Month: April 2022

Monday brought the 2022 WNBA Draft to center stage, as the day in between the end of the NBA’s regular season and the play-in tournament opened up the spotlight for the WNBA’s next class of stars.

There had already been considerable movement in the week leading up to the draft, headlined by the Atlanta Dream trading up with the Washington Mystics for the first overall selection, sending back the third overall pick, a second round pick and a future first, with the Indiana Fever sitting with the second pick.

At the top of most draft boards were Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard and Baylor forward NaLyssa Smith, with Shakira Austin of Ole Miss behind, but from there plenty of intrigue remained about how the rest of the first round would shake out. The Fever will be the most intriguing team of the first round as they hold four of the top 10 picks in the draft, as they look to reshape their roster with an infusion of young talent.

Here are the results of the 2022 WNBA Draft:

1. Atlanta Dream: Rhyne Howard (Kentucky)
2. Indiana Fever: NaLyssa Smith (Baylor)
3. Washington Mystics: Shakira Austin (Ole Miss)
4. Indiana Fever: Emily Engstler (Louisville)
5. New York Liberty: Nyara Sabally (Oregon)
6. Indiana Fever: Lexie Hull (Stanford)
7. Dallas Wings: Veronica Burton (Northwestern)
8. Las Vegas Aces: Mya Hollingshed (Colorado)
9. Los Angeles Sparks:
10. Indiana Fever:
11. Las Vegas Aces:
12. Connecticut Sun:

Kim Kardashian, following the premiere for Hulu’s The Kardashians, continued to be as loved-up as she could possibly be with SNL star Pete Davidson. This is all moving very fast, of course, and that doesn’t even account for how the “very hittable” Pete somehow decided to brand her name on his body (and she called it “adorable”) while Kim’s never able to stop talking about him. Yet at least this all seems to be much less drama free (as an existing relationship) than we saw her go through with Kanye West.

However, the pair might have (unintentionally?) flirted with stoking the fire when it comes to the post-premiere photos posted by Kim on Instagram. Here’s what she deemed to be their “late nite snack.”

Amid the prominent can of Diet Coke, there’s some visible pizza crust in the equation, and TMZ has details on what the table (including Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker) ordered at Los Angeles eatery Jon & Vinny’s. One of those menu items happened to be something with “Yeezy” in the name. Via TMZ:

Funny enough, we’re told one of the menu items ordered for the table included the restaurant’s famous “Ham & Yeezy” pizza … topped with smoked ham, vodka sauce, red onion, caciocavallo, mozzarella and pickled Fresno chilis.

As of now, Kanye’s Instagram account is radio silent, but he might be writing a diss track about pizza and soft drinks as we speak.

(Via TMZ)

Conan Gray exploded into 2022 with the electrifying “Jigsaw,” a song he said was about choosing “to become somebody that you love.” He’s been spending the year traversing the globe as part of The Conan Gray World Tour 2022 and now has shared a big announcement releasing his next album.

Now officially due out June 24th, Superache will be the Japanese-American pop star’s second album, Gray announced today. The news comes ahead of Gray’s first appearance at Coachella this weekend and it shows the subtle hints he’s been sharing on social media come to fruition with a new album release plan.

Superache is out out 06/24 via Republic Records. Pre-order it here.

Check out the remaining tour dates for The Conan Gray World Tour 2022 and get tickets here.

