Category: Trending

Thank goodness that Rachel Bilson has opened up the “controversial” fountain on her podcast again. She co-hosts Broad Ideas with longtime best friend Olivia Allen, and they have been known to get bawdy with their frank exploration of subjects that are frequently related to sexual relationships. And let’s face it, this is a fun subject for the audience at home.

Previously, Rachel made headlines for losing a gig after a production decided that she was being too forthright for their liking. Rachel had insisted that she hadn’t said anything wrong, and that was also the general consensus, especially given the customary subject matter of the podcast. Some of her greatest hits include gushing over Bill Hader’s massive dong and revealing the age when she had her first orgasm “from, like d*ck.”

Now, Rachel is expressing how she isn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of dating men who haven’t had a lot of sexual partners. She admitted that this might not be the fairest take, but nonetheless, that’s how she feels. Via Us Weekly:

“This is gonna sound so judgemental, but if a dude is in his 40s and he [has] only slept with four women … but it all depends,” Bilson, 42, said on the Monday, October 3, episode of her “Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson” podcast. “Maybe he’s been in decade [long] relationships, totally respectable.”

Rachel further elaborated upon how she used to make a habit of asking dates about their number of former partners, although she “probably wouldn’t” continue doing so in the future. Why? She detailed how her 20s were spent in two long-term relationships, so that obviously affects the number, but she has seemed to enjoy her subsequent path, too. That is, if one can draw any interferences to that orgasm at age 38 that she previously mentioned. Back when she dropped that tidbit, she followed up to add that nothing was the fault of the dudes, and it was more about her own comfort. And these days, it’s good to hear her being comfortable again in podcast land.

(Via Us Weekly)

Blackpink is taking over the world. This past year, the ladies of the group released their sophomore album, Born Pink, embarked on a critically acclaimed tour, and performed at Coachella. While Blackpink has been killing it as a group, its individual members are also slaying as solo acts.

Back in June, Blackpink member Jennie made her acting debut as the fan-favorite Diane on HBO’s polarizing series, The Idol. Now, she is gearing up to release some solo music.

Blackpink’s official Twitter account revealed that Jennie’s new single, “You & Me,” will arrive later this week. “You & Me” marks Jennie’s first single outside of the group since her 2018 solo single, appropriately titled “Solo.”

Jennie has performed the song on stops during the Born Pink tour. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Korea (per Korea JoongAng Daily), she teased her upcoming solo era, saying, “I’m making a song that’s by Jennie, the most Jennie and something unique that is only Jennie’s”

The single’s poster notes that the single will be released through YG Entertainment — an announcement that arrives amid rumors of Blackpink members potentially not renewing their contracts with the label.

“You & Me” is out 10/6 via YG Entertainment and Interscope Records. Find more information here.

Aftershock Festival is kicking off in Sacramento, California this weekend, and has a lineup filled with a ton of bands to rock out to. For those who are going, here’s what to know about the set times for a few of each day’s key acts.

Thursday, October 5

White Reaper at 2:25-2:55 p.m. (Shockwave stage)
Pennywise at 3:30-4:10 (Shockwave)
AFI at 4:15-5:00 (Jack Daniel’s stage)
Pantera at 6:00-7:15 (Jack Daniel’s)
Senses Fail at 7:15-8:10 (DWPresents stage)
Incubus at 7:20-8:20 (Shockwave)
L7 at 8:20-9:10 (Coors Light stage)
Avenged Sevenfold at 8:25-9:55 (Jack Daniel’s)

Friday, October 6

Coheed and Cambria at 4:50-5:35 (Jack Daniel’s)
Megadeth at 5:40-6:30 (Shockwave)
Limp Bizkit at 6:35-7:35 (Jack Daniel’s)
Godsmack at 7:40-8:50 (Shockwave)
Tool at 8:55-10:45 (Jack Daniel’s)

