Category: News

Major League Soccer’s return tournament is slated to kick off this week, but in a bit of huge news, the festivities will occur with one fewer team than originally planned. According to both The Athletic and ESPN, FC Dallas, which has seen 10 players and a coach test all positive while in the bubble, has decided to pull out two days before the tournament began.

As ESPN laid out, a trio of Dallas players tested positive prior to the team heading to Disney for the start of the tournament. Upon arriving, a number of positive tests for those who had previously tested positive began popping up, and in all, 14 members of the organization have received positive COVID-19 tests. Upon testing positive, those in the bubble began isolating, but as FC Dallas manager Luchi Gonzalez previously told ESPN, there were concerns about taking to the pitch, even once individuals began getting over the virus.

“There’s concerns with our participation, because as the head coach of this team, I have to be very responsible in the amount of training we can get before we can play a high level professional game,” Gonzalez said. “And that’s first and foremost for me because we want to prevent injuries. And we want players to perform the best of their ability. And on top of that, we want to maintain their health and safety and not risk contamination. So it’s just a tough balance.”

Dallas’ first match was slated to take place on Thursday against the Vancouver Whitecaps, but that had already been postponed. The team also had fixtures lined up against Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes. There is no word on what will happen with those three teams going forward. In the league’s last testing update, which was announced on July 4, 14 positive cases — 12 players of which came via players — were identified out of 1,191 tests that were performed.

Hamilton is the buzz of the Internet once more, finally getting a wide release to the public via the Disney+ streaming service. The rave reviews for the Broadway show filmed back in 2016 have made many wonder if its artistry will garner it some award season buzz, but according to Academy rules the Lin-Manuel Miranda production won’t be eligible for Oscars despite even the recent changes the award show has made.

The Academy has long favored films released in the traditional theatrical format for consideration for its awards. It’s something Netflix has not-so-quietly battled for years, releasing films like Roma and The Irishman in extremely limited capacities in major cities to honor that requirement while featuring them on the streaming service. That also came with, mind you, a considerable For Your Consideration campaign to try winning the favor of Academy voters in an effort to, hopefully, eventually, ease those rules in favor of streaming services hoping for prestige glory.

Earlier this year, the Oscars changed its rules to allow films to be eligible for the 2021 Oscars awards despite not doing a one-week theatrical run in the Los Angeles area. But according to Vulture, those rule changes won’t be enough to give Hamilton an opening for a belated 2021 award season.

However, it appears that the Academy has in fact said no to this. Despite the various historical precedents that would seem to point toward Hamilton’s inclusion — most notably, the filmed version of Give ‘Em Hell, Harry, a one-man show about Harry Truman that earned a Best Actor nomination for James Whitmore at the 1976 Oscars — an AMPAS source says plainly that, as a recorded stage production, Hamilton is not eligible for awards consideration. (As for the Golden Globes, the HFPA has not yet responded to a request for comment.) Satisfied? Looks like Team Hamilton will just have to content themselves with the 11 Tonys, the Grammy, and the Pulitzer Prize.

It would certainly be a shame for Hamilton, especially considering it is one of the stronger films we’ve seen in a year that has been lean on new titles of any quality whatsoever. But considering the rave reviews and the truckload of trophies the musical won at other award ceremonies, including the Tonys, it seems like Hamilton will do okay legacy-wise either way.

[via Vulture]

In City Girls‘ new video for “P*ssy Talk” with Doja Cat, their work dress code stretches business casual to its limits as the three women flaunt their assets in an office. There’s also plenty of misuse of company property as they preen for the camera with various office supplies, dropping it extra low to get to those files in the bottom drawer of the cabinet. Daps directs as Doja, JT, and Yung Miami also take it to the jungle in cat-themed costumes and dress up for an elegant dinner.

“P*ssy Talk” is the second single from City Girls’ recently released surprise album City On Lock, which they issued to streaming services shortly after it leaked online. They started the promotion of the new album just a week before with the single “Jobs” announcing their official return after JT was released from prison after spending a year inside on credit card fraud charges.

