Month: January 2023

There are a few actors who are born to play mischievously smirking bad guys, and Wes Bentley is one of them. After rising to fame as the boy next door in American Beauty, Bentley went on to star in various anti-hero roles in American Horror Story and The Hunger Games franchise, all while growing an impressive beard.

As of late, Bentley stars as Jamie Dutton, son of patriarch John Dutton in Yellowstone, also known as the opposite of American Horror Story. His character has caused quite a rift in the family after calling for his dad’s impeachment before even more of his dark past was revealed in the recent midseason finale.

But Jamie’s malicious character arch is challenging for Bentley, who recently told The New York Times that it’s hard for him to turn off his evil attitude. “I’ve prided myself for most of my career on leaving it at the door, or like an athlete would say, leaving it on the field,” Bentley told the mag, adding that Jamie’s complex emotions stick with him. “But Jamie’s sadness permeates my life, even though I’m not sad. I’m very lucky to have a great family and be where I’m at in life, but he’s always there behind me, clawing at that, especially when I’m shooting.”

The director of the midseason finale, Christina Alexandra Voros, says that Jamie is one of the most complex characters on the show because of his ambiguity. “Everyone’s tortured on the show, but Jamie is in particular one of the more tortured characters. He’s also interesting because you never really know if he’s a villain or a hero.” It seems pretty clear that he is leaning towards one over the other, but still! His sister Beth would definitely have something to say about that.

Even though his character isn’t a classic hero, Bentley says he is still grateful for the experience on the ranch after years of battling various real-life demons. “I believe in fate, and I believe I went through all that, caused all that, and experienced all that, because I was going to get here,” Bentley said, adding that he doesn’t mind if he has to play a complex bad guy. “There are many things that I regret, but I’m just so happy with my life.” Hopefully, Jamie survives long enough to be happy on the show, too.

Yellowstone will return this summer.

(Via The New York Times)

Although YSL Records artist Lil Keed passed away nearly eight months ago, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner/Coroner’s Office is only now sharing its final findings into the 24-year-old rapper’s cause of death. According to XXL, the rapper died of natural causes prompted by eosinophilia, a higher than normal level of disease-fighting white blood cells. Eosinophilia can be caused by autoimmune diseases, infections (especially from parasites), and blood cancers, as well as hereditary genetic mutations.

Before his death, Keed reportedly complained of severe stomach pain, checking into an LA hospital for tests. However, several of his organs including his liver and kidneys failed shortly after he checked in, and he died a few days later. At the time of his death, Keed was two years removed from his second studio album, Trapped On Cleveland 3, which had received a favorable fan response. Keed was also a standout on YSL’s Slime Language 2 compilation, which highlighted the label’s growing roster of talent.

Unfortunately, much of that roster wound up behind bars shortly after Keed’s death as the label’s founder Young Thug and several of its artists were indicted in a 56-count racketeering investigation accusing YSL of being a “hybrid street gang.” The trial against Thug is set to begin this month after several of the other artists, including Gunna, accepted plea deals in exchange for their freedom. Thug was offered no such deal, and it’s believed he was the true target of the investigation all along.

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

Allo Darlin’ returned to social media today to tell fans that they’ll be reuniting for some London shows this year — and potentially even new music.

“Allo Darlin’ played our last show in London just over 6 years ago,” the band shared in a new statement. “A lot has happened since then, some good, some bad. During those first confusing months of the pandemic, we spoke to each other often, from Norway, Australia and England… We missed each other and we missed the music.”

“AD started up in the days of Myspace, when a European or American tour could be organised by sending or by receiving messages from strangers. It was liberating and exciting. We found friendship, solace and love through music,” they continued. “In the years we were active as a band, the musical landscape changed, and we got older too. It was hard, if not impossible to make a living from music, at least the type of music we made. This is even more true today.”

The indie band first formed in 2008 before breaking up in 2016 for a number of reasons, including members becoming parents and pursuing other musical projects.

Allo Darlin’s first announced show will be held on October 27 at Kent’s Ramsgate Music Hall. Tickets are available starting this Friday at 10 a.m. UK time.

