Year: 2022

Pro-Kremlin Russian state TV pundits just pulled a pretty hilarious about-face when it comes to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the state-controlled network RT appeared on an evening show celebrating Putin’s attack on the country by requesting a bottle of champagne on-air. Simonyan called Ukrainian citizens “traitors” and issued veiled threats to anyone standing against Russia’s military while a majority of her on-air peers predicted Putin would be able to take the country in a matter of days.

Well, we’re a couple of weeks out and the power-hungry dictator’s land-grab has stalled after being met with some unexpectedly fierce opposition from Ukraine’s military forces while Putin’s most out-spoken rival, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has become something of an international icon. Even worse, countries like the United States and their NATO allies have started imposing major sanctions on Russia while companies like Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola shut down operations. All of this means that soon, the Russian people are going to be feeling the economic squeeze and that has Russian TV anchors and the experts they’ve been interviewing on-air very worried.

So worried, in fact, that a lot of them are now begging Putin to bring their soldiers back home.

On a recent taping of state TV show The Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, the deputy dean of world politics at Moscow State University predicted the coming months will be worse for Russians than the Cold War.

“For our country, this period won’t be easy. It will be very difficult. It might be even more difficult than it was for the Soviet Union from 1945 until the 1960s,” Andrey Sidorov warned. Another state TV pundit Karen Shakhnazarov labeled the situation hopeless, saying ” I don’t see the probability of denazification of such an enormous country. We would need to bring in 1.5 million soldiers to control all of it. The most important thing in this scenario is to stop our military action.”

Shakhnazarov went on to blame the United States for the current crisis facing civilians, claiming that the U.S. was using the situation in Ukraine to punish Russia and cripple its economy.

“This threatens the change of public opinion in Russia, the destabilization of our power structures… with the possibility of a full destabilization of the country and a civil war,” she predicted when referencing all of the sanctions that have yet to go into effect. “This apocalyptic scenario is based on the script written by the Americans. They benefit through us dragging out the military operation. We need to end it somehow.”

Semyon Bagdasarov, a Russian Middle East expert, echoed those sentiments on Soloviev’s show claiming, “The world has never seen such massive sanctions. I’m not panicking, just calling things by their proper name. We need to be ready for total isolation.”

Still, Soloviev who has close ties with Putin is still trying to spin this war as America’s fault, saying reports of bombings on maternity hospitals are fake news and accusing the U.S. of starting the conflict. To lighten up the mood, and take the pressure off his old friend, Soloviev ended the program with — what else? — a clip of Fox News host Tucker Carlson predicting an easy Russian victory in Ukraine and “invincibility” when it comes to global sanctions. Soloviev ended the show by referring to Carlson’s enthusiasm, “He’s a lot more optimistic than my previous experts in the studio.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

Boston College had been the surprise of the ACC men’s basketball tournament through the first two days, having beaten Pitt and Wake Forest (potentially knocking the Deacs out of the NCAA Tournament in the process) to earn a quarterfinals appearance and a date with Miami (FL) on Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn.

Like on Wednesday against Wake, Boston College simply would not go away and managed to force overtime for the second straight game thanks to a Jaeden Zackery three in the final 30 seconds.

In the overtime period, neither team could take control, with the two teams scoring just 4 points each with under 10 seconds to play, with Boston College seemingly in control as they had the ball with the clock winding down. However, after a BC jumper came up short, Miami was able to push the ball the length of the floor, with Charlie Moore finding Jordan Miller behind the defense for a buzzer-beating layup to save the Hurricanes ACC Tournament dreams — and all but lock up an NCAA bid.

Miami was likely in the field of 68 no matter what, but a loss to a 13-20 Boston College team would’ve brought at least some doubt into the next few days for the Hurricanes and they can now breathe a bit easier going into a massive semifinal matchup with Duke. As for the Eagles, their brief dalliance with being an ACC Cinderella comes to an end, but they provided some tremendous drama in their three games at the Barclays Center and pick up a little positive momentum going into the offseason.

