Month: May 2023

Ed Sheeran is currently on trial over claims that he plagiarized from Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud.” The process is surely frustrating for the pop star, and he seems especially peeved by Alexander Stewart, a musicologist who serves as an expert witness for the plaintiffs.

As The New York Times notes, Sheeran took the stand again today (May 1) and criticized Stewart’s previous testimony, “saying that the musicologist had inaccurately rendered his melodies, and demonstrated the difference to the jury.” Sheeran said, “I think what he is doing is criminal. I don’t know why he’s allowed to be an expert.”

Today, Sheeran also “demonstrated his ‘mash-up’ technique, showing how he can segue smoothly between parts of his own songs and others by Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Blackstreet and Van Morrison.”

As for his words about Stewart, Sheeran was referring to his previous testimony when he “argued that in the opening of ‘Thinking Out Loud,’ one of the four chords that Mr. Sheeran plays is similar to the minor one that appears in the same position of the progression throughout ‘Let’s Get It On.’” Sheeran offered a rebuttal to that testimony: “Strumming his guitar, Mr. Sheeran struck the major chord he said he has played at ‘every single gig,’ and then, with a slight grimace, the minor one that Mr. Stewart suggested.”

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

It isn’t only digital musical formats that are being updated with new technology lately. While AI is getting all the attention, there have been some pretty zany advancements to one of the original music formats, vinyl records, in recent years. While they’ve been released in all kinds of colors and designs, the latest shows just how much blood, sweat, and tears the band Fall Out Boy put into their new album — literally.

Specifically, the band’s new album, So Much (For) Stardust, will be released on “Crynyl,” a limited edition vinyl infused with Pete Wentz’s tears. It’s a pretty cheeky reference to the band’s emo-rock stylings, which have prompted plenty of tears over the past 20 years.

Fall Out Boy teased the unusual release earlier this year on Instagram with a video of Pete making himself produce the necessary lacrimal secretions by any means necessary. Methods involved included chopping onions and Pete reminiscing about his life before meeting bandmate Patrick Stump, as well as watching sad videos online. “Working on something super top secret,” they wrote. “More on it very soon.”

Now that the secret’s out, here comes the (mildly) disappointing news: They only made 50 copies of the Crynyl (curse Pete’s baseline happiness!), and it seems that the first pressing of So Much (For) Stardust is already sold out. But it doesn’t seem that the band is quite finished with the rollout shenanigans because as Pete pointed out to Apple Music Radio, they see the release as an “event,” not a fly-by-night moment.

As The Super Mario Bros. Movie continues to make headlines for its juggernaut box office performance, the animated film is apparently pulling off the impressive feat despite a serious rash of piracy thanks to Elon Musk cutting costs at Twitter. According to reports, a full version of the film keeps getting uploaded to Musk’s social media platform and racking up a significant amount of views before the content moderation team can react.

As The Verge reports, Digital Millennium Copyright Act or DCMA notices are something that anyone who owns a platform like Twitter pay attention to “because they are protected from liability under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act if they take action in a reasonable amount of time upon request.” Yet it’s slipping through the cracks on Twitter:

Anyway, Elon Musk isn’t one of them, and he also fired the vast majority of Twitter’s trust and safety and compliance teams while simultaneously increasing the length of videos you can post to Twitter, so now you can just watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie on his slowly-decaying platform. One copy of the movie has been up since April 28th and has amassed… 9.3 million views as of posting.

Following the leak, users took to roast Musk and joke that Nintendo is about to own Twitter for seriously dropping the ball when it comes to content moderation. Did movies get uploaded before Musk bought the site? Yes. Did they stay up for days? Nope, and that’s going to be a serious issue heading into the summer blockbuster season.

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via The Verge)

Ahhh, siblings. Sometimes they’re your best friends and other times your living room turns into an MMA octagon over the remote control. If you grew up with brothers and sisters, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to be an only child. (That’s not to say you didn’t dream about it when your sister stole your favorite shirt for the 30th time.)

But not everyone has siblings, so it can be equally as hard for someone who grew up as an only child to picture what it would be like to have them. Only children also likely had moments where they dreamt of having a little brother or sister, not realizing the literal torment siblings can inflict on each other.

