Month: January 2024

The first half of the Wild Card weekend opener between the Browns and Texans was an offensive showcase, as rookie C.J. Stroud put on a show in his first career playoff game, leading Houston to a 24-14 lead at the half.

The Browns moved the ball pretty well themselves in the first half, but needed to find more juice in the second half to get back into the game. That meant putting the ball even more into the hands of veteran Joe Flacco, who has been sensational since signing with Cleveland this season. However, the one issue for Flacco (as it has been for his whole career) is turnovers, and the aggressive Texans defense was able to capitalize on that twice with pick-sixes on back-to-back third quarter possessions to turn things into a blowout in Houston.

The first pick-six came when Flacco just tried to throw one up while getting hit, but his receiver had turned upfield, effectively setting up a punt return situation for Steven Nelson, who followed a convoy of blockers up the sidelines to put Houston up by three scores.

On the ensuing possession, the Browns had to go for it on 4th and 2, and Flacco forced one to the flat where Christian Harris jumped the route and likewise housed it — with a much easier path to the end zone — to officially start the party in Houston.

I especially like Derek Stingley Jr. in the bottom corner of the reverse angle celebrating the touchdown before Harris even intercepted the ball, as he saw what was coming and nothing but green in front of Harris.

It was an impressive third quarter performance from the Texans defense, which tightened up over the top and forced the Browns to try and move the ball more methodically, which provided opportunities for Flacco to make a mistake. For the Browns, it’s a difficult way to have their rather miraculous season unravel, as Flacco had his worst game in a Browns uniform and their typically stout defense got carved up by Stroud and the Texans in the first half.

On December 31, Green Day ruffled a few feathers during their Rockin’ Eve performance when the band changed the lyrics to “American Idiot.” However, that isn’t the only musical jab the band has crafted toward Donald Trump and his political base.

Their forthcoming album, Saviors, features another record (“The American Dream Is Killing Me”) inspired by the former president. But, according to bassist Mike Dirnt, their Trump diss track sat on the shelf for years until they finally decided to share it with fans. During Dirnt’s January 12 sit down with Rolling Stone, he discussed the song and more.

“[The song] was written by Billie [Joe Armstrong] almost four years ago,” he said. “But we all knew it was just low-hanging fruit. We’re not a parody of who we are, and songs like that need time to be fleshed out. If that means just sitting back and letting life happen, so be it. And it was one of the last things we recorded.”

Dirnt added that the song’s meaning stretches far beyond their critics of Trump. “I think it’s a wider statement than Trump. It’s more important than him,” he said. “It speaks to the fact that Billie’s dad was a Teamster truck driver, and his mom was a waitress, and somehow they could afford to raise five kids and buy a home, and that just doesn’t work for everybody anymore. We are back-asswards right now.”

Elon Musk doesn’t like the band’s stance, but many Americans echo Green Day’s sentiments.

Green Day’s Saviors is out 1/19/2024 via Reprise Records. Find more information here.

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

The human body is an amazing organism, to say the least.

To watch an athlete dunk a basketball or a ballerina turn a pirouette is to witness an extraordinary machine at work. But the human body is also a biological junkyard of useless ideas it has yet to ditch as we evolve.

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If humans have a creator, it has a sense of humor, because why else would it clutter the human body with organs that have no use? Why is the occasional baby born with a tail? These useless body parts are known as vestigial organs.

The video below goes over just a few of the vestigial organs we can locate on our bodies if we know where to look.

Ten to 15 percent of people can see a tendon in their wrists that connects to the palmaris longus muscle. Although it serves no purpose for humans, it’s essential for primates that live in the treetops and swing from limb to limb.

Humans also have three muscles around their ears that allow some people to make them wiggle. When fully formed in other mammals, the muscles work to rotate the ears in order to pinpoint the source of sounds.

Although these body parts are worthless in a practical sense, they serve as a reminder of our vast evolutionary history and reveal our deep connections to other beings on the planet. That knowledge is far from useless.

This article originally appeared on 10.27.17

Poor Jo Koy. Last Sunday the comic scored perhaps his most high-profile gig, delivering the opening monologue at this year’s Golden Globes. It didn’t go so hot. He angered the Swifties, though he later claimed he didn’t mean to. He said something sexist about Barbie, though director Greta Gerwig didn’t mind. It was widely seen as, at the very best, a subpar performance. How’s Koy taking it? Apparently not so well.