It looks like Cardi B is ready to take a break after “overextending” herself while expanding her brand. Unfortunately, that apparently means stepping away from her starring role in the Paramount comedy Assisted Living — just days before the movie was set to begin filming in New York. The movie would have been Cardi’s first-ever lead role after making her debut in Hustlers and featuring in Fast 9 in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Deadline reports Assisted Living, which would have starred Cardi in old lady prosthetics as a low-level criminal hiding out at her grandmother’s retirement home after being wrongly accused, was set to start shooting next week. As such, the set has been shut down and the crew was told the film was temporarily canceled. However, Deadline says that, rather than pursuing legal action against Cardi for dropping out so late in the process, the studio, Paramount Players, hopes to try again later this year.

Meanwhile, Cardi’s “overextended” rationale makes a lot of sense as the “Up” rapper is just coming off winning her defamation lawsuit against Tasha K, is consulting with Playboy on the newly-launched Centerfold platform, shooting her Facebook Watch show, Cardi Tries, and is still recording her highly-anticipated second album, all while caring for a six-month old infant. If anyone deserves a break…

Hopefully, things can come together for a second pass and Cardi can show off those comedic chops in earnest whenever Assisted Living returns to Paramount Players’ docket. As for now, let’s also hope Cardi can get her work-life balance together, because the person comes first.

The Los Angeles Chargers are beefing up their pass rush after the Denver Broncos pulled off a trade for Russell Wilson earlier this week. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Chargers and the Chicago Bears worked out a deal to send All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack to Los Angeles.

Despite Mack’s productivity and reputation for being one of the most disruptive defensive players in the league, acquiring him apparently won’t cost the Chargers all that much, as the team will part with a second and a sixth-round pick.

Mack will return to the division where he started his NFL career, as he was drafted fifth overall by the then-Oakland Raiders back in 2014, and two years later, he was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. After a holdout during the 2018 offseason, the Raiders opted to trade Mack to the Chicago Bears, where he’s been a staple on the edge ever since.

Being able to get to quarterbacks is particularly valuable in the AFC West, as the division features Derek Carr, Patrick Mahomes, and Wilson lining up across from the Charger defense twice a year. Now, Los Angeles will have quite the bookend to Joey Bosa across its defensive front.

One of the first trades of 2022 in the NBA saw the New York Knicks send a first round pick and Kevin Knox to Atlanta in exchange for young forward Cam Reddish. The Hawks, with a glut of wing options, were looking to gain some flexibility. Reddish had hoped to be sent to a team he could get more of an opportunity for an increased role, but instead found himself buried on the bench in New York to start his tenure there.

In total, Reddish played in 15 games with the Knicks after arriving midseason, averaging 6.1 points on 41.5/25.8/90.6 shooting splits in an uneven 14.3 minutes per night. On Monday night in Sacramento, Reddish played 16 minutes before suffering a hard fall late in the contest that forced him to leave and kept him out of Wednesday’s win in Dallas as he was getting evaluated. On Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Reddish’s season was done due to a separated shoulder that is expected to require six weeks to heal.

With the Knicks all but eliminated from playoff contention — they are 3.5 games back of the 10-seeded Hawks with 16 games to play — many hoped the end of the season could be an opportunity to see what they had in some of their young talent, including Reddish. Unfortunately for Reddish and the Knicks, that opportunity will no longer be afforded to the third-year forward out of Duke, and the Knicks will have to wait until training camp next fall to get him back on the court with them.

It’s hard to figure out just what type of person Nicolas Cage is. On the one hand, he has starred in a number of cult-classic movies like Mandy and Wild At Heart. On the other hand, he was in Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance. So his movies are a bit of a toss-up. One thing that remains consistent, though, is that Cage doesn’t half-ass his various eclectic roles. This translates on and off-screen, where he has turned into the most caring cat dad ever, probably.

