Month: March 2022

The History Channel, the preferred network of fathers everywhere, has ordered a handful of new shows from a slew of A-listers. The network is working with Leonardo DiCaprio, Ray Liotta, Pierce Brosnan, Peyton Manning, and Robin Roberts to bring six new shows, both docuseries, and non-scripted shows, to life this year.

Brosnan will be hosting History’s Greatest Heists, an eight-part docuseries about, you guessed it, the most elaborate real-life heists throughout history. Everything from bank robberies to…more bank robberies from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. (Our Brian Grubb is VERY excited.)

Meanwhile, Liotta will take on the mob (figuratively) and produce the eight-part series Five Families, based on Selwyn Raab’s book Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires. The series will chronicle the New York mafia throughout the 1920s all the way throughout the twentieth century.

Nature-lover DiCaprio will produce the docuseries Sitting Bull, which will tell the tale of the life of the legendary Hunkpapa Lakota chief while detailing key moments in Native American history. DiCaprio will be consulted by the Lakota community, as well as IllumiNative, a Native woman-led non-profit organization focused on increasing Native representation both on and off-camera.

Also announced is a new series History’s Greatest of All-Time with Peyton Manning, and a general history show hosted by Manning titled The Einstein Challenge. Finally, ABC’s Robin Roberts will be executive producing Harlem Hellfighters, a four-part series about the Hellfighters during World War I.

The wide variety of shows were announced ahead of the A+E Networks Upfront Ad event and are expected to air sometime this year.

Summer Walker earned herself a lot of new fans last year when her second album, Still Over It, became her first to top the Billboard 200 chart, making it the first No. 1 album by a female R&B singer in over five years. Now, she’s going to spend some time on the road in 2022, as she has announced a limited run of shows for this spring, dubbed The Summer Walker Series.

There are just three scheduled performances: at Houston’s 713 Music Hall on March 20, Chicago’s Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on March 31, and Dallas’ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on April 16. Beyond that, though, she has a good handful of festival appearances ahead, too: In May and June, she’ll take the stage at Sol Blume, Broccoli City, Roots Picnic, Wireless Festival Birmingham, and Wireless Festival London.

Check out the full list of dates below.

03/20 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall *
03/31 – Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom ^
04/16 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory *
05/01 – Sacramento, CA @ Sol Blume Festival
05/08 – Washington, DC @ Broccoli City Festival
06/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Roots Picnic Festival
06/08 – Birmingham, UK @ Wireless Festival Birmingham
06/09 – London, UK @ Wireless Festival London

^ with NO1-NOAH and MARVXXL
* with NO1-NOAH, MARVXXL, and Erica Banks

Still Over It is out now via LVRN/Interscope. Get it here.

Before Run The Jewels changed his life, vaulting him to indie hip-hop super stardom with his partner Killer Mike, El-P was making future-forward hip-hop on his own. An OG of the independent hip-hop movement, El-P first name a made for himself as a producer with Company Flow in the late 90s, but built even deeper cult fan bases with his three studio albums.

This year, Fantastic Damage, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, and Cancer For Cure are celebrating their 20th, 15th, and 10th anniversaries, respectively. Always one to cater to his rabid fan base, El-P is reissuing all three via 2LP deluxe vinyl editions with Fat Possum Records. It’ll also mark the first time since 2010 that Fantastic Damage is being pressed on vinyl.

Never one to mince words, El-P shared a statement on the reissues:

“this is a thank you letter to everyone who has helped and allowed me to live my life doing the music and art i love. to everyone who has been moved in some way by what i do, to everyone who has been listening from the beginning, to those that stuck with me as i changed and grew and to everybody who’s just discovered the music.

i’ve always focused on the next piece. i’ve always only run to my future. but despite my habit of not looking back much, this year marks the 20th (FANTASTIC DAMAGE), 15th (I’LL SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD) and 10th (CANCER 4 CURE) anniversaries of the major records in my solo career and it feels good to get them back on vinyl and into whomever’s hands might want them.

but most of all it feels good to just be here. still allowed to do what i love, still thrilled about it in every way.

so again, thank you.

love,

el-p”

Watch a trailer for the reissue series above and pre-order the releases, which are now on sale here.

