Month: May 2023

The next time a conservative politician tries to shut down a drag-themed event, they’ll have Charlize Theron to answer to.

The Mad Max: Fury Road actress recently voiced her support for the drag community during the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon. “We love you queens. We’re in your corner and we’ve got you, and I will f*ck anybody up who’s trying to f*ck with anything with you guys,” she said, according to People. “There are so many things that are hurting and, really, killing our kids, and we all know what I’m talking about right now and it ain’t no drag queen — because if you’ve ever seen a drag queen lip-sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only make you love more, it makes you a better person.”

Theron asked viewers to “please support all the great organizations that are out there helping all of this nonsense go away like it should. All of these incredibly stupid policies. Bye! No more room for hate, only love, and love equals drag queens!”

All funds raised during the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon went “exclusively to nonprofits focused on LGBTQ activism as well as local charities combating harmful bills against the LGBTQIA+ communities across the nation,” including the ACLU Drag Defense Fund and Trans Justice Funding Project (Theron’s daughter is trans). You can still donate here.

(Via People)

Daft Punk might have disbanded, but the memories haven’t: Random Access Memories, that is. The album is celebrating its tenth anniversary this week — and fans have discovered an interesting way that the band is honoring the era.

By selecting certain songs from the album, some display a new message on the Spotify visualizer that reads “May 11, 10 a.m.” and displays varied coordinates. While it’s still unclear what the scavenger hunt is for, Daft Punk is inviting their listeners to try and crack the puzzle. The current locations include spots in New York City, Paris, Toyko, Santa Monica, London, Buenos Aires, and more.

A Daft Punk fan account on Twitter gathered the full list of coordinate locations. They also pointed out that on May 12, Daft Punk are dropping an anniversary edition of the album, so this is seemingly tied to that.

The scavenger hunt is also done through Snapchat, according to a statement the user found. It instructs fans to go to the location in their city at 10 a.m. local time, open the Snapchat camera, launch the “Daft Punk” special lens filter, and then “engage with the specially designed experience.”

This could also possibly include some sort of AR aspect or a chance to hear some of the updates for the anniversary edition — but only tomorrow will tell.

Detective Rudy is on the case.

On Tuesday, a jury ruled that Donald Trump must pay $5 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll for sexually abusing her in the 1990s and then defaming her by calling the allegations “a Hoax and a lie.” Rudy Giuliani hopped on Newsmax to discuss the verdict later that evening, but not before sending one of his underlings to Bergdorf Goodman, where the incident took place, to do some research.

“I think it’s a blip, and I think it’s completely absurd. You know, today I sent Ted, my colleague over to Bergdorf. Do you know there hasn’t been a rape in Bergdorf dressing room in 32 years?” the “freak show” attorney asked Greg Kelly.

Kelly, who is no stranger to utter weirdness, looked befuddled by this remark. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” he said, sounding confused. “What do you mean by that? 1990, wait, 32 years ago was 1991.” Giuliani replied, “Yeah. We went and interviewed the people at Bergdorf and asked them, has there ever been a rape here? And they said, ‘No, there’s never been a rape here. I’ve been working here for 32 years.’” In the best journalism in Newsmax history, Kelly asked, “Did Ted just — I mean, look, I know that this did not happen, but did Ted just ask some guy who was standing there? I mean, how did you…”

Here’s how Rudy replied:

“No. No. No. Please, we asked the employees has there ever been a rape here? ‘No.’ We went and looked at the dressing room. To do a rape in Bergdorf is like doing it in the open. You might as well do it in the open. It’s totally ridiculous to think that a man like Trump, who was very well known, the minute he walks into Bergdorf, everybody’s all over him. It’s totally ridiculous to think that this rape took place.”

So, there you go. It never happened because some guy named Ted accosted a random Bergdorf Goodman employee. Another brilliant legal strategy from America’s Mayor.

(Via Mediaite)

Barbz, rejoice: It appears new Nicki Minaj music may finally be on the way.

Over the past few days, Nicki, whose real name is Onika Maraj, and her fans have been celebrating her accomplishments over the years, using the #OnikaWinsAgain hashtag.

Through the hashtag, you’ll see the loyal Barbz recalling iconic lines of the rapper’s, as well as some of her most memorable red carpet looks.

Now, it seems like Nicki is just about ready to reward the Barbz for their dedication.

