Category: News

The new year started off on a bum note for Marjorie Taylor Greene: On Sunday, the second day of 2022, the far right Georgian lawmaker was permanently suspended from Twitter. The reason? She couldn’t stop spreading misinformation about COVID. The move inspired uproar from conservative circles, but it may have also spooked other people who are simply wrong about how to battle the pandemic. Perhaps that’s why Joe Rogan, promoter of meds also used to deworm horses, started an account on the rightwing social media service GETTR.

“Just in case s*it over at Twitter gets even dumber, I’m here now as well,” Rogan wrote on his new account. “Rejoice!”

GETTR was launched last summer by Trump crony Jason Miller as yet another “free speech” social media platform à la Parler and Gab. Not only was it immediately mocked, it was also over-run with trolls intentionally violating the terms or simply posting NSFW Sonic the Hedgehog memes.

It should be a good place for Rogan to express opinions he doesn’t already express on his immensely popular podcast. He’s proudly unvaccinated, and when he caught COVID, instead of seeking a free and effective treatment, he dosed himself with a no doubt expensive cocktail of alternative medications. A recent guest on his show, Dr. Robert Malone, was banned on Twitter for spreading COVID misinformation. Rogan must be worried the same could happen to him, even if what he should be worrying about is his listeners seeing him as some kind of medical expert one should trust with one’s life.

(Via Mediaite)

The holidays just ended, meaning you may have done something you don’t do that often: spend time with people who don’t share your worldview. They can be family, they can be old friends, but whatever the case, you have to wrestle with the fact that they have opinions you may strongly oppose. Over the New Year’s weekend, Patton Oswalt found himself in such a predicament over his longtime friendship with “cancelled” (but not really) comedian Dave Chappelle.

On New Year’s Eve, Oswalt joined Chappelle for a surprise set in Seattle after the two realized they were doig shows in close proximity to each other. He posted a photo of the two, calling him a “genius that I started comedy with 34 years ago,” saying he “ended the year with a real friend and a deep laugh.”

Of course, Chappelle had a tumultuous 2021: He released a new Netflix special, The Closer, which was instantly condemned for its plethora of trans jokes. He inspired a revolt at the streamer, with employees even walking off the job in protest. Chappelle refused to apologize and even trash-talked some high schoolers after they called him out.

So when people saw Oswalt, an outspokenly progressive comedian, gushing about Chappelle with no mention of his controversies, there was enough of a pushback that Oswalt responded. Oswalt didn’t throw Chappelle under the bus. Instead, he grappled with a long, deep friendship with someone with whom he passionately disagrees on at least one major issue.

“I saw a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time this New Year’s Eve,” he wrote. “We’ve known each other since we’re teens. He’s a fellow comedian, the funniest I’ve ever met. I wanted to post a pic & an IG story about it — so I did. The friend is Dave Chappelle.”

He then delved into their history. “Thirty four YEARS we’ve been friends,” Oswalt wrote. “He’s refocused and refined ideas a lot of us took as settled about race & history & Life On Planet Earth and spun them around with a phrase or punchline. We’ve done bad & good gigs, open mikes & TV tapings.”

Then Oswalt discussed their differences: “But we also 100% disagree about transgender rights & representation. I support trans peoples’ rights — ANYONE’S rights — to live safely in the world as their fullest selves. For all the things he’s helped ME evolve on, I’ll always disagree with where he stands NOW on transgender issues.”

Oswalt was open to the idea that Chappelle could always change his mind, while comparing him with the friends he’s cut off in the past over disagreements such as this one:

“But I also don’t believe a seeker like him is done evolving, learning. You know someone that long, see the struggles and changes, it’s impossible to cut them off. Impossible not to be hopeful and open and cheer them on. Also, I’ve been carrying a LOT of guilt about friends I’ve cut off, who had views with which I couldn’t agree, or changed in ways I couldn’t live with. Sometimes I wonder — did I and others cutting them off make them dig their heels in deeper, fuel their ignorance with a nitro-boost of resentment and spite? I’m an LGBTQ ally. I’m a loyal friend. There’s friction in those traits that I need to reconcile myself, and not let cause feels of betrayal in ANYONE else. And I’m sorry, truly sorry, that I didn’t consider the hurt this would cause. Or the DEPTH of that hurt. I’ve been messaging a lot on IG today, and the back and forth has really helped guide me in the writing of this. I (naively) deleted a lot of posts in the comment thread — critical ones from LGBTQ writers AND s*it-posts by TERF/anti-trans orcs looking for clicks & giggles. I wanted a “nice comment thread” about the pic with my friend. Ugh. So easy to think someone ELSE needs growth and miss the need in yourself. Gonna keep trying.