The group’s 2018 takeover was marred by JT’s impending incarceration shortly after City Girls appeared alongside Drake on his monster single “In My Feelings.” Then, in 2019, Yung Miami revealed she was pregnant with her second child while she kept the group’s promotion going by touring solo. However, City On Lock proved that the duo’s chemistry remained intact and their star power hasn’t diminished one bit.

Watch City Girls’ “P*ssy Talk” video with Doja Cat above.

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Hamilton (Disney+) — We shouldn’t have to tell you to watch Hamilton on Disney + now that it’s finally arrived. You should have already watched Hamilton on Disney +. But, in case you haven’t, here’s your reminder. Watch Hamilton, on Disney +. Watch it if you love Broadway musicals. Watch it if you’ve never heard of Wicked or the Book of Mormon before. Watch it if you’re a history buff who loves hip hop. Watch it if you failed your high school AP US history class and only jam out to Willie Nelson. Just watch it.

The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons – Ever! (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) — Remember the first seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette? Neither do we, which might be why ABC’s taking us all the way back to the beginning to explore the many ups and downs of Alex Michel and Trista Sutter’s journeys in finding true love.

The Titan Games (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) — Victor Cruz and stunt woman Jessie Graff await new competitors on Mt. Olympus.

I May Destroy You (HBO, 9:00 p.m.) — Arabella makes some life-changing decisions, choosing to finally open up to Biagio about her assault and reassess a sexual encounter with Zain before going off during a writer’s summit. Meanwhile, Kwame takes steps in his own healing journey by reporting his assault to the police.

Warrior Nun (Netflix) — Look, is Netflix’s newest fantasy series a Catholic riff on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Maybe. But it’s also an addictively good binge-watch for these troubled times. It’s about a group of highly trained nun assassins, ridding the world of demonic spirits with the help of an otherworldly weapon that falls into the unlikeliest of hands — a quadriplegic teenager with a lot of sass and no faith. Don’t take anything too seriously and you’re in for a hell of a fun ride.

For some people, every day is Independence Day. For Janis Shinwari, this will be his first 4th of July as an American citizen. And boy, he earned it.

“If I was in Afghanistan—if I didn’t come here, I wouldn’t be alive now. I would be dead.” Shinwari told CNN Heroes in 2018. Shinwari risked his life for nine years serving as a translator for U.S. forces in his native country of Afghanistan. He risked his life everyday knowing that should he be caught by the Taliban, the consequences would be severe. “If the Taliban catch you, they will torture you in front of your kids and families and make a film of you.” Shinwari said. “Then [they’ll] send it to other translators as a warning message to stop working with the American forces.”

But his bravery didn’t stop there. Just ask Captain Matt Zeller. During a routine patrol near the small village of Waghez, Zeller’s unit was attacked by the Taliban. They were both out numbered and out gunned. Zeller found himself in a ditch after losing consciousness from a mortar explosion. As he slowly started gaining back his consciousness, he accepted the reality that he was probably going lose his life. He had no idea how close he really was. Unbeknownst to him, there were two Taliban fighters approaching him. Then gun fire came from the bushes killing them both. The blasts came from the gun of Janis Shinwari.

“I was going to make sort of peace with my fate and I was going to go out fighting,” Zeller told CNN. That was when he found Shinwari standing above him uttering the words, “I am Janis and I am one of your translators. You are not safe.” Even though they had just met days prior, it was the beginning of an unbreakable bond. “Since that time, we become even closer than brothers,” Shinwari explained to CNN.

After the incident, the Taliban put Shinwari on a hit list along with other translators working with the United States military. He reached out to Zeller with hopes of getting a visa to be able to come to America. Shinwari, with a bounty on his head, was hoping the process would take months, but it took years instead. It was not for lack of effort from the man who’s life he saved. Zeller knew he owed Shinwari his life and was determined to help get him to the United States.

“I just basically asked anyone who would listen, ‘Will you help me? I owe this person my life. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I will cash in and call in whatever favor. I will owe whatever it is that I need to owe. Tell me what it is that I need to do to get you to help me,'” Zeller told CNN. Then in 2013 it happened. Janis Shinwari obtained a visa and his family were finally headed to America.

