Month: January 2024

The Bachelor is now in its 28th season. There’s also been 20 seasons of The Bachelorette, nine seasons of Bachelor in Paradise, one season of The Golden Bachelor, and so on. With so many episodes in the BTC (Bachelor Televised Universe), eventually you were going to have a contestant who appeared in a Vin Diesel movie. That’s just math.

One of the women vying for Joey Graziadei’s heart in the current season of The Bachelor is Maria Georgas. As noted by Decider, the executive assistant from Kleinburg, Ontario, only has one pre-Bachelor credit on her IMDb: Firefly #1 in The Pacifier, the 2005 kid-friendly action comedy starring Dominic Toretto as a Navy SEAL who becomes — record scratch — a babysitter.

Georgas didn’t mention her unnamed movie character past on The Bachelor, but she does have strong movie takes.

You likely remember [Georgas] as the woman who let Joey know she didn’t approve of his favorite movie, Remember the Titans, on night one. Following the premiere, Georgas posted an apology to Instagram Stories, explaining, “I didn’t know Denzel Washington was in it, and I love Denzel Washington… When I found out he was in the movie I already automatically knew the movie was going to be fantastic. I have since watched it and it’s great. I’m so sorry about that, guys.”

If Graziadei said his favorite movie was The Pacifier, Georgas would know he’s a liar. No one’s favorite movie is The Pacifier.

(Via Decider)

A new theme park is coming to the Universal Orlando Resort.

Set to debut in 2025, Universal Epic Universe is described as “a level of theme park immersion and innovation that is unmatched – transporting guests to expansive worlds featuring more than 50 awe-inspiring attraction, entertainment, dining, and shopping experiences that come together to create an unforgettable adventure that is nothing short of epic.”

The heart of Universal Epic Universe will be Celestial Park, emphasis on “park.” There will be “lush living gardens” and “shimmering waters,” all “surrounded by stunning architecture inspired by astronomical and mythological elements.” Celestial Park is a gateway to the rest of the Universal Epic Universe — although there will be a dual-launch roller coaster, Starfall Racers — which you can access through a system of portals.

The other worlds in Epic Universe are The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, which blends the 1920s Paris seen in the Fantastic Beasts films with the Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter movies; Super Nintendo World (shout out to my guy Toad); How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk (“where guests can soar with dragons in a colorful world filled with Viking adventures”); and Dark Universe, a “shadowy landscape” filled with the old-school movie monsters. Hopefully this tweet appears on a Wanted poster somewhere.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel also features the Universal Helios Grand Hotel for when you need to take a nap after drinking Butterbeer all day.

Universal Epic Universe opens at Universal Orlando in 2025. For more information, click here.

In an interview earlier this month, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) said of Drake, “Drake is pop to me, in the sense like, if I was in Target in Houston and I heard a Drake song… it feels like a lot of his music is compatible with shopping. Or shopping with an edge in certain instances… It’s likable.”

That got some reactions online, including from Drake himself. Now, Bey has explained himself further.

In an Instagram Live broadcast yesterday (January 29), he said:

“Drake, if you’d like to speak to me directly, you can at any point. I reached out to [Dave] Chappelle, I actually reached out to you. I DM’d you. You are a very talented MC, but for me, I require more of myself and others than just talent or charm or charisma, particularly in times of urgent crisis. And what I would like to see, in terms of creators or creative people in the world, as it relates to our culture, is for people to connect with us beyond the jukebox or the dance floor.

A fair-weather friend can hardly be called a friend at all. The people who party with you: that’s cool. But will they show up for you when you’re at the triage?”

Check out the video below.

Finally, the 2024 Super Bowl match-up has been set, as the San Francisco 49ers will take on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs, on February 11 in Las Vegas.

Taylor Swift hasn’t confirmed if she’ll be in attendance; She has an Eras Tour concert in Tokyo the day before, but it’s actually possible to make it back to the States for the game. So, Swifties might be wondering:

Will Taylor Swift Perform With Usher At The 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show?

It appears that she won’t.

