Month: September 2022

Will Chris Rock ever forgive Will Smith? If so, it won’t be any time soon. The comic has started to crack jokes about getting the crap slapped out of him on live television by someone who won an Oscar shortly thereafter, and he doesn’t appear ready to feel conciliatory. Instead, he’s been punchy, even declaring that he has no interest in returning to the show, this time as a host. (If he changes his mind, it will be his third time with the gig.) But at a recent stand-up show, Rock wasn’t the only one to drag Smith.

As per Deadline, Dave Chappelle has joined Rock on a European tour, where they split stand-up duties, one after the other. Rock reportedly only dedicated a small section of his set to the notorious attack, but he focused on one part of the aftermath: the video Smith released in July, in which he offered a full and earnest apology.

Alas, Rock wasn’t having it. Instead he said, “f*ck your hostage video.” He also admitted that “that sh*t hurt,” saying, “He played Ali. I can’t even play Floyd Mayweather.” Later he referred to Smith as “Suge Smith,” alluding to the infamous former Death Row Records producers, who’s in the midst of a 28-year prison sentence.

Meanwhile, Chappelle had his own on-stage attack. In May, a man stormed the stage during a show in Los Angeles, beating him briefly before being detained by security. “That was some scary sh*t,” Chappelle told the crowd. But he also earmarked some space at the end of his set to reference his stage mate’s incident, telling them to be themselves, unlike Smith, who he said “did an impression of a perfect man for 30 years.” He added, “I just hope he doesn’t put that mask back on.”

It’s not great news for Smith’s attempted comeback. After laying low and traveling to India, Smith late last month made a little, goofy, self-deprecating joke about his anxiety about getting “back on social.” He might have to wait a bit longer before he’s finally welcomed back.

(Via Deadline)

J.R. Smith played 16 seasons in the NBA, winning two championships alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and Los Angeles after carving out a role later in his career as a trusted veteran shooter.

There are plenty of current and former NBA players who would happily trade careers with Smith, and it’s safe to say he had a good career on the hardwood. Now, Smith is pursuing a second athletic career as a golfer, playing college golf at North Carolina A&T and becoming one of the faces of the push to make golf more inclusive and diverse. While Smith has gotten the chance to play golf with all manner of stars since his retirement from basketball, there’s no one that’s quite made him feel as excited as when he got to tee it up with Michael Jordan.

As Smith recalled to Complex Sports, he felt like a kid getting to play golf with his idol, but quickly learned that playing Jordan on the course isn’t that far off from playing him on the basketball court when it comes to trash talk and that competitive fire. Smith remembers tying Jordan one day and then how on the second round Jordan “smoked” him, while also delivering some cutting trash talk in the process.

“So we was betting, right? So I doubled down on one of my bets. I was like, 5 front, 5 back, and 5 overall. He was like, ‘alright, cool cool cool.’ I said, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, hundreds, not thousands. Hundreds. And he said, ‘no no no no no, I know what you talkin about. I know what you meant.’ And then he threw this jab at me low key, and I was like “ooh, that’s a good one.’ He said, ‘you had a good career, it wasn’t a great one, you had a good one.’”

Betting on golf with MJ seems like one of those things that’s equally fun and terrifying at the same time, so I can’t blame J.R. for trying to keep the stakes from getting too out of hand.

On the latest episode of The Game‘s social media series, Anything For The Game, the Compton rapper meets a fan named Angel in a parking lot. In a clip shared to TikTok, Game takes a selfie with Angel, before offering him $500 to complete a rather bizarre challenge.

The two enter a pet store, where Game gets a bag of crickets. He then asks Angel, “How much would you eat some crickets for?”

He offers Angel $500, to which he replies to Game, “How many do I have to eat?”

Game then says, “All of them.”

Angel complies, eating all of the crickets without hesitation.

Elsewhere in the video, Game spots another customer in the store looking at goldfish. He then asks the customer if he’s ever eaten a goldfish, to which he responds that he hasn’t.

“What if I gave you 500 bucks, would you eat one?” Game asks.

The man agrees to the challenge, adding that he’s eaten fish heart before.

He successfully swallows the goldfish after several attempts.

Last month, The Game released his 30-track album, Drillmatic: Heart Vs. Mind. In an interview with Billboard, Game revealed that producer Hit-Boy motivated him to hit the studio and make music.

“I don’t do no rapper stuff,” Game said, “but everything that I am and everything that I got going on now … rapping the way that I’m rapping, it’s all because of him.”

Each year, the folks at 2K Sports are tasked with trying to make a better version of their current flagship game, with the latest edition set to come out later this week, as NBA 2K23 hits consoles on September 9.

