Category: News

To put it lightly, 2021 was an up-and-down year for Morgan Wallen. The story starts towards the end of 2020, though, when he was filmed maskless at a party and was consequently relieved of his duties as Saturday Night Live musical guest. That December, though, he did end up on SNL and even acted in a sketch about that party. Things got worse from there, when he was caught using a racial slur in early 2021. He later received criticism for reportedly not making good on promises to donate to Black-led groups.

Despite the controversies, country music fans stuck with Wallen, so much so that Dangerous: The Double Album was one of the year’s biggest musical releases, thanks largely to the success it enjoyed post-controversy. Actually, Dangerous wasn’t one of 2021’s biggest albums: It was the biggest album.

Billboard shared some year-end charts today, and Dangerous is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums list, ahead of Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour, Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, Taylor Swift’s Evermore, and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. Furthermore, Wallen was the year’s top country artist and the No. 5 artist overall, after Drake, Rodrigo, The Weeknd, and Swift.

Overall, Dangerous spent ten weeks at No. 1, the most weeks at No. 1 since Drake’s Views had 13 in 2016. Even on the current Billboard 200 dated December 4, Dangerous sits at No. 5.

Billboard notes of the methodology used to create the year-end charts, “Billboard‘s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label, and music contributor on the weekly charts dated Nov. 21, 2020, through Nov. 13, 2021. The rankings for MRC Data-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales, or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings.”

Check out all of the year-end charts here.

In the wake of the death of Pivot Gang producer/DJ Squeak, the Chicago-based collective is preparing to release the deluxe edition of his and MFnMelo‘s June joint album, En Route. To mark the new release, Melo shared a new single, “Mood Swing,” which features fellow Pivot Gang members Saba, Joseph Chiliams, and Frsh Waters. It also features production by Squeak, Big Goose, and Daedae of Pivot Gang.

En Route‘s deluxe edition will mark the first release from Squeak since he was shot and killed in June this year. It’s set for release on December 9.

Melo remarked on the “weirdness” of promoting a new project while still mourning his late friend — especially a project produced by that friend. “Lately I’ve been having even less things to say,” he wrote on Instagram. “Not too many people get it but shorty did. Which makes this way harder. So understanding. So influential. So missed. This sh*t weird to promote anything right now honestly but I’d be damn if I didn’t follow thru with our plan! Finishing this was some of the hardest sh*t I had to do. But because of your love and belief, I stayed #ForeverEnRoute! You know what time it is bro and they soon will too!”

Listen to MFnMelo and Squeak’s “Mood Swing” featuring Saba above.

The New Orleans Pelicans are patiently awaiting Zion Williamson. The team has struggled out of the gate this season, going 6-18 after their standout forward needed foot surgery over the offseason that has prevented him from playing during this campaign, despite the fact that the team originally expected him to be able to appear in their season opener. There have been occasional updates regarding his progress as he tries to work his way back onto the court, and last week, the team announced that Williamson had been fully cleared to participate in full team activities.

Now, a new report indicates that Williamson is taking perhaps his biggest step yet to returning to action. Shams Charania of The Athletic appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and revealed that Williamson is going through his first full practice with the team that same day.

“Zion Williamson is fully cleared for all basketball activities,” Charania said. “He’ll have his first practice today with the Pelicans — his first full practice with the team, Zion Williamson, the expectation has been that it will be today.”

The Pelicans have the second-worst record in the Western Conference at this point in the season and sit 5.5 games back of the Denver Nuggets for the 10th seed, which would get them a berth in the play-in tournament. There is still no word about when basketball fans can expect to see Williamson play in a game.

Seth Rogen digs weed. Let me take that back. Seth Rogen absolutely loves weed. He recently lit up with Conan O’Brien on the last episode of the host’s TBS late-night show. Rogen’s got his own weed company and is rolling in success, along with rolling in joints. For those reasons, it’s not at all hard to believe that Seth was high while recently appearing in the front row of Adele’s CBS TV concert special, “Adele One Night Only.”

There were a few surprises during the course of that special, apparently. Adele helped one gentleman pull off a surprise proposal that night, and as it turns out, Rogen was very surprised to be front row at an Adele show while the thing was being taped for TV. Here’s how he boisterously explained (to Jimmy Fallon) how this happened. Let’s just say that weed wasn’t the reason, but it still came up in conversation:

“I was in the front row of the Adele concert. And that is as surprising to me as anyone because I had no idea I was attending the taping of an Adele television special at all. I got an invitation, ‘Do you want to go to a small Adele concert?’ is what I remember absorbing. And I go to my wife Lauren, ‘You want to go to this small Adele concert?’ ‘Great, sounds fun’ … So, if I’m being honest, I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, I smoke weed, Jimmy.”

