Category: News

Aaron Judge officially stands alone atop the American League’s all-time home run list. After last going yard on Sept. 28 during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays to tie Roger Maris’ league record with 61 dingers in a single season, Judge went through his version of a mini-drought. But on Tuesday night during the second half of a double-header with the Texas Rangers, Judge stepped to the plate to lead off the game and made history.

The count stood 1-1 when Rangers pitcher Jesus Tincono tried to get an 88 mile-per-hour slider past Judge. That did not work, as Judge sat on the pitch and drove it deep into right field. It was a no-doubter from the moment it left his bat, and by the time he crossed home plate, Judge was greeted by those in his dugout.

It was the latest memorable moment in what has been one of the best seasons at the plate that we have seen by anyone in baseball history.

Of course, Judge has quite the way to go to reach the all-time single-season home run record of 73, set by Barry Bonds. Seeing as how the Yankees wrap up the regular season against the Rangers on Wednesday, well, that is probably not going to happen. But nevertheless, this is quite the moment for Judge and, also, college football fans (and broadcasters) who were getting annoyed at ESPN cutting into live shots of his at-bats as he chased 62.

There’s yet another new Trump tell-all, but this one has been spewing out more goodies than most. Confidence Man, from The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, has so far yielded dirt that’s more unflattering than damning. Most of the excerpts leaked before its release have been about Trump, but there’s a couple bits about Rudy Giuliani in there, too, including one about some really smelly poo. Another finds the vice president agreeing with one person’s unkind summation of the erstwhile “America’s Mayor.”

As per Insider, Haberman caught wind of a phonecall between Giuliani and then-Trump lawyer Justin Clark, who was with Trump and Mike Pence, after the 2020 election, during one of the recounts that were held in some states. Giuliani was not happy.

“No it’s all wrong,” Giuliani reportedly claimed. “We should stop the recount immediately.” Clark held steadfast, saying “is what it is.”

That made Giuliani flip out. “You’re lying to the president,” he yelled — to which Clark replied, “You’re a f*cking asshole.”

Trump himself then hung up the phone and ordered Clark to call Giuliani back and “make up.” But first Clark apologized to Pence, partly for cussing. But Pence was fine with it.

“There’s no reason to apologize when it’s the truth,” Pence reportedly told Clark.

While Clark supposedly apologized to the guy responsible for the Four Seasons and wine lady witness debacles, the next day Trump went and rewarding him, handing him the reins for the legal efforts to overturn the election. And the rest is history (i.e., they found nothing but continue to this day to assert the election was stolen anyway, all while Giuliani’s reputation and livelihood were destroyed). Clark, meanwhile, has gone and testified to the blockbuster Jan. 6 committee.

(Via Insider)

Saturday Night Live is back for it’s 48th season on NBC. The sketch comedy show has seen quite a few notable departures from its cast, including fan favorites in Pete Davidson, Melissa Villaseñor, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Kyle Mooney. But as they say, the show must go on and there are three new episodes in October. Here’s a quick breakdown of who the musical guests on SNL this month will be:

These Are Your Musical Guests For ‘SNL’ This Month

The first musical guest of the new SNL season is Kendrick Lamar. The Compton rapper appeared on this month’s first episode on October 1st, which was hosted by Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller. Kendrick performed a medley of “Rich Spirit” and “N95” as his first song and then played “Father Time” with Sampha for his second song. This was Kendrick’s third time appearing as the musical guest on SNL.

The October 8th episode will be hosted by Irish actor Brendan Gleeson and the musical guest is Willow. The daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith is supporting her newest album, Copingmechanism, and the soaring pop punk star said that she’s “…just so grateful and so excited, but also sh*tting my pants, slightly.” This will be her second appearance on SNL this year after joining Camila Cabello five months ago to perform their song “Psychofreak.”

Finally, the October 15th episode of SNL will have the host playing double duty as the musical guest and it’s none other than Megan Thee Stallion. Judging by how Meg embraced her cameo on She Hulk: Attorney At Law last month, she’ll have no trouble singing and acting with the SNL cast.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

If you’ve been to a Costco in recent years, perhaps you’ve found yourself mesmerized by the robotic pizza sauce wheel in the food court. The way the pizza wheel spins as sauce gets squirted evenly onto the dough in a series of concentric circles is hypnotic. Well Jay-Z and his Marcy Venture Partners company are taking it a step further than just sauce. That’s because Jay-Z and the venture capital fund just became the lead investor in a new fully-robotic pizza making truck company called Stellar Pizza, to the tune of a $16.5 million Series A investment.