While promoting his upcoming movie The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent, Cage spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his life and acting career. Sure, there were some interesting tidbits about how he turned down the role at first (Cage will play himself in the movie) and how he would probably never want to be in another Marvel movie. But the real takeaway from the interview is Cage’s eloquent monologue about his beloved cat, Merlin. When asked about what makes a great cat-owner relationship, Cage said:

I think the key is to respect them. And to let them come to you. The hand is very important. When you pet them, that connection is the great reward. When they start purring, you know they genuinely appreciate you being there. Lately, Merlin and I have had some issues because I got a little Pomeranian and he’s not happy about that. But Merlin is an unusual cat. It’s not the same as the other relationships I’ve had with cats throughout the years. There’s a real, almost human level of affection emanating from him which is almost like a son. It’s pretty intense.

Cage has previously mentioned his love for cats in the past. He has stated that Merlin is his best friend, despite the fact that he has a second cat and a pet crow who seems to hate him. While he was filming Vampire’s Kiss in 1987, Cage’s old cat destroyed his hotel room, but he didn’t mind! Cage and his cat Louis once took magic mushrooms together, which he mentioned while promoting The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which is a kid’s movie, in case you were keeping track. So, yeah, he’s a good person to take cat advice from.

A Billy Joel biopic titled, Piano Man, is reportedly in the works from Michael Jai White‘s Jaigantic Studios, which would seem like a pretty big deal, except there’s one small problem: The project does not have the rights to Joel’s name, music, or even his likeness, and a rep for the singer has been clear that the production will not get them Did we say small problem? Because we meant extremely significant, and yet, somehow, this thing is still moving ahead. As for how that’s possible, apparently, Jaigantic Studios is going with the loophole approach? Bold move.

Via Variety:

Instead, Jaigantic has acquired the life rights to Mazur, who was Joel’s music rep from 1970 to 1972, the year before his commercial breakthrough. Mazur’s father owned the Long Island club where Joel got his start with The Hassles in 1966. Joel’s hit album and song “Piano Man” were released in 1973.

Music needs for the film are “yet to be determined,” according to the producers.

Despite not having the rights to Joel in any way, shape, or form nor the album that’s in the movie’s title (and the whole thing just generally having the vibe of the legendary “Jackie Jormp-Jormp” episode of 30 Rock), Jai, Mazur, and director Adam Ripp all released surprisingly confident statements to Variety sharing their excitement for telling the “untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man” and how he belongs on the “Mount Rushmore of American Music.”

Good luck with all of that, gentleman.

(Via Variety)

Things are shifting at Chipotle. For years the fast-casual chain’s menu remained mostly unchanged. Sure, you’d get a new menu item occasionally, but instead of something substantial, it always seemed to be stuff like… queso. But over the past six months, Chipotle has been on a steady clip of releasing new protein options, and that’s a pretty big deal. Chipotle’s queso is awful, it can only ruin meals, but a new protein option? That’s straight-up game-changing.

September gave us a deliciously marinated sweet and tender smoked brisket, January brought us plant-based chorizo, Chipotle’s first new vegan-friendly protein option since sofritas, and now the brand is dropping a brand new chicken recipe — pollo asado.

Available for an unspecified limited time, Chipotle’s pollo asado is grilled in small batches, tumbled in earthy spices, cooked whole, and hand-chopped. The new protein was first rolled out in November of last year in Sacramento and Cincinnati and after a successful test launch, it’s now available at all Chipotle’s nationwide and through Canada.

Given that we’ve already reviewed and ranked every single Chipotle protein in existence, we had to hit the pollo asado to see how it fares and whether it deserves permanent menu status. Let’s eat!

Pollo Asado

To sample Chipotle’s pollo asado, I ate the meat in a burrito (see our recipe for the perfect Chipotle burrito) as well as took a few pieces out to taste alone.

According to Chipotle’s press release, the new pollo asado is Chipotle’s first chicken menu innovation in the company’s 29-year history. That. Is. Ridiculous. 29 years? First of all, we didn’t even know Chipotle has been a thing for 29 years, but to not change the chicken a single time in that span is crazy for a fast food brand.

By comparison, over the past 29 years McDonald’s has given is something like eight different chicken sandwiches. Probably a whole bunch of regional drops, too.

