Month: April 2023

On Sunday night, the Country Music Television Awards included an ebullient performance by Kelsea Ballerini, who was joined by drag queens amid the proposed Tennessee drag-show ban, which was recently blocked by a judge for being “unconstitutionally vague.” If you guessed that Marjorie Taylor Greene — who received an earful on Super Bowl Sunday over Chris Stapleton’s “wokeness” (without realizing that Stapleton is an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement) — was upset about over Ballerini’s CMT Awards performance, you would be correct. Greene did tweet her disapproval.

She wasn’t the only one. Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren was incensed over the jubilant performance (Ballerini was joined by Kennedy Davenport, Manila Luzon, Jan Sport, and Olivia Lux). Tomi had no joy and instead, she complained, “The country music INDUSTRY has gone full woke despite actual COUNTRY MUSIC FANS not buying into any of this mess. RIP CMT.”

She also ranted about the “rainbow mafia” and then floated a conspiracy theory about “big Pharma,” which of course is a dig at hormone therapy, which Lahren believes is a “a manipulative and sneaky way” for pharmaceutical companies “to have a lock on these people for the rest of their lives.”

Lahren didn’t mention Ballerini’s opening monologue, in which she paid tribute to the victims of Nashville’s recent school shooting, which the singer called out as a mere one of “the 130 mass shootings in the US this year alone.” Instead, the right-wing firebrand focused her anger upon a display of happiness, which sparked much laughter in her replies. A whole lot of “cry me a river” started to flow over Tomi’s dislike of anything “woke.”

The CMT Awards aired on CBS, and performances can be streamed on the CMT website.

In America, some people are consumed with medical debt, and while many people argue for universal health care, we have to live within the system that currently exists until something changes. This means many Americans live without adequate medical insurance and are saddled with astronomical medical bills. Since healthcare is tied to employment, people who are unemployed are likely disproportionately affected.

People living with severe mental illnesses are most likely to be unable to hold down employment to maintain medical insurance—the same medical insurance that provides mental health services and medication management needed to treat their mental illness. It’s a medical care quagmire, and one that retired Dodgers player Andrew Toles would’ve found himself in, had the Major League Baseball team ended his contract.

Toles signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and just two years later, the team placed him on the restricted list indefinitely, essentially retiring the player while he worked on his mental health.

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During his absence from the game, Toles has continued to struggle with his mental health. In 2018 he was hospitalized for two weeks and diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. After he was found living behind the Key West International Airport in 2020, the baseball player’s father, Alvin Toles, former linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, gained guardianship and Toles has been with him since.

At this point, it’s been multiple years since Toles has played baseball professionally, but that hasn’t stopped the Dodgers from renewing his contract.

Every year, the baseball team renews Toles’s contract for $0 and keeps him on the reserves list so he can keep his health insurance through the team. Mental health care can be expensive, especially when you have severe mental illnesses that may require multiple hospital stays and trials of multiple medications to find the right balance. The Dodgers continually renewing the player’s contract is not only heartwarming but admirable.

According to an update in 2021 from Toles’ father, the player is still in active psychosis.

“We are having challenges, but nothing that God and I can’t handle. Schizophrenia, it’s just so tough. I mean, he can’t even watch TV. He hears voices and the TV at the same time, so it’s kind of confusing. I’ve seen him looking at some baseball games on his laptop, but I don’t think he really understands what’s going on,” Alvin told USA Today at the time.

The Dodgers keeping Toles on their roster proves to the family that they’re not alone. Even if the embattled player doesn’t remember his time as a star baseball player or understand the game anymore, his team still has his back.

“His name will pop up randomly in our clubhouse. He fit in with us so fondly and was so adored. It’s just sad to see what has transpired and knowing that a lot of it is out of his control,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told USA Today in 2021. “Man, I would love to see him. I’d love to put my arms around him. I miss him. I really miss him.’’

Toles has been living out his life in a home next door to his father in Georgia, where his dad works hauling chemicals and caring for his son. The Dodgers are hopeful that one day Toles will be well enough to attend a game when they’re playing in Atlanta, according to USA Today.

We toss around the philosophical question “What advice would you give to your younger self?” a lot. But what if we switched that around? What if our younger selves had just as much wisdom to share?

