The Golden Globes made its return to television this year after holding a “private” ceremony last year that everybody basically forgot about. NBC opted out of televising 2022’s ceremony due to the various controversies and boycotts of The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, many of which were because of valid reasons.
This year, after the HFPA restructured its whole organization, the ceremony was finally televised again, which meant we finally got another stand-up host who took no time to call out the HFPA within the first five minutes of the broadcast. That’s live television!
Host Jerrod Carmichael began the night by diving right in to address the controversy and claiming he was only asked to host because he is Black. “This show, the Golden Globe Awards, did not air last year because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — which I won’t say were a racist organization, but they didn’t have a single Black member until George Floyd died [in 2020]. So, do with that information what you will.” The comedian, who had his own HBO Max comedy special last year, then name-dropped HFPA president Helen Hoehne by saying he declined a meeting with her three times.
While the night was full of some laughs and a few timely gasps, HFPA is not happy with Carmichael’s comments. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hoehn was “shocked and upset” with the host’s jokes. Sources reported that Hoehn was seen being consoled in the bathroom after the monologue.
The HFPA Podcast Golden Globes Around The World also did not address the comments, beginning their post-Globes coverage by saying that they would not be talking about Carmichael at all. Host Jenny Cooney said, “We’re not going to talk about the host because everybody has their own opinion on the host. We’re just going to skip right on ahead to the rest of the show.”
Carmichael probably won’t be asked back as a host, but he did mention that he was paid upwards of $500,000 for the gig, so maybe he really just really wanted to make a little bit of money before burning some bridges, which seems to be his thing.
The National announced their anticipated new album, First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, today. As the band teased the project with some early Easter eggs, it seems they are at least committing to the theme.
However, those who aren’t as familiar with the book might be wondering: What is even on the first two pages of Frankenstein? And why is it so important?
Firstly, Frankenstein was originally published by the British author Mary Shelley in 1818.
The story opens with a letter that is addressed to a Mrs. Saville in England and dated on December 11. Written in the first person, the narrator (later known as R. Walton) details a walk that he takes through the cold of St. Petersburgh, only to reveal that he’s sent it to his sister.
The National used a similar letter style on their previously password-protected website. By using the code “EVIL FOREBODINGS,” fans discovered a note that bore the same “Letter 1” that Shelley used on the first of the first two pages of Frankenstein. However, they addressed it to “Mrs. Bridgers, England,” paying more homage to the book — and teasing a Phoebe Bridgers collab.
And the connections haven’t stopped there.
“You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking,” the opening paragraph of Frankenstein reads.
Additionally, fans can pre-order The National’s First Two Pages Of Frankenstein ahead of its 4/28 release from a website titled “AmericanMary.com.” (No, that’s not a coincidence.)
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is well-known for his controversial sports opinions — you could say he’s made his career on them. But perhaps out of habit, he just made a comparison that’ll have a whole new group of fans fighting mad at him.
The outspoken First Take host appeared on the daytime talk show Sherri, where he was asked about Rihanna’s upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show — it’s technically in his wheelhouse and gives the audience some common footing with him, so not a bad question, all told.
But his “first take” made an age-old comparison that isn’t likely to endear him to the daytime talk crowd, or to fans of the two artists he contrasted. “I don’t wanna say I’m not excited,” he said. “She’s fantastic. That’s not where I’m going with this. Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things. She’s spectacular, actually. And congratulations on new-momma-hood. There’s one thing she’s not. She ain’t Beyoncé.”
The two singers have been pitted against each other for years but doing so has become something of a sore spot. Unfortunately, Smith’s entire job more or less consists of comparing athletes to each other, so when he was potentially out of his depth (name one Rihanna song, album, or feature without Google, Stephen!) he fell back on what he knows.
Although, in his mind, he apparently had a good reason for doing so. “The only reason I brought up Beyoncé is because Beyoncé recently performed at the Super Bowl, with and without Bruno Mars and Coldplay,” he explained. “Rihanna’s music is fantastic. She’s great. She’s a sister. I love her dearly. I listen to her music. I’m gonna support her until the cows come home. I’m just telling you: for me, there’s Beyoncé and there’s everybody else. Just like there was Michael Jackson and there’s everybody else.”
