Month: June 2023

Fast X isn’t the least good Fast and Furious movie (no Fast and Furious movie is “bad”), but it might be the most disappointing. Not even Jason Momoa trying to blow up the Vatican can make up for the formulaic plot. But Vin Diesel has heard your feedback (unless it’s “more Jason Momoa,” allegedly) and he’s promising changes for Fast X: Part 2.

“Yup. The conversation never stops. 5 a.m., Caymen Islands. And the world would never realize that we’re here dissecting the mythology of Fast, going over it. Going over all of the feedback from our incredible fans and how much we’re just enjoying being in this creative dojo,” Diesel said in a video posted to his Instagram account, according to Screen Rant.

The actor has had “so much inspiration and time to reflect. And to talk and work out and to double check all the aspects that need to be hit, and this kind of scary path that we’re going on for Part 2 for Fast X. We’re done with our press tour and now we have time to go back to building and that’s so much fun. We take it seriously because we know how important it is to all of you.”

Diesel captioned the post, “Creative Dojo.” For you see, Fast X: Part 2 is kind of a cosmic gumbo…

(Via Screen Rant)

The first reactions to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One are in, and critics are all about Tom Cruise delivering another action spectacular as relentless IMF agent Ethan Hunt.

The film saw several delays thanks to the pandemic, but Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie refused to give up as they traipsed all around Europe to find new locations to jump from with a motorcycle. Their hard work appears to have paid off as a common theme among critics is that Dead Reckoning delivers some of the best action scenes in the franchise.

“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE works as Christopher McQuarrie’s ambitious examination of/meditation on AI and the dangerous path we might be on. (He doesn’t like it)” Mike Ryan tweeted. “With the inherent nature of being ‘part one’ (said that a lot lately), not as satisfying as FALLOUT.”

“#MissionImpossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is another winner for the franchise,” Perri Nemiroff wrote. “Yet again, the production value is THROUGH THE ROOF with some of the most well-defined and exhilarating set pieces photographed in ways that truly make you feel like you’re in the middle of the action.”

“After the insanity of the last few films, #MissionImpossible7 has a tremendous amount to live up to,” Kate Erbland tweeted. “But one thing I’ll say now in quick reaction format: it does the best job yet of recent ‘part 1 of 2!!’ features in feeling like its own film while setting up for the next half.”

“#MissionImpossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 is fantastic,” Germain Lussier wrote. “Dynamite, timely story. Excellent new characters. Huge variety of action and a final set piece that ranks top 2-3 all-time for the franchise. It gets a little dense at times but its pace & intensity more than cover that.”

You can see more reactions below:

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One jumps into theaters on July 12.

Who could have predicted that, in 2023, that Fox News would deliver a harder-hitting interview of Donald Trump than CNN did? That’s precisely what happened, and although this might seem bizarre at face value, one must consider that Fox News is reportedly placed a lot of the blame on Trump within their defense during the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit.

As you may be aware, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion more than $787 million as a settlement, and Tucker Carlson is now out at the conservative news network. It stands to reason that Fox News would no longer allow Trump to run amuck, and Bret Baier didn’t give him too many inches, especially when the ex-president essentially admitted to stealing and sharing classified documents. Still, Trump ended up rambling about a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump — maybe? who knows — appears to refer to threats that he claims to have made against Putin if he were to invade Ukraine on his watch.

What on earth is he saying here? This conversation is surely another Trump fabrication. He’s simply into writing his own fan fiction: “There’s gonna be hell to pay… I will, Vladimir, I will do it, I’m gonna do it.” Say what?

Overall, no one could figure out what he meant. One person is “fully convinced he has no idea who Putin is.” And the ball started rolling from there.

This guy is gonna be such a mess on the stand in a few weeks.

Slowdive announced that their next album, Everything Is Alive, will drop this fall. The band has ushered in the new era with a lead single, “Kisses,” a dreamy track that sprinkles in some gentle guitar breaks. It also matches the energy of the music video, which portrays a late-night motorcycle ride through the city.

“It wouldn’t feel right to make a really dark record right now,” vocalist Neil Halstead shared in a statement. “The album is quite eclectic emotionally, but it does feel hopeful.”

“If this video evokes emotion, it’s largely due to our excellent cast. In particular Charlie and Claudia, two courageous and beautiful souls who threw themselves into their roles and set a tone of fearless vulnerability,” the music video’s director, Noel Paul, added.

