NYU’s Clive David Institute have been proving their relevance in pop culture lately. Powerhouse producer and Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff was announced as their artist in residence last year, following 100 Gecs. During Antonoff’s residence, a Taylor Swift course was integrated into the curriculum; the description explained that it delves “into analyses of the culture and politics of teen girlhood in pop music, fandom, media studies, whiteness and power as it relates to her image and the images of those who have both preceded and succeeded her.”
At the time, a representative for NYU told Variety that they’d invited Swift to join the class as a guest speaker. While that never happened, NYU has announced that they will be awarding Swift an honorary doctorate of fine arts and she will be speaking at commencement at Yankee Stadium on May 18. Students graduating this year, as well as students who graduated last year and weren’t able to have a ceremony because of the pandemic, will be in the audience.
It’s likely that Antonoff’s residence at NYU had to do with this; the pair have worked together constantly as of late, including on the ten-minute version of “All Too Well,” and they always have great things to say about each other.
While devoting the latest episode of Last Week Tonight to the positive impacts of harm reduction strategies to prevent deaths from drug overdoses, host John Oliver called out police departments for continuing to push the lie that their officers are in danger just by being near the highly-addictive opioid, fentanyl. After showing a clip of an officer who claimed to have “nearly died” after finding the substance in a vehicle, and not even touching it, Oliver broke down how such claims are “completely absurd” and more importantly, “impossible.”
“What those officers were much more likely experiencing were panic attacks,” Oliver said. “Which makes sense, because they’d just been exposed to something they’ve repeatedly heard is deadly to be anywhere near.”
It’s even become a trope in TV shows, including the hit CBS cop program “Blue Bloods.”
“That is complete horse shit,” Oliver declared. “It is deeply irresponsible of police to keep perpetuating a medical impossibility and for media outlets to keep amplifying it,” he added.
As Oliver elaborates, creating a nationwide panic over fentanyl is only worsening the opioid crisis as cops and others are now afraid to approach someone having an overdose, which in turn will delay the mental attention they need when time is a crucial factor. On top of that, Oliver says the freakout over fentanyl’s potency is also hampering the uptake of harm reduction strategies, which have been shown to work. Instead, treating fentanyl like a bogeyman that can kill you just by looking at it (it can’t, you’d have to be in a literal tornado of it) is ignoring the real issue at work.
Perry Farrell wears many hats. Most notably, he’s the leader of Jane’s Addiction and the founder of Lollapalooza. Aside from that, he was close with recently deceased Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. In fact, in a tribute video Farrell posted over the weekend, he calls Hawkins his “best friend.” Also in that video, he and his wife Etty Lau Farrell share a voice message Hawkins sent to Etty Lau just hours before his death.
In the message (which can be heard at the very end of the Farrells’ video), Hawkins expresses his love for the couple and indicated he was looking forward to performing at Lollapalooza Brazil, saying, “Take care of each other and I’ll take care of me, and I will see you guys in Sao Paolo. I love, love, love, love you guys. Sleep tight.”
Meanwhile, Farrell started the video by saying, “Taylor Hawkins died yesterday. He was my best friend. Beloved in my home by my wife, my children, even my dogs. Whenever Taylor came over, we would make music in the den. [Our dog] Cloud would always go and sit right by him. He was one of the most passionate drummers I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. When I think of him, I sum it up with one word: Velocity. He had the gift to maintain a confident, striking, and stroking velocity on drums.”
It’s a minefield of takes on the internet today after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith. Judd Apatow deleted his tweet about the incident, while Will and Jada’s son, Jaden, responded by tweeted, “And That’s How We Do It.” But Howard Stern is the early frontrunner for The Hottest Take About The Slap.
It involves Smith and Rock, obviously, but also Donald Trump and Ukraine. Impressive.
During Monday’s broadcast of The Howard Stern Show (via Mediaite), Stern said, “He opened hand with a lot of force, smacks him right in the mouth on TV. Now the first thing I said to myself was, ‘What the f*ck is going on, is this a bit?’ Because where is security? This is a live television event. Not one person came out, because he’s Will Smith.”
Get ready, folks.
“This is how Trump gets away with sh*t. Will Smith and Trump are the same guy. He decided he’s going to take matters into his own hands. At a time when the world is at war. Bad timing, man. Calm your f*cking ass down.”