What better way to celebrate 10 years of RMH than welcoming back the band who helped kickstart this beautiful journey with us?

Allo Darlin' perform their first show in almost 7 years on Oct 27, with support from our Canadian hero B.A. Johnston 😍

Tickets on sale Friday 10am 💫 pic.twitter.com/O7DMD6CIZg

— Ramsgate Music Hall (@RamsgateMH) January 4, 2023

Stephen Colbert had two New Year’s resolutions: Drink less and “not gloat when bad things happen to Kevin McCarthy.” Both of those went out the window not even a minute into Colbert’s first monologue for 2023. The late night host could barely contain his glee over the opportunity to rip McCarthy’s disastrous bid to become Speaker of the House despite the Republicans holding a majority. Not only was it publicly humiliating, but it was downright historic, marking the first time in 100 years that a speaker wasn’t confirmed in the first round of voting.

“It has been a day of uncut Peruvian blue-flake schadenfreude watching the GOP stab each other in the throat,” Colbert said as he teed up a Glass Onion parody mocking McCarthy’s epic betrayal by his own party. “Tonight, I’ll peel back the many layers of the stupidity in a drama we’re calling Ass Onion: A Kev’s Out Mystery.”

After busting out his best Benoit Blanc impression, Colbert returned to his normal voice as he broke down McCarthy’s embarrassing defeat after months of openly pining for the Speaker position. Via The Wrap:

“Now, what makes Kevin’s anguish particularly delicious is that it’s no secret that he has dreamed of being Speaker of the House for years,” Colbert continued, adding that McCarthy already requires his interns to address him as “Mr. Speaker” and that he’s already moved his things into the Speaker’s office.

“He may not be good at counting votes, but he’s great at counting chickens before they hatch,” Colbert said.

However, Colbert did have one nice thing to say about McCarthy, and by nice we mean another brutal burn. “He really enjoys watching Kevin McCarthy get humiliated,” Colbert quipped about the disgraced congressman. “Maybe he does get the American people.”

(Via The Wrap)

Undisputed, a television show that looks to answer the age-old question “is everything Skip Bayless does worth it if it gets people to tune in?” started Wednesday’s episode with an effort to address the elephant in the room: Why did co-host Shannon Sharpe miss Tuesday’s edition of the program? Sharpe attempted to answer this with a monologue about the way the situation involving Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin impacted him, but of course, Bayless’ inability to get out of the way led to an argument breaking out between the two.

“There’s been a lot of speculation of why I wasn’t on the air yesterday, and I won’t get into speculation or conjecture or innuendo,” Sharpe said to lead off the show. “But I will say this: Watching that game on Monday night, what happened to Damar Hamlin struck me a little different. As a brotherhood in the NFL, when injuries happen when we know injuries are a part of the game, I’ve seen guys suffer ACLs and achilles tears, but I’ve never seen anybody have to be revived and fight for their life on the field. So, this struck me a little differently, because I remember seeing my brother paralyzed on the field temporarily, and he was able to regain focus.”

Sharpe then brought up a tweet Bayless sent while Hamlin was down where Bayless focused on the stakes of Monday night’s game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals over Hamlin’s well-being, which led to the longtime talking head coming under waves of criticism. After Sharpe said “I disagreed with the tweet and hopefully Skip will take it down,” Bayless interjected, which Sharpe very much did not appreciate.

“Time out, time out, I’m not gonna take it down, ’cause I stand by what I tweeted,” Bayless said.

Sharpe asked if he could finish before deciding it was no longer worth continuing after being interrupted.

“I cannot even get through a monologue without you interrupting me,” Sharpe said. Bayless then attempted to play the victim by saying he did not know Sharpe was going to bring this up before the Hall of Fame inductee continued speaking.

“I was just gonna say, Skip, I didn’t want, yesterday, to get into a situation where Damar Hamlin was the issue,” Sharpe said. “We should’ve been talking about him and not getting into your tweet. That’s what I was gonna do. But you can’t even let me finish my opening monologue without you interrupting.”

Bayless, once again, said he was “under the impression” that the tweet wasn’t going to get brought up, “because nobody here had a problem with that tweet.”

