Month: August 2023

The Eras Tour is well on its way to crossing the one billion dollar threshold. However, money isn’t the only motivating factor behind Taylor Swift’s robust international show. During her concert at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday, August 3, Swift confessed that performing live is a coping mechanism she uses to “process life” and a method to bond with fans.

After the COVID-19 pandemic halted touring, Swift has said they put all her attention on recording. According to Variety journalist Chris Willman, she told concertgoers she decided to drop “As many albums as humanly possible” to replace the loss of direct contact with her fans that she’d temporarily lost.

“The reason we didn’t tour for five years — that was not a normal or scheduled thing. We had a global pandemic; we had much more important things that we had to worry about,” said Swift.

She continued, “But I’ve been playing shows sort of as a coping mechanism my whole life since I was about 12 years old. I go through this process where I feel things, write a song about that thing, show it to you, and go, ‘Do you like it? Did you ever feel this way too?’ And so when you guys are at a show if you even nod your head or make eye contact with me or sing the words to a song during a show, that validates that emotion and makes me feel like I wasn’t alone in feeling it. It’s sort of my coping process in life — so all of a sudden, that was gone. And so I decided in order to keep that connection going, if I couldn’t play live shows with you, I was going to make and release as many albums as humanly possible.”

The Eras Tour is slated to return for a second North American run in 2024 after its Latin American wing concludes.

Elon Musk has been a busy guy. Two weeks ago he up and rebranded Twitter, which is now supposed to be called simply X. The move has brought changes to the company’s San Francisco headquarters, including giving conference names new, weird names and irritating neighbors. Does he even have time to get into some semblance of shape for his proposed Mark Zuckerberg cage match? Probably not, but when/if the tussle happens, it won’t play on primetime TV. It’ll play elsewhere.

“Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on 𝕏,” Musk tweeted on Sunday, adding, “All proceeds will go to charity for veterans.”

Did Musk clear this with Zuckerberg, who also owns a pretty big social media company? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s not unlikely that Musk whimsically made the call before consulting with anyone, including the owner of Facebook/Meta with whom he’s supposed to duke it out. After all, he has a habit of making rash decisions without making sure he’s dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s.

Musk first floated the idea of a cage match with Zuckerberg back in late June. Zuckerberg was into the idea, not the least because he’s been kicking ass at Jiu-Jitsu matches. Unlike Musk, he’s super-ripped, on top of being a rival whose social media service he’s trying to tank.

Perhaps Zuckerberg will cut a deal in which viewers can also watch the fight on Facebook, and then they’ll gamble on how many people watch the fight where. But maybe some will find it more pleasurable to watch Musk get his butt handed to him on the platform he’s been making worse.

(Via Yahoo!)

Everyone has a bad day now and then, but unfortunately for Lizzo, hers has snowballed into a rocky week. On Tuesday, August 1, news broke that the singer was named in a lawsuit accusing her of sexual assault and alleging that she fostered a hostile work environment. Since then, Lizzo has released a statement on Instagram refuting the claims outlined in the lawsuit three of her former dancers filed.

As people online continue to weigh in on the allegations, Grimes took to her Twitter/X page to support her longtime friend. In a lengthy post screenshotted by Pop Crave, Grimes spoke about her positive interactions with Lizzo over the years.

“I love Lizzo. Not saying I don’t believe people when bad things happen, but I had dancers mistreated on my watch in ways I didn’t find out about until way later,” Grimes wrote. “Mebe sh*t is bad. But loyalty matters to me. Lizzo was kind to me and others for a decade before she was ‘cool,’ and she checked in on me when no one cared. I’ve only ever seen exemplary behavior from her, especially when everyone was hating on me, and she was on top of the world.”

She continued, “There was no reason for her to check in besides to be a good person. Just my two cents. I recall when she first blew up being so happy because I’d never known such an admirable person to find fame in the music industry. I struggle to believe she would have so radically changed. Tired of a culture that seeks to destroy its greatest virtues. Lizzo is amazing.”

