Category: News

Fox News is practically demanding to be mocked after attacking Beyoncé and her “vile” lyrics and confusing Chris Rock and Kid Rock and “schlong COVID” and… yeah, there’s a lot to make fun of. But don’t forget to spread the mockery around to Fox Business.

Fox News contributor Joe Concha appeared on Fox Business on Thursday to discuss the dangers of marijuana like it’s the 1950s all over again. “We’re allowing these people out on the streets and we wonder why there’s an exodus going out of New York and out of San Francisco and Los Angeles,” he told host Dagen McDowell while discussing liberals letting criminals walk free. “It is primarily due to crime. It’s due to the drug use that we see in the open air.” Concha then shared a “only in New York, baby!” story.

“I took a walk up to Central Park yesterday, had some time to kill, I could not escape the smell of weed everywhere! And it’s just, New York is not what it used to be. I know that personally. You go through Penn Station when you take the train into the city and you’re walking over bodies, and you don’t know if people are alive or dead.”

Boy, someone really needs to chill. If only there was a way to do that…

You can watch the clip above.

(Via Raw Story)

Currently, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have two kids, Luna and Miles. Teigen just revealed, though, that soon, they’ll be adding a third.

In an Instagram post shared yesterday, Teigan dropped photos of her baby bump and wrote, “the last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again. 1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way. Every appointment I’ve said to myself, ‘ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce’ but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still. I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing. Ok phew it’s been very hard keeping this in for so long!”

This comes after the couple previously revealed in August 2020 that they were expecting a child, via Legend’s video for “Wild.” That October, though, Teigen revealed the tragic news that they had lost the baby, writing in part, “We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before. We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough. […] To our Jack — I’m so sorry that the first few moments of your life were met with so many complications, that we couldn’t give you the home you needed to survive. We will always love you.”

Willow has been unleashing a plethora of experimental material since the release of last year’s dynamic LP Lately I Feel Everything, which featured Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, and more. Songs like “Purge” with Siiickbrain, “Where You Are” with PinkPantheress, and “Psychofreak” with Camila Cabello lean into her sharp edge and dark energy. Today, she’s announced Copingmechanism, her next album coming this fall.

She announced Copingmechanism on Instagram, which will arrive on September 23 and be available for pre-order tomorrow, along with a new single, “Hover Like A Goddess.” She shared the album art as well, which depicts an electric guitar smashing through a television set.

Willow’s last song was the fiery, idiosyncratic “Maybe It’s My Fault,” about which she said in the press release, “It’s all too often in tender emotional states we try to blame our hurts on other people. Even though none of us are perfect, in some capacity it’s us who allow ourselves to get into situations that don’t serve our highest purpose.” She added that the song “explores what it’s like to hold ourselves equally accountable for the emotional pain we feel while also allowing ourselves to be human and fully process ALL of our feelings without shame.”

New Orleans rapper Mystikal was denied bond Tuesday afternoon after being arrested Sunday for rape and false imprisonment, according to New Orleans’ ABC affiliate. The bond denial may have to do with the details of the alleged crimes he committed, described in an arrest report also obtained by WBRZ. A spokesperson for the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said, “He didn’t show the victim any sympathy, and he won’t get any sympathy or special treatment. He will be in general population and incarcerated like anyone else.”

The alleged assault occurred on Saturday after Mystikal — real name Michael Tyler — accused the victim of stealing $100 from him. After allegedly punching her, choking her, pulling some of her hair out, and taking her phone and keys to prevent her escape, she says he fluctuated between agitated and apologetic. While searching for the money, she says she found a “crystalline substance” in a drawer, which police think may have been methamphetamine. Mystikal reportedly asked the woman if he could “feel” her, but when she refused, he pushed her onto a bed and raped her.

He returned her phone so he could CashApp himself $150 dollars — adding the extra $50 himself — and once she drove away, she phoned a friend who she met at a Baton Rouge hospital. After examining her rape kit, deputies found her injuries consistent with her description of the alleged attack, which is the third incident of sexual assault Mystikal has been accused of in the past twenty years. In 2003, he pled guilty to raping his hairdresser, and in 2017, he was accused of an assault at a Shreveport casino. The 2017 case was dropped, however, and he was released on a $3 million bond.

In addition to first-degree rape, false imprisonment, domestic abuse battery (strangulation), simple robbery, and simple criminal damage to property, Mystikal is also being charged with possession of meth, marijuana, Xanax, heroin, and drug paraphernalia after a search of his home.

Ela Minus is a synth wizard. She’s even engineered the electronic instruments that she’s uses to craft her music, including 2020’s breakthrough debut LP, Acts Of Rebellion. But for Corazón, the Colombian’s upcoming collaborative EP with New York-based producer DJ Python, she took a backseat instrumentally and focused instead on just lyrics and vocals. On “Pájaros En Verano” the first single from the newly-announced EP, the result is sublime.

“It’s way more intimate and vulnerable,” Minus says of only focusing on the words for a change. “I want people to listen to the songs and feel like I’m holding onto them. I’m giving people a place in this EP where they can feel like they belong.”