This is quite the leap of faith for the Brooklyn product and Jay-Z must really be sold on the quality of pizza being churned out by the Stellar Pizza bot, which was designed by SpaceX engineers. Orders are place through an app, the pizza truck robot receives it, makes the entire pizza toppings and all, and a human cuts and boxes the pie, all in about five minutes, according to Rolling Stone. Prices are said to cost $7 for cheese and $8 for pepperoni.

Stellar is based in Los Angeles and their website says that the company is, “Launching in Fall 2022.” It looks as though they’re targeting the college crowd for starters, as one of the Stellar Pizza Trucks will be debuting on the USC campus over Halloween weekend.

Marcy Venture Partners is beginning to build it’s investment portfolio. Last year, the company invested in NFT marketplace Bitski, and also claims Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingeries line as one of its investments.

As you may recall, Will Smith had a kind of bumpy night at this year’s Oscars. On one hand, he won his first Academy Award. On the other, he did so less than a half hour after slapping presenter Chris Rock on live television. Since then, his career has been in freefall. Projects were cancelled, he was suspended from attending the show for a decade, and his reputation has been perhaps permanently destroyed. (Also, there have been likely copycat attacks.) Before he slapped, though, Smith made a movie that could be considered Oscar bait. But when asked, a random group of Oscar voters were violently split about whether they’d fête him again.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke to dozens of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to see if they’d theoretically nominate Smith for Emancipation, in which he plays a runaway slave. Everyone — from actors to executives to publicists and so on — condemned Smith’s actions, but some were open-minded.

“I would consider voting for him if he is great in something,” one person — who, like most of them, remained anonymous — said. “If Will Smith’s performance is the best, he should win,” said another. One person put it bluntly: “Here we go again, art versus antics. If the work is great, then acknowledge it. Even if the artist is a moron.”

Others thought it was too soon, saying that “more time should go by before Will Smith is considered for any award.”

A number of people were adamant that Smith not be recognized by the Academy, with people saying things like, “Not a chance,” ““Heavy sigh. No chance I would vote for him” or “Nominating Will Smith would be a slap in the face to the Academy.” One person wrote, “NO F*CKING WAY,” adding that his “shameful violent outburst and pathetic sniveling ‘acceptance’ diatribe witnessed by millions — and his blatant disrespect of the Academy — should preclude him from any consideration and reward from AMPAS members for life.” (That person, producers. Branch member Lawrence David Foldes, did use his name.)

Among the most common response was that they wouldn’t vote for Smith while arguing that the film — which featured the hard work of lots of people who didn’t slap Chris Rock — deserves to be seen. “No chance I would vote for him. However, I support the release of Emancipation,” one person said. Said another, “Hundreds of people worked on that film, and they shouldn’t be penalized.”

One person had a game plan: “I hope the members of the Academy stick to their guns and ignore any award consideration for Mr. Smith. But I don’t think they should overlook all the other hard-working and talented people associated with the film. Just punish Mr. Smith.”

Emancipation, which had its first screening last weekend, will hit limited theaters on December 2. It will land on Apple TV+ a week later, on December 9.

You can read more responses over at THR.

Acts of kindness—we know they’re important not only for others, but for ourselves. They can contribute to a more positive community and help us feel more connected, happier even. But in our incessantly busy and hectic lives, performing good deeds can feel like an unattainable goal. Or perhaps we equate generosity with monetary contribution, which can feel like an impossible task depending on a person’s financial situation.

Perhaps surprisingly, the main reason people don’t offer more acts of kindness is the fear of being misunderstood. That is, at least, according to The Kindness Test—an online questionnaire about being nice to others that more than 60,000 people from 144 countries completed. It does make sense—having your good intentions be viewed as an awkward source of discomfort is not exactly fun for either party.

However, the results of The Kindness Test also indicated those fears were perhaps unfounded. The most common words people used were “happy,” “grateful,” “loved,” “relieved” and “pleased” to describe their feelings after receiving kindness. Less than 1% of people said they felt embarrassed, according to the BBC.

So, maybe with kindness, we need to put our social anxieties away and act without overthinking (to a certain point, of course). Perhaps it’s best to find the simplest actions we can commit to on a daily basis, rather than formulating some grandiose gesture.

Reddit user u/tacoabouttoeat asked the online forum “what’s a small act of kindness that literally anyone can do/practice everyday?” and people gave some brilliantly simple ideas.

