Month: February 2022

Rudy Giuliani may be considered persona non grata by Donald Trump and his cronies, on Fox News, or behind the desk in courtrooms in New York or Washington, D.C., but at least Newsmax still wants him. Even if, based on what he was wearing on Wednesday, he had to duck out of a golf game in order to get some airtime.

In what was a bad look for the already disgraced former New York City Mayor, Giuliani seemed to relish the opportunity to show his face on TV shortly after Russia launched its first attacks on Ukraine. But Rudy wasn’t there to speak ill of Vladimir Putin or the long-brewing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Nope, he just wanted everyone to know that he blames that “dope” Joe Biden for the current war that’s raging between Russia and Ukraine, as The Independent reports.

“He looks like a weakling,” Giuliani—whose head once leaked a greasy black goo—said of the current president. “He’s always been a weakling. His own cabinet secretary said he’s never gotten anything right in foreign policy. He was always a dope.” Giuliani went on to suggest that the motivation behind Putin’s attacks on Ukraine are actually the Russian president’s way of “testing” Biden. “You don’t think they don’t think he’s demented?,” Rudy asked. “I mean, they’re not silly liberal fools like in America who lie to themselves. So this was going to happen and he did everything he could to create it.”

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has been echoing his own version of this sentiment. In between complimenting Putin for being so “smart” and “savvy,” the former president has been telling anyone who will listen that the Russia Ukraine War “never would have happened” if he were still president. “Had I been in office, not even thinkable. This would never have happened.”

(Via The Independent)

Though this decade feels like it just started, there has been a lot of stuff to talk about since January 1, 2020. We don’t need to get into it, but a lot of us spent the last two years binging show after show, then taking to Twitter to discuss the drama. As it turns out, the show that everyone is talking about is HBO’s hit teen drama Euphoria, which is in its second season.

Ahead of the season finale, a Twitter representative told Uproxx in an email that Euphoria is the most tweeted about show of the decade so far in the US, with 30M tweets around the second season, which is up 51% vs the first season, which aired in 2019.

From Sunday to Sunday, Tweets about the latest Euphoria episode fill the timeline and trend on Twitter — from memes about who could “end Nate Jacobs” to reactions when Rue exposed Cassie. Ahead of the season finale, Twitter reveals Euphoria as the most Tweeted about show of the decade so far in the US with 30M Tweets around the second season (+51% vs. S1).

Twitter’s Head of TV Partnerships Jenna Ross also commented on the acclaim of the series and its dedicated fanbase:

From hilarious memes, to plot predictions and fashion inspiration, Euphoria has dominated Twitter this season. The show has built a strong community of dedicated fans who not only root for their favorite characters and scenes but also openly voice their frustrations and fears, especially as it relates to the fate of characters. Their passion on the timeline, mixed in with live cast Tweets, contributes to the viewing experience every week and has led to Euphoria being the most Tweeted about TV show of the decade so far.

This all comes after the explosive season has spawned a million memes, thanks to the entire internet hating on Nate Jacobs and Maddy roasting Cassie in the girl’s bathroom.

It’s hard to escape spoiler-free conversation, with celebs like Drake and Jack Harlow tweeting out Rue-related memes, so you have to watch live just to keep up. While the season was off to a rocky start, many fans have been praising the show’s breakout star Sydney Sweeney for her Emmy-worthy performance and Zendaya’s gut-wrenching portrayal of Rue. The season two finale airs this Sunday, and HBO has already renewed the series for a third season, which will presumably air sometime next year, and probably break more Twitter records.

Atlanta hip-hop duo Earthgang have been grinding forever, but recently, they’ve been getting the shine they always deserved. After J. Cole signed them to his Dreamville label, they released their eclectic debut, Mirrorland, and have been teasing a follow-up for a minute now. After another January date was thrown in the mix, Ghetto Gods was finally slated for release, and came out today. It’s chock full of features from other Atlanta legends, like Future and 2 Chainz, and if you want to get a taste of what their collaborations with hip-hop royalty sound like, check out “Billi” featuring Future up top.