Saturday, October 7

Babymetal at 4:45-5:30 (Shockwave)
Corey Taylor at 5:35-6:20 (Jack Daniel’s)
Parkway Drive at 6:25-7:15 (Shockwave)
311 at 7:20-8:15 (Jack Daniel’s)
The Amity Affliction at 7:40-8:20 (Coors Light)
Turnstile at 8:20-9:20 (Shockwave)
Korn at 9:20-10:45 (Jack Daniel’s)

Sunday, October 8

Mayday Parade at 2:05-2:35 (Shockwave)
Daughtry at 3:05-3:35 (Shockwave)
Dance Gavin Dance at 4:35-5:20 (Shockwave)
Movements at 5:25-6:10 (Coors Light)
Rancid at 5:25-6:15 (Jack Daniel’s)
Queens Of The Stone Age at 6:20-7:20 (Shockwave)
Guns N’ Roses at 7:25-10:25 (Jack Daniel’s)

Tickets for the fest are still available, including 4-day General Admission and VIP passes, as well as single-day tickets. Check out the complete set times for Aftershock Festival, along with more information, here.

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

For months, the Portland Trail Blazers were in a holding pattern as they sought out a Damian Lillard trade that would come close to filling their needs for a rebuild. Trading a franchise star is never easy, particularly when they make clear they have a preferred destination, and even with that aside, you are almost never going to get full value in return for what that player provides.

That was the case with Lillard, but eventually the Blazers were able to get him to open his list of trade destinations up and found a team in the Bucks facing some pressure of their own to keep their superstar happy. With the Lillard trade (and the subsequent Jrue Holiday trade), the Blazers finally hit the reset button and come into 2023-24 with low immediate expectations but plenty of intrigue about their young core and some new additions from this offseason. Here, we’ll grade out their summer of moves starting with the Draft where they hope they’ve landed their new franchise cornerstone.

Draft: A

The Blazers landed the No. 3 pick in the Draft, but ended up with the second-best prospect in the eyes of many after the Hornets chose Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson due to concerns about Henderson’s fit next to LaMelo Ball. That sends the former G League Ignite star guard to Portland where he ushers in a new era with the departure of Lillard, and will now join a fascinating young backcourt with Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe. Figuring out how those three work together — and if that trio should be the core long-term — is part of the upcoming evaluation process for the Blazers. Along with Scoot at 3, the Blazers also added Kris Murray (brother of Kings breakout rookie Keegan) with the 21st pick, providing some needed wing help and a 3-and-D type that should be able to contribute immediately. For those selections our Brad Rowland gave the Blazers an A and A- respectively, as they got great value from both pick spots.

In the majority of drafts over the last two decades, Henderson would’ve been the No. 1 overall prospect. With Victor Wembanyama involved, that wasn’t the case in 2023, but Henderson slipping to No. 3 on the board provides incredible value for Portland. Granted, the Blazers may have some interesting decisions to make in the future with Damian Lillard, but Henderson is too good to pass on with this pick.

Portland’s overall direction is quite interesting right now after the selection of Scoot Henderson and how that meshes with Damian Lillard. The selection of Murray works in any context, though, as he is a versatile combo forward that can shoot and defend. Yes, he’s older than most first-round prospects, but that is why he’s available now. It’s a very good value.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: C+

The Blazers biggest free agency move was resigning Jerami Grant to a massive 5-year, $160 million deal. It was an eyebrow raising deal in the moment that became even more interesting after the Lillard trade request days later. For me, it’s the years, not the annual salary, that’s surprising in this deal, as I’m not sure who they were bidding against to need to give Grant that fifth year when he’ll be 34 and they’re going to have to start extending their youngsters like Sharpe and Henderson. The process there didn’t make a ton of sense, even though I absolutely see the value in having a veteran like Grant on the roster to help their young core. Portland also re-signed Matisse Thybulle, which is again a perfectly fine move to keep a solid defender on the roster you can pair with the young guards, and added Moses Brown, who will likely not touch the rotation now that they have Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III. Overall this was never going to be a big summer in free agency for the Blazers and they did perfectly fine in bringing back who they did, it’s just the years on Grant’s deal that remain a bit of a mystery to me.

