Month: July 2023

Following the news that Paul Reubens died at age 70 following a private battle with cancer, the tributes started pouring in on social media as fans celebrated the comedy actor’s beloved role as Pee-Wee Herman. There was also plenty of love for his standout performance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as Reubens’ hilarious 30 Rock cameo.

Thanks to being a permanent fixture in the Hollywood comedy scene going all the way back to the ’80s, Reubens accrued a wealth of celebrity friends who also joined in remembering the late actor.

“No tweet can capture the magic, generosity, artistry, and devout silliness of Paul Reubens,” Conan O’Brien wrote. “Everyone I know received countless nonsensical memes from Paul on their birthday, and I mean EVERYONE. His surreal comedy and unrelenting kindness were a gift to us all. Damn, this hurts.”

“Goodbye Paul, goodnight sweet prince, may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,” Cher tweeted.

“Paul Reubens was like no one else – a brilliant and original comedian who made kids and their parents laugh at the same time,” Jimmy Kimmel wrote. “He never forgot a birthday and shared his genuine delight for silliness with everyone he met. My family and I will miss him.”

“Just heard that Paul Reubens died. He brought me so much joy, and getting to know him was a gift,” Andy Richter tweeted. “Truly one of my heroes.”

“This is devastating. Truly heartbreaking. Paul was such a comedy genius,” Paul Feig wrote. “From his Letterman appearances to his TV shows and movies, he was so original and hilarious. And such a sweet man too. This is a huge loss for comedy. Thanks for all the laughs, Paul.”

“Aw man… Pee-wee Herman has ridden off to heaven,” Carl Weathers tweeted. “RIP Paul Reubens. Thank you for giving us Pee-wee. You made yours truly a fan and you were one of the nice guys.”

Comedy Bang Bang host Scott Aukerman shared an especially lovely tribute to Reubens on Instagram, as well.

And, as proof of a life well-lived, the Muppets chimed in, too.

You can scroll through more Paul Reubens tributes below:

An anchor for the Right Side Broadcasting Network found himself in hot water after agreeing with a Donald Trump supporter who called for a very violent end to the former president’s opponents.

The now-viral moment went down at a Trump rally in Erie, Pennsylvania on Saturday where RSBN anchor Matthew Alvarez interviewed the MAGA crowd waiting outside of the event and asked how everyone was doing in the heat. That’s when the following exchange took place:

Via Mediaite:

TRUMP FAN: Good, good, good. I’m here to guarantee Trump gettin’ back in and get rid of the corruption that’s in the White House right now. It’s a disgrace. Joe Biden is a disgrace to this country.

MATTHEW ALVAREZ: He’s a disgrace. And so are all the, the left and the RINOs, the globalists…

TRUMP FAN: … every one of ’em! Kill ’em all! Kill ’em all!

MATTHEW ALVAREZ: I agree with you on that!

You can watch the moment below where Alvarez audibly agrees with the Trump supporter:

Despite being a far-right network dedicated to all things MAGA, Alvarez took to the air later that day to address a backlash brewing on Twitter and clarify that he does not support killing ’em all. According to Alvarez, he didn’t hear what the Trump supporter said at the time because of the noise from the crowd. The RSBN anchor is all about Trump, but not like that.

“That is not something that I agree with, obviously,” Alvarez said from inside the venue. “So if there is something that happened where somebody was speaking out there, I didn’t hear those words spoken. It’s very loud outside. All I know is I’m here for God, for this country, for truth, for President Trump, that kind of thing. Definitely not proponent of anything like that happening. So there you go. Yeah.”

(Via Mediaite)

Halle Bailey shouldered the life-changing role of Ariel in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid, which premiered in theaters this May and might soon hit streaming. Bailey often spoke about the racist backlash she faced as a Black woman portraying the character, choosing to focus on the Black representation she was providing for kids like this adorable four-year-old.

Now, Bailey is showcasing her resilience in a different way. On Monday, July 31, she posted a teaser video of her forthcoming debut solo single, “Angel,” to be released this Friday, August 4.

“Angels make a way somehow. Friday,” she captioned it.

The video is filled with throwback home video footage that shows Bailey progressively growing up — from an infant in a car seat to a young girl being thrilled to receive an electric guitar and showing someone an angel charm on her bracelet.

As a cover star for Essence last year, Bailey admitted she was “so nervous to do something on my own” in relation to taking on the role of Ariel because she didn’t know whether she could do something without Chlöe, her sister with whom she shined in the power duo Chloe X Halle.

