Month: September 2022

Jimmy Kimmel Live aired from New York City’s Brooklyn Academy Of Music for the first time in three years on Monday night (September 26). To mark the occasion, Kimmel welcomed famous New Yorkers Charlamagne Tha God and Amy Schumer. It was Brooklyn-bred El-P and Atlanta’s very own Killer Mike, best known as innovative hip-hop duo Run The Jewels, who stole the show with “Ooh La La” featuring Greg Nice and DJ Premier.

The high-energy performance showcased RTJ’s natural command of any and every stage, but it was relatively tame compared to the April 2020 “Ooh La La” music video that trashed piles of money and “imagined the world on the day that the age old struggle of class was finally over.” The provocative track is housed on RTJ4, their fourth studio album that dropped in June 2020. RTJ4 (Deluxe Edition) arrived in September 2021.

There were glimmers of hope that RTJ’s fifth studio album might be cooking this spring. Nothing has been confirmed, but RTJ are plenty active anyway.

RTJ played the main stage at Coachella in April. They opened on tour for Rage Against The Machine throughout the summer, including five nights at Madison Square Garden in August. Around the same time, they stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform RTJ4 track “A Few Words For The Firing Squad.” And earlier this month, RTJ released their theme song for Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm

Watch RTJ on Kimmel above.

A new Joshua Bassett EP, a Dominic Fike tour, rumors of Taylor Swift playing the Superbowl Halftime Show which were then debunked, more weirdness from Grimes, and of course the Adam Levine DMs… It’s been a week full of great releases and drama.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.

Sam Smith, Kim Petras — “Unholy”

A perfect place to start with is the highly anticipates “Unholy,” a steaming collaboration between Sam Smith and Kim Petras that blew up on TikTok before its official release. Shorter than three minutes, the song is intense throughout, thumping with chaotic energy as the two narrate a sultry affair that pulls the listener in with its danger.

Lewis Capaldi — “Driver’s License”

The Spotify Singles continue to get better as more artists participate. This is especially true with Lewis Capaldi’s new rendition of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” — a great choice, but definitely hard to master. However, his voice throbs with emotion and captures the heartbreak of the hit, giving it a new layer of pain.

Khalid — “Satellite”

Khalid has mastered the art of a swift, catchy pop song, and this new track “Satellite” is a great example of that. It’s free-flowing and infectious, moving at just the perfect speed, and his vocals are as enchanting as ever.

Joshua Bassett — “Lifeline”

Joshua Bassett’s new EP Sad Songs In A Hotel Room is a vulnerable collection of ballads. “Lifeline” is a glimpse into hospital rooms and anxiety. He narrates an impending loss with a sense of fear: “Lately I’ve been praying / To a god I’ve never known / I can’t do this on my own.” It’s impactful, drawing the listener into his grief.

5 Seconds Of Summer — “Bad Omens”

5 Seconds Of Summer know how to capture intensity in their songs and pair it with a catchy melody. “Bad Omens” does this, moving forward with a constant thumping that builds and builds into something cathartic. They don’t let the energy pause for a second — they’re relentless.

Zolita — “20 Questions”

Zolita is unhinged and unrestrained on this new song “20 Questions” — as she should be. The explicit anthem centers around a lover who cheated, and the interrogation that follows: “Was she sweet, did you cry / Was it everything you wanted / Was she drunk / Were you high?”

Kailee Morgue — “Queen B*tch”

Kailee Morgue’s “Queen B*tch” was written after feeling disillusioned by the music industry and then listening to Hole’s Celebrity Skin. “Queen B*tch” is a retaliation against the media for fetishizing youth, but it bursts with an infectious, compelling energy that proves that she’s going to make her songs heard anyway.

Iann Dior — “Saddest Soundtrack”

Pop-punk singer Iann Dior is devoted to songs of resentment and melancholy. “Saddest Soundtrack” shows contempt off the bat: “Imma take your smile and turn it upside down / Imma take the sun and cover it in clouds,” he spits in an MGK-like deadpan flow.

Pol Granch — “Nena”

After receiving a Latin Grammy Award nomination, Pol Granch unveiled this new single “Nena” from his forthcoming album Amor Escupido. The song is as thoughtful as it is alluring, previewing an interesting record that’s sure to be good.