Chipotle has changed the pinto beans, they’ve changed the queso, and they added two different plant-based proteins before introducing a new chicken option? That must mean Chipotle’s OG chicken is pretty damn popular. You don’t mess with a best seller (see the longevity of GTA V and Mario Kart 8 in the video game world) which means Chipotle has to think they’ve really cooked up something good to compete.

We’re happy to say that not only is Chipotle’s Pollo Asado good, but it’s also better by a significant degree compared to the old chicken. Which we will now forever dismissively refer to as, “the old chicken.”

We’re including a press photo since the burrito doesn’t give a good idea as to what this meat actually looks like. It’s not quite as well-lit and glossy in the real world, and there are sadly no flecks of fresh cilantro thrown in, but this is a pretty good representation of how juicy it appears.

Pollo asado, in the world of Mexican cuisine (shout out to Cuba too), is simply citrus and spice-marinated grilled chicken meat, and that’s exactly what Chipotle’s version is. Chipotle hasn’t explicitly dropped the ingredients of the marinade, but we’re tasting citrus top notes, over an oregano and pepper-dominated body, with the bitter earthy bite of achiote, which is what gives this chicken its appetizing red color. Cilantro really helps to keep this meat tasting fresh, Chipotle needs to add cilantro as one of their customizable options because every one of their dishes could be elevated with cilantro (except if you’re a supertaster).

The serving of meat I had was juicy and tender, significantly less dry than Chipotle’s regular chicken option, and featured smokey and mouthwatering spicy flavors that tingled on the palate at the aftertaste.

The Bottom Line:

Chipotle fans rejoice, this is the best new menu addition in Chipotle’s 29 (!!!) year run. It is without a doubt the best meat you can get at Chipotle right now, it’s more savory than Chipotle’s barbacoa (our current favorite), focusing on zesty citrus notes and earthy pepper flavors over sweetness while being every bit as tender.

If you haven’t been to Chipotle in a minute or you have doubts that Chipotle is good in the first place, it’s worth the trip for a second evaluation. While I’ve only sampled the burrito, this protein option seems a perfect fit for tacos, bowls, and salads alike. Or better yet — a quesadilla.

Find your nearest Chipotle here.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, Khalid leads the way with his new single, “Last Call,” his first release since his late 2021 project Scenic Drive. Elsewhere, Tinashe updates her fifth album 333 with four new songs thanks to a deluxe reissue, and Blxst continues his hot streak with “Sometimes” featuring TDE singer Zacari.

Khalid — “Last Call”

A little over two years had gone by since Khalid’s last album when he decided to close out 2021 with Scenic Drive. The project was a brief interlude ahead of his third album, Everything Is Changing. While that’s still on the way, Khalid returns with “Last Call” which was released to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his debut album, American Teen.

Tinashe — 333 (Deluxe)

Tinashe’s fifth album 333 was by far one of the best R&B releases in 2021. Its versatility and overall uniqueness made it quite enjoyable to listen to. Eights months after its release, Tinashe returns with a deluxe version that adds four new songs to it including her latest single, “Naturally.”

Blxst & Zacari — “Sometimes”

By the looks of it, Blxst may have a project for us to enjoy in the near future. The singer has been quite active lately and delivers another great track with “Sometimes” alongside Zacari. It joins “About You” as strong releases that Blxst has recently shared.

Omah Lay & Justin Bieber — “Attention”

Omah Lay has steadily grown in relevance on the afrobeats scene thanks to efforts like 2020’s “Damn” and 2021’s “Understand.” In what will surely make for one of his career’s biggest songs, Lay teams up with Justin Bieber for the rhythmic “Attention,” a record Lay admits came during a time when he felt “a little lonely.”

Pheelz & Buju — “Finesse”

Once again, afrobeats is making its presence felt on TikTok through Nigerian singers Pheelz and Buju’s new song “Finesse.” Long before the song was released, a snippet of the track went viral, and fans expressed their desire to get their hands on the song. Finally, “Finesse” was released to the world and has been used in nearly half a million videos on the app to date.

