Category: News

Contestants on “Britain’s Got Talent” (as well as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent”) have long feared Simon Cowell’s judgment, so imagine auditioning with a song choice that automatically brings out his sour side.

That’s what contestant Sydnie Christmas did when she chose to sing “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie,” which is Simon Cowell’s least favorite song. But much to everyone’s surprise, she totally blew him away with her beautiful soulful rendition, causing him to change his tune.

Before performing, Christmas bounded onto the stage with her genuine smile and spunky energy, which endeared her to the judges and audience immediately. She even cracked a joke about her middle name being “Mary” (Sydnie Mary Christmas would be quite the name choice) and got everyone laughing with her.

However, when she announced she’d be singing “Tomorrow,” Cowell winced and the other judges groaned.

“That is Simon’s worst song,” warned judge Amanda Holden.

But when Christmas, who works as a receptionist at a gym, began to sing, it soon became clear that this wasn’t an ordinary rendition of the musical classic. Soulful, heartfelt, sad but hopeful, she built the song up bit by bit, bringing the audience along with her on an emotional ride.

Watch:

Not only did she get the coveted Golden Buzzer, but she also managed to get Simon Cowell to say he now loves the song he said he’d hated just minutes before. Viewers loved it, too.

“That was the first time I could take this song serious. Before today I hated it, too,” wrote one person.

“When they say you have to make the song your own, she did just that. I have never heard a better version,” wrote another.

“Absolutely beautiful; love how the word “tomorrow” always sounded unique EVERY TIME! Listened over and over…” added another.

“I’ve heard that song a million times and she REALLY got the poignancy of it,” shared another. “It is a sad song, but a song of hope, and it is hard to walk that line and she KILLED IT. It’s not just about her voice, it is how she sold that song.”

She even pulled in people from various walks of life, moving them with her performance:

“I’m a 60 year old highway worker. Just got off work and my wife sent this to me. What I’m trying to figure out is who’s been cutting onions in my vehicle? Seriously, teared me up. This took me COMPLETELY off guard and I am so delighted to have experienced this diamond!”

“41 year old hip hop head here and never did I think I would be touched like this. The sound of suffering with a glimmer of hope in the sound. Who is cutting onions at this time.”

“I’m a 60 year old builder sitting in my van having lunch. I just watched this. The guys in the next van are taking the P coz I’m crying my eyes out! Brilliant!”

As someone named Annie, I’ve had “Tomorrow” sung to me countless times over the years, so I shared Simon Cowell’s initial grimace upon hearing what she was going to sing. But I too was moved by Christmas’s performance and gained a whole new appreciation for the song after her gorgeous rendition. Not an easy feat. What a delightful surprise for us all.

Toddlers are built differently. Something about when they take those first trepidatious steps tells them that they no longer need things essential to human life. It also gives them a supersonic ego boost of invincibility, which is a concerning combination given the size of their heads in comparison to their little bodies and not-so-agile reflexes.

One dad has successfully convinced parents on the internet that toddlers must all listen to this completely made up podcast. Tyler Champagne has brought “Toddler Motivational Podcast” to life with one of his recent Instagram posts. In the video, Champagne, dad of a 2-year-old son and newborn daughter, imagines what it would sound like if his toddler had a motivational podcast.

The dad of two is sitting behind a podcast microphone speaking in a hushed voice that’s oddly motivational. Maybe don’t play the video while your littles are in the room—no need to give them any ideas.

“I don’t sleep at night. Sleep is for elderly people, like my parents in their 30s. When I’m sleeping, I’m not causing chaos, right? When I’m awake, I can continuously cause chaos throughout the day. Concentric circumference. Wanna know what I had for breakfast today? I licked one grape. That’s all I need. I don’t eat food. Food is a waste of time. When I’m chewing, when I’m swallowing, not causing chaos, okay?” Champagne says while motivational music plays in the background.

This is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of how it feels having a toddler in the home and parents couldn’t agree more.

“My toddler is getting rowdy listening to this speech,” one person raises a fist.

