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Whoopi Goldberg And Meghan McCain Brought ‘The View’ Back To Shout-Fest Form After Several Days Of Peace

Less than a month after their last heated exchange reportedly prompted the president of ABC News to call an emergency meeting to urge the ladies of The View to stop with the “personal attacks,” Whoopi Goldberg and Meghan McCain had another blowout on Thursday morning. While the show has been unusually calm as of late, and at times even jovial, that all ended when the conservative McCain criticized the media for giving Biden a pass after he snapped at reporters following his G7 meeting with Putin.

“Just because Trump was so bad, it doesn’t absolve Biden’s bad behavior,” McCain said. “What he just did was 100 percent Trumpy. I would just like a little intellectual consistency. If Trump had done that, we would be screaming at the top of our lungs one way or another.”

However, the situation quickly devolved when Whoopi pointed out that Biden went back to the press pool and apologized for the outburst, which is something that Trump has never done. Unfortunately, McCain was not in the mood for nuance.

“With all due respect, I don’t care if he’s apologizing. He just embarrassed himself,” McCain said, which prompted Whoopi to respond, “I don’t care that you don’t care!” before completely losing it on McCain. “You can be how you always are!” Whoopi said as the show cut to commercial.

In a surprising move considering that McCain looked to be on the verge of tears after getting dressed down, the two hosts actually apologized when the show returned to commercial, according to Mediaite. “I didn’t need to say what I said, and I apologize,” Whoopi said. “That’s not the way I want to behave at work. I apologize, Meghan.” McCain said she’s sorry, too, and the show went on.

(Via Mediaite)

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Devin Booker Found The ‘Suns In 4’ Guy And Will Give Him Tickets To The Conference Finals

The most popular man in Phoenix is headed to a playoff game. According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, Devin Booker and the Suns have learned the name of Nick McKeller, who became a meme among Phoenix fans for getting into a fight at a playoff game against the Nuggets. After taking it to the Denver fan with whom he scrapped, McKeller held up four fingers and screamed “SUNS IN 4.”

That ended up coming to fruition — the Suns swept the Nuggets — and after tweeting that he needed to learn the dude’s identity, Lowe reported that the efforts were successful, and now, McKeller is getting some gear and tickets to one of the Suns’ upcoming Western Conference Finals tilts against either the Los Angeles Clippers or Utah Jazz.

It didn’t take long for Booker’s representatives at CAA to find Nick McKellar, a lifelong Suns fan who now lives in Denver. Booker and the Suns are going to send McKellar a signed Booker jersey and provide him tickets to a conference finals game, both Booker’s reps at CAA and McKellar told ESPN.

While the NBA has been trying to crack down on incidents involving unruly fan behavior, Lowe reports that McKeller and eyewitnesses to the incident all stated he only fought back in self-defense.

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Cordae Funds Scholarships For HBCU Students With Help From Disney And ESPN

Cordae isn’t just a critically acclaimed, hit-making young artist on the rise — he’s also an outspoken activist and advocate for social change in America and the world. Last year, he was arrested at a sit-in protest of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home to push for Cameron to file charges against Breonna Taylor’s killers (a felony charge against him was dropped) and now, he’s partnered with Disney Dreamers Academy and ESPN’s The Undefeated to stand up for education by funding scholarships for HBCU students.

His efforts are being fueled by his participation in the upcoming compilation project Liberated / Music For the Movement Vol. 3, set to be released June 18 in honor of Juneteenth, the Black American holiday celebrating the official end of slavery in the United States. The Music For The Movement series, sponsored by The Undefeated, celebrates Black history and accomplishments of Black American activists, artists, and athletes, spawning records like Tinashe’s cover of “I’m Every Woman.”

Cordae, who appears on the track “What’s Life” with Common, committed to donating his proceeds from the track to funding scholarships for HBCU students. The Undefeated and Disney Dreamers Academy matched his donations. Cordae explained his decision in a press release. “So many people need the money more than I do,” he said. “I feel as though when you’re in such a blessed position, it’s important to pay that forward to be a blessing to others. It’s especially important to me to invest in our youth and the future. Young people are the future of our society and the world, so we must do all we can to ensure they are properly positioned to succeed. If I can spark the brain of a few future world leaders and geniuses, I’ll die a happy man.”

Liberated / Music For the Movement Vol. 3 also features Chloe Bailey, Kamasi Washington, Lucky Daye, and Yara Shahidi, and is due 6/18 on Hollywood Records.