Nicki has released several standalone singles over the past couple years, including “Seeing Green” and “Fractions” from the 2021 reissue of her 2009 mixtape, Beam Me Up, Scotty, as well as her 2022 No. 1 pop hit, “Super Freaky Girl.” However, it’s been almost five years since she released her fourth studio album, Queen.

But it looks like we may finally have an update as to when we can expect it.

Today (May 10), she teased that the album, which fans have nicknamed “NM5,” will arrive this year.

“NM5 is the best thing that will come out of 2023 & will raise the bar to new & unreachable heights,” Nicki said in a tweet. “NM5 tour will be hailed as “genius”. That’s it & that’s all.”

With recent features on tracks like Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana,” as well as Kim Petras’ “Alone,” as well as the launch of her “Heavy On It” record label, it appears a new era of Nicki may soon be upon us.

Coca-Cola® and Warner Music Group’s WMX is on the road to uncover music’s new diamond in the rough. The Coca-Cola® Transformation Team’s talent search inspired by Coca-Cola® Move has led them to Puerto Rico’s own Eduardo María.

Hailing from Mayagüez, Eduardo blends his classically-trained background with cultural elements into his songwriting, stage presence, and production style to deliver an emotionally dynamic final product. Sticking to the series’ “the transformational power of music” mission for his The Eye one-take in-studio performance, Eduardo lets his heart bleed in front of the camera.

Performing his original song, “Dilo,” a song inspired by a past romantic relationship, Eduardo channels the track’s sensual nature. On-screen, the musician oozes confidence, but he confesses, “I’m nervous. I have the jitters! But it’s more like when your adrenaline is running, and you don’t know if you’re nervous or actually excited.”

As soon as the crew begins recording, the pressure melts off of Eduardo as he knocks the performance out of the park. Fellow artists Kallitechnis and San Cha proudly cheer him in the background.

Speaking on his experience, Eduardo shared, “I definitely grew — getting more in my body and getting the feedback from the team. It gives you a glimpse of what your future will be. It has transformed me. It has connected me more to myself. “

This video highlights how much preparatory work goes on behind the scenes to birth the high-stakes The Eye performances. Watch the full video above.

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

Rap and wrestling have seen increasing crossover in recent years, with artists like Snoop Dogg and Bad Bunny participating in WWE events and rappers like The Rock trying their hands at rocking the mic. With all this mixing between the two entertainment industries, it’s no wonder that wrestlers are now picking musicians for their dream matchups.

In an interview with Billboard, the reigning WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions said they would love to wrestle “WAP” rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were asked about their dream match, replying, “I would love to see Cardi and Meg The Stallion. I think Meg would be incredible. They’ve also been so active with us on Twitter and just responded to different things. Those two would be interesting to see in the ring. Us versus Cardi and Meg. Make it happen.”

Morgan even suggested a few types of matches for the two rappers. “I’m not gonna go easy on them, though,” she said. “They look like they could take the titles: an Extreme Rules Match, Last Woman Standing Match. Let’s do all of it.”

Such a match probably isn’t completely out of the question; Cardi has long enthused about her wrestling fandom on Twitter and the two rappers were pretty pumped to try out football training, so it’s clear they aren’t afraid of a little exercise. The matchup would be physically equal as well, as both pairs include a statuesque powerhouse (Rodriguez is six feet tall while Megan is 5’10”) and a pocket-size firecracker (Cardi and Morgan max out at 5’3″).

The rappers’ hectic schedules would likely make such a match improbable, but stranger things have happened and hey, if they’re into it, it could result in as entertaining a match as Bad Bunny’s recent blowout with Damian Priest in Puerto Rico. Put it on the books!

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

It seems like everyone is talking too much about the various car stunts in the upcoming Fast and Furious installment and not enough about the leaders in the car prank industry: the Gemstone family. Luckily, they will return in June for another round of chaotic shenanigans, all in the name of Jesus (and excessive hairspray).

Season three of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones will begin its Sunday service on June 18th, though by that time, you’ll have to stream it on MAX if you miss it on television, in case you weren’t paying attention. The season will bring back the insane Gemstone family, led by John Goodman, Danny McBride, Adam Devine, and Edi Patterson while adding Steve Zahn into the mix. The series will also hop aboard the growing trend of race car driving in the media by having the siblings operate dangerous vehicles. It’s just another day working for the Lord.

Here is the official longline for season three:

When the spoiled Gemstone children finally get their wish to take control of the Church, they discover leadership is harder than they imagined and that their extravagant lifestyle comes with a heavy price.

