Month: July 2022

Last month, FKA Twigs launched a new era by releasing “Killer” after debuting it at her NPR Tiny Desk. Twigs is bringing that sprawling song to life in a stunning performance on A COLORS Show, who’ve had artists like Guapdad 4000 and Joey Badass on to perform. Clad in a velvet onesie, Twigs’s live rendition is vulnerable and powerful, and her vocals sound identical to the recording. She’s a one-of-a-kind artist.

Upon the release of “Killer,” she said about the track in a statement, “‘It’s dangerous to be a woman in love’ — when at its worst the effects of heart break can define one’s trajectory much more than the beauty of the love itself, in my song ‘Killer’ I explore this concept. The navigation, the hunt and the kill. The death of promises, dreams and the future that was once promised. But like the wildest plucked roses, I find myself more beautiful delicately wilted, in shadow, forced solace, darkened at the edges and achingly thirsting to be tended to again.’” This immense feeling shines through in her performance; the passion is obvious.

Watch her breathtaking performance of “Killer” above.

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

There was a time not so long ago when film and television were separate industries. Movies were viewed as a higher form of art, with stars of the big screen rarely, if ever, popping up on the small screen, with television stars sticking to it or pushing their entire careers to pivot to the artfully superior cinema. Decades ago, once an actor went from television to film – like Tom Hanks, Woody Harrellson, George Clooney, or Bruce Willis – they never went back to the perceived lower-level form of visual art. A more recent example of the pivot is Parks and Recreation’s Chris Pratt, and it’s turned out so well for him!

Television got so good during its Golden Age of the late 90s and 2000s that movie stars, filmmakers, and screenwriters caught up to it. Suddenly, television became good enough for them with the arrival of shows like The Sopranos and Mad Men. As a result, movie stars started working in television throughout the 2010s. Matthew McConaughey, fresh off winning an Oscar, co-led the first season of True Detective with Woody Harrellson. In 2017, Big Little Lies, a show that almost exclusively starred movie stars with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Laura Dern swept (in some categories, deservedly) awards season and became so successful that Oscar-winner Meryl Streep joined its second season. Since, it feels like Witherspoon and Kidman, in particular, do nothing but television, leaving a gap in film and ensuring that no one else slightly less famous gets attention for their work.

Now, although the definition of movie stars has changed significantly to the point they barely even exist anymore, there are more movie stars on television than there are in the movies. The saturation of movie stars on television has made it close to impossible for television actors who are not on Succession or The White Lotus to secure nominations for their work (this is not a jab at anyone from Succession, every single one of them deserves to be nominated and Alan Ruck is owed an extremely public apology from the Television Academy). The 2022 Emmy nominees – specifically in the best actress category – prove this is a problem in that it has bothered me so much that I accidentally start screaming when I’m talking about it to people who do not care. Hopefully writing this all out will help me heal.

If a movie star, or, more accurately, an actor who is known for starring in movies appears on a television series, they are almost guaranteed an Emmy nomination no matter how good or bad the performance or the show was. Michael Keaton, who was nominated and is likely to win for his performance on Dopesick, which was not bad, but not groundbreaking, either. Dopesick was fine, but it would likely not have been nominated this year (especially in the best actor in a limited series category) if the lead was not Michael Keaton.

Wannabe television star Witherspoon received an alarming Emmy nomination for best actress in a drama series for her role on season two of The Morning Show over not only many actresses who delivered better performances this past year, but over her superior co-star and Friends alum Jennifer Aniston, who became a movie star in her own right but not in the same way as Witherspoon. The starlets increase the competition amongst actors doing the actual best work, such as Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn. Despite playing the co-lead on the AMC drama for six seasons, Seehorn received her first nomination this year in the supporting actress drama category because, in the lead category, she never would have been nominated over all that star power she has always been better than but is up against.

While it’s cute and nice and refreshing that people who do movies have gained respect for television over the years, it has possibly gone too far. It would be better for everyone (me) if movie stars did what they expected of television stars for decades: stay in your lane and let the television actors do the television acting, except of course, for the entire, perfect cast of The Staircase and the world’s most talented man Jon Bernthal, who can do whatever the hell he wants.

In June, Jimmy Kimmel started his annual summer vacation, so over the past few weeks, a slate of guests hosts have been filling in on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Last night, YouTube star Mark Rober, who has guested on the show numerous times over the years, took over the reigns and served as host. Given his background in engineering and science, he managed to incorporate those interests throughout the show, including with the episode’s musical performance from Demi Lovato.