On a lighter note, Oswalt also ended last year on a high note: a prediction he made about Boba Fett, the subject of the latest Disney+ Star Wars series, miraculously came true.

(Via THR)

Between releasing Happier Than Ever, hosting Saturday Night Live, and everything else she did, 2021 was a big year for Billie Eilish. Now, she has kicked off 2022 by taking her fans on a trip down memory lane, during which she revealed the red hair she briefly sported last year.

On Twitter, somebody asked Eilish to show off more photos of a particular outfit she was seen wearing. After obliging on her Instagram Story, Eilish asked if there was anything else her followers would like to see. Somebody suggested that she let her fans give her random dates and Eilish then chooses a photo or video from those dates to share. Eilish liked the idea, so she used Instagram’s question submission feature and responded to a bunch of inquiries.

For November 22 of last year, she shared a video of herself getting her hair dyed red, a color she says she kept “for a week.” Sure enough, in early December, she debuted her current black hair look.

Other highlights included Eilish and composer Danny Elfman posing in front of a statue of The Nightmare Before Christmas protagonist Jack Skellington on this past Halloween, a Star Trek puzzle she and her father put together on December 27, and an apparently post-sneeze Eilish with a substantial snot hanging from her nose all the way down to her chin on December 12.

If you want to see that Eilish snot photo, find it below. If you don’t want to see it, do yourself a favor and stop scrolling now.

Kyrie Irving has yet to play in a game this season due to his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. That is slated to change in the coming days, though, as a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic indicates that the Brooklyn Nets’ standout guard will suit up for Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.

While Irving is still not vaccinated and is therefore unable to play in home games due to New York City’s vaccine mandate, he has been eligible all season long to be a part-time player whenever the Nets go on the road. Until recently, the team was not interested in this arrangement, deciding that it’d be best for Irving to stay home.

But recently, as the team has been struck by a wave of injuries and players in COVID protocols, Brooklyn reversed course and opened the door for Irving to play in road games, which he accepted. The interesting thing is that, save for Joe Harris (who is out for an extended period due to ankle surgery) and LaMarcus Aldridge (who is day-to-day), the Nets currently do not have any players who are either injured or in the league’s COVID protocols.

Brooklyn sits 23-11 on the season, which is good for first place in the Atlantic Division and puts them one game back of the Chicago Bulls for the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference. Irving will not be eligible to play another game for a week, as the Nets follow up their trip to Indianapolis with back-to-back home games before heading to Chicago on Jan. 12.

The appeal of watching dysfunctional families never grows old, and that’s why January is a fantastic month on TV. Not only will we see the return of evangelistic mega-church shenanigans but also a money launderer who ended up way over his head. In other words, John Goodman and Jason Bateman’s money-hungry patriarchs are back for more in The Righteous Gemstones and Ozark, respectively. That’s great news for everyone who’s missing those other screwed-up fathers from Succession and Dexter, but family isn’t the only theme on the agenda. HBO and HBO Max cannot stop with the stellar offerings for everyone, from more Euphoria and Search Party to the return of The Suicide Squad‘s douchiest character in his own spinoff show.

Not only that, but HBO’s got a followup from the Downton Abbey creator, and let’s not forget the other options on your TV. Showtime’s back with more hedge-fund drama, TNT’s got more to show us with perpetually running trains, and Hulu has a revival series that could be worth your time. On FOX and Netflix, Rob Lowe and Ricky Gervais also bring their leading-men status back, and surely, all of these shows will keep you busy.

