Category: News

Jeopardy! has had a long string of hosts since the death of Alex Trebek, though the show has largely settled on a mix of Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings. The former is currently slated to host most of the show’s tapings, including some primetime specials on ABC.

But Jeopardy! fans got worrying news on Tuesday when Bialik revealed that she recently tested positive for COVID-19. Bialik broke the news on Instagram and later expanded on the announcement on an account related to her podcast, Bialik Breakdown.

“It’s very, very exhausting,” Bialik said. “The exhaustion is very special. I had mononucleosis in college, and the exhaustion hits like that. Where you cannot be awake. You can try to be awake, but all of a sudden, you need to sleep.”

The news is worrying to anyone concerned about the health and wellness of people during the still-ongoing pandemic, but it does come with some good caveats. Namely, that Bialik is fully vaccinated and boosted, which will help limit the severity of her symptoms as well as hopefully limit her odds of seeing long COVID symptoms. The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday that Sony reps did not comment on how this would impact filming Jeopardy! but it’s a concern given the rigorous schedule the show has in filming five episodes a day. Bialik did update her status on Tuesday, saying she’s feeling a bit better.

She also warned against thinking that the pandemic is over, noting that she’s “feeling a whole bunch of regret that I ever took my mask off.”

“I’m just putting this out there: I’m feeling a lot of fear,” Bialik said. “Like why did I ever go out? Why did I think that anything was fine, ever?”

It’s also noteworthy because Bialik’s thoughts on vaccination were a topic of interest among Jeopardy! fans last year when vaccine skepticism in a book she wrote went viral. Bialik affirmed that her thoughts on vaccine safety and efficacy had changed, and her COVID vaccination status certainly seems to reflect that here.

Hopefully, Bialik recovers soon and is back to feeling 100 percent in time to film whatever Jeopardy! episodes are on the horizon for her. Fans of the syndicated game show are certainly looking for some confirmation about just exactly who will be hosting their beloved trivia show very soon.

[via THR]

It looks like anyone who is anyone will have a part in the upcoming Dune installment, which seems to cast new parts weekly. This time, French actress Lea Seydoux is getting her chance to shine on the infamous sand planet.

It’s no surprise that Denis Villeneuve recruited Seydoux, as she has released a string of buzzy moves over the past year, including the critically-acclaimed Cannes hit One Fine Morning and the critically-grossed-out Crimes Of The Future. Seydoux first gained recognition for her breakout role in Blue Is The Warmest Color in 2013.

Seydoux is expected to star as Lady Margot, a character who has a major role in the Dune prequel stories. She will join returning cast members Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and Josh Brolin, along with several recent additions, which include Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken. Part Two will continue the story of Paul (played by Chalamet) as he fights to save his family from the increasingly inhabitable planet.

Production is slated to begin this fall, with a release date of October 20th, 2023, just in time to get your House Atreides costumes together. The first installment garnered several Oscar nominations, along with an exponential amount of memes about sand and various spices. Who knows what the second will bring!

(Via Deadline)

When The Turnstile Love Connection Tour began earlier this year, every date on the tour sold out. The Baltimore hardcore band has been riding the enormous wave of last year’s widely-praised album Glow On, and are have now announced a new set of North American tour dates. So if you didn’t get into the Turnstile show the first time around, not only do you have an opportunity to finally scratch the itch, but the second leg of the Love Connection tour now also features fellow Baltimore acts in Snail Mail and Jpegmafia. And while the artists are disparate in nature, Turnstile will put the ultimate hometown lineup to the test.

With the tour announcement, also comes a new video for “New Heart Design.” The 16mm-shot clip features footage from the sweaty and raucous first leg of the tour. Watch the video above and check out the full upcoming tour schedule below. Pre-sale tickets for the Turnstile Love Connection Tour with Snail mail and Jpegmafia will be available on June 22 at 10 am local time with general on-sale beginning Thursday, June 23 at 10 am local time here.