04/11 — Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall *
04/13 — San Francisco, @ Fox Theatre *
04/18 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
04/20 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom *
05/05 — Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene ~
05/06 — Stockholm, Sweden @ Annexet ~
05/07 — Copenhagen, Denmark @ K.B. Hallen ~
05/09 — Hamburg, Germany @ Edel-optics.de Arena ~
05/10 — Berlin, Germany @ Verti Music Hall ~#
05/11 — Warsaw, Poland @ COS Torwar ~
05/13 — Munich, Germany @ Tonhalle ~
05/14 — Prague, Czech Republic @ Forum Karlín ~
05/15 — Vienna, Austria @ Gasometer ~
05/17 — Zurich, Switzerland @ Volkshaus ~
05/18 — Milan, Italy @ Fabrique ~
05/20 — Barcelona, Spain @ Sant Jordi Club ~
05/21 — Madrid, Spain @ Palacio Vistalegre ~
05/24 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia ~
05/25 — Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique ~
05/26 — Cologne, Germany @ Palladium ~
05/27 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live ~
05/30 — Dublin, Ireland @ 3Olympia Theatre ~
06/02 — Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy ~
06/03 — Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy ~
06/04 — Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse ~
06/06 — Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy ~
06/08 — Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy ~
06/09 — London, UK @ Eventim Apollo ~

* with Bülow
~ with Mallrat
# with Benee

This past Friday, Coi Leray released her debut album, Trendsetter. It sees the Jersey rapper establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with from here on out and features a decorated list of guest features. Some highlights include Yung Bleu joining Leray on “Aye Yai Yai,” HER hopping on the sultry “Overthinking,” Polo G on “Paranoid,” Lil Durk jumping on the remix version of “No More Parties,” and Nicki Minaj gracing the feisty “Blick Blick.” But Minaj, who is never shy to share her opinion, shared some thoughts on what Leray could have done differently to make Trendsetter even better.

“No More Parties is too classic for y’all to leave the original off,” she began in a tweet. “It should’ve started the whole album.” Which is a fair take, considering the original version of “No More Parties” launched Leray onto the trajectory that she’s on now.

The album is 20 tracks long, and Minaj also expressed which tracks that she feels should have appeared higher in the album’s sequencing because Leray was so good on them. “Twinnem,” is the ninth track on Trendsetter and Minaj thinks it should have appeared earlier. Considering it was a single, we can see where her mind is. In her list of songs, she also lists “Aye Yai Yai,” the album’s third track, so it’s hard to think how that could have been higher up. Regardless, this wasn’t shade from Minaj, as much as she’s looking out for her girl. And Leray took it in stride with her response to the tweet, saying “Ohhhhhhhhhhhh YA SELECTS IS FIREEEEEEEEEEE.”

At the end of last year, it was announced that sneaker-customizer-to-the-stars Katty Customs would be teaming up with Grammy-nominated and multi-Platinum producer Just Blaze for Fresh Pair, a new show on Uproxx. The upcoming series — set to launch in early summer ’22 — features Katty and Just teaming up to make custom sneakers for some of the biggest names in entertainment. After the hard work of crafting the shoe is done, the hosts sit down with each guest to discuss their careers and how those careers inspired these unique, 1-of-1 kicks.

In a clip from the show — released today, along with a show trailer — The Game chops it up with Katty and Just Blaze. It’s here that he makes a stern challenge to Eminem, clarifying previous mentions of an Em-focused diss track by his manager, Wack 100 — which stemmed from The Game’s appearance on Drink Champs last month. In that interview, The Game claimed that he could not only beat Eminem in a Verzuz but that he is also a better rapper overall. His comments received plenty of criticism, and during his time on Fresh Pair, The Game responded to the criticism with tremendous nuance.

“I’ve always told myself that ‘you are the best rapper!’” The Game said after pointing out how the late Kobe Bryant was often compared to Michael Jordan. “Everything that we do, if you’re doing it on this level that we’re doing it at, is some type of competition. Usain Bolt ain’t running around the track by himself in the Olympics. It’s n****s trying to beat him and he’s trying to beat somebody.”

The Game added that his comments towards Eminem were to “challenge him” and “challenge hip-hop.” He makes it very clear that this isn’t about violence, it’s only about rap. Just Blaze then asked The Game why he’s taking aim at Eminem specifically, and The Game revealed that it’s tied to his longtime beef with 50 Cent.

