Month: September 2022

The late, great Regis Philbin owns the Guinness World Record for most hours spent on television, which means he spent a lot of time on set around craft services. But rather than half-heartedly pick at a stale sandwich, the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host (and Wu-Tang Clan fan) preferred to get his food elsewhere: McDonald’s.

Parks and Recreation and The Good Place creator Michael Schur joined The Dan Le Batard Show on Wednesday and shared an amusing story about Philbin, his father-in-law. “He did an ad for McDonalds sometime in the early ‘90s,” he said. “And as part of the thanks for this, he was given a gold-colored credit card thing that said, ‘This card entitles Regis Philbin to free McDonald’s for life’ and he loved this.” As noted by Awful Announcing, the McDonald’s ad isn’t on YouTube, but his Hardee’s commercial from 1994 is out there (the video’s description: “I’m not sure why Hardee’s was going after the senior set with these commercials. Maybe they were trying to steal the breakfast senior circuit from McDonald’s. Fact: My grandfather died in a McDonald’s” — bleak!).

Schur said that whenever Philbin would present the card for a free burger or whatever, “the cashier would just stare at it confused, because it was like ‘what is this, why is Regis Philbin in this random McDonald’s demanding free $3 hamburgers?’ They would go ‘I’ve never seen this before, I need to call someone,’ and it’d be this confusing thing.” That’s the honest way to becoming a millionaire: by getting a Quarter Pounder for free.

You can watch a clip from The Dan Le Batard Show below.

(Via Awful Announcing)

Taylor Swift is a few days off of announcing Midnights and fans already have plenty of theories. Now Swift has shared even more, which has of course sparked more theories.

Last night, Swift unveiled three new special editions of the albums, each of which have their own new cover art. The new covers include new photos of Swift, which fans believe collectively hint at a ’70s-themed album.

In a thread about Midnights theories on Reddit’s Taylor Swift subreddit, one user commented, “In the Jade Green Addition (my favourite Midnights cover) I used the Google lens feature to see if Google picks up anything…the piano in the cover is a Wurlitzer electronic piano and knowing Taylor, she would never do anything unintentionally, so I am guessing 60s/70s music/instruments heavily influenced this album. According to Wikipedia, Ray Charles was known for using this piano and it was featured in his 1959 hit What’d I Say… There are a lot of clues in the Jade Green cover: her outfit, the vintage piano, the dark green carpet, printed curtains, bold prints on the armchair, the orb-like lamp and the labyrinth vinyl.”

Another fan noted, “Ran out of the shower when the common theme of the 70s hit me. This album has got to be 70s in style. The aesthetic in these shots is too much. Further proof? I wondered back when lover singles came out what’s with the 70s aesthetic. In me! with the pink outfit, in Lover video every outfit is super 70s and the attic has that vintage effect on it. Even her outfits and makeup at certain events! I feel like she’s hinted at this forever.”

Find some more theories here.

Since earlier this year, it was rumored that Megan Thee Stallion had landed a role on the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, marking her introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That was off-handedly confirmed in a recent profile on the rapper. Now, in case there was any doubt remaining, Meg has made her first appearance on the show.

(The rest of this post contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.)

In today’s (September 1) new episode titled “The People vs. Emil Blonsky,” a shapeshifting elf from New Asgard transformed into Megan in an effort to trick Dennis Bukowski, a former co-worker of Jen Walters, so he’d believe he is dating the rapper. A mid-credits scene is where the magic happens, though, when the actual Meg hires Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk to be her lawyer. After that happens, the two celebrate by twerking and dancing to Megan’s “Body.”

An impressed Meg says, “You are way more fun than my last lawyer!” Walters responds, “I will kill for you, Megan Thee Stallion.” Meg leans away and cautions, “Dial it back.”

Check out the She-Hulk: Attorney At Law clip above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In recent weeks, Britney Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline has spoken up about Spears, mostly about how her sons are apparently distancing themselves from their mother. Now, Federline has discussed Spears further in a new interview with 60 Minutes Australia that’s set to air this Sunday (September 4).

In a preview clip, Federline says of how he felt during Spears’ conservatorship, “I was mortified for her, I really was.” He added, “I still feel bad for her.” As for why he didn’t step in and try to do something about the situation, he revealed, “The boys, the boys, the boys. I had to worry about them. I couldn’t get involved.”

