Month: July 2023

Gone are the days of the Cesaro Section, a revamped persona designed to finally grab the elusive brass ring, or anything to distract from Claudio Castagnoli’s pure wrestling ability.

Since he joined AEW last year, Castagnoli has been able to focus on doing exactly what he loves: wrestling.

“I don’t think you can necessarily compare (my time in WWE to AEW), and I don’t necessarily look at it as a fresh start,” Castagnoli tells Uproxx Sports. “I look at it more of a new chapter because everything I do now is built on what I’ve done. To me, it’s always time to reflect on the past, to learn from your mistakes and get better.

“I try to be better every day and try to represent the Ring of Honor World Championship and the promotion as good as I can by defending the Ring of Honor world title on any show, be it on AEW Dark, on Rampage, on Honor Club, showcasing the title in Japan,” he continues. “Just trying to bring the prestige back to the Ring of Honor World Championship. You’re looking at every single match as a new opportunity, (where) I have something to prove. If somebody watches Ring of Honor or me for the first time, I want to make them a fan of the product. I want to make them a fan of me or wrestling in general. Or at least respect it. And if I can do that, I’ve done my job well.”

The lessons of more than 20 years in wrestling have led Castagnoli to finally trust his instincts, doing more of what he wants, and moving on if things don’t go perfectly. Besides, shooting for perfection is a bit off-base in his eyes, as he says “it shouldn’t all be perfect, then it will be boring.”

He also calls it an “absolute blast” pulling double duty on both Ring of Honor and AEW, and working alongside the likes of Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley.

“When I stepped in, it just felt like I fit right in. There was no trial period. There was no phase where I felt it was awkward. It felt right and perfect from that first moment,” Castagnoli says. “Being around people like Mox and Bryan, you just have to keep up. It’s extremely motivating and it’s an extremely good learning experience for me. That’s who I want to surround myself with, people who are better, people who keep me on my toes, and people who have that competitive edge. It’s been an absolute pleasure and that’s what translates in front of the camera. We’re trying to find ways to make everything better.”

Castagnoli is especially high on his Blackpool Combat Club running mate Wheeler Yuta. Unlike Danielson and Moxley, who he knew before he came to the promotion, Castagnoli met Yuta for the first time when he joined AEW. He’s complimentary of the way he’s grown as a wrestler and the attitude he shows as he works to get better and better, particularly when it comes to applying bits of advice and criticism to his craft.

Now, it’s gotten to the point where Castagnoli finds a main event-level jump inevitable for Yuta. “If he keeps doing what he’s doing — which is getting better listening, learning, and he will — he will find whatever that is that he needs to get to that next level,” Castagnoli says. “I’m sure he will find it sooner than later.”

Castagnoli will step into the ring alongside Yuta, Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, and Pac to take on Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Kota Ibushi in a Blood and Guts match on July 19 at TD Garden in Boston. While he wouldn’t get into specifics, Castagnoli says he’s been devising something creative for the live event’s namesake match, and once that’s over, his eyes are on his responsibilities as a champion and going across the pond — Castagnoli will defend the Ring of Honor title against fellow ROH mainstay Mark Briscoe before turning his attention to All In at Wembley Stadium in London.

At this point, All In has allegedly sold more than 70,000 tickets despite no matches being announced. The mere fact that it exists makes it one of the most exciting events in AEW history, and few people are looking forward to it more than Castagnoli.

“I’m very excited, I think it’s absolutely incredible because Europe, and especially England, have deserved a stadium show for a long time,” he says. “And I’m really happy AEW is giving it to them and I’m really happy I’m going to be part of it. It’s absolutely amazing. Some people were kind of snickering and like, ‘Oh, they’re going to try to run Wembley.’ We’re not trying, we are running it very successfully. There’s so many tickets sold already, so it’s amazing. I can’t wait.”

