Month: January 2023

Donald Trump got smacked around in court this week thanks to his now-officially frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. That lawsuit was dismissed back in September 2022 by order of a scathing 65 page rebuke from the judge. However, Trump’s loss didn’t end there. On Thursday, a district judge approved the request for sanctions by Clinton and others named in Trump’s lawsuit. The judge’s decision put Trump and his attorneys on the line for nearly $1 million in fines for the “abusive litigation tactics.”

Via CNN:

“This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start,” US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks of the Southern District of Florida wrote. “No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim.”

According to The Daily Beast, the sanctions from the Clinton lawsuit has reportedly put Trump in “full retreat mode.” On Friday, he withdrew his lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit was roundly criticized by legal scholars a “bald-faced delay tactic.” The former president and his legal team quietly backed out of the effort following the Clinton decision:

The filing, made in Palm Beach County court, was curt—it merely stated that Trump “hereby voluntarily dismisses his claims in this action.” There was no explanation given.

But the cryptic move comes as Trump’s legal woes are mounting: judges have increasingly taken tougher stances against him for misusing the nation’s court system to slow down legitimate law enforcement efforts against him.

Of course, losing in court should be old hat to Trump by now. His numerous legal attempts to overturn the 2020 election results were routinely slapped down by judges, and he has been facing increased legal jeopardy as James continues to target the allegedly dicey business practices of the Trump Organization. In short, not a lot of winning. Coming up awfully short in the winning department.

(Via CNN, The Daily Beast)

It’s been quite a long time since we’ve had an update on Invincible, not the 2006 sports drama starring Mark Wahlberg, but Amazon’s animated superhero comedy. It’s easy to confuse the two! Invincible (the show) was renewed for a second and third season almost two years ago, but today we finally received an update that another season is definitely coming soon…ish!

A new teaser features Steven Yeun’s Mark (not Wahlberg) and Seth Rogen’s Allen the Alien poking fun at the long hiatus while sitting in a diner. “I think everyone agrees it’s been like a little ridiculous how long it’s been,” Allen exclaimed, before asking: “The real question is: when are you going back out there? The world needs more Invincible.”

The clip then goes a little meta by having Mark/Invincible explain what was taking so long: “I’ve been busy writing, designing, storyboarding, voice acting, key posing, in-betweening, cleaning up, color slapping, comping the whole thing, and all that for, you know, roughly thousands of shots. So, it’s kind of a lot.” After some pressing, Mark promises that Invincible, both the superhero and the show, will get back out there in “late 2023.”

Invincible stars Yeun as a teenager who just so happens to have an ultra-powerful superhero as a dad, voiced by JK Simmons. The show also features the vocal talents of Sandra Oh, Gillian Jacobs, Andrew Rannells, Zazie Beetz, Mark Hamill, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zachary Quinto, and Mahershala Ali.

While no specific date has been set, it’s safe to assume we will be getting more from Mark before 2023 is over. Or before the world ends! Hopefully.

(Via Variety)

Last year, rock legends Metallica announced their new album 72 Seasons. “72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves,” James Hetfield said in a statement. “The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are.”

The band returned today with a new single from that record, “Screaming Suicide,” to follow the lead single “Lux Æterna.” “Screaming Suicide” stays true to their classic sound that they’ve been maintaining for decades; it’s a ripper with caustic riffs and lyrics that normalize dark topics that often go undiscussed as a way to help struggling fans feel seen.

“‘Screaming Suicide’ addresses the taboo word of suicide,” the band explained in a statement. “The intention is to communicate about the darkness we feel inside. It’s ridiculous to think we should deny that we have these thoughts. At one point or another, I believe most people have thought about it. To face it is to speak the unspoken. If it’s a human experience, we should be able to talk about it. You are not alone.”

Listen to “Screaming Suicide” above.