Kelsea Ballerini — “Muscle Memory”

Kelsea Ballerini makes great pop-tinged country songs that are full of personality. “Muscle Memory” has an exciting kick to it and her vocals are heavy with longing and desire as she sings about a love so strong that it almost possesses her.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Yesterday (September 26), folks enjoying an afternoon at the House In Paradise club at Ibiza’s O Beach got quite the surprise: Out of nowhere, Ed Sheeran popped up.

After being introduced as “the biggest pop star in the world,” Sheeran performed a brief four-song set (as NME notes). He started with his own “Shape Of You” before devoting the rest of his time on stage to covers. First, he busted out a rendition of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” before getting into Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and wrapping up with Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.”

House In Paradise promoter Joshua Makinson told the Evening Standard, “I was absolutely blown away that Ed has come to House in Paradise at O Beach. We’ve had artists turn up in the past and perform but to have one of the biggest pop stars in the world perform is magical.”

“Shape Of You” is a song that Sheeran recently said he doesn’t think he’ll ever stop performing live, telling James Corden this summer, “I put it in my head, I was like, ‘I’m a massive Coldplay fan, and if I go to a Coldplay show and they don’t play ‘Fix You’ or ‘Yellow,’ I’m going to be like [shrugs].’ So in my head, I’m like, ‘People are going to think that coming to my shows,’ so I would always have ‘Perfect,’ I’d always have ‘Bad Habits,’ ‘Shape Of You,’ then you got ‘Thinking Out Loud,’ ‘The A Team.’”

Check out some clips from the performance above and below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Russia will not be submitting a film to the 2023 Oscars in protest of the United States aiding Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s disastrous invasion has not gone well, prompting Russia to further isolate itself from the West. However, the head of Russia’s Oscar committee is not thrilled about the move. According to Pavel Tchoukhraï, the decision was made behind his back by the Russian Film Academy, and he’s since resigned in protest.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, this move follows Russia’s accusation of the U.S. “directly intervening in the war.” Here’s more:

Russia has regularly submitted films for the Oscars and Russian films have a strong track record with the US Academy. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless was a 2017 Oscar nominee. Kantemir Balagov’s Beanpole (2019) and Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dear Comrades, were both shortlisted for the best international feature honor.

Russia’s military invasion led many major film festivals to ban films backed by the Russian state. There have also been calls for a blanket boycott of all Russian films, though few major festivals have taken that step.

The Oscar news arrives after a series non-stop humiliating headlines for Vladimir Putin. The Russian president has reportedly arrested an alarming number of protestors who will be shipped off to the front lines in Ukraine where the invasion is going so badly that even Russian state TV is calling out Putin. There has also been talk of oligarchs overthrowing Putin, which has led to a number of mysterious deaths recently.

However, Putin’s reaction to the failed invasion has raised concerns amongst the international community. The Russian leader has been threatening to use nuclear weapons, and many believe he’ll follow through on the threat to appear “victorious.”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Earlier this year, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone admitted that their very cool way of reliving a childhood dream — deciding to invigorate one defunct Casa Bonita restaurant in the Denver area with actual good food — had quickly turned into a money pit. Actually, they word that Stone used was “a nightmare.” The eatertainment venue’s famed fountain needed to be demolished and rebuilt, and that was only the start of construction needed to get this thing up to code. This all put the project behind (imagined) schedule, but Stone told The Denver Post that they had poured “all our money” into the project, and “we’re committed.”

Fast forward a few more months, and it turns out that Parker and Stone (by way of “The Beautiful Opco, LLC”) also invested those dollars into the restaurant’s employees. According to CBS News, “they’ve been paying a few dozen staff members to stay on” ever since buying the sopapilla paradise. While the joint remains closed, these workers are not only volunteering at places like Habitat for Humanity, but they’re also attending bilingual language classes. So, English-to Spanish and vice versa, and it’s a move to build camaraderie, and the employees are thrilled:

“I don’t hear of any company that does this. I think it’s the first company to do this, to take care of the workers,” said Alex Perez, a 29-year veteran of Casa Bonita, who took English classes.

