Category: News

The Whale has resurrected Brendan Fraser‘s career, garnered a truckload of awards chatter, and raised some standard questions about representation in Hollywood. Since the main character, Charlie, is a 600-pound gay man, why not hiring a gay actor? Or an obese one? In a world where leading roles large actors and gay actors are fewer and farther between, why pick Fraser over someone else?

Within the sprawling Variety feature on the likely Oscar winner and the career-reigniting director, Darren Aronofsky responded to the question by detailing the work the production went through to find their star.

“There was a chapter in the making of this film where we tried to research actors with obesity,” said Aronofsky. “Outside of not being able to find an actor who could pull off the emotions of the role, it just becomes a crazy chase. Like, if you can’t find a 600-pound actor, is a 300-pound actor or 400-pound actor enough?”

The director also worried whether a 600-pound actor could handle the grueling production schedule.

“From a health perspective, it’s prohibitive,” said Aronofsky. “It’s an impossible role to fill with a real person dealing with those issues.”

This addresses one vector of identity, but not the other. However, the answer might be lurking in Aronofsky’s explanation of his surprise that the entire world seems to love Fraser.

“I just needed the right actor for the role. But it’s amazing to see how people respond to him. I think they’re going to be impressed by how the same actor who played all those honest, innocent characters back then is portraying this complicated, messed-up person.”

(via Variety)

After months (years really) of rumors, it was announced this week that vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge has rejoined Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker in Blink-182 after splitting ways with the band in 2015. The band also announced a new album, a tour, and a new song called ‘Edging.’ DeLonge already called the new album, “the best album of our career.” But even though DeLonge left the band seven years ago, his last album with Blink came way before that.

What Was Blink-182’s Last Album With Tom DeLonge?

Blink-182 currently have nine studio albums. The run began with the epic debut,Cheshire Cat, in 1995, and the alt-radio smash Dude Ranch, in 1997. DeLonge, Barker, and Hoppus are the original trio who also appeared on Blink-182’s best selling album, Enema Of the State, in 1999. The band stayed together for three more albums from there and the last Blink-182 album that Tom DeLonge was a part of, was Neighborhoods in 2011.

In 2015, DeLonge left the band on rather questionable terms. Barker characterized his departure as “ungrateful, disingenuous,” in an interview with Rolling Stone. With Hoppus adding that, “To be honest, I wasn’t that surprised because his attitude leading up to that had been not excited and not interested.”

Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba took over for DeLonge in 2016. Skiba was with Blink-182 for two albums: California in 2016 and Nine in 2019. And Skiba has been somewhat out of the loop on DeLonge’s return along with his own place in the band. Skiba indicated in July that he wasn’t even sure if he was in the band anymore. Well know he (and we know) that Blink-182 are back to their original lineup and lots more is in store. Whether the return is a harmonious one remains to be seen.

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There are a lot of problems with America, and Republican lawmakers and commentators have done their best to make a few seem extra scarier to their base. (Some have even done inhumane stunts that have landed them in potential legal hot water.) One issue is inflation. Do they have any real solutions on how to combat high prices? Not really. But they can scare people by making it seem even worse. On Fox Business Wednesday, one commentator went a bit too far, making a claim about the bill at a fast food joint that even colleagues found a bit suspect.

That person is Scott Martin, a honcho at a wealth management company and a Fox News contributor. He’s no household name, but on Wednesday he went viral for claiming he’d blown a ton on Taco Bell.

“You wanna know how bad inflation is?” Martin asked. “Yesterday, I had a nice lunch at Taco Bell — cost me about 28 dollars at Taco Bell for lunch.” If that seems like a lot, then you aren’t alone. Even anchor Neil Cavuto was incredulous, partially because Martin doesn’t look like he can house that much faux-Mexican food. “For me, that’s the opening appetizer,” he cracked.

So what happened? Did Martin really load up on chalupas and gorditas, maybe even some Cinnabon delights? Was it those darned UberEats fees? Well, no, what he really did was order poorly and pay more than he had to by not ordering some of them as combo deal packages. He could have only spent about $23 on Taco Bell!

Whatever the case, a lot of people found Martin’s claim of gorging on nearly 30 bucks of Taco Bell to be impossible, or at least worrying.

https://twitter.com/chipfranklin/status/1580332904215109632

Some broke down what 28 bucks at Taco Bell gets you.

There were also, of course, lots of poop jokes.

Some didn’t see a problem with ordering $28 in Taco Bell.

Meanwhile, over at Defector, reporter Patrick Redford bravely accepted the job of biking to one of the joints, ordering his own $28 (or thereabouts) meal, then eating it all. So how did that go?

