Month: May 2022

Last week, Britney Spears declared she was taking a social media hiatus. Her break didn’t last too long, though, since yesterday, after about a week since her last Instagram post, Spears returned to the platform with some new posts. In one of them, she reveals she once had hundreds of pages of poetry written that she was thinking about compiling into a book. However, those poems mysteriously disappeared, which Spears seems to subtly blame on somebody in her inner circle.

Spears wrote, “I used to write all the time !!! I had 133 pages … so dumb that I remember … which is actually a lot of poems !!! I had written them in my son’s 5th grade binder that he gave to me … I had an idea to make a book with it and I thought ‘Is this work too personal ???’ I saw a book @kimkardashian did with selfies … at that time I wasn’t in the loop I didn’t even know selfies were in … anyway the 133 pages … well it was by far the best work I had ever done … then I went on tour came back and absolutely all of it was gone … most will say she’s playing the victim but I honestly just say it like it is … yeah that was pretty thin to me and I was pissed so I stopped writing for a very long time … I probably suck and have no idea but I enjoy it … so I do it … it’s so nice to share with you !!!”

The post also includes a new poem from Spears, which reads:

“What would it feel like to feel pretty when I kiss ???
Some look around has something been missed ???
To take off from the ground feel beautiful and soar
When I was younger … hunger more more more
Too rigid in ways … too scared to just leap
I have so much fear … my anchor, my feet
They planted me down … as I’m finding the floor
Witnessed my head the crown … I needed the door
No escape day after day days turned to years I forgot how to play
Numbed to the core please when I can I go
The blankets that fed the illusion just grows
Don’t fight don’t fight we’ve shown you what we will do
I want so bad to be bad their language too cruel
I take it in sometimes feel insane
Distorted from reality I felt so ashamed
Because when I spoke yeah she’s just crazy
They portrayed me as old and mad, but
maybe to wisen my input resort to math
Numbers are virtues that live in the past
Present be taken a sudden shift
Finding my heart the finest gift
Good morning new day birds will whistle
My eyes look up promise of a pencil
Pencil to hand … mystery stare
Finding my eyes who is this do I dare
Ignite in a box a toil to forgive
A mask I forgot my tongue learns to live.”

While that original poetry book may never surface, Spears did recently confirm she’s writing a tell-all memoir.

Dave Chappelle was attacked by a man who police say was armed with a replica gun in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. While performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival, the controversial comedian was rushed and tackled to the ground while on stage by the man, who was quickly taken into custody by the police (although not before Chappelle’s security team had their way with him).

Following the attack, “Chappelle is seen to recover his composure and joke, ‘It was a trans man.’ The joke was a reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding some of the comedian’s jokes in his Netflix specials that have been construed as transphobic,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Before he was attacked, Chappelle had talked about needing more security after the controversy over his trans jokes.”

Also in attendance was Chris Rock, who joined Chappelle on stage following the incident. “Was that Will Smith?” he joked, according to journalist Stephanie Wash, a reference to… come on, you know what it’s a reference to. Rock could tell that same joke at every show for the rest of his life, and probably get a standing ovation every time. As long as he gets paid, that is. You can watch that moment below.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

This morning, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced its class of 2022 inductees, which features Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Carly Simon. As the news has made the rounds, some of the honorees have taken to social media to offer reactions.

Shortly after the news was shared, Ritchie wrote, “Being elected to @rockhall is an incredible honor. I would like to say THANK YOU to all of the voters, to all of my wonderful fans and to everyone at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Congratulations to all of my fellow 2022 inductees! #RockHall2022.” Duran Duran also shared a video filmed shortly after being informed of their induction, in which they express how “honored and thrilled and happy” they are.

Benatar, alongside husband and longtime musical partner Neil Giraldo, also offered a statement, writing, “We are thrilled and humbled to become part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame family. Thank you to everyone who voted especially the fans and congratulations to all the other inductees.” Annie Lennox of Eurythmics has yet to offer a reaction of her own but she did retweet some, including a message from an apparently official (but not Twitter-verified) Eurythmics account.

