Month: August 2022

NBA 2K23 is right around the corner! As hard as it is to believe, the next iteration of everybody’s favorite basketball game is less than a month away and that means it’s time for the hype machine to get rolling. The majority of the game is finished, besides maybe some final polishing for a day one patch, and devs can eagerly anticipate its September release date.

With the game so close, we can also start looking at trailers about many of the game’s upcoming modes. On Thursday, 2K dropped a trailer for the return of the Jordan Challenge. Longtime fans of the series will remember when this mode was a staple of NBA 2K11, and with Jordan appearing on one of the covers for 2K23 it only makes sense to bring it back. The trailer teasing the new mode is really sick though with legends of the game like Patrick Ewing, Dennis Rodman, and Bill Walton all heaping praise upon how incredible Jordan was at his peak.

The trailer itself shows us that we’re seeing the return of some of the challenges from 2K11 like the shrug game, flu game, and Jordan’s final title which is now fittingly called The Last Dance. There are some new moments teased throughout the trailer though such as a young Jordan’s appearance in the Olympics, and even a moment from his North Carolina days. With 15 challenges, this mode has the opportunity to showcase the entirety of Jordan’s career from start to finish.

What’s going to make this mode really stand out though is what the 2K series has always done best, its presentation. A press release sent to UPROXX gave us some details about how they’re planning to make every moment of Jordan’s career feel unique.

• An intricately designed video filter system that aims to re-create the television experience of watching these games as they were originally broadcast during the 1980s and 1990s, with each decade getting its own unique viewing experience.
• Era-specific broadcast elements that truly capture the technology at the time of each played game. In 1982, you will experience a broadcast that is simple in design and nature. Big block letters, not many graphics. As we progress into the 90s, you will start to see an evolved presentation as technology was improving in leaps and bounds. Seeing is believing on this front, and wait until you see it…
• A broadcast experience that dives deep into the mood and setting of every game to truly deliver a world-class experience. To make the commentary believable, you need the talent of someone who was there, who lived the entire Jordan experience from every perspective. Joining the commentary team for the Jordan Challenge in NBA 2K23 will be legendary coach and analyst Mike Fratello, aka The Czar. Fratello brings a one-of-a-kind level of authenticity to the games with his keen insight and unique stories that shine a bright light on our commitment to making these games look and feel…just right.
• From North Carolina…At Guard…6’6…MICHAEL JORDANNNNNN! We’ve all seen the iconic Bulls starting lineup introductions featuring the iconic voice of Ray Clay. In order to capture and re-create that chill-inducing moment, we went out and captured a full PA announcer set from Ray Clay to include as the official Bulls PA announcer during those 90s games when he was broadcasting on television sets around the entire world. No 90s Bulls starting lineup experience would be complete without ‘Sirius’ by the Alan Parsons Project playing through the in-stadium speakers as each starter is announced. We left no stone unturned to deliver a completely authentic experience for all of you!
• Each of the 15 Jordan Challenge games feature a pre-game interview with a luminary that was a part of what made each and every game special. Who better to tell the story of Michael Jordan than teammates, coaches, and those who commentated his games? During your experience, you will be regaled by the likes of Marv Albert (courtside commentator for The Shrug game), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (opponent in 1988 All-Star game in Chicago), Dennis Rodman (opponent in the Bad Boys game), Phil Jackson (head coach in The Last Dance game), and many more. We think you will find this touch to be the icing on the cake of a truly remarkable and memorable narrative experience.

While everything here is really cool, the best is going to be having actual interviews with people who were there to see Jordan in person. The best part of The Last Dance a couple of years ago was watching people who went up against, watched, or spent time with Jordan reminisce about it and these interviews are another chance for that.

Last year, The Killers released Pressure Machine to follow up 2020’s Imploding The Mirage, whose album cycle was disrupted by the pandemic. They returned last week to release the new song “Boy,” and now they’ve shared the music video for it. There’s a lot of symbolic imagery — a white horse, a stunning sunrise, a pink body of water — and it makes for an impactful, cinematic experience.

