Month: June 2022

The Golden State Warriors came into Monday night having absolutely dominated the third quarter in these NBA Finals, winning all four en route to a 2-2 series tie.

That history did not bode well for the Boston Celtics in Game 5, as they trailed by 12 going into the halftime break, but this time they shook free of their third quarter woes and became the aggressor out of halftime, lighting it up from three to turn a 12-point deficit into at one point a three-point advantage. It was a remarkable quarter, highlighted by their three-point shooting as Jayson Tatum led the way for a massive offensive turnaround that saw them make eight straight threes (dating back to the second quarter) after starting the game 0-for-12.

On the other side, the Warriors went ice cold from deep, struggling to score for a stretch of the third while Boston made its run early. Eventually they were able to find some buckets, but still saw themselves trailing by two in the final seconds. After a miss from Jaylen Brown, Andrew Wiggins pulled down the rebound and pushed it up the floor with the seconds counting down and found Jordan Poole, who for the second time this series hit a wild buzzer-beater to send Golden State into the fourth quarter with a lead.

A review showed Poole got the shot off just before the buzzer, with the ball leaving his fingertips with 0.1 on the clock.

The Warriors will hope this game will also end the way Game 2 did, although in that game Poole’s shot put them up 20 rather than just one, but they rode that momentum to an early run to start the fourth that put them up by eight quickly.

Justin Vernon is the frontman of Bon Iver, a folk band known for gentle yet massively emotive songs, like their timeless hit “Skinny Love” or their collaborations with Taylor Swift on her more twang-leaning albums Evermore and Folklore, both from 2020. So it’s no surprise that Vernon has some great musical idols who are widely influential and limitlessly talented.

In response to a prompt tweet by American Songwriter that asks: “Who is your all time favorite songwriter?” Vernon replied: “Prine. Indigo Girls. Dylan.”

In 2020, Vernon paid homage to Bob Dylan by covering “With God On Our Side” on a livestream supporting Bernie Sanders. They also played “Towers” and “Blood Bank,” and “Things Behind Things Behind Things.” In addition to that, Bon Iver released a cover of John Prine’s “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)” in 2012 as a B-side to “Towers.”

Vernon was one of many musicians to take to Twitter to express grief and sorrow when Prine died in 2020; he linked to Prine’s song “When I Get To Heaven” and wrote: “He accepted death as a way of knowing and loving life.” Other artists who made heartfelt statements included Bruce Springsteen, Jack Antanoff, Hiss Golden Messenger, Mandy Moore, Bette Midler, and more.

Atlanta-native rapper JID has had his hands full this year with constant collaborations. He hopped on “Dope” with John Legend, a remix of “Home” with Mike Dimes, “Surround Sound” with 21 Savage and Baby Tate, and even “Enemy” with Imagine Dragons.

Now, he’s finally back with a song of his own. During his Gov Ball set yesterday, he debuted “29 Freestyle,” and today the song’s Waboosh-directed music video is out. The rapper’s flow is seamless and clever: “I’m qualified, I’ve never made a dollar off of Spotify / Sh*t, nah, I’m lyin’, probably five / She say my willy really shine, Jiddie Cauley-Stein / Kamikaze cool, killin’ mood / You will not survive, who will I include?” The video adds to the slickness of the track, showing him on a fishing trip in Denver, Colorado.

Last year, JID proved to be not only a great rapper but a great person by participating in a campaign devoted to acts of kindness. He kicked it off by selecting a second-grade teacher to receive school supplies and library books for her students. He explained, “It’s been a tough year and we know folks are struggling. So, I’m excited to partner with MOD to spread some love in our local communities.”

Watch his video for “29 Freestyle” above.

Game contestants have made waves of late for screwing up in truly creative ways, but they’ve been usually consigned to Wheel of Fortune. Jeopardy!, meanwhile, is the show for brainiacs, only marred by the producers’ truly chaotic attempts to replace the dearly departed Alex Trebek. That changed on Monday night’s show, which featured a doozy for the ages.

The clue was almost insultingly basic, despite being in the $400 slot. The category was about knights. It was a picture clue about a “star who was knighted in his birthname” to honor his father, who had the same name, meaning he’s actually Sir Maurice Micklewhite. The image [spoiler] clearly showed Michael Caine, one of the most beloved screen actors in history.

Alas, the first contestant to ding in, named Mazin, did not know that. Instead, he replied, “Who is Mick Jagger?” He was wrong. It was not the co-writer of the absurdly problematic “Brown Sugar.” It was the Jaws: The Revenge alum who once spent eight years trying not to blink.