A funny thing that happens sometimes is when words — especially slang terms — get overused to the point that they lose their meaning. One recent example of this phenomenon might be the word “woke,” which has been run into the ground by conservative talking heads who constantly reveal they have no clue what it even means.

Another one might be “GOAT.” An acronym meaning “greatest of all time,” the term’s been applied to athletes and entertainers so much that some of them have apparently begun taking on the title without even understanding the acronym. In a recent interview with Lil Baby and his artist Rylo Rodriguez, the latter rapper revealed this has been the case for him, despite his using the term in one of his album titles and even pairing it with a hilarious album cover that got him roasted on Twitter at the time.

Appearing on the “GOAT Talk” segment for Complex, the two rappers were supposed to debate the greatest things like restaurants and female rappers. After Rylo asks Baby about the latter and he ruminates on his answer, the younger rapper’s mind is blown when he realizes what the term means. ““Damn, I ain’t even know G.O.A.T. meant greatest of all time,” he admits. “How the hell you ain’t know what G.O.A.T. means?” replies Baby.

Rodriguez explains, “I just thought you the goat … I used to always think that like, ‘What the hell’s a goat?’ Nah, I get it now. One day I was like, ‘Man, why you wanna be a goat?’”

That puts this cover into perspective:

Naturally, Rylo is once again catching funny flak on Twitter for his faux pas, but this could turn out to be a good thing for him. After all, he did just recently release his new project Been One, which will undoubtedly get more attention as a result. Maybe this is just the GOAT album promo. You can see some more responses to Rylo and Baby’s convo below.

Billie Eilish is paying her formative Barbie fandom forward.

Eilish, who still “lights up” when someone gifts her a Holiday Barbie doll, teamed again with her super-producer brother, Finneas, to make “What Was I Made For” for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie movie. Her involvement is a full-circle moment for her, and she’s giving fresh entry points for younger kids to find catharsis in Barbie.

The vulnerable piano ballad arrived this morning, July 13, and shortly thereafter, Eilish made Barbie-themed merch available on her official website. Her fans will assuredly also light up when unboxing it.

The offerings include pink and black velour jackets ($110), pink and black velour pants ($110), pink and black ribbed tank tops ($45), pink and black baseball hats ($35), a black graphic tee, pink and silver metal necklaces ($40), and a sticker set ($12). All of the items feature “Billie” written in the Barbie movie promotional font.

“Through this last winter, we’ve both been incredibly uninspired,” Eilish told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in an interview published this morning. “We’ve still been working and trying to make stuff, and honestly, [‘What Was I Made For’] was the first thing we’d written in a minute.”

She added, “I remember after we wrote that first half, I go, ‘I think we still got it!’ Like, we were really in a zone of feeling like we lost it and feeling like, man, I don’t know if we can do this anymore. […] Barbie and Greta just like pulled it out of me.”

Hooboy.

What’s one sign that a strike might be working? Maybe when one of the handsomely-paid CEOs on the other side of the bargaining table goes on CNBC to complain about you to the Wall Street set.

Disney’s Bob Iger — who made $195 million over the past 5 years — spoke to Squawk Box this morning, hours after the Screen Actors Guild contract expired, saying that, “There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”

Iger added, “It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption.” A very fair point from someone who could avoid all that disruption by paying writers and actors fairly.

These statements come on the heels of a report yesterday that the studios’ masterplan was to wait out the writers, assuming they’d lose their homes and become desperate enough to take whatever deal was offered in the fall.

Adam Conover, a Zelda fan and one of the more visible WGA strike leads, had an interesting response to the comments, referencing the Entertainment Community Fund which will hopefully help writers and other production workers to avoid losing their houses:

If that was a scare tactic to bring SAG to heel, it didn’t work. SAG President Fran Drescher said that, “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.” She added that the studios have been “insulting and disrespectful” at the bargaining table.

As of this writing, it looks like a SAG strike will begin today, which would effectively stop all major production as its 160,000 members join the picket line with writers.