In an Instagram post, singer Brandon Flowers reflected on the release of “Boy” from his car. “Just heard it on the radio for the first time and it sounded great and we’re really happy with it,” he said. “We hope everybody’s liking it. It’s the song that took me to Nephi. I wasn’t able to leave. I just found this treasure trove of ideas and memories and people and characters that I was carrying around with me all these years and I was able to write about it and capture it and put it into Pressure Machine but we always knew that we had this song ‘Boy’ that was lingering and it didn’t quite fit, as Ronnie calls it, the complexion of Pressure Machine […] It is its own thing. It’s gonna be the blueprint for where we’re going with record number 8.”

Watch the video for “Boy” above.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump was in New York City to square off against Attorney General Letitia James and her office’s ongoing civil investigation into his allegedly shady business dealings. But rather than help to shed light on a situation that the former president has written off as yet another witch hunt, he instead decided to plead the fifth — again and again and again. This hardly came as a shock to Trevor Noah, though The Daily Show host did playfully feign surprise.

For anyone who is confused about which crime Trump was in Manhattan to answer for (nope, it’s not the same one that had the FBI raiding his Florida home earlier this week or the ones the January 6th committee is investigating), Noah broke it down:

Apparently, when [Trump] was trying to get loans from the bank, he was all like, ‘I’m balling out of control.’ But then, when he was reporting his taxes to the IRS, suddenly he was like, ‘Hey, I ain’t got no money, sir.’

And as part of this investigation, the New York Attorney General has already questioned Trump’s beloved children — and also Eric. But today was The Donald’s turn to go under oath, and I’ll give credit to the man. You know, he could’ve bitched out. But no, he stood tall and he walked into that interrogation room — and then bitched out.

The irony of the story, of course, is that Trump has repeatedly talked about how only criminals plead the fifth — when it related to Hillary Clinton or he wasn’t the one being questioned. What Noah also finds so shocking is that Trump, who has an opinion on pretty much everything, actually chose to shut his mouth.

“Trump decided not to talk? Now we know something shady is going on right?,” Noah opined. “‘Cause when has Donald Trump ever refused to talk? We can’t get the man to stop talking! Donald Trump not talking is like Taylor Swift taking the bus. That’s not a thing!”

You can watch the full clip above.

Rudy Giuliani stopped by Real America’s Voice on Thursday morning to let right-wing viewers know that Donald Trump is doing just fine after the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago. In fact, he’s stronger than ever. According to Giuliani, he recently spoke to Trump, who is apparently encouraged by the devoted MAGA supporters who are once again ready to fight for his honor even as January 6 rioters continue to face jail time and federal charges. Following the raid, “Civil War” started trending on social media, and it apparently lifted Trump’s spirts.

“The president’s doing going great,” Giuliani said. “I called him last night expecting that I was going to have to bolster him up. First thing he said to me is, ‘I think they’ve gone too far, Rudy.’ … Look at all those people in front of Mar-a-Lago. He said, ‘Our people understand what happened, they understand it, don’t worry.’ I said, well, I’m calling you to tell you that! [weird laughter]”

While Giuliani is obviously attempting to do damage control for Trump, in reality, the situation is not looking good. As more details emerge about the raid, an informant reportedly told the FBI where to find classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The New York Times also ran a report detailing Trump’s penchant for hoarding presidential documents in cardboard boxes, which may now be in the FBI’s possession. That revelation has reportedly shaken Trump so much that he’s reportedly accusing friends and cronies of “wearing a wire.”

In short, the former president is not “doing great.” He’s freaking out, man.

(Via Ron Filipkowski on Twitter)

Beto O’Rourke has no chill — and who can blame him? The Democratic gubernatorial candidate was campaigning in Mineral Wells, Texas on Wednesday and giving a speech at town hall when a heckler did his best to shut Beto down, and was promptly served with a line that would have sounded more likely coming from Joe Pesci in Goodfellas.

O’Rourke, a fierce proponent of stricter gun laws, was discussing the recent school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas — and the ease with which the teenage gunman obtained a AR-15-style rifle — when a supporter of current governor Greg Abbott, O’Rourke’s opposite in every way, decided to chuckle. Beto, without missing a beat, quickly singled the giggler out and told him: “It may be funny to you, motherf**ker, but it’s not funny to me.”

