Category: Trending

A tweet from Twitter/X account Pop Base has been stirring up some controversy. “Music executives tell Billboard that they are worried and depressed as the industry struggles to find big artist breakthroughs, noting Olivia Rodrigo and Ice Spice as the last recently successful ones,” it reads. James Blake, who has an album coming out next month, had something to say about this.

Along with other musicians, he took the tweet as an opportunity to share his opinion on the state of the music industry. “Forced us all onto platforms that reduce our art and now sad that it’s hard to find breakthrough artists,” he wrote in a quote-tweet.

The original tweet also mentions a quote from the article: “Each person I talk to in the industry is more depressed [about this] than the person I talked to before them,” said a manager. “Every issue that we’re facing right now comes down to oversaturation,” Dylan Bourne, another manager, told Billboard. “People are just buried in content.”

However, the article points to Ice Spice and Olivia Rodrigo as two viral artists who’ve maintained their stardom despite the transient nature of popularity in the industry right now.

Playing Robots Into Heaven is out 9/8 via Republic. Find more information here.

After kicking things off with The Flash, DC Studios is back to wrap up the summer with its latest superhero blockbuster, Blue Beetle. Originally set for HBO Max, the film got bumped up to a theatrical release that will see Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña take on the title role of the Latino hero.

While the Blue Beetle character has existed in DC Comics since the 1960s, Maridueña will take on a reimagined version of the hero who first debuted in 2006. Following the death of Ted Kord, the original Blue Beetle, teenage Jaime Reyes stumbles upon an alien secret that grants him unimaginable powers as he takes on the heroic mantle left behind by Kord.

The Blue Beetle film will follow a similar setup as the comics (Hey, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.) and here’s everything we know about the latest DC Comics project buzzing into theaters.

Plot

Here’s the official synopsis for Blue Beetle:

Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

Cast

Alongside Maridueña in the title role, the Blue Beetle cast includes Bruna Marquezine, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, and Raoul Max Trujillo. The film also stars Susan Sarandon as the overly ambitious Victoria Kord and George Lopez as Jamie’s wise-cracking uncle whose joke about Batman sparked huge reactions on social media.

Release Date

Blue Beetle will slam into theaters on August 18.

Trailer

You can watch the official final trailer for Blue Beetle below:

Blue Beetle flies into theaters on August 18.

Tori Kelly is recovering from “a scary few days” in late July when she was reportedly hospitalized with blood clots in her legs and lungs, altering how she experienced the July 28 release of her Tori EP. But this morning’s (August 10) video for “Cut,” the second Tori single behind March’s “Missin U,” finds the powerhouse vocalist back in her element.

Uproxx lauded Tori among the best R&B offerings from last week, and “Cut” made the cut for Uproxx’s “Best New Pop Music This Week” list as well. The Courtney Phillips-directed visual cements why, as Kelly turns an otherwise routine late-night convenience store run into an enticing portal to early-2000s R&B.

Kelly has never sounded better, showing off her impeccable range. She mimics “the drum on your heart” with creative (and impressive) vocal dexterity, singing, “Baby, we caught a rhythm.” It’s impossible to listen to “Cut,” or any of Tori‘s seven tracks, without catching it.

Within a handwritten note posted on July 27 to update her fans on her condition, Kelly relayed that Tori “represents the happy place I’ve been in the last few years.” That sentiment is captured in Kelly’s infectious spirit emanating throughout the “Cut” video. Nothing — not a health scare nor a Chinese restaurant parking lot or an empty convenience store — stands in the way of Kelly’s joy.

Watch the adventurous visual above.

In just a few weeks, Power Book IV: Force will return to STARZ for season two to showcase the latest dealings in Tommy Egan’s world. Now, with the newly-released official trailer for season two, we can see that Tommy Egan is more ready than ever to go to war in the Windy City. Whether it be the Flynn family or others, Tommy is tunnel-visioned in his goal to take down anyone who gets in his way. There are new power figures and enemies for Tommy in season two, and there also seems to be a new love interest in his life, a woman named Mireya.

