Category: News

Like Senator Bernie Sanders before him, President Joe Biden wants young people to get lucky.

No seriously. The Biden administration’s latest strategy to get as many Americans vaccinated as possible now includes dating apps like Tinder and Bumble promoting vaccinated matches. On Friday, Biden’s press team sent out a memo detailing their latest rollout plan, explaining how hookup apps including Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Match, OkCupid, BLK, Chispa, Plenty of Fish, and more are working with the White House COVID Team to get younger generations to swipe left on vaccine hesitancy by altering algorithms to favor vaccinated singles and allowing users to add stickers, badges, etc to prove they’ve gotten their shot.

“In support of President Biden’s goal of getting 70 percent of adults at least one shot by July 4, the largest dating apps in America will launch new features to encourage Americans to get vaccinated,” the memo states, via USA Today.

Those new features differ depending on which app you prefer. On Tinder, users can pick from a couple of different badge stickers, have access to premium content that helps them stand out in the scroll, and connect to a “Vaccination Center” filled with relevant resources. Over on OkCupid, vaccinated users get their own matching system with free “Boosts” to their profile. And over on Bumble, influencers are amplifying the need to get jabbed while regular users can get complimentary credits for premium features.

Basically, Biden wants you to know it pays to be vaccinated when it comes to the world of virtual dating. Unfortunately, not even a Pfizer shot can protect you from unwarranted d*ck pics.

(Via USA Today)

When Lil Nas X first rose to stardom with “Old Town Road,” it was rumored that he was so into Nicki Minaj that he used to operate a fan account about her. That turned out to be true, although Nas wasn’t forthcoming with that information for a while because he feared being outed as gay. Now, Nas is both openly gay and openly a Minaj fan, both of which he addresses on his latest song, “Sun Goes Down.” However, the Barbz, as Minaj’s fans are called, want Nas to keep her name out of his mouth and it appears he’s going to do just that.

On the track, Lil Nas X reflects on his past, including his admiration for Nicki Minaj, rapping, “I’d be by the phone / Stanning Nicki mornin’ into dawn / Only place I felt like I belonged / Strangers make you feel so loved, you know?” After the song was released, it seems some Barbz thought Nas was using her name for attention. The backlash was apparently severe enough for Nas to vow to stop talking about Minaj.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “to the barbz who feel i’m using nicki’s name for attention, the song i released last night was recorded last year. and it’s about my life which 6 of those years were dedicated to nicki. it’s no fake love. but i understand how it looks so i will no longer mention her.”

After Nas admitted he previously denied being a Barb, Minaj responded, saying that while she was initially hurt by that, she understood, writing on Twitter, “It was a bit of a sting when you denied being a barb, but I understand. Congratulations on building up your confidence to speak your truth.”

The cosmopolitan cocktail is a modern classic. The drink goes back to the mid-1980s and Miami bartending legend Cheryl Cook. Cook wanted to create something new for the martini glass and decided an elevated Kamikaze shot was the play. With that, the cosmo was born.

This drink is so easy to make and master. It’s a simple shaker that blends citrus vodka, fresh lime juice, orange liqueur, and cranberry juice. That’s it. You don’t need any special syrups or unique shaking skills. You really just need about 30 seconds and you can make this.

The weekend is almost here so let’s get shaking. Check my video below for a little visual instruction.

Cosmopolitan

Ingredients:

• 1.5-oz. citrus vodka
• 1-oz. orange liqueur
• 0.5-oz. fresh lime juice
• 0.5-oz. cranberry juice
• Lime peel
• Ice

The key to this drink is citrus vodka. Yes, you can make this with plain old vodka. But it won’t have the same citrusy depth and brightness. And that’s kind of the whole point. I like using Stoil Lime because it’s a truly limey vodka that helps this drink pop. It’s also only $20 for a bottle. That’s a good price for a good mixing vodka.