As one can imagine, poor Mazin — who came in second, losing to six-time champ Ryan Long, came in for a fair amount of online dragging, which we don’t need to share here. In general, Jeopardy! contestants aren’t so hot with pop culture references, possibly because they know actual smart stuff few others do. For instance, in May, during Mattea Roach’s reign, no one, not even she, could identify a picture of Miami Vice stars Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas.

As it happens, Monday’s episode of Jeopardy! aired on the same day it was announced Jagger himself had to postpone Rolling Stones shows because he’d tested positive for COVID-19. Here’s hoping for the best for the third greatest lead singer in music.

In 2019, Compton, California-native rapper Westside Boogie put out Everythings For Sale, and fans have been anxious for new music since. After a name change, some freestyles, and a bunch of guest verses, there was some hope for an album last month when he released the song “Stuck,” as well as a music video, both of which appeared to suggest something was coming.

Today, Boogie is officially back with the announcement of his new album More Black Superheroes, as well as the release of the single “Killa Mode.” The LP will be out this Friday and span 12 tracks, while including features from Soulja Boy, Snoop Dogg, Mamii, Smino, Teezo Touchdown, Kalan.FrFr., and more.

“This album is about embracing our powers,” he wrote, “This album is for you because you survived all your trials, for the black fathers that go out in the world and feel like they have to hide all our true feelings because it seems weak to express how you’re hurt but no that’s one of your biggest strengths, For the people that feel boxed by the world and have to hide there many sides ..I love you let’s heal together .MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES out on Friday now go pre save my sh*tt”

Check out the album art and tracklist below.

1. “Killa Mode” Feat. Storm Ford
2. “Stuck”
3. “Nonchalant” Feat. Mamii
4. “Lol Smh II”
5. “Can’t Even Lie” Feat. Soulja Boy
6. “Prideful II”
7. “Aight” Feat. Shelley FKA DRAM
8. “Can’t Get Over You” Feat. Smino and Teezo Touchdown
9. “Ratchet Boog (INTERLUDE)”
10. “Somethin Strange” Feat. Kalan.FrFr. feat. Mamii
11. “Windows Down” Feat. Snoop Dogg
12. “Anthony (War)”

More Black Superheroes arrives 6/17.

Lady Gaga hasn’t appeared in that many movies, though she’s been on television so long that she’s won a Golden Globe (for American Horror Story) and even appeared on The Sopranos (her screen debut). But she’s already in talks to break into the most popular motion picture genre right now: comic book movies. It’s fitting, though, that it’s not some run-of-the-mill superhero film. Instead, it’s one of those renegade ones.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the one born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is in “early talks” to co-star in the Joker sequel that was recently teased by co-writer/director Todd Phillips. The film is currently has the fancy title of Joker: Folie à Deux, the term for lovers sharing a crazed delusion.

But with whom would the clown that fights Batman go Dutch on said madness? If you guessed Harley Quinn, despite that character already being currently played by another very popular actress, you were correct. Yes, it seems the Joker wing of the DC movie-verse is doubling down on having multiple iterations of popular characters going at once. Margot Robbie is still playing Ms. Quinn in the DCEU, while Jared Leto is almost certainly never playing its take on the Joker. (And then there’s the The Batman wing, which has its own Joker. This is getting pretty complicated.)

But there’s more: Sources claim the sequel will also be a musical. If this all pans out, Oscar viewers might watch as Lady Gaga once again performs some romantic song, this time while staring into the eyes of Joaquin Phoenix, maybe in clown make-up.

(Via THR)

Last year, Eddie Vedder’s artist-driven Ohana Festival on Doheny State Beach beach in Dana Point, CA, added the “Ohana Encore” weekend. Now the format is back for 2022, with the second wave of the fest happening the following week, stretching across two days instead of the first weekend’s three. But the level of talent at Ohana Encore is still spectacular and a different slate altogether that should delight both the folks who can’t make it to weekend one, as well as the Pearl Jam/Vedder superfans that just can’t get enough. It’s a unique approach to the two weekend function, rather than the two carbon copy weekend route that you see with fests like Coachella and Baja Beach Fest.

Ohana Encore, taking place on October 8th and 9th, will bring Alanis Morisette, The Black Keys, Haim, The Roots, and of course, Vedder, to the three beachside stages in the Southern California shoreline. Meanwhile the 3-day weekend on September 30th to October 2nd, will be headlined by Stevie Nicks, Jack White, and Pink, as well as Vedder.

