Month: April 2023

Kid Rock, who has not been shy about his MAGA leanings, joined the right-wing throngs protesting Bud Light for its new ad campaign featuring trans activist and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. However, Kid Rock took his disdain to an extreme and violent level by filming himself shooting Bud Light cans, which he shared with his Twitter followers on Monday.

The video has already racked up over two million views, and the replies are loaded with cheering MAGA commenters who don’t seem to be fazed at all that there was just a school shooting last week. The important issue is who can and can’t star in beer commercials, apparently.

Via Syracuse.com:

“Grandpa’s feeling a little frisky today,” said Rock, who became a grandfather at 43. “Let me say something to all of you and be as clear and concise as possible.”

The rap-rocker then opened fire on the defenseless beer cans, flipped the bird at the camera, and made his position clear: “F— Bud Light. F— Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day.”

However, Fred Guttenberg, the father of Parkland school shooting victim Ashley Guttenberg, called out the rocker for glorifying guns in his anti-trans protest.

“Hey @KidRock, this dad is ‘feeling a little frisky today.’ Let me be ‘as clear and concise’ as I can with you,” Guttenberg tweeted. “This is my daughter Jaime (under the black oval) and these are the students running over her for safety to avoid getting shot by the AR 15 that killed her. F*CK YOU!!!”

(Via Syracuse.com)

On the heels of a busy summer that included the blockbuster acquisition of Dejounte Murray, the Atlanta Hawks seemed to be on the upswing after a down season in 2021-22. After the team made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks took a clear step back and, amid internal pressures to improve quickly, Atlanta spent a king’s ransom to land Murray in a bid to give the team the No. 2 creator it sorely lacked alongside Trae Young.

Over the course of the 2022-23 season, there have been flashes of intrigue, headlined by a five-game January winning streak that signaled the Hawks may be turning the corner. Since then, however, the Hawks have been the picture of an average basketball team, to the point where head coach Quin Snyder, who took over in February following the ouster of Nate McMillan, recently referred to the performance of his squad as “an interesting statistical anomaly.”

With a hat-tip to John Schuhmann of NBA.com, the Hawks currently have the longest streak in NBA history of consecutive games within just one game of the .500 mark. Since a loss to the Hornets on Jan. 21, Atlanta has been either one game below, one game above, or exactly at the .500 mark and, in recent days, things have escalated further with ten consecutive games in which the Hawks have alternated losses followed by wins. That remarkable run continued with an almost comical overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday evening in which neither team seemingly had any interest in closing out a victory.

Beyond the recent run oscillating between wins and losses, Atlanta’s season-long metrics paint a similarly pedestrian picture. Not only are the Hawks sitting at 15-15 in the last 30 games, 14-14 in the last 28 games, 13-13 in the last 26 games and so on, but Atlanta is 39-39 for the season. The Hawks have been out-scored by exactly one point (9,209 to 9,210) over the course of 78 games, and Atlanta also has perfectly even records against the East (24-24) and West (15-15). Unsurprisingly, the folks at FiveThirtyEight project the Hawks to finish at 41-41 with a 2-2 mark over the last four games, and that would be in line with the remarkable synergy to this point.

In a big-picture sense, the 2022-23 season hasn’t been a complete disaster for the Hawks, as Atlanta will at least make the play-in with the opportunity to make some noise given the presence of Young. The Hawks emerged from the play-in a season ago, based heavily on Young’s star power, and while repeating that performance wouldn’t be great, it could, of course, be worse. Still, Atlanta didn’t take a step forward this season and, even if the Hawks won the final four games, they’d fall short of the 43-win performance from 2021-22 before the sizable investment in Murray.

There are questions in the offing with the Hawks, namely around a looming luxury tax bill and the potential to move on from veterans like John Collins, Clint Capela, and/or the recently extended Bogdan Bogdanovic. For now, though, the Hawks are what their record says they are, and Atlanta is arguably the most average team in the NBA, not only this year but over the last two seasons combined.

