Category: News

Madison Cawthorn is an absolute trainwreck—so much so that even Donald Trump is reportedly “weirded out” by him. While every politician has a public persona and a private one, given how unlikeable Cawthorn’s bizarre and obnoxious behavior makes him seem when the cameras are rolling, it’s hard to imagine that he’s a much kinder, gentler person behind closed doors. And, according to The Daily Beast, even the freshman North Carolina congressman’s closest “friends” and colleagues allegedly hate his guts—and are most likely the ones who leaked the video of a naked Cawthorn frantically humping a man, photos of him clad in women’s lingerie, and other evidence of him acting all a fool.

Or, as The Daily Beast puts it: “the attacks are coming from inside the house.”

According to one political insider, North Carolina Republicans are tired of bearing witness to Cawthorn’s childish antics and want to see him go. So they’ve gotten together to combine powers and make that happen ahead of the primary, which is in less than a week. “It’s definitely a hit job that I’m happy to be a party to,” the political operative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Daily Beast. “Most of the GOP universe has come around to align against this guy. You’re seeing a full-court, state-based, establishment pushback against him. Get this guy out. Take him out. We’re gonna see if we can pull it off in eight days.”

Of course, Cawthorn didn’t do himself any favors when he bragged about all the invites he receives from his fellow Republicans to their cocaine-fueled orgies.

While much of the negative information and evidence against Cawthorn that has come to light has been via the Democrat-backed Fire Madison PAC, one of the heads of that group, David Wheeler, admits that they’re not even having to search for negative stories about Cawthorn; they’re just being handed to them, with supporting evidence.

“We’ve become kind of the dumping ground for info on the guy,” Wheeler told The Daily Beast. “Obviously, we have a target, we’re not afraid to take him on and put out the information his opponents wouldn’t—or the Democrats wouldn’t.”

The video of Cawthorn wearing nothing but a crazy look in his eyes and wildly humping another man’s face, for example, came to Fire Madison PAC by a former Cawthorn supporter and donor. Wheeler says they have lots of other video that he hasn’t released because it’s much more explicit and could break some of the state’s decency laws. And most of it’s coming from Cawthorn’s so-called friends and colleagues.

“People think we’re under Kevin McCarthy’s finger, and that he’s telling us what to do because he wants to get back at Madison,” said Wheeler. “It’s not folks out of Washington that are sending this stuff. It’s folks who used to work with him, who were his supporters.”

While a spokesperson for Cawthorn did not respond for a request to comment on the story, the congressman himself claims to be bored with the whole spectacle.

The North Carolina primary election will take place on May 17th.

(Via The Daily Beast)

As Top Gun: Maverick gets ready to barrel roll into theaters after several pandemic-related delays, fans of the original film are sure to notice the absence of Kelly McGillis. The actress played Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, Maverick’s flight instructor and love interest, but she’ll be notably missing from the high-flying sequel that puts Tom Cruise back in the cockpit after 30 years.

However, in an interesting and awkward wrinkle, McGillis isn’t the only actress from the original film who wasn’t asked to return. While the sequel centers on Maverick’s relationship with the son of Goose, his flight partner who died in the first film, Meg Ryan was not brought back to reprise her role as Goose’s wife. Via Variety:

“Those weren’t stories that we were throwing around,” Kosinski said about bringing back the original female stars. “I didn’t want every storyline to always be looking backwards. It was important to introduce some new characters.”

Kosinski preferred to limit the connective tissue between the original “Top Gun” and its sequel to Goose’s son and the relationship between Maverick and Iceman.

For her part, McGillis has no interest in returning to the world of Top Gun. In 2019, the actress bluntly told Entertainment Tonight that she wasn’t involved with sequel, which frankly, is for the best.

“I’m old and I’m fat and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about,” McGillis said. “I’d much rather feel absolutely secure in my skin and who and what I am at my age as opposed to placing a value on all that other stuff.”

(Via Variety)

America First fuhrer Nick Fuentes is described by the Anti-Defamation League as a “white supremacist leader and organizer and podcaster who seeks to forge a white nationalist alternative to the mainstream GOP.” But he would prefer to describe himself as “just like Hitler” and a “proud incel.” Both — being a white supremacist and an incel — are true, but his group has descended into chaos because of the latter.

The Daily Beast‘s Fever Dreams podcast reports that America First is “undergoing turmoil after its treasurer got a girlfriend and stopped living in the basement of leader Nick Fuentes. That was a problem for Fuentes, who describes himself as an incel (that’s ‘involuntarily celibate’) and beseeches his young, male fanbase not to have sex.” More:

The movement is so grounded in being “racist and ridiculous in public that it ruins people’s lives,” says Fever Dreams co-host Kelly Weill. “You can’t go and get a normal job after that. So they turn further and further into this movement, which really does function almost like a cult.”

