Category: News

It’s been a rough few weeks for Ben Simmons. The Philadelphia 76ers’ All-Star point forward was a shell of his usual self during the team’s 4-3 series loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It got to the point that he received rare public criticism from Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid, while long-simmering questions about whether or not he should be traded have boiled over.

And now, teams in other sports that head to the City of Brotherly Love are getting in on the fun. The Washington Nationals are in Philly to take on the, well, Phillies. The home side found itself up, 5-2, in the top of the fifth with Kyle Schwarber up at the dish for the Nats.

The 0-1 pitch ended up being a curveball right in Schwarber’s wheelhouse, so he hit it into the stands. Now, there were two men on base, meaning this was a three-run home run and if you really can’t figure out where the Nationals’ social media team is going with this, well, yeah.

Of course, the Nationals are probably the one team that can’t have too much fun with this, as the only team the Sixers beat this postseason was the Washington Wizards. But at the same time, all’s fair in the world of trash talk so long as you can back it up, and Schwarber certainly did that.

While many are looking forward to the smooth return of large-scale music festivals, one Kentucky event is perhaps an example of a worst case scenario. Redneck Rave, an event described “America’s wildest and craziest country party,” drew thousands of excited festivalgoers in an Edmonson County town so small that it doesn’t even have a stoplight. Chaos ensued during the event, resulting in reports of strangulation, throat slitting, broken bones, mass drug possession arrests, and more.

According to a report from the Kentucky news outlet Lexington Herald-Leader (via CoS), organizers made good on their promise that the Redneck Rave would include “mud, music, and mayhem.” The Edmonson County sheriff’s office oversaw safety measures at the event, but weren’t able to stop attendees who allegedly “committed assaults, severed fingers, got impaled and became so intoxicated they were ill.”

Sheriff Shane Doyle described how the police department didn’t have enough personnel to stop illegal activity, so their goal was to instead contain it. “They were going to do what they were going to do,” Doyle said. “We wanted to be good hosts … but we also wanted them to be good neighbors and visitors.”

But police knew they were in over their heads when the first Redneck Rave concertgoer arrived. “The first vehicle that came through, we found meth, marijuana, and an open alcohol container,” Doyle said. “And then one of the occupants had two active warrants. We were like ‘well, this doesn’t bode well for the weekend.’”

By the end of the weekend, 48 people were hit with charges spanning from drug possession to assault and strangulation. Doyle also noted that one attendee had their throat slit by another. “They were intoxicated, they got into a fight, one of them slit the other one’s throat and then fled into the park,” Doyle said.

Yet another person was the victim of a horrendous accidental injury. Apparently, they were riding in an ATV-style vehicle when they drove over a log that went through the floorboard and impaled them in the abdomen. “When it tried to come out through his back it was stopped by a steel plate behind his seat,” Doyle said. Paramedics were quick to the scene but eventually decided it was safer to leave the log in the victim than try to remove it before they were flown to the hospital. Thankfully, Doyle said they weren’t aware of any deaths that took place this year.

Read the Lexington Herald-Leader‘s full report of the Redneck Rave here. H/T to Consequence Of Sound.

Game 2 between the Suns and Clippers was a wild one, with Phoenix seemingly in control throughout but never able to put significant separation between them and L.A., who hung around until they were able to take a late lead at 103-102 after a Phoenix turnover led to a Paul George layup on the other end.

While the end of the game was fraught with reviews and stoppages, it still managed to deliver one of the best finishes of the year as the Suns drew up an incredible game-winning lob play with under a second to go, with Jae Crowder making a perfect pass to Deandre Ayton, who was sprung loose by a screen from a bloodied and beat up Devin Booker. It was an outstanding play and the clock for some reason ran from 0.9 to 0.0, leading to the buzzer sounding and pandemonium on the court. Ayton and the Suns weren’t sure whether to fully celebrate, Clippers players were dumbfounded and confused, not knowing the rules in that situation that mean there can’t be basket interference on an inbounds pass, and in the midst of it all, Booker caught a shove from a frustrated DeMarcus Cousins that went unnoticed on the floor by the referees.

On Wednesday, the league went back to the video and saw that Cousins had indeed shoved Booker to the point of earning some sort of penalty, assessing him a postgame technical foul.

It is a decision that won’t impact much of anything beyond Cousins paying the standard fine for a technical foul. It’s the right decision by the refs, but for Cousins and the Clippers it could’ve been disastrous in the moment. Had the play somehow not counted (which L.A. players believed could be the case in the momnet), time been put back on the clock as it was, and they called that on the floor as they should’ve, Booker would’ve had a free throw to tie the game — and he should’ve had a free throw to put Phoenix up two rather than just one.

Of all the things that Cardi B has accomplished — her seemingly endless stream of No. 1 hit singles (which now includes “Up,” her burgeoning film career (which will extend to the next few Fast and Furious films), and her many, many business partnerships — the one she seems the proudest of is being a mother to the soon-to-be three-year-old Kulture.