72 Seasons is out 4/14 via Blackened Recordings. Pre-order it here.

BMG Rights Management, the label behind The Black Eyed Peas‘ second-stage career explosion and owner of much of the group’s publishing, is suing MGA Entertainment, the company behind the Bratz dolls, over a parody of “My Humps,” which MGA used to promote a line of pooping unicorn toys.

I’ll give you a second.

The toys, Poopsie Slime Surprise, spewed sparkling slime and in an animated promotional video released last year, the unicorns performed a version of “My Humps” in which the lyrics were revised to reference, well, poop. Here’s an example: “Whatchu gonna do with all that poop? All that poop?”

BMG claims that MGA didn’t get permission to use “My Humps,” ignoring multiple cease-and-desist orders. Also, there’s an argument that the lead unicorn resembles Fergie — which… okay. BMG wants $10 million for “My Poops,” as it owns 75% of the composition copyright of the original “My Humps” according to Reuters.

Of course, all of this is pretty hilarious because “My Humps” sounds like a parody of a Black Eyed Peas song itself and was a big part of the reason the general public turned on the band in the mid-2000s (at least, if stand-up comics count; the song did go double platinum, so someone must have liked it). Also there’s this:

It’s also pretty funny because this sort of thing has been pretty well decided by no less an authority than the Supreme Court. I wrote about it here. If Roy Orbison couldn’t stop 2 Live Crew, I doubt the Court — especially as currently constituted — is going to want to hear a case about pooping unicorns.

If we’re being honest, Vladimir Putin has bore a striking resemblance to a bloated corpse for quite a while now. So it really isn’t too much of a stretch to think that the Kremlin might be pulling a Weekend at Bernie’s on the world. But Volodymyr Zelensky is feeling the full wrath of Russia’s top people after admitting that he sort of has a feeling Putin is no longer with us.

As The Daily Beast reports, Zelensky shared those thoughts with all the fancy-schmancy world leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland. While discussing the challenges of trying to come to some sort of resolution in the current war with Russia, the Ukraine president said:

“I don’t quite understand who to speak with and about what. I’m not sure the president of Russia, who sometimes appears against a green screen, is the right one. I don’t quite understand if he is alive, if he is making the decisions, or who is making the decisions there.”

Zelensky’s remarks did NOT go over well in Russia, where Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov issued a quick response — but very noticeably didn’t really address the matter of whether Putin’s heart is still indeed beating: “Clearly, Zelensky would prefer for neither Russia nor Putin to exist. The sooner he realizes that Russia exists and will exist, the better for such a country as Ukraine.”

Notice that he only said that Russia is and will exist — but not Putin? Hmmmm…

Zelensky isn’t just pulling these thoughts out of thin air. For months, there have been rumors that Putin’s health was failing — or that it had failed completely. The Russian dictator hasn’t done himself any favors by not showing up in person for pretty much anything (when he does attend a meeting or event, it’s via a video link). Even more suspiciously, Putin canceled his annual end-of-year press conference in December (a tradition he has had for 10 years), nor did he address the Federal Assembly, as he always does. All of this came after he reportedly fell down some stairs and sh*t all over himself in December.

As The Daily Beast’s Allison Quinn writes:

While Putin did take a trip to St. Petersburg this week and appeared publicly for several events, the Kremlin stoked further suspicions about Putin’s health Thursday with the announcement the Russian leader had taken a dip in icy waters to mark the Orthodox Christian feast of Epiphany, in keeping with his yearly tradition—but said no one would ever see proof he’d done so.

Peskov didn’t help to alleviate suspicion when he stated that: “This time there are no photos or videos. We are just informing you that he followed his tradition.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

Hey all!

We’re back with another roundup of joy this week and we’ve got some sweet, sweet finds. Enjoy!

1. An angel flight attendant went above and beyond for a woman who was anxious about flying.

Delta flight attendant Floyd Dean-Shannon explained to the woman what all the different sounds and movements of the plane were to help ease her anxiety. And when it all got to be too much for her, he sat down in the aisle and held her hand. Incredible customer service and simply beautiful human-to-human understanding. Love to see it. Read the full story here.

