Category: News

Morocco entered Tuesday’s Round of 16 game as considerable underdogs to Spain, which was among the favorites to lift the cup later this month, but despite Spain controlling 77 percent of possession in the game, completing more than 1,000 passes, and out-shooting Morocco 13-6 (albeit just one on target), the two sides couldn’t decide the game in the first 90 minutes.

In extra time, Spain came close on a few occasions, but could not find the back of the net as Morocco always had an answer on defense (or a little luck with the post).

As such, the game moved to penalty kicks, where Spain’s advantage as a dominant possession team is negated and it came down to finishing and goalkeeping — with Morocco quickly showing its class in both areas.

In the first round, Abdelhamid Sabiri stepped up and slotted the first penalty to the right while Unai Simon dove left, which Pablo Sarabia followed up by rattling the post for a miss.

In the second round, Morocco again drilled the back of the net as Hakim Ziyech went hard and down the middle, while Yassine Bono came up with a huge save to extend the Moroccan advantage to 2-0.

Spain briefly had life after a save by Simon to start the third round, as the Spanish keeper was able to open the door slightly by saving the third of Morocco’s attempts. But again, Bono came up with a massive save, going to his right to stop Sergio Busquets’ attempt to blank Spain at 0-for-3.

Achraf Hakimi then stepped to the spot with a chance to win the match, and delivered an unbelievable panenka, chipping the ball right down the middle as Simon dove to his right in vain.

It was a stunning result for Morocco, which defended unbelievably against Spain, allowing the Spaniards to have all the possession they wanted but denying them every time they put a ball into the box. On the other end, they had a few opportunities of their own and while they couldn’t capitalize in regulation or extra time, they were undoubtedly the better and more composed side during penalties and now move on to the quarterfinals in a result that will shock this tournament.

Latin music came out on top in 2022 with Bad Bunny leading the way. The Puerto Rican superstar’s Un Verano Sin Ti album proved that Spanish-language music can connect with the world. Language isn’t a barrier anymore.

Spanish pop star Rosalía expanded the sonic palette of what Latin music could sound like with her genre-bending album MOTOMAMI. There were also US-born acts who embraced their Latin roots in their albums like Becky G and Christina Aguilera. Anitta reminded the world that Brazil is part of Latin America with her multilingual LP Versions of Me. Colombian singer Feid emerged as a rising star with his surprise drop Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo Te Pirateamos El Álbum while reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee said farewell with Legendaddy.

Before 2022 comes to a close, let’s look back on the best Latin albums from this past year. (And check out our full list of Best Albums Of 2022.)

Christina Aguilera – Aguilera

After more than a twenty-year wait, Christina Aguilera released her second Latin album this year. Reflecting her Ecuadorian roots, the pop superstar named the LP Aguilera after her last name. She finds her footing in the current Latin music soundscape, teaming up with Becky G, Nathy Peluso, and Nicki Nicole for the Latina girl power anthem “Pa Mis Muchachas.” She also gets in on a bit perreo in the reggaeton romp “Santo” featuring Ozuna. Aguilera later flexes her vocal prowess in the Mexican genres of mariachi and ranchera music in the emotional ballads “Reina” and “Cuando Me Dé la Gana.” LatinXtina was a bicultural force to behold this year.

Rauw Alejandro – Saturno

Rauw Alejandro took one giant leap with reggaeton music in his stellar Saturno album. While looking to the genre’s future, the Puerto Rican superstar also honors its past with throwback bangers like “Punto 40” with Baby Rasta and “De Carolina,” his ode to hometown featuring pioneer DJ Playero. Alejandro goes on to put an alluring electronica spin on reggaeton in the hot-and-heavy “Lokera” and the sexy “Que Rico Ch**gamos.” He proves that he’s not bound to one genre with the new wave rush of “Corazon Despeinado” and Miami freestyle of the otherworldly “Verde Menta.” It’s Rauw’s limitless world and we’re just living it in.

Anitta – Versions Of Me

Anitta emerged as a global pop star this year with her album Versions Of Me. The Brazilian superstar impressively sings on the 15-track LP in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. She embraces the Brazilian funk sound of her country in her red-hot collaboration “Me Gusta” with Cardi B and Myke Towers and pop-inflected “Faking Love” featuring Saweetie. Anitta reminds people that Brazil is a part of Latin America with her reggaeton romp “Envolver.” She also looks to the future of pop music with her punk-influenced anthem “Boys Don’t Cry.” Anitta’s best version of herself is when she’s not afraid to try everything.

Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti

Bad Bunny gave the world the soundtrack for the summer with his album Un Verano Sin Ti. The Puerto Rican superstar celebrates the music of the Caribbean throughout the 23-track LP, while returning to his reggaeton roots in club anthems like “Me Porto Bonito” alongside Chencho Corleone and “Party” with Rauw Alejandro. But he keeps fans on their toes when he takes the genre to new places with alternative acts like The Marías in “Otro Atardecer” and Bomba Estéreo in the dreamy “Ojitos Lindos,” and samples the sounds of the Dominican Republic in the merengue-infused “Después De La Playa” and the dembow-driven “Me Preguntó.” Bad Bunny continues to prove that his sound has no borders or limits.

Becky G – Esquemas

Becky G has always played with the duality of being a pop and Latin artist in her music and she sounds like she had a blast blending both of her worlds in her second album Esquemas. The title is a reference to breaking down barriers and the Mexican-American singer does just that across the 14-track LP. She teams up with Colombian singer Karol G for the kiss-off anthem “Mamiii” that mixes mariachi music with reggaeton. Becky G also brings doo-wop and disco-pop in the Latin realm with the trap-infused “Flashback” featuring Elena Rose and the dreamy “Bailé Con Mi Ex.” While embracing who she is, Becky G is pushing pop to new frontiers.

Camila Cabello – Familia

Camila Cabello embraces her Cuban and Mexican roots in her first Latin album Familia. In the soulful ballad “Celia,” Cabello pays tribute to the queen of salsa music Celia Cruz, even referencing Cruz’s signature “¡Azúcar!” line in the lyrics. One of the most fun songs on the album is the playful “Hasta Los Dientes,” where she seamlessly blends her Latin and pop sides alongside Argentine singer María Becerra. Familia is authentic to Cabello as an artist that is beautifully reflected in this heartfelt LP.

Daddy Yankee – Legendaddy

Over twenty years ago, Daddy Yankee helped globalize reggaeton music. Earlier this year, the Puerto Rican pioneer announced his impending retirement with his last album, Legendaddy. Daddy Yankee made sure to go out with a bang across this 19-track LP while pushing reggaeton to new places. Whether it is teaming up with Bad Bunny for the computerized banger “X Última Vez” or embracing elements of funk and synth-pop in the alluring “Agua” with Rauw Alejandro and CHIC’s Nile Rodgers, reggaeton music’s G.O.A.T. didn’t let his crown slip.

Feid – Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo

Despite his LP leaking a few months ahead of time, Feid made the most of it by releasing it as Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo Te Pirateamos El Álbum. The cheekiness of the album’s title was reflected in the feel-good title track “Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo.” What Feid did the best was serve up the nostalgia and sentimental side behind his Medellín-made reggaeton across the 15-tracks. The chilling intro to “Normal” never leaves the listener like the feelings of Feid’s ex for him. Puerto Rican pioneer Yandel added more emotional baggage to the alluring regagaeton romp “XQ Te Pones Así.” Feid’s knack for mixing vulnerability, sex, and perreo remains unmatched.

Rosalía – MOTOMAMI

Rosalía has created her own lane in pop music that wasn’t bound to any language barriers. Having positioned herself as a global pop star, her 16-track LP experiments with genres from around the world like electronica, reggaeton, flamenco, and bolero. She revs into her new era with “Saoko,” a cyberpunk joyride with a jazz detour. Elsewhere, Rosalía reflects on the toxicity of fame in bachata-infused “La Fama” alongside The Weeknd. She also lets her hair down with the delectable “Chicken Teriyaki” and the bouncy “Bizcochito” that is reminiscent of a Nokia phone ringtone. On MOTOMAMI, Rosalía races into the future with her newfound sound.