“How do we all have the same kids,” someone cries.

“My toddler watch[ed] this and screamed ‘that’s right’,” another says.

“Don’t y’all know. 90% of their hydration happens in the bathtub,” a commenter reveals.

Well, it may be a weird coincidence that every parent has the same kid. But it also seems totally plausible that once parents are asleep, some sort of motivational podcast like this comes through their baby monitor. Watch the video below, just make sure your toddler is out of earshot.

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A post shared by Tyler Champagne (@heated_seats)

Gracie Abrams has new music on the way. Earlier this week, she announced her sophomore album, The Secret Of Us. Today (May 1), she shared the lead single, “Risk”

On the song, Abrams details a distant type of love, which hasn’t fully manifested — yet.

“God, I’m actually invested / Haven’t even met him / Watch this be the wrong thing, classic / God, I’m jumping in the deep end / It’s more fun than swimming / Heard the risk is drowning, but I’m gonna take it,” Abrams sings on the song’s chorus.

In the accompanying video, Abrams is seen following her crush through a neighborhood, crashing parties along the way.

The bulk of Abrams’ upcoming album was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National. The album was a community effort with her longtime friend Audrey Hobert, who co-wrote “Risk,” as well as photographer Abby Wailser.

“We had real, true fun writing this album,” said Abrams in an Instagram post announcing the album. “There were also the occasional tears. Audrey and I wrote ‘Risk’ on our couch at home. Aaron produced the sh*t out of it. Abby shot the cover.”

You can see the video “Risk” above and see the cover art for The Secret Of Us below.

The Secret Of Us is out 6/21 via Interscope. Find more information here.

Even though Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are busy investing in other soccer teams, they haven’t forgotten about their beloved Wrexham.

After purchasing the team in 2021, the duo invited cameras to follow their journey as they learn the ins and outs of owning a soccer team, but it became much deeper than just kicking around a few balls. “Honestly…we feel as though our lives have been changed so dramatically by the town and by the people of Wrexham,”McElhenney recently told Collider of the new season. “That’s what we actually focus on more. Then it becomes a matter of gratitude for that, to be welcomed into the community so much so that we are willing to invest not just economically but emotionally into the success of the town as much as we possibly can. To see that pay dividends has just been the honor and joy of my life.”

Season three will debut with two episodes on Thursday, May 2 at 10 EDT on FX, with new episodes airing weekly. Episodes are then available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ the day after airing.

Episode one will be titled “Welcome to the EFL,” and follows the team has they play a series of summer friendlies in America and have a “less than friendly return to the English Football League.” Episode two, titled, “Goals,”will feature “shocking departure surprises Wrexham as the team tries to find its footing.”

The return of Max’s Hacks is nearly upon us. The Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder-starring comedy series is even more exhilarating and sexier with the third season, which also includes bonus Christina Hendricks and an even more complex era in Deborah and Ava’s central dynamic. This season also experienced delays due to Hollywood’s chaotic 2023 and a health scare for Jean Smart, but at last, the comedic generations are uniting once more.

The series will head back to Vegas with co-stars Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olsen, Paul W. Downs, and Megan Stalter onboard, and it’s almost show time.

When Do ‘Hacks’ Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2 Come Out?

These two episodes will stream on Max beginning on Thursday, May 3. The first episode is thusly described as follows: “As Deborah prepares to accept an award in Montreal, Ava does her best to avoid her former employer.” Expect a sweet guest star to appear, however, and then the second episode will keep the confectionary hangover going: “Deborah and Ava struggle to stay out of one another’s orbits – especially when Deborah lands an unexpected opportunity.”

On c’mon, ladies. Give up the fight to remain apart. You need each other. Thank god that Hacks is almost upon us again!

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

For the second monthly installment of The Best Hip-Hop Albums, we had to dig a little deeper than we did in March, thanks in part to fewer releases overall. However, while there were fewer albums from established, well-known acts, plenty of up-and-coming artists took the opportunity to stake their claims on gaining a foothold in the public consciousness.

