Category: News

On Thursday night, Conan O’Brien dropped an impromptu episode of his podcast to honor the passing of his good friend Norm Macdonald. As regular watchers of the late night host know, Macdonald was easily one of Conan’s best guests, which is why Macdonald’s famous “moth joke” has been bouncing around regularly since the comedian’s passing on Tuesday.

However, Conan revealed during the podcast that comedy fans were almost deprived of Macdonald’s appearances due to the fallout of him leaving Saturday Night Live. As the story goes, top NBC exec Don Ohlmeyer repeatedly tried to stop Macdonald from making O.J. Simpson jokes while hosting “Weekend Update,” which Macdonald refused to comply with, possibly costing him his job. According to Conan, Ohlmeyer tried to take things a step further by blackballing Macdonald from Late Night. Via The Daily Beast:

“One of his bosses was friends with a murderer,” Richter explained on the podcast, as O’Brien joked, “Alleged! I’ve seen no proof, Andy!”

Macdonald famously refused to stop making jokes about the O.J. Simpson trial, which ultimately “cost him his job” at Saturday Night Live, as O’Brien put it. After that happened, he said, “The word came down, ‘You can’t book Norm Macdonald anymore.’ And it came from the top, from Don Ohlmeyer.”

As O’Brien tells it, Ohlmeyer helped him score the Late Night gig, so he felt some loyatly to the NBC exec, but ultimately, he knew the right decision and told Ohlmeyer as much in an email. “I got this directive. You’ve hired me to do the best show I can and this is my best guest,” Conan wrote. “So I need to do my job, which is the best show I can do.”

According to O’Brien, Ohlmeyer wrote back, “I expected better from you,” but Macdonald was allowed back on the show resulting in the now classic “moth joke” appearance.

(Via Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend)

Comeuppance is a bitch. In July, pillow magnate/MAGA wackadoo Mike Lindell made a big show about pulling his MyPillow ads from Fox News after the network refused to run ads for his Cyber Symposium. Word on the street was that Fox didn’t want to promote what they feared would be days of conspiracy theories, rigged election talk, and other batsh*ttery (spoiler alert: it was). Now Lindell, previously one of Fox’s biggest advertisers, is reportedly going back to the network with his tail between his legs.

Daily Beast reports that as early as August, just a month after taking his pillow-shaped ball home, Lindell was trying to cozy back up to the Fox News ad sales team. But they apparently weren’t having it. “[T]he overture towards a Fox-Lindell detente only went so far,” Daily Beast wrote, “with Fox rejecting his new ads multiple times, including as recently as this past Monday and Wednesday.”

Though Lindell has since declared that “MyPillow is done!” with Fox News, the same apparently cannot be said for FrankSpeech, Lindell’s social media site… which is full of MyPillow promos and rife with more conspiracy theories. At this point, Lindell has apparently attempted to get not one, not two, but three, ads for FrankSpeech onto Fox, and has been rejected each time.

Lindell understands that the reason the first two ads were rejected were because they included information about his various conspiracy theories. So when he created the third ad, Lindell says he removed “everything about the machines and the symposium or the election… They denied that one anyway! We got a message from them on Monday, Sept. 13, that they did not like the content of FrankSpeech dot com… They went from not liking the content of the ad to not liking the content of the website!”

Lindell is a persistent man, and he’s not ready to give up yet. So he submitted a fourth ad, which also got rejected—in record time. “It was the fastest reply we’ve gotten,” Lindell said. “But if I removed the words ‘FrankSpeech’ it might have cleared, but it would have just been a MyPillow ad, which I said I’m not doing! Outrageous! I told them to tell Fox, ‘Shame on you!’”

Could the fifth time be the charm? Honestly, who knows—or cares. I’m exhausted.

(Via Daily Beast)

Between The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, BoJack Horseman, and beyond, adult cartoons are hardly lacking in A-list voice talent. But Ten Year Old Tom, HBO Max’s new animated series for grown-ups, will be giving those shows a run for their crudely drawn money when it premieres on September 30.