Where do the Hawks stack up in our final DIME power rankings of the 2022-23 regular season? Let’s find out.

1. Boston Celtics (54-24, Last week — 4th)

Boston doesn’t have the league’s best record, and the Celtics did lose a pretty rough one in Washington just a week ago. The big change is that the Celtics absolutely blasted Milwaukee in a primetime spot this week and that recent result vaults Boston to the top spot.

2. Milwaukee Bucks (56-22, Last week — 1st)

The Bucks are 27-5 in the last 32 games and there isn’t much to pick apart. As noted above, Milwaukee did fall flat against Boston in a high-profile game, but even that contest has a mild asterisk with a tough schedule situation for the Bucks. A 13-point win over Philadelphia on Sunday quelled any fears.

3. Denver Nuggets (52-26, Last week — 2nd)

Denver hasn’t played that well recently and Nikola Jokic has been banged up in a way that he rarely is. With that said, the Nuggets did pick up a nice win over the Warriors on Sunday without him, and Denver will likely enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the West.

4. Phoenix Suns (43-35, Last week — 7th)

The Suns don’t have the full-season profile of the No. 4 team, but they are rounding into form at the right time. Phoenix is 3-0 since Kevin Durant returned and on a five-game overall winning streak. That puts the Suns in firm control of the No. 4 seed with a (very) favorable game against San Antonio coming on Tuesday.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (51-27, Last week — 6th)

Philadelphia and Boston meet on Tuesday in a game that could be quite interesting in advance of the playoffs. From a seeding standpoint, things are unlikely to change, but it could be a real measuring stick for both teams.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-30, Last week — 5th)

Two losses in the last three games isn’t great for Cleveland, but Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro missed both contests. Also, the Cavs get the joy of closing the season against Orlando (twice) and Charlotte with very little threat of falling out of the top four. It’s not a bad place to be.

7. Memphis Grizzlies (49-29, Last week — 3rd)

The Grizzlies won almost every night for three weeks and then hit a speed bump with two losses this week. Memphis still has a two-game cushion on Sacramento for the No. 2 seed, but those losses probably took the Grizz out of the No. 1 chase. Sunday’s loss was particularly weird, as the Grizzlies led by double figures in what eventually became a 21-point defeat.

8. New York Knicks (46-33, Last week — 10th)

Tom Thibodeau and company are probably going to enter the playoffs as the No. 5 seed, and the Knicks just beat their most likely opponent (Cleveland) by 14 points on the road. Granted, that wasn’t the full-strength Cavs, but New York has won four in a row and is cruising toward the postseason.

9. Sacramento Kings (47-31, Last week — 8th)

We celebrated the Kings’ fantastic season last week in this space, and it was a largely uneventful week after Sacramento finally clinched the playoff berth. The Kings did inexplicably lose to the Spurs, but Sacramento picked up two wins and has a four-game cushion on Phoenix with four to go.

10. Brooklyn Nets (43-35, Last week — 16th)

It was a good week for the Nets with a 3-0 record following an extended period of struggles. That solidified Brooklyn’s position as the likeliest No. 6 seed in the East and, given all of the turmoil during the season, the Nets even getting a top-six seed would be very strong.

11. Los Angeles Lakers (40-38, Last week — 17th)

By now, everyone has pointed to the dangerous Lakers, and there is a reason for that. Los Angeles is 6-1 in the last seven. LeBron is back. The supporting cast is as good as it has been since the bubble. Anthony Davis just won player of the week honors. There’s still a lot of work to do, but the Lakers are frisky at the very least.

12. Chicago Bulls (38-40, Last week — 19th)

So, the Bulls are playing really well. Chicago is 9-4 in the last 13 games with a +6.9 net rating and encouragingly positive offensive numbers. For the full season, the Bulls are playing top-tier defense and, since the All-Star break, only the Celtics (!) have a better net rating than Chicago. We’ll see if they can keep it rolling against Atlanta in a big one on Tuesday.

