Category: Trending

Who doesn’t love Barbie? Some far right dorks sure don’t. And some who wield power in certain Middle Eastern countries don’t either. Last week Greta Gerwig’s follow-up to her prized adaptation of Little Women was banned in Kuwait, because it allegedly “promotes homosexuality.” It was expected that Lebanon would follow suit. But the film’s still playing in the region’s other nations, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which means that if people in Kuwait or Lebanon really want to see it, they’re going to have to travel.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Barbie hit Saudi Arabian cities this weekend, which has prompted a Kuwaiti blogger to set up a helpful website entitled “How to Watch Barbie if You Live in Kuwait.” There, residents can learn about how to see the film in the Saudi cities of Al-Jubail, Dammam, and Al Khobar.

“If you’ve never driven to Saudi before, it’s super easy,” the site reads. “You also don’t have to worry about [a] visa since any resident of Kuwait can get one.”

None of the cities are exactly near the Kuwaiti-Saudi border, but it could be worse. The closest cinema is a two hour drive each way, or about the length of the movie itself.

So far, there’s no stats on how many Kuwaitis are making the trek to go see the movie that turned Joe Rogan into the improbable voice of reason (on this issue, at least).

People flocking to Saudi Arabia to see movies is a reversal of how it used to be. Movies were banned in the nation up until 2017, which prompted residents to travel to nearby countries where they weren’t. Some traveled to nearby Bahrain, others to the United Arab Emirates. Indeed, in 2012 it was estimated that some 230,000 Saudi tourists had flocked to the latter just to watch movies. Because movies are (sometimes) pretty great!

(Via THR)

Hip-Hop had a special 50th birthday celebration last night in New York City — where it all began. During the star-studded event, several hip-hop legends and fans packed Yankee Stadium for a stacked set of performances.

One of the performers was New York City legend Nas, who went down his catalog to perform several songs—including some of his earliest hits, as well as his newer songs from his King’s Disease and Magic series.

Of course, he performed “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” from his 1996 album, It Was Written. The song is a collaboration with Lauryn Hill which has gone on to be a signature song for both artists.

During the performance of “If I Ruled The World,” Nas brought out Hill herself as a surprise treat to the audience.

Dress in a flowing pink coat, Hill maintained a magical presence onstage, which was met with cheers from the crowd. Elsewhere during the performance, the two performed “Nobody,” their collaboration from Nas’ 2021 album, King’s Disease II. Though, a particular line from that song, on which, Hill raps, “I’m savin’ souls and y’all complainin’ ’bout my lateness,” seemed to ruffle a few feathers among fans, who have often joked that Hill rarely arrives on time to her performances.

You can see some clips for Nas and Hill’s performances above.

A pair of teams with brand new head coaches squared off in the NFL’s preseason on Friday night. Thanks to a touchdown pass from David Blough to Brian Cobbs with two seconds left in regulation that was followed by a successful two-point conversion, the Arizona Cardinals were able to help first-time head coach Jonathan Gannon pick up an 18-17 win over Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.

You can only ever take so much away from preseason football, but one thing that received plenty of attention was the performance of Russell Wilson, who is now in his second season in Denver. He had an up-and-down game, going 7-for-13 for 93 yards and a touchdown while playing into the second quarter, which isn’t always common for established quarterbacks in the first game of the preseason. What is common, however, is for people to get jokes off at Wilson’s expense, and after the game, the official Arizona Cardinals Twitter account decided to do just that.

If you missed the video being referenced here, Wilson put out a few clips of him training earlier this offseason following last year’s disaster campaign in Denver that featured him working out with a football that was the subject of a bunch of jokes. If you missed the other video in here, well, this should get you up to speed.

Wilson will try to avoid being turned into a punchline next Saturday during the Broncos’ second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Are Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg actually going to go mano a mano inside a cage? If you believe Musk, then yes. But maybe you shouldn’t believe a chaos agent who can’t even do a simple top-to-bottom brand change without checking out all the details. On Friday the Twitter honcho announced details about the upcoming tussle, claiming it would not only be livestreamed on his and Zuck’s respective social media platforms, but would also randomly have an Italian theme. Why not! But maybe none of that is true.

Hours after the alleged details dropped, Zuckerberg chimed in with a post on his own attempted “Twitter killer,” Threads, claiming that Musk was full of it.

I love this sport and I’ve been ready to fight since the day Elon challenged me,” Zuckerberg wrote. “If he ever agrees on an actual date, you’ll hear it from me. Until then, please assume anything he says has not been agreed on.”

