Month: November 2023

It’s been nearly a year since SZA shared her highly anticipated sophomore album, SOS. Since then, the project has dominated the music charts and helped her sweep the awards season, including at the 2023 Billboard and Soul Train Awards. SOS is also predicted to sweep the 2024 Grammy Awards as SZA is the most nominated act of the year. Now that she’s wrapped up her record-setting supporting tour, fans are begging for the album’s deluxe version.

So when will SOS Deluxe album Lana come out? According to SZA’s recent activity on X (formerly Twitter), it will be soon. In a screenshot by Pop Crave, as one fan hypothesized that the project would be released along with a lead single and video in December, SZA seemed to subtly agree by liking the post.

On September 8, SZA revealed details about the album during a private show. “So, the deluxe is like a whole ‘nother album. It’s called ‘Lana.’ It’s seven to ten songs, and it’ll be out this fall,” she said in a video captured by an attendee.

Last month, SZA hinted that the project would get its own intimate mini-tour in the cities that showed the most support during her initial North American stops.

Robert De Niro has never been shy about trash-talking Donald Trump. Before the 2016 election he took part in a video urging people to vote, in which he went off, called him a “punk,” a “dog,” a “pig,” a “bullsh*t artist,” and said he’d “like to punch him in the face.” De Niro was going to do some more Trump dragging Monday night at the Gotham Awards. He did do that, but only after the powers-that-be allegedly tried to censor him.

Per Deadline, the legendary actor took part in a tribute to Killers of the Flower Moon, his latest collaboration with director Martin Scorsese. At the start of his speech it seems like he’s struggling with the teleprompter. He eventually explained there was a reason for that.

“The beginning of my speech was edited, cut out. I didn’t know about it,” he told the crowd. “And I want to read it,” he said as he took out paper from his pocket containing what he meant to say:

“History isn’t history anymore. Truth is not truth. Even facts are being replaced by alternative facts and driven by conspiracy theories and ugliness. In Florida young students are taught that slaves develop skills which can be applied for their personal benefit. The entertainment industry isn’t immune to this festering disease. The Duke John Wayne famously said of Native Americans, I don’t feel we did wrong and taking this great country away from that. There were great numbers of people who needed new land and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.

“Lying has become just another tool in the charlatans’ arsenal. The former president lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office, and he’s keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retribution. But with all his lies, he can’t hide his soul. He attacks the weak, destroys the gifts of nature, and shows disrespect, for example by using Pocahontas as a slur.”

That brought him full circle to what he told the crowd at the start of his presentation, saying that filmmakers “at least aim for the truth,” including when they’re “telling stories about real people,” as in Killers of the Flower Moon.

But he wasn’t done. He made sure to torch both the Gothams and Apple, who produced the film, for allegedly snipping his speech.

“So I’m going to say these things but—to Apple and thank them and all that. Gotham, blah blah blah, Apple, but—I don’t feel like thanking them at all for what they did,” he said. “How dare they do that, actually.”

Elsewhere at the Gothams, the immigration drama Past Lives took home Best Feature, the German drama Anatomy of a Fall nabbed both Screenplay and International Feature, and Ali Wong won Outstanding Performance in a New Series for Beef (which also won Breakthrough Television Under 40 Minutes). Meanwhile, Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone won for Lead Performance not for that film but for The Unknown Country.

You can watch the Flower Moon presentation in the video below. De Niro goes off-script around the two-minute mark.

(Via Deadline)

On Christmas Day, The Color Purple is set to dazzle another generation of filmgoers. In the new adaptation of the musical version of Alice Walker’s beloved novel, Fantasia will reprise the role she played on Broadway. But the all-star cast doesn’t stop there. Halle Bailey, Jon Batiste, HER, Ciara, and more will appear. Given the film’s musical legacy, the soundtrack has enormous shoes to fill.