2. A man found an abandoned newborn squirrel in his driveway and raised it. Their relationship is flippin’ adorable.

@robertsquirrel

From an interview on Newsner who has 30 million followers in 11 languages

Robert T. Squirrel (the “T” stands for “The”) has quite the life! He has his own squirrel family now as well—his “wife” Barbara Ann and four youngsters named Peepers, Jeepers, Creepers and Sneekers—who live in his backyard squirrel house. (I know. My heart can’t take it, either.)

3. This artist’s animal ‘portraits’ made from foraged, natural materials are absolutely stunning.

Hannah Bullen-Ryner creates one of these creatures each day in the fields near her apartment in the U.K. and each one seems miraculous. They don’t last—they are left shortly after being made to be blown away by the elements—but she does capture them on camera before they return to nature. See more of Bullen-Ryner’s ephemeral animal portraits and learn more about her process here.

4. Actor F. Murray Abraham’s reaction to the crowd cheering for him is so wholesome.

See on Instagram

Abraham gained recognition playing Antonio Salieri in the 1984 film “Amadeus,” a role for which he won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, but he’s not exactly a “household name” kind of actor. He is a prolific film, television and stage performer, however, and it’s so sweet to see a career actor like him be so excited for fans to cheer him on.

5. Elementary students led the charge to raise $300,000 for inclusive playground equipment for their classmates.

u201cHopkins, Minnesota: nnGlen Lake Elementary.nnMaybe take a momentu2026u201d

— Rex Chapmanud83cudfc7ud83cudffc (@Rex Chapmanud83cudfc7ud83cudffc)
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Dang it, where is that box of tissues? What a wonderful story of support and inclusivity. Read the full story here.

6. Plain White T’s singer surprises Delilah, who has been fighting cancer for four years, with her favorite song.

See on Instagram

Such a special gift from Tom Higgenson. The power of music truly can’t be underestimated.

7. Man shares his sweet story of how he built his entire family from a single dollar bill.

See on Instagram

Swipe through to see the dollar bill framed. Awww. Anyone else want to see this rom-com?

8. Women are finding inspiration in this picture of Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh at the Golden Globes.

“Ladies, this is your vibe for 2023: unabashed hype woman,” wrote Erin Gallagher as the opening of an empowering post about women supporting other women’s successes instead of seeing one another as competition. It’s an awesome read inspired by an awesome moment. Check it out here.

9. Four guys, one guitar and an awesome cover of Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’

See on Instagram

These guys are too fun. And that voice! Dang. See more of Adam and the Metal Hawks on Instagram.

10. Do we need to see a baby kangaroo hug its mama? Yes, yes we do.

u201cA mother and her child nhttps://t.co/eDOH1ZrAnku201d

— Science girl (@Science girl)
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That’s just pure oxytocin right there.

Hope that brought you some much-needed joy!

Did you know you can get these roundups of joy delivered to your inbox each week by signing up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest? Subscribe here.

Detroit rapper Boldy James has had a remarkable breakout in the past few years after spending much of the early part of his career out of the spotlight. Yet, just as things were finally coming together for him, he almost lost it all, even his life, after a “serious” two-car collision in his hometown. He racked up a truly scary number of injuries, including broken vertebrae, requiring “extensive surgery” on his neck.

But the hustle never sleeps and if nothing else, Boldy James is a hustler’s hustler. Although he’s already dropped a slew of projects in 2022, each with a different producer, and even an EP earlier this week (ADU with Real Bad Man), he’s still going, surprising fans with another new album today, Indiana Jones with producer RichGains. Consisting of 17 tracks with multiple appearances from longtime collaborator Sir Michael Rocks of The Cool Kids, Indiana Jones continues Boldy’s tradition of quality, stuffy-nosed street-centric raps.

