Month: January 2023

The Miami Dolphins nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL Playoff history on Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, as the Skylar Thompson-led ‘Fins somehow erased a 17-0 first half deficit to tie the game late in the second quarter and keep it within a possession all the way to the end.

With under five minutes to go, the Dolphins got the ball trailing 34-31 and had a chance to go for a game-winning, or at least tying, drive. Thompson hadn’t been dynamic, but he did enough to take advantage of short fields to keep Miami in the game and came up with a big throw to Jaylen Waddle on 3rd and 10 to get the drive going.

Miami would then move out near midfield and find themselves with a 4th-and-1, with the game on the line, as they’d burned all three timeouts already to prevent delay of game penalties, as they struggled with the play clock all afternoon. However, Bills defensive lineman Ed Oliver went down with an injury, meaning the Dolphins got a play clock reset and had an extra 10-plus seconds to get a playcall in, but somehow were only breaking the huddle after the reset with four seconds on the play clock. The result was an all-time awful delay of game call.

To be clear, the play they had called was awful and got blown up — why that was anything other than QB sneak is mind-blowing — so it gave them second life, but Thompson couldn’t complete a desperation pass to Mike Gesicki, allowing the Bills to run out the clock.

Buffalo would pick up a first down on a third down run to guarantee the win, but it was much more difficult than it probably should’ve been. For the Dolphins, they played a fairly incredible game but the inability to get plays off on time was an issue all game and something Thompson and Mike McDaniel never made the proper adjustment to and it ultimately cost them in the most pivotal moment of the game.

To make matters worse, McDaniel said after the game the issue was that they thought they had a first down (when no one else anywhere was confused by that) and didn’t have a fourth down play call ready.

That’s fairly inexcusable in that spot for the Dolphins staff, particularly McDaniel.

Beyoncé‘s recent album Reinassance resonated with quite a few folks. One of them was Blxst. The 30-year-old rapper just dropped his own version of Queen Bey’s disco-inspired hit, “Cuff It.” The remix of the track, entitled “Cuff It / Wetter,” was posted to Blxst’s official YouTube page on Saturday, January 14. The soulful tune spans about a minute and a half and is the perfect blend of Bey and the singer.

“I feel like fallin’ in love / I’m in the mood to f*ck something up,” the duo sings. “I need some drink in my cup, hey / I’m in the mood to f*ck something up.”

Blxst, whose real name is Matthew Dean Burdette, released his debut album Before You Go this past April. The project featured artists like Arin Ray, Rick Ross, Zacari, and Grandmaster Vic. The singer also served as a producer on a couple of tracks for the album, which spans 13 songs.

Recently, the California singer and rapper teamed up with another Cali native, Larry June, for a track entitled “Keep Calling.” He also worked with Babyface Ray and Nija on “Spend It.”

While it’s unclear what Blxst has planned for 2023, fans are patiently awaiting his next project.

Check out Blxst’s “Cuff It / Wetter” video above.

SZA’s SOS party will continue for at least one more week. Her highly anticipated sophomore album arrived in December, shortly after she served as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, and it became her first career No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart. SZA hasn’t relinquished the position since December 19.

Billboard revealed this week’s chart (dated January 21) with SOS sitting at No. 1 for a fifth consecutive week after moving 125,000 equivalent US album units in the week ending January 12. Nos. 2-6 on the chart remained the same from last week: Taylor Swift’s Midnights (No. 2), Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (No. 3), Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (No. 4), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (No. 5), and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (No. 6).

The publication put SZA’s fifth week in context, putting SZA in elite company.

“Only four albums have spent at least five weeks at No. 1 since the start of 2022: in order from most recent, SOS, Taylor Swift’s Midnights (five), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (13) and the Encanto soundtrack (nine),” Billboard‘s Keith Caulfield relayed. “SOS is the first album to spend its first five weeks at No. 1 since Adele’s 30 ruled the list for its first six weeks (its total run at No. 1) from Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 8, 2022.”

On Friday, January 13, however, SZA felt particularly proud of a different chart accomplishment: hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songwriters chart for the first time in her career because 15 SOS tracks are charting on the Hot 100.

“I appreciate every milestone and accolade but THIS?” SZA tweeted. “As a writer [this] means so f*cking much to me. I aspire to be a better writer everyday thank you WOW.”

Also last week, SZA shared her cinematic, gory video for “Kill Bill.” She’ll take it all on the road for her SOS Tour, beginning in February with Omar Apollo as the opener.

Congratulations are in order for NBA YoungBoy. The 23-year-old rapper recently married his longtime girlfriend, Jazlyn Mychelle, which whom he shares two children with. The couple jumped the broom in Salt Lake City last week, VIBE reports.

Last Sunday (January 8), screenshots of a marriage license dated the day before (January 7) began circulating on social media. The images showed that Jazlyn Mychelle Hayes was listed as Spouse 1 and that Younboy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was listed as Spouse 2.

