Category: News

Eight years have passed (eight!) since Sons of Anarchy ended with Jax Teller letting the spirit of Jesus guide his bike into a semi-truck or something. Since that green-screen moment, lead actor Charlie Hunnam went on to dodge 50 Shades Of Grey and embark upon a wide-ranging career including The Lost City of Z, Crimson Peak, and Papillion. Oh, and he informed us all that he previously turned down the rock star role (which went to Russell Brand) in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which blows my mind a bit, but that’s all in the past (or maybe not).

Hunnam is still best known as president of Kurt Sutter’s SAMCRO-based creation. And let’s just say that he’s a world away from Charming in Apple TV’s Shantaram series. The show’s an odyssey of sorts, following Gregory David Roberts’ same-named book, which charts an Australian convict who flees from prison and ends up in India, where life takes turns both dazzling and troubling. The book may or may not be based upon Roberts’ own life experiences, which is part of the fun. From the show’s synopsis:

“Shantaram” follows a fugitive named Lin Ford (Hunnam) looking to get lost in vibrant and chaotic 1980s Bombay. Alone in an unfamiliar city, Lin struggles to avoid the trouble he’s running from in this new place. After falling for an enigmatic and intriguing woman named Karla, Lin must choose between freedom or love and the complications that come with it.

Shantaram premieres on December 16, only on Apple TV.

Britney Spears took to Instagram yesterday (September 13), wishing her two sons a happy birthday in a new post. “Happy birthday Preston and Jayden!!! Love you both so much!!!,” Spears captioned the two photos. Both taken last year, one includes Spears posing with Preston and the other includes all three. Her son, Sean Jayden, turned seventeen today, while Preston James had his 16th birthday on Monday.

It could be the start of things getting better for them, as Spears has since become estranged from the teenage boys, which she detailed in another Instagram upload over the weekend. “Since they’ve been gone, I’ve honestly felt like a huge part of me has died,” she shared.

“Like, literally, I have no purpose anymore,” Spears continued in the audio clip. “They were my joy, they were my everything. I looked forward to seeing them, that was what I lived for. And then all of a sudden, they were gone. I was like, ‘Did my heart just stop beating?’ Honestly, I don’t understand how it’s so easy for them just to cut me off like that. I don’t understand it.”

The pop star, who broke out of her conservatorship and recently released a chart-topping collab with Elton John, shares Preston and Jayden with her ex-husband Kevin Federline. The two were married from 2004 to 2007. In 2019, a court gave Federline 70% of the custody and they moved in full-time with their father.

In addition, the sons have spoken out in headlines of their own, giving a little bit of hope to remedying the familial dynamic. During an interview with ITV, both Preston and Jayden appeared to react to their mother’s wedding to Sam Asghari. “I 100% think this can be fixed. It’s just going to take a lot of time and effort. I just want her to get better mentally. When she gets better I really want to see her again,” Jayden said. “I love you a lot, I hope for the best for you. Maybe one day we can sit down like this and talk again.”

“At the time it just wasn’t a good time to go. I’m not saying I’m not happy for her. I’m really happy for them, but she didn’t invite the whole family, and then if it was just going to be me and Preston. I just don’t see how that situation would have ended on good terms,” Jayden continued.

Following the news, Spears addressed him directly in a post from September 1. Read the full post below.

Burgeoning Bay Area rapper Symba is having a bit of a moment right now as his profile climbs in the wake of his signing to Atlantic Records. After sharing the tracklist and release date of his upcoming Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama, Results Take Time, Symba official set off his media tour to promote the project with a freestyle on Hot 97’s Funk Flex Show.

However, rather than simply spitting scintillating punchlines — of which there are sure to be plenty on his mixtape — Symba uses the moment to take the show’s host to task for his inflammatory remarks about Tupac Shakur. A little over ten years ago, during a live performance, Flex went on an anti-Tupac rant, then, in 2017, again lashed out against the late rapper on Twitter for some reason. When celebrated rappers like T.I. jumped in to check him during an Instagram Live, Flex insisted that “[Tupac] lied” about his thug persona while apparently on the verge of tears.

Symba, every bit the brash pugilist Tupac presented in his life, wasn’t afraid to confront his host — even though he could have damaged his own opportunities by calling him out. “I got a bone to pick with you, Flex,” he said, prefacing a devastating — yet hilarious — freestyle in which he took Flex to task for his words. “You been a big part of this culture my whole life / So what I’m ’bout to say almost don’t feel right / You say some wild sh*t, most times you actually right / But all that disrespecting Tupac sh*t stops tonight.”

