Month: June 2023

Dua Lipa was facing a lawsuit that claimed she copied her hit song “Levitating” from Artikal Sound System’s 2017 song, “Live Your Life.” In the first (and likely, final) ruling on the case, US District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes ruled that nobody who worked on Lipa’s song had access to the one from Artikal and dismissed the case.

The band had previously claimed the brother-in-law of one of their members taught guitar to a woman who worked with Lipa’s co-writer, according to Billboard.

“These attenuated links, which bear little connection to either of the two musical compositions at issue here, also do not suggest a reasonable likelihood that defendants actually encountered plaintiffs’ song,” Sykes wrote.

Artikal Sound System also pointed out that they had sold “several hundred” CDs and the song was popular enough to have been heard by the “Levitating” writers.

“Plaintiffs’ failure to specify how frequently they performed ‘Live Your Life’ publicly during the specified period, where these performances took place, and the size of the venues and/or audiences precludes the Court from finding that Plaintiffs’ live performances of the song plausibly contributed to its saturation of markets in which Defendants would have encountered it,” Sykes added.

Currently, the lawsuit is over, unless Artikal Sound System decide to return to Sykes with changes for an “amended complaint.”

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Foo Fighters are settling back into life on the road following the death of Taylor Hawkins and introduction of new drummer Josh Freese. As they do, Dave Grohl has shared a touching new note, which may actually tease a surprise appearance at Glastonbury later this month.

The handwritten message reads, “Hey. It’s been a while….. Now that we’ve returned from our first run of shows, I felt compelled to reach out and thank you all for being there for us. Every night, when I see you singing, it makes me sing harder. When I see you screaming, it makes me scream louder. When I see your tears, it brings me to tears. And when I see your joy, it brings me joy. But, I see you… and it feels so good to see you, churning up these emotions together. Because we’ve always done this together. Time and time again. See you soon.”

Aside from just being a nice message, the phrase “churning up” is significant. Last week, the Glastonbury set times were unveiled, and that left some wondering just who the heck a mysterious artist called The Churnups is. Some speculated it would be a surprise performance from Pulp, but one of the band members denied it. Now, though, following the phrasing of Grohl’s note, there’s speculation that it’s actually Foo Fighters who are set to head to Worthy Farm from June 21 to 25 (specifically, “The Churnups” is scheduled to perform that Friday on the Pyramid Stage).

Foo Fighters are settling back into life on the road following the death of Taylor Hawkins and introduction of new drummer Josh Freese. As they do, Dave Grohl has shared a touching new note, which may actually tease a surprise appearance at Glastonbury later this month.

The handwritten message reads, “Hey. It’s been a while….. Now that we’ve returned from our first run of shows, I felt compelled to reach out and thank you all for being there for us. Every night, when I see you singing, it makes me sing harder. When I see you screaming, it makes me scream louder. When I see your tears, it brings me to tears. And when I see your joy, it brings me joy. But, I see you… and it feels so good to see you, churning up these emotions together. Because we’ve always done this together. Time and time again. See you soon.”

Aside from just being a nice message, the phrase “churning up” is significant. Last week, the Glastonbury set times were unveiled, and that left some wondering just who the heck a mysterious artist called The Churnups is. Some speculated it would be a surprise performance from Pulp, but one of the band members denied it. Now, though, following the phrasing of Grohl’s note, there’s speculation that it’s actually Foo Fighters who are set to head to Worthy Farm from June 21 to 25 (specifically, “The Churnups” is scheduled to perform that Friday on the Pyramid Stage).

Tom Cruise bungee jumping into a volcano, or whatever, is the star of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, but one of the essential elements to the franchise’s success is the supporting cast. Ving Rhames has been there since the beginning, while Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby are recurring fan favorites. Dead Reckoning Part One will add new members to the team, including Hayley Atwell as… someone!

We don’t know much about who the Marvel Cinematic Universe favorite is playing — and neither did director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie at first.