Standing next to Lovato, Rober said, “At this point, I’ve been the bit guy on Kimmel!, I’ve been on the couch to be interviewed, I’ve now been the host, but what Jimmy would never allow me to be is the musical guest, and there’s a good reason for that: It’s because I have no musical talent.”

He noted, though, that he constructed something to help him be a good musical guest, which was on the table in front of Lovato and him. It was a toy Thomas The Tank Engine train on a track, and as it moved around the loop, implements attached to it struck glasses of water and Tic Tac boxes on fork levers. All of this was arranged in such a way that when the train passed by and interacted with these things, it played a simplified version of Lovato’s 2015 single “Confident.” Once the train got going, Rober added additional percussion by banging on paint cans, the Kimmel! house band fleshed out the arrangement, and Lovato sang the song, with everything coming together for a neat and novel performance.

Lovato also sat down for an interview and talked about getting stitches the night before their Kimmel appearance, aliens, and more, so check out the performance above and the interview below.

Top Gun: Maverick will remain 2022’s highest-grossing movie until at least November, when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes out, or possibly December with the release of Avatar: The Way of Water. The Top Gun sequel has made a staggering $1.208.5 billion at the worldwide box office, including $602.5 million internationally and $606 million from North America. It’s a personal best for Tom Cruise — and according to Deadline, Paramount Pictures’ highest-grossing film ever globally.

What did Maverick beat for the top spot? Transformers: Age of Extinction, the… third Transformers movie? Or was it the fourth? If you ever see me in a bar and name every Transformers — with the complete title — in release date order, first round’s on me.

Maverick is also close to creeping into the All Time Domestic Box Office top 10 (when not adjusted for inflation). It’s currently at number 12, behind Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens ($936 million), Avengers: Endgame ($858 million), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($804 million), Avatar ($760 million), Black Panther ($700 million), Avengers: Infinity War ($678 million), Titanic ($659 million), Jurassic World ($652 million), The Avengers ($623 million), Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi ($620 million), and Incredibles 2 ($608 million). It should pass The Avengers, The Last Jedi, and Incredibles 2 any day now.

Not bad for a sequel that Tom Cruise initially didn’t want to make.

(Via Deadline)

What a joy it is when an enjoyable show can also produce some great tunes. Hulu’s murder-mystery comedy Only Murders In The Building featured a huge music focus on this past week’s episode in the form of “Angel In Flip-Flops.” The song, now available to be streamed outside of the show, was written by Steve Martin and performed by Martin (credited as his Only Murders character Charles-Haden Savage) and Kirker Butler. Paul Shaffer, former leader of David Letterman Band, joined the fun on the production side. “Angel In Flip-Flops” features soft guitar strums, emphatic vocals, and admiration for a lovely lady walking in the sand.

Only Murders In The Building introduces the record by way of actress Selena Gomez, who recognizes the ’80s tune due to it being sampled numerous times by Post Malone, Missy Elliott, and Del The Funky Homosapien. A video for “Angels In Flip-Flops” is set to release next Monday (July 18) as well.

The nods to music continued in the episode as the character Lucy, played by Zoe Colletti, stated, “I prayed to the 100 Gecs tree for a real diagnosis, but my mom hates big pharma,” alluding to the experimental duo 100 Gecs. One can only imagine where they take things next.

Listen to “Angel In Flip-Flops” above.

“I hope by giving more, we can mitigate some of the suffering people are facing right now and help fulfill the foundation’s vision to give every person the chance to live a healthy and productive life,” his statement read.

French Gates added, “Philanthropy has a unique role to play in helping people around the world recover from the pandemic and rebuild the underlying systems that left so many so vulnerable to begin with.” The additional spending would help provide a more “fair and inclusive recovery.”

The donation will aid to innovate:

• Pandemic prevention, eradicating diseases and reducing childhood deaths with improved vaccines
• Food security and climate adaptation through incorporating a new generation of seeds and providing farmers with cell phones
• Gender equality by providing women better access to contraceptives and financial empowerment
• Educational outcomes by equipping students with computers
• Climate change mitigation by inventing new ways of making products that eliminate emissions at low costs

Gates is currently the world’s fourth wealthiest individual. But helping others is far more important to him than holding onto that coveted title. “I will move down and eventually off of the list of the world’s richest people,” Gates wrote. “I have an obligation to return my resources to society in ways that have the greatest impact for improving lives. I hope others in positions of great wealth and privilege will step up in this moment too.”

