Month: May 2022

After a brief foray into testicle tanning, Fox News host Tucker Carlson has resumed his highly controversial opposition to supporting Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia. Carlson has been repeatedly accused of spreading Russian propaganda, and this latest segment doesn’t look like it will help his case. The embattled Fox News host spent a portion of his Wednesday night episode attacking Republicans who are backing a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine. Carlson seemed to especially single out Senator Lindsey Graham, who not only supports the aid package but declared on Fox News that Putin should be removed from power.

“It’s weird to see a guy live out his strange little fantasy life on TV live,” Carlson said. “Lindsey Graham won’t come on this show. He’s afraid.”

As Carlson continued his rant, stopping only to praise Marjorie Taylor Greene (of course) for opposing the package, the Fox News host started naming other Republican senators who won’t come on his show. Has Tucker Carlson considered that maybe the problem is.. Tucker Carlson? Via Mediaite:

“We reached out to every Republican in the Senate to find out what they plan to do,” he said. “Most of them didn’t bother to reply. None of them will come on this show. That would include Mitch McConnell – the minority leader – Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Chuck Grassley, Mitt Romney also did not respond. We’re hoping they’ll vote the right way.”

Carlson also took his rhetoric a step further by saying that any Republicans backing the Ukraine aid bill should be primaried. “You’ve gotta hope that there’s some sincere billionaire out there who’s gonna fund a primary challenge against every single of those Republican senators standing by Mitch McConnell.”

Yup, it’s a real mystery why these guys won’t come on his show.

(Via Mediaite)

“Cha Cha Slide” is a staple of awkward middle school dances, and has been on the playlist for every bar and bat mitzvah I’ve ever attended (and as a Jew from New York, I’ve attended many). The DJ Casper song also inspired the title of Cha Cha Real Smooth, writer and director Cooper Raiff’s follow-up to the well-received Sh*thouse.

Cha Cha Real Smooth is about an aimless recent college graduate (played by Raiff) who connects with a mother (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter (Vanessa Burghardt) while working as a bar/bat mitzvah party host. The plot may sound like it was “designed by an advanced AI to be the most Sundance dramedy plot ever conceived,” as our Vince Mancini wrote in his Sundance review, but “it was so undeniably sweet and eloquently delivered that I just couldn’t help myself.” He’s right: prepare to be charmed, especially by Johnson, who continues to be captivating in everything she’s in.

Here’s the official plot description:

Fresh out of college and without a clear life path going forward, 22-year-old Andrew is stuck back at home with his family in New Jersey. But if there’s one thing that belongs on his nonexistent résumé, it’s how to get a party started, which lands him the perfect job of motivational dancing at the bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brother’s classmates. When Andrew befriends a local mom, Domino, and her daughter, Lola, he finally discovers a future he wants – even if it might not be his own.

Cha Cha Real Smooth, which also stars Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, Vanessa Burghardt, and Evan Assante, will be released in select theaters and on Apple TV+ on June 17.

Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 other members of their YSL crew are having — to put it lightly — a rough week. On Monday, they were charged with 56 counts of conspiracy to violate the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, including violations for drugs, guns, and even murder. An 88-page indictment filled with Young Thug lyrics led to their arrests, with Gunna turning himself in on Wednesday. Now, it looks like they’ll be stuck at Fulton County Jail for a while; the rappers were denied bond requests as the presiding judge declared them a flight risk, according to local news.

In addition to the initial two charges against Thug, seven more were added as a result of a raid at his home in Buckhead; those charges include possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute, possession of illegal firearms, and participation in criminal gang activity. According to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, YSL is considered a “hybrid criminal gang,” with both the label and the wider association around it tied to the Bloods. Meanwhile, both Thug and Gunna, through their lawyers, have maintained their innocence. Some observers have also disputed the use of their lyrics as evidence to tie them to a larger conspiracy.

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

Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa came through with a reminder that, regardless of narratives and past missteps, when it comes to rapping they are exceptional at their craft. The Chicago wordsmiths’ recent video “Wraith (Writing Exercise #3) is two minutes and 27 seconds of unbridled lyricism, following them through a store, in the studio, and on an indoor basketball court surrounded by their crew. The record itself is produced by Smoko Ono.