(via Variety)

Kevin Costner’s had a few big breakups this year so far. He has been confirmed to bid farewell to John Dutton in Yellowstone after the show finishes filming Season 5. Granted, no one knows when that will happen, given that production was already pushed back indefinitely, and Costner has been back in the director’s chair for Western Horizon. Fast forward to this week, and the SAG-AFTRA strike will almost definitely happen, adding to the general industry chaos caused by the current WGA strike.

As well, Costner’s ongoing divorce negotiations with his wife of 18 years, Christine Baumgartner, have been messy as many divorces turn out to be. However, the battle has grown outwardly vicious with a Costner source previously relaying how “happy” he was that Baumgartner must leave their marital home per the terms of their prenuptial agreement. That information came from PEOPLE, which also reported that Costner’s team accused Christine of having “plastic surgery expenses of $188,500/month.” It sure looks like there are no winners with that claim. As well, PEOPLE is now reporting that Costner has been ordered to continue paying a staggering amount ($129,755) of monthly child support until further proceedings on the matter (which don’t sound likely to happen soon).

That’s a lot of money but far less than the $248,000 per month that Baumgartner was reportedly requesting. Also enormous? The amount of supporting documentation for this case:

Costner’s attorneys also requested they have 10 days to review final forensic accountant files before the trial start dates for both the child support and prenuptial agreements since there are nearly 9,000 pages of forensic accounting documents so far.

The judge said an “evidentiary hearing is unlikely in the foreseeable future” on the matter of child support and that the tentative ruling stands in the meantime.

Costner has reportedly been stressing that Yellowstone-related earnings will soon no longer be what they were, since he will make less money after ceasing to portray John Dutton. That’s only to be expected, but boy, this divorce sure got ugly, fast. In particular, I’m not sure that it’s even possible for someone to have over $100,000 in plastic surgery procedures each month as a Costner-friendly source previously claimed about Baumgartner. Then again, both sides have a lot at stake here, but hopefully, they will come to a financial agreement sooner rather than later.

(Via PEOPLE)

The second season of BMF concluded with Meech (Demetrius Flenory Jr.) and Terry (Da’Vinchi) splitting up in what will set up a season three in two separate locations. Meech took his talents to Atlanta with the hope of building a base in the city for BMF while Terry stayed in Detroit and continue building what BMF started there. Additionally, B-Mickie was also kicked out of the group after he was accused of working with the police (for a second time) after was seen speaking to Detective Jin. There are big things in store for BMF season three and we now know when to expect a new batch of episodes.

In a new interview with Uproxx, Lala Anthony, who plays Markeisha Taylor on BMF, revealed that season three of the show will premiere in January 2024. “I just finished filming season three of BMF, which will drop in January, so people seem to be excited for another season of BMF,” she said in a conversation with Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson.

This release date does seem to align with the schedule STARZ may have for 50 Cent’s cinematic universe later this year. If it models past schedules, things would start with the premiere of Power Book IV: Force on September 1, a season that will conclude at the top of November after ten episodes. Next would be another unnamed series (maybe Raising Kanan?), and following ten episodes of that, we can assume that BMF season three will premiere within the first two weeks of January 2024.

You can read our interview with Lala Anthony here.

Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘BMF’ is available on the STARZ app.

If you’re an adult, odds are you’ve had a break-up. They’re usually painful enough in one way or another, but it’s particularly bittersweet when you still feel love for that person even after the relationship ends—yearning for them to be in your life but knowing that, for whatever reason, you must part ways. It’s not the most pleasant feeling, but certainly a universal one.

That’s perhaps why everyone’s heart melted after charming firefighter Trent Toney appeared on “America’s Got Talent” to sing an original ballad he wrote about his ex-wife, Faith, whom he unabashedly admitted he was still in love with.

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“I think we were both immature, I think we both made a lot of mistakes, but I don’t think getting married to her was one of them,” Toney said before stepping up to his keyboard.