“50 can’t rap,” The Game said. “So I gotta go a level up and challenge the better rapper, that’s why. And not to take nothing away from what 50’s doing, he can see it and tweet it, but he knows I’m gonna respond. Or he can go rap about it, but he knows he’s gonna lose that battle.” He later added, speaking of 50: “When it comes to rap, he can’t out-rap me. Your buddy can rap though, and nobody takes shots at Eminem off this preconceived notion that he’s better than everybody. Well, I want action and I want it today.”

The clip is paired with a trailer for Fresh Pair that reveals five of the eight season 1 guests — Jadakiss, Jim Jones, El-P, Styles P, and The Game. The show is set to air on Uproxx and Youtube.com/UproxxVideo.

After years of false starts, a movie based on the hit graphic novel by ND Stevenson is finally in development at Netflix. Nimona will feature the voices of Chloe Grace Mortez (of Carrie, Kick-Ass, and that one recurring role on 30 Rock) and Riz Ahmed, from The Sound Of Metal.

The official plot summary from Netflix:

A Knight is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is a story about the labels we assign to people and the shapeshifter who refuses to be defined by anyone.

Stevenson confirmed the news on Twitter.

A movie based on Stevenson’s graphic novel has been in the works for some time, with a complex history: the project was originally backed by Blue Sky Studios of 20th Century Fox, though Disney acquired Fox last spring, and not long after that, production on the project was halted, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Rumors swirled that the movie was axed due to a homosexual relationship in the story.

Disney famously tries their best to limit the number of gay characters in the story by not allowing any at all, though things are changing fast!

As Abbott Elementary continues to be a breakout hit for ABC, the show has been using its growing clout to make a real difference in the lives of schoolchildren. For its latest philanthropic endeavor, Warner Bros. TV will be donating 150,000 meals to Feeding America in an effort to raise awareness of food insecurity. Starting Monday April 11, one day before the Abbott Elementary season finale, the “Think Outside the Box” campaign will run for a week and feature celebrity chefs on the show’s increasingly popular social media accounts.

Via Deadline:

The “Think Outside the (Lunch) Box” campaign will run from April 11–15. WBTV will partner with influencer chefs Eitan Bernath and Ahmad Alzahabi, who will create lunchbox meals and discuss the impact of food insecurity with their followers across Instagram and TikTok. Feeding America helps provide at least 10 meals for every dollar donated through a network of member food banks.

Last month, Abbott Elementary teamed up with Scholastic to provide free books for struggling inner-city schools like the one featured in the show. (Creator Quinta Brunson based the show on her elementary school experience in Philadelphia.) Not only that, but the program made sure to give lots of love to the faculty by rolling up to schools with its Traveling Teachers Lounge that handed out supplies, breakfast, and Abbott Elementary swag. Also, it offered a momentary respite from the kids, which is an important part of every educator’s day.

Have we mentioned this is a good show doing good things? It’s nice.

(Via Deadline)

Last week, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey announced that their seminal hip-hop supergroup, Black Star, would be returning with their first new album since 1998’s cult classic, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Dubbed No Fear Of Time and due out on May 3rd, the new album sees Madlib stepping in as the producer and now, the lead single, “Mineral Mountain” featuring Black Thought, has just premiered via Kweli and Bey’s Luminary Podcasts show that they co-host with Dave Chappelle, The Midnight Miracle.

If this seems like an unusual way to premiere a single, it’s because it’s in line with the unique way in which No Fear Of Time is being released. The album will be out exclusively on the Luminary network, which is also where Kweli hosts the Uproxx-produced People’s Party With Talib Kweli.

As for the new track, you’ll have to hop on Luminary to hear it in full, but an Instagram user has uploaded a couple of previews. On the first one, Bey unleashes a verbal assault over punishing drums and distorted strings from Madlib:

The second clip sees the trio joining forces over intergalactic effects and those same silky drums from Madlib:

Kweli has said that the ethos behind making the music for No Fear Of Time is no different than the first time around when Black Star dropped a classic, but that for the new album, the recording locations were more fluid. “This entire album, we have not set foot in one recording studio,” Kweli said in a statement. “It’s all been done in hotel rooms and backstage at Dave Chappelle shows.”