After co-host Robin Quivers said that the slap is “where we are as human beings” because “you can’t even say something in a room without a war breaking out,” Stern added, “He was flustered… his head — he got fucked over.” He also joked that if Jason Momoa had made the same joke as Rock, Smith “would have sat there in his seat. He would have said, ‘Thank you for acknowledging my wife, Mr. Momoa.’”
Stern’s Trump take will remain number one until Tucker Carlson opens his big yap.
After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, Smith won Best Actor (for King Richard) and delivered a weepy speech that contained a sort-of apology to the Academy but definitely didn’t contain an apology to Chris Rock, who had made a GI Jane joke about Jada Pinkett Smith (who has publicly discussed her struggles with alopecia). This whole situation has made plenty of people revisit Rock’s 2016 jokes about Will and Jada, and Rock has declined to press charges with The Academy later tweeting that it doesn’t condone violence. On, and Diddy is out there insisting that it’s already bygones and “love” between the two “brothers.”
Hmm. Well, at some point after the slap (and it’s not entirely clear when this happened during the evening), some Oscars attendees were discussing the subject of apologies, according to The Wrap, and there were a few interesting weigh-ins made at the nearby Dolby bar:
“Twenty bucks says he doesn’t apologize,” said Rami Malek, who had been a presenter earlier in the evening, leaning on the bar.
“I’ll take that,” Patrick Whitesell, executive chairman of Endeavor, replied. “Twenty bucks says he does.”
The Wrap quotes one attendee as being “sad” over how this display could have set the Academy back “[a]fter all that we are trying to do to create change… And this Oscar’s was so diverse.” One studio executive is quoted as calling the whole mess “lame” with many expressing disbelief at how the slap and Smith’s subsequent shouted remarks to Rock prompted continued “shock” over how “crazy” the night turned out to be. That’s especially the case, no doubt, after Smith’s Best Actor speech was greeted with a standing ovation, although The Wrap notes that the mood turned to anger toward smith.
And it’s worth looking back, too, on how Rock’s 2016 joke (while he hosted the Oscars) poked fun at Jada boycotting the Oscars (due to their lack of diversity), during a ceremony for which Will was not nominated for Concussion. As Rock put it then, “It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for Wild Wild West.” And yep, the whole situation is awkward and will continue to be awkward because there’s no getting around how Will Smith responded to jokes with violence. The conversation won’t end soon, that’s for sure.
Florence And The Machine are back. What started as cryptic mail to fans last month has escalated to a slew of new singles, like “King” and “Heaven Is Here,” and the announcement of their fifth studio album Dance Fever, out May 13. More exciting news has arrived today; the “Dog Days Are Over” band will be heading out on a North American tour later this year.
After a Los Angeles and New York City show this spring, they’ll be starting the run in Montreal on September 2 and ending back in LA on October 14. Along the way, they’ll be joined by Arlo Parks, Sam Fender, King Princess, Yves Tumor, and Japanese Breakfast.
Check out the dates below.
04/29 — Los Angeles, CA @ Los Angeles Theatre
05/06 — New York, NY @ Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center
09/02 — Montreal, QC @ Place Bell*
09/03 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage*
09/07 — Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island†
09/08 — St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center†
09/10 — Clarkson, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre†
09/12 — Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Area†
09/14 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden†
09/16 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden†
09/20 — Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater‡
09/21 — Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre‡
09/23 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center‡
09/24 — Miami, FL @ FTX Arena‡
09/27 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center§
09/28 — Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory§
10/01 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
10/04 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena**
10/06 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena†
10/07 — Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds**
10/09 — Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre†
10/12 — San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre†
10/14 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
* with Arlo Parks
† with Sam Fender
‡ with King Princess
§ with Yves Tumor
** with Japanese Breakfast
Good morning. So, last night, every ounce of West Philly jumped out of Safe Black Guy Will Smith, who left fresh prints (heyo) on Chris Rock’s face during the Academy Awards after Rock made an ill-considered joke at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. In 2021, Jada revealed her ongoing struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that can make a person’s hair fall out. Rock, perhaps not realizing this, remarked that Jada’s freshly-shaved head could make her a candidate to star in a G.I. Jane remake (the titular character shaves her head upon joining the US Marines).
In a video taken from an international broadcast of the ceremony, Jada’s face says it all. For Will, who has had to put up with years of jokes about the couple’s marriage, this last straw broke the camel’s back, and he strode onto the stage to make an example of Rock, slapping him across the face. Although Rock tried to play the moment off, Will shouted from his seat: “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.” Fortunately, it seems Rock is taking things in stride, and according to Diddy, the two men had nothing but love afterward.
