Month: September 2022

There are celebrities that everyone knows to be rude or simply not very nice. But it’s a safe bet that few would think of Lisa Kudrow — the endearingly ditzy Phoebe on Friends, the monstrous Valerie Cherish on The Comeback — as unlikable. And yet here we are with two former reality TV stars claiming she’s not only not very nice but actively unpleasant.

As per Page Six, Spencer Pratt was asked over TikTok to name the “rudest celebrity” he’s ever met. “Oh, that’s nice: Phoebe from Friends,” replied the onetime star of The Hills. He didn’t stop there, adding, “Hands down, one of the worst humans I’ve ever come in contact with.”

Pratt didn’t elaborate, but he did get a second from Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel, who left a comment in his post, saying, “That’s crazy. She was on my talk show and I had a crazy experience also.”

Is Kudrow simply not very nice to reality TV stars? Who knows! But Pratt has a history of calling out celebrities he doesn’t like.

Kudrow is the second TV star to receive the dubious honor of having someone call them the “rudest celebrity.” In July, JoJo Siwa bestowed that title upon Full House vet Candace Cameron Burre, based solely on an unpleasant red carpet encounter they had when she was 11. Burre later reached out to Siwa and patched things up. But it might be hard for Kudrow to do the same to both Pratt and Frankel considering they went one step further than Siwa. Anyway, weird if true!

(Via Page Six)

After two thrilling games in Las Vegas that saw the series knotted up at 1-1, the Aces and Storm faced off in Seattle on Sunday afternoon for an all-important Game 3 that would push one team a game shy of the WNBA Finals.

Early on, it was the Aces that came out swinging, as A’ja Wilson picked up where she left off in Game 2, scoring 20 first half points to lead Las Vegas to what was at one point a 15-point advantage.

Along with Wilson’s hot start, Chelsea Gray likewise went to work early, as she got hot with 13 first half points as it was all Aces in the early going.

For the Storm, they had to find someone else to carry the early offense as Breanna Stewart, who dominated the first two games, scuffled early going just 1-of-7 from the field in the opening two quarters. Tina Charles stepped up to fill the void with 13 first half points and after a late run, Seattle found itself within eight at the half.

In the third quarter, the Storm would come out with renewed energy, turning defense into offense and taking their first lead of the game midway through the quarter.

The Aces would respond and fight their way back into the lead, taking a four-point edge thanks to a three just before the shot clock buzzer from Jackie Young in the final 30 seconds.

The fourth quarter continued to be a heavyweight battle, with Wilson getting back into the flow for the Aces while Stephanie Talbot came off the bench for Seattle to knock down three 3-pointers and scored 12 points, and Sue Bird got in the flow as well as the Storm took a brief three-point lead.

Riquna Williams tied things up at 81-81 with a three of her own, and from there the stars took back over. A Breanna Stewart bucket was answered by A’ja Wilson that was answered by Breanna Stewart that was answered by Chelsea Gray that was answered, again, by Breanna Stewart.

That run was finally broken by a missed corner three from Kelsey Plum, and Seattle had the ball, leading 87-85, with under 30 seconds to play. The Aces were able to force a tough miss from Stewart, but couldn’t pull in the rebound as Kiah Stokes and Ezi Magbegor fought over it, with the ball going off Stokes last, giving Seattle the ball back with 12.5 seconds left, meaning the Aces would have to foul.

The Storm got the ball into Jewell Loyd, who knocked down both to get her 14th and 15th points of the night to push Seattle ahead by four with 11.3 seconds to go. Vegas would draw up a gorgeous play to free Williams for her fourth three-pointer of the night off the bench, cutting the lead to 89-88 with 8.9 seconds to play.

Tina Charles would get the inbounds pass for Seattle and was fouled with 7.2 seconds and missed both, giving the Aces a chance to draw up a game-winner from anywhere on the court with 6.9 seconds to go. Naturally, the Aces went to their star and cleared it out, letting Wilson go 1-on-1 from the middle of the floor and she got to the bucket with a gorgeous step-through for the go-ahead score.

