Month: July 2022

Time was that box office hits were more diverse. Before franchise movies ruled the multiplex, a year’s biggest grosser could be a comedy (Three Men and Baby, 1987), a drama (Rain Man, 1988), or a ghostly romance (Ghost, 1990). Even high-concept extravaganzas could be one-offs (E.T., Titanic, Armageddon). This is a roundabout way of saying that everyone should break out the champagne, because a non-franchise movie just crossed the $100 million mark, and in only four weeks of release.

As per Variety, this weekend, Elvis — Baz Luhrmann’s over-the-top biopic about the King — crossed a benchmark, bringing its cume to a whopping $106.2 million. It’s still in the top five (albeit in the fifth slot), behind a three franchise movies (Thor: Love and Thunder, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and Top Gun: Maverick), as well as another non-franchise entry: Where the Crawdads Sing, which chalked up a respectable $17 million for third place.

Elvis stars Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s Austin Butler (who did not — we repeat not — punch Ezra Miller in the face at a Tokyo bar) as the one born Elvis Aaron Presley, whose life and career are both made and derailed by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks, in a fat suit and with an unplaceable European-Southern accent). It’s clearly bewitched audiences, though it is a bit strange that none of Presley’s songs have suddenly creeped back into the Billboard 100, as Stranger Things help do to ‘80s tunes by Kate Bush and Metallica. In a just world, “Polk Salad Annie” would crack the Top 10.

(Via Variety)

It’s been about a year and a half since Rico Nasty’s debut album, that being 2020’s Nightmare Vacation. That effort checked in with 16 songs and features from Don Toliver, Gucci Mane, Amine, Trippie Redd, Ppcocaine, Sukihana, and Rubi Rose. Over the last 18 months, Rico has shared music that are both connected and free from her upcoming body of work, and with just a few days until its release, Rico shares the official tracklist for it.

Las Ruinas, Rico’s upcoming second album, is set to arrive on July 22. The project will include 17 songs and it will be much lighter compared to Nightmare Vacation as its includes guest appearances from Bktherula, Teezo Touchdown, and Marshmello. Las Ruinas also includes the already released remix to Fred Again’s “Jungle,” “Skullflower,” “Black Punk,” “Intrusive,” and “Vaderz.”

You can view the full tracklist for Las Ruinas below.

1. “Intrusive”
2. “Vaderz” Feat. Bktherula
3. “Black Punk”
4. “Messy” Feat. Teezo Touchdown & Bktherula
5. “Phuckin Lady”
6. “One On 5”
7. “Gotsta Get Paid”
8. “Watch Your Man” Feat. Marshmello
9. “Blow Me”
10. “Jungle” (Rico Nasty Remix)
11. “Dance Scream”
12. “Skullflower”
13. “Focus On Me”
14. “Always (Skit)”
15. “Easy”
16. “Into The Dark”
17. “Chicken Nugget”

Las Ruinas is out 7/22 via tk. You can pre-save it here.

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

The tournament aspect of NBA Summer League is usually a secondary concern for teams, who are more hopeful to see development of their young stars in the desert, but once there, teams and players always want to win and on Sunday afternoon the Knicks and Blazers met in Thomas & Mack Arena to battle it out for the Summer League title.

A sluggish start probably should’ve been expected for the noon local tip, as both teams struggled to get much going offensively out of the gate but eventually Portland took control in the second quarter to take an 11-point lead into the break, led by Trendon Watford, who finished the game with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Brandon Williams, who led all scorers in the game with 22 points and five assists.

On the Knicks side, Quentin Grimes led the way with 19 points, but shot just 5-of-16 from the field, as the entire Knicks roster was ice cold from deep, knocking down just 24 percent of their triples. The highlights on New York’s side came from bouncy big man Jericho Sims, as he had a few of thunderous dunks in an effort to keep the Knicks attached.

Portland would extend their lead to 14 going into the fourth quarter, with summer standout Jabari Walker starting to get himself going as he stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and two assists.

New York would trim the Portland lead back down to single digits in the fourth, but ultimately Walker, Watford, and Williams would push the Blazers to an 85-77 win and the organization’s first Summer League title since 2018.

Watford earned championship game MVP honors for his efforts.

The Blazers finished their time in the desert with a 4-1 record, led primarily by their defense which shut down opposing squads, while Walker and Watford, in particular, shined in the frontcourt on both ends. They will collect the first ever Summer League championship rings for their performance, as they brought a lot more joy to Blazers fans than expected after Shaedon Sharpe went down after five minutes in his debut with a shoulder injury.

Roger Waters has proven himself to be a fairly mercurial figure, albeit one who’s heart has always seemed to be in the right place. The Pink Floyd vocalist recently took aim at Facebook, who wanted to use a Pink Floyd song for one of their ads and once famously suggested that Marron 5 oughta take a knee when they performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. While Waters has one of the greatest live concert productions on the planet, it might be getting to his head a bit based on his latest comments about his superiority to acts like Drake and The Weeknd.

