Category: News

The O.G. Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio (who is now 60 years old and looks over a decade younger), saw the publication of his memoir, Waxing On: The Karate Kid And Me, this week. He recently spoke with us about a number of Cobra Kai-related subjects, including one of my favorite Season 5 quotes that popped up after ultimate karate nemesis Terry Silver declared the impending end of Miyagi-do. To that, Daniel LaRusso responded, “The roots are strong, so the tree will survive.”

At that point, Daniel ushered in the spirit of Mr. Miyagi and also whipped out the crane kick, defeating the franchise’s “Bond villain” and ensuring that the good guys would win this round. What that means for the future of the Netflix show, no one seems to know, but this week, Macchio visited the WTF With Marc Maron podcast, where he mentioned that he’d love to see the franchise go deep on Mr. Miyagi’s origins. In addition, Macchio revealed to Hollywood Reporter that “they are working on it.”

Who is “they”? Macchio isn’t clear whether this could involve Netflix or Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg. There’s also the curious matter of a mystery Sony movie that’s related to Cobra Kai but somehow doesn’t involved any of the current cast members. It’s all very nebulous! But here’s what Macchio related to THR:

“Yes, they are working on it. It’s in the discussion stages. Cobra Kai does such a good job of unveiling all the layers of these characters and exploring where they came from, their pasts and their backstories. And if you go on Twitter or social media, people ask about Miyagi, who, in essence, is the secret sauce of the film because of the character and [Pat Morita’s] performance. Who was that guy? What was he like as a teenager? What was he like when he first came to the United States? Who was he when he went to World War II? What happened after he loses his wife and child in the internment camps? How does this guy come from Okinawa to a place where he was working as a maintenance guy at an apartment building? What’s that full story? So, yeah, there are discussions, but that’s all I have.”

No one would complain about firing up a Miyagi origin story, so long as Miyagi continues to get his due. And that goes right along with Macchio turning down endless pitches over the years that would would include Ghost Miyagi counseling Daniel-san on how to raise his own kid or something. If you’re wanting more of the late Pat Morita right now, though, More Than Miyagi is a riveting watch for any fan (or detractor) of the crane kick.

(Via WTF With Marc Maron & Hollywood Reporter)

GloRilla’s Twitter features a gorilla emoji by her name and Ice Age‘s famous sloth Sid as her profile picture. The Philadelphia Eagles paid homage to her in the end zone last weekend. But don’t expect the Memphis rapper to add “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)” to her playlist anytime soon (or maybe do): GloRilla seemingly learned about the fox’s real-life existence in the animal kingdom during a recent visit to KISS FM UK.

Henrie, Kiss FM host and DJ, casually mentioned “people say that they hate foxes taking a poo in their garden” as what was supposed to be a throwaway comment about past absurd things guests have said on the show. “Foxes?” GloRilla interjected with a confused look. “What’s them? The animal fox? Y’all got them out here?”

Henrie asked if GloRilla had seen one yet, while induced more confounded facial expressions, and encouraged her to come to South London if she wants to see a fox because “they own the streets here.”

“So they like dogs?” GloRilla asked, also wondering if they’re orange. Henrie explained that they’re like undomesticated dogs, even though some British people still treat them like pets. “I can’t believe it,” GloRilla said. “I never even knew foxes was real.”

“Can’t believe I was talking to Glo about foxes of all things in the world,” Henrie tweeted with a laughing emoji.

In GloRilla’s defense, she’s too busy to be scouting foxes. After blowing up with “FNF (Let’s Go)” and subsequently signing with Yo Gotti’s CMG label, Glo notched her first top-10 Hot 100 entry with the Cardi B-assisted “Tomorrow 2,” donated $25,000 to her former high school, and won Best Breakthrough Artist at the BET Hip-Hop Awards. Her standout 2022 will continue with Anyways, Life’s Great…, her major-label debut project due November 11.

The most famous NBA game that never happened occurred on March 11, 2020. That was the night where Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, both of the Utah Jazz, tested positive for COVID-19, which led to the league getting shut down in the early days of the pandemic in the United States. It happened on the same night that Tom Hanks received a positive COVID test, and played a major role in Americans learning about the gravity of the situation.

In the immediate aftermath, there were a number of reports that Mitchell was furious with Gobert, who tested positive before he did. The thought at the time was that Gobert testing positive first meant that he gave the virus to Mitchell, which led to rumors that the constantly scrutinized relationship between the two might not have been salvageable.

A lot has happened since then, both in their careers and how we understand the way that COVID works. And during a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast, Mitchell admitted that while his understanding of the virus is miles beyond what it was then, he was not especially happy with Gobert for how things went that night.

