Category: News

It’s usually a good sign for an artist’s career when their concert in a major metropolis sells so many tickets that it has to be moved to a new — and larger — venue at the last minute. It’s probably also a good sign that despite the change of venue, the line wrapped around the block before the doors opened. The last opportune omen is the fact that those people in line patiently waited over 2 hours past the initial doors time for those doors to open and stuck it out through a show that lasted until well after midnight.

With all those tenets in mind, it looks very much like Nigerian Afrobeats/R&B singer Tems is already a star. The Monday night LA stop on the singer’s first-ever US tour followed the above arch, starting out at The Roxy before switching to The Fonda Theatre a day before the show was to take place, which didn’t stop a legion of fans from lining up down Hollywood Boulevard, around the corner on Gower, and all the way down the street for most of the next block. Those fans certainly did wait it out, and their patience was rewarded by an impressive performance from the burgeoning star.

Tems’ opener, Amaarae, generated suitable hype for the headliner with a set that showcased her bold personality and welcoming demeanor. The opener pulled fans onstage to perform alongside her more than once and provided a lively counterpoint to the relatively lower key set that followed. Her exuberant tunes were more defiant and extroverted, whereas Tems’ set — taken from her two EPs, 2020’s For Broken Ears and last month’s If Orange Was A Place — was more internally focused and emotional.

Tems’ performance bore many of the hallmarks of a veteran performer, despite her ostensible rookie status. Framed in angelic light and wearing a flowing, translucent dressing gown, she delivered powerful vocals over renditions of “Damages,” “Free Mind,” and of course, “Essence,” the Wizkid megahit that brought Tems to national prominence. Her fans, a diverse mix of young people, many flamboyantly dressed in traditional African patterns and styles, bought into every new song in the set, despite some being relatively very new. The inevitable singalong that broke out when she launched into “Essence” — assisted by Wizkid in a surprise appearance, naturally — left the impression that she’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve on lots of future tours.

About that delay, though: It’s becoming clearer by the day that fans will be feeling the fallout from the pandemic and resulting entertainment shutdown for a while yet. So far, we’ve seen multiple examples of supply chain and logistical problems forcing artists to postpone events in just the last few weeks. Post Malone was forced to postpone Posty Fest due to supply problems, while J. Cole canceled and rescheduled a pair of shows after hours of delay because there wasn’t enough time to set up the stage as he envisioned. Although Tems didn’t specifically cite these problems, there’s little doubt that switching venues affected the production and prompted these delays.

Tems’ concert is also the second one Uproxx covered recently where a relatively new artist who’d broken out during the pandemic suddenly found that they were way more popular than projected at the last minute. Blxst’s Santa Ana tour stop, initially set for The Observatory’s smaller Constellation Room, was moved to the main stage practically the day of. The bad news is that eventually another breakout star will likely be forced to either play the smaller venue, leaving fans out, or reschedule shows as fewer venues and crew will be readily available. The good news is that these last-minute updates indicate the improving health of the industry, with tickets in high demand, and better projections for stars who couldn’t see their real-world impact as they grew their profiles mostly over the internet for the past year.

For acts like Tems, that can only be encouraging. Having to build a career in less-than-ideal conditions probably added a number of additional stressors on top the usual pressures of learning to deal with fame on the fly. But being able to see real-life rewards — particularly in respect to learning that your star has risen even higher than you (or your booking agent) could have imagined almost makes it all worth it. So, even as we all face the residual effects of the pandemic in live entertainment, for some stars and their fans, the payoff is more than worth the wait.

The Trump camp can’t be enjoying the publicity rollout for Stephanie Grisham’s new book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now, which also happens to be the book that Stephen Colbert doesn’t want you to buy. That’s a fair point, but also: so many advance tidbits from this book have been previewed that, hey, we may have already heard the best parts of this book? We heard about how Melania Trump (who Stephanie worked for as chief-of-staff) enjoyed humiliating Trump in retaliation for the alleged Stormy Daniels affair. Wwe heard what Trump apparently said about those toadstool-penis claims, and then (and this is not all) there’s the vegan aversion that Trump claimed would protect his big brain.

Then there’s Grisham’s revelations about Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who she called “Senator Freelader” with a “creepy little smile” as revealed by Business Insider:

“Senator Freeloader was sitting at a table by the pool, a big grin on his face, lapping up the goodies he was getting like some potentate. He said to me, with a creepy little smile, ‘Isn’t this great? Man, this is the life’… It struck me that he was using Trump to mop up the freebies like there was no tomorrow (seems that he still is). He would show up at Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster to play free rounds of golf, stuff his face with free food, and hang out with Trump and his celebrity pal..”