In an interview with Toronto’s The Globe And Mail paper, Waters seemed to object to the publication and other Canadian media’s decision to give ink to The Weeknd’s After Hours Tour kickoff at the Rogers Centre rather than Waters’ two-night run at Scotiabank Arena. The Weeknd of course had to cancel the hometown tour stop because of Rogers Communications’ outages, while Waters’ show went on as planned. Regardless, Waters’ concern was clearly from a legacy standpoint.

“…With all due respect to the Weeknd or Drake or any of them,” Waters said. “I am far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be, however many billions of streams they’ve got. There is stuff going on here that is fundamentally important to all of our lives.”

His comments seem to stem from the inherently political nature of his and Pink Floyd’s music as opposed to what he might be deeming as comparatively vapid output from Drake and The Weeknd. Waters indeed makes powerful statements on stage, but this does feel a bit misguided. “I have no idea what or who the Weeknd is, because I don’t listen to much music,” Waters added. “People have told me he’s a big act. Well, good luck to him. I’ve got nothing against him. Would it not have been possible to review his show one night and my show another night?”

Ah, the age old desire for press coverage. “I’m not trying to make a personal attack. I’m just saying it seemed odd,” Waters said, in a mild backpedal. It does seem strange that Waters would concern himself with these matters. His music speaks for itself and whether or not Canadian media shines the light on his appearance in the country in relation to what other Canadian (and non-Canadian stars) are doing, should really not affect the message he’s trying to get across. He’s too good for that. Ultimately, this rant feels like nothing short of an “old man yells at cloud” moment.

It’s been a very ‘80s summer, with the season’s top movie being a sequel to Top Gun and a nearly 40-year-old Kate Bush song almost topping the charts. (Oh, and Reagan-era Metallica are doing good, too.) So hopefully you don’t mind if things suddenly get retro aughts, because one of the Bush II era’s biggest couples finally got hitched.

As per Variety, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck filed their official marriage license on Saturday, a mere three months after they announced their engagement. The license was filed in Clark County, Nevada, which means they likely tied the knot in Las Vegas, just like many a happy couple. Lopez officially took his surname, though it’s currently unclear if she’ll continue using her professional name or not.

In the 2000s, the two only dated for a year and a half, but they became one of the most tabloid-happy couples of the decade. They were one of a handful of celebrity pairs known jointly as a portmanteau, namely “Bennifer.” The press had it out for them, especially when they made two films together. Gigli, released in 2003, became one of the most notorious bombs of the era, so derided by critics and the public alike that Lopez’s already small role in Kevin Smith’s Jersey Girl, released the following year, was reduced even further.

Affleck eventually moved on to Jennifer Garner, to whom he was married from 2005 through 2018. The two had a tumultuous relationship. He also dated actress Ana de Armas for about a year. Lopez, meanwhile, wound up with singer Marc Anthony, to whom she was married for a decade starting in 2004. She also dated her former backup dancer Casper Smart and Yankee Alex Rodriguez.

In April of last year, it was reported the two had reconnected after nearly two decades. Now look at them. Also, did you know Ben’s middle name is “Géza”? It’s the Hungarian word for “little prince.” The more you know! And congrats to the happy couple!

(Via Variety)

Rolling Loud’s season of festivals is set to get underway next weekend as they take over Miami for their annual showcase. This year’s festival was set to be headlined by Kanye West, Future, and Kendrick Lamar. It’s one of many festivals Kendrick Lamar has or will perform at this year following a lengthy hiatus that was ended with his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album while it marks Future’s return to the Rolling Loud stage following his appearance at the platform’s Los Angeles showcase in late 2021. As for Kanye West, it would’ve been his first headlining set of the year, following his canceled Coachella set, but that will no longer be the case.

For reasons that have not been shared yet, Kanye West dropped out of the 2022 Rolling Loud Miami lineup. “Due to circumstances outside of our control, Ye will no longer be performing at Rolling Loud Miami 2022,” Rolling Loud shared in a statement on Twitter. As a result, Kid Cudi will now replace Kanye as a headliner for day one of the upcoming showcase. Cudi shared his excitement to hit the Rolling Loud in a tweet, writing, “RAGER BOY INCOMING [double exclamation mark emoji].”

Elsewhere in the 2022 Rolling Loud Miami lineup, attendees will also catch performances from Playboi Carti, Lil Durk, Don Toliver, 2 Chainz, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Gucci Mane, Lil Tjay, Lil Baby, Kodak Black, Baby Keem, Trippie Redd, Moneybagg Yo, Saweetie, City Girls, Latto, and many more.

You can view Rolling Loud’s announcement and Cudi’s message in the tweets above.

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

Last summer, The Weeknd announced a new show with HBO called The Idol. The series is co-created and co-executive produced with Reza Fahim and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson and the six-episode show is “set against the backdrop of the music industry and centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol”. A little over a year after the show was announced, The Weeknd has now shared a new trailer for it. The 90-second clip features The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, who both star in The Idol, as they go through chaotic moments at a mansion, out in the city, and more.