Earlier this year, Fuentes put together the American First Political Action Conference, a “white supremacist event” that was attended by, among others, Marjorie Taylor Greene. She claimed that she wasn’t aware of the group’s views (“I am not aligned with anything that is controversial”) and that she didn’t know Fuentes, even though they were pictured together at the event. MTG only has eyes for “polyamorous tantric sex gurus,” I guess.

You can listen to the podcast below.

(Via the Daily Beast)

Black Thought, frontperson of The Roots, has teamed up with producer Danger Mouse for a full-length collaborative album called Cheat Codes, which is set for release this summer. The album has been anticipated for years and was once originally rumored to be titled Dangerous Thoughts.

Ahead of Cheat Codes, Black Thought and Danger Mouse have released the lead track, “No Gold Teeth.” The song features Black Thought rapping in his signature chorus-less flow over Danger Mouse’s pulsating bass lines and crisp drums and cymbal patterns. In the song’s video, Black Thought is seen rapping, with a square screen over his face, alternating images of dogs, flowers and other human figures.

In addition to Black Thought and Danger Mouse, Cheat Codes boasts an impressive set of collaborators, including Raekwon, Joey Badass, Run The Jewels, and a contribution from the late MF Doom.

Check out “No Gold Teeth” above and the Cheat Codes tracklist and cover art below.

1. “Sometimes”
2. “Cheat Codes”
3. “The Darkest Part” Feat. Raekwon and Kid Sister
4. “No Gold Teeth”
5. “Because” Feat. Joey Badass, Russ, and Dylan Cartlidge
6. “Belize” Feat. MF Doom
7. “Aquamarine” Feat. Michael Kiwanuka
8. “Identical Deaths”
9. “Strangers” Feat. ASAP Rocky and Run The Jewels
10. “Close To Famous”
11. “Saltwater” Feat. Conway The Machine
12. “Voilas & Lupita”

Cheat Codes is out 8/12 via BMG.

(Spoilers for Mayans M.C. will obviously be found below.)

In the Sons Of Anarchy universe, the gut-wrenching death of Opie (Ryan Hurst) still weighs heavily upon loyal fans who are all up in Mayans M.C., which saw the death of a character (who’s actually more of a Juice) that’s causing similar shockwaves this week. And it must be noted that the spinoff’s gotten pretty crazy and deliciously soap-operatic in the fourth season. Alvarez/El Padrino (Emilio Rivera) is back in his kutte, and drug lord Miguel (Danny Pino) is heavily bearded and exiled (while hanging out at a convent), and Emily (Sarah Bolger) is leading a secret life in freaking Ohio. Drama!

This show’s principal club’s also been signaling war with the Sons, and that means (in addition to previous appearances from Tommy Flanagan’s Chibs and David Labrava’s Happy) that some Tig (Kim Coates) is in order. And on the A Crow Flew By episode, a cliffhanger went down with the apparent death of poor Coco (Richard Cabral). He’s a beloved character, but I’m frankly shocked that he made it through all the cult-drug stuff last season. I mean, the guy’s number has been up for quite some time (after his Mom and all that), but let’s just say that people did not want to see him go.

Coco’s death scene also arrived out of the blue (after a heartwarming conversation with Hope), which only added to the blow. One joke, though, did hit me pretty well: a (fantastical) theory that El Padrino would only allow “room for one set of fly braids up in Santo Padre. Sorry, Coco.” In other words, this might inadvertently be the fault of former Galindo cartel security dude Nestor.

Still, fans are crushed. And yes, there’s a “Killing Coco is like killing Opie!!!!!!!” tweet.

The fallout should be interesting after Coco’s death, and could this really set Angel on a path of greater self-destruction? Hmm, I dunno.

“RIP Coco” may not be the new “RIP Opie,” but it’s still a tragic development.

FX’s ‘Mayans M.C.’ airs on Tuesday nights before next-day replays on Hulu.

Rock legends Smashing Pumpkins excited a lot of Gen X-ers by reuniting in 2018. Their comeback tour attracted masses of fans, though their return has not been without controversy. Either way, they’re back again this year with the announcement of a massive North American fall tour with Jane’s Addiction.

It kicks off in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center in October, and ends in Los Angeles, California at the Hollywood Bowl in November. It will have special guests Poppy and Meg Myers opening at select dates.

