Category: News

The USA women’s gymnastics team took home silver at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, coming in 3.5 points behind the Russian Olympic Committee team who have now swept the gold medals in the men’s and women’s team competitions.

Making the United States’ feat all the more impressive was that they did it without Simone Biles for three of the four events, after the greatest gymnast of all-time withdrew from the team competition after the first rotation. Biles, who has the best vault in the world, scored just a 13.766 on the apparatus she has dominated for years, and it was soon announced that she would not compete the rest of the day for what was cited as “a medical issue.”

After the competition, Biles spoke at the podium with her teammates and confirmed what one of the USA coaches told the NBC broadcast, which is that she was struggling mentally with anxiety and stress and could not get herself right. As such, she felt it was best to “take a back seat” and let her teammates compete without having to see her struggle, and the result was an impressive silver medal finish, via ESPN’s Michele Steele.

Biles said she hoped to try and compete in the individual competitions, but would have to see where she is at and the US Olympic Committee CEO offered Biles her full support and made sure to tell her how proud they are of her.

The most important thing is that Biles takes the time needed to take care of her mental health. The mental focus required in gymnastics is critical, not just to score well but to simply not injure oneself, particularly doing skills at the degree of difficulty Biles does. Credit to Biles for also talking about it, not because she has to, but because it can help others see that even the very best in the world can have days where stress and anxiety derail them and that it’s OK, even on the Olympic stage, to recognize that and take a step back to take care of yourself.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are “madly in love.” They’re touching butts on fancy yachts, wearing custom jewelry with the other person’s name on it, and even have Matt Damon’s support. If they announced their engagement today for a Dunkin Donuts-themed wedding this weekend, I would not be surprised. Mazel tov to the happy couple, I say. But if the key to a healthy relationship is communication, then Lopez should communicate what she once said about Affleck’s “awful” tattoo. You know the one.

During a 2016 interview on Watch What Happens Live, Lopez was asked for her true feelings on Affleck’s phoenix back tattoo. “It’s awful,” she answered. “I would tell him… ‘What are you doing?’ It has too many colors. His tattoos always had too many colors. They shouldn’t be so colorful, you know what I mean? They should be cooler.”

Lopez and Jennifer Garner have something in common, besides, uh, both being famous actresses named Jennifer who have dated Ben Affleck. Other than that. “You know what we would say in my hometown about that? ‘Bless his heart,” Garner told Vanity Fair about the tattoo, which Affleck originally claimed was for a movie (it wasn’t). “A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes.” At least Garner is free from the phoenix. Lopez has to see it every night.

You can watch the Watch What Happens Live video above.

Lil Uzi Vert has brought back his most notable body modification and got a new one to go with it. In addition to reimplanting his notorious pink forehead diamond piercing — which is rumored to be worth $24 million — Uzi showed off his latest tattoo, which he got in an unusual spot: his tongue. The tongue tattoo plays into Uzi’s fascination with religious cults, appearing to depict an inverted cross (or the D’usse logo, I guess).

Uzi blew rap fans’ minds when he first popped up with the diamond back in February, prompting a flurry of Avengers and Steven Universe jokes at his expense, while wondering how the whole thing actually worked. The jeweler responsible, Eliantte, addressed those concerns in an interview, calling the implant “as safe as any other piercing. As long as you maintain it well and have good upkeep, it’s perfectly fine. We made sure that prior to getting anything done that Uzi brought someone in to consult on everything. We didn’t just do this randomly.”

Uzi himself explained the eye-catching addition in an interview with Fat Joe, saying, “I’m Lil Uzi. I’m turnt up. So $24 million on a ring is the stupidest idea because I’m gonna look down and that ring ain’t gon’ be there. I know me. I wake up in odd places and different sceneries.” He stopped wearing the gem in June without explanation but at least we know it wasn’t because he lost it.

You can check out Uzi’s latest modifications above.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Hulu has dropped the newest trailer for its upcoming crime series, Only Murders in the Building, which pairs Selena Gomez with comedy giants Steven Martin and Martin Short. The trio stars as neighbors in a New York apartment building, and they quickly become acquainted after one of their neighbors is murdered shortly after riding in an elevator with them. And since everyone’s got a podcast these days, it’s possibly no surprise what happens next.

While most people would leave the investigation to the police, Gomez, Martin, and Short decide to solve the murder on their own, but mostly they’re just looking for content for their true crime podcast, which leads to some darkly hilarious results in the latest trailer. Here’s the official synopsis:

Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building which stretch back years. Perhaps even more explosive are the lies they tell one another. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living amongst them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.

Only Murders in the Building premieres on Hulu on August 31.

When you get to be an artist of Doja Cat’s stature, it’s inevitable that you at some point won’t be able to control everything about your brand. While Doja presumably has final say over things like her music and cover art, it appears she’s not as involved with the merchandise side of things, because she thinks the merch she’s currently offering isn’t good.

Over the weekend, a fan shared an image of one of the t-shirts in Doja’s merch store, which features a photo of her in a skimpy pink outfit and wearing a pink dual-pointed headpiece. The tweet was captioned simply with question marks, and another fan replied, “who is designing this new batch of merchandise lol.” Doja quoted that tweet and responded, “i don’t know.” She quickly followed up, “the merch is bad. i’m aware. don’t worry.”

