Category: Trending

Taylor Swift’s The Era Tour is making history in more ways than one. For one, Glendale, Arizona, temporarily rename the city in the “Lavender Haze” singer’s honor after being the launching pad for the nearly 30-date North American tour. For another, as per Pop Base, the tour’s opening night just broke a concert record previously held by pop superstar Madonna.

Overwhelmed with the career milestone of opening up for Swift, Gayle was moved to tears on stage as she thanked the singer for allowing her to be one of the tour openers. Paramore also opened for Swift during opening night.

The singer tearfully said, “Thank you, Taylor Swift, for having me. Man, Taylor Swift — this is such a dream come true. Thank you so much. I can’t believe this is happening to me.” She then turned to the audience, saying, “Thank you for paying attention.”

The singer then snapped back into the moment as she dove into her viral smash “abcdefu.”

When asked about finding out that she would be accompanying Swift on a few selected tour dates, Gayle said, “She’s done so much for women in pop music for Nashville and for songwriters. And the fact that she can look at me in Nashville and just be like, ‘You, come with me.’”

With the Glendale dates wrapped up, Gayle’s remaining support stops include Las Vegas, Nashville, Philadelphia, Foxborough, and the second closing night at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. For more information, click here.

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

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the 1998 film Wild Things, which is famous for its hairpin plot turns.

Wild Things, the twisty-turny erotic thriller from the late ‘90s, turns 25 this year. In many ways it’s a product of a different time. For one thing, erotic thrillers are thin on the ground these days. (Even Deep Water was skimpy on the sex.) But in some ways it was ahead of its time. The sexually fluid characters played by Neve Campbell and Denise Richards were rarities during the Clinton era. But in the original script, they weren’t the only ones who swung both ways.

In a retrospective interview about the film by Yahoo! Entertainment, director John McNaughton confirmed something that’s been discussed before: That Dillon’s high school teacher and Kevin Bacon’s crooked detective were supposed to get it on, too, in the scene where it’s revealed the two had been in cahoots.

“In the original version of the scene, Matt walks into his bathroom to take a shower and there’s Kevin,” McNaughton said. “They were supposed to look each other up and down and then wham — go at it.”

Alas, soon before they were supposed to film it, one of the actors opposed it. McNaughton wouldn’t say which one, but it’s not hard to figure out who it was. Both actors spoke to Total Film about the cut moment of intimacy in 2005. Bacon said the reveal was “great,” though he put the blame on the financiers, who he said “didn’t like the idea of men making out.”

Dillon, meanwhile, said, “Man, I was relieved when they got rid of that scene” He added, “Kevin seemed pretty attached to it, though!” He also described the duo’s relationship as “one twist too many, man, one twist too many.”

One can still sense some homoeroticism between the two. After all, when it’s revealed that Dillon and Bacon are working together, Bacon can be seen taking a shower, showing off full frontal nudity. During the end credit bumpers, which fill in some more of the twists, there’s some sparks, too.

“Neve preps him, and then Matt goes inside and sits next to Kevin and says, ‘Hey, could I buy you a drink?’ The next time you watch that scene, watch it closely, because [their relationship] is there,” McNaughton explained. “I always called it ‘acting twice’ with the cast, because what their characters were saying was never really what they were doing.”

McNaughton also spoke about that famous threesome between Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, and Denise Richards, which he said probably couldn’t fly today. That’s not because it’s too racy but because it’s a high school teacher getting it on with two students. McNaughton said that scene could “probably not” be filmed, adding, “Maybe in 20 years, the pendulum will swing back again, but now it’s swung pretty far in the other direction.”

Wild Things currently streams on Showtime as well as for rental.

(Via Yahoo! Entertainment)

Ticketmaster may have dropped the ball when it came to the pre-sale of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. However, that hasn’t stopped the singer’s avid Swiftie fans from showing up in droves. In fact, it’s estimated that the tour has already earned just over half a billion dollars in the United States alone.