The certificate states that the nuptials happened in Salt Lake City, where the Louisiana rapper moved to after being released from prison in 2021.

This past November, while on Instagram Live, the rapper announced his intentions to marry Mychelle.

During the broadcast, YoungBoy shared that he was feeling “lonely,” a fan suggested he go onto OnlyFans to “lift his spirits.” The rapper responded to the hilarious suggestion by revealing that he was getting married.

“I’m getting married [on] January 7,” he said. “Boy, you can’t pay me $10 million to get on muthaf**kin’ OnlyFans, n****. You crazy.”

When it comes to music, YoungBoy released his fifth studio album, I Rest My Case, on January 6. His last album, The Last Slimeto, was released back in August 2022. This new project marks his first with Motown Records after parting ways with Atlantic Records in 2022.

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

Did you know Donald Trump is running for president again? It’s easy to forget. After all, he’s barely — if at all — left Florida since announcing his third bid. He announced his campaign amidst a flurry of scandals and disappointments that have all but rendered him persona non grata in the party he radically changed last decade. Not even his old employees are willing to back him, at least for the time being.

One of them is Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She was Trump’s second press secretary. Her tenure made her a household name, but at a cost: She did some of his dirty work. She would humiliate herself. She even spread a doctored video of CNN’s Jim Acosta “assaulting” a White House staffer, which he did not remotely do. But now, as the newly sworn in governor of Arkansas, she’s suddenly keeping her distance.

As per Mediaite, Sanders went on Fox News Sunday, where host Shannon Bream asked point blank if she’d endorse her old boss’ 2024 run. Instead, she dodged the question.

“I love the president, have a great relationship with him,” Sanders told Bream. “I know our country would be infinitely better off if he was in office right now instead of Joe Biden. But right now, my focus isn’t 2024. It’s focusing here in Arkansas and doing what we can to empower the people of this state, and make sure that I’m delivering on the promises that I laid out over the course of the last two years.”

Bream didn’t give up, though. “What kind of timeline would you have for making a decision?” she asked Sanders. “Do you want to see who else gets into the primary? Will you wait for the nominee?”

“My focus isn’t on 2024,” Sanders repeated. “It’s on what we can deliver in this legislative session. I’m not going to set an arbitrary timeline. I’m not really focused on that at all.”

Trump has a lot to be angry about these days, but it can’t feel great that one of his former employees, who as press secretary regularly dodged questions she didn’t want to or couldn’t answer, was dodging this particular question. Perhaps Trump’s fortunes will improve; he has, after all, spent his entire life avoiding responsibility for his actions. But that she would do him dirty like this at all ain’t a good sign.

(Via Mediaite)

Lisa Marie Presley died suddenly on Thursday, January 12. The 54-year-old daughter of Priscilla Presley and the late Elvis Presley had reportedly been hospitalized earlier that day for “full cardiac arrest” (as noted by the Associated Press).

Nicolas Cage, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, and Michael Jackson’s estate were among those to publicly mourn Presley, who had been married to Cage from 2002-04 and Jackson from 1994-96. Austin Butler joined them with his own statement, as relayed by Billboard.

“My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie,” Butler said. “I am eternally grateful for the time I was lucky enough to be near her bright light and will forever cherish the quiet moments we shared. Her warmth, her love and her authenticity will always be remembered.”

Lisa Marie Presley is survived by her three children — Riley Keough, 33, and 14-year-old twins Finley and Harper Lockwood — and Priscilla Presley. Her 27-year-old son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in July 2020.

Lisa Marie and Priscilla had atttended the 2023 Golden Globes on Tuesday, January 10, to support Butler and Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic Butler starred in as the titular icon (and still talks like). Butler took home the trophy for Best Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama — his first career Golden Globe.

Butler thanked “the Presley family” during his acceptance speech “for opening your hearts, your memories, your home to me.” He concluded, “Lisa Marie [and Priscilla], I love you forever.”

Butler has largely been praised for his portrayal of Elvis Presley, including by Lisa Marie.

“I do want to take a moment to let you know that I’ve seen Baz Luhrmann’s movie Elvis twice now. Let me tell you that it is nothing short of spectacular. Absolutely exquisite. Austin Butler channeled and embodied my father’s heart & soul beautifully,” she tweeted in May 2022. Lisa Marie added in a following tweet, “In my humble opinion, his performance is unprecedented and FINALLY done accurately and respectfully. (If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot, haha.)”

The nomination field for the 2023 Oscars will be unveiled on January 24.

Cate Blanchett already has two Oscars to her name, and with Tár there’s a good chance she’ll get a third. (That is, if Michelle Yeoh doesn’t finally get one.) Not everyone is a fan; a female conductor who likely inspired Blanchett’s character — though not the story — has come out against it. But the responses have been largely rapturous and it’s even earned the beloved actress a new title: lesbian icon, with which she’s cool.