Season two of Power Book IV: Force arrives a little over a year after the show’s inaugural season where we saw Tommy Egan, fresh off his escape from New York, stop and eventually settle in Chicago. It’s there that he discovered new members of his family as well as a corner in the city’s drug game that he could take over. To the surprise of no one, Tommy rubbed shoulders with an Italian organization in Chicago’s drug game and a battle ensued throughout season one. Through it all, Tommy lost people that were close to him, Liliana and Gloria specifically, and this only strengthened his desire to take over the Chicago drug game.

Here’s the official logline for season two below:

Nothing stands in Tommy Egan’s way this season as he makes his play at becoming the sole drug distributor in Chicago. Alliances form and competitors become targets as a turf war heats up and Tommy must race to stay one step ahead of everyone. Meanwhile, a federal task force is zeroed in on him and he has an eye on a special someone, forcing him to decide what he is willing to sacrifice to claim Chicago as his.

You can watch the official trailer for Power Book IV: Force season two above.

‘Power Book IV: Force’ season 1 is available to stream on STARZ. ‘Power Book IV: Force’ season 2 arrives on September 1.

Donald Trump and Newsmax is a match made in conspiracy theory heaven. But the former president told one lie that was too big even for the conservative news network.

During a pre-taped interview with Newsmax host Eric Bolling that aired on Wednesday, Trump raged for the millionth time about how the “rigged” 2020 election was stolen from him (it wasn’t). “I believe I won that election by many, many votes, many, many hundreds of thousands of votes. That’s what I think,” he said, according to the Huffington Post. Once the interview was over, Bolling, now back in the studio, added a disclaimer: “All right, folks, now just to note: Newsmax has accepted the election results as legal and final.”

Maybe not “accepted,” so much as “we’ll be sued out of business if we continue to push this frequently debunked falsehood.”

Trump, in fact, lost the election by some seven million votes in total, and by 306 to 232 Electoral College votes. But Newsmax has an additional reason to ensure it gets that message out to viewers: a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems that claims the network’s reporting about the company was false. Dominion settled its defamation suit with Fox News in the spring for $787 million, but its lawsuit against Newsmax is pending.

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump refused to reveal whether he’ll take part in the first Republican primary debate this month (“I’ll let it be known next week”) and called Joe Biden “the most corrupt human being.” Y’know, the usual.

(Via the Huffington Post)

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert has had quite a week. She posted a photo of herself launching grenades shortly after she complained about the price of groceries. And on a related note, she has been goading President Biden on Twitter for weeks while slamming “Bidenomics.” A few samples:

Now, Boebert has accomplished something else: she’s being mocked by Biden in manner of Marjorie Taylor Greene, with whom she famously heckled him during a State of the Union address while he spoke about his dead son, Beau. Biden actually did sort-of nail Greene not too long ago with an, “Isn’t she amazing?” At the time, he was discussing how Greene had accused him of causing fatal fentanyl sales that happened on the clock of the last administration. Greene responded by ignoring reality and claiming that he was laughing about death. Boebert, on the other hand, read Biden’s message but seems to have missed the sarcasm.

During a speech about his Inflation Reduction Act, Biden discussed jobs created at a New Mexico wind manufacturing plant. He then spoke of how “CS Wind broke ground on what will be the world’s largest wind tower manufacturing plant.” That particular plant? Biden had more details on its location, which is in Boebert’s Colorado stomping grounds:

“Coincidentally, a congresswoman, Lauren Boebert, the very quiet Republican lady? It is in her district. She railed against the passage. That is ok, she is welcoming it now.”

To that, Boebert couldn’t resist responding. “Joe Biden said that I’m a ‘very quiet Republican lady’. Wishful thinking, Joe,” she tweeted. “I’m calling you out every single day and I won’t be getting more quiet about it anytime soon!”

She might have missed the sarcasm, but her responders did not.

Biden doesn’t successfully mock his opponents too often, but he landed a rare zinger here.

