Category: Trending

On Saturday September 3rd, the first of two Taylor Hawkins tribute shows happened at London’s Wembley Stadium. The late Foo Fighters drummer’s legacy was honored with a mega-concert led by Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, which included a slew of guest appearances from the likes of Liam Gallagher, Travis Barker, Josh Homme, Hawkins’ son Shane, and even comedian Dave Chappelle. Following Liam Gallagher’s kick-off performance in which he played two Oasis songs backed by the Foo Fighters with Grohl on the drums, Dave Chappelle took the stage to introduce the evening’s next performance. But he took a few minutes to speak to the crowd about a fond memory he had of Hawkins as a father.

Chappelle spoke about a time when he was at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York after a Foo Fighters concert at Madison Square Garden where Chappelle briefly appeared on stage with the band. At the jazz cub, Chappelle noted interactions between Hawkins and his son Shane (who was dynamite on the drums playing “My Hero” at his father’s tribute concert.) Chappelle said that “Taylor Hawkins is a legend of a man, he’s a legend of a musician and he’s a legend of a father…” But the entire story that he told the London crowd, as reported by NME, is a stirring recollection by Chappelle, that spoke to Hawkins’ nature as a rocker and more importantly, as a father. Read a transcript of the story below.

“November 2020, I had the honor of hosting Saturday Night Live with the musical guest, Foo Fighters. It was a very special night, we had a very wonderful time and after the show, me and the band were talking about what our favourite karaoke songs were. Mine was “Creep” [by Radiohead]. Dave Grohl called me and asked me to sing “Creep” with them at Madison Square Garden. I had smoked some reefer so I agreed.

Right before I went on, they said, ‘Taylor Hawkins is gonna sing one song and then you’re up.’ And Taylor sang Queen, “Somebody To Love.” Now let me tell you something, I never get nervous to come on stage but Taylor killed that sh*t. I was terrified and the walls of Madison Square Garden were shaking. And after the show I went backstage and hung out with the Foo Fighters, and I met a kid who must have been 12 or 13 years old.

I asked the kid if he skated, because he was wearing skate shoes. He said, ‘I don’t skateboard cause I don’t wanna hurt my arms’,’ I said, ‘What the kind of f*ck answer’s this? A simple yes or no would have sufficed.’ The kid said, ‘I wanna be a drummer, like my father.’

In that room in Madison Square Garden, even though I had met the Foo Fighters many nights, I felt like I met them for the first time. I’ve seen Taylor be a rockstar many nights but it was my first time seeing him be a Dad, and what a cool f*cking Dad. It was the first time that Dave Grohl and I ever even mentioned the name Kurt Cobain. It was the first time we ever even talked about our love of jazz and go-go music and Taylor’s son Shane was soaking it all in. He sat there, he asked the best questions – not about fame, always about art.”

Chappelle explained that the group had later gone to the Blue Note and watched pianist Robert Glasper perform: “I listened to Taylor and his son the whole show talk about the drummer. I remember Shane say to his father as he was listening, ‘Dad you can’t do that sh*t.’ I’d never heard someone talk to a rockstar that way. And Taylor Hawkins, as humble as is, said, ‘Son, those are real musicians.’

Taylor Hawkins is a legend of a man, he’s a legend of a musician and he’s a legend of a father and Shane, I’m very proud ’cause I saw you play for your father and I’m happy to see you and god bless you.”

Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks became the inaugural AEW World Trios Champions by winning the trios tournament and overcoming the Dark Order and their former partner “Hangman” Adam Page in the finals at All Out Sunday night in Chicago.

The end saw Page drop his tag partner John Silver with the Buckshot Lariat, which led to Omega pinning Silver for the win.

Omega returned to AEW following a nine-month absence earlier last month, becoming the surprise partner for the Bucks in their run through the tournament. Omega reportedly dealt with a slew of injuries he’d been holding off on getting fixed including shoulder, knee, and abdomen injuries per the Wrestling Observer, which led to the elongated time off.

“Kenny Omega is currently recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. The recovery from this will take about ten weeks. He will be getting surgery to repair his sports hernia at the end of March and that’s about a two-month recovery. There are other things he’s also taking care of,” Meltzer wrote.

Omega and the Bucks needed wins over La Faccion Ingobernable, United Empire, and eventually wrapped up arguably the longest running storyline with another twist to claim the first-ever AEW trios championship. Omega’s return comes after he dropped the AEW heavyweight title to Hangman Page back in November at AEW Full Gear.

As if the new She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Marvel Comic Universe show needed any more attention, Megan Thee Stallion made a cameo on the show this past week. And of course, the rap universe’s most prominent twerker was twerking on the show…with She-Hulk.