Thanks to Drake and Kendrick Lamar, it was an uphill battle. While Kendrick’s contribution to their ongoing feud didn’t arrive until the end of the month, Drake’s antics were more than enough to keep us all at our favorite digital water coolers, discussing his distasteful use of AI, and whether he still has the juice to survive another confrontation with a lyrical heavyweight with a longer history of critical support.

But even with those two sucking up all the oxygen, there were still plenty of new releases worth checking out if beef wasn’t your thing. Here are the best hip-hop albums of April 2024.

Anycia — Princess Pop That

The Atlanta newcomer got plenty of attention thanks to Latto’s verse on “Back Outside,” but Anycia’s first-ever mixtape bears more than enough proof that she’s bigger than beef. Her herky-jerky flow, smoky vocal timbre, and unabashed bluntness are versatile enough to tackle both boisterous boasts and unfiltered heartbreak, while the choice of production keeps the energy level high through all 14 tracks.

Future & Metro Boomin — We Still Don’t Trust You

The second half of Future & Metro’s double disc project focuses more on the singing than the rapping, so there was a strong argument that this leaves it in Wongo’s territory, but we did include it in the Best New Hip-Hop of the week, so it qualifies for the month. Besides, thanks to contributions from ASAP Rocky, J. Cole, and Lil Baby, it still has more than enough bars for anyone who wants them.

GloRilla — EhhThang EhhThang

Hip-hop can be a lot of things: Angry, menacing, political, and thoughtful. But I think at its core, what people want most from rap music is for it to be fun. GloRilla understands this and aims to feed this impulse directly on her first mixtape since 2020’s independent P Status. The project allays concerns that she might have been just a one-hit wonder with song of the summer potentiates “Wanna Be” featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “Yeah Glo!” while providing introspection on “Aite” and “High AF.” Will you find dizzying feats of virtuoso lyrical gamesmanship here? No. But hip-hop has always been way more than just rappity-rap wordplay and “fight the power” ethos. Sometimes, you just want to turn up. That’s when you turn on GloRilla.

J. Cole — Might Delete Later

I also debated not including this one, solely based on Cole’s decision to pull “7 Minute Drill” from DSPs as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. Fortunately for him, there are still 11 other solid tracks, including the nostalgic Dipset callback “Ready ’24” and “H.Y.B” with Bas and Central Cee. Intricate wordplay may not be your thing, but Cole’s latest scratches that very specific itch, despite distracting him from following through on his promise to bring The Fall-Off to fruition.

Skilla Baby — The Coldest

The Michigan rapper follows up his 2023 collaborative project Controversy with Tee Grizzley with a solid solo effort. The Coldest finds him using his choppy flow to detail his misadventures in the streets with a cool-headed charisma that makes what should be worn-out material sound fresher than ever. A slew of guest stars, from Flo Milli to Rob49, join him on trunk-rattling production, but he never lets anyone steal the spotlight, proving that he’s a star in the making.

With her third album, Radical Optimism, on the way, Dua Lipa is on top of the world. As one of the biggest pop stars of her time, Lipa’s latest era has proven promising. With fully fleshed-out visuals and well-produced bangers, Lipa is a certified superstar.

Perhaps the Recording Academy called it back in 2019, when she won the coveted Best New Artist award at the Grammys. Though the Academy was convinced, some weren’t.

In an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe (per Rolling Stone), Lipa shared that some of the hate comments she received after her big win helped motivate her to improve her craft.

“‘She’s got no stage presence. She can’t do this. She’s not well equipped. She won’t be here next year though.’ There was a lot of that and that fueled me in a way,” Lipa said. “I try not use criticism as this revenge thing but it does push you in a way.”

Lipa continued, explaining that proving people wrong is part of the fun.

“Whenever I see or feel or read anything that goes against what I know is coming […] I just kind of take a step back and I just go, ‘All of this is background noise and I should just stick on my path,’” she said. “Because every time someone has doubted me, I’ve proved them wrong. This is fueling me, this is pushing me to be better, to work hard.”

