Month: May 2023

Diddy might’ve had a lot of sex advice for James Corden on Carpool Karaoke. But do you know what else the entertainer has a lot of? Businesses. During his recent surprise appearance at the music festival, Something In The Water, he presented his vodka company, Ciroc. On Monday, May 1, the producer used his appearance at the 2023 Met Gala to promote his clothing brand, Sean John.

While being interviewed by his longtime friend, actress Lala, Diddy was asked to detail his look for the evening. “This is Sean John’s [Met Gala] debut, as you can see. First time I designed in 10 years, and we’re feeling good,” he said.

Diddy also told Lala that the look was designed along with his longtime collaborator and respected stylist and designer, June Ambrose.

Back in 2016, Diddy sold a majority stake in the company to Global Brands Group Holding Ltd. However, in July 2021, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, resulting in the brand and its other assets being auctioned.

Now, according to Forbes, Diddy recently won his bid to regain a majority stake. During the earlier 2000s, the brand gained mainstream popularity and was prominently placed throughout several of his music videos. Diddy was also photographed wearing the line at many hip-hop events.

Jack Harlow is riding high off the release of his new album Jackman. However, one reporter is alleging that the “They Don’t Love It” rapper’s elevated state isn’t just figurative.

On Monday, May 1, Harlow slipped into his best Tommy Hilfiger threads to attend fashion’s biggest night, the annual Met Gala. Although he didn’t hit the red carpet to show off his look for the evening, he didn’t stop to speak with many of the media correspondents. With a new film, the reboot of White Men Can’t Jump, slated to drop soon and a new album out, fans were curious as to why the entertainer would capitalize on the attention.

However, New York Times reporter Jessica Testa claimed that despite reporters’ attempts “to get Jack Harlow to stop on the carpet. He pointed at his forehead and mouthed: ‘I’m on shrooms.’”

Harlow did stop take a moment reunite with Emma Chamberlain, who was doing hosting work for Vogue. Although the exchange was brief, Harlow seemed perfectly coherent.

Harlow’s lack of desire to speak with the press could instead be related to his latest claim in his words, “being the best white rapper since Eminem,” which created quite the frenzy online.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The annual Met Gala always brings out the stars, some of them dressed to the nines, some of them dressed to turn heads. This year was no different. What was the wildest outfit? Was it Lil Nas X looking like a mix of the Tin Man and Mystique from X-Men? Was it Jared Leto and Doja Cat both dressed as felines? Was it David Byrne arriving on his bicycle? Who’s to say, although they were all arguably upstaged by something that wasn’t even human.

As people on social media shared images of their favorite looks, video emerged of a cockroach tooling around the red (or white with blue and red lines) carpet. It’s not an unusual sight in New York City, a town swarming in all manner of bugs and vermin. It could have been worse! It could have been one of the 2 million brown Norway rats that live among the eight million humans.

The cockroach caught the attention of multiple photographers, and different videos with different glimpses of the invading critter popped up on social media.

And you know what? People loved the Met Gala cockroach.

Were the bright and beautiful really upstaged by something no New Yorker enjoys seeing inside their apartments? It sure seems that way.

The Philadelphia 76ers came into Monday’s second round opener in Boston as double-digit underdogs after Joel Embiid was officially ruled out of Game 1. Facing a Celtics team at full strength without their MVP candidate, all eyes turned to James Harden to see if he could step back into the 1A role once again and give Philly a chance.

It became quickly apparent that the Rockets version of James Harden was in the building for Game 1, and he would not let the Celtics pull away at any point in the game. Harden had 45 points, setting a new playoff career-high, on 17-of-30 shooting to go along with six assists, as he put forth one of the best offensive performances of his Hall of Fame career. What was maybe most impressive in his performance was he didn’t do it by grifting his way to the free throw line (where he was 4-of-4), but did so by way of sheer shotmaking craft, drilling shot after shot, including 7-of-14 from three-point range, to give the Sixers a chance down the stretch.

While Boston briefly took a 12-point lead in the second quarter, they could never get enough stops to put Philly away, and as the Sixers grew more and more comfortable in the game, they started to believe they could steal one without their MVP.

In the fourth quarter, the two teams traded the lead back-and-forth as both teams’ stars had it going, with Jayson Tatum scoring 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting, dueling with Harden throughout. Boston appeared like it had briefly taken control late, after Al Horford and Marcus Smart combined to keep a possession alive on the offensive glass, with Horford ultimately getting a bucket to push Boston’s lead up to three with just over a minute to go.

After Paul Reed hit a couple of clutch free throws to keep the Sixers within a point, the Celtics had one of their worst offensive possessions of the game. Philly ratcheted up the pressure and forced the Celtics into a number of late clock passes, as Boston seemed unaware of the shot clock creeping towards zero. When the ball got in Malcolm Brogdon’s hands with under two on the clock, he dribbled into the lane and fired a pass straight to Tyrese Maxey, who had no one between him and the rim on the other end to give Philly a one-point lead.