Hey look, whatever floats your boat. But a word of advice for Smith: Kobe fans may drive to featureless California towns to fight you, but the Navy (and the Hive) never forgets. Turn off your notifications now.
Last year, Amanda Bynes, the Nickelodeon and movie star who later dealt with substance abuse issues, successfully filed to end her decade-long conservatorship. “Besides normalcy as a person and a student, I know that she is looking forward to what her next step is going to be,” her attorney David Esquibias said. Those steps including releasing a trap-heavy rap single and reconnecting with her All That pals.
People reports that Bynes will reunite with Kel Mitchell, Danny Tamberelli, and Lori Beth Denberg at ’90s Con, which takes place at the Connecticut Convention Center from March 17 to 19. Those three (including Tamberelli, who played Little Pete on Nick’s wonderful The Adventures of Pete & Pete) worked with Bynes on All That until she got her own show, The Amanda Show. The dancing lobsters better show up, or else.
“I’m really excited to reunite with my cast mates and meet the fans at ’90s Con,” Bynes told People, while Mitchell added, “What better way to return than with the All That gang… including Amanda Bynes who will be joining Danny, Lori Beth, and me this year.”
Other celebrity guests at ’90s Con include Danica McKellar, Elizabeth Berkley, and Jason Marsden, the voice of Max in A Goofy Movie. Ask him what he thought about the Atlanta episode.
After a brief hiatus, Arlo Parks is finally back with new music. Today, the British singer/songwriter has shared her new single, “Weightless.”
On “Weightless,” Parks reflects on loving someone who is emotionally unavailable. In the song’s accompanying video, Parks makes her way through the city, both on foot and in a car, as these clips are juxtaposed with moments of the person she loves, sharing affections with someone else.”
“Weightless” precedes Parks’ upcoming second album, My Soft Machine, which Parks is set to release later this spring.
Parks said in a statement:
“The world/our view of it is peppered by the biggest things we experience — our traumas, upbringing, vulnerabilities almost like visual snow. This record is life through my lens, through my body — the mid-20s anxiety, the substance abuse of friends around me, the viscera of being in love for the first time, navigating PTSD and grief and self-sabotage and joy, moving through worlds with wonder and sensitivity — what it’s like to be trapped in this particular body. There is a quote from a Joanna Hogg film called The Souvenir, it’s an A24 semi-autobiographical film with Tilda Swinton — it recounts a young film student falling in love with an older, charismatic man then being drawn into his addiction — in an early scene he’s explaining why people watch films — ‘we don’t want to see life as it is played out we want to see life as it is experienced in this soft machine.’ So there we have it… My Soft Machine.”
Also worth noting is the Phoebe Bridgers feature on “Pegasus,” making today a major day for Bridgers news: Earlier today, Boygenius announced a new album and so did The National, and the latter album has two songs featuring Bridgers.
Check out “Weightless” above and the album artwork and tracklist below.
Paquita La Del Barrio, the regional Mexican music queen of the kiss-off anthem, has offered some words of advice to Shakira. After Shakira’s fiery “BZRP Music Sessions #53” was compared to Paquita La Del Barrio’s classics, the Mexican icon reached out to her through Instagram on Monday (January 16).
Last week, Shakira roasted her ex Gerard Piqué and his current girlfriend Clara Chía Marti with “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” her collaboration with Bizarrap. While singing that Piqué needed to “work out” his brain as much as his time spent in the gym, she implied that his relationship with Marti was a downgrade. Shakira compared herself to a Ferrari while saying that Piqué settled for a Twingo car.
“I heard that you had a problem with your family,” Paquita La Del Barrio said. “I am with you because I am a woman, and if anyone in life knows about these things, it is your friend. What can I tell you? That you give it your best shot. The important thing is that you have your children, you have someone to live for, and you have your whole life, mija, so don’t worry.”
In the video, Paquita La Del Barrio sang a piece of another one of her kiss-off anthems, “Las Rodillas.” She also offered her support to Shakira.
“Don’t be down,” Paquita La Del Barrio added. “Give it a go, as I told you. You have someone to live for, just like me. That’s what keeps us standing: Our family, children. Give it your all. I am in Mexico. If you need anything from me, with pleasure, know that I’m here to help. Sending you a big hug, and may God bless you.”
