Category: News

Comedian Mike Mancusi struck a chord on TikTok and Instagram with a post explaining why many people, especially Millenials, think life hasn’t felt like “reality” since the beginning of the pandemic four years ago.

“The cause of this phenomenon is the fact that we’re not living life in reality anymore,” Mancusi claims. “2020 smashed our existences into our phones and into the digital world and we are no longer existing in our physical space.”

He adds that our lives now feel more like a “video game” and that we’re exposed to all of the “awful things that everybody across the entire world deals with all the time” instead of being concerned with things in our “circle of influence.”

“We are still organic beings and our brains have been completely connected to this artificial device. … We’ll eventually be cyborgs,” the comedian said.

Life hasn’t felt like reality since 2020 

@mikemancusi

Life hasnt felt like reality since 2020 #existentialcrisis #existentialism #existential #2020 #technology #millennials #millennial

​He adds that even when we break out of our digital routines and go on vacation, our phones are still top-of-mind. We fear we’re missing out on something on social media and feel pressured to take photos and share the trip online.

“We are no longer actually living life in our physical space, we are living it through the phone. This is why life does not feel like reality,” Mancusi said. “Life just seems to disappear when you are trapped in a routine … a routine of our brains being completely connected to whatever is happening within this device.”

Mancusi’s bottom line is simple: You’re addicted to the phone. Return to your physical spaces.

Upworthy spoke with Mancusi and he shared his thoughts on how people can break the cycle of smartphone addiction and return to reality. He believes that we are all suffering from some form of smartphone addiction.

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A post shared by Mike Mancusi (@mikemancusi)

“[Smartphones are] an addiction that has caused a lot of change in your brain chemistry. The process of adjusting your behaviors can be long and challenging. If you’ve been scrolling your phone endlessly for 4 years, the process of getting back to the real world is not going to happen in 3 days,” he told Upworthy.

He believes that smartphone addiction is incredibly challenging because, much like food addiction, it’s impossible to go “cold turkey.”

“People need to re-adjust their relationship with their phones and incorporate strict limitations,” he told Upworthy. “For example, I won’t scroll between the hours of 9 and 12 a.m. Any time I go out to dinner with my wife, I won’t bring my phone. When I take the dog to the park, I won’t bring my phone. I’m blocking Instagram access while I’m at work.”

In the end, Mancusi believes that we need to retrain our brains to find joy in our physical lives, which have been diminished by the quick and easy dopamine hits we get from our smartphones.

“Your brain has been wired only to get joy from an unhealthy thing,” he told Upworthy. “It has been intentionally altered by tech executives. Re-training your brain to enjoy your physical space is a process that will take time, but for those who invest in it, it will pay off in the long term when you align your happiness with healthier, tangible things. Find the things that you love to do in life and re-train yourself to love them again.”

What time do the Rolling Stones hit the stage on their Hackney Diamonds Tour? After all, no one wants to miss out on songs like “Start Me Up” or “Get Off Of My Cloud” because of parking or concessions, so that time has to be baked into your plans. Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards are getting up there in age, so to quote some of their contemporaries, you don’t want to miss a thing.

According to Setlist.fm, the Stones have been hitting the stage right around 9:15, about an hour and fifteen minutes after their opener, Gary Clark Jr. In addition to playing the album after which the tour is named, the band is also hitting classics from across their oeuvre like “Honky Tonk Women,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and of course, “Paint It Black.” You can see the setlist and the remaining dates below.

Setlist

1. “Start Me Up”
2. “Get Off Of My Cloud”
3. “Rocks Off”
4. “Out Of Time”
5. “Angry”
6. “Beast Of Burden” (Fan-Voted Song)
7. “Mess It Up” (Live Debut)
8. “Tumbling Dice”
9. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
10. “Little T&A” (First Time Since 2016; Keith Richards on vocals)
11. “Sympathy For The Devil”
12. “Gimme Shelter”
13. “Honky Tonk Women”
14. “Miss You”
15. “Paint It Black”
16. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”

Encore

17. “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven”
18. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

Dates

05/02/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Jazz Fest
05/07/2024 — Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
05/11/2024 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
05/15/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
05/23/2024 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
05/30/2024 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
06/03/2024 — Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium
06/07/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
06/11/2024 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
06/15/2024 — Cleveland, OH @ Cleveland Browns Stadium
06/20/2024 — Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High
06/27/2024 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
07/05/2024 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
07/10/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
07/17/2024 — Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s Stadium

The Minnesota Timberwolves completed their sweep of the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Thanks to an absolutely monster second half in Game 4 from Anthony Edwards, Minnesota picked up a 122-116 win that gave them only the third series victor in franchise history.

