Month: August 2023

Fans of Beyoncé have been begging for her to release visuals attached her beloved Renaissance album ever since the project was released last summer. The requests from fans were consistent and frequent before the Renaissance World Tour, but since she hit the road, most fans have been a bit distracted by her performances and the viral “Eerbody On Mute” challenge. Despite that, some have brought the requests to tour venues, and in one case, it warranted somewhat of a response to a fan’s sign during her Lousiville stop. “You are the visual, baby,” Beyoncé said in response to the fan’s sign.

Now, there’s a report that suggests that the visuals for Renaissance are on the way. Above The Line’s Jeff Sneider reported that a visual album for Beyoncé’s Renaissance album was allegedly shot in secret by filmmaker Nadia Lee Cohen. The report goes on to say that the visual album is currently being shopped to various studios and streamers. Lee Cohen’s resume includes collaborations with artists like Tyler The Creator, A$AP Rocky, Katy Perry, and Kali Uchis and brands that include Adidas, Balenciaga, Gucci, and Valentino. Above The Line added that a source told them that the visual album is a “movie, but it’s like an art film, and I’ve also heard it’s better than Black Is King.”

Of course, all of this is speculative and has yet to be confirmed by any party that is reportedly involved. So for now, fans can keep asking Beyoncé for the visuals to see where it possibly gets them.

Playboi Carti was due to embark on his Antagonist Tour next week supported by his Opium Collective compatriots Destroy Lonely, Homixide Gang, and Ken Carson, but it looks like the Vamps will have to wait until next year to rage out with their king. Although new Florida dates had been added to the tour as recently as early this month, reps for Carti sent out a press release today announcing that all the dates had been rescheduled to 2024.
You can find the new dates below.

11/19/23 — Dublin, IE 3Arena
11/21/23 — Manchester, UK AO Arena
11/22/23 — London, UK The O2
11/24/23 — Brussels, BE Forest National
11/25/23 — Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
11/27/23 — Milan, IT Mediolanum Forum
11/29/23 — Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena
11/30/23 — Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena
12/2/23 — Paris, FR AccorHotels Arena
12/4/23 — Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena
01/14/24 — Salt Lake City, UT Delta Center
01/15/24 — Denver, CO Ball Arena
01/17/24 — Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
01/18/24 — Austin, TX Moody Center
01/19/24 — Houston, TX Toyota Center
01/23/24 — Miami, FL Kaseya Center
01/24/24 — Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
01/25/24 — Orlando, FL Amway Center
01/27/24 — Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
01/28/24 — Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
01/29/24 — Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
01/31/24 — New York, NY Madison Square Garden
02/01/24 — Washington, D.C. Capital One Arena
02/02/24 — Boston, MA TD Garden
02/04/24 — Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
02/06/24 — Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
02/07/24 — Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
02/08/24 — Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
02/12/24 — Chicago, IL United Center
02/13/24 — Minneapolis, MN Target Center
02/14/24 — Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
02/17/24 — Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
02/18/24 — Glendale, AZ Desert Diamond Arena
02/21/24 — Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena
02/22/24 — San Diego, CA Pechanga Arena
02/24/24 — San Francisco, CA Chase Center
02/25/24 — Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
02/28/24 — Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
02/29/24 — Portland, OR Veterans Memorial Coliseum
TBC — Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
TBC — Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse

There aren’t many things Taylor Swift can’t do. She helped encourage Apple Music to pay artists more. She introduced Gen Z to the wonders of vinyl. One time she even released 8 seconds of static and it went No.1 on iTunes. And now? She has seemingly taken on the devil incarnate himself, on behalf of Jason Blum.

Swift’s Eras Tour concert film is heading to theaters on Friday, October 13th, which is the perfect time for horror films (70k people screaming at once is horrible no matter what, even if they are singing the bridge to “Cruel Summer.”) But the flock of swifties are so powerful, even the master of horror and all things paranormal himself had to back down. It really brings a new meaning to the lyric “he looks up grinning like a devil.”

Producer Jason Blum announced that The Exorcist: Believer has been moved from its coveted Friday the 13th spot to a week earlier, on the much less spooky October 6th. Will people even be scared at that point? Probably not! It’s not even unlucky.

Since being announced this morning, the Taylor Swift: Eras Tour concert film has already catapulted past $10M in ticket presales, which is honestly nothing compared to the actual tour itself. Does this make Swift eligible for an Oscar? You know she’s going to try anyway!

LeVar Burton is a man of many talents, though there is one dream he was unable to conquer: becoming a full-time host on Jeopardy!