Trades: B

The Blazers may not be done wheeling and dealing this year, as they have taken a Russian nesting doll approach to point guards, trading Damian Lillard for Jrue Holiday for Malcolm Brogdon, who will absolutely be a trade target for contenders either prior to the season or at the deadline should Portland keep him around for the start of the year. It’s fairly clear after the return from Holiday became official that the Blazers did well in the Lillard trade and certainly seem to have gotten more out of it than they would’ve dealing with Miami. Holiday’s value was only raised by the Bucks getting Lillard, and the Blazers were able to ask for a very high price from other East contenders that now wanted an elite perimeter defender to deal with Milwaukee. Boston was willing to fork over Robert Williams III and Brogdon, along with two first round picks, to make that happen. All told, the Blazers netted three firsts, two swaps, Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, and Malcolm Brogdon (and Toumani Camara) for Lillard, which is a pretty good haul that could add even more draft assets in the future if they move Brogdon.

That’s not a return that replaces what Lillard provided and probably never will, but given the circumstances, they’ve done well. How you feel about the deal overall likely depends on your belief in Ayton, who they clearly valued as a better fit for their young team than Jusuf Nurkic. I still think Ayton has positive value and can be a particularly helpful player in Portland as a pick-and-roll partner for Henderson. Adding Williams as an elite rim defender is also a big help, and it’ll be fascinating to see how the Blazers deploy their two big men. They should have 48 minutes of good center play — which is somewhat ironic considering that was never the case in the Dame era — but how effective Ayton and Williams can be in two big lineup will likely determine if they can roll with those two long-term or if one (likely Williams) ends up back on the trade block.

Overall this was a wild offseason in Portland that was the culmination of a few years of decline that finally pushed Lillard to ask out — and I’m not so sure the Blazers front office wasn’t relieved by that request. They can now reset everything and try to build a contending roster again, but there are certainly no guarantees they hit the heights of the Lillard era.

Krazyzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is awake and appears to be recovering after a scary incident that left him hospitalized and “fighting for his life.” The Cleveland rapper returned to Instagram to share an update with fans, who were rightly relieved to find that he had survived his life-threatening health scare. “Just fought for life literally for 9 days straight,” he wrote in the caption. “And I only won the battle this time because I know Jehovah God was with me every step of the way fighting for me. Never take life for granted enjoy it while have you have it! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers trust me I needed every last one of them.”

The 50-year-old rapper — whose real name is Anthony Henderson — was hospitalized late last month after coughing up blood when doctors discovered a bleeding artery in his lung. After undergoing surgery to repair the artery, Henderson was placed into a medically induced coma to recover, only for doctors to find that the bleeder returned, necessitating a second surgery. After bandmate Bizzy Bone asked for prayers on Twitter, fans of the pioneering Cleveland group responded in force, including fellow Cleveland native LeBron James. Here’s hoping Krayzie Bone continues to recover and gets to enjoy the renewed interest in the group in the last few years.

Lil Yachty always has the people talking. Whether it be about new music — like his new J. Cole collaboration “The Secret Recipe” — or if he’s the subject of a new meme, the internet is always abuzz for the Atlanta rapper. Lately, Yachty’s tattoos have been the subject of much conversation.

A picture of Yachty shirtless, with his tattoos in full view. Some of these tattoos include a compass, two replicas of figures designed by KAWS, and the word “Concrete” across his chest. Of course, some beholders couldn’t help but crack a joke.

“rappers spend so much money on jewelry but never on a good tattoo artist,” said one Twitter user.

Yachty caught wind of the Tweet, but it appears he’s in good spirits over the joke.

He quoted the tweet with a video of boxer Adrian Broner, saying, “Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah… I ain’t gonna lie, I’m getting cooked.”

Yachty is currently on the road for his Field Trip Tour. In an interview with The Recording Academy before the tour kicked off, Yachty expressed his gratitude for the way people have received his new music, especially with his psychedelic shift on his latest album, Let’s Start Here.