Back in 2016, 13-year-old Michelle Skidelsky used the website FutureMe.org to write her future self a pre-scheduled email. She picked a send date at random without looking, not knowing if it would find its way to her 50 years or five days from that moment.

Cut to the present—it’s 2023. Skidelsky is now a 20-year-old college student. Her message just arrived.

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In a now-viral TikTok clip, Skidelsky shared the loving words sent by her teen self, and millions of people were moved by just how positive it was.

“Dear Future Me…Hi! Did you miss me? It’s me, you!” the letter began.

Teen Skidelsky asked “Do you still want to be a doctor like I do? A psychiatrist?”

Adult Skidelsky’s answer: “No, I’m a communications major now.” But it’s OK, apparently her younger self “knew deep down that we weren’t good at math.”

@michelleskidelsky

i used futureme.org to do this!! dont let this fool you 13 year old me was rlly annoying

♬ original sound – michelle

Offering some words of wisdom, Teen Skidelsky continued, “If your life has gone horribly wrong, I’m sorry. But your life was awesome at one point and don’t regret making your life horrible because at one point it was everything you wanted.”

She also offered some really sweet encouragement, “I hope you remember that you are beautiful and awesome and deserve lots of awesome things…I am proud of you, because I know we are capable of great things.”

Touching, right? There were also a few funny quips in there, like “You are smart, or you were, and you can be smart again.”

Towards the end of the email, Teen Skidelsky urged her future counterpart to treat herself to a donut. Adult Skidelsky explains the painful context surrounding that request, recalling that she had been battling an eating disorder during that time, and this was an attempt at giving her self-esteem some positive messaging.

And in case you’re wondering—yes, Adult Skidelsky got herself a donut. A vanilla one, to be exact.

@michelleskidelsky Replying to @thefairygrandmother ♬ original sound – michelle

Skidelsky also returned the favor by creating a TikTok carousel honoring her younger self, aka her “hero.”

Thirteen-year-old Skidelsky was a “strong, resilient and brave” young girl, whose “favorite color was white, though technically white wasn’t actually a color,” who “always chose navy blue ties for her braces,” who felt unrequited love for her best friend but would later find it elsewhere, who wanted to “prove to some unknown entity that she was smart.”

She loved books, music, weekend sleepovers, riding her bike around her hometown, spring, classroom games and making DIY room decor.

Yeah, young Skidelsky sounds pretty rad. And according to her older self, “things turned out better than she could ever imagine.”

It’s so common to think that a chapter in our life isn’t going the way it should be when we’re in the thick of it, only to look back with a renewed sense of appreciation of our former selves. How many times have you been baffled looking back at a photo of yourself you once thought was atrocious? Yes, me too. Perhaps one of the best ways we can perform self-love is to infuse our future with a sense of hope in whatever way we can.

And isn’t it just mind-boggling to think about how, in many ways, we’re never really just one person navigating through life? Our entire identity is basically an ensemble of different characters telling our story without ever really interacting with one another.

However, if you would like to engage with one of your co-stars from another time, you can write your own future self a letter here. Who knows, it might bring a smile to your face years from now.

BTS have become Billboard Hot 100 titans, landing six No. 1 songs on the chart: “Dynamite,” “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” with Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo, “Life Goes On,” “Butter,” “Permission To Dance,” and “My Universe” with Coldplay. The group is currently on hiatus, but that’s not stopping them from having a presence on the Hot 100: On the new chart dated April 8, “Like Crazy,” from Jimin’s new solo album Face, debuts at No. 1. It’s the first song from a BTS member, and from a South Korean solo artist overall, to reach the top of the chart.

Fellow BTS member J-Hope offered a congratulatory message shortly after the news broke.

As for Face, it did well on the new Billboard 200 albums chart, too. That was revealed yesterday (April 2) and Face debuted at No. 2, behind Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time. Worth noting is that individual track plays count towards album rankings, and while Wallen’s album has 36 songs, Jimin’s project features only six tracks.

Jimin has had a strong promotional push for his solo work in recent days: He dropped a “Like Crazy” video late last month and sat down with Jimmy Fallon for a Tonight Show interview, during which he spoke about being starstruck by Halsey.

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

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.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B and Afrobeats column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.