Now that we got that out of the way, here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: Baby Billy wearing….this:

The Righteous Gemstones returns June 18th. Check out the trailer above.

MIAMI – will.i.am needs to eat. He’s been pulled into TV live hits, quick meetings, meet and greets, and plenty of selfies, and he hasn’t had time to sit down to collect his thoughts. He puts an order in at the Mercedes compound in the team village and should have just enough time to enjoy that before heading out to the track for driver intros and a chance to showcase his new track, “The Formula” with Lil Wayne, marking a pivot for F1 that feels almost two decades coming.

While those driver intros — much more NBA All-Star Weekend than traditional motorsports — still are taking a little bit of getting used to, it’s the culmination of something will.i.am has seen as the future of F1 since his first in-person race experience in Singapore in 2008. F1 is hitting its stride in the States, which means more American-style pageantry and a general shift toward personalities that took a huge step forward in large part thanks to Netflix’s Drive To Survive series. As Max Verstappen (who ran a perfect race, starting near the back due to a fluky qualifying session on Saturday, but still managed to pass fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez to win the Miami GP) mentioned during a short Q+A in Heineken’s Paddock Club, he often can’t do much more than go from training or track to hotel and back. Going out to dinner is a challenge now.

But all the drivers, despite the frustration, would agree this is ultimately good for the sport, and the opportunities to do more and more off-track have them reaching superstar status usually reserved for Oscar winners and first-name footballers.

There’s still more room for F1 to enter and disrupt the zeitgeist, and that’s where will.i.am comes in. As artist in residence for the sport, “The Formula” is just one component, and he sees chances to drop not just more songs into the mix, but add his cultural expertise and futurist perspective. It’s a project that seems uniquely suited for will, who has made his career on being not just in the moment, but creating the next moment in the studio, in business, in AI, and elsewhere.

UPROXX Sports had a chance to speak with will.i.am about the road to working with F1, where the sport can go moving forward, and what’s next.

Martin Rickman: How did the F1 opportunity come about for you?

will.i.am: There’s some opportunities that come to you, and then there’s opportunities that you materialize. So I had the idea to connect dots that people didn’t see, and those dots that people didn’t see are that F1 has amazing events that happen before the race. Friday’s crazy and the night is amazing, no matter what city you go to. Friday is the practice run. The party on Friday night is always the best. Saturday is qualifying. The party on Saturday is insane. Sunday is the race, and it’s like a moving freaking festival circus in the form of a race. But what the people see when it’s broadcast is just the race.

Just the race.

They don’t see the arts and the culture that’s happening in and around the races. And they fly artists out to perform at these parties, the local promoters. But that’s not captured in the broadcast.

No. That’s just for the people who are able to be at those.

Right. So I was like, “Hey, why don’t we do like an artist residency concept where one of the artists gets selected, they make an album, they release singles around key locations and videos?” In this case, me and Lil Wayne for the Formula. Me and J Balvin for a song that’s going to come out in the next couple of months. And then an album right around the end of the season in Vegas. And then the last song and video for Abu Dhabi in the race. And you repeat next year. And I pitched this concept to F1 CEO Stefano [Domenicali]. I attend the Harvard Business School. He was speaking. So I flew out to Mexico. He’s like, “Oh, I have to go to Boston and I’m speaking at Harvard.” I’m like, “I go to Harvard.”

You’re here right now.

And so he’s like, “Well, let’s meet up.” I was like, “Okay.” So from Mexico flying back to Boston is when I was like, “Whoa, I’m going to pitch him an amazing idea. Let me get this idea in order.” So I pitched him the vision at Harvard Business School.

Amazing. And so obviously he was into it, and then it led to it actually happening. Because nothing happens overnight. You work on things for years sometimes to make these things happen.

So it took from November the second until — here we are, May 5, May 8 — to get everything and the deal done, make the songs, shoot the video, record the orchestra, film the orchestra, film the video, film the part of this video for “The Formula” on the Saudi track. And all the activities, all the organizing strategy, finalizing on notes and edits all happened on FYI.

And for people who aren’t familiar yet with FYI, the app that you’ve been developing for the past three years, was this a good pilot opportunity for you to utilize the project, kind of in real-time, and then be able to continue to test everything that you had been working on?

So the first pilot, we knew the power of it by working with ITV, to do The Voice this year. And Mercedes, I worked with Mercedes very closely, the car that I made last year that I launched here [in Miami], we used the product for that. So we’ve stress-tested it and put it to work. But this is the first time it’s at this scale, though.