Whether the world could use less billionaires or not can be a heated debate, but the importance of generosity is a fairly universal virtue. Wealth can unite, rather than divide.

This week, the team here at Upworthy had the incredible honor of meeting one of humanity’s best. Civil rights leader and nonviolence educator Reverend Dr. James M. Lawson, who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis to change the course of American history, came to our office and shared some of his wisdom with us.

At 93, Rev. Lawson has experienced the range of our nation’s ups and downs. He has also witnessed the power of people coming together for good. When asked where people should start, he shared the importance of community as a catalyst for change. We can all build community no matter where live, starting with our own families and neighborhoods, our social circles, groups and organizations we belong to, and beyond.

Sometimes, building community looks like big, bold initiatives, but more often it looks like creating simple connections—engaging in small acts of service, reaching out with a kind word or sharing a warm smile. When we consistently look for ways to connect and build bonds between people, we’ll find them.

One thing that brings people together, pretty much universally, is joy. “Laughter is the closest distance between two people,” as musician and comedian Victor Borge wrote, but we don’t even have to laugh out loud to connect. When we experience something joy-inducing as a collective, we create a shared experience that taps into our basic humanity and reminds us of what we have in common.

As you enjoy this week’s list of 10 things that made us smile, picture all of the people who are experiencing the same smiles and laughter you are. Let’s create a virtual community of joy, right here in this moment.

1. We have a new, incredible view of our universe—or at least a tiny-yet-ginormous piece of it.

u201cud83dudc40 Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken u2014 all in a dayu2019s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webbu2019s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8Bu201d

— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASA Webb Telescope)
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This image from the Webb telescope, the largest telescope in human history, gives us a never-before-seen view of space—or at least a tiny sliver of it. According to Vox, what’s captured in this image is the equivalent of a grain of sand being held out at arm’s length if you were looking at the night sky, which is mind-blowing considering the fact that almost all of the blobs in the image are entire galaxies. Wowsers.

2. The vastness of the universe is amazing, but so is a tiny butterfly on a tiny human.

@amarana91

Miggin found BLUTTAFLY… you will not regret watching this ☺️🥹 #fyp #butterfly #cute

“Are you okay bluttafly?” STAHP IT.

3. The American Rescue Dog Show celebrates unique doggos with adorable prizes like Best in Belly Rubs, Best in Snoring and Best in Underbite.

u201cdid anyone else catch the u201cBest in Rescue Dog Showu201d??? nnthey had a category for best underbite ud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2du201d

— kelly (@kelly)
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Instead of the pedigree, grooming and training that the Westminster Dog Show highlights, the American Rescue Dog Show celebrates the average adopted doggo’s sweet quirks. Check out the full story here.

4. Anthropologist Grover Krantz donated his body to science on one condition—that his dog be included.

“I’ve been a teacher all my life,” Krantz told the Smithsonian, “and I think I might as well be a teacher after I’m dead, so why don’t I just give you my body.” It’s true.

5. This kid is having the best sleep of his life—or anyone’s life, for that matter.

Pretty sure this is what heaven looks like. Gracious.

6. Little Luca cheering for US women’s soccer star Alex Morgan— (“Aleh Morgaaaaan!”) is the cutest thing everrrrr.

u201cWe celebrated 4th of July in Monterrey by going to a @USWNT game. n@alexmorgan13 Luca is one of your biggest fans and loved seeing your two goals u26bdufe0fu201d

— Ana Camelo Jackson (@Ana Camelo Jackson)
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Toddler fans are the best fans. And the Ted Lasso shirt is just a cherry on top of this little sundae of delight. Read the full story here.

7. A guy asked for 104 birthday wishes for his dad who was turning 104. He got thousands.

u201c@bravenewmalden Happy Birthday Gerald. This is my daughter Flora who was born 12 weeks premature and has just come home to us at three months old. Hope she makes it to 104 too ud83dudc4du201d

— Kevin Mills (@Kevin Mills)
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Gerald got bombarded with birthday messages from all over the world, but there’s something about this preemie newborn baby wishing a 104-year-old man a happy birthday that feels so beautiful. Gerald and Flora out here making us smile about the full circle of life. Love it.

8. A man surprised his parents after being away for three years and his mom’s reaction is so precious.

See on Instagram

There’s nothing like a mother’s love. (Somebody pass the tissue box, please.)

9. This guy’s engagement ring shenanigans leading up to his proposal were hilariously adorable.

See on Instagram

Click the right arrow to scroll through. The one with the ring in the palm of her hand while she’s sleeping is just too much.

