Month: June 2023

Doja Cat is back and better than ever. Tonight (June 16), she has made an epic return, kicking off her fourth album era with her new single, “Attention.”

On “Attention,” Doja switches it up, experimenting with jazz-influenced musical stylings. She addresses her haters, reminds them that even after a two-year break between albums she’s still the one to watch, and makes it know that her reign in the world of pop and hip-hop isn’t letting up anytime soon. But with this transcendental new single, she can add even more sounds to her already impressive repertoire

“Baby, if you like it, just reach out and pet it / This one doesn’t bite, it doesn’t get aggressive / Show you how to touch it, hold it like it’s precious It don’t need your lovin’, it just needs attention,” she raps on the song’s hook, delivering soft-tinged vocals over rattling percussion, before breaking into punchy rap bars.

In the song’s accompanying visual, Doja is seen walking around Los Angeles, as all eyes are on her. She is seen rocking a leather jacket, jeans, and a white midriff top, and these scenes are then juxtaposed with tasteful clips of Doja dancing in the nude through a kaleidoscopic lens.

You can see the video for “Attention” above.

Trent Reznor has been a musical inspiration for several artists, however, he finds himself inspired by younger artists as well. During an episode of super producer Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton, the Nine Inch Nails vocalist and instrumentalist talked about his love of songwriting.

Over the years, Reznor has worn many hats, including lead vocalist, film scorer, and songwriter — the lattermost, he says is the hardest.

“Having something to say, something to say with truth, that has reason to exist rather than just a thing,” Reznor said.

He also revealed that through his daughter, he has developed a fondness for pop music. He caught himself getting in his feels while listening to a certain pop hitmaker recently, whom he was introduced to by his daughter.”

“[This song] really reminded me the art of writing a well-crafted song — I teared up listening to a Dua Lipa track,” he said. “Because it was just a really well-done piece of music, you know? It was clever. It felt good.”

Though he did not clarify which Lipa song he was listening to, some fans have taken to Twitter to make their guesses. You can see some of the fan reactions below.

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

At 1:30 am on a Monday morning in February 2021, an AMBER Alert went out in southern Louisiana about a missing 10-year-old girl from New Iberia. It was believed she had been kidnapped and driven away in a 2012 silver Nissan Altima.

A few hours later at 7 am, Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, sanitation workers for Pelican Waste, were on their daily route when they noticed a vehicle that fit the description in the alert.

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The sanitation workers thought it was suspicious that a silver sedan was parked alone in a field in St. Martin Parish.

“Something told me, like just look, I said what is that car doing in that field like that? What the car doing? Guess what, that’s the dude with the little girl,” Merrick said in a Facebook Live video. “That’s God.”

The video has been seen over 1.5 million times since it was posted on Monday morning.

To prevent the possible kidnapper from escaping, they parked the large sanitation truck the wrong way on the highway to “Make sure they couldn’t get out,” Merrick said. Then, they called 911.

When police arrived they arrested Michael R. Sereal, the man whose car was mentioned in the AMBER Alert. The police were also able to safely recover the girl who appeared unharmed. She was later taken to the hospital to be evaluated by medical personnel.

The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department’s online sex offender registry has a Michael Roy Sereal but authorities wouldn’t confirm it’s the same man.

The young girls’ family got in touch with the two men who saved her and have shown amazing gratitude. “I’m just so happy and blessed that I have actually seen the car and we actually responded like we were supposed to respond,” Merrick told KHOU.

Merrick hopes that his actions will inspire others to be proactive as well. “Don’t be scared if you see something. If you know something is wrong, report it,” Merrick said. “Call authorities because it could save someone’s life.”

The two men were applauded by the St. John Parish’s Sheriff, who offered to buy them lunch.

“I was just doing my job man. I was just doing my job and actually came across somebody who needed help,” Merrick said. “Got me tearing up.”

The AMBER Alert system was created in 1996 after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered while riding her bike in Texas. Since its inception, nearly seven in 10 AMBER alert cases have resulted in children being successfully reunited with their parents.

In 17% of the cases, the child’s recovery is a direct result of the alert.

As of December 2020, 1,029 children rescued specifically because of the system.

This article originally appeared on 02.09.21

Despite a few reports to the contrary today, it looks like The Idol hasn’t officially been canceled. However, that doesn’t mean it’s coming back after this season.

Following numerous reports claiming that The Idol, which is the brainchild of Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, would not return for a second season, HBO shared a statement from their official PR social accounts noting that several outlets reported this news incorrectly.

“It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined,” read a tweet. “It has not, and we look forward to sharing the next episode with you Sunday night.”

