Last Friday, January 12, Lil Nas X sent seismic waves across the music and pop cultural landscapes by releasing “J Christ,” his first single in two years. Before it even arrived, “J Christ” upset some people because of Lil Nas X’s heavy usage of Christian imagery, going so far as to cosplay Jesus Christ’s crucifixion in the song’s cover art. He billed the song as “dedicated to the man who had the greatest comeback of all time.”
Uproxx’s Aaron Williams defended Lil Nas X against criticisms that he’s “mocking” Christianity, and unsurprisingly, Lil Nas X is receiving loud praise from Church Of Satan Magister David Harris.
TMZ relayed, “While certain Christian rappers and groups have expressed disgust with the song and video, the Church of Satan loves it … magister David Harris tells TMZ he’s giving the video a thumbs up, calling the imagery ‘fantastic.’”
Who’s having a better 2024 than Paul Giamatti? Probably no one. In the last two weeks the beloved actor has a) won his third Golden Globe, b) celebrated that by going to In-N-Out Burger, c) revealed that he’s dating Clara Wong, who played his character’s dominatrix on Billions, and d) gushed about playing an orangutan in Tim Burton’s remake of The Planet of the Apes. Good for him! On Sunday he won yet another trophy, and he made sure to note that he knew all about b).
Per Deadline, Giamatti scored Best Actor at the Critics’ Choice Awards, where he was once again honored for his role as a cheerfully disgruntled alcoholic private school teacher in The Holdovers. He began his speech by noting he’d noticed — or someone had told him — that a picture of him housing a burger at the beloved southwestern fast food chain was a smash on social media.
“Wow, guys, I didn’t think my week could get any better than going viral for eating a cheeseburger,” Giamatti cracked. “Serious guys, I need that endorsement. So let’s all just pray for me.” He added, “Everybody get their pizza in a bag, by the way? I think that’d be a good endorsement. Paul Giamatti for pizza in a bag.”
Giamatti also joked about how thanking his son would only cause him to “roll his eyes” at him. “I can hear him doing it, but I want to thank him anyway.”
He got serious, too. “I want to think about my father tonight who never saw me act professionally,” Giamatti told the crowd. “If that’s what I do is professional acting. I’m not so sure. But he was a critic. He was a literary critic. And so you couldn’t get away with anything but good work with him. So this would make him really happy. And that makes me really happy. So thank you.”
Anyway, congrats to Paul Giamatti on winning yet again for his very fine work in The Holdovers. May this not be the last trophy nor the last In-N-Out burger.
The Holdovers is now in theaters and streams on Peacock. It’s pretty good.
Last night (January 14) marked the start of the fourth season of True Detective, subtitled Night Country. The show has a new theme song this time around, and it’s a tune you might recognize.
What is the True Detective: Night Country theme song?
On Instagram, ahead of the season debut’s premiere, True Detective showed off the new title sequence, and playing during it is Billie Eilish’s “Bury A Friend,” a single from Eilish’s 2019 debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.
In a recent Business Insider interview, showrunner Issa López explained, “I knew that the series was going to need a powerful anthem, a showstopper, honestly. When we were doing the titles, I tried several things and then I realized that the lyrics of this song seem to be written for the series. It’s crazy. It talks about a tongue, about burying your friend. It seemed that it was made for the show. So we tried it and it just matched and it was meant to be.”
Back in 2019, Eilish said of the song, “‘Bury A Friend’ is literally from the perspective of the monster under my bed. If you put yourself in that mindset, what is this creature doing or feeling? I also confess that I’m this monster, because I’m my own worst enemy. I might be the monster under your bed, too.”
Steve Lacy earned success and acclaim as a member of The Internet, but he had his mainstream solo breakout with the 2022 single “Bad Habit,” his first No. 1 song. The track appeared on his top-10 album from the same year, Gemini Rights. Now, it looks like we could end up with a new Lacy solo release in 2024.
Is Steve Lacy releasing a new album in 2024?
On his Instagram Story yesterday (January 14), Lacy shared a photo featuring two items resting on his lap: a portable CD player, and a burned CD labeled “GR2 full v1.2 sequence, 01/13/24.” He captioned the image with a mischievous or gleeful, “hehehehehehheeheheheeheheheheheheehehehehehehe.”
Presumably, “GR2” stands for “Gemini Rights 2,” meaning that Lacy could either be listening to a deluxe edition of his 2022 album, or perhaps a full-blown sequel project with all-new songs. Lacy didn’t offer any explanation beyond the photo and his caption, though, so any other guesses about what’s going on are purely speculation.