The scene happens in the middle of the end credits to the episode titled “The People vs. Emil Blonsky.” Without giving too much away in the form of spoilers, Meg and She-Hulk (played by Tatiana Maslany) celebrate a victory of sorts with a celebratory twerk. “You are way more fun than my last lawyer!” Meg says, to which She-Hulk responds, “I will kill for you, Megan Thee Stallion,” before Meg takes a half step back and says “Dial it back.” It’s solid comedy that plays into the world of Megan Thee Stallion like a charm. Now the behind-the-scenes photos that actress Jameela Jamil (who plays Titania on the show) shared on Twitter, show an even wilder side of She-Hulk, but with a very different look.

“THE GREATEST BTS PICS OF A MARVEL SHOW DON’T EXI-,” Jamil (who took credit for roping Megan Thee Stallion onto the show) tweeted. The photos show Maslany in a full VFX costume, flashing even raunchier moves than what ended up on the show.

Ahhh…the magic of post-production. Meanwhile, Marvel die-hards on the internet are blowing up Jamil’s replies in disgust. So it goes…

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Everyone loves a good comeback story, and that’s what’s happening to one-time blockbuster king (and Encino Man‘s wheezer of the juice) Brendan Fraser. Of course, the real Brendan Fraser fans have been watching Doom Patrol (on HBO Max) and know that he’s been (to paraphrase L.L. Cool J) around for years already. But as far as the big screen goes, in the words of Fraser himself, he’s ready to be “reintroduced,” and that’s what director Darren Aronofsky is currently doing with A24’s The Whale.

The psychological drama stars Fraser as a 600-pound recluse who attempts to reconnect with his daughter, portrayed by Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink. According to Variety, Fraser’s performance “will likely put him at the forefront” of the 2023 Oscars race. The BBC agrees without hesitation, and although film festivals are known for their protracted standing ovations, the crowd at Venice reportedly put their hands together in unyielding enthusiasm for a full six minutes.

In the process of this outpouring, Fraser grew overwhelmed and began to sob. Variety‘s Ramin Setoodeh posted footage on Twitter to that effect while declaring, “Brendan Fraser is back.”

Fraser also attempted to leave the theater at one point, but the audience simply wouldn’t stop clapping, so he stuck around and soaked in the accolades.

This isn’t the first time that Fraser’s recently grown emotional when realizing how much people adore him, and he’s been known to toss back a “Shucks, ma’am” in response. Audiences can also look forward to seeing him in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and (hopefully) Doom Patrol Season 4.

(Via Variety)

There are celebrities that everyone knows to be rude or simply not very nice. But it’s a safe bet that few would think of Lisa Kudrow — the endearingly ditzy Phoebe on Friends, the monstrous Valerie Cherish on The Comeback — as unlikable. And yet here we are with two former reality TV stars claiming she’s not only not very nice but actively unpleasant.

As per Page Six, Spencer Pratt was asked over TikTok to name the “rudest celebrity” he’s ever met. “Oh, that’s nice: Phoebe from Friends,” replied the onetime star of The Hills. He didn’t stop there, adding, “Hands down, one of the worst humans I’ve ever come in contact with.”

Pratt didn’t elaborate, but he did get a second from Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel, who left a comment in his post, saying, “That’s crazy. She was on my talk show and I had a crazy experience also.”

Is Kudrow simply not very nice to reality TV stars? Who knows! But Pratt has a history of calling out celebrities he doesn’t like.

Kudrow is the second TV star to receive the dubious honor of having someone call them the “rudest celebrity.” In July, JoJo Siwa bestowed that title upon Full House vet Candace Cameron Burre, based solely on an unpleasant red carpet encounter they had when she was 11. Burre later reached out to Siwa and patched things up. But it might be hard for Kudrow to do the same to both Pratt and Frankel considering they went one step further than Siwa. Anyway, weird if true!

(Via Page Six)

After two thrilling games in Las Vegas that saw the series knotted up at 1-1, the Aces and Storm faced off in Seattle on Sunday afternoon for an all-important Game 3 that would push one team a game shy of the WNBA Finals.

Early on, it was the Aces that came out swinging, as A’ja Wilson picked up where she left off in Game 2, scoring 20 first half points to lead Las Vegas to what was at one point a 15-point advantage.

Along with Wilson’s hot start, Chelsea Gray likewise went to work early, as she got hot with 13 first half points as it was all Aces in the early going.

For the Storm, they had to find someone else to carry the early offense as Breanna Stewart, who dominated the first two games, scuffled early going just 1-of-7 from the field in the opening two quarters. Tina Charles stepped up to fill the void with 13 first half points and after a late run, Seattle found itself within eight at the half.

In the third quarter, the Storm would come out with renewed energy, turning defense into offense and taking their first lead of the game midway through the quarter.

