Month: January 2023

Bomani Jones, the Emmy-winning sportscaster and host of HBO’s Game Theory, stopped by to chat with Seth Meyers on Wednesday night, where they had a wide-ranging conversation that eventually landed on the curious — and, for many, unfortunate — relationship between cryptocurrency and sports.

It’s a topic Jones has talked about before, including on a March 2022 episode of Game Theory — months before FTX came crashing down — and it was a segment that stuck with Meyers. “Obviously, you were very early here in saying, ‘Hey, this doesn’t quite smell right.’ The whole world of crypto, and how quickly sports is wanting to have a partnership with it,” said the late-night host.

Jones admitted that his suspicions were first aroused almost 10 years ago — by Silk Road, the infamous online marketplace where anyone with an internet connection and access to bitcoin could buy anything from a fake ID to vast amounts of cocaine, heroin, opioids, or whatever other illegal drugs you might fancy. It caught Jones’ attention for a few different reasons, including that “real drug dealers don’t sell drugs on the web. So you knew it wasn’t real drug dealers.”

But the fact that Bitcoin was the website’s sole currency was what really confounded Jones, because: “Why would I trade my money for money that’s not money?”

Yet the brash crypto kings behind many of these volatile digital currencies have looked at professional athletes — and the fans who watch them religiously — as their target market. In 2021, Tom Brady and then-wife Gisele Bündchen became the king and queen of FTX as brand ambassadors (alongside Larry David, of all people) — all three of whom were later sued by FTX customers. But in Jones’ mind, all you needed to do was look at the difference between how traditional investment firms presented themselves and how the crypto gurus did it:

You see a commercial for Merrill Lynch or for Charles Schwab or for any of them other dorks that get up there and do the trading, and they’re always telling you, ‘Take care of your future.’ It’s always very serene and peaceful.

These crypto ads were like, ‘Fortune favors the brave!’ Why do I need to be brave about my money? My entire life is about not being brave about my money. The whole reason that you take your money to somebody to invest it is because you’re NOT brave. It’s because you’re terrified of a zillion different factors. And the only people who were trying to be brave with their money are broke.

You can watch the full conversation above, beginning at the 4:30 mark.

Eddie Murphy dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to share his habit of texting Planet of the Apes quotes to Tracy Morgan, describe Michael Jackson’s private zoo, and to reveal that he was once (delightfully) trapped with Rick James for two weeks thanks to Mother Nature.

“I went up there to record ‘Party All The Time,’” Murphy began as Kimmel laughed uproariously in the background. “It was maybe the most fun I ever had. I was supposed to go for one weekend, and we got snowed in Buffalo — sometimes it has five feet of snow — and I was stuck in Rick James’ house for two weeks, and it was one of my fondest memories.”

In perhaps Kimmel’s greatest failing, he did not drill deeper down into that story. Perhaps he noted some coolness to the way Murphy explained it that signaled he didn’t want to talk more, or maybe he simply wanted to make a cocaine joke because they were “snowed in,” but whatever the reason, he didn’t get the goods.

Therefore, someone needs to. Some brave soul needs to get the full details of what happened during that fateful fortnight and perhaps turn it into a feature film starring, let’s say, Eddie Murphy as Rick James.

Murphy, fresh off earning the Cecil B. DeMille Award, stars in You People, which is on Netflix starting January 27th.

This article originally appeared on 02.08.18

If you’ve never driven your car into a lake, thank Gladys West.

She is one of the mathematicians responsible for developing the global positioning system, better known as GPS.

Like many of the black women responsible for American achievements in math and science, West isn’t exactly a household name. But after she mentioned her contribution in a biography she wrote for a sorority function, her community turned their attention to this local “hidden figure.”

West was one of only four black employees at the Naval Proving Ground in 1956.

She accepted a position at the Dahlgren, Virginia, facility doing calculations, with her early work focusing on satellites. West also programmed early computers and examined the information that determined the precise location and elevation of satellites in space. Her data collection and calculations would ultimately aid in the development of GPS.

West and her colleagues back then probably could not have speculated just how much their calculations would affect the world.

Pretty much every “smart” device — from cellphones to fridges to dog collars — has GPS capabilities these days. The technology has changed the way we play, work, navigate, and explore our communities.