Along with him, the album features cameos from J.I.D., fellow Dreamville artist Ari Lennox, of course label head J. Cole jumped on a track, Musiq Soulchild and Nick Canon are also featured. Disappointingly, CeeLo Green is also involved with the project, despite his past conviction of drugging a woman and raping her. A press release about the album describes it as “a sonic reminder of the godhood present in all of us and a study in how our environments create our reality, which, through dedication, faith and belief can be transmuted into whatever we desire.” Check out “Billi” above and stream the album below.

Let’s say you wanted to visit Greg Abbott’s website to contact the Texas governor and tell him that his portrayal of transgender-specific health care as “child abuse” is “inhumane and downright dangerous.” The first URL you might type in is GovernorAbbott.com. If you were to do that — and you absolutely should do that, I’ll wait — you would see a photo of Abbott with black eyes and black goo leaking out of his mouth. “I’m Gorg Abbott, certified devil,” the largest text reads, followed by, “Do you like saying you’re for small government then building a hate based platform around exerting power over other people whose lives are none of your business? I do too!”

Needless to say, GovernorAbbott.com is not Abbott’s official website. It was purchased by Chuck Tingle, the author of literary smut like Twilight Bone: Pounded By That Handsome Bigfoot Hiding On The Wing Of My Plane Whose Weiner Is Huge and Pounded In The Butt By My Book “Pounded In The Butt By My Book ‘Pounded In The Butt By My Book “Pounded In The Butt By My Book ‘Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt’”‘”, who discovered “that the web domain located at GovernorAbbott.com was curiously unused and thus available for sale,” according to Boing Boing. He’s using the website to raise money for trans rights organizations and charities, like Trans Lifeline.

It reads:

If you’re not frothing at the mouth with belligerent hatred and ignorant bigotry, then maybe supporting Gorg Abbott isn’t for you! If something seems off about this website, it’s possible you may actually be a decent human being! If you find yourself questioning the leadership of someone so committed to hatred, consider donating to these charities instead.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Trans Wizard Harriet Porber And The Bad Boy Parasaurolophus is a better read than any of J.K. Rowling’s books.

You can donate here.

(Via Boing Boing)

By the end of the day, Central Cee’s new video for “Straight Back To It” will already be touching a million views. That’s because the West London rapper is the next big thing in British rap and just dropped the wildly-anticipated mixtape 23 today.

The follow-up to last year’s breakthrough Wild West, a mixtape that saw Cench nominated for three BRIT Awards, 23 showcases a rapper firing on all cylinders. Singles like “Khabib” and “Cold Shoulder” have Cee leaving haters in the dust and rising in the ranks over sleek drill production. “Straight Back To It,” is no different. A track about fighting back when you get knocked down, it’s an apt display of the rapper’s commitment to the grind. “Done a graveyard shift last night, woke up today and got straight back to it / Took me an L, no problem / I got on my grind, got straight back to it,” he raps.

The track is produced by longtime collaborator Young Chencs and it’s another highlight from the immediately essential British hip-hop release.

Watch the video for “Straight Back To It” above and check out the 23 album artwork and tracklist below.

1. “Khabib”
2. “Straight Back To It”
3. “Ungrateful”
4. “Bunda”
5. “Retail Therapy”
6. “Eurovision” feat. Rondodasosa, Baby Gang, A2Anti, Morad, Benny Jr, ASHE
7. “Cold Shoulder”
8.” Mrs”
9.” Air BnB”
10. “No Pain”
11. “Terminal 5”
12. “Obsessed With You”
13. “8 Ball”
14. “Lil Bro”
15. “End of The Beginning”

23 is out now via self-release. Listen to it here.