Reports the Washington Post:

At Wednesday night’s town hall in Mineral Wells, O’Rourke promised supporters “common-sense” gun control if he’s elected governor. He mentioned raising the minimum age for buying an AR-style rifle from 18 to 21, implementing universal background checks in Texas and enacting a red-flag law, legislation that allows judges to order law enforcement to seize gun owners’ firearms if convinced that they pose a danger to themselves or others.

O’Rourke ended his pitch by saying that “Democrats and Republicans, gun owners and non-gun owners” — maybe even himself and the heckler — might still find common ground on gun restrictions.

“You either accept that we are inherently evil and violent and deadly and love to kill each other and slaughter kids where they sit,” O’Rourke said, “or that there is something that you and I can do together regardless of the differences between us.”

O’Rourke’s surprising but spot-on outburst was met with a round of applause from the crowd, and plenty of attention from people on Twitter.

On August 6, Lady Gaga performed at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. As she has done on her Chromatica Ball tour, she closed her encore with “Hold My Hand,” her song from Top Gun: Maverick. As she sang the track, though, she was struck on the head by an object thrown from the audience. Thankfully, it was a soft object, a doll, and Gaga was unfazed, continuing to perform through it.

As Stereogum notes, a Twitter user claimed credit for the throw, sharing photos of the doll they threw and writing (translated from Spanish), “From Mexico to Toronto,” and adding in another tweet (also translated), “Out of nerves I didn’t record when I threw it hahahaha, sorry @ladygaga.”

The doll is of Dr. Simi, the mascot of Mexican pharmacy chain Farmacias Similares. Throwing Dr. Simi dolls on stage (but not necessarily at the performer’s head) has apparently become a new concert tradition in Mexico since last year. The character is popular enough that in 2018, a Mexican 3-year-old generated some attention for their Dr. Simi-themed birthday party.

All in all, Gaga fared better than Kid Cudi did at the Rolling Loud festival in July, when he cut his set short after fans kept throwing things at him despite his stern warning.

Ex-President Trump set himself up for ridicule when he trotted down to New York Attorney General Letitia James office and decided not to answer any of her questions (relating to the NY civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s many alleged shady deeds) and gold-blanketed himself by using the Fifth Amendment. This, of course, was only one of the two big Trump ouchies of the week (the other being the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago that Trump brought upon himself by hoarding all of those McDonald’s wrappers boxes of documents). What was particularly telling about the NY AG story, though, was that Trump made a move that he claimed was reserved for people who were definitely criminally guilty.

As it turns out, Trump truly went to town with the Fifth Amendment thing. NBC News is reporting that he pulled that card literally hundreds of times. Over 400 times, actually. That is absolutely wild, and Trump apparently only knew the answer to one godforsaken question, and that’s probably only because he had to accurately provide his name or be held in contempt. Does that sound cynical? So does this:

The deposition lasted four hours, and the only question the former president answered was about his name, Trump attorney Ron Fischetti told NBC News.

A source with knowledge of the deposition said Trump took the Fifth more than 440 times.

It should be noted that Letitia James’ office wouldn’t elaborate upon “specific details” regarding the deposition but did confirm that Trump pleaded the “Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.” And Trump initially claimed that he only took the Fifth because he now knows why people do that: because he has “no choice” due to an “unfounded politically motivated Witch Hunt.” Always on brand, that guy.

(Via NBC News)

For Lil Nas X, it all started with “Old Town Road,” his earth-shattering 2019 hit. Now, the song’s classic music video has entered rare territory, having just reached 1 billion views on YouTube (it’s at exactly 1,000,153,128 as of this post). According to data from kworb.net, the clip is just the 322nd music video to ever top a billion plays on the platform.

Nas had a celebratory reaction to the news, tweeting a photo of a woman at a party with a shirt reading “Old B*tches Winning” and writing, “WE DID IT!”

The official video isn’t the only “Old Town Road” clip with a high view count: The “Official Movie” has about 648 million plays and the audio of the Billy Ray Cyrus remix has about 580 million views of its own. In total, all the “Old Town Road” videos on Lil Nas X’s YouTube channel have about 2.4 billion views.

