Month: March 2022

If Denzel Washington wasn’t one of the greatest living actors (a big “if,” I realize), he would still be able to make a solid living as a storyteller. I could listen to that guy read the proverbial phonebook. Or the actual phonebook if my name is in it. Only Denzel Washington could make the last name “Kurp” sound cool.

The two-time Oscar-winning actor was the special guest on the Desus & Mero season four premiere, and it’s an absolute delight. If you can set aside 23 minutes and 8 seconds during your lunch break today, I recommend clicking play on the video above. Topics covered include: the 2 train, pizza, The Tragedy of Macbeth (for which he’s up for Best Actor), how he prepares for his roles, if Best Buy still sells VCRs, Training Day, and what he’s learned after decades in the industry.

“One of the most important lessons in life that you should know is to remember to have an attitude of gratitude, of humility, understand where the gift comes from. “It’s not mine, it’s been given to me by the grace of God. Use what I have, use what you have, to help others,” he said.

It’s the kind of interview where you can fast forward to any point in the video, and be charmed with whatever Desus, Mero, and Denzel are talking about. Blessed.

It’s hard to tell when Robert Pattinson is lying is during interviews. OK, sometimes it’s easy, like when the chaotic quarantine king was promoting Water for Elephants (a movie we all remember and still quote to this day) on the Today show and said that “one of the clowns died” the first time he went to the circus. But other times, it’s a 50/50 tossup.

Take, for instance, a recent interview with Brut México where Pattinson was asked to name his favorite Batman villain. He didn’t go with Joker, or Riddler, or Mr. Freeze. Instead, The Batman star picked Condiment King, who made his DC debut in Batman: The Animated Series. I could explain what Condiment King’s “deal” is (it’s not hard to guess), but I’ll let Pattinson do it.

“There’s a bad guy in the animated series called Condiment King. I just think it’s the greatest idea. It’s a guy who sprays mustard and ketchup at people, and I just think it’s such a great idea for a bad guy,” he said. Is he lying, or 100 percent serious? I can’t tell.

You be the judge:

The one thing I know for sure: you should watch the Condiment King episodes of Harley Quinn. And every episode of Harley Quinn. It’s a good show. And unlike Pattinson, you don’t have to worry about whether I’m telling the truth. I would never lie about my love of Bane.

(Via CBR)

Billie Eilish and Finneas are one of music’s best songwriting duos and now they’ve applied their talents to the world of animation: They penned tunes for 4*Town, a fictional ’00s boyband from the Disney-Pixar movie Turning Red. They shared one of the tracks, “Nobody Like U,” last month, and now another one has dropped, “1 True Love.” While the previous song was an era-appropriate pop banger, the new one goes in more of an emotional ballad direction.

In a “featurette” video Pixar shared recently, Finneas said, “When we got approached about this project, we leapt at the opportunity.” Eilish added, “It’s literally been the most fun we’ve had writing.” Finneas also described his and Eilish’s work on the movie as “songs in the style of [an] early ’00s boyband.” He continued, “It’s the really catchy melody and harmonies and claps and choreography. […] The main ingredient in these boybands is these young, hearthrob-y teens that kids fall in love with.”

Eilish added, “Mei and her friends’ passion for 4*Town, it really resonated with me just because I was the same. So accurate of how it feels when you’re that kind of fan. […] There’s this bond that you have people that feel the same. I just… I love the film.”

Listen to “1 True Love” above.

Although it may not always seem that way, Cardi B has always been a pretty strong proponent of education. The self-professed history and politics buff often weighs in matters of education and current events, whether that’s congratulating her “WAP” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion for graduating from college or offering her empathetic thoughts on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Cardi’s often got a take and it’s usually the right one, siding with the rights of the people and reflecting widespread opinions on social justice.

