Year: 2022

For the past month or so, Kanye West has been making life apparently difficult for Kim Kardashian as he lashes out over their recent divorce. It’s gotten downright concerning at times — so much so that outside observers like Trevor Noah have taken to using their case as an object lesson in the sort of behavior that frightens women into staying in toxic or abusive relationships (Kanye didn’t like that very much, getting himself suspended from Instagram while Noah tried to show empathy for the obviously hurting rapper).

Through it all, though, Kardashian has handled the situation about as gracefully as can be expected, imploring Kanye to take their dirty laundry offline and change the narrative. She was asked about this tendency on Ellen today, where the host noted that she “always protects him because of the kids.”

Kim admitted that dealing with Kanye is difficult but also explained why she hasn’t thrown him under the bus yet. “I think that’s just who I am and I always saw such a good example in my mom and my dad in their relationship, so I’m always just hopeful,” she said. “No matter what goes on, it’s the father of my kids. I’ll always be protective. I always want my kids to just see the best of the best. So I just try to — as hard as it can be sometimes — ignore it and just try to do whatever’s best for the kids… Take the high road.”

Although she’s done a relatively decent brushing off her ex-husband’s Instagram tantrums, that doesn’t mean she’s handled every situation perfectly. Kardashian was has been trolled for the past week after a promo interview for her family’s new Hulu-based reality show went viral. In the clip, Kim offers her “advice” for success: “get up and work” — which rang more than a little tone-deaf considering she was basically born wealthy and mostly makes money by slapping her name on various products promoted by her and her family’s reality TV empire. Two things can be true, right?

You can watch the Ellen clip above.

Any self-respecting Radiohead fan oughta be made familiar with The Smile. For the uninitiated, it’s the spinoff group of Radiohead braintrust Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, along with Sons Of Kemet drummer Tim Skinner, and with production by Radiohead’s go-to man on the boards, Nigel Godrich. Today, the group has shared its third single, “Skrtng On The Surface,” and it might just be the best offering yet from this enigmatic supergroup.

Whereas raucous lead single “You Will Never Work In Television Again” had a distinct punk sensibility, “Skrtng On The Surface” is more akin to second single “The Smoke,” with pronounced strings and cinematic horns. Greenwood’s deliberate guitar picking nestle up against Skinner’s chill drum beat. Yorke is at his best, singing spookily as a stoic and stingy clarinet bellows in the background.

The black-and-white video was filmed in 16mm format by Director Mark Jenkin in an abandoned tin mine off the rocky shores of Cornwall in the Southwestern England. Yorke is a weary spelunker in the clip, trying to find his way from an underground pool of water back up to the surface; almost as if he’s seeking revenge on whoever put him there in the first place. The film for the clip was developed by hand in water from the mine and it’s a marvelous artistic touch.

Watch the “Skrtng On The Surface” video above.

Lil Nas X is back on social media and already treating the fans. In a new video, the “Industry Baby” rapper shared a snippet of a new track.

On the synth-infused track, Lil Nas X boasts about his accomplishments, rapping, “I’m doing real sh*t / Some never worried about a bill sh*t / That build a house on the hills sh*t.” He’s not worried about a thing, as he believes “the money’s gravy / It’s coming crazy.”

Lil Nas X didn’t confirm a name for the track, but the video, shared to TikTok and Twitter today, was captioned “LEAN ON MY BODY!”

The rapper also teased new music yesterday via Twitter, sharing screenshots of an audio player streaming collaborations with YoungBoy Never Broke Again and fellow gay rapper Saucy Santana, titled “Late To The Party” and “Down Souf Hoes,” respectively. He also shared a snippet of a new song sampling “Black Cat” by Janet Jackson.

These teases follow a three-month hiatus from social media. Upon his return, he revealed his next album is “close to finished.” Production duo Take A Daytrip seemingly confirmed the “LEAN ON MY BODY!” snippet comes from a song from Lil Nas X’s upcoming Montero follow-up.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ahead of the premiere of her Driving Home 2 U: A Sour Film, Olivia Rodrigo just revealed the official trailer for the upcoming documentary. Driving Home 2 U sees the “Good 4 U” singer driving from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, recounting the making of her debut album, Sour.