As soon as Shinwari and his family arrived in America, the country they now call home, Zeller helped them find a car, a job and even started a GoFundMe page that raised over $35,000 to make sure their transition to the U.S. was a smooth one. But Shinwari couldn’t stop thinking about the other translators back in Afghanistan putting their lives on the line for U.S. soldiers.

The two men with an inseparable bond started No One Left Behind, which is a non-profit to help get translators working for the U.S. military a safe haven in America. “We are happy. But I’m not happy about my coworkers, about my brothers and sisters that served the US government in Afghanistan and Iraq, and they are still left behind,” Shinwari said. “I will fight for them, to get them here. And we will not stop fighting. It doesn’t matter how long does it take. But I will fight for them.”

So far the group has come to the aid of over 5,000 translators and their families to navigate the visa process to the United States. They offer support including permanent housing, furniture, employment and language skills. Shinwari adds, “I will not stop fighting until I get the last translator what’s left behind. I promise them that I will never forget about my brothers and sisters that they are still left behind in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Kanye West was reportedly the recipient of a $2 million federal loan, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program disclosed that Yeezy LLC saved 160 jobs thanks to the loan, which reportedly landed between $2 million and $5 million.

The Paycheck Protection Program was instituted earlier this year to help small businesses continue to pay their employees while coronavirus prevention protocols prevented most businesses from remaining open. The Paycheck Protection Program let most companies with 500 or fewer employees apply for loans to cover the cost of eight weeks of payroll.

Kanye made headlines over the 4th of July weekend when he tweeted that he would be running for president, reviving an ambition he’d expressed in 2015. However, it appears that he’s yet to file paperwork and the deadlines to file have passed in six states. However, even without being able to pursue that ambition, Kanye has been relatively successful elsewhere in 2020.

Just last week, he announced that he’d partnered with Gap for a new Yeezy line, for which he’s filed for a trademark on the slogan “West Day Ever.” He also reportedly became hip-hop’s second official billionaire and established a $2 million college fund for George Floyd’s daughter.

For more information on the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, check out Hollywood Reporter‘s original report.

We’re in the midst of a moment that demands action, but what kind? That’s a question without a one-size-fits-all answer thanks, in large part, to the presence of rising COVID counts. Thankfully, something like Label Wars, a merging of gaming and music culture, now stands as an option, offering esports fans a chance to watch a massive multiplayer Call of Duty tournament for charity. Participants in the competition include many of the most massive names in electronic dance music. The event also arrives with a small army of professional gamers from Twitch in tow.

The broadcast will feature live gameplay, with secondary streams linking the webcams of each player so those who tune in don’t have to miss any trash talk between teams. Fans get the option to donate toward the fundraiser on the Label Wars website. Those who do can rest easy in the knowledge that each dime collected will be funneled into one of the most powerful change agents in the Black Lives Matter movement.

To tune in, dance music and Call of Duty fans can visit Twitch to donate and view the stream on July 24th at 3pm PST.

After the event, all funds raised will be donated to the NAACP Freedom Fund to aid in the ongoing fight against racial inequality and injustice in America. Specifically, the Freedom Fund is the essential lifeblood of the NAACP’s local initiatives. It’s how they fund all their community-based efforts to mobilize and empower Black youth in America. The end goal? To abolish the continued inequality created by a four century-long subjugation of Black people. In addition to providing social and political programs, the Freedom Fund can propel youth forward in work and life with tremendous social and political programs. It also provides the fuel that rockets graduates of the NAACP’s Act-So program into the forefront of Black society.

“It’s nearly impossible to find a song or artist in the vast universe of dance music that has not been directly influenced by some pioneering work in the Black community.” Label Wars Co-Founder Cody Harvey tells Uproxx. “By partnering with the NAACP, we hope to help raise awareness about the BLM movement and inspire others to answer the call.”

In the Label Wars inaugural event, last month, the leaderboard of players included staples from the upper echelons of music, specifically EDM. Like Borgore, Jauz, and Zeds Dead, who casually sit atop lineups at Electric Daisy Carnival and Coachella. Other virtuosos on the lineup included Oliver Heldens, Kayzo, Ganja White Night, Ghastly and more.