Check out the full dates below.

10/02 – American Airlines Center @ Dallas, TX**
10/03 – Toyota Center @ Houston, TX**
10/05 – Moody Center @ Austin, TX**
10/07 – Amalie Arena @ Tampa, FL**
10/08 – Hard Rock Casino @ Hollywood, FL**
10/10 – Bridgestone Arena @ Nashville, TN**
10/11 – State Farm Arena @ Atlanta, GA**
10/13 – Mohegan Sun @ Uncasville, CT**
10/14 – UBS Arena @ Belmont Park, NY**
10/16 – TD Garden @ Boston, MA**
10/18 – Capital One Arena @ Washington, DC**
10/19 – Madison Square Garden @ New York City, NY**
10/21 – Wells Fargo Center @ Philadelphia, PA**
10/22 – PPG Paints Arena @ Pittsburgh, PA*^
10/24 – Scotiabank Arena @ Toronto, ON**
10/26 – Bell Center @ Montreal, QC**
10/27 – Centre Videotron @ Quebec City, QC**
10/29 – Rocket Mortage Fieldhouse @ Cleveland, OH*^
10/30 – Fiserv Forum @ Milwaukee, WI**
11/01 – Enterprise Center @ St. Louis, MO**
11/02 – Little Caesars Arena @ Detroit, MI**
11/04 – Xcel Energy Center @ St. Paul, MN**
11/05 – United Center @ Chicago, IL**
11/07 – Ball Arena @ Denver, CO**
11/09 – Spokane Arena @ Spokane, WA**
11/11 – Rogers Arena @ Vancouver, BC**
11/12 – Climate Pledge Arena @ Seattle, WA**
11/13 – Moda Center @ Portland, OR**
11/15 – Chase Center @ San Francisco, CA**
11/16 – Honda Center @ Anaheim, CA**
11/18 – Footprint Center @ Phoenix, AZ**
11/19 – Hollywood Bowl @ Los Angeles, CA**

** with Jane’s Addiction and Poppy
*^ with Jane’s Addiction and Meg Myers

Earlier this week, Vince Staples announced the Limbo Beach Carnival in Long Beach to celebrate the release of his Z2 comic book, also called Limbo Beach. However, today, just one day from the event’s scheduled date, Vince informed fans via social media that the carnival and book signing has been postponed. According to the hometown hero, the response to his initial announcement was so overwhelming that the city asked him to find a different venue.

For what it’s worth… yeah, I can see that. El Dorado Park is absolutely gorgeous but crowd control could have been an utter nightmare. No one wants another artist-backed event to end in tragedy. Vince advised that, while he and his team work to make a “bigger and better” event to accommodate a larger space, anyone who purchased a book through the event’s Eventbrite page will be refunded immediately. Good thing I pre-ordered mine almost a year ago.

Limbo Beach is written by Vince along with industry vets Bryan Edward Hill (who’s worked on DC’s Batman & The Outsiders and Titans and editor Chris Robinson (Marvel’s Children Of The Atom). It’s illustrated by Buster Moody, who’s best known for Godzilla In Hell (come on, that just sounds rad) and IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the one based on the most recent Nickelodeon series). Vince is also fresh off the release of his new album, Ramona Park Broke My Heart.

Last week, Death Cab For Cutie declared a new album, which will be their tenth, was finished and that new music was arriving on May 11. Well, that’s today, and sure enough, the band has released a single called “Roman Candles,” a two-minute song with a pronounced rock edge. The track is actually the lead single from a newly announced album, Asphalt Meadows, which is set for release on September 16. The LP will be the group’s first since 2018’s Thank You For Today.

The band says of the song in a statement, “‘Roman Candles’ is about the crippling, existential dread that goes hand in hand with living in a nervous city on a dying planet, and that the only way to be in the moment is to let it all go.” Gibbard adds, “The lyrics were cobbled from a couple of different songs dealing with my general sense of anxiety; the feeling that the fabric that weaves a functioning society together was crumbling during the pandemic.”

The band also announced a run of fall tour dates with support from Low and Yo La Tengo. These shows add onto the recently announced set of July shows featuring Illuminati Hotties.

Listen to “Roman Candles” above and check out the Asphalt Meadows tracklist and Death Cab For Cutie’s upcoming tour dates below.