Mensa takes on the first verse, clutching his dog as he talks about his mother, liars, and much more. Chance follows up, utilizing the sequential word overlay from his previous “Writing Exercise #2” as he references Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, how saving money is part of his bone marrow, and neo-colonial states. Vic Mensa returns at the end, trading his confident rap voice for a more melodic vocal tone.

Though the two rap veterans’ careers are different, the synergy here should come as no surprise as they previously collaborated on “Family,” “Shelter,” “Suitcase,” “Taxi Cab,” and various other tracks. “Wraith (Writing Exercise #3)” follows Chance The Rapper’s “Child of God” single released back in March. Mensa appeared on “Just The Same” alongside Big Gigantic and Mick Jenkins which came out earlier this week.

It’s not a stretch to call Harry Styles’ “As It Was” the biggest song of the year so far. No, its three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 aren’t the most a song has had at that spot in 2022 (Encanto‘s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” each spent five weeks there). However, “As It Was” is the first song from 2022 to be certified Platinum, despite only being released about a month ago.

The tune is also already at the point where it’s getting some prominent cover versions: During a recent live session at Maida Vale Studios for BBC Radio 2, Arcade Fire offered up a rendition of the song. Their version is relatively faithful to Styles’ original, but some minor touches make it sound at home in the band’s idiosyncratic, driving, and anthemic indie-rock aesthetic. Régine Chassagne taking the vocal lead on the rhythmic, rapid-fire bridge near the end of the song was also a nice touch.

As for what Arcade Fire has been up to, they’re fresh off the release of their latest album, We — the band’s last with Will Butler, who left the group last year. The band also recently announced some tour dates and performed on Saturday Night Live.

Watch Arcade Fire cover “As It Was” above.

Starz’ sleeper hit P-Valley made waves in 2020 when it debuted, garnering praise for its realistic look at strip clubs and its portrayal of sex workers in the south. The show was nominated for several awards, including the GLAAD Media Awards and NAACP Image Awards in 2021. Now, the series is back for its second season, this time shining a light on COVID’s impact on strip clubs.

The second season of the Starz show picks up right as COVID restrictions in Mississippi are lifted, which means The Pynk can open its doors after months of drive-thru stripping (which really did happen in 2020). “You can’t throw a rock without hitting five businesses that ain’t closed down,” an employee explains, setting the scene for a post-COVID reopening. The trailer implies that The Pynk will be hiring several new dancers for the reopening, and we all know that new blood tends to bring some drama.

The series stars Brandee Evans as the main character Mercedes Woodbine, who hopes to leave the club and open her own dance gym. Nicco Annan portrays Uncle Clifford, the club’s owner who faces financial trouble. Shannon Thornton, Elarica Johnson, Skyler Joy, and Parker Sawyers also star.

The second season premieres on June 3rd on Starz and will consist of ten episodes. Check out the trailer above.

Over the years, Donald Trump has been known as Scooby Coup, Dolt 45, Tangerine Palpatine, Drinks with Two Hands, Vanity Manatee, Penis Pumpkinhead, Hair Farce One, The Big Lie-bowski, King Baby Coward, Old Wack Donald, Ole Yeller, and Jackass O’Lantern — and those are just Stephen Colbert’s nicknames for the former-president.

Joe Biden added another one to the pile on Wednesday, although unlike “Mar-a-Lardo,” it’s a nickname that Trump will probably love.

While speaking at the the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International convention, Biden said, “Look at my predecessor, the great MAGA king — the deficit increased every single year he was president.” That moniker — “the great MAGA king” — was supposed to be an insult, the way Trump has referred to the current-president as “Sleepy Joe” and “Corrupt Joe.” But as noted by conservative CNN political commenter Alyssa Farah Griffin, “This can’t possibly be the best Democrats can do. A) Trump will LOVE the name B) democrats running on the deficit is… something else & won’t work.”

