Month: May 2023

Two of the three teams with the best odds to get Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery came from the state of Texas. Both the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets (along with the Detroit Pistons) had a 14 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and the right to take the Frenchman considered one of the greatest prospects to ever enter the league.

ESPN went to break right before the top-4 teams were announced, and with the Pistons falling to No. 5, we learned Wembanyama would go to one of four franchises: The Charlotte Hornets, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Rockets, or the Spurs. Ultimately, San Antonio got the No. 1 pick, but immediately after the break, we learned that Wembanyama would go somewhere other than Houston, which ended up picking fourth.

A video has been going around the internet on Wednesday morning of Wembanyama learning he would not end up as a member of the Rockets. It comes by way of NBA Extra, a show on the French network beIN Sports, and shows Wembanyama celebrating that he’s not going to Houston.

The clip caught the eye of Jabari Smith Jr., who made a note of how Wembanyama reacted to this.

It is worth mentioning that this doesn’t necessarily mean Wembanyama has anything against the Rockets — he’s close with Spurs great Tony Parker and said in the aftermath of the Draft Lottery that he believed all of France wanted him to end up in San Antonio, due to the ties that team has with a number of great French hoopers. Regardless, it seems like he had a preference among the Texas teams at the top of the Draft, and he ended up getting his way.

Just before Yeah Yeah Yeahs launched into their breakout song “Maps” at Just Like Heaven, Karen O took a moment to reflect. “Maps” is the band’s love song, she announced, and she dedicated it to all the women who had taken the stage earlier that day; Peaches, Ladytron, Fever Ray, and Azealia Banks, among others. She also dedicated the song to all the mothers in the crowd, of which there were many, because “there’s nothing more badass than being a mom.” “Maps” may be Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ version of a love song, but 2023’s Just Like Heaven Fest as a whole was a love letter to indie rock fans.

With artists like The Walkmen, Hot Chip, STRFKR, The Bravery, and MGMT performing the entirety of their debut album Oracular Spectacular, the one-day Just Like Heaven could have easily taken place in the year 2007. But thankfully for the thousands of fans who flocked to Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on May 13th, it was very much happening in 2023 (and food vendors were accepting Apple Pay to prove it!). “These are all the songs I grew up listening to so this festival makes me super nostalgic,” a man in the crowd remarked to me while watching Hot Chip perform, who got the crowd jumping around to all their hits from their early LPs and 2022’s Freakout/Release. And judging by all the vintage band t-shirts I saw people wearing while walking back-and-forth between the two stages, the same sentiment was felt by the masses.

It was impossible not to feel especially nostalgic during MGMT’s set, which was designed to emphasize the feeling. Opening with “Time To Pretend,” the band performed their 2007 debut album front-to-back before closing with “Love Always Remains,” a song that appeared on their 2005 debut EP. Videos of the duo performing in their early days were projected on the screens behind them, intercut with trippy ai-generated clips of people smiling and dancing. Before launching into the fan-favorite track “Kids,” giant papier-mâché figures made to look like the band came out on stage for a skit reenacting when the song was written. The year was 2002 and they decided to skip out on a college freshman party to hole up in their dorm room and write music — that’s when the iconic riff from “Kids” was born. Andrew VanWyngarden, providing a voice-over for the skit, said it had always been a dream of theirs to perform in front of a crowd of thousands of people. That dream has now become a reality many times over, as well as the rockstar lifestyle the duo were imagining while cooking up “Time To Pretend” in their dorm room on a Friday night.

Like MGMT, Yeah Yeah Yeahs also ran through their early aughts hits like “Zero” and “Y Control” while also interspersing them with recent tracks off their Grammy Award-winning LP Cool It Down. Though their set clocked in at just over an hour, the band made the most of their allotted performance time: true rockstar Karen O had three outfit changes and Nick Zinner paused to photograph the crowd. Before the band closed out the night with back-to-back raucous renditions of “Heads Will Roll” and “Date With The Night,” which nearly every person at the festival was thrashing along to, Karen O led the crowd in a “Happy Birthday” sing-along to her husband Barney Clay who was present in the crowd.

While no one else had as many outfit changes as Karen O, several other artists got creative with their stage looks. STRFKR, who serenaded the early afternoon crowd with chilled-out tracks like “Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second” and “Golden Light,” took the stage in matching NASA space suits. They then invited fans to the stage who were dressed up like astronauts (helmet included!) to dance alongside them as they performed. Fever Ray is known for their expert costuming (I mean, just look at their recent press photos), and they didn’t disappoint at Just Like Heaven. Bandleader Karin Dreijer’s look was complete with ghoulish makeup and an oversized suit while their fellow band members’ outfits included a golden jumpsuit with various zodiac symbols and a massive cloud hat paired with a green rain jacket.