Here are eight easy-to-accomplish crowdsourced answers that might bring us one step closer to a more peaceful world:

1. Be aware of your surroundings.

“Either move with the flow of traffic or get to the side if you have to situate yourself.” – @JoeMorgue

2. Use headphones when taking public transport.

“If you don’t have them – you can go 20 minutes without making excessive noise while sharing a small space with other people.” – @cynthiayeo

3. Give compliments.

“If you have a charitable thought about someone, even a stranger, say it out loud to their face. It is free, it is easy, and it might be the best thing that has happened to that person all week. Nothing creepy or overtly sexual or flirty, just kind words. ‘That shirt is really your color! Your haircut is beautiful. I appreciate your help, you were a real lifesaver!’ It doesn’t cost you anything and it means the world to the people you are talking to.” – @Comments_Wyoming

4. Hold doors open for people.

“Makes a big difference in one’s day.” – @sconnie64

5. Don’t act on “road rage.”

“After several years of commuting I came to the realization that with a few exceptional days, I always got home at the same time. Regardless of how many people ‘cut me off’ or drove too slowly and whatever. I started to just ‘go with the flow’ and always let people in when needed, always give extra room, and just enjoy my music/podcast. Life changing.” – @CPCOpposesAbortion

6. Have patience.

“You never know what someone else is going through. Could be a breakup, their dog just died, granny finally made it to heaven, or maybe mom just broke the news that she’s got end stage cervical cancer and has weeks left to live. You never know, so be patient. After all, wouldn’t you want someone to be patient with you?” – @mamalion12

7. Thank the people you live with for taking care of things around the house.

“It doesn’t have to be over the top, but everyone feels better about doing chores when it is noticed and appreciated. ‘Thanks for folding my laundry’ or ‘thanks for always keeping track of our bills, you’re awesome at managing money!’” – @Mrshaydee

8. Leave a place you visit just a little bit nicer than when you found it.

“Pick up a piece of litter at the park. Give that mat with a pucker ready to trip someone a little tug to get it to lay flat in the business you’re at. Let an employee know when you spot a leaky dairy product on the shelves so they can deal with it. Return someone else’s grocery cart.” – @BlueberryPiano

Depeche Mode are back. The iconic new wave group has announced a new album called Memento Mori, coming spring 2023, and they’ll be taking it on the road with their first tour in five years for what is called the Memento Mori World Tour. It’ll kick off in Sacramento, California in March and end in Oslo, Norway in August.

“We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time,” said founding member Martin Gore. “After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.” Dave Gahan added, “Fletch would have loved this album. We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”

Check out the tour dates below and find ticket information here.

03/23 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
03/25 — San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
03/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
03/30 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
04/02 — San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
04/05 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
04/07 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
04/09 — Quebec City, QC @ Videotron Centre
04/12 — Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell
04/14 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

05/16 — Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
05/20 — Antwerp, BE @ Sportpaleis Antwerpen
05/23 — Stockholm, SE @ Friends Arena
05/26 — Leipzig, DE @ Leipziger Festwiese
05/28 — Bratislava, SK @ Národný Futbalový Štadión
05/31 — Bordeaux, FR @ Matmut Atlantique

06/02 — Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival
06/04 — Dusseldorf, DE @ Merkur Spiel-Arena
06/06 — Dusseldorf, DE @ Merkur Spiel-Arena
06/09 — Madrid, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival
06/11 — Bern, CH @ Stadion Wankdorf
06/14 — Dublin, IE @ Malahide Castle
06/17 — London, UK @ Twickenham Stadium
06/20 — Munich, DE @ Olympiastadion
06/22 – Lille, FR @ Stade Pierre Mauroy
06/24 — Paris, FR @ Stade de France
06/27 — Copenhagen, @DK Parken
06/29 — Frankfurt, DE @ Deutsche Bank Park

07/04 — Lyon, FR @ Groupama Stadium
07/07 — Berlin, DE @ Olympiastadion
07/12 — Rome, IT @ Stadio Olympico
07/14 — Milan, IT @ San Siro
07/16 — Bologna, IT @ Stadio Renato Dall’Ara
07/21 — Klagenfurt, AT @ Wörthersee Stadion
07/23 — Zagreb, HR @ Arena Zagreb
07/26 — Bucharest, RO @ Arena Națională
07/28 — Budapest, HU @ Puskás Aréna
07/30 — Prague, CZ @ Letňany Airport

