Month: April 2022

While Joe and Jill Biden celebrated Easter by successfully resurrecting the White House Easter Egg Roll and reading books to a group of children, the former First Family had their own way of celebrating the holiday, as Jimmy Kimmel explained.

For Donald Trump, that meant issuing not one but three press releases throughout the day that became increasingly unhinged with each new message. It started out pleasant enough with a “Happy Easter to all. May there be great peace and prosperity throughout the World!” But it ended with a far less kumbaya vibe—especially if you were New York Attorney General Letitia James: “Happy Easter to failed gubernatorial candidate and racist Attorney General Letitia James. May she remain healthy despite the fact that she will continue to drive business out of New York while at the same time keeping crime, death, and destruction in New York!”

Whatever happened to just handing someone a package of Peeps and calling it a day?

Oddly, it was Donald Trump Jr. who had Kimmel a bit more concerned with his Easter Day tidings. Noting that “the oranges don’t fall far from the tree,” Kimmel shared that Don the Lesser followed his dad’s lead by also offering up his own “Easter message of love”:

Kimmel, like most people who saw it, was perplexed:

“What does this have to do with anything? Is somebody threatening to take the Easter Bunny’s machine guns away? Don Jr.’s into some weird porn. I mean, come on! Though it is nice to see him and Jared and Eric hanging out together.”

You can watch the full clip above.

Last month, world-dominating pop star Lorde joined the club of celebrities praising Rosalía’s new album Motomami. “I’ve listened to the Rosalía album every day since it came out,” she wrote in a newsletter. “F*ck, it’s so good, I gagged when I heard that interpolation of ‘Archangel,’ ‘Hentai’ is genius, ‘Sakura’… projects like this remind me why I live for pop music — at its best, there’s nothing better.”

So it makes sense that the “Royals” singer covered “Hentai” at her show last night at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The piano-driven ballad and Lorde’s smooth Spanish surprise the crowd; it’s a vulnerable moment that then spills into one of Lorde’s most intimate and beloved songs, “Liability.”

When Lorde first released Solar Power, she revealed that she didn’t let herself read any reviews. “I can only look at food websites because I don’t want to see myself anywhere,” she explained. The singer compared seeing herself online to eating too much sugar: “Baby me would have just eaten the sugar and gotten the headache, whereas now I’m gonna take care of myself. I feel like I can see my world and myself a lot clearer now. Everyone has that experience in their early to mid-20s – you can’t see yourself that well for a while and then it starts to sharpen.”

Watch Lorde perform “Hentai” above.

After going a full year without releasing a full-length solo studio album, Future is back. Set to release his ninth album this month, the title of which is to be announced, Future spoke with GQ, detailing a “vulnerable” new project, recalling working with Drake, and sharing stories about his early days working with Kanye West.

Before putting out his first major-label album Pluto in 2012, he recalled working under the tutelage of Ye, who has since remained one of his most frequent collaborators.

“Me and Kanye always had a relationship,” Future said. “But it’s hard for people to understand because I don’t put everything on Instagram. Kanye flew me to Paris in 2011 or 2012 to work on music. [Discussing] his clothing line before it came, his shoe business before it came. People don’t know I’ve been able to go to his house and pull up right into the crib. We just never talked about it.”

Future and Ye collaborated on 2014’s “I Won,” and Ye enlisted Future to executive produce his 2022 album, Donda 2. Atlanta rapper Young Scooter also posted footage on his Instagram Story of Ye and Future on the set of a music video, thought to be from Future’s upcoming album. Last year, Ye called Future “the most influential artist of the past 10 years” on the Drink Champs podcast.

“When he said that, I understood why he called me to Paris, even though I didn’t understand it at that time,” says Future. “I understood why we had certain conversations. I understood him being a part of ‘I Won.’ Even him having me write on certain [Kanye] albums that people don’t even understand I wrote on…Sometimes not getting credit when you write with him because the love of the art is…I want it to be right. Top tier. Just being able to create and put those textures over different music, and being involved with something like that.”

Future’s ninth studio album is out 4/29 via Epic.

This week in pop featured an array of releases, blessing those of us who wanted music but weren’t able to make it out to Coachella. We were lucky nonetheless, with the return of hyperpop troublemakers 100 Gecs with their invigorating “Doritos & Fritos” and the highly anticipated release of Lizzo’s feel-good, summer anthem “About Damn Time.”

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.

Swedish House Mafia — “Heaven Takes You Home”

Electronic supergroup Swedish House Mafia is back to provide dance anthems for the new season. “Heaven Takes You Home” is perfect for cruising down the highway under the sun; the sound is exuberant and celestial, and the airy, shapeless vocals add to the otherwordly feeling of the song.