Given this is Slowdive’s first new album in six years, they have also dedicated it to vocalist Rachel Goswell’s mother and drummer Simon Scott’s father — both parents who passed away in 2020. “There were some profound shifts for some of us personally,” Goswell said.

Finally, Slowdive announced new tour dates in North America and Europe for the fall. Tickets go on sale starting Friday, June 23 at 10 a.m. local time, and more info can be found here.

Check out Slowdive’s new song “Kisses” above. Below, find the complete tracklist and cover art for Everything Is Alive, along with the added tour dates.

1. “Shanty”
2. “Prayer Remembered”
3. “Alife”
4. “Andalucia Plays”
5. “Kisses”
6. “Skin In The Game”
7. “Chained To A Cloud”
8. “The Slab”

09/23 — Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/25 — Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues Boston
09/27 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/28 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/29 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/30 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/02 — Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy @ Mahall’s
10/03 — Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
10/04 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
10/06 — Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
10/07 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union
10/09 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
10/10 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
10/12 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10/14 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
10/30 — Glasgow, UK @ QMU
10/31 — Manchester, UK @ Ritz
11/01 — Bristol, UK @ SWX
11/03 — London, UK @ Troxy
11/05 — Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall
11/06 — Dublin, IE @ National Stadium

Everything Is Alive is out 9/1 via Dead Oceans. Find more information here.

This week’s new releases put an emphasis on the emotions that are present behind pop music — and the different lengths it can stretch. Not every song in the genre takes the form of a fully-packaged radio track, as many artists these days pull from a wide range of influences that cross over into their work.

With everything from R&B to disco serving as an inspiration for some of this week’s songs, here is Uproxx’s Best New Pop music to check out below.

Norah Jones — “Can You Believe”

Co-written by Norah Jones and producer Leon Michels, “Can You Believe” brings the calming energy, complete with Jones’ hypnotic and recognizable voice. As she continues working on a new album, this is sure to keep fans excited for it.

Leigh-Anne — “Don’t Say Love”

Leigh-Anne, previously from Little Mix, made her official solo debut with the new track, “Don’t Say Love.” The confident anthem finds her making intentions clear, both in love and life, as she simply won’t settle for anything less than she deserves.

Kiana Ledé, Khalid — “Where You Go”

Kiana Ledé’s “Where You Go” collab with Khalid appears on her Grudges album and finds the performers reflecting on how emotions affect the other person in the relationship — with some incredible duets throughout.

Nat and Alex Wolff — “Lucky You”

“Alex and I spent lockdown living together for the first time since we were both in high school,” the duo shared about their new album, with “Lucky You” being part of what came from the quarantine. “We took advantage of that time by spending months working on all our songs and then we decided to give ourselves a limited amount of time in the studio to inspire us to work faster and think on our feet.”

Gracie Abrams — “Two People”

The new album closer from Gracie Abrams’ deluxe version of Good Riddance, “Two People” finds her reflecting on how much people can change in the blink of an eye. “When you take me for granted, I make it alright,” she sings.

Sophie Cates — “Walking The Dogs”

Being someone who was familiar with Cates’ work before she switched over to her real name, her growth as a musician has been really interesting to see. “Walking The Dogs” show this extended power in both her lyricism and vocals, as she notes on the sad outro, “Seven hours ’til I get home and I start from scratch again / But I don’t wanna do that, you made me the happiest.”

Olivia Dean, Leon Bridges — “The Hardest Part”

Another collaboration on this week’s list, Olivia Dean and Leon Bridges walk each other through “The Hardest Part” — an extra-emotional spin on her original song. “Lately I’ve been growing into someone you don’t,” Dean sings before the beat drops, chalking their differences in a relationship to changing as people, as Bridges tackles the second verse.

Laufey — “Promise”

Laufey’s “Promise” showcases her truly powerful vocals over a somber piano instrumental, reminiscing on how she didn’t say goodbye to a past lover until it was too late. While it might be a heartbreaking introduction to her as a musician, it is one that still pulls you in.

Bruno Major — “Tell Her”

“Tell Her” maintains the moody, jazz-influenced vibes from the pop tracks dropping lately. Major uses his words as wishes that he hopes an ex would hear, or as he notes, “taking the words from the sad songs instead.”

