Month: September 2022

While interviewing Quinta Brunson on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, the late-night host personally apologized for laying on the floor for an awkward bit during her Emmys speech. Unlike most comedians, Kimmel owned up to the joke failing and made things right with the Abbott Elementary creator.

“I’m sorry I did do that, actually,” Kimmel told her. “And also, the last thing I would ever want to do was upset you because I think so much of you.”

With the controversy knocked out of the headlines, Kimmel could’ve let the whole thing blow over. Instead, he recently opened up to Howard Stern about why the bit backfired, and how he totally gets that it distracted from what should have been Brunson’s big moment. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“How I visualized this happening is [Will Arnett] drags me out, we read the winner, and then I’m just basically just out of the shot, and it’s not really a factor,” Kimmel told Stern. “But the stage was very different. The stage was like a catwalk. So, I was kind of in the way, in a way I didn’t imagine.”

According to Kimmel, he didn’t realize the bit had caused a backlash until after the Emmys had ended, and he understands why people were upset. “It did take away — especially afterward — because then she had to answer questions about that instead of just celebrating her Emmy,” Kimmel said.

The late-night host also addressed people who “read racial stuff into this” by saying the failed bit was going to bomb in exactly the same way regardless of the winner. “This was a plan I had no matter who [won],” Kimmel said.

New episodes of Abbott Elementary air Wednesdays on ABC.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Earlier this month, Lucy Dacus kicked off her 2022 Home Video Tour, that sees Dacus supporting her latest album throughout North America. Now to add a little extra spice into the tour possibilities, Dacus has officially released covers of Carole King’s 1972 classics “It’s Too Late” and “Home Again.”

The two songs originally appeared on an additional 7-inch record as part of Third Man Records’ Carole King Vault Package which came out earlier this year. One of the most commercially successful albums of all time, Carole King’s Tapestry won the 1972 Grammy Album of The Year and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. On “It’s Too Late,” Dacus matches King’s elegance in a decidedly modern way. The drum beat breathes new life into the timeless tune and Dacus’ vocals are crisp, bold, and always humble.

“When I listened to Tapestry from my mom’s CD collection, I was young enough that it didn’t register as good or bad – it just defined what music sounded like to me, and it’s still a foundation of how I understand songwriting,” Dacus, who also recently covered Cher’s “Believe,” told The Guardian last year. “She’s clever in the good way – queen of internal rhyme – and I love how her melodies reinforce the tone of the lyrics. She keeps it simple, but that’s what makes it universal. “When I was asked to cover a couple of her songs, it was a no brainer. Her work feels like a part of my DNA and I’m grateful for it.”

Listen to Lucy Dacus’ cover of “It’s Too Late” by Carole King above and “Home Again” below.

If you have been to a park or participated in a gym class recently, there is a good chance you are aware of pickleball. While it has been around for far longer than the last few years, the sport has become increasingly popular recently, to the point there is now a professional league, Major League Pickleball.

The league is expanding from 12 to 16 teams, which has opened up the possibility for new investors to come on board. On Wednesday morning, it was announced that a star-studded ownership group is coming to the league comprised of LeBron James, Draymond Green, Kevin Love, Maverick Carter, SpringHill Company CMO Paul Rivera, and Relevent Sports Group co-owner and CEO Daniel Sillman.

“Having SC Holdings, LRMR Ventures, and their incredible group as owners and investors in Major League Pickleball is not just great for MLP, it’s a watershed moment for pickleball in general,” Steve Kuhn, the founder of Major League Pickleball, said in a statement. “Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country, building communities in cities and towns all over the world. This investment and the platform that this group provides will significantly help us with our goal to reach 40 million pickleball players by 2030.”

It is unclear if any of James, Green, or Love are as good at pickleball as Kevin Durant is.

Paramore announced their sixth studio album This Is Why today, marking the band’s first new music since 2017. According to a press release, the album was recorded in LA alongside their frequent collaborator Carlos de la Garza. It will also feature ten new songs, with the first title track dropping today. This Is Why will drop on February 10, 2023.

“It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the roller coaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last 3 or 4 years,” lead singer Hayley Williams said of the song, with themes that likely apply to the rest of the album. “You’d think after a global pandemic of f*cking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”

Following the announcement, fans on social media spotted a new update to Paramore’s website. It appears to be an Easter egg that teases two additional song titles — and their scheduled release date. If proven true, as “This Is Why” dropped today (September 28), then “Leave The House” would be a song out on October 2 and “Tonight” for November 3. Paramore are scheduled to tour North America starting next month, so there is a chance these new songs and album teasers could also appear at their shows.