Grimes doubled down when users began to push back against her rationale. One person asked her, “Chris Brown was nice to me, so he never hit Rihanna?” Grimes replied, “Rihanna has supported Chris Brown in the aftermath because Rihanna seems to be about restorative justice. *Assuming* Lizzo is guilty, it’s funny to me the same people who fight for restorative justice seem against it for someone who has been a figurehead for change and suffered greatly to fight for acceptance.”

https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1688177076208009218/photo/2

This case is still developing.

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

Being a lawyer for Donald Trump can’t be easy. Not only is he a volatile chaos agent, but he keeps doing wrong. Even his own legal representation can’t help but blurt out the truth from time to time, even admitting he did crimes he’s accused of doing. On Sunday, though, one of his lawyers do bended the truth that all the reporter interviewing him could do was laugh.

As per The Daily Beast, John Lauro, one of the attorneys defending him in the case pertaining to Jan. 6, went on CNN Sunday morning to try and spin his client’s alleged wrongdoing. Lauro had to admit that Trump did attempt a convoluted scheme that would involve then-vice president Mike Pence rejecting the certification of Joe Biden’s win. But Pence rightly rejected that ruse, after which, Lauro claimed, “there was a peaceful transition of power.”

Bash understandably started laughing at not only his bald assertion, but also his omission of a certain violent Capitol riot. She then informed him, “What happened on January 6 was not peaceful.”

“The transfer of power was certainly peaceful,” Lauro replied.

“Did you see what happened on January 6? Did that look peaceful?” Bash replied.

“I’m not saying that that was in any way appropriate,” Lauro admitted, “but the ultimate power of the presidency was transferred to Mr. Biden. We all know that, as you do.”

It’s true that Trump finally — if reluctantly — accepted his defeat, though he made sure to skedaddle before the Bidens moved into the White House, breaking a longtime tradition in which the departing president welcomes their successor.

Lauro has a lot of defending to do, especially because his client keeps making his problems worse. On Friday he posted a threatening message to those who “go after me,” which was widely interpreted to mean those prosecuting him in his third indictment. That did not go over well with special counsel Jack Smith, nor with Judge Tanya Chutkan, who’s presiding over his latest case. In other words, Lauro and his colleagues will have to keep making the interview rounds, trying to spin their client’s reckless and self-defeating actions.

(Via The Daily Beast)

For Donald Trump, social media is both a blessing and a curse. It’s his primary way of addressing his supporters, unfiltered and often unhinged. It also gets him in trouble. Last week the former president nabbed his third indictment in only a handful of months. He’s not supposed to be saying much about the case, at least not publicly. But the big guy can’t help himself and it may make his troubles even worse.

Since Friday Trump has been taking to his rinky-dink Twitter clone to drop some truly ill-advised posts. In one he threatened those who “go after me.” That was widely interpreted to be about his latest indictment, including by the special counsel who indicted him, Jack Smith. Smith thought so, too, so he requested a protective order to ensure he doesn’t do that again. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who’s presiding over the case, ordered Trump’s team to respond to the request by Monday. Naturally they asked for an extension. Judge Chutkan denied that request. So Trump went and exacerbated the problem he himself created.

““THERE IS NO WAY I CAN GET A FAIR TRIAL WITH THE JUDGE “ASSIGNED” TO THE RIDICULOUS FREEDOM OF SPEECH/FAIR ELECTIONS CASE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, as per Mediaite. ” EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS, AND SO DOES SHE! WE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKING FOR RECUSAL OF THIS JUDGE ON VERY POWERFUL GROUNDS, AND LIKEWISE FOR VENUE CHANGE, OUT IF [sic] D.C.”

In a way, it’s understandable that Trump would freak out this much. Judge Chutkan is not only an Obama-appointee but she’s doled out harsh sentences to Jan. 6 rioters. She’s already not putting up with his nonsense, and though this social media post doesn’t include any direct threats, it’s still a violation of the law he agreed to follow. Posting through it is maybe not the way to go here, but when has Trump ever exhibited self-control?

(Via Mediaite)

Over the last few months, the public has learned a lot about Clarence Thomas’ lavish lifestyle. A Supreme Court justice in 2023 makes just under $300,000 a year — a pretty penny but by no means highfalutin’. And yet the Republican justice lives high on the hog, thanks to wealthy friends — one of them really into Hitler memorabilia — whose fancy gifts he’s never disclosed, as he’s supposed to. Now we’re learning about one of his rich person toys, which seems to have come to him by shady means.