Sophie And The Giants, Purple Disco Machine — “Paradise”

To throw in a party song this week, Sophie And The Giants’ collab with Purple Disco Machine on “Paradise” is certainly it. Shifting to a pure disco vibe, it really is an energetic song that is made for the dancefloor — right down to the carefree energy of the lyrics: “I know you want to get closer underneath the neon lights.”

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

Elton John is enjoying his semi-final performance lap worldwide, thanks to the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. However, one thing brings the “Rocket Man” singer’s blood to a boil — the passing of several recent anti-LGBTQ laws across the United States. During an interview with Radio Times, the entertainer expressed anger about how the queer community is being targeted.

“There’s violence, [discriminatory] laws enacted in Florida, which are disgraceful. There’s a law now that, if you visit a doctor in Florida, they can refuse to treat you if you’re gay, which I find just unbelievable. We seem to be going backwards. And that spreads. It’s like a virus that the LGBTQ+ movement is suffering,” said the singer.

Seemingly as a response to the legislation, John said, “I will no longer do residencies in the US,” but he would, “Consider more live shows elsewhere.”

Although Elton John is a native of Britain, he does live in the United States. When comparing how the two countries treated the LBGTQ communities, John said, “I don’t like it at all. It’s a growing swell of anger and homophobia that’s around America. I don’t know if it’s around Britain, because I haven’t been here that much. But I feel that the Phillip Schofield thing has been totally homophobic. If it was a straight guy in a fling with a young woman, it wouldn’t even make the papers.”

Throughout his career, the musician has advocated for the LGBTQ community through his non-profit organization, Elton John Aids Foundation. To date, the foundation has raised over $525 million.

The Portland Trail Blazers are the team everyone in the NBA has their eyes on as Thursday’s NBA Draft approaches, as they hold the No. 3 overall pick but are actively shopping it in an effort to add another current star alongside Damian Lillard.

Part of the problem Portland faces is they cannot make a deal prior to when they are on the clock because their pick is far more valuable if Scoot Henderson is still on the board at three rather than Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins. As such, they have to be very nimble and have a lot of conversations ahead of time to gauge what’s out there based on what Charlotte does at No. 2, so that when they get on the clock they can be making offers that have, at least in part, already been discussed.

The pressure on Portland is trying to keep Lillard happy by building a roster around him capable of jumping back into the playoff conversation, but they also don’t want to sell off an asset as strong as the third pick for pennies on the dollar. On Tuesday, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported one offer Portland is planning on making, as they’ll look to reverse the rumors of Miami trying to land Lillard by trying to poach his friend Bam Adebayo from the Heat.

Portland appears unlikely to part with the No. 3 choice unless the Blazers are netting back one of a select number of premium targets to pair with Lillard. According to one source with knowledge of the situation, Portland is preparing what the team believes to be a compelling package for Miami to part with All-Defensive centerpiece Bam Adebayo.

…

Miami brass seems very unlikely to consider any Portland overture that doesn’t include standout rookie Shaedon Sharpe, in addition to a package of the No. 3 pick and Anfernee Simons that the Blazers, sources said, have made available in discussions with other teams.

It’s pretty funny that both the Heat and the Blazers want to pair Lillard with Adebayo, and both think they can make that happen. The problem is, if both believe it can happen, it seems highly unlikely the other budges.

As Fischer notes, the sticking point on whether conversations get serious or not will likely be the inclusion of Shaedon Sharpe in talks, which Portland has apparently been reluctant to do in talks to this point. Even so, with the belief around the league that if the Blazers can’t find the right trade they’ll just make the pick at three, it seems that most of the teams rumored to be in talks with Portland are also the teams that seem most interested in Lillard should he come available. While Miami has designs on a Lillard-Butler-Adebayo trio, the Nets likewise would love to pair Lillard with Mikal Bridges, who Portland would also like to bring in as a secondary star on the wing. This seems to be a constant problem for the Blazers, as the players that seem to fit best with Lillard are on teams that would rather make that partnership happen for themselves.

We’ll find out on Thursday night just how desperate the Blazers get, or if a team like the Pelicans really is that smitten with Henderson to put up the offer Portland wants for that third pick.

Selena Gomez’s former Wizards Of Waverly Place co-star Jennifer Stone opened up about some surprising details from the series during her recent Wizards Of Waverly Pod episode.