Just how uncommon is it for a music video to hit a billion views on YouTube? Well, let’s look at some data (which may not be completely accurate but is good enough for the purposes of this thought exercise). Per a July post from Earthweb, there are about 800 million total videos on YouTube. In 2019, Digital Music News noted that videos in the music category made up 5 percent of total YouTube videos in 2018. 5 percent of 800 million is 40 million. Not all of those 40 million are music videos, though, so let’s say (based on absolutely nothing) that just 1 percent of those 40 million videos are music videos, so 400,000. Of those, only 322 have hit a billion views, which is about 0.08 percent (or 8 percent of 1 percent).

Revisit the “Old Town Road” video below.

At the moment, Britney Spears is in the midst of some family drama. While that sort of thing has typically involved her parents or sister, this time, it’s more focused on her ex-husband Keven Federline and their two children, teenage sons Preston and Jayden.

Federline recently said in an interview that the boys had decided to distance themselves from their mother, which got a response out of Spears. Now, in a since-deleted Instagram post, Spears has shared more lengthy thoughts about her relationship with her kids.

In the post, she described how her visits with her kids have become less frequent and what they look like, writing:

“I looked forward to seeing my kids every week … It was 2 days a week but I asked him to ask to stay for more days … maybe 3 days … but then the next week they stayed for only one day . Yeah, I know that teenagers are just hard to deal with at that age … but COME ON, there’s being rude then there’s being HATEFUL …. they would visit me, walk in the door, go straight to their room and lock the door !!! The MONITOR would tell me that he just likes to be in his room … I’m like why come visit me if they don’t even visit me !!! […]

The teenage age is weird, I don’t know what’s going on in their heads !!! We would always do prayer time, not really prayer time, that sounds silly but it’s called ‘devotion’ . where you read two or three pages in a prayer book and talk about it !!! I always TRIED and TRIED, and maybe that’s why they stopped coming here !!! I wanted them to love me so much that I might have overdone it !!!”

She added, “This summer, they told me ‘we may come here less’ and I was like that’s fine. I called their dad and I told him that it seems like the boys are wanting to stop coming here as much, which I get because they have their own thing going on but I feel like they are being pretty harsh !!! His words were ‘I would never let them make that decision on their own … I would never do that to you’ !!! Well after that, I haven’t seen them since !!! I will say though, as available as I had to be for 8 people a day when my dad took me out of my home for 4 months … it’s been kinda nice not having to ask about which day the boys are coming this week … and making me wait 2 or 3 days for a reply !!!”

Spears also turned her sights on Federline, writing, “So as much of you watch, what he refers to his family as the PERFECT BRADY BRUNCH family … I can guarantee you, that house has more weed than Ludacris, 50 cent, Jay Z and Puff Daddy combined !!!!”

Check out the full post below.

“Just another day here in my new adorable neighborhood I live in !!! It’s honestly really cool, I take my dogs to this tiny park and I see how incredibly smart my baby dogs are !!! They actually sense that we are in a new place at the park and they absolutely love it !!! Daisy literally runs around with her mouth open, but the little white puff ball tried to run away the first time, so I keep them close !!! I haven’t really shown my house yet because it’s hard to completely embrace it !!! Yes, it’s beautiful, but I miss my other house for some reason !!! It’s hard for me to let go of things I truly love … like my kids.

The situation should have 100 percent been dealt with privately and definitely not online !!! A British network claimed that their stepmom’s goal is to keep the children away from all of the controversy and trauma in my home … I have love in my home and I have blessings from the people I allow in and out of my home !!! I looked forward to seeing my kids every week … It was 2 days a week but I asked him to ask to stay for more days … maybe 3 days … but then the next week they stayed for only one day .

Yeah, I know that teenagers are just hard to deal with at that age … but COME ON, there’s being rude then there’s being HATEFUL …. they would visit me, walk in the door, go straight to their room and lock the door !!! The MONITOR would tell me that he just likes to be in his room … I’m like why come visit me if they don’t even visit me !!! But I never said that because I have to be kind !!! REMEMBER … if I speak up as a woman or say something argumentative like I did with a dance move saying no to it, I got sent to that place for 4 months !!! So do I dare speak up and show my upward thoughts of being a real woman and possibly offend the person in front of my face? No … I take it and I keep my mouth shut !!! It registers right in the core of my stomach … it hurts and I want to scream !!! I want to shake their shoulders and say wake up I’m here too !!!