After a brief hosting stint on the game show, Burton was allegedly in the running to host the show for good, before he lost out to Mike Richards. We all know how that ended. But Burton was able to shake off that loss, and now he gets to host a trivia show that’s somehow even more complicated! Why does the board even look like that?

Burton will host the game show version of your great uncle’s favorite board game, Trivia Pursuit, which will head to The CW. At least with Trivial Pursuit, you don’t have to answer in the form of a question. Plus you have all of those fun little colored wedges.

While the deal is finally coming to a close, per Deadline, Burton has been in talks to host the show for years. Back in 2021, he said, “Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe. I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television.” It took some time, but now he should be even more thrilled to do so.

(Via Deadline)

Tinashe’s next project is short and sweet. It’s called BB/ANG3L, and it’s due on September 8 with distribution through Nice Life Recording Company. The seven-song EP will feature the previously released songs “Talk To Me” and “Needs” and will be supported via Tinashe’s upcoming joint tour with “Heaven” collaborator Shygirl. Tinashe shared the cover art, release date, and tracklist on social media earlier today.

BB/ANG3L is the 30-year-old singer’s sixth album and third project since leaving RCA in 2019. In a June interview with Rolling Stone Korea, Tinashe said of the upcoming project, “With this new music, I did a lot of genre-combining, and he really brought an electronic side that I loved in the production. Then I balanced that with a lot of R&B melodies and vocals. I hope everyone really likes it.” She later previewed the music at a party in Los Angeles, and since then, has been full steam ahead on the album’s promotion, cryptically tweeting lyrics.

BB/ANG3L is due on 9/8 via Tinashe Music Inc./ Nice Life Recording Company. You can see the tracklist below.

1. “Treason”
2. “Talk To Me”
3. “Needs”
4. “Uh Huh”
5. “Gravity”
6. “None Of My Business”
7. “Tightrope”

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

Complimenting a totally random stranger on the street is a great way to get some serious side-eye. But British comedian Troy Hawke is such a master at the unique and sincere compliment that he spreads a bit of joy wherever he goes.

Hawke’s comedic persona is an erudite, sophisticated 1930s Errol Flynn-style throwback, and people seem to appreciate a compliment from a man who clearly has mastered the art of etiquette and grace.

In a recent TikTok video that received over 9 million views, the comedian throws a total charm storm on Notting Hill in London, where he compliments strangers on their wardrobes, how they walk and their driving skills. The cool thing is that everyone who receives a compliment from Hawke seems to enjoy the encounter.

— (@)

The video is a friendly reminder that a well-timed and accurate compliment can be powerful. “Compliments are simple but not easy. Trust me,” Hawke says, noting that it’s especially difficult for English people to accept one. “Sincerely appreciating something someone has made an effort on will make their day.”

“The more unique, the more bespoke [the compliment], the more devastatingly effective,” Hawke adds. “Get it right, and it’s like a natural high for the pair of you.”

Hawke’s video is a fun reminder to all of us to be more thoughtful, sincere and prolific in our compliment-giving. They can really have a significant effect on another person’s day. The great Mark Twain once said, “My child, I can live on a good compliment two weeks with nothing else to eat.”

What happens when we die? What, if anything, comes next? When our body goes kaput, is that it? Are we done? Or is there another part of us—a consciousness, a spirit, a soul—that lives on in some other form or plane of existence?

These are questions that humans have asked since time immemorial, and no one knows the answers for sure. We may have spiritual or philosophical or religious beliefs about life after death, but they are just that—beliefs. Scientifically speaking, we can’t prove what happens to our inner self when we die.

But that hasn’t stopped one doctor from studying the closest phenomenon we have to death itself—the near-death experience.

Near-death experiences, or NDEs, occur when a person’s heart stops beating, they are considered clinically dead, and then they are revived. What the person sees, hears and experiences in that near-death space has been a fascination for Dr. Jeffrey Long since he first read about them over three decades ago as an oncologist resident. Intrigued but skeptical, Long decided to study near-death experiences with the mind of a scientist—a study that has led him to believe in an afterlife based on “overwhelming evidence.”

Long, now a radiation oncologist, founded the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation, where he and his wife collect and evaluate people’s NDEs. They currently have the world’s largest database of publicly available NDE cases and he shared some insights he’s gained in studying over 5,000 cases in an as-told-to essay in Insider.

Long explained that while no two NDEs are the same, he noted “a consistent pattern of events emerging in a predictable order.” Nearly half of people with an NDE report having an “out of body” experience in which their consciousness separates from their body. (This is the classic image of someone seeing themselves in a hospital bed as if hovering above it.) In some of these instances, people describe things they should not have been able to see in their comatose or clinically dead state.