Stone — who played Harper, the best friend to Gomez’s Alex — said, “Now, I don’t know how true this is, but I was told that it was pitched to Selena to do a Harper-Alex spin-off, and she said no. And because she had a lot of other things going on.”

“It’s almost like you guys had a spin-off on the show when you went to your own apartment,” David DeLuise, who played Jerry Russo (Gomez’s character’s dad) and is a co-host with Stone on the podcast, replied.

“But I think they were setting up for that,” Stone added. “That’s why somebody was like, ‘Oh yeah, they thought about that,’ and approached her before they got into the process of it. I get it, like she had a million other things going on, and she wanted to move forward. And honestly, at the time, I wanted to move forward, too. Looking back, it would have been great.”

Following the reveal, fans on social media had a lot of varied reactions. “It was the right decision,” one person wrote. “The show had run [its] course and the cast were young adults by then ready to venture out on their own. I love Jennifer’s maturity about it.”

“And Selena was totally correct !!! The show was great but it was time to end, and she went ahead to focus on her music and became a pop icon,” another added.

Wizards Of Waverly place premiered on Disney Channel in 2007 and wrapped up in 2012, after airing 106 episodes across four seasons.

Check out Stone discussing the original Gomez spin-off plan above.

Performing live on stage isn’t a professional sport, but it can still be a pretty physical activity. Now, Adele has gotten a bit of a feel for what life as a pro athlete is like, as she’s found herself dealing with jock itch.

Adele explained it all on stage at a recent Weekends With Adele residency show, saying between songs, “When I do my shows, I wear Spanx […] and I sweat a lot, and it doesn’t go anywhere, so I’m basically just sitting in my own sweat, so my doctor [diagnosed] me [with] jock itch. Do you guys know what that is, jock itch? That sounds like I’m a big Nuggets fan, doesn’t it? […] So it looks like I’m an athlete, basically. I have to squirt [ointment] on myself. I don’t know why the f*ck I just told you that.”

The bit about Adele being a Nuggets fan refers to Nikola Jokić, the superstar center for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, and how his last name sounds similar to “jock itch.” Adele is pretty familiar with the sports world these days, considering she’s dating (or is perhaps even engaged or married to) agent Rich Paul and is often seated courtside at NBA games.

Of jock itch, Mayo Clinic explains, “Jock itch is a fungal skin infection that causes an itchy rash in warm, moist areas of the body. The rash often affects the groin and inner thighs and may be shaped like a ring. The condition is also called tinea cruris. Jock itch gets its name because it’s common in athletes. It’s also common in people who sweat a lot. The condition can range from mild to serious. It usually clears up in 1 to 3 weeks with antifungal creams and self care.”

Donald Trump sat down for an interview with Fox News on Monday night, and his legal team has to be wishing they worked for someone else. During the surprisingly tense back and forth with Bret Baier, Trump managed to implicate himself even further by basically confessing to have classified material at Mar-a-Lago.

The first crucial moment happened as Baier pressed Trump on the recording where the former president is caught on tape referring to the “Iran attack plan.” The Fox News anchor asked Trump if he remembered the conversation, particularly the part where he admits that he can’t declassify the document. In a stunning move, Trump confessed that the material at Mar-a-Lago was not declassified.

“When I said that, I couldn’t declassify it now because I wasn’t president, I never made any bones about that,” Trump said. “When I’m not president, I can’t declassify.”

However, Trump then tried to argue that there was no actual document when he was caught on tape, which also blew up in his face as he admitted just a few seconds later to having a “massive amount of papers” that talked about “Iran and other things.”

Via Rolling Stone:

“Bret, there was no document,” Trump insisted. “That was a massive amount of papers and everything else, talking about Iran and other things. And it may have been held up or may not. That was not a document. I didn’t have any document per se. There was nothing to declassify, these were newspaper stories, magazine stories, and articles.” When Baier referred again to the facts of the recording laid out in the indictment, Trump said, presumably of the prosecutors: “These people are very dishonest people, they are thugs.”

These are stunning admissions from Trump, which is why criminal defendants are normally discouraged from giving interviews because their remarks can be used against them. In Trump’s case, that may happen very soon as he could face trial for the classified documents in August, according to The New York Times.

In the meantime, Twitter is having a field day with Trump confessing all of his crimes on Fox News. You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via Rolling Stone)