A new report by The New York Times delves into exactly how Thomas came to own what’s described as a “really bougie” R.V. In 1999, Thomas got himself a Prevost Marathon, a giant, bus-like vehicle that’s called a “condo on wheels.” At the time, the Prevost cost $267,230. Thomas’ salary at the time was $167,900, which was his and his wife’s primary source of income. At the time Thomas was also carrying a lot of debt.

How did Thomas come to purchase such a pricey gift? With a little help from another of his rich friends who works in a powerful industry.

As per NYT, the purchase was at least partly underwritten by Anthony Welters, a longtime pal who made his fortune in the healthcare industry. It was a loan, but it’s unclear if Thomas ever paid the large sum back, with Welters only saying, vaguely, that “the loan was satisfied.” Welters refused to go into any more details nor did he provide any documentation of the loan or its possible repayment.

Much like the fancy gifts Thomas received from his Nazi memorabilia-collecting bud Harlan Crow, Thomas didn’t report any of this either. Whether he had to or not is muddy:

Vehicle loans are generally exempt from those reporting requirements, as long as they are secured by the vehicle and the loan amount doesn’t exceed its purchase price. But private loans like the one between Mr. Welters and Justice Thomas can be deemed gifts or income to the borrower under the federal tax code if they don’t hew to certain criteria: Essentially, experts said, the loan must have well-documented, commercially reasonable terms along the lines of what a bank would offer, and the borrower must adhere to those terms and pay back the principal and interest in full.

According to Richard M. Painter, a White House ethics lawyer circa the Bush II era, “justices just should not be accepting private loans from wealthy individuals outside their family.” If they do, as Thomas did in the case of his R.V., “you have to ask, why is a justice going to this private individual and not to a commercial lender, unless the justice is getting something he or she otherwise could not get.”

For the record, Thomas did recuse himself from two cases involving United HealthCare when Welters was one of its execs. But both Thomas and Welters’ refusal to go into details about the loan and its repayment is yet another example of the former’s fishy behavior.

(Via NYT)

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)

The kitchen remains hot for another week with Carmy Berzatto and his legion of Chefs (and high-strung family members) despite the show releasing an entire season in one go. This show is the opposite of no-stick as a sleeper series, which does everything well except for putting Carmy in a romance, but hey, one cannot be perfect at everything. Richie comes out as one of the MVPs of the season, and naturally, Sydney is still in that category, too. Let’s hope that they somehow deliver Season 3 as fast as Season 2 arrives and hopefully with more Will Poulter and Jon Bernthal, along with more than a quick flash of Joel McHale’s a-hole Chef.

TIE: 10. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (Marvel Studios movie streaming on Disney+)

Marvel Studios’ movies and TV shows have been hit-and-miss lately, but James Gunn’s final MCU entry was a worthy conclusion while this beloved crowd of misfits takes their final onscreen voyage together. Get the tissues ready because you may need them during multiple scenes of this movie, but at least we know that one constant in the MCU will never let us down: Star-Lord will always be the Worst Avenger. What on earth did Gamora ever see in him? The new Gamora has been wondering that, too.

9. Reservation Dogs (FX series streaming on Hulu)

Settle in for one final lap from the TV world’s favorite four Indigenous teens (Elora Danan, Bear Smallhill, Willie Jack, and Cheese) who end up stuck in California and will be attempting to return home to rural Oklahoma. Some dreams are better off remaining dreams, right? The four will attempt to feel out their modified futures while the show’s assortment of elders will provide more comedy and drama while the community could still stand to heal past wounds that never quite closed. Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi need to announce another joint project, stat.

8. The Witcher (Netflix series)

Henry Cavill is back for one final, bewigged tour on The Continent. In Season 4, Liam Hemsworth will take over as Geralt of Rivia, and no one can envy the task he has before him. We’ll find out how good he is at grunting, swashbuckling, and wielding potions. Then again, one of the show’s producers didn’t have favorable remarks about the audience, so the jury is completely out on how the future of this franchise will be received. Until then, enjoy Jaskier enjoying himself one more time with this particular Geralt.