Next comes the somewhat cliché images—a tunnel, a bright light, loved ones waiting in a peaceful place. Long said, “I’ve come to believe that these descriptions have become cultural tropes because they’re true. I even worked with a group of children under five who had NDEs. They reported the same experiences that adults did—and at that age, you’re unlikely to have heard about bright lights or tunnels after you die.”

Long also described how some people have been able to describe things that happened away from where their bodies were during a NDE, with witnesses confirming what they say they saw.

“I’m a medical doctor. I’ve read brain research and considered every possible explanation for NDEs. The bottom line is that none of them hold water. There isn’t even a remotely plausible physical explanation for this phenomenon,” he said.

Long’s study of NDEs has led him to believe “certainly” that there is some kind of an afterlife. In fact, he even wrote a book called “Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences,” which became a New York Times Bestseller.

But as much as studying NDEs has made Long into a believer in life after death, the impact its had on his work as an oncologist is just as profound.

“I don’t tell my patients about my NDE research. And yet, my work with NDEs has made me a more compassionate and loving doctor,” he said. ” I’m able to help my patients face life-threatening diseases with increased courage and passion. My goal is to help them have more healthy days here on Earth. But I firmly believe that if and when they pass, they will be at peace.”

Dr. Long shared in the documentary “Hidden Beyond the Veil” that his study of thousands of NDEs has removed all fear he has of death.

“I, like the thousands of near-death experiencers that I’ve investigated, have come to that same conclusion—we’re literally spiritual beings having an earthly existence at this time,” he said. “When we die—and we all will—then we’re going to return to our real home, that spiritual home, which is so often, and I think aptly, called heaven. And that is going to be an absolutely wonderful existence for each and every one of us.”

Watch him share what he has learned through studying NDEs:

Why was Hulu’s The Great canceled? Why was Hulu’s The Great canceled? Why was Hulu’s The Great canceled?

No matter how many ways fans ask the question we’ll likely still be left with no answer. The streaming platform’s decision to offload one of its most beloved (and critically acclaimed) original offerings in the midst of the writer’s and SAG-AFTRA strikes is a confounding one. After news broke on Wednesday that Hulu wouldn’t renew the historical comedy for a fourth season, audiences flocked to Twitter to express their frustrations. The Emmy-winning satire starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult had gained a dedicated fandom over the years thanks to its quick-witted deliveries, ridiculous storylines, and a never-ending supply of WTF plot twists. Naturally, its abrupt cancellation felt more shocking than the death of a certain main character in the show’s tense, energetic third season.

Deadline was the first to announce the cancellation news adding that reps for Hulu had declined to comment on the streaming platform’s decision to axe the award-winning comedy after its latest season ended on a bit of a cliffhanger that left fans excited for the future of Fanning’s Russian monarch, Catherine the Great. Though the season earned critical praise, its ratings remain something of a mystery because, like Netflix, Disney+, Max, and every other major streamer, Hulu refuses to share how well its shows perform with subscriber data. It’s likely the service will end up blaming the cancellation on cost-cutting solutions and poor ratings because that seems like the “get-out-of-jail-free” card studios like to lean on at the moment, but whatever the real reason, we’ll simply say this: The world deserved to see more of Nicholas Hoult unironically mispronouncing the word “touche.”

Last offseason, the Dallas Mavericks signed Javale McGee to bolster their frontcourt with size and legitimate rim defense. The Mavericks had just made a run to the Western Conference Finals by utilizing a small ball lineup with Maxi Kleber at the center position to pull opposing bigs out to the three point line and allow Luka Doncic to work his magic. Their switch heavy defensive scheme buoyed them through the first two rounds of the playoffs, but when they faced the Warriors in the conference finals, Kevon Looney and Draymond Green dominated the offensive glass. In the eyes of the Mavericks decision makers, they were just a little defense and rebounding away from making a true title run. While that assessment may have been correct, Dallas should have known that McGee would never be the solution.

During the Mavericks second round playoff matchup against the Suns in 2022, Dallas — more specifically Luka Doncic — played McGee completely off the floor. Phoenix opted for Bismack Biyombo over McGee, who they signed on a 10-day contract earlier that season, as the series went on, because McGee could not execute the Suns’ defensive rotations and consistently left Phoenix exposed at the rim. That performance foreshadowed McGee’s tenure in Dallas.

Dallas sought out McGee because of his history with head coach Jason Kidd. Kidd was an assistant on the Lakers staff in 2020 when they won the title with McGee starting 68 games. Dallas envisioned McGee in a similar role playing 15-20 minutes a night setting the tone at the rim and on the boards as a starter. They went as far as promising the starting slot to McGee before training camp even started. The expectation for McGee wasn’t totally unreasonable, but Dallas did not anticipate the age-related decline for McGee. Despite entering the season at age 35, Dallas offered McGee a two year deal with a player option for a third season. That’s where Dallas truly erred in their process. It would’ve been one thing to take a one-year flier on a player at McGee’s level and age. It’s entirely another to offer that player three guaranteed years.