That prompted Musk to talk some smack, saying that if he “really wants a lesson in why there are weight categories in fighting so badly, I could just head over to his house next week and teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.” He added, “Otherwise, we will do it as soon as the arena in Italy is ready.”

It’s worth noting that Zuckerberg is a Jiu Jitsu champ who has gotten himself quite ripped. Musk, on the other hand, is neither of those things. However, he recently said he’s been “lifting hard almost every day.” Good luck with that!

(Via The Daily Beast)

Last year, Cardi B and beverage company StarCo Brands launched Whip Shots, a brand of vodka-infused whipped cream. Upon its first release, Whip Shots bottles were only available in select states. Now, according to the brand’s Instagram page, Whip Shots are now available across the US.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer Whipshots to even more consumers in more locations across the country,” said Ross Sklar, CEO of Starco Brands, in a statement. “The demand for Whipshots has been astounding and shows what is possible when you have an incredible product and elite retail partners.”

Since arriving on shelves last year, Whip Shots have dropped vanilla, caramel, mocha, and lime flavors, as well as a peppermint flavor that came just in time for the holidays. In March, Cardi and StarCo Brands celebrated 2 million sales of Whip Shots.

Still, Whip Shots have proven to be a bit of a challenge to find. You likely won’t find Whip Shots at your local Target or Ralph’s.

According to Whip Shops’ store locator, you can find the whipped cream at liquor stores like Total Wine & More, Metro Liquor, and Spec’s. Various locally-owned liquor stores also carry Whip Shots, and you can look for them on the store locator by typing in city on the map.

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

Coco Jones’ major-label debut EP What I Didn’t Tell You hit No. 1 on Apple Music’s US R&B/Soul Chart, and she told Uproxx how she commemorated the accomplishment.

“I was literally crying because I had edited a picture to make it look like it was my album that went No. 1, and I put that on my vision board,” Jones said in an interview published this January. “So to see that in real life… like all I had to do [was] screenshot it.”

Jones is going to have many moments worth capturing on her supporting What I Didn’t Tell You Tour, which kicked off in Ontario, Canada on August 5 and subsequently made stops in Boston, Toronto, and Detroit, Michigan. Next up is Chicago’s House Of Blues on August 13. See all of the remaining dates here.

If Jones’ set at Broccoli City Festival last month was any indication, it’s worth trying to attend her headlining tour. Check out her setlist below (as chronicled by setlist.fm based on Jones’ show at Paradise Rock Club in Boston).

1. “Caliber”
2. “Spend It”
3. “No Chaser”
4. “Put U On”
5. “Headline”
6. “Love Is War”
7. “Ex-Factor” (Lauryn Hill cover)
8. “Simple”
9. “Plan B”
10. “Double Back”
11. “Rain” (SWV cover)
12. “Fallin”
13. “Just My Luck”
14. “ICU”
15. “Crazy For Me / Crazy in Love” (Beyoncé cover)

Guns N’ Roses already co-headlined Glastonbury Festival 2023 earlier this summer, and they’ll do the same for the inaugural Power Trip Festival this October, but sandwiched in between are several North American dates for their ongoing world tour.

On Friday, August 11, Guns N’ Roses performed at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The iconic rock band will then fittingly hit iconic venues such as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (August 15), Boston’s Fenway Park (August 21), and Chicago’s Wrigley Field (August 24).

According to setlist.fm, Guns N’ Roses took the Hersheypark Stadium stage at 7:45 p.m. local time.

The North American leg began on August 5 at Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, followed by a show at Parc Jean Drapeau in Montreal, Canada on August 8. Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer, and Melissa Reese are said to have started at 8 p.m. local time in Moncton and 8:25 p.m. local time in Montreal. Carrie Underwood tagged along as Guns N’ Roses’ special guest, and she’ll return for the August 26 show in Nashville, Tennessee.

Setlist.fm has also chronicled this tour’s setlist so far, including their 1988 No. 1 hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and other classics like “Welcome To The Jungle,” “Paradise City,” “November Rain,” “Patience,” and “You Could Be Mine.”

Cobrah is slated to perform at Portola Music Festival on Sunday, October 1, at Pier 80 in San Francisco, California. She has a new song to add to her setlist.

On Friday, August 11, the Swedish artist released her synthy “Manic” single alongside an artistic visual. Directed by Ribal Hosn and Kurt Johnson, the video finds Cobrah alone in an all-white room. She has a mask over her face as she sings, “I’m not dramatic / I just get a little manic / One, two, three, and here comes panic.”