Bailey teased her future venture into solo music, saying, “Seeing how Chlöe’s navigated stepping out on her own is so inspiring to me.” Chlöe released her debut solo album, In Pieces, this spring.

“My angel forever and always [hearts-as-eyes emoji],” Chlöe posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’m so proud of you sis. cannot wait, I love this song sm.”

Drake has always been relatively averse to doing press but in recent years, he’s seemingly been more open to it. Of course, being Drake, he can’t just do interviews with normal journalists. His most recent clips include a beach interview with Lil Yachty, an awkward gimmick interview with influencer Bobbi Althoff, and a string of parody interviews with legacy outlets like The Howard Stern Show and Vogue. He added another popular influencer to the list, catching up with New York street interview show Sidetalk NYC outside of New York strip club Starlets, where he made some jokes about his son’s mom and bragged about wearing Tupac Shakur’s jewelry.

Drake purchased the ring in question at auction for over $1 million — more than $700,00 over its original asking price. The ring had originally been in the collection of Outlawz member Yaki Kadafi’s mother, Yaasmyn Fula. Pac had worn the ring at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards — his final public appearance before he was gunned down in Las Vegas that year.

During his interview with Sidetalk, Drake — who’s either very drunk or doing an impressive impression of it — boasted that his son’s mom, Sophie Brussaux, was on the club’s wall of fame. He was also asked “which city has the greatest density of tingz,” deciding that Denver, Colorado takes the cake for … cake. You can check out Drake’s latest humorous interview above.

Cardi B certainly had an eventful weekend: While performing in Las Vegas, she was splashed by a concertgoer’s drink, so Cardi threw her microphone at the person. There’s no “allegedly” about it, as there’s plenty of video of the throw. Now, it appears she could be facing some legal action.

TMZ reports that the woman who was struck by the mic visited the Las Vegas Metro Police Department to report the incident, and Cardi is now listed as the suspect in a battery. The publication notes, “A woman in the crowd threw some kinda liquid at Cardi while she was performing … and the rapper snapped, immediately throwing the mic in retaliation. The mic struck the drink thrower, but ricocheted and also hit another woman standing next to her. It’s unclear which one of them went to cops, or if there was any mention of the drink being thrown at Cardi.”

That incident wasn’t even the only microphone Cardi threw that weekend: Video from a show the day before shows Cardi, seemingly out of frustration, throwing her mic towards the DJ booth after a performance of “I Like It.”

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

Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian best known for playing Pee-Wee Herman in multiple TV shows and movies including The Pee-wee Herman Show and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, has died at 70.

“Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” a message on his Facebook account wrote. “Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”

For decades, hip-hop has often taken inspiration from queer sounds and aesthetics. In the ‘90s, Lil Kim was open about the fact the extravagant outfits and makeup she wore were inspired by drag performers and figures of the underground ballroom scene. She was a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, displaying a sense of allyship that was vital at the time. Despite the fact that Lil Kim had love for the queer and trans communities — a love that was reciprocated — homophobic ideology within hip-hop was rampant. Artists like NWA, DMX, and Ice-T were often praised for their conscious lyrics about racial disparities and economic inequality, however, many listeners reeled over their homophobic lyrics.

Early works by Eminem and the Beastie Boys often depicted violent acts against queer and trans people, which would later be the subject of GLAAD protests. Though the aforementioned artists have since recanted these lyrics and actions, or have otherwise have shown support for the LGBTQ+ community, many listeners and artists believe bigotry towards queer and trans people is still an issue within the genre. However, in recent years, with LGBTQ+ artists rising through the charts, and at the helm of production of inescapable hits, signs seem to point at a queer revolution within hip-hop.

For the past few years, queerness has had an undeniable presence in hip-hop. Though some women rappers have utilized ballroom lingo and queer aesthetics in their music and visuals, despite not openly identifying as LGBTQ+, many others have made it known from the jump that they are not inhibiting themselves for anybody.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when and how the recent LGBTQ+ revolution in hip-hop began. Perhaps it was when Lil Nas X earned the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 in 2019 with “Old Town Road,” or maybe it was during the pandemic, when fans helped elevate artists like Doechii, Ice Spice, and Lacy through dances and storytelling on TikTok. Ice Spice alluded to her bisexuality in one of her earliest hits, “Bikini Bottom.” She doubled down on this during an interview with Genius, where she explained that fans “need to know – we’re here and we’re queer!”

