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Much like “Republicanism,” what it means to be a “Christian” today — in a heated political climate where church and state regularly intersect — is constantly in flux. And depends not only on who you ask, but which day of the week or hour of the day you ask them. The latest example of Christianity run amok comes to us courtesy of Lauren Boebert.

As Raw Story reports, the gun-lovin’ Colorado congresswoman — who only narrowly won her reelection in November — stopped by a church, where she spoke to the crowd of devoted churchgoers and even attempted to lead them in prayer. A prayer that many interpreted as wishing death upon President Joe Biden.

“May his days be few and another take his office,” Boebert said of the current POTUS.

Say what?

As Sarah K. Burris wrote for Raw Story, this isn’t the first time Boebert has uttered that phrase — or at least something very similar to it. In 2022, she stopped by the Charis Christian Center in Colorado Springs and also prayed that Biden’s “days be few.”

The social media reaction to Boebert’s comments was swift, with some calling for any church that would host such a partisan person spewing hatred immediately have their tax-exempt status revoked.

Others have suggested that Boebert’s words constitute a threat to the president, and should therefore be charged as a federal crime. According to Burris, “Boebert has gotten away with in the past because she’s not asking activists to actively kill, but rather praying for death.”

(Via Raw Story)

After Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts walked away from directing duties on Marvel’s highly-anticipated reboot of the Fantastic Four, WandaVision director Matt Shakman was handed the reins. However, that decision required Shakman to walk away from Star Trek 4, and apparently, it wasn’t that tough of a call.

“Movies have different journeys and momentums and and schedules are a little bit mercurial, and so when the ‘Fantastic Four’ opportunity came up, it was just too hard to pass up, and to go back home to Marvel, a place that I worked on ‘WandaVision’ at, with those people who are wonderful collaborators,” Shakman recently told The Wrap.

However, Shakman says filming Star Trek 4 would have been an “unbelievable pleasure” because he truly is a fan of both franchises:

“It’s really a family there and to be able to go back and tackle something that I truly love, and they’re very similar in some ways: they both were launched in the ’60s at the same time, they’re both about optimism and looking to the stars and technology can solve everything and they’re about family too — the family you have, the family you make. So they’re aligned in many ways and speak to my heart and equally, so I’m excited to be working on ‘Fantastic Four.’”

Naturally, Shakman didn’t devolve any details about Fantastic Four‘s plot or its casting, which still continues to spur online theories about who will play the iconic comic book characters and when they might pop up in the MCU first. But the director did reveal that the film will start shooting in “early 2024,” which means Marvel fans could be waiting a while for news on the casting front.

Fantastic Four will hit theaters on February 14, 2025.

(Via The Wrap)

Leonardo DiCaprio, the 48-year-old actor who is no stranger to dating younger women, has reportedly been linked to Eden Polani, a 19-year-old French Israeli model. For perspective’s sake, the age gap between the two of them is roughly the same as The Last of Us co-stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, or David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown, who have a father and daughter-like relationship on Stranger Things.

But according to TMZ, and despite a photo of them sitting next to each other at a recent music release party in Los Angeles, DiCaprio isn’t dating the teenager.

A source close to Leo tells us despite a photo showing Eden and Leo sitting next to each other, they’re not dating and not a couple whatsoever. Our source says Leo and Eden just so happen to have been seated next to each other at the party, and were hanging in the same group. Our source makes it clear, just because Leo might be talking to or sitting with a girl doesn’t mean he’s dating her.

The denial hasn’t stopped Twitter from making jokes about Leo and Eden, however. Or pointing out that he rarely dates anyone over 25, which is how old Titanic turns this year.

Even though DiCaprio and Polani aren’t dating, it’s amusing to imagine him talking to her about the things that were popular when he was 19. “So… you like Blind Melon?”

(Via TMZ)

The Grammys’ 50th-anniversary celebration of hip-hop was, by most accounts, a rousing success. It celebrated 50 years of hip-hop history — give or take a decade — while allowing many of the pioneers of the genre to have a moment in the spotlight that they might not have gotten prior.

The 15-minute performance included 23 songs spanning from hip-hop’s earliest recordings to some of its latest hits. And while some folks had their complaints, Questlove explained some of the more obvious omissions, which included Will Smith backing out in order to finish filming Bad Boys 4.