In the film, Blanchett plays Lydia Tár, a groundbreaking conductor and composer who’s an EGOT and the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. She’s also a lesbian, married to the Philharmonic’s concertmaster (Nina Hoss). Though Tár, born Linda Tarr, is accused of some shady business later in the film, the character has become a gold mine for social media memes and jokes. It’s also made Blanchett what you could call a “lesbian icon.”

When asked about that, in an interview with Attitude alongside Hoss (as caught by IndieWire), she replied happily. “Yeah, baby!” she exclaimed. That said, there was a catch to her response. “Don’t know what it means but it’s nice. Yeah, cool, I’ll take it.”

As she continues to Hoover up awards, Blanchett has been making the press rounds, sometimes making news with her amiably eccentric responses. Last week she seemed flabbergasted that fellow Aussie Margot Robbie — or anyone, really — could love awesome heavy metal music.

You can watch more from Blanchett and Hoss’ Attitude interview below.

(Via IndieWire)

Drake and a handful of other celebs joined Tristan Thompson over the weekend for his mother’s funeral in Toronto. The former NBA star’s late mother, whose name was Andrea, died suddenly over a week ago after suffering a heart attack earlier this month, on January 6. Along with the Canadian hitmaker, Khloe Kardashian and her mother, Kris, and sister Kim, were also in attendance for the funeral service, TMZ reports.

Thomspon’s mother was rushed to the hospital after going into cardiac arrest on January 5. Doctors tried reviving her, but she unfortunately passed away. The basketball player immediately made his way back home to Toronto with Khloe alongside him. The former couple shares two children, True and a new baby boy.

In addition to the star-studded attendees, Thompson’s family and friends also joined him as he celebrated his mother’s life.

In other Drake news, the “Rich Flex” rapper recently teamed up with Dancehall artist Popcaan for a new track titled “We Caa Done.”

This new track would mark the fourth collaboration between the two — In 2020, Drake was featured on Popcaan’s project, FIXTAPE, on the songs “All I Need” and “Twist & Turn.” Popcaan is also credited with Drake’s 2016 smash hit “Controlla” from his album Views.

The Los Angeles Chargers looked like they were headed for a blowout win over the Jaguars on Saturday night in Jacksonville after picking off Trevor Lawrence four times in the first half, taking a 27-0 lead.

Given there had only been two larger comebacks in NFL Playoffs history, it seemed like a safe bet the Chargers would go on to the Divisional Round. One bettor felt so confident in that fact that they thought it was a great time to extract a free $11,200 from DraftKings, placing a $1.4 million live bet on the Chargers ML (-12500).

From that point, the Chargers would only score three points and the Jaguars would steadily chip away at the L.A. lead, ultimately taking their first lead as the clock it triple zeros on a Riley Patterson field goal. It was as improbable a comeback as we’ve ever seen in the NFL, but considering the franchise history of the Chargers, it also felt incredibly on brand. What made it all the more incredible was that there wasn’t anything really catastrophic that the Chargers did — no pick-sixes, turnovers, or consistent busted coverages. Instead, they were just all around ineffective and made a few costly errors — one bust on a 40-yard TD, Joey Bosa’s penalty to set up a key 2-point conversion — that allowed the Jaguars to work their way back into the game.

This bettor learned the extremely hard way that there is no such thing as free money from a sportsbook, and lost out on seven-figures in the process, earning a place in the awful bets Hall of Fame.

In early December, Gangsta Boo teamed up with GloRilla and Latto for “FTCU.” Around the same time, Boo put her stamp on UPROXX Sessions. Just one month later, on New Year’s Day, Boo was tragically found dead in her native Memphis. The former Three 6 Mafia member and pioneering rapper was 43 years old. An official cause of death has not yet been determined.

On Saturday, January 14, Boo was laid to rest at Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi — roughly 15 minutes south of Memphis — according to The Commercial Appeal and Action News 5. GloRilla was in attendance.

A clip posted to Instagram (and subsequently re-shared on GloRilla’s Instagram Story) shows the burgeoning Memphis rapper telling reporters, “She’s still alive. You know what I’m saying? Big Memphis. We gonna keep representing her.” In a separate clip, GloRilla adds, “Long live Lola. Big Memphis. Let’s go!”

As news of Boo’s (born Lola Mitchell) sudden passing began circulating, the hip-hop community mourned her death on social media. On January 1, Latto tweeted, “Nah this not true man” followed by “NOOOOO” alongside seven heartbreak emojis. The following day, Latto more directly acknowledged her death with a tweet, noting, “The one hit different. I’m just glad I got to feel your embrace & give u ur flowers before u left us. BIG BOO 4L.”

See some of the online tributes to Gangsta Boo below.