Category: News

One would be hard pressed for anyone to imagine Kellyanne Conway as anything but a nightmare stage mom, if given the chance. And she’s definitely getting that chance because American Idol allowed her to play the dutiful (but also nightmarish) stage mom while daughter Claudia made her debut on the reality competition show (in a pre-recorded audition clip that was reportedly filmed in November).

That Idol would include Kellyanne on the finished broadcast is a particularly shocking development following several months of troubling incidents regarding Kellyanne and her 16-year-old daughter. Last August, Claudia announced that she would be seeking emancipation from her parents (her father is George Conway, who co-founded The Lincoln Project). Claudia also stated at the time that she would do so “because of years of childhood trauma and abuse.” The situation appeared to intensify this January when TMZ reported that law enforcement had carried out a welfare check after Claudia “secretly recorded and posted a video showing her mom screaming and swearing at her” on TikTok. Most recently, Kellyanne was accused of posting a topless photo of her daughter on Twitter. And yet, Idol aired Kellyanne’s “surprise” appearance, in which she expressed encouragement for Claudia.

Watching Kellyanne dance in the above clip is really something, but it gets worse. Her voice at the end of the next clip (“Claudiaaaaaaaaaa!”) sounds, to be perfectly fair, much like it belongs in a horror movie or maybe even a certain Faye Dunaway picture.

Then there was this palpable moment where Katy Perry asks, “Are you okay?” and Claudia answers, “No, but yes.”

The backlash to Kellyanne’s airtime was swift and fierce and included broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien’s judgment: “Good work by American Idol in their efforts to rehab the reputation of horrible human.”

Others referred to the display from Kellyanne and Idol as “disgusting” and very much a double standard.

Does this mean we’ll see “the QAnon shaman as the next Bachelor” anytime soon? Don’t rule it out.

In case you had any doubts about how huge of a hit Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton has been for Netflix, one of its stars just made the impressive leap of jumping straight from a streaming series to hosting Saturday Night Live. On February 20, smoldering Bridgerton actor Regé-Jean Page will host the show with musical guest Bad Bunny. The SNL episode will be a first for both host and musical guest. Via Variety:

On “Bridgerton,” Page plays Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, a dashing bachelor committed to avoiding marriage until he meets his match. The series, based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels of the same name and brought to life by “Scandal” producer Chris Van Dusen and Shondaland, quickly became Netflix’s most-watched original series ever: The streaming service said 82 million member households watched the series in its first 28 days online.

As usual, SNL announced Page’s upcoming hosting gig at the end of its latest episode featuring Regina King, and Bridgerton fans immediately started losing their minds on Twitter. After just one season of the Netflix series, Page quickly developed a hardcore following and his newfound fame has reportedly put him in the running to be the next James Bond. Granted, he’s still behind Tom Hardy, but betting markets are already watching Page closely as his odds are 5/1 to replace Daniel Craig. Just look at how people are reacting from finding out he’s hosting SNL. The guy has star power.

With the series being a breakout hit for Netflix, Season 2 was confirmed in late January, and fans are hoping the show will stick around long enough to adapt all eight books in the romance series.

(Via Variety)

This past weekend’s episode of WandaVision brought things up to the late ’90s and early 2000s, so it needed a title sequence to match. They show’s creators hit the nail on the head by going with a Malcolm In The Middle-inspired bit. Instead of going in a They Might Be Giants direction like that show’s original theme, though, WandaVision leaned more riot grrrl and got a defining artist of the genre to sing on the track: Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre fame.

Kristen Anderson-Lopez — who co-writes the music for the show alongside her husband Robert Lopez (the pair that co-wrote the songs for Frozen) — confirmed Hanna’s involvement on Twitter over the weekend, writing, “Shout out to the amazing @kathleenhanna of bikini kill and le Tigre fame. She’s the star of this week’s riot girl inspired WandaVision theme song!” Anderson-Lopez and Hanna actually sang the song together, as Anderson-Lopez noted on Twitter.