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

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An O.G. ‘Dexter’ Actress Is Shutting Down Speculation That Her Character Could Appear In The Revival

The Dexter revival will bring the show’s serial killer back to the East Coast (so no more lumberjacking in the Pacific Northwest, thank goodness), and the generally accepted view is that most, if not all, of the O.G. cast members won’t be in attendance. That’s the right call for several reasons (including these characters being either dead or well aware of Dexter’s real calling), and although many hold out hope that Jennifer Carpenter’s Debra will return in flashbacks, James Remar (who played Dexter’s dad, who gave him his code) threw cold water (truthfully or not) on the hope of any old faces in the revival beyond Dexter himself.

Naturally, anyone who starred in Dexter will field such questions, and that includes Julie Benz, who was Dexter’s unaware-of-his-murder-addiction girlfriend, Rita, for four seasons before becoming a Trinity Killer victim. Benz previously declared that being killed off the show was the worst thing to happen in her career, yet this week, she told TV line that there’s no coming back for Rita, not even in ghost form:

“I think Dexter has moved way past Rita. It doesn’t make sense for her to be on his mind as a ghost because she was only his cover. He didn’t internalize her, so there are no plans for Rita to show up. I would obviously do it in a heartbeat if they asked. But I’ve always said Rita shouldn’t make an appearance in his head because she didn’t know the real him. She didn’t know the Dark Passenger.”

This makes sense, given that Rita’s death propelled Dexter into a new phase of how to cope with his Dark Passenger. Besides, it would be a hell of a lot more fun to see Debra come back and give Dexter sh*t for that watery grave, and she should also tell him how silly that hurricane survival maneuver was. Fans have hoped that Debra, who obviously died during the show’s finale episode, would somehow make it back for the 10-episode revival, even if it’s some zombie-Vision thing in his mind. Seriously, the striped-shirt evidence must mean something, so let’s see some snarky Debra (in a teaser) already.

The Dexter revival will likely arrive in late 2021.

(Via TV Line)

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Tyler The Creator Announces The Release Date Of His New Album, ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’

After a week of cryptic teases and colorful previews, Tyler The Creator has announced the official release date of his next album, Call Me If You Get Lost. The album title comes as no surprise after it was prominently featured in much of the mysterious early rollout, but the release date may, as it’s less than two weeks away, on June 25. The announcement came complete with a crisp, retro-styled website with the videos for “Side Street” and “Lumberjack,” as well as a link to pre-purchase box sets including a CD, a poster, a T-shirt, and a commemorative box.

The marketing around Call Me If You Get Lost appears to ditch Tyler’s Andy Warhol-inspired Igor persona in favor of “Tyler Beaudelaire,” but maintains much of the retro feel of that album’s rollout, with videos shot to resemble Super 8 tapes and styling influenced by 1970s couture (check out those vintage trunks in the “Lumberjack” video). Meanwhile, a press release for the album promises that the hotline set up to preview the music from the album will remain active and periodically update with new snippets leading up to the release. In addition to the box set CDs, the website for Call Me If You Get Lost features cassette tapes of the album, sticking with the retro theme.

Check out the album cover and link to the pre-order website above.

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Report: Members Of Zion Williamson’s Family No Longer Want Him To Play For The Pelicans

For the second time in a handful of years, the New Orleans Pelicans are dealing with questions about the long-term future of their former No. 1 overall pick. According to a new report by Shams Charania, William Guillory, and Joe Vardon of The Athletic that comes one day after the team ended Stan Van Gundy’s tenure as head coach, some in Zion Williamson’s camp would like it if he no longer played for the franchise.

While it is unclear if Williamson shares this sentiment, the report indicates that that general discontent exists in those close to the All-Star forward on the heels of a 31-41 campaign in which the team didn’t even make the play-in tournament.

For months, sources from all NBA corners have pointed to the Pelicans as a heap of dysfunction. There was a growing unease between Van Gundy and his players, and Van Gundy and the New Orleans front office, which came to a head Wednesday with the veteran coach and organization agreeing to part ways with three years left on his contract. Most of the attention, however, from numerous sources across the league, has centered on Williamson’s family members’ thinly veiled unhappiness with the Pelicans, and whether those feelings seeped into the player’s own views.

It’s not hard to see why the Pelicans, of all teams, would be ultra sensitive to rumblings of discord in the camp of a young star. The team is less than two years removed from trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers after years of questions regarding whether or not he could achieve his on-court goals with the team. Unfortunately, the report indicates a number of things — trading J.J. Redick, Van Gundy’s style of coaching, the organization’s perceived inability to “live up to what they felt should be the standard for a star like Williamson” — have caused the youngster and those around him to have some frustrations.