Paramore’s Hayley Williams went from welcoming Lil Uzi Vert and Stephen Curry on stage to help her perform “Misery Business” to feeling just plain miserable.

In late July, Paramore postponed and rescheduled their US tour dates in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Salt Lake City “due to illness within the touring party.” The band shared a statement on July 23, and Williams explained how her “body just gave out” and “touring is different at 34 than it was at 16” in a since-expired separate post (as preserved by this fan account.)

After performing Paramore’s rescheduled Seattle show on Wednesday, August 9, Williams relayed unfortunate news.

“Hey everybody, we just got off stage in Seattle. After speaking with our team and my doc, I know that trying to finish this tour is now going to come at a detriment to my health. My lungs are just not healing quickly enough to keep up. It got a little scary tonight,” Williams wrote on her Instagram Story. “We will have the team post an official statement ASAP but we are going to have to cancel the last 2 shows of the tour so I can get better, finally.”

The iconic vocalist continued, “I know some of you are camping in Portland already so I just wanted to get this out there. I’m so sorry for all the chaos this has caused some of you. I really tried to kick this sh*t. Love you all.”

As promised, Paramore posted an official statement on Thursday morning (August 10), confirming cancelation and providing more insight into the severity of Williams’ condition.

“After my lung infection forced us to postpone 4 shows, I was hoping a week off of performing and a strict medicine routine would allow my body to heal enough to finish off this tour strong,” it reads. “I have been doing everything I can to fight this infection so we wouldn’t have to disappoint anyone with more news of postponements and cancellations. After struggling through the last few shows and consulting with my doctor, we’re unfortunately realizing that it’s past the point of wanting to push through to put on a good show for all of you.”

It continues, “I’m now risking long-term damage and I need to pay attention to my body. With that in mind and with a heavy heart, we have to cancel our remaining shows in both Portland [on August 10] and Salt Lake City [on August 13]. Refunds will be available at point of purchase. We are so sorry to all of you who were so patient with us as we rescheduled these and likely rearranged travel plans to still come out. I physically can not go on. I know this isn’t great news for anyone. Thank you so much for your continued support.”

Williams will need to be at full strength when Paramore serves as the opener for Taylor Swift on the UK and European leg of her The Eras Tour next year. See those dates here.

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

On July 21, The 1975 got into even more trouble than usual. Though Matty Healy is known for giving out random kisses during his band’s performances, he smooched his bandmate Ross MacDonald in Malaysia to purposefully protest their LGBTQ+ rights. “I’m f*cking furious,” he said onstage in a rant. “And that’s not fair on you because you’re not representative of your government.”

The festival was canceled, the group was reportedly banned from Malaysia, and there was talk of legal action against them. It looks like that could end up happening, because the organizer of the Good Vibes Festival is requesting RM 12.3 million (£2,099,154.54, or about $2.69 million) in damages.

“In the letter, FSA has demanded that The 1975 admit their liability and also pay the sum of £2,099,154.54 (RM12,347,967.91) within seven (7) days,” David Mathew, the festival’s organizer’s legal counsel, told Malay Mail in a statement. “The Letter of Claim is written in accordance with the provisions of the English Practice Direction Pre-Action Conduct and Protocol which are part of the English Civil Procedure Rules.”

While playing in Hawaii, Healy addressed those criticizing him for his protest. “All I’ll say is that I don’t give a f*ck about any white savior complex bullsh*t,” he said. “What I’ll say is that doing the right thing often requires quite a lot of sacrifice and very little reward. And being seen to do the right thing requires very little sacrifice, and that’s when you get all the rewards. And me and Ross [MacDonald] nearly shaved our heads because we thought we were going to prison for being f**s.”

As Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company continue their bitter feud, the Florida governor’s attorneys have made a bold move by trying to goad the entertainment giant into giving up on its lawsuit against DeSantis.

The lawsuit alleges that DeSantis retaliated against the House of Mouse for its opposition to his controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law. The governor has used the full power of the state to go after the special district where Disneyworld Resort resides, and the entertainment giant has argued that the legislative moves are a violation of its first amendment rights. It also hasn’t helped DeSantis’ case that he and state Republicans have publicly stated their intentions to punish Disney for going “woke.”