Parton has yet to offer a reaction, but a few days ago, after previously rejecting her nomination, she did note what she’d do if she did get inducted, saying, “Well, I’ll accept gracefully. I would just say thanks and I would accept it because the fans vote. But when I said that, it was always my belief that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was for the people in rock music. I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that, but if they can’t go there to be recognized, where do they go? So I just felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, since I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there’s more to it than that.”

The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles before airing on HBO and streaming on HBO Max at a later date.

To celebrate May the 4th Be With You, a.k.a. the one day of the year where you’re allowed to enjoy a death stick in peace, Disney has released the first full-length trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi. The six-episode series takes place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, so expect a lot of familiar faces, even if they’re hidden behind a helmet.

In the trailer above, Obi-Wan is a broken man. Or as Ewan McGregor put it to Entertainment Weekly, “Obi-Wan is lost [after] what happened with the Jedi order at the end of [Revenge of the Sith], but also what happened with Anakin; that he lost him to the dark side. He feels an enormous amount of responsibility for that, and guilt.” The trailer ends with Darth Vader’s breathing and a wide-eyed Obi Wan looking like he hasn’t known happiness (or had the high ground) in years.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, which also stars Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie, premieres on Disney+ on May 27.

The list of 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominees was revealed back in February. Since then, the voting process has started and finished, and now, the 2022 induction class has been finalized, the Hall announced this morning that set to be inducted in the Performers category are Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Carly Simon.

John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, said in a statement, “This diverse group of inductees each had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture and helped change the course of rock & roll. Their music moved generations and influenced so many artists that followed.”

The list of inductees closely lines up with the selections on the recently revealed fan-voted selections.

The group of artists set to be inducted represent a fraction of this year’s nominees: Artists who were nominated but were not selected for induction in the Performers category this year are A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Devo, Dionne Warwick, Fela Kuti, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, MC5, New York Dolls, and Rage Against The Machine.

There are awards to be handed out outside of the main performers, too: Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis and Judas Priest will receive the Musical Excellence Award; Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten will get the Early Influence Award; and attorney Allen Grubman, record executive/producer Jimmy Iovine, and singer/Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson will be honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The induction ceremony is set to take place on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles before airing on HBO (and streaming on HBO Max) at a later date.

This all comes after Parton changed her mind about rejecting her nomination, saying a few days ago, “It was always my belief that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was for the people in rock music. I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that, but if they can’t go there to be recognized, where do they go? So I just felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, since I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there’s more to it than that.”

Dave Chappelle experienced a stage invasion on Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl in front of a live audience. While the controversial comedian stood onstage during his set at the Netflix Is A Joke comedy special, a man rushed the stage and tackled Chappelle. Deadline relays word from the local ABC affiliate, which revealed that law enforcement confirmed that a man, who was “reportedly armed with a gun and a knife,” was taken into custody after the incident. As Deadline points out, audience members’ phones had been confiscated during the set, although as the below series of clips shows, some people still managed to record footage of the incident.

As The Hollywood Reporter confirmed, the stage invader was swiftly detained after the tackle. Variety reports that Jamie Foxx assisted in apprehending the man with Chappelle later declaring, “Whenever you’re in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff’s hat.” Immediately after the tackle, Chappelle continued his set onstage and then joked (while invoking his string of previous trans jokes in specials including Sticks and Stones and The Closer, the latter of which arrived in October 2021), “It was a trans man.” This first brief Twitter video shows the tackle as it happened.

Here’s Chappelle’s immediate onstage reaction, which included that joke:

And here’s the end of the set, in which Chappelle remarked to audience, “I’ll nail anyone who comes down for the curtain call.”

Chappelle, who has filmed several Netflix comedy specials, recently reupped his deal with the streamer. That deal includes this festival, all while fallout over The Closer (including employee walkouts) may have contributed to Netflix’s recent subscriber woes. In the months following that most recent (incendiary) special, Chappelle went on tour, and in New Orleans, he declared that he’d endured the roughest three weeks of his life.