Cobrah’s melodic delivery is as mesmerizing as the high fashion she’s sporting while performing. The mesh mask is only a precursor to black fishnet and white latex bodysuits. She’s tied in chains one minute and drinking water bursting from a pipe the next. Cobrah embodies the song’s message in every sense, which is on par with how she described her artistry to i-D Magazine in early 2020.

“When I tell people I’m an artist, they usually ask if I’m a singer, which I wouldn’t necessarily say I am,” Cobrah told the publication. “Then they ask if I’m a rapper, and I guess that’s maybe more accurate. I think being an artist is about way more than the instrument you play. It’s about your whole output as a person: you have to live it, love it and express every part of it in many different forms… not just music.”

Watch the “Manic” video above.

Sam Smith and Calvin Harris released their high-octane single “Desire” last month. “With Smith’s powerfully recognizable vocals and Harris being the guiding light on production, it is in good company among this year’s summer hits,” Uproxx’s Lexi Lane wrote. The accompanying video dropped on Friday, August 11, and only amplified the track’s intensity.

The three-minute visual starts with Smith sat on a pile of tires, but they’re only briefly idle before a drag race busts out. The pulsating beat underscores the dangerous driving as Smith sings, “Lead me to the light / You are my desire / And just the thought of you is keeping me awake.”

Harris eventually joins the group. They drive through a tunnel, spin around in an empty parking lot while hanging out of the windows, and literally throw all caution to the wind.

Smith can probably relate to the whiplash nature of the video considering they’re in the middle of the North American leg of their Gloria The Tour. Their next date is Saturday, August 12, at Bell Centre in Montreal before hitting Chicago’s United Center (August 15), Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota (August 16), and Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. See all of Smith’s upcoming dates here.

Meanwhile, Harris has a few August dates at Ushuaïa Ibiza in Spain, where he played “Desire” upon its release.

“Desire is finally out! So buzzing to get to work with @samsmith again, and on a tune like this!?!!?? Come onnnnn,” Harris captioned an Instagram video on July 31. (Harris and Smith previously collaborated on “Promises” in 2018.)

Watch the “Desire” video above.

“Bring it on, b*tch,” Ashnikko sings in “Cheerleader,” the latest single from their upcoming Weedkiller album, and it isn’t an empty invitation. The accompanying Joanna Nordahl-directed video shows, yet again, that Ashnikko is here for it all.

According to press release, the “Cheerleader” video “melds elements of folklore and surrealism, drawing inspiration from the cinematic atmospheres of Midsommar and the fierce energy of Bring It On.”

In just over two minutes, Ashnikko and their crew let loose in a misty, ominous forest. She scoffs at traditional beauty standards (“God made me pretty / You made me mean / I brought a blade to the dance routine”) and replaces them with visceral descriptions of empowerment (“Honey, I’m the lead role, you don’t even feature”).

“If youth and beauty are the currency, I will pay it in full until I am a withered husk decomposing on the moss and going back to mother earth,” Ashnikko said in a statement. “The beast looms in my periphery, constantly gazing and assessing as perform for him, hoping I am good enough!!!!!!!”

“Cheerleader” follows “Possession Of A Weapon,” which was Ashnikko’s response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “You Make Me Sick!,” “Worms,” and “Weedkiller” have also been released as singles ahead of the August 25 arrival of Weedkiller.

Watch the “Cheerleader” video above, and see Ashnikko’s North American Weedkiller World Tour dates below.

09/10 — Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
09/12 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
09/13 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
09/15 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Minneapolis
09/16 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
09/18 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
09/19 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
09/21 — Toronto, ON @ Rebel
09/22 — Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
09/23 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater & Ballroom
09/25 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
09/26 — New York, NY @ Brooklyn Mirage
09/28 — Philadelphia, PA @ Skyline Stage at The Mann
09/29 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/30 — Richmond, VA @ The National
10/02 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
10/03 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
10/05 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
10/o6 — Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live at the Backyard
10/07 — Orlando, FL @ House of Blues Orlando
10/10 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
10/11 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
10/13 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/14 — Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
10/16 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
10/17 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex Rockwell
10/19 — Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum
10/20 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
10/21 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
10/22 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
10/24 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
10/25 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
10/27 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
10/28 — San Diego, CA @ SOMA
10/29 — Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Anaheim
10/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium

Weedkiller is out 8/25 via Warner Records. Find more information here.

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