This Is Why is out 2/10/2023 via Atlantic Records. Pre-order it here.

Paramore is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rumors have been swirling lately that a certain multiverse actress is being considered to join another franchise, though this one has a lot less magic and a lot more dragons. Fans have been speculating that Elizabeth Olsen is in talks to join the ever-growing Targaryen family tree in HBO’s House of the Dragon, and though she doesn’t generally wear that exact shade of blonde, she could definitely pull it off!

There have been unconfirmed reports that the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actress is being considered to join the show for its second season, as well as DC veteran Henry Cavill. Cavill is known for playing the man of steel himself Superman and has recently been starring in The Witcher with similarly blonde hair. Maybe being good at wearing wigs is the main factor in casting House of the Dragon?

Obviously, HBO Max has not commented on the rumor, which to be clear, is still a rumor. But, handfuls of fan sites and Twitter accounts have been hoping that this rumor actually sticks. There is even some well-made fan art inspired by the report!

Will this turn into another Alison Brie situation? Or will it be more of a John Krasinski situation where it actually ends up happening? We likely won’t know until season two airs sometime next year. Until then, we have to settle for the possibly bisexual Daemon Taragaryen. Win some, lose some!

House of the Dragon airs Sundays on HBO.

Joyce Wrice plans to kick off October with new music. Following her critically acclaimed debut album, Overgrown, Wrice is set to drop her new EP, Motive next month. The EP will primarily feature production by Kaytranada.

Ahead of the EP, Wrice shared the Kill Bill-inspired video for “Iced Tea” yesterday. The song “Iced Tea” arrived this past March, exactly a year after the release of Overgrown. With Motive, Wrice wanted to create a project with more uptempo tracks as a bridge between her debut and her sophomore albums.

“In between coming off of my debut album and brainstorming ideas for my sophomore album, I was motivated to create an EP that the world could dance to,” said Wrice in a statement. “This new project is experimental, fun, carefree, and sexy. After Overgrown, I was inspired to be free-spirited and to let loose and during this process, I was consistently asking myself, ‘What’s your motive?’”

In addition to Kaytranada, Motive will also feature production by Kaelin Ellis and Osinach Nwaneri, as well as songwriting by Trey Campbell, Miraa May, and Mack Kaene.

Check out the Motive cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Iced Tea” Feat. Kaytranada
2. “Spent”
3. “Looking For Ya”
4. “Bittersweet Goodbyes”
5. “Pace Yourself”

Motive is out 10/7 via Joyce Wrice Music. Pre-save it here.

Christina Aguilera is getting very personal in one of her upcoming Spanish songs. In an interview with Billboard yesterday (September 27), the pop superstar opened up about her new single “No Es Que Te Extrañe” that may be about her feelings towards her estranged father.

Aguilera is of Ecuadorian descent from her father’s side of the family. While she is proud to represent to Latina roots in her music, she has made it known in the past that she has a “non-existent” relationship with her father. Aguilera has previously claimed her father physically and verbally abused her mother when she was a child. Her parents divorced soon after that time and Aguilera has maintained her distance from her father.

While talking about her upcoming single “No Es Que Te Extrañe” with Billboard, Aguilera revealed it was about an “estranged or difficult relationship you may have had with someone you were close with.” While wanting to keep the meaning behind the song “open-ended,” she mentioned that it was inspired by personal experiences.

“For me it does touch on some experiences that I had growing up. The environment around me inside the home and outside of the home. I witnessed a lot of various forms of abuse and whatnot,” she said.

Aguilera now having children of her own gave her new perspective about the situation in her song. “I don’t want it to be about blaming. I don’t want to vilify anyone,” she added. Aguilera described writing and recording “No Es Que Te Extrañe” as a form of healing and “closure” for her.

“My point and my purpose is to tell a story that hopefully others can relate to and feel empowered by and find forgiveness for themselves and those that have hurt us,” she said.

Aguilera also uploaded a snippet of “No Es Que Te Extrañe” to YouTube. In the sweeping bolero ballad, she sings about having that estranged person on her mind. In English, the Spanish lyrics translate to:

“It’s not that I’m missing you. I’m just curious to know what you’re doing. If some day you’ve wondered what I feel. Don’t worry, I’m not asking for anything. It’s not that I’m missing you, but I’m scared of all the years go by.”

“No Es Que Te Extrañe” will be included on Aguilera’s upcoming Spanish EP La Luz. The EP will reportedly be released on October 7. Last week, Aguilera received seven nominations for the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards.

