Category: News

Everyone loves the Barbie teaser trailer, even Stanley Kubrick.

I mean, sure, he’s been dead for 23 years, but the man faked the Moon landing — surely he can fake his own death, too, and tweet about Barbie. “They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Even Barbie is a Kubrick fan…” @StanleyKubrick tweeted, following the release of the 2001: A Space Odyssey-parodying teaser for director Greta Gerwig’s follow-up to Little Women. Weird! But also sweet.

What else does Stanley Kubrick tweet about? Mostly quizzes, clips and photos from his own movies (’tis the season to watch Eyes Wide Shut), and whatever is happening here.

As for Barbie, Gerwig still hasn’t revealed what the plot is about, but star Margot Robbie said it will surprise people (although probably not as surprising as the ghost of Stanley Kubrick tweeting about the doll movie where Ryan Gosling plays Ken).

“We like the things that feel a little left of center,” she told the Hollywood Reporter. “Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, ‘Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,’ but our goal is to be like, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted.’” Barbie comes out on July 21, 2023.

Apple Music is looking to take over the No. 1 slot amongst music streaming applications. However, while the platform has begun to fight back against its competitor Spotify’s annual Spotify Wrapped user-generated data feature, with Apple Music Replay, it still lags tremendously.

Their newest feature, Apple Music Sing, may be the unique feature to push the application into the top spot. Launched earlier this month, the feature allows users to create an immersive experience with their favorite songs’ lyrics and instrumentals across on the iPhone. The volume of the song’s lyrics can even be adjusted to fit the delivery mode.

Now that the feature has officially rolled out across all Apple devices, users can use Apple Music Sign on an iPad, but there are just a few stipulations. Just as the feature is only accessible on iPhone 11 or newer phone models, Apple Music Sing can only be accessed on iPad 9, iPad 10, iPad mini 6, iPad Air 4, iPad Air 5, and M1, M2, and iPad Pro models.

To turn on Apple Music Sign on an iPad, follow these steps:

• Confirm your iPad is one of the following models: iPad 9, iPad 10, iPad mini 6, iPad Air 4, iPad Air 5, and M1, M2, and iPad Pro models.
• Once confirmed, in your device settings, confirm your device software is updated to at least OS/iPadOS version 16.2.
• Ensure your Apple Music subscription is active. Unfortunately, Apple Music Sign is unavailable on the “Voice” plan.
• Open the “Music” app.
• Within the app, select the song of your choice. Eligible songs can be found in the “Sing” section’s “Search” tab.
• Choose your preferred song.
• In the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, select the “Lyrics” button.
• The screen should display a “beat-by-beat” lyrics view with the “Sing” button hovering in the bottom right-hand corner. Unfortunately, if you do not see this on your iPad’s screen, your selected song isn’t supported by the Apple Music Sign feature.

Now that the wait is over and SZA’s SOS was finally released last week, all the sad hotties out there can rejoice. Across the album’s 23 tracks, SZA featured guest appearances from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and the ghost of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. But it’s her duet with Phoebe Bridgers on “Ghost In The Machine” that came out of left field in the most delightful way possible. Now Bridgers has opened up about how she came to appear on SOS to begin with and how it just happened in a flash.

In an interview with NME that was mainly about her joining Danny Elfman on stage for A Nightmare Before Christmas in concert, the savvy interviewer dropped in a question about working with SZA on “Ghost In The Machine.” “How did that come about?,” NME’s Ali Shutler asked. She replied:

“That record is insane. She just hit me up… she just sent me a DM and it all happened so fast. I wasn’t really really used to that, in the pop world. Because vinyl isn’t so much of a consideration until way later. It’s like, ‘Do you want to be on this record? OK, it’s out next week.’ So it was so recent where I wrote that. Which I really like, I like that turnaround time. Personally, I sit on stuff for so long, it takes me years to make albums, so I like being involved and seeing someone else’s world from [a different] angle.”

Bridgers then punctuated her answer with a lofty statement about her adulation for SZA. “She’s definitely my favorite rapper. She’s so effective and cool. A great hang.” She also called SZA her “favorite rapper.”

A crossover no one was expecting: comedian Nikki Glaser and iconic Chicago indie band Wilco, but it’s here. For Carpool Karaoke: The Series, Glaser joined the band in a vehicle to chat about their music and sing along to songs like “Heavy Metal Drummer.”