Even Democrats aren’t sure of what Biden is attempting here. “I get that Democrats likely got some new polling from the consultants showing that ‘MAGA’ isn’t popular with voters, but not sure it achieves what we hope to frame Trump as an all-powerful king when that’s… also kind of how he talks about himself?” strategist Max Burns tweeted.

He should have borrowed a nickname from Veep, like One Erection.

(Via Raw Story and Politico)

On Monday night, Seth Meyers officially declared Rudy Giuliani “The Weirdest Man in the History of Politics.” On Wednesday night, the Late Night host came pretty close to bestowing the title of “The Dumbest Man in the History of Politics” on Donald Trump, which is saying a lot considering the competition. (Hey there, Madison Cawthorn!) But as Meyers explained, Trump’s idiocy knows no bounds:

Every time you think you heard the dumbest thing Donald Trump said or did as president, he somehow finds a way to shock you. I didn’t even know I still had the capacity to be shocked by Trump… [Yet] I was still shocked yesterday when Rolling Stone reported that Trump kept asking his advisors if China was shooting us with a ‘hurricane gun.’

According to Rolling Stone, near the beginning of Trump’s time in office, he had a pressing question for his national security aides and administration officials: Does China have the secret technology—a weapon, even—to create large, man-made hurricanes and then launch them at the United States? And if so, would this constitute an act of war by a foreign power and could the U.S. retaliate militarily?

Can someone say “itchy finger”? (Which might be only a slightly better band name than “hurricane gun.”)

Clearly, Trump was spoiling for a fight from the get-go, as Rolling Stone reported that he asked about this several times—a fact that was corroborated by two military officials and a third individual who was briefed on the whole hurricane gun thing.

“And this was at the beginning of his presidency,” Meyers reminded viewers. “And somehow his presidency still had a middle and an end. Can you imagine if you went to Starbucks and ordered and the barista said, ‘Uh-huh. Now, what exactly is coffee?’ And then you went back four years later and that barista was the manager?!”

“Also, Trump is so f**king crazy that he doesn’t just ask, ‘Does China have a hurricane gun?,’He’s got a bunch of follow-ups assuming the answer is going to be yes! How does he even get to the follow-ups?!”

The answer to that question might be too painful to even think about—especially as the former president continues to tease a possible run in 2024—but that didn’t stop Meyers from playing it out, and somehow imagining Trump asking these questions as if he was wearing a smoking jacket and making deductions Sherlock Holmes-style (you’ll just have to watch that for yourself).

You can watch the full clip above.

Bill Gates is a highly intelligent man to be sure (well, except for that whole hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein business), but Candace Owens has it in her head that the Microsoft co-founder is some sort of Scooby-Doo villain. Granted, this is a woman who lost her sh*t on national television over Minnie Mouse wearing a pantsuit and may have truly believed that there was a groundswell of people proposing she be named a Supreme Court justice.

On Wednesday, as Mediaite reported, the controversial political commentator jumped on the bandwagon of country music singer John Rich (always a reliable source of political information) by suggesting that Gates is to blame for America’s current baby formula shortage.

Even worse? At the same time, she also suggested that Gates was responsible for unleashing COVID onto the world just so that he could also finance the vaccine to help prevent it—all in the name of the almighty dollar, and in less than 50 words.

These accusations all stemmed from a CNBC article which noted that Gates is an investor in BIOMILQ, a startup that is attempting to address the nutritional needs of infants in the lab in order to help reduce the carbon footprint that the baby formula industry leaves behind it.

“Right now, by the estimations we have been able to make, at least 10 percent of the dairy market globally ends up in infant formula,” Michelle Egger, a food scientist and founder of BIOMILQ, told CNBC. “That means per-infant-fed formula in the U.S., 5,700 metric tons of CO2 are produced, and 4,300 gallons of freshwater are consumed each year to feed a child. Parents want to do what’s best for their kids but shouldn’t have to decide between feeding their children and protecting the planet.”

As Mediaite notes, TIME laid out a number of reasons for the current baby formula shortage—not the least of which was the closing of a Michigan factory by Abbott, the maker of Similac, and one of the nation’s biggest producers of baby formula. The industry has also been disrupted by the same national and global supply chain issues that are affecting many industries and products, not to mention COVID-related staff shortages and demand spikes.