With the pandemic winding down, Jon Stewart is once again taking the fight for veterans’ healthcare directly to Congress. Flanked by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a gathering of veterans and their families, Stewart called out Republican Congressman Mike Bost for reportedly planning to water down the Honoring Our PACT Act. Stewart has long championed the bill that will finally make veterans who have been exposed to “burn pits” eligible for VA benefits. According to Stewart, Bost would limit those benefits, and the late-night comedian was not having it.

Via Deadline:

“They are going to go on the floor tomorrow and there is going to be an amendment. And that amendment from ranking member Bost is going to say, ‘Hey, all these veteran service organizations and all these active military members have come together with Chairman Takano and Speaker Pelosi and the president of the United States, and they have designed a bill that will comprehensively address the urgent need in the veterans community. And ranking member Bost’s amendment is going to say, ‘Damn, that is good work, so why don’t we just switch that out, for five more years of healthcare. we good? … F— that. Not happening. They get what they deserve — comprehensive bill that addresses the urgent need in their community.”

Following Stewart’s remarks, a spokesman for Bost released the following statement: “Ranking Member Bost completely disagrees with Mr. Stewart’s false characterization of his efforts but appreciates, and shares, his passion for the men and women who have served.”

The Honoring Our PACT Act will be debated on Wednesday before going to the floor for a vote on Thursday. However, Stewart warned about the next obstacle: The Senate.

“They are excellent at killing things that are necessary, and we cannot allow it to happen,” Stewart said on the Capitol steps. “You cannot allow this feeling of unity and hope and finally being seen to dissipate.”

(Via Deadline)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has amassed a growing fandom thanks to his unwavering patriotism and fearlessness in the face of the current Russian invasion, qualities he clearly shares with his wife.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska took to social media this week to urge world leaders to speak up on behalf of her country, inspiring millions of fans with a message on how non-Ukrainians can help their cause. In a post on Instagram, Zelenska shared video messages from fellow First Ladies Diana Nausėdienė of Lithuania and Andra Levite of Latvia expressing support for the mothers and children suffering during the war. In a caption for the videos, Zelenska explained that numerous First Ladies had been phoning to ask how they can help before listing steps everyone can take to fight against Vladimir Putin and his violent power grab.

“The First Ladies are asking me these days how they can help Ukraine,” Zelenska begins. “My answer is – tell the truth to the world! Speak up! What is happening in Ukraine is not a “special military operation,” as Putin says, but a full-scale war, where the aggressor is the Russian Federation. Speak up! Ukrainian children have to live and study in bomb shelters, and hospitals have to treat their patients in basements. Despite the assurances of Russian propagandists and the Kremlin’s mouthpieces, there are already dozens of civilian victims in Ukraine. The aggressor covers it over, but the losses of the Russian military have already reached thousands of lives. Tell Russian mothers that their sons are not engaged in military exercises – they are dying trying to seize Ukraine. Call on Russians to protest! They are terrified by their leadership. But they must realize that this war is the beginning of the end for them as well. And it’s not just about the economy.”

The First Lady went on to promise that Ukraine would fight to the end, a sentiment her husband has expressed many times over the past week.

“Ukraine wants peace. But Ukraine will defend itself and will never capitulate,” she continued. “Ukraine does not need to be rescued. But we need support from the world for our army and civilians. Not just in words. Encourage compatriots to help Ukrainian women and organize state aid. Let the whole world know – it’s not a war ‘somewhere out there.’ This is a war in Europe and at the EU borders. Ukraine is defending against the force which tomorrow might invade your peaceful cities and towns. Don’t be quiet! Tell them that Putin is threatening to start a nuclear war, and if he does, there will be no safe place in the world anymore.”