She’s rarely at a loss for words but came close when she encountered a video on Twitter purporting to explain why the US is facing a shortage of qualified teachers. In the video, which the original poster claims was shot at a middle school in a Dallas suburb, a teacher can be seen ducking a flying chair that was apparently propelled by one of his students. Cardi was “disgusted” by the video, responding, “This generation is really lost… I went to school wit a lot of gangstas and no matter what they never put their hands on a teacher. Kids this is not respected, not cool, not funny, not tough, not gangsta.” You can see the video below.

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

Is there anything she can’t do? The Wordle God herself, Lucy Dacus, has once again guessed the right word on the first try. Surely, our first response is to call shenanigans on this accomplishment. After all, it’s very easy to cheat in our holy word game of the moment. All you have to do is ask someone who has already played that day’s word. But not Dacus. She would never cheat! Dacus addressed any potential naysayers and gave some insight to her Wordle methodology, while raising the possibility that perhaps there’s something seriously spooky going on here.

“Haters will say it’s fake,” she tweeted “But I feel crazy this happened a second time, I just pick random first words (other than tenor half the time), it’s starting to have an ominous feeling to me, like what message is some internet demon trying to send.”

Is Lucy Dacus some type of Wordle medium? Is a higher power trying to channel incredibly complex messages about the meaning of life via one word puzzles to Dacus? The first time this happened, was on February 22nd’s Wordle 248, when Dacus correctly guessed the word “thorn” on the first try and tweeted, “sorry to be this guy I truly am sorry but !!!”

Spoiler alert: Today’s Wordle word is below, so stop reading if you don’t want to know what it is.

This is your last chance to turn back.

Today’s Wordle 264 word was ‘watch.’ Maybe this internet demon is building a zodiac killer cryptogram. “Watch the thorns” really does sound like the name of the next Jay-Z and Kanye West album. But is there more?? In the meantime, we’ll be starting all future Wordle’s with the word “tenor.” Oh, and if you’re getting 5/6 or 6/6, maybe don’t share those scores with Vince Staples.

The latest episode of Culture Quick Bites is live with hosts Drew Dorsey and Tom Plumley. What are they going to talk about this time? Well, the Oscars introduced a new fan-voted category for this year’s awards in order to drive fan engagement, ostensibly giving burner phones a say when it comes to what is and isn’t trophy worthy. Also, daylight Savings Time is about to Spring Forward on Sunday, March 13, so make sure to set your clocks ahead an hour so you’re still on time! Or, well, as on-time as usual. Too many things have clocks on them. We’re gonna have to spend that extra hour making sure all of our clocks are synced up just in case.

Did you love The Batman so much that you can’t stop thinking about what comes next? Tom has a take on what a Batman movie should REALLY be going forward, turning the conversation away from the typical topic of what villain Robert Pattinson’s Batman will face next time. Then Drew and Tom give an update on what March Madness is (and the real bracket everyone should care about) before finishing things off with a reminder to fill up on some circular pie for Pi Day while we provide a few questionable math puns. All this and more on this episode of Culture Quick Bites!

There are very few men in Hollywood who have a pretty squeaky-clean image, with a reputation for being a genuinely nice guy. One of them is Tom Hanks, who played Mister Rogers, for crying out loud. Hanks has had a long and successful career and is praised for nearly every role he lands. But none of that matters to Connor Ratliff, who was traumatized after being fired from Hanks’ Band Of Brothers set nearly 20 years ago for having “dead eyes.” Finally, Ratliff was able to confront Hanks.

Hanks stopped by Ratliff’s podcast, titled Dead Eyes (yes, he has been holding on to this phrase for two decades) to set the record straight and apologize for firing the actor, who was just beginning his career. Hanks insists he doesn’t remember the event, saying “not a single moment of this rings a bell,” but, Hanks, a stand-up guy, apologized anyway.

“Let me first take full responsibility for doing this to you. This was without a doubt the act of the director, and that was me,” Hanks began, adding that firing Ratliff for his eyes was “one of those very, very subtle sort of decisions that aims the story in the direction you want it to go.” When Hanks heard of the podcast, he was mortified at the idea that he hurt someone that bad, “I was aghast. I was … I actually got chilled. My heart rate skyrocketed and I said, I did … I did what? I did what?”