After five long years since dropping music, Paramore are back today with a new song “This Is Why” — which also doubles as the title for their newly-announced next album. Complete with a video, the upbeat-sounding song manages to contradict the lyrical content, in the best way possible. “This is why I don’t leave the house,” lead singer Hayley Williams notes in the music video, which was directed by Turnstile’s Brendan Yates. Towards the video’s end, Williams gets increasingly more unhinged while applying red lipstick.

“’This Is Why’ was the very last song we wrote for the album,” Williams shared in a statement. “To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor [York] convinced Zac [Farro] and I both that we should work on this last idea. What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the rollercoaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last 3 or 4 years. You’d think after a global pandemic of f*cking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”

Following their return, Paramore will embark on their mostly sold-out North American tour in October, with acts like Claud, Ogi, Japanese Breakfast, Young The Giant, Faux Real, and Elka acting as support. Paramore will also play three days at Las Vegas’ first annual When We Were Young festival, which features a stacked lineup of emo era bands.

Listen to “This Is Why” above. Below, find Paramore’s upcoming tour dates.

10/02 — Bakersfield, CA @ Mechanics Bank Theater #
10/04 — Magna, UT @ The Great SaltAir #
10/06 — Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theater Omaha #
10/08 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion #
10/09 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/11 — Chesterfield, MO @ The Factory #
10/14 — Bonner Springs, KS @ Azura Amphitheater* &
10/16 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits^
10/20 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ~
10/22 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young Festival^
10/23 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young Festival^
10/27 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco %
10/29 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young Festival^
11/07 — Toronto, ON @ HISTORY =
11/09 — Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre =
11/11 — Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center =
11/13 — New York City, NY @ The Beacon Theatre
11/15 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle =
11/16 — St. Augustine, FL @ The St. Augustine Amphitheatre =
11/19 — Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital Festival^

# with Claud
= with Ogi
& with Japanese Breakfast and Young The Giant
~ with Faux Real
% with Elke

This Is Why is out 2/10/2023 via Atlantic Records. Pre-order it here.

Paramore is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

House of the Dragon star Ryan Corr has seen your thirst tweets. They’ve become the subject of a few of his friends’ group chats. He’ll be on set, filming his next series now that his turn as Ser Harwin Strong (aka Westeros’ most-marriageable side piece) is over, and screenshots of NSFW comments and old photos of Australian teen soaps he once starred in will pop up on his phone.

“My friends are getting their mileage out of all this,” Corr tells UPROXX.

“All of this” is the huge swell of support from the horniest subsection of the HOTD fandom, the ones retweeting gifs of Corr’s character hoisting Milly Alcock over his shoulder during a wedding feast gone wrong with sweating emojis attached, or heralding Ser Strong as the “himbo baby daddy” the world needs right now. It’s likely a bit overwhelming, especially for an actor who had just a handful of minutes on screen over the course of the show’s first six episodes, but Corr is taking it in stride. In fact, he’s pretty damn pleased that viewers are torn up over his character’s death because he committed a lot of introspective thought and meticulous effort into making the most of the moments he was given on the show.

Below, UPROXX chats with Corr about that satisfying Criston Cole beatdown, his character’s ties to the Red Viper, and whether Harwin will be a Daemyra shipper in the afterlife.

Are you aware that people are rioting on Twitter over Harwin’s death?

[laughs] I’m glad that they’re upset. That’s the job done. We want to make you fall in love with this man and then take him away. So if that’s the way that it’s landing, that’s great. Look, a few of those tweets have trickled down. It’s always amazing to me. You never know what’s going to land and what’s not. And it turns out that barging your way through a crowd of people and lobbing the princess over your shoulder is something that appeals to people. Which I will say, with the small amounts that we see of Rhaenyra and Harwin — and particularly their love story evolves, Milly [Alcock] and I, and Emma [D’Arcy] really went in there having talked with Miguel [Sapochnik] and Ryan [Condal] about doing enough in those scenes and having enough nuance and detail in them so the audience can try and fill those gaps themselves. It can be kind of ambiguous as to what specifically happened, so the idea of putting links in there but allowing space for people to project their own meanings and their own relationships was sort of the aim.

Were there any scenes left on the cutting room floor or was the relationship between Harwin and Rhaenyra always meant to happen off camera?

It was kind of always that because it was kind of that in the book as well, and because we had to span such a large amount of time. I knew going into this that there was limited time to tell Harwin’s story. I spoke with Ryan during rehearsals, and he said, ‘Have you seen the first series?’ And he cited the Red Viper and Pedro Pascal’s character and how he was only involved for a limited amount of time, but his story really had a ripple effect on the series. Although he was a very different character, he was a great example of what they wanted to do with Harwin. So I had ideas of that in my head and ideas of why Harwin and Rhaenyra may have fallen in love.