On the other end, it was a blown coverage from the Aces that left Sue Bird alone in the near corner for the go-ahead three with 1.8 seconds to play.

However, not to be outdone, the Aces dialed up their own great ATO, with Jackie Young catching the ball in the paint and finishing a layup over Magbegor who, for some reason, pulled her hands down rather than contesting the game-tying shot at the buzzer.

LeBron James summed up everyone’s thoughts on Becky Hammon’s whiteboard work late in the game, as the Aces got a good look on every single opportunity.

Stewart opened the OT period with a tough bucket over Wilson to give Seattle the initial advantage, but wasn’t able to convert the and-1 opportunity.

Kelsey Plum would get an and-1 chance of her own a minute later and did convert, giving Vegas a one-point edge, which they pushed to three after Wilson got a putback bucket. Stewart would again get an and-1 finish and again missed the free throw that would’ve tied the game. From there, things fell apart for the Storm. Another Plum layup, a Gray three, a Storm turnover, and a Gray layup in succession pushed Vegas to an 8-point lead that proved to be too much.

Gray would bury another three with just over a minute to go that pushed the Aces lead to nine, with Kiah Stokes hitting a corner three to serve as the final dagger, as the Aces went on to win 110-98 in an absolutely unbelievable game.

Wilson finished with 34 points, one-upping her Game 2 performance, to go along with 11 boards and three steals. Gray added 29, a playoff career-high for her, and 12 assists, while Plum chipped in 16 points and Williams had 14 off the bench to provide some much-needed shooting. For the Storm, they seemed dashed by how regulation ended and just couldn’t execute well enough in overtime. Despite the slow start, Stewart finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists, while Bird and Loyd each had 17 points and Charles finished with 16 points (just three in the second half and OT).

It was one of the best games you’ll ever see, with a final score not indicative of how competitive and stressful it was. The Aces now move one game away from the WNBA Finals, while the Storm will need to protect home court on Tuesday night to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Las Vegas.

Thirty years after the release of Nirvana’s breakthrough album, Nevermind, the baby who graced the iconic cover art decided to sue the band’s surviving members, the estate of Kurt Cobain, and others for child pornography. In 2021, Spencer Elden, the man who in 1991 was the baby on the cover of Nevermind, argued that Nirvana broke federal child pornography laws and claimed that the band sexually exploited the now 31-year old as a child. Now a federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed the claim, citing that the statute of limitations has passed.

US District Judge Fernando Olguin of Los Angeles wrote that because Elden knew about the album covers more than ten years ago, he had waited far too long to file his lawsuit. According to the New York Times, Elden was, “…Seeking $150,000 from each of the 15 people and companies named in the complaint.” Elden’s parents were paid $200 in 1991 for his participation in the cover shoot which led to the infamous photo by photographer Kirk Weddle.

The lawsuit was flimsy to begin with. In speaking about it last year, Dave Grohl noted that Elden has a tattoo of the album cover on his body. “Listen, he’s got a Nevermind tattoo. I don’t,” Grohl told Vulture. In January of this year, Elden — who alleged “lifelong damages” in his complaint — ameneded his original filing which included claims of “sex trafficking” by the band. This came after Elden and his lawyers missed a deadline to respond to Nirvana estate’s request to have the case dismissed. Elden was allowed to file a new complaint, but Judge Olguin cited this as well in his decision to dismiss the case. With today’s ruling, Elden is no longer able to file another lawsuit, so this can now be considered case closed.

On Saturday, the first of two Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts went down at London’s Wembley Stadium. The show was helmed by Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters, and featured appearances from Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, the surviving members of Rush, Nile Rodgers, Travis Barker, Kesha, Josh Homme, Hawkins’ son Shane, and more. But the night got started when Oasis singer Liam Gallagher took the stage in front of the emotional London crowd.