(Via Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, ABC 7 & Variety)

The Golden State Warriors emerged victorious in Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, stealing home-court advantage in the process. On Tuesday evening, Memphis entered Game 2 in a desperate position, badly needing to avoid an 0-2 deficit as the series shifts to San Francisco. While it wasn’t a breeze for the Grizzlies, Ja Morant keyed a furious close for Memphis, and the end result was a 106-101 victory to even the series at 1-1.

Memphis started the night with a statement in the form of an 8-0 run. Golden State missed its first four shots and committed three turnovers, with the Grizzlies seizing immediate control.

Then, fireworks began when Grizzlies starting wing Dillon Brooks was ejected. Brooks effectively clotheslined Gary Payton II, earning a Flagrant-2 foul and a very quick exit. Unfortunately, Payton II was also sidelined as a result of an elbow injury.

Golden State awakened from there, using a 10-2 run to tie the game. While the Warriors never held the lead in the opening period, Stephen Curry was dynamic with 11 points and his usual gravity.

Memphis held an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter, with Morant (14 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (10 points) producing at a high level. In fact, that dynamic pairing came together for a buzzer-beating triple that sent the FedExForum crowd into a frenzy.

Early in the second quarter, the Warriors trimmed the margin, but the attention was largely on a poster-worthy play from Andrew Wiggins. The 2021 All-Star essentially annihilated Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke and, while it was worth only two points, many will relive the dunk on repeat in the coming days.

Histrionics aside, the majority of the first half was bumpy in nature for both offenses. Neither team approached its usual level of efficiency, with the Grizzlies falling short of their usual impact on the offensive glass and the Warriors committing 11 turnovers to go along with 4-for-19 shooting from three-point range. With that said, Morant was brilliant with 23 points and five assists for the Grizzlies, leading Memphis to a five-point halftime lead.

Memphis began the second half with energy reminiscent of the first half. The Grizzlies scored the first six points, opening their largest lead of the evening at 62-51, and the Warriors were forced into a corner.

In typical fashion, Golden State came out swinging, almost immediately cutting the margin back to four. That included transition work from Jordan Poole, as the Warriors turned defense into offense.

The overall tenor of the third quarter was similar to the first half, though, as neither team scored at an efficient level. Memphis shot 30 percent from the floor, with Golden State missing eight of its nine three-point attempts. Still, a 13-3 run from the Warriors tied the game at the end of the third quarter, setting the stage for real drama in the closing period.

To open the fourth quarter, Golden State took its first lead of the game, holding Memphis to only six points in more than eight minutes dating back to the third quarter. Rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga gave the Warriors quality minutes off the bench, teaming up with Otto Porter Jr. to buoy Golden State’s frontcourt.

Not to be outdone by his rookie counterpart, Grizzlies first-year forward Ziaire Williams came up with a huge sequence. He converted back-to-back triples to stop the Grizzlies’ offensive drought and give Memphis the lead again with less than eight minutes remaining.

The two teams continued to trade punches from there, including a pair of three-pointers from Curry. The first of the pair was banked-in, and the end result was a four-point lead for the Warriors.

Morant kept coming, scoring 15 consecutive points for Memphis. That stretch included two different buckets to flip the lead back in Memphis’ direction.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1521702633550999552

Up by one point with 40 seconds remaining, Morant continued his ridiculous stretch, scoring amid chaos to give the Grizzlies more breathing room. After a traveling violation by Klay Thompson on the other end, Morant converted a pair of free throws to extend the lead to five points with 13 seconds left. When Curry missed on the other end, the result was academic, and Morant was the story of the night.

The 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player finished with a playoff career-high 47 points on 15-for-31 shooting, with 5-for-12 from three-point range and 12-for-13 at the free throw line. Morant also added eight rebounds and eight assists, joining elite company in reaching the 45-point mark for the second time in his young playoff career.