Somehow I wrote the above (I think) incisive paragraph, as well as the moronic ones surrounding it, after crushing my tray full of garbage. I ate it all. I did not buy or bring a drink. I rode my bike home as the gunk sloshed in my stomach and my body’s alarm system began to ring. The effects of the sodium felt akin to a mild hallucinogen. My lips puckered, my mind felt untethered from my body, floating above me as I rode (unfortunately uphill) back home as if it was trying to distance itself from the damage it had caused. My colleagues expressed their sympathy for me, but mostly for my partner, who works very hard at a normal job and was making work calls while I was destroying my body for a stupid blog post.

He’s not the only one who can eat a lot of Taco Bell. Uproxx writers have done it, too, albeit not all in one sitting.

There are no surprises here. Paradise City looks like exactly the kind of movie Bruce Willis has been making for the past decade, albeit with a higher gloss and some bigger names. It’s also going to be one the last chances we have to see Willis on screen, following his retirement announcement and the revelation that he’s dealing with the brain disorder anaphasia. The revenge action flick didn’t announce a release date in this fun-loving trailer, but we shouldn’t have to wait too long. Plus, Willis is set to be in back-to-back Detective Knight movies set for December 2022 and January 2023 before saying goodbye to the silver screen.

Here’s the official synopsis for Paradise City:

“When bounty hunter Ian Swan (Willis) is shot and presumed dead after disappearing in Maui waters, Swan’s son, Ryan (Blake Jenner), his ex-partner (Stephen Dorff), and a local detective (Praya Lundberg) set out to find his killers. After being threatened by a ruthless power broker (John Travolta), it appears Ryan and his team are out of options — until an excursion to the closely guarded island community of Paradise City unites them with an unforeseen ally.”

A lengthy rivalry, some quippy one-liners, and a lot of kick-punching offer exactly what we want and expect from a movie like this. There also seem to be plenty of scenes where the good guys and bad guys talk menacingly at each other, which is almost always a recipe for magic. On top of being a Pulp Fiction reunion for Travolta and Willis, it’s also directed by Chuck Russell, who last notably directed Scorpion King (and who also made The Mask), so there are some serious 90s vibes clashing on the island wonderland.

Earlier today, a judge ruled that disgraced right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay close to a billion dollars to families of children whose lives were lost in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Jones has infamously spewed a lie for a decade claiming that the horrific act never happened. Probably not somebody that you’d want to use to prove a point, right? Well apparently rapper and provocateur MIA doesn’t feel that way.

In a tweet posted today, MIA used Jones as an example to push anti-vax rhetoric. “If Alex Jones pays for lying shouldn’t every celebrity pushing vaccines pay too?,” she wrote. That’s quite a line to draw in the sand and a fairly despicable analogy, especially given the timing of her new album, Mata, due out this Friday, October 14th.

And we can’t even begin to understand why MIA would choose such an unfathomable tragedy and nefarious person to cite when coming totally out of left field with anti-vax sentiments. Recently, MIA spoke to Zane Lowe to talk about how her new album is about a “clash” of “ego and spirituality.” Adding that, “…as a musician, you need some ego.” Perhaps she’s showing a bit too much of that ego here, just like Alex Jones always did.

This article originally appeared on 02.20.20

“OK Boomer” is a catchphrase that has come to perfectly encapsulate the generational divide in modern American politics. It has also led to some moments of pure comedy gold.

But it turns out that one of the great all-time standup comedic minds was literally decades ahead of the game when it came to dragging Boomers for selfish, hypocritical, and entitled behavior. In his 1996 stand up special “Back in Town” George Carlin devoted a glorious two minutes and twenty-seven seconds to putting Boomers in their place.

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“A lot of these cultural crimes I’m complaining about can be blamed on the Baby Boomers,” Carlin says, beginning what would become a now legendary rant.

“I’m getting tired of hearing about Boomers,” Carlin continues. “Whiny, narcissistic, self-indulgent people with a simple philosophy: ‘GIMME IT, IT’S MINE!’ ‘GIMME THAT, IT’S MINE!’ These people were given everything. Everything was handed to them. And they took it all: sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and they stayed loaded for 20 years and had a free ride.”

“But now they’re staring down the barrel of middle-age burnout, and they don’t like it. So they’ve turned self-righteous. They want to make things harder on younger people. They tell ’em, abstain from sex, say no to drugs; as for the rock and roll, they sold that for television commercials a long time ago…so they could buy pasta machines and Stairmasters and soybean futures.”

Or, as one person on Reddit commented on Carlin’s video: “My feeling about baby-boomers is that they were one of the first generations to really adulate and idolize the idea of youth, and youth empowerment but when they themselves reach senior ages their own ideas were working against them so they changed to demonizing youth.”

But Carlin wasn’t done there. He says the Boomers have not only become hypocrites, they turned their own generational shift into cutthroat, corporate catchphrases that guilt and shame others who don’t comport to their world view.

“You know something? They are cold, bloodless people,” Carlin says.