The original recipe called for Cointreau. I don’t have that on my shelf. But I have a fancy-smancy French triple sec that is perfectly fine for this (it’s basically the same thing).

My only real variation from the original recipe is that I express the lime peel oils over the drink. Usually, you’d just garnish with a lime wheel. I feel those almost bitter lime oils add that x-factor that takes this drink from “not without its charm” to “start shaking another right now because this one is going down fast!”

The rest is pretty easy. Fresh lime and some good cranberry juice from the grocery store are all you need.

What You’ll Need:

• Pre-chilled coupe, martini, or Nick and Nora glass
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Hand juicer
• Mini strainer
• Jigger
• Paring knife

Method:

• Pre-chill your glass, preferably overnight.
• Add vodka, orange liqueur, lime, and cranberry to a cocktail shaker.
• Fill about 1/2 with ice, affix the lid, and shake vigorously for about ten seconds.
• Retrieve the pre-chilled glass from the freezer and strain the cocktail into the glass.
• Express the oils of the lime peel over the glass and drop the peel into the cocktail.
• Serve.

Bottom Line:

This might be my drink for Summer 2021! This is so f*cking delightful, I basically made another immediately.

It’s a burst of glowing citrus tempered by a subtle cranberry tartness. The ease of this cocktail is a little too easy. It goes down fast, especially when it’s still ice-cold. The bright-yet-bitter lime oils really do tie this all together and add that little something extra that’ll keep you going back for more.

I hadn’t had this drink in years and now it’s all I can think about. I might have to make this by the batch for a backyard BBQ later this month.

The weather is heating up and these days we’re spending more time outside and with each other, which means summer streetball season is about to explode in full force. No city goes HAM on the courts like NYC so it’s fitting that Nike chose the Big Apple as the source of inspiration for what is becoming one of the most hyped Dunks of the summer season.

Also, these babies sort of glow in the dark and that’s always a win.

Dubbed NY vs. NY (after the New York summer streetball league), this Nike Dunk Low colorway features a leather upper in Sage Green, with white tumbled leather paneling, and orange accents on the swoosh and tongue tag, and sits atop an icy translucent midsole that lists some scheduled tournament dates at famous New York street parks. Other details include the “NY vs NY” branding on the lateral heel, which glows along with the sneaker’s seams when exposed to black light.

You’re never going to find black light on the street courts, which means aside from a basketball sneaker, this design doubles as a dope nightclub or bar pair. When has a sneaker ever been able to do both? That’s the power of the SB Dunk.

As of right now, a firm release date has not been set but the Nike Dunk Low NY vs. NY is scheduled for a summer drop at a retail price of $100. To see the NY vs. NY at every angle, head to YankeeKicks for a more in-depth look.

After publicly calling out Lucasfilm for failing its POC Star Wars character, John Boyega has been an advocate for better representation on screen that goes beyond the standard practice of just putting diverse characters on the posters then failing to give them meaningful moments. So it’s notable that Boyega felt the need to express his admiration for the great job Marvel did elevating Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

In a new interview, Boyega dives into how the problem with representation is that “the characters are only as good as the moments that you give them.” In his experience with Star Wars, those moments were repeatedly missing, so he was happy to see Disney get things right with Falcon. Via NPR:

When we talk about, you know, Captain America and him kind of facing off Thanos and his army, when you talk about these moments that are given to characters, it’s only because these moments are written by somebody. These moments are put in there on purpose to elevate characters.

We’ve got people now watching “Falcon And The Winter Soldier,” and a lot of people have been commenting about the elevation of Falcon’s character – right? – in the series and how they’ve really done well with bringing him up, which I also agree as well. You know, and we can see there is – that’s because you give characters these special moments, you know.

As Boyega told British GQ back in September 2020, Star Wars characters like Finn and Rose were short-changed while all of the “nuance” went to the white leads. “[You] knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver, you knew what to do with these other people,” Boyega said. “But when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*ck all.”