With Grohl on drums, Gallagher played two Oasis songs while backed by Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear on guitar and Nate Mendel on bass. “Taylor f*cking Hawkins!,” the venerable Gallagher said during his performance of “Rock ’N’ Roll Star.” He also played “Live Forever.” Both songs are off of Oasis’ classic 1994 album, Definitely Maybe. With his camo jacket on and signature maracas in hand, Gallagher left it all out on stage to honor the late Foo Fighters drummer.

Grohl previously said that he considers Gallagher, “One of the few last remaining rock stars.” Adding that, “I love being in the same room as Liam. It’s like putting a f*cking quarter in a jukebox and just turning it up with that guy. It’s f*cking great.” Well Grohl was in the zone with Gallagher and the London crowd were served up a treat in honoring Hawkins’ legacy. A second tribute concert will be taking place in Los Angeles on September 27th at the Kia Forum.

Hot off the release of his self-titled third studio album, Yungblud spoke to Billboard about his musical influences and how he’s keeping rock-and-roll alive. In the interview, he recalled meeting Rolling Stones lead vocalist Mick Jagger, who had previously shouted out Yungblud during an interview with Swedish radio station P4.

“Mick Jagger is everything to me,” Yungblud said to Billboard, “as a frontman, as an activist, as a rock star, as a sex icon. When you’re meeting a rock ‘n’ roll star, you can’t be like, ‘Oh, my God!’ I did a shot of whiskey, walked in — alright Mick how are you? In my head, I was like ‘What the f*ck?’”

Over the past year, Yungblud has collaborated with artists like Avril Lavigne, Demi Lovato, Machine Gun Kelly, and Blackbear. As rock sounds are having a resurgence into the pop landscape, Yungblud said that in order for rock music to sound great, it must come from an authentic place.

“Rock-and-roll is about energy,” he said. “It’s not about a drum kit, it’s not about guitar, it’s not about anything other than freedom and energy, because energy doesn’t lie. Freedom to express, freedom to be yourself, freedom to not conform.”

Yungblud is out now via Locomotion and Geffen. Stream it here.

Game recognize game. At Saturday’s tribute concert for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at Wembley Stadium in London, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith had an incredible story to share. In between performances that featured acts like Them Crooked Vultures and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson joining the Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters on stage, Smith delivered a video message to the emotional crowd detailing one of his favorite Taylor Hawkins stories.

Smith joked that some of the stories he wanted to tell, wouldn’t have been appropriate for the event, so he chose, “…One that warms my heart,” instead, as NME reports. Smith detailed how Hawkins and Grohl would often swing by the Guitar Center store around the corner from the Foo Fighters’ 606 Studio. “Taylor would always bomb back to the drum room – the percussion section – and if there were little kids in there, wannabe drummers trying out stuff, he’d be in there and of course they’d be excited, like, ‘Oh my god, Taylor Hawkins is here, this is so cool’.”

Smith said that Hawkins would give these budding drummers advice whenever he was around and that he was pretty much in his element in that drum room. “One day, the manager came to the guy that ran the percussion section and said, ‘You know, I think something’s going on with TH’s credit card – there must be some fraud or something because I see thousands of dollars over months of charges and I’ve never seen Taylor buy anything ever here,” Smith explained.

“The guy that worked the counter in the percussion section said, ‘No, they’re not fraud. Taylor would actually buy drum equipment, drum sets, sticks, cymbals, whatever was needed for any of the kids that he was hanging out with,” Smith continued. “He knew how important it was to have good stuff and he would just buy it for them and never tell anybody and wouldn’t tell the store. The kids would walk out with the stuff and that’s the kind of guy that Taylor Hawkins is and I love him and I miss him every day. I know he’s really happy about this right now so I love you guys.”

Game recognize game indeed.

Red Hot Chili Peppers is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After the Sun stole Game 1 in Chicago and the Sky answered back with a big offensive performance in Game 2, the WNBA Playoff semifinals shifted to Connecticut for a pivotal Game 3 on Sunday afternoon.