13. Toronto Raptors (39-39, Last week — 13th)

Toronto is 7-3 in the last ten games, and the Raptors are back to .500 for the first time since they were 13-13. That isn’t going to get anyone too excited, but Toronto is playing much better basketball in recent weeks and might have the inside track at the No. 8 seed in the East. That is especially true if Boston and/or Milwaukee pull back at all during the final week, as the Raptors face those teams three times combined.

14. Golden State Warriors (41-38, Last week — 11th)

The biggest news for the Warriors is that Andrew Wiggins is reportedly on his way back. His lengthy absence certainly hurt Golden State on the floor but, beyond rooting for the best for him and his family, the Warriors remain incredibly dangerous at full strength.

15. L.A. Clippers (41-38, Last week — 12th)

L.A. is just 9-14 without Paul George, and he’s not back yet. Road losses to Memphis and New Orleans are pretty ordinary, but the Clippers’ status in the playoff picture could vary wildly based on the last week of results. That is true of a lot of teams, of course, but it seems stark with the Clippers given the uncertainty with George.

16. Miami Heat (41-37, Last week — 14th)

The Heat have violently underachieved when compared to preseason expectations, but Miami still has the inside track at the No. 7 seed and favorite status to at least reach the playoffs. Miami has a two-game cushion and three games remaining against teams without much incentive to win. Also, no opponent wants to see Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra in a play-in game or playoff series.

17. New Orleans Pelicans (40-38, Last week — 20th)

New Orleans is back from the dead behind an incredible stretch from Brandon Ingram. The Pelicans are 7-1 in the last eight games, and Ingram is putting up 30.3 points and 8.5 assists per game with 53 percent shooting in that sample. It doesn’t fix everything after a wild 35-game stretch with a 10-25 record before that, but the Pelicans at least found their footing and should at least have another shot at a play-in run to make the playoffs.

18. Atlanta Hawks (39-39, Last week — 15th)

The biggest game of Atlanta’s schedule arrives on Tuesday in Chicago. It effectively becomes a “double result” for the Hawks in that Atlanta loses the season-long tiebreaker with a loss and would suddenly be tied with Chicago in the standings. That isn’t where most anyone had the Hawks pegged in October but, well, they need to buck recent trends and win on Tuesday.

19. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-40, Last week — 9th)

ESPN Stats and Info passes along the wild nugget that Minnesota’s loss to Portland on Sunday was a once-in-30-years event. The Wolves were 19.5-point favorites against the openly tanking Blazers and managed to lose, becoming the first team to lose as that big of a favorite in three decades. That didn’t drop the Wolves 10 spots by itself, but it was the third straight loss for Minnesota, and it was a “yikes” moment.

20. Orlando Magic (34-44, Last week — 23rd)

If the season began on Dec. 7, the Magic would be in the playoffs. Orlando is 29-24 in the last 53 games, including a positive point differential, and the Magic just won five of the last six games. The only downside there is that the Magic might’ve been better off with a couple more losses for lottery purposes but, hey, it’s a step forward and this is a fun young team.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder (38-41, Last week — 18th)

The Thunder are just 2-5 in the last seven games, including losses to Indiana and Charlotte. So, it isn’t as if OKC is playing well, but the Thunder are still in the No. 10 spot because…

22. Dallas Mavericks (37-42, Last week — 21st)

It was almost unthinkable for Dallas to miss the play-in, both before the season and after they traded for Kyrie Irving. As of Tuesday morning, however, the Mavericks are a game back of the Thunder for the No. 10 seed after losing seven of the last eight games and there’s suddenly rumblings of shutting down stars. Sunday’s overtime loss in Atlanta was another disappointing result for Dallas, and it’s been really, really ugly for a while, particularly on defense.

23. Utah Jazz (36-42, Last week — 24th)

Utah is technically alive, at least mathematically, in the play-in race, but the Jazz don’t seem to have any interest in making the playoffs at this point. The Jazz are 1-6 in the last seven, taking it very easy with injured players, and looking ahead to the offseason with a stockpile of future picks and an intriguing, flexible roster.