Sebastián Yatra – Dharma

Sebastián Yatra proves himself to be an all-around pop star with his third album Dharma. The Colombian singer dabbles in reggaeton in the sweeping “Pareja del Año” with Myke Towers while incorporating elements of classical music that are reminiscent of Bach. He also invites the Jonas Brothers to embrace reggaeton in the buoyant “Runaway” alongside Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha. With Dharma meaning a “divine purpose” in life, Yatra fulfills that on this adventurous album as a Latin pop revelation.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Eric Trump is swatting down rumors that his family are not big fans of Don Jr.’s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle. The former Fox News host has been a prominent fixture since she began her relationship with Junior and often speaks at campaign events for his father (for a hefty fee). However, Guilfoyle was seemingly snubbed following Tiffany Trump’s wedding in November. Despite posing for a photo with the bride and bridesmaid, Guilfoyle was noticeably cropped out of the picture when Ivanka Trump shared it on Instagram.

The photo fiasco may not be a simple mistake. However, Eric insists that there’s no bad blood and his family does not think Guilfoyle is “trying too hard” to fit in. “I completely disagree with the narrative and happen to think the world of Kimberly,” Eric told Page Six.

The attendance at Don Jr. and Guilfoyle’s recent party paints a slightly different picture. The two held a charity event for Toys for Tots that was DJ’d by noted Trump supporter Kid Rock. While the president (very briefly) attended, Jared and Ivanka were absent. Although, they seem to have a valid excuse. Via Page Six:

While Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner did not attend, a source tells us: “They were invited to go, it was [Jewish sabbath] Shabbos. They have a good relationship. It’s just the rumor mill.”

Former President Donald Trump, we hear, came to the fundraiser for half an hour, but left before a “holiday boat parade.” Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, were also in attendance. Eric had only kind words for Guilfoyle, telling us, “I am best friends with Don and had an absolute blast at the party.”

If anything, we’ve firmly established that Eric doesn’t have a problem with Kimberly Guilfoyle. Everyone else is debatable including the former president who already had one blow-up over Guilfoyle campaigning for a Senate candidate he didn’t endorse. Plus he wanted to date her first and reportedly banned her from Mar-a-Lago when she first hooked up with Don Jr. No messed up family dynamics there!

(Via Page Six)

BTS may be on hiatus, but that’s not stopping the highly-anticipated solo projects coming through. Over the summer, we got J-Hope and his EP Jack In The Box. In October, we got Jin and his hit single “The Astronaut,” co-written with Coldplay. Now, we have RM with his first full studio album Indigo.

As last Friday marked the album’s release, promotions for tracks on the solo project are well underway. After the release of the “Wild Flower” music video, the BTS leader unveils the video to Indigo‘s second track, the Anderson .Paak-featuring “Still Life.”

In his Tiny Desk Concert on NPR last Friday, RM revealed the inspiration behind the track was based on a trip to a museum and coming across a painting of the same name.

“When I see ‘Still Life,’ like the canvas,” RM said on the series. “My life is like a canvas. I’m exhibiting my life to the whole world, everywhere.”

Throughout the music video RM moves and grooves through various still scenes. At one point, he’s stuck in time inside of a train and the other he’s in a blank space moving graphics with his magic hands.

The concept of “Still Life” follows the overall theme of Indigo, where the album acts as an art exhibit curated by RM.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Well, here’s some unexpected but very welcome news. After releasing the triumphant Sometimes I Might Be Introvert just last year, Little Simz has already announced its follow-up, No Thank You. Considered one of the best albums of 2021 Sometimes I Might Be Introvert helped earn the UK rapper a Best New Artist award at the 2022 BRIT Awards as well as the Mercury Prize — considered by many to be the highest honor for a British musician. Now, with a new album on the way, Simz’s one-woman British Invasion of the US will likely continue unabated — and that, my friends, is absolutely a good thing.

For one thing, it’ll give Simz a second chance at organizing a US tour. Unfortunately, she canceled the originally planned tour for SIMBI because the financial obligation would leave her worse off. Like many independent artists, Simz relies on touring and merchandise to make the majority of her income and like many of her peers, the continuing pandemic and the changes its forced on the industry, including other pre-existing trends that were exacerbated recently, her out-of-pocket expenses would have been greater than her revenue had she continued with the tour plans. Thankfully, she has a new album on the way, which will only generate more opportunities for her to cross the pond and raise her global profile with No Thank You.

You can pre-save No Thank You here.

Even though his schedule is filled to the brim with album promotion obligations, producer Metro Boomin still makes time for what’s important to him — family. The St. Louis native teamed up with the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation to launch the ‘Single Moms Are Superheroes’ initiative in honor of his late mother.