However, DeSantis’ attorneys have repeatedly argued that he has “absolute legislative immunity,” and that was once again the lynchpin of their recent motion.

“The Governor welcomes Disney’s surrender on all of its claims challenging his legislative acts,” DeSantis legal team wrote, according to CNBC:

The state’s attorneys claimed that Disney, in a filing last month, effectively conceded that much of its initial complaint amounted to little more than “a glorified press release.” That’s because Disney “now claims that it is challenging only the Governor’s executive actions,” not his legislative actions, the attorneys for DeSantis argued.

Disney, however, has argued in court filings that DeSantis is not as immune as he thinks he is.

“Because this suit seeks to enjoin the Governor from performing executive acts, legislative immunity does not protect him from suit,” Disney wrote.

DeSantis’ legal team has also previously argued that Disney has failed “to state a claim on which relief can be granted,” which is not true. The Disney lawsuit essentially seeks to restore the “status quo” that existed before DeSantis and state Republicans start ripping up decades-old agreements in their “anti-woke” crusade.

(Via CNBC)

Phil Mickelson’s love of gambling is well-known. He’s never been secretive about his desire to have some action on games and his money matches in practice rounds on Tour (and now with LIV Golf) are legendary — and LIV even makes videos of them for the public.

However, that love of gambling has gotten Phil into some issues and is part of why he joined LIV, with a reported $40 million in losses in the early 2010s alone. That number is apparently only scratching the surface, as legendary sports gambler Billy Walters released an excerpt from his new book in Golf Digest that includes two chapters on Mickelson, as the two had a partnership for a few years, offering up detailed records of Phil’s wild betting. There’s a lot to take in and I highly suggest reading the full excerpt, as it alleges Phil tried to bet $400,000 on the 2012 Ryder Cup he was playing in — which would’ve lost — but Walters refused. It also includes a full on accounting of how much Phil was betting and how often, with some absolutely stunning figures.

They said it was nothing for Phil to bet $20,000 a game on long-shot, five-team NBA parlays. Or wager $100,000 or $200,000 a game on football, basketball, and baseball. Based upon my detailed betting records and additional records provided by the sources, here is a snapshot of Phil’s gambling habit between 2010 and 2014:

• He bet $110,000 to win $100,000 a total of 1,115 times.

• On 858 occasions, he bet $220,000 to win $200,000. (The sum of those 1,973 gross wagers came to more than $311 million.)

• In 2011 alone, he made 3,154 bets—an average of nearly nine per day.

• On one day in 2011 (June 22), he made forty-three bets on major-league baseball games, resulting in $143,500 in losses.

• He made a staggering 7,065 wagers on football, basketball, and baseball.

Based on our relationship and what I’ve since learned from others, Phil’s gambling losses approached not $40 million as has been previously reported, but much closer to $100 million. In all, he wagered a total of more than $1 billion during the past three decades.

The only other person I know who surpassed that kind of volume is me.

I enjoy spraying the board with bets as much as anyone, as having a little action definitely keeps me a little more locked in on games, but to have that much volume with that much at stake is truly insane. And this isn’t just hearsay, as Walters kept detailed records of bets made during his partnership with Mickelson and knows firsthand how much Mickelson was heaving. Part of the reason his partnership with Walters ended was the sportsbooks realized Phil was winning too much and his betting was “too disciplined” which raised red flags that he wasn’t just making the bets himself.

It’s hard to decide what the most jaw-dropping part of this excerpt is, as I’m torn between $20,000 5-team long-shot NBA parlays and likely betting $1 billion in total, but I think the funniest one is making 43 MLB bets in one day and losing six figures in the middle of June. Mickelson’s gambling debts were allegedly part of what led him to chase the LIV Golf money, and if Walters’ estimate is right and the $40 million report was not even close to the amount he’s lost, it’s no surprise he was chasing that payday.