Month: April 2024

Halloween is a year-round commitment. If you’re not already thinking about your costume in April, you’re doing it wrong (might I suggest Leo from the animated motion picture Leo?). Here’s one (very fun) way to celebrate spooky season: Halloween Horror Nights is returning to Universal Studios Florida for select nights from August 30 to November 3.

This year’s HHN is described as a “chilling new collection of horrifying experiences” with “10 all-new movie-quality haunted houses inspired by cinematic greats and eerie original stories created by the twisted minds of Universal’s Entertainment team, and five scare zones filled with hundreds of menacing creatures who will reign the streets of Universal Studios Florida.”

The 2023 HHN haunted houses were themed around The Last of Us, Chucky, and Stranger Things, among others. Maybe Universal can borrow Abigail‘s blood cannon?

Single-night event tickets and Express Passes for Halloween Horror Nights 2024 are available for purchase now. They sell out quickly, so I would suggest not waiting. Upgrades are also available, including guided nighttime tours with V.I.P. access to the haunted houses. You can find out more information on Universal’s website.

The event dates are August 30-31; September 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-29; October 2-6, 9-13, 16-20, 23-27, 30-31; November 1-3. Additional details about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood will be revealed soon. Or should I say “revealed MOON”… because werewolves howl at the moon? (Where’s the Crypt Keeper when you need him?)

A couple days ago, on April 2, Quavo celebrated his 33rd birthday. There have been rumors that he’s currently beefing with fellow Migos member Offset, but Offset appeared to put that to rest.

In a birthday message shared on his Instagram Story (as HipHopDX notes), Offset wrote, “Happy gday my brother @quavohuncho love you 4L,” with “4L” meaning “for life.”

At the Grammys in February 2023, it was rumored that the two got into a fight backstage, but Offset later denied it, tweeting, “What the f*ck look like fighting my brother y’all n****s is crazy.” Not long after that, on his song “Greatness,” Quavo addressed the future of Migos, rapping, “Came in, swept the game like a storm with the motherf*cking flow, n****, Take did that / So don’t ask about the group, he gone, we gone, young n**** it can’t come back, damn!” Then, days later, Offset and Quavo were at the same NBA game but seated separately.

So, while it’s possible there was tension, it appears that as it stands now, there’s still love at the core of the relationship.

Meanwhile, Quavo recently popped up during Post Malone’s Rolling Loud California set to perform “Congratulations.” As for Offset, he recently launched his Set It Off Tour.

Breaking news: a former Universal Studios tour guide visited Disney World.

On Wednesday, Sydney Sweeney shared photos from a recent trip to the “happiest place on earth,” Disney World. In one image, she’s wearing Mickey Mouse ears and a shirt with the Disney mascot on it; in another, she’s eating a gigantic cookie from a shop on Main Street. Sweeney can also be seen posing with model Amélie Tremblay in the Magic Kingdom, air drumming in EPCOT, and giving a soaking wet thumbs up after riding Kali River Rapids.

You can see the photos below.

Sweeney is a bit of a theme park enthusiast. Last year, she visited Luna Park Sydney in Australia, where her hit romantic-comedy Anyone But You was filmed. “fun day at my park with my friends,” she wrote.

Sweeney also briefly worked for Universal Studios as a tour guide. “Sweeney was hired by Universal Studios Hollywood on June 12, 2016, after which she attended an orientation shift followed by a training shift,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “However, she exited the job on July 18, 2016, when she booked an acting job. Her resume backs it up as Sweeney has 11 credits on her resume from 2016-2017, including Cassidy Way, Angels in Stardust, The Horde, Manic, Pretty Little Liars, and In the Vault, among others.” Her filmography has slightly improved since then.

I need to know which one of the Country Bears is Sydney’s favorite. I bet she’s a Liver Lips McGrowl kind of gal.

(Via Instagram/Sydney Sweeney)

“Texas Hold ‘Em” is Beyoncé’s latest No. 1 hit, and while the Cowboy Carter favorite is still going strong, Bey just breathed new life into it with the “Pony Up” remix released today, April 4.