At the time of writing, only two episodes of The Idol have aired, however, the reception hasn’t fared well.

A British GQ review called a sex scene in the second episode “the worst sex scene in history.”

In an interview with American GQ, The Weeknd noted that this particular scene was supposed to be unsexy.

“How ever you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters,” he said. “It’s all those emotions adding up to: This guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”

The Idol airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO. Episodes are also available for streaming on Max.

For years, the NBA Draft has been better to follow on Twitter than it is on the ESPN television broadcast, simply because you get information much quicker, knowing about picks and trades long before they get announced on air.

Adrian Wojnarowski is the one who started all that more than a decade ago, and now the likes of Shams Charania and other newsbreakers all vie for who can be first to get the picks before they happen. The problem for Woj is, he now works for ESPN and is part of the Draft broadcast. As such, in recent years Woj has broken out the thesaurus and cheekily tipped picks without saying definitively what was going to happen. However, that still involves a lot of work that distracts him from his main job on television, and as he explained to Ryen Russillo on the Ringer’s Ryen Russillo Podcast, this year he won’t even be doing that.

He notes that he’ll still handle any craziness at the top of the draft this year, as there’s a chance for multiple trades involving top-5 picks, but as for trying to hit all 30 first round picks, Woj won’t be part of that race. NBA Twitter will surely still get those scoops from Shams, Chris Haynes, Marc Stein, and others, but not from the man who started it all.

It’ll be interesting to see if that makes for an improvement on the broadcast, as more of his reporting can be focused on getting it on-air rather than on Twitter. ESPN has done a better job in recent years of announcing trades that are happening on the desk sooner than they used to on the broadcast, although the NBA still won’t let a trade be official until the trade call, meaning players getting traded still get the hat of a team they aren’t going to on the stage.

Editor’s Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts about taking your own life or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

There has been a quiet trend going on among teens that has recently started to get more attention. It’s not something silly or some made-up social media trend; it’s a serious issue that has caused teenagers to choose to die by suicide after they fall victim. Sextortion has been running rampant over the past year, and teenagers, especially teen boys between the ages of 14-17 are the target.

Someone pretends to be a teenage girl who is interested in the boy after connecting via SnapChat, Instagram, or some other social media site. Once they gain the boys’ trust, they convince them to send inappropriate pictures, which many of them do. Yes, they know they shouldn’t, but teens are impulsive and this person has won their trust. As soon as the pictures are sent, the “girl” then asks for money in exchange to keep the photos private.

By this time, the impersonator has already taken screenshots of the boy’s social media accounts, including friends lists and people they tag in posts. If the teens send money, the perpetrator will only ask for more while continuing to hang those inappropriate pictures over their heads. This has proven to be dangerous.

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The teens panic once they find out the person is really going to send the photos to their family and friends, which has resulted in some teens choosing suicide.

One family has taken to the media to warn of the dangers of sextortion and encourage parents to talk to their children. John DeMay and Jennifer Buta lost their son Jordan after he was a victim of sextortion during his senior year of high school.

“He was handsome, he was popular, he was the prom king,” DeMay told Good Morning America.

The person Jordan was communicating with was an adult man from Nigeria according to court documents.

“He drained his bank accounts as much as he could,” DeMay said. “He’s [Jordan] believing that all these images are going to his friends’ mothers and his friends, and it just threw him into a tailspin.”

The responses to the teen when he expressed to the scammer that he was going to end his life were particularly cruel, and within a few minutes, the teen completed suicide. His parents have since been on a mission to help other teens and parents.

“Have an open conversation about the dangers of social media in general and specifically sextortion. Let your kids know, if it does happen, go to a trusted adult and let them know this is happening and get their help,” Buta told GMA.

Sextortion preys on teens knowing they have less impulse control and more likely to not only send them pictures if they believe they’re talking to another teen, but send them money. This results are heartbreaking but hopefully with more parents speaking out, other teens’ lives will be saved. You can watch their whole interview below.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department found themselves in a bit of a pickle when trying to rescue two 5-month-old puppies stuck in a tortoise’s den. But they were able to save the dogs using a bit of ingenuity and taking advantage of a tortoise’s love of watermelon.

The firefighters were called out to a home in Yucca Valley where two puppies, Peo and Finn, had crawled deep inside a tortoise’s den. But when the den’s owner, Oscar, a 100-pound African Sulcatta tortoise, came home, the puppies were stuck inside without food or water.

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Realizing the den was too deep for them to crawl into to retrieve the tortoise and that digging might cause it to collapse and hurt the animals, they tried to lure the tortoise out with a big, juicy piece of watermelon on a stick.