TikTok creator Lonnie IIV recently posted a video of himself with two other friends seemingly out to lunch, when the girl in the group asked what it was like to grow up with siblings. In less than a minute she realized she lucked out being an only child because her two guy friends gave her a crash course in sibling behavior.

In the clip, Lonnie asked if she wanted her drink but then promptly told her she didn’t want it before swirling his fingers around in her cup. This prompted the other friend to throw his balled-up straw paper at her before repeatedly dipping chopsticks into her soup. The woman just laughed and looked seemingly confused at the nonsense her guy friends were displaying. Of course, no sibling experience would be complete without the classic “stop touching me” added for a little pizzazz.

“She got an entire childhood in less than a minute,” one user wrote.

A different user said, “This is so accurate.”

Other commenters started sharing the things they did to their siblings or vice versa. The comment thread was full of childhood sibling…nostalgia? Seems weird to look back on those memories with fondness, yet here we are.

Honestly, my brother used to ask if he could have a bite of my food, and when I said no, he would just lick it before asking again. In turn, when my brothers wouldn’t let me play video games with them, I would pinch my arm until it turned red and run out of the room crying to tell my mom they hit me.

Kids are weird sometimes and thankfully there are usually doses of love in between. But if you grew up with siblings, you’ll likely appreciate the video below. Or it’ll give you flashbacks. It’s a toss-up. If you don’t have siblings, you may feel the need to have us evaluated. We turned out alright…mostly.

@lonnieiiv

Don’t ask, just bring it

This article originally appeared on 2.17.23

Each year, the Met Gala celebrates the overlap of fashion and pop culture. Past red carpets have examined America’s history when it comes to haute couture while others have paid homage to the style of camp, Catholic imagery, and technology.

Naturally, every good A-list baiting party needs a theme but this year’s Met Gala dress code holds a special, more timely meaning. The subject of this year’s red carpet is beloved designer Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away in 2019. With “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” the 2023 Met Gala intends to honor the creative’s many contributions to the world of fashion. The exhibit itself will house 150 looks designed by Lagerfeld for a variety of fashion houses complete with their original sketches.

As for the red carpet, attendees have been given a strict dress code for this year’s theme. Guests have the option of wearing a vintage fit designed by Lagerfeld, a more contemporary design from either Chanel or Fendi — the two houses where the designer’s influence is most apparent — or they can come dressed as the auteur himself, donning some version of his signature black suit, fingerless gloves, and of course, sunglasses.

The Met Gala’s red carpet kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET and is available to watch via Vogue’s live stream.

Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry has had a long and successful NBA career, and the six-time All-Star still an impactful player even at 36 years old. His game isn’t anything to joke about, but he has been the subject of some memes due to the size of his butt. That part of his anatomy gets brought up here and there, like when ESPN’s Ryan Clark went viral last year for tweeting, “Kyle Lowry has to be wearing some kind of padding under his uniform. No way my man built like that.”

Now, Jack Harlow unintentionally did some investigative reporting on Lowry’s backside and has shared his findings.

Yesterday (April 30), Harlow attended the Heat’s playoff game against the New York Knicks, where Lowry ended up in his lap after a fall. Harlow then posted a point-of-view photo of the court from his courtside seat and shared it on his Instagram Story, writing, “Kyle Lowry just took a fadeaway 3 and landed in my lap. The rumors are true. His sh*t was like a pillow.”

Lowry has addressed all the talk about his backside, saying on Vince Carter’s The VC Show podcast last summer, “It used to bother me a lot. It used to get to me. It used to really get to me, I’m gonna be honest with you. And now, I don’t care.” He then rattled off some of his career accomplishments and continued, “Thick’s been good for me. Yeah yeah, I’m cool with it. […] Y’all can create all the memes y’all want. I embrace it. I love it.”

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

Killer Mike has a busy summer ahead of him. In June, he will release Michael, his first solo album in 11 years. The following month, he will kick off his North American solo tour, The High & Holy Tour.

During his upcoming tour, Mike will be joined by the Midnight Revival Choir, who will perform with Mike several songs from various albums, mixtapes, and projects in his catalog.