Like Game 1, it was a physical, defensive struggle, as neither team could crack 40 percent from the field on the game, and after one quarter of play it was the Sun who had taken a narrow 21-18 lead thanks to a banked in DeWanna Bonner three at the buzzer.

Bonner finished the game with 18 points to lead the Sun in scoring and 11 rebounds, but most of that damage came at the free throw line where she was 8-of-9, as she was just 4-of-14 from the field. Early on, the only reliable source of offense for Connecticut was Natisha Hiedeman, who had 12 of her 14 points in the game in the fist two quarter, connecting on a pair of triples to provide a needed lift for the Sun.

On the other side, it was the same story as the first two games, where Candace Parker carried the load offensively for the Sky, likewise putting up 12 first half points as Chicago rallied in the second quarter to take a two-point lead into the half.

Helping Parker in this one was Kahleah Copper, who finished the game with 15 points, fueling the Sky’s transition attack as they forced 17 Sun turnovers that proved vital to opening up a bit of offense as their halfcourt sets were struggling to find rhythm.

Along with Copper, the Sky got a big contribution from Emma Meeseman, who had 12 points, six assists, and five steals, providing great activity on both ends of the floor.

The third quarter was mostly a wash, with both offenses still stuck in the mud and the Sun able to trim one point off the Sky advantage to make it a one-point game headed into the fourth. A quick three points in the first minute of the fourth from Brionna Jones gave Connecticut its first lead since the second quarter, and from there the two teams stayed locked in a one-possession battle for most of the quarter.

A Kahleah Copper three gave the Sky a 66-64 lead with 6:14 to go, and the score would not change for nearly four minutes of action, as neither team could buy a bucket.

A Meeseman midranger would break that spell and give Chicago a four-point edge they’d never fully relinquish, with the eventual dagger coming in the form of a Meeseman layup off a gorgeous feed from Courtney Vandersloot, one her five assists on the night to go with 12 points.

Ultimately, the Sky would go on to a 76-72 win to move them one game away from the WNBA Finals. Parker finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks on the game, once again stuffing the stat sheet. On the other side, Brionna Jones and Courtney Williams each had 12 points to provide a bit of a lift for Bonner and Hiedeman, but as a team they go through too many cold spells, which led to an all-time mic’d up moment when coach Curt Miller pleaded with them to make layups saying he was going to get fired because of it.

Neither team shot well in this one, but the Sun’s combination of missed layups and 17 turnovers (to just 8 from Chicago) was the difference in negating their rebounding advantage. Miller tried to change things up late to no avail, leaving Jonquel Jones on the bench as she struggled in favor of Brionna Jones, but the Sun still could not find enough offense down the stretch. They will have to figure that out if they’re to force the series back to Chicago for a Game 5, or else the Sky will punch their ticket to a second straight Finals on Tuesday night.

Kanye West has been active on social media over the past few days, but today, instead of calling out Gap and Adidas, or sharing personal conversations between his ex-wife and her mother, he took some time to share some of his favorite songs.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper and producer has collaborated with several artists throughout his two-decade career, from up-and-comers to established heavy-hitters. Though he may be one of the most polarizing figures of our time, he certainly has a great ear when it comes to music.

Oh his Instagram today, he posted a screenshot of a music player playing “Church Girl” from Beyoncé’s seventh studio album, Renaissance. He captioned the post, saying “Favorite song on Beyoncé album.”

In the next post, he shared the title track from DJ Khaled’s 13th album, God Did, which features Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and a four-minute verse from Jay-Z. In the post’s caption, he deemed the song, “Song of the year next to Wait For You,” presumably referring to Future and Drake’s collaboration, “Wait For U.”

In the following post, he shared “Essence” by Wizkid and Tems, which he deemed the “Best song in the history of music to date.”

Closing out the series of posts, he shared “Fortunate,” a collaboration with The Game from his most recent album, Drillmatic: Heart Vs. Mind.