“Hayley’s character didn’t have a name for a long, long time,” he told Empire. “She has her own objective, and she more or less becomes ensnared in this movie. What you have here is a character who absolutely does not belong in a Mission: Impossible movie, and she’s doing everything she can to get out of it.” Eventually, she was given a name, Grace, and advice from Cruise.

[Atwell] was also working alongside Tom Cruise, whose stunt chops are several leagues beyond what you might call an A-game. Providing startling insight into the Cruiser’s mindset, Atwell reveals that, “Tom would often say, ‘Don’t be safe, be competent.’ That was a great mantra for me.”

If “don’t be safe, be competent” isn’t tattooed somewhere on Cruise’s body, it’s definitely written on his bathroom mirror.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One opens on July 12th.

(Via Empire)

Tom Cruise bungee jumping into a volcano, or whatever, is the star of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, but one of the essential elements to the franchise’s success is the supporting cast. Ving Rhames has been there since the beginning, while Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby are recurring fan favorites. Dead Reckoning Part One will add new members to the team, including Hayley Atwell as… someone!

We don’t know much about who the Marvel Cinematic Universe favorite is playing — and neither did director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie at first.

“Hayley’s character didn’t have a name for a long, long time,” he told Empire. “She has her own objective, and she more or less becomes ensnared in this movie. What you have here is a character who absolutely does not belong in a Mission: Impossible movie, and she’s doing everything she can to get out of it.” Eventually, she was given a name, Grace, and advice from Cruise.

[Atwell] was also working alongside Tom Cruise, whose stunt chops are several leagues beyond what you might call an A-game. Providing startling insight into the Cruiser’s mindset, Atwell reveals that, “Tom would often say, ‘Don’t be safe, be competent.’ That was a great mantra for me.”

If “don’t be safe, be competent” isn’t tattooed somewhere on Cruise’s body, it’s definitely written on his bathroom mirror.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One opens on July 12th.

(Via Empire)

Almost everyone has done something they might regret while under the influence of some sort of substance, and oftentimes it involves a frivolous purchase. Maybe after a little too much wine, you decided you really need to own an overpriced artisanal candle because that’s what Gwyneth Paltrow told you to do and you wouldn’t dare question it. Or maybe you took too much allergy medicine and ended up with a whole new wardrobe for your 20-year-old Build-A-Bear. It happens, and you should not feel ashamed.

But when you’re a celebrity or a person with disposable income, those impulse purchases might become so large that you need to research local maritime regulations, like, say, buying a decommissioned ferry boat, which is exactly what Pete Davidson and Colin Jost did last year.

While the gesture seemed cool (it’s a giant boat, for crying out loud) Davidson admitted that he and Jost were a little out of their minds when deciding to go through with it. “Me and Colin were very stoned a year ago and bought a ferry,” Davidson told Entertainment Tonight. So what’s the deal with the boat at the moment? Quite literally nothing, thanks to the long list of horrifying issues, including a rat infestation and asbestos. Bet that overpriced candle is looking pretty good right about now.

“I have no idea what’s going on with that thing,” Davidson added, saying that the duo is still “figuring it out.” The two had hoped to turn the ferry into a comedy club, but that idea seems dead in the water at the moment.

Meanwhile, Davidson has been out promoting a different form of transportation. He has a small part in the latest Transformers movie which hits theaters this weekend. He joked, “Hopefully [the ferry] turns into a Transformer and gets the f**k out of there so I can stop paying for it,” he added. Maybe that Transformers check will go directly into the ferry fund.

(Via Entertainment Tonight)

Almost everyone has done something they might regret while under the influence of some sort of substance, and oftentimes it involves a frivolous purchase. Maybe after a little too much wine, you decided you really need to own an overpriced artisanal candle because that’s what Gwyneth Paltrow told you to do and you wouldn’t dare question it. Or maybe you took too much allergy medicine and ended up with a whole new wardrobe for your 20-year-old Build-A-Bear. It happens, and you should not feel ashamed.

But when you’re a celebrity or a person with disposable income, those impulse purchases might become so large that you need to research local maritime regulations, like, say, buying a decommissioned ferry boat, which is exactly what Pete Davidson and Colin Jost did last year.