I think they’re somewhat twin flames and I think they see something in each other that celebrates each other’s freedom, and they end up with this wonderful modern family. Plus there’s the idea that he’s this incredible knight who’s very strong, and that idea of that word strong and what strength means … it’s not just physical strength. For me, at least anyway. I really like the idea of strength being found in Harwin’s honor and the way that he loves his children and the way that he’s happy to live his life in the shadows and worship his queen. I think that they’re the sort of ideas that were floating around as we tried to shape the character.

Harwin has to interact with two very important men in Rhaenyra’s life. What’s his relationship with Laenor vs. his relationship with Criston Cole?

It’s more down to who Laenor and Criston are as characters. I think he would’ve known about Rhaenyra’s history with Criston. I think he’s obviously seen what he’s done to Laenor’s partner at the wedding. Those things obviously last the test of time. With Laenor I think they had a really incredible healthy relationship; as a three. It’s a wonderfully modern family in the world of Westeros. And I think for them they found a world in which it worked, in which they could live their truth and all be happy. At least in these short number of episodes, before the major conflicts are all happening, I think that’s sort of a little moment in time where everything was going really well and they’d found a common cause and it worked for everyone. Harwin’s a man that wanted to be a great father and I think was in love with Rhaenyra and was happy to just live his life, step back a little bit, I think Laenor and he had real mutual respect and understanding.

Why was Cole allowed to kill a man at a royal wedding feast but Harwin is practically banished from the Red Keep after a tiny brawl?

[laughs]That’s the game in Westeros, you know what I mean? Harwin’s made his way, he’s been through the Gold Cloaks and he’s next heir to Harrenhal, but unfortunately, you can’t lay your hands on anyone within the royals. I just felt incredibly sorry for him. And I always like the way that he seemed to accept it. I think there’s a certain amount of his ego, a certain amount of his honor, which is ultimately his downfall, in not being able to field those baits from Criston Cole. I think Rhaenyra has a real right to be angry at him in that moment because that world, this wonderful world that’s been going so well for Laenor, Rhaenyra, and himself sort of burst at that moment. And it’s through a moment of rage and ironically through a moment of strength, which is ultimately the demise of his family.

Was that fight scene ever more intricate or was it always choreographed as a one-and-done knockout?

Miguel said to me when we were doing it, ‘I want you to hit him five times before he hits the ground.’ He’s like, ‘I want you to turn around. I want him to be knocked out on the first, and as he’s falling, you hit him another like Wing Chun style.’ So we knew that in order for it to be satisfying, it had to be a moment. If it’s going to be the moment that breaks Harwin and means that he’s banished and sent away from his children, that it had to be satisfying at least. And let’s be honest, after the wedding, we want to see someone punch Criston Cole in the face.

Would Harwin be a Daemyra shipper?

It’s an interesting dynamic that one, isn’t it? Because I think Daemon and Harwin will have known each other. Harwin was the commander of The Watch and in the Gold Cloaks after Daemon, I believe, in the books. They would’ve known quite a lot about each other given Daemon’s prowess as a warrior. I think there’s some sort of unspoken mutual understanding there that I know that Matt [Smith] and I sort of touched on briefly. I think anyone that takes Harwin away from his family and that made him break his promise to his children, I think he’d be furious at. But I think he was also the man that celebrated who Rhaenyra was in her freedom and loved her despite her choices. So she ended up with him, and it’s what made her happy — in a weird way that’s a part of Harwin’s strength — I think he would’ve accepted that. I think he was a man that was happy to live his life stepped back as long as that meant he could have his family. I think he had a different sort of moral code from the political one that seems to manifest through Westeros.

You know how sometimes you’ll see something on the internet and think “oh, that’s pretty cool” and expect to move on with your life in the coming days only to discover that it has burrowed a hole inside your brain and taken up residence and has no plans to leave anytime soon? This could be just a thing that happens to me. I suspect it’s not, though. The human brain is really weird. Like, I have no clue what I had for lunch four days ago but I still know all the words to the song “Stop Being Greedy” by DMX and will almost certainly take them with me to the grave. It’s probably fine.

Anyway, about two weeks ago I saw this post by Vin Diesel on Instagram…

… and here I am, today, still utterly fascinated by it. I don’t think I’ve gone an entire day since without thinking about it at least a little. I doubt I’ve gone more than five or six hours, to be honest, at least the ones that I’ve been awake. It’s just… it’s fascinating to me. All of it, too: the picture, the caption, what both of them say and imply. I somehow want to know every single thing about it and nothing else about it at all, just so my imagination can run wild. I definitely have questions, though. So many questions. Hundreds, definitely. Thousands, probably.