And while Flex could have easily taken offense, he actually seems to agree with Symba, bursting out in laughter and interrupting to promise: “I’m a stop!” Once all that is out of the way, Symba shows off his penchant for punishing punchlines, making his case as one of the most charismatic pure rappers today.

You can watch the full freestyle above.

On Tuesday night, news broke that longtime Donald Trump associate and dedicated “Big Lie” pusher Mike Lindell had his phone seized by the FBI. Given everything that’s happening in Trump world lately, this wasn’t an entirely surprising development, particularly with Lindell’s very public involvement in helping Trump discredit the results of the 2020 election. However, what did make the phone seizure notable is the hilarious detail that Lindell was reportedly stopped by agents in a Hardee’s drive-thru.

With that detail out in the wild, Lindell was ruthlessly roasted on Twitter. Seeing an opportunity that’s probably never going to happen again, the social media team at Hardee’s jumped at the free publicity. They also worked in a solid pun, so well played all around.

“Now that you know we exist… you should really try our pillowy biscuits,” the official Hardee’s Twitter account wrote.

However, there’s one person who’s not laughing: Donald Trump. The former president fired off a rant on Truth Social where he got downright apocalyptic about Lindell’s phone being seized while the man was simply trying to order… whatever it is that they sell at Hardee’s.

“Breaking News: Mike Lindell, ‘THE Pillow Guy,’ was just raided by the FBI,” Trump wrote. “We are now officially living in a Weaponized Police State, Rigged Elections, and all. Our Country is a laughing stock all over the World. The majesty of the United States is gone. Can’t let this happen. TAKE BACK AMERICA!”

What makes Trump’s rant particularly dramatic is the fact that Lindell wasn’t even arrested. In fact, he offered to go with the FBI agents, but all they wanted was his phone. After that, he was free to sample Hardee’s biscuits, which we hear are pillowy.

(Via Hardee’s on Twitter)

The Emmys are a great place to get a ton of celebrities together in one room and interview them about anything, mostly because the ceremony is so chaotic that they really don’t have a choice. After this year’s winners were ushered off the stage, they were invited to sit down with Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel Live for a Back-To-Back interview that turned into a drinking game.

Guillermo spoke to a handful of Emmy winners including Julia Garner, Michael Keaton, and Sheryl Lee Ralph, who sang him a custom song. Guillermo then tricked Garner into taking a shot of tequila by offering her a booster shot of the monkeypox vaccine (2022 is wild). “I feel everything disinfecting everything inside,” Garner explains after her shot. The Squid Game crew was the next group to take shots, which Guillermo refers to as “American Hospitality!” And he’s right!

Meanwhile, Brett Goldstein was offered a “cup of tea” to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II, which, surprise surprise, was also tequila. The rest of the Ted Lasso cast also took “Mexican Tea” shots out of teacups, which is what the Queen would have wanted!

John Oliver was also offered a cup of “tea-quila” though he wasn’t a fan. “Cheers. No better way to start the day,” Oliver said before his shot. “I think that’s what the queen had in the morning. May she rest in peace. Pour one out for the Queen.”

Finally, Guillermo would never try to trick Brian Cox, so he just had him take a Buzzfeed quiz titled “Which Succession Character Are You.” He got Tom. “It’s total F*cking b*llshit, quite frankly,” Cox exclaimed. “It’s such a waste of time and energy coming here and doing this piece of sh*t. Anyway, I’m delighted to be here.” A very Logan Roy sentiment.

Check out the clip above.

The hip-house resurrection continues with the remix to Ravyn Lenae’s new Kaytrana-produced single, “Xtasy.” Fittingly, the new version of the song features a verse from Doechii, rap’s latest adherent to the dance-music-infused style that first emerged 30 years ago and has made a roaring resurgence this year. Picking up where she left off on her own upbeat singles like “Persuasive” and her debut EP, She/Her/Black B*tch, Doechii delivers a seductive verse playing off the sexy themes presented by Lenae on the original “Xtasy.”

Lenae has been around for a bit, but has seen increased attention in 2022 thanks to a slew of steamy singles such as the Steve Lacy collaborations “Skin Tight” and “Light Me Up,” “Xtasy,” and “M.I.A.,” the lead single from her upcoming debut album Hypnos. In a statement about the long-awaited debut, Lenae said:

“When you listen to the music, I hope you have a better understanding of me and even catch a better understanding of yourself. As artists, we make music as a pathway to help other people understand certain aspects of their lives. I’ve gone through the tunnels and seen the light on the other side. I’m finding my way. I’m clearer on who I am and my power through music and lyricism. I’m pouring more into me, friendships, family, and music. Through all of that, I’m fulfilled.”

Check out the “Xtasy” remix above.

Hypnos is out 5/20 via Atlantic. Pre-save it here.