The dark comedy is the brainchild of Steve Dildarian, who is best known as the creator of The Life & Times of Tim (2008-2012), which featured Nick Kroll. The new series, which will run for 10 episodes, has already attracted a seriously impressive lineup of voice talent, including Gillian Jacobs, Natasha Lyonne, Mark Proksch (a.k.a. What We Do in the Shadows’ Colin Robinson), Tim Robinson (no relation to Colin), David Duchovny, Jennifer Coolidge, and John Malkovich.

According to the official synopsis:

Ten Year Old Tom follows the misadventures of an average kid as he contends with questionable guidance from the well-meaning grownups around him. Being a kid is hard enough for Tom, but when bad influences seem to lurk around every corner—from litigious parents and drug dealing bus drivers to school administrators who want to sleep with his mom—it’s downright impossible. While the adults in Tom’s life certainly mean well, they just can’t manage to lead by example.

“I wanted to write a show about a kid who’s trying to make sense of the world around him, but to do it in a way that doesn’t pull punches,” Dildarian said in a press release, adding that, “HBO Max is the perfect home for a show like that, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”

You can watch the trailer above.

This week, YSL Records rapper Gunna became the latest entertainer from the hip-hop world to be honored with a hometown holiday as South Fulton, Georgia declared September 16 Gunna Day to honor the rapper’s philanthropic efforts in the area. Gunna hails from neighboring College Park and has focused his community outreach in the area through projects like Gunna’s Drip Closet and Goodr Grocery Store. In addition, his Gunna Great Giveaway Foundation has hosted free grocery stores in the community and helped families in Houston, Texas survive this year’s winter storms after the intense cold disrupted the city’s infrastructure.

South Fulton Mayor William “Bill” Edwards announced the honor at a special event on Thursday, saying, “I hereby proclaim Sept. 16 as Sergio Giavanni ‘Gunna’ Kitchens Day in the City of South Fulton.” He also presented the rapper with a proclamation noting his efforts which read, “Gunna is committed to giving back to the community that raised him, buffered him, sheltered him and supported him by creating Gunna’s Drip Closet and Goodr Grocery Store, which is set to provide students of McNair Middle School with access to free meals, clothing, and toiletries for years to come.”

Earlier this year, Gunna and his YSL labelmates also hosted dinner for 30 Fulton County Jail inmates and their families after paying their bail, celebrating with the video for “Paid The Fine.” Previously, Houston’s Travis Scott was honored with his own “Astroworld Day” in 2018.

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

The Jonas Brothers have been pretty active this year, releasing songs like “Remember This,” “Leave Before You Love Me,” and Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack contribution “Mercy.” Now, Kevin, Nick, and Joe have a brand-new number called “Who’s In Your Head,” which, as Billboard points out, the brothers recently premiered live on their “Remember This” tour.

The song itself is a fast-paced, tightly produced pop number, featuring the boys singing over a funky guitar line about a lover who’s, let’s say, a little distracted: “I wanna know who’s in your head/ Stealing your heart while I’m still bleeding/ Who’s in your bed/ Wrapped in your arms while I ain’t sleeping/ Got lost in your halo halo/ I just wanna know Now who’s in your head in your head.”

As for the JoBros’ ongoing tour, the dates are still going strong and are set to wrap up on October 27 at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Back in May, Nick opened up to Entertainment Tonight about the new music his band’s been working on during the pandemic. “We’ve been working together in this year and a half where we’ve been apart, and always kinda keeping on the grind a little bit, trying to find new songs and and new inspiration,” he said. “I think with the tour in mind, it would make sense, but again I don’t wanna give too much away, just keep your eyes and ears open.”

Listen to “Who’s In Your Head” above.

You know that a far-right-winger has really skidded off the deep end when even Steve Bannon isn’t buying what they’re selling.

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) appears to spend much of her time harassing fellow congresspeople, and her severely troll-heavy antics prompted the House to stripped her committee seats, yet she’s nursing the belief that she’s “the most effective member of Congress this session.” Yes, she very much said this (not too far flung from the moment that she advocated for government shutdown) while appearing on the War Room podcast. It was not the right-wing’s finest hour, since MGT was full of lies as usual, and as a result, Bannon clearly found himself in an awkward position.