Motherhood is also one area in which she’s very outspoken and quick to clap back when criticized, whether it’s over her “raunchy” tweets or not letting her daughter listen to her music (the kid is, again, a toddler). However, Cardi was the person doing the criticizing a day ago, when she popped up in the comments of an Instagram post that aggregated a viral tweet.

The tweet in question read, “My daughter does not come before my husband,” a sentiment to which Cardi took issue. In the comments, she wrote, “And these be the b***** that god forbid they daughters get molested by their ‘husband’ ‘boyfriend’ they won’t believe them their kids, take their words and will hate their daughters cause of the truth and the men be knowing that and take advantage.” Another post highlighting Cardi’s response on gossip account @hollywoodunlocked received nearly 85,000 likes, with many of the commenters agreeing with Cardi. You can see that post below

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

Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) got absolutely wrecked by General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who fired back at the Republican politician’s notion that embracing critical race theory has somehow weakened the military by making it “woke.” Milley made his remarks during a House Armed Services hearing on Wednesday, and he made it a point to tie the need to study America’s racial history with understanding why the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building occurred during a Donald Trump rally. The general also called Gaetz’s attack on the military “personally offensive” and scoffed at the term “woke.”

You can see his comments below along with a stunning cut to Gaetz at the 1:40 mark where the congressman can be seen shaking his head at Gen. Milley’s now-viral response:

Via Politico:

“I want to understand white rage — and I’m white,” Milley told lawmakers “What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America?

“I’ve read Mao Tse Tung. I’ve read Karl Marx. I’ve read Lenin. That doesn’t make me a communist,” Milley continued. “So what is wrong with understanding, having some situational understanding about the country for which we are here to defend?”

As for how Gaetz was even present for the hearing, given his mounting legal problems, that’s another issue. The congressman could be facing sex trafficking charges as early as July after his former friend Joel Greenberg reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. That deal reportedly provided federal investigators with the names of several women, who are being interviewed about their alleged interactions with Gaetz.

(Via Politico)

Too Hot To Handle: Season 2 (Netflix series) — This frustratingly horny dating show’s all about figuring out whether any of the sexy singles can withstand the no-kissing and no-heavy-petting and no-masturbation rules of the house. It’s somehow sexy but not-sexy at the same time, and the show’s inspired by a Seinfeld episode, in which Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer all tried super-hard to withstand the urge to self-pleasure themselves. I dunno, man. Questions of proof abound, but people sure are entertained by this Netflix show.

Loki: Episode 3 (Disney+ series) — Tom Hiddleston has an absolute blast playing the mercurial trickster of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we shall reap the benefits while he helps (or hinders) the Time Variance Authority during the process of cleaning up the timeline. This week, we’ll see whether Lady Loki ends up being the Enchantress and more about space lizards and, hopefully, more about Mobius and his jet-ski obsession, along with more about the potentially real villains of the show.

Good On Paper (Netflix film) — Comedienne Iliza Shlesinger wrote and stars in this romantic comedy film that co-stars Ryan Hansen and Margaret Cho. Iliza plays the heroine and a stand-up comic who’s finally looking to prioritize something other than her career, and then a disarmingly perfect nerd persuades her to let her romantic guard down. Then there’s a wild-goose chase to figure out who this dude really is, so it’s a bit of a caper that’s apparently based upon real life.

The House of Flowers: The Movie (Netflix film) — Get ready for some soap operatics here with a family member heading into a delicate surgery while there are secrets afoot. Not only that, but there’s a buried treasure and a secret room and a murder that still hasn’t met justice, and confessions, and a nanny and vengeance, and yeah, this is a good candidate for helping to forget all about pesky reality.

In The Dark (CW, 9:00pm) — Nia’s dead, and Josh is honing in on whatever the heck is going on with Murphy, Jess, Felix, and Max’s involvement in his career’s biggest case.

Dave (FX, 10:00pm) — The friendship of Dave and Benny takes some unexpected turns, which leads them to examine heady issues, including privilege, race, sexuality, and… dermatology?

Crime Scene Kitchen (FOX, 9:00pm) — Joel McHale’s the host of this bizarro cooking-focused reality-competition show, which sees chef teams attempt to figure out what was baked after a dessert disappears, leaving only ingredients in the aftermath. McHale is one of the best famous-types at the art of the interview, and I’ll stand by that claim no matter what.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Christine Baranski, Joy Oladokun

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Titus Welliver, Weezer, Kristina Schiano

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Josh Gad, Chloe Moriondo

In case you missed this pick from last week:

Penguin Town: Season 1 (Netflix series) — Don’t even try to resist this one. Patton Oswalt’s narrating this series about the (arguably) most adorable animals on earth. That would be a boisterous colony of African penguins that decide to hit some sunny beaches near Cape Town alongside surfers. What on earth is going on? Apparently, these generally cool dudes are now used to the heat, and it’s a real-life group of penguins who did this, so don’t even try to stop their enjoyment of tropical paradise. They’re only trying to survive and get a little love and maybe, hopefully, god willing, not go extinct. Also, penguin drama must be the best drama, hands down.