7. They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix movie)

John Boyega admitted Uproxx that he’s ready for a love story onscreen, but first, he’s turning heads in this homage to Blaxploitation cinema. It’s as wild as it sounds: Jamie Foxx plays a pimp, Teyonah Harris plays a sex worker, and Boyega portrays a drug dealer. Together, they fall into a conspiracy-laden rabbit hole because government agency has weaponized Black cultural tidbits against the Black community. It’s absurd and funny and much more inventive than most streaming films need to be, which is even rarer because it’s happening during multiplex-blockbuster season.

5. Twisted Metal (Peacock series)

Anthony Mackie’s smart-talking talents are put to good use here as wise-cracking outsider who would probably be satisfied if he could only find some toilet paper in the post-apocalyptic hellscape. He’s tasked with moving an important package, and if this sounds like the plot to a video game, yes, you are correct. This has been an eventful year in unusually well-received adaptations including The Super Mario Bros. Movie (even with Chris Pratt’s Mario voice) and The Last Of Us, and this Peacock series also co-stars Will Arnett (as one half of a psychotic clown) and Neve Campbell.

4. Good Omens (Amazon Prime series)

The complimentary writing styles of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett collided in this book, and the series adapts the delightful mixture as perfectly embodied by David Tennant (as demon Crowley) and Michael Sheen (as angel Aziraphale). The second season took far too long to percolate with all that’s going on in the world, and the season finale already has fans clamoring for more with the whole hate-love relationship shifting into a new gear. These two would sure love to quit each other but must work together if they want to keep enjoying life on Earth. Yes, Armageddon is coming, among other things.

3. Justified: City Primeval (FX series streaming on Hulu)

Get ready for some “Kokomo” in the newest episode, and because this is Justified, surely, you won’t be upset about having that song stuck in your head. Clement Mansell is still spreading his brand of chaos with Raylan and Carolyn Wilder still circling each other in more ways than one. Willa did not appear on the scene this week, but you can revisit those glory days if you’d like to ruminate about Angry Raylan Givens and how this revival is roasting the hell out of him, but he can handle it.

2. Hijack (Apple TV+ series)

Idris Elba must stop hijackers who end up blackmailing and booting a pilot from a cockpit (one must obviously suspend belief on the reason why), but he does so in a way that you probably don’t suspect. His character is one of a plan full of people whose air-bound voyage from Dubai to London could be doomed. However, Elba’s guy is a savvy negotiator on the ground, so he puts those stills to use in the not-so-friendly skies, and frankly, that’s what one needs when a pilot essentially hands over over 100 lives like it ain’t no thing. It sounds silly, yes, but it’s an addictive watch with Elba throwing himself into the fray, not only for the passengers but also for his at-home audience.

1. Suits (USA series streaming on Netflix)

Yeah, I don’t understand it either. There are so many new shows to stream on a weekly basis, and people are hooked on this show (co-starring Meghan Markle) that ended in 2019. At this point, the show is poised to crack the Top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix of all time. Perhaps that will even happen before summer ends. Currently, only eight of the nine existing seasons exist on the streamer, so perhaps the final one shall eventually materialize. Prince Harry has already gone on record to share how he’s not a fan of the show’s sex scenes, so now you know.

For the first time since the tournament began in 1991, the United States women’s national team will not make it past the round of 16 at the World Cup. The USWNT took on longtime rival Sweden on Sunday morning in Australia, and despite playing perhaps their best game of the tournament, the Americans weren’t able to find a goal in 120 minutes of action.

The big problem for the United States was the performance of Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, who stood on her head during regulation and extra time to keep things level at 0-0. While the Americans were the better side, Musovic saved all 11 shots that she faced, including a handful of reaction saves that made it seem like it would not be the USWNT’s day.

Despite this, the U.S. kept coming, getting closer and closer as the game went on. But ultimately, despite holding an 11-1 advantage in shots on goal, they were unable to break the deadlock, which led to penalties.

Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan, and Kristie Mewis were perfect to start things for the United States, while Fridolina Rolfo and Elin Rubensson converted Sweden’s first two from the spot. The USWNT were given the edge, though, as Nathalie Bjorn went over the bar.