Alec Benjamin taught himself how to play guitar, he explained to Uproxx for our How I Blew Up series, and then gained global recognition with “Let Me Down Slowly” and other Platinum hits. A few days ago, he announced his sophomore album (Un)Commentary out this spring. It’ll feature his previous singles “The Way You Felt” and “Older,” as well as today’s new one, “Shadow Of Mine.” It’s an intense, poignant piano ballad about wanting freedom from yourself.

“A lot of the time you think your problems are the product of your environment, when in reality they exist inside you,” he said about the track. Of the album, he added, “I think my generation has a lot of valid criticisms of everything that’s happening in our country and in the world right now. The question is: are we going to tear ourselves apart, or are we going to leave this place better than we found it?”

The album is produced by Sir Nolan, and features writing collaborations with Dan Wilson, Charlie Puth, Sam Romans, and Nolan Lambrosa.

Watch the video for “Shadow Of Mine” directed by Gus Black above. Below, find the album artwork for (Un)Commentary.

(Un)Commentary is out 4/15 via Elektra Records. Pre-order it here.

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

You can probably call Russ a lot of things — stubborn, outspoken, maybe even a little obnoxious — but you absolutely cannot call him wrong about most things, especially his philosophy about the benefits of remaining independent and retaining ownership. He once again touts both — and sends some jabs at his detractors — in his new video for “What Are Y’all,” which he boasted he shot the same day he finished the song in a marathon recording and editing session that he says proves his overall point.

“Made this song at 3 am Thursday,” he said in a note on the video. “Sent it off to Spotify and Apple at 4 pm. Shot the video at 9 pm and just finished editing it. Dreams only work if you do and freedom is priceless.”

Naturally, the video isn’t terribly complex, just featuring Russ posted up in his studio performing the song to the camera while the lyrics display at the bottom of the screen. But the impact is in the substance, not the style, as he challenges his critics using his own accomplishments. “It’s essential I shut up, it’s what ya’ll think right?” he quips. “But standing down never rеally sit right.”

Russ has been on roll this year, dropping a slew of new weekly singles including “Remember,” its remix featuring Hailey Knox, “Real,” and “Handsomer.”

The bad news: Euphoria’s second season is wrapping up with a finale that promises a character death (or two) and a ton of unanswered questions hanging in hiatus. The good news: The HBO drama has already been picked up for season three with the show’s main cast and some of its recent additions expected to return. But, considering how long fans had to wait between the show’s first and second outing, the question on everyone’s mind right now is this: “When will Sam Levinson’s teenage soap opera really be back?”

Let’s do some investigating to find out.

When Will Season 3 Of Euphoria Air?

Euphoria fans have learned to be patient after having to wait over two years for the current season to make it to air. The show delivered two specials — episodes that served as character studies for Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer) — meant to bridge the gap between season one and season two after COVID hit and restrictions on filming pushed back the series shooting schedule. It’s doubtful COVID will be as big of an issue going forward since Hollywood’s figured out how to safely bring people back to set but that doesn’t mean Euphoria’s going to be back this year.

Though HBO hasn’t given an official date for the show’s return, most fans expect to see season three land on their screens in early 2023. That could definitely still happen, but it’s going to be a question of scheduling that determines if audiences will have to wait longer to reunite with our favorite dysfunctional group of high schoolers. Zendaya is basically the biggest star on the planet right now, and her filming schedule for the rest of the year is booked. She’ll be shooting the second Dune film this summer, and she’s got another major movie, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, coming after that. When the cast can get back to filming depends largely on when she’ll have time to do the show, so we might be waiting until 2024 for Euphoria’s next season.

What Will Euphoria Season 3 Be About?

Without spoiling any season two finale plotlines, expect the next season of Levinson’s drama to focus on Rue’s recovery. She made great strides towards her sobriety by the end of season two and that seems like a journey the series is eager to continue following. Unfortunately for Rue, she still owes drug dealer Laurie a ton of money and, since her mom flushed her suitcase filled with pills down the drain, she’s got no way of settling that debt. We can’t imagine her dealings with the former school teacher are done and that relationship will likely pose a threat to Rue’s sobriety in season three.