10/03 — Brooklyn, NY @ The Brooklyn Mirage
10/04 — Toronto, ON @ History
10/06 — Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summer Stage^
10/09 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
10/11 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
10/13 — Orlando, FL @ House of Blues*
10/14 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
10/16 — New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater
10/18 — Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
10/19 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/21 — Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
10/22 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
10/23 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom*
10/25 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore*
10/27 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
10/28 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
10/30 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
10/31 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
11/07 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren*
11/08 — Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl*
11/11 — San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theatre*
11/12 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center*
11/16 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE*
11/17 — Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom*
11/19 — Boston, MA —@ Roadrunner*

* Plus special guests/ No Jpegmafia
^ No Snail Mail

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz is somehow a Pennsylvania Senate candidate despite not knowing the name of the town where he lives, all while he’s pretending to be Pennsylvania resident. Still, Trump is pushing his guy after telling him to prematurely declare victory in the primary. Well, Oz got his numbers there (after a recount and a concession), but things aren’t going so great for the former TV doctor in the general race, where Oz is up against the (literally) towering Democratic progressive candidate John Fetterman.

Oz, however, seems to think he’s got this all in the bag, and Fox News host Bill Hemmer was keen to tell him that, nope, that’s not the case. In the above video, Oz bragged about himself, and Hemmer pointed out, “But that poll suggests you’re trailing significantly.” Hemmer was referring to Business Insider’s reporting upon a poll that had Oz trailing Fetterman by nine points, but boy, Oz isn’t reading that room, nor is it obvious to him that Fetterman’s still leading despite not campaigning much due to his stroke recovery. Here’s what led up to that moment, via Raw Story:

“John Fetterman is not campaigning,” Hemmer said. “That must be an enormous advantage for you, at least in the early stage. Seems pretty obvious. So if that’s the case, not to win a race like this would be a shocker.”

“I think I should be favored,” Oz replied. “I think I probably am.”

Pretty dang awkward stuff. And it’ll be even more awkward for Oz if Fetterman wins and then happens to light up a joint during his victory speech while waving a Pride flag to really send a message to the GOP. Hey, it could happen!

(Via Raw Story)

Earlier today, Kid Cudi announced that Denzel Curry would be supporting him for seven of the shows on his To The Moon World Tour. And while that’s a good look for Curry, it’s also a major flex for the rapper as he just announced his own headlining tour at the same time.

Curry — who recently called himself “the best rapper alive” — will be supporting his album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, which came out in March and is one of Uproxx’s Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2022 so far. Meanwhile, Curry popped into Power 106 this week to drop an LA Leakers freestyle over Lil Durk’s “Ahhh Ha” & Jeezy’s “I’m Just Sayin.” “I murder everything that I’m touchin’, you feel me,” he said before shifting from one beat to the other. It’s a can’t miss flow.

Check out Denzel Curry’s tour dates below. An artist pre-sale begins on Wednesday, June 22 at 10 am local time running until Thursday, June 23 at 10 pm local time. The public sale begins on Friday, June 24 at 10 am local time here.

06/21 — Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
06/24 — New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore
06/25 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
06/26 — Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
06/28 — Dallas, TX @ Southside Ballroom
06/30 — Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey
07/01 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
07/10 — Quebec City, QC @ Festival D’Ete de Quebec
07/29 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hard Summer
07/31 — Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/16 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
08/18 — Portland, OR @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum
08/19 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
08/21 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
08/23 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
08/24 — Inglewood, CA @ The Kia Forum
09/04 — Miami, FL @ FTX Arena (American Airlines Arena)
09/16 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
09/17 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
09/18 — Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown FESTIVAL
09/20 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
09/22 — Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom
09/24 — Minneapolis, MN @ Palace Theatre
09/27 — Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
09/28 — Toronto, ON @ Rebel
09/30 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater & Ballroom
10/01 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
10/04 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
10/06 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5
10/07 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
10/08 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner

While testifying in front of the January 6 committee on Tuesday, Arizona State House Speaker Rusty Bowers recalled a bizarre meeting he had with Rudy Giuliani and Lindsay Ellis, who both claimed to have proof that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. According to Bowers, who’s also a Republican, Trump’s crack legal team touted evidence that could be used to disqualify Biden electors in the state who had allegedly allowed or committed voter fraud.