Williamson is under contract for the next three seasons, while the Pelicans will assuredly do everything in that time to make sure he and those around him are happy, namely by putting together a roster that can compete for a championship. But for now, some seeds are being planted that appear to indicate unease surrounding one of the brightest young stars in the league.

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After Announcing Her Retirement And Changing Her Mind, Sinéad O’Connor Again Says She’s Leaving Music

It’s been a whirlwind week-plus in the world of Sinéad O’Connor. Last Monday (June 7), the musician said she was retiring from the music industry. Shortly after that, she changed her mind. Now, O’Connor has again flip-flopped, as today, she has once more announced her retirement from music.

In a tweet from her personal account, she noted that she will transition to writing, but will release one more album next year, which she does not plan to promote: “On Sunday I begin my new life as a writer, having been in two minds about retiring from the music business. Below is my retirement announcement. My last album, No Veteran Dies Alone will be released in April 2022. There will be no promo. Thanks for all the fun and love.”

That tweet also featured screenshots of an more extensive message from O’Connor, in which she notes that her decision to leave music came after “consultation with [her] medical team.” Her letter concludes, “I sincerely thank my fans and supporters for the love they’ve shown me all down the years, as well as my co-workers. We’ve all had a great adventure: now it’s time for the next one : ).”

Read O’Connor’s full note below.

“This to announce that having been in two minds about retiring I have now, in consultation with my medical team, and on their advice, decided to go ahead and retire so that I may now focus on my new career as a writer. I am happy to have left on a good note, that is, standing up against the intellectually Lilliputian far right, white power movement in this country, without consideration for how absolutely any white people at all, might be upset by my doing so.

It would have been morally and spiritually criminal of me to stay silent. No matter how anyone might wish I had. I literally owe my life to foreign residents in this country. And to black and brown people in Ireland and all over the world: historically and in the present: sitting down and staying silent would have made me complicit: just as it makes anyone else who stays silent, complicit. All it takes for evil to triumph is that good people do nothing: it’s not in my nature to do nothing. If the likes of [Irish activist Gemma O’Doherty] and Waters and Rye consider it their right to spew online, defamation, racism and dishonest, uneducated, perverse, right wing propaganda, they have to be able to cope with strong responses. Whether from their exes or anyone else who knows them or doesn’t know them. Their online activities are hurtful and demeaning and damaging to the people of Ireland. And to all foreign residents and visitors. And what is good for the goose is certainly good for the gander. Racism triggers and deserves angry responses And I am fiercely unapologetic. No matter who is hurt: these online racists don’t care whom they hurt. So why should I?

As I said, I owe my life and soul to black and brown and Muslim immigrants to this country: and to black musicians and activists all over the world, throughout history and in the present: I will be closing my Twitter page in the next few days so that I can begin to enjoy being a private citizen. And enjoy my new life as a writer: I sincerely thank my fans and supporters for the love they’ve shown me all down the years, as well as my co-workers. We’ve all had a great adventure: now it’s time for the next one : ).”

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Young Dolph Brags That Tough Times Are ‘Nothing To Me’ With Snupe Bandz And PaperRoute Woo

Young Dolph might be semi-retired, but it looks like he’ll still turn up to position his Paper Route Empire employees for success. In the newly released “Nothing To Me” video, the Memphis boss brags that tough times will never decrease his loyalty to his crew. “You catch a body, I’m gon’ pay the bail and the lawyer, that’s nothing to me,” he boasts.

Then, he cedes the floor to his PRE signees Snupe Bandz and PaperRoute Woo, who deliver their own takes on the subject matter. The video sees all three rappers enjoying themselves on a private jet, showing off stacks of cash.

The “Nothing To Me” video arrives after Young Dolph’s retirement announcement, which came in the midst of the successful rollout for Dolph and PRE protege Key Glock’s joint album, Dum & Dummer 2. Over the course of the several weeks they spent promoting the album, the duo released videos for “Aspen,” “Penguins,” “Rain Rain,” and “A Goat & A Dolphin,” among others.

Now that they’ve completed the album cycle, it seems Dolph has turned his attentions to promoting his Paper Route Empire brand, putting out the single “Plenty Cake” with DJ-Q, and helping to work singles for signees like Chitana, Kenny Muney, and Big Moochie Grape.

Watch Young Dolph’s “Nothing To Me” video featuring Snupe Bandz and PaperRoute Woo above.

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Ask A Music Critic: Is Jack Antonoff Overrated?