24. Indiana Pacers (34-45, Last week — 26th)

In a big picture sense, the Pacers can take solace in their performance with Tyrese Haliburton on the floor this season. Indiana went 28-28 when Haliburton played and, despite the Pacers being eliminated from playoff contention, the future has some brightness with Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Myles Turner, and the team’s 2023 first round pick.

25. Washington Wizards (34-44, Last week — 22nd)

A month ago, the Wizards were right in the middle of the play-in race. Since then, Washington is 4-12 and the Wizards are now eliminated from contention. There is some upward trajectory in the lottery if the Wizards can manage to lose rest of their games, but that wouldn’t be very Wizards-like.

26. Charlotte Hornets (26-53, Last week — 25th)

The Hornets had a nice three-game winning streak last week, but reality struck in a harsh way. Charlotte just lost home games to Chicago and Toronto by 50 total points, but the Hornets don’t really have to worry about results during the final week. They are locked into the fourth-best lottery odds (with a 12.5 percent chance at No. 1) no matter what.

27. Portland Trail Blazers (33-45, Last week — 27th)

As seen above, Portland made some recent NBA history with a massive upset over Minnesota behind the work of Skylar Mays, Drew Eubanks, and Shaedon Sharpe. That stopped the Blazers from a potential 10-game losing streak to end the season but, make no mistake, the tank is still on.

28. San Antonio Spurs (20-58, Last week — 29th)

Sunday’s win in Sacramento was legitimately stunning from the Spurs. That win meant San Antonio has one more victory than Houston with less than a week remaining on the schedule, but thanks to the lottery odds smoothing, they’re still cruising to a 14 percent chance at Victor Wembanyama.

29. Houston Rockets (19-60, Last week — 28th)

Houston beat Detroit this week, avoiding a drop to No. 30 overall. That was the only win for the Rockets since March 17, but it did essentially ensure that Houston won’t have the worst record in the league for three straight seasons. Progress.

30. Detroit Pistons (16-62, Last week — 30th)

The Pistons are on track to become the first team to lose 66 games since the Hinkie Sixers in 2016. Detroit could, of course, win this week, but the Pistons have lost 20 of the last 21 contests.

Donald Trump’s recent indictment has everyone talking. While most are elated that he’s finally getting his just desserts, some delusional Trumpers think this will only make him more appealing during election season. Some are even likening him to two rap legends.

In a clip from right-wing podcast The Benny Show, Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba spoke to host Benny Johnson, saying that Trump’s indictment and impending arrest put him up there with some of hip-hop’s most revered acts.

“Donald Trump is Tupac. Donald Trump’s Biggie Smalls, he’s better than Tupac. I’m east coast, so I love Biggie,” she said. “Donald Trump is his own brand. He is everything. This is just gonna boost him, we’ve seen it in the polls. It’s not a question, it’s a fact.”

Last Thursday (March 30), Trump was indicted for paying hush money to Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair. He is expected to be arrested today (April 4).

All the while, several have shared images of themselves celebrating Trump’s arrest, including one group of people who flipped off Trump Tower in a photo shared to Twitter.

Several reporters have been waiting outside of the New York City criminal courthouse, waiting to watch Trump’s arrest in real-time.

In the meantime, you can watch the clip from The Benny Show above (if you must).

Mod Sun has been going through it, especially following his split from Avril Lavigne, after the two were engaged. Last Sunday (April 2), Mod Sun was closing his tour in Los Angeles when he took a moment to emotionally address the crowd, according to TMZ.

He told the audience how they “f*cking saved his g*ddamn life,” in the wake of his February breakup with the fellow musician.

“If any of y’all are going through some sh*t right now, whether it be heartbreak, depression, addiction, anxiety, maybe you just have a negative voice in your head right now, I want you to know the one thing I have learned in the last almost four years: Do not be afraid to ask for help,” Mod Sun said.