The EP (which is actually titled with just a heart symbol) comes out on September 14th via Smuggler’s Way, the new electronic-focused imprint of London’s famed Domino Records.

“We literally didn’t talk about how the tracks should sound,” Python added. “I sent her instrumentals and she sent them back with perfect vocals. It was this unspoken communication, a process to know the self and the other endlessly.”

Their connection is palpable on “Pájaros En Verano,” a track that Python crafted using an Octatrack sampler and a Virus TI Snow digital synth. The drums hit with a cymbal-like hiss and the loops buzz with sweet melodies; melodies that are felt even deeper through Ela Minus’ vocals as she sings, “After all the days that never happened and the nights that didn’t exist.”

The tune shows a deep appreciation for the time we were afforded to focus on the world around us during the pandemic’s loneliest days. “I made a list of things I was grateful for,” Minus said. “Clouds (and the time to look at them),quietness, sleep, books, food. I wanted to celebrate that ‘after all the days that never happened and the nights that didn’t exist,’ we are here, alive, and together.”

Listen to “Pájaros en Verano” above and check out the Corazón album art and tracklist below.

1. “Kiss U”
2. “Abril Lluvias Mil”
3. “Pájaros en Verano”

Corazón is out 9/16 via Smugglers Way. Pre-order it here.

In July, Kendrick Lamar launched The Big Steppers Tour, which started on July 19 in Oklahoma City. A couple of major shows on the trek supporting Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers are coming up: two concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on August 5 and 6. Ahead of that, what songs has Lamar been performing on his 2022 tour?

Setlist.fm, the most comprehensive resource for concert setlists available online, has the answer: Per their data (as of August 4), Lamar has a dozen songs tied for most-played — including “Humble,” “m.A.A.d City,” and “Backseat Freestyle” — while he’s only played “Auntie Diaries” and “Lust” once so far. The site also shows that when it comes to album representation on the tour, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is No. 1, followed by Damn; Good Kid, m.A.A.d City; and To Pimp A Butterfly.

Setlist.fm also has an “average setlist” for The Big Steppers Tour, which is based on setlists from previous shows, so it’s an indication of how an upcoming Lamar show might be structured.

Find Lamar’s most played songs on The Big Steppers Tour below, as well as the tour’s average setlist. Check out Lamar’s upcoming tour dates here.

T1. “Alright” (12 performances)
T1. “Backseat Freestyle” (12)
T1. “Count Me Out” (12)
T1. “DNA” (12)
T1. “Element” (12)
T1. “Humble” (12)
T1. “Loyalty” (12)
T1. “m.A.A.d City” (12)
T1. “Money Trees” (12)
T1. “N95” (12)
T1. “Savior” (12)
T1. “Silent Hill” (12)
T13. “B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” (11)
T13. “Love” (11)
T13. “United In Grief” (11)
T16. “Family Ties” (Baby Keem cover) (10)
T16. “King Kunta” (10)
T16. “Purple Hearts” (10)
T16. “Rich Spirit” (10)
T16. “Worldwide Steppers” (10)
T21. “Crown” (9)
T21. “Die Hard” (9)
T21. “Father Time” (9)
T21. “Mirror” (9)
T21. “Mr. Morale” (9)
T26. “I” (2)
T26. “Institutionalized” (2)
T26. “Poetic Justice” (2)
T26. “Swimming Pools (Drank)” (2)
T26. “The Art Of Peer Pressure” (2)
T26. “The Blacker The Berry” (2)
T32. “Auntie Diaries” (1)
T32. “Lust” (1)

“Savior (Interlude)” (played from tape)
“United In Grief”
“N95”
“Worldwide Steppers”
“Backseat Freestyle”
“Element”
“Rich Spirit”
“m.A.A.d City”
“Father Time”
“Humble”
“Purple Hearts”
“King Kunta”
“B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
“Die Hard”
“Money Trees”
“Lust” (played from tape)
“DNA”
“Alright”
“Count Me Out”
“Love”
“Loyalty”
“Mirror”
“Silent Hill”
“Family Ties” (Baby Keem Cover)
“Crown”
“Mr. Morale”
“Savior”

While HBO Max and Netflix are going through some things, Paramount+ continued to rack up subscribers to give its parent company one heck of a second quarter. The streaming service picked up 3.7 million subscribers during the quarter, and that’s after losing 1.2 million from a disconnect in Russia. According to the latest earnings report, Paramount+ now sits at 43.3 million subscribers. Even better, revenue for the streaming service doubled to $672 million, which coupled with Top Gun: Maverick‘s dynamite box office, is making Paramount look very good compared to its competitors who have not been having the best of luck.

“Our deep and growing library of valuable IP, coupled with the strength of our best-in-class assets, ensures we are well-positioned to continue to maximize value for our shareholders,” CEO Bob Bakish said in a statement.

Via Variety:

The pickup for Paramount+ comes as growth for other streamers has been flat or down. Netflix shed nearly 1 million subs in Q2 (though that was fewer than expected), while paid customers for NBCUniversal’s Peacock was flat for the period at 13 million and Peacock’s overall active accounts dropped by 1 million. Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns HBO Max and Discovery+, reports Q2 earnings Thursday after market close, and Disney is set to release results Aug. 10.