On March 17, in Glendale, Arizona, the tour kicked off with support from Paramore and Gayle. While local Glendale officials basked in being the launching point for the tour, temporarily renaming the city in Swift’s honor, they now have a cool piece of history to had to their record books. Not only did the “Anti-Hero” singer also sell out the opening night at State Farm Stadium due to overwhelming demand, but she also had to add a second date.

Now, according to Pop Base, Swift’s The Eras Tour opening night was a record-breaking night for more reasons than one. The outlet is reporting that it broke fellow pop star Madonna’s record for the most attended female concert in U.S. history. Based on the final ticket count, Swift’s opening night held an audience of over 69,000. The stadium has the capacity to hold up to 72,200 people.

Madonna’s 1987 concert in Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, previously held the record after the final count of attendees came in at 62,986 people.

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

Time was an actor did a role one time and then they were done, maybe. Nowadays an old role can come back to haunt you, or at least get you even more work and money. Take Willem Dafoe. In 2002 he played the Green Goblin, the first villain that battled Spider-Man on the big screen. Nearly 20 years later he was back in the suit for another Peter Parker, in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And he wouldn’t mind doing it again.

In an interview with Inverse (as caught by Deadline), he was asked if he’d once again played crazed businessman Norman Osborn. “If everything was right, sure,” Dafoe replied while promoting his new thriller Inside. “I mean, that’s a great role. I liked the fact that it’s a double role both times. Twenty years ago, and fairly recently, both times [were] very different experiences, but I had a good time on both.”

Dafoe hasn’t always been rah-rah with the series. Some 10 years ago, he took a shot at the first revival, with Andrew Garfield. “I saw a trailer for the first Spider-Man reboot and I thought, ‘This is crazy! It’s not shot for shot, but it’s the same story,” he said. “I thought, ‘This is sort of a cynical approach to making money!’”

That said, he had no problems with the first iteration of the franchise, which he called “very pure.”

(Via Inverse and Deadline)

Donald Trump might be going to jail. One of the many cases against the former president, namely the one from Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, may soon be ending in an indictment. Trump himself is so worried that he might finally receive comeuppance that he’s doing what he does best: rallying his violent supporters to “protest.” Does that enrage some of his more religious followers? Not at all. Indeed, one of them is full-on comparing him to the son of God.

“President Trump will be arrested during Lent—a time of suffering and purification for the followers of Jesus Christ,” wrote Joseph D. McBride, a noted MAGA lawyer. “As Christ was crucified, and then rose again on the 3rd day, so too will [Donald Trump].” He added, “Violence is never the answer. Winning the election is. Vote for Trump!”

As Newsweek notes, McBride isn’t just an ordinary Trumpist. He’s defended Jan. 6 perpetrators. In fact, he’s compared people who stormed the Capitol to J.C., too.

“Jan-Sixers are being fed to the lions for sport in DC & the FBI is targeting practicing Catholics, labeling us—extremists,” he tweeted back in February. “Evil has never been bolder, & good people, never more afraid to stand. Stand we must, nonetheless. Never forget, Jesus was killed for being an ‘extremist.’”

McBride’s tweet inevitably went viral, prompting lots of jokes.

For others, it simply reinforced the cult-like nature of Trump’s fanbase.

Trump himself predicted that he would be indicted on Tuesday. Even if he winds up convicted, his cronies are confident he can still run for president from the clink.

(Via Newsweek)

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Poker Face (Peacock series)

The first season of this Natasha Lyonne/Rian Johnson show delivered a good run of the wisecracking Orange Is The New Black star at her best. She followed up her Russian Doll turn with a character who receives far less respect yet still demands as much. As Charlie, Natasha brought us murder-of-the-week flavor from a protagonist who can always tell when people are lying. Beyond that premise, the show boasted Johnson’s usual assortment of brilliant cameos. Season 2 will be coming, so let the assembling begin.