Meanwhile, there has also been speculation about a new album from The Internet this year. Earlier this month, the group shared a photo on Instagram, of band members working on something in a recording studio. They didn’t confirm that a new album is coming, but if one does drop, it’d be the group’s first since 2018’s Hive Mind.
Travis Scott’s latest album, Utopia, is only a few months old, as it was released in July 2023. Still, some think that a recent tweet from the rapper could indicate that Scott could have another new album on the way soon.
Is Travis Scott releasing a new album in 2024?
Over the weekend, a Scott fan account on X (formerly Twitter) tweeted, “Travis records before every show, and has consistently been previewing new songs at clubs. Wonder if he’s got something on the way.” Another user responded, “Imagine an album where each song is the city it was made in on the tour.” To that, Scott replied, “R u in my brain or what ????”
Travis records before every show, and has consistently been previewing new songs at clubs.
The takeaway many had from Scott’s tweet is that he’s either interested in the idea of releasing an album where the songs were recorded in different cities on tour, or that’s something he’s already actively working on.
That said, Scott didn’t give any explicit confirmation that such a project actually exists or is in progress, let alone with it might be released, so it might be optimistic to expect a new Scott album in 2024, especially so quickly after his latest full-length release. The fact that he seems at least interested in the idea, though, makes the situation something for interested parties to keep an eye on.
While much of the sports viewing public was focused on Rams-Lions, the Kings and Bucks played a wild game in Milwaukee, with the Bucks coming out on top in overtime thanks to a buzzer-beater from Damian Lillard to win 143-142.
Just getting to overtime took quite the effort from the Kings, who erased a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force OT on a De’Aaron Fox layup at the buzzer in regulation. The Bucks opened up that 12-point lead on a pair of technical free throws after Kings coach Mike Brown lost it on the officials, more than earning his ejection from the game as he went chest-to-chest with an official before getting pulled away by Trey Lyles and Malik Monk. After the loss, Brown wasn’t done fuming and went on a five-minute long rant about the officiating in his postgame press conference.
Now, we’ve seen impassioned rants against the refs plenty — Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic set the bar high this month with his presser after a loss to the Lakers — but Brown took it to the next level by bringing in a laptop with cutups of the two calls he was most angered by, breaking down how the refs missed the calls and why it made him so mad.
Mike Brown lights into the refereeing tonight in the Kings loss in Milwaukee. Brings out a laptop in his press conference to show film of the non-foul and foul that has him ticked off. Here is the five minute soundbite. pic.twitter.com/Q8InpkFh8B
I do like that Brown spent the fourth quarter with the video guy in the locker room putting together this presentation. The league will undoubtedly issue a fine to Brown, but he also makes good points (as is often the case in these kinds of rants) and the way he picks up for his guys is one of the reasons he’s been so successful in Sacramento.
But the public has grown more curious about what secret romances are budding. Fans have their eyes on Sabrina Carpenter and Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan’s potential coupledom. Those aren’t the only romance rumors floating around online. Users online believe Dua Lipa has found herself a new boo in Fantastic Beasts actor Callum Turner. So, are Dua Lipa and Callum Turner dating? According to Page Six, the answer is yes.
A source close to the alleged couple shared a bit more insight with the outlet. “It’s new, but they’re mad about each other,” said the source.
On January 10, TMZspotted Dua Lipa getting cozy with a mystery man in Los Angeles, California. The updated article suggests that the man Dua Lipa was photographed with was indeed Callum. The two supposedly celebrated the premiere of Master Of The Air, Apple TV’s limited series which stars Callum.
Dua Lipa nor Callum Turner have issued a response to the reports.
Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Bucks and Kings played an absolutely wild game on Sunday night in Milwaukee, as the Bucks seemed to have full control after taking a 12-point lead in the early fourth quarter after sinking two technical free throws after Mike Brown absolutely lost his mind on a no-call against De’Aaron Fox.
However, that seemed to wake up the Kings, who reeled the Bucks in steadily before tying the game at the buzzer on a Fox layup following a missed free throw by Giannis — after the Bucks chose to foul up three early with 10 seconds on the clock.
The Kings opened overtime hot, opening up a six-point lead, but this time it was Milwaukee’s turn to pull back to within a possession, fouling Fox with just over 5 seconds on the clock. Fox missed his first free throw and made his second, giving the Bucks an opening but with no timeouts they needed to go the full length of the floor to get a bucket. They had Damian Lillard inbound the ball and immediately go get it, darting across midcourt and then going to his left, pulling up from well beyond the arc for a vintage Dame buzzer-beater.
It was a crazy game and one of the first signature Lillard moments in a Bucks jersey, as we’ve seen him do that time and again in Portland, but now gets to send the Bucks faithful home happy with some heroics at the buzzer.