Ravyn Lenae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Harry Styles is giving one lucky winner (and a friend) the chance to win a trip to his Harryween show on October 31 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum. The pop star partnered with the non-partisan voter registration group Headcount for a “Good To Vote” initiative, with the hopes of encouraging fans to vote in this year’s midterm election.

In addition to the randomly selected winner and guest attending the show, they will also receive airfare, a hotel, and a merchandise pack with a hand-signed poster by Styles. For those looking to enter, volunteers from Headcount will also be at Styles’ Love On Tour stops across NYC, Austin, Chicago, and LA, allowing attendees to check their voter registration status at the shows.

Styles has been vocal in the past about his stances. In May, the musician partnered with Everytown For Gun Safety during his North American Love On Tour leg, pledging a donation of $1 million that was matched by Live Nation.

“Along with all of you, I have been absolutely devastated by the recent string of mass shootings in America, culminating at the latest in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas,” he shared in an Instagram statement. “On our North American tour, we will be partnering with Everytown who work to end gun violence, donating to support their efforts, and sharing their suggested action items. Love, H.”

He also shared support for President Biden during the 2020 election. “If I could vote in America, I’d vote with kindness,” he wrote on Twitter.

More information on Styles’ Harryween partnership with Headcount is available here.

There are lots of covers of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” out there — Placebo, Meg Myers, Kim Petras, Coldplay, Car Seat Headrest. Many were done after the song’s recent revival caused by Stranger Things, which led to it topping the global Billboard chart decades after its 1985 release.

Pop star Rita Ora is the latest musician to take a stab at it. Whereas most renditions stayed true to the original, Ora added… something of her own twist, which prompted lots of mixed reactions. She performed it at the Rock In Rio MultiShow festival in Brazil, and a video of it was shared by BCharts. It has far more quote-tweets than retweets, which is normally not a good sign. It’s just her isolated vocals and the only recognizable part of Bush’s song is her lyrics. She doesn’t follow the melody or rhythm; no instruments are used either.

Some users compared it to Fergie’s notorious National Anthem performance. Other users are praying that Bush never sees this. Many stated that they could not make it through the whole video even though it’s less than a minute. Really, the only positive comments are people saying they have to respect how ridiculous it is. So, props to her for that!

After famously losing an Emmy at the virtual ceremonies in 2020 (what a wild ride that year was) Ramy Youssef is back in action. Youssef’s brilliant A24-produced comedy Ramy will return for its third season in just a few short weeks, and we finally have the first look at the highly anticipated set of episodes.

Season three of the show will follow Ramy as he goes through both “spiritual” and financial debt and finds the meaning of life…while living in New Jersey. The series also stars Laith Nakli, Hiam Abbass, Amr Waked, May Calamawy, Dave Merheje, and Mohammed Amer.

Throughout the newest trailer, fans get a glimpse into Ramy’s family and their various endeavors: Ramy’s sister Dena encourages their mother to go to therapy, which is met with immediate pushback, Uncle Naseem proclaims himself as “politically fluid” and Stevie gets himself a girlfriend, played by model Bella Hadid in her first acting role. As per the official description:

Caught between a religious Muslim community who believes life is a moral test and a millennial generation that doubts an afterlife exists, Ramy and his family navigate spirituality in their politically-divided New Jersey neighborhood.

Ramy returns for its third season on September 30th on Hulu. Check out the trailer above.

Plenty of rappers have had label squabbles recently, and it looks like Roddy Ricch has joined the ever-growing list. He’s been promising fans the third edition of his Feed Tha Streets mixtape series for some time, and despite his label, Atlantic, not counting it as an album against his contract, he still plans to put it out for the sake of his supporters.

In a post on Instagram, Roddy shared a screenshot of a text message between him and his managers. Roddy writes, “The label don’t wanna count Feed Tha Streets 3 as an album cuz it’s always been a mixtape series but the fans need it so let’s drop when I get off tour.” This announcement was met with excitement by fans in his comments section — and with skepticism in others.

Due to the lukewarm response to Roddy’s last full-length album, Live Life Fast, some believe Feed Tha Streets 3 could be a make or break moment for him. In reality, there’s no such thing — artists’ careers have always had peaks and valleys and now, thanks to social media and streaming, they can at least weather those storms without worrying about trying to appeal to everyone and focus on their own fan bases — which is apparently exactly what Roddy intends to do with Feed Tha Streets 3.

Roddy will be on tour with Post Malone on the Twelve Carat Toothache Tour until November 15, when the tour concludes in his hometown, Los Angeles, at Staples — sorry, Crypto.com Arena (ugh). Considering his penchant from dropping in December, maybe we can expect that tape sometime around Christmas.

Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.