The remix adds a newfound New Orleans bounce influence, which can be most evidently heard in the song’s new verse. Beyoncé sings in the new verse (according to Genius):

“Woke up this mornin’, my heart keeps racin’ (Woo)
Straight to the bottom, we all need salvation (Come take it to the floor now, ooh)
Need you to end this drought, take me downtown
Gon’ leave the truck, whiskey, baby
Let’s get weak and (Weak and) wasted
Might as well just throw it all (Woo-woo)
And pony up, b*tch, don’t hold back on me
It’s a rodeo, we gon’ dosido (Hey)
Broke me in and then you take me home, huh
Give me all of your love, all of your sins
All of your f*cks, pony up
Up to you, but it’s boots on the ground
Sippin’ on a Tennessee, spinnin’ me around
I just see you with a whiskey
I’m drinkin’ straight, baby, all day
It’s a hell of a life
Baby, I just might
Throw a party for the whole damn town
Chasin’ my sins away with brown, oh, oh, brown, oh, oh
I’ma need another round, round, round, round
One for me, one for my lover.”

Listen to “Texas Hold ‘Em (Pony Up) Remix” above.

Conan O’Brien only hosted The Tonight Show for seven months, but what a seven months it was. He dressed up “the most expensive car in the world” as a mouse and played an expensive licensed Rolling Stones song, and that was just in his final month as host. We don’t need to recap everything that went down between Conan, Jay Leno, and NBC; a sequel to The Late Shift will cover all the drama, god willing. Or maybe it will come up when the former Simpsons writer returns to The Tonight Show next week for the first time since 2010.

On Tuesday, April 9, Conan will appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss his new Max series, Conan O’Brien Must Go. And, presumably, discuss his previous gig.

As noted by LateNighter, Conan “technically appeared on the show one other time since stepping down as host — in 2018, as part of a brief recorded sketch that also featured Stephen Colbert and aired on both Colbert’s and Fallon’s shows, but this will mark O’Brien’s first physical visit to the show.”

Is it too much to hope for a Slipnutz reunion, too?

Conan O’Brien Must Go premieres on Max on Thursday, April 18.

(Via LateNighter)

Vampire Weekend is in a unique position to capitalize on the total solar eclipse on April 8. In February, Vampire Weekend announced “a special live performance in Austin, Texas, during the historic total eclipse” at the Moody Amphitheater in celebration of their Only God Was Above Us album release on Friday, April 5. But you don’t have to be a Grammy-winning rocker to enjoy the total solar eclipse.

What Time Is The Solar Eclipse On April 8?

NASA has an interactive map because, of course, it does.

“This Monday, April 8, 2024, [a] total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada,” the website explains. “The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PST.”

The explanation continues, “The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT.”

The website provides a table estimating visibility for various locations — broken into five categories: Partial Begins, Totality Begins, Maximum, Totality Ends, and Partial Ends.

CBS also reported on potential cloud coverage across the projected visibility path throughout April 8.

According to ABC News, nobody should take this total solar eclipse for granted, even though the last one in the US was in August 2017.

“If you look previous to 2017, the last one was in 1979,” former NASA Goddard Space Flight Center astrophysicist Fred Espenak told ABC News. “So it’s a little bit deceptive that these two eclipses were in seven years of each other.”

Young Thug remains embroiled in the YSL Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) trial in Fulton County, Georgia, stemming from his, Gunna’s, and 26 other defendants‘ arrest in May 2022. Despite his imprisonment, Young Thug has released Business Is Business, revealed a forthcoming apparel brand, and served up several features, including on Kid Cudi’s Insano.

On Wednesday, April 3, Lil Wayne announced “Bless” featuring Young Thug. An Instagram teaser presents Thugger and Weezy on an animated card in a flaming wrestling ring.

On March 26, Lil Wayne announced “Weezy Vs. Wheezy” (stylized as “WvW”) will arrive on Friday, April 5. “YOUNG MONEY PRESENTS WEEZY VS WHEEZY,” the pre-save link teases alongside a poster showing Lil Wayne and producer Wheezy. “THIS IS COMING, HELL OR HIGH WATER 4/5/2024.”

