Month: July 2023

On Saturday (July 8), Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds was supposed to perform at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. They never ended up taking the stage, though, due to a bomb threat.

Billboard notes that openers Metric and Garbage were able to perform before the venue was evacuated due to the threat shortly before 10 p.m.

Journalist Jon Campbell was in attendance, and he tweeted, “Weird things happening at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center, for non locals). The stage was all set for Noel Gallagher. Then a guy came on stage and said: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the show will not continue.” His tweet also included a photo of a message shown on a screen on stage, which read, “ATTENTION! At this time, we will need to evacuate the venue. We ask you to calmly proceed to the nearest EXIT. Please follow directions of staff and police officers. For the safety of everyone, please do NOT rush or push. Thank you for your cooperation.”

In a Facebook post shared yesterday, New York State Park Police explained what happened: “On 07/08/2023, The New York State Park Police, New York State Police, Saratoga Springs Police Department, Troy Police Department, and Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office responded to a bomb threat at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Out of an abundance of caution, the concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center was suspended ‪at 9:40 pm and concert attendees were evacuated without incident. K9s completed a sweep of the venue after the crowd exited, with negative results. This incident is under investigation.‬ This case will be investigated as, Making a Terroristic Threat, a Class D Felony.”

The past week-plus has been tough for Madonna. In late June, the pop icon was reportedly found unresponsive before being transported to the ICU. A few days later, it was reported she was recovering in the comfort of her own home. Last week, Rosie O’Donnell also noted, “she is recovering at home – she is very strong in general.” Now, it looks like Madonna is continuing her upward trajectory.

Page Six reports that over the weekend, Madonna was seen out and about with a friend in New York City’s Upper East Side. The publication notes Madonna “was wearing giant sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat and Nike sneakers — and that she leaned somewhat heavily on a lamppost while waiting to cross the street at East 80th Street and Lexington Avenue.” They also reported, “Page Six spies say she looked happy and chatted with a blonde pal as they wandered on a hot Sunday afternoon. She seemed to have no trouble walking, though seemed to be taking her time.”

Podcaster Lauren Conlin also shared photos of Madonna’s walk in a TikTok video.

Madonna has yet to publicly address what happened, but when the news was revealed, Guy Oseary, her longtime manager, explained, “On Saturday June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection which lead to a several day stay in the ICU. Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected.”

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t been able to make much in the way of substantial offseason moves since free agency began, as they have a crowded cap sheet and have been focused mostly on James Harden’s future after he picked up his player option and requested a trade — that Joel Embiid hopes he’ll change his mind about.

In the meantime, they signed Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba earlier in free agency, but their biggest free agent decision came on Sunday night when they had to decide whether to match the 3-year, $23 million offer sheet the Utah Jazz got Paul Reed to sign. Reed averaged 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last year as Joel Embiid’s backup and is a promising young player. That said, the Jazz made him a unique contract offer that featured one year fully guaranteed, but a stipulation that all three years will be guaranteed if his team makes the conference semifinals.

It’s a rather wicked contract incentive given the Jazz would be an unlikely second round playoff team in the West, but that is the expectation for Philadelphia. As such, matching the offer sheet shows at least a bit of commitment from ownership to this team and being willing to pay the tax bill to keep them competitive around Embiid — with Harden’s situation still pending, of course.

The first game of the Victor Wembanyama era did not go according to script, as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft struggled offensively against the Hornets, scoring just nine points on 2-of-13 shooting in his debut as an NBA player at Summer League in Las Vegas.

After the game, Wembanyama admitted his conditioning wasn’t there for Friday’s opener and that he “didn’t really know what he was doing.” Sunday night brought the opportunity for swift redemption against the Blazers, and Wembanyama delivered with a much more impressive showing, albeit in the Spurs first loss of the summer, scoring 27 points to go along with 12 rebounds and three blocks on 9-of-14 shooting (7-of-12 from the free throw line).

In the opener, Wembanyama seemed overly focused on not over-asserting himself, showing off his passing chops but not playing with the level of force needed against Summer League players hungry to make a name for themselves going up against the most-hyped prospect since LeBron James. A passive approach, coupled with a cold shooting night, made for a rather poor showing. On Sunday, he seemed to learn his lesson, being far more assertive as a scorer, looking for his shot and attacking inside more often.

He showed that his first game was not indicative of his shooting touch, showing off a smooth jumper against Portland.