Edwards wasn’t just great in Game 4, as he was nothing short of spectacular throughout the series. He consistently took it to anyone and everyone on Phoenix, which included a memorable clip from Game 1 where Edwards started jawing at Kevin Durant. All KD could do was smile, nod, and talk back, which in its own way served as recognition that Edwards has firmly arrived as one of the faces of the NBA and very best players on the planet.

After the Suns officially got sent home, Durant made it a point to praise Edwards, calling him “my favorite player to watch” and saying that he loves “everything” about Minnesota’s young star.

“So impressed with Ant,” Durant said, per ESPN. “My favorite player to watch. Just grown so much since he came into the league. At 22, just his love for the game shines bright. That’s one of the reasons why I like him the most. He just loves basketball. He’s grateful to be in this position. He’s grateful to take advantage of every opportunity he’s gotten. Love everything about Ant. Everything. Will be watching him going forward and you know he’s going to go out there and play extremely hard every single night. But [I] was really impressed with him and he’s going to be somebody that I’m going to be following for the rest of his career.”

Durant and Edwards also shared a pretty great moment after the game, where the pair made it a point to hug one another.

Durant has long been one of the league’s absolute best when it comes to lifting up the next generation, but even by that standard, it’s clear that he sees something really special in Edwards, who has said plenty of times in the past that Durant is his favorite player. Fortunately for the pair, they’re slated to be teammates on Team USA during the Olympics this summer, although Edwards has made clear he’s going to talk some junk to KD once they get there.

Every week, Billboard unveils the top 10 songs on the latest Hot 100 chart. The most recent rankings, for the chart dated May 4, are out now, so let’s run down who had this week’s biggest hits.

10. Taylor Swift — “Guilty As Sun?”

Quite the week for Taylor Swift! I’ll spoil one of the big pieces of Swift chart news right away: Swift occupies the entire top 10 of this week’s Hot 100.

9. Taylor Swift — “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?”

The only artist to ever occupy the whole top 10 before is… Taylor Swift, when she did so with songs from Midnights in 2022.

8. Taylor Swift — “Florida!!!” Feat. Florence + The Machine

This marks the first time Florence + The Machine has hit the top 10, although Florence Welch previously peaked at No. 10 in 2013 with the Calvin Harris collaboration “Sweet Nothing.”

7. Taylor Swift — “But Daddy I Love Him

By the way, Swift’s reign actually extends beyond the top 10, as she actually has the top 14 songs this week (all Tortured Poets tracks), which is an all-time record.

6. Taylor Swift — “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

As for those songs outside the top 10, at No. 11 is “Fresh Out The Slammer,” at 12 is “Loml,” at 13 is “The Alchemy,” and at 14 is “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”

5. Taylor Swift — “So Long, London

In total, Swift has 32 songs on this week’s chart: 31 tracks from the deluxe edition of Tortured Poets plus “Cruel Summer.” That’s the most in a single week by a woman; Morgan Wallen has the overall record with 36 songs on the March 18, 2023 chart, following the release of his album One Thing At A Time.

4. Taylor Swift — “The Tortured Poets Department”

However, Wallen debuted 27 that week and Swift 31 this week, so she has the all-time record for songs debuted on the chart in a single week, which includes the Tortured Poets title track at No. 4. The song also becomes Swift’s highest-charting album title track.

3. Taylor Swift — “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”

With all of her new top-10 songs, Swift just became the first woman to surpass 50 top-10 songs in her career, with the total now up to 59. She’s now behind just Drake with his 77 top-10 songs.

2. Taylor Swift — “Down Bad”

Speaking of “down,” in case you were wondering what the highest-charting non-Swift song is this week, it’s Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” which fell from No. 3 to No. 15.

