Month: June 2022

“Thoughts and prayers” may do f**k-all to prevent mass shootings, but Kyrsten Sinema is tired of hearing them mocked. On Tuesday, as Mediaite reports, the senior senator from Arizona addressed her fellow lawmakers from the Senate floor ahead of a vote to discuss the details of a bipartisan bill that would create more “red flag laws,” allowing firearms to be taken away from people who have indicated a tendency to hurt themselves or others.

While Sinema was one of the key negotiators in creating this bill, she also wanted to make it clear that she’s tired of hearing her fellow elected officials mock each other in the wake of mass tragedies like the recent shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York. As Sinema explained:

Elected officials have made a habit of insulting one another for offering thoughts and prayers, for blaming violence on strictly mental illness or video games or particular kinds of weapons or any cause that didn’t align with and confirm their own predetermined beliefs.

Casting blame and trading political barbs and attacks became the path of least resistance. But the communities across our country who’ve experienced senseless violence than Washington politics as usual.

Sinema’s right: those communities do deserve better—but clichéd “thoughts and prayers” are still the lazy person’s way of dealing with America’s gun problem and a way to offer faux outrage without the willingness to do anything about it. Bipartisan bills like the one she helped to create, however, are a welcome first step.

(Via Mediaite)

As more damning evidence of Donald Trump’s attempts to overthrow the 2020 Presidential Election emerges from the Jan. 6th hearings, some of his biggest supporters seem to be jumping ship.

The latest MAGA turncoat seems to be Rupert Murdoch, the media tycoon who owns everything from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post to Trump’s former favorite TV channel, Fox News. Murdoch was instrumental in Trump’s rise to power but it sounds like even he can see the writing on the wall when it comes to Trump’s political demise once the House Oversight Committee’s investigation is finished. According to a Vanity Fair piece, Murdoch-employed talking heads like Piers Morgan — once a staunch supporter of Trump — have been given the freedom to turn on the twice-impeached president and encouraged to back a new horse in the race to take back the White House: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

“Ron DeSantis is showing himself to be a formidable and dynamic political operator,” Morgan recently wrote in his weekly NY Post column. “So, by almost any political metric you choose, this guy’s a far better option for leading the Republicans into the 2024 election than Donald Trump…He’s just younger, fresher, and more exciting than the aging, raging gorilla who’s become a whiny, democracy-defying bore. The game’s up for the Donald…It’s time Republicans put their faith in the Ronald.”

Other writers for Murdoch-owned media outlets have also encouraged Trump supporters to “look forward,” “call an audible,” “unsubscribe from Trump’s daily emails begging for money,” and to help “make America sane again.” Still, the biggest blow to Trump’s ego and future presidential hopes is likely to come from Fox News, the program Trump constantly followed during office whose biggest personalities are starting to favor his rival. After Trump’s defeat, DeSantis was booked over half a dozen times on shows from Fox News heavyweights like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham. The network was instrumental in DeSantis’ rise to power in Florida and, under Murdoch’s instruction, it seems to be supporting his eventual run for president.

“There’s no way these papers are dumping the Donald without the tacit assent of Lachlan and Rupert,” NPR correspondent David Folkenflik told Vanity Fair. (Lachlan Murdoch is Rupert Murdoch’s son and heir to his media empire.) “Trump was always a compromised figure for them, but a useful one. If they can get a cleaner version of Trump in DeSantis, why wouldn’t they want that? Lachlan and Rupert are clearly signaling that they are open to a new generation, to move past Trump and to try and beat Biden.”

Somehow, we just know the news that Trump’s buddy Murdoch and his cronies at Fox News aren’t interested in being friends with him anymore is probably more devastating than the very public, humiliating evidence of treason being broadcasted during these Jan. 6th hearings.

(Via Vanity Fair)

Logic has been open about the topic of mental health — whether that be through his hit “1-800-273-8255” about suicide or his song “Therapy Music” with Russ. Now, on an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, he discussed the internet and cyberbullying.

He said:

“It’s difficult, man, to see people tell you they hope your family dies, and your baby’s ugly, and X, Y, Z, and you deal with that every time you look on the internet. I know, it’s messed up, man. Yeah, as human beings. It’s insane to know that a decade ago this isn’t how the internet was. It was actually a much more nicer place. You know what I mean? There were still trolls and stuff… but everything now, how people even discuss or talk about music, ‘Yeah, this was mid.’ What does that even mean?”

He added: “Have an opinion. You know what I mean? If somebody’s talking about an artist, ‘Yeah, this is mid. This is kind of ass.’ I’m like, ‘Is that how you talk to your mom?’ When your mom gives you breakfast, ‘Yeah, Mom…’ Who does that… So, I think for me, that’s something that I wanted to do. I wanted to step away from the negativity. Not like I’m trying to hide from it and this and that, but just like, ‘Dude, I need a break.’”