But not everybody who watched the dedication knew who every performer was (just ask my mom) — which, when you think about it, is a testament to how vital it is to finally give some of these folks the recognition they’ve deserved, but might have been denied. So, here’s a list of everybody who performed, along with a track that everyone should hear to get a sense of their artistry (aside from the ones they performed at the Grammys).

Black Thought — “You Got Me” with The Roots
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five — “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel”
Run-DMC — “Walk This Way”
LL Cool J — “Jingling Baby”
Salt-n-Pepa — “Let’s Talk About Sex”
Rakim — “Paid In Full”
Public Enemy — “Fight The Power”
De La Soul — “Eye Know”
Scarface — “Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta” with The Geto Boys
Ice-T — “6 ‘N the Mornin’”
Queen Latifah — “Just Another Day…”
Method Man — “All I Need” Feat. Mary J. Blige
Big Boi — “Rosa Parks” with OutKast
Busta Rhymes — “Dangerous”
Missy Elliott — “Work It”
Nelly — “Country Grammar”
Too $hort — “Gettin’ It”
Swizz Beatz & The Lox — “Money, Power & Respect”
Lil Baby — “The Bigger Picture”
Lil Uzi Vert — “XO Tour Llif3″
GloRilla — “Tomorrow 2”

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

The Brooklyn Nets turned into one of the most fascinating teams in the NBA ahead of the 2023 trade deadline when Kyrie Irving requested a move late last week. They ended up making that deal happen — Irving is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks, while Brooklyn acquired a package that included Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith — but now, the question is whether or not the Nets are finished trying to adjust their roster on the fly, particularly as they hope to contend with Kevin Durant still in town.

On Tuesday afternoon, Brooklyn made its first trade in the aftermath of moving Irving. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, second-year forward Kessler Edwards is on his way to the Sacramento Kings.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN confirmed the deal, and added that doing this will both free up a roster spot and a little bit of cash.

Edwards, the No. 44 overall pick out of Pepperdine in the 2021 NBA Draft, had his moments during his year and a half in Brooklyn, as he played in 62 games across two seasons with 24 of them coming as a member of the starting lineup. While we’ll have to see if the Nets have any other moves up their sleeves, at the very least, the 6’8, 215 pound forward could bring a bit of depth to the upstart Kings’ wing rotation if he sticks around — Wojnarowski mentioned that he will start with their G League affiliate if he sticks around beyond the trade deadline on Thursday.

Despite everything, Beyoncé’s Grammys night was still historical, as she became the most-awarded artist in history with her win for Best Dance/Electronic album for Renaissance. She’s been receiving praise from all directions ever since — including from former First Lady Michelle Obama — including up in the air.

Fans in Los Angeles — home of the Grammys, which were held at LA’s Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night — were greeted with a delightful sight today as a skywriter flew across the gorgeous blue sky, leaving behind a congratulatory message addressed to the queen. “Beyonce, you made history!” it read. Oddly enough, no information has surfaced regarding the message’s origin or sponsor.

Although fans were disappointed when Bey missed out on the Album Of The Year award (she’s been shut out four times to date, although all of her albums have won at least one Grammy), her husband Jay-Z wasn’t sweating it. “I remove myself from the process and hope they just get it right,” he said. “It got to the point where I was like, it’s just a marketing thing. You go, you got an album out and it could help the sales go up.”

Meanwhile, others who attended the ceremony were grateful just to have been in her presence. Breakout Memphis star GloRilla joked on Facebook that after hugging Beyoncé, she’s “never taking a bath again” and getting her “15-minute conversation with Beyoncé tatted.” Way to keep things in perspective, Glo!

Rihanna is finally headlining the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday after months of anticipation. Given she’s the only performer this year (with the exception of if she brings surprise guests) and hasn’t released a new album in years, many fans are wondering if this will mark the start of her official return.

Last fall, RiRi appeared to be doing a slow launch, as she contributed two songs, “Lift Me Up” and “Born Again,” to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

Now, it’s also rumored that she might be heading on tour after the Super Bowl, according to a new teaser from Page Six.

“There has been a lot of talk among people in the know, especially in the last week or two, that Rihanna is gearing up to announce a tour,” one insider told the publication. “It seems to be more than just hearsay at this point.”

“Even some members of Rihanna’s team have been kept in the dark. It’s all a big secret, from the details of her halftime show to what’s next — if anything,” another said. However, Rihanna’s team and Live Nation did not return Page Six‘s request for comment.