While the gesture seemed cool (it’s a giant boat, for crying out loud) Davidson admitted that he and Jost were a little out of their minds when deciding to go through with it. “Me and Colin were very stoned a year ago and bought a ferry,” Davidson told Entertainment Tonight. So what’s the deal with the boat at the moment? Quite literally nothing, thanks to the long list of horrifying issues, including a rat infestation and asbestos. Bet that overpriced candle is looking pretty good right about now.

“I have no idea what’s going on with that thing,” Davidson added, saying that the duo is still “figuring it out.” The two had hoped to turn the ferry into a comedy club, but that idea seems dead in the water at the moment.

Meanwhile, Davidson has been out promoting a different form of transportation. He has a small part in the latest Transformers movie which hits theaters this weekend. He joked, “Hopefully [the ferry] turns into a Transformer and gets the f**k out of there so I can stop paying for it,” he added. Maybe that Transformers check will go directly into the ferry fund.

(Via Entertainment Tonight)

The cat is out of the bag: Taylor Swift’s Speak Now vault will be unlocked next month. The singer shared on social media that the “Taylor Version” of the album slated release date is July 7. With this rerecording, the project will feature never before heard songs. One of those tracks includes “Castles Crumbling” with special guest Hayley Williams.

Swift’s social media post broke the news of collaborating with her longtime friend and others. In return, Williams follow-up the announcement with a heartfelt message to the singer.

“Taylor was the first industry friend I ever made and hung out with outside of work things,” Williams wrote. “When Speak Now dropped, I bought my friend’s record (as you do!) and listened to the whole thing in my first car, sitting still in the driveway. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album for so many reasons.”

Williams closed the post by saying, “I wish I could go back to this moment at my 21st birthday and tell her one day she’ll legitimately own Speak Now, and we’ll get to sing together on one of the songs.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is out 7/7 via Republic. Find more information here.

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

The cat is out of the bag: Taylor Swift’s Speak Now vault will be unlocked next month. The singer shared on social media that the “Taylor Version” of the album slated release date is July 7. With this rerecording, the project will feature never before heard songs. One of those tracks includes “Castles Crumbling” with special guest Hayley Williams.

Swift’s social media post broke the news of collaborating with her longtime friend and others. In return, Williams follow-up the announcement with a heartfelt message to the singer.

“Taylor was the first industry friend I ever made and hung out with outside of work things,” Williams wrote. “When Speak Now dropped, I bought my friend’s record (as you do!) and listened to the whole thing in my first car, sitting still in the driveway. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album for so many reasons.”

Williams closed the post by saying, “I wish I could go back to this moment at my 21st birthday and tell her one day she’ll legitimately own Speak Now, and we’ll get to sing together on one of the songs.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is out 7/7 via Republic. Find more information here.

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

Coi Leray has plenty to be proud of. In addition to having a new album, Coi, on the way, she’s been dominating pop culture, from features on songs like RAYE’S “Flip A Switch” to TV spots with the WNBA. She’s also had a string of viral hits like “No More Parties” and “Players,” with her latest single, “Bops,” looking like another addition to that growing list.

In the new video for “Bops” released today, Coi puts those accomplishments — and some of her other assets — on display, twerking in front of her RIAA plaques and Billboard Awards in a thong (in what appears to be her bathroom) while hosting what appears to be a fun little night in with friends. Those friends also dance throughout the video while standing on her couch (moms everywhere are furious), sharing a birthday cake, and shooting at each other with Nerf guns. The simple concept perfectly suits the similarly stripped-down production on the song, which relies heavily on cowbells and a straightforward synth lead.

In addition to “Bops” and “My Body,” Coi‘s other single, the album will include “Make My Day” with a contribution from David Guetta, “Spend It” featuring Saucy Santana, and “Man’s World,” which credits James Brown as a feature. The album drops on Uptown/Republic on 6/23.

Watch Coi Leray’s “Bops” video above.