The episode is streaming on Apple TV+ now, and a preview shows that it’s worth the watch. Glaser discusses the time she used Wilco as a failed attempt to get a boyfriend: “I became obsessed. I only wore Wilco t-shirts because I wanted to attract a guy and then we would fall in love. Didn’t really happen,” she said. She also touched on her genuine appreciation of the band, saying, “You got feelings out of me when those weren’t really going through my system because I was on a lot of Prozac.”

Another clip posted on Wilco’s Instagram recently sees Glaser and the group exchanging a friendship bracelet. The wholesome scene is then followed by an intense moment of a near-fight with spears that gets Glaser more riled up than the others expected. “Poor John… almost getting stabbed,” one user commented. Another commented on how unexpectedly good Jeff Tweedy is at acting — someone get this man in a movie.

Watch the trailer above and the Instagram clip below.

Last week, Ben Gibbard came through with some major news: The Postal Service is reuniting for a joint tour with Death Cab For Cutie in 2023. The trek is in celebration of both groups’ 2003 albums, Give Up and Transatlanticism. Given that The Postal Service doesn’t get together often, this excited music fans and in some areas, tickets told out quickly. So, the bands are meeting the demand by adding additional shows to their trek.

The tour now starts in Washington, DC on September 5 and additional dates have been added in New York, Seattle, Berkeley, and Los Angeles. Ticket information is available here.

Gibbard previously said, “I know for a fact I will never have a year again like 2003. The Postal Service record came out, Transatlanticism came out. These two records will be on my tombstone, and I’m totally fine with that. I’ve never had a more creatively inspired year.”

Check out the full expanded list of dates below.

09/05/2023 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/08/2023 — Portland, ME @ Cross Insurance Arena
09/09/2023 — Kingston, RI @ The Ryan Center
09/10/2023 — New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl
09/12/2023 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall At Fenway
09/13/2023 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall At Fenway
09/14/2023 — Washington, DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/17/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheater
09/19/2023 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/20/2023 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/21/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center
09/24/2023 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
09/26/2023 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
09/27/2023 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
10/03/2023 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
10/04/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater At Virgin Hotels
10/06/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
10/07/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
10/09/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/10/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/11/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/13/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
10/15/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

Joel Deleōn is continuing to establish himself as a solo artist outside of Latin boy band CNCO with his “IDK Y” video. The Mexican-American singer released the striking video for his new single today (December 16). In an interview with Uproxx, Deleōn opened up his comeback with “IDK Y,” the music that he’s working on, and his relationship with his former bandmates.

Deleōn first rose to prominence as Joel Pimentel in the boy band CNCO. In 2015, Ricky Martin helped put him into the group alongside Richard Camacho, Erick Brian Colón, Zabdiel De Jesús, and Christopher Vélez. After years of success, Deleōn decided to exit the group in May 2021. He launched his solo career later that year with the debut single “La Culpa.” Following the release of his second single “Coco,” Deleōn remained mostly quiet on the music front this past year.

“There’s been a couple of setbacks, but we’re good now,” Deleōn said. “I’ve been up to a lot of music-making. I’ve been in the studio for awhile. Over this time of me being a solo artist for the past year and a half, I’ve met people that I’ve gotten close to and I’ve made really fire music with them. Even though everything has been pushed back, I feel like it all happened for a reason.”

After nearly a year away, Deleōn returned with his alluring single “IDK Y.” He blends pulsating influences of house music with a bit of a rock music edge. Deleōn’s music is more grown as he sings about satisfying all of his lover’s needs. The song also reflects his bicultural upbringing as he sings a few lines in English. It’s definitely Deleōn’s most adventurous release yet.

“Lately I’m an artist that’s willing to risk anything as long as I’m happy and I’m enjoying it,” Deleōn said. “I really want people to catch that with this song. I also want anybody that’s trying to do anything different to feel inspired to do it. At the end of the day, you got to do what makes you happy.”

Deleōn sports some fashion-forward looks in the captivating “IDK Y” video. He actually handled his own styling and hair. As a solo artist, Deleōn is taking more control of his music career in every creative aspect.

“I’m actually very happy to be taking control of almost 100 percent of my project,” he said. “I feel like a lot of people are going to be able to connect with me a whole lot more. It’s going to be a very close connection with fans where they can feel where my creativity comes from. It’s going to be super cool once I get to have a lot more music out.”

Deleōn promises more new music in 2023 with his next four songs already lined-up. The bit of English he sings in “IDK Y” is a tease of a few songs that he has recorded fully in English that he mentioned will be “coming someday too.” For now, he’s proud to embrace his Latinx roots and push Latin pop to new places. Deleōn added that he’s dabbled with R&B, more house music, and reggaeton music in his “own flow” that will be a “surprise” to his fans. There could also some collaborations with his ex-CNCO bandmates now that the band will be breaking up next year.

