Month: October 2022

Seven months after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, his army’s no closer to taking Kyiv. In fact, his own troops believe that this is an impossible feat to accomplish, given the sh*tshow nature of the war. After all, his mobilized troops are being told to bring tampons to treat bullet wounds, and there’s neither food nor armor to be found. Likewise, Putin’s partial mobilization (which he has semi-admitted to botching) sent Russians fleeing toward the borders, and no one can really see how Putin can win this conflict. That criticism has now extended to two of Putin’s longtime allies on the global stage, but is he listening?

Putin’s not accustomed to tolerating public dissent (just ask the long-imprisoned Alexei Nalvany and local officials who were punished for criticizing the war). Yet two figureheads (Ramzan Kadyrov, a Chechnya leader, and Yevgeny Prigozhin, who founded the Wagner Group mercenaries) are being very public with their dragging of Putin’s war after Russian troops lost a strategically prominent town, Lyman. Via Reuters, here’s what Razman Kadyrov had to say about the Russian army’s leadership:

“Nepotism in the army will lead to no good,” Kadyrov said, adding that the commander of Russian forces in the area should be stripped of his medals and sent to the front line with a gun to wash away his shame with blood.

Kadyrov, who supports the war and has sent many of his own Chechen units to fight, said his criticism was the bitter truth about a Russian fighting force which he said allowed talentless mediocrities to let down the country.

Then Yevgeny Prigozhin added to the public display by declaring, “Ramzan – you rock man!” He added, “All these bastards should be sent barefoot to the front with automatic guns.” And in response, the Kremlin issued an awkward statement about how “[t]he heads of regions have the right to express their point of view,” but “[e]ven at difficult moments, emotions should still be excluded from any assessments.” Putin has yet to directly comment on these draggings, and there’s no word on whether anyone has seen him grow visibly upset as a result. However, all that Botox makes it very easy to hide emotions, so we probably shouldn’t hold our breath on that front.

(Via Reuters)

Arctic Monkeys played a phone-free show at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, on September 22. As it were, that was a precursor. The Alex Turner-fronted band announced their 22-date 2023 North American tour this morning (October 3). Fontaines D.C. will serve as openers.

This is just the latest in a string of exciting Arctic Monkeys developments since late August. The UK rockers revealed The Car, their seventh studio album, will drop October 21. Lead single “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” followed days later. The second single, “Body Paint,” hit last Thursday (September 29) and debuted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The North American tour announcement comes roughly a week after a 2023 UK and Ireland stadium run was confirmed, with The Hives and The Mysterines as supporting acts.

Beginning on August 25, 2023, in Minneapolis at The Armory, the tour will feature back-to-back dates at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, New York, and a September 18 show at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre before finishing on September 29, 2023, at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Registration for Thursday’s (October 6) pre-sale is available here. The general public sale begins Friday (October 7) at 10 a.m. local time. See all dates below.

08/25/2023 — Minneapolis @ The Armory
08/27/2023 — Chicago @ United Center
08/29/2023 — Clarkson, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
08/30/2023 — Toronto @ Budweiser Stage
09/02/2023 — Montreal @ Bell Centre
09/03/2023 — Boston @ TD Garden
09/05/2023 — Philadelphia @ TD Pavilion at the Mann
09/07/2023 — Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/08/2023 — Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
09/09/2023 — Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
09/11/2023 — Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
09/12/2023 — Nashville @ Ascend Amphitheater
09/15/2023 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
09/16/2023 — Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
09/18/2023 — Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
09/20/2023 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ Vivint Arena
09/22/2023 — Seattle @ Climate Pledge Arena
09/22/2023 — Vancouver @ Pacific Coliseum
09/24/2023 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
09/26/2023 — San Francisco @ Chase Center
09/27/2023 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
09/29/2023 — Inglewood, CA @ The Kia Forum

The Car is out 10/21 via Domino. Pre-order it here.

Barry Keoghan excels at playing dangerous weirdos. No one has eaten spaghetti or betrayed Dev Patel with more menace than the 29-year-old Irish actor, who was a natural fit to play cinema’s most tWiStEd clown, the Joker.

Keoghan made his DC movie debut in The Batman, where he appeared as “Unseen Arkham Prisoner” (later confirmed as, duh, the Joker in a deleted scene). In an interview with GQ UK, he described the Joker as being “a bit charming and a bit hurt,” and shared his one request for playing the character to director Matt Reeves.