Judge Heidi Klum was so moved by Toney that she ended up FaceTiming his ex-wife to make sure she wouldn’t miss it. Good call, Heidi, because holy moly, that voice. How does someone have the ability to rush into burning buildings and sing like that?

Watch Toney perform his original song “Always and Lately” below:

“That is real courage right there. Standing in front of a whole audience to admit you’re in the wrong and devoting the audition for the person you love. Real respect right there,” one person wrote in the YouTube comments.

“This is sooo heartwarming, a very lovely voice and his song was sooo beautiful,” added another.

Immediately after his performance, Toney received “yes” votes from all four judges, taking him on to the next round. But really, all he was concerned about was whether or not Faith was okay.

Because everybody must have been wondering: at the end of the video, “AGT” informed viewers that while Faith “enjoyed Trent’s song,” they are “still not together.” Sometimes that’s the route life takes us on. Doesn’t make the stops along the way any less beautiful.

Back in the late ’80s, NASA was looking for ways to detoxify the air in its space stations. So it conducted a study to determine the most effective plants for filtering the air of toxic agents and converting carbon dioxide to oxygen.

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In 1989, their results were published in a clean air study that provided a definitive list of the plants that are most effective at cleaning indoor air. The report also suggested having at least one plant per every hundred square feet of home or office space.

1. Dwarf Date Palm

2. Boston Fern

3. Kimberly Queen Fern

4. Spider Plant

5. Chinese Evergreen

6. Bamboo Palm

7. Weeping Fig

8. Devil’s Ivy

9. Flamingo Lily

10. Lilyturf

11. Broadleaf Lady Palm

12. Barberton Daisy

13. Cornstalk Dracena

14. English Ivy

15. Varigated Snake Plant

16. Red-Edged Dracaena

17. Peace Lily

18. Florist’s Chrysanthemum

What’s in our air?

Trichloroethylene – Found in printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes, adhesives, and paint removers. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: excitement, dizziness, headache, nausea, and vomiting followed by drowsiness and coma.

Formaldehyde – Found in paper bags, waxed papers, facial tissues, paper towels, plywood paneling, and synthetic fabrics. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: irritation to nose, mouth and throat, and in severe cases, swelling of the larynx and lungs.

Benzene – Used to make plastics, resins, lubricants, detergents, and drugs. Also found in tobacco smoke, glue, and furniture wax. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: irritation to eyes, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, increase in heart rate, headaches, confusion and in some cases can result in unconsciousness.

Xylene – Found in rubber, leather, tobacco smoke, and vehicle exhaust. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: irritation to mouth and throat, dizziness, headache, confusion, heart problems, liver and kidney damage and coma.

Ammonia – Found in window cleaners, floor waxes, smelling salts, and fertilizers. Symptoms associated with short-term exposure include: eye irritation, coughing, sore throat.

Please note: Some of these plants may be toxic for your pets, so please do your research to ensure your furry friends stay safe.

This article originally appeared on 08.13.21

The concept of being an introvert versus an extrovert is a fairly new one. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung first came up with both terms in the early 1900s, and from the get-go, it was understood that people’s personalities generally fell somewhere between the two extremes.

Nowadays introverts are often mislabeled as being antisocial, which isn’t necessarily true. Going off of the Jung definition, introverted people simply orient toward their “internal private world of inner thoughts and feelings”—unlike extroverts, who “engage more with the outside world of objects, sensory perception, and action.”

Most introverts will tell you, it’s not that we hate people. We just find them … draining. What we tend to detest are things like trivial small talk and the cacophony of large groups. But even that, many introverts can turn on for, enjoy even … so long as we can promptly go home afterwards and veg out.

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Being introverted is certainly not unique—up to half of the entire population is estimated to be introverted. Heck, it’s even a trait for animals. And it’s certainly not a weakness. Many notable leaders were known for being reserved. However, the world is often made to favor extroversion, making it hard for introverts to be understood, let alone valued.