(Via NPR)

As we head into summer and more and more Americans become fully vaccinated, it’s looking like we’re about to hit the first post-Covid party season. While it’ll be fun to go out to bars, clubs, and concerts again, we’re also pretty psyched to throw our own epic house parties. Think about all those skills you picked up during quarantine — you can make your own edibles now, maybe you started your own garage-based microbrewery, not to mention the fact that you’ve been working on those DJ moves for months (something you keep mentioning, we get it already George! Just play the hits!).

We have all the tools we need to bring everything the club has to offer into our living rooms, right? Maybe not.

If you didn’t pick up any new skills, you can turn to Of The Night, from the founders of the famed Disco Dining Club. Of the Night started during quarantine and went national early this month — setting up thematic party packages that are mailed to your home. Better still, they funnel some of that your cash to philanthropic organizations. That’s a win-win which certainly helps to ease the pain of not being able to throw your own party.

This spring season, Of The Night has teamed up with Kimmy Shields (of Big Little Lies, and Insatiable fame) to help deliver party packages in support of wayOUT, a non-profit organization that seeks to empower LGBTQ+ youth to be who they are, without hesitation.

When friends Courtney Nichols and Blakeshine started the themed party package service in July of last year, the former event producers — accustomed to throwing and attending big parties pre-pandemic — were just looking for a way to kill their extreme boredom while addressing the existential crisis they were having as a result of being unemployed and in isolation.

“Of the Night was born of necessity,” says Nichols. “We started delivering packaged parties to our friends in Los Angeles out of a desperate need to stay entertained and connected. Soon we were getting requests from friends of friends and it snowballed from there.”

In less than a year, Nichols and Blakeshine have delivered 300 party packages and aligned themselves with a number of different philanthropic organizations, donating $5,000 to progressive non-profits so far, with no intention to stop. Now, with the nationwide expansion, Of The Night is shifting to a subscription model, and wants to supply you with all your themed-house party needs on a monthly basis — a good way to make up for a year of lost time.

According to Nichols, would-be-partiers can expect a curated set of food, drinks, decor, costumes, actives, and music all centered around specific themes that celebrate the parties of the past, present, and future. Upcoming themes include May’s cottagecore-themed “Crazy Cat Lady” and “Strawberry Social,” a package that seeks to embody drag classic Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar for this year’s Pride.

“Now that we are seeing the light at the end of the ‘pandemic tunnel,’ there will obviously be a rush to get out of the house,” says Nichols, “We can’t wait to get out to our fave bars and restaurants, but we also feel that at-home entertaining will always be something that people want and need… and Of The Night is here to take it to the next level.”

The fact that donating to nonprofits is a key component of the project core elevates it from a fun idea to something truly noteworthy.

TMZ reports that after a year off from their relationship, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have apparently gotten back together, with one big change in their relationship status. According to TMZ’s sources, the couple is dating again but not exclusively. This is apparently a result of Travis wanting to keep the core of their family — the two have been co-parenting their daughter Stormi since the breakup, but Travis wants to offer her a “strong family unit.”

The duo originally declared they were “taking a break” back in 2019 after a little over two years of dating, beginning in spring of 2017. Kylie addressed the breakup shortly after the news broke, saying that “Travis and I are on great terms and our main focus right now is Stormi! Our friendship and our daughter is priority.”

That seemed to be the case for the past year as the former couple was able to successfully co-parent despite the split, even hosting a holiday toy drive in Houston together. All the time they’ve spent together must have rekindled their old flame; TMZ noted that the couple has been spending a lot more time together of late without their daughter as the focus, such as a triple date with Kyle’s sister Kendall, Kendall’s NBA beau Devin Booker, and Justin and Hailey Bieber. Per TMZ, it looks like they’ll be spending a lot more time together in the future — just not exclusively.

