Category: News

After wowing audiences back in 2018 with her Oscar-winning Pixar short, Bao, Domee Shi is back to work at Pixar with an even more exciting project: her first full-length film. Much like Bao, Turning Red is a coming-of-age story that pulls from her Chinese heritage and involves adolescent transformation, but this time Shi is writing the piece from the perspective of confident and mostly carefree 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang). While the teaser trailer dropped earlier this summer, giving us a brief look at the film’s strange and fur-filled Hulk story, we now have our first trailer and somehow, it looks even cuter.

Turning Red follows Mei, a smart and spunky teenage girl who loves her friends, her Tamagotchi, music, and being unapologetically herself — or at least she did, until it’s revealed her family suffers from a curse that causes her to turn into a giant red panda whenever she experiences intense emotions. Mei must then learn how to fully embrace her fuzzy form as well as navigate her emotions and life as a teenage girl. In addition to Chiang, the film also features Sandra Oh as Mei’s slightly overbearing mother and a whole cast of colorful characters.

However, Mei’s giant red panda form isn’t the only larger-than-life sensation being unleashed in Turning Red. Like oh so many teen girls, Mei and her friends share a common and all-consuming interest: hit boy band 4*Town. Seemingly based off of *NSYNC, whose song “It’s Gonna Be Me” plays throughout the trailer, 4*Town looks like it will play a significant part in Turning Red, and Pixar enlisted some major star power to help make sure each and every one of their musical performances memorable. Creating three original songs as 4*Town are Grammy-winning singer-songwriters Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, which is a pretty inspired and on-the-pulse choice. The first of the duo’s songs, “Nobody Like U,” plays briefly in the trailer.

You can catch 4*Town and what’s sure to be an adorable, coming-of-age journey when Turning Red hits theaters March 11, 2022.

When most artists want to add songs to an existing album, they follow it up with a new deluxe edition featuring the additional songs. Petey went a different route today, though: He released a new track called “Perfect Teeth” and just tacked it into the end of the standard Lean Into Life album.

The song sees Petey keeping things relatively minimal with his piano and acoustic guitar arrangement. Petey explains the song’s theme is a sort of variation of the “lean into life” mantra of the album and its title track, saying, “This is a song called ‘Perfect Teeth.’ It’s a song about accepting a dissociative state as a new normal and just going with it. I recorded it with acoustic guitar and piano.”

Petey previously said of his music more broadly, “The music and the comedy are all wrapped up together as part of the same thing for me. Someone told me that a great way to create something original is to combine all of your favorite things and then fill in the gaps with your own personality. When I sing, I want to sing like Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse. When I play guitar, I want to play guitar like Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie. When I produce synth parts, I want to produce synth parts like Kanye West. And when I play drums, I want to play drums like Travis Barker from Blink-182. All those approaches get combined with my own story in my songs.”

Listen to “Perfect Teeth” above and revisit our recent profile of Petey here.

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

Thanks to his “Chewbacca bikini” outfit and prominent presence in photos where he’s screaming while holding the American flag on a spear, Jacob Chansley, a.k.a. the QAnon Shaman, was just slapped with the second-longest prison sentence yet for participation in the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol building. While Chansley has attempted to have his sentence reduced by denouncing Donald Trump and asking for credit for time served (he was one of the first insurrectionists arrested in January), the Department of Justice and Judge Royce Lamberth were not open to leniency. Via CNN:

Other judges are likely to look to Lamberth’s sentence as a possible benchmark, since Chansley is one of the first felony defendants among more than 660 Capitol riot cases to receive a punishment.

Pictures of Chansley at the Capitol went viral because of a bizarre appearance while leading others through the Capitol, shouting into a bullhorn. As one of the first 30 rioters inside the building, he made his way to the Senate dais that was hastily vacated earlier by then-Vice President Mike Pence, and left a note, according to his plea documents.

During the sentencing hearing, the judge explained to the Shaman’s attorney why he was throwing the book at this client, saying, “He made himself the image of the riot, didn’t he?” Lamberth said. “For good or bad, he made himself the very image of this whole event.”

The Shaman’s sentence is just one month shy of the one given to New Jersey gym owner Scott Kevin Fairlamb, who received 42 months in prison after repeatedly posting videos of his involvement in the MAGA coup on social media… where people are currently celebrating the Shaman’s fate and hoping to see even more Jan. 6 rioters behind bars, particularly its ring leader.