“No,” Sharpe said. “Clearly the bosses wanted you to offer an explanation, so clearly…”

There was one final, brief back-and-forth before Sharpe realized this was a lost cause and asked for the show to begin.

It can be said that for women in hip-hop, rap can be a sisterhood since there are so few of them in a business dominated by men. But that sisterhood is especially strong between an even smaller number of female rappers who shared the mic as part of a group. That number includes the late Gangsta Boo and fellow Memphis rapper La Chat, who were the female components of the pioneering group Three 6 Mafia before departing for solo careers in 2001. They reunited in 2014 for a joint project, the Witch EP, proving that their bond went past just their Mafia membership.

So understandably, La Chat was one of the former Three 6 members to pay tribute to her fallen friend, who she called her sister, on Instagram, posting a long, heartfelt tribute to Boo addressing the loss. “This is not easy 4 me,” she wrote. “is not easy 4 me, Wake up in Tears, Doze Off in tears, the Tears won’t stop falling, my eyes burning. It’s gone take Sum Time but with GOD INVOLVED I KNO IMA BE OK sooner than I thank.”

“I been wit Boo all my WholeLife,” she continued. “She was a STRONG INDEPENDENT BLACK WOMAN, Dat didn’t take no shit lol. y’all couldn’t imagine All the things We have done, All the convos We Have Had ErrDay, Literally ALL the time We have Spent, All The Money We Have Made 2Gether, We both was our Mothers Only Daughters We was raised with nun but men & was Blessed 2 Rap with THE BEST GROUP EVER WHICH WAS ALL MEN WHICH MADE US SISTERS!!!”

Before her passing, Gangsta Boo — who died on Sunday (January 1) at the age of 43 — passed the torch of that sisterhood with “FTCU,” a raucous collaboration with Latto and fellow Memphian GloRilla that sampled her work with Three 6.

The season of giving may be over for some, but it is just getting started for Vic Mensa. The “Victory” rapper has a long history of philanthropic efforts in his hometown of Chicago. Over the Labor Day weekend, Mensa gave away $10,000 worth of gas money to help residents struggling with the increased cost at the pump. Now, the musician is looking to be of service in West Africa.

As the entertainer prepares for his inaugural Black Star Line Festival in Accra, Ghana, co-organized with longtime friend Chance The Rapper, according to TMZ, he has partnered with organizers to provide clean water to several nearby communities.

Mensa told the outlet, “We’re building three boreholes in different communities in Ghana to provide clean drinking water. The first being the Asokore Zongo in Koforidua, where my family lives, which is already built.”

Later adding, “The other locations are a nearby community called Effiduase and then our ancestral village in the Volta Region, Amedzofe. Most people in communities like this in Ghana experience constant waterborne diseases.”

It is being reported that nearly 200k people call Koforidua home. While Effiduase’s resident count is estimated at 20k people, and Amedzofe has a population of around 6k.

The clean water project should take about 3-4 weeks to complete, including 10-15 days of on-site drilling, pipework, and cable installations. The effort will cost roughly $45k to finish.

The Black Star Line Festival activities have begun with the Pan-African Conference. The music performances will be held on January 6. For more information about the festival, click here.

Last year was a big one for Lizzo. She released a monumental single, “About Damn Time,” as well as her much anticipated sophomore album, Special. She also went on a nationwide tour following the album’s release. The first leg of the tour concluded in Inglewood, California over the course of two nights. Portions from each show can be seen on an HBO Max concert film called Lizzo: Live In Concert, which was made available to stream on New Year’s Eve.

During the Inglewood shows, Lizzo was joined by her friends and collaborators, Missy Elliott, SZA, and Cardi B. The latter joined Lizzo in a performance of their 2021 collaboration, “Rumors,” as a surprise to the audience. During the performance, Cardi is seen placing her fingers close to Lizzo’s buttocks, then licking her finger.

Fast-forward to yesterday (January 3), when Lizzo re-shared a clip of this moment to her TikTok, with text reading “Did Cardi really eat my nyash,” “nyash” being a slang term for a large butt.