It was a dreadful play by Brogdon (who was otherwise great with 20 points off the bench), as he was both was unaware of the clock and threw a pass to no one in particular, compounding what would’ve been a bad shot clock violation and turning it into a go-ahead bucket for the Sixers. From there, Boston would get back in front on a pair of Tatum free throws, setting up a Sixers possession where the world knew who would have the rock.

For some reason, Boston conceded a switch to let Harden go to work on Al Horford, with Marcus Smart switching out to PJ Tucker (who had not taken a shot all game). With the big man wary of Harden driving by him, the former MVP sized him up for his patented stepback and found the bottom of the net to push Philly back up by two.

Boston’s final possession didn’t even yield a shot attempt, as Marcus Smart got stripped going up in the lane and then Tatum fouled Reed going for the rebound. Reed would again calmly knock down his two free throws to put the game on ice and give the Sixers a truly stunning Game 1 win.

Given Embiid’s knee injury, stealing one in Boston to get homecourt without him is massive for Philly’s chances in the series. While there was pregame optimism that Joel would be back for Game 2, we’ll see if swiping the opener makes the Sixers more cautious with the star big man to try and buy him even more rest, or if they’ll look to build on the momentum coming out of this win by bringing him back and trying to get both on the road to open the series.

In any case, it was a virtuoso performance from Harden, who turned back the clock to go from a facilitator to a flat-out scorer, carrying the Sixers offense in a way we haven’t seen him do in a few years. He did get plenty of help, as the Sixers offense as a whole was humming, with 26 points from Tyrese Maxey and 17 points (including 5-of-6 from three) from De’Anthony Melton off of the bench. Still, it was the Harden show and while we likely won’t see this kind of game from him again this series, having him operating at a high level as a scorer only further stresses the Celtics defense.

That Boston defense is also the cause for concern for Celtics fans, as they have been rather dreadful all postseason, regularly giving up 30-point quarters (allowing three more tonight). Boston’s offense was not the problem, as they shot 58.7 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three, but they just could not get the stops they needed, without having the excuse Philly has of not having their best backline defender. If there was any let-off with the Embiid news before the game, Boston certainly should feel a sense of urgency no matter who is starting for the Sixers in Game 2, as they look to even the series before heading down the road to Philly.

Physicality is part of the NBA Playoffs each year, with a notable change in approach and playing style. However, there has been an uptick in one particular area of the postseason, and that is with shots to the “midsection” of players. One prominent instance happened when Dillon Brooks was ejected from a game for striking LeBron James between the legs and, just days later, James Harden was given a Flagrant-2 foul and an ejection for smacking Royce O’Neale during live action.

On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers put together an inspired effort in the absence of Joel Embiid, putting the pressure on the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. While the close-fought nature of the game was the major story, Jayson Tatum joined the ranks of players who were in a great deal of pain after contact to the groin area, as PJ Tucker struck him during a transition play with approximately five minutes to play.

All indications are that Tucker’s arm movement was not intentionally meant for Tatum, and there was no official review or penalty for Tucker as a result. It was clear that Tatum did not appreciate the contact, but he was able to stay in the game (after a timeout), mitigating the damage in this particular instance. That, of course, is a positive takeaway, but this is a trend that I think everyone would prefer come to an end very soon.

ASAP Rocky is nicknamed the Fashion Killa, and he didn’t let a crowd of fans stop him from entering his hotel for the Met Gala. In a viral video, the “Same Problems” rapper is seen hopping over a few bystanders waiting outside to gaze upon their favorite celebrities’ grandiose looks.

As the musician fights through the crowd, he eventually elbows toward the front. Then using his agility, he jumps over the hotel’s barricade. After making it over the border, he heads towards back to the crowd to say something, but he can not be heard in the clip.

A woman claiming to be in the viral video took to social media to recount the moment. She tweeted, “ASAP Rocky just used me to jump over the barricade, hello!”

Then after the video gained steam on social media, the same fan doubled back to add, “ASAP Rocky just literally jumped over me.”

When asked by another person to explain what led to the exchange, the woman replied, “He tapped my shoulder and was like, ‘Sweetheart, I need to get through,’ and I went, ‘No,’ and then he just shoved.”

It was rumored that ASAP Rocky’s sense of urgency was due to his need to prepare for the evening with his partner Rihanna. However, neither has been photographed on the red carpet as of this moment.

The first Monday in May is the fashion industry’s biggest night, at least here in the United States. The annual Met Gala gives music’s biggest names to team up with a celebrated fashion house to make a bold statement. So far, several recording artists caused some buzz on the red carpet. For example, David Byrne opted to bike to the event rather than take a luxury car service. There are many looks to gush over, but none like Lil Nas X.

The “Industry Baby” rapper isn’t shy by any means. On several occasions, he’s taken part in racy photo shoots, including his recent Playboy-theme birthday shoot. However, Lil Nas X’s nearly naked 2023 Met Gala red carpet look takes the cake.

Covered in chrome body paint, pearls, and other gems, Lil Nas was a glamorized cross between the Wizard Of Oz’s tin man and X-Men’s Mystique. Sporting bejeweled whiskers, he ade a bold reference to the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who is being honored at the event.