The Aces would respond and fight their way back into the lead, taking a four-point edge thanks to a three just before the shot clock buzzer from Jackie Young in the final 30 seconds.

The fourth quarter continued to be a heavyweight battle, with Wilson getting back into the flow for the Aces while Stephanie Talbot came off the bench for Seattle to knock down three 3-pointers and scored 12 points, and Sue Bird got in the flow as well as the Storm took a brief three-point lead.

Riquna Williams tied things up at 81-81 with a three of her own, and from there the stars took back over. A Breanna Stewart bucket was answered by A’ja Wilson that was answered by Breanna Stewart that was answered by Chelsea Gray that was answered, again, by Breanna Stewart.

That run was finally broken by a missed corner three from Kelsey Plum, and Seattle had the ball, leading 87-85, with under 30 seconds to play. The Aces were able to force a tough miss from Stewart, but couldn’t pull in the rebound as Kiah Stokes and Ezi Magbegor fought over it, with the ball going off Stokes last, giving Seattle the ball back with 12.5 seconds left, meaning the Aces would have to foul.

The Storm got the ball into Jewell Loyd, who knocked down both to get her 14th and 15th points of the night to push Seattle ahead by four with 11.3 seconds to go. Vegas would draw up a gorgeous play to free Williams for her fourth three-pointer of the night off the bench, cutting the lead to 89-88 with 8.9 seconds to play.

Tina Charles would get the inbounds pass for Seattle and was fouled with 7.2 seconds and missed both, giving the Aces a chance to draw up a game-winner from anywhere on the court with 6.9 seconds to go. Naturally, the Aces went to their star and cleared it out, letting Wilson go 1-on-1 from the middle of the floor and she got to the bucket with a gorgeous step-through for the go-ahead score.

On the other end, it was a blown coverage from the Aces that left Sue Bird alone in the near corner for the go-ahead three with 1.8 seconds to play.

However, not to be outdone, the Aces dialed up their own great ATO, with Jackie Young catching the ball in the paint and finishing a layup over Magbegor who, for some reason, pulled her hands down rather than contesting the game-tying shot at the buzzer.

LeBron James summed up everyone’s thoughts on Becky Hammon’s whiteboard work late in the game, as the Aces got a good look on every single opportunity.

Stewart opened the OT period with a tough bucket over Wilson to give Seattle the initial advantage, but wasn’t able to convert the and-1 opportunity.

Kelsey Plum would get an and-1 chance of her own a minute later and did convert, giving Vegas a one-point edge, which they pushed to three after Wilson got a putback bucket. Stewart would again get an and-1 finish and again missed the free throw that would’ve tied the game. From there, things fell apart for the Storm. Another Plum layup, a Gray three, a Storm turnover, and a Gray layup in succession pushed Vegas to an 8-point lead that proved to be too much.

Gray would bury another three with just over a minute to go that pushed the Aces lead to nine, with Kiah Stokes hitting a corner three to serve as the final dagger, as the Aces went on to win 110-98 in an absolutely unbelievable game.

Wilson finished with 34 points, one-upping her Game 2 performance, to go along with 11 boards and three steals. Gray added 29, a playoff career-high for her, and 12 assists, while Plum chipped in 16 points and Williams had 14 off the bench to provide some much-needed shooting. For the Storm, they seemed dashed by how regulation ended and just couldn’t execute well enough in overtime. Despite the slow start, Stewart finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists, while Bird and Loyd each had 17 points and Charles finished with 16 points (just three in the second half and OT).

It was one of the best games you’ll ever see, with a final score not indicative of how competitive and stressful it was. The Aces now move one game away from the WNBA Finals, while the Storm will need to protect home court on Tuesday night to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Las Vegas.

Thirty years after the release of Nirvana’s breakthrough album, Nevermind, the baby who graced the iconic cover art decided to sue the band’s surviving members, the estate of Kurt Cobain, and others for child pornography. In 2021, Spencer Elden, the man who in 1991 was the baby on the cover of Nevermind, argued that Nirvana broke federal child pornography laws and claimed that the band sexually exploited the now 31-year old as a child. Now a federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed the claim, citing that the statute of limitations has passed.

US District Judge Fernando Olguin of Los Angeles wrote that because Elden knew about the album covers more than ten years ago, he had waited far too long to file his lawsuit. According to the New York Times, Elden was, “…Seeking $150,000 from each of the 15 people and companies named in the complaint.” Elden’s parents were paid $200 in 1991 for his participation in the cover shoot which led to the infamous photo by photographer Kirk Weddle.