Cardi and Lizzo seemed to have discussed the matter after the fact, as the video was captioned, “She told me it taste like tamarindo,” referring to a tamarind-flavored Mexican candy.

You can check out the video above.

Lizzo and Cardi B are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

City Girls’ JT and Lil Uzi Vert have been dating for quite a while, and the Miami rapper recently confirmed she’s willing to wait for her beau if things went south. During a recent conversation with Raymonte, he asked JT if she would still be with Uzi if they went to jail for ten years.

“Um…10 years. Yeah. 10 years not really that long. I did 15 [months].” JT said, laughing and jokingly referencing her own time in prison. “You want some drama.”

The couple has been together since 2019.

“I love you uzi,” JT wrote for Uzi’s birthday back in July. “I’m crying making this post because you are literally a dream come true! I feel like with everything I been through in life you are one of my greatest rewards! I wake up every day to either your frown or smile …either works for me, as long as you’re right there.

Uzi has returned the sentiment toward JT. They opened up in a 2021 interview with W Magazine. “She keeps me calm and balances me. Album-wise, she keeps me not saying too much.”

Most recently, JT and Uzi celebrated the holidays together in an extravagant way. The rapper bought JT an expensive gold watch, which she captioned “Thank you santa vert.”

It’s clear the bond between the two musicians is super strong — and will last, even if Uzi doesn’t make bond.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Dallas Mavericks made an impressive trip to the 2022 Western Conference Finals, famously embarrassing the Phoenix Suns on the road in Game 7 and leaning on a combination of Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, and a suddenly frisky defense. Then, the Mavericks lost Brunson in a high-profile defection to the New York Knicks and, with no salary cap mechanism to replace him, the Mavericks entered the 2022-23 campaign with relatively modest expectations for a reigning Final Four team.

Dallas followed those expectations with an underwhelming 15-16 start, and the Mavericks found themselves firmly in the morass that is in the middle of the Western Conference. Since then, Jason Kidd’s team is on a seven-game winning streak with the offense flying high. Dallas is scoring nearly 1.22 points per possession over that sample, pushing the team’s season-long offensive rating to 115.3 with Doncic in the center of the frame.

Doncic isn’t sneaking up on anyone at this point, as he was already considered one of the best players in the NBA. At this juncture in early January, though, he may be the MVP frontrunner, with the Mavericks scoring more than 1.19 points per possession with Doncic on the floor. Dallas is less equipped to sustain without Doncic in the absence of Brunson, but Doncic recently took over with 29 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the second half of a comeback win over the Rockets. That came on the heels of a 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist epic against the Knicks and a 51-point eruption against the Spurs on New Year’s Eve.

All told, Doncic is averaging 44.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game in the last six contests, averaging 16.5 free throw attempts, making 42.9 percent of his three-point attempts, and shooting 56.2 percent from the field. Doncic now leads the NBA in total points (1,201) and points per game (34.3) to go along with top-five marks in assists per game, assist percentage, free throw creation, and more. Doncic has also found recent chemistry with Christian Wood, who is putting up 23.2 points per game on 59.2 percent shooting in the last five, and the offense is truly firing on all cylinders.

To be fair, the Mavericks have slipped on defense. Maxi Kleber is out indefinitely with a hamstring tear, and his absence makes it difficult for Dallas to unlock certain small-ball units on defense. Wood is a negative on defense as well, and with Kleber off the court this season, Dallas is giving up more than 1.14 points per possession.

Dallas isn’t perfect by any stretch, but the Mavericks are taking care of business at home with a 15-5 record and riding Doncic to the highest of highs. It remains to be seen as to whether Doncic is able to keep up this torrid pace, but the Mavericks are rolling and so is he.

Where do the Mavericks rank in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s find out.

1. Brooklyn Nets (25-12, Last week — 1st)

The Nets are on a heck of a streak. Brooklyn has won 12 in a row, scoring 1.24 points per possession in the process, and the Nets have a ridiculous 65.9 percent true shooting mark in that sample. Kevin Durant is an MVP candidate, Brooklyn is unstoppable, and the vibes are somehow pristine for a team that appeared totally lost just a few short weeks ago.