“It did what it was supposed to do, which was transcend people,” said Yachty of Let’s Start Here. “If you are on that side of the world and you’re into that type of stuff, it did its job, its course — the same course as [Pink Floyd’s] Dark Side Of The Moon, which is to take you on a journey, an experience.

While Yachty’s tattoos may have garnered a mixed response, most of us can agree upon the quality of his music.

The Jazz weren’t expected to be as competitive as they were last season after trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but with an All-Star breakout from Lauri Markkanen, solid play from veterans like Jordan Clarkson that remained on the roster, and young players like Walker Kessler performing over expectations, they remained in the Play-In hunt until late in the season when they shut things down.

Utah traded a number of important veterans at the deadline last year and steadily slid out of the Play-In, and enter this season with fairly modest expectations. Still, for a team many thought would be starting over completely last year, they seem to be operating like a team that isn’t planning on a particularly long rebuild if they can avoid it. This summer saw them buy low on the trade market and continue adding through the Draft, as they hope to stay fairly competitive and, eventually, cash in on their immense amount of draft capital. Here we’ll grade out their offseason moves as they look to see if Markkanen and company can stay on a positive trend from last season.

Draft: B+

The Jazz took advantage of their significant draft capital to add three first round rookies to their roster. Taylor Hendricks, Keyontae George, and Brice Sensabaugh all join the Jazz roster this season, as they continue shifting their focus towards adding youth. Hendricks, the ninth overall pick out of UCF, is the headliner of the group, as he was a favorite of many draft evaluators including our Brad Rowland, who gave the Jazz an A- for their selection of the forward on Draft night.

Utah is in an interesting phase with a ton of picks, both this year and in the future, to complement a young roster that is still rebuilding. Scouts are split on Hendricks’ overall upside, but he brings definite intrigue as a defender and floor spacer with size. He projects as a potentially devastating role player that can fit just about anywhere.

While Hendricks figures to be part of the rotation early, George and Sensabaugh provide scoring upside off the bench with some development needed elsewhere. The Jazz got a B- and B for those picks respectively.

Utah has the freedom of three picks, and George is an intriguing player from an upside standpoint. He was a consensus top-10 guy coming out of high school and, while Baylor didn’t go perfectly, he can score and make shots off the bounce. He also has strong craft off the bounce, though George isn’t an elite athlete and could struggle on defense.

There are some injury and defensive concerns with Sensabaugh, but he is a bucket. He is a fantastic shooter that could average buckets of points in the right situation. He doesn’t offer much else right now, but this late in the draft, the value is strong.

Overall, this year’s Draft provided the Jazz with the kinds of young players with upside they’re seeking at this point of the build, and they earned pretty high marks for their efforts.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: B-

With three first round picks joining the roster, the Jazz weren’t particularly active on the free agent market, but did ink Jordan Clarkson to a new three-year, $55 million extension after he picked up his player option. Clarkson has become a fan favorite in Utah and has steadily evolved into a reliable perimeter scorer (20.8 points per game last year) capable of creating for himself, while also becoming a better overall player in the process. For a team without a lot of veterans signed long-term, keeping Clarkson gives them a veteran presence who has ties to the playoff teams of the past and brings both on court production and off court guidance for their young squad.

Trades: A-

The Jazz made one of the best potential value adds in the NBA this summer, trading Rudy Gay and a second round pick to the Hawks for John Collins. Collins is coming off of a down year in Atlanta amid his third straight year of trade rumors, particularly struggling with his previously reliable jump shot while being asked to space the floor for the Hakws. Regaining his form there will be important to his long-term value, but Collins is an underrated defender and an excellent roll-man and the Jazz now have some very interesting big combinations they can roll with. How the starting lineup fares with an expected trio of Markkanen, Collins, and Kessler remains to be seen (and questions about their fit together is the only reason this is an A- rather than an A), but staggering that group by pairing Collins and Kelly Olynyk seems, on paper, like a terrific fit for maximizing Collins’ skillset.