Hanks continued, trying to explain himself: “In the inner sanctum of whatever this casting session was on Band of Brothers … I’m sure I said, ‘I don’t know man, that guy’s got dead eyes.’ I could’ve said, ‘He’s got too blond of hair; he’s too tall and I can’t have the aide be taller than Captain Winters.” I could’ve said, “He’s too short and slight … I could’ve said any of these things, and they would have been true and they would’ve been the opinion.”

Finally, Hanks said the comment should have never made its way to the actor. “Whoever communicated to you what was said, in the inner sanctum, with such authenticity, should have their kneecaps broken, because that is … That is not allowed. It’s not quotable there. It’s off the record.” When Ratliff showed Hanks his old headshot, he confirmed that his eyes were anything but dead. “These are not dead eyes. Can I just say that right now from this 8×10 black and white.”

Ratliff has gone on to star in a number of successful projects, like Search Party and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But who knows what he could have accomplished if he had starred in Band Of Brothers. We will literally never know.

Malaysian pop sensation Yuna has announced her forthcoming album Y5, the follow-up to her defiant fourth LP Rouge. Y5, which reckons with life and death, will be released in five installments, with the first one, Y1, out today. The songs include “Intro,” “Hello,” “Pantone 17 13 30,” and “Cigarette,” all of which are accompanied by a Adam Sinclair-directed visual concept rooted in the beauty of Joshua Tree in California.

About “Hello,” she said, “I wanted to write something around the topic of death especially after losing someone really close to me and it was something unexpected. One day we’re all going to leave this earth, why do we avoid that conversation? This is my message to everyone I love – once I leave the world, I don’t want you to be sad.” She added, about “Pantone 17 13 30,” “I’ve come to a place in my life where I can appreciate my natural beauty (such as my skin tone) and this song is about finding someone who recognizes and sees the beauty that I have already realized within me.”

Y1 focuses on immersing the listener in a sensory experience, as per usual; the opening track is a 15-second introduction that’s much like the beginning credits of a movie.

Stream the EP below, a visualizer for which arrives later tonight.

Last night, after a week of teases, Megan Thee Stallion and Dup Lipa released the macabre video for their collaboration, “Sweetest Pie.”

Although it takes place in a fairy tale fantasy land, the video is packed with disconcerted slices (heh) of body horror and unsettling surrealism that apparently had some fans feeling a bit creeped out, according to a celebratory tweet Megan posted this morning. However, rather than being apologetic, she flaunted the fact that some fans probably had to watch through their fingers, crowing, “I see that the #SweetestPie video scared some people or creeped them out a lil bit. Lol MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. How many times do I have to say I love horror films/ aesthetics?”

She certainly has said as much a few times; in 2019, she said that she was writing her own horror movie before sharing her “Hottieween” series of shorts to celebrate the spooky season. Then, in 2020, she hinted at wanting to work with master horror director Jordan Peele, who has been chilling audiences since 2016 with his Oscar-winning Get Out, Us, and the upcoming Nope. Meg even compared herself to seemingly immortal (or at least, unkillable) slasher icon Jason Voorhees in an interview earlier this month, joking that “no matter how hard my haters try to take me out, I keep coming back harder!”

With her Netflix first-look production deal in place, she’s getting closer to her dreams of giving us all nightmares; perhaps “Sweetest Pie” is just a dry run, letting her practice and preview what skin-crawling delights she has in store.

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

We’re nearing the one-year anniversary of when Iowa guard Caitlin Clark became a household name. In back-to-back NCAA tournament games against blue bloods Kentucky and UConn, Clark scored a combined 56 points and stretched the topography of a basketball court in ways few in the world can. Since then, she’s been a mainstay on SportsCenter, Instagram highlight videos, and in the nightmares of her opponents.

Clark’s sophomore revenge may be coming this month, as her Big Ten champion Iowa Hawkeyes finished two games better this season and could be headed toward a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament — or better. Clark took some time after Iowa won the Big Ten tournament to talk with Dime about her supreme confidence heading into the Big Dance and a new partnership with H&R Block.