Rogen continued while adding that he “smoked a ton of weed” that night, and then, when he and his wife (Lauren) arrived at she show, “we see camera cranes.” That was when he realized that this was probably going to be on a TV show, but he reasoned, “Maybe it’s not that big a television special.” That’s when he saw Oprah at the show, and then Rogen thought maybe he could “just sit in the back.” However, that’s not what the powers in be had in mind for him, despite not being “equipped mentally to deal with doing this right now, really.” The situation progressed to where “I sit down, there’s like a camera literally just pointed at my face.”

Sounds surreal. And as one might expect, Rogen rolled with it. He stars as Santa Claus in Santa Inc. (which is currently streaming on HBO Max), and you can watch him at the aforementioned Adele concert in the below video from Entertainment Tonight.

Donald Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is the latest MAGA stooge to write a book about Trump’s final days in office. Some of what he writes reads as if it was dictated by Trump himself, like (per the Daily Beast) how the protestors who jumped the White House fence in May 2020 were lucky that Trump, a.k.a. “Bunker Boy,” was forced to go into hiding, because “if President Trump had the choice, he would have headed out to the lawns and knocked their heads in one by one.” But Meadows isn’t always so kind to his former boss (he’s the source of the news that Trump tested positive for COVID days before his first debate with Joe Biden), nor the other politicians they spent time with—including New York’s disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo.

Daily Beast snagged an early copy of the book, The Chief’s Chief, in which Meadows writes about Cuomo’s duplicitous, and totally ghoulish, manner. According to Meadows, Cuomo “would bash the president in his daily press briefings and privately call to thank POTUS for everything he had done.” And while many people were shocked when Cuomo actually resigned his position earlier this year amidst an onslaught of sexual misconduct allegations, Meadows could have called that one.

Ahead of a scheduled meeting with Trump at the White House, Meadows claims that the then-governor specifically made the “strange request” that Hope Hicks, Trump’s campaign press secretary-turned-political advisor, join them. As for why Cuomo wanted Hicks there? Meadows alleges it wasn’t to pick her brain about political strategy.

“I don’t recall a single question he asked Hope that day,” Meadows writes about his memory of the interaction, “but I do recall him arranging his chair in such a way that allowed him to creepily stare at her for most of the meeting.” Given that Cuomo reportedly “inappropriately touched” a state trooper who was tasked with protecting him as part of his security detail, this would seem to check out.

The Chief’s Chief will be released on December 7th.

(Via Daily Beast)

While it’s been just over a month since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Alec Baldwin’s upcoming western Rust, it seems we’re no closer to figuring out what really transpired on that tragic day. Despite initial reports stating that Baldwin was the one responsible for discharging the gun that claimed Hutchins’ life, the actor is now claiming his finger never touched the trigger, telling ABC News: “The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never.”

Now, one day after Baldwin’s statement, Lisa Torraco, the attorney for Rust assistant director David Halls, has also weighed in on the matter (via Deadline). Torraco broke her silence during an appearance on Good Morning America earlier today, telling the network: “Dave has told me since the very first day I met him that Alec did not pull that trigger. His finger was never in the trigger guard.” Needless to say, Torraco’s claim does back what Baldwin told ABC, but ultimately raises a pretty big question: if it wasn’t Baldwin who shot the gun, then who did?

However, while it might be the most pressing question to answer, it’s certainly not the only thing that needs clearing up. As of right now, we’re still unsure of how live bullets got on set and made their way into a prop gun. It’s also uncertain just how many folks working on the set of Rust are responsible for this egregious negligence. Since the incident occurred, numerous people have raised into question the working conditions on the set of Rust, with one veteran prop master turning the job down due to concerns about the set and actor George Clooney slamming into Baldwin for hiring an inexperienced armorer, calling it “insane” and “infuriating.”

Needless to say, Baldwin has a lot of explaining to do, even if he claims the set was an entirely safe working environment. Fortunately, we’ll get to hear a bit more about what he has to say when he sits down with ABC Thursday evening for a two-hour long 20/20. Here’s hoping we’re closer to figuring out what happened that fateful day and justice for Hutchins.