(Via CNN)

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) might very well be a Democrat in name only these days, especially after her literal thumbs-down on a minimum-wage vote. Amid all of the denim vest and Ted Lasso-related backlash, she’s leaning harder to the right with each passing Senate gridlock (including the infrastructure bill), and Sinema is very aware of the speculation on whether she will go Republican.

At least, that’s the vibe she’s giving off during a rare interview that she gave to Politico. When directly inquired about whether she’ll switch sides, she simply answered like this: “No. Why would I do that?” Politico notes that Sinema used her “trademark deadpan” in response. The article notes that GOP Whip John Thune has pushed hard to recruit Sinema, who’s already making that Senate split difficult enough for Democrats. Yet Sinema has more to say about, uh, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Specifically, she finds him to be enormously funny:

….[I]n her miniature, pink-hued Capitol hideaway office, Sinema dressed down Democratic leadership for setting expectations too high. She also defended the right of her critics to protest her, but not to follow her into a bathroom and “unfairly and illegally” victimize the students she teaches at Arizona State. Sinema also revealed why she’s constantly spotted on the floor chatting with GOP leader McConnell: “He has a dry sense of humor. It’s underrated.”

I can only imagine — I take that back. It is hard to imagine what types of jokes that Mitch McConnell would tell. They can’t be fantastic jokes, right? They’ve gotta be the ultimate dad jokes. Whatever he’s selling, Sinema sure is a fan of his. She even said hello to him on the way to give that cutsey, backpack-accented, thumbs down vote, which you can relive again below.

(Via Politico)

Unlike the perfect couple Phyllis and Bob, Jim and Pam’s relationship had its share of ups and downs over nine seasons of The Office. But it was never tested more than in season eight with the introduction of Cathy. She filled in as the office administrator while Pam was away on maternity leave — and like Pam, she had the hots for Jim. Unlike Pam, however, she had no shot. Not after John Krasinski said no to a make-out scene.

“That’s the only time I remember putting my foot down,” Krasinski writes in the new book, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office. “I remember saying things that I never thought I’d say before, like, I’m not going to shoot it.”

He continued:

“My feeling is there is a threshold with which you can push our audience. They are so dedicated. We have shown such great respect to them. But there’s a moment where if you push them too far, they’ll never come back. And I think that if you show Jim cheating, they’ll never come back.”

The kiss between Jim and Cathy would have happened while they were on a work trip in Florida, but creator Greg Daniels was convinced by Krasinski’s appeal and cut it. He still defends the idea, however. “I feel like that kind of worry was good in terms of the fans’ engagement. I think they knew what was coming. They were very comfortable with the show they were getting, and I needed to worry them that maybe I was going to give them a bad ending so they were happy when they got a good ending,” he contends.

As for Lindsey Broad, who played Cathy, she would appreciate it if “fans” of The Office stopped harassing her. “If anyone is wondering what it was like to be on The Office, the best comedy of this century: I just posted something on Instagram about how my dog was murdered and a bunch of people were like ‘F*ck you, Cathy, she deserved it!’ So. There ya go!” she tweeted last year. Everyone on social media needs to chill out.

(Via the New York Post)

This month is a big one when it comes to the release of new music from today’s top stars. The smash-hit duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, shared their debut album. On the same day, Taylor Swift graced fans with the rerecorded version of her classic LP Red. Though Silk Sonic had one of their singles previously top the charts, Swift’s new album seems to have wildly out-performed Silk Sonic’s when it came to first-week album sales, leaving .Paak with a few regrets.

A few days after the release of his collaborative LP An Evening With Silk Sonic, .Paak shared a screenshot of the projected numbers for this week’s Billboard 200 albums chart. It show Swift’s music at No. 1, having nearly five times the amount of streams as Silk Sonic at No. 2. As a result of the numbers, .Paak joked that he wishes he formed Silk Sonic with Swift rather than Mars.

“Looks like I linked up with the wrong pop star,” he wrote. “Hey @taylorswift13 is your number still the same!? Lmk if you need help with 1989, I’m available! #ShakeItOff”

Despite the joke at Mars’ expense, .Paak has said he really does admire working with the singer. .Paak recently commended Mars as “one of the greatest vocalists” he’s ever worked with, going on to say that Mars has been able to push him “to a different level.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Brooklyn Nets were throttled at home by the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night thanks to a monster performance by Steph Curry, who played so well that the crowd at Barclays Center showered him with MVP chants. While the loss knocked the Nets to 10-5 on the season, the team is still in third place in the Eastern Conference and one game out of first place.