Here are the biggest shows worth noticing in January:

9-1-1: Lone Star: Season 3 (FOX series returning 1/3)

God bless this franchise for keeping things chaotic and absurd, long after the flaming burrito that started it all. Since that time, the Austin setting has seen a volcano and a dominatrix-centered storyline. On, and there’s been roller-derby and military-tank madness, but in the midst of it all, handsome Rob Lowe is keeping things handsome while carrying the weight of the 126 on his still-sculpted shoulders.

Search Party: Season (HBO Max series returning 1/7)

Alia Shawkat’s Dory is a kidnapping-victim-turned-apparent-cult-leader in this final season. That’s already an interesting turn of events, but Jeff Goldblum arrives on the scene to support all of this cult-y business as some dude named Tunnel Quinn, and of course, no one should expect this series to grow any less intense before all is said and done. Dory’s dangerous, and that ain’t changing.

Euphoria: Season 2 (HBO series returning 1/9)

Following a few gut-punch special episodes featuring sad pancakes, the Zendaya-starring, mascara-streaked phenomenon returns with a second full-on season. Naturally, Rue’s not on the straight-and-narrow, and in fact, she’s relapsed and may have descended into the drug trade, so expect violence atop the customary drama. Drake’s an executive producer, and the cast is absolutely incredible while giving us more of a lesson than we ever wanted on the subjects of trauma and social media and that elusive love that so many people are seeking.

The Righteous Gemstones: Season 2 (HBO series returning 1/9)

Walton Goggins’ Baby Billy is back to be a thorn in the side of John Goodman’s patriarch and the rest of the fam, including Danny McBride and Edi Patterson‘s sibling characters. Hopefully, everybody will be running around the house with pickles in their mouths, and all prayers have been answered for this dysfunctional family to return after the Succession gang dropped that betrayal-filled season finale. Settle in because it’s gospel time, so crank up the glitz and the grifting for another round.

Peacemaker: Season 1 (HBO Max series returning 1/13)

One of The Suicide Squad‘s characters who seemed least likely (well, there actually were a lot of them, including poor Boomerang) to make it out alive has his own spinoff series. That would be John Cena’s horribly patriotic title character, and it’s still hellaciously funny that this is happening because James Gunn got bored during quarantine and decided to write this TV show. Never fear, though. He Of the Butthole Jokes is still as worthy of contempt as always. There’s no telling whether we’ll see another Squad movie, so soak up as much of this end of the DCEU while it’s hot.

After Life: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 1/14)

Ricky Gervais returns as Tony, the widower who decided to not commit suicide out of impression but, instead, to take his angst out in the world. He fancies this attitude to be a Super Power, all while everyone around him grows concerned. This final season sees Tony still struggling with enormous grief but realizing that he actually enjoys making people feel good. It’s both an end and a beginning to this story, and here’s to the celebration of hope.

How I Met Your Father: Season (Hulu series debuting 1/18)

One of the bigger things to know about this particular franchise revival is that it includes Kim Cattrall, who opted out of another franchise revival (the Sex And The City continuation, And Just Like That). Cattrall portrays the future version of Hilary Duff’s Sophie, and of course, we’re going to hear all about how Sophie met her son’s dad, way back in 2022 when the realm of dating apps made looking-for-love even more complicated than in the IRL days. 87 Tinder dates in one year sounds like a total nightmare, right? Let’s live vicariously with this bingewatch.

Ozark: Season 4, Part 1 (Netflix series streaming 1/21)

The bad news is that Marty Byrde and fam will only be with us for one more season. The good news is that this is a supersized season that will arrive in two halves, so I’m pretending that we’re getting two more seasons. Jason Bateman’s baby has been good to us all, even if it’s been bad for Marty, Wendy, and the kids, and so-so for Ruth. This season, we’ll see what happened after the blood-spattered tarmac happenings. Marty and Wendy were received with opened arms (for a new life in Mexico?) after Helen took a gunshot to the head, and one can bet that this new beginning won’t be any more relaxing than the Byrdes’ money-laundering U.S. life. Luckily, Laura Linney and Julia Garner will still be around to make Marty’s life a little more hellish, and then I hope the ladies can take a nice vacation.