The outreach program provides financial assistance, community resources, and access to family programming for single mothers in the greater Metro Atlanta area where Metro Boomin is now based. The initiative’s first community event was held over the weekend (Sunday, December 4) at the Atlanta Falcons vs. Pittsburg Steelers game in Metro’s native Atlanta. Over two dozen program honorees and their children were invited to a VIP experience of the matchup.

The VIP experience included gifted Falcons’ swag, all-expense paid travel to and from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, tickets to the game, and access to the players’ tunnel ahead of the game.

Continuing their charitable work, the Harvey Foundation extended additional support to the families, including mental and spiritual counseling. To learn more about the Harvey Foundations’ other single-mother initiatives, click here.

We know Metro Boomin’s mother would have been incredibly proud of her son’s work with the Single Moms Are Superheroes initiative.

St. Vincent is taking us back in time with a new podcast. In a partnership with Audible and Double Elvis, St. Vincent will launch History Listen: Rock, a podcast detailing iconic moments within the realm of rock music.

Set to debut on January 12, 2023, History Listen: Rock will highlight artists like Big Mama Thornton, Bad Brains, and many others. Some stories will include the first time Jimi Hendrix and Patti Smith met, as well as detailed retellings of The Sex Pistols’ doomed US tour.

The podcast is set to dive into “key moments that formed legendary movements within the genre” and is fit for “music addicts and casual listeners alike.”

“It’s been so fun going back through rock history and revisiting some of my favorite artists and songs, including a bunch that don’t get the recognition they should,” St. Vincent said in a statement. “When you put it all together, you can see how history repeats and echoes through generations, how music links the past to the present, artist-to-artist. And some of these stories are absolutely wild.”

History Listen: Rock marks St. Vincent’s second podcast, her first being 2020’s St. Vincent: Words + Music.

You can check out a trailer for History Listen: Rock above.

When comedian Chris Farley was found dead from an overdose on December 18, 1997, he left behind an impressive body of work for someone so young. Farley was a breakout hit on “Saturday Night Live” from 1990 to 1995 and would go on to star in the comedies “Tommy Boy,” “Black Sheep” and “Beverly Hills Ninja.”

Farley was beloved by his fellow cast members on SNL in the mid-’90s, many of whom went onto superstardom. including Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider and Mike Myers.

Even though Farley has been gone for 25 years, Sandler still hasn’t gotten over the loss, and on the latest episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, he admitted that he still gets choked up when talking about him on stage. Sandler has been playing the “Chris Farley Song,” a tribute to his late friend, during his one-man show since 2019.

He played an emotional version of the song in 2019 when he returned to SNL to host after being fired from the show 24 years earlier.

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Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics to “Chris Farley Song” by Adam Sandler:

On a Saturday night my man would always deliver

Whether he was the bumblebee girl

Or living in a van down by the river

He loved the Bears and he could dance

That Chippendales with Swayze

When they replaced his coffee with Folgers

He went full-on crazy

The sexiest gap girl

Without him, there’d be no lunch lady

In lunch lady land

Oh, I’m thinking about

I’m thinking about my boy

Chris Farley

“The first few times we played that song, I would tear up and I couldn’t really sing it well because I’d get so emotional and then I felt it and was able to get it out there,” Sandler told “Happy Sad Confused” host Josh Horowitz. “It’s weird, but when that song starts, I go, ‘Oh f–k, alright, don’t cry and don’t do that’ still. I’ve sang it maybe a hundred times already, but it rocks me.”

He misses him deeply because he knows him as much more than a performer.

“I think it’s because we show a video of Chris and I see his face,” he said, referring to a montage that plays behind Sandler as he sings. “And I remember his dad and I’m friends with his brothers and his mom and everybody and they still miss him a lot. So yeah, it gets me.”

It’s hard for Sandler to talk about Farley but it’s wonderful to hear how much he is still loved.

“I love hearing the crowd go nuts for Farley,” he said, adding, “Every show I do, by far the biggest applause of the night is talking about Farley and any time I mention his name, the audience goes nuts. It feels great.”

Sandler said that when he and his friend David Spade, who was also Farley’s comedic partner, went on tour together, he had a hard time hearing the song. “He’s like ‘Man, sometimes I can’t listen, I gotta walk away because I get so upset,’” Sandler said of Spade. “We loved him. We loved him so much … He was as cool as it gets.”

