Year: 2022

The college football world got some unexpected offseason drama on Wednesday evening when Nick Saban alleged, among a host of other NIL-related things, that Texas A+M bought every player in its 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 1 in America. While it’s not hard to see why Saban would be this forthright about how NIL is impacting the sport while talking to a group of folks described by ESPN as “local business leaders,” it was still odd to see Saban call another program out this directly.

Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher called a press conference on Thursday morning to respond and took the gloves off, saying that he never bought anyone and hammering Saban by saying “you can find out anything you wanna find out, what he does and how he does it, and it’s despicable.” It led to a number of folks in the world of college football expressing their shock over things, with no better illustration of how wild this was than the always-chatty Lane Kiffin being rendered speechless.

Speaking and posting are two different things, and while he may not have had much to say, Kiffin did decide to take to Twitter to dish out some thoughts on the whole thing.

You can say many things about Lane Kiffin, one of which is that the man really does love the internet.

2022 has been good for the West Coast OG, Snoop Dogg. The legendary rapper performed alongside Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar at Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California and purchased the Death Row imprint all in February. Now the 50-year-old is preparing for his 20th studio album A Death Row Summer.

The multi-hyphenate took to Instagram on Tuesday (May 17) to make the announcement. Snoop hasn’t shared a specific date, but he does say it is “coming soon.” For now, he left listeners with a new single “Touch Away” featuring October London.

A Death Row Summer will be the label’s second 2022 release. Snoop is excited about Death Row’s direction, stating in a press release, “I am thrilled and appreciative of the opportunity to acquire the iconic and culturally significant Death Row Records brand, which has immense untapped future value. It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and as one of the founding members.”

One can only imagine what Snoop has in store and whether he will call back to some of his previous collaborators or introduce newer acts.

Check out “Touch Away” featuring October London here.

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

Once upon a time (now) in Hollywood, there was an Australian actress who was cast in Greta Gerwig’s wild-sounding Barbie movie and new films from David O. Russell, Damien Chazelle, and Wes Anderson. The two-time Oscar nominee has also reportedly been tapped to resurrect two franchises: the Johnny Depp-less Pirates of the Caribbean and the Ocean’s series.

Margot Robbie will star and produce a new Ocean’s movie from not Steven Soderbergh, but Jay Roach, who previously worked with Robbie on Bombshell. (He also directed all three Austin Powers movies, which is the more important credit.) “Details on the script by Carrie Solomon are being kept in the vault, but it is known to be an original Ocean’s Eleven that is set in Europe in the 1960s,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The project is in active development and is not greenlit, insiders say, but the goal is to begin production spring 2023. Warners’ Ocean’s franchise was launched in 2001 when Steven Soderbergh directed a fast-talking, stylish A-list heist comedy. What began as a riff and loose remake of the 1960 Rat Pack movie turned into an unexpected franchise.

There have been four post-Rat Pack Ocean’s movies to date, 2001’s Ocean’s Elevens, 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve, 2007’s Ocean’s Thirteen, and 2018’s Ocean’s 8. If Robbie’s Ocean’s movie follows the same naming convention, it should be called Ocean X.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Steven “A$AP Yams” Rodriguez was a powerful element in the rise of the A$AP Mob. His music helped usher in a new wave of East Coast rap that took the planet by storm. To get a sense of his lasting impact at the time of this article, his single “Yamborghini High feat Juicy J” currently has more than 141 million views on YouTube. But in the middle of the truly meteoric rise of the A$AP Mob, tragedy struck. A$AP Yams died suddenly on January 18, 2015, after an accidental fentanyl overdose. The hip-hop world was shaken to its core at the death of this 26-year-old rising star. Yam’s death was part of a growing trend inside the entertainment world and mainstream America, where fentanyl overdoses were fast on the rise.

Taking a broader view, fentanyl overdoses have spiked in the country at an alarming rate over the past decade. Musicians, college kids, and even cops are not safe from the rapid death toll the drug has claimed across all American demographics. According to the DEA website, as little as 2 milligrams can kill you. The death rate increases when those small amounts are mixed with other drugs. Rolling Stone recently did a feature on how many celebrities — Prince, Tom Petty, Lil Peep, etc. — have fallen victim to having very small doses of fentanyl laced with other drugs. Two students at Ohio State University just died after an accidental overdose from buying fake Adderall pills. San Jose State University football star turned Police Officer, Dejon Packer recently died in his home from “fentanyl toxicity.”

No one is safe from this drug. Full stop.