Tortoises absolutely love watermelon.

The watermelon enticed Oscar, and as he lurched forward, the firefighters pulled the watermelon back, trying to lure him out of the den. But Oscar stopped a few feet short of exiting his home.

“The tasty watermelon trick was unsuccessful, and firefighters went to plan B, digging,” the San Bernardino County Fire Department said according to Newsweek. After digging up the few last feet of the den, the firefighters were able to pull Oscar out of his home, and Finn and Peo came running out. They were covered in dirt but safe.

“We are glad we could assist with this unique call, and there was such a positive outcome!” the police on the scene said according to Newsweek.

For many women, the simple act of feeling good in one’s body is a daily challenge. Internalized misogyny, outdated societal views and capitalism that feeds off of insecurity certainly don’t make it easy. Even truly miraculous experiences, like bringing a small human into this world, are tinged with shame, simply because the body hasn’t instantly “bounced back.”

However, sometimes we get a glimpse of what a new, more loving perspective could be. And hearing one person’s compassionate words can help us instill a new way of thinking.

Jessie J, singer of “Domino” and “Price Tag,” recently gave us a dose of that compassion. After suffering a previous pregnancy loss in 2021, the pop idol announced the birth of her son on May 19, 2023. Like many moms, her body doesn’t look the same way it once did, especially so soon after giving birth.

But rather than chastising her body for the way it looks, Jessie J is praising it for all the wonderful things it accomplished during pregnancy. It serves as a beautiful reminder for all women going through a similar situation.

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“I’m writing this for myself as well as anyone else that needs to read this,” she began in an Instagram post, along with a black-and-white photo showing her post-baby body.

She dived into what needed to be addressed first—the sheer phenomena of pregnancy that we so often take for granted and all the biological alchemy that takes place.

“Your body was a home for someone else to live in for 9 months. Your organs have moved and need to find their way back to where they were before. Your uterus is still deflating slowly. Your hormones are flying and crashing. Your body is working the hardest it has ever worked. You are exhausted but you are magical. You grew a whole human. A human who is doing this with you and loves you beyond measure.”

See on Instagram

“Celebrate your new body. It HAD to change. It will be bigger and smaller in different places. IT IS BEAUTIFUL and NATURAL,” she added.

Noting the unrealistic expectations put on many new mothers to whip themselves back into shape, she wrote, “Ignore the whispers of what some people say you should or shouldn’t look like after a certain time. It’s 2023. People need to chill.”

She then encouraged mothers to “take your time,” and “be easy on yourself, your body AND your mind,” and perhaps most importantly, to “remember you are in recovery and don’t forget to also remind those around you.”

After all, “It’s your journey,” she declared. “Your time and YOUR body. It’s not the same as anyone else’s, and that’s what makes it special. You are unique.”

“This was my body 11 days after giving birth and I still look pretty much the same now 35 days on,” she added. “I LOVE my body. It has given me the most magical roommate inside and outside of my body. And when it’s ready and able to change again it will. Whatever that looks like. I’m here for it.”

Her sweet caption concluded with “You are doing amazing Mamma. You the MVP.”

The message clearly struck a chord with moms at all different stages of motherhood, some of whom are currently pregnant and struggling with the thought of a post-baby body and others who are multiple kids in and well aware of Jessie J’s hard-earned wisdom. Regardless of whatever chapter these women were in, they were touched by the powerful words shared

Check out some of these lovely comments:

“I’m currently pregnant and the changes in my body aesthetically are definitely what I’m struggling with. I’m grateful for our baby and cannot wait to meet them, I’ve just always struggled with body image and this is magnifying that!”

“I fully expected my stomach to be flat (well not flat, more none bump shaped) after having a baby because nobody ever really spoke about the post bump, it’s so refreshing to see more people posting it.”

“My favourite saying: ‘My body looks like I’ve had children because I have had children. It will never look like I haven’t had children.’ I’m about to have my third baby (7th pregnancy) and my body tells the story of all the journeys they and I went through till they become Earthside!”

“Thank you for supporting & empowering all of the mum’s out there. You are an inspiration to all new (& not so ‘new’) mums. It’s not just the body that changes with pregnancy, it’s the rest of your life too as you so beautifully wrote ❤️”

Our bodies are amazing things at every stage of life. We just need help remembering that from time to time.

Vagabon is back with new music. Today (June 15), the Cameroonian singer and instrumentalist has announced her third album, Sorry I Haven’t Called.