Reddit user Sarayka81 asked for introverts to share their “nightmare situations.” The answers are an eye-opening (and pretty hilarious) glimpse into how one person’s idea of normal, or even fun, can be another person’s torture.

Enjoy 15 of the best responses. Introverts, beware.

1. Public marriage proposals

“I’ve told every partner so far, if you propose in public I will turn it down.” – @AngelaTheRipper

“All those youtube videos of these big proposals, like a whole dance routine pop up…everyone is like ‘omg what a great gesture!’ No. no. no.” – fearme101

2. Afterparties

“You mean there’s more stuff to do after the stuff we planned on doing? I only have so much energy to deal with people and it was already used up.” – @Nyctomancer

3. Being picked out of the crowd to speak

“People who just raise their hand to be chosen are true heroes.” – @Chogolatine

4. Unexpected visitors

“As a child my worst nightmare was when my parents got visitors and I’m stuck upstairs hungry and thirsty because I can’t access the kitchen.” – @mikasott

“Ask them nicely, ‘would you kindly REMOVE yourself from my personal space.‘” – @GDog507

“But that requires talking to them.” – @StinkyKittyBreath

5. Introducing yourself

“I get locked jaw when this happens. Along with sweaty palms and cold sweat.” – @ellisonjune

6. Multiple conversations at once

“I was at a conference where everyone is doing the circle thing and I was chatting with some people about some interesting, but pretty dry, industry topics. All of the sudden I hear someone in another conversation circle say something along the lines of: ‘Yeah man, gorillas will rip your head off.’

All of the sudden, I can’t concentrate on my current conversation and my brain tunes into the gorilla conversation instead. I could not for the life of me tune back into my main conversation.” – @reAchilles

7. Running into someone you know in a public place

“All you want to do is read your book, but there’s no way out and you decide to put up a brave front. Already you can hear the office gossip in your head: ‘Oh my God, guess who I was stuck on the train with…’Nightmare fuel. Work from home was a blessing in this regard.” – @jew_bisquits

8. Singing “Happy Birthday” at a restaurant

“This shouldn’t be legal” – @Chogolatine

9. Surprise parties

“I’m essentially the 49th wheel at my own party. Kill me now.” – @Anneboleyn33

10. Being talked over

“Especially when the only thing the person interjects with is filler or exclamatory flurry that adds nothing to the conversation while stifling any other contribution. Things like ‘yes girl yes!’ or ‘I can’t believe that!’ or …even loud forced laughter – really any noise interjected in that space to make it seem like they’re contributing or listening instead of actually participating.” – @torn_anteater

11. Networking events

“Don’t forget to come up with a fun fact!” – @sub_surfer

12. Extroverts who just don’t get it

“‘Wanna hang out this Saturday?’

‘Sure!’

… Saturday arrives, 10 minutes before hangout time …

‘Oh also I invited my friend you have never met before to join us.'” – @drflanigan

13. Phone calls

“Receiving and twice as bad having to make one.” – @Isand0

14. Impromptu work presentations

“I need like a couple days to prepare myself for any speaking engagement lol.” – @koriroo

15. Party games that involve small talk

“‘Who’s up for two truths and a lie?’

Thinks … Can they all be lies? No … What are the most boring truths I can think of so no one comes up to talk to me after this?‘” – @littlewittlediddle

This article originally appeared on 09.16.22

Some icons have truly left this world too early. It’s a tragedy when anyone doesn’t make it to see old age, but when it happens to a well-known public figure, it’s like a bit of their art and legacy dies with them. What might Freddie Mercury have created if he were granted the gift of long life? Bruce Lee? Princess Diana?

Their futures might be mere musings of our imagination, but thanks to a lot of creativity (and a little tech) we can now get a glimpse into what these celebrities might have looked like when they were older.

Alper Yesiltas, an Istanbul-based lawyer and photographer, created a photography series titled “As If Nothing Happened,” which features eerily realistic portraits of long gone celebrities in their golden years. To make the images as real looking as possible, Yesiltas incorporated various photo editing programs such as Adobe Lightroom and VSCO, as well as the AI photo-enhancing software Remini.

