Month: November 2023

The expectation to put on an air of happy, fun, pleasant nonconfrontation through baring teeth, otherwise known as smiling, is something many, if not most, women know very well. What’s more, this pressure is often introduced to women at a very early age.

And obviously, while there’s nothing inherently wrong with naturally being a happy, smiling person, issues arise when kids are taught that being themselves, just as they are, isn’t acceptable.

That’s why people are so impressed with North Carolina-based photographer Brooke Light’s (@bdlighted on TikTok) hands-off approach when it comes to taking pictures of young girls.

Her philosophy is simple, but oh so poignant: Allow girls to show up, take up space, and perhaps most importantly, not smile if they don’t want to.

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Light posted a video showing some of her recent portraits, and truly, the work speaks for itself. Each of the girls’ distinct, unique personalities shine in these black-and-white images. Plus the lighting is moody and artsy and cool as hell. So much better than a forced, cheesy, smiling pic.

Take a look:

@bdlighted never underestimate the power of a photoshoot for your kids confidence #moodymini #kidsphotographer #childrensphotography #portraitphotographer #confidenceboost #kidsconfidence #familyphotoshootideas #familyphotoshoots #studiophotography #blackandwhitephoto #girlpower #girlempowerment #donttellmetosmile #momsofgirls #girlmom #greenscreen ♬ Little Girl Gone – CHINCHILLA

Comments began flooding in commending Light for how she authentically portrayed the girls as individuals, rather than producing cookie-cutter images of them.

“I love how they are not trying to be anything ‘extra’ just their own raw and savage selves,” one person wrote.

Another added, “I can feel their power through my phone.”

Light redirected the praise toward her clients, saying, “They are even more amazing in person! Like that vibe you feel is ALL THEM. I’m just there capturing it.”

For many women who had their own memories of being told to smile for photos, seeing the images had a profound effect.

“CHILLS! This healed something in me. Thank you.” one person commented.

“The Sears family photo trauma was REAL” wrote another.

And for the record, Light doesn’t make boys smile either. Here’s the proof in her follow-up video:

@bdlighted these mom’s got me blushing in my DMs 🫣📸 I’ve never had my creativity or my photography validated so much in my life. thank you for the outpouring of love on these photos this week. it’s meant more than you can ever know. #boymom #boymoms #moodymini #familyphotoshoots #familyphotoshootideas #portraitphotographer #studiophotography #kidsphotographer #kidsconfidence #childrensphotography #greenscreen ♬ Area Codes – Kali

In the post, Light shared how touched she was by the overwhelmingly positive response.

“I’ve never had my creativity or my photography validated so much in my life. Thank you for the outpouring of love on these photos this week. It’s meant more than you can ever know,” she wrote.

Imagine that…celebrating others for their authentic selves, then being celebrated yourself. Now that’s something worth smiling for.

This article originally appeared on 6.2.23

Uproxx cover stars aespa’s work ethic is unmatched. From their historic festival appearances and tour stops this year, members Winter, Giselle, Karina, and Ningning have refused to slow down even for a slight second. On Sunday, November 5, the group began sharing to roll out their next musical project, Drama.

The series of eerie, haunting, and outright creepy visuals, each recording artist put their acting skills on full display. The four trailers serve as one larger story being told for the upcoming mini-album due out on Friday, November 10. In a note about the forthcoming release, Drama is described as: “A showcases aespa’s vocal growth with a variety of genres including charismatic hip-hop, lovely bright dance music, and sweet acoustic pop. With this album, aespa brings a new chapter to their SMCU lore by writing stories on their own way through unique music and visuals – now breaking out from the trauma caused by a series of events with Season 1’s ‘SYNK OUT’ and ‘Hallucination Quest,’ and also the unknown anomalies in Season 2.”

A total of seven songs will appear on aespa’s forthcoming mini-album, including lead single “Better Things,” “Trick Or Trick,” “Don’t Blink,” “Hot Air Balloon,” “Yolo,” “You,” and the title track. Watch aespa’s mini-album trailers for Drama below.

Drama is out 11/10 via SM Entertainment/Warner. Find more information here.

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

Elon Musk is at it again, but this time instead of turning Twitter/X into a “dating app,” he’s creating his own AI model named Grok. But, in true Musk fashion, Grok is not like other forms of technology: it has “a little humor in its responses.” What does that mean to Musk? See below:

The chatbot is currently in “early beta” but will be available to X Premium+ Subscribers, who surely exist out there somewhere. Musk notes that Grok has a “massive advantage” over AI bots because of its real-time access to X. It also seems to have a bit of an attitude problem.