“These people went from ‘Do Your Own Thing’ to ‘Just Say No.’ They went from ‘Love is All You Need’ to ‘Whoever Winds Up With the Most Toys, Wins.’ And they went from cocaine to Rogaine.”

Carlin’s bit concludes in epic fashion with an all-encompassing take down that applies to, well, literally everyone. But the next time you hear a Boomer ridiculing young people or defending their own legacy, just show them this clip and remind them that Boomer criticism is something that transcends age, gender or race. Heck, even if you’re from the Boomer generation, this clip is just too good to not enjoy and share.

George Carlin Whining Baby Boomers

Descripción

This article originally appeared on 04.16.19

This is Briana “Bree” Wiseman, a pastry chef and restaurant manager from Tennessee.

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The 22-year-old shared a photo of her dog on Facebook next to a plate of food and it went viral — but not just because her dog is really, really cute. In the caption, Wiseman made a powerful statement about sexual assault, using her dog, and the plate of food, as a metaphor.

To the people that say women get raped due to the way they are dressed. This is my dog. His favorite food is steak. He…
Posted by Bree Wiseman on Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Wiseman wrote:

To the people that say women get raped due to the way they are dressed. This is my dog. His favorite food is steak. He is eye level with my plate. He won’t get any closer because I told him no. If a dog is better behaved than you are, you need to reevaluate your life. Feel free to share, my dog is adorable.

So far, over 325,000 people have shared the post. And thousands have left comments, most of them in full support of both the message, and the dog.

Wiseman told the Huffington Post she decided to share the post to take a stand against victim-blaming, in part because of her own experiences with sexual assault. She said:

The only person to blame in a rape offense is the rapist. It was their decision to rape. People shouldn’t have to worry about what they chose to wear for fear of rape. I want people to see that this is a problem, and to stand together against victim-shaming.

She continued:

If a 4-year-old pit bull understands the word no,’ even though he is looking at something he wants so bad he is literally drooling, then adults should understand ‘no,’ no matter how the other adult is dressed… How is it that a simple-minded animal has the ability to understand better than a large part of the adult population?

Good question. Although we already knew dogs are better than people. That being said, kudos to Wiseman for speaking up, and to her dog, for being such a good boy.

This article was originally published by our partners at someecards.

It’s hard to believe, but Trevor Noah has hosted The Daily Show for seven years. His predecessor, Jon Stewart, had to cover 9/11 and eight years of George W. Bush. Noah had to cover all 100 years of the Donald Trump presidency. Late last month, the comic up and announced that he was leaving the show over which he’s lorded since 2015. At the time, it wasn’t sure how long he’d lost. Would he stay till year’s end? Longer than that? Maybe just a couple months? Now we have an answer, and it’s closer to the latter.

As per Deadline, Noah isn’t high-tailing it out of there until after his last day, on December 8. That’s less than two months, or about eight weeks. His final show will be a special one, offering a “celebratory look back at his greatest moments.”

As for the future of The Daily Show, that’s still up in the air. Following Noah’s climactic episode, the program will go hiatus, not returning until January 17. It’s unclear if the Noah-era roster of correspondents — including Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, Dulcé Sloan, and Roy Wood Jr. — will return as well.

News of Noah’s departure was a surprise, not only to regular Daily Show viewers but even to his boss Chris McCarthy, head of Paramount Global, as well as to his colleagues. Since then, there’s been wild speculation about who the show’s fourth host could be. There have even been calls for certain alumni to come back. But maybe they should give it to the guy who both roasted Noah on air for leaving and did some very fine straight man work in the very fine Confess, Fletch.

(Via Deadline)

Lately, Charlie Puth has been appearing online wearing nothing at all. So it seemed like a tongue-in-cheek reference to his recent naked-ness when Puth appeared as the musical guest on the Sesame Street “Howl-o-ween” YouTube special trying on a variety of different costumes.

Puth, whose new album Charlie features BTS and was just released last week, popped onto Sesame Street to help Tango the dog look for a costume. Puth and Elmo lead Tango in a series of Halloween costume ideas on their song “Howl-o-ween.” First, Puth and Tango are witches to Elmo’s black cat, before Cookie Monster suggests that they all dress up as snacks. Elmo is an M&Ms cookie, Tango is a wafer sandwich, and Puth is an Oreo cookie (granted he missed an opportunity to be way more extra with the classic cookie fit.) Puth also dresses up as a pirate and — to the delight of his furry fans — a dog.

In another recent TV performance, Puth appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to make an entire song from scratch using a coffee mug and a spoon. It was actually pretty impressive.

Watch Charlie Puth sing “Howl-O-Ween” on Sesame Street above.