“It was a weird time, though, cause nobody really knew what it was, right?” Redick said at the 5:29 mark of the above video. “And I was very much like, ‘I just don’t wanna get it. As an athlete, a respiratory illness, I don’t wanna get it.’ When you tested positive, were you scared shitless, or did you kind of feel like, ‘Alright, I’ma be alright, cause I’m young’?”

“I was angry, I’m not gonna lie to you,” Mitchell said. “I would say out of all the media reports that have ever come out about me, Rudy, and the team, that was probably the most accurate. I was mad. I thought, at the time — cause we didn’t know — I thought because Rudy was around doing whatever, that that was the reason I got it. Now, we don’t know, I could’ve given it to him without contact, whatever it was. We don’t know, now looking back at it.”

The two are, of course, no longer teammates, as Utah traded Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason.

Track five holds a special place in the heart of every Taylor Swift fan.

It’s “All Too Well.” It’s “Delicate.” It’s “Dear John.” It’s the “vulnerable, personal, honest, emotional song,” she explained before the release of Lover. “So because [the fans] noticed this, I kind of started to put the songs that were really honest, emotional, vulnerable, and personal as track five.” There are lists devoted to not only Swift’s best songs, but specifically Swift’s best track fives — which now includes “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” the fifth track on her new LP, Midnights. It’s too early to compare it to “My Tears Ricochet” and “The Archer” (Midnights hasn’t even been out for more than one midnight), but it’s not too soon to call it the best song on the album.

“Summer went away, still the yearning stays / I play it cool with the best of them,” the song begins, Swift’s voice sounding higher than usual. She’s pining for a guy who doesn’t feel the same way about her. He’d rather smoke with the boys than spend time with her, but she’s determined. She would leave her hometown, but “there’s just one who could make me stay.” There’s a vibe shift in the pre-chorus, however. “I search the party of better bodies / Just to learn that you never cared,” she sings before hitting one of her shortest, yet still effective choruses: “You’re on your own, kid, you always have been.” I’ll admit to being skeptical about the cutesy song title — until I realized the “kid” is her.

In the second verse, Swift is no longer enraptured by the hometown boy: “I picked the petals, he loves me not.” She’d rather spend time in her bedroom, writing her songs, or planning her escape. It recalls something Swift said in her New York University commencement speech: “Not being invited to the parties and sleepovers in my hometown made me feel hopelessly lonely, but because I felt alone, I would sit in my room and write the songs that would get me a ticket somewhere else.” Later in the speech, she added, “How do I give advice to this many people about their life choices? I won’t. Scary news is: You’re on your own now. Cool news is: You’re on your own now.”

Sound familiar?

But the main reason why “You’re On Your Own, Kid” is the standout on an album full of future setlist favorites is the bridge. Swift is a master of the bridge; she uses them to shake things up, to raise the drama and heighten the emotional impact. “All Too Well,” “Champagne Problems,” and “Death By a Thousand Cuts” are her bridge masterpieces — her Brooklyn Bridge, if you will — but “You’re On Your Own, Kid” isn’t far behind.

Here’s when a track five becomes a TRACK FIVE:

From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this
I hosted parties and starved my body
Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss
The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money
My friends from home don’t know what to say
I looked around in a blood-soaked gown
And I saw something they can’t take away
‘Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned
Everything you lose is a step you take
So, make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it
You’ve got no reason to be afraid

It’s all there: the hurried vocals to match the tension; the swirling production; the vulnerable confessions (Swift has struggled with an eating disorder in the past, making the “starved my body” line hit extra hard); and her growth as a musician and a person. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” seems to say that whatever you’re struggling with — it could be a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a move to a new city — might seem impossible in the moment, but don’t be afraid. You’re on your own, kid, but things will be OK. You can face this. It’s an important lesson at any time of the day or (mid)night.

A few days ago, Taylor Swift unveiled her lineup of activities scheduled for around the release of new album Midnights (which is out now). The most tantalizing of them was something she only called a “special very chaotic surprise.” Now, we know what that is: at 3 a.m. ET this morning, Swift released Midnights (3am Edition), which features seven additional songs not included on the base album.

Those songs are “The Great War,” “Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” “Paris,” “High Infidelity,” “Glitch,” “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” and “Dear Reader.”

In a post announcing the songs, Swift wrote, “Surprise! I think of Midnights as a complete concept album, with those 13 songs forming a full picture of the intensities of that mystifying, mad hour. However! There were other songs we wrote on our journey to find that magic 13. I’m calling them 3am tracks. Lately I’ve been loving the feeling of sharing more of our creative process with you, like we do with From The Vault tracks. So it’s 3am and I’m giving them to you now.”

There are actually even more bonus Midnights songs to be had beyond this: The deluxe CD edition includes “Hits Different,” “You’re On Your Own, Kid (Strings Remix),” and “Sweet Nothing (Piano Remix).”

Stream Midnights (3am Edition) below.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.