As part of its “A Fair Shot” campaign, the tax company is giving $1 million to women college athletes this spring through sponsorships and support, while also providing education on tax prep for athletes who’ve signed name, image and likeness deals this year. Clark explained why she partnered with the company and how she’s approached the era of NIL as a college hooper.

Poking around a little bit at the past NIL deals that you’ve put together, they were local, they were different industries, so what excited you when you heard about such a big company that wanted to partner with you on a campaign like this with International Women’s Day and the tournament and everything going on in March, for them to say, We want Caitlin to be one of the faces of this.

I was really honored, but what stood out to me is just like all the companies that I’ve partnered with, they have the same values and align with what I’m passionate about and that’s certainly what H&R Block is doing with this campaign, committing $1 million to give back to female college athletes to shrink the inequities facing college athletes in NIL. This is a new thing, so they’re going to guide us through the tax implications which are something a lot of college athletes (typically) don’t have to deal with.

Has that been your NIL approach, to play things slowly? Have you said no to things that didn’t align with you?

I have said no to a lot of things, with H&R Block, I was very involved with the inequities of last year’s NCAA tournament, so I kind of lived this and that’s what makes me so passionate about it. I thought this was the perfect opportunity with such a great brand that’s doing great things with women’s basketball but a lot of other sports as well. It was an easy yes for me to be part of their team throughout this campaign.

I think I speak for all basketball fans when I say you’ve been on our timelines and our feeds and our screens for two years now, and I imagine that confidence isn’t something that seems to come too difficult for you. But this is a whole other area of life, getting your feet in the business world. Is this something you are comfortable doing? I’m sure it’s a lot to take on, being something of a face for the inequities that this campaign is addressing. Is this as easy for you as scoring 30 might be?

It is something I’m comfortable doing. It’s been a couple years now of being in the spotlight, but being in the spotlight with this issue and using your voice and using your platform is one of the most important things (an athlete can do).

Pivoting a bit, your college decision was a lot about being close to home and being part of a program at Iowa you were comfortable with. It’s gone well, you’ve won and made a name for yourself and put the program in a great spot. How much of the Iowa aspect of your career do you take pride in, (being) the reason that the next Iowa player gets an opportunity that they wouldn’t have otherwise?

That’s a great point. That’s why I came here. I’m a hometown girl, basically, I grew up an hour and 45 minutes away. That speaks to who I am and my values, but the biggest thing is I loved this place overall and that’s why I chose it. I’m really trying to lay the groundwork for those who come after me.

(With this campaign), I had to suffer through these inequities, but we hope that the people who come after us don’t have to deal with the same things. We’re fighting for what we believe in now so that it doesn’t have to be the same issue year after year.

Sticking on the note of confidence, I feel like the mood within this Iowa team right now must be incredibly positive. Can you give me a sense of your level of confidence and your teammates’ level of confidence is heading onto the big stage of March and getting an opportunity to push toward a title?

I don’t think we could be any more confident right now, obviously we’re playing our best basketball right now, we’re on a seven-game winning streak. Everything’s clicking for us. We had an up and down at the beginning of the season, went through a little COVID pause, but overall we’re playing our best basketball, and this is when you need to play your best basketball. This is when you cut down nets and trophies are handed out, so we’re excited and we’ve enjoyed every single moment over the past two weeks, but we’re really looking forward to the NCAA tournament.

There are going to be a lot more eyes on you and this Iowa team this month than there may have been during the regular season. If people maybe haven’t watched you or Iowa since last year’s tournament, what areas have you and your team improved in that people should have their eye on?

Defensively, we’ve improved a lot. That was our focus during the offseason, and during the Big Ten tournament last week, we played super good defense and I think that’s the reason we won. Our offense is pretty tremendous, but the joy and passion that we play with is what attracts people to our program and makes them want to come to our games. We smile, we go out there and have fun, and we know it’s a game, but at the end of the day, we want to win.