10. May your day be as blissful as this chihuahua being bathed with toothbrushes.

See on Instagram

That tongue sticking out! Apparently being washed with a toothbrush reminds them of being bathed by their mom. I can’t handle it. May we all be so pampered.

If this roundup made you smile or laugh or both, create more bonds of joy by passing it along. And definitely come back next Friday for another top 10 for the week!

QAnon followers’ obsession with John F. Kennedy Jr. is a peculiar thing—and only partially because he’s dead. What makes it even more curious is that Kennedy comes from a decidedly Democratic dynasty, so would likely share no common political ground—or any ground, really—with these cultists. But that hasn’t stopped one of them from deciding to resurrect George, the glossy politics-meets-lifestyle magazine JFK Jr. co-founded and edited.

As The Daily Beast reports, Gene Ho—who worked as a photographer for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign—posted a video in which he announced himself as the new editor of George, which he claims to be bringing back.

According to Ho: “George is coming back! Yes, we’ll talk politics, we’re going to talk religion, we’re even going to talk business. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Religion? Dear God…

Right now, the magazine only seems to exist online and have a mock-up of the first cover, which features Donald Trump as George Washington carrying a lantern that sort of looks like a plastic bag with a goldfish. We’re sure they’ll work out the design kinks. Editorially, the cover promises interviews with notable QAnon believers like the tomahawk-toting “Patriot Streetfighter” Scott McKay.

As for whether Ho is serious, all indications—especially in Times Square—point to “Most definitely.”

Whether Ho has the legal right to re-launch George is another matter entirely. As The Daily Beast reports:

It’s not clear whether Ho, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, has any legal right to use the George name or logo. Last September, a Florida company called Retrobrands USA applied for what appears to be the only existing magazine-related “George” trademark, according to a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The company, which also didn’t respond to a request for comment, describes its mission on its website as reviving “abandoned consumer iconic brands.”

Whatever remains of the original George’s assets appears to rest with the Hearst media conglomerate, which purchased George’s parent company in 2011, 10 years after the magazine ceased publication. Hearst didn’t respond to an email about whether it has any interest in the brand.

As for whether or when JFK Jr. will show up to give Ho his blessing? Perhaps all will be revealed when the magazine officially makes its triumphant return.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Carly Rae Jepsen, who is embarking on a tour later this year, has teamed up with Lewis OfMan for a new song called “Move Me.” The two connected over Zoom during the pandemic and the result is this uplifting earworm with a catchy melody and infectious piano. It finds the singers looking to optimism in tough times.

“In Sept of 2020 I heard about an artist named Lewis OfMan,” the “Call Me Maybe” singer said in a statement. “A friend sent me a playlist and I kept pausing at the same track of Lewis’s thinking ‘this is really good.’ The world was upside down so there was extra time to really listen to music and then ask questions like ‘who made this and how can we be friends?’ Lewis has really been the silver lining of my last two years when touring wasn’t possible and travel was just a dream. On top of that, he has one of my favorite male voices. I can’t wait for you to hear our first collaboration after such a long wait.”

Lewis OfMan added, “Carly & I met and worked in a really modern way, I received a call from her and I was honored that she liked my music in such a genuine way. Our relationship was Zoom-ed quite fast and we became close friends and these sessions almost felt like a shared diary, where we were sharing our stories.”

Listen to “Move Me” above.

Last season, the NBA’s G League Ignite program trained in Walnut Creek, California, while playing in Las Vegas. On Friday, it officially announced a full-time move to Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, where it will both train and play.

Beginning in 2022-23, it will play home games at The Dollar Loan Center, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Foley Entertainment Group, The Dollar Loan Center and the City of Henderson to create a new home for Ignite in a first-class facility near one of the world’s premiere sports and entertainment destinations,” Abdur-Rahim said in a press release. ” With avid sports fan sin the Las Vegas area who have quickly embraced their hockey, football and WNBA teams, we can’t wait for NBA G League Ignite to showcase its future NBA stars and exciting brand of basketball.”

Since its inception in 2020, G League Ignite has rostered a trio of top-10 draft picks in Jalen Green (2021), Jonathan Kuminga (2021) and Dyson Daniels (2022). It stands to add to that total in 2023, given Ignite guard Scoot Henderson is a projected top-2 pick currently.

Now, Henderson looks to be the first among those four who spent the majority of his G League tenure in the Las Vegas area.