Beneath heavy prosthetics that make him look like a maniac run through a meat grinder, Keoghan insisted his blue eyes stayed the same. “I wanted some sort of human in there behind the makeup,” he says. “I want people to relate to him… [to know] this is a façade he puts on.” The character is, to Keoghan, “a broken-down boy.”

Keoghan is also proud that his Joker finished fourth on a list of the best on-screen Jokers. “There were seven and I was number four. Lads, with four minutes of screen time, not bad eh!?” he joked. Even if Keoghan had dropped his pants and farted in Batman’s face (anything is possible with Keoghan), he still wouldn’t have finished last.

(Via GQ UK)

Ed Sheeran is planning to head out on the road to give some more music lessons, aka bringing his Mathematics tour to North America in 2023. In a new announcement on social media, Sheeran’s HQ account wrote, “Sounds like Ed’s next subject in class is the North American #MathematicsTour! Pre-sale starts October 12th.” Khalid, Maisie Peters, Russ, Rosa Linn, Cat Burns, and Dylan will join as openers on the tour.

The announcement also features a video of Sheeran sitting at a classroom desk, as a teacher starts instructing a “Mathematics” class on a chalkboard. She begins to draw the symbols that Sheeran has used for his past albums (plus, equals, divide, multiply). When she does, he gets increasingly confused when songs from each era begin to play, including “The A Team,” “Bad Habits,” and “Thinking Out Loud.”

However, at the end of the video, the teacher reveals a new symbol: minus. This is where Sheeran looks the most confused, as it might be referencing a new album and title. While all of his albums have taken on the math symbols as titles, he has only released four, not five, and never one called “–.” Watch the full video below.

While presale for the new tour starts October 12, Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program is open from now until October 9 at 10 pm ET. Continue scrolling for a complete list of Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics North American tour dates.

05/06/2023 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
05/13/2023 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
05/20/2023 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
05/27/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
06/03/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
06/10/2023 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
06/17/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
06/24/2023 — Landover, MD @ FedExField
07/01/2023 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
07/08/2023 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Acrisure Stadium
07/15/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
07/22/2023 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
07/29/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
08/05/2023 — Kansas City, MO @ GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
08/12/2023 — Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium
08/19/2023 — Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High
08/26/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
09/02/2023 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
09/09/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
09/16/2023 — Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s Stadium
09/23/2023 — Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium

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

Earlier this year, I wrote that Sampa The Great’s new album As Above, So Below is one of the top five rap albums of 2022. Still, even so, the Zambian rapper can’t believe that her song “Let Me Be Great” featuring Angélique Kidjo is the soundtrack of the newly released Wakanda Forever trailer. The trailer uses the track’s outro, which features African chanting and traditional rhythms, as it introduces the returning cast from the original Black Panther and juxtaposes them against their new threat from Atlantean mutant Namor.

“Can you imagine!” Sampa wrote. “Me … A non-Billboard charting-ass, no huge awards having-ass, non-viral video-ass, no sold-out arena tour having-ass independent artist whose song is on a Black Panther Trailer! This how God works. Thankful!!”

Along with “Let Me Be Great,” Sampa’s new album also features the singles “Lane,” “Never Forget,” and “Bona,” showcasing an impressive breadth of stylistic diversity, with heavy influences from Sampa’s upbringing in Zambia. And although she was charmingly self-deprecating in her reaction to getting “Let Me Be Great” placed in the Wakanda Forever trailer, like the film’s new Black Panther, she’s on track to living up to that song’s title in no time.

You can watch the Wakanda Forever trailer above.

Fall comebacks are some of the releases many K-pop fans look forward to. By the time Q4 hits the Korean music industry, it’s the last strut for labels to release bangers to end the year off with, well, a bang.

So whether you’re a boy group stan, a girl group enthusiast, or, even better — a multi-stan (someone who just stans everyone), here are some of the comebacks to look forward to the most. But remember, more comebacks are already coming, and yet to be announced, this fall. So keep your eyes open.

AB6IX – The 6th EP: TAKE A CHANCE

As one of the first comebacks of the new month, AB6IX is set to return with their sixth EP, TAKE A CHANCE. The project’s lead single “Sugarcoat” was co-written and composed by member Lee Daehwi. The EP features seven new tracks including an English version of their song “CHANCE.” You can expect the new EP to drop on October 4.

