Category: News

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.

The NBA Draft Lottery is an incredibly stressful time for the league’s front offices. Having a seat at the table likely means your team wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs, and a series of ping pong balls might determine how good it could be in the future.

Part of the fun of the Lottery is that the teams have representatives there (or, in this case, there virtually) to celebrate if they get one of the top picks. The flip side of that is the disappointment when you don’t jump up, which happened the Pelicans leading to Swin Cash’s reaction stealing the show on Tuesday night.

Here’s how the New Orleans Pelicans vice president of basketball operations and team development reacted when she heard her franchise would pick 10th, rather than vaulting up the board into the Top 4.

The Pelicans had just a 4.5 percent chance of earning the No. 1 pick, and No. 10 was their most likely outcome, but clearly, Cash was hoping for some better luck. That happened in 2019 when New Orleans had just a 6.3 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick, but did, and earened the right to select their new franchise cornerstone, Zion Williamson.

Cash posted a picture on Twitter after the lottery, saying, “Forgive me NOLA I’m pretty competitive…The lords still working on me… See y’all draft night. Let’s go.”

https://twitter.com/SwinCash/status/1407511902314508291

When I think of Milan, Italy, thoughts of luxury couture and beautiful neoclassical architecture come to mind first. In addition to the city’s booming fashion industry (Fashion Week is traditionally held here twice a year), Milan is also home to a thriving music scene. In fact, this bustling metropolis is where Grammy-nominated electronic music act, Meduza — comprised of Luca de Gregorio, Mattia Vitale, and Simone Giani — were born and eventually started their careers as DJ-producers.

As was the case with many artists in 2020, the onslaught of COVID-19 forced the trio to push pause on performing live shows. With concerts on hiatus, Meduza locked themselves in the studio, then revealed their next global hit “Paradise” featuring Dermot Kennedy, which debuted last October.

Eight months later, the guys are back with a new euphoric earworm aptly called, “Headrush” featuring Elroii, which dips its toes in everything a house head like me loves about the genre: tantalizing deep basslines riddled with plenty of punchy synths. It’s a whole vibe that’s right on time for the return of the festival season.

As the Meduza crew gets ready to hit the road again, I called them up to learn about their beloved home city of Milan. Now that the EU has opened its borders to Americans officially, I am thrilled to take this guide to Milan along with me when I finally travel abroad again this year!

***

In what fun way is Milan different from any other city on the globe?

Milan is our home city and the place where we were born. It will always have a special meaning for us. It’s where the greatest football team in the world play, AC Milan. It’s the center for fashion with all the fashion houses and we have (what we think anyway) the best cathedral in the center of a city, Duomo di Milano.

Where is your favorite place to eat in Milan? What’s so unique about it?

Angolo D’Abruzzo da Giannino is our favorite Milanese restaurant ever. It’s an old little Italian trattoria with the typical red and white tablecloth. Here, you can live a real Italian atmosphere with some typical dishes like pasta, Italian appetizers like ham, olive and mozzarella and the king of the table: the arrosticino. Arrosticinis is a typical skewer with lamb. Delicious!

Usually, during the dinner, a fisa and trumpet duo [are] playing some Italian melodies like “O Sole Mio” and you can sing in a very funny and familiar vibe.

At the end of the dinner, the Angolo d’Abruzzo’s boss puts a free selection of Italian liquors on your table and you can drink what and how much you want…after this it’s better if you don’t try to drive a car. Remember to book your seat because it’s always almost full!

When I think of Milan, I immediately think of high fashion. What’s the street style like in Milan?

Via Montenapoleone and Via Della Spiga are the best streets of high fashion. There you can find all the best Italian and worldwide fashion brand shops and few times a year — during the Fashion Weeks — all the parties and fashion shows with the VIP guests.

Speaking of fashion, what are some shops you like to frequent for your wardrobe?

We like classic Italian fashion brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Moschino, and a real maestro of shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti.

Italy is absolutely beautiful. Each city has its own distinctive, noteworthy sites. What are a few of the hidden gems of Milan? Why do you appreciate those places?

One of our favorite places in Milan is the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi. It’s an old monastery in the center of Milan (near Duomo di Milano) that since 1900 became a music school and a venue for classical concerts. There’s a very intimate atmosphere and it’s a characteristic place because you can live in a moment of quiet listening to good music in a center of a chaotic city like Milan.

We spent a lot of time there in our past because it was one of our schools when we were children.

Another gem that we recommend is Idroscalo Lake. Unfortunately, Milan has not a sea but has this little artificial lake. Around it, there is a lot of greenery and you can do a lot of sports activities like kite surfing and more.

What is some advice you would give burgeoning DJs when it comes to touring the world?

We are lucky because our passion became a job and during this amazing job we can see [that] the world is beautiful. Sometimes it’s possible to see a few DJs living this dream with a lot of tension and the wrong spirit. Relax! You are doing one of the best jobs in the world! Have fun and live every second that life gives you.

With a top-10 album and multiple singles that have topped the R&B charts, Queen Naija is a star. There was a point not too long ago, though, where she was a YouTuber facing struggles while trying to make music work as her primary vocation. She speaks about that part of her life in the newest Backstage episode.

Opening up about how public perception of her was an issue initially, Naija reveals she had doubters who didn’t think she was capable of doing more than YouTube.

“My name is Queen. I look at my name as royal, I look at myself as powerful,” she says in the clip. “But as soon as you start to get a name for yourself, people dig up dirt about you. Saying very cruel things: I’m not built for the industry life, I need to get media training, I need to talk better.” Thankfully, she has found herself more and more able to deal with critics, saying, “In this industry, you can’t care about what people think, and it’s hard for me. I literally want everybody in the whole world to like me, but the truth is they won’t, and that’s something I’ve had to overcome.”

Naija has certainly persevered through a lot and proven she is able to adapt to different situations: Shortly after signing a record deal, she toured in support of her self-titled 2018 EP while she was eight months pregnant. It’s her level of dedication that is helping Naija make her way to the top.

Naija tells her story best, so watch her do just that in the video above, in which she also talks about scrapping what was originally going to be her debut album.