On Monday, November 27, it was revealed that a jam-packed lineup of musicians set to appear on the album. Two of the film’s stars, HER and Halle Bailey, will lend their voice to the soundtrack, which is executive produced by Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders. It will also include Alicia Keys, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Megan Thee Stallion, Jennifer Hudson, Keyshia Cole, Jorja Smith, Coco Jones, Ciara, Mary Mary, and Missy Elliott.

The soundtrack’s first taste came from Alicia Keys’ song “Lifeline.” You can listen to the single below. The soundtrack will be shared on December 15 via WaterTower Music and Gamma.

Walker’s novel was first filmed by Steven Spielberg in 1985, with a cast that included Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, and Margaret Avery. It was a hit that earned 10 Academy Award nominations.

The Color Purple will hit theaters on December 25.

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

Jack Harlow didn’t exactly win over Ford Field attendees when he performed at the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game. But reviews for the “Lovin’ On Me” rapper’s standalone show are off the charts. Harlow’s No Place Like Home Tour started as a love letter to his Kentucky roots, with stops only in the state’s borders. Now it’s evolved into a display of his homefield advantage.

The six-date tour kicked off on November 24 in Owensboro at the Owensboro Sports Center. With only a few stops remaining, the opportunity to see Harlow before year’s end. View Harlow’s No Place Like Home Tour setlist, according to Setlist.Fm, and the remaining tour dates below.

No Place Like Home Tour Setlist

1. “They Don’t Love It”
2. “Route 66”
3. “Nail Tech”
4. “No Enhancers”
5. “Is That Ight?”
6. “Denver”
7. “21C / Delta”
8. “Way Out”
9. “Creme”
10.”Dua Lipa”
11. “Young Harleezy”
12. “Movie Star”
13. “Side Piece”
14. “Sundown”
15. “Warsaw”
16. “Thru The Night”
17. “2Stylish”
18. “Sylvia”
19. “Ghost”
20. “Tyler Herro”
21. “SUVs (Black on Black)”
22. “Churchill Downs”
23. “Like a Blade of Grass”
24. “Poison”
25. “Luv Is Dro”
26. “I Wanna See Some Ass”
27. “Already Best Friends”
28. “Industry Baby”
29. “Whats Poppin”
30. “First Class”
31. “Lovin’ On Me”

No Place Like Home Tour remaining dates

12/01 — Murray, KY @ CFSB Center
12/02 — Bowling Green, KY @ E.A. Diddle Arena
12/03 — Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena

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

Some kids are too shy to ever want to get on a stage, some will spend most of a performance staring awkwardly at their shoes, and some kids love the opportunity to show off what they’ve practiced in front of an audience.

And then there are the kids were simply born for the spotlight. You know them when you see them.

When Dirkco Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen hopped on stage with all of the other brothers and sisters of the dance students at René’s Art of Dance in South Africa, no one expected a viral sensation. According to Capetown Etc, it was the school’s year-end concert, and siblings were invited to come up and dance to Bernice West’s Lyfie—a popular song in Afrikaans. And Dirkco, who goes by Klein Kwagga, took the assignment and ran with it.

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Or rather, he danced with it. From the moment the music started, the 7-year-old was all in, expertly demonstrating his moves with intent seriousness. Nothing seemed to faze him—not the other kids around him, not the whoops from the crowd—he was just on.

Watch:

@kleinkwagga1

Doen dit lyfie doen dit! @Bernice West #Dans #fun #show Die Here het my mooi gemaak🎊🥳

Translated into English, the song begins with the lyrics “The Lord made me beautiful” and goes on to celebrate our bodies and dancing before God. But you don’t have to understand a word of Afrikaans to enjoy Klein Kwagga’s enthusiasm for the song and for dancing his little heart out.

“I can’t get enough of this, I want this vibe everyday,” wrote one commenter.

“Jumped straight out of his Toyota land cruiser and owned the show 😁,” wrote another.