TMZ, citing “sources with direct knowledge,” reports, “Not only is Taylor not going to pick up a microphone to croon a tune … but we’re hearing there’s no chance T-Swift will go anywhere near the stage, let alone step onto it. In other words, our sources say there are zero plans to have her participate in the Super Bowl whatsoever — outside of her just being there as a fan — and Usher is going to have the spotlight all to himself in terms of live entertainment that day.”

Given that Usher has been planning his show for months, and that Swift probably wasn’t sure she’d be Super Bowl-bound until just a few days ago, it makes that she’s not involved. While Kelce playing in the Super Bowl and Swift performing at the halftime show would have been one of the biggest couple flexes ever, it looks like that’s just not going to happen this year.

After years of subtle jabs, Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj have officially removed the sparring gloves. On Friday, January 26, Megan Thee Stallion dropped her latest single, “Hiss.” The venomous record is a striking lyrical act at several folks, including her ex-boyfriend Pardi, DaBaby, Tory Lanez apologist, and most viciously, Nicki Minaj.

As users online praise Megan’s display of wit, one family is calling the rapper out for being insensitive. In a conversation with TMZ, Richard Kanka expressed disgust with Megan Thee Stallion’s line and even threatened her with legal action.

With her eyes aimed at Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty’s past sexual assault allegations, Megan rapped: “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law.”

As one of the leading forces behind getting the legislation passed, Kanka didn’t take too kindly to his late daughter’s death being used as a punchline in a petty rap feud. Although Kanka admits that he didn’t listen to the entirety of the song, he had a chance to pull up the lyrics and felt that it downplayed the severity of his late daughter’s brutal death by a sex offender.

Megan Thee Stallion has not issued a response to Kanka’s remarks. But referencing “Hiss,” according to Megan, she’s Teflon in the courtroom.

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

Boy, conservatives hate Taylor Swift for some reason. The world’s probable most popular pop star has been the scourge of the right for months now, who take umbrage with her being a Joe Biden supporter. She’s not even that vocal about it. Things got even worse after her the Kansas City Chiefs, which counts her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, as a member, got into the Super Bowl. There were tinfoil hat conspiracy theories, Fox News meltdowns, plus one of Trump’s many lawyers absolutely embarrassing herself.

Over the weekend, a Twitter/X user posted a bizarre question: “Who thinks this country needs a lot more women like Alina Habba, and a lot less like Taylor Swift?”

Habba, of course, is part of the latest round of revolving door lawyers who’ve worked for Donald Trump. Recently her client lost a case so bad that the jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million for defamation. In other words, few rational people would prefer a bad lawyer to Time’s most recent Person of the Year.

Still, there was one person who agreed with that Twitter/X person: herself. And there was another: Habba, who reposted the post on her Instagram account. That makes two, as well as however many deranged far right anti-Swifties are out there.

Habba joined Trump’s legal team over the summer despite specializing in real estate. Apart from losing her client tens of millions, she’s also done things like admit he lost re-election in 2020. Granted, Trump has been known to do that, too.

(Via Newsweek)

Entering Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder were the top two teams in the Western Conference, and they squared off at Paycom Center in OKC in a riveting showdown. Ultimately, the Wolves emerged victorious by the final score of 107-101, out-pacing the Thunder by a ten-point margin the fourth quarter.

Immediately following the game, television microphones captured Wolves star Anthony Edwards celebrating with his teammates, including Rudy Gobert, and Edwards made a reference to “cheating ass refs.”

Edwards didn’t stop there, as he looked directly into the camera in his postgame interview and called out the officials.

Asked how he and the Wolves picked up the road win, Edwards said “I don’t know. I don’t know. And I’ma take the fine. Because the refs did not give us no calls tonight. We had to play through every bump, every grab. I don’t know. I don’t know how why we won tonight.”

On the whole, it was not a game marred by a bevy of fouls, as Minnesota and Oklahoma City combined for only 37 total free throw attempts. However, the Thunder took seven more than the Wolves, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accounted for nearly half (16) of the full-game total.