As part of its strategy of pulling from its parent companies deep bench of TV shows films, Paramount+ has been going big on its upcoming Beavis and Butt-head revival. In preparation of new episodes premiering this week, the streaming service has been working to get original seasons onto the platform. According to Comic Book, seasons four through eleven of the classic Beavis and Butt-head series are now available for your bingeing pleasure.

(Via Variety)

Mxmtoon turned in a solid sophomore album earlier this year with Rising, and now she’s returning with a little bit more: Today, she announces Rising (The Deluxe), an expanded version of the album that comes out in September and includes two new songs. Those are “Plastic Pony” and the lush and rhythmic “Kaleidoscope,” the latter of which was shared today.

In a statement, Mxmtoon wrote of “Kaleidoscope”:

“i don’t think it’s any secret that societal expectations of women are limiting, one-dimensional, and completely absurd. i grew up in a family that encouraged my creativity and individuality, but that didn’t shelter me completely from the sexism of the outer world. as i’ve grown up, i’ve had time to reflect on my journey so far and the identities i’ve held throughout it. being a woman is something i feel immensely proud of, but it’s also something that the world at large has relentlessly held against me and so many others. women are a diverse and beautiful group of people who embody perseverance and bravery, and i wanted to honor that with ‘kaleidoscope.’ i have bent my being until i’m broken for the sake of fitting a mold set for me by others, and i know i’m not the only one. my hope is that this song can embody the softness, strength, fierceness, and ever-expanding nature of what it means to be a woman and celebrates us!”

She also wrote of the deluxe album, “rising is everything i love packaged into a project, and what better way to expand and build upon that than by releasing deluxe tracks to go with the original twelve. i know that my sense of who i am is ever evolving, and i hope to get that idea across to the people that listen to my music as often as i can. both tracks being added serve the function of building on more to the story of me. ‘kaleidoscope’ being about the wildly vast facets of self that we as people can inhabit, and ‘plastic pony’ covering the realization that life can sometimes slip through our fingers. both lend themselves to the narrative rising tells, while leaving the next chapter of mxmtoon open for exploration! enjoy xo.”

Listen to “Kaleidoscope” above and find the Rising (The Deluxe) art and tracklist below. Also revisit our recent interview with Mxmtoon here.

1. “Mona Lisa”
2. “Learn To Love You”
3. “Victim Of Nostalgia ”
4. “Sad Disco”
5. “Frown”
6. “Florida”
7. “Scales”
8. “Growing Pains”
9. “Dizzy”
10. “Haze”
11. “Dance (End Of The World)”
12. “Coming Of Age”
13. “Plastic Pony”
14. “Kaleidoscope”

Rising (The Deluxe) is out 9/16 via AWAL Recordings. Pre-order it here.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s Instagram page is largely teasers for whatever new movie he’s promoting, videos of him working out in the gym, and photos of his cheat-day meals, often accompanied with a hashtag. There’s pancakes (“#PancakesAndWong”), there’s more pancakes (“#SundayGluttony”), and there’s… even more pancakes (“#CheatMealSunday”). So, yeah, The Rock really likes pancakes, but he also enjoys burgers, even going so far as to dub himself a “cheeseburger connoisseur.”

I call BS on this (please do not beat me up, Mr. The Rock). Before this week, this supposed expert of steamed ham had never tried In-N-Out Burger, one of the best fast food chains in the country — with some of the most polarizing french fries.

Is The Rock in or out?

“A #cheatmealsunday for the history books! My first time ever eating @innout. A solid start with a bite of good fries… as we know shitty fries can ruin the whole experience,” he wrote on Instagram. He paired the main course of two burgers with his tequila, of course. The verdict? Thumbs up emoji. “This cheeseburger connoisseur will now add In & Out to ‘the list.’ Enjoy your cheat meals, my friends,” he added.

Expect Vin Diesel to share his fondness for rival Shake Shack any day now.

(Via Instagram/The Rock)

If you’re at a Harry Styles concert and you ask him nicely, there’s a non-zero chance that he’ll help you out with something. He helped a fan at Wembley Stadium come out in June, and during a July 31 performance in Portugal, he gave a fan an assist with a proposal.

A fan-shot video of the moment with the couple, identified as Carl and Marianna, captures a pause in the show with Carl asking Styles, “Can I sing two lines to my girlfriend?” (They presumably had Styles’ attention due to a sign saying “help me propose” Marianna can be seen holding later in the video.) Styles has some fun with them, asking how long they’ve been together and added, “If this is like a two-week thing, no chance I’m giving you the microphone.” Carl said it had been “a little more” than a year. Harry asked the audience, “Do you get the microphone for a little more than a year? I’m not sure, personally.”

After the teasing, though, Styles did hand over the microphone, Carl started singing Elvis Presley’s 1961 classic “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” and how good Carl’s voice was seemed to surprise Styles. The audience sang along with Carl, who then pulled out a ring, got down on one knee, popped the question, and got an enthusiastic “yes!” from his now-fiancée.

It’s a lovely moment, so check it out above.