“All About That Bass” singer Meghan Trainor has a new album out today called Takin’ It Back, but there’s something else that’s demanding her fans’ attention. She went viral this week when a picture of a Spirit Halloween nun costume circulated and people suspected it was her.

Instead of ignoring or debunking this interesting theory, she made a tweet, writing, “Yes. It’s me.” Succinct but enough to make fans flip out in the replies with more jokes. Also, a good way to promote the new album. She has since confirmed to Rolling Stone that she was only kidding in the tweet, despite the uncanny similarities.

Upon announcing her new album in June, Trainor said, “I just felt like anything I ever achieved is all gone. I haven’t been out in public and [for] so long trying to be safe, and it crippled me a little bit with my confidence. And so coming back with music, I was also so hard on myself. I thought all these songs were trash. Every idea I would come up with, I would say, ‘Is this trash or amazing?’ ‘Is this garbage or is this dope?’ And everyone was like, ‘This is your best work yet.’”

If, for the past several months, it seemed as though Kanye West’s increasingly bizarre behavior was building toward something, it turns out that might very well be the truth. According to Rolling Stone, sources close to Kanye say he’s filed a bunch of trademark applications that would allow him to launch his own, self-contained mini-city. Fittingly, he’s apparently planning to call it the “Yecosystem”; it’ll have its own stores selling Kanye-branded food and beverages. He plans to have the first campus up-and-running by the end of the year and open more across the country.

If any of this sounds familiar, it should. This is both the “company town” business model that was literally made illegal by the same round of legislation during the Industrial Revolution that ended the practice of using scrip and child labor. It also very much sounds like a corporate version of those cult communes they’ve made a bunch of documentaries about — which seems very much in line with the rhetoric he’s been espousing over the past half decade (including very recently) as well as his plans of building “dome homes” in 2019.

Among the trademarks filed are names like Yzyverse, Yxyverse, and Yeezyverse. He also apparently wants to add reproductive healthcare, children’s education, and “biological cloning” as services provided under the Yecosystem umbrella. There’s more information about it in the full Rolling Stone article, but let’s be real here: It sounds very much like Kanye’s inching that much closer to full-blown cult leader status. Just don’t drink the Kool-Aid.

Taylor Swift’s new tenth studio album, Midnights, opens with the track “Lavender Haze” — which she had teased as an important song, prior to the full record’s release. “I’m damned if I do give a damn what people say / The 1950s sh*t they want from me / I just wanna stay in that lavender haze,” she sings. “All they keep asking me is if I’m gonna be your bride / The only kinda girl they see is a one night or a wife.”

Seemingly alluding to her longtime partner Joe Alwyn, Swift pulled inspiration from the 1950s, particularly a phrase used about Don Draper being in love on an episode of Mad Men.

“I happened upon the phrase ‘Lavender Haze’ when I was watching Mad Men and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it was a common phrase that was used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love,” Swift said in a teaser social media video last month.

“And I think a lot of people have to deal with this now — not just, like, quote-unquote public figures — because we live in the era of social media and if the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody, they’re gonna weigh in on it,” she continued.

The answer is, we don’t know. In “Lavender Haze,” Swift seems to be poking at the constant engagement and marriage rumors surrounding them, to be a “no we’re not,” but only the two of them truly know about their official relationship status.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Buy/stream it here.

Colombian producers The Rudeboyz are making their debut as lead artists. Yesterday (October 20), the duo released the sexy music video for “Ojalá” featuring Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine and Maluma.

The Rudeboyz have worked with Maluma since the beginning of his career. The duo is comprised of Bryan “Chan El Genio” Lezcano Chaverra and Kevin “Kevin ADG” Mauricio Jiménez Londoño. They’re behind Maluma’s global hits like “Felices Los 4,” “Chantaje” with Shakira, and “Hawái,” which The Weeknd later jumped on. Earlier this year, The Rudeboyz signed with hit-maker Tainy’s NEON16 label and now they’re stepping out as artists.

“As producers, we always dreamed of having an album,” Chan El Genio told Uproxx. “We’re very happy. We’re confident in the work that we did on this song. Since the first time we heard the song, we liked it a lot. It’s a reflection of everything we planned with this project.”

The song that Chan El Genio is referring to is “Ojalá” with Levine and Maluma. The duo revealed that when they were in a meeting with NEON16 about the single, they promised Maluma’s participation and looked to the label to get an artist “that’s as big or even bigger than Maluma.” NEON16 came through with Levine. The Rudeboyz produced the reggaeton-pop romp remotely from Medellín, Colombian. The collaboration marks the first time that Levine sings in Spanish.

The Rudeboyz met Levine in person when they shot the “Ojalá” video that directed by Diane Martel. Despite a few technical difficulties and unexpected weather conditions that delayed the filming, they said Levine was a good sport.