The album’s release bodes well for the future, even as fans await news of Boldy’s updated condition. The Detroiter received well wishes from the likes of Eminem, a hometown hero, and other rap peers. Even with Indiana Jones out today, there’s still more to look forward to from Boldy James, including his long-awaited J Dilla-produced album. For now, you can listen to Indiana Jones below.

Heading into the 2024 presidential race, some joker thought it’d be hilarious to file for an official presidential campaign under the name of Bryan Cranston’s iconic Breaking Bad character Walter White. Seems like a harmless gag, right? Not so much. The Federal Election Commission is reportedly looking to prosecute the funny guy who also listed Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman as his running mate. Was the address listed in the filing for Albuquerque, New Mexico? Of course.

At issue is the fact that including fraudulent information in a presidential campaign filing is a crime. The FEC is reportedly demanding more information about the Walter White filing and alerted the individual that it could still pursue charges even if the Breaking Bad themed campaign is withdrawn. Via Raw Story:

“The Commission requires the filing to be true, correct, and complete. When you filed FEC Form 2, you made the following certification: ‘I certify that I have examined this Statement and to the best of my knowledge and belief it is true, correct and complete.’ The Commission also informed you on that form that: ‘Submission of false, erroneous, or incomplete information may subject the person signing this Statement to the penalties of 52 U.S.C. § 30109.’”

According to Raw Story, the FEC is reportedly cracking down on fraudulent forms after someone already tried to file a fake presidential campaign for former Vice President Mike Pence, which is obviously a much more serious issue than a humorous attempt to get a White/Goodman ticket on the 2024 ballot.

(Via Raw Story)

Since the beginning of the month, Rosalía has teased her upcoming single “LLYLM.” On Wednesday (January 18), the Spanish pop star revealed the release date for her English-language track.

Rosalía spent Christmas and New Year’s Day in Tokyo, Japan with her boyfriend, Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro. While still in Tokyo during the first week of January, she started teasing “LLYLM” on TikTok. In the English-language track, she repeatedly sings, “Lie like you love me.” Rosalía has since posted most clips of the song on her social media accounts.

On Twitter, Rosalía revealed that “LLYLM” will be released on January 27. She simply posted the date without any further information.

“LLYLM” isn’t the first time that Rosalía has sang in English. On her debut album, 2017’s Los Ángeles, she covered Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s track “I See A Darkness.”

Earlier this week, Rosalía was in Paris for Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter 2023 Fashion Show. She became the first woman to perform live at Louis Vuitton Men’s Fashion Show during Paris Fashion Week. Rosalía performed her recent hits like “Saoko” and the “Candy” remix featuring Chencho Corleone from her Motomami album.

Rosalía also served as the musical curator for the fashion show. Her set that was spun by DJ Clara3000 also played the Brazilian funk banger “Sento No Bico Da Glock” by DJ Gabriel Do Borel, MC Lucy, and MC Rogê and Domincan rapper Angel Dior’s song “AIO.”

Last night, the tragic news broke that David Crosby died at the age of 81. “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django,” the statement began. Many musicians have been sharing tributes, including Jason Isbell and Crosby’s former CSN bandmates.

Now, Neil Young has shared a touching tribute to the late singer on his website, reminiscing on the “many great times” they had together and what a “supportive friend” Crosby was to him. Read the full statement below.

“David is gone, but his music lives on. The soul of CSNY, David’s voice and energy were at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together. ‘Almost Cut My Hair’ and ‘Deja Vu,’ and so many other great songs he wrote were wonderful to jam on and [Stephen] Stills and I had a blast as he kept going on and on. His singing with Graham [Nash] was memorable, their duo spot a highlight of so many of our shows.

We had so many great times, especially in the early years. Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.

My heart goes out to Jan and Django, his wife and son. Lots of love to you. Thanks David for your spirit and songs, Love you man. I remember the best times!”