Anitta — “Gata”

Brazilian star Anitta had a great week, first unleashing this fierce, pulsating anthem and then taking the stage at Coachella and bringing out Snoop Dogg and Saweetie. With every second, she continues to rise higher and become a dominating force in pop, and this song proves it.

Alec Benjamin — “Speakers”

Young up-and-comer Alec Benjamin is known for his hopeful songs offering a silver lining during dark times. In “Speakers,” Benjamin wants to be the guiding hand for someone who’s lost their way: “And I’ll be the song that’s on your spеakers / Playing for you, you, you.” The song definitely achieves its goal of being a source of comfort.

Lizzo — “About Damn Time”

Lizzo has been relentlessly teasing this song, calling it the song of the summer. And she’s right; it is! It retains her signature charm, kicking off with the unforgettable quip: “It’s bad b*tch o’clock, yeah / It’s thick-thirty.” It’s about looking at your struggles as obstacles that only make you stronger, and her confidence and humor are so contagious that the listener can’t help but feel the same way.

G-Eazy — “Angel”

G-Eazy discarded his usual rap style for this moving ballad “Angel” for his late mother. It’s possibly his most vulnerable song ever, which makes it one of his best. The grief, though, is not bleak at all; he is able to find healing: “‘Cause tonight / I think I might’ve finally found what I needed most,” he sings with enlightenment.

100 Gecs — “Doritos & Fritos”

Chaotic duo 100 Gecs is supposed to release an album at some point this year. This song “Doritos & Fritos” showcases their typical glitchy, jam-packed sound mixing with more ska rhythms and rock elements. The lyrics are as crazy as always, featuring a Danny DeVito name-drop because why not?

Lyn Lapid — “Pager”

Singer Lyn Lapid is not interested in talking on her new single “Pager.” She knows her worth and is tired of dealing with toxic people; “If you got a problem with me / I can hear about it later / You can send it to my pager,” she sings, her voice dripping with a new sense of independence and freedom.

Conan Gray — “Memories”

Conan Gray‘s new sprawling ballad “Memories” is about trying to move on. It’s not easy, especially when the person he’s trying to get over keeps returning to his life. “It’s hard to find an end / To something that you keep beginning / Over and over again,” he intones with stress and heartbreak. The detailed songwriting only makes the song hit harder.

Teddy Swims — “Dose”

Teddy Swims is addicted to love on his new catchy song “Dose.” Anchored by a slow rhythm and subtle bassline, the track’s centerpiece is his wholesome, infatuated lyricism: “Love how you kiss every tattoo on my face / Yeah, it’s the time and place / To do what the doctor say / A dose of you a day.”

Amelia Moore — “Crybaby”

Rising alt-pop artist Amelia Moore is blending rock and R&B on this seductive new song “Crybaby,” which is reminiscent of The Neighbourhood. The atmosphere is both lovesick and haunted as she details a tumultuous relationship that seems only to be intensified by its bumps.

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

In what has to be one of the biggest divides ever seen between critics and audiences, the new Netflix comedy series Hard Cell is racking up rave reviews on Twitter despite sitting at a rock bottom zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s the official synopsis for the Catherine Tate series that began streaming last week much to the chagrin of critics who really did not care for it:

Hard Cell is a documentary-style comedy set in the fictional female prison, HMP Woldsley. Writer and creator, Catherine Tate plays multiple characters from Laura Willis, the Governor who believes creativity leads to rehabilitation, to Big Viv, the psychopath lifer. Set over a 6 week period during which the inmates rehearse a musical directed by ex-Eastender’s star Cheryl Fergison. Rehearsals draw together an oddball collection of women as they find their voices, grow in confidence and strengthen their friendships. Funny yet surprisingly moving, Hard Cell leans into the comical truth of prison life.

While Tate is a veteran comedian, this is her first stab at delivering a full-fledge sitcom and the critics are not impressed. “This is one show that should remain behind bars,” wrote James Field of Pajiba.

“Above all, it feels terribly dated, with endless toilet humour and a mock-doc approach that could only be described as Gervaisian,” said Gabriel Tate of the Daily Telegraph.

“Tate used to be a take-no-prisoners (pun intended) satirist, blasting away at homophobia and general ignorance,” wrote John Doyle of the Globe and Mail. “But here the humour can get raw, and gags about sewage and masturbation are more clangers than they are clever.”