Vagabon‘s upcoming album, Sorry I Haven’t Called, will boast 12 tracks, including its lead single, “Can I Talk My Sh*t?” She shared this single today, along with its music video, which proves she has earned the right to talk her sh*t, as she moves flawlessly, commanding a desert setting like a stage designed for herself.

“Can I Talk My Sh*t?” sets the tone for Sorry I Haven’t Called, as the album will feature her embracing herself as an unapologetic, multifaceted artist. She wrote and produced much of the album while living in Germany, channeling dance music and effervescent pop stylings.

“This whole record is how I talk to my friends and how to talk to my lovers,” said Vagabon in a statement “I think honesty and conversational songwriting can become poetry. There’s beauty in plainly speaking without metaphors and without flowery imagery.”

In addition to dropping Sorry I Haven’t Called this fall, Vagabon will embark on an international headlining tour with support from Weyes Blood and Nourished By Time.

You can see the video for “Can I Talk My Sh*t?” above and the album details and tour dates below.

1. “Can I Talk My Sh*t?”
2. “Carpenter”
3. “You Know How”
4. “Lexicon”
5. “Passing Me By”
6. “Autobahn”
7. “Nothing To Lose”
8. “It’s A Crisis”
9. “Do Your Worst”
10. “Interlude”
11. “Made Out With Your Best Friend”
12. “Anti-F*ck”

7/12 – New York City @ Hudson Yards
7/22 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
10/21 – Detroit, MI @ El Club *
10/22 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground *
10/26 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre *
10/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts *
10/28 – Hamden, CT @ Set Space Ballroom *
10/29 – Washington, DC @ The Atlantis *
10/31 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo ^
11/2 – Lyon, FR @ Le Transbordeur ^
11/3 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz ^
11/4 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks ^
11/6 – Berlin, DE @ Astra Kulturhaus ^
11/7 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg – Grote Zaal ^
11/8 – Paris, FR @ Pitchfork Music Festival
11/9 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma ^
11/11 – Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket ^
11/12 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy ^
11/13 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival
11/14 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City ^
12/6 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent *
12/8 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s *
12/9 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
12/10 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
12/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room *

^ w/ Weyes Blood
* w/ Nourished By Time

Sorry I Haven’t Called is out 9/15 via Nonesuch. Find more information here.

The Sacramento Kings are coming off of a tremendous 2022-23 season in which they snapped their two decade long playoff drought by earning the 3-seed in the West, taking the Warriors to seven games in the first round before losing to the then defending champs.

De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis emerged as All-Stars, Mike Brown won Coach of the Year, and in the regular season they were among the best offenses in NBA history. Unfortunately in that playoff series, much of their shooting success from long distance dried up and their defense was not quite able to pick up the slack. The key area of need for this team is a bit more two-way balance, and it appears the Kings front office is aware of that need after a report out of Sacramento, from Damien Barling of ESPN 1320, emerged that they are targeting Raptors wing OG Anunoby on the trade market.

There are a number of teams eyeing the Raptors this offseason and trying to figure out if they will finally become sellers after more than a year of them being rumored to be taking calls on stars only to never deal them. With Fred VanVleet entering free agency and a new coaching staff coming into town that seems geared towards young player development, it certainly seems like Portland might actually pull the trigger on moving some of their bigger names.

Anunoby is a particularly hot commodity given his development into a strong two-way wing, averaging 16.8 points per game on 47.6/38.7/83.8 shooting splits last year, and team friendly contract (two years left with $18.6 million due next year). The Kings have a number of talented offensive wings, but they almost all struggled in the playoffs (Malik Monk as the notable exception) and an upgrade on the defensive end from their forward spots is much needed. Anunoby certainly fits the bill, but Toronto has maintained a high asking price for Anunoby and that figures not to change this summer.

Financially, there are a number of ways the Kings could match his salary, it all just depends on what Toronto prioritizes in return and which of their young wings Sacramento is willing to part with. Kevin Huerter was excellent in his first year in Sacramento and a combination of he and Kessler Edwards would make the salaries work, with a number of picks needing to be attached. Keegan Murray, meanwhile, could be the other centerpiece of a deal, as his deal paired with Richaun Holmes would make the money work, as he had an All-Rookie season with the Kings, but, like Huerter, had his ups and downs in the playoffs. From Toronto’s perspective, Murray would be the greater prize over Huerter, but the Kings would surely want to count him, effectively, as a first round pick going in return and take a little off of the picks package.

It’s obviously quite early to know whether we even get to a point where this is more than a puff of smoke, but for Kings fans, their eagerness to continue bolstering the roster rather than being satisfied with a surprisingly good year should be a positive sign.