However, it wouldn’t be Lil Nas X if he didn’t take a moment to troll those around him. When approached by the media correspondents on the carpet, instead of answering questions posed to him. He leaned into the role of a cat, meowing at reporters, which is another nod to the late designer who had a deep love for his Birman cat Choupette.

Jared Leto is an overall odd guy, but something about the Met Gala inspires him to go even further into the abyss. Back in 2019, he showed up wielding a replica of his own head. Last year, lots of people wrongly assumed he was responsible for the strangest, most ambitious look. This year, though, he showed up with basically the same idea as someone else.

During the red carpet portion of the evening — whose theme is a tribute to legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld — someone showed up dressed as a giant white cat. Lo and behold, it was Jared Leto. He wasn’t just any white cat: He was Chapouette, Lagerfeld’s beloved feline. Eventually he tired of the giant, fluffy costume, ditching it for an also ostentatious long black cape.

Alas, he wasn’t the only one who showed up as a cat. Doja Cat arrived also dressed as a white cat. It wasn’t just a costume either. She had elaborate prosthetics on her face, meaning she couldn’t ditch the get-up like Leto did. She wasn’t the spitting image of Chapouette, which means she might just be a cat, albeit one that’s maybe inspired by Lagerfeld’s pet.

On social media, there were jokes about Leto and Doja having basically the same costume idea.

Others weren’t shocked that the person frolicking about in a massive cat costume.

So who’s was more impressive? If you’re talking size, it’s Leto for the win. But Doja went to more elaborate lengths to turn herself into a kind of human-cat hybrid. So it’s in the eyes of the beholder.

It’s been a week since Fox News dumped Tucker Carlson, despite him being their biggest star. We still doesn’t know exactly what got him canned, but among the many theories is this: In private correspondences that were made public, he was caught trashing his old network’s higher-ups and staff. Now there’s leaked footage of him at work, letting it rip about their streamer.

On top of his nightly show, Carlson did a number of things for Fox Nation. He had Tucker Carlson Today, as well as documentaries, including one on “testicle tanning.” Behind the scenes, though, he was no fan of how it operated. In the leaked video, Carlson is preparing for a chat with professional misogynistic and accused rapist Andrew Tate, but, he tells someone over the phone, he’s not thrilled that it will be watched on the under-performing streamer.

“I don’t want to be a slave to Fox Nation, which I don’t think that people watch anyway,” Carlson says. “Nobody watches Fox Nation because the site sucks… I’m just frustrated with it. It’s hard to use that site. I don’t know why they’re not fixing it. It’s driving me insane.”

The person on the other line assures Tucker that they’ll air a good chunk of the interview on Fox News, but that doesn’t placate him.

“We’re, like, working like animals to produce all this content, and the people in charge of it, whoever that guy’s, whatever his name is, like, they’re ignoring the fact that the site doesn’t work,” Carlson railed. “And I think it’s, like, a betrayal of our efforts. That’s how I feel. So, of course, I resent it.”

Was it stuff like this that led to Carlson’s firing? It may be a while till we find out, though it’s rumored that Fox News honchos have dirt files on Tucker and others like him. Maybe that’s one reason why he’s been relatively quiet over the last seven days, popping up briefly to release a weird, vaguely dog-whistle-y video. There’s even a chance the guy won’t legally be allowed back on the airwaves until next year.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Woody Harrelson’s a pretty kooky guy. We mean that in a good way. Example: Back in February, the beloved actor and Cheers vet delivered a rambling, epic monologue while hosting SNL. It was endearing, except for one bit, which was simply odd: He told a story that smacked of anti-vax hysteria. He saved it with a decent punchline, but the anti-vax part got him trending. Does that bother Harrelson that he freaked out a lot of people? Apparently not at all.

In an Esquire profile of his new Watergate show White House Plumbers — he plays E. Howard Hunt, one of the burglary’s masterminds, who was also, weirdly, a prolific crime and spy genre novelist — Harrelson was asked about his relation to the internet. His answer: He doesn’t have one.

“I don’t read it. It’s like when reviews come out for movies. I don’t look,” Harrelson explained. He even describes reading a pan of his performance of a play he did with Sean Penn back in the year 2000. “It f*cked me up for at least two, three performances. It’s a poison pill.”

But what about the furor over his SNL monologue?

“Well, people told me it was, shall we say, trending,” he replied. “No, I don’t look at that sh*t. I feel like, ‘I said it on SNL.’ I don’t need to go further with it…other than to say—well, no, I won’t. Never mind. That’s enough.…But it don’t change my life one bit. Not one bit, if the mainstream media wants to have a go at you, right? My life is still wonderful.”

His Plumbers co-star Justin Theroux — who plays mustachioed lunatic G. Gordon Liddy, who also served time before winding up on Miami Vice, twice — chimed in, saying, “I’ve had some real goes at Woody, and I can tell you, he doesn’t give a sh*t.”

So if you were one of those who got mad over the erstwhile Woody Boyd maybe being anti-vax — or if you wrote an article about same — then don’t worry: He’s just going to keep living his nice life.

(Via Esquire and Deadline)