As for the kids, Jayden and Preston, Federline says they haven’t been with their mother for some time now: “It’s been a few months since they’ve actually seen her.”

Elsewhere, in a soundbite seemingly about his marriage with Spears, Federline notes, “It was amazing until it wasn’t.”

After Federline initially spoke about about his and Spears’ kids, Spears responded, “It saddens me to hear that my ex-husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children … As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone .. It concerns me the fact that the reason is based on my Instagram … it was LONG before Instagram … I gave them everything. Only one word: HURTFUL … l’Il say it … My mother told me ‘You should GIVE them to their dad.’ I’m sharing this because I can. Have a good day folks!!!”

Check out the preview clip above.

For most of this season, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have been the MVP frontrunners, and so when the Aces and Storm got matched up in the WNBA Playoff semifinals, all eyes were going to be on the two best players in the league going toe-to-toe.

Stewart won the battle in Game 1, as Wilson was stymied by the Storm’s length in what became a Seattle road win. In Game 2, Wilson and the Aces were determined not to let that happen again, coming out with a different strategy and approach that allowed all of us to enjoy one of the all-time great duels in W playoff history, as Wilson’s Aces outlasted Stewart’s Storm to even the series at 1-1.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the early going, as Wilson was assertive in the early going and the Aces were sure to feed her to avoid a similarly quiet night to Game 1.

However, after taking a 16-13 lead, the Aces would go cold and Stewart would lead the Storm on a run that pushed them ahead by seven going into the second quarter, as she scored eight in the opening quarter, with no one on the Aces able to stop her from getting whatever shot she wanted — and when all eyes were on her, she’d dish a quick dime as well.

The second quarter was much of the same as Wilson and Stewart dueled. A’ja dominated inside as the Aces went to a small-ball look to clear out space for her and force the Storm to send help with smaller defenders, allowing Wilson to simply rise up over them to finish.

On the other side it was still all Stewart, who finished with 16 points at the half, carrying the load for the Storm in a huge way while the Aces chipped away to tie the game at 36-36 going to halftime.

The biggest difference in this game was that the Aces were the ones with a second star on the offensive end, as Chelsea Gray put up 19 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds to provide a much needed lift alongside Wilson, as she has been the most consistently great player for Vegas across two games.

The Storm got a 17-point, 9-rebound night from Tina Charles to aid Stewart, but after a big Game 1, Jewell Loyd went quiet and Sue Bird was a non-factor scoring for much of the game, meaning the entire scoring burden fell on the frontcourt which couldn’t quite keep up with a resurgent Aces offense.

The biggest swing of the game came at the end of the third quarter, after the Aces finally broke through in the third to take their first lead since 16-13. Holding a three-point advantage with just over 10 seconds to play, Wilson buried a three to beat the shot clock buzzer, with Kelsey Plum sneaking in for a steal on the ensuing inbound which she turned into a layup that pushed Vegas in front by eight going to the fourth.

The Aces would push that lead to double digits and briefly threatened to run away, as Plum finally got going on her way to 18 points (6-of-15 shooting).

The Storm would again pull things back to create a tense finish, with Stewart once again firmly in the middle of the action and Bird finally coming alive in a key moment.

Still, the Aces stars seemingly had an answer every time the Storm got within a possession. First, it was Gray hitting a ridiculously tough bucket to push Vegas in front by six with a minute to play.

Then, after Bird hit another tough midrange jumper to cut the lead to two, it was Wilson who hit some clutch free throws to keep the lead at four with 17.7 to play.

After that, the Storm struggled to create a good look on their ensuing possession, with Loyd throwing up a contested airball on the move after the Aces snuffed out Seattle’s action, leaving the outcome of the game in little doubt as Jackie Young put the game on ice, splitting her free throws to make it a 78-73 Vegas win.

Stewart finished the game with 32 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in another incredible performance, but unlike Game 1, no one else on the Storm was able to step up quite enough in the second half to help her out. Loyd and Bird combined to go 4-of-13 for 14 points and everyone else other than Stewart was a dreadful 3-of-15 from three-point range.