“So, thank you for helping me. It’s time for a new chapter,” he added.

Lavigne and Mod were first engaged in March of 2022, initially meeting two years earlier. Things got a little dicey this February, when Lavigne’s rep confirmed to E! News that the two had split, but Mod’s rep said they were engaged “three days ago” when he left for tour, so the timeline might have come as a shock.

After the breakup, she has since been spotted out with Tyga, sparking dating rumors, as the pair appeared together in Paris and other spots.

Stormy Daniels is at the center of Donald Trump‘s legal nightmare, even though she didn’t testify before the grand jury. The former president has been indicted over his role in a hush money payment to the porn star, who has frequently spoken about her 2006 encounter with Trump. But not with the level of detail that she did in a new interview with Vogue.

“People think ‘hotel room’ and they think, you walk in and there’s the bed. It wasn’t like that,” she said. “His room was like a giant apartment — it had a formal dining room! So it didn’t seem completely insane for me to hang out there, or for him to suggest we order up food.” Daniels “never got the sense” that Trump was trying to seduce her. In fact, he even asked her “good questions” about her work. “He was smart!” she said before re-thinking the compliment. “Not, like, Einstein, but, like, he spoke in whole sentences.”

Things took a turn, however, after they had been talking for a few hours. “I got up to use the bathroom,” she recalled. “And then I come out, and — it’s like, there’s 90 seconds that don’t exist. I don’t know what happened. I’m standing there, in the doorway, and all of a sudden he’s there in his underwear, doing the world’s worst Burt Reynolds impression, and that’s the thing I don’t understand, I don’t understand how I got from the doorway to being underneath him in the bed.” Daniels remembers thinking, “His bodyguard is right outside that door; what happens if I hit him? Is that bodyguard going to come in here and hurt me?”

Daniels, who was inspired to speak out after watching 2019’s Bombshell, told Vogue that “I know I didn’t say no” to Trump, but “I also know I didn’t say yes. I wasn’t threatened… I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

(Via Vogue)

In December, it was rumored that Dua Lipa would star in the new Barbie movie. Today (April 4), the gossip has officially been confirmed.

On social media, the verified account for the movie tweeted off posters featuring the different actors. Alongside Lipa is Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, Emma Mackey, and more on the star-studded lineup. Lipa will be a blue-haired mermaid version of Barbie.

Daily Mail also reported that rumors were true that the “Don’t Start Now” singer will be recording the theme song for the movie as well. That has not been confirmed by an official source yet, though.

In the fall of last year, Lipa was keeping fans posted about her third album, saying she was working on it and that the process included some unexpected turns.

“Well, when I was speaking to Elton [John], I really felt like I was halfway done,” she said. “But it’s taken a complete turn as I’ve carried on working, and I really feel now that it’s starting to sound cohesive. So I’m going to keep writing in the early months of the new year and see where that takes me.”

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Oscar Isaac takes center stage in the new Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer, which offers the deepest look yet at the highly-anticipated sequel that pits Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) against an entire multiverse of Spider-People.

In this follow-up to the groundbreaking animated film, Isaac voices Miguel O’Hara a.k.a Spider-Man 2099, who appears to be the architect of the multiversal hub populated with various Spider-People. However, Miquel really doesn’t care for Miles despite Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and a new child-toting Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) vouching for him. In fact, Miquel seems to outright hate Miles and is determined to remove him from the Spider-Verse.

The new trailer also offers up the first look at Jason Schwartzman’s The Spot, who doesn’t seem so much a threat as a hilarious sight gag, but that could quickly change on a dime in the wildly imaginative sequel.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on June 2.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, emboldened by the her softball 60 Minutes profile, has of course decided to be in New York City during the Trump indictment. She’s surely the most high-profile MAGA in attendance, and what is happening now makes Michael Che’s recent Joker comparison (which landed after his excellent April Fool’s joke on Colin Jost) seem downright prescient.