“I was actually quite surprised because when I was in CNCO, and I had told them that I was going to leave, they were like, ‘What? No! We’re going to stay together for a couple of more years,’” Deleōn said about the band’s impending split. “I know regardless that they’re also going to be very strong, close friends just like I am with them still too. I’m really happy that they’re taking that step and seeing where they can really take their artistry to.”

Deleōn revealed that he has stayed in touch “with all of them.” He’s recently been in contact with Camacho about working on music together. “I already talked with Richard about just going to the studio and just doing some stuff,” he said.

When asked if there could be a CNCO reunion in the future after everyone has had time to pursue solo careers, Deleōn quoted a Justin Bieber classic.

“I think there could be a possibility,” he said. “There could be. Never say never.”

Donald Trump’s “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT” turned out to be a major grift, to the surprise of no one. “My official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection is here! These limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career! Collect all of your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting,” the “pathetic” former president wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. The poorly-Photoshopped trading cards can be purchased using a credit card or cryptocurrency, which is rich (or poor), considering Trump’s previous stance on crypto.

“I never loved it [cryptocurrency], because I like to have the dollar. I think the currency should be the dollar,” Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo last year in a resurfaced interview. “It’s building up bigger and bigger and nobody’s doing anything about it. I know it so well. I want a currency called the dollar. I don’t want to have all these others, and that could be an explosion someday, the likes of which we’ve never seen. It’ll make the big tech explosion look like like baby stuff. I think it’s a very dangerous thing.”

Though NFTs can’t be exchanged or traded like cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, the tokens are still considered cryptographic assets since they are created using the same type of blockchain technology programming. In recent years, the market for NFTs has expanded greatly, with digital artwork becoming one of the most popular forms of the tokens.

It’s not dangerous to Trump if he can make it a buck (and call himself better than Lincoln and Washington) from it.

(Via Newsweek)

From 1983 to 1985, more than 1 million people in Ethiopia died from extreme famine. A few months after a BBC report on the famine that triggered the U.K. Band Aid charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” the biggest stars in the American music industry came together in 1985 to record a charity single to help those suffering in Ethiopia, Sudan and other impoverished African countries.

The collection of entertainers called themselves USA for Africa, and their single, “We Are the World,” sold more than 7 million records worldwide and has generated $60 million over the past 37 years.

The song was written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. The vocals were recorded after the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on January 28, 1985, in a single 8 p.m. to 8 a.m session at Hollywood’s A&M Recording Studios.

The list of those who appear on the song is impressive: Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Daryl Hall, James Ingram, Jackie Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, Mario Cipollina, John Colla, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, Steve Perry, The Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder.

A video going viral on TikTok shows behind-the-scenes footage of the entertainers singing the song and what’s incredible is just how great their voices are. Even though it’s just a run-through, every one of them sounds pitch-perfect. It’s a great reminder that in 1985, you had to really know how to sing to be a famous singer.

In a post-autotune world, it’s hard to know which singers can actually sing and sadly, not a lot of people care if they can.

When Michael Jackson hits the line, “We’re down and out, there is no hope at all,” in the bridge, it’s spine-tingling. It’s believed that Prince was supposed to appear on the song but didn’t show up at the session, so Huey Lewis got his line.

@musicvarietyclips

Replying to @jhcharcoots more rehearsal footage (notice Lionel “fix” Kenny’s part) #wearetheworld #rehearsal #80s

A funny video from the sessions is always making the rounds on social media. Bob Dylan looks completely out of place in a room full of flashy ’80s celebrities and appears to have no idea what everyone is singing. Dylan’s “mood” in the room has become a universal representation of what it feels like to be part of a group project without having read the book.

u201cCurrent mood: Bob Dylan singing We Are The Worldn#shouldntyoubewriting #phdoggammit #TRENT #trentuniversity @TrentUniversityu201d

— Basilisk (@Basilisk)
1670918460

The USA for Africa project didn’t stop with “We Are the World.” Since 1985, it has raised more than $100 million for people struggling with poverty and malnutrition in Africa and the U.S. It also encouraged many to become an agent of change in their own right.

“‘We Are the World’ motivated millions to become activists in their own way. Their bold, individual and collective power brought change to their communities and beyond. Lives were transformed,” Marcia Thomas, USA for Africa’s executive director said. “Access to food, education, health care and peace became a reality for many who had been left out. ‘We Are the World’ became a movement…your movement. And… it still resonates.”