In the upcoming event, which will be hosted on July 24th, icons like Waka Flocka, Surfmesa, and Francis Derelle will be joining returning stars like the legendary Steve Aoki.

Of his stoke levels surrounding the competition, Steve Aoki tells Uproxx, “When I heard that COV-AID and EDM.com were getting a bunch of record labels together for a COD tourney to raise funds for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, I had to get Dim Mak involved. EDM & Gaming go hand in hand and this seemed like a great opportunity to use our platforms for a good cause. Shout-out to Waka Flocka, Kane Brown and Rated for joining team Dim Mak and throwing down with us!”

The tournament includes more than twenty teams representing a star-studded list of labels, like Astralwerks, Bite This, Buygore, Circus Records, Deadbeats, Dim Mak, Disruptor Records, Divided Souls, DPMO, Elysian, Fresh Blood, Heavyweight, Heldeep, Kursza, Mad Decent, Monstercat, Never Say Die, Protocol, Subcarbon, Thrive, and Welcome Records. In the prior competition, Team Disruptor came out the victor with the advantageous map familiarity and precision marksmanship of professional Call of Duty player, Lost Kings.

“Winning money last time for The Boys and Girls Club of America and now getting to fundraise for the NAACP is truly amazing. These are crazy times right now and it means a lot that we can help.” The inaugural Label Wars Champion, Lost Kings, tells Uproxx. “We stand with the BLM movement.”

The inclusion of pro gamer celebs from Twitch like Thinnd, Zer0, Mox and MissesMae lend legitimacy to the toughness of the competition. After all, where’s the fun in a show of shimmering jellyfish if there aren’t a few sharks in the tank? For music fans, it’s a rare opportunity to see their favorite artists in a fresh albeit familiar setting. For couch surfing gamers, it’s a way to fuel socio-political change efforts at a pivotal time in history. So far pro gamers alone are set to deliver the approximate clout of a combined twenty–five million followers in the forthcoming Label Wars event too, which plugs charity efforts like these directly into a massive and largely untapped generation of potential supporters.

In addition to levying the star power of the folks involved for such an important cause, the effort arrives at a time when the NAACP Freedom Fund is receiving more requests for help than ever. Naturally, as the call is answered and the snowballing rage against discrimination and racism in society gains momentum more people and organizations are looking to support groups like BLM and the NAACP.

Black Thought, founding member of the iconic group The Roots, has announced the third installment of his solo EP series Streams Of Thought. The upcoming project will showcase Black Thought’s impeccable songwriting, along with a host of features from artists like Killer Mike, Pusha T, Schoolboy Q, and Portugal The Man.

Titled Streams Of Thought Vol. 3: Cain And Abel, the 13-track EP is slated for a late July release. The rapper unveiled the project’s tracklist Monday and the news is the latest we’ve heard from the rapper following the announcement of his upcoming off-Broadway play Black No More.

Check out Black Thought’s Streams Of Thought Vol. 3: Cain And Abel art and tracklist below.

1. “I’m Not Crazy (First Contact)”
2. “State Prisoner”
3. “Good Morning” Feat. Swizz Beats, Pusha T and Killer Mike
4. “Magnificent”
5. “Experience (Interlude)”
6. “Quiet Trip” Feat. Portugal The Man and The Last Artful, Dodgr
7. “Nature Of The Beast” Feat. Portugal The Man and The Last Artful, Dodgr
8. “We Should Be Good” Feat. CS Armstrong
9. “Steak Um” Feat. Schoolboy Q
10. “Thought Vs. Everybody”
11. “Ghetto Boyz & Girls” Feat. CS Armstrong
12. “Fuel” Feat. Portugal The Man and The Last Artful, Dodgr
13. “I’m Not Crazy (Outro)”

Streams Of Thought Vol. 3: Cain And Abel is out 7/31 via Passyunk Productions/Human Re Sources.