The lawsuit was flimsy to begin with. In speaking about it last year, Dave Grohl noted that Elden has a tattoo of the album cover on his body. “Listen, he’s got a Nevermind tattoo. I don’t,” Grohl told Vulture. In January of this year, Elden — who alleged “lifelong damages” in his complaint — ameneded his original filing which included claims of “sex trafficking” by the band. This came after Elden and his lawyers missed a deadline to respond to Nirvana estate’s request to have the case dismissed. Elden was allowed to file a new complaint, but Judge Olguin cited this as well in his decision to dismiss the case. With today’s ruling, Elden is no longer able to file another lawsuit, so this can now be considered case closed.

On Saturday, the first of two Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts went down at London’s Wembley Stadium. The show was helmed by Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters, and featured appearances from Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, the surviving members of Rush, Nile Rodgers, Travis Barker, Kesha, Josh Homme, Hawkins’ son Shane, and more. But the night got started when Oasis singer Liam Gallagher took the stage in front of the emotional London crowd.

With Grohl on drums, Gallagher played two Oasis songs while backed by Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear on guitar and Nate Mendel on bass. “Taylor f*cking Hawkins!,” the venerable Gallagher said during his performance of “Rock ’N’ Roll Star.” He also played “Live Forever.” Both songs are off of Oasis’ classic 1994 album, Definitely Maybe. With his camo jacket on and signature maracas in hand, Gallagher left it all out on stage to honor the late Foo Fighters drummer.

Grohl previously said that he considers Gallagher, “One of the few last remaining rock stars.” Adding that, “I love being in the same room as Liam. It’s like putting a f*cking quarter in a jukebox and just turning it up with that guy. It’s f*cking great.” Well Grohl was in the zone with Gallagher and the London crowd were served up a treat in honoring Hawkins’ legacy. A second tribute concert will be taking place in Los Angeles on September 27th at the Kia Forum.

Hot off the release of his self-titled third studio album, Yungblud spoke to Billboard about his musical influences and how he’s keeping rock-and-roll alive. In the interview, he recalled meeting Rolling Stones lead vocalist Mick Jagger, who had previously shouted out Yungblud during an interview with Swedish radio station P4.

“Mick Jagger is everything to me,” Yungblud said to Billboard, “as a frontman, as an activist, as a rock star, as a sex icon. When you’re meeting a rock ‘n’ roll star, you can’t be like, ‘Oh, my God!’ I did a shot of whiskey, walked in — alright Mick how are you? In my head, I was like ‘What the f*ck?’”

Over the past year, Yungblud has collaborated with artists like Avril Lavigne, Demi Lovato, Machine Gun Kelly, and Blackbear. As rock sounds are having a resurgence into the pop landscape, Yungblud said that in order for rock music to sound great, it must come from an authentic place.

“Rock-and-roll is about energy,” he said. “It’s not about a drum kit, it’s not about guitar, it’s not about anything other than freedom and energy, because energy doesn’t lie. Freedom to express, freedom to be yourself, freedom to not conform.”

Yungblud is out now via Locomotion and Geffen. Stream it here.

Game recognize game. At Saturday’s tribute concert for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at Wembley Stadium in London, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith had an incredible story to share. In between performances that featured acts like Them Crooked Vultures and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson joining the Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters on stage, Smith delivered a video message to the emotional crowd detailing one of his favorite Taylor Hawkins stories.

Smith joked that some of the stories he wanted to tell, wouldn’t have been appropriate for the event, so he chose, “…One that warms my heart,” instead, as NME reports. Smith detailed how Hawkins and Grohl would often swing by the Guitar Center store around the corner from the Foo Fighters’ 606 Studio. “Taylor would always bomb back to the drum room – the percussion section – and if there were little kids in there, wannabe drummers trying out stuff, he’d be in there and of course they’d be excited, like, ‘Oh my god, Taylor Hawkins is here, this is so cool’.”

Smith said that Hawkins would give these budding drummers advice whenever he was around and that he was pretty much in his element in that drum room. “One day, the manager came to the guy that ran the percussion section and said, ‘You know, I think something’s going on with TH’s credit card – there must be some fraud or something because I see thousands of dollars over months of charges and I’ve never seen Taylor buy anything ever here,” Smith explained.

“The guy that worked the counter in the percussion section said, ‘No, they’re not fraud. Taylor would actually buy drum equipment, drum sets, sticks, cymbals, whatever was needed for any of the kids that he was hanging out with,” Smith continued. “He knew how important it was to have good stuff and he would just buy it for them and never tell anybody and wouldn’t tell the store. The kids would walk out with the stuff and that’s the kind of guy that Taylor Hawkins is and I love him and I miss him every day. I know he’s really happy about this right now so I love you guys.”

Game recognize game indeed.

Red Hot Chili Peppers is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.