Listen to the full interview above.

Deandre Ayton’s future in Phoenix has been in question ever since he was unable to come to terms on an extension with the Suns prior to the 2021-22 season. In recent weeks, the reporting around Ayton has made it sound like it would be a surprise if he returned to the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2018, particularly because they apparently do not view him as a max player.

It begs the question: Where, exactly, will Ayton end up? In his latest newsletter, Marc Stein indicated that Ayton has his eyes on joining forces with another No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham, while the Detroit Pistons would like to use the considerable cap space they opened up after trading Jerami Grant on Wednesday night on Ayton and someone else.

The Pistons are widely expected to make the pursuit of Phoenix Suns restricted free agent Deandre Ayton their priority after agreeing Wednesday to trade Jerami Grant to Portland. Word is Ayton, furthermore, would indeed embrace the concept of teaming with Cade Cunningham to form a new Pistons two-man core. Detroit is projected to have salary-cap space in the $50 million range to pursue Ayton and perhaps one other top free agent, with Charlotte’s Miles Bridges and Cleveland’s Collin Sexton thought to be ahead of Dallas’ Jalen Brunson on the Pistons’ wish list.

A 1-2 punch of Cunningham and Ayton would indeed be worth getting excited about, as the former is one of the more impressive rookie floor generals in recent history and the latter is a big man with soft hands and a penchant for converting chances that come out of a two-man game.

Anderson East is one of the more versatile musicians out there, as he brings everything from R&B to blues rock to soul into his work. If you look outside of music, he has even more going on, as his thumb is looking pretty green these days. In the latest “On Repeat” video from Uproxx and Straight Talk Wireless, East takes us through how to make a raised garden bed.

On his 45-acre lot, East makes use of lumber and power tools to put the beds together, all in the pursuit of leading a more eco-friendly lifestyle, as he notes, “Our whole goal, mainly, is just to be out here in a self-sustaining kind of manner. Everything’s off grid, everything’s powered by the wonderful burning ball in the sky.”

Elsewhere in the video, he offers his point of view on his music career and style, saying, “I’ve never really felt like I fit nicely in any genre. I’m always envious of those people that are just like, ‘I do X and that’s what I do.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, that’s amazing,’ because I want to do all the alphabet. I’m just captivated with music as a whole, so I don’t want to limit myself to one specific avenue.”

He gets more into that and other topics in the video, so give it a watch above.

Nathan Fillion is coming to defend Joss Whedon, who he has worked with on several projects, including Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the short-lived sci-fi series Firefly. While speaking on the podcast Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum, the actor decided to stand up for his frequent collaborator.

Earlier this year, New York Magazine published a lengthy piece about Whedon and his on-set behavior, which has been described as “abusive” and “unprofessional” by multiple actors, including Justice League stars Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot, and Buffy actress Charisma Carpenter, who called the director “hostile” and “cruel.” Whedon denied the allegations, but an investigation was launched.

When asked about Whedon, Fillion responded, “I read that article. That was not my experience with that man.” Fillion then described the director as “funny, self-deprecating, incredibly talented and maybe a little haunted.”

Fillion continued, “I mean, listen, by his own admission that guy’s a work in progress and I appreciate that…I would work with Joss again in a second. I would work with him again in a second.” Most notably, Fillion worked with Whedon on the cult-classic series Firefly, which ran for a single season in 2005. Fillion says he “fantasizes” about bringing the series back, though doing so without Whedon would be “heartbreaking.” It does not seem like the revival will happen any time soon.

(Via Variety)

Better buy your cigarettes now. You’re going to need them after “Herogasm.”

The raunchiest episode of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys yet contains a “massive supe orgy, airborne penetration, dildo-based maiming, extra strength lube, icicle phalluses, and cursing. It is not suitable for any audience.” But despite the tongue-in-cheek (hint: it’s not the cheeks on your face) warning, showrunner Eric Kripke is shocked with how much they were able to get away with.

“It’s probably one of the more graphic hours of mainstream television that I think anyone will have seen,” he told TVLine. “I think you have to really turn to porn to see things that are more graphic.” (Maybe this is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ backdoor pilot, so to speak, into getting into the porn industry.) While preparing the episode with director Nelson Cragg, Kripke asked himself, “Are we allowed to show all of that?” They were:

“They checked with Standards, and there’s like these hilarious rules about how often you can simulate humping and whether or not you can show an erect penis and how long you can show a private part. There’s all these rules, but we were within the bounds of what the rules were. So the answer was we could show it.”

