to mothers as a concept, utilizing graphics that represent the natural elements of Mother Nature and feature brilliant illustrated graphics on the heel panels. The sneakers come in two mismatched pairs, a green and yellow edition, and a red and blue edition with each alternate shoe featuring a butterfly and flower graphic at the heel. There’s also a “In honor of” line so you can dedicate the shoe to someone yourself with a Sharpie.

The Sneaker Room x Nike Kyrie 7 “I Love You Mom” is set to drop on January 22nd for a retail price of $175-250. Pick up a pair exclusively at Sneaker Room.

Vans x Sneeze Magazine Skate Chukka

Explicitly designed to be “destroyed,” this suede Chukka by Vans and skate magazine Sneeze features a reinforced heel pull, a chunky shock-absorbing outsole, and a clean minimalist design that the magazine promises will be the skate “shoe for ’22.” Whether it is or isn’t will be decided by hardcore street skaters, but the design looks very promising, striking a nice balance between fashion and functionality.

The Vans x Sneeze Magazine Skate Chukka is set to drop on January 21st for an unannounced price. Pick up a pair exclusively via Sneeze Magazine.

Packer x Reebok Answer IV Ultramarine

This week Reebok is teaming up with New Jersey-based retailer Packer for a special edition release of Allen Iverson’s Answer IV. This sneaker exudes late ’90s early ‘00s style with a mixed leather and mesh upper in grey and navy blue tones with contrasting red accents.

It’s a bit more retro than your modern-day b-ball sneaker (compare this to the LeBron and Irving), but it’s a beloved classic and the perfect pair to rock and beat up during those afternoon weekend park games without feeling like you’re ruining a potential investment.

The Packer x Reebok Answer IV Ultramarine is set to drop on January 21st for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair exclusively at Packer.

Just before 2021 came to a close, Norwegian pop star Sigrid and British pop sensation (and Uproxx cover star) Griff started dropping hints on social media that a collaboration between the two might be in the works. Today, the pair have delivered the goods on the explosive “Head On Fire,” which was also named today’s BBC Radio One’s Hottest Record In The World.

Sigrid opens on vocals in a new video which takes place in an opulent theater dressing room. The pair join up for the track’s first crescendo, singing, “I think I’m losing my mind over here, over you, every night.” Griff takes her turn, before the pair harmonize again as the chorus peaks with “….Impossible fight! Over here, without you, every night / Sitting here with my head on fire!” It’s delightfully sticky empowerment pop from the duo that was a long-time coming for the pair.

“I’ve looked up to Sigrid so much, especially as a young girl who broke through making powerful, credible pop music,” Griff said in a statement. “So I was excited to hear she wanted to write. We hung out and made ‘Head On Fire,’ this really fun, feel-good song, and I’m excited for the world to finally hear us on a track together.” Sigrid adds that the song is “about that feeling when you meet someone who just flips everything upside down and you can’t focus on anything else but that person.”

Listen to “Head On Fire” above.

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

While Kelly Clarkson came to fame through her music, over the past few years, she has carved out a space for herself on TV on shows like The Voice and her own The Kelly Clarkson Show. She hasn’t left music behind, though. Obviously, The Voice is a music-focused program, and her show regularly features a “Kellyoke” segment, in which she busts out a cover of a popular song. This has yielded some strong performances over the past couple years and today brings another one with Clarkson covering The Weeknd’s recent Dawn FM single “Take My Breath.”

Right away, Clarkson and her band set this rendition of the song apart from the original by putting a more rock-leaning guitar riff front and center. They keep those vibes up throughout the song while also working some of the track’s recognizable synth sounds into the mix.

Meanwhile, also on today’s show, Clarkson spoke with Alana Haim and the conversation turned towards them discussing the times they’ve split their pants while performing.

The Weeknd’s music has become a bit of a staple of the “Kellyoke” series, as Clarkson covered “Can’t Feel My Face” in 2019 and sang “Call Out My Name” a few months ago. Meanwhile, The Weeknd is certainly aware of Clarkson, as he name-dropped her with a reference to The 40-Year-Old Virgin on his 2009 song “Birthday Suit,” singing, “Girl, you already know the best damn part is / Get you on your back, wax you like Kelly Clarkson.”

Watch Clarkson sing “Take My Breath” above.

The “corpse reviver” is a family of cocktails that reach back as far as the very art of mixing cocktails in the first place. While the Corpse Reviver No. 1 has its fans (a mix of brandy, calvados, and sweet vermouth), the Corpse Reviver No. 2 is much more refreshing — a great pick for the season and perhaps the best gin cocktail for winter in existence.