For the Aces, they seemed to find their stride on offense for the first time all series in the second half. Wilson led the way with her 33 points (12-of-18 shooting), 13 rebounds, and three blocks, posting a new playoff career-high in the process and showing her ability to dominate. Becky Hammon’s decision to go small-ball allowed Wilson to go off (and Stewart, too), but the activity of the small group stymied the Storm guards on offense and created more flow for the Aces. Gray and Plum being able to combine for 37 points to help Wilson was the difference in the MVP duel on this night, and going forward it feels like a series where the secondary stars will make all the difference if Stewart and Wilson are going to cancel each other out with sensational performances like this going forward.

It’s difficult to discuss the rap landscape in the 2000s without mentioning Lupe Fiasco. His 2007 album Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, in particular, boasted records like “Superstar” and “Fighters,” both featuring Matthew Santos, and “Paris, Tokyo.” After 15 years, the Chicago rapper can now lay claim to The Cool being RIAA-certified Platinum.

In a tweet on Wednesday, renowned music pundit Andrew Barber shared the major milestone, writing, “After 15 years, Lupe Fiasco’s classic second album ‘The Cool’ has officially been certified PLATINUM.” After a career full of ups and downs, including stepping away from Atlantic Records, the musician has another reason to celebrate his contributions to rap.

Despite label issues, the Tetsuo & Youth artist has not slowed down. At the end of June, Fiasco released Drill Music In Zion. The 10-track album was led by “Autoboto” featuring Nayirah, the sole guest appearance on the album. Drill Music In Zion was the “Kick, Push” artist’s first LP in almost four years, following the 2018 album Drogas Wave featuring Nikki Jean, Crystal Torres, and Simon Sayz, among others.

Aside from the music, Fiasco is set to teach a rap course at MIT. He also ran a podcast with Royce Da 5’9″ briefly before the two parted ways in a not-so-peaceful manner.

Ari Lennox has kept fans waiting for some time since her 2019 debut album Shea Butter Baby. After months of teasing new music, showing off a whiteboard with hundreds of song titles, and officially announcing her follow-up album Age/Sex/Location for September 9, the Dreamville artist has shared an EP to tide fans over until album release day comes.

The 5-song EP Away Message is led by “Queen Space” featuring Summer Walker, which was released early on Wednesday. Later that evening, the 31-year-old announced she would be taking a hiatus from the Internet until September 9, and this EP was her “away message.” Walker, who Lennox previously collaborated with on her November 2021 album Still Over It (“Unloyal”), is the sole feature on the EP.

Other Away Message song titles include “Tatted,” “Gummy,” “No Settling,” and “Bitter.” Her labelmate and Dreamville co-founder J. Cole posted a lengthy screenshot from a text conversation early Wednesday in which Lennox described what this album meant to her. “Transitional space. Very vulnerable and codependent validation seeking part of my life,” the “New Apartment” artist said. “I remember the countless times I was kicked out of dating apps because they didn’t think I was really myself.”

Lennox never shies away from her feelings, so if Away Message is any indication, Age/Sex/Location might let listeners into her world in a deeper way than she ever has before.

Listen to Away Message here.

Age/Sex/Location is out 9/9 via Dreamville and Interscope. Pre-order it here.

Special Interest has conveyed love in a multitude of ways in their music. The band puts the negative sides of heartbreak and how one can act after experiencing it on full display alongside Mykki Blanco in their new video for “Midnight Legend.”

The “Midnight Legend” video conveys the different stages of grief, showing underground party attendees being arrested for drug possession, drunkenly badgering bartenders who are not pleased with how sloppy they are, and questioning why they are putting time into a partner who doesn’t deserve it. Come morning, once heartbroken people gather themselves and appear happy as the tone shifts from darkness to light, conveying hope for their future.

Special Interest frontperson Alli Logout describes the video as “a love song to all the girls leaving the club at 6 AM, a love song to everybody who doesn’t have love around them. The ways we numb ourselves or participate in high-risk behavior because we all feel so isolated and alone is also very much enabled by clubs, institutions, and party ‘friends.’ This song is about listening to people who never actually get heard.” In essence, a story that is relatable for all.

“Midnight Legend” is the tone-setting lead single for Special Interest’s forthcoming album Endure set to release on November 4. Endure will arrive over a year after their 2021 release Trust No Wave, which features eight different 2016 demos from the band.