The eccentric Doechii has also captivated listeners, not only with her witty one-liners and vibrant displays of the characters she invents with her music, but also simply by unapologetically being herself. Before signing to Top Dawg Entertainment, which has housed the likes of Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Doechii went viral with her autobiographical song “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” on which, she proclaims, “I think I like girls, but I think I like men.” One of her first major label hits, “Persuasive,” likens the idea of smoking marijuana to giving into the affections of a woman.

In an interview with British GQ last year, Doechii cited the LGBTQ+ community in helping her find confidence in her sound, saying, “I always knew that I was queer, and I was bisexual. But I didn’t really feel comfortable talking about it, because nobody around me was gay. So it’s not like I was hiding it — but I also wasn’t fully embracing it. I just started indulging myself with more friends who were like me. And that’s when I could become more comfortable talking about it, because that’s my normal everyday conversation now with my gay friends.”

Around the same time Doechii began blowing up, her Top Dawg labelmate Isaiah Rashad was the subject of rumors surrounding his sexuality. In February 2022, sex tapes of Rashad engaging in activities with other men surfaced online. Rashad would not address these tapes until his performance at Coachella two months later. During the performance, he thanked fans, who sent messages of support following the leaks, saying, “I see all the messages and all that sh*t, all the positivity,” and noted that his fans kept him “alive these last couple months.” A month later, he came out as sexually fluid during an interview with Joe Budden.

Also that year, Lil Uzi Vert, who had previously identified as a man, started using they/them pronouns. Though they made this announcement simply by updating the pronouns in their Instagram bio, and have not officially labeled themselves as non-binary, Uzi revealed in an interview with 032c that this change came without any sort of hesitation.

“I did take my time to learn as much as I could about this before I was able to proceed,” said Uzi. “Taking the time to figure out who you are is a big part of what it means to be alive.”

They continued, explaining that the LGBTQ+ community has always been an essential component of the hip-hop game.

“I just think a good product [is] a good product,” Uzi said. “Think about fashion. Gay and trans designers are some of the biggest talents out there, and gangster-ass guys wear their stuff without a thought. What you make is what matters, not how you identify.”

And the quality of Uzi’s work has certainly been reflected in their sales and streams. Last month, their long-awaited Pink Tape album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first hip-hop album of 2023 to do so.

But also, in regards to “a good product,” several queer producers are working behind the scenes to give these hip-hop records a magical touch. Over the course of the past year, openly gay producer Kaytranada has cut tracks for rappers IDK and JID, and even collaborated with rapper Aminé on a full-length collaborative album. Bisexual singer and instrumentalist Steve Lacy has been a go-to collaborator for artists like Kendrick Lamar and J Cole for years.

Last year, Lacy earned the biggest hit of his career with “Bad Habit,” a chart-topping song which tells the painful story of a missed connection. Throughout the song, Lacy doesn’t mention anyone by name, or allude to specific pronouns, which makes the song all the more relatable. “[I]f only you’d known, things would be different,” said Shani Fuller-Tillman, RCA Records VP of Marketing in a 2022 interview with Variety. “There’s no one of any age, race or gender identity that hasn’t experienced this in life.”

While relatability is a key factor in the success of songs like “Bad Habit,” the tune also got a viral push through TikTok. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, TikTok has been crucial to a song’s success — whether it be from the song’s genesis to its official release, or as the platform documents the song’s second — or even third — life.

LGBTQ+ artists, especially, have felt the effects of TikTok on their music, especially Lil Nas X, who began teasing his single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” through TikTok months before its official March 2021 release. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and though Lil Nas X hasn’t released an album since September of 2021, he continues to tease new music through the platform — the snippets often met with fans in the comments, demanding he release the full song immediately.

In 2022, fellow gay rapper Saucy Santana went viral on TikTok with his opulent single, “Material Gworllllllll!,” though the song had been released three years prior. Its viral resurgence prompted Madonna — who has long been deemed a gay icon — to perform the song alongside Santana at New York City Pride that year, and later, release a remix of the song in the form of a mashup with her 1984 hit, “Material Girl.”

But what is the catalyst for hip-hop’s recent embrace of queer and trans artists and producers? Is it online virality? The post-COVID desire to dance and feel liberated? The genre-fluidity in which streaming is pushing hip-hop numbers into similar territory as pop?

Is it even fair that hip-hop gets all the flack for homophobia? At the time of writing, Miley Cyrus is the only openly queer artist in the top 10 of Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart. Meanwhile, Jason Aldean, whose recent small town-romanticizing music video for his song “Try That In A Small Town” has been accused of racist imagery, is within arms length of his first Billboard Hot 100 topper.