Chlöe performed “Cheatback” on Kimmel and shared a video for “In Pieces.” Daniel Caesar released his “Valentina” single and performed “Let Me Go” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and 6lack shared a tough-talking video for “Preach.” Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” continues to be a record-breaking track while Khalid yearns for the “Softest Touch” on his new single.

Here are some more releases on the new music front that you should check out:

Chlöe — In Pieces

It’s a project that’s been in the works for well over a year, but at long last, Chlöe’s solo debut album is here. With In Pieces, Chlöe uses 14 songs and features from Future and Missy Elliott to detail a story of heartbreak, recovery, and re-establishing your confidence. It’s another bright moment for the young singer who’s already accomplished so much.

Jhené Aiko — “Calm & Patient”

It’s been a while since Jhené Aiko released new music, but that time has come to an end with the arrival of “Calm & Patient.” The song was initially released on Instagram Reels as a way to pay homage to her Tumblr beginnings, and altogether, the record encompasses everything we’ve come to love about Jhené.

Davido — Timeless

I would describe Davido’s new album Timeless as the long-awaited arrival to the light at the end of the tunnel. Seemingly getting to the other side of grief and loss, Davido returns with an album that’s uplifting, confident, reassuring, and optimistic. With features from Asake, Skepta, and more, Davido is stronger and better than ever.

Popcaan — Great Is He (Deluxe)

Popcaan’s latest album Great Is He may have flown under the radar after its release earlier this year, but no worries. He’s back to remind you about the strong project thanks to a deluxe reissue. Popcaan adds 8 songs to the project’s original 17 for an added experience that won’t disappoint.

THEY. — “Riptide”

THEY. — the R&B singer-producer duo comprised of singer Drew Love and producer Dante Jones — are entering a new era for themselves. THEY. is an independent group for the first time, and next week April 7, the duo will show off the results of their independence with their third album Nu Moon. Their single “Riptide” is the newest offering from the album and a promise of good things to come from it.

Kenyon Dixon — “Slow Dancing” Feat. Kincy

Despite being months removed from the release of his last project Closer, Kenyon Dixon has no plans to slow down. His latest single “Slow Dancing” with Kincy is proof of that. It’s a record that he calls the start of “a new era of the R&B you love.”

Amaka — “Crusin’”

Earlier this month, the R&B world was hit with the shocking news that duo VanJess broke up. Don’t fret though, Jess (or Amaka as she goes by now) is back with her new single “Crusin’” and it’s produced by Kaytranada!

Jordan Hawkins & Phabo — “Timeless”

Going after the “R&B is dead” critics gets to be tiring after a while, especially when you have fresh names like Jordan Hawkins and Phabo proving its life. The two singers unite for “Timeless” and a passionate and heartful number that sees both Jordan and Phabo express their desire to have a “timeless” love with their new partners.

Amari Noelle — Take II

For her second project of the year, following Lover Girl Pack 1, Gary, Indiana native Amari Noelle checks back in with Take II. It’s a brief project with just seven songs and a feature from Mannywellz, but with highlights like “Like I Should,” it’s definitely a project to check out.

Cedric Brazle — …What I Know Now

A little over two years after If Know Then…, Florida native Cedric Brazle returns with its companion project …What I Know Now. Growth and new discoveries with love are present on this project, but so are strong records like the previously released “Product Of Love.”

Bloody Civilian — “I Don’t Like You”

Nigerian singer and producer Bloody Civilian checks back in with her new single, “I Don’t Like You.” The record is a lovely blend of Afropop and electronic sounds that is a warm sign of what’s to come especially as she prepares to release her upcoming EP, Anger Management.

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

Keith Olbermann made the mistake of being Twitter’s main character on Sunday night. The veteran sportscaster/former MSNBC host made some choice remarks about Louisiana State University basketball star Ashley Reese, which resulted in Olbermann getting dragged by Samuel L. Jackson, Shaq, and an avalanche of Twitter users.

During the LSU vs. Iowa game, Reese made the “you can’t see me” gesture to Iowa player Caitlin Clark. Unbeknownst to Olbermann, there was context for this exchange between two rivals, but that didn’t stop him from insulting Reese.

“What a f*cking idiot,” Olbermann tweeted above a video of Reese making the gesture to Clark. He then blasted the coach for allowing the exchange. “Doesn’t matter the gender, the sport, the background – you’re seconds away from a championship and you do something like this and overshadow all the good. Mindless, classless, and what kind of coach does this team have?”