“When you’re working every day, you’re not thinking, ‘What impact is this going to have on the world?’ You’re thinking, ‘I’ve got to get this right,'” West once said in an interview with The Associated Press.

West would continue her work until her retirement in 1998.

After more than 40 years of calculations and complex data analysis, West retired. And following a well-earned vacation with her husband, she suffered a major stroke. But during her recovery, she worked toward returning to school and earned a doctorate. Her go-forward determination led to her regain most of her mobility, and she even survived heart surgery and cancer years later.

While she may not be as well known as other women in STEM fields, West’s contribution is undeniable.

At 87, West is working on her memoir and spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren. And according to her oldest daughter, West — despite the advent of GPS — still likes to have a paper map on hand.

Who are we to argue with greatness?

The trailer for We Have A Ghost is excellent, and then Jennifer Coolidge shows up as a reality show medium, and then Tig Notaro shows up as a CIA agent, further compounding the excellence upon excellence upon excellence.

The latest from writer/director Christopher Landon (Freaky, Happy Death Day) sits in the same horror comedy sweet spot he’s built a tongue-in-cheek career around, but may be even more YA-friendly than previous movies. Based on the Vice short story “Ernest” by Geoff Manaugh, the very Netflix-titled We Have A Ghost asks the question of what would happen if, instead of running for his life, a teen started recording when a ghost appeared.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Finding a ghost named Ernest haunting their new home turns Kevin’s family into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest investigate the mystery of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA.”

David Harbour is perfectly cast here, achieving schlubby perfection as the mute ghost of what looks like the second-best bowler on your team, and there’s at least one shot in the trailer that owes everything to The Twins from Matrix: Revolutions, so watching it several times in a row is perfectly, delightfully acceptable. Likewise, Anthony Mackie and Erica Ash look to be doing stellar goofball parental work.

We Have A Ghost hits Netflix February 24th.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny play the parents of Jonah Hill’s Ezra in You People, so it’s not the most inventive move to pair them interviews about the movie. It’s also Louis-Dreyfus and Duchovny, so getting them together to be charming isn’t rocket surgery. Still! No-brainers can also be brilliant, and the brilliance paid off in the form of our 1990s crushes razzing each other about their hit TV shows when they sat down to chat with Jake Hamilton.

They proclaim that they never met back when Seinfeld and The X-Files were dominating TV screens around the country, which is a shame because the cross-over episode would have been dynamite.

When Louis-Dreyfus says she never saw the seminal sci-fi show, Duchovny jokingly takes offense and says, “I said I watched Seinfeld. I didn’t say I liked it.”

The two showed off old married couple chemistry to the max here, promising a taste of what we’ll see in You People — the buddy comedy directed by Kenya Barris (Black-ish) and starring Jonah Hill trying not to get beaten down by the potential father-in-law (Eddie Murphy) he’s trying to impress. The Netflix film drops January 27th after a slew of trailers that all featured Hill and Murphy being profoundly awkward with each other.

If you skipped Falcon And The Winter Soldier, you missed Julia Louis-Dreyfus having her debut Samuel L. Jackson moment, portraying the villainous Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as she attempts to create a team of super baddies. She showed up again in Black Widow to set Yelena (Florence Pugh) after Hawkeye, and again in Wakanda Forever to arrest her ex-husband (!) Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), all in service of building toward 2024’s Thunderbolts.

In addition to Yelena, Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), the team will now have the serious comedic chops of Ayo Edebiri.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Edebiri is joining the cast in an as-yet-unrevealed role, which means it’s unclear whether she’ll be suiting up in spandex of suiting as a government agent (the only two contractually allowed characters appearing in Marvel films post-Avengers). This incarnation of the team was founded by Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (now played by Harrison Ford after William Hurt’s death), but there’s never quite been a team construction like this throughout the comics run, so there are a ton of other super-powered characters that Edebiri could be playing.

Regardless of what the role is, this is great news because Edebiri is fantastic. She’s 1000% earned a profile boost, and hopefully continues to book bigger and bigger work to match the size of her talent.