Ahead of Space Jam: A New Legacy, HBO Max is releasing a new season of the wonderful Looney Tunes Cartoons. There’s no LeBron James, but there is “Bugs hopping to the basketball court for an ultimate game of streetball; Porky spending a relaxing afternoon with his nephew Cicero filled with soothing music, chainsaws, fire, and broken windows; and Daffy lending his wing to Porky as an emotional support duck.”

I’ll take chainsaws and fire over “well, that happened” any day, thank you very much.

The 10 new episodes feature appearances from Tweety, Sylvester, Elmer, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Marvin the Martian, Taz, and Charlie Dog, who’s getting absolutely ripped in the trailer above. (No Pepe Le Pew, though.) Also, Bugs blows up something called Bone Shack, which is probably as dirty as it sounds.

The voice cast for the wildly popular series includes Eric Bauza (Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Tweety/Marvin the Martian), Bob Bergen (Porky Pig), Jeff Bergman (Elmer Fudd/Sylvester), Fred Tatasciore (Yosemite Sam), Candi Milo (Granny), and Michael Ruocco (Beaky Buzzard, a personal favorite). Zendaya’s Lola Bunny is movie only.

Looney Tunes Cartoons returns to HBO Max on July 8, while Space Jam: A New Legacy comes out in theaters and on the streaming service on July 16.

Chris Paul’s return to the Phoenix Suns is right around the corner. Paul, the team’s superstar point guard who has spearheaded their attack throughout the regular season and at the start of their magical postseason run, has not been able to take the floor in the Western Conference Finals up to this point.

Last week, Paul tested positive for COVID-19, with reports indicating he was a rare breakthrough case despite being vaccinated. As a result, he’s been in the league’s health and safety protocols, but according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Paul’s going to take the floor for Game 3 as the series shifts to his old stomping grounds.

Via Yahoo Sports:

Barring an unforeseen setback, Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul plans to make his return to postseason action for Game 3 on Thursday of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Paul underwent a cardio exam Wednesday morning and passed, which is the final step to clearing the league’s health and safety protocols, sources said. Paul has been in the protocols since June 16.

The Suns have been fine without Paul so far in the series — the team is up, 2-0, on the Clippers — but Paul has waited his entire career to make it to this point. It’s coming a little later than anticipated after the Suns swept the Denver Nuggets, but that’s set to change on Thursday.

Jerry Seinfeld‘s love of cereal was a running gag on his hit sitcom, Seinfeld, but now he’s turning his attention towards another breakfast item that’s apparently captivated him since he was a child: Pop-Tarts. For the first time since 2007’s Bee Movie, Seinfeld will star in a feature film about the creation of the toaster pastries, but in a significant move, he’ll also be sitting in the director’s chair. Unfrosted will be a comedy original for Netflix, who won an auction for the film’s rights. (It also didn’t hurt that Netflix already had a working relationship with the comedian, and will be the new streaming home for Seinfeld in the fall.) Via Deadline:

The Unfrosted deal was confirmed for Deadline, and Seinfeld explained the film’s modest pandemic-related origins: “Stuck at home watching endless sad faces on TV I thought this would be a good time to make something based on pure silliness,” he said. “So we took my Pop-Tart stand-up bit from my last Netflix special and exploded it into a giant, crazy comedy movie.”

The Pop-Tart bit appeared in last year’s Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill comedy special and revolved around a young Seinfeld’s breakfast-obsessed world being rocked by the Pop-Tart’s debut in 1964. “How did they know that there would be a need for a frosted fruit-filled heated rectangle in the same shape as the box it comes in, and with the same nutrition as the box it comes in?” However, that joke’s not entirely accurate as the toaster pastries first arrived without frosting, but it appears that the film will touch on the initial lack of the thin sugary coating.

(Via Deadline)

Organizers of the Washington DC-based Broccoli City festival were forced to cancel their 2020 event, depriving them of the chance to follow their 2019 show that was led by Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne. They’re ready to return for 2021, though, as it was announced today that this year’s edition will take place on October 2 at the newly redeveloped RFK Stadium Campus.

The lineup for the one-day festival features Lil Baby, Snoh Aalegra, Moneybagg Yo, Lucky Daye, Rubi Rose, Justine Skye, Soulection, 3ohBlack, Moechella, DJ Domo, Malcolm Xavier, Everything Nice, AdoboDMV, and “special guests.”

In a statement, Broccoli City Festival founders Brandon McEachern and Marcus Allen said, “2020 was tough on everyone. From the disproportionate number of Black lives lost as a result of COVID-19 to the tragic murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others, it goes without saying that the Black community was hit the hardest. Coming off of such a pivotal year where everyone is trying to capitalize on Black culture, it’s more important now than ever before for us to protect these sacred spaces created by Black people to authentically celebrate black culture. We’re happy to be back and look forward to Broccoli City Festival 2021 being the most authentic celebration of black culture, arts, and music the industry has seen.”

Tickets are set to go on sale on June 25 at 10 a.m. ET, so learn more about this year’s event on the festival website.