In response to the devasting toll caused by fentanyl, A$AP Yams’ mother, Tatianna Paulino founded the Always Strive and Prosper Foundation (It follows the A$AP moniker, the acronym created by Yams). Darryl Phillips joined her in actualizing her vision. Serving as Executive Director in the non-profit they spread awareness to the streets on how to avoid the deadly impact of drugs, focusing on fentanyl. We spoke with Tatiana and Darryl about Yams’ music, A$AP Yams Day, and their mission to heal the hood.

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Can you tell me why the Always Strive And Prosper Foundation was created and what your goals are with it for young people?

Darryl Phillips: The foundation was created really as a a commemorative, but also a meaningful mission brought together by Tatiana Paulino, A$AP Yams, mom. She wanted to be able to help one family or, you know, an individual person, whoever. If we could kind of help in any way to not experience some of the mourning that she was going through. It kind of started as something that we just were talking about. Then we got together in a community room up in Riverdale, in the Bronx and just started discussing what we saw as issues.

From there we tried to figure out we could deal with substance abuse.. But really it was just about this woman here [Yam’s mom] wanting to be able to help other families and other people to not go through the same pain.

Sometimes when a rapper dies, in the expansion of public awareness, the humanity of the individual can be lost. Can you tell us who he was to you before the rest of the world got to know him?

Tatianna Paulino: Well, I don’t even know how to describe that. It’s like, he was my kid. He was my friend. He was my son and he was everything for me before he was A$AP. He was my kid.

He made a lot of jokes. So for me in the house, it was like having a comedian around all of the time. You know, having a great time, having dinner with him. He was hilarious. So I miss all the family time that we had together.

Now, do you remember the day or even the moment you decided you were gonna create a foundation?

Paulino: The same time he passed away. I wanted to do something to help other parents and other families with the problem that I’m going through at the moment. Because it’s really hard. He was helping a lot of people in the music business, we can help another family. I said, “We have to do the foundation. We have to keep his legacy alive.”

Do either of you have advice for parents who may be concerned about their kids abusing drugs or being exposed to these environments? What is your advice to them?

Phillips: I think the advice is to try and have a conversation [with your kids]. To always be able to instill something about truth with your children, with your kids, your brothers, your family members. Speak to each other in a way that involves care and some kind of trust.

I had a conversation at a friend’s house once and you know, we’re talking about drug use and just how it was impacting community lives. He’s like “Well, you know, my son is not really around friends that are into that.” The son chimed in and said, “No, actually they are.” The dad was shocked.

Then provide extracurricular things. Like “Hey, do you know, what is it that you wanna do? And how can I help you do that with art, basketball, chess- you know? Ask how you can support their personal vision of themselves.

Paulino: I think as parents, we have to be open-minded. Try to get information, to see what’s really going out there. Because sometimes we are behind, because of our age.

Can you talk about A$AP Yams Day? What happens at those events?

Phillips: It was something where we were asking the mob, can we do something? A$AP Rocky was kind of always carrying a flag for that, as well. He wanted to make sure it was something that was really commemorative. It’s a concert that involves not really random artists, but up-and-coming artists.

The first year [Jan 18, 2019] seemed to be the coldest day of the year. It was marking the day that he passed. It was a who’s who of artists. But we also had up and comers take the stage as well.

The Weeknd, Kendrick, Tyler [the Creator], there has been such a host of people that have come to support it. And now we can incubate programs to do little events that we could outside the concert to develop the community. You know, I think every day is A$AP Yams Day.

Do you have any messages for the artists that promote, you know, the high drug lifestyle these days? They really do seem to have the ears of the teens and kids.

Phillips: We can’t blame the kids ever. Us being old school, we always understood that even when it was in NWA was a reflection of what we were going through in our community. We were experiencing every day going outside, the injustice that was over us. We had a generation of kids that grew up living with their grandparents. Not even their parents. So I think we have to look at the overall larger picture, which is the drug war. We have to look at the pharmaceutical companies that are really pushing the agenda [of how these drugs are made so available to teenagers]. From Purdue [an international pharmaceutical company responsible for many opioid deaths] and many others.

Follow the money on all that.I can’t blame the artists. We have to try and see what we can do to counter it or to figure out how to abate it in some way.

Tatianna, can you tell me some of the other upcoming events, your organization will be hosting?

Paulino: So we have a back-to-school event usually involving a basketball tournament. We have a show in Harlem and it’s going on in the lower east side. We have a toy and coat drive that we do as well. That’s around the Christmas holidays. It was just really us giving them scarves, brand new toys, and other people coming to donate stuff for the kids. We try and keep these quarterly events alive as well. We are always working to figure out other ways to support other people doing other events also.