Another user tweeted, “b*tch i ain’t buying a hat for THIRTY FIVE dollars… nawt me sorry bae,” to which Doja responded, “i understand.”

Aside from the aforementioned shirt and hat, Doja’s online shop currently offers designs based on NASA logos and generic-looking Planet Her imagery, printed on crop top shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and sweatpants.

Revisit our recent review of Planet Her here.

This week in pop music saw the return of many big-name pop stars. Lorde dropped her second single of the year, Camila Cabello ushered in her new era of music, and Coldplay offered another look at their upcoming project.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.

Lorde — “Stoned At The Nail Salon”

After announcing her Solar Power album with the summer-ready title track, Lorde shared the stripped-down tune “Stoned At The Nail Salon,” which boasts wistful acoustic guitar as the singer contemplates how her life has fundamentally shifted in the last few years. “This song is sort of a rumination on getting older, settling into domesticity, and questioning if you’ve made the right decisions,” Lorde said of the track.

Camila Cabello — “Don’t Go Yet”

It’s been nearly two years since Camila Cabello released her sophomore album Romance, and after taking some time off of music to star in the upcoming Cinderella remake, the singer is ready for her next chapter. Cabello fired off the rhythmic tune “Don’t Go Yet” to mark her next era of music, making it clear that she’s gearing up to drop even more energetic hits.

Coldplay — “Coloratura”

While many pop musicians shared summer-ready hits this week, Coldplay did something a little different. They debuted the 10-minute Music Of The Spheres album closer “Coloratura,” which opens with atmospheric soundscapes before the song transitions into a Dark Side Of The Moon-inspired ballad as vocalist Chris Martin sings of the cosmos.

Khalid — “New Normal”

Khalid returned with the brooding single “New Normal,” a song which officially announces his upcoming album Everything Is Changing. The soulful track is Khalid’s way of letting fans know that, whatever they’re going through, things will get better. “‘New Normal’ was inspired by how I was feeling during the pandemic and the emotional toll that quarantine took on me and my friends,” Khalid said about his new single.

Bazzi — “I Like That”

The last we heard from Bazzi was nearly a year ago with the pop crooner dropped his carefree track “Young & Alive.” Now armed with new music, the singer shares the funk-forward tune “I Like That,” a playful tune shouting out his crush. “This is the start of a series of songs that are my absolute favorite I’ve made to date. I’m pushing myself musically & simply having more fun,” Bazzi said about the effort.

Remi Wolf — “Liquor Store”

Eccentric pop singer Remi Wolf heralds her upcoming album this week with the playful track “Liquor Store.” The rousing track shows what Wolf does best, combining captivating hooks, cheeky lyrics, and a blown out chorus to craft an effortlessly-fun tune. About the single, Wolf said she was feeling particularly creative at the time: “At the end of 2020, after six months away from the studio, I had a crazy explosive week where all these feelings came pouring out of me — ‘Liquor Store’ captures a lot of them.”

James Blake — “Say What You Will”

Officially setting a fall date for his upcoming album Friends That Break Your Heart, Grammy-winning artist James Blake debuted the cathartic tune “Say What You Will.” The tender ballad details some of the hardships Blake has experienced following his rise to fame, showcasing his affecting vocals over gentle instrumentation. “The song is about finding peace with who you are and where you’re at regardless of how well other people seem to be doing,” Blake said of the new song in a statement. “Comparison really is the thief of joy.”

Anne-Marie — “Kiss My (Uh Oh)” Feat. Little Mix

Pop singer Anne-Marie shared her anticipated album Therapy this week. While much of the effort sees the singer opening up about her insecurities, it also features some wildly fun songs like “Kiss My (Uh Oh)” with girl group Little Mix. The kiss-off song is an empowering ode to realizing self worth and leaving all those who don’t serve you in the rear view mirror.

Kiana Ledé — “Ur Best Friend” Feat. Kehlani

After keeping busy this with a number of collaborations, Kiana Ledé adds one more to the list with her “Ur Best Friend” track with R&B expert Kehlani. The simmering tune expertly combines both singers’ sultry vocals with skittering cymbals, lush keys, and a head-nodding bass.

Julia Wolf — “Resting B*tch Face Pt. 2”

Following up on her breakout track “RBF Pt. 1,” introspective pop singer Julia Wolf returns with the cutting single “Resting B*tch Face Pt. 2.” The driving song boasts a pop punk-inspired riff over pounding beat as Wolf sings an empowering anthem about not changing herself for the comfort of others. “So many girls can relate to being shy and being told they look standoffish, or are hard to talk to, but we shouldn’t have to change ourselves for the sake of pleasing someone else’s ego,” she said about the track. “I won’t be changing for anyone; I just wanted to let people know my reasons that exist behind the RBF face.”