Per Variety, Koy was in Kasnas City for his first stand-up performance since that fateful night, where he seemed to use the audience as a theater full of therapists. After he entered to big applause, he told them, “This big hug that you gave me is all I need, swear to god. F*cking whirlwind, goddamn.”

He then not so subtly dragged his audience Sunday night, who at best gave him respectful chuckles.

“Lot a marshmallows, man,” he said. “They’re delicious, but goddamn, they’re soft. I just come from a different time. I see the changes that are happening. I get it, but goddamn, can we f*king laugh at ourselves?” As the audience howled, he doubled down, saying, “F*ck ‘em!”

Koy went on: “I got a feeling none of you motherfuckers watched it, and I’m kinda happy. Oh my god. It feels good to live in this country. We get to say what we want to say. Don’t be apologetic about it at all. Be able to…speak your mind.”

Incidentally, a sign outside the theater bore a curious message: “No heckling. You are interrupting the show for everyone. Just don’t do it. Hecklers will be removed from the venue.”

The Globes are no stranger to both controversy and to controversial hosts. Heck, Ricky Gervais hosted it five separate times, and the last time really didn’t even seem like he wanted to be there, not even as a joke.

(Via Variety)

Pregnant.

There it was, clear as day, two blue lines staring back at me from the small pregnancy test I had just purchased.

I double-checked…

One line = not pregnant.

Two lines = pregnant.

Photo via iStock.

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Yup, I was definitely pregnant.

My heart was pounding.

My head was spinning.

My stomach was churning.

I was nervous, excited, scared, and ecstatic all at the same time.

This was actually happening! After years of dreaming, preparing for, and anticipating this day, it was finally here. I was going to be a mother.

Little did I know that in nine short months, I would begin the most exhausting, life-changing, heart-wrenching, but indescribably rewarding journey of my life.

In nine months, I would learn the price of motherhood firsthand. I would know exactly what it takes to be a mother. I would gain a whole new understanding of and gratitude for the beautiful woman I call Mom.

I would learn about things mothers experience that their children often know very little about.

Here are 10 things your mom never told you.

1. You made her cry … a lot.

She cried when she found out she was pregnant. She cried as she gave birth to you. She cried when she first held you. She cried with happiness. She cried with fear. She cried with worry. She cried because she feels so deeply for you. She felt your pain and your happiness and she shared it with you, whether you realized it or not.

2. She wanted that last piece of pie.

But when she saw you look at it with those big eyes and lick your mouth with that tiny tongue, she couldn’t eat it. She knew it would make her much happier to see your little tummy be filled than hers.

3. It hurt.

When you pulled her hair, it hurt; when you grabbed her with those sharp fingernails that were impossible to cut, it hurt; when you bit her while drinking milk, that hurt, too. You bruised her ribs when you kicked her from her belly; you stretched her stomach out for nine months; you made her body contract in agonizing pain as you entered this world.

4. She was always afraid.

From the moment you were conceived, she did all in her power to protect you. She became your mama bear. She was that lady who wanted to say no when the little girl next door asked to hold you and who cringed when she did because in her mind no one could keep you as safe as she herself could. Her heart skipped two beats with your first steps. She stayed up late to make sure you got home safe and woke up early to see you off to school. With every stubbed toe and little stumble, she was close by; she was ready to snatch you up with every bad dream or late-night fever. She was there to make sure you were OK.

She stayed up late to make sure you got home safe and woke up early to see you off to school.

5. She knows she’s not perfect.

She is her own worst critic. She knows all her flaws and sometimes hates herself for them. She is hardest on herself when it comes to you, though. She wanted to be the perfect mom, to do nothing wrong — but because she is human, she made mistakes. She is probably still trying to forgive herself for them. She wishes with her whole heart that she could go back in time and do things differently, but she can’t, so be kind to her and know she did the best she knew how to do.

6. She watched you as you slept.

There were nights when she was up ’til 3 a.m. praying that you would finally fall asleep. She could hardly keep her eyes open as she sang to you, and she would beg you to “please, please fall asleep.” Then, when you finally fell asleep, she would lay you down, and all her tiredness would disappear for a short second as she sat by your bedside looking down at your perfect cherub face, experiencing more love than she knew was possible, despite her worn-out arms and aching eyes.