How does Graham feel about this allegation? He spoke on-air with Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt, and Graham found all of this to be so funny. “Apparently she’s implying that the only reason I want to be around President Trump is because of the food.” More giggles poured fourth: “I’ll let you determine if that’s why I spend time with the president. Because I need my next meal.” He also added, “My appreciation for President Trump includes the food! But much beyond that.” A big “huh?” seems accurate.

So, “creepy little smile”? Check. Also, this could be a confirmation.

Chris Brown and Drake are being accused of copyright infringement in a new lawsuit that alleges their song “No Guidance” uses parts of another artists’ song without permission, according to TMZ. Mr. Cooper and Drum’n Skillz, the artists suing Drake and Brown, say that “No Guidance” sounds just like their song “I Love Your Dress,” which was released three years before. Cooper, whose real name is Brandon Cooper, and Drum’n Skillz, real name Timothy Valentine, say that even inexpert listeners would hear the similarities, which they say proves “No Guidance” is principally derived from “I Love Your Dress.”

The lawsuit points specifically to the refrain of “She got it; she got it,” which they say Drake and Brown recreated as “You got it, girl; you got it.” While “I Love Your Dress” uses its line 16 times, “No Guidance” uses it 11. The duo also insists that a lyric using the phrase “flew the coop” was a subliminal shot at Cooper. You can compare the two tracks for yourself below.

In the wake of the lawsuit, though, Brown at least also got some better news in a separate case; TMZ reports charges were dropped in an assault case in which Brown was accused of slapping a woman so hard her weave came loose. Prosecutors cited a lack of evidence.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul joined ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on First Take Wednesday morning to provide his thoughts on a range of topics, including Deandre Ayton’s contract negotiations, which have stalled as of late.

Following a breakout 2020-21 in which Ayton averaged 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks, the third-year center is eligible for a rookie scale maximum contract extension. However, with fewer than two weeks remaining for both sides to reach an agreement before the deadline of the 2021-22 regular season, he’s yet to receive one.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Phoenix is reluctant to offer Ayton the max, while he “has no intention of accepting a deal less than the comparable max contracts that several of his 2018 NBA Draft classmates signed, including Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr.”

Paul, entering his 17th NBA season, recognizes such occurrences are merely the way of the land, but does not anticipate this current impasse jeopardizing Ayton’s tenure as a Sun.

“I’m not concerned, that’s the business of the game,” Paul said. “Those contract talks happen as players, agents, all that stuff. We got Mikal Bridges, another guy who’s a big part of our team (eligible for an extension), so hopefully that stuff will take care of itself, so we can get back to playing and doing what we do.”

The deadline for Ayton and the Suns to agree on an extension is Oct. 18. Should the two sides fail to figure out a new contract, Ayton will hit restricted free agency next summer.

While the ongoing pandemic has reduced movie premieres, film festivals, and the entertainment industry at-large to a fraction of their former glory, some stars are going the extra mile to celebrate the folks keeping the industry alive. According to a Deadline report, movie fans attending Paramount’s CineEurope Presentation in Barcelona this week were treated to one such appearance by none other than action star Tom Cruise, who dropped by the festival to promote both Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible 7. The surprising cameo reportedly brought “CineEurope attendees to their feet,” and brightened up the starless affair.

Following the reveal, Cruise took the opportunity to thank those attending the presentation, stating he “wanted to come personally” before adding he’s “had a great relationship” with CineEurope over his 40-year career” and he is “always thinking” about moviegoers.

“I love making movies, it’s my passion,” Cruise said from the stage this afternoon, telling exhibition, “Every day we want the very best it can be. We’re out here with you and for you and we’re never going to stop.”

Cruise then introduced the attendees to a previously shown clip from Mission: Impossible 7, followed by the first 13 minutes of the Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. The long-awaited second entry in the Top Gun series hit theaters next May, followed by Mission: Impossible 7 in late September.

A Korean man has been bombarded with over 4,000 calls a day since Squid Game premiered due to having the same phone number as one that’s featured on the popular Netflix series. Everyone with an 867-5309 number in the early 1980s can relate.

“After Squid Game aired, I have been receiving calls and texts endlessly, 24/7, to the point that it’s hard for me to go on with daily life,” he said in an interview with Koreaboo. “This is a number that I’ve been using for more than 10 years, so I’m quite taken aback. There are more than 4,000 numbers that I’ve had to delete from my phone and it’s to the point where due to people reaching out without a sense of day and night due to their curiosity, my phone’s battery is drained and turns off.”

That sounds like a nightmare (I get anxiety if I get an call from one unknown number, let alone 4,000), so Netflix has decided to “edit out the scenes that include the phone number,” according to EW. “The unfortunate incident was accidental as the Squid Game creators thought that removing the first three digits of the number would render it unusable. However, they were unaware that if the number was dialed as a local call, those numbers would be automatically added, allowing anyone to reach its owner.”