But don’t tell that to Owens. To her, Gates’ only concern is chasing every last dollar—despite the fact that Gates is as well-known for his charitable endeavors as he is his technical innovations. Over the course of his career, Gates has donated more than $50 billion to charitable endeavors and, alongside his ex-wife Melinda Gates and fellow billionaire Warren Buffet, has pledged to leave the bulk of his fortune to charity. (Each of he and Melinda’s three children will reportedly inherit $10 million apiece—and not a penny more.)

(Via Mediaite)

The first reviews for Top Gun: Maverick are coming in hot, and the consensus is as subtle as a ’80s power ballad: The sequel rocks. Coupled with significant praise for Tom Cruise‘s dedication to flying around in actual fighter jets instead of using CGI trickery, Top Gun: Maverick is being hailed as a thrilling throwback to the summer blockbusters you grew up with. However, the film surprisingly weaves in an emotional thorough-line between Cruise’s Maverick and the stars’ own status as “The Last Movie Star.”

Strap in and check out what some of the early reviews are saying about the pure adrenaline spectacle that only Cruise can deliver:

Mike Ryan, Uproxx:

I will dispel any mystery about my feelings toward this movie by saying I didn’t just like Top Gun: Maverick, but it’s now just one of my favorite movies. (TO the point I spent money on a poster. I never do that for new movies.) Not “of the year,” but ever. It’s literally one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve ever had.

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly:

Imagine a world where motorcyclists scoff at helmets, all bars burst into jukebox singalongs, and the U.S. military is simply an unblemished agent for good. A few decades ago you didn’t have to, because you lived in it; Top Gun: Maverick can because it never left.

David Ehrlich, IndieWire:

Watching Cruise pilot a fighter jet 200 feet above the floor of Death Valley, corkscrew another one through Washington’s Cascade Mountains, and give one of the most vulnerable performances of his career while sustaining so many G-forces that you can practically see him going Clear in real-time, you realize — more lucidly than ever before — that this wild-eyed lunatic makes movies like his life depends on it. Because it does, and not for the first time.

Peter Debruge, Variety:

One could argue that our new, post-Cold War world didn’t need a “Top Gun” sequel. (Tom Cruise himself once insisted as much.) But one would be wrong to do so. Building on the three-parts-steel-to-one-part-corn equation that director Tony Scott so effectively set 36 years earlier, the new film more than merits its existence, mirroring Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, in pushing the limits of what the machine could do — the machine in this case being cinema, which takes to the skies as no blockbuster has before.

Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times:

Jets still scream and muscles still gleam in the ridiculous and often ridiculously entertaining “Top Gun: Maverick,” though in several respects, the movie evinces — and rewards — an unusual investment of brainpower. I’d go further and say that it offers its own decisive reversal of Maverick’s dubious logic: It has plenty on its mind, and it’s gloriously alive.

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter:

The sequel follows the original beat for beat, to a degree that’s almost comical. And yet, as formulaic as it is, there’s no denying that it delivers in terms of both nostalgia and reinvention. Mainstream audiences will be happily airborne, especially the countless dads who loved Top Gun and will eagerly want to share this fresh shot of adrenaline with their sons.

Todd Gilchrist, The AV Club:

Top Gun: Maverick exceeds the original technically, while circumventing naked jingoism in an era when depictions of the military can (or maybe should) no longer be unambiguously celebratory. Joe Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) matches his well-established architectural precision with suitably nostalgic but never pandering emotionality, while Cruise commands the screen in a performance that leverages his multimillion-dollar star wattage to brighten the entire film.

Pete Hammond, Deadline:

Some wonder if Tom Cruise and the producers of Top Gun: Maverick waited too long to do a sequel. After all, it has been 36 years since Top Gun hit screens in 1986. Well, wonder no more. Not only is the timing right and execution of this long-gestating follow-up splendid, but it also actually tops the original in every way imaginable, from an all-knowing performance for the ages from Cruise to its highly emotional storyline, “take my breath away” aerial sequences and just about anything else you want from a studio blockbuster.

Top Gun: Maverick flies into theaters on May 27.