“One of the barriers we have is the language. So front of the house, back of the house, they don’t communicate,” said Dana Rodriguez, the executive chef at Casa Bonita. “I was really impressed with the English speakers because you feel like you’re in your comfort zone. You feel like you’re in your country. You don’t need to learn the language. But if they want to be part of Casa Bonita, an iconic place, they feel like they should do it,” She said. “That means a lot in our culture. It’s respect. It’s love.”

As of now, Casa Bonita still doesn’t have a set reopening date, but one can bet that the (eventual) experience should be unparalleled when it happens. In the meantime, here are some photos from the Denver-area CBS affiliate’s Jeremy Jojola, who was on hand to meet with Chef Rodriguez and to gather a promise for a margarita.

(Via CBS News)

Elisabeth Moss‘ career peaked not with The Handmaid’s Tale or Mad Men, but the Hulk Hogan movie where she asked the wrestler to get her cat out of a tree.

The Emmy-winning actress dropped by The View on Monday to discuss the new season of her never-ending Hulu series, as well as her big-screen debut in Suburban Commando, one of Hulk Hogan’s many crummy, kid-friendly 1990s movies. “I was like eight years old, I had booked a job, and that was cool, and he was this big star,” Moss said about the disgraced wrestler. “And I had a role and something to do and I took it probably just as serious as I would take anything on The Handmaid’s Tale.”

The View played a clip from the movie, in which Hogan successfully rescues the cat from the tree (if only he could saved the Mr. Nanny dog) but accidentally launches Moss in the air. After co-host Sara Haines joked that Moss’ crying has “gotten more subtle,” she replied, “I think the crying has gotten a little better, I hope. I have notes.”

You can watch The View chat with Moss above (the Suburban Commando talk begins around 3:25). Meanwhile, The Handmaid’s Tale season five is available on Hulu now.

After the black-and-white clip of Beck covering Neil Young’s “Old Man” to promote next Sunday’s (October 2) Sunday Night Football matchup aired on NBC last Sunday night (September 25), the broadcast cut to SNF color commentator Cris Collinsworth and play-by-play man Mike Tirico. Collinsworth noted how cool it was. It appears as if Young disagrees.

Young has taken to Instagram to post a throwback photo of his younger self holding up a beer bottle with “Sponsored By Nobody” written on it. It’s a callback to the end of his 1988 “This Note’s For You” video, which specifically called out Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston and more generally mocked commercialized artistry. “Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi / Ain’t singin’ for Coke,” he sang in the song. “I don’t sing for nobody / Makes me look like a joke.” The video was banned by MTV.

Beck’s “Old Man” was chosen to soundtrack Week 4’s SNF clash between Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 27, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, 45. The 30-second spot hinged around the song’s intro and first verse, featuring lines such as, “Old man, look at my life / I’m a lot like you were,” and, “Twenty-four, and there’s so much more.” The latter is a direct reference to Brady and Mahomes each winning his first Super Bowl at 24 years old. (Brady has, of course, won seven en route to his future first-ballot induction into the Hall Of Fame, while Mahomes is still chasing No. 2.)

Beck released his full-length, standalone “Old Man” cover on Monday (September 26), but maybe Jimmy Fallon is the only one with Young’s permission to cover it on NBC.

Watch the SNF commercial above.

This past weekend, Lizzo kicked off The Special Tour and so far, she has a couple of concerts under her belt, with a third one coming tonight (September 27) at Washington, DC’s Capital One Arena. It’s a relatively small sample size at the moment when it comes to setlists, but there’s still enough information to go off of to answer the question: What songs has Lizzo been performing on her 2022 tour?

Setlist.fm, the most comprehensive resource for concert setlists available online, has the answer. According to their data, both concerts had the same setlist, perhaps an indication that it will stay pretty much that way throughout the tour. The shows opened with “The Sign” and “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” before closing with a two-song encore of “Juice” and “About Damn Time.”

As for album-by-album representation, Special is on top when it comes to songs from the album performed during the show, followed by Cuz I Love You and Coconut Oil. At both concerts, she has also covered Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”

Check out the setlist from Lizzo’s tour so far below.