No Fear Of Time comes out 05/03 via Luminary. Get details here.

Adele is one of the most beloved singers in the world, both for her rich, resonant singing voice and for her genuine, down-to-earth personality. Her first album, “19,” launched her into stardom, but her second album, “21” rocketed her into the superstar realm in 2011.

Since then, fans haven’t been able to get enough of her. And in 2015, Adele gave a small group of fans the hugest surprise—by becoming one of them.

The surprise was orchestrated by BBC show host Graham Norton, who had gathered a group of Adele impersonators and tribute performers to film a (fake) contest show called “My Adele.” What they didn’t know was that Adele herself would be among the contestants, wearing a prosthetic nose and chin and a wig. She gave herself a fake name—Jenny—and lowered her voice so as not to give away her identity. She even gave herself a fake backstory as a woman who worked as a nanny and who had been doing Adele gigs for four years (though gigs had been few and far between lately).

Her commitment to the gag was impressive, as was her ability to keep a straight face as the contestants talked to her. She pretended to be incredibly nervous, and her fellow contestants were just so sweet and supportive—which just made the moments of realization and stunned expressions on each of their faces when she actually began to sing all the more delightful. You can dress up her face and hair, but you can’t disguise that iconic voice.

The whole thing is just sheer joy all around. Watch:

An odd trinket bought at a thrift shop turns out to be a bona fide antique. A small fortune is found stashed inside a piece of furniture on the side of the road. These are the magical jackpot moments that seem almost too good to be true. And yet, real stories like these keep the hope alive in our hearts.

In September 2017, auto mechanic Jared Whipple received a call from a friend about an abandoned barn house in Watertown, Connecticut, filled with several large canvases, each with bold colorful displays of car parts. Considering Whipple’s line of work, along with his general love for vintage items, the friend thought the artwork would be of interest to him.

See on Instagram

By the time Whipple arrived on the site, all the pieces had been disposed of into a dumpster (next stop: landfill) and were covered in debris and mold. Luckily, each was individually wrapped in plastic.

Curious, Whipple began to unwrap a few of the canvases to get a better look.

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Not only were they in good condition, but the quality of art was impeccable. Whipple immediately wanted to know more about the creator of these lovely works.

The answers didn’t come easy. In fact, the research ended up taking Whipple four years, but here’s what he found:

See on Instagram

The works were created by Francis Mattson Hines. And he wasn’t exactly a no name. According to the Mattatuck Museum, Hines’ big claim to fame was weaving giant pieces of diaphanous fabrics around the Washington Square Arch in geometric patterns back in 1980. And though his story was publicly recognized in books and documentaries, much of Hines’ fame had diminished by the time of his death in 2016. Hence the less-than-fruitful Google search.

“Not only was this artist a ‘someone,’ but he was even more well known in the New York art world than we could ever have imagined,” said Whipple.

See on Instagram

CT Insider reported that Whipple has collaborated with art gallery Hollis Taggart to give Hines’ work the proper respect and celebration it deserves, setting up a large exhibit in both Southport, Connecticut, and New York City. Each one will showcase 35 to 40 pieces, all available for sale.

And just how much will a Francis Hines piece go for? CT Insider also spoke with art curator and historian Peter Hastings Falk, who estimated that his drawings could go for $4,500, and wrapped paintings around $22,000. This makes the entire collection, full of hundreds of pieces, worth millions of dollars.

That’s right. What nearly went into a trash heap is now valued at a mega fortune level.

Go ahead. Pick up your jaw from the floor and read that again.

Of course, selling the art isn’t Whipple’s main focus. In addition to keeping some pieces for himself that he fell in love with, Whipple aims to work with major galleries in New York to establish Francis Hines as “a significant artist of the 20th and 21st century.”

The mechanic-turned-art-dealer told CT Insider his new purpose “is to get Hines into the history books.”