Billions: Season 6 (Showtime series returning 1/23)

God only knows how the Powers That Be plan to shake things up and carry on after Damian Lewis’ Bobby Axelrod has left the building. Heck, don’t ask me. I’m still pretending that there’s a way to make Frank Grillo’s character come back as king, but there ain’t no drama like hedge-fund-king drama. Last season brought us Janeane Garafalo as the owner of a cannabis venture, so god only knows who’s coming next because this show does a fine job with guest stars.

The Gilded Age: Season 1 (HBO series premiering 1/24)

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes heads into (as the title suggests) the American Gilded Age with Christine Baranski in a dramatic role and Cynthia Nixon making us all imagine how Miranda Hobbes would fare in Old New York. This story takes place in the highest society of 1880s New York, where old and new money collide, as do the wigs and costumes on familiar faces. Those include Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector, oh and also, Louisa Jacobson happens to be the daughter of Meryl Streep, so you’ll want to hop on that bandwagon early.

Snowpiercer: Season 3 (TNT series returning 1/24)

Somehow, this TV adaptation of the 2013 Bong Joon Ho movie began on a procedural note and then gained momentum in Season 2 before it did the unthinkable: decided to cast Sean Bean and not kill him. Well, Bean’s Mr. Wilford must be hellaciously angry over the split-train thing, and fortunately, Jennifer Connelly will return after Melanie pulled a fast one. This is one reimagining that hits the nail on the head against all odds, especially considering that the film remains so beloved, and Chris “Babies Taste Best” Evans and Tilda Swinton aren’t even aboard.

Resident Alien: Season 2 (USA Network and SYFY series returning 1/26)

Alan Tudyk (who genre fans know and love from Firefly, Rogue One, and many more entries) is still a freaking alien in this adaptation of the Dark Horse comic of the same name. If that’s not enough to stoke your curiosity, then please know that he’s also an alien who decides to become a small-town doctor as a cover for his true desire: to murder humans. Somewhere along the way, he decided to reevaluate that mission and then decided to help solve a murder. You won’t be disappointed if you give this one a shot.

On the first day of 2021, The Weeknd hinted that he wanted to drop his new album soon, as she shared a screenshot of a text conversation in which he said, “Let’s just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people.” Now, he’s following through with that: The Weeknd has announced that his new album, Dawn FM, is set for release this week, on Friday, January 7.

He shared a minute-long trailer and it describes the project as “a new sonic universe from the mind of The Weeknd.” The trailer also includes a list of what seems to be collaborators on the project, and it features Jim Carrey (yes, that Jim Carrey), Quincy Jones, Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, and Oneohtrix Point Never. The clip, which features footage of The Weeknd in aging prosthetic makeup, ends with a voiceover (recited by Carrey) that says, “You are now listening to 103.5 Dawn FM. You’ve been in the dark for way too long. It’s time to walk into the light and accept your fate with open arms.”

While the Carrey collaboration may be unexpected, it’s not entirely unprecedented: The Canadian entertainment icons were introduced at a party and later spent The Weeknd’s 30th birthday together. The Weeknd previously explained, “On my [30th] birthday, he called and told me to look out my window, and on his balcony he had these giant red balloons, and he picked me up and we went to breakfast. It was surreal. Jim Carrey was my first inspiration to be any kind of performer, and I went to breakfast with him on my first day of being 30.”

Watch the trailer above.

Dawn FM is out 1/7 via Republic.

South Park has had its share of (in)famous episodes during its lengthy run, but one that stands out in particular is “Ginger Kids,” which debuted in 2005 and sees Eric Cartman transformed into a redhead after he made fun of redheaded people. The episode is credited with inspiring “Kick A Ginger Day” and, among some, a general mistreatment of and/or disdain for people with red hair. Not even Ed Sheeran is immune, as he says the episode “f*cking ruined” his life.

Sheeran recently told Slam Radio (as The Independent notes) that after the episode, people in the US started commenting on his hair more than they did before:

“Having red hair in England was always a thing that people took the piss out of you for, but it was never something in America. People never knew what a ginger was in America. That episode of South Park f*cking ruined my life. I was going to America and everyone was like, ‘I love your hair dude.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, people like my hair?’ And then I remember that episode coming out and that was just it worldwide for the rest of my life.”