1. Taylor Swift — “Fortnight” Feat. Post Malone

Leading the pack of Swift tunes is the Post Malone collaboration “Fortnight.” It’s Swift’s 12th No. 1 song overall and Malone’s fifth (but his first to debut at No. 1). It’s also Swift’s first No. 1 song of the year, meaning she keeps her streak of years with a chart-topping single alive: She previously had leaders in 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.

So, yeah: Swift had a week.

After watching Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell grabbing each other’s butts in Anyone But You on Netflix, you might be hankering for another new romcom on streaming. You’d be in luck, too, because it’s almost time for The Idea Of You, a May-December-type story with a trailer that reminds people plenty of Harry Styles from his One Direction era.

Is ‘The Idea Of You’ Starring Anne Hathaway Based On A Book?

The film, directed by Michael Showalter (The State, Wet Hot American Summer), stars Anne Hathaway, who is romanced by a Styles-esque pop star, and yes, the film adapts Robinne Lee’s same-named novel. The story follows Hathaway’s character, a divorced mother who has hit her 40s and ends up being the “plus one” to her daughter for Coachella, where she falls for the aforementioned artist. The feeling is mutual. From the synopsis:

… Solène picks up the pieces and braves the crowds and desert heat. There, she meets and begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), the lead singer of the hottest boy band on the planet, August Moon. She finds herself dodging the 24-hour news cycle, all while balancing her new globe-trotting romance, career, and parenting a teenage daughter.

The Idea of You streams on Amazon Prime beginning May 2.

Alvvays’ 2024 North American tour is underway, beginning with three Ohio dates (Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus) in mid-April. The indie-pop band will stage their next show at The Ritz Ybor in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday, May 1, ending this week in Orlando, Florida (May 2), Athens, Georgia (May 3), and Charlotte, North Carolina (May 4). The US spring tour will wrap on May 17 at The Rialto Theatre in Tucson, Arizona, but Alvvays won’t have time to rest before jumping headfirst into a run of summer festivals. All of Alvvays’ upcoming dates can be found here.

What Time Are Alvvays On Stage For Their US Spring Tour 2024?

According to setlist.fm, Alvvays has taken the stage around 9:10 or 9:15 p.m. local time. Fans logging on setlist.fm relayed that the set has typically lasted for just under an hour and a half.

What Is Alvvays’ Setlist For Their US Spring Tour 2024?

The below setlist logged to setlist.fm is based upon Alvvays’ April 24 show in Madison, Wisconsin.

1. “Easy on Your Own?”
2. “After The Earthquake”
3. “In Undertow”
4. “Many Mirrors”
5. “Very Online Guy”
6. “Adult Diversion”
7. “Not My Baby”
8. “Hey”
9. “Bored In Bristol”
10. “Tom Verlaine”
11. “Belinda Says”
12. “Tile By Tile”
13. “Velveteen”
14. “Pressed”
15. “Dreams Tonite”
16. “Fourth Figure”
17. “Archie, Marry Me”
18. “Pomeranian Spinster”
19. “Lottery Noises”

Encore

20. “Pharmacist”
21. “Ones Who Love You”
22. “Next Of Kin”

Last week, I had no clue who Tommy Richman is. Odds are, if you’re reading this, neither did you. Today, his name is practically inescapable for music fans on social media, who are being told his new song “Million Dollar Baby” is on-pace for a top-ten Hot 100 debut next week (this is likely premature, but not unimpressive in itself). So, who is Tommy Richman and why is “Million Dollar Baby” suddenly everywhere you look (including further down in this post)?

Tommy Richman is a Virginia-based artist whose first big credit was on Brent Faiyaz’s Larger Than Life track “Upset” alongside FELIX. Last August, Billboard reported he was signed to Faiyaz’s label, Iso Supremacy, a joint venture with PULSE Records, and he joined Faiyaz on his 2023 F*ck The World, It’s A Wasteland Tour. Since then, he’s release an EP, The Rush and a double single, Soulcrusher, but the snippet of “Million Dollar Baby” he teased online caught fire, likely contributing to its explosive debut.