For those unfamiliar with the stylistic premise of WandaVision, the show draws inspiration from a different period of time for each episode, leaning on television tropes from the respective era to help get that aesthetic across.

Check out Hanna’s song in the WandaVision title sequence above.

“You have the most adorable, pretty eyes,” a 70-year-old Ed McMahon, host of Star Search asks Britney Spears. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Only 10 at the time, a visibly uncomfortable Spears politely responds, “No sir.” But that wasn’t enough for McMahon, forcing the young singer to explain that “all men are mean.” The television host just couldn’t stop: “Boyfriends? You mean all boys? I’m not mean … how about me?”

This is just one of many cringeworthy moments in The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears, an FX documentary that premiered on Feb. 5. The special mainly breaks down the origin of Spears’ court-approved conservatorship (which was established in 2008 after a series of custody battles and mental health evaluations), how her father Jamie Spears and lawyer Andrew Wallet were in charge of her finances and professional decisions (Wallet later resigned in 2019, making Jamie the sole conservator), and the ongoing fan-led #FreeBritney movement. Recently, after years of Spears relinquishing control of her life, a spark of hope arrived when her father’s bid to be the sole delegator of her estate was dismissed by a Los Angeles judge.

But throughout the documentary, there are also harrowing insights into the artist’s tense relationship with the paparazzi and the sexism she faced by the media. It is not presented as new information (longtime fans of the pop icon have been aware of her rocky journey for decades), but a stark reminder of how the media continuously attempts to shake down women.

Spears’ appearance on Star Search in 1992 was supposed to be an exciting moment. Instead, McMahon reduced her to an object. This has carried on throughout Spears’ career, where her supernatural talent was often eclipsed by the media constantly questioning her purity, her body as she went through puberty, and her mental health.

Misogyny in media doesn’t start nor end with Spears, though. It has been an insidious leech ever since Hollywood’s Golden Age, beginning with 1934’s Motion Picture Production Code that was established by studios’ white male executives. The code required films to be moral and pure, and prohibited scenes that featured nudity, suggestive dances, discussions of sexual perversity, and more. Women actors were then stripped from their professional agency, a notion that was later solidified by film critic Laura Mulvey in 1975. Coining it “the male gaze,” she explored how directors presented women as objects to be looked at while men solely did the looking.

As the popularity of tabloid media rose, that very gaze transitioned from the big screen into reality. Both male and female reporters mocked prominent women in pop culture, continuing Hollywood’s rigid cycle of disempowerment. Millennials remember it best in the ‘90s, with singers like Madonna being ridiculed for 1992’s Sex book and Monica Lewinsky being presented as a “trampy” White House caricature who was shamed for her weight. And there was the late Princess Diana, who couldn’t escape the media obsession and hounding paparazzi that led to her fatal 1997 car crash.

“It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this,” her brother Charles Spencer said in his eulogy. “A girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age.”

The cycle continued in the ‘00s era with the rise of the “It Girls”. As the Framing Britney documentary reveals, Spears was subject to many interviews that focused on her body and not her talent. In 1999, Dutch TV presenter Ivo Niehe pressed the 17-year-old singer about breast implant rumors.

“There’s one subject we didn’t discuss. Everyone’s talking about it. Well … your breasts,” he proclaimed as the audience laughed. Just like Star Search, Spears remained polite as young women pop stars are expected to be. But Niehe continued with a condescending tone: “You seem to get furious when a talk-show host comes up with this subject.”

The misogyny Spears faced wasn’t solely from older male journalists; women also victimized her. In a 2003 interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, the veteran reporter prodded the star about her still-fresh breakup with Justin Timberlake. “You did something that caused Justin so much pain and so much suffering,” Sawyer said before bringing her to tears. Spears’ proclamation of “I’m not that innocent” on 2000’s “Oops!… I Did It Again” was used against her as reporters like Sawyer used her as the sole reasoning behind the breakup — not Timberlake. In an unexpected turn of events, Timberlake shared an Instagram apology on Feb. 12 to both Spears and Janet Jackson (who took the fall after Timberlake exposed her breast at the 2004 Super Bowl, which led to the blacklisting of Jackson’s Damita Jo album on radio and television).