It’s a shame that “Herogasm” isn’t in the post-Super Bowl slot, or something. I would love to see the unhinged FCC complaints.

The “Herogasm” episode of The Boys premieres on Friday, June 24.

(Via TVLine)

After securing the Democratic nomination to run for South Carolina governor a little over a week ago, former congressman Joe Cunningham has come out swinging at the “geriatric oligarchy” that’s running the country at the state and federal level. That criticism includes Joe Biden who Cunningham would advise to not run for re-election in 2024.

While stopping by CNN’s New Day on Thursday morning, Cunningham defended his “geriatric oligarchy” remarks, which appear in a recent campaign video. The gubernatorial candidate argued in favor of term and age limits on politicians, and when asked directly if that applies to Biden, Cunningham responded, “Yeah, I think we need a new generation of leadership to emerge.”

Via Mediaite:

President Biden told us himself that he was just a bridge. We’re all in a car driving across the bridge and it is time to have the discussion, what is on the other side of the bridge? What does the future look like? I think we need to have a new vision, new leadership. This isn’t about personal about Biden, but he’ll be 82 by the time of the next election. If he served out a second term, he’ll be 86 years old. I’m not sure if any of us know any 86-year-olds who should be running the entire country.

Saying that your own party’s president shouldn’t run again after delivering a massive electoral victory with record turnout is certainly an interesting tactic for Cunningham to take going into his own election. However, in fairness, he’s not the first to voice this concern. Biden’s age has already popped up as a potential factor in the 2024 election. Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who was a senior adviser to Barack Obama, has said that the president’s age could be a “major issue” if he runs for a second term.

That said, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump once before, and if there is a rematch in 2024, Biden might be the only one who can do the job again.

(Via Mediaite)

Despite being in detainment for RICO charges, rapper Young Thug is still receiving accolades. The latest is RapCaviar’s Coach Of The Year award. The Spotify hip-hop playlist is honoring Thug’s decade-plus-spanning career, his founding of YSL, and his knack for elevating younger generations of hip-hop artists.

“Young Thug is a musical icon,” RapCaviar wrote in an Instagram post. “He founded Young Stoner Life Records, helped jumpstart the careers of artists like Gunna and Lil Baby, and has mentored Atlanta rappers like Lil Keed and Lil Gotit. That’s why we’re naming him our 2022 #AllRapCaviar Coach of the Year.”

In addition to Thug’s award, RapCaviar also announced the finalists of their third annual All-RapCaviar team, which reflects the number of each artist’s streams on the platform within the last year. Among the first-team picks are Lil Durk, Kendrick Lamar, Gunna, Future, and Drake. On the second team are Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Lil Baby, Jack Harlow, and Kanye West. The third team is comprised of Nicki Minaj, Latto, Youngboy Never Broke Again, Kodak Black, and Pusha T.

Thug’s upcoming trial is scheduled to take place early next year.

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

2022 is rapidly shaping up to be the Summer Of Black Dance thanks to new releases from Drake and Beyonce that tapped into the sounds of early and contemporary house music. While Drake shocked the world with the release of his surprise album Honestly, Nevermind, Beyonce brought the energy with her motivational anthem “Break My Soul,” earning approval from house music pioneer Robin S. in the process. This has prompted an ongoing discussion about the role of Black Americans in the creation of house music and related forms and their place in the current subculture.

One of the ways this discussion has manifested itself is in renewed or increased attention to the works of artists in the space like Kaytranada, Leikeli47, Doechii, and Azealia Banks. Some enterprising fans have even taken to creating mashups of “Break My Soul” with songs by Azealia Banks — a time-honored tradition of the dance music scene.

Unfortunately for those fans, Azealia Banks herself is not having it. The outspoken, often controversial Harlem rapper has never been afraid to upset the apple cart or take aim at sacred cows, and despite no cow being more sacred than Beyonce, Banks risked the Beyhive’s ire to demand fans stop mixing the two artists’ music. “Please for the love of God, stop the ‘Break My Soul’ AB mashups,” she wrote in a post on her Instagram Story. “They are horrible.”

For what it’s worth, the main mashup I was able to find online — which added AB’s verses from “F*ck Him All Night” to Beyonce’s new runaway hit — is highly competent and sounds pretty good, but let’s face it: Azealia Banks has always been a bit of a contrarian (he wrote with as much sarcasm as he could muster). Given that her ongoing and growing list of feuds includes Cardi B, Elon Musk, Kanye West, Megan Thee Stallion, and more, it doesn’t seem that Banks has any qualms about adding yet another fan-favorite media personality to that list.