If all of this is confusing, Captain America: New World Order hits theaters a couple months before Thunderbolts and will most likely give an even bigger tee-up to the antihero team-up.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Two more years…so far. The infinite run of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers scored another renewal, securing all three shows through the 2024-2025 broadcast season. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, that will be The Simpsons’ 36th season, Family Guy‘s 23rd, and Bob’s Burgers‘ 15th.

“Three-plus decades of The Simpsons, more than two decades of Family Guy and over a decade of Bob’s Burgers proves the enduring power of the animation genre on our network and the infinite fan affinity for these outrageously funny comedy classics,” Fox scripted president Michael Thorn said.

With each new renewal, it makes the moment when The Simpsons finally gets cancelled something more and more unthinkable even as the show’s longevity gets more precarious. The shows are all on Fox, but they’re owned by Disney, which is why you can see them in weird frame ratios on Disney+. Ratings for The Simpsons has been dropping considerably every year, kept aloft presumably by how wildly popular Bart Simpson dolls that say “Eat my shorts!” are. Essentially, Disney has the keys to the kingdom of Fox animation domination, so they could move all three shows or cancel them outright.

If that day ever comes, expect a lot of retired Millennials to hang onions on their belts and protest in the retirement community rec room.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Sol Blume is set to return to Sacramento, California this April for two days of R&B festivities. The fourth iteration of Sol Blume will take place at Sacramento’s Discovery Park, and will feature an extensive line-up of today’s hottest R&B acts.

Taking the stage on Friday, April 29 are Brent Faiyaz, who released the critically acclaimed album Wasteland last year, as well as Ella Mai, Isaiah Rashad, Joey Badass, Nao, Sabrina Claudio, and Mariah The Scientist. Also set to perform that day are Alex Isley, Mereba, and Christian Kuria.

On Sunday, April 30, attendees will be able to see Oakland native Kehlani, who released her third album, Blue Water Road last year, as well as Teyana Taylor, Jessie Reyez, Pink Sweats, Chlöe, and PinkPantheress. Buzzy girl group FLO, as well as multihyphenate Coco Jones are also on the schedule for that day.

According to a statement accompanied by the line-up announcement, “local residents and out-of-town travelers alike will soon gather together to enjoy incredible music performances while celebrating the spirit of diversity, creativity, and positivity.”

You can check out the full line-up below and the schedule here. General on-sale for the festival begins Monday, January 30.

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

The 2023 Grammy Awards are steadily approaching, as fans and artists alike are gearing up (emotionally and possibly, physically) for music’s biggest night. However, some might be wondering how they’ll be able to watch it at home — and whether there’ll be a livestream.

On February 5, the Grammys will be broadcasted live on CBS and available to be streamed on-demand from Paramount+. Held at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), the event kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and will run until about 11:30 p.m. ET. It will also play from the Recording Academy’s website here.

Throughout the awards show, there will also be performances from a number of very special stars. So far, the first round of artists playing has been announced, with Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, and Sam Smith on the lineup. According to the Recording Academy’s website, more performers will be added in the coming days. Trevor Noah of The Daily Show is set to host.

As for the presenters for the coveted awards, including Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and many more, the lineup is still TBA.

For a complete list of 2023 Grammy nominees, view Uproxx’s complete list here.

Skrillex has had a record month, releasing a handful of singles from his forthcoming album, including “Rumble” and “Way Back” with PinkPantheress and Trippie Redd. The latest, which dropped today, finds the DJ working with Bladee on a new song “Real Spring.”

The experimental electronic track combines the production talents of the two artists to create a track that is sure to get fans hyped up, whether you’re heading to a party or just hanging out this weekend.

Per a press release, it’s also received Skrillex’s first music video treatment of 2023. It finds the two artists having a blast while driving around and hitting the club with some seriously cool background lighting.

“The biggest thing that I feel like I never really got to convey was that people thought I popped up overnight – but I’d been making music all my life,” Skrillex told Dazed in 2019. “I’d been playing shows and selling tickets to shows since I was 12 years old, and even before I was 12, I was playing in a backyard band! I’ve been producing music on my laptop since I was 16. So that was the main thing – that people acted like it just happened overnight. My whole life up to that moment was working towards this, but it just happened to be the thing that caught people’s attention.”

Listen to Skrillex and Bladee’s new song “Real Spring” above.