TIE: 10. Shadow And Bone (Netflix series)

The Grishaverse keeps trucking along while adapting Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling fantasy novels. Ben Barnes is the star attraction here while portraying General Kirigan with complicated motives, to say the very least. He’s able to summon shadows and is the Darkling of mythological fame and the creator of the Shadow Fold. Yet he’s also nursing a bruised ego following rejection from Alina (Jessie Mei Li), so expect him to pepper this epic story with a butt-hurt nature. Fun!

9. Perry Mason (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

Matthew Rhys is the irresistible, mopey-faced leading actor that our generation deserves. Somehow, this show pulled off “gritty” without falling into a hole of ridiculousness. This show’s a completely different beast than the one that we saw in the Raymond Burr-starring series of long ago, and not unlike with Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen, we can trust that when HBO greenlights a reinvention, there’s a damn fine reason for it. All hail Team Downey for this one, too.

8. Shazam! (Warner Bros film streaming on HBO Max)

Back in 2019, the first Shazam! movie felt like such a glee-filled revelation that it landed on our list of favorite comic-book movies from the past decade. The sequel, unfortunately, isn’t going over as well, but it’s actually got the misfortune of being a placeholder while the world awaits whatever James Gunn plans to do as DC Universe (and debutdirector) head honcho. Cue the suspense, and enjoy the original Shazam! while we all await details.

7. Selective Outrage (Netflix stand-up special)

This special is still bringing the controversy after Chris Rock waited one full year to take the gloves off and unload on Jada Pinkett Smith (and Will, of course) following that 2022 Oscars Slap. In the aftermath, we had a pretty normal Oscars while also hearing that Jada and Will are not at all thrilled to be further put on blast by Rock. There are plenty of lessons to be learned here by various parties, but we know that we won’t see Will at the Oscars for at least a decade. Also, if you don’t want to be reminded of slapping someone, it’s not the best idea to slap a comedian in front of the world.

6. Power Book II: Ghost (Starz series)

Not to be outdone by Taylor Sheridan’s vast assembling of many Paramount shows (both of the Yellowstone variety and not so much), 50 Cent’s Power universe continues past the original series with a whole lot of drama to clean up in this third season. That includes an accidental killing and a car accident, all with Tariq St. Patrick attempting to mop up life and leave the game. However, he will soon end up back in business, which will complete his plans to regain trust and his family. Betrayal and a R.I.C.O. investigation will do that, unfortunately.

5. The Mandalorian (Disney+ series)

Slowly but surely, Grogu/Baby Yoda is making attempts to say his first word, and they sure are drawing this thing out, aren’t they? No one seems mad about it, though, since this series is giving the world part of a double-dose of Pedro Pascal, who is still living his best show-business life long after his too-soon death on Game of Thrones. RIP Oberyn Martell.

4: You (Netflix series)

We won’t spoil the season finale, but let’s just say that Stalker Joe gets a little bit of his fire back and sets up a fifth season that will hopefully be more engrossing than much of this current round. Professor Jonathan Moore/Stalker Joe Goldberg will live another day and probably another season, and Penn Badgley will one day be able to move onto doing interviews that don’t involve the world wanting him to stalk them. Only kidding — this role will probably always stick with him, but at least he knows what is up.

3. RRR (DVV Entertainment film streaming on Netflix)

Our own Vince Mancini absolutely dug this movie that you no doubt caught wind of during Oscars season. “RRR reminded me why big, stupid movies are fun. Every blockbuster director should study it,” Vince wrote before making the case that it’s not all that different from Top Gun: Maverick and plenty of U.S.-based action movies. It’s also mesmerizing, over-the-top, and “made action movies great again.” That’s quite an endorsement, and beyond the historic win of “Naatu Naatu” for Best Original Song, there are loads of appealing reasons why you should drop this one into your queue for a three-hour watch that will somehow hold your attention for the entire run.

2. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+ series)

Jason Sudeikis and the rest of the AFC Richmond gang are back for one last job (sorry, not sorry) and maybe even defeat the show’s new (sort-of) villain after Nate went full Joker. Yes, will likely be the final season for the show proper, but there’s always the possibility of a spinoff waiting in the wings. Also, there’s something to be said for not worrying too much about where a show will go, or not go, although that’s much easier said than done. Fortunately, we’ve had a wonderful burst of positivity to take us through some dark years, and TV is all the better for it.

1. The Last Of Us (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

Surely, most fans of HBO’s latest juggernaut have caught the somewhat disappointing season finale of this ragingly successful video game adaptation by now, but if you haven’t yet done so, you’re part of the fan minority because the ratings for this series were even bigger than House of the Dragon. Rest assured, as well, that Season 2 will be coming with some major changes, but Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will definitely be back. Long after those The Hangover movies, Craig Mazin really does have the touch when it comes to fine-tuning HBO hits for the masses.

Things are awfully tense between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies. The latest example of this came on Saturday night when the defending champions went to Memphis and, because it was an NBA game that took place during the 2022-23 season in a place other than San Francisco, lost. The Grizzlies managed to open up a double-digit lead in the first quarter and kept the Warriors at arm’s length all game en route to a 113-119 win.

Unsurprisingly, the game was chippy, and at the end, Klay Thompson felt the need to send a message over to the Memphis bench. While Grizzlies players were … let’s say expressing their thoughts on the evening’s proceedings to the Golden State bench, Thompson responded by simply counting his four championship rings on his fingers.

Dillon Brooks, a frequent instigator in the tensions between the Grizzlies and the Warriors, had a very subtle message for Thompson.

Things have been especially frosty between the two teams lately, even beyond the fact that they met in an emotionally-charged playoff series last year that Golden State ended up winning. In recent weeks, Brooks and Draymond Green have engaged in a bit of a back-and-forth, one that has played out both in the media and on the basketball court.

For the fourth time in the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament, a 15-seed will be participating in the second weekend. The Princeton Tigers, which stunned the 2-seed Arizona Wildcats in their opener in the South Region, put forth quite the performance in their second act. Princeton throttled Missouri in a battle of the Tigers, 78-63, to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.

As is oftentimes the case in an upset in the Tournament, the great equalizer was the three-point line. While both of these teams are not shy about letting it fly from deep, Princeton doubled up Missouri in made triples, hitting 12 to the SEC side’s six. Ryan Langborg led the way, as 12 of his game-high 22 points came on threes. Blake Peters added another 17 points off of the bench and hit five of his eight shots from three.

With the win, Princeton joins quite the list of squads to make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament despite being in the field as a 15-seed. The first team to pull it off was the Florida Gulf Coast squad affectionately known as “Dunk City” in 2013, followed by Oral Roberts in 2021 and Saint Peter’s last year. Of those three squads, only the Peacocks managed to advance to the Elite 8, where they lost to the eventual national runners-up, North Carolina.

The Tigers will now wait until tomorrow to figure out who they’re going to end up playing. Princeton will take on the winner of the 3-6 matchup between Baylor and Creighton.

Leon Edwards (21-3) defeated Kamaru Usman (20-3) by majority decision to successfully retain the UFC welterweight title, settling their trilogy bout from UFC 286 at the O₂ Arena in London.

Edwards returned to the Octagon on Saturday for the first time since his last-minute knockout of Usman at UFC 278 in 2022 to claim the title. In that bout, Edwards started fast, was dominated in the middle rounds, and caught Usman with a head kick that put him to sleep.

In the main event this time around, the first round started off with Edwards circling Usman and the pair trading shots in the middle. Usman turned up the pressure bit midway through he round, pushing him backwards while Edwards continued to move and throw. Edwards looked to hurt Usman with a massive sweeping kick to the stomach, forcing the challenger to drop his hands and reach for his ribs. Edwards followed it up with another body kick before Usman went for a takedown. Edwards fought out, got caught with holding Usman’s glove and was warned. He went to Usman’s body again before the end of the round.