You might not know the name James Vicary, but odds are you know about his experiment, at least indirectly.

In 1957, the market researcher claimed to have exposed thousands of unsuspecting moviegoers in a New Jersey theater to a series of phrases like “Hungry? Eat Popcorn” and “Drink Coca-Cola” that flashed across the screen in the fraction of a second as they watched a film. These images allegedly increased the sale of popcorn by 57.5% and Coca-Cola by 18.1%, despite passing far too quickly for viewers to consciously notice them.

Vicary’s findings soon became publicized and induced a widespread, decades-long dystopian fear that secret messages lurked beneath the surfaces of our favorite songs, movies and TV shows, insidiously coercing us to do things without conscious consent. Primarily, to buy things we probably don’t actually want.

In an age where we are now inundated with ads, this kind of manipulation understandably feels quite plausible. Especially when you take into consideration those highly sus product promotions that always seem to appear right after having an adjacent conversation about said product. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have suddenly seen ads for washing machines after telling a friend it was “laundry day.”

However, while there is a deeper meaning hiding beneath Vicary’s experiment, it might not be nearly as doomsday-centric as people may think.

In 1962, Vicary revealed that his findings were falsified as a gimmick, having next-to-no supporting evidence. Subsequent researchers would find that, at best, subliminal messaging was effective with already well-known and at least somewhat popular products, and in very strict laboratory conditions. If anything, the discovery of hidden messages were more closely linked to confirmation bias than an uncovered agenda.

But still, the damage had been done, and panic over mental autonomy ensued.

This fear remains so prevalent today that a study published in 2021 revealed that people shared a “remarkable agreement” that their minds are being actively manipulated by supermarkets, car dealerships, political campaigns, scientists and researchers, therapists, and social media, all outside of their conscious awareness or control.

via GIPHY

That said, the topic is not so black and white. Even if companies aren’t sneaking little “eat me, drink me” captions into our newsfeeds, there are a million clever tactics used to get our attention and make us become emotionally invested in their products.

And sure, maybe Coca-Cola isn’t performing Jedi mind tricks on our psyche, but it would be naive to disregard the power that social media holds in terms of its influence. Take a look at how many more young girls today with unbridled access to Instagram report feelings of low body image and depression, if there’s any doubt. Or at how many more conspiracy theorists there are. The way we think might not be controlled by outside forces, but it is certainly impacted by them, especially if we don’t practice awareness and literacy.

via GIPHY

Even if Vicary’s experiment was a hoax, it has illuminated some kernels of truth that remain important, especially as the need to weed out potential misinformation becomes more of a daily necessity. Whether evil corporations want to steal our souls, or we simply want to not live in fear, discernment is key.

Sixty-one years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and probably the first to experience what scientists now call the “overview effect.” This change occurs when people see the world from far above and notice that it’s a place where “borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen.”

The overview effect makes man’s squabbles with one another seem incredibly petty and presents the planet as it truly is, one interconnected organism.

In a compelling interview with Big Think, astronaut, author and humanitarian Ron Garan explains how if more of us developed this planetary perspective we could fix much of what ails humanity and the planet.

Garan has spent 178 days in space and traveled more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits. From high above, he realized that the planet is a lot more fragile than he thought.

“When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them. And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet’s atmosphere. In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realization that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive,” Garan said in the video.

“I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life,” he continues. “I didn’t see the economy. But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it’s obvious from the vantage point of space that we’re living a lie.”

It was at that moment he realized that humanity needs to reevaluate its priorities.

“We need to move from thinking economy, society, planet to planet, society, economy. That’s when we’re going to continue our evolutionary process,” he added.

Garan says that we are paying a very “high price” as a civilization for our inability to develop a more planetary perspective and that it’s a big reason why we’re failing to solve many of our problems. Even though our economic activity may improve quality of life on one end, it’s also disasterous for the planet that sustains our lives.

It’s like cutting off our nose to spite our face.

Actor William Shatner had a similar experience to Garan’s when he traveled into space.

“It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered,” Shatner wrote. “The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna … things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind.”

“We’re not going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality,” Garan said.

However dire the situation looks from the surface of Earth, the astronaut has hope that we can collectively evolve in consciousness and wake up and embrace a larger reality. “And when we can evolve beyond a two-dimensional us versus them mindset, and embrace the true multi-dimensional reality of the universe that we live in, that’s when we’re going to no longer be floating in darkness … and it’s a future that we would all want to be a part of. That’s our true calling.”