But let’s narrow this list down, just for efficiency. Here are 50 of the questions I have about this picture of Vin Diesel and Michael Caine.

What do you think Vin Diesel and Michael Caine talk about at dinner?

Do you think they talk about the Fast & Furious movies?

Do you think Michael Caine has seen all of the Fast & Furious movies?

Which Fast & Furious movie do you think is Michael Caine’s favorite?

Probably Fast Five, right?

Why hasn’t Michael Caine been in a Fast & Furious movie?

Do you think he’s jealous that Helen Mirren has been in a few and has even gotten to drive a little?

What if Fast X opens with a super-wide shot from a helicopter of someone speeding across the Mediterranean on a jet ski and it slowly zooms in as the opening credits roll out on the screen and when we finally get close enough to see who it is, blammo, it’s Michael Caine?

What if he has a mustache?

What if he’s playing the King of England?

Do you think when Michael Caine saw the thing where Ludacris and Tyrese went to space in a NoS-powered Pontiac in F9 he said “Oh, splendid!” in that voice of his?

What would you do if you bought a ticket to Fast X when it came out and the opening shot was the jet ski thing we talked about and then you heard a very familiar British voice say “Wonderful” and then you turned around Michael Caine was just sitting behind you in the theater with a Sprite and some peanut M&Ms?

Does this mean Michael Caine is on Vin Diesel’s side in the feud with The Rock?

Does Michael Caine hate The Rock?

How much would you pay to hear Michael Caine’s unfiltered opinion on the Diesel-Rock feud?

Do you think he tried to mediate it?

What would you do if you went to an upscale steakhouse for your birthday dinner and two tables over you saw Michael Caine sitting between The Rock and Vin Diesel and he was saying, like, “Now, boys, let’s get to the bottom of this”?

Would you stop talking about it for a single second for the rest of your life?

Do you think Vin Diesel has seen The Muppet Christmas Carol?

If so, how many times?

Do you think he asks Michael Caine a million questions about working with the Muppets?

What if the Muppets are in Fast X?

What if Gonzo and Rizzo narrate the whole thing?

What if there’s that whole opening scene with Michael Caine on the jet ski and then, just when you’re starting to get your bearings as a viewer, blammo again, we smash cut to Gonzo and Rizzo on the beach in comfortable chairs with little daiquiris in their cupholders and Gonzo starts explaining the history of the Fast & Furious franchise?

If you close your eyes, can you picture Tyrese, in character as Roman, saying, “What the hell?! We got Muppets in here now?!”

What if there is no other Muppet in the whole movie and then they cut to Ludacris doing science and/or computer things and Beaker is just there assisting him and no one says anything about it?

Has anything in history ever been less surprising than me looping the Muppets into this somehow?

Who took this picture?

Was it the waiter?

Can you imagine being a waiter and Vin Diesel and Michael Caine sit down in your section?

Would you be cool about it or would you freak out a little?

Like, would you try to act like they’re just any two dudes or would you acknowledge that it’s kind of weird, both to be serving famous people and the thing where these two specific famous people are sitting together?

Who paid for the dinner?

Did they ask for separate checks?

Which one is the better tipper?

What if Vin Diesel offered to pay and then just dropped like a $20 tip on a $260 dinner and Michael Caine pretended he forgot something as they were walking out and went back to the table and dropped another $100 on it?

That seems like something Michael Caine would do, right?

Do you think waiters at fancy restaurants like this gossip a lot about which celebrities tip well and which are cheapskates?

If you were a celebrity, would you leave extra big tips just to avoid ending up on some Reddit post titled Worst Celebrity Tippers?

It’s got to be weird to be famous, right?

Do you think you would enjoy being a celebrity?

Do you think Michael Caine did the thumbs up in that picture because he knows it’s kind of Vin’s thing and he thought they would both be doing it and then he saw this post on Instagram and was kind of bummed out?

What do you think each of them ordered?

Probably pasta or red meat given the glasses of red wine, right?

Which one of them would you rather hear say the phrase “I will have the lasagna”?

You’re imagining it now, aren’t you?

Do you think Michael Caine really calls Vin Diesel his son like Vin claims in the caption of that post?

Is there a better collection of words in the history of social media than “Liked by Ludacris and 946,840 others”?

Do you think Ludacris is bummed out he didn’t get invited?

WHY DIDN’T THEY INVITE LUDACRIS???