Obviously, those who saw the moment, whether live in person or watching at home, have thoughts about the possible overreaction, and the hot takes flew fast and furious on social media — including among Will Smith’s celebrity peers, including rappers like 50 Cent, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and more.
While 50, Drake, and others brought out the jokes, Nicki gave an empathetic — and vaguely threatening — take, expressing empathy for Jada Pinkett Smith. “Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald,” she wrote. “You think that’s easy to deal with for anyone? You don’t think she’s cried about that many times? 2022 y’all gon have to see these men about those jokes you made about their wives.”
Check out the responses, reactions, and hot takes below.
I love Chris Rock. I don’t think he would’ve made that joke had he known what Jada recently shared- but between him & the whole team @ the #Oscars you mean to tell me not ONE of y’all heard this woman just share this heartbreaking story? #ComeOnSon … (continue to next tweet)
The husband gets a front row seat to his wife’s pain… he’s the 1 consoling her… drying her tears behind closed doors when those cameras go off. Social media has made ppl feel that these “husbands” won’t ever run into them in real life. (Continued again(last time)on next tweet)
You just got to witness in real time what happens in a man’s soul when he looks over to the woman he loves & sees her holding back tears from a “little joke” at her expense. This is what any & every real man feels in that instant. while y’all seeing the joke he’s seeing her pain
Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald. You think that’s easy to deal with for anyone? You don’t think she’s cried about that many times? 2022 y’all gon have to see these men about those jokes you made about their wives.
Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw Cardi B add her voice to a song and Latto drop her anticipated new album. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Summer Walker, SZA, and Cardi B — “No Love (Extended Version)”
Summer Walker’s latest album, Still Over It, was hotly anticipated during the two years (an eternity in the modern music industry) fans waited for it. That showed in the commercial performance, as the album went No. 1. Now, Walker has brought more chart-topping energy to one of the LP’s premiere singles, as a new version of “No Love” brings Cardi B into the fold, along with SZA, who appeared on the original track.
Latto — “Sunshine” Feat. Lil Wayne and Childish Gambino
Last week brought Latto’s new album 777 and one track that immediately stood out was “Sunshine,” for which Latto managed to rope Lil Wayne and Childish Gambino to contribute verses. The Bongo ByTheWay-produced tune is ready for summer (as the title suggests) with its warm sound. Gambino’s appearance is also a testament to his faith in Latto, as he hasn’t popped up much recently in terms of music.
Machine Gun Kelly — “Drug Dealer” Feat. Lil Wayne
While MGK’s new album Mainstream Sellout continues the former rapper’s foray into pop-punk, he hasn’t completely left hip-hop behind. For instance, he reunites with Lil Wayne on a couple different tracks here: the recent single “Ay!” and the album cut “Drug Dealer.”
Charli XCX — “Sorry If I Hurt You”
Charli XCX’s Crash is still a fresh release and she made it even fresher last week by adding four new tracks on a deluxe edition. “Sorry If I Hurt You” may be the most significant song cut from Crash, as it was once the title track for the album, as Charli previously noted, “This album was originally going to be called Sorry If I Hurt You and I liked that title because that sentence is both past, present, and future. You can say that sentence to someone as if you hurt them in the past or as if you’re going to hurt them or if you’re about to do it right there and then.”
Beabadoobee — “Talk”
In February, Beabadoobee described the sound of her new album as “very 2006.” Indeed, that aesthetic is on display on last week’s single, “Talk,” a distortion-heavy alt-rocker about partying on a Tuesday.
J Balvin and Ed Sheeran — “Sigue”
Sheeran has been really into collaborating in recent years, which is fair as it’s a great way to get into a different musical headspace and try new things. He did just that on his J Balvin collaboration “Sigue” last week, as Sheeran sings in Spanish on the song. “Sigue” wasn’t even the pair’s only song from last week, as they released “Forever My Love” on the same day.
Chance The Rapper — “Child Of God”
Chance’s latest album, The Big Day, is getting old, as it dropped back in 2017. It’s not clear if 2022 will bring a new Chance album, but last week did bring a new single, “Child Of God.” Uproxx’s Wongo Okon describes the song as “a mellow track that sports bare-bone production which allows Chance the show off his rap skills,” and notes, “He uses his bars to look back on simpler times in a world that tends to be very complicated.”