Spears’ peers also faced scrutiny, with Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian being slut-shamed for their respective leaked sex tapes, Christina Aguilera branded as “the world’s skeeziest reptile woman” following her “Dirrty” video, and Lindsay Lohan’s every court appearance being documented for naysayers to critique. Following Framing Britney Spears, the phrase “We Are Sorry Britney” was just as prevalent of a Twitter trending topic as #FreeBritney. The flood of apologies alludes to those same people who poked fun at these women coming to terms with their guilt.

“We wanted to look back at the media coverage of her,” Framing Britney Spears director Samantha Stark told Vanity Fair, “realizing how differently we think of women, sexuality, and mental health. We started watching all this stuff from the early 2000s and it was very shocking now post–Me Too and post this mental health revolution.”

The early ‘00s was the era of a tabloid takeover and the gold rush of the paparazzi, who shot crude upskirt photos of nearly every female star and provoked Spears to hit their car with an umbrella following her infamous 2007 head-shaving incident. Celebrity blogs like Perez Hilton (which gained notoriety by crudely drawing atop photos of aforementioned women) and magazines like Star, National Enquirer, and US Weekly that plastered unflattering headlines of Hollywood starlets played a damning role in how society viewed them. The paparazzi’s dominance may have died down once the 2010s came along, but the sexist media remained strong.

Once again, the cycle continued with singers like Amy Winehouse, who up until her death in 2011 was the target of a media circus surrounding her substance abuse. Lady Gaga and Ciara were subject to hermaphrodite rumors, and Rihanna (who was previously blamed for 2009’s domestic violence incident with Chris Brown) was constantly met with questions about her dating life. In 2012, Rihanna shot down a reporter during a London press run for Battleship. “I just wondered if you are as happy in your private life,” she asked the singer. “Will we be seeing a certain Mr. Kutcher perhaps making a trip over here?” Rihanna quipped: “Wow, how disappointing was that question. I’m happy and I’m single, if that’s what you’re really asking.”

In 2017, the thought of dismantling the vicious media cycle became more of a reality with the rise of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Founded by Tarana Burke in 2006, #MeToo was later co-opted by actresses like Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman following the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations. In response, the Time’s Up initiative was created to fight against systematic gender disparity and sexual harassment in Hollywood.

As we’ve entered a new decade and new presidential term, living in a post-Weinstein and post-Trump society has only seemed promising on the surface. Yet the sexism women face still hasn’t changed. With the rise of social media, the misogynistic commentary that was once allotted for reporters has been traded for online trolls. Last July, Megan Thee Stallion was — similar to Rihanna a decade prior — the butt of cruel memes and jokes after being reportedly shot by Tory Lanez. And in January, singer Chloe Bailey was on the brink of tears after being accused of seeking attention with her provocative Instagram posts.

More people are coming to terms with just how frequent Britney Spears was subject to relentless sexism, but society is still far from breaking a cycle that is so deeply embedded in our historical fabric. It’ll be implausible to expect a media reckoning to happen so quickly, especially as America remains trapped beneath capitalism’s thumb. But if there are continuous efforts of apologies that aren’t half-assed (like Timberlake and Sarah Silverman’s) and publications holding themselves accountable for past news coverage (like Glamour magazine), the days of misogynistic voices warping media narratives could be that much closer to diminishing.