Other highlight artists appearing on the newly announced Ohana Encore lineup are Band of Horses, Julieta Venegas, Afghan Whigs, Amyl & The Sniffers, Iceage, Hamilton Leithauser, Marcus King, Jamie Wyatt, and more.

Pre-sale tickets for Ohana Encore go live this Thursday at 10am PST here.

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

Despite running a campaign plagued by hiccups, weird, creepy promises, and other assorted, John Oliver-mocked oddities, Dr. Mehmet Oz is now officially the Republican candidate for a Pennsylvania Senate seat. That means he’ll be squaring off against the hulking, progressive, take-no-prisoners John Fetterman, who has plenty of ways to show his opponent is unworthy.

One claim Fetterman can’t use is the false line that Dr. Oz is not registered to vote in Pennsylvania. He is, at least now, having moved to the Keystone State in 2020, after decades of Jersey living. But new evidence suggests he’s not as thoroughly Pennsylvanian as he claims.

On his Statement of Candidacy form, the controversial former TV doctor listed his home address. Problem is, he misspelled the name of the village in which he now lives. He put “Huntington Valley.” There is no such place. There is, however, a Huntingdon Valley, located in Bucks County in the southeastern part of the state, not far from Philadelphia.

The town is spelled correctly on Dr. Oz’s campaign site.

Despite ending with him (just barely) clinching the nomination, Dr. Oz’s Senate run has been such a trainwreck that it’s even damaged other politicians’ credibility. After Donald Trump endorsed the former Oprah break-out, it caused a bit of a MAGA mutiny. Then again, these days the big guy has other problems.

(Via Insider)

This past Friday, Lizzo released “Grrrls,” the latest single off of her upcoming album Special. The song is a bouncy, playful track about her and her girls having each other’s backs. Trouble is, there was a word that Lizzo used in the song’s lyrics that many fans found ableist and incredibly offensive.

In the song’s original lyrics, Lizzo sings, “Hold my bag, bitch, Hold my bag. Do you see this sh*t? I’mma spazz.” The use of the word “spazz” is seen as derogatory to people with cerebral palsy, a condition also known as “spastic diplegia.” Fans and advocates for people with disabilities flooded Lizzo with requests to remove the lyric citing how hurtful it was to them and offensive to many. “Your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better,” tweeted Hannah Diviney, a disability advocate with cerebral palsy.

Another user said that, “As someone who champions women, plus size people and others whom society treats poorly, Lizzo preaches inclusivity and should do better.”

Well, Lizzo has listened to these valid concerns and not only issued an apology, but has also changed the lyrics of the song. Her full statement posted to social media is as follows:

“It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song “GRRRLS”,” a statement on Twitter from the “Truth Hurts” singer began. “Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I overstand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally). I’m proud to say there’s a new version of GRRRLS with a lyric change. This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world. xoxo Lizzo”

Now instead of “I’mma spazz,” the lyrics say “Do you see this sh*t, hold me back.” It’s a very simple tweak that doesn’t change the point of the song at all, but now doesn’t offend people with disabilities. The new version has already been replaced in the YouTube link, but the Spotify version of the song had not yet changed as of press time.

As for Hannah Diviney, the advocate who first reached out to her on Saturday, she read Lizzo’s statement and was over the moon. “I’m going to cry. Thank you so much for hearing us Lizzo and for understanding that this was only ever meant gently and being open to learning, it honestly means the world. You’re a real true ally.”

Listen to the updated version of “Grrrls” above.

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

A little over a week ago, Bruce Springsteen joined Coldplay on stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey to perform a couple of songs. This was a big deal for frontman Chris Martin, whose arm is adorned with a tattoo that reads “Working On A Dream,” which is a reference to the title track from Bruce Springsteen’s 2009 album.

Coldplay is keeping up the excitement for its fans. On Saturday night in Atlanta, Kelly Rowland joined them for a cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women, Pt. 1.” This unexpected collaboration turned out to be a pleasant surprise for the crowd, who couldn’t have wished for more, and their voices are compatible as they engage in alluring harmonies.

In April, Rowland spoke about a Child’s Destiny reunion in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “We love everybody so much that we wouldn’t toy with it, but I do think that… you would deserve a surprise,” she said. “I feel like everything is just so planned so we see it before it happens and we see the process right after it happens. It’s just a lot, like, we deserve spontaneity, we desire to be surprised and I would hope Destiny’s Child would be a pleasant surprise.”

Watch the video of the “Independent Women, Pt. 1” performance above.