05/21 — Guadalajara, MX @ Corona Capital Guadalajara
05/28 — Portland, OR @ TEDxPortland Year 10 @ Moda Center/Theater of the Clouds
07/07 — Cincinnati, OH @ PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation †
07/08 — Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe †
07/09 — Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest @ Generac Power Stage
07/11 — Buffalo, NY @ ARTPARK †
07/12 — LaFayette, NY @ Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards †
07/14 — Harrisburg, PA @ Harrisburg University at Riverfront Park †
07/15 — Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena †
07/16 — Poughkeepsie, NY @ MJN Convention Center †
09/22 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee ^
09/23 — Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Festival Field
09/24 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
09/26 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! ^
09/27 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem ^
09/29 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met ^
09/30 — New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium ^
10/01 — Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion ^
10/03 — Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater ^
10/04 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy ^
10/06 — Richmond, VA @ Virginia Credit Union LIVE! ^
10/07 — Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit ^
10/08 — Charleston, SC @ Firefly Distillery ^
10/10 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE ^
10/11 — Detroit, MI @ The Masonic ^
10/13 — St. Louis, MO @ The Factory ^
10/14 — Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland ^
10/15 — Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
10/17 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
10/18 — Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Anaheim #
10/19 — Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl #
10/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre #
10/22 — San Diego, CA @ venue TBA #
10/23 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater #
10/24 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater #
10/26 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
10/27 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre

† with Illuminati Hotties
^ with Low
# with Yo La Tengo

Asphalt Meadows is out 9/16 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

Death Cab For Cutie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Gunna has surrendered and was booked into the Fulton County Jail today after being charged with racketeering on Monday along with 27 other members of his label, YSL Records, including the label’s founder, Young Thug. Prosecutors are calling YSL — Young Stoner Life — a criminal street gang. According to the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, Gunna — real name Sergio Kitchens — is charged with a single count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Overall, 56 counts (including armed robbery and murder) were issued to the 28 suspects in the case in an 88-page indictment that includes multiple instances of Young Thug’s lyrics.

Gunna is fresh off the release of his second No. 1 album, DS4EVER, which was released in January of this year and led by the trend-sparking single, “Pushin P,” which also featured Young Thug. Gunna’s promotion for the album included a performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, as well as participating in a sketch begging for Netflix to include a “short-ass movies” category — a request to which the streaming platform happily obliged. Other companies also adopted his “Pushin P” slang, showing how much his profile had risen in the years since he and Lil Baby teamed up to release Drip Harder. Unfortunately, he could now see his career derailed by the ongoing RICO case, in which some members of YSL could be facing life in prison.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Dr. Mehmet Oz has a lot of haters out there, but Donald Trump isn’t one of them. While the rest of the country is wondering how in hell the TV quack got himself on the ticket for Pennsylvania senator (while Pennsylvanians wonder what they did to deserve such harsh a punishment), Oz is using every opportunity he can to make sure that voters know he has Trump’s endorsement. And we do mean every opportunity.

On Tuesday night, Jimmy Kimmel shared a clip of all the times in recent weeks that Oz has mentioned having Trump’s endorsement—and how the former president said the fake TV doctor is “smart, tough, and will never let you down”— and it should come with the same warning as a strobe light. As Kimmel, who once dubbed Oz a “serial testicle fondler,” explained:

“The [Pennsylvania] primary election is a week from today, and Dr. Oz—who’s trying very hard to pretend to be a MAGA Republican—wants everyone to know that he has a friend at Mar-a-Lago… That’s not something to be proud of, Dr. Oz. Dr. Oz, all of a sudden he’s convinced there was election fraud, he’s pro-gun, he’s kissing up to Ted Nugent. It’s embarrassing. At this point, Bill Cosby is a more credible TV doctor than Oz.”

Sadly, whatever Oz is doing seems to be working—at least that’s the story according to a Fox News poll. As The Hill reported, Oz is now neck-and-neck with fellow GOP primary candidates Kathy Barnette and David McCormick. While Oz is leading with 22 percent of the votes, he’s only slightly trailed by McCormick, who has 20 percent, and Barnette with 19 percent. This is a pretty stark difference from March, when McCormick was the GOP’s clear front runner with 24 percent of respondents leaning toward him, while Oz had the support of just 15 percent.

Whatever the outcome, the winner will most likely be facing off against force-to-be-reckoned-with John Fetterman, who leads the Democratic polls with 53 percent of the vote. Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s current Lieutenant Governor, is a 6’8” cool-as-f**k, tatted-up Progressive who quotes Ariana Grande and once brilliantly described Josh Hawley’s soul as being “dipped in dogsh*t.” So a showdown between him and Dr. Oz might well be worth the price of admission.

You can watch Kimmel’s full comments above, beginning around the 5:35 mark.