Slowthai is just a few days removed from the release of his sophomore album, Tyron. The double-disc project sees contributions from ASAP Rocky, Skepta, Denzel Curry, and more. Today, the UK rapper returns with a new visual for “Vex.” The video begins with Slowthai taking an order for a burger from a customer. After hearing their request, the rapper heads to the kitchen to put the meal together and this is where things take a bizarre turn. The meat used on the burger comes from a questionable place — quite possibly from a human — and to make matters worse, Slowthai spits in the sandwich before sending it out to the awaiting customer.

In addition to the “Vex” video, Slowthai announced his plans to hit the road for a UK tour. The Something To Look Forward To tour will begin at the end of August in Glasglow and conclude September 9 in London. In a message attached with the tour announcement, Slowthai said, “I miss you all so much and we need something to look forward to so I’m taking it back to the smaller venues that need our support more than ever.” He then promised that a purchase of his Tyron from his website would grant access to presale tickets that go on sale on February 18.

Watch the “Vex” video above and check out the tour dates below.

08/31/2021 — Glasglow, Scotland @ G2
09/01/2021 — Leeds, England @ Brudenell Social Club
09/02/2021 — Birmingham, England @ The Hare and Hounds
09/07/2021 — Oxford, England @ The Bullingdon
09/08/2021 — Southampton, England @ The Joiners
09/09/2021 — London, England @ Underworld

Tyron is out now via Method/Interscope. Get it here.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Taylor Swift begin to roll out her series of re-recorded albums and Jay-Z score a posthumous collaboration with Nipsey Hussle. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

Taylor Swift — “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)”

Taylor Swift was legally able to start re-recording her old, Big Machine-owned material in November and she didn’t waste any time getting to work. It’s only been a handful of months since then and she has already emerged with the first output of that effort, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version).” The wait for more from Fearless (Taylor’s Version) shouldn’t be long, if Swift’s hints are any indication.

Slowthai — Tyron

2020 was big for Slowthai, as it saw him enjoy high-profile collaborations with people like Gorillaz and Disclosure. Now he’s back with an album of his own, on which he further expands his Rolodex thanks to link-ups with folks like Skepta, ASAP Rocky, James Blake, and a handful of others.

Dua Lipa — “We’re Good”

There’s no stopping Future Nostalgia, as Lipa just dropped a new Moonlight Edition of it. One of the new offerings from the expanded album is “We’re Good,” a tropical-influenced single that’s not as disco-leaning as much of Future Nostalgia but is just as fun.

Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle — “What It Feels Like”

A GQ feature reveals that this collaboration between Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle actually began way back in 2013. It ultimately became part of the Judas And The Black Messiah film, of which Jay said, “My relationship with [producer Ryan Coogler], who I consider my little bro, [is what] brought me to the movie. And once I saw it, I was blown away by what Shaka King brought to the table. I think I finished the song in the next day or two.”

Danny L Harle — “Ocean’s Theme” (with Caroline Polachek) and “Interlocked” (with Hudson Mohawke)

Danny L Harle is going big concept with his new album, part of which includes obscuring his collaborators with alter-egos. He dropped a pair of new tracks last week, though, and the influence of his covert guests is unmistakable, with Caroline Polachek tagging in on “Ocean’s Theme” and Hudson Mohawke guesting on “Interlocked.”

Doeboy — “Low Key” Feat. Lil Uzi Vert

Believe it or not, Lil Uzi has done things in recent days that aren’t related to the pricey pink diamond he just had embedded in his forehead. One of those is “Low Key,” a collaboration with Doeboy, on which they give their gratitude to the women in their lives who aren’t about being flashy.

Young Thug, Meek Mill, and T-Shyne — “That Go!”

Young Thug currently has fans waiting for a pair of new projects that he has announced, Punk and Slime Language 2. In the meantime, though, he’s making sure his devotees are fed, with his latest course being a high-energy collab with Meek Mill and T-Shyne titled “That Go!.”

Claud — Super Monster

Claud, the first signee to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory label, told Uproxx of their new album, “[It’s] a reminder that to myself and to other people that you’re capable of being loved. If you open yourself up enough and remind yourself that you’re worthy of it, it’s possible and that you deserve it.”