In an August interview with Miami New Times, Richman humbly expressed his gratitude for his newfound success, saying, “When I would work in my mother’s basement for hours on tracks, and she’d be telling me to get a real job like most moms, I’d be like, ‘No, no, no, it’s gonna work out.’ And now, to be recognized by other hardworking people, I’m just very grateful, and it definitely inspires me to keep going.”

Gracie Abrams is becoming a star and 2023 was an especially significant year in that journey: She opened for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour, linked with Noah Kahan on a new version of “Everywhere, Everything,” and released her debut album, Good Riddance.

Well, it looks like 2023 is set to be equally awesome: Abrams announced today (April 29) that she’s releasing her second album, The Secret Of Us. The project is set to drop on June 21, and a new single, “Risk,” arrives even sooner than that, as that’s out on May 1 at noon ET.

Sharing the news on Instagram, Abrams wrote, “[yellow heart emoji] THE SECRET OF US[yellow heart emoji] the album that I made with some of my favorite people (!!!!!!!!!!) is yours JUNE 21 and the first single [yellow heart emoji]RISK[yellow heart emoji] comes out on MAY 1! We had real, true fun writing this album. There were also the occasional tears. Audrey [Hobert] and I wrote Risk on our couch at home. Aaron [Dessner] produced the sh*t out of it. Abby [Waisler] shot the cover. The music is yours in basically five seconds and we cannot wait. I. Love. You.”

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

The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds tour began on Sunday, April 28, in Houston, Texas. The AARP-sponsored tour is in support of their album of the same name, which was released last October as their first original studio album since 2005. Hackney Diamonds debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard albums chart.

The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds will hit up the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 2 before resuming their headlining tour dates at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on May 7. The tour will wrap on July 17 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, but not before hitting up such iconic stadiums as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey or Chicago’s Soldier Field. See all of the Stones’ remaining dates here.

According to setlist.fm, the Stones’ set list included “Angry,” the song that generated headlines due to the objectification of Sydney Sweeney in its video.

See the rest of the purported setlist.

Here Is The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds Tour Setlist

1. “Start Me Up”
2. “Get Off Of My Cloud”
3. “Rocks Off”
4. “Out Of Time”
5. “Angry”
6. “Beast Of Burden” (Fan-Voted Song)
7. “Mess It Up” (Live Debut)
8. “Tumbling Dice”
9. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
10. “Little T&A” (First Time Since 2016; Keith Richards on vocals)
11. “Sympathy For The Devil”
12. “Gimme Shelter”
13. “Honky Tonk Women”
14. “Miss You”
15. “Paint It Black”
16. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”

Encore

17. “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven”
18. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

For much of the past month, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie has been bouncing around Europe on the first leg of his Better Off Alone Tour. The Bronx-bred star is returning to the US for the North American leg of the tour on May 18 in Seattle, Washington, but his overseas shows have given local fans a glimpse of what they can expect.

In addition to fan favorites like “Ransom,” “Swervin’,” and his breakout hit “Drowning” (which also closes the show), A Boogie also peppers in his verses from collaborations with Chris Brown and the late PnB Rock and Pop Smoke. He’ll be joined on the tour in the US by a troupe of openers including Byron Messia, Dess Dior, Fridayy, Luh Tyler, NLE Choppa. Meanwhile, the album from which the tour takes its title hasn’t been given an official release date — although Genius.com does posit it’ll drop the day before the tour hits Seattle, May 17. Check out the setlist below.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Better Off Alone Tour Setlist

01. “Jungle”
02. “Take Shots”
03. “Startender”
04. “Ransom”
05. “Timeless”
06. “Me And My Guitar”
07. “Did Me Wrong”
08. “Lovin’” (PnB Rock cover)
09. “Swervin”
10. “Just Like Me”
11. “Love Drugs And Sex”
12. “February”
13. “Still Think About You”
14. “D.T.B Interlude”
15. “Secrets”
16. “Pills & Automobiles” (Chris Brown cover)
17. “Man In the Mirror”
18. “Mood Swings”
19. “Look Back At It”
20. “My Shit”
21. “Hello” (Pop Smoke cover)
22. “Drowning”