If true, it would be the perfect time for her to announce, as the Super Bowl increases sales and streams for most performers each year. Plus, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have already gotten fans mostly situated with tickets.

Only time will tell…

NLE Choppa may have begun fortifying his physical health thanks to herbology and spiritual well-being seen in his recent peaceful protest. Still, the Memphis native remains true to his musical roots. The last few years have been good to the musician, as he’s managed to be featured on 50 Cent’s television show Raising Kanan theme song, and he’s hinted at potentially working with rap’s newest it girl, Ice Spice.

For now, the rapper is focused on ironing out his plans for 2023, starting with a new project titled Cottonwood 2. The lead single from the project, “23,” produced by Tay Keith, is a taste of what’s to come.

On Instagram, Choppa shared on the project he is looking to dive further into the theme of rebirth, writing, “Death to what no longer serves you,” he said. “Death to old cycles. Death to old/bad habits. Death to friendships/relationships. Death to the simplest thing like my hair. Death to everything holding back the new.”

Watch NLE Choppa’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “23” above. To watch his past performance of “Depression,” click here.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

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

When Soldier Boy surfaced during the most recent The Boys season, the show pulled off a Supernatural reunion between Jensen Ackles and showrunner Eric Kripke. Soon enough, the question arose of whether Jeffrey Dean Morgan would find some time to pop over for at least a cameo. When The Walking Dead set an end date, that seemed possible, but then Negan got shuffled off for his spinoff with Lauren Cohan’s Maggie, and Kripke admitted that scheduling might become a problem. A few months later, better news arrived with the show figuring out how to make it happen, so all good on that front.

Now, the world awaits The Boys Season 4, and fans want a first look at the new dude, especially because Morgan is still considered to be playing a mystery role. Well, you’re not gonna get a real first look yet. However, you can see a janky photoshop of Morgan with Homelander and Billy Butcher, as tweeted by the show’s social media team: “Very official, not at all Photoshopped look at JDM in The Boys.”

Sure, that works. And as of now, The Boys has no official Season 4 release date, so we might be in for a wait on a first look. Then again, Ackles posted his “jacked” workout footage, so perhaps we’ll see that from Morgan, too. In the meantime, we can look forward to Spring-Summer release of The Walking Dead: Dead City with Maggie and Negan unwisely heading into Manhattan to show us some of the franchise’s most disgusting Walkers. Then there are two more spinoffs coming in the next year, one with Rick Grimes/Michonne and one with Daryl Dixon.

Hopefully, before all that happens, we’ll see Morgan in costume for The Boys.

Rising alternative R&B singer Yaya Bey has earned her stripes in the genre’s independent scene thanks to releases like 2021 EP The Things I Can’t Take With Me and 2022’s Remember Your North Star. Her cross-genre blends have caught the ear of many Black legacy acts, such as Roy Ayers.

Not even a year after her last album release, the Brooklyn native is back with a new single, “Exodus The North Star,” the lead track off her forthcoming 6-song EP by the same name. The romantic song produced and edited by Bey chronicles the deep emotions that come along with following in love as she sings, “Baby, it’s the way you walk / Baby, it’s the way you walk / And baby, it’s the way you make me feel / Like your girl could get up and fly / And leave this all behind.”

The accompanying video, also self-directed, stars Exaktly as Bey’s romantic interest in this love story. The track’s romantic lyrics are elevated as the video is captured using vintage film with several colleague cuts blending together each scene.

When discussing what fans should expect from the project on Instagram, Bey wrote, “[‘Exodus The North Star’] is my most vulnerable work to date. This is how I see joy and love in the world and what I aspire to feel and be. I have become an expert at turning my pain and grief as a black woman into music. Black people have a masterful way of telling our stories and sharing pain. But we are also masters of joy and imagination. We have always been in a global conversation about how to alchemize our experiences and reimagine our circumstances. From the ties between Lovers Rock and R&B to Gospel and House. Our joy is a collective effort.”

She added, “I rarely write about what I would like my existence to be in this world. This is a new level of vulnerability for me. Proclaiming my desires. What I’ve come to learn, I deserve. This is my thank you to my people, my peers, the elders, and the ancestors for being in this work with me. Cheers to the future.”

Watch the full video above.

Exodus The North Star is out 3/24 via Big Dada. Pre-order it here.