Throughout this week, Lil Wayne has been hooking his promotion around WWE’s WrestleMania 40, which is set for Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

As of this writing, it’s unclear if “Weezy Vs Wheezy” is a single or full-blown collaborative project, but announcing “Bless” in the same aesthetic vein as “WVW” is leading some people to believe that it could be a full-blown project.

Regardless, Wayne and Young Thug linking up for a song is noteworthy in itself, given their extensive history, as chronicled by Billboard.

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

On Wednesday, April 3, Chance The Rapper posted a statement to his Instagram Story confirming he and Kirsten Corley, his wife of five years, are divorcing. Last April, Chance The Rapper was caught in a compromising twerking position at Jamaica Carnival, as captured in a then-viral video. A representative for Chance The Rapper commented to TMZ, saying, “Everyone has their moments, but they’re all good.”

The tune abruptly changed just one year later.

Why Did Chance The Rapper And Kirsten Corley Get Divorced?

Read Chance and Corley’s joint statement below:

“After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways. We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together.

We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition.

Thank you

– Chance & Kirsten”

Chance The Rapper and Corley first met as children in 2003, as Chance The Rapper detailed in March 2019, and then reconnected as adults in 2012. They welcomed Kensli in September 2015 and Marli Grace in August 2019. In between, the couple briefly split, resulting in a legal battle over child support that was resolved in March 2017.

In January, it was announced that Jack Antonoff curated the soundtrack for The New Look, an Apple TV+ series chronicling Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, and Cristóbal Balenciaga “navigate[d] the horrors of World War II and launch[ed] modern fashion.” On Wednesday, April 3, the season finale became available to stream, and Bleachers released the final soundtrack song, “Almost Like Being In Love.”

“‘Almost Like Being In Love’ by Bleachers is out now,” the band posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Covered the track written originally in 1947 as the last release for The New Look: Original Soundtrack — prod. by Jack. Released on @sotclabel.”

Previously released The New Look: Original Soundtrack songs include “Now Is The Hour” by The 1975, “Blue Skies” by Lana Del Rey, “What A Difference A Day Makes” by Perfume Genius, “White Cliffs Of Dover” by Florence + The Machine, and “It’s Only A Paper Moon” by Beabadoobee.

Bleachers released their self-titled album on March 8. Last November, the Antonoff-fronted band announced a 2024 US tour, From The Studio To The Stage, which will begin on May 18 in Salt Lake City, Utah and conclude on June 15 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Before the headlining tour, Bleachers will perform at Coachella 2024 on Saturday, April 13.

Listen to Bleachers’ cover of “Almost Like Being In Love” above.

Unusual things happen in the NBA in April. As the regular season is winding down and teams understand what their playoff hopes look like, you can sometimes see things that come from out of absolutely nowhere. For example: During Wednesday night’s game between the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks, a reserve guard for the Pistons had the night of his life.

Malachi Flynn, whose career-high entering the night was 27 points and whose season-high was 17, was nothing short of brilliant against Atlanta, going for 50 points on 18-for-25 shooting with six rebounds, five assists, and four steals in 34 minutes of work. Thirty-three of his 50 points came in the second half, while he scored 19 points in the fourth quarter.

While there have been some monstrous scoring performances in the league this season, Flynn joined a pretty exclusive list of players who hit the 50-point mark in one game during the 2023-24 campaign. Additionally, he joined Jamal Crawford in becoming the second player to score 50 points in a game off the bench this century.

Flynn entered Wednesday’s game averaging 5.8 points in 11.6 minutes per game since he joined the Pistons in February via a trade with the New York Knicks. He started this year as a member of the Toronto Raptors, which took him 29th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, but got sent to the Knicks in December as part of the OG Anunoby trade.

Unfortunately for Flynn and the Pistons, this effort came in a loss, as Atlanta came out on top 121-113 to clinch a berth in the Play-In Tournament.