7. She carried you a lot longer than nine months.

You needed her to. So she did. She would learn to hold you while she cleaned; she would learn to hold you while she ate; she would even hold you while she slept because it was the only way she could sometimes. Her arms would get tired, her back would hurt, but she held you still because you wanted to be close to her. She snuggled you, loved you, kissed you, and played with you. You felt safe in her arms; you were happy in her arms; you knew you were loved in her arms, so she held you, as often and as long as you needed.

Her arms would get tired, her back would hurt, but she held you still because you wanted to be close to her.

8. It broke her heart every time you cried.

There was no sound as sad as your cries or sight as horrible as the tears streaming down your perfect face. She did all in her power to stop you from crying, and when she couldn’t stop your tears, her heart would shatter into a million little pieces.

9. She put you first.

She went without food, without showers, and without sleep. She always put your needs before her own. She would spend all day meeting your needs, and by the end of the day, she would have no energy left for herself. But the next day, she would wake up and do it all over again because you meant that much to her.

10. She would do it all again.

Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs anyone can do, and it will take you to your very limits sometimes. You cry, you hurt, you try, you fail, you work, and you learn. But, you also experience more joy than you thought was possible and feel more love than your heart can contain. Despite all the pain, grief, late nights, and early mornings you put your mom through, she would do it all again for you because you are worth it to her.

So, next time you see her, tell your mom thank you; let her know that you love her. She can never hear it too many times.

This article originally appeared on 05.27.16

Recent polls suggest that Republicans and Democrats have slightly different tastes that have nothing to do with politics.

If you like cats, The Beatles, and Starbucks, you tend to vote Democrat. If you’re into Toby Keith, Budweiser, and Dunkin’ Donuts, you tend to vote Republican.

But an interesting new quiz claims to be 98 percent effective at determining people’s political affiliations by asking questions that have zero to do with politics.

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Click here to take the quiz.

So how does it work? (Don’t read the answer if you haven’t taken the quiz yet.)

According to ChartsMe, recent studies have found that people who were more prone to disgust are more conservative. This leads them to more closely align with the Republican Party.

Some scientists believe it’s ancestral and that the adverse reactions to conditions we’d label “disgusting” were used to protect primitive ancestors from contamination and disease. This way a person wouldn’t confuse drinking water with dirty pond scum. But if the test told you that you’re a Republican, you probably won’t accept that explanation because studies show you probably don’t believe in evolution.

Click here to take the quiz.

This article originally appeared on 08.09.18

New year. Same feuds. Following Drake‘s latest online post, fans believe the rapepr is on his worst behavior.

In 2023, after several subtle jabs in music or across social media, his longstanding tensions with Pusha T, Joe Budden, and ASAP Rocky were a constant topic of conversation. Even his rumored feud with Metro Boomin has fans on high alert. On January 12, Drake fanned the flame further with a post on Instagram.

Drake took to his Instagram Stories to promote his friend and Her Loss collaborator 21 Savage’s latest album, American Dream. The screenshot, captioned “talk to them my brother,” showed Drake jamming out to Savage’s song “Just Like Me,” which features Burna Boy and Metro Boomin. Although it would be quite easy to miss, near the bottom of the image where the song’s information is displayed, Drake made a minor edit: Drake blocked out Metro’s name using several shouting emojis.

Fans immediately spotted the petty modification. However, given Metro Boomin’s past online comments, many people have sided with Drake’s decision to update the image. Metro Boomin hasn’t directly responded to Drake’s latest jab. Instead, he’s liked a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) praising the collaboration.

American Dream is out now via Epic Records. Find more information here.

By the time Kristen Stewart started dating women, the Twilight saga was done. Since then she’s made many films, some of them queer-centric, some not. She was one of the leads in The Happiest Season, the first major lesbian Christmas movie. She’s got Love Lies Bleeding, in which she and a female bodybuilder get into romantic roundelays that she vows will “shock people.” But what if even her straight movies are queer-coded? That’s what she argues about the movie that the original Twilight.

“I can only see it now,” Stewart told Variety of the 2008 vampire-werewolf YA romance’s gay subtext. “I don’t think it necessarily started off that way, but I also think that the fact that I was there at all, it was percolating.