The teenage age is weird, I don’t know what’s going on in their heads !!! We would always do prayer time, not really prayer time, that sounds silly but it’s called ‘devotion’ . where you read two or three pages in a prayer book and talk about it !!! I always TRIED and TRIED, and maybe that’s why they stopped coming here !!! I wanted them to love me so much that I might have overdone it !!!

This summer, they told me ‘we may come here less’ and I was like that’s fine. I called their dad and I told him that it seems like the boys are wanting to stop coming here as much, which I get because they have their own thing going on but I feel like they are being pretty harsh !!! His words were ‘I would never let them make that decision on their own … I would never do that to you’ !!! Well after that, I haven’t seen them since !!!

I will say though, as available as I had to be for 8 people a day when my dad took me out of my home for 4 months … it’s been kinda nice not having to ask about which day the boys are coming this week … and making me wait 2 or 3 days for a reply !!! But again it’s just another way for my family to make me feel like absolutely nothing !!! ‘We will let you know ma.’ ‘When can we see you !!!’

So as much of you watch, what he refers to his family as the PERFECT BRADY BRUNCH family … I can guarantee you, that house has more weed than Ludacris, 50 cent, Jay Z and Puff Daddy combined !!!! He wants to bring up my past with that bald- headed peckerhead face Kaplan and circle back to that hard time in my life !!! That was almost 20 years ago … their game doesn’t work anymore !!! In those years of the conservatorship, I had to become a f*cking saint with the pain I had to endure by keeping my mouth shut in my stomach as they literally took my womanhood away from me !!! I made up for past mistakes and MORE in that time !!! My sister does it … she speaks up in her household and corrects people !!! But how come whenever I did it, it was considered a THREAT ??? Oh sh*t he might have to get involved with this one … but if he did, he would say SIT DOWN we need to talk … first thing was ALWAYS ‘nobody likes you’.. then the rest of it was I guess due to whatever I said. It was basically, how dare I say something to offend others and make them THINK for a change !!!

Anyways, I know it’s all worded out but you know what, I talk about it because my heart doesn’t understand cruelty. It breaks my heart because it seems to me that these days, cruelty does in fact win, although it’s not about winning or losing !!! But I can’t process how I dedicated 20 years of my life to those kids … everything was about them !!! For them to knock the breath out of me … see you can’t fix me !!! No therapy or sense of worship can fix my heart !!! I will forever have trauma and I know this, I’ve accepted it .. it would take a miracle to fix my heart and not one miracle, maybe 3 !!! Either way, I have a beautiful pool, a supportive husband, and 5 dogs … ok I’m much but that’s how I love … have a good day !!!”

City Girls, comprised of JT and Yung Miami, are a truly dynamic duo. They possess the charisma, popularity, talent and work ethic to go as far as they see fit because both members bring a lot to the table. Over the last few months, we’ve seen Miami pursue a new solo venture in her Revolt show Caresha Please, with memorable interviews featuring her boyfriend Diddy as well as Kevin Gates. This week’s episode, releasing on Thursday, August 11, will include her partner-in-rap JT and the enigmatic Saucy Santana. Though they all have fun-loving personalities, the trailer for the episode shows JT getting emotional.

The official Revolt Twitter account shared a nearly minute-long clip ahead of the episode where Santana can be heard telling JT how talented she is and questioning why she won’t “do nothing,” though it’s unclear whether these are his personal thoughts or the thoughts of some fans. As Saucy Santana says this, JT is shown wiping tears from her face.

As the clip continues, Yung Miami says “Oh, I’m not thinking ‘I’m gon’ do this sh*t without JT.’ People love us as a group and we’re stronger as a group. We’re stronger together.” JT replies with “Why the f*ck are y’all doing that?” which comes off as if the conversation was about people wondering if the duo might break up. It’s a natural thought to have when a member of a group begins to do their own thing, especially as music history has shown that very thing has led to the demise of many a group. However, these thoughts may be a bit premature.

The trailer also shows the three laughing with one another and JT doing her best Yung Miami impression, so whoever has questions about the City Girls’ future will simply have to wait until Thursday for the full discussion.

Check out the promotional clip above.