2. Memphis Grizzlies (23-13, Last week — 8th)

After a hiccup with four losses in five games, Memphis righted the ship this week. The Grizzlies went 3-0 with a road win over Toronto and home wins over New Orleans and Sacramento. Memphis is in the top five in win-loss record, net rating, and defensive rating, which is a nice foundation for success.

3. Denver Nuggets (24-13, Last week — 3rd)

Denver would’ve been No. 2 if not for a loss to Minnesota to end the week. Still, the Nuggets are 10-3 in the last 13 games with 1.18 points per possession from what is a beautiful offense when it’s clicking.

4. Boston Celtics (26-11, Last week — 2nd)

Losing to Denver on Sunday is fine. It happened on the road and, as evidenced here, the Nuggets are good. But the Celtics followed that up with an embarrassing loss to a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-less OKC team on Tuesday, which means Boston has to drop at least this far despite the league’s best record.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (22-14, Last week — 5th)

Philly might be ready for a run. The Sixers are playing quite well, beating New Orleans to end the week, and next five games are quite favorable on paper for Philadelphia. That includes games against the Pacers, Bulls, Pistons (twice), and Thunder, with four of the five at home.

6. Dallas Mavericks (22-16, Last week — 9th)

The next 10 days or so will be a nice test for Dallas. The Mavericks have home games against Boston and New Orleans before a long, five-game road trip.

7. Milwaukee Bucks (24-13, Last week — 6th)

In the last three games, Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 47.7 points and 17.3 rebounds per game. His 55-point explosion on Tuesday was a career high and, despite other issues with health and roster availability, Giannis’ presence basically ensures competence.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (24-14, Last week — 7th)

The Cavs had a mini-sweep over the Bulls on each side of New Year’s Day, and the headliner was Donovan Mitchell. He erupted for 71 points in a history-making effort on Monday, which came in a come-from-behind win.

9. New Orleans Pelicans (23-14, Last week — 4th)

Unfortunately, New Orleans will be without Zion Williamson for a few weeks as a result of a hamstring injury. With Brandon Ingram also out, the Pelicans will be short-handed, and New Orleans dips a bit anyway after back-to-back losses.

10. Golden State Warriors (20-18, Last week — 19th)

Typically, the Warriors struggle mightily without Stephen Curry and, by the metrics, that is happening again. However, Golden State is on a five-game winning streak, and the Warriors are now 17-2 at home. Klay Thompson’s 54-point explosion carried the Warriors to a win over Atlanta on Monday, and the Warriors also have a home tilt against the Pistons on Wednesday.

11. Miami Heat (20-18, Last week — 12th)

Slowly but surely, the Heat are chipping away. Miami is 9-4 in the last 13 games, including four wins in the last five. The Heat aren’t where they want to be, but they’re at least staying afloat despite roster challenges.

12. Indiana Pacers (21-17, Last week — 15th)

The Pacers are rolling on offense, scoring more than 1.2 points per possession in the last seven games. That led to six wins despite shaky defense, and Indiana is still the No. 6 seed in the East as the halfway point approaches.

13. New York Knicks (20-18, Last week — 17th)

Julius Randle is playing out of his mind. He is putting up 29.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game over the last 14 contests, including 33.6 points and 13 rebounds in the last five games. It isn’t perfect for the Knicks, but New York just rocked Phoenix to get back into a tie for the No. 7 seed.

14. Portland Trail Blazers (19-17, Last week — 14th)

Portland appropriately stays in the same slot this week after two wins over bad teams and two losses to good teams. On the positive side, the Blazers absolutely housed the Pistons by 29 on Monday behind a 36-point effort from Jerami Grant.

15. Phoenix Suns (20-18, Last week — 10th)

Yikes. The Suns are 4-11 in the last 15 games. Devin Booker missed nine of those games, with only two wins in his absence, and Phoenix is in the wilderness as a challenging stretch of schedule arrives. The Suns face the Cavs (twice), Heat, Warriors, Nuggets, Wolves, Grizzlies, and Nets over the next 15 days.