Pooh Shiesty — “No Profanity”

The soundtrack for Judas And The Black Messiah delivered multiple highlights last week. The aforementioned Jay and Hussle collaboration is one and another is “No Profanity” from Pooh Shiesty. The track is pure bars from Shiesty, eschewing a proper hook to make room for lines about money, success, and keeping an eye out for snakes.

Syd — “Missing Out”

It’s been a minute since Syd popped up with a new solo endeavor, although there have been guest spots here and there since the 2018 album Hive Mind. Finally, though, Syd made a return last week with “Missing Out,” an emotional track that’s described as an “anti-Valentine’s Day ode.”

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

Kevin Smith has been a long-time supporter of “Release the Snyder Cut,” so naturally, he was pumped when the latest trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League dropped on Valentine’s Day. Not only is it the most comprehensive glimpse at Snyder’s original story plans for Justice League yet, but the new trailer also showed off some of the recent reshoots that took place in the fall.

Notably, the film now includes a “Knightmare scene” between Ben Affleck’s Batman and Jared Leto’s Joker that fans never got to see thanks to Joss Whedon‘s theatrical version of Justice League throwing the DC Extended Universe into disarray after it bombed with moviegoers and critics. Affleck left the franchise, and Leto’s Joker was abandoned as Warner Bros. pivoted towards a solo standalone movie starring Joaquin Phoenix. So it was a pretty big deal when Snyder managed to bring the two actors back for an iconic showdown, and Smith is definitely here for it.

“I saw the new trailer this morning, at which point I realized that we live in a society where Ben came back for @snydercut reshoots!” Smith tweeted. “Can’t wait to blaze for 4 hours while watching this epic on @hbomax! We’re gonna get to see Darkseid, Granny Goodness, AND the Bat-Tank!”

Smith has been singing the praises of the Snyder Cut for a while now, and while Snyder himself has said that he’s done with the DC Comics films after his director’s cut hits HBO Max, Smith says he’s heard talk from inside sources that the ambitious project does set up future stories. “I happen to know that the ending that he’s got for the Snyder Cut is very not a cul-de-sac…” Smith said on his Fatman Beyond podcast. “It takes it to a weird neighborhood, but it’s not a cul-de-sac. You can keep f***ing going with the story based on what I’ve heard from a friend.”

(Via Kevin Smith on Twitter)

For the last four years, a documentary that looks back at the life of legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G. has been in the works. Entitled Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell, the upcoming Netflix film is led by director Emmett Malloy and produced by Diddy, the late rapper’s mother Voletta Wallace, and more. With exactly two weeks left until it premieres on the streaming platform, the first trailer for the film has arrived to build up anticipation for its release.

A majority of the early video footage that appears in Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell was uprooted from the archives of and interviews with Biggie’s childhood friend Damian “D Roc” Bulter. “Big was always a visionary. There will never be such a crazy time in Brooklyn as the 80’s and 90’s, out of great struggle, comes great art and music,” he said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “The Brooklyn kid rapping today won’t have the same stories we have to tell.”

The release of the film’s first trailer also comes a year after the rapper was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, something Netflix mentions in its description of the film. “In the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.’s landmark induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ahead of what would have been his 50th birthday, Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell offers a fresh look at one of the greatest, most influential rappers of all time by those who knew him best,” the platform said. “Made in collaboration with Biggie’s estate, I Got A Story To Tell is an intimate rendering of a man whose rapid ascent and tragic end has been at the center of rap lore for more than twenty years.”

Director Emmett Malloy also spoke about the long process the documentary endured before its release. “The running joke about documentary films is often how long they take to make. This film lived up to all those stereotypes, taking us four years to develop and make it,” he said. “Through those years we were immersed in Brooklyn in the 70s through the 90s. It is easy to see how much Brooklyn has changed since Christopher Wallace was a kid, but it’s also clear that many things about being a young black man in this country have not changed.”