Despite this, Stephen A. Smith thinks the loss is a sign of a much bigger issue in Brooklyn, and on Wednesday’s edition of First Take, he expressed his belief that Kevin Durant should have never joined the franchise in the first place.

Much of Smith’s argument revolves around Durant having “no help” despite his two superstar teammates — James Harden, he claims, “ain’t James Harden right now, averaging 19 points a game. You sittin’ there, struggling from the field, you had 24 points last night, it’s the most meaningless 24 points that I’ve ever seen from the career of James Harden.” He then turned his ire to Kyrie Irving, who has yet to play in a game this season due to his decision to not get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“KD, you made the wrong decision, bro, and here’s why: Because you trusted Kyrie,” Smith said. “Kyrie Irving betrayed you, flat out betrayed you, left you hanging. And why you’re sittin’ up there, gettin’ your ass kicked last night — Steph Curry’s sittin’ there, shimmyin’ and jokin’ around, they were cheering for Steph Curry in Brooklyn from opening tap. They were chanting ‘MVP’ in the Barclays Center, and it wasn’t for the dude averaging 28.9 points per game for the Brooklyn Nets. It was for Steph Curry.

“And then you juxtapose Steph Curry, compared to Kyrie Irving, and what do you have?” Smith continued. “You got Kyrie Irving, who is a showstopper, Kyrie Irving, who is a superstar talent, he is box office, and can’t be trusted. I actually hope Kyrie Irving gets cut, I mean, this is a disgrace. To sit up there and watch this team last night look like straight garbage, and every respectable team that you go against — you lost to Chicago by double-digits, you got spanked last night by Golden State by double-digits, you lost to the Charlotte Hornets by double-digits, you got spanked on opening night by double-digits against Milwaukee — every respectable team you go up against, waxes y’all behind. And why? Because KD don’t have not help. You’re left there all alone, you ain’t got a culture, you don’t even got a damn fanbase.”

Smith went on to say that he was showing more passion by being disappointed than anyone who attends a game at Barclays Center has for the Nets before turning his attention back to Irving, claiming that while it can be denied by anyone, he knows what sequence of events led to Durant ending up in Brooklyn.

“KD and Kyrie were going to the Knicks, they were going to the Garden,” Smith said. “Kyrie steps in and Kyrie said, ‘To hell with all of that, let’s establish our own culture, let’s go to Brooklyn, don’t feed off of their brand, their culture, let’s build our own culture.’ KD said, ‘Yo, I wanna go with Kyrie.’ But even in the wee hours, Kyrie and KD wasn’t talking, because Kyrie was all over the place. And DeAndre Jordan had to get on a phone call, five in the morning, to get them brothers together, so you could do this and come to Brooklyn. That is why KD is in Brooklyn. Only to be here and watch this dude, this sad excuse for a professional — I ain’t sayin’ he ain’t a superstar, I didn’t say he’s not box office. As a talent, I think Kyrie Irving deserves $50 million a year. I don’t think that man should ever get another long-term contract in his career, cause he can’t be trusted.”

Smith closed by saying the fans in Brooklyn do not appreciate and value Durant nearly enough, that he thinks Steve Nash is not quite up for being the coach of a team right now, and that he has no plans of returning to Barclays Center unless ESPN makes him. It is worth mentioning that Smith and Durant have butted heads a number of times in the past, and that he does not seem to think that Durant just likes being in Brooklyn regardless of what’s going on with Irving. The Nets will get the chance to bounce back on Wednesday night during a home tilt against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Two years since the release of Pretty Buff charted a new path for Baltimore hardcore-turned-folk-punk rockers Angel Du$t, they’re officially back with a new collection of songs that show how they are able to find the middle ground between their past and future. Yak: A Collection Of Truck Songs is twelve tracks that show Angel Du$t’s full spectrum of strengths, from introspective acoustic tracks to driving power pop numbers. While it seems on the surface that they’ve left their hardcore past behind them, there are sometimes explosions of aggression on this record that remind us just where Angel Du$t came from.