Check out the video for “Midnight Legend” above.

Endure is out 11/4 via Rough Trade Records. Pre-order it here.

Game 1 of the Sky-Sun semifinal series saw Connecticut come into Chicago and dictate the pace and feel of the game, grinding things to a halt in a physical game where they overcame a monster Candace Parker performance to pull out a gritty win.

In Game 2, the home side seemed determined to not let that happen again, as they got their offense going, upped the tempo, and buried the Sun early under a barrage of buckets, led by none other than Parker once again. The future Hall of Famer had 14 first half points, as she showed a bit of everything in the first two frames, from threes to fadeaways to blowbys off the dribble for layups.

It wasn’t just the offense that got it done for the Sky, they continued to play stellar team defense, which also allowed them to push the tempo like this steal that allowed Kahleah Copper to turn on the burners for a layup, splitting two Sun defenders at midcourt and running by them.

Still, the story of the game was Parker, who simply could not be stopped, inside or outside, no matter how much contact the Sun tried to give her.

Chicago took a commanding 47-32 lead into halftime and did not let up in the third, as Allie Quigley laced one of her three threes on the night, as this time the rest of the Sky’s starting lineup showed up to provide Parker with support, as all five reached double figures.

Going into the fourth, the Sky were in full control leading by 17, and yet another turnaround bucket over good defense from Parker early on seemed to put the dagger in Connecticut.

To their credit, the Sun kept battling and would cut things to single-digits late, but never really threatened the Sky’s dominance in the game, as Chicago eventually cruised to an 85-77 win to even things at 1-1.

Parker finished with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting (3-of-4 from deep), while Emma Meeseman chipped in 14 points and 7 rebounds, Quigley had 13, Copper added 12, and Courtney Vandersloot had 10 points and eight assists. For the Sun, Jonquel Jones (23 points, 7 rebounds) and Natisha Hiedeman (14 points) were the only two players to reach double figures as they struggled as a team to produce much offensively until it was too late, shooting 45.7 percent from the field and just 8-of-16 from the free throw line.

Going into Game 3 at the Mohegan Sun, it’ll be interesting to see if Connecticut can get the pace of the game back where they prefer it, or if the Sky can keep speeding things up and making it a more up-and-down game that suits them much more.

If Monday night was a celebration of Serena Williams’ past, as she was serenaded by the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium following a 6-3, 6-3 win over Danka Kovinic, then Wednesday was a reminder of how dominant her present still can be.

Facing the No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit, Williams looked even better than her first round win, taking down a very game and very talented 26-year-old in a thrilling three set match, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither player able to do much on the other’s serve early, before each got a late break in back-to-back games setting up a tense tiebreaker that saw Williams win 7-4, as she found her service game and some terrific backhands to take the opening set (and fire up Tiger Woods in the process).

The second set was all Kontaveit, as she seemed to loosen up some and just let it rip, hitting some impressive passing shots while also frustrating Williams by drawing points out with great defense and making her play the entire court.

Serena seemed willing to let the second set go after being broken twice, conserving some energy for a third and final set, which proved to be a wise move. The legend jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, breaking Kontaveit in a tight second game, which was a common theme of the match as both players found themselves regularly being taken into multiple deuces in service games.

Kontaveit would break back, but give her service game right back to Serena, putting Williams back up a break. This time she would verify it by shaking off a break point chance and then winning (again) in a deuce game to go up 5-2.

Serena would break Kontaveit at love in the next game to win the match, as the 2-seed seemed resigned to her fate after battling Williams (and the crowd) throughout, watching as Williams blasted one more backhand winner up the line to advance to the third round.

It is a truly incredible story, as the 40-year-old Williams continues to dazzle with her play, with this being, by far, her most impressive performance of the year in which she’s played sparingly. Against a very good and pretty on-form opponent, she moved much better than in her opening match and was able to exchange long rallies and survive long games to advance. Kontaveit seemed to lose that same focus she had in the second set during the third, and Williams took advantage by pouncing on second serves, as she has throughout her career.

Up next for Serena in what figures to be her final US Open is Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, as the bottom half of the draw looks wide open after some early upsets have taken out a number of the seeded opponents, with none bigger than Williams taking down Kontaveit.