Nigo, ASAP Rocky, and Tyler The Creator — “Lost And Found Freestyle 2019”
A Bathing Ape creator Nigo is best known for, well, that. He’s an accomplished DJ and musician, though, and now he has a new album, I Know Nigo!, his first in 20 years. He managed to get some big names involved with the project, too, like on “Lost And Found Freestyle 2019,” where he’s joined by ASAP Rocky and Tyler The Creator.
Soccer Mommy — “Shotgun”
Soccer Mommy is leaning into experimentation on her newly announced album Sometimes, Forever, as she got Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never to produce it. Uproxx’s Adrian Spinelli notes of lead single “Shotgun,” “It shows a slow burn towards that sonic shift. It’s predicated on reverbed drums and a tipsy synth, along with Allison’s guitar and splendid vocals.”
Dream Widow — “Cold”
Foo Fighters recently released their horror-comedy movie Studio 666 and part of that cinematic universe is a fictional death metal band called Dream Widow. Dave Grohl, ever the hustler, went ahead and recorded a whole 42-minute album under the moniker and released it last week. However, this release was quickly overshadowed by the tragic news that Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins was found dead in Columbia this past weekend.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Let’s pretend The Slap never happened. What would be the defining storyline of the 2022 Oscars? Would it be the historical wins, like Ariana DeBose becoming the first openly queer actress of color to take home an acting award? Or CODA pulling an upset over The Power of the Dog and winning Best Picture? Or the how-do-you-do-fellow-kids desperation of handing the reigns to Twitter (always a bad idea) to decide the “Oscars Cheer Moment” and “Fan-Favorite Award,” both of which went to Zack Snyder movies?
For me, someone who cares too much about dumb awards shows, the defining storyline and the number that should lead every “2022 Oscars by the Numbers” article was: 222. That’s how long, in minutes, Sunday’s Academy Awards lasted after many bad decisions were made trying to shorten the ceremony.
Here’s how it compared to previous years (in hours):
The Oscars couldn’t find time for eight categories to be shown in full — Best Film Editing and Best Original Score, among others, were handed out before the ceremony and awkwardly edited into the live broadcast — but there was space given to multiple monologues, a crummy Spider-Man joke, celebrations of White Men Can’t Jump and Pulp Fiction (on the 28th anniversary?), and an awkward seat-filler bit with Kristen Dunst. I hope all the controversy — and royally pissing off otherwise under-recognized folks who help make movies great — was worth it for the longest ceremony since 2018.
The Academy needs to make a choice: find a way to keep the ceremony at a tight three-ish hours, or embrace the bloat. I support the latter. The longest Oscars ever was in 2002 (the year A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture) at four hours and twenty-three minutes. I have faith that next year’s telecast can beat the record. Hand out more Twitter awards, double the number of hosts to six, get the cast of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World to reunite for the 20th anniversary (seriously, I want this to happen). Otherwise, we’re stuck in this awkward middle-ground where the Oscars is too long to be entertaining, but too short to be comical. It’s time to make history.
Chris Rock was supposed to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards last night. He did do that, but that wasn’t the takeaway from his time on stage, given that after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith got on stage and slapped him.
After the incident, though, Rock did manage to present the award, giving it to Questlove’s film Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). In an already emotionally charged atmosphere, Questlove (who shook Smith’s hand and hugged him on his way to the stage) gave an acceptance speech, in which he too got emotional.
Pausing on multiple occasions, Questlove said:
“It’s not lost on me that the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother… and my dad… should have taken me to when I was 5 years old, and… This is such a stunning moment for me right now. But this is not about me. This is about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain. And just know that in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem. This is a story of… I’m sorry, I’m just overwhelmed right now. I’m going to get myself together and thank everyone properly when I get off stage. […] I’m so happy right now, I could cry. Thank you.”
During a recent Late Night With Seth Meyers interview, Questlove noted the success of the movie has exceeded his expectations, saying, “At least I know with music what a goal is, but with the movie world, I just had no clue. I just wanted to make something really cool and hopefully they were gonna show it in a few classrooms, and then maybe discover it 20 years from now, like, ‘Yo, you know Questlove did this thing?’”
Watch Questlove’s acceptance speech above and find the full list of this year’s Academy Award winners here.
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(@FreddieGibbs) 
April 8th (@vincestaples) 