1. “The Sign”
2. “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)”
3. “Soulmate”
4. “Grrrls”
5. “Boys”
6. “Tempo”
7. “Rumors”
8. “Scuse Me”
9. “Naked”
10. “Jerome”
11. “Break Up Twice”
12. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (Lauryn Hill cover)
13. “Special”
14. “I’m Every Woman” (Chaka Khan cover)
15. “Like A Girl”
16. “Birthday Girl/Happy Birthday”
17. “Everybody’s Gay”
18. “Water Me”
19. “Cuz I Love You”
20. “If You Love Me”
21. “Coldplay”
22. “Truth Hurts”
23. “I Love You B*tch”
24. “Good As Hell”
25. “Juice” (encore)
26. “About Damn Time” (encore)

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

Ahead of the 2016 election, Donald Trump‘s doctor wrote a ridiculous letter stating that, if elected, the former reality star would be “unequivocally… the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” (As if he had also had the chance to physically examine George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and compare the three.) While both Trump and his doctor were mercilessly mocked for this act of pure lunacy, Trump just may have bought into the lie, as he seems grossly unaware of his own appearance (emphasis on grossly).

Earlier this month, as Insider reported, the rotund former president — who has been known to sport a FUPA — took to his TRUTH Social in an attempt to fat-shame Chris Christie. It’s not the first time the former president has made comments about the former New Jersey governor’s weight. According to a new report from Insider, Trump has also found a new target in Florida governor/human trafficker/possible presidential challenger Ron DeSantis.

In Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, an upcoming book from The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Trump has a habit of making nasty jabs regarding the appearance of pretty much anyone who disagrees with him.

In the book, Haberman detailed a meeting she had with Trump at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey just this past summer, in which she brought up Christie — who mounted a failed presidential bid in 2016 — and asked about their rivalry. Trump’s response? “I was compared to him? Why? I didn’t know I had that big of a weight problem.”

When talk turned to DeSantis, who many believe is prepping to announce his candidacy for a 2024 presidential run, Trump hit below the belt — quite literally — once again. As Cheryl Teh wrote for Insider:

Haberman also wrote that she had heard of Trump using similar terms to describe DeSantis. She also recalled learning from sources that Trump had called DeSantis “fat,” “phony,” and “whiny” while also taking credit for the latter clinching the governor’s seat in 2018.

Insider reached out to representatives for DeSantis, Christie, and Trump for comment on the story, but did not receive any immediate responses.

It was during this same conversation with Haberman that Trump seemed to imply that his favorite part of being president was the power and fame it brought with it, which came as a surprise to absolutely no one.

In early August, while giving a speech at CPAC, the body-obsessed Trump told the crowd that White House doctor-turned-congressman Ronny Jackson preferred his previous gig as a physician over his new life as a politician because “he loved looking at my body. It was so strong and powerful.”

All of which begs the question: Does Trump not have any full-length mirrors at home?

(Via Insider)

Dr. Oz must have been jealous. It’s been too long since one of his attempted insults of John Fetterman spectacularly backfired on him. Which is to say, like, two weeks. Instead, it’s been all Newt Gingrich and Tucker Carlson, both of whom criticized the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania for his Nine Inch Nails-quoting and victims of gun violence-honoring tattoos. But don’t worry, here comes Dr. Oz with a new way to humiliate himself by accidentally giving his opponent a kickass campaign slogan.

The Trump-backed celebrity doctor appeared on the Ruthless podcast, where he discussed Fetterman’s ubiquitous hoodie. “I was stunned by it,” Oz said of Fetterman’s attire. “But it turns out that if you’re a radical leftist with the belief that this country is irremediably stained, you just want to break it apart. Just bust America, crack it to its base, break it asunder, and rebuild it with your toxic ideology. That’s what he stands for. When he dresses like that, it’s not an accident. He’s kicking authority in the balls.”

If Fetterman isn’t selling “Kicking Authority In the Balls” shirts by the end of the week, his campaign manager should be fired.

A recent poll finds that 51 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania support Fetterman, compared to only 41 percent for Oz. That’s a big gap, but considering the bumbling campaign that the not-so-good doctor has been running, it should be wider.

(Via HuffPo)