After someone at the concert shared the video, Klein Kwagga’s family set up a TikTok channel for him and shared some other videos. As one video shows, hamming it up is clearly in the kid’s nature. Check out this clip of him as a ringbearer at a wedding:

@kleinkwagga1

#wedding #Ringbearer #Twist #Dance #funny@Die_Swart_Kat_ @boerboelwear @Robbie wessels @Bernice West

Gotta love a kid who instantly shines in the spotlight. Keep on dancing, Klein Kwagga. We love to see it.

There’s a lot of preparation that goes into having a child well before they’re even born. First there are the physical changes your body makes to clear up some space for a tiny human roughly the size of a watermelon. Then there’s preparing the nursery, buying lots of extremely small clothes, diapers and an expected understanding that while sleep may be your friend, you won’t be getting any of it for about a year.

Lots of people give plenty of advice to help you cope in the early days but after the baby arrives, the focus shifts to solely the baby. It’s obviously not a deliberate shift. Babies are just more shiny and new that the parents. But not everyone forgets about the parents once baby makes their grand entrance–some go out of their way to make sure the parents feel supported.

Upworthy asked its audience, “what was the best non-baby related gift you received as a new parent,” and the answers were a masterclass on how to care for new parents.

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Usually when people think of new babies, they often stop short of thinking of the person that just gave birth. All of the gifts that come in are typically for the new infant, which is helpful but in the early days it can feel like you’re invisible. This means that the small gestures to focus on the parent or parents can really make a big impact and it looks like the Upworthy audience is acutely aware of this fact. Here are some of the most meaningful and practical gifts:

1. Everyone has to eat, especially when you’ve just birthed a human

“My best friend came by a day or two after I’d given birth with fresh washed and precut fruits and veggies and this is the only thing I remember being given. I was so thirsty and depleted and that gesture was everything,” Emmanuelle Hertel writes.

“My grandma brought me groceries. Right to my third floor apartment. She was way old and it was probably a big hassle for her but incredibly helpful and thoughtful. She knew it was hard to leave the house and that I was a single mom of a baby,” Kristina Scott remembers.

“A basket of easy to grab finger foods, cheeses, sparkling cider. It was a godsend,” Peggy Auerbacher says.

2. Cleaning is a gift of love

“A house keeping crew for a month from my sister-in-laws,” Evelyn Strimel Durkin says.

“My mother had someone come in and deep clean my house right before I delivered. It stayed clean with little effort right through the first couple of weeks. And those last couple of weeks of pregnancy, I was definitely not able to clean the way that I would have liked to. It was a blessing. And a fabulous gift,” Patrice Powers King writes.

“My mom came and cleaned my house top to bottom, let me shower, kept our crockpot full of healthy food, and helped me learn how to breastfeed. Best gift I’ve ever received,” Casi Dixon Hitchens admits.

3. Giving parents a much needed break from their littles to do wild things like nap.

“When my sister in law came & took our two little ones & said “do what you want but I’m taking your kids for a few hours “ These kids are now in their 50 ‘s and I still think about that. Best gift ever,” Esther Keber says.

“A friend picked up my kids and took them to her house for dinner and play when she delivered dinner for husband and me,” Mara Capuano writes.

“After a C-section w my first, my Mom came to help. I needed groceries AND I just needed to get out. She said “ take your time, no rush, I’m here”. She knew, I just needed a minute to myself, even if it was just getting groceries. She’s long gone, but she saw ME,” Sandy Corr reminisces.

Of course people were happily taking notes of the thoughtful gifts other’s received so they could pass along the practical joy. Is there a gift you received that simply made your life a little easier with a newborn? Tell us about it but most importantly, remember these ideas when you find yourself curious what to gift your expecting friend or relative.