The episode didn’t damper Sheeran’s appreciation of the show, though, as he said he’s still a fan and that he’d like to voice a character on the program.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

This season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Boston Celtics, as they entered Sunday night’s game against the Magic at 17-19, barely holding onto a play-in position in the East. There have been injuries and the roster inconsistencies that all teams have dealt with due to players going in and out of COVID protocols, but even when the team has had most of its roster intact, they have just not been able to finish games off.

Boston has had the third worst fourth quarter net rating in the NBA this season (-8.0), and their inability to close out games has been a bit of a surprise given the presence of their two stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. As Marcus Smart complained about early this season, teams have been able to focus almost solely on those two late in games and, if they slow them down, they likely slow the Celtics down as they lean so heavily on those two to create shots for themselves (with Smart wanting them to take on a greater facilitating role).

On Sunday, however, that was not an issue as Jaylen Brown put the Celtics on his back and carried them to a comeback win over a scrappy Magic team, scoring 50 points on the night including 21 in the fourth and the dagger in overtime to get Boston a much needed 116-111 win.

Brown had 11 rebounds and four assists to go along with his 50-point outburst, and that gives Boston a two-game winning streak that they will hope to build off of with some winnable games coming up against the Spurs, Knicks (x2), and Pacers (x2). For Brown, he’ll hope this is the start of a quality stretch as he has seen his normally high efficiency slip this season, as he had his own battle with COVID and a hamstring issue that have seemed to kept him from getting into a rhythm thus far.

Sunday was a wild day in the NFL, with some sensational finishes across the league, most notably the Bengals kicking a last second field goal to beat the Chiefs in a shootout and the Bucs keeping their hopes for the No. 1 seed alive with a comeback victory over the Jets on the road.

However, the story of the Bucs game was not the comeback and game-winning touchdown from Tom Brady to Cyril Grayson, but the receiver who wasn’t on the field to end the game. Antonio Brown walked off the field after a tantrum on the sideline that saw him rip off his shoulder pads and jersey, throw his undershirt and gloves into the crowd, and then bounce through the end zone waving to the crowd, all while the Bucs were on the field.

After the game, Bruce Arians was clearly not happy with the situation, refusing to speak about the situation beyond saying Brown is “no longer a Buc,” while Tom Brady said he hopes Brown can get himself right off the field so he can continue his career in another stop. As for Brown, he won’t be going back to his Florida home immediately.

A photo of Brown standing outside MetLife Stadium on his phone with his suitcase waiting on a car to pick him up went viral, as storming out doesn’t quite work as well on the road when you arrived on a team bus and don’t have a car there.

The driver of said car posted a video of he and Brown driving from the Meadowlands into New York City, as Brown no longer needed to find his way back to Tampa on the team plane and will apparently be hitting the city instead.

Brown’s tenure in Tampa has officially come to an end, but it remains to be seen if this will also close the book on his NFL career as a whole. For now, he doesn’t seem too worried about that as he ventures off into New York City.

Last year was a timid year for 21 Savage. After dropping Savage Mode II with Metro Boomin, an effort that became each of their second No. 1 albums, 21 Savage laid low until last spring when he dropped his Spiral EP. The project also doubled as the accompanying soundtrack for the film of the same title and it presented features from Gunna, Young Thug, 21 Harold, Millie Go Lightly, Young Nudy, and more. However, since 21 Savage dropped that EP, his future releases have come in the form of sporadic features. Finally, to end off 2021 on a high note, 21 Savage returned with two singles.

21 Savage gets back to action with “No Debate and “Big Smoke.” The former is produced by Cardo Got Wings and Deats while the second is produced by Sg Kid Hazlel. The songs were also put together and released with an accompanying video that captures the rapper laying some bars while spending some time with his friends as well as his child.

It arrives to conclude the last half of the year which featured plenty of highlight moments involving 21 Savage. There was his appearance with Project Pat on Drake’s “Knife Talk” as well as working with G Herbo and Lil Durk for a remix for Nardo Wick’s “Who Wants Smoke??” He also made appearances on Rick Ross and Rick Ross albums.

You can watch the video for ‘No Debate’ and ‘Big Smoke’ above.

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