It could be easily argued that Bruno Mars was the biggest pop star of the 2010s. His massively popular singles can be heard just about everywhere and he has carried that momentum over to the current decade, as his Anderson .Paak collaboration (as Silk Sonic) “Leave The Door Open” just returned to the top of the charts this week. Now, Mars has made history: The Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) has announced that Mars is now the first and only artist with five Diamond-certified singles.

To achieve Diamond certification, a song has to sell at least 10 million units. Today, two Mars classics, “That’s What I Like” and “When I Was Your Man,” reached Diamond status, giving him five total Diamond songs. His other three are “Just The Way You Are,” “Grenade,” and Mark Ronson’s Mars-featuring “Uptown Funk.”

Mars responded to the news by addressing his fans, writing on Twitter, “Love you Hooligans. Thanks for rockin with me throughout this incredible journey. We’ve only just begun.”

Mitch Glazier — Chairman and CEO, Recording Industry Association Of America — also offered a statement, in which he notes that nearly 10 percent of all Diamond-certified singles now belong to Mars. He said, “Congratulations to Bruno Mars — the first artist with five Diamond Single Awards in the history of RIAA’s Gold and Platinum Program! This milestone is a testament to Bruno’s unstoppable creative genius and the incredible partnership he has built with the team at Atlantic Records. What Bruno has accomplished is just extraordinary. Fewer than 60 Diamond Single Awards have ever been awarded — and Bruno now has five of them!”

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

If you spend enough time on the internet (five minutes), you have likely seen the photo of Paris Hilton wearing a tank-top that reads “STOP BEING POOR.” The picture was taken in 2005, at the height of her famous-for-being-famous fame, but as the “Stars Are Blind” singer recently revealed, the shirt was Photoshopped. It actually reads “STOP BEING DESPERATE,” but Ziwe still believes in the power of “STOP BEING POOR.”

Ahead of a new episode of her eponymous variety series on Showtime, comedian Ziwe dropped the music video for the income inequality anthem, “Stop Being Poor,” with help from I Think You Should Leave legend and Together Together star Patti Harrison.

A sample verse: “If you are a poor person then just go out and find a job / If you can’t secure a job, then go to college, don’t be a blob / If you can’t afford the tuition then try to get employed again / And if you still can’t get a job, go work for your rich uncle then.”

Ziwe told Rolling Stone that “Stop Being Poor” is the “song of the summer. I co-wrote this satirical anthem with the writer Jordan Mendoza after watching millions of Americans struggle to pay their bills during the Covid shutdown at a time when stimulus checks were few and far between.” She also called Patti Harrison “Baddie Harrison,” which is a solid nickname. You can watch it above — and watch Ziwe on Showtime on Sundays.

At this point, the question isn’t if Netflix recognizes the potential of video games, but how far it’s willing to invest in them — and it looks like the studio might be investing a lot in a pretty major way. According to reports, Netflix is looking to hire an executive to oversee the streaming service expansion into game development. Whether that means Netflix is creating its own studio, offering a platform for third-party titles, or packaging streaming bundles (similar to Xbox’s Game Pass or Apple Arcade) is yet to be determined.

What is clear though, is that Netflix has always seen games as a major money-maker. The streaming service has seemingly gone all in on game-based television series and movies after seeing massive success with shows such as The Witcher and Castlevania. As of right now, at least six new, original series — all based on popular games like Assassin’s Creed and Cyberpunk 2077 — are in the works over at Netflix.

Another thing we know is Netflix has historically seen game developers as competition. Back in 2019, Netflix told its investors the studio “compete[s] with (and lose[s] to) ‘Fortnite’ more than HBO.” While Netflix later expressed little interest in being a part of the game industry, a lot has changed since 2019. While many industries took massive hits in 2020 due to COVID-19, the games industry raked in more than sports and movies combined. However, this does not mean games are a surefire, stress-free money-grab. Netflix wouldn’t be the first big name to venture into game development, and wouldn’t be the first to lose big if things should fail.

While we still aren’t fully clued in on what is happening over at Netflix, let’s just cross our fingers and hope it’s not another battle royale or console.