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

UPDATE: An exact number is not in, but thanks to Adam Schefter of ESPN, we have a sense of the ballpark in which Patrick Mahomes’ new deal will end up. Schefter brings word that Mahomes’ deal will be worth more than $400 million, although it is unclear how much more than that record-setting number Mahomes will get.

EARLIER: The No. 1 priority for the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs this offseason was making sure superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes got a contract extension that rewarded him for what he’s been able to accomplish in his young NFL career. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Mahomes is going to get just that, as the reigning Super Bowl MVP is reportedly getting a whole lot of money over a whole lot of years with the hopes of keeping him in Kansas City for the next decade.

Schefter brings word that the Chiefs and Mahomes came to an agreement to a decade-long contract extension. As a result, Mahomes is set to remain with the franchise through the 2031 campaign.

Unsurprisingly, the amount of years isn’t the only gigantic number associated with this deal. Schefter reports that Mahomes’ deal will be the richest in league history, although an exact number has not been reported.

There is speculation that Mahomes’ deal could, as the years go on, be a little more complex than just a consistent dollar amount, with the possibility existing that it could be tied to the future salary cap. Whatever it is, one can argue that the Chiefs are getting a bargain — Mahomes, in his two years as the team’s starting signal caller, has began traveling down a path that could end with him being one of the best to ever line up under center. Because his numbers are always extremely funny to see written out, Mahomes has completed 66 percent of his passes during his two years as Kansas City’s starter for 9,128 yards with 76 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

On Sunday, NASCAR ran the Brickyard 400 (this year known as the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400) at Indianapolis, as Kevin Harvick raced to another win on the season, his fifth, as Denny Hamlin, the other top driver this year in the championship battle, blew a right front tire and crashed while in the lead, seven laps from the checkered flag.

While Harvick and Hamlin have been dominant this season, the story in NASCAR in recent months has been about the sport, which has long lagged behind in speaking out on race and social issues, taking leaps forward thanks in large part to its lone Black driver, Bubba Wallace, speaking up and using his platform. Wallace got NASCAR to ban confederate flags from events, leading to some backlash from some fans, and has been a prominent voice in speaking up for racial equality in America.

Two weeks back, a garage pull tied as a noose was found in Wallace’s stall at Talladega, sparking a NASCAR and FBI investigation into a possible hate crime. It was determined the pull had been tied that way since last October, and all parties moved on — although, why someone tied it that way remains an unanswered question. The investigation looked into garage pulls at other NASCAR tracks and found that was the only one, and there was little doubt it was indeed fashioned as a noose. Still, it led to a certain segment of the fanbase hollering about it being a hoax and targeting Wallace, who wasn’t even the person that reported the noose to NASCAR, only further illustrating the racism that he faces.

On Monday, that continued, when the president came after Wallace on Twitter — again, two weeks after the incident — to demand an apology from a man that has done nothing wrong for a “hoax” that was both not a hoax and also not a thing that had been started by Wallace.

Like most Trump statements, it was filled with false information. For one, both NASCAR and the FBI referred to the garage pull as being, indeed, tied as a noose — as the photo released by NASCAR showed. On top of that, Wallace was never the one to report the noose, as it was a team member that informed NASCAR of it and Wallace was made aware of it then. Finally, NASCAR has seen ratings increases over the past few weeks, with Fox’s broadcasts up eight percent from before the hiatus and NBC’s broadcast on Sunday being its highest rated Indy broadcast since 2017.

Later in the day, Wallace issued a statement of his own explaining to Black children that they will always be targeted and have more expected of them than others, that they should walk with their head held high on whatever path they take, and combat hate with love, even when that hate is “from the POTUS.”

Wallace’s statement got a stamp of approval from LeBron James, who has been vocal in supporting Wallace’s efforts to speak out in a sport that rarely does so.

How Wallace has handled himself over the past month-plus has been truly remarkable given the intense scrutiny and pressure he’s been under. He’s spoken powerfully about racial injustice, gotten NASCAR to begin making some serious changes, and has dealt with a tremendous amount of media inquiries and fan response (both positive and negative) all while continuing to run well on the track.