The road towards The Idol hasn’t been entirely smooth. Back in April, HBO announced that the series would undergo an overhaul due to the decision to head in a “new creative direction.” In a statement, HBO wrote, “The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series.” Three months after that update was shared, the series’ cast now includes Troye Sivan, Jennie Kim, Debby Ryan, Rachel Sennott, Steve Zissis, Hari Nef, Juliebeth Gonzalez, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga, and more.

You can watch the trailer for the upcoming show, which does not have a release date yet, in the video above.

It’s been kind of a stressful summer, hasn’t it? The Supreme Court went on a tear a few weeks ago. Mass shootings keep happening, with no end in sight. Homophobia and transphobia are getting worse. There’s that Joe Manchin creep, doing more bad stuff. You know what you need right now? Tracy Morgan singing “With or Without You” in an airport.

The performer was caught in an airport in Omaha Saturday, sitting among the throngs, waiting on a plane. Unlike everyone else, he was belting out a rendition of “With or Without You,” the classic U2 song off their album The Joshua Tree. He wasn’t performing for the crowds. He was just a regular dude sitting in a seat, singing like he didn’t care who was around him. It’s a good song, too. Good for him entertaining people in an Omaha airport and, thanks to the video taken of him, all of us.

Morgan himself could use a break, too. Back in March, he broke down in tears during a stint on Conan O’Brien’s podcast while recalling the difficulty of doing his first stand-up set after suffering through a car accident thanks to a Walmart truck. He’s got a lot of pain. We all do. Again, stuff is bad, man. So take a little self-care break and listen to the guy sing some U2.

Former number One overall pick and current breakout star for the Las Vegas Aces, Kelsey Plum, has re-signed with the franchise on a multi-year contract extension the team announced today, with the length of the contract reported by Rachel Galligan.

With Plum now extended, the Aces have officially re-signed all five of their starters through the 2023 WNBA season.

Under first year head coach Becky Hammon, Plum’s game has blossomed, progressing from Sixth Player of the Year this past season to an All-Star Game MVP, all but guaranteed All-WNBA selection this season, and MVP buzz. Ahead of today’s nationally televised matchup with the Connecticut Sun, Plum is second in the league in scoring average and is amidst one of the most prolific distance-shooting seasons in W history. According to Her Hoop Stats, only five players have eclipsed a season shooting 40+% from deep on six or more attempts per game: Katie Smith (2004), Becky Hammon (2007), Diana Taurasi (2009), Sugar Rodgers (2026), and Plum this season. She’s on pace to be only the third player in league history to average three makes or more from deep, joining Arike Ogunbowale and Diana Taurasi (4 times).

While her distance shooting sets the table for Plum’s game, her growth as a playmaker this season has been arguably even more important in her growth and further development. She excels pushing the pace, attacking odd advantages, and running ball screen continuity concepts, something the Aces thrive upon.

Upon the signing in the Aces’ official release, General Manager Natalie Williams said, “Kelsey Plum is a generational talent, and one of the hardest working athletes I have ever known. Her preparation and work ethic are second to none. Kelsey has the ability to impact the game in so many facets, and with the great mentorship of Coach Becky Hammon, she is proving herself to be one the best guards in the WNBA. We are thrilled to re-sign her, and strengthen our incredibly talented core group.”

This move is sizable for Las Vegas, as well as the entire league. While it’s entirely possible that trades can happen moving forward, maintaining the core of a team that has been at the top of the W for much of the season, and in the upper tier since the turn of the decade is substantial.

All five starters are under 30, have made at least one All-Star team, and are scoring in double figures this season. Sitting at 17-7 and 2nd in the WNBA standings with 12 games remaining this season, the Aces are primed to make noise this season and for the foreseeable future.

While Yo Gotti’s birthday was in May, the rapper took to the FedEx Forum in Memphis for his annual Birthday Bash concert. Gotti has held the event yearly since 2012, but it was canceled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. The concert featured appearances from Boosie Badazz, Lil Durk, SleazyWorld Go, Lil Uzi Vert, EST Gee, Blac Youngsta, Big Boogie, Mozzy, and more. The night went smoothly as planned, but afterward, a man was arrested after he threatened to kill everyone coming from the FedEx Forum.

Fox 13 Memphis reports that the suspect, Elijah Hyman, was distraught due to a recent breakup that he experienced with his girlfriend. Police say that Hyman said he was going to commit suicide and kill everyone that exited Gotti’s concert. Hyman was apprehended by police and taken in for medical treatment and evaluation. The suspect was also found with several weapons in his possession, and as a result, he was charged with commission of the act of terrorism.

Afterward, Gotti thanked the Memphis PD for the work in stopping the potential shooting. “Thank you to the fans, artists and everyone involved behind the scenes for making Birthday Bash a smooth, secure and successful event,” he wrote in the first of three tweets. “We were informed of a potential threat regarding an individual seeking to harm attendees leaving Birthday Bash that occurred 3 hours after our show ended.” He added, “I would also like to thank the Memphis Police Department for their swift and proactive action in ensuring that all attendees returned home safely.”

You can view Gotti’s tweets above.