08/02 — Warsaw, PL @ PGE Narodowy
08/06 — Tallinn, EE @ Tallinna Lauluväljak
08/08 — Helsinki, FI @ Kaisaniemen Puisto
08/11 — Oslo, NO @ Telenor Arena

On The Up is Uproxx’s column highlighting five emerging artists each month to put on your radar. October’s picks have something for every type of mood that you might be in. We jump from a wavy SoCal do-it-all producer currently on tour with King Princess, an alt-rock quintet having a huge year, a Gen Zer who’s climbing up the Billboard Hot 100, an Oakland rapper who’s pure vibes but doesn’t take himself too seriously, and a New York duo making incredibly gorgeous songs and about to drop their debut LP. Check ’em out:

St. Panther

We’ve been waiting for a new album or EP to get announced from St. Panther to include her in an edition of On The Up for a minute. And even though that hasn’t happened yet, new music has been dropping and we’re just gonna go ahead and tip a major cap to the SoCal-based singer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper regardless. The project of Daniela Bojorges-Giraldo, St. Panther is signed to Lizzo and Leon Bridges-producer Ricky Reed’s Nice Life Recording Company and all of the elements for a swift ascent are in order. For starters, 2020’s These Days EP is a blissful exercise in afternoon haze. You might’ve heard “Infrastructure” on Insecure and the title track is a wavy companion to daydreams, as St. Panther’s chilled out sunshine vocals coast on a languid drum beat and trumpet. It’s all a proper primer into her enticing world. Then there are the new tunes, like the porch deck wanderlust of “So Bad” and the auto-tune turn-up of “Greatness.” St. Panther is currently on tour with King Princess and even featured Terrace Martin and Reed on her lockdown-released “Real Magic.” The force is strong with this one and she’s cool AF.

Flipturn

The Gainesville, Florida indie rock quintet had an eventful 2022. After dipping their toes on the summer festival circuit at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Shaky Knees, Flipturn signed to Dualtone Records for the release of their debut LP, Shadowglow, this past August. Album opener “The Fall” hits with thundering drums and a never-ending guitar riff. Singer Dillon Basse’s vocals shift from a high register on “Playground” to a downright soaring staccato on “Halfway.” This is a band that’s destined for some serious alt-rock radio airplay and should most certainly be back on the festival circuit next year. Lucky for you, they’re currently on a US headlining tour in support of Shadowglow and you’d be wise to catch them at an intimate venue across the country before the stakes get raised.

D4vd

D4vd is the latest ultra Gen Z riser with a story to boot. The Houston native was making Fortnite clips (yes, that’s correct) set to the music of other artists. But when the inevitable takedown notices started coming, D4vd decided to just make his own music instead. That was just last year and now he’s signed to Darkroom/Interscope; a 2022 success story if there ever was one. His latest single, “Here With Me,” is a lovelorn bedroom pop tune that conjures up colorful butterflies dancing in your belly for that certain someone. “As long as I’m with you, I’ve got a smile on my face,” he sings. Meanwhile, the vulnerable “Romantic Homicide” isn’t nearly as sweet by contrast, but it peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 last week. Clearly his songwriting is resonating.

Michael Sneed

Oakland rapper Michael Sneed is a 20-something dude who’s been trying to make sense of the world around him after moving back home from college. He’s an instantly endearing presence on “Full Time Job II,” poking fun at the blockchain with a Baby Keem-like cadence. Then on “Sometimes Blue,” Sneed sounds like Chance The Rapper and Noname on 2013’s “Lost” wrapped into one, with bubbly guitar-soaked production from GrandBankss as he spits, “Maybe I’m wiser when I’m hopeless and naive when I’m faithful / I dreamed of a picture perfect ankle and layups against the Lakers / Got crossed fell into a desk and got stabbed by some staples.”

Babehoven

The upstate New York indie duo is making beautiful music that’ll transport you to the bucolic getaways of the Hudson Valley. Their debut album, Light Moving Time is due out October 28th on Double Double Whammy and each single showcases Maya Bon’s multi-faceted songwriting and her lush instrumentals along with producer/bandmate Kevin Albert. “Often” is a salve for sour times, something that Bon and Albert created a lot of on last year’s Nastavi, Calliope EP. “I’m On Your Team” is candy for anyone who loves Angel Olsen and “Stand It” has a killer jangle and upbeat rhythm as Bon is at her best — unflinching and dynamic.

It’s been a really long time since Kelsey Grammer first seriously floated the idea of a Frasier reboot. The pandemic wasn’t even a glint in anyone’s eyes — that’s how long it’s been. Look, he’s been busy making things like Money Plane. But good things come to those who wait, and so it is that a greenlight has finally, finally been awarded to the Cheers spinoff that some — wrongly! — think is superior to its legendary parent show.