And then, disaster struck for the Americans. If only one of Megan Rapinoe or Sophia Smith made their penalties — in large part due to both of their efforts coming on either side of Alyssa Naeher stonewalling Rebecka Blomqvist — the team would still be in the tournament. But neither player was able to convert, and things moved on to sudden death after Hanna Bennison beat Naeher.

In a twist, Naeher stepped up next for the Americans and cooly converted her penalty, while Magdalena Eriksson was able to respond for Sweden. Up stepped Kelley O’Hara, and while Musovic guessed wrong, O’Hara’s effort hit the post and opened the door for the Swedes to win. While Naeher was able to get a hand to Lina Hurtig’s effort, the ball went up, spun into the goal, and made it over the line by millimeters.

There will be questions asked about the United States in the aftermath, namely with regards to the future of manager Vlatko Andonovski. But the team’s inability to win its group meant the likelihood of an early elimination went up considerably, and unfortunately for them, the worst-case scenario ended up happening, as the team finally found its form against an excellent Sweden team but were haunted by their struggles to finish chances against a goalkeeper who had the game of her life.

As for Sweden, they’ll move on to the quarterfinals to take on Japan.

Roman Reigns pinned Jey Uso to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam in Detroit after receiving help from Solo Sikoa and, in a surprise, Jimmy Uso.

Reigns spent the first portion of the match pushing Uso around the ring before Uso got some momentum and set a table up outside the ring. As Uso began to find some room, Reigns hit him with a kendo stick and continued to beat him down. But as Reigns set up for the Superman Punch, Uso reversed with a kendo stick shot of his own. Reigns went to the outside and Uso followed with a dive over the top ropes.

As Uso went to the top rope for a splash inside the ring, Reigns hit a Superman Punch for two. Reigns went for a spear, but Uso reversed into a rollup. He hit a superkick, then a splash for two. Uso then grabbed a chair from underneath the ring and went to town with shot after shot. He then went back under the ring and grabbed a handful of chairs, which were scattered across the ring.

Reigns powerbombed Uso from the top rope onto the stack of chairs, then grabbed another table and set it up in the corner. Things then moved to the apron, where Uso lifted Reigns onto his back for a Samoan Drop through the table. As they got to their feet, Uso hit Reigns with a leather strap and the two brawled into the crowd, where Solo Sikoa was waiting to throw Uso through a table.

Sikoa dragged Uso back to the ring and held him up while Reigns went for a spear, but Uso pulled Sikoa into Reigns’ path and got out of the way. Uso then speared Reigns for a near three-count and picked up a chair, hitting both Sikoa and Reigns. Outside the ring, Uso went to hit Reigns with the chair, but Sikoa superkicked him. But as Reigns reached for Sikoa, a conflict between the two got teastd.

Uso speared Reigns through the barricade, then Sikoa picked up Uso and beat him toward the announce table. Uso superkicked Sikoa onto the table and connected on a splash. With both competitors back in the ring, Uso speared Reigns and hit the Uso Splash for two before Jimmy Uso pulled him out of the ring. Jimmy then superkicked his brother, tossed him in the ring, and Reigns speared him through the table for the win.

With the win, Reigns’ nearly three-year, 1,071-day run at the top of WWE continues.

Iyo Sky is the new WWE Women’s Champion after cashing her Money in the Bank contract to pin Bianca Belair, who briefly became the champion after winning a triple threat match against Asuka and Charlotte Flair.

The Women’s Championship triple threat match took its fair share of twists, with Charlotte Flair doing everything she could to become a 15-time champion. Belair began to earn an advantage before leaving midway through the match with an apparent knee injury.

As she was being helped to the back, Flair and Asuka traded blows before the challenger locked in the figure-eight. Belair stumbled back to the ring, made her way to the top rope, and hit a 450-splash on Flair.

The action continued from there, as Flair attempted to submit Belair, only to received the poison mist to the eyes from Asuka. With Flair out of the way, Belair rolled Asuka up to become champion. But shortly after the bell rang, while the new champ was dealing with a knee injury, Bayley and Sky made their way to the ring.

Bayley used Sky’s briefcase to take out Flair and then Asuka. As they climbed into the ring, Belair attacked Bayley, but Sky used her briefcase to take Belair’s knee out. And after the bell rung, Sky hit a moonsault and pinned Belair to win the title for the first time in her career.