Olbermann’s remarks quickly put him on the radar of Nick Fury himself, who had some choice words of his own.

“Thanks for reminding us what Lil Dick Energy actually is, Keith!!!” Jackson wrote.

“shut your dumb ass up leave angel reese alone,” added Shaq.

After Jackson and Shaq lit up Olbermann, the rest of Twitter was off to the races. You can see some of the reactions below:

After getting ruthlessly dragged, Olberman posted what seemed like an apology, but really, he just doubled down.

“I apologize for being uninformed last night about the back story on this,” Olbermann wrote. “I don’t follow hoops, college or pro, men or women. I had no idea about Clark. Both were wrong.”

However, Olbermann’s apology wasn’t exactly an apology. He included a transcript from his Monday morning podcast where he added the context of Reese and Clark’s “you can’t see me exchanges” and then called both of them “classless”:

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are star women’s college basketball players; In an Elite Eight game, Clark of lowa scored 40 points and had a triple double and made a wrestling gesture meaning “you can’t see me” to her opponents. Last night Reese and L-S-U beat Clark and low for the national title 102-to-85 and REESE made the same gesture to Clark AND added another one indicating she was getting the championship ring. Reese was named M-V-P of the tournament and nobody will remember that, nor the L-S-U crown, just the fact that women’s hoops has now achieved parity with the men: its stars can be classless winners who are willing to overshadow their own team’s victories.

Yeah, that’s probably not gonna help, Keith.

(Via Keith Olbermann on Twitter)

Other than a brief studio session to record “Die For You (Remix)” and casually picking up another No. 1 with The Weeknd, Ariana Grande has been fully immersed in Wicked for the last year-plus.

Grande and Cynthia Erivo confirmed in November 2021 that they would play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, for Jon M. Chu’s forthcoming film adaptation of Wicked, which will be released in two parts.

Grande provided an update today, April 3, from the set in London.

“Halfway,” she captioned an Instagram photo of her standing beneath a full rainbow. “Savoring every millisecond left with my Galinda (although she’ll be with me irrevocably, forever). She shows me so many new things every day.

Grande continued:

“I am so grateful, i don’t know what to do or say… to be here in Oz where everyday is a life changing one… to be feeling, learning and growing so much at such a disarming speed… to feel so much love around me, to begin each day before the sun is up and to end after it sets… to hold my brilliant twin flame / sister Cynthia’s beautiful, green hands every day… to work in the safest, most beautiful and loving, biggest-yet-most-intimate/tiny-feeling spaces… to be lead by thee most thoughtful, brilliant, compassionate and warmest possible director on this planet, my other Ozian best friend ever Jon… to be transforming and healing parts of me that i never knew needed it. or maybe did.

forgive me for this most cancerian, rambly post. words don’t suffice but i suppose i just wanted to (attempt to) share a little. i don’t want it to end. so while i am still here, present, now, i just wanted to….exclaim my tremendous gratitution ! and allow my heart to overflow. i hope this isn’t all a dream because as present as i am attempting to be, it sure does feel like one. happy halfway to this most beautiful crew. my fellow Ozians. my heart will be stuck here forever.”

Chu shared Grande’s post to his Instagram Story and added, “It’s not a dream. Halfway point. Our Galinda/Glinda emerges for a moment [three heart emojis] love you @arianagrande and @cynthiaerivo so much love and care is being poured into every frame. Just wait.”

Wicked: Part 1 was moved up to November 27, 2024, as The Hollywood Reporter relayed and Chu confirmed on March 14.

Grande has dreamt of leaving her mark in the legacy of Wicked since she was a little girl. Kristen Chenoweth recalled in 2019 to Seth Meyers of meeting a 10-year-old Ariana during her initial run of Wicked and gifting her a wand. Chenoweth has continued to support Grande following in her footsteps.

After two seasons of playing Kat on Euphoria, actress Barbie Ferreira announced that she would not be returning to the hit HBO series for season three. “I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” she wrote on Instagram. “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it.”

Ferreira discussed her decision to exit the show on the Armchair Expert podcast. “When people ask me about season two, it’s usually they come at me with, like, I was some sort of victim to season two,” she said, “and I’m always like, ‘No, it’s OK, promise. It’s good.’ I actually did not walk off set. I did sprain my ankle once and had to go get an X-ray. Maybe that’s what they mean?”