However, over on Twitter, audiences are loving the new Catherine Tate comedy series and demanding a second season. You can see just a small taste of the reactions below, and unlike the critics, viewers are apparently here for Hard Cell:

(Via Rotten Tomatoes)

The United States generates an incredible amount of paper and cardboard waste every year. The most recent EPA statistics from 2018 found that Americans throw away 67.4 million tons of paper and paperboard a year. Sixty-eight percent of it is recycled, with the remainder being dumped in landfills.

Cardboard will eventually deteriorate in a landfill but as it degrades it creates methane gas, one of the largest contributors to climate change. While carbon-trapping trees are one of the biggest ways to combat climate change, over a billion of them are chopped down every year to meet the country’s ever-growing cardboard demands.

In Hawaii, cardboard waste is an even greater contributor to climate change because the state lacks adequate recycling facilities. So, all of the country’s recycled cardboard is packaged and shipped five thousand miles to Thailand to be reprocessed.

Twenty-nine-year-old Evan Lam is improving the cardboard problem on Hawaii’s Big Island by upcycling the material into useful products that keep it on the island. He sees his work as part of a larger, global trend.

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“One of the biggest responses that I see happening kind of all over the world, and here in Hawaii, is localization,” Lam told Eco Watch. “The more that we can do and process and take care of things at a local or regional level that’s kind of geographically bounded, the further we can get in just eliminating sources of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Lam created CirclePack in 2020 to make better use of the Big Island’s cardboard waste. The company travels to partner organizations throughout the island where people drop off clean cardboard that is shredded on-site by volunteers. The cardboard is repurposed into a flexible, perforated mat or smaller pieces of confetti.

The confetti cardboard can be used as sustainable packing supplies, animal bedding, compostable mailers, and garden or farm mulch.

The mesh cardboard is used by farmers as a mulching to kill invasive plant species. It also works as an organic weed cover and provides a home for worms in a vermicompost. Vermicomposting uses worms to convert biodegradable waste into organic manure.

As of April 2022, CirclePack has shredded 23,534 pounds of cardboard in just over a year of operation.

Lam says that Facebook and Instagram are invaluable tools to help him connect with community groups, volunteers, and environmentally conscious people. “Instagram has connected CirclePack with both community organizations and emerging businesses who prioritize and invest in sustainability. Facebook Groups particularly have helped us connect with community members who volunteer and bring cardboard to our community shred days,” Lam told Upworthy.

Lam’s work is further proof that digital communities can have a tangible impact on local ecosystems. “I post about our community shred days in local Facebook groups and people just show up,” he added.

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Lam believes that our ever-growing cardboard use and the supply chain that moves it around the world is unsustainable. “The growth of online shopping will probably increase the use of cardboard. It’s a system that needs to change, the global consumption of paper fiber is generally always increasing and we now live in a world where social, political and environmental issues are converging. We can’t continue on this pathway and not expect to experience some sort of disaster,” he told Upworthy.

“The fact that my cardboard probably comes to Hawaii from Canada and ends up being recycled in Taiwan and then can be shipped back to Los Angeles to deliver cotton from China and pears from Argentina is surreal,” Lam added. “Who is making these decisions and benefiting from them?”

There’s no end in sight for cardboard consumption, so Lam hopes to share what he’s learned from CirclePack with other like-minded eco-entrepreneurs. “I would like to inspire and inform people how to act in their own communities,” he told Upworthy. “I want people to replicate and use whatever parts of this program to fit their needs where they are. It doesn’t have to be complicated, big, or newsworthy to start doing the new, necessary things to benefit people and the places they live.”

Former Bill O’Reilly stooge Jesse Watters spends much of his days irritating Geraldo Rivera on Fox News’ The Five, but things took an even more awkward turn than usual for the guy who asked Mel Gibson about The Slap. Last week, everyone but one of the The Five panelists were left aghast when Watters began to relate how he “romanced” a co-worker who was fifteen years his junior. He was 39 at the time (only a few years ago) and married to his first wife, Noelle Watters.

And Jesse still decided to pursue Emma DiGiovine. Even worse, he did so in a very stalker-y way. Jesse persuaded her to climb into his car in a way that’s sure to set off some Stranger Danger alarms for all Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt viewers. Via Huff Post, Jesse proudly told his co-workers about how he tricked Emma into letting him drive her home: through sabotage. This is one for the books, alright.

“When I was trying to get Emma to date me, first thing I did, let the air out of her tires.” Watters proudly admitted. “She couldn’t go anywhere, she needed a lift. I said ‘Hey you need a lift?’ She got right into the car.”