Released last May, Sour has spawned several hits, including the chart-topping “Good 4 U” and breakout hit “Drivers License,” as well as fan favorites “Brutal,” “Traitor,” and “Deja Vu.”

Driving Home 2 U gives fans an inside look at the production of the album, including never-before-seen footage, interviews, and live performances of Sour tracks backed by an all-woman band. Fans will also hear their favorite songs with all-new arrangements, as well as a brand new track.

Earlier this month, ET reported that Rodrigo will have a reduced role in the upcoming third season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. This is presumable due to the fact that she is already hard at work on her sophomore album.

Rodrigo told Billboard of her next album, “I have a title for my next album and a few songs. It’s really exciting to think about the next world that’s coming up for me. I just love writing songs. I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself. [I want to] just sort of explore and have fun right now.”

Check out the trailer above.

Driving Home 2 U: A Sour Film streams 3/25 on Disney+.

Fast-rising ATL rapper Kali stops by the UPROXX Sessions set to pump the release of her debut EP, Toxic Chocolate, with a self-assured performance of the EP’s standout track, “New Day.” Questioning the negative energy of her detractors and exes while boldly asserting her own dominance, Kali reminds listeners that “it’s a new day,” so they should shake off those downer vibes and stop being surprised by her longevity as the topic of discussion.

Toxic Chocolate, Kali’s seven-song debut EP, capitalizes on the TikTok buzz of her breakout single “MMM MMM,” with a remix of the track featuring ATL Jacob, Latto, and Moneybagg Yo, while also demonstrating Kali’s talent for turning the tables on f*ckboys by using their own tactics against them. The EP also features “Whole Lotta Money” rapper BIA, who also received a tremendous boost from the video-sharing platform, and Yung Bleu on the EP’s dynamic-flipping single, “UonU.”

While Kali is experiencing a bump in attention from the TikTok success of “MMM MMM,” her remix collaborator Latto is helping out by bringing her along as the opener on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour this month. With so many factors in her favor, it won’t be long until Kali is every bit the household name her fellow Atlantan sh*t-talker is.

Watch Kali’s performance of “New Day” above.

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

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Earlier today, Speaker Of The House Nancy Pelosi declared that at today’s Annual Friends Of Ireland Luncheon, she would be reading “reading a poem written by Bono about Ukraine.”

Initially, Dan Evon of Snopes speculated Pelosi meant she would be reading a poem by Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, which U2 shared on Twitter earlier this month. That proved not to be the case, though, as the publication confirmed with Pelosi’s spokesperson that the Speaker did actually plan to read a new poem penned by the U2 singer. Now, that reading has taken place and Twitter users have plenty of hilarious thoughts about it.

Pelosi noted the Irish musician and philanthropist sent her the poem this morning and it references St. Patrick’s Day and the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The poem concludes, “Ireland’s sorrow and pain / is now the Ukraine / and St. Patrick’s name now Zelenskyy.”

After the reading, Bono became a trending topic on Twitter as users came in hot with jokes. One wrote, “Just to let the Russians know, if the Bono poem doesn’t work, we’ve got a celebrity rendition of Imagine over Zoom that we can roll out.” Another quipped, “Between Bono’s poem and the TikTok dancers, Putin is toast.”

Some users even speculated what they thought the poem would be:

Check out some more reactions below.

Great news for anyone who was scarred by the giant spider scene in Jumanji as a kid: the franchise is coming to life! Sony Pictures has teamed up with Merlin Entertainment to create rides and hotel rooms based on the beloved series.

The attractions will be at Merlin’s theme parks around the world, including Europe, the UK, and North America. The first ride titled Jumanji – The Adventure is opening in Italy next month. More rides are expected to launch next year. Jeffrey Godsick, head of location-based entertainment at Sony Pictures, said:

Merlin is the ideal company to bring the world of Jumanji to life. Their commitment to strong storytelling, quality of craftsmanship and fantastic guest experiences ensure that fans of Jumanji will be fully immersed into the worlds of our films and have an unforgettable experience

The Jumanji series started out as a children’s book that was adapted into a live-action movie in 1995, starring Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, and Bonnie Hunt. The series was resurrected in 2017 with Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle starring The Rock, Jack Black, Karen Gillian, Kevin Hart, and Nick Jonas. Another sequel was released in 2019, Jumangi: The Next Level which featured the same ensemble, plus Danny Devito, Awkwafina, and Danny Glover.