16. L.A. Clippers (21-18, Last week — 11th)

Three straight losses prompt a drop for the Clippers, which lost by 10 at home to Miami on Monday. That isn’t a great result, but the team is still 11-5 when Kawhi Leonard plays.

17. Sacramento Kings (20-16, Last week — 18th)

There are defensive challenges, particularly near the rim, but the Kings keep scoring. Sacramento are 20-16 on the strength of the No. 7 offense in the NBA, and the Kings just beat the Nuggets and Jazz (twice) in the last week.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-21, Last week — 20th)

It was certainly an outlier performance, but OKC scored 150 (!) points against Boston on Tuesday. It was the most points scored by the Thunder since moving to OKC from Seattle, and it all happened without Gilgeous-Alexander.

19. Los Angeles Lakers (16-21, Last week — 25th)

The Lakers clearly aren’t the same without Anthony Davis, but LeBron remains absurd. He put up 47 points in a road win over Atlanta on his birthday, followed it up with 43 points in Charlotte, and James has scored 27 points or more in 11 straight games. He’s a robot.

20. Washington Wizards (17-22, Last week — 26th)

It’s been a weird season for the Wizards. Washington lost ten games in a row beginning on Nov. 30 but, once the Wizards stopped that skid, they won six out of eight. The losses came on the road to Utah and Milwaukee as well, and Washington is now 8-2 when Delon Wright plays this season. Shouts to Delon Wright.

21. Utah Jazz (19-21, Last week — 16th)

The Jazz have to drop in the standings after five straight losses. That is a straight-ahead reality, but it is worth noting that Utah’s defeats came by a total of 15 points. They weren’t getting rocked.

22. Chicago Bulls (16-21, Last week — 22nd)

Chicago lost five of six games around the Christmas holiday, but the loss was at home to Houston (yikes) and the Bulls just lost two in a row to Cleveland. Obviously, the Bulls are quite a bit better than the Cavs, but it doesn’t help the team’s standing.

23. Orlando Magic (13-24, Last week — 13th)

We touched on Orlando’s upswing last week and, right on cue, the Magic lost three in a row. All three losses came by double figures with ugly marks on offense and defense. No reason to panic, of course, but it was a reminder not to get over one’s skis.

24. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-21, Last week — 24th)

Minnesota stays level this week, though the Wolves would have fallen if not for a nice home win over the Nuggets on Monday. The Wolves do have a glaring excuse with a 17-game absence from Karl-Anthony Towns, but the win over Denver stopped a six-game losing streak and that isn’t something to celebrate with fireworks.

25. Toronto Raptors (16-21, Last week — 21st)

The Raptors are 5-12 in the last 17 games. There are some injury issues, but Toronto has given up 117 points per 100 possessions and this roster can’t win with that kind of defensive performance.

26. Atlanta Hawks (17-20, Last week — 23rd)

Are the Hawks actually a bottom-five team? Probably not, but they’ve been playing like one. Atlanta seemingly can’t function without Clint Capela, who is out with a calf issue, and the Hawks are 4-10 in the last 14 games with an active four-game losing streak. Given that the Hawks are in the middle of a California trip, it also isn’t guaranteed to improve anytime soon.

27. San Antonio Spurs (12-25, Last week — 27th)

The Spurs have been a little better lately with a 3-5 mark in the last eight games, but some reality arrived on Monday. San Antonio gave up 139 to the absurdly hot Nets and lost by 36 points. That’s not great for ye ole net rating.

28. Charlotte Hornets (10-28, Last week — 28th)

It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Charlotte. Granted, expectations were low, but the Hornets being No. 30 in offense is almost unthinkable. A home loss to the Lakers without AD didn’t help the vibes to begin 2023.

29. Detroit Pistons (10-30, Last week — 30th)

The Pistons won twice this week, which is enough to counteract a 29-point loss in Portland on Monday and escape from the basement. Detroit still has the worst record in the league, but it was a productive week on the whole.

30. Houston Rockets (10-27, Last week — 29th)

We have a new No. 30 after the Rockets lost nine of the last ten games. Houston has been blasted by 10.0 points per 100 possessions during that downturn and a trip to New Orleans on Wednesday won’t be any fun.