For the most part, all the performances of the day went off without a hitch. The only exception was Azealia Banks, whose 40-minute set was delayed nearly half an hour for what seemed to be technical difficulties. What she lost in tardiness she made up for in energy, delivering pumped-up numbers like her latest single “New Bottega” and breakout “212.” Upon first thought, Azealia Banks’ inclusion in an indie rock festival lineup might be confusing, but as she put it on Instagram, it actually makes perfect sense. “Fun Fact: the very first song I ever wrote was over Ladytron’s ‘Seventeen.’ Junior year of high school. I posted it to MySpace and made my Fader debut two weeks later,” she wrote. “This line up is making my little indie rock heart sing,” she added. And I was inclined to agree.

For the majority of the crowd — people in their 30s and 40s — Just Like Heaven was an opportunity to re-live their youth. And thanks to the elder millennial demographic, Just Like Heaven was one of the more laid-back festivals I’ve attended. I even overheard a passerby note that it was the “least scary festival crowd” they had ever been in. Picnic blankets dotted the grounds with couples enjoying the music from afar (very few people were camping out at the crowd barrier all day) and there was even a sand pit with toys available for the many young children who tagged along to enjoy. Someone sitting next to me on the grass watching Fever Ray even whipped out their crotchet to work on while watching the set (they said they were making socks). Though the Southern California sun was harsh for most of the day, plenty of trees and boba tea stands provided much-appreciated respite from the heat. It was an ideal environment to bask in the collective nostalgia of early to mid-aughts indie rock, reminisce on the genre’s heyday, and (hopefully) inspire a new generation of indie music lovers.

Jack Harlow fans will get a double dose of the rapper’s acting chops this week. This Friday (May 19), Harlow makes his film debut as Jeremy in the 2023 remake of White Men Can’t Jump on Hulu. Additionally, he guest stars on tonight’s episode of Dave, which will also be available to stream on Hulu, as a fictional version of himself.

During a screening of the movie in New York City, Harlow shared that he doesn’t want acting to be a one-off thing, or something he does on the side. He wants to be equally as ubiquitous in the realm of film and television as he is in music, according to People who was in attendance at the screening’s Q&A portion.

“Through this film I was able to gain my confidence as an actor, and to me, this sh*t is not a side quest,” he said. “This isn’t a side mission that I’m tacking on just to keep the entertainer thing going and make some extra money.”

He continued, “I really got the bug and fell in love with this, and I’m developing a deep passion for the craft of this the same way I had in music. I don’t want it to be a side hustle, I want to full-on go after this, and I’m going after it and I’m going to continue to do more.”

Last month, Harlow released his third studio album, Jackman, which has received much critical acclaim.

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

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are “extremely upset and shaken” after narrowly escaping a near-fatal car crash in New York City on Tuesday night. The couple were leaving the Women of Vision Awards in Manhattan with Markle’s mom, Doria Ragland, when they were aggressively pursued by the paparazzi who caused several collisions and almost ran over a police officer.

“It started off with 12 paparazzi then ended up with four chasing [Meghan, Harry and Doria],” an insider said. “Their security tried their best to lose [photographers].”

At one point, uniformed police officers tried to intervene, but the paparazzi reportedly “ignored warnings” and continued to pursue Harry and Meghan, who recorded the chase and subsequent damage on their phones. Their team has since released a statement condemning the pursuit.

Via Page Six:

“Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi. This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.”

Needless to say, a near-fatal car chase caused by the paparazzi has left the couple “shaken” for obvious reasons. Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a crash in Paris after aggressive photographers refused to stop pursuing her vehicle. That tragedy occurred over 25 years ago, and clearly, the situation has not improved in the decades since.

(Via Page Six)

Billy McFarland, who found himself fresh out of prison last year following his disastrous Fyre Festival scam, has teased that he has a bunch of new projects in the works.

Over the past few months, he’s promoted everything from a scavenger hunt for a brand new music festival to doing a 2.0 iteration of the one that went horribly wrong. He’s even thrown out wanting to box Ja Rule for money.

Now, McFarland’s next potential venture is a completely new frontier and possibly, the most far-fetched one so far: Broadway.

That’s right. He’s planning to take over Times Square with a potential musical centered around Fyre Fest’s story, according to a new TikTok appearance. He broke the news through his own video and another interview.

“Instead of like traditional Broadway actors, it’s going to be current music artists, combined with the Broadway format of the play — making fun of me, but also I think sharing some of the good sides as well,” McFarland said.

