Category: Viral

The city of Virginia Beach has agreed to pay $3 million to the family of Donovon Lynch after reaching a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit. Lynch, a Virginia Beach native and Pharrell Williams‘ cousin, was shot and killed by the police last year, prompting his father Wayne Lynch to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

According to Billboard, Lynch, a 25-year-old former college football player, was shot and killed by officer Solomon D. Simmons, who was apparently responding to a report of a shooting at a nightclub Lynch attended with a friend. In a joint statement released by the city and the Lynch family, the city admits culpability, writing:

As we have learned more over time about the facts of that fateful night and encounter, we have come to understand that a series of unfortunate occurrences led to Donovon’s death that night – which in hindsight should never have occurred as it was later determined that neither Donovon nor the officer set in motion the events that transpired.

We understand that the settlement will in no way lessen the grief and loss for the Lynch family. The City’s ongoing support for its public safety personnel and its investment in officer education and technological advancements underscores the City’s commitment to providing greater transparency.

Pharrell had previously censured Virginia Beach, where he also grew up, after moving his Something In The Water Festival, citing “toxic energy.” “I love my city, but for far too long it has been run by and with toxic energy,” he said at the time. “The toxic energy that changed the narrative several times around the homicide of my cousin, Donovan Lynch, a citizen of Virginia, is the same toxic energy that changed the narrative around the mass murder and senseless loss of life at [mass shooting site] Building Number 2 [of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center].” He has since decided to bring the festival back to Virginia Beach in 2023 after this year’s festival was held in Washington, DC.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump teased some big news. “AMERICA NEEDS A SUPERHERO. I will be making a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT tomorrow. Thank you!” he wrote on Truth Social, along with a picture of himself looking like Homelander from The Boys played Rocky Balboa. What could it be? Would Trump announce his running mate for 2024? Is he joining the MCU? No, and thank god no. It’s even dumber than that: Trump’s “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT” is that he’s selling digital art, because of course he is.

“MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! My official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection is here! These limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career! Collect all of your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting,” he wrote. It’s nice of Trump to not guarantee that his whatever-the-f*ck-this-is will be more exciting than a baseball card, only “hopefully” more exciting.

You can get your own Trump Digital Trading Card for only (only?) $99, in case your toilet is clogged from all the other money you’ve flushed lately. “Would make a great Christmas gift,” he continued. “Don’t Wait. They will be gone, I believe, very quickly!” Trump failed to mention Hanukkah, which begins this weekend, because… well, y’know.

You can read the post below, as well as reactions.

(Via Truth Social)

Despite Beyoncé’s status as one of the most important women in the music industry, she’s known to be quite a down-to-earth, caring friend. After she collaborated with Madonna for a “Break My Soul” remix, the Renaissance performer sent the iconic singer a thoughtful thank-you