Tiana Major9 — “Try Peace…”

On March 15, British singer Tiana Major9 will return with her second project Fool Me Once. So far, she’s released one single from the project, “2 Seater” with Smino, and now she’s back with “Try Peace…” The new song is a graceful effort that finds Tiana focused on enjoying better days in her life.

Che Ecru — What Are We?

Just a week after he dropped Pain Pack 5, Boston native Che Ecru is already back with new music through his What Are We? EP. The project presents five songs in just over 12 minutes, so it’s a quick listen filled with solid music from the very active singer.

Cruel Santino — Subaru Boys: Final Heaven

Nearly three years after he impressed with his second album, Mandy & The Jungle, LVRN singer Cruel Santino (fka Santi) drops off his third project Subaru Boys: Final Heaven. The new effort offers a more alternative body of work that arrives complete with 21 songs and guest appearances from Koffee, Amaarae, Skepta, and many more.

Mack Kease & ESTA. — “O.M.L.” Feat. Destin Conrad

The Soulection crew continues to thrive as a collective, Mack Keane’s latest single presenting a strong example. Teaming up with ESTA. once again, the duo calls on Destin Conrad for their new track “O.M.L.” The new song is a heartfelt effort that sees Keane and Conrad speaking passionately about the intimate moments they share with their partner.

Jor’dan Armstrong — Church Girls Love R&B

A little over three years after he dropped Blsd, Baton Rouge native Jor’dan Armstrong is back in action with his latest project, Church Girls Love R&B. The contemporary R&B gospel singer returns with a 10-track project that touches on the pains of love due to infidelity and other faults.

Devvon Terrell — “Let It Go”

In a little over a week, New York singer Devvon Terrell will share his latest project, Boys Don’t Cry, with the world. So far, he’s released one single, “Wasting Time,” from the project, and follows up this week with “Let It Go,” an uptempo number that begs his partner to walk away and end their relationship if they’re cheating on him.

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

The release of Lil Durk’s next album 7220 is imminent, and after sharing the tracklist for the upcoming project earlier this week, the Windy City native has followed up with another preview of what fans can expect with the video for “Golden Child.” Similarly to the video for “Ahhh Ha,” another track he previously shared, the clip for “Golden Child” is a short, stripped-down affair, capturing a raw look at Lil Durk as he raps the song to the camera in his home while members of his crew smoke and shoot dice in the background.

7220 is set to arrive this Friday after a stellar, breakout year for the Chicago rapper that saw him follow up 2020’s The Voice with the joint project Voice Of The Heroes alongside Lil Baby, as well as a string of well-received features with artists such as Latto, Moneybagg Yo, Nardo Wick, Polo G, Pooh Shiesty, Tee Grizzley, and more. He continued his hot streak earlier this year with 2 Chainz, 50 Cent, Cordae, and Gucci Mane, and will hit the road in April to promote 7220 on his headlining tour. You can watch the video for “Golden Child” above, pre-save the album here, and see the tracklist/tour dates below.

1. “Started From”
2. “Headtaps”
3. “AHHH HA”
4. “Shootout @ My Crib”
5. “Golden Child”
6. “No Interviews”
7. “Petty Too” Feat. Future
8. “Barbarian”
9. “What Happened To Virgil” Feat. Gunna
10. “Grow Up / Keep It On Speaker”
11. “Smoking & Thinking”
12. “Blocklist”
13. “Difference Is” Feat. Summer Walker
14. “Federal Nightmares”
15. “Love Dior Banks”
16. “Pissed Me Off”
17. “Broadway Girls” Feat. Morgan Wallen

4/8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre
4/9 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theatre
4/10 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
4/13 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
4/15 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
4/16 – New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore New Orleans
4/18 – Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park
4/19 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
4/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
4/21 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
4/23 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
4/24 – New York, NY @ Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom
4/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ UPMC Event Center
4/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J Brady Music Center
4/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
4/30 – Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
5/2 – Chicago, IL @ United Center