Phillips: So Michael K. Williams was a friend of mine. He knew of our organization as well. And when he passed, you know, we were able to contribute. We’d like to do something, I think a little bit outta state. I’m going to talk to some people about A$AP Yams events in LA and on the west coast.

For more information and support on upcoming events, issues with fentanyl, and other addiction issues please contact the Always Strive and Prosper Foundation and on IG @asapfoundation.

Whoopi Goldberg went to town on Republicans who voted against a domestic terrorism bill in the wake of the mass shooting in Buffalo last weekend. The View co-host called out the GOP, with the sole exception of Rep. Adam Kinzinger, for turning what should’ve been an easy vote into another political skirmish.

“When did Washington really get to be a place where stopping domestic terrorism is divisive?” Goldberg said before blasting the Republican Party for voting against it, including two members who originally sponsored the bill.

Via Decider:

“The bill was put together to take care of targeted folks: Asian folks, Jews, women, Blacks. And [Republicans] just said, ‘No, no. We’re gonna create this bill, we’re gonna put it forth, we’re gonna get people to say to it, and then we’re gonna vote it down.’ So when you’re thinking about what direction we’re going in, just know where you’re being protected and how you’re not being protected.”

She added, “This was a simple thing to do. Everybody could have done this.”

As the segment continued, Goldberg continued to voice her disbelief at the Republicans’ inaction. “I thought everybody was against white supremacy. I thought that’s what everybody said they were.”

Ultimately, The View host said it’s now up to voters to fix the problem by voting the GOP out. “If they don’t know what domestic terrorism is… if they pretend they don’t know, you have to make a decision with your voting fingers,” Goldberg instructed the audience.

(Via Decider)

Six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams is coming for her little gold guy in a film aptly titled Nightbitch, which is exactly what I’ve turned into as a result of Amy Adams never winning an Oscar.

Deadline reports that Searchlight Pictures has secured the rights to distribute Nightbitch from Annapurna. The dark comedy/horror film is based on Rachel Yoder’s acclaimed debut novel of the same name. Amy Adams is set to star in Nightbitch with Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) directing. Heller, who directed Oscar-nominated performances from Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, and Tom Hanks, also wrote the adapted screenplay.

Per Deadline, “Nightbitch tells the story of a woman thrown into the stay-at-home routine of raising a toddler in the suburbs, who slowly embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood, as she becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a canine. Bond Group and Annapurna acquired film rights to Yoder’s book back in 2020 and developed the script alongside Heller. It marks a reemergence of Megan Ellison’s reconfigured Annapurna in the marketplace.”

Nightbitch, which will hopefully make us forget about Adams’ involvement in Hillbilly Elegy, is currently in pre-production, with filming set to begin in Los Angeles in September, according to Variety. It will be released on Hulu.

“Rachel Yoder’s book took my breath away,” Heller said, per Deadline. “I haven’t felt this way about [a] book since I read The Diary of a Teenage Girl many years ago. Rachel’s darkly hilarious tale of motherhood and rage made me feel seen. And adapting it with Amy Adams in mind has been the thing that has kept me going through the pandemic. I am so thrilled to be bringing this movie to life with wonderful partners in Anne Carey, Annapurna Pictures, and Searchlight. It is a dream come true.”

2022 has been a strong year of music releases from younger stars and seasoned veterans, and another one of the latter is looking to throw his name in the ring. Lupe Fiasco shared some additional information on his upcoming eighth studio album Drill Music In Zion, confirming it will release on June 24 plus the accompanying cover art which incorporates some elements of 2015’s Tetsuo & Youth.

The Lasers artist’s engineer Craig Bauer wrote in an Instagram story “The new @lupefiasco record is Rap Album of the year” before correcting himself and saying “Nah. Decade. If you don’t feel something after listening to this…. You may want to check your pulse.” Bauer previously worked on Kanye West’s Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007), plus Fiasco’s Food & Liquor (2006) and The Cool (2007).

Lupe is more focused on how it compares to his catalog, tweeting back in October 2021 “It’s my best album. Calling it now…may pull back later but for now it’s #1.” Fiasco hasn’t released an album since 2018’s Drogas Wave, but has maintained a presence through Twitter, freestyles, and a podcast with Royce Da 5’9″. Lupe has also ventured into television, making cameo appearances on Beat N Path and Empire.

Check out the Drill Music In Zion announcement above.

Have you missed the sweet, soothing sounds of nature series narrator David Attenborough oozing out from your television?