Look at his face. Bannon served up a one-two move with a side eye and a facing-forward stare. He knew the drill.

In fact, he pretty much pulled a “Jim from The Office,” as one Twitter user noted with another person mentioning Oliver Hardy vibes.

He’s apparently unwilling, even as one of the most influential members of the right-wing fringe, to co-sign Marjorie Taylor Greene’s nuttery with his body language. It’s quite telling, too, what Bannon is unwilling to endorse these days. He even recently appeared to turn on MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell over his failure to bring receipts regarding the Big Lie. Is Bannon growing a true barometer, or is he simply trying to save his own tush? Whatever the case, people noticed, and “Even Bannon” began trending on Twitter.

Surely, Marjorie Taylor Greene hasn’t even noticed. She’s too busy living in her own reality while political foes assemble in an attempt to take her seat in 2022.

If you are a human being in this country, you’ve experienced some kind of trauma over the past 18 months. We held our collective breath to ride out the end of a presidency that celebrated bigotry. We watched a coup at the Capitol unfold in real-time. We lost oh so many co-workers, friends, family members, and lovers during a global pandemic. We were reminded over-and-over that we still have miles to go when it comes to race.

As a Black woman, I feel these traumas in my body. I find myself holding space for them — both my own agonies and those experienced by people in my community. Each time I care for my children, my friends, my students, my neighbors their wounds stick to me. It becomes… a lot to deal with.

By spring of ’21, I felt so tired. I wanted to heal. Needed it. So I booked a trip to the Sonoran Desert to restore.

On my flight to Tucson, I thought about what parts of me were asking for the most attention. Number one was my mental health. Honestly, I just wanted a break. Number two was to reconnect with me. I needed to silence the noise of the world telling me who I am all the time. Number three was to feel luxurious again. Wearing gowns is my self-love language, so I packed lots of long-flowing satin fits.

Miraval Arizona had the ingredients I was seeking with the bonus that it’s an all-inclusive resort. So all thinking stopped the moment the complimentary car service scooped me and my mom (who better to help me rediscover myself?) up from the airport.

The first stop for restoration was the outdoor soaking saltwater pool. It was literally everything — the perfect temperature and my skin has never felt so soft, thanks to the water’s therapeutic properties. Since my trip was at the beginning of monsoon season, a traditionally slower time at the resort, I found myself in the pool alone most of the time. Basically, it was my own private oasis.

I wanted space to breathe. Well, I couldn’t ask for more space than the expansive desert at dusk. One of my favorite moments was watching joy light up my mom’s face while horseback riding during golden hour with Tucson Mountain Stables. It was so silent, so peaceful, so beautiful. The dry evening air tasted sweet.

Something that I’m taking home with me is how the mountains glow a warm pink at sunset. Everyone needs to experience this delicious magic.

I’ve spent my entire existence caring for other people. So believe me when I say that taking a week to care for myself felt truly transformative. I skipped signing up for structured traditional-retreat-like experiences. Instead, I took solo morning desert walks until just before the desert sun began beating down in full. I spent my nights sitting by the fire pit on my patio; letting parts of my past flutter into the flames.

My time in nature helped me face my need to do everything, and do it all perfectly. I learned to surrender. While riding horses, I had to let go of control. They are majestic powerful creatures that can literally do whatever they want whenever they want, making them excellent mindfulness teachers. Plants reminded me to slow down and look, to really see what’s ahead of me.

Cacti are beautiful and they also ask you to pay attention. If you lose focus while moving around them you will feel it.

My retreat made a lasting imprint on how I feel about myself and what I know I deserve. I believe you deserve that sort of refuge, too. Especially right now — at a time when we are dealing with a whole bunch of individual, collective, and societal pain points (some systemic, some unique to this moment in time, etc.).