Musk responded to a user with enthusiasm, “We worked hard to ensure Grok was funny. If AI is going to take over, please let it at least make us laugh.” Surely someone out there is laughing at this. According to the official site:

Grok is an AI modeled after the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, so intended to answer almost anything and, far harder, even suggest what questions to ask!

Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don’t use it if you hate humor!

A unique and fundamental advantage of Grok is that it has real-time knowledge of the world via the X platform. It will also answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.

Grok is still a very early beta product – the best we could do with 2 months of training – so expect it to improve rapidly with each passing week with your help.

The site adds that Grok is intended to be used as a “powerful research assistant” that can be used to access data and will rival the likes of ChatGPT. There is no current release date, but you can sign up to be on the waitlist here. If this goes as well as Musk’s latest business endeavors then……we might never hear of it again. Or it will ruin everything!

(Via Business Insider)

Garth Brooks is one of the biggest names in country music — however, you may be hard-pressed to come across his music. For years, Brooks has expressed his disdain toward digital music platforms, like iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music. Part of this reasoning is to show support for his fellow songwriters, he explained in an interview with the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville earlier this year.

“I stick up for the songwriters because I’m freakin’ one of them,” he said. “Everything I do for the songwriters, I do for myself.”

With his position against these platforms considered, fans are wondering how they can get their hands on a copy of Brooks’ new album, Time Traveler.

Time Traveler arrived today via Brooks’ Pearl Records imprint. However, according to Good Housekeeping, the album is only available to purchase at Bass Pro Shops sporting goods stores. Time Traveler will be included in a seven-disc box set called The Limited Series, which also features the previously released albums, Man Against Machine, Gunslinger, Fun, and the three-disc Triple Live. Brooks previously released The Limited Series once in 1998, and then again in 2005. According to Good Housekeeping, this will be the final time he releases The Limited Series.

Country music lovers won’t be left out of the outdoor programming festivities next year. In September, Goldenvoice announced that Stagecoach 2024 had some heavy hitters on the expected lineup, and they were right. So, when is Stagecoach 2024?

The multi-day event is set to take place from April 26 to 28, 2024. The genre’s biggest names and several notable crossover artists would descend upon the Empire Polo Grounds (yes, the home of Coachella) in Indigo, California, for the event. Headliners for Stagecoach 2024 include Eric Church (Friday, April 26, 2024), Miranda Lambert (Saturday, April 27, 2024), and Morgan Wallen (Sunday, April 28).

Other notable talent slated to appear is recent Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2023 inductee and living legend Willie Nelson, “Circles” musician Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Elle King, Leon Bridges, Hardy, and Bailey Zimmerman. To view the full lineup, take a look at the official flyer inserted below.

Stagecoach 2024 is set to take place from April 26 to 28, 2024. According to the event’s official website, there are no more tickets available. Passes, including general and VIP packages, are completely sold out. However, there is a wishlist in case more tickets become available closer to the event’s date. Find more information here.

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

Joe Jonas is apparently a huge Nathan Fielder fan. So when the pop singer recently spotted the The Curse star at a restaurant, Jonas made a friendly gesture and the response he got back was pure Nathan Fielder.

Jonas recalled the encounter in an Instagram video posted over the weekend, and he made sure to include photographic proof of the exchange.

“So last night, I noticed Nathan Fielder was at the same restaurant I was having dinner at in L.A.,” Jonas said via Entertainment Weekly. “I wanted to send him a drink, so I asked the waiter if we could send something over, and they said, ‘You have good taste,’ which made me feel good about my loving all things Nathan Fielder.”

Later, Jonas received a “thank you” from Fielder in the form of a bowl of mayonnaise. Jonas shared a picture of the “gift” to cap off the video, which you can see below:

Awkwardness is the key to Fielder’s comedy, so the mayonnaise exchange completely tracks. The comedian is terrible at human interactions, and he also has had some terrible moments dealing with high-profile fans. According to a 2022 New York Times article, Elon Musk was reportedly obsessed with trying to make Fielder laugh. The Rehearsal star did not break.

“Mr. Musk — a huge fan — invited Mr. Fielder to lunch at SpaceX in 2016,” the NYT reported. “For years afterward, the famous businessman invited the famous fake businessman to his parties and would strain to make the deadpan Canadian laugh.”

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Back when Tyler The Creator won his second Grammy for Best Rap Album, he made sure to troll DJ Khaled in a video on Instagram, razzing the producer, “I know you’re seething and angry and [saying], ‘Ugh, no one listens to that album!’ These arena tours that are selling out say different, and if you put that much energy into something, maybe everyone will be proud of you too.”