There are only so many advances in tech that can come each year, so the developers have to focus on adding more and more elements that can heighten the simulation experience. Among the ways they can do that is bringing players into their motion capture studio during the offseason so they can get more players actual animations and signature moves into the game — rather than just relying on their very talented MoCap players who do their best to replicate them.

This year, one of the players they were able to get into the building for some motion capture was Zion Williamson, as the Pelicans young star stopped by and hopped in a MoCap suit to throw down dunks for his dunk package in the game.

It’s always a cool process to see how studios get the actual players’ movements into the game, and given Zion is as unique and powerful a dunker as there is in the NBA, having him come by will ensure that full force is on display for players in the game.

Last night, Adele won her first Emmy award for her “One Night Only” special, in which she performed songs from her fourth studio album, 30, ahead of its release. The special, which aired on CBS last November, took home the award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).

Over the years, Adele has won several Grammy awards, as well as an Oscar for her song, “Skyfall,” in 2013, from the namesake 2012 James Bond movie.

With an Emmy award to her credit, Adele is only a Tony Award away from achieving the coveted EGOT status.

This November, Adele will launch her Las Vegas residency, Weekends With Adele, following several delays. In an interview with Elle, she expressed hurt over the fact that she postponed the show, calling it “the worst moment” in her career. However, she admitted she feels she made the right choice creatively.

“There was just no soul in it,” Adele said. “The stage set-up wasn’t right. It was very disconnected from me and my band, and it lacked intimacy. And maybe I tried too hard to give it those things in such a controlled environment.”

Elsewhere in the interview, she shared that she is happily in love with her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul, and that she’s even open to the idea of having more children in the future. But right now, he primary focus is getting Weekends With Adele right.

Who knows where the Bond franchise is heading next? Daniel Craig’s 007 is [spoiler] dead. The franchise can start anew. Or it can continue, with a new globe-trotting agent. Will Idris Elba finally do what many want and take over? Will James Bond become a woman? The franchise’s producers don’t seem to be in any huge rush to decide on its future. So it’s time for some reckless speculation, even from one of the movies’ big supporting players.

Deadline caught up with Léa Seydoux, who played Bond girlfriend/baby mama Madeleine Swann in the last two Craig outings, at the Telluride Film Festival, where she’s promoting the romantic French drama One Fine Morning. The actress was asked about her stint in one of the movies’ biggest franchises, and she teased that maybe she, at least, will be back.

”After all I’m not dead,” Seydoux told Deadline. “It was James who died, not Madeleine. So, who knows? Maybe I’ll be back.” She added, “This is like fake news, right? But if we’re serious for a moment, Madeleine drives away with her daughter right at the end because James has saved them. There’ll be a new Bond because Daniel’s Bond died but who’s to say that Madeleine won’t be back?”

Seydoux then stressed that none of this is remotely confirmed top secret intel. “I haven’t spoken to Barbara [Broccoli, one of the series’ main producers] about whether or not Madeleine would make an appearance in a future Bond film, a lot has to happen before that stage is reached. This is just idle speculation as we talk on the top of a mountain.”

So there you have it, sort of: You might see the second woman to ensnare Craig’s Bond’s heart again, and maybe even see their growing child. In the meantime, the acclaimed actress always has another big franchise on the docket: She’s on tap to appear in the second half of Dune.

(Via Deadline)

Last night, the Television Academy announced that this year’s Super Bowl halftime performance, which took place this past February and featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, And Kendrick Lamar, had won three Creative Arts Emmy awards.

On social media, the Academy revealed that the performance won the awards for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special, and Outstanding Music Direction.

This year’s Super Bowl was an iconic moment for hip-hop, largely for West Coast hip-hop. In a July interview with Apple Music 1, Blige sat down to reflect on the monumental performance.

“I don’t even have the words to explain how full and how huge of an accomplishment that was,” Blige said. “I just felt so strong. And I felt like, first of all, grateful to have been asked, but I definitely felt like I earned that moment,” Blige remarked. “So when it was my turn, I just showed the world who I was. If you’d never seen me or you never met me or you never went to any of my shows, you know exactly who I am after the Super Bowl. I just couldn’t wait to hit the Mary bopping. I just couldn’t wait to just be myself and do what I do in front of that audience. That was the world, that was a big deal. I was so grateful.”