When HBO Max bowed in 2020, it was a paradise. WarnerMedia’s contribution to the streaming game, it offered, among many other riches — DC stuff, Studio Ghibli, TCM, lots from the Criterion Collection, etc. — much from the deep Warner Bros. archives. One of the biggest attractions? Looney Tunes. Hundreds and hundreds of classic Looney Tunes. Then, two years later, Warner Bros. merged with Discovery. They got a new CEO, name of David Zaslav. By year’s end he’d deleted half of those beloved shorts from HBO Max’s coffers. Now it looks like he’s coming for the rest.

Per The Wrap, Max — the awkward name Zaslav gave the streamer earlier this year — sent out one of those press releases announcing what was coming to and leaving from the service in December. Buried in the former was “Looney Tunes,” which was vacating on December 31. Also on the chopping block are The Looney Tunes Show, the iteration from the early teens, and the 2003 movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

By “Looney Tunes,” it’s likely that means what remains of the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that made the brand’s name from 1930 into the 1960s. Last year, what was still called HBO Max unceremoniously deleted almost all of the shorts made after 1949. That included such all-timers as Duck Amuck, What’s Opera, Doc?, For Scent-imental Reasons, and over two dozen Wile E. Coyote-Roadrunner classics. Only the latter’s debut, The Fast and the Furry-ous, remains. But not for long.

Zaslav hasn’t only had it out for classic Looney Tunes. Earlier this month the company cancelled the fully finished movie Coyote Vs. Acme, in which Wile E. Coyote finally sued the titular Amazon-like company after decades of receiving faulty products. The film is now being shopped around to other studios.

It’s a safe bet that the Warner brand is as famous as it is because of Looney Tunes. They’re prominently displayed at the beginning of every beloved short, flying at the viewer with that iconic musical crescendo. Since the ’30s, generations have grown up watching them. Now Zaslav has made that all the more difficult.

When news of this broke, many painted Zaslav as a cartoonish villain.

Others wondered what on earth Zaslav had against Looney Tunes.

Others wondered how Zaslav and team still have jobs.

Whatever the case, this move further traumatizes generations.

Unless Zaslav has one of his unpredictable changes of heart, Max subscribers have till December 31 to watch classic Looney Tunes. The one where Bugs Bunny tortures an opera singer is a good ‘un. You could also watch Zaslav get booed by college students again.

(Via The Wrap)

Jessica Porten recently visited her doctor four months after giving birth to her daughter, Kira. She wasn’t feeling quite like herself.

She had been dealing with overwhelming sadness and fits of anger, which she knew was likely stemming from a case of postpartum depression.

In a Facebook post, Porten recounts the story of that appointment.

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“I tell them I have a very strong support system at home, so although I would never hurt myself or my baby,” she writes. “I’m having violent thoughts and I need medication and therapy to get through this.”

In other words, she went to her doctor to ask for help for an extremely normal and treatable issue that affects an estimated 1 million women in the U.S. each year in one form or another.

But instead of getting help, as Porten tells it, the office did something pretty unexpected: They called the police.

Because of her admission to “violent thoughts,” staff wanted the police to escort Porten to the ER for evaluation.

The cops, according to Porten, were skeptical of the need for their presence when they arrived and allowed her to drive herself to the hospital.

But the ordeal continued.

“We arrive at the ER and I’m checked in, triaged, blood drawn. I am assigned a security guard to babysit me,” she writes.

She says she waited for over an hour to get a room, all while wrangling her months-old baby. After some brief tests, a lot of waiting, and a super-short interview with a social worker, she was deemed mentally fit enough to be discharged.

Porten and her 4-month-old didn’t leave the hospital until after midnight.

The worst part? Porten never got the help she asked for.

In addition to the undue stress and wasted time, Porten left the hospital without having received any medical help whatsoever.

“Not once during all of this has a doctor laid eyes on me,” she writes. “Not once. Not even before they decided to call the cops on me.”

Porten says that, for all her time and effort, she received some papers and pamphlets and was sent on her way.

“I’m still processing all of the emotions that are coming with being treated this way. I’m not exactly sure what to do here. I will say I am deeply hurt and upset, and above all angry and disgusted and disappointed by how this whole thing went down.”