Currently, Zelenska and her two children are in an undisclosed location as they have been targeted by the Russian military. Despite being offered assistance in evacuating, President Zelenskyy has refused to leave the country, telling world leaders that he “needs ammunition, not a ride.”

In another Instagram post on Friday, the First Lady addressed her current situation, expressing her belief in her fellow citizens and her hope that the world will unite on behalf of Ukraine and in opposition to Putin’s tyranny.

“I will not have panic and tears. I will be calm and confident. My children are looking at me. I will be next to them. And next to my husband. And with you,” she wrote before sharing a photo of Ukraine’s national flag.

Is Big Thief the best band in the world right now? It’s very possible. On their new album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Adrianne Lenker has cemented herself as one of the best modern American songwriters. The double album offers up 20 tracks that show a band who continue to re-establish the levels of their creative peak. With “Simulation Swarm,” they’ve finally released a song that had previously popped up in their live shows and last night, they performed it for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

The livestreamed performance saw the band coming from a Bohemian basement studio. Sinking into the clip, it provides an opportunity to focus on each impeccable element that this tight unit is putting down. Lenker’s locked in vocals keep building as the song wears on, before her inventive guitar solo melds in symbiotically. James Krivchenia is perfect on the drums, while Buck Meek’s rhythm section is selflessly sublime. Lyrically, it might the most beautiful and complex song on the album. Lenker sings, “You believe, I believe too, that you are the river of light. Who I love, that I cling to, in the belly of the empty night,” and it’s pure bliss.

Along with Big Thief’s spring US tour dates that begin next month, they’ll also be playing a global livestream on March 17th from a snowy Northeastern US locale. Tickets are available here.

Watch Big Thief perform “Simulation Swarm” on Colbert above.

SNL has had some stinkers over the years, but the worst episode is generally considered to be the one hosted by Steven Seagal on April 20, 1991. “He didn’t want to go along with what the plan was that week. As a result, I think that was the first week that I heard talk about replacing the host and just doing a cast show,” former-cast member David Spade said in the SNL tell-all book, Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, while creator Lorne Michaels joked about Seagal’s inability to take a joke and work with the cast on the show itself.

In an interview with Howard Stern this week, Bob Odenkirk, an SNL writer at the time, discussed just how much of a “nightmare” it was working with the notorious creep. The Better Call Saul star pitched him on a Hans and Franz sketch, and “Seagal read it and he said, ‘If I do this sketch… I have to beat them up.’ It’s like a John Wayne thing, right? It’s the most ludicrous scenario, don’t worry, no one’s thinking anyone beat anyone up.”

That was Seagal’s attitude the entire week leading up to the episode. He kept saying, “I haven’t seen your show, I don’t know what you do here,” which is like someone walking into a McDonald’s and asking what kind of food do they serve. Odenkirk’s interview with Stern is worth watching if only to see how giddy he gets when describing the scene that Seagal wrote. I’m not sure he’s ever be happier, and he survived a heart attack.

Anyway, the real victim here: Michael Bolton, that episode’s musical guest.

It’s well-known Courteney Cox is in a relationship with Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid and that the two met through Ed Sheeran, as Sheeran is both Cox’s friend and a regular collaborator with McDaid. Now, Cox has told the full story of how she and McDaid came to be an item, and it turns out in involves a ton more famous people.

Guesting on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show this morning (as Billboard notes), Cox recounted the tale, which began with Sheeran staying over at her place (as he regularly does) and wanting to have some guests over. Cox began, “Ed said, ‘Can I have some friends over this week?’ and I said, ‘Of course.’ He invited Johnny, Gary Lightbody, both of them from Snow Patrol, Taylor Swift… some great musicians and they all came over and I had a fun group anyway: Sacha Baron Cohen, Isla Fisher, Jennifer [Aniston] was there, it was just one of these fun weekends.”