As per Deadline, the Frasier reboot is officially a go at Paramount+, and while it’s not yet known how many episodes there will be, it’s believed to be 10. Like many a revival, this won’t be getting the whole gang, one of whom is no longer with us, back together. It might not even get Niles or Daphne or Roz, much less Bulldog or Gil Chesterson or Bebe, Frasier’s trainwreck of an agent. Instead, it looks like it’s going to follow television’s favorite psychiatrist in a new city with a new cast.

Frasier Crane made his debut in the season 3 premiere of Cheers, playing the new, snooty boy toy of Shelley Long’s snooty Diane Chambers. Even after she dumped him, he stuck around, despite being a lot more cultured than the bar’s regular clientele, who put up with stunts like him trying to get them into Dickens. He proved so popular — and was so unlike any other character on the show — that he got his own spin-off the season after Cheers ended. That said, despite being on TV for 20 years, he’s not the longest-running consistent character in television history. That honor belongs to Mariska Hargitay, who has played Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s Olivia Benson since 1999.

Anyway, welcome back, Frasier, whenever it is you’re actually coming back. In the meantime, we have some ideas about where it can go.

(Via Deadline)

We celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. The big focus on that day is the massive feast, football and maybe a little talk about pilgrims and Native Americans breaking bread together.

But, aside from a possible prayer at dinner, are many people focusing on the most essential part of the holiday: being thankful?

Amy Latta, a mother and craft expert, noticed the disconnect between the holiday and its meaning in 2012 so she created a new family tradition, the Thankful Pumpkin. The idea came to her after she went to a pumpkin patch with her son, Noah, who was 3 at the time.

“We need to stop and focus and be intentional about counting our blessings. To help do that in our family, we started the tradition of the Thankful Pumpkin,” she wrote on her blog. “All you need to make one is a pumpkin and a permanent marker and a heart full of gratitude.”

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See on Instagram

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Amy and her family sit down and make a list of things they’re thankful for and write them on a pumpkin in permanent marker.

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, the pumpkin is filled with thankfulness. Then, on the big day, it makes a great centerpiece that keeps the reason for the holiday in focus for the whole family.

“I was excited to get the project out there because it is so simple and requires no special skills or materials,” Latta told Today Parents. “Anyone can do it, and I was excited to think about other families taking time to focus on gratitude.”

In the 10 years since Latta came up with the idea, the Thankful Pumpkin has caught on around the country and people have been sending her photos of how their families celebrate the new tradition. “I’ve seen hundreds of photos of families, clubs, community centers, churches, and shops adopting this tradition, inviting folks to add their blessings to a pumpkin, a visual reminder of all the reasons we have to be grateful,” Latta wrote in an Instagram post.

u201cTake a ud83dudc40 at this beauty! The #ThankfulPumpkin ud83cudf83 turned out amazing! Thank you to everyone who participated & we hope this reminded ourselves all that we have to be #thankful for! Now who can whip this into a ud83cudf83 ud83eudd67? #JATS #Tradition #blessed #JFL #Reminders #BeThankfulu201d

— Jaguar Athletic Training (@Jaguar Athletic Training)
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u201cThe #thankfulpumpkin is our answer to 2020. They love telling me what theyu2019re grateful for each morning & get a kick out of writing it on their pumpkin. This is how we nourish grateful hearts.ud83eudde1u201d

— Keisha Grant (@Keisha Grant)
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Latta was really onto something when she decided to put the “thanks” back in Thanksgiving. Further, learning how to practice gratitude is one of the most important keys to happiness, so it’s wonderful that she’s given us all a new way to practice it with our families.

Amy E. Keller, Psy D., says that practicing gratitude is wonderful for our psychological well-being.

“Experiencing gratitude activates neurotransmitters like dopamine, which we associate with pleasure, and serotonin, which regulates our mood,” she told Verywell Mind. “It also causes the brain to release oxytocin, a hormone which induces feelings like trust and generosity which promotes social bonding, and feeling connected.”

A decade after her little idea has caught on, Latta is grateful for the incredible response.

“I never imagined the little idea I had in my kitchen that day would encourage gratitude far beyond our four walls, and each year as I see it shared, I am humbled all over again to think that maybe it has impacted you too,” she wrote on Instagram. “Let’s be grateful together as we head into the holiday season. I’m so glad you’re here.”