After just one season, Dallas waived McGee and will stretch the remaining $11 million of his salary for the next five years. It’s not often you see a team waive a player just a year after they signed, but the McGee experiment failed as quickly as it started. Despite being promised a starting role in the summer, McGee only lasted seven games as a starter for Dallas. McGee struggled to build chemistry with Doncic in the pick and roll that often left Doncic visibly frustrated. The Dallas defense that was built on quick, timely rotations the year before, lost its connective tissue when McGee was inserted into the lineup.

The starting lineup of Doncic, McGee, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Reggie Bullock lasted just seven games and posted a -15.6 net rating. McGee would then play spot minutes off the bench into December, but was completely out of the rotation by the All-Star break. There was a brief moment after the Kyrie Irving trade where it looked like McGee would crack the rotation again, but that lasted only a few games. Even as the Mavericks hemorrhaged points at the rim and their season spiraled out of control, Jason Kidd didn’t trust McGee to execute his defensive scheme and he remained glued to the bench.

The Mavs have now completely undone their 2022 offseason overhaul of the frontcourt, waiving McGee and letting Christian Wood walk. The Mavs hoped those two would be able to balance one another, Wood as a strong scoring option and McGee as a rim deterrent, but neither had an impact on winning and their weaknesses were on display more often than their strengths. This summer the Mavs have opted to take a different approach, seeking out more youth, athleticism, and versatility. Dallas responded to last season’s disastrous summer (headlined by letting Jalen Brunson walk) by overhauling their rotation and having (at least on paper) their best offseason since drafting Doncic in 2018.

On Draft night, they traded the 10th pick and Davis Bertans to Oklahoma City for the 12th pick, picking up a large trade exception in the process. With the 12th pick they selected Dereck Lively, who projects as an excellent shot blocking big, strong lob threat for Doncic, and the potential long-term answer for Dallas at center. That trade exception was used later on draft night to absorb Richaun Holmes and acquire the 24th pick from Sacramento to select Olivier-Maxence Prosper. The Mavs hope Prosper, a strong 6’8 wing, evolves into the kind of 3-and-D player every contender wants — and could eventually fill the Dorian Finney-Smith role they struggled to replace after the Irving trade. Additionally, Dallas executed a sign-and-trade for Grant Williams in free agency to provide defensive frontcourt flexibility they sorely lacked after the Kyrie trade.

Dallas can head into the season feeling good about their roster moving forward, hoping they’ve undone most of the damage of last summer, but for the next five years they will be sending a check to Javale McGee for a signing they should have never made that will be a constant reminder of the steps back they took with one offseason of bad decisions.

Despite his current bluster about transforming Twitter into X, “the everything app,” Elon Musk was reportedly a mess during the acquisition process, which publicly saw him attempt to back out of the deal after rushing through an exorbitant purchase price that way overvalued the social media platform.

Obviously, the purchase went through and Twitter proceeded to lose advertisers as Musk maintained that he was going to turn the platform into a success after ridding the old regime. But according to Musk’s upcoming biography, Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO experienced wild mood swings from April to November 2022 when the deal was finalized. (Musk stopped fighting once his lawyers made it a clear a judge would hold him to the agreement.)

Here’s an excerpt of the book from biographer Walter Isaacson via Mediaite:

In the months between the deal agreement and the official closing, Musk’s moods fluctuated wildly. “I am very excited about finally implementing X.com as it should have been done, using Twitter as an accelerant!” he texted me at 3:30 one morning. “And, hopefully, helping democracy and civil discourse while doing so.”

A few days later, he was more somber. “I will need to live at Twitter HQ. This is a super tough situation. Really bumming me out 🙁 Sleep is difficult.” He was having doubts about taking on such a messy challenge. “I’ve got a bad habit of biting off more than I can chew,” he admitted in a long talk with me one night. “I think I just need to think about Twitter less. Even this conversation right now is not time well spent.”

The biography also explained Musk’s decision process for buying Twitter, and it’s exactly what you’d imagine if you’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of reading his tweets.

“It is an addictive playground for him,” Isaacson wrote. “It has many of the attributes of a school yard, including taunting and bullying. But in the case of Twitter, the clever kids win followers; they don’t get pushed down the steps and beaten, like Musk was as a kid. Owning it would allow him to become king of the school yard.”

(Via Mediaite)