“It’s such a gay movie,” she concluded, “I mean, Jesus Christ, Taylor [Lautner] and Rob and me, and it’s so hidden and not OK. I mean, a Mormon woman wrote this book. It’s all about oppression, about wanting what’s going to destroy you. That’s a very Gothic, gay inclination that I love.”

Stewart started dating women in 2013, soon after her longtime, mostly on, sometimes off relationship with her Twilight costar Robert Pattinson ended. Though she was very much open about her same-sex relationships, she didn’t formally come out as gay until 2017, during an SNL monologue, in reference to a certain then-president who had long been creepily obsessed with her dating life.

“It was cool to frame it in a funny context because it could say everything without having to sit down and do an interview,” Stewart said in the same interview. “‘So what platform is that going to be on? And who’s going to make money on that? And who’s going to be the person that broke it?’ I broke it, alone.”

Stewart is also still planning to make her feature-length directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, with Imogen Poots as a burgeoning artist wrestling with family sexual abuse and violence, as well as discovering her sexual identity. Hopefully she gets to make that one soon.

(Via Variety)

In December, Nicki Minaj dropped her long-awaited album, Pink Friday 2, which went on to set new records for women in rap music. Nicki isn’t in a rush to share any official videos for the album. Instead, she’d rather flood the field with all of the other songs she recorded for it.

On January 13, Minaj unveiled another extended version of the album, namely the Pink Friday 2 (Gag City Pluto Edition). The new release featured the song “Press Play,” yet another collaboration between her and Future after “Nicki Hendrix.”

The pair let loose on “Press Play,” leaning into producer ATL Jacob’s light-hearted energy. Based on Nicki’s verse, she doesn’t believe in throwing away bars, as she took a jab at the Billboard music charts, rapping:

“Set the tone like her vocal coach / They said, ‘Why can’t you be Yoncé?’ / Daddy wasn’t no business man, mama wasn’t no business owner/Mm, what an idiot / You can’t be me, I’m already it / I been saucy, they all wanna skinny dip / I am your label’s obsession, you’s another guinea pig / Top of every list, including your man bucket / Been on the chart so long, I told ‘<a href=”https://uproxx.com/music/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-2-billboard-sales-issue-explained/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Billboard</a>’ to dust it / These sheep ain’t got the nerve, I heard I done struck it / It ain’t a hate train if you conduct it.”

Listen to Nicki Minaj’s new single “Press Play” featuring Future above.

Pink Friday 2 is out now via Republic. Find more information here.

Artist Haley Morris-Cafiero describes herself on her website as “part performer, part artist, part provocateur, part spectator.” Her recent project, titled “Wait Watchers” has elements of all her self-descriptors.

In an email to us, Morris-Cafiero explained that she set up a camera in the street and stood in front of it, doing mundane activities like looking at a map or eating gelato. While she’s standing there she sets off her camera, taking hundreds of photos.

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Later, she looks through them and sees what is happening around her. Morris-Cafiero finds that people are often looking at her body, or commenting on it with their gaze or body language, at times even appearing to mock her.

“I then examine the images to see if any of the passersby had a critical or questioning element in their face or body language.”

“I consider my photographs a social experiment and I reverse the gaze back on to the stranger and place the viewer in the position of being a witness to a moment in time. The project is a performative form of street photography,” she writes.

Her work has been exhibited across the U.S. and abroad.

She also published her book, The Watchers, which shows her photo collection and includes comments made to her about her body from passerby.

You can see that even people in positions of authority, like this police officer, feel comfortable mocking her just for being out in public.

Though she’s not looking at the people around her, Morris-Cafiero’s photographs capture a split second in time that really crystalizes how people relate to one another on the street and the judgment she receives from strangers.

In galleries, with the words beside them, the photos are even more pointed. She also includes the positive words she receives from people who have experienced discrimination for their size or any other aspect to their body that is consistently bothered by the dominant culture.

Though we all theoretically know that people, women in particular, are discriminated against for their size, seeing it captured in photographs is gut-wrenching:

The project has gone viral as people identify with Morris-Cafiero’s experience, which means a lot of people relate to being stared at and commented on by folks who should mind their own business. Does that include you? You can check out more of her incredible work here.

This article originally appeared on 11.28.22