She noted some guests stayed the night at her place and the next morning, Cox was disappointed when people were trading phone numbers but not with her. She said, “This is worse than not getting nominated [for an Emmy for Friends]… and I remember seeing Johnny and going, ‘Oh wow, he’s really intense.’ He’s got those eyes and he was playing the piano and I thought, ‘He’s really, really handsome.’”

That part of the story ends there, but in 2013, Cox had a screening of a movie she directed. There, she heard Fisher tell Cox’s Cougar Town co-star Christa Miller she should flirt with McDaid. Cox continued, “And I went, ‘whoa, whoa, whoa. Isla, what are you doing? If anybody’s gonna try to flirt with Johnny, what’s wrong with me?’”

So, Fisher went up to Sasha Baron Cohen (her husband) to tell him about Cox’s interest in McDaid. Then, Cohen approached McDaid and Lightbody and said, “Hey, Courteney wants to f*ck one of you from Snow Patrol and it’s not you, Gary.” On top of that, Harry Styles overheard the conversation and put pressure on McDaid. Cox noted of Styles, “‘If you don’t ask her out’… I think he threatened to do something crazy like… I don’t remember but it was pretty bad.”

Sure enough, McDaid called Cox the next day, they went on a date a week later, and they’re still together to this day.

Meanwhile, Cox was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! a couple days ago, where she gave her side of the story about Sheeran repeatedly buying her gimp masks, so check that out below.

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

ESPN decided to try something a little different in its never-ending quest to find the best possible foil for Stephen A. Smith on First Take, enlisting the services of longtime radio and television hollerer (not a word but it applies here) Chris “Mad Dog” Russo one day a week. Mad Dog is a decorated veteran in the “yelling at others about sports” genre of entertainment, and is, in theory, the perfect person to go 12 rounds in a heavyweight bout with Smith.

It’s only been a few weeks, but so far, the duo have gone together like peanut butter and jelly. Our latest example of this came on Wednesday morning, when the pair were given a pretty general debate topic on the heels of the Golden State Warriors’ 129-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night — “Does Steph Curry have more to prove this season?” — and it turned into pure television gold.

“To me, he does,” Russo said.

“WHAT?” Smith asked with a tone of voice that appeared to mix disgust and intrigue about the road he was about to travel.

Russo then made his case for why he believes that Curry is not one of the 10-best players in NBA history — it more or less revolves around the championships Curry won, how he wasn’t the MVP in 2015 (while also noting injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving really hurt the Cleveland Cavaliers), and how Kevin Durant got them over the top in the other two.

“He’s fun to watch, he’s a wonderful shooter, unbelievable ball-handler, we all know he’s an all-time great,” Russo said. “But immortality is what I’m talking about, and right now, in my eyes, as a sports fan, when you tell me 30 years from now, ‘Well, is Stephen Curry an immortal?’ I look at championships, the big spots, and I say no.”

Smith responded with the same level of disgust that a person usually saves for when, like, their electric bill is way higher than they expected. The pair engage in the sort of parley that is only possible when two masters of a very specific craft go head-to-head before Mad Dog puts his foot on the gas.

“Let’s go through ’em!” he screams in an attempt to establish that Smith, in a First Take rarity, is not defining the terms of engagement in this particular battle.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Smith says with the understanding that this is his show, and that someone is attempting to come onto it with an eye on defeating him. “We got MJ, we got LeBron…”

“I DO THE ASKIN’,” Russo interjects. “I’LL DO THE ASKIN’.”

Smith cedes ground, at which point Russo begins flying through names. In a series you need to win for your life, he proposes, would you take Curry or Larry Bird?

“Don’t even GO THERE!” he screams as Smith takes a moment to ponder. “Don’t even go there!”