Ari Lennox jetted off to Europe just after the Thanksgiving holiday last week when her fun trip turned into a nightmare. Just after she touched down in the Amsterdam airport, the singer began live tweeting that she was being racially profiled by an airport security agent. The singer said the incident ended with her getting arrested and she’s gone radio silent since. But thankfully, Lennox returned to social media on Thursday to let fans know she’s safe and sound.

Lennox’s awful experience was detailed in the series of tweets on Monday. Shortly after her plane landed, Lennox tweeted “Hi Amsterdam.” But that’s when things took a turn for the worst. “F*ck Amsterdam security. They hate black people,” she wrote, later saying that she’ll “never leave her house again” and just wanted to go home. Her tweets then stopped after announcing that she was being arrested. “I’m being arrested in Amsterdam for reacting to a woman racially profiling me,” she wrote.

Now, a few days later, it seems that Lennox has finally been released. The singer hasn’t shared any more details about what exactly went down or where she was taken when she was arrested, but she did assure fans that she’s now safe. “Hey loves I’m safe. Thank you so much for your prayers and love,” she wrote.

The flood of year-end music round-ups has started over the past few days, as websites (like Uproxx) have shared their year-end lists and Spotify Wrapped has made the rounds. Now Billboard has chimed in with their year-end charts, and some expected figures have found themselves atop the ranks.

Drake was 2021’s top artist and following him on the list are, in order, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, and Morgan Wallen. As for Top New Artists, Rodrigo tops that list and is followed by The Kid Laroi, Giveon, Pooh Shiesty, and 24kGoldn. There’s also a lists of top artists that are duos or groups, and that’s led by BTS, as well as Glass Animals, Dan + Shay, Fleetwood Mac, and AJR.

When it comes to Billboard 200 albums, Morgan Wallen reigns supreme with Dangerous: The Double Album, ahead of Rodrigo’s Sour, Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, Swift’s Evermore, and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. Meanwhile, Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” leads the Hot 100 Songs chart, followed by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears,” The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” 24kGoldn and Iann Dior’s “Mood,” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U.”

Check out all of the year-end charts here and below.

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

ABC has officially unveiled its plans for Mayim Bialik to make her Jeopardy! spinoff debut, and it’s coming up soon. Starting February 8, The Big Bang Theory star will host the Jeopardy! National College Championship for five nights a week until the competition wraps up on February 22. Via Deadline:

Bialik, who was among the guest hosts to fill in for longtime Jeopardy! quizmaster Alex Trebek after his death in 2020, stepped in as temporary of the syndie program in August, following Mike Richards’ abrupt exit. She’ll be at the dais for the Jeopardy! National College Championship. The faceoff among students from 36 U.S. colleges and universities battle from Monday-Thursday, February 8-11 and February 15-18, with the ninth night set for Tuesday, February 22.

While Bialik initially passed on being the permanent replacement for Alex Trebek, the actress was not only a favorite amongst viewers, but also some crew members, who are still pulling for her to be the next successor to the Jeopardy! podium. According to reports, Bialik often brings in baked goods and was a welcomed presence after the turmoil caused by former executive producer Mike Richards, who was forced to step down as Trebek’s successor after the resurfacing of past controversial remarks.

As for whether Bialik would take the top job, she started showing interest after things went south with Richards. Initially, she couldn’t fit hosting Jeopardy! in her schedule, but in September, she started showing signs that she could make things work.

“There’s no other job I would rather have,” Bialik told Glamour. “I love my sitcom work, I do. I love all the other things I do. I love the podcast. But I absolutely have never had a better job.”

(Via Deadline)

After pleading guilty to the distribution of fentanyl, Mac Miller drug supplier Stephen Walter insisted that he had no idea that the pills he gave the rapper contained fentanyl, according to a new report in the New York Post.

Walter, who was in court Tuesday (via video conference) for the hearing in which he actually entered his plea, told the judge, “I was charged with selling blue pills, little blue counterfeit oxycontin pills… and I didn’t know what was in them. I didn’t know, like, fentanyl was in it. But I do say, yes, that I aided and abetted the transaction.”

Those pills wound up being the catalyst for Mac Miller’s eventual overdose, as the dosage for fentanyl is up to ten times stronger than oxycontin. Walter said he’d never met Mac before, only the other two men who were also indicted in the case, Cameron Pettit and Ryan Reavis, both of whom also pled guilty. “I only talked to Cameron,” he said. “I didn’t know what his intentions were with the pills. After he saw Ryan Reavis, I didn’t know what he was going to do with them.”

Walter’s sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2022; Reavis’ is scheduled for April 4, 2022. Both could be given up to 20 years in federal prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.