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

In totally unsurprising news: Piers Morgan is ranting. But this time there’s a twist (well, two if you count the fact that it has nothing to do with Meghan Markle): We’re—cringe!—kind of on Morgan’s side with his latest tirade… even if it is a wee bit overzealous. In a new op-ed for The Daily Mail, Morgan is taking aim at “America’s anti-vaxxer lunatics,” whom he claims “are snatching COVID defeat from the jaws of vaccinated victory with their conspiracy-theory garbage and must be stopped from destroying everybody’s freedom” (and that’s just the article’s title).

Morgan—who just this weekend announced that he had contracted COVID, presumably during Wembley’s Euro Championships final—didn’t end there, because of course he didn’t. In fact, he was just getting started when he wrote that:

“Put bluntly, a lot of deluded, ill-informed, shamefully scare-mongered, or simply complacent Americans have got it into their heads that either the COVID vaccines are somehow more dangerous than COVID itself, or the virus isn’t serious enough to warrant protection from it.

Some of these skeptics believe the insane conspiracy-theory that the US Government is using vaccines to plant microchips in their heads to control their minds. (Don’t laugh: a recent Economist/YouGov poll revealed that 20 percent of Americans really do suspect this.)”

Ouch—a sick burn from Morgan that’s actually totally warranted.

Morgan, who is no stranger to hate mail, went on to explain that when he shared his recent COVID diagnosis on social media and urged everyone to get vaccinated, “I was promptly bombarded with an astonishing amount of utterly insane and incredibly vitriolic responses from the anti-vaxxer brigade — many of them in America… They didn’t believe I’d had COVID, or if I did, then it proved the vaccines don’t work. They screamed abuse at me for encouraging people to get the vaccines, many branding me ‘Mengele’ after Josef Mengele, the evil Nazi ‘Angel of Death’ scientist who helped create the Holocaust gas chambers and performed deadly experiments on concentration camp prisoners.”

Morgan had lots more to say—lots, lots more—but his conclusion is hard to disagree with: “To win the war on COVID, we need to go to war on the anti-vaxxers — shut them down, get them off the airwaves, ban them from social media, and urgently re-educate their brainwashed followers about the incontrovertible truth around vaccines.”

In the midst of all the horrible news this industry generates about hip-hop — the violence, ignorance, misogyny, and casual homophobia of it all — it’s nice to get some good news once in a while. To that end, Chance The Rapper is set to bring a free literacy event to his hometown, Saturday’s Books & Breakfast.

Living up to its title, the program will offer free books and free breakfast to attendees, as well as free family portraits. Designed for young children between the ages of three and eight, the events will run weekly on the South and West Sides, including sites in Englewood, Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and West Chatham. You can find more information here.

Chance has always been community-focused, and recently, he’s been returning to his efforts to give back. Most recently, he headlined the LA-based COVID-19 service event 1DayLA alongside his “Holy” collaborator Justin Bieber, helping the event “organize beautification projects, back-to-school events, free medical clinics, homeless assistance, and aid distribution.”

Meanwhile, you begin catching him live again sooner rather than later, as editing his concert film Magnificent Coloring World has made The Rapper “super thirsty” to start performing as well. You can catch the film in theaters in August.

Hot on the heels of Pig being held out as Nic Cage’s most critically acclaimed movie (which is saying something, after the Coen Brothers and the whole Oscar thing, etc.) of all time, A24 (which also brought us First Cow) has another horror-barn-burner for you: Lamb. The film recently premiered at Cannes, and director Valdimar Jóhannsson (making his feature debut here) appears to go heavy on the steeped-in-folklore note here. Don’t mess with nature, y’all. It will come back to you with glowing eyes.

Noomi Rapace stars here as one half of a childfree couple in Iceland, and the pair discovers something along the lines of Sweet Tooth (a child that’s, uh, not entirely a human child), only this doesn’t seem to be a miracle at all, despite the cheery music playing in the background, and the steady drip of dread here is exactly what one expects from A24. Those undercurrents should strike an unsettling chord for those who’ve already seen countless nefarious horror kids, let alone a fur-baby like this one. The obsessive motherhood theme, too, and the fertility motif, all of it whips up into a heady brew with triggered livestock waiting in the wings.

Previously, an international teaser for this film kept a lot of what’s happening here under wraps (as far as a big physical reveal goes), but this trailer lets loose a bit more while cranking the sense of dread up to eleven. We get a better look at the “child” and the consequences that nature might unleash before all is said and done. I’m gonna go hug my dog-child now, and close my eyes until Lamb arrives in limited theaters on October 8.

With a little over a week to go until The Suicide Squad bursts into theaters and HBO Max, the first social media reactions to advance screenings are rolling in, and the consensus is in: James Gunn was the perfect choice to direct for what he affectionally calls “the sh*tty supervillains movie.”

Before the movie even hit, fans were already head over heels for King Shark, and he’s apparently one of the highlights, but judging by the reactions, The Suicide Squad is firing on all cylinders as people praise Gunn for the film’s wild and irreverent tone. The word “gory” also keeps getting tossed around, but right alongside “fun” and “epic,” so it appears that The Suicide Squad is the absolute wild ride that it looked like in the trailers.

Here are just some of the reactions pouring in:

Here’s the official synopsis from Warner Bros:

Welcome to hell — a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.

The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6.