However what was most encouraging was his work inside and at the rim. The biggest immediate question for Wembanyama is how he’ll deal with the strength of NBA players on the interior, because even as he plays more as a wing, he’s going to need to be able to get and finish inside to be as efficient as necessary — particularly since he’s not a lights out shooter. Against Portland he put the full arsenal on display. He was able to draw fouls and get himself to the line, including a couple three-point fouls which could become a real thing with his shooting form and how high he jumps. He also took matters into his own hands to get the ball and get inisde with a vicious putback dunk off an offensive rebound, running the floor off a block to get a dunk in transition, and getting his own rebound (by running to the other side of the basket and still getting to the ball first) and finishing through contact.

For much of the night the Blazers were ahead by double figures, but a late Spurs flurry put them in position to cut the lead to one on a stepback three by Wembanyama, sending the Thomas & Mack crowd into a frenzy.

Unfortunately, as often happens in Summer League, Wemby’s teammates did not recognize the moment and he didn’t touch the ball on the next two possessions as his teammates hoisted contested threes that didn’t come particularly close. As such the game didn’t feature the dramatic ending it maybe deserved, but Wembanyama did get the chance to put his full skillset on display and remind people why every team was so excited about the prospect of making him their franchise cornerstone coming into this year’s Draft.

It wasn’t all perfect, but it was an impressive bounceback where he looked much more comfortable on the floor to get the hype train is back on the tracks.

When James Harden chose to pick up his player option and request a trade just before the start of free agency, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in a precarious position.

There was no clear path to replacing Harden’s productivity, as him being on an expiring wasn’t going to yield a massive return and the team didn’t have cap space to make any big moves in free agency. The result has been a very quiet start to the offseason from Philly, signing Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba as their only moves thus far. Harden trade rumors have also quieted considerably after plenty of rumblings about interest from the Clippers, Knicks, and Heat (with the latter, of course, now focused on Damian Lillard) in the initial days after the news broke.

Now, there seems to be a chance the Sixers try to mend fences with Harden and bring him back next year, which would keep them in the Eastern Conference hunt after they were a game away from the conference finals a year ago. Joel Embiid seems to support that plan, as he’s continued to hang out with Harden this summer, with the two (along with Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey) all being together at Michael Rubin’s white party last week.

On Saturday night in Vegas, Embiid and Harden were again together for another Rubin party during Summer League, and the MVP sat down with Rachel Nichols to offer a diplomatic take on Harden’s trade request, while also noting he hopes he’ll change his mind and come back.

Embiid’s voice should carry significant weight within the Sixers organization, and that he wants Harden to be back should only embolden Daryl Morey and company to see if the situation with Harden can, in fact, be reconciled. If there’s not a great situation out there for Harden, and all indications are his preference is to be in L.A. on the Clippers, it’s possible he could be amenable to just sticking around in Philly. There’s also the possibility talks have slowed on Harden because the league is waiting to see what happens with Damian Lillard, as he works hard to get moved to the Miami Heat. Once that deal goes through — or a surprise team steps up to make a better offer than Miami can — Harden talks might again heat up. In the meantime, Embiid will hope to have his pick-and-roll partner back next year, as he’s not looking to take a stepback in the midst of his prime.

Wireless Festival tends unintentionally bring way to a wave of chaotic energy. Whether an act booked for the multi-day festival finds themselves arguing with a fan in the crowd, phones being hurled around, or someone taking a hard tumble on stage, there’s never a dull moment. On the contrary, this year’s festivities gave birth to one hilarious joke due to Ice Spice’s producer Riot’s minimalist tech rider.

A lot goes into delivering a great show, but the “Barbie World” rapper only needs a mic. While Riot, who stood in as her onstage DJ, simply required the proper cords to connect to the speakers. One fan tuned into the festival’s live stream noticed the Riot’s bare table and took to Twitter to laugh about it. “Ice Spice DJ with the least demanding tech rider in Wireless history ,” wrote the user.

Riot joined in on the lighthearted roast, replying to the user, “Because I’m not a DJ .” Ice Spice successfully completed her set without any compliments from attendees. So, it looks like the low-maintenance technical needs go to get the job done.

During her time in London, Ice Spice appeared on BBC Radio 1. When asked if she was enjoying herself, cheerfully replied, “I love it here. It kind of reminds me of New York a lit bit.”

Ice went on to say that while the cultures are similar, the major cities share something else in common, saying, “The smells too! Because I think yesterday was garbage day,” referring to London’s unique scent.