He also revealed that financial supporters are helping him pay off the first Fyre Fest — and that some unnamed musicians are still interested in coming back to play on a different island. (The 2.0 version will not be held in the Bahamas.)

”The reaction for getting artists has been so extreme,” McFarland added. “Really, like half of them are like, f*ck off, how dare you can call us. And they’re half — like, literally after I tweeted that Fyre Fest 2.0 is happening, they’ve been texting, emailing, saying, ‘Hey, like what can we do to come.’”

Because of this, it also could lead to some interesting musical numbers like “How Can You Fix The Water Problem?” and “Hadid-n’t Go So Well.” Maybe even some appearances from the musicians who were also on the original lineup could happen as well.

For now, check out the clip above.

Friendship is wonderful. In my four decades, I’ve had more than my fair share of close, supportive, ride-or-die friends who have helped shape me and carry me through it all. Friendship has played a huge role in my life, which is why the viral “7 friends theory” social media trend caught my eye.

It’s also why I’m calling b.s. on the whole idea.

The “7 friends theory” posits that there are seven friends you need in your life:

1. The friend you’ve had since you were little
2. The friend who makes you laugh in all situations
3. The friend you might not talk to for a long time, but nothing changes
4. The friend you can tell anything without judgment
5. The friend who feels like a sister (or brother)
6. The friend you can’t imagine not being your life
7. The friend you share all of your dating/relationship problems with.

---

The wording on this seven-item checklist changes slightly with different videos, but the gist is always the same. Here are a few examples that got millions of views on TikTok:

@slothyrach

luv this💛🥰😁 #CapCut

@lysscausey

7 bridesmaids for a reason 🥹🤍#CapCut #bride #married #wedding #bridesmaids #7friendtheory #2023bride #bestfriend

Seems nice, doesn’t it? With all the warm vibes and the feel-good music and the sweet friendship photos?

Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble here, but this trend isn’t as cute and harmless as it seems. Friendship? Yay. Seven specific kinds of friends? Boo.

First of all, this is based on nothing. There’s no research on friendship behind this “theory.” It’s just something someone made up. That alone doesn’t make it problematic, but let’s at least start by calling it what it is.

Secondly, if we’re going to ascribe a specific number to something, there should be a legitimate reason for doing so. Otherwise, it’s meaningless at best and creates anxiety at worst. What if you don’t have these exact seven kinds of friends? Are you missing something in life? Will you never have the soundtrack-backed warm glow of these bestie moments if you only have, say, four good friends? What if you have friends who don’t really fit any of these categories? Are those friendships less than?

Numbering something should be purposeful, and the number seven is totally arbitrary here. Great for getting people to click on a video, but not so great for actually analyzing friendships.

Speaking of analyzing, what exactly is the value in categorizing friendship in this way? Different friends fulfill different roles and meet different needs in our lives, so I’m not saying all friendships are the same, but that’s not the same as saying you need friends who fit specific categories.

And if we are going to create specific categories, there’s a whole lot that are missing here. Where’s the friend who organizes the meal train when you’re sick or grieving? The friend who checks in when you’ve gone quiet for a while? The friend who always tells you the truth even when you don’t want to hear it? The friend you want with you in the delivery room? The friend you can happily sit in total silence with?

There are just so many different ways that friendship can be experienced and expressed, why specify these seven? Again, it’s totally arbitrary, especially when most friends fit multiple categories anyway.

We already have enough idealistic standards being pushed on us by social media, and this feels like just one more. It’s especially problematic for young people, and they’re the ones who are making and responding to these videos. How many teens are now looking at their own friendships and feeling bad that they don’t have seven close friends or that one or more of those categories remain unfulfilled for them?

Tip for the young folks: Don’t let this kind of thing seep into your psyche. Not even a little bit.

One thing you learn with time and experience is that most friendships shift, morph and change, and that’s OK. Some friendships are strong for a few seasons and then life moves you in different directions. The love doesn’t leave, but the everyday closeness does. That’s OK. Some friendships go through peaks and valleys and some friendships disappear and reemerge over and over. That’s OK, too.

Some people find they only have and only need a tiny handful of friends. Some people collect friendships like baseball cards. It’s all OK. Friendship doesn’t have to look a specific way or fulfill some arbitrary criteria in order to have value to us.

The “7 friends theory” may make for some cute, clickable social media virality, but it’s more harmful than helpful when it comes to friendship. Be happy with the friends you have in the moment, don’t count or overanalyze them and definitely don’t let TikTok trends influence how you feel about yourself or the people you love.