Ferreira continued:

“I don’t think there was a place for her to go. I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show. I don’t know if it was going to do her justice, and I think both parties knew that I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either.”

Euphoria is no stranger to alleged behind-the-scenes drama, but Ferreira insists that wasn’t the case here. “[Creator Sam Levinson] writes for, like, things that he relates to. I don’t think he relates to Kat. I like Kat, so I get to go on my own path. At first, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m a flop. I’m a loser.’ It really has been a good thing.”

You can listen to the podcast below.

(Via Insider)

Magical things seem to happen whenever Eric Trump deigns to step foot on a commercial flight. Over the weekend, as Insider reports, Donald Trump’s third born spawn told Fox News a likely story about how he was on a plane when he — and the rest of the world — learned that his father had been indicted. What he says happened next is, well, dubious:

I was on a commercial flight when this whole indictment broke. People were coming up to me, giving me hugs. The support is unbelievable out there.

People understand that we’ve literally become a banana republic, that they’ve made a mockery out of our legal system in this country.

Oddly, this is not the first — or even second time — that Eric has claimed to have found solace in a plane full of total strangers. Last July, while appearing on Newsmax, he claimed that his fellow passengers on another commercial flight broke out into spontaneous applause and began excitedly shouting “USA!” when he boarded.

The following month, he told a strikingly similar story — again, to Newsmax — about how “everybody” who was traveling on a plane with him came over to express their support for him, his family, and especially his dad:

The energy on that flight! Everybody came up to me: ‘Sorry what these people are doing to your family. Your father has to go out there. You have our vote. You have our entire family’s vote. You’ve got our entire street’s vote.’

Given that Trump failed to secure even half the country’s vote in the 2020 election — an election he lost — makes these claims seem mathematically impossible. But we’ll let Eric have his moment.

(Via Insider)

Angel Reese notched her 34th double-double in the NCAA Division I national championship game — the most in one season in Division I history — and boosted the LSU Tigers to an historic 102-85 win over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Tigers’ 102 points are the most-ever in an NCAA women’s title game, and the result was the first-ever national championship for LSU in men’s or women’s basketball. So, yeah, Reese (the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, by the way) was rightfully feeling herself.

People are mad — and telling on themselves in their racist and sexist outrage.

The backstory: Clark hit the “you can’t see me” during Iowa’s 97-83 Elite Eight trouncing of Louisville. She put up a triple-double with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. Mostly everybody loved her confidence. But when Reese served Clark the “you can’t see me” as time was expiring in the national championship, Reese was ridiculed for being too cocky or whatever.

“Caitlin Clark is a hell of a player, for sure, but I don’t take disrespect lightly,” Reese said on ESPN afterward.

The backstory to the backstory: The one thing everybody seemed to agree on was crediting John Cena with inventing the “you can’t see me,” and Cena chimed in after Clark’s celebration in the Elite Eight. But it turns out the discourse over its usage was just as misguided as the understanding of its origin. Before Cena popularized the catchphrase and hand gesture in WWE, there was G-Unit’s Tony Yayo in the “So Seductive” video featuring 50 Cent. (For what it’s worth, Cena has credited Yayo in the past.)

Look no further than the 32-second mark:

“LISTEN JOHN CENA DID NOT INVENT THE ‘YOU CAN’T SEE ME,’” The Kid Mero tweeted. “TONY YAYO DID AND IDK WHY HES NOT MORE VOCAL ABOUT IT.”

Another tweeter noted, “At the end of the day, Tony Yayo is the cause of all of this LMAO.”

As for Clark and Reese, Clark wasn’t bothered by Reese’s excellent taunt, and Reese used the moment to speak on the purpose behind her unabashed authenticity.

“All year, I was critiqued about who I was,” Reese said during her postgame presser. “I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So this was for the girls who look like me, that’s gonna speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you, and that’s who I did it for tonight.”

She continued, “It was bigger than me tonight. It was bigger than me. Twitter is gonna go on a rage every time, and I mean, I’m happy. I feel like I helped grow women’s basketball this year. I’m super happy and excited, so I’m looking forward to celebrating and then next season.”

In other words, you will see Angel Reese.