Eighteen year old Samantha Frye has traded college life for entrepreneurship, and she has no regrets.
Frye began working at Rosalie’s Restaurant in Strasburg, Ohio at 16 as a dishwasher, working up the ranks as a kitchen prep, server, then line cook. All while working a second job, sometimes third job.
After graduating high school, Frye started college at Ohio State with plans of studying business or environmental engineering. But when she came back to work a shift at Rosalie’s for winter break, an opportunity arose—the owners had planned to sell the restaurant.
“I was thinking that maybe [buying] was something I wanted to do,” she told News 5 Cleveland. “I had savings because I was saving for college, so I had quite a bit of money saved away. And I was like, I could possibly do this.”
Frye acted on that gut feeling, and used her college funds to buy Rosalie’s. Now she spends every day at her new business, either in the kitchen, on the floor or in the office meeting with sales reps.
This Ohio diner is under new ownership: an 18-year-old who started out as a dishwasher and is carrying on a legacy of the past. https://t.co/7VShD0O6n0
Though Fyre’s mother, Brandi Beitzel, confessed to USA Today that she wasn’t initially “on board” with her daughter abandoning college plans, over time she became very “proud” of her for forging her own path, and applauded her “drive and ambition.”
That sentiment is echoed both by Rosalie’s regulars and staff, who are amazing at the young woman’s drive and confidence.
“I just really think she’s a great example of a young lady that is following her dreams and doing what she loves,” said Leanna Gardner, an employee.
It’s no secret that there are significantly less students attending college—down by about a million since the start of the pandemic. And while there are no doubt potential long term collective consequences to that, with exorbitantly high student loan rates, it’s easy to see why young adults would avoid massive debt for careers that don’t require a college degree.
And as Frye is proving by example—not going to college is certainly not a death sentence for one’s future. There are many ways to plant seeds for success. Honestly, college or no college, no matter which path is taken, there will likely be more uncertainty than there are guarantees. Perhaps the best bet then is trust those pings of intuition.
“You don’t need college to make a decent living, and I think that’s what a lot of people think nowadays,” Frye attests. “Follow your instinct, honestly. If it feels right, just do it.”
Childless women in the public eye are often plagued by the question: “So, why don’t you have any children?” It’s a deeply personal question that cuts right to the bone, and there can be many answers. But, if the woman doesn’t want children and says so publicly, she is bound to face some judgment.
“[I don’t] like [the pressure] that people put on me, on women—that you’ve failed yourself as a female because you haven’t procreated. I don’t think it’s fair,” Jennifer Aniston told Allure. “You may not have a child come out of your vagina, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t mothering—dogs, friends, friends’ children.”
On the Monday, March 6 episode of “The Diary Of A CEO” podcast, host Steven Bartlett asked actor Seth Rogen about why he’s childless, and it was a rare moment where a man in the public eye was challenged on the topic. Rogen gave a thoughtful explanation for his and Lauren Miller’s decision to be child-free.
Rogen and Miller were married in 2011.
“There’s a whole huge thing I’m not doing, which is raising children,” Rogen told Bartlett. The host attempted to play devil’s advocate and asked Rogen if he considered whether having children might have made him and his wife “happier.”
Then, as if anticipating the question, the “Pineapple Express” star upended one of the arguments that people who have children often make: that people who don’t have children have no idea what it’s like.
“I’ve been around obviously a lot of children; I’m not ignorant to what it’s like…Everyone I know has kids. I’m 40, you know? I know,” Rogen said. “Some of my friends have had kids for decades. Some people want kids, some people don’t want kids.”
He added that many people seem to have kids without considering the issue.
“I mean, a lot of people have kids before they even think about it, from what I’ve seen, honestly,” he said. “You just are told, you go through life, you get married, you have kids—it’s what happens.”
Rogen and his wife have only grown stronger in their decision and they believe that it has helped their relationship.
“Now, more than anything, the conversation is like, ‘Honestly, thank God we don’t have children,’” he continued. “We get to do whatever we want.”
“We are in the prime of our lives. We are smarter than we’ve ever been, we understand ourselves more than we ever have, we have the capacity to achieve a level of work and a level of communication and care for one another, and a lifestyle we can live with one another that we’ve never been able to live before. And we can just do that, and we don’t have to raise a child—which the world does not need right now,” Rogen concluded.
Everyone has the right to choose whether or not to have children, and no one has the right to judge them. Rogen and Miller have thought their decision through and should be applauded for living how they see fit. It’s cool to see Rogen with such a thoughtful opinion on the matter. It’d be even cooler if celebrities never had to discuss the topic in the first place.
This article originally appeared on 3.9.23
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