Meanwhile, it’s a good bet that the love triangle between Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Maddy (Alexa Demie), and Nate (Jacob Elordi) will continue in season three. Now that the truth is out about Cassie and Nate’s relationship, her friendship with Maddy will be tested and Nate will have to figure out what he really wants in a girlfriend. Fez (Angus Cloud) and Ashtray (Javon Walton) have Custer to deal with, and police scrutiny over Mouse’s murder so depending on what happens in the season two finale, one or both of them might be doing jail time. (Here’s hoping we get more Fexi content anyway.) And Dominic Fike who plays Elliot recently revealed his character will be back for season three so expect him to create more problems for Rue and Jules, whose relationship is most definitely going to be broken by the time the show returns.

Which Euphoria Cast Members Are Coming Back For Season 3?

Besides Fike and mainstays like Zendaya and Hunter Schafer, most of the main cast is expected back next season. Sweeney, Demie, and Elordi all likely have big roles to play as does Maude Apatow and Storm Reid. Hopefully, Colman Domingo will be back as Rue’s sobriety mentor, Ali, along with her mother played by Nika King. As for Cloud, Walton, and Eric Dane (who plays Nate’s father Cal), the verdict is still out. And with so much drama happening behind the scenes between Levinson and star Barbie Ferreira, we’re not sure whether Kat will have a big role when the series returns either.

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Turin, Italy in May, when musical representatives from many countries will take to the city to show off the best of what their nations have to offer. Given the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, many wondered if Russia would be allowed to participate in this year’s event. Initially, Eurovision organizers (the European Broadcast Union) told NPR yesterday, “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event. The EBU is however concerned about current events in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

The EBU has quickly changed its tune, though, as they’ve now gone ahead and banned Russia from the 2022 contest. In a new statement today, they said:

“No Russian act will participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The decision reflects the concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute. The EBU is an apolitical member organization of broadcasters committed to upholding the values of public service. We remain dedicated to protecting the values of a cultural competition which proves international exchange and understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music, and unites Europe on one stage.”

In recent years, Russia has been one of the strongest-performing countries in the contest: As BBC notes, they’ve had five top-five finishes over the past decade. They last won in 2008 and the next year, the contest was held in Moscow. Meanwhile, the Eurovision website notes of Ukraine, “Ukraine first entered the contest in 2003 and rapidly became one of the most successful countries in the competition. In 15 appearances at the Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine has never missed a Grand Final. 9 of those 14 entries have finished in the top 10, 5 have finished in the top 3, and 2 have been winners.” Those wins came in 2004 and 2016.

Benedict Cumberbatch has not exactly been shy about the lengths he went for his method acting on the set of The Power of the Dog, which has since earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. But little did the actor know that his work in becoming a 1920s rancher would come in handy dealing with a real-life stampede. While sitting down for an upcoming episode of The Graham Norton Show, Cumberbatch revealed that his experience on the set of the Jane Campion Netflix film helped him save a family from a herd of cattle.

Via Insider:

“I came back from shooting the film in August and we were off to the beach. To get there we had to cross a field and in the field was a petrified family who just couldn’t move, they were frozen because of a herd of cows with calves,” Cumberbatch said in a preview of the interview shared with Insider.

“I thought, ‘I can do this,’ and I just sort of parted the waves of cattle. The family was like, ‘That was incredible. Hey, aren’t you Sherlock?’ It was very un-Sherlock activity!”

Okay, first off, Sherlock is smart enough to herd cattle, or at the very least, hurl Watson at them. Second, that’s really all we had to say because this is actually a pretty great anecdote that’s fun to imagine happening. Just think what it must’ve been like to watch a renowned British thespian stroll up and part a herd of cows like he’s freaking Moses. You would love to see it. You would tell this story for the rest of your life. To everyone. In a way, it almost makes being killed by a herd of stampeding cattle worth it, really. Lots to consider here.

(Via Insider)