She also points out that if she had been a woman of color, her ordeal probably would have been even more drawn out and traumatic.

Postpartum depression is a serious issue – as is the stigma it carries.

Postpartum depression is common. The condition, and even the scary violent thoughts that sometimes accompany it, may even have an important evolutionary purpose. Some argue that new moms are on high alert for danger and that stress can sometimes visually manifest itself in their thoughts.

But, as with most mental health issues, postpartum depression can carry a lot of shame, embarrassment, and guilt for the women affected by it — leading them to ignore their symptoms instead of seeking help. One study even found that countries that don’t recognize postpartum depression by name actually see women more likely to come forward with their symptoms.

Stories like Porten’s show exactly why many women would rather suffer in silence than be poked, prodded, and treated inhumanely. And of course, not getting proper treatment will only make things wore.

It’s time for a different approach.

It may be a common policy to call the police in the interest of the child’s safety. But a policy that better addresses the mother’s concerns and gets her the help she needs, without being shamed, is definitely a better way to go.

To get there, we need to help more honest and brave women feel comfortable coming forward about the aspects of postpartum depression that are hard to talk about. And we all need to better educate ourselves on the complexities of mental health issues and, more importantly, the human beings behind them.

You can find a link to Porten’s post on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1021317492…

This story originally appeared on 01.24.18

Tuesday’s five-game NBA slate featured a couple of highly appetizing matchups, but one game was appealing in a bit of a different way. The Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons squared off in a battle between the two worst teams in the league this season, with each club bringing a 2-14 record into the contest. The first half was largely competitive, with Washington taking a three-point lead into the break on the road, but there was a certain play that garnered attention in a way that was befitting of the stage.

In the final minute of the second quarter, Wizards guard Jordan Poole managed to shake free of Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, and he was left with what appeared to be a wide-open jump shot. Instead of taking that shot, however, Poole attempted to do … something else.

This was jarring to see, both in real time and on replay. It should be noted that NBA players are not machines and, sometimes, decision-making that can seem easy can actually be quite difficult. However, this was bizarre in that Poole was very clearly open and seemingly chose to make his life more difficult. On cue, Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson swooped in for a relatively easy blocked shot, and that was that.

The possession also ended in a turnover after the shot was blocked out of bounds and, while there was no guarantee Poole would have made the jumper, he might’ve directly cost his team two points. Beyond that, it was a play that could be popping up on anti-highlight reels for some time.

In 1825, at the approximate age of 8, Jordan Anderson (sometimes spelled “Jordon”) was sold into slavery and would live as a servant of the Anderson family for 39 years. In 1864, the Union Army camped out on the Anderson plantation and he and his wife, Amanda, were liberated. The couple eventually made it safely to Dayton, Ohio, where, in July 1865, Jordan received a letter from his former owner, Colonel P.H. Anderson. The letter kindly asked Jordan to return to work on the plantation because it had fallen into disarray during the war.

On Aug. 7, 1865, Jordan dictated his response through his new boss, Valentine Winters, and it was published in the Cincinnati Commercial. The letter, entitled “Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master,” was not only hilarious, but it showed compassion, defiance, and dignity. That year, the letter would be republished in the New York Daily Tribune and Lydia Marie Child’s “The Freedman’s Book.”

The letter mentions a “Miss Mary” (Col. Anderson’s Wife), “Martha” (Col. Anderson’s daughter), Henry (most likely Col. Anderson’s son), and George Carter (a local carpenter).

Dayton, Ohio,
August 7, 1865
To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

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Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jordon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin’s to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy, — the folks call her Mrs. Anderson, — and the children — Milly, Jane, and Grundy — go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, “Them colored people were slaves” down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor’s visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams’s Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve — and die, if it come to that — than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,
Jordon Anderson

Learn more about Jordan Anderson here.

This article originally appeared on 11.03.17.