Soon enough, you’ll get to hear the international icon explain dinosaurs. Apple TV+ just shared the full trailer for its upcoming series Prehistoric Planet, which uses technology to present the habitats and lives of dinosaurs in a similar way as a real, actually filmed nature doc. This is my Jurassic World Dominion.

Here’s the show’s description, courtesy of Apple TV+:

“The series combines award-winning wildlife filmmaking, the latest paleontology learnings and state-of-the-art technology to unveil the spectacular habitats and inhabitants of ancient Earth for a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. ‘Prehistoric Planet’ presents little-known and surprising facts of dinosaur life set against the backdrop of the environments of Cretaceous times, including coasts, deserts, freshwater, ice worlds and forests. From revealing eye-opening parenting techniques of Tyrannosaurus rex to exploring the mysterious depths of the oceans and the deadly dangers in the sky, “Prehistoric Planet” brings Earth’s history to life like never before.”

The trailer, which showcases the show’s truly mind-blowing technology, includes magnificent dinos including a T-rex swimming despite his little hands and a baby triceratops. Even better than that, the series includes zero Chris Pratts. Prehistoric Planet starts its five-night event next week on Apple TV+ with the first episode dropping on May 23.

While Madison Cawthorn has made for plenty of laugh-out-loud funny headlines over the past year—most notably by claiming he’s regularly invited to coke-fueled orgies by older Republicans, then saying he lied—the majority has spoken, and made it clear that they’ll be glad to see the back of him. At the top of that list? Seth Meyers.

Meyers kicked off Wednesday night’s “A Closer Look” segment by addressing Cawthorn’s failed bid for re-election, and reminding his viewers of the many reasons why the 26-year-old North Carolinian won’t be missed. “Oh Madison—you may be gone, but soon you will be forgotten,” promised Meyers, who had some ideas of new careers Cawthorn might want to consider, like “starring as the bad boy villain in a CW drama. He looks like he should be next to a locker threatening to tell Pacey about Dawson’s relationship with Joey.”

What Meyers was most intrigued by, however, is how Cawthorn—who was yet another Trump-endorsed candidate—was taken out by the Republican party that he considers himself a part of. As Meyers explained:

It was Republicans who waged a relentless campaign to take Hawthorn down. One GOP operative told The Daily Beast: “It’s definitely a hit job that I’m happy to be a party to. Most of the GOP universe has come around to align against this guy. You’re seeing a full-court, state-based, establishment pushback against him. Get this guy out. Take him out.”

I will say it’s a rare treat to watch Republicans tear each other apart. Because when Republicans decide to knife each other, they hold nothing back. Democrats just snipe at each other on cable news about who’s responsible for their sh*t poll numbers. They’re like the WASPy Connecticut family that just passive-aggressively bickers at the dinner table and then goes to bed full of quiet resentment.

Meyers was particularly amused by Donald Trump’s last-minute attempt to get people back on the Cawthorn train by admitting that the congressman had made “some foolish mistakes” recently, but implored his followers: “Let’s give Madison a second chance.”

“‘Let’s give Madison a second chance’ sounds like something you’d hear at a sorority after a pledge barfs all over the rug,” Meyers observed. “‘Ok, I know she drank an entire box of Franzia, but her dad knows the Dean and I think we should give her a second chance.’”

You can watch the full segment above.

When he’s not galloping around the galaxy being a guardian, Chris Pratt has been consistently playing a big-time war dude, whether it be a real war or dinosaur war. The point is, this guy loves acting with guns. Now, he gets to do that in his own TV show!

The Terminal List is an upcoming Amazon Prime series based on the novel of the same name by Jack Carr. The series follows Pratt as Navy Seal James Reece as he returns from a deadly mission and tries to piece together what exactly happened out there, and why he was the only one to survive. There are explosions, gunfire, and of course a scene of Pratt playing guitar.

The series also stars Friday Night Lights’ Taylor Kitsch and Hustlers’ Constance Wu, along with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Riley Keough, Arlo Mertz, Jai Courtney, JD Pardo, LaMonica Garrett, Stephen Bishop, Sean Gunn, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, who is also Pratt’s brother-in-law, in case you needed a refresher on that family tree.

Showrunner David DiGillio told People: “Jack [Carr]’s mixture of action, conspiracy, and military authenticity is unparalleled on the page. We knew that if we honored that authenticity, and added in some hair-raising psychological twists and turns, we would have something not just entertaining, but wholly original onscreen. We’ve taken all of Jack Carr’s tradecraft and set it against a tone of paranoia and intrigue.”