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

Jerry West was, rather famously, an insanely competitive person (as most great athletes are). West’s intensity was caricatured on HBO’s Winning Time series about the Lakers, which was to West’s dismay and led to him threatening to sue the show over his portrayal as an absolute lunatic.

While West doesn’t appreciate how he was portrayed on the small screen, he will readily admit he was an intense competitor on the court. On Sunday, West joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on stage in Las Vegas at NBA Con to talk about their careers, providing a younger generation an opportunity to hear from a pair of all-time greats. In that conversation, West talked about his competitive fire and noted that these days he hears a lot of players call themselves dogs before delivering a rather incredible line saying “Well I was a wolf. I ate dogs.”

It’s a great line and one that caught the eye of a current Laker great in LeBron James.

West may have just unknowingly authored the new favorite Instagram caption for LeBron and others this coming year. As players increasingly use the term dog to describe their play, guys like James will undoubtedly look to separate themselves and I think West just laid out way to do that.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg aren’t getting along these days. Not only may they be duking it out in a cage (though Musk himself seems to realize he’s doomed), but they’re also tussling in another place: the world of social media. Last week Zuckerberg debuted Threads, his attempt at a “Twitter killer” that’s pitching itself as a nicer, Don Jr.-flagging version of what Twitter was pre-Musk. Their beef is so heated that Musk is taking bizarre swipes at his manhood.

As caught by Mediaite, the Wendy’s account on Threads got in on the Elon-Zuck beef, telling him he “should go to space just to really make him mad lol.” Zuckerberg responded with a crying laughing emoji.

Well, Musk wasn’t laughing. The exchange was brought to his attention by one of those blue checkmark accounts, which praised him for allegedly protecting free speech while Zuckerberg, they claimed, only protects “brand speech.

Musk responded by writing, simply, “Zuck is a cuck.”

It’s not the only time Musk has publicly trashed Zuckerberg since Threads dropped (and amassed tens of millions of users, surely because anyone with an Instagram account can sign up in less than a minute). He spent the weekend responding to other blue checkmarks who disparaged his biggest social media rival.

In one, Musk called Threads “just Instagram minus pics, which makes no sense, given that thirst pics are the main reason people use that app. How many times have you read comments on Insta pics & wished there were more? Personally, never.”

No date has yet been set for the cage match, provided Musk doesn’t back out of it. Then again, he spent months trying to weasel out of buying Twitter, and look what happened.

(Via Mediaite)

Since his release from prison in 2018, Meek Mill has used his platform to advocate for criminal justice reform. The “Dreams & Nightmares” rapper’s campaigning doesn’t stop when he hits the stage. During his Rolling Loud Portugal 2023 performances, Meek called for a fellow entertainer’s release. However, the musician learned quickly that not everyone agrees with him.

While performing his 2016 song “Litty,” Meek Mill declared “Free Tory Lanez” to the sea of Rolling Loud attendees, and while the crowd didn’t give him any pushback, social media wasn’t too happy about it. Lanez, who appeared on the track with Meek, is awaiting sentencing for assaulting rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

After the fan-captured clip was shared on social media, users chimed in on Meek’s call to release the recording artist. Several users alleged that Meek couldn’t find fault in what his former collaborator was convicted of because he was also accused of similar abusive behaviors toward his ex-girlfriend Nicki Minaj. One user wrote, “Of course, he says that birds of a feather flock together.”

Another user wrote, “Abusers supporting each other, what’s new.”

Meek denied all accusations of being abusive toward Minaj, writing in a now-deleted tweet, “The only way you can try to kill my career is to say I beat women.”

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

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour has finally kicked off its North American leg. While the “America Has Problem” singer may be happy to be returning home to the U.S., not everyone in her family can say the same. According to TMZ, the star’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, had her Los Angeles home burglarized after the Independence Day holiday weekend.

The outlet revealed robbers broke into the fashion pioneer and philanthropist’s estate. They allegedly stole a safe containing over $1 million in cash and other expensive jewels. Fortunately for Lawson, she was not at home at the time of the intrusion, or so the publication shared.

Lawson has not issued a statement regarding the break-in. However, she did repost an old video of her dancing off negative energy to Instagram, writing, “My niece sent this to me this morning! She said it inspires her to fend off the haters when they try to get to her. I recorded it months ago. But I needed to see this old post myself today ! I refuse to let anything break my soul! I will live my life to the fullest!”

This isn’t the first time Lawson’s home has been targeted. In April, a man was arrested for damaging her mailbox with rocks.