“We felt a little bit unattractive to be alongside Adam and Maluma,” Kevin ADG joked with a laugh. “We were very comfortable. When we saw the final video, it felt like a dream come true.”

About the experience of working with Levine, Chan El Genio added, “We got to know him well in person. Perhaps because he’s a legend, you might think he would be different, and he surprised us because he was a very humble person and he was very fond of the project.”

“Ojalá” will be included on The Rudeboyz’s debut album that’s 70 percent completed. The duo is ready to move from the recording studio to centerstage.

“Now we want to show the world that we’re getting out of comfort zone,” Chan El Genio said. “We’re experimenting with different and strange rhythms and collaborations like with Adam and Maluma that people have never seen before.”

On what they want to achieve as artists, Kevin ADG added, “We want to keep representing Colombia proudly, unite cultures, and we hope to keep going even further.”

It’s hard to log onto social media these days without being hit with a firehose of misinformation, especially when it comes to COVID-19. Getting accurate information during a global pandemic with a novel virus that keeps mutating is a challenge, and people’s (sometimes understandable) distrust of the government, the media and various institutions certainly doesn’t help.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no such thing as accurate information. A lot of what’s floating around out there about COVID-19 is simply and verifiably wrong. As Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman said, “It just isn’t enough for us to be in the business of putting out good information. We have to now also be in the business of countering misinformation and deliberate disinformation as well.”

Unfortunately, studies of Facebook and Twitter have found that misinformation and disinformation spread faster and are more likely to be shared than true information. So, let’s sort through some of the myths and facts about one of the biggest topics out there right now—COVID-19 vaccines and children.

Myth: The CDC is adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the mandated vaccine schedule for kids who attend school.

Fact: The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended updating the 2023 childhood and adult immunization schedules to include additional information for approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines. That is not the same as adding the vaccine to school vaccine requirements. The immunization schedule is a best practice recommendation, not a requirement.

u201cMisinformation. The CDC does not decide which vaccines are mandatory for school attendance in kids. That’s left to each state, which is why they are not uniform across the country.u201d

— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@Dr. Tara C. Smith)
1666184700

In fact, the CDC can’t require kids to get vaccines. State and local jurisdictions decide what vaccines are required for school entry, not the CDC. States do look to the CDC’s recommendation for guidance in making decisions, but just because a vaccine is recommended by the CDC doesn’t mean schools will automatically require it. (For example, flu shots aren’t required for most schools even though they’re recommended by the CDC for school-aged children. And the HPV vaccine has been on the CDC’s recommended schedule since 2006, yet only four states require it for school.)

Myth: The CDC added the COVID-19 vaccine to the Vaccines for Children program, which means kids will have to get it.

Fact: The ACIP unanimously voted to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the Vaccines for Children program, but that doesn’t mean it’s required. Vaccines for Children is a program that provides free vaccines to kids from low-income and uninsured families. Adding the COVID-19 vaccine just means it’s included in that free program so more parents who want their kids to get it will be able to.

u201cToday @CDCgovu2019s independent advisory committee voted to include the COVID vaccine in the Vaccines for Children program, which provides free vaccines to 1/2 of US children, including those in Medicaid & those who are uninsured. This program helps reduce disparities in access. 1/5u201d

— American Academy of Pediatrics (@American Academy of Pediatrics)
1666217121

Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous and kids are dying from it.

Fact: No, they’re not. Let’s look at the specific claims on this front.

First, the myocarditis question. Let’s go to the experts at the American Heart Association for that one. According to its website, the most recent studies have shown that the risk of myocarditis from the vaccine is low and the risk from myocarditis is very low (all cases were considered mild and all recovered). But most importantly, studies have shown that the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 infection is higher than it is from the vaccine.

If parents are concerned about the risks of myocarditis from the vaccine, they hopefully have even more concern about the risks of it from COVID-19 itself, since we know that COVID-19 can damage the heart.

Second, the “young people are dying suddenly at an alarming rate” claim. There are multiple ways in which this rumor has spread multiple times, so it’s hard to tackle all of them at once. But if you’ve heard that vaccines are causing SADS (Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, which some have erroneously referred to as “Sudden Adult Death Syndrome”), read this fact check and the accompanying links. Also, note the fact that the SADS Foundation—an organization literally dedicated to this syndrome—recommends everyone with conditions linked to SADS get the COVID-19 vaccine.

People don’t need to trust the government or the media to not fall for misinformation and disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines. The most telling thing to me is that every reputable medical organization and association in the U.S. that I’ve checked recommends the COVID-19 vaccine. Every single one.

In fact, in July, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians issued a joint letter urging families to get the vaccine for kids ages 6 months and up. These organizations are not the government or the media or the pharmaceutical companies. They are the nation’s top experts on medical care for families. They’re the ones we should be looking to for guidance on medical decisions, not politicians, social media influencers or cable news hosts.