Welcome to another installment of Ask A Music Critic! And thanks to everyone who has sent me questions. Please keep them coming at [email protected].

Look, here’s the deal. I love Carly Rae. I love Lana. I love Taylor. And dammit, I even bought Bleachers tickets the day they dropped for the upcoming tour. But I cannot help but wonder: Is Jack Antonoff actually a genius, or is he a repetitive producer and just an average songwriter? — Jesse from Washington D.C.

I am fascinated by the fact that even you, a person who clearly seems to enjoy the extended Antonoff-iverse, is having these doubts about the ubiquitous musician, songwriter, and producer. By the way, your list of pop-star nation states that have collaborated with Jack is incomplete. You could have also mentioned St. Vincent (whose recent LP Daddy’s Home was made with Antonoff) and Lorde, who re-emerged last week after a four-year lay-off with a new single co-produced and co-written with the chunky glasses enthusiast.

That a person who bought tickets to an upcoming Bleachers tour is questioning his genius speaks to how prevalent this guy has been in pop for the past several years. Whether he’s overrated is debatable; whether he’s overexposed is self-evident. Even the stans might be a little sick of him by now.

I’m an Antonoff agnostic myself, so my answer to the “is he a genius?” question is also self-evident. But I would never suggest that he’s merely an “average” songwriter. The guy obviously has talent, and he appears to be a natural-born collaborator. But is he a “repetitive producer”? I suspect you already know my answer to that one.

Even casual pop listeners likely know the Antonoff formula by now — he takes a familiar sound or even a whole song from a beloved touchstone of ’80s and ’90s pop and replicates it to the point where the difference between “homage” and “derivative” becomes difficult to discern. And then he pumps up the energy, bombast, and melodrama to the point where you feel like a grouch if you’re not instantly charmed by the “fun” confection he’s helped to create.

You can hear this formula once again in Lorde’s new single “Solar Power,” a would-be anthem that aggressively stakes out “song of the summer” status while borrowing liberally from Primal Scream’s early ’90s alt-rock classic “Loaded.” In a way, it’s not Antonoff’s fault that his style now feels a little tired, given that so many pop stars keep calling on his assistance. After all, you can’t blame a guy for doing what he does over and over again when he keeps getting offered millions to do exactly that. Also, to be fair, the underwhelming “Solar Power” can’t be entirely (or even mostly) blamed on Antonoff. He also helped to make “Green Light,” the electrifying opening single from Lorde’s previous album, 2017’s Melodrama. Ultimately, the pleasant but kind of meh “Solar Power” is on Ella Yelich-O’Connor.

But I’m beginning to wonder if part of Antonoff’s appeal for all those superstars is that he’s a bit of an empty vessel artistically. For all of his deftness as a synthesizer of past pop trends, I don’t know that there is anything musically that is uniquely his, in the way that you can instantly recognize the work of prior pop auteurs like the Neptunes or Timbaland. Antonoff certainly knows how to put together hits, but the personality on those records comes entirely from the frontline artists. Even as he’s become a brand name, he’s posed no threat as far as overshadowing his famous patrons. He’s a skilled, and relatively charisma-free, craftsman. (Which explains why Bleachers seems anonymous and nondescript compared with the blockbusters he’s produced for others. No offense to you before you catch that show!)

I am completely unfamiliar with the term “choogle,” which I have heard often brought up on your pod. How would you define this genre? I was going through your “Best of 2021 So Far” list and found myself really enjoying the self-titled Silver Synthetic album, which you describes as choogle. It reminds me of like… Real Estate and the chiller King Gizzard records? Where should I start with this genre? What are some of the “canonical” choogle albums? — Kevin in San Diego

I do indeed talk a lot about choogle on Indiecast, especially at this time of the year. Summer truly is peak choogle season. But what exactly am I talking about anyway?

The term “choogle” is most associated with John Fogerty, who wrote the immortal “Keep On Chooglin’” for Credence Clearwater Revival for 1969’s Bayou Country. On the same album, Fogerty also sings about “chooglin’ on down to New Orleans” in the hit “Born On The Bayou.” In this context, “choogle” evokes a certain attitude or swagger that is easier to recognize than describe. (It’s like porn — you know choogle when you see it.) But in musical terms, a good choogle exists at the midpoint between a ballad and a rocker. It’s faster and funkier than a slow song, but it also has a certain laid-back feel that keeps it from getting too frenetic. This effect is created by a chunky, rhythmic guitar part and a mid-tempo groove that’s almost danceable. Choogle music will definitely get your neck and shoulders moving, and cause you to drink your beverage at a quicker pace.