Though Memphis did not shoot exceedingly well as a team, the Grizzlies won the turnover and free throw battles, in addition to Morant’s individual brilliance. The Grizzlies did have the edge from three-point range, however, as the Warriors scuffled to 7-for-38 from long distance. Golden State held an 18-point edge in the paint, but the Warriors couldn’t overcome Morant, poor shooting, and poor ball security.

Memphis picking up a Game 2 win adds considerable drama to the series, especially with the Warriors set to host the next two games at Chase Center. Game 3 arrives in prime time on Saturday, with all eyes on Morant and whether he’ll be able to lead Memphis to a road win that would steal home-court advantage back from Golden State.

Lil Durk’s 2022 year just keeps getting better and better. The Chicago native dropped his seventh album 7220 earlier this year and it was a project that arrived with 17 songs and guest features from Future, Gunna, and Summer Walker. 7220 later went on to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart, and after falling a few spots some weeks later, it reclaimed the top spot for a second time this year. Lil Durk has propelled the album forward thanks to strong music videos and support from LeBron James. Despite all that’s going on in his world, Durk has still found time to give back to his community.

In partnership with his Neighborhood Heroes Foundation, Durk launched an HBCU college program for teenagers in his Chicago hometown. The exact details of the program are unknown at the moment, but in a post on the foundation’s page, they said that they’ll “be taking them to HBCU Colleges & exposing them to different careers.”

Together with the announcement, Durk also invited 20 students from the South Side of Chicago to join him in a luxury suite for a Chicago White Sox game where he also threw the ceremonial first pitch. For what it’s worth, the White Sox picked up a much-needed 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Angeles, so it’s safe to say that Durk and the Chicago teens gave the team the necessary boost they needed.

You can view the announcement in the post above.

Gunna is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Kehlani has never been one to make her fans wait too long for a new project from her. That’s evident through her latest project Blue Water Road, which arrives just two years after her sophomore effort It Was Good Until Wasn’t was released. Blue Water Road dropped with 13 songs and features from Blxst, Syd, Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez, Ambre, and Thundercat. So far, Kehlani has shared videos for “Altar” and “Everything” from the project, with the latter coming when the project was released. Now, she adds a third one to the mix with a visual for “Up At Night.”

The new video kicks off with Kehlani asking her Google-powered speaker to play her sleep playlist. “Up At Night” soon roars in the background and Kehlani hops into bed to fall asleep. With that, we enter the singer’s mind which is filled with vibrant colors, elegant dance moves, sparkly diamonds, and more, which are all brought forth by her feelings towards a newfound romance.

During a recent Apple Music interview, Kehlani revealed that many of the songs on Blue Water Road were initially records for a deluxe version of It Was Good Until Wasn’t. However, she says she mentally “wasn’t in the deluxe of my last album” due to a unique experience at the location of where the music was recorded, and thus, Blue Water Road was born.

You can check out the visual for “Up At Night” in the video above.

Blue Water Road is out now via TSNMI/Atlantic Records. You can stream it here.

Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The first quarter of Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies featured some fireworks. In addition to high-quality play from both teams, the night began with a Flagrant-2 foul and an ejection for Dillon Brooks within the first handful of minutes. From there, Draymond Green was bleeding from his face in short order, forcing an eventful trip to the locker room, and Gary Payton II was quickly ruled out after injuring his elbow on the clothesline from Brooks.

In an otherwise typical interview between the first and second quarter, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made waves by not exactly holding back his thoughts on how things went in the early going. Prompted by TNT’s Jared Greenberg on Kerr’s previous expectations of a highly physical environment, Kerr pushed back and insisted that what the Grizzlies did in the first quarter “wasn’t physical, that was dirty.”

This is the kind of thing that will not be well-received in Memphis, but it was also in the heat of battle, which could give Kerr some additional latitude. Brooks’ play certainly appeared to be dirty, as evidenced by the ejection, and the Warriors likely did not enjoy the fact that Green had to head to the locker room before emerging with swelling on his face.

Still, this isn’t an accusation that is thrown around lightly. It will be interesting to see the response on all sides after the game, particularly if the Grizzlies are able to even the series with a home win.