You can watch the first trailer for Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell above.

Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell premieres on 3/1 via Netflix.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost seven straight and nine of their last 10 games as the team that was once one of the league’s early surprises has come crashing back to reality. Now at 10-18 and in 13th in the East, the Cavs can firmly put both eyes on the future, rather than keeping one on a playoff push this season, and with that means shifting focus on playing young players who will be long-term fits.

That won’t change rotations too much in the backcourt, where Collin Sexton and Darius Garland already have the keys and are working out how to drive this Cavs team on a consistent basis, but in the frontcourt it will see one major change. Cleveland will now park center Andre Drummond in order to start and play Jarrett Allen, who they acquired from Brooklyn in the four-team James Harden trade, with Drummond sitting out until they can hopefully find him a new home via trade by the deadline.

Drummond did not play on Sunday in the Cavs’ loss to the Clippers due to “rest” and it seems he won’t play again, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst spoke with his agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel.

When reached on Monday morning, Schwartz wouldn’t confirm or deny the decision, but told ESPN: “Whichever direction this goes, Andre is 27, in his prime, and I believe strongly that he has a great deal to add to a team building toward a postseason run.”

What will be interesting is to see what the market is like for Drummond, as the 27-year-old center is averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game this season for the Cavs and has long been one of the league’s best rebounders. At the same time, he’s not the most efficient scorer compared to other traditional big men in the league, and this year is shooting a career worst 47.4 percent from the field.

Still, there are some contenders out there that are very much in the market for an upgrade at center, and Drummond will be available for what one would think would be relatively cheap provided you can make the money work. Drummond makes $28.7 million this year, which complicates matters, particularly for teams without a bloated contract to send back. For example, the Raptors have been arguably the most well-known team in the league that has a desire to add a center this season, but it would be nearly impossible to do without a third team getting involved and making it a much bigger deal because they won’t be dealing their three highest paid players — Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet — in such a deal, and Norman Powell would seemingly be off the table as well on a team friendly $10.8 million deal. That leaves them without the money to match, and you run into this issue across the league.

The Blazers could use a Jusuf Nurkic replacement while he’s injured, but they won’t be dealing Lillard, McCollum, Nurkic, or Covington for a Drummond rental. The Nets are very much in the market for a center, but would have to send out Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan to make it happen, and that wouldn’t exactly build depth they need at center — along with the fact that Kyrie and KD very clearly want Jordan around. It’s possible a team like Dallas would sniff around, as James Johnson makes $15.7 million and would make facilitating a deal a bit easier.

It’s just hard to take a look around the league currently and find a comfortable home for Drummond that has a need for a center of his skills and the contracts to make a deal happen. It seems most likely that if he’s moved it’s as part of a larger three-team deal, but whatever the case, he won’t be in Cleveland for too much longer, either via trade or a buyout (which would likely move the Nets to the front of the line for him).

Over the past few years, DaBaby has become a popular featured guests on songs, but it looks like that’s not because he’s cheap. Recently, DaBaby compared how much he used to charge to feature on an artist’s song versus what that rate is now, and as his star has risen, so too has his price.

As HotNewHipHop reports, over the weekend, DaBaby noted on his Instagram Story that his rate has jumped up significantly from the $5,000 he used to charge (presumably towards the start of his career), writing, “from 5k a verse to 300k.”

Wikipedia lists around 30 songs that DaBaby had a featured credit on in 2020, so if he charged $300k for all of those, that adds up to a cool $9 million dollars. To compare, if those were all at his previous rate of $5,000, that total would be closer to $150,000, which is certainly still nothing to sneeze at and a solid year’s work.

DaBaby had a lot of big-time guest appearances in 2020 and the list includes Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” remix, Future’s “Life Is Good” remix, Pop Smoke’s “For The Night,” and Jack Harlow’s “What’s Poppin” remix, among many others.

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