Not great! The extra unsettling twist here is that Emma and Jesse exchanged wedding vows in 2020. Here they are, looking dreamy on the beach in January.

So, is Emma, uh, aware of the situation? “No, she doesn’t know the story,” Watters conceded. However, “Now she does.”

Jesse continued to insist that his shady methods are just fine because his story “has a happy ending.” Yikes.

(Via Huffington Post)

Jack Harlow is the toast of this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart: It was revealed yesterday that “First Class” debuted in the No. 1 spot, making it the second chart-topper of his career so far. That said, if you peek a bit past the top 10 entries of the current chart, it looks like Harlow’s No. 1 may not actually be the week’s biggest accomplishment.

Lil Baby debuted two songs on the Hot 100 this week: “Right On” at No. 13 and “In A Minute” at No. 14. That in itself is nice but doesn’t seem like an especially huge deal. Looking at the big picture, though, it actually is, as those songs are Baby’s 99th and 100th to appear on the chart.

This feat puts Baby in rare territory, as only a handful of artists (12, counting him) have ever landed 100 or more songs on the Hot 100 in their career: Drake (who has 260 entries on the chart), Glee (207), Lil Wayne (180), Taylor Swift (166), Kanye West (135), Future (132), Nicki Minaj (123), Elvis Presley (109), Chris Brown (107), Jay-Z (104), Justin Bieber (103), and now, Lil Baby (100).

Also worth noting is how early in his career Baby reached 100 entries: His first single was only just released in 2017. The next “youngest” (in terms of when their first single was released) artist on the list is Future, whose debut single arrived in 2011. He’s actually the youngest (in terms of actual age) solo artist to do it, too, but just barely: When Bieber got his 100th Hot 100 song on July 20, 2021, he was 27 years, 4 months, and 19 days old, which was the record at the time. When Baby did it yesterday, he was 27 years, 4 months, and 15 days old, a mere four days younger than Bieber was.

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

For the first five seasons of Better Call Saul, every premiere began the same way: with a check-in on Gene, a.k.a. Omaha Gene, a.k.a. Cinnabon Gene, a.k.a. definitely not Saul Goodman / Jimmy McGill. So, in an episode full of shocking moments, maybe the most shocking moment of last night’s season six premiere was the lack of Gene. Instead, “Wine and Roses” kicked things off with Saul’s house being raided by the authorities following the events of Breaking Bad. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of Gene to come.

“As we started talking about the whole season, we realized that this season has a very different structure from the other seasons of the show. It has a different structure, it goes into places that we’ve never been before, there are shocks of many kinds and it seemed like starting it in a different way was the right thing to do, waiting to see Gene Takovic might make sense at this point,” co-creator Peter Gould told the Hollywood Reporter.

He continued:

“It’s no big surprise that Gene is part of the show, because that’s the key art, Bob as Gene Takovic the Cinnabon manager, either taking off or putting on a Saul Goodman sports coat. So I think it’s a pretty good bet that we’re gonna see Gene, but maybe waiting to see him is the right move.”

Here’s the key art that Gould is referring to:

The lack of Gene in the premiere was a real disappointment to the Cinnabon Twitter account, which, ahead of the episode, tweeted, “Our employee of the month is reporting for his shift today #iykyk.” He must’ve been a no call, no show. If only he got paid more.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Shortly after Chromatics announced their official break-up last year, singer Ruth Radelet delivered a gorgeous cover of Elliott Smith’s “Twilight,” effectively marking the beginning of her newfound journey as a solo artist. Now, Radelet has just shared her first original track in the arresting hypnotism of “Crimes.”

Produced by former Poolside member Filip Nikovic, “Crimes” sees Radelet operating with her familiar breathy delivery. The song’s lyrics hint at what she’s had to consider with the dissolution of the group and now forging her own path, singing, “Is it easy to start over? Is it easy to play the game? Is it easy to forget your own name?”

She’s definitely establishing her own artistic identity with this solo output, and for fans of Chromatics who waited forever for Dear Tommy and never got it, it’s beyond welcome to hear Radelet soaring on “Crimes.”

“ʻCrimesʼ is about the pursuit of success at the expense of oneʼs integrity, and the exploitation of others in order to get ahead,” Radelet said in a statement. “Itʼs about the price we pay for our choices, and whether or not itʼs worth it. The question, ʻIs it easy to start over?ʼ can be interpreted in two ways — itʼs meant to ask how it feels to continually reinvent yourself until you lose sight of who you are. It also asks how hard it would be to walk away from it all.”

Listen to “Crimes” above.