Fast X opens up with footage from Fast Five. You may find this hard to believe, but Fast X retcons some things we thought we knew about this series to insert Jason Momoa’s new villain, Dante Reyes, into the events of Fast Five, as the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes. (The “hard to believe” line is sarcasm.) But watching scenes from Fast Five again, it’s a stark reminder of the epitome of the Fast series. As we watch Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) steal Hernan Reyes’s safe again, there was a day and age where dragging a giant safe with two cars through the streets of Rio de Janeiro was, once upon a time, the height of wackiness for this series. In the ninth movie of this franchise, a car is driven to space. Rewatching Fast Five makes it seem like a grounded drama. Compared to the latest installments, Fast Five might as well be the Ordinary People of this film series.

Also, seeing Paul Walker back as Brian, even in old footage, really drives home the point how much this series misses him. I’m not going to pretend I have the right answer on how Walker’s death should have been handled when he was tragically killed before filming of Fast & Furious 7 was complete. James Wan, who directed that installment, was dealt a near-impossible task. But as an audience we still mourn his loss, yet the characters do not because Brian is still around in the Fast universe, he just doesn’t show up anymore. By now, I wish this had been addressed. Maybe something like the way Wakanda Forever handled the loss of Chadwick Boseman. So that the characters can feel the loss of their friend the same way we feel the loss of an actor we admired. Even in Fast X, with a plot based on the fact that anyone who was involved in the Fast Five heist is now in big trouble at the hands of Dante Reyes. This leads to Dom having to deliver a clunky line saying that he called Brian and “he’s safe.” Oh, okay? Well, if it’s that easy, why not just do what Brian is doing to stay safe?

So, yes, in Louis Letterrier’s Fast X (replacing Justin Lin who came back for Fast 9, then abruptly left Fast X a week into filming) Dante Reyes is seeking revenge. (Also, Jason Momoa is really going for something here. And I’m not totally convinced it always works? There’s one scene in particular … yeah, I just don’t know. But I do appreciate he’s trying stuff out.) Dante has set a trap in Rome for Dom and his family. What seems like a routine mission turns out to be a setup in which Dom and his crew are going to take the fall for blowing up the Vatican. Dom prevents the bomb from hitting its target, but it still explodes in Rome and Dom and his crew are now international fugitives. Making matters more complicated, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is captured and taken to a black site in Antarctica. Making matters more complicated than that, the new head of the agency Mr. Nobody runs, Aimes (Alan Ritchson), has severed all ties with Dom and instructs his agency to find them and bring them to justice. Dom’s only friend left in the agency is Tess (Brie Larson), the daughter of Mr. Nobody, who finds Dom and agrees to help him free Letty and clear everyone’s name. (Good gravy there are so many characters in this movie. I have seen every single one of the Fast movies and I had trouble remembering who was related to whom. We get some deep-cut characters returning so, yes, be ready.)

One of the biggest problems with Fast X is it feels like Fast 9 just came out. If you recall, it was finished before the pandemic, but delayed until theaters were consistently open again. (I remember being at the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami and Fast 9 had a big presence there promoting the movie. It wouldn’t actually come out until June of 2021.) But the thing about Fast 9, it did kind of feel like the first big movie to be released after the pandemic started. I couldn’t help but enjoy myself. Now it’s less than two years later and here we are again. These movies are like eating a very rich dessert. They kind of need to be properly spaced out or you start not feeling too great.

Also making this installment complicated is it doesn’t have an ending. It literally ends during the middle of a scene. After 2 hours and 20 minutes of Fast action, even I was taken aback when the credits started to roll. That’s kind of the social contract we have with these movies: we will see a ridiculous story, have some laughs, then watch everyone celebrate at the barbecue. Well, that doesn’t happen this time and I do wonder how audiences who don’t know this isn’t a complete story will react? (Though, I’m fairly sure there’s a post-credit scene coming that my audience didn’t get to see. Perhaps that will take some edge off the abruptness.)

We were once promised this would be the last movie of the franchise. then it got split in two and we were then promised the next one will be last. Now Vin Diesel seems to be trying to will this into a three-part ending. And he’ll probably succeed. Honestly, I’d be surprised if it even ends there. We will probably get five more last Fast movies. Why even keep up the charade that these are ending? Let’s just all admit these will never end.

‘Fast X’ opens in theaters on May 19th. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Foo Fighters is gearing up for the release of their 11th studio album, But Here We Are. But Here We Are marks the band’s first release since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last year.

Ahead of the album’s release, Foo Fighters will play a live show for fans to stream online. On Sunday, May 21, fans will be able to tune into Veeps and watch Foo Fighters debut some new songs. During the live stream, which will take place at 3 pm EST, the band also promises to treat fans to “behind-the-scenes footage and a few surprises.”