Red Velvet Seulgi – The 1st Mini Album “28 Reasons”

Fresh off of making an appearance at New York Fashion Week, Red Velvet’s ace is will be making her long-anticipated debut with a solo set for October 4th. Known to be a film enthusiast among the group, Seulgi has dropped dark, cinematic teasers that offer a different side to what Reveluvs are used to from the Red Velvet member.

Stray Kids – “MAXIDENT!”

In the midst of dominating the world, Stray Kids follows their last project, Maniac, with a new EP that showcases a more daring side of the octet. First teasing some of the tracks at their recent Maniac stops in Seoul, the hype behind the seventh EP has led the JYP Entertainment group to sell 2.24 million pre-orders ahead of its official release on October 7.

The Rose – HEAL

Coinciding with their tour happening later in October, the Korean pop/rock band will make their return with a new album on October 7, which includes the track “Sour.” According to a press release, the band grabbed influence from the motto “music heals” and produced an album that’s been heavily inspired by stories from fans and the healing power of music.

Mamamoo – 12th Mini Album: ‘MIC ON’

As some fans of Mamamoo were concerned about the group’s future after some parted ways with the label, but the power quartet kept their word to promote together. With that said, Moos can expect Solar, Moonbyul, Hwasa, and Wheein’s mics to be on come October 11 with their 12th EP, MIC ON.

Dreamcatcher – 7th Mini Album [Apocalypse : Follow us]

https://twitter.com/hf_dreamcatcher/status/1574685313532035072/photo/1

After a successful summer tour this year, Dreamcatcher is set to release more music in October with their seventh EP, [Apocalypse : Follow us]. The EP will consist of six tracks, including the lead single “Vision,” produced by LEEZ, Ollounder, and June One of Glen Check.

Kep1er – The 3rd Mini Album: TROUBLESHOOTER

As one of the most sought after debuts of the year, rookie girl group Kep1er continues the energetic momentum with their third EP of the year. Dropping on October 13, Troubleshooter, alongside the lead single “We Fresh,” seem to be taking Kep1er away from the refreshing cute concept and routing them into a potential girl crush concept from the first set of teaser images.

WONHO – Bittersweet

As if he’s not already serving on Instagram (and everywhere that has a camera) with his looks, WONHO is scheduled deliver more in October with a second single album titled Bittersweet. The release will consist of two tracks, “Don’t Regret” and “On & On (featuring YUNHWAY),” co-written and composed by Wonho himself.

(G)I-DLE – 5th Mini Album [I love]

After rocking out with the whole nation with their viral hit “TOMBOY” earlier this year, alongside a successful US summer tour, K-pop’s ultimate girl crush quintet is set to release their fifth EP, [I love], with its title track “Nxde.” Donning bold red lipstick and blonde hair in the initial teaser photo, fans can expect Soyeon, Minnie, Miyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua to bring something sexy to the table.

LE SSERAFIM – 2nd Mini Album ‘ANTIFRAGILE’

After making headlines on their debut with their infectious debut single “Fearless,” LE SSERAFIM is set to make their return with their second EP ANTIFRAGILE. Compared to their last release that served sophisticated pop concepts, the recent teaser images for ANTIFRAGILE foreshadows something more elegant and avant-garde for October 17.

House of the Dragon fans dealt with a (sadly) all-too-common issue during this week’s episode, “Driftmark.” They couldn’t even see a good chunk of the visuals, given the Game of Thrones franchise’s penchant for going too (literally) dark. After all that money spent on a massive budget, cutting corners on lighting doesn’t seem productive at all, but it’s a chronic issue. Back in 2019, the highly anticipated Battle of Winterfell left people wondering what the hell was happening because they couldn’t see the action. The Night King’s forces hunkered down upon humanity, and viewers got a headache while trying to figure out who died first. Here’s a refresher of how that evening looked.

In the latest prequel episode, one of the most exciting scenes — Aemond Targaryen taming and claiming Vhagar and then taking a joyride — also left viewers in the dark. A look at the far-above (brightened) official still reveals the same issue. One can barely see Prince Daemon’s lack of respect for his brother, given that the entire image is awash in shades of darkened grey. It’s a wonder that viewers could stay enthused. Here’s how the image looked upon HBO’s release.