Farley’s life ended in tragedy, but his memory lives on through his work and friends like Sandler and Spade, who keep his memory alive. It’s a testament to the love that these friends had for Farley that his memory still brings up such strong emotions. It’s a testament to his talent that audiences are still overjoyed when they hear his name.

Reports of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s documentary-oriented project have swirled since around the time that the Duchess of Sussex visited a Uvalde memorial for schoolchildren slain through gun violence. It should be noted that Netflix reportedly postponed the six-part docuseries’ release after some particularly potent The Crown criticism (following Queen Elizabeth’s death and Charles’ ascendance to the throne). This hasn’t quelled the accusations from royal fanboy Piers Morgan, who accused the couple of timing the Harry & Meghan trailer specifically to overshadow a recent U.S. tour from Prince Wiliam and Duchess Kate.

In the trailer, Meghan made her objectives clear: “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”

However, the docuseries is landing sooner than projected on December 8. Further, there’s been a fair amount of negative chatter over what appear to be clumsy creative decisions at some level. As Deadline notes, a few of the trailer’s key paparazzi shots — meant to communicate the media’s intrusion upon the couple’s privacy — were not presented in an accurate way. Deadline does point out, “Alternative images and clips are undoubtedly used in multiple trailers but it is the combination of the doctoring and the subject matter that is causing such a stir.”

In other words, royal fans (and Sussex detractors) are pouncing all over those inconsistencies, which include an image from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 premiere. Deadline points towards those photos, which won’t quell the detractors from social media posts that drag the docuseries’ claims to provide “the challenges that led to [Harry and Meghan] feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.” Liz Garbus (of HBO’s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark) directs, and the series arrives a few years after the couple’s infamous Oprah interview, in which Meghan alleged racism and poor treatment from inside the Royal family.

Harry & Meghan will arrive in two parts: Part One (Eps 1-3) on December 8, and Part Two (Eps 4-6) on December 15.

Keke Palmer has had quite a year: she starred in Jordan Peele’s summer blockbuster Nope, judged her own game show, and ended her whirlwind 2022 by hosting Saturday Night Live. On top of all the career milestones, she is also expecting a baby, who will likely inherit her impressive work ethic.

“Honestly this has been the biggest blessing, and I am so excited. Guys, I’m going to be a mom,” Palmer said during her Saturday Night Live monologue. “Even though some people feel a little weird about me having a baby cause I was a child actor, I just wanna say, look, I’m 29, I’m grown, I have sex, I own a home, I stormed the Capitol on January 6, you know? Things adults do.” Palmer joked after showing off her pregnancy.

Palmer has been dating her current partner Darius Jackson since they were reportedly introduced at Diddy’s Memorial Day Party in 2021. The pair had kept a low profile since then, only posting the occasional photo of one another on social media (they have since been deleted).

Just a few years ago, Palmer told Harper’s Bazaar that she likes to keep her love life separate from her work. “I don’t really do relationship stuff online, mainly because I don’t know how I would do it without looking, like, cheesy or something, you know?” But when Palmer met Jackson in early 2021, her outlook changed.

Palmer told Bustle in March of this year that she didn’t want to “hide” anymore when it came to her personal life. “This is the happiest I’ve ever felt with someone. So why would I go out of my way to hide this person? That’s a lot more work than just living in my life and being in my life.”

Jackson works as a fitness instructor and actor, and Palmer explained in a 2021 interview with Tamron Hall that he is “industry-adjacent,” meaning he understands the demands of Palmer’s life and job. “I’ve always been somebody that hasn’t wanted too much industry stuff in my life, he’s very industry-adjacent, meaning he understands it but that’s not what he’s about,” she explained. Jackson is also the brother of Sarunas Jackson who starred in Insecure, where Palmer also had a brief guest starring role.

Even though not much is known about Palmer and Jackson’s relationship, Palmer is clearly excited to be a mother…even if she jokes about the timing. “I was trying so hard to keep it on the down low, because I’ve got a lot of stuff going on. People kept coming up to me [saying] ‘Congratulations,’ I’m like ‘Shh! Can y’all stop, I’ve got a liquor sponsorship on the line. Let the check clear, then we can get to the damn baby shower.”

(Via People and Bustle)