After laughing and composing himself, Smith admits that he is not able to “go against a healthy Larry Bird.” Magic Johnson? Well, Smith tried to define the debate on his terms — Johnson is the greatest point guard, while Curry is the greatest shooter. But as Russo has made abundantly clear, we are in his world now.

“WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SHOOTING,” he says while clapping his hands and then pretending to shoot a basketball. “I’M TALKING ABOUT WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS. SERIES ON THE LINE, YOUR LIFE’S ON THE LINE. YOU WANT MAGIC, OR YOU WANT CURRY?”

Smith once again concedes that, yes, Russo has bested him. The conversation turns to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — this one is quick, as Smith says “of course” he’d take Abdul-Jabbar.

And then, we reach the apex of this conversation.

“You want [Bill] Russell, or you want Curry?” Russo asks, perhaps unaware of how things are about to turn. Smith takes a moment or two to think, and if we have learned one thing amid all of this, it is that Russo only needs a shred of daylight to pounce.

“Aw, come on, he won 11 championships in 13 years!” Russo proclaims as a gigantic smile comes across his face.

What he perhaps didn’t expect was that Smith would, likewise, start smiling. After several rounds of getting tagged by haymakers, it stands to reason that Smith’s smile stems from a place of understanding how to dodge them and respond with a combination of his own.

“Wait a minute, he’s never averaged 18.5 points in his career,” Smith says as the smile on Russo’s face turns to shock.

“IT’S BILL. RUSSELL.” Russo screams.

“Listen, listen, listen, listen,” Smith says, his hands forming a “T” to signify a timeout. “Listen, he’s the ultimate champion. You see, he’s trying to get me to be disrespectful to the ultimate champion, I’m not gonna do that. What I’m saying to you is, Bill Russell never averaged more than 18.5 points per game in his career, but he was an elite rebounder and defender. My argument to you is, if you give me all the offense in the world, why am I worried about defense? I’m not worried about defense! So guess what, I might not do that! If you’re gonna ask the question that way, what do I need. That’s what I’m askin’!”

A back-and-forth engages as Russo explains that he had problems with his headset and he cannot hear what Smith just said, a claim that Smith dismisses entirely. Russo proceeds to wrap up his argument, saying Curry cannot be put ahead of Bird, Johnson, “the three centers,” Jordan, James, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant. It was at this point he unveiled one more trick buried up his sleeve.

“You want me to go to Nowitzki!?” Russo asked.

“YES!” a flabbergasted Smith responded. “Don’t go to Nowitzki and them! Don’t go to Nowitzki and them!

“But he does,” Smith continues, “have me on those veterans.” The segment then ends. It is unclear exactly why this debate played out this way, or why it was held on March 2, 2022, but I am very glad it did.

A new festival celebrating women in music, food, and comedy will launch this summer in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Versa Festival boasts a line-up of women artists, chefs, and comedians across five different stages over the course of two days. Festivities kick off Saturday, June 11th and continue into Sunday, June 12th.

In the musical line-up are Ellie Goulding, Kim Petras, Young MA, Big Freedia, Liz Phair, and Kali Uchis. Meanwhile, delivering laughs are Chelsea Handler, Ilana Glazer, Aida Rodriguez, and Sydnee Washington. Chefs will be announced at a later date, however, the line-up and dishes are set to be curated by Top Chef judge Gail Simmons.

“Versa is a one-of-a-kind live experience that will bring people together for a purpose – to remind women of their value and their voice,” said Shelley Phillips, Executive Producer and Partner of Four Leaf Productions, in a statement. “It’s exciting to build something that offers people a chance to have a good time and fight the good fight, all at once.”

In addition to music, comedy, and food, Versa Festival will also feature lectures from the likes of Gloria Steinem and Alok Vaid-Menon. A Versa Ball, inspired by ballroom culture, hosted by ballroom icon Leggoh JohVera, will also take place at the festival on a to be announced date.

Tickets are available for purchase here. Check out the line-up poster below.