It seems as if Edwards may be in line for a fine from the league, which he predicted before speaking. Given the impressive nature of the road win, though, Edwards will probably take it in stride, and he led all scorers for Minnesota with 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting in the game. If nothing else, perhaps this can add a bit of extra fuel for a potential playoff matchup between two teams enjoying fantastic seasons and now facing real expectations for April and May.

Music’s biggest night is nearly here. As the industry’s heavyweights prepare for the 2024 Grammys, fans eagerly await more details about the ceremony. On January 29, the Recording Academy revealed that the evening’s performers list has grown yet again.

Via a post on X (formerly Twitter), it’s been revealed that “Kill Bill” singer SZA will perform. “You don’t want to snooze and miss this moment!” wrote the organization. “Watch SZA at the 66th Grammys on February 4 at 8 p.m. Eastern / 5 p.m. Pacific on CBS.”

As SZA is the evening’s most nominated act, her participation makes sense. Appearing at the Grammys carries significant meaning for SZA. During an interview with Rolling Stone, her manager and label head, Terrence “Punch” Henderson, reportedly pulled her scheduled performance at the 2023 MTV VMAs over feeling underappreciated.

Over the weekend, the news was shared that Joni Mitchell would make her Grammy performance debut at this year’s ceremony. Other musicians set to take the stage at the 2024 Grammys include Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Travis Scott, Luke Combs, and Burna Boy.

The 2024 Grammys will broadcast live on February 4 via CBS at 8 p.m. Eastern. Find more information here.

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

It wasn’t that long ago that the DCEU found a new Supergirl: soap veteran Sasha Calle. Unfortunately Calle came in right at the end of the comic line’s spotty attempt at an MCU, in a film, The Flash, that proved, after much hoopla, a disappointing anticlimax. But new DCEU co-honcho James Gunn is quickly plugging away at a cinematic universe reboot, and he already found himself a new Kara Zorl-El.

Per Deadline, Gunn and co-DCEU leader James Safran have tapped Milly Alcock, House of the Dragon alum, to play Superman’s cousin. She beat out CODA actress Emilia Young as well as Meg Donnelly, who has voiced Supergirl in DC animated films such as Legion of Superheroes and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One.

Does that mean Alcock will appear in the Superman: Legacy, Gunn’s attempt to reboot the Man of Steel once more? Not necessarily. Gunn and Safran have big plans for their new cinematic universe, and given that Legacy is about to start principal photography, she might be too late an addition. Or maybe not!

Alcock only appeared in the first five episodes of House of the Dragon, playing the young Rhaenyra Targaryen. She soon passed the baton to Emma D’Arcy, who continues to play her. Though the Dragon team once said they weren’t averse to bringing back Alcock and her other younger costars, she confessed that she was done with fantasy. Superheroes, though, she’s cool with.

(Via Deadline)

It wasn’t that long ago that the DCEU found a new Supergirl: soap veteran Sasha Calle. Unfortunately Calle came in right at the end of the comic line’s spotty attempt at an MCU, in a film, The Flash, that proved, after much hoopla, a disappointing anticlimax. But new DCEU co-honcho James Gunn is quickly plugging away at a cinematic universe reboot, and he already found himself a new Kara Zorl-El.

Per Deadline, Gunn and co-DCEU leader James Safran have tapped Milly Alcock, House of the Dragon alum, to play Superman’s cousin. She beat out CODA actress Emilia Young as well as Meg Donnelly, who has voiced Supergirl in DC animated films such as Legion of Superheroes and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One.

Does that mean Alcock will appear in the Superman: Legacy, Gunn’s attempt to reboot the Man of Steel once more? Not necessarily. Gunn and Safran have big plans for their new cinematic universe, and given that Legacy is about to start principal photography, she might be too late an addition. Or maybe not!

Alcock only appeared in the first five episodes of House of the Dragon, playing the young Rhaenyra Targaryen. She soon passed the baton to Emma D’Arcy, who continues to play her. Though the Dragon team once said they weren’t averse to bringing back Alcock and her other younger costars, she confessed that she was done with fantasy. Superheroes, though, she’s cool with.

(Via Deadline)