Like many teams at their stage of a rebuild, the Jazz spent this summer being patient and staying the course. They’ll want to see another year with Markkanen as the star, how the rest of the young roster fills in the gaps around him, and how their very large frontcourt fares before making any further major moves. The veterans on the roster will be potential trade targets for playoff contenders at the deadline, as was the case last year. Long-term, the Jazz are in position to nab someone on the trade market to make a big upgrade, but will want to evaluate the roster as is for now before deciding where exactly that addition will be.

In a new episode of Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, the Kansas City Chiefs star and his brother, fellow NFL player Jason Kelce, had a conversation about Taylor Swift’s second public appearance at his games. For those who haven’t heard, Swift has been rumored to be dating Travis.

Specifically, Jason asked if Travis were to take away his feelings for Taylor, whether he thought the NFL was overdoing it when it came to the coverage of her.

“I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game,” Travis responded. “I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little more to what you’re watching. But at the same time I think they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation. I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”

Jason then went on to say that the NFL probably isn’t used to celebrities coming. “Basketball has it figured out,” he told Travis. “You show them once let them know they’re there, maybe after a touchdown get a little clip of it, but you can’t be overboard with it. People are there to watch the game, right?”

Travis answered with, “Yeah and they’re not there to get thrown on TV.”

Swift, who appeared at the last two Chiefs games, brought some friends like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and more with her to the recent match at MetLife Stadium. While some have been wondering if the two were dating or was to promote the NFL, it seems the sports organization is just heavily promoting it just because it’s her.

After the Ahsoka finale dropped on Disney+, Star Wars fans rushed to social media to pay tribute to the late actor Ray Stevenson who brought the show a much-needed air of gravitas with his portrayal of fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll.

Stevenson passed away in May while filming Cassino in Ischia in Italy, which prompted an outpouring of tributes thanks to his performances in Thor, Rome, Punisher: War Zone, and more recently, RRR. The actor is now a beloved figure in the world of Star Wars, and his name dominated the Trending Topics on Twitter as fans devoured the Ahsoka finale.

As Baylan Skoll, Stevenson cut an imposing figure as the stoic and seemingly immovable Jedi. From his very first scene, he was a force to be reckoned with, but also instantly compelling thanks to his delicate balance between light and dark. While technically operating as a mercenary to retrieve Grand Admiral Thrawn and restore the Empire, Baylan’s goal were more lofty as he sought an ancient power that could rebuild the galaxy into something far greater than endless wars. Or so he believed.

Unfortunately, Stevenson won’t be around to see Baylan reach his goal. The actor’s final scene showed his character standing on top of a broken, but very noteworthy set of statues, as he looks off to a beam of light in the distance. Baylan finding the power that’s been calling to him will have to wait until next season. However, the scene still hit hard with Star Wars fans as they realized this would be the last time they’d see Stevenson’s Jedi performance.

You can see some of the reactions below:

Ahsoka Season 1 is available for streaming on Disney+.

Selena Gomez is clearing the air and she’s letting fans know that she has nothing but love for one of her fellow pop stars.

Back in June, fans noticed that Gomez appeared to unfollow “Dance The Night” hitmaker Dua Lipa. Soon after, rumors began to swirl that the two were feuding.

In a recent interview, Gomez addressed these rumors, clarifying exactly what happened.

Do Selena Gomez and Dua Lipa have beef?

In an interview with Fast Company, in which Gomez breaks down her makeup company Rare Beauty, as well as her relationship with the internet and social media, she revealed that her unfollowing of Lipa was simply an accident.

“I was just cleaning up some of my Instagram,” Gomez said. “Then somebody called me and was like, ‘What happened with Dua?!’”

Gomez has long been open about her love-hate relationship with social media, and has used it as a platform to discuss mental health. Elsewhere in the interview, she shared her thoughts on the idea of an offline life.

“All I would say is, ‘Every choice you make is yours. At the end of the day, you have to be proud of it. If it ends up being a mistake, it’s your mistake to learn from. Take a lesson from that. Does it make you feel good? Does it not? Evaluate and get to know yourself as much as you can.’ But I would never say don’t do something, because I don’t live with regrets,” Gomez said.

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