The whole idea of this family of cocktails is to “revive” a hungover person. It’s meant as a cocktail you drink before eleven am, as a booster for the day. Something to get you going after a long night. The beauty of the Corpse Reviver No. 2 is that it’s largely citrus-based, making it a ray of sunshine on a cold winter’s morn (when a lot of us need a little reviving). It’s also a pretty old-school cocktail, so there are no bells and whistles — just easy shaking and pouring.

Does this work as a hangover cure? We guess in the same way that a Bloody Mary or mimosa (or any hair of the dog) does. But that doesn’t really matter when making a drink this tasty and easy to shake. Let’s get into it!

Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of 2021

• The Long Island Iced Tea Is Our Official Cocktail Of Summer 2021 — Here’s A Classic Recipe
• The Whiskey Smash Is A Summertime Dream — Here’s How To Make It
• It’s Time You Learn To Make A Real Old Fashioned — Here’s Our Recipe
• Here’s The Iconic Sazerac Recipe From Mads Mikkelsen’s Oscar-Winning ‘Another Round’
• The Black Manhattan Is Our 2021 Thanksgiving Cocktail, Here’s The Recipe

Corpse Reviver No. 2

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. London dry gin
• 3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 3/4 oz. orange liqueur (triple sec)
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 barspoon absinthe
• Ice

When it comes to dry gin, absinthe, and triple sec, you don’t have to break the bank. I’m using standard Gordon’s London Dry Gin, local absinthe, and Le Favori Triple Sec. All are standard and great for mixing.

What you can’t skip is the Lillet Blanc. This is a specific fortified white wine that’s infused with cinchona, citrus, and sweet white wines and liqueurs. It’s a very specific vibe and irreplaceable flavor-wise. You also need this aperitif to make a Vesper Martini, so it likely won’t go to waste if you pick a bottle up for your bar cart.

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe (pre-chilled)
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Jigger
• Barspoon
• Juicer
• Fine mesh strainer

Method:

• Prechill your glass in the freezer (preferably overnight).
• Juice one lemon and strain the pulp.
• Add the gin, Lillet, orange liqueur, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice to about the 2/3 mark.
• Affix the lid and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted over and ice cold.
• Remove the glass from the freezer and measure a barspoon of absinthe into the glass. Twirl the glass around so that the absinth completely coats the inside of the glass bowl. Discard extra absinthe in the sink.
• Strain the cocktail into the waiting glass. Serve (ungarnished).

Bottom Line:

This is insanely bright and refreshing, just what I needed with snow on the ground outside. There’s a citrus aspect that’s a little bit like Squirt soda pop meets a soft and floral gin and tonic. It’s delightful. This gentle citrus is accented by those slight bitter notes from the Lillet. The Lillet Blanc also brings an ever-so-slight sweetness to the whole drink that helps balance the anise from the absinthe and juniper and roots from the gin.

Overall, this is a ray of sunshine for a dark day. Would it cure a hangover? Maybe if you drink only one. At the very least, it’d make the day a little more bearable and that’s all you can really ask for with any hangover “cure.”

Every single song and video that Gang Of Youths have released thus far from their upcoming album, Angel In Realtime, has been a triumphant and downright cathartic statement on loss and grieving. The death of singer Dave Le’aupepe’s father is central to the songwriting themes of the new album (due out February 25th) and he guides his way through the pain in these songs in powerful ways. “I was the loser at your funeral, no emotion conveyed,” he sings on “In The Wake Of Your Leave.” The song was released earlier this month and now a spectacular accompanying video has arrived.

In the Joel Barney-directed clip for “In the Wake Of Your Leave,” Le’aupepe does his best Gene Kelly impression. He dances his way through a village as people join him in the choreography. It’s as if the dance number is conveying that while Le’aupepe is grieving by himself, there’s a world around him that affects how he navigates the accompanying emotions. Finding beauty in everyday occurrences is what helps guide him through sorrow, and it’s a wonderful visual interpretation of the song.

Barney explained the vision behind the video’s aesthetic:

“When I first heard the track, I knew the video had to be larger-than-life. Dave came to me with a ‘Singing in the Rain’ meets ‘Top Hat’ concept that paid homage to the great musicals of the ’50s and ’60s. We wanted to merge elements of old school Hollywood with a modern edge.

Using three long takes and the musical-like choreography gave the video a real theatrical feel. I knew Dave was a brilliant performer from working together previously, but we wanted to push him even further outside of his comfort zone. Of course, he nailed it.”

Watch the video for “In The Wake Of Your Leave” above.

Angel In Realtime is out 2/25 via Warner Records. Pre-order it here.

Gang Of Youths is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.