However, once Bowers’ team finally got in the same room with Giuliani and Ellis, there was no evidence. After some hemming and hawing, Giuliani finally admitted they had nothing. While Bowers was initially perturbed that Giuliani and Ellis overplayed their hand, Bowers testified to the televised hearing that his team ended up laughing at the ridiculous legal strategy. Via Mediaite:

“My recollection, he said, ‘we’ve got lots of theories, we just don’t have the evidence,’” Bowers said. “And I don’t know if that was a gaffe or maybe he didn’t think through what he said, but both myself and others in my group, the three in my group and my counsel both remembered that specifically and afterwards, we kind of laughed about it.”

Bowers testifying against both Giuliani and Ellis, key members of Trump’s legal team that heavily pushed the election fraud, is yet another round of embarrassing and damaging information to come out of the January 6 hearings. The former president’s team is also reportedly reeling over a new report that the committee has subpoenaed unseen documentary footage that was filmed during his final six weeks in office, which somehow nobody knew about it until this morning. Just a well-oiled machine over at Team Trump.

(Via Mediaite)

While Lightyear may be the animated picture getting all the buzz lately with its confusing logline and disappointing box office numbers, another agent of chaos lurks in the release calendar’s distant future with Super Mario Bros. The adaptation of the Nintendo classic has a very famous crew of voice actors slated to bring animated life to the video game world that’s sold millions upon millions of cartridges and digital downloads.

The casting decision to let Chris Pratt voice Mario, however, was probably the wildest of them all. Consider, for a moment, that Mario already has a voice. And the Italian plumber, well, sounds like a very distinctive Italian plumber. It’s not like we’ve heard him recite lines from The Tempest or anything, but the phrases we know are sure to come up in the animated film and none of them sound like the dude from Onward.

Which is why the Mario movie’s director has already defended the Pratt casting decision and, months later, another person involved with the film is defending the decision to put a non-Italian in the role of Luigi’s also-Italian sibling. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, whose company is bringing Super Mario Bros. to the big screen, was asked about the Pratt casting in Barcelona this week and mostly wants everyone to relax.

As Deadline reported on Monday, Melandandri himself is Italian and isn’t exactly quoting any Sopranos episodes about Columbus Day over the decision to let Pratt in on the fun.

“When people hear Chris Pratt’s performance, the criticism will evaporate, maybe not entirely — people love to voice opinions, as they should.” He added, “I’m not sure this is the smartest defense, but as a person who has Italian-American heritage, I feel I can make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian-Americans. … I think we’re going to be just fine.”

It’s a strong defense of a voice-acting performance not publicly revealed as of yet, and maybe it will assuage some fears that it will be an outright disaster. Perhaps we should wait and hear how Pratt… does the Mario voice before we land on any conclusions here, but we can now count at least one prominent Italian involved in the movie’s creation who doesn’t sound worried about plumber erasure.

[via Deadline]

John Wall has only played 40 games of NBA basketball over the past three seasons, sitting out all of last year for the tanking Houston Rockets after they took Jalen Green second overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

It’s not out of the question that Wall will once again spend the entirety of the 2022-23 season seated on the bench for Houston as the former All-Star has picked up his player option worth just over $47 million to remain with the Rockets as they continue their youth movement, but Shams Charania reports the team and Wall will work out a “resolution” on his future this summer.

There was some buzz about Wall being swapped for Russell Westbrook (again) at the trade deadline, but with the Lakers unwilling to part with a future first round pick in the deal, that stalled out. That deal is still on the table for L.A., but all indications are they will be holding on to Westbrook and trying to run it back with better results under Darvin Ham, taking away one of the few potential trade partners for Wall.

Perhaps the Rockets will work out a buyout with the star before the season, or they can wait to see if a trade possibility will open up at the deadline to send Wall somewhere since he will finally be an expiring contract, as a hopeful contender might have a bloated contract of their own to send out in hopes that Wall, well rested, could provide a spark at the point guard spot. That feels like a long shot, but in the meantime Wall will ensure he gets paid handsomely for next season. How much of that is spent in Houston remains to be seen.