The shows will be streamed live from Foo Fighters’ own 606 Studios in lead vocalist Dave Grohl’s Alexandria, Virginia home.

“Shows like this don’t happen every day,” said Joel Madden, CEO and Founder of Veeps in a statement. “To take this moment to gather fans worldwide, to give people an opportunity to share in the experience no matter where they are, is a gift. Having a place to make these moments accessible is why we built Veeps and we’re honored to be trusted with delivering this incredible show for Foo Fighters and all of their fans.”

But Here We Are is out 6/2 via Roswell Records. Find more information here.

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy have truly taken the internet by storm after making their first public outing as a rumored couple while leaving a party in NYC just a few days ago. However, the connection between the two musicians has traced back almost a decade — and for those who are new here, there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s get into it.

The two were first linked back in 2014, after Healy wore a 1989 shirt during his concert with The 1975 in Minnesota. That same month, Swift attended one of the band’s concerts, where they later met the same night.

“We exchanged numbers, we’ll see what happens,” he said. “Would I go out with Taylor Swift? I mean, she’s a sensation. I wouldn’t say no.”

Shortly after Swift went to the concert, she was also spotted returning the t-shirt favor, as she rocked some of the band’s merch.

Then, 2015 happened. In February, Swift and Healy hung out together at an afterparty for the Brit Awards. However, the night prior, Swift had been introduced to a certain DJ ex (Calvin Harris) — and went to date him for about a year.

Healy also denied that the two dated, notoriously calling it emasculating in March of 2016, which has since made the rounds as a quote again. “F*cking hell! I am NOT being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend,” Matty said in an interview with Q Magazine (via NME). “You know, ‘F*CK. THAT.’ That’s also a man thing, a de-masculinating, emasculating thing.”

He would later apologize on social media. “I didn’t even date Taylor, but the media’s incessant and brutal obsession with her has meant that even a guy who DIDN’T DATE HER has been so battered by their never-ending questions that he’s inevitably said something that can be lifted and molded into something that resembles ‘shade’. It’s really sad,” Healy’s statement on Twitter later read.

Things then got pretty quiet in terms of the two’s friendship. Swift had been dating actor Joe Alwyn for years, up until the news of their breakup arrived. Meanwhile, Healy had begun working with Swift’s frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff, on The 1975’s latest album last year.

Healy had also reportedly done some work on Swift’s recent Midnights album, but it was scrapped. Still, because of this, it wasn’t all that surprising when Swift popped up at The 1975’s January 2023 London concert to perform “Anti-Hero.” (She even posed for a photo with his mom.) At least, not until a certain tabloid kicked off the relationship news…

“She and Matty are madly in love. It’s super-early days, but it feels right. They first dated, very briefly, almost ten years ago but timings just didn’t work out,” a source told The Sun, when the news first broke at the start of this month.

Over the past few weeks, Swift and Healy have appeared to thrown lots of easter eggs about their relationship out — both to one another (mouthing “You know who you are, I love you” at their respective concerts) and the general public (Swift playing his notable favorite as a surprise song.)

Healy attended all of Swift’s Nashville and Philly Eras shows so far. They were also photographed holding hands at a separate recent party — and Healy was spotted heading to and from the pop star’s apartment.

What a journey it has been for these two.

Instagram has over one billion active users, but only 24 million people follow Salma Hayek. Something is not right here. It should be much higher, but the actress is happy for what she’s got. There’s a lesson to be learned here (that lesson: watch From Dusk till Dawn. Also, something about gratitude).

“24 million followers, 24 million reasons to smile. Thank you all for joining me on this wild ride! I cannot contain my excitement & gratitude,” Hayek wrote, along with a video where she’s dancing while wearing a bathrobe. Not even a repeated wardrobe malfunction can stop the good vibes.

In a video posted to Instagram, Hayek is in what appears to be a hotel room getting glam done for an event. The 56-year-old actor nonetheless takes a quick, celebratory dance break, causing her robe to fall open. A little nudity is no bother for the actor, though; she simply censored the multiple wardrobe malfunctions.

OK, but where’s the owl?

“I thought getting older meant I wasn’t going to work; I’m working,” Hayek told Glamour. “I thought getting older maybe meant that you’re not in love anymore; I’m in love [with husband François-Henri Pinault]. I don’t feel that I lost my flexibility or my agility or even my strength. I do have to say that I have found it beautiful, getting older with someone.”

You can check out the Instagram post below.

(Via Glamour)