Charlie Puth is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet and where to find them. We’re just about midway through October, which means there are only a couple of more weeks until we’re hit with spooky seasonal kicks. Halloween is the last holiday of the year to get a lot of love from sneaker brands as Nike and Adidas roll out their themed sneakers before we reach that dreaded end of the year slump. After a frustratingly slow start, 2022 has been a pretty strong year for sneakers overall, and while we’re sure there are a few more surprises in the cards, we’ve likely already seen the best the year has to offer.

This week we have a shorter list than usual, topping off at seven notable sneaker releases including the latest from Nike, Adidas, and New Balance, as well as a big collaboration out of Social Status and a new boot from Vans. Let’s dive into this week’s seven best sneakers.

Air Force 1 Low x UNDERCOVER Black/White/Grey Fog

We love when sneaker designers approach silhouettes that are essentially untouchable and try to do something new. This week Jun Takahashi did just that via his UNDERCOVER label with this wild reimagining of the Air Force 1.

Featuring a waterproof GORE_TEX sleeve, full-ankle lacing system, and a speckled midsole, this iteration sports a branded heel wrap, plastic tongue logo, and metal dubraes, giving the sneaker a futuristic and utilitarian vibe that transforms the look of the AF-1 and morphs it into something brand new.

The Air Force 1 Low x UNDERCOVER Black/White/Grey Fog is set to drop on October 12th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $165. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Vans Coastal Colfax Boot MTE-1

Vans is known primarily for its low-profile skate sneakers, but the brand also makes a pretty solid boot in the new Coastal Colfax MTE-1. Featuring a strong utilitarian design, the Colfax sports rubber overlays, a lugged outsole with multi-directional treads, and PrimaLoft insulation to keep your feet warm and supported.

The upper is composed of mixed leather and textile and sits atop a molded EVA footbed for extra comfort. The sneaker drops in five dope earthy colorways.

The Vans Coastal Colfax Boot MTE-1 is out now for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Vans webstore.

New Balance x Auralee XC-72

For their latest notable collaboration, New Balance has teamed up with Tokyo-based brand Auralee for a new take on the XC-72. Made from premium materials, the XC-72 features mixed nubuck, smooth leather, and hairy suede upper in a monochromatic blue colorway offering something that is both elegant and minimalistic.

The outsole features asymmetric traction borrowed from the XC-15 and 375 sneaker with a 620 herringbone style outsole pattern.

The New Balance x Auralee CX-72 is set to drop on October 13th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $149.99. Pick up a pair via the New Balance webstore.

Adidas Roverend Adventure

Halloween is fast approaching which means it’s the perfect time of year to go on a haunted hike! If you’re going to be hitting the trails, you want to be geared up with some comfortable thick traction footwear and Adidas has just what you’re looking for with the Roverend Adventure. I mean, it’s got ‘adventure’ right in the name, how could you go wrong?

The Roverend, which spell check makes almost impossible to spell without autocorrecting to ‘reverend,’ features a textile upper with a TPU cage serving as a sort of exoskeleton. The inner lining is also textile and the sneaker features a thick rubber outsole with enhanced traction allowing you full comfort over many different terrains.

The Adidas Roverend Adventure is set to drop on October 13th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app.

Social Status x Nike Air Penny 2 Playground

This year, Social Status helped to repopularize the forgotten Nike Air Penny 2 and now the collaboration is coming to an end with the final colorway of the set. Featuring a mix of smooth black leather and a wild swirling midsole, the Air Max Penny 2 Playground features dual branding, and embroidered swoosh and bright blue accents.

The Social Status x Nike Air Penny 2 Playground is set to drop on October 13th for a retail price of $200. Hit up Social Status or your favorite aftermarket site.

Nike Air Force 1 Billie Sequoia

Billie Eilish’s Nike collaborations may not inspire the sort of hype that someone like Travis Scott gets, but Billie has been quietly building up a strong roster of sneakers with Nike that seems to get better with every subsequent release. This week’s Sequoia AF-1 features a high-top cut with a synthetic unbuckle leather upper made from recycled content.

Steeped in a utilitarian aesthetic, the Sequoia features four straps and a bulky design that makes it look ready for battle. It’s a dope design and if Kanye made it, people would be going nuts for it.

The Nike Air Force 1 Billie Sequoia is set to drop on October 14th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Women’s Air Jordan 4 Canyon Purple

The combination of dark purple, orange, and green give this sneaker a sort of Frankenstein’s monster vibe. Maybe it’s just because we’re midway through October and fast approaching Halloween, but I can’t look at this Jordan 4 and not think it would make the perfect final detail of a modern Frankenstein costume.

This women’s size Air Jordan 4 features a speckled midsole and a rich suede upper. It’s a Jordan 4 so it could essentially be any color and worth copping, but luckily this color combination is fresh as hell, whether you rock it on Halloween or not.

The Nike Women’s Air Jordan 4 Canyon Purple is set to drop on October 15th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.