This poor person can finally sleep sound knowing that the next time someone calls him, it will be about his car’s extended warranty.

(Via EW)

While Britney Spears’ conservatorship isn’t over yet, significant progress has been made in freeing her from it: A week ago, her father Jamie was removed as Spears’ conservator. Spears has been vocal about the situation on social media lately, and yesterday, she took some time to both throw some shots at her family and some praise at her new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart.

Spears took to Instagram to share an image of an underwater scene, featuring one woman encountering another. She explained the image, “his picture is everything to me !!! It makes me want to cry … she’s saving her divine feminine sister !!!!”

She then went on to write about how her family treated her during her conservatorship, saying, “I suggest if you have a friend that’s been in a house that feels really small for four months … no car … no phone … no door for privacy and they have to work around 10 hours a day 7 days a week and give tons of blood weekly with never a day off … I strongly suggest you go pick up your friend and get them the hell outta there !!!!! If you’re like my family who says things like ‘sorry, you’re in a conservatorship’ … probably thinking you’re different so they can f*ck with you !!!!”

She concluded by praising Rosengart, writing, “Thankfully I found an amazing attorney Mathew Rosengart who has helped change my life !!!!”

Check out Spears’ post below.

It’s been a rough week for social media platforms. After Facebook went down for literal hours on Monday, Twitch announced on Wednesday that it had been “breached” and were unaware to the extent of it.

Early Wednesday morning, VGC reported that 125 GB of data from Twitch had been leaked on forums. The information reportedly contained source code as well as streamer payment info. Now that Twitch has confirmed that the hack occurred, we need to wait for them to confirm the extent of the damage, but with the original report stating that the leaked information is “all of Twitch,” there are plenty who have understandable concerns.

How does this Twitch hack impace me?

For the average person, this Twitch hack is hopefully not going to affect them too much. As with most platforms like this, it’s probably a good idea to change the password connected to it and set up some form of Two-Factor Authentication if you haven’t already. If you’re one of those people that uses the same password across multiple sites then you might need to change that one on those other sites as well.

How does this hack impact streamers?

Streamers, like the rest of us, are going to need to double-check some of their passwords. Unfortunately, it sounds like their compensation information may have been lost in the breach. While that exactly means is unclear, reports do state that the information lost includes payment info for some Twitch streamers. While many public figures, such as athletes, are used to having their salaries reported, this has not been the case for streamers.

How will this impact Twitch?

This could be potentially disastrous for Twitch depending on how deep this breach goes. Having many of their proprietary assets, source code, and internal information stolen is one thing, but it runs the risk of doing damage to its relationships with the Twitch community. Twitch has already seen many of its public faces, such as “TimTheTatman” and “Dr. Lupo,” leave for competing streaming services. Having a security breach like this is could make it difficult to convince notable streamers to stick around when other companies are willing to bring them over for more money and a more secure platform.

This story originally appeared on 04.01.19

Australia is sending a strong message to domestic abusers worldwide: You’re not welcome here.

Australia has recently broadened a migration law to bar any person who has been convicted of domestic violence anywhere in the world from getting a visa to enter the country. American R&B singer Chris Brown and boxing star Floyd Mayweather had been banned from the country in the past, following their domestic violence convictions. Now the ban applies to all foreign visitors or residents who have been found guilty of violence against women or children.

Even convicted domestic abusers who already have visas and are living in Australia can be kicked out under the new rule. The government is using the rule, which took effect on February 28, 2019 to send a message to domestic violence perpetrators.

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“Australia has no tolerance for perpetrators of violence against women and children,” Federal Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said in a public statement. “The message is clear: if you’ve been convicted of a violent crime against women or children, you are not welcome in this country, wherever the offence occurred, whatever the sentence.”

The ban is supposed to make Australia safer, but not everyone is happy about it.

“By cancelling the visas of criminals we have made Australia a safer place,” Coleman said. “These crimes inflict long lasting trauma on the victims and their friends and family, and foreign criminals who commit them are not welcome in our country.”

However, Australia’s neighboring country of New Zealand has long taken issue with Australia’s policy of exporting convicts, and this new policy highlights why. Under the new rule, New Zealanders who have already served their sentences for domestic violence and lived in Australia most of their lives could be kicked out and sent to live in New Zealand. Such circumstances raise questions about when justice has been served and the role of rehabilitation in domestic violence convictions.

Australia, like many other countries, is trying to come to terms with its domestic violence problem.

Barring domestic violence perpetrators from other countries sends a strong message, but it’s only meaningful if the country also tackles the problem among its own citizens. According to a Personal Safety Study conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 17% of Australian women and 6% of Australian men have experienced partner violence since the age of 15. And the numbers have remained relatively stable since 2005.