To celebrate the new album, frontman Justice Tripp sat down to talk Key & Peele, Turnstile, and Los Angeles in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Spin kick acoustic guitar.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

There used to be a popular google search of “Justice Tripp gay?” I hope people are still googling that in 2050 still.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Los Angeles. Sorry to every other city, I fuck with you too.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Lou Reed because he can’t sing either, but yes he can and you love it.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

🙁

What album do you know every word to?

ODB’s Return to the 36 Chambers. Except the n words. I don’t know those.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Turnstile.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Barbecue-stained white t shirt, because a heart don’t forget something like that.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Jake Krantz. If you are reading this Jake please use me in one of your viral hilarious videos.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Straight up it’s “Garden Grove” by Sublime. It’s polarizing and I have to weed out the weak.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Baltimore to Asheville”

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Iggy Pop – Lust for Life. Everyone should own a copy.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

We actually withdrew, but we almost stayed in a garage with a pit bull that lived in the wall.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

First tat was on my 17th birthday. Skull knife. My mom signed for it because I got good grades that time.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Turnstile.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Have sex.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

“Tell that little crazy man to chill the fuck out.”

What’s the last show you went to?

Section H8, Alpha and Omega, Dead City. Legendary under the bridge – bonfire – swat team – apocalyptic – scary show.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Key and Peele. I am down.

What would you cook if Obama were coming to your house for dinner?

I would order wing stop and throw it in the air fryer for a few; Then pretend I made them myself.

Yak: A Collection Of Truck Songs is out now on Roadrunner Records. Listen here.

Angel Du$t is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

With Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond officially at an end, there’s been no shortage of potential actors tossed around as potential successors for the classic 007 role: Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Regé-Jean Page who rocketed to the top of bookies lists after becoming the smoldering heartthrob of the moment thanks to Bridgerton. But, now, a new contender wants to throw his hat in the ring for a very different take on Bond: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

While promoting his latest spy film, Red Notice, The Rock opened up to Esquire about his ambitions to take on the classic role and his surprising familial connection to the beloved British franchise. Via NME:

“Yes, my grandfather was a Bond villain in You Only Live Twice with Sean Connery. Very, very cool,” he began.

“I would like to follow in his footsteps and be the next Bond. I don’t want to be a villain. Gotta be Bond.”

Of course, The Rock is going to have compete with top talent vying to be the next Bond. It was recently revealed that Spider-Man star Tom Holland has been having big Bond dreams. Granted, he’s British, the Peter Parker actor might still be a little too young to play the distinguished spy. And then there’s Henry Cavill. The Witcher and Man of Steel recently confirmed that he is open to having a discussion with producers about taking a crack at Bond.

Interestingly, in the same Esquire video where The Rock opened up about his Bond ambitions, he also revealed that he is doing everything in his power to get Cavill back as Superman so he can pit the Man of Steel against Black Adam. Although, naturally, The Rock already knows who will win.

“Black Adam could kick the sh*t out of Superman,” The Rock proudly boasted about a showdown with his (maybe) James Bond competitor.

(Via Esquire)

Donald Trump is just as good at taking jokes as he is at making them—in other words: not good at all. Though he happily accepted the opportunity to be roasted by the likes of Jersey Shore’s “The Situation” for Comedy Central in early 2011, provided no one insinuated that he wasn’t as rich as he claimed to be (yes, really), he wasn’t as game to be the butt of anyone’s joke just a few months later, when he and Melania attended the White House Correspondents Dinner.

If you don’t remember the details, here’s what happened: Then-president Barack Obama got up to deliver a speech, as sitting presidents (with the exception of Trump) usually do, and proceeded to take aim directly at Trump and the infamous “birther” conspiracy he invented. Trump sat there stone-faced, looking highly unamused.

If it looked like Trump was shooting daggers with his sullen eyes, that’s because he was absolutely pissed, according to Insider. In his new book, Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden, former New Jersey governor and meatloaf enthusiast Chris Christie, who was at the dinner that night, says that Trump was “beside himself with fury.” He goes on to describe the situation:

“It was fascinating and excruciating all at once. [Obama] never turned his eyes away from the man who’d been questioning his right to be president. He showed no mercy on Donald Trump.”

When Christie spoke with Trump later in the evening, “He was pissed off like I’d never seen him before. Just beside himself with fury.” Which might explain why Trump opted out of attending any of these dinners when he was actually president.

(Via Insider)