Edwards continued to chip away at Usman in the second round, with leg kicks, elbows, and a big knee that looked to hurt the challenger. Usman buckled Edwards knees with a right hand, then took him to the mat. Edwards fought back to his feet, then attempted to shoot for a takedown of his own, who stuffed it. Back on their feet, Usman pushed Edwards backwards again, stalking him around the cage to end the round.

The third opened with Edwards chipping kicks at Usman’s leg three times before Usman yanked him to the ground for a takedown. Edwards made his way back to his feet and with him facing the cage, Usman attempted to toss him to the ground, but Edwards grabbed the cage. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight to deduct a point from Edwards before restarting things with them face to face. Usman popped Edwards with jabs and Edwards went back to the well with leg kicks before catching the former champion with a groin kick. Edwards again and again went down low, hitting Usman with kicks to his legs and body.

Edwards kept his rapid pace to open the fourth, moving and chipping away with lower body kicks. Usman hit the mat after he slipped on a kick, jumped on Edwards for a takedown attempt, but the champ fought away and out of danger. Edwards frustrated Usman with jabs from straight away, then the challenger earned a takedown. Edwards made his way back to his feet again and went back to to striking. The round ended with back-to-back unsuccessful takedown attempt from Usman.

The fifth round opened with both fighters active as they circled the cage. Edwards opened up a head kick that was partially blocked from Usman, who responded with a takedown attempt. Edwards and Usman stood in the middle of the cage trading shots with Edwards landing a head kick, jab, and elbow. Usman went for a takedown again, but Edwards fought away. Back in the center, Edwards jabbed away and Usman attempted a short combo. Edwards went back to his low kick then landed another big knee. Usman tried for a takedown, and defended successfully again. Usman finally earned a takedown with a minute and a half remaining, but Edwards reached his feet with ease. A slew of shots ended the round as the fight went to decision.

The trilogy bout comes after a 2015 decision went Usman’s way ahead of Edwards’ 2022 knockout victory.

It took Edwards three years to get his initial title shot with five fights were canceled, one fight ruled a no contest in the second round (against Belal Muhammad) and a win in the only bout that counted, a decision over Nate Diaz. Usman was been on a tear since winning the welterweight crown in 2019, earning a decision victory over Tyron Woodley, knocking out and later earning a decision victory over Colby Covington, earning a decision victory and later knocking out Jorge Masvidal, and knocking out Gilbert Burns.

Usman had previously said he was planning to jump two weight classes into light heavyweight, and it remains to be seen if he’ll stick around to try to earn another welterweight shot. Edwards now looks likely for a showdown with Colby Covington.

There will be a new national champion in the world of men’s college basketball. The Kansas Jayhawks took on the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday evening in the Round of 32 in the West Region, and despite trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half, Eric Musselman’s squad took down the defending champions, 72-71.

It was a gutsy performance by the Razorbacks, as the backcourt duo of Davonte Davis and Ricky Council IV combined to score 46 points and Council came up huge from the line down the stretch, as he hit five free throws in the remaining 30 seconds to ice things. The win makes it three years in a row that Arkansas has made it to at least the Sweet 16 under Musselman, and because the team is an 8-seed, this is the lowest seed of the bunch.

Musselman was unsurprisingly fired up over the win, which he took to another level by sprinting over to the Razorback faithful, ripping his shirt off, waving it around over his head, and leading them in a quick “Woo Pig Sooie.”

The NCAA Tournament does some pretty incredible things to people. Musselman and the rest of the Razorbacks will have to wait until tomorrow to see who they’re going to play, as the team will take on the winner of the 4-5 matchup between UConn and Saint Mary’s.