Mary J. Blige is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

If you love nothing more than prequel shows to fantasy juggernauts, then you’re in luck. Right now, HBO and Amazon are duking it out. The former has House of the Dragon, which brings viewers back to the world of Game of Thrones. The latter has The Rings of Power, set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (though its brass is insisting it’s no prequel). In the lead-up to their premieres, there was much anxiety over whether people would tune in, much less enjoy them. Then Dragon scored ratings so high they all but crashed HBO Max. Now Amazon is claiming a ton of people also fired up the one about elves and orcs.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon is claiming that on its first day of release, starting Thursday night, The Rings of Power was watched by 25 million people worldwide — the largest audience they’ve ever received. It’s the first time the company has released stats about their streamer, which — as with Netflix, who only reports on viewership when it’s allegedly huge — makes it all a bit suspect. The news was short on details, as THR reports:

As for context, there’s little to go on: Prime Video reps declined to say whether that’s an average viewership worldwide on day one, the number of people who watched at least a few minutes of the series, or something else. Nor is there any indication of how much bigger The Rings of Power was than the previous record holder on Prime Video (or what that show was).

THR also pointed out that the claim might not be quite as impressive as it sounds:

Prime Video says the series launched in some 240 territories worldwide. Dividing 25 million by that number would average out to a little more than 104,000 viewers per territory (though certainly significantly higher than that in more populous countries). A rosier spin would be to note that Amazon has about 200 million Prime members worldwide who have access to Prime Video streaming. That would mean one in eight Prime members checked out The Rings of Power on its first day.

Of course, the real test will come when Amazon drops more episodes of their super pricey new Tolkien show. Perhaps it will wind up like House of the Dragon, which had a killer debut and an even more-watched second episode, suggesting that its success was no fluke.

(Via THR)

Is Donald Trump running for president again? When he appeared at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Saturday night, he was ostensibly there to prop up two GOP candidates sagging in the polls: Doug Mastriano, who’s running for governor, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who’s running for Congress. But as is his wont, he mostly spoke about himself, his many enemies, and his many strange thoughts on things like electric cars, Ukraine, and Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, whom he baselessly accused of taking drugs.

Trump’s speech went on for two grueling hours. Much of it was him playing the hits. But he had some fresh material. For one thing, it was his first rally since the FBI searched the resort in which he now resides. Though Trump tried to get ahead of the news, painting himself yet again as a victim, it’s become increasingly clear that he may have committed some serious crimes. He may even wind up finally getting his comeuppance. So he did what he does best: He made dubious, out-of-nowhere claims, including about the feds searching his son Barron’s room.

“They rifled through the First Lady’s closet drawers and everything else,” a slurry Trump told the crowd, “and even did a deep and ugly search of the room of my 16-year-old son, leaving everything they touched in far different condition than it was when they started.” He then accused the FBI and the Justice Department of becoming “vicious monsters, controlled by radical left scoundrels, lawyers, and the media, who tell them what to do” — he then ominously pointed to the reporters in the back — “and when to do it.”

Was Trump really accusing the FBI of planting evidence or simply being sloppy? Who can tell with a guy who was able to goad his supporters into an old fashioned “lock her up!” chant even as he himself may be heading for the slammer.

Later he got the same crowd to boo aid to Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

He also called COVID-19 “China dust” for some reason.

And he claimed “weirdo” Mark Zuckerberg visited him at the White House…last week.

He ranted about electric cars.

Oh, and he’s still calling Elizabeth Warren “Pocahantas.”

And he’s still ranting about windmills.

It went on for two whole hours. At one point “adderall” was trending.

Perhaps Trump’s latest epic speech will give a boost to Mastriano, who attended the Jan. 6 Capital protests, and/or Oz, whose campaign has been slammed for making light of John Fetterman’s stroke. Or maybe it will do wonders for the campaign he may have to run from prison.

Taylor Swift is keeping details on her upcoming 10th studio album, Midnights, mum, however, this isn’t stopping Swifties from adamantly searching for Easter eggs.

At the time of writing, Swift has confirmed nothing in regards to collaborators, producers, or even a lead single, however, she has shared various versions of the album’s artwork. In a video shared to social media, Swift is seen holding vinyl copies of Midnights, each with the tracklist intentionally blurred.

Fans don’t know when Swift will reveal the tracklist, however, a fake tracklist has circulated online. A Swiftie stan account shared an image of a tracklist that boasted collaborations with Lana Del Rey, Stevie Nicks, and The 1975. While fans were elated at the idea of a possible collaboration between Swift and The 1975, the band’s lead vocalist immediately shut down the rumors.

“I would love that!,” said Healy in a tweet. “But unfortunately FAKE NEWS :(”

Swift announced the release of Midnights last Sunday, following the MTV Video Music Awards, and said that the album would tell the story of “13 sleepless nights” throughout her career.

“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” she said in an Instagram post. “The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve … We’ll meet ourselves.”

Midnights is out 10/21 via Republic. Pre-order it here.