For F1 specifically for you, what was your introduction to the sport, and what is it about that sport that is so interesting? Is it that connective tissue between art, culture, music, fashion, sport, and all that? Because you live at that nexus, but you’ve always also lived at the nexus of the future of all of these things. And I feel you’re constantly thinking about that stuff before anyone else is.

The first race I’ve been to was 2008. So I went to Singapore. Black Eyed Peas did the show there. And then from there I was like, “Whoa, this is something else. What is this? This is not like any other sport.” And I knew about it even before then because I introduced Lewis [Hamilton] to Nicole [Scherzingerback] in 2007. That’s like a year. So 2007 when I introduced Lewis to Nicole, and 2008 we played Singapore and then, boom, we were rocking from there.

In terms of the future of sport and of this sport specifically, where do you see it heading? And do you think that the progress that’s been made, not just with Drive To Survive, with the opportunities you have for artists in residence, the parties, all those other things that are coming through, where can it go from here? Because it still feels like there’s an opportunity to kind of open the door up to more people, but also collaboration and creativity in those things.

Let’s take basketball as an example. Basketball in the 80s was not fashion and culture. It was just a sport. But Jordan and Nike brought a whole new vibrancy to wearing basketball shoes out in the world. Right?

It’s not just performance. It becomes something else.

Yeah. Lifestyle and culture. So I think F1 is on its route to that because, if you think of fashion, I wouldn’t say that this sport has done that crossover of that yet but it’s on its way to do that. It’s on its way to impact that level of culture. I think Lewis is a big major factor on how it crosses over to the world of fashion like basketball has.

How important has it been to be able to sit at these tables with other people that maybe you haven’t had the chance to talk to yet, but you wanted to, whether it is Sergio or someone like that to work towards those next things you want to do?

Networking is great, but I don’t want to be that. You want to be careful that you’re not that guy. I don’t want to be that guy where it’s like going to tables because people, they want their space. They’re here with their folks. So it’s a balance. Taking the opportunity when people want to introduce you to people, but I also want to give people their space.

Spoilers for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 follow below.

Florence Welch doesn’t have an on-screen role in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, but she still has a strong presence in the movie. The film ends with Rocket playing Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over,” which leads to the Guardians having a cathartic dance session to the 2008 classic. Welch had herself a joyful cry while watching the scene for the first time.

Aside from being a nice moment in the movie, the scene has also brought some renewed interest to the song, as the Spotify charts show.

The movie hit theaters on May 5, and a few days later, “Dog Days Are Over” started setting new personal bests. On Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global chart for May 8, the track made its first-ever appearance on the chart, debuting at No. 183. On the latest daily chart, for May 9, the song rose to No. 163. Meanwhile, on the daily US chart, “Dog Days” debuted at No. 186 on the May 7 chart and currently sits at No. 128. Globally, the song was streamed a combined 2.2 million times on May 8 and 9.

Next week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart will reflect listening data since Guardians was released, so it remains to be seen if the film will land the song back on that chart.

Ed Sheeran, after recently releasing his new album Subtract, has officially kicked off his The Mathematics Tour. The opening night was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on May 6. Sheeran played for around two hours. From there, he will be continuing to hold concerts at dates across North America.

Throughout the concert, Sheeran also swapped between solo performances and being joined by a full band during select parts of the show, as setlist.fm indicates.

While Sheeran’s next tour date is in Houston on May 13, fans who are either going to that one or other dates on The Mathematics Tour might be wondering what songs to expect, as he is playing selections across all of his albums — a fittingly titled tour, considering his preference for naming records after math symbols.

Continue scrolling for Ed Sheeran‘s Arlington setlist.

1. “Tides”
2. “Blow”
3. “I’m a Mess”
4. “Shivers”
5. “The A Team”
6. “Castle on the Hill”
7. “Don’t” / “No Diggity”
8. “Eyes Closed”
9. “Give Me Love”
10. “Boat”
11. “Salt Water”
12. “Own It” / “Peru” / “Beautiful People” / “I Don’t Care”
13. “End of Youth”
14. “Overpass Graffiti”
15. “Curtains”
16. “Galway Girl”
17. “Thinking Out Loud”
18. “Love Yourself”
19. “Sing”
20. “Photograph”
21. “Perfect”
22. “Bloodstream”
23. “Afterglow”
24. “Shape of You”
25. “Bad Habits”
26. “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.