Throughout her career, Paquita La Del Barrio released songs where she lyrically cut down men who did her wrong. One of her classics is called “Rata De Dos Patas,” or “Rat With Two Feet,” where she compared her cheating partner to the rodent. Becky G and Karol G referenced the song in their breakup anthem “Mamiii” last year. Many memes were created that likened Shakira’s diss track to Paquita La Del Barrio’s song. Paquita La Del Barrio sent sweet words to Shakira in a video on Instagram.
It’s finally happening: Boygenius (the supergroup consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker) is reuniting to release their first full-length album, The Record. The trio shared the news today, along with fascinating tales about how some of the album’s songs came to be. One track, for example, started with Dacus and Bridgers on drugs, lying in bed and holding each other’s faces as Dacus cried and sang.
In a press release about the album, an excerpt about “We’re In Love” reads:
“Lucy first sang ‘We’re In Love’ a cappella to Phoebe, in Phoebe’s bed, on New Years Day in 2022. They were holding each other’s faces: a function of totally legal drugs. Lucy was weeping and did not blink. Later, in the studio, Julien thought the song was too… long. In retrospect, Julien hadn’t been ready to engage. When the truth sank in, the truth of a love song, she went away for six hours. (Julien: ‘It’s still a learning process to know the difference between being scrutinized and being seen.’) Then she came back. She was ready.”
The release also notes, “The Record is about recapturing joy — about the wasteful detour that turns out not to be the most important thing.” That’s in reference to the story behind a song called “Leonard Cohen”: “Once, when boygenius was on a road trip in Northern California, Phoebe asked Julien and Lucy to listen to a very important song, and pushed play, and got on the freeway headed in the wrong direction. The song was ‘Trapeze Swinger’ by Iron & Wine — about a dead person telling the living how he wants to be remembered. It was impossible to interrupt this ten-minute-long song. Because of how the exits were spaced, ‘Trapeze Swinger’ added an hour to their travel time. Phoebe felt like an idiot. Lucy turned that drive into the song ‘Leonard Cohen.’”
The Record is out 3/31 via Interscope. Pre-order it 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.
While the industry is still working its way out of the holiday season, there’s still a good amount of new R&B music, news, and more to enjoy so far in 2023. SZA shared her long-awaited video for “Kill Bill” and PARTYNEXTDOOR made his return with “Her Old Friends.” The Weeknd also got on the video wave with one for “Is There Someone Else?” and Kaash Paige shared her video for “All Girls Cry.”
Here’s more about the new releases that are worth your time and worth the listen:
PARTYNEXTDOOR — “Her Old Friends”
The last we heard from PARTYNEXTDOOR was at the end of 2022 when he guest appeared on Diddy’s “Sex In The Porsche” single. However, prior to that, PARTYNEXTDOOR’s musical releases were sporadic at best, especially after the release of his third album PARTYMOBILE. Lucky for us, the Toronto native is back in action with “Her Old Friends,” a record PND uses to air his frustrations about the friends of a past lover who interfered with and eventually ruined the relationship they had.
Chiiild — “Good For Now” Feat. Lucky Daye
In less than two months, Chiiild will release his third album Better Luck In The Next Life. The 12-track effort gets previewed with its latest single, “Good For Now” featuring Lucky Daye. “This song is a reminder that whatever happens, we should be present in the moment because we don’t know what tomorrow brings,” Chiiild says about the new record. Better Luck In The Next Life will also feature Alina Baraz, Caitlyn Scarlett, and Charlotte Cardin.
VEDO — Mood Swings
For the fifth consecutive year, VEDO is back in action with a new project. The singer returns with his sixth album Mood Swings and it touches down with 13 songs and guest appearances from Chris Brown and Tink. “The music speaks for itself, and we just want to you feel,” VEDO says about the album, “whatever the emotion or mood is.”
Kelz — “Good 2 Me”
New York Kelz caught some eyes in 2022 with the release of his “Sinner” and “Why” singles. He received co-signs from Pharrell, Drake, Jack Harlow, Jorja Smith, Brent Faiyaz, and more last year, and for 2023, he’s wasting no time getting to work. Kelz returns with “Good 2 Me,” a song he describes as an “ode to East NY.” “I wanted to give an uptempo meaning to the block,” he added. “My mission is to create a sound out of NY no one has heard before.”