As for canonical choogle albums, it should be noted that few artists are able to keep a good choogle going for both sides of an LP. CCR obviously is in a class by themselves. I would also say that all the albums J.J. Cale made in the 1970s qualify. More recently, Steve Gunn’s Eyes On The Lines is a wall-to-wall choogle masterpiece. But for the most part, you’ll want to stick with specific songs, like the ones on this excellent playlist.

As for my personal favorite choogle anthems, I would nominate the following songs:

  • Waylon Jennings, “I’m A Ramblin’ Man”
  • John Lee Hooker, “Shake It, Baby”
  • Tony Joe White, “Pork Salad Annie”
  • The Hollies, “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)”
  • Deep Purple, “Hush”
  • T. Rex, “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” (Strangely, T. Rex’s “Chariot Choogle” doesn’t qualify)
  • Tom Petty, “Yer So Bad”
  • Natural Child, “Firewater Liquor”
  • Rose City Band, “Rivers Of Mind”
  • Kurt Vile, “Jesus Fever”

What’s the most uncomfortable moment you’ve had during an interview? — Matt from Elmwood Park, Ill.

Just reading this question makes me wince and gives me the chills. There are few things in my life that have made me more nervous than interviewing somebody. For the first dozen or so years of my career, I would get really bad stomach aches before doing a phoner or (worse!) talking to someone in person. Fortunately, I eventually did enough interviews over time that I stopped getting nervous.

I found that my own anxiousness was the cause of much of the discomfort in my early interviews. If my conversation with an artist was awkward, it was on me as the journalist (or the “host” essentially of the interview) to make it more amenable for good back-and-forths and sharing. I just wasn’t very good at that for a long time, though I think I’ve made up for it since then.

However, when I was younger I also had the disadvantage of working for a small-town daily newspaper, which usually meant the person I was speaking with had never heard of my publication or the town I was living in, and therefore had very little reason to care about our interview. And that only compounded my anxiousness.

Looking back, some of the most awkward interviews I had were with people that I also didn’t care about, but I was forced to cover them because they happened to be playing the local casino or an area county fair in the upcoming weeks. Just the other day, I randomly remembered a very uncomfortable interview I did with Taylor Hicks, the “Soul Patrol” guy from American Idol. This was right after he did well on the show, so he was definitely feeling himself at the time.

I wish I could remember a particularly awful moment from this interview, but I think I must have mercifully wiped it from my memory banks. I think at one moment I asked a slightly snarky question about how he was king of the “Soul Patrol” and he swatted me down like I was a Doobie Brothers cover. I’m sure I deserved it!

Here’s another moment that comes to mind: I once did an interview with a musician I really like, and at the start we went to shake hands and he gave me a dead fish. I tried to let go early but he kept holding on, so I then went back and squeezed his hand slightly too hard. Finally, our terrible handshake ended and we proceeded to have a wonderful interview. But I’ve thought about that handshake at least once per week ever since.

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

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A Florida Republican Was Caught On Tape Threatening To Have His Rival Killed By A Russian-Ukranian ‘Hit Squad’

In a sadly on-brand story for Florida, a GOP congressional hopeful was secretly recorded (via Politico) threatening to have his primary opponent killed by a “Russian and Ukrainian hit squad.” Before announcing his candidacy for Congressman Charlie Crist’s soon-to-be-vacated seat, William Braddock warned a Republican activist not to endorse one of his challengers, Anna Paulina Luna, because she’s about to “disappear.”

“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” Braddock reportedly said in the recording. “That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f—ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.”

According to Politico, the recording was made Wednesday, June 9 and promptly turned over to the St. Petersburg police. Luna was also notified about Braddock’s threat and was granted a temporary restraining order against him. Braddock, for his part, has said that the recording is “allegedly me,” and that there’s no proof it is him. He also claims the recording “may even be altered and edited.”

A copy of the recording was provided to Politico, and it does reportedly contain numerous references to having Luna killed:

“She’s gonna be gone. Period. That’s the end of the discussion. Luna is not an issue,” he said.

Olszewski pushed him, asking “how do we make her go, though? I just don’t understand that.”

“I call up my Russian and Ukrainian hit squad, and within 24 hours, they’re sending me pictures of her disappearing,” he replied. “No, I’m not joking. Like, this is beyond my control this point.”

Braddock also reportedly boasted that his hit squad will ensure that the job is done. “No snipers. Up close and personal. So they know that the target has gone.”

(Via Politico)