With any luck, HBO will realize the gravity of the issue and double back with a fix before this prequel’s second season. They did so, three years later, for the final Game of Thrones season. Yet they’re still cranking out big-budget episodes where people can’t even see facial expressions after turning the brightness up (to full capacity) on TVs and streaming devices. The issue grew so glaring that the HBO Max Help Twitter account kept tweeting the same response to frustrated viewers: “The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision.”

A deluge of complaints threw more kindling on the dragon fire.

HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm EST.

Beyoncé‘s Renaissance era rolls on. One month after Tiffany & Co. shared a 15-second teaser for its new “Lose Yourself In Love” campaign, the luxury jeweler’s full Beyoncé-fronted campaign is here.

“Individuality. Joy. Self-expression,” reads Tiffany & Co.’s official description of the black-and-white spot. “Shot on a rare 65mm camera, the LOSE YOURSELF IN LOVE anthem film is inspired by the iconic Studio 54-era of New York City. Set to ‘SUMMER RENAISSANCE,’ the finale of Beyoncé’s latest globally lauded album, RENAISSANCE, the film is an homage to the joy of being one’s unapologetic self.”

The film aligns thematically with Renaissance, showcasing “1970s club culture,” per The Hollywood Reporter, which additionally relayed that it was directed by Mark Romanek. Beyoncé strolls effortlessly into a thriving club, joining the dance floor and grabbing the mic to sing the third verse and bridge of “Summer Renaissance.” The pristine pieces worn by the icon can be viewed here.

Beyoncé previously co-starred with husband Jay-Z in Tiffany & Co.’s “About Love” campaign last year.

Renaissance dropped in July, fueled by No. 1 lead single “Break My Soul.” Beyoncé’s seventh studio album — and her first solo effort since 2016’s Lemonade — debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming her seventh No. 1 album.

Watch the “Lose Yourself In Love” film above.

While diving deep into the problematic nature of museums and their penchant for looting artifacts, John Oliver cited an unlikely hero in the effort to stop the fraudulent sale of pilfered items: Kim Kardashian. During Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver revealed a tale about how a photo of Kardashian at the 2018 MET Gala inadvertently led to the collapse of an art fraud scheme.

As the late night host tells it, Kardashian wore an all gold dress that coincidentally happened to match an all-gold coffin of the Egyptian Nedjemankh that was in the process of being purchased by the MET Museum. Kardashian was invited to snap a photo next to the coffin, which naturally, bounced all over the internet thanks to her intense viral fame. However, an anonymous tipster recognized the coffin and informed international authorities that had it been looted. With the MET Museum alerted, it scuttled the $4 million sale all thanks to the publicity from Kardashian.

Via Deadline:

The late-night show’s episode continued to focus on dealers not doing their proper research when acquiring art pieces that are, a lot of times, stolen. Oliver took another jab at Kardashian when he noted that museums couldn’t just sit back and not do research and wait “until Kim Kardashian takes a photograph in front of one of our objects and we’re humiliated on the international stage. This cannot be all her responsibility, she’s too busy revolutionizing shape wear.”

Oliver also got in a self-deprecating jab by showing a picture of himself next to Kardashian and quipping, “the woman has a real knack for producing incredible images just by standing next to men that look like they died a long time ago.”

You can watch the Kim Kardashian segment at the 23:45 mark below:

(Via Deadline)

Kanye West recently made his catwalk debut as a surprise model for Balenciaga’s show at Paris Fashion Week. West wore a baseball cap, black jacket, and shiny pants, with the word “Security” hanging as a tag from the coat. As the show’s statement (via Rain), Balenciaga’s creative director Demna said he has “decided to no longer explain my collections and verbalize my designs, but to express a state of mind.”

In a video uploaded to YouTube of the company’s S/S 2023 collection, West appears to open the show. He trudges through a muddy runway, which was intended to resemble a war-like battlefield. “Fashion is a visual art and all we need is for it to be seen through someone’s eyes.,” Demna also noted about the show’s setting. “Fashion in its best-case scenario should not need a story to be sold to someone. You either like it or not. The set of this show is a metaphor for digging for truth and being down to earth. Let us let everyone be anyone and make love not war.”

While West’s model appearance was a surprise, he wasn’t alone as the only A-list celebrity at the luxury designer’s show. Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian were both seated as VIP guests, along with Anna Wintour, Doja Cat, Charli XCX, Offset, and many more.

Watch Kanye West open the Balenciaga show above.