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“The hardest part of the creative process for me is making the image feel ‘real’ to me,” Yesiltas wrote about his passion project. “The moment I like the most is when I think the image in front of me looks as if it was taken by a photographer.”

Yesiltas’ meticulousness paid off, because the results are uncanny.

Along with each photo, Yesiltas writes a bittersweet message “wishing” how things might have gone differently … as if nothing happened.

Freddie Mercury

See on Instagram

“I wish he hadn’t got that disease.”

There are plenty of amazing Freddie Mercury tributes and impersonators out there, but there will only ever be ONE Freddie Mercury.

Heath Ledger

See on Instagram

“I wish he hadn’t been affected by the exhaustion of his role.”

One of Ledger’s most notable roles is queer cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee’s iconic 2005 romantic western drama “Brokeback Mountain.” In a time when queer storytelling was still taboo, Ledger’s honest and compassionate portrayal broke down a lot of barriers for future stories.

Though Ledger officially died due to an overdose, many believe it was his role of The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” that pushed him over the edge.

Janis Joplin

“I wish she hadn’t sought the inspiration she needed elsewhere.”

The powerful singer with electric stage presence is still one of the greatest female rock stars of all time. Scratch that—one of the greatest rock stars of all time, period.

Jimi Hendrix

“I wish he hadn’t sought the inspiration he needed elsewhere.”

Like Joplin and Ledger, Hendrix died due to an overdose—though many have speculated that it was instead the result of foul play.

Michael Jackson

See on Instagram

“I wish he hadn’t faced vitiligo.”

However questionable his personal life was, the King of Pop made some of the biggest contributions to music of all time. People continue to sing his songs, and likely will for a very, very long time.

Kurt Cobain

“I wish he had decided to stay.”

The insightful, poetic and troubled Cobain took his life at 27. His story is a cautionary tale that success does not necessarily help thwart struggles with mental health.

Bruce Lee

“I wish he hadn’t taken that painkiller that day.”

The actor and martial-arts expert died at 32, officially due to a harmful reaction to a painkiller. His philosophies around kung fu, however, are eternal.

John Lennon

See on Instagram

“I wish he hadn’t been in New York that day.”

Legendary artist and activist John Lennon was fatally wounded by a gunshot in December 1980. The last thing he talked about, revealed ex-wife Yoko Ono in an interview, was the desire to see his son before he went to sleep.

Elvis Presley

“I wish he decided to live a life where he paid more attention to the health of his heart.”

Had Presley not died of cardiac arrest, he would be 87 this year.

Tupac Shakur

See on Instagram

“I wish he hadn’t been involved in that event that would cause him to face the mafia.”

The cause of Tupac’s untimely death is also one of debate and speculation. According to some, he never died at all. What we can all agree on—he was one of hip-hop’s most iconic figures.

Princess Diana

See on Instagram

This one seems to be a new addition to the collection, so no wistful message. Although I’m sure the general sentiment is “I wish she were still here.”

AI-generated art is a controversial topic, to be sure. Some consider it a new, innovative medium. Others see it as devoid of any real creativity at all, as it’s produced by a machine, rather than a human. Many are concerned that, as is the case with many jobs that get machine automated, it will threaten the livelihood of actual illustrators.

Those concerns are certainly valid, but perhaps there’s a balance to be found here, as Yesiltas seems to have accomplished. Previously, another artist similarly created stunningly lifelike portraits of cartoon characters from “Encanto” and ”The Simpsons.” These works still required the human touch, and were carefully crafted over time rather than cracked out in mere seconds, as is the case with a lot of AI art.

At its best, AI art helps remind us, as Yesiltas puts it, that “anything imaginable can be shown in reality.” Which, at the end of the day, could be said for any art.

This article originally appeared on 9.23.22