It had by that time become a tradition for Tyler to roast Khaled with his wins after fans determined that Khaled was angry about Tyler’s album Igor outselling his album Father Of Asahd in 2019. But in a new feature for Rolling Stone, Khaled insisted that he and Tyler are actually on good terms and that both instances were just Tyler being Tyler. According to Rolling Stone‘s Jeff Ihaza:

He also tells me he’d like to work with Tems and, surprisingly, Tyler, the Creator, with whom he says he has a good rapport, despite a social media tussle when Father of Asahd was beaten out by Tyler’s Igor on the charts in 2019. (He says they chopped it up at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation brunch earlier this year.)

The tradition of Tyler’s trolling stemmed from a 2019 video Khaled posted on Snapchat in which he addressed haters of his boisterous style and questioned what he actually does. After another rant from Khaled in which he complained that Billboard had discounted several of his album’s sales without warning, the video was reposted on Twitter and presented as a rant about Tyler’s album outselling his.

Unfortunately, once the narrative had solidified, Tyler himself joined in, and while they likely hashed out the misunderstanding behind the scenes, Tyler’s nothing if not a masterful troll, and has taken every opportunity to entertain fans with some lighthearted trash talk. Should the two actually work together for real, though, it’ll surely be a fun moment for hip-hop — especially those fans who are in on the above context.

After her breakout performance at Coachella 2023, Yaeji was on cloud nine. The musician’s long-awaited debut album, With A Hammer, preceded the live spectacle. With singles like “‘Done (Let’s Get It),” Yaeji could’ve laid back to enjoy the rest of the year on cruise control. Instead, yesterday (November 6), the entertainer decided to surprise fans with new music.

Yaeji’s latest record, “Easy Breezy,” is yet another motivational anthem from the budding electronic star. For the visual, Yaeji shows off her humorous side. The video is filled with potassium, positive verbal reinforcement, and one epic showdown.

“Learning to let go / It’s not so easy, it’s not so breezy / Feeling no judgement / It’s not so easy, it’s not so breezy / Giving yourself time / It’s not so easy, it’s not so breezy / Information is also so overloaded / We look for meaning in places that don’t exist / That’s the thing, imagine what we can create / If we weren’t limited by our own limitations / Do you want to,” sings Yaeji.

When describing the inspiration behind the self-direct visual, Yaeji wrote, “It’s a silly song with a silly video. But there’s often truth and depth to things that we can laugh to together.”

Watch Yaeji’s official video for “Easy Breezy” above.

Time to tell your dad that the protagonist from his favorite book series is back for another round on TV. Reacher, based on Lee Child’s bestselling series Jack Reacher returns to Amazon Prime this winter for season two.

Alan Ritchson (who is 6′ 2″, for the record) returns as Jack Reacher, a former U.S. Army military policeman who received word that members of his former unit are being mysteriously murdered. To track down the culprit, Reacher assembles his former teammates to investigate. Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, and Shaun Sipos star alongside Richardson. Here’s an official synopsis of what to expect:

Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates turned chosen family to investigate, including Frances Neagley (Maria Sten); Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), a forensic accountant for whom Reacher has long had a soft spot; and fast-talking, switchblade-wielding family man David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos). Together, they begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, and that brings about questions of who has betrayed them—and who will die next. Using his inimitable blend of smarts and size, Reacher will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect the members of his unit. If there’s one thing Reacher and his team know for certain, it’s that you do not mess with the Special Investigators. This season, get ready for Reacher and the 110th to hit back hard.

Season two is based on Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in the Reacher series. So, if this goes well, we could get at least a dozen more seasons by 2040. The eight-episode season will drop weekly, with the first three premiering on December 15th, and new episodes on Friday through January 19th. This is a perfect way to bond with your dad or older neighbor or even your local librarian! Check out the trailer above.

One of the best celebrity Halloween costumes this year was Ariana Grande dressed up as Nomi Malone from Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic Showgirls. The singer, along with her former Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gillies, even recreated a wild scene from the movie involving dog food and “nice tits.”

Elizabeth Berkley, who played Nomi in the original film, shared her appreciation for the tribute on Instagram. “SHOWGIRLS This past week, the magical @arianagrande recreated my #Nomi for #halloween with all the love and attention to detail that only an artist with her heart and creative genius could do,” the actress wrote. “I adore you, @arianagrande and love how you and @lizgillz had fun with #nomiandcrystal in a way that only you two could. When you are from #differentplaces you have to watch your back because when you are wearing @versace #versayce #theresalwayssomeoneyoungerandhungriercomingdownthestairsafteryou.”

The world’s longest hashtag being a Showgirls quote feels appropriate.

Grande responded to Berkley, writing, “You are simply the most gorgeous ever! we love you so much and had so much fun paying homage to you both. thank you for changing us forever with your brilliant and iconic Nomi.”

If you’ve never seen Showgirls, do yourself a favor and rectify that. It’s streaming for free on Tubi.