Returning home, I felt more whole. In part because of all the quiet relaxation (and that saltwater pool), but more accurately because the relaxation allowed me space to release traumas — some generational and some that I’ve been holding since I was a teen. I gave them all back. Returned them to ash. Left them in the desert earth.

Life feels lighter now. I’ve never breathed so deeply. We all need that right now.

Check Tucson’s COVID guidelines here.

We’d like to acknowledge and honor the original peoples of this land, the O’odham Jeweḍ, Tohono O’odham, Sobaipuri, and Hohokam nations.

Friday marked an important day for the Clippers franchise, as they broke ground on their new arena in Inglewood that will allow them to finally have a home of their own that isn’t shared (and synonymous) with the Lakers. The Clippers quest to get out of the shadow of the Lakers will take them to a new arena, financed fully by owner Steve Ballmer, for the 2024-25 season (at least, that’s the plan as of now).

Ahead of the groundbreaking, a new video hyping the arena and offering some details about what it will feature was released, narrated by Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, in which they go over all of the amenities that will make the Intuit Dome, as it will be named initially, unique in the world of sports and entertainment arenas.

I do like the subtle digs at Staples Center in this, like “this isn’t a hockey arena,” and it certainly looks like a rather outrageous facility. Rather than a jumbotron hanging over the court, they will have a halo board running around the entire top of the arena — the Falcons have one of these at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. There are also a number of courts outside with screens to watch the games and, unsurprisingly, there’s a big focus on luxury suites and what they call “cabanas.”

The stadium has a somewhat similar look to the other new sports building in L.A., SoFi Stadium, and in three years these renderings will become reality and the Clippers will open the 2024-25 season in their own place for once.

In a few days, the multi-artist tribute compilation I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico is set to drop via Verve Records. Originally conceived in 2017, the tribute album was executive produced by the late Hal Willner, who was a close friend of Lou Reed’s. In the meantime, we’ve already heard Courtney Barnett’s sardonic cover of “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” plus Matt Berninger’s rendition of “I’m Waiting For The Man” and Kurt Vile & The Violators’ cover of “Run Run Run.” Now, we have Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen joining forces to cover “Femme Fatale,” which you can hear above.

Offering a substantially slower take on the original, Etten creates a moody atmosphere with heavy piano chords and a wash of synths, orchestral strings and Olsen’s haunting harmonies.

Last month, Courtney Barnett talked about covering “I’ll Be Your Mirror” for this compilation, which also features selections from Michael Stipe, Andrew Bird, Lucius, St. Vincent and Thomas Bartlett, Thurston Moore, Bobby Gillespie, King Princess, Fontaines D.C., and Iggy Pop and Matt Sweeney. “I love them… [The Velvet Underground & Nico],” Barnett said. “When I listen to ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ and read the lyrics, I realize it’s a perfect song. I can relate to every inch of it. I just felt like I could get inside the world of this song.”

I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico is out 9/24 via Verve Records. Pre-order it here.

Earlier this week, D Smoke announced the title and release date of his upcoming second album, War & Wonders, after releasing a pair of singles in 2021 that built anticipation for a follow-up to his Grammy-nominated debut, Black Habits. In January, he started the long-play rollout with the video for “It’s OK,” then held back on releasing “Shame On You” until August, with its video following this month.

However, it seems now that the announcement is official, he’s not waiting to put out new music. He did so today in the form of “Common Sense,” a jazzy, introspective single that questions “Who you working for? / What you represent?” Smoke’s brother, TDE singer SiR, also appears to a plaintive chorus wondering, “What’s the price we pay for common sense?” And although the title’s parallel to the rapper who formerly went by Common Sense is probably a coincidence, D Smoke actually just performed with the Chicago legend, posting pics from the event on his Instagram.

In addition to the singles promoting his new album, D Smoke also released a handful of commercial singles this year, including the Last Chance U theme “Basketball,” the Spotify Sessions single “Sade,” and a feature verse on Nigerian artist Fireboy DML’s “Champion.”

Watch D Smoke’s “Common Sense” video featuring SiR above.

War & Wonders is due 9/24 via Woodworks/EMPIRE.