A decade ago, The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala announced that they were breaking up. It marked the end of an illustrious run for the duo that merged the sounds of their Latin roots with the punk, noise, and math rock sounds that they grew up listening to. The band built a frenzied cult-following, yet besides last year’s career-spanning box set release, have remained dormant ever since.

But two days ago, a cryptic cube appeared in Los Angeles’ Grant Park, symbolizing the band’s return. Known as the “L’YTOME HODORXÍ TELESTERION,” the immersive installation played a preview of the band’s new music inside the cellphone-less environment. Now the fruits of that cube have fully materialized and The Mars Volta has not only released their first song in ten years but also announced their first tour since then as well.

Accompanied by a short film, “Blacklight Shine” is infused with distinct Caribbean rhythms. The clip looks as though it may have been filmed in Rodríguez-López’s native Puerto Rico as locals dance and drum to the beat of the lively and complexly-crafted tune. As poetic as ever, Bixler-Zavala explains that the song’s lyrics center around the idea of, “A wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbeat that still remembers everything.” It almost seems like a metaphor for the band’s hiatus and subsequent return, but with the way this has been rolled out, we can surely expect more from this story and as The Mars Volta continues to explore Latin roots, rhythms, and the world around them.

Watch the “Blacklight Shine” short film above and check out The Mars Volta’s tour dates below. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 24th at 10 am local time here.

September 23 — The Factory in Deep Ellum @ Dallas, TX
September 25 — Tabernacle @ Atlanta, GA
September 27 – The Metropolitan Opera House @ Philadelphia, PA
September 29 — Terminal 5 @ New York, NY
October 1 — MGM Music Hall at Fenway @ Boston, MA
October 3 – The Anthem @ Washington, DC
October 5 — Massey Hall @ Toronto, ON
October 6 — Royal Oak Music Theatre @ Detroit, MI
October 8 — Aragon Ballroom @ Chicago, IL
October 11 — The Mission Ballroom @ Denver, CO
October 14 — Moore Theatre @ Seattle, WA
October 18 — The Warfield @ San Francisco, CA
October 21 — Hollywood Palladium @ Los Angeles, CA

The Mars Volta is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There’s a new Drake album out and as usual, it’s dominating the discourse online as fans parse what it means for pop culture at large. However, this time, there’s a whole new angle for that discussion, as Honestly, Nevermind eschews Drake’s usual mopey R&B and passive-aggressive raps in favor of a genre experiment in the vein of house music alongside executive producer Black Coffee. And as usual, Joe Budden has thoughts, which he shared on his podcast along with call-in guest Vince Staples.

While Joe wondered whether the album meant the elimination of rap music as a whole (because Joe Budden, again, is not a journalist and has no real frame of reference for such things), Vince’s response was more measured as he pointed out that such genre-hopping projects are nothing new in hip-hop — not even for Vince himself. “I did that in 2017,” he reminded the host. “N****s was on me… That Big Fish Theory, n****s was mad at that. ‘What’s up with this n****?’”

Vince expanded on his views (no pun intended), comparing music to Instagram: “Everything looks the same, everything moves the same, everyone dresses the same, everyone talks the same,” he explained. “So the genre sh*t is gonna have to go out the window eventually. It’s too hard to separate culture because the internet is kinda pushing everything in the same little bubble.”

He’s got a point: Besides himself, a number of artists have blended genres including dance genres like house and techno into hip-hop, with some artists distancing themselves from the “rapper” label altogether. However, the thing that hasn’t gone away is rapping as a lyrical style, and there are still plenty of artists — arguably way more of them, to be honest, who release music primarily in that mode regardless of trends. And considering some of the responses to Drake’s album, it doesn’t look like hip-hop fans were quite ready to make the switch — which didn’t stop it from topping Apple Music’s Dance chart on release day.

Basically, no rappers should be restricted solely to rapping or making music according to popular trends, but rap as a genre probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

You can watch the full episode of The Joe Budden Podcast above.