Stormzy — “Hide & Seek (Remix)” Feat. FLO
Stormzy concluded his 2022 year with the release of his long-awaited third album This Is What I Mean. The highlight from that project is “Hide & Seek,” the album’s lead single, and months after its release it gets updated with a remix featuring FLO. The fellow London-based trio adds a tender and elevated experience to the song as FLO dazzles with their vocals to bring the song to a new level.
Savannah Ré — “Closer (Remix)” Feat. Nonso Amadi
The Toronto R&B music scene is in good hands and Savannah Ré is one example of why that is. In the fall of 2022, she released her second ep No Weapons, and to kick off the new year, she returns with a remix of one of the project’s most vibrant songs. “Closure” gets updated with a verse from Nonso Amandi who provides a male perspective to Savannah’s requests for one last moment of reciprocation within a relationship.
RealestK — “Wish You Well”
While some may take some time off after the release of a project, Toronto singer RealestK is getting right back to work. He’s back with “Wish You Well,” a somber record that captures the moments he says goodbye to a lover who did him wrong and hurt him in more ways than he could imagine. The track follows the release of his Dreams 2 Reality mixtape.
Ledisi — “I Need To Know”
It’s been three years since Grammy-winning singer Ledisi released an original new album, but all of that is going to change this year. She kicks things off with the luscious “I Need To Know,” a stirring single that finds Ledisi frustrated with a partner who refuses to communicate their issues to her. The song is off her upcoming tenth solo album which is out in late spring.
Dende — Before We Crash
Of all the rising R&B artists making their steps upward in the genre, Dende is certainly one to keep an eye on. The Texas native started the new year with his fifth project Before We Crash. The EP is riddled with passionate and raw records that impressively showcase Dende’s thoughts and emotions in their most unapologetic form. Through its six songs, Before We Crash presents features from Deante’ Hitchcock and Erykah Officer.
Derrick Milano — Remember What You Said
Towards the end of 2021, Derrick Milano set out to establish his solo career following success as a songwriter. A little over a year later, he’s back with Remember What You Said, his first project project since 2020. It arrives with nine songs and a lone feature from Dazzy.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The first, “$20,” opens on a high note with an electric guitar-forward instrumental and the group harmonizing with Baker’s lead vocals. It also ends with Bridgers screaming — a callback to her popular solo song, “I Know The End.”
“Emily I’m Sorry” slows down the pacing to emphasize on the lyricism. “Take me back to Montreal / I’ll get a real job,” Bridgers sings.
As for Dacus, she carries the newly released “True Blue,” where she drops the attention-grabbing line, “You f*ck around and find out.”
Baker shared more about the album’s creation process in a press statement, noting that they spent ten-hour days throughout January 2022 recording the record. “We are all at least one type of the same psycho. The Venn diagrams overlap in ‘Every day for a month,’” she said.
Continue scrolling for The Record‘s complete album art and tracklist.
Matt Grubb
1. “Without You Without Them”
2. “$20”
3. “Emily I’m Sorry”
4. “True Blue”
5. “Cool About It”
6. “Not Strong Enough”
7. “Revolution 0”
8. “Leonard Cohen”
9. “Satanist”
10. “We’re In Love”
11. “Anti-Curse”
12. “Letter To An Old Poet”
The Record is out 3/28 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.
The rumor mill in the NBA with less than a month to go before the trade deadline hasn’t featured a ton of big names. For months, though, one name that has popped up every now and then is Jakob Poeltl, the veteran center who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and doesn’t quite fit on the timeline of a team that is taking a long-term approach.
Earlier this week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that while the Spurs have an offer on the table for a Poeltl extension, the former first-round pick wants to “compete on the highest levels.” Charania went on to say that the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have plenty of interest in Poeltl, but “the Spurs will hold a high price threshold for any deal.”
That price, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, is indeed quite high, as the Spurs want a similar return to what they got when they traded Derrick White to the Celtics last year.
The sticking point has been, as always, price. San Antonio has made it known to interested parties throughout the league the Spurs want two first-round picks for Poeltl, according to team and league sources, which was the same stance they took on Derrick White last season.
Considered one of the best defensive centers in basketball, Poeltl has averaged 12.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 26.4 minutes per game this season while connecting on 63.4 percent of his attempts from the field.
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