The full interview will be available to watch today (May 1) at 1 p.m. ET.

Radical Optimism is out 5/3 via Warner Records. Find more information here.

This holiday season, Christmas is coming early for fans of blood and violence. Terrifier 3 is the upcoming installment in the Terrifier franchise, which has become a cult phenomenon that threatened to put Pennywise to shame.

The second installment, made on a $250,000 budget, grossed over $15 million worldwide in 2022, and now Art the Clown is showing up to theaters a few weeks early for a new release date.

In Terrifier 3, our good friend Art the Clown is back as he “unleashes chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.” The movie is set to hit theaters on October 11th, just one week after another certain edgy clown is set to return to theaters. What’s next? A Ronald McDonald biopic??

Brad Miska, vice president of Bloody Disgusting, promises that Art the clown is just getting started. “I knew the second I saw Terrifier 2 that it would be a generational horror film and was ecstatic when horror fans showed up to experience the movie in theaters making it one of the biggest indie horror successes of all time. With Terrifier 3, Damien Leone and Phil Falcone have handcrafted a theatrical experience like no other that will shock the hell out of audiences this fall. Art the Clown will slay October once again,” Miska concluded.

Somebody please tell the Joker he needs to step up his slaying game!! Lady Gaga will help.

(Via Variety)

Charly Bliss, who released one of the best albums of 2019, have announced their first album in five years. FOREVER is described as the group’s “biggest, brightest power pop yet,” with songs from band members Eva Hendricks, Sam Hendricks, Spencer Fox, and Dan Shure that “cram a lifetime of feeling, decades of friendship, and years of craft into a batch of sonically tight but emotionally vast songs that activate the pleasure centers in your brain.”

FOREVER is produced by Jake Luppen (Hippo Campus) and Caleb Wright (Samia), as well as the band’s own Sam Hendricks.

The first single from FOREVER is “Nineteen,” a sweeping ballad about young love. “I’ll always be fascinated by love and relationships that don’t quite work and bring tsunamis of heartbreak,” Hendricks said in a statement about the song. “The further away I am from it, the kind of love that bashes you against the rocks just as often as it carries you over waves of manic joy, the easier it is to see the full scope of it. First love is crazy.” You can watch the music video above, as well as see the album cover artwork and tracklist below.

Charly Bliss’ FOREVER Album Cover Artwork

Charly Bliss’ FOREVER Tracklist

1. “Tragic”
2. “Calling You Out”
3. “Back There Now”
4. “Nineteen”
5. “In Your Bed”
6. “I’m Not Dead”
7. “How Do You Do It”
8. “I Don’t Know Anything”
9. “Here Comes The Darkness”
10. “Waiting For You”
11. “Easy To Love You”
12. “Last First Kiss”

FOREVER is out August 16 on Lucky Number Music. Find more information here.

Concert season is upon us. And yes, we all know the struggles of buying tickets online. But thankfully, Live Nation is giving us a sweet reprieve from breaking the bank. Today (May 1), the live music power house announced the return of Concert Week, a week-long promo in which tickets for some of the year’s most anticipated shows go on sale for only $25.

Tickets will go on sale beginning May 8 through May 14. Tickets will be good for over 5,000 and 900 artists. 21 Savage, Alanis Morissette, Cage The Elephant, Celeste Barber, Dan + Shay, Dierks Bentley, Feid, Janet Jackson, Meghan Trainor, New Kids On The Block, Peso Pluma, Sean Paul, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and more.

During the week of Live Nation’s Concert Week promo, fans can visit Live Nation’s official website and select a show from there. Once they’ve selected a show, fans should look for the ticket type labeled “Concert Week Promotion.” Then, fans will add their tickets to the cart and proceed to checkout from there.

This year marks 10 years since Live Nation introduced this promo. And in celebration of the milestone, the concert week promo is expanding to over 20 different countries, including those in Australia, Asia, Europe, the UK and the Middle East.

Fans can see the artists and venues participating here.