“Need to shoot a video,” he said in the post’s caption. “Me [and] game have never missed like literally have never missed. Just like me and Pusha.”

Ye’s ear for music drives him toward perfection. In a recent interview, producer Mike Dean revealed West scrapped an album’s worth of material while working on Ye in 2018.

This article originally appeared on 02.11.22

A father-daughter snowboarding session takes the cuteness up a notch, thanks to dad’s brilliant idea to attach a mic to his 4-year-old. Sweetness ensued.

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Sporting an adorable dinosaur onesie, the “powder-saurus” glides through their “secret path,” warning dad of intruders. Cause clearly, it’s THEIR secret path.

As she does, she sings her song of resilience and courage.

“I won’t fall … maybe I will … that’s okay … cause we all fall.”

Truly powerful wisdom in such a tiny package.

One person astutely wrote in the comments, “this is the mantra we all need in 2022.” I mean … it’s accurate.

Another added, “this child gave a TED Talk about the power of positive self-talk.”

Indeed, “Shredder Dad” shares footage of our loveable snowboarding dinosaur making a few face plants, but she quickly bounces back. Nothing can stop her from her “weewhoos.” Nothing.

That is, until she becomes a “stuck-asaurus.” A truly relatable moment for all ages. Aren’t “indiscernible verbal struggles” part of the soundtrack of life? Still, she takes it all in hilarious stride, laughing all the way, and the positivity is heartwarming.

This video quickly put a smile on more than 6 million faces, and even got a comment from Walmart, which agreed that “we all fall sometimes.”

Turns out that there’s even more wholesome adventure content on the family’s TikTok. They even have a very thorough guide for teaching a toddler to snowboard here.

And by the way, yes, that dinosaur outfit does come in an adult size.

Next time you’re feeling down, just think of the powder-saurus song, and you’ll be back to “weewhoo” in no time.

This article originally appeared on 02.02.22

Kayla Berridge had been walking her normal 9-mile delivery route in Newmarket, a small town in New Hampshire, when she noticed something unusual.

The mail she had been delivering continued to pile up over a matter of days at one resident’s home. The resident was an elderly woman in her 80s, and would occasionally share a chat with Berridge, according to CNN.

Berridge told CNN that after noticing the unattended mail pile, she got “a little concerned.”

“I just had this gut feeling and wanted to make sure,” Berridge told WMUR 9 News, explaining that “most people put a hold in if they’re not there, so when people pick up their mail every day, you start to notice their habits.” Not to mention, the woman’s car was still in the driveway.

Berridge followed her instincts and called the local police department for a wellness check, and in the process saved the elderly woman’s life.

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CNN reported that officers found the woman trapped on her bedroom floor under heavy artwork and frames. The theory is she tried to use her bed for support, and in the process these items on the bed fell onto her, pinning her down for three full days. Though she was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, Police Lt. Wayne Stevens confirmed she was stable and recovering.

I can only imagine the agony and fear this poor woman was in, lying in the cold and not knowing if help would come. Luckily, help was on the way, and this story has a happy ending.

In this instance, the familiarity that comes from living in a small town really paid off. “Everyone has each other’s backs,” Berridge told CNN.

But Officer Stevens wanted to give credit where credit was due. He agreed that Berridge’s quick thinking was “part of being a letter carrier in a small town,” he added that her actions were “taking your job to the next level.”

While wellness or welfare checks have historically been associated with the elderly, they are seen as an equally “critical tool” for the safety of many young people as well, especially with the “rise of suicide rates among adolescents and young adults.”

An example of this is when “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson received a wellness check back in 2018. The comedian posted an alarming message to Instagram, saying “I really don’t want to be on this Earth anymore. I actually don’t know how much longer I can last.” This was after breaking off his engagement with Ariana Grande.

Though it certainly didn’t happen in a small town, the interconnectedness of social media helped raise some red flags and prompted authorities to make a visit.

If there’s anything to make you question someone’s well-being, it’s better to be safe than sorry.