As one can imagine, Greene seems to be looking for chaos. NYC Mayor Eric Adams attempted to ward this off by directly addressing Greene with a warning, as reported by CNN. As Newsweek further details, Adams declared, “Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, she stated she’s coming to town. While you are in town be on your best behavior.” Greene must be thrilled at the mayoral shoutout, and she decided to take a “law and order” stance like her idol.

“Delusional @NYCMayor is trying to intimidate, threaten, and stop me from using my 1st amendment rights to peacefully protest the Democrat’s unconstitutional weaponization of our justice system against our top Republican Presidential candidate, President Trump,” the congresswoman from Georgia tweeted. “Mayor Adams should be more concerned about NY citizens and taxpayers being murdered, raped, robbed, and carjacked than an elected Member of Congress coming to town.”

Upon her arrival, Greene continued her rant while claiming that the city is awash in crime like the pre-Giuliani days. Has she ever set foot in NYC before now?

Then came her intended kicker: “New York City looks like Gotham City.”

One wonders if Greene has seen a Batman movie from the past two decades, but probably not. And although it is possible that she’s somehow trying to compare Batman’s vigilante/at-times “wanted”/misunderstood status to Trump, I actually don’t think that was her intent, but I could be wrong? I don’t think Greene was even going that deep. I think her whole intent was to shift the argument to what she might consider “real” crime and complain that NYC is in a shambles due to Mayor Adams. Regardless of her intent by typing “Gotham,” people wonder if anyone should, uh, “tell her.”

As well, others told Greene that she is free to leave and/or recommending that she go see Hamilton (and get booed out like Pence). Yes, the Joker label is flying, too.

It’s gonna be quite a day in New York City.

(Via CNN & Newsweek)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is still high off of his team’s victory at this year’s Super Bowl. This will come full circle during NFL Draft Weekend later this month.

On Friday, April 28, Kelce will bring some of his favorite musical acts to his hometown for the inaugural Kelce Jam. Among the performers are Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, Loud Luxury, and Kansas City legend Tech N9ne.

“The Super Bowl victory lap is not over yet,” said Kelce in a statement. “KC, just wait to see what I have in store for you all with my inaugural Kelce Jam – Draft Weekend’s biggest event ever featuring my homies Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, Loud Luxury, and Tech N9ne, some of KC’s best eats, awesome brand activations, and unmatched championship energy. Get ready to fight for your right to party!”

In addition to a promising line-up of musical performers, Kelce Jam will showcase the best of Kansas City’s dining. Fans will be able to try the Kansas City staple, Joe’s BBQ, as they will be selling a special rib and sausage combo with a Cleveland mustard-inspired BBQ sauce, collectively dubbed the Kelce Combo.

Wingstop will also provide food, and invite two fans to participate in a chicken sandwich eating contest on stage, moderated by Kelce himself.

General admission tickets begin at $49.99 and TickPick VIP passes start at $224.99. Fans can register here for the pre-sale, which will begin Friday, April 7.

As Chloe Bailey (aka Chlöe) recently dropped her anticipated new album, In Pieces, the multi-hyphenate performer shared some insight with Entertainment Tonight about the role her mentor, none other than Beyoncé, played in the process. Bailey is also signed to Bey’s Parkwood label.

“Yes, I know she listened to the album,” Bailey said. “She gave me notes on it before I released it.”

“I love her so much. Dearly, dearly, and I’m so grateful to her for everything,” she added.

She had first joined the label in 2015, as the Chloe x Halle duo with her sister, Halle Bailey — who is playing the main role in Disney’s The Little Mermaid live-action film. Chlöe has also dabbled in acting, as she recently had a role in Prime Video’s Swarm and made waves online with a sex scene. Still, the attention isn’t affecting her too much, as she has her sights set on what’s next — which is a role in Peacock’s Praise This film.

Bailey also shared with the outlet that she feels like a pressure has been lifted now that In Pieces has been released.

“I was so nervous, and now I just feel at peace,” she explained. “I’m so happy it’s out. I got to say everything I wanted to say, and I hope people get an insight more into who Chlöe is.”