Rap and hip-hop are certainly not monolithic, but even as the pop-adjacent rappers and hip-hop artists, like those mentioned above, have been met with support from hip-hop fans — both queer and straight — even conscious rappers, like Rashad, have received an outpour of love from their day-one fans.

Across any artistic platform, there’s always room for improvement in terms of LGBTQ+ acceptance and representation; but it feels safe to say that hip-hop is on the right track.

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

Olivia Rodrigo is clever as ever in the lead-up to Guts, her forthcoming sophomore album that she may have subtly teased within her 2021 “Brutal” video. Fans are now convinced that Rodrigo is sending them on a new scavenger hunt with an Instagram video posted Monday morning (July 31).

The teaser is an aerial view of Rodrigo in a bedroom. She toys with a keyboard and places a cake on the floor before hopping on her bed — covered in purple sheets, of course — to write with her typewriter, “Guts tracklist.”

The comments section is already full of guesses as to which song titles are hidden within the video. It should be noted that there is a white tee on the floor with “Obsessed” written across the front, and Rodrigo lays down next to a yearbook open to pages reading, “Class Of” and “Book Club.” Before playing a few notes on the keyboard, the keys were covered by a piece of paper with “Stranger” written on it.

Rodrigo also wrote “Bad Idea Right” in lipstick on her mirror, and there appears to be “Grudge” underlined on a piece of white paper. At the end of the video, a snippet of an unreleased grunge-pop song can be heard with Rodrigo singing, “My brain goes ahhh…” So far, the only confirmed track is “Vampire,” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month.

See what you can find below.

Guts is out 9/8 via Geffen Records. Find more information here.

Back in 2020, Christopher McQuarrie opened up about his time on the Jack Reacher films with Tom Cruise, and how the two of them wished they could’ve pushed the franchise into grittier, more R-Rated territory. Those discussions led to what’s now known as The Gnarly Movie. Obviously, the two got extremely busy as the pandemic scattered the production of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One all over Europe, and naturally, delayed the filming of Part Two.

But, fear not, The Gnarly Movie is still on the menu. According to McQuarrie, the two are actively trying to film it soon. Via Empire:

“There’s a movie that Cruise and I are talking about doing next or in some probable next, that Erik [Jendresen, writer] and I developed together – what has been referred to on the internet as ‘The Gnarly Movie’,” McQ teases. “It’s that movie that they’re all asking for, and that we want to do.”

As for why The Gnarly Movie has taken hold of the internet’s imagination, here’s how McQuarrie first described the movie when he revealed its existence to the world.

“Reacher could have been an R-rated movie and an R-rated franchise and really fed into the brutality of those books. We were fully ready to lean into that,” McQuarrie told Empire about the genesis for The Gnarly Movie. “It’s a very un-Tom character, and we have plans for an even more un-Tom character that we’ve been talking about, which I’m hopeful about in the future. […] The franchise has moved on, and we haven’t. So we’ve now got stuff in the hopper. The [Jack Reacher] stuff we’re talking about now is tinker toys [compared to it], I’m actually very, very excited.”

However, before everyone gets their hopes up, Cruise and McQuarrie still have to deliver Dead Reckoning Part Two, which now has the unenviable task of topping the motorcycle-jumping action extravaganza of Part One. That’s not gonna be an easy task.

(Via Empire)

Sam Smith has plenty of material to choose from for their headlining Gloria The Tour, which began in Miami on July 25 and will next treat fans at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday, August 1.

For starters, the tour’s namesake, Gloria, arrived as Smith’s fourth studio album in late January. “Unholy” with Kim Petras led the way — making history as a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and Grammy-winning smash. More recently, Smith contributed to the Barbie soundtrack and dropped “Desire” with Calvin Harris.

Smith’s North American leg will stretch until mid-September. For all the Sailors still planning on experiencing Gloria The Tour, check out the Smith’s setlist below (based on setlist.fm from July 26).

Act I: Love

1. “Stay With Me”
2. “I’m Not The Only One”
3. “Like I Can”
4. “Too Good At Goodbyes”
5. “Perfect”
6. “Diamonds”
7. “How Do You Sleep?”
8. “Dancing With A Stranger”

Act II: Beauty

9. “I’m Kissing You” (Des’ree cover)
10. “Lay Me Down”
11. “Love Goes”
12. “Gimme”
13. “Lose You”
14. “Promises” (Calvin Harris and Sam Smith cover)
15. “I’m Not Here To Make Friends”
16. “Latch” (Disclosure cover)
17. “I Feel Love” (Donna Summer cover)

Act III: Sex

18. “Gloria”
19. “Human Nature” (Madonna cover)
20. “Unholy”

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