“[We] will perform songs from my new album MICHAEL, as well as classic hits from [my albums] R.A.P. Music, PLEDGE, and more,” said Mike in an Instagram post.

In September, Mike will be joined by his Run The Jewels bandmate EL-P, as they embark on a special 10th-anniversary tour.

You can see the full list of Killer Mike’s solo tour dates below. Tickets are available for purchase here.

07/10 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
07/11 — Charleston, SC @ Music Hall
07/13 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
07/14 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
07/15 — Charlotte, NC @ Underground
07/17 — Norfolk, VA @ Norva
07/18 — Washington D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre
07/20 — New York, NYC @ Apollo Theatre
07/21 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Music Hall
07/23 — Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/24 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
07/27 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox
07/28 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
07/29 — San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
07/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ Theatre At Ace Hotel
08/01 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
08/03 — Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
08/04 — Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
08/05 — New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater

Our calendars tell us it’s May which means one of the biggest events in the world of fashion (and, let’s be honest, celebrity gossip) is nearly here.

The 2023 Met Gala is upon us and while the A-listers are flocking to the most photographed and dangerous (just ask Jason Derulo) red carpet of the year, we normies get to enjoy the beautiful chaos from the comfort of our own homes. The Met Gala is hosted by the famous New York City museum and is meant to mark the launch of a new exhibit honoring a moment in pop culture. And while archival dresses and vintage clothes are cool and all, let’s be frank — we’re here for the parasocial celebrity of it all.

So, where can you get a glimpse of the haute couture-wearing Hollywood influencers on the big night?

Unlike events like The Oscars and The Grammys, The Met Gala doesn’t broadcast its red carpet show on network TV. Instead, fans hoping to rank their favorite looks must head to a live stream being hosted by Vogue. The magazine will air footage of all of the arrivals on its website and its social media channels, including on Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Chloe Fineman with Emma Chamberlain serving as a special correspondent.

The annual Met Gala (formerly known as the Costume Institute Gala) is upon us, and it’s one of those events where you can’t predict whether Rihanna will show up in a Pope-or-scrambled-eggs-inspired gown. This year’s theme will be “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” and as always, some celebrities will work with the theme, and others will sidestep it altogether.

One decade after the “PUNK: Chaos To Couture” theme in 2013, the jury might still be out on whether Gwyneth Paltrow was pro- or anti-theme in this hot pink Valentino gown that included a shoulder-peekaboo panel.

And from what the Goop founder declared after the event, the gown may have literally been too hot. USA Today reported that Gwyneth made clear that she was not pleased with her experience. “I’m never going again,” Gwyneth promised. “It was so un-fun. It was boiling. It was too crowded. I did not enjoy it at all.”

Did Gwyneth stick with the vow to never again grace the Met Gala? Perhaps she was simply joking because, sure enough, she has since attended the event multiple times, both in 2017 and in 2019, when she wore a more “ventilated,” slightly billowy Chloé gown. Hopefully, she was more comfortable that year.

Will we see some Goop tonight on the red carpet? We will soon find out.

The Evil Dead universe was rebooted (once again) with the new film Evil Dead Rise by director Lee Cronin. Even though Bruce Campbell doesn’t appear in a major role, and even though Sam Raimi didn’t return to direct, you might still be interested in cracking open that haunted book for another fun round of some good, old-fashioned demonic possession.

Evil Dead Rise hit theaters last week and while it might not be the most well-received installment in the universe, if you’re looking for a good spooking, you’ll probably want to tune in. The latest installment follows a single mother, her three children, and their aunt who struggle to keep it together when an earthquake reveals that demonic book, The Necronomicon, which we all know and hate.

The movie was actually originally slated to premiere directly on HBO Max (soon to be just Max, since that’s a thing that’s happening), but test screenings were so good they decided to send those Deadites to the theaters. So if you’re looking to it now, you’ll have to head over to your local theater.

The good news is that past HBO films have landed on HBO Max roughly 45 days after its theatrical run. This means Evil Dead Rise will likely come to the streamer sometime in June of this year.

This all depends on how well the movie does in theaters, however, which might delay its online release. Until then, you might want to watch the original movies, which are available to rent on demand, to satisfy all of your spooky scary needs.