Merlin Entertainment is behind some popular attractions, including Legoland and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. So if you’re looking for a wax figure of The Rock to greet you at the Jumanji ride, it could actually happen.

Ken Jennings is noticeably absent from the announcement of new episodes of The Chase, and the hole in his schedule has Jeopardy! fans wondering if this means Jennings has finally locked down the permanent hosting gig. After a Deadline report left out Jennings name from the upcoming cast for The Chase, fellow “Chaser” James Holzhauer confirmed the news with an on-brand dig at his buddy, Jennings.

“By popular demand, The Chase is now 100% @KenJennings-free,” Holzhauer tweeted. Jennings, naturally, responded with a back-handed compliment. “I’m already missing all the lovely folks at @thechaseabc, and the great trivia minds, and James.”

With Jennings officially confirming the news himself, Jeopardy! fans jumped into reply if this meant what they think it means.

“Ken, please let this mean that you’re going to be the permanent host of regular season game play @Jeopardy!” a fan tweeted at Jennings. “As much as I enjoy you on @thechaseabc, you have done an excellent job hosting Jeopardy!, and I would be thrilled to see you hosting it each weekday permanently!”

Interestingly, news of Jennings not returning to The Chase arrived just a few days after the Jeopardy! champ revealed that he’s now hosted 100 episodes of the hit game show.

“Apparently tonight is my 100th time hosting Jeopardy!” Jennings tweeted on Friday March 11, Which means (a) I have now hosted more games than I played, and (b) I’m just 9,950 hours away from achieving Malcolm Gladwell-style mastery.”

After the Mike Richards scandal, Jeopardy! producers have been understandably cautious about picking a full-time host to replace the show’s long-time legendary host, Alex Trebek. However, Jennings has been a top contender, and he recently received a ringing endorsement from Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider who was a major hit with fans. Could this finally be Jennings’ big moment? After the Richards fiasco, we’re not calling anything until Jeopardy! producers make an official announcement.

(Via Deadline)

Earlier this week, footage of Arcade Fire debuting a slew of new songs at their Ukraine benefit show in New Orleans surfaced. It did not take long for the Canadian indie arena rock champs to connect the dots and announce that their first album in five years, We, will officially be released on May 6th. Along with the announcement, they also shared the inspiring lead single, “Lightning I, II,” which was one of the songs that they played in NOLA.

We is produced by Arcade Fire power couple Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, along with super-producer Nigel Godrich. The band was said to have been working on the album a year before the pandemic started and recorded the tracks in New Orleans, El Paso, and Maine’s Mount Desert Island. Butler said it’s “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever.”

The album promises to be a 40-minute epic, featuring seven tracks spread out across two deliberate sides that represent a light/dark motif. Butler expanded on the philosophical meaning of the album in a note that he penned:

Watch the video for “The Lightning I, II” above. And check out the track list for We below.

“I”

1. “Age of Anxiety I”
2. “Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)”
3. “End of the Empire I-IV”

“WE”

4. “The Lightning I, II”
5. “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)”
6. “Unconditional II (Race and Religion)”
7. “WE”

We is out 5/6 via Columbia.

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is having devastating effects in terms of human casualties (both on the Ukrainian civilian and Russian soldiers fronts), and although economic sanctions will also come as a hit, the Russian elite must be awfully annoyed. They’ve been losing their fancy yachts, and Putin’s own Botox supply now sits in jeopardy. Likewise, he must be irritated as heck by hacktivist collective group Anonymous waging cyber war on him while hacking into TV stations and blasting battle footage to let Russian citizens know what’s really happening.

Now Anonymous hackers claim to have breached Russian CCTV while spreading the word that Putin’s war is literally killing children. At least 100 kids have been killed during Putin’s bombing of Ukraine, and Vice relays screenshots (some of which read, “Putin is killing children”) from Anonymous’ claimed breach of CCTV throughout Russia.

:352 Ukraine civilians dead. Russians lied to 200RF.com. Slava Ukraini! Hacked by Anonymous,” the message displayed on the feeds says. 200RF.com is another site posting information about Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, CNN has been reporting that Anonymous hackers (who are obviously anonymous by nature) are also working to break through Putin’s “digital iron curtain.” If and when it happens, we’ll surely hear more.

(Via Motherboard & CNN)