That may seem to indicate that little progress has been made; however, as Australian law professor Heather Douglass points out, the numbers only tell part of the story. Since most people in abusive relationships don’t report the abuse until after they’ve left, it could simply be that more are leaving, which is a good thing. There has also been a marked increase in people seeking domestic violence services in some areas, which, again, is a good thing. For far too long, domestic violence was swept under the rug while victims were often too afraid or embarrassed to seek help. More calls for help could mean that the stigma associated with domestic violence is starting to fade.

This story originally appeared on 03.11.20

The most recent data shows that about one in 68 children in the U.S. are affected by autism and boys are four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is marked by communication and social difficulties, sensory processing issues, and inflexible patterns of behavior. Almost everything that researchers have learned about the disorder is based on data derived from studies of boys.

However, researchers are starting to learn that ASD manifests differently in girls. This has led many girls to be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

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“The model that we have for a classic autism diagnosis has really turned out to be a male model,” Susan F. Epstein, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist said according to Child Mind.

via PIxaBay

“That’s not to say that girls don’t ever fit it, but girls tend to have a quieter presentation, with not necessarily as much of the repetitive and restricted behavior, or it shows up in a different way,” Epstein added.

Stereotypical ASD behaviors may also get in the way of recognizing the disorder in girls.

“So where the boys are looking at train schedules, girls might have excessive interest in horses or unicorns, which is not unexpected for girls,” Dr. Epstein notes. “But the level of the interest might be missed and the level of oddity can be a little more damped down. It’s not quite as obvious to an untrained eye.”

Girls with ASD are usually better at hiding their autistic behaviors, so they suffer in silence.

Paige Layle, a 19-year-old eyelash technician from Ontario, Canada, has autism but because she’s a social butterfly, most people don’t realize she has the disorder.

“I get that a lot, that because I’m good-looking, nothing can be wrong with me — so I want to show that mental illness is diverse,” Layle told BuzzFeed.

To help people better understand how autism manifests in girls and women, Layle has made a series of videos on her TikTok page.

“I decided to start making videos because of an audio that was going all over TikTok that was making fun of autistic people. I hated it. I feel like many people don’t understand how many people are autistic,” she said.

Layle’s videos are eye-opening because they shatter some big myths about autism and show how difficult it can be to live with the disorder, especially if you don’t know you have it.

In the first video, she explains how the initial research done on autism was only on boys or men.

“Girls usually end up showing different traits than guys do. Which is why it can take us years to get diagnosed. I was 15 when I got diagnosed and that’s considered early for a girl.”

She also explains that girls often are diagnosed later because they are better at hiding autistic behaviors.

“This is something we call masking. Masking is basically just being like a really good actor.

It’s where you take traits that everyone else is showing and start portraying them as yourself. It’s like a lot of copying going on. … In your mind you don’t think you’re copying. You think that this is normal and everyone feels the same way you do.

You basically feel like an alien and you’re really good at hiding that. Which is why I don’t seem autistic.”

In part two, she discusses the idea of being high-functioning.

“Get high-functioning and low functioning out of your vocabulary. It doesn’t help anybody. I know you may think that saying ‘Oh like you’re high-functioning’ is compliment. It’s not a compliment. It’s also like a reminder that I’m just masking, and it’s so hard.

Masking is the most exhausting thing in the world… ‘High-functioning’ is basically a label that you can use to be like ‘Your autism doesn’t affect me that much.’ But I’ll tell you that everyone you think is high-functioning is greatly affected by their autism.”

In part three, Paige discusses common autistic traits that girls have.

“I am overly social. I give way too much eye contact. I’m really good in social situations. It’s also very common for girls with autism to have other mental disabilities or mental disorders as well. I have seven and one of the main ones is OCD.

All of these mental illnesses stem from having autism. But OCD, anxiety, and depression are very common, especially in girls. Just the feeling that the world needs rules for you to understand it. That’s why a lot of autism special interests include things like anatomy, the human body, psychology, just figuring out how the world works is our way to figure out how to live in it.”

In part four, Paige discusses the topic of masking.

“When you’re in the autistic closet and you are not known to be autistic yet … you like subconsciously know that you’re weird and you don’t know how to act or how to be.

It’s like the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you wear your hair, like your mannerisms. Like everything you say. Everything you think. Everything you think that you enjoy. It’s all what you are accustomed to from your peers.

I’ve been diagnosed for four years and I’m still trying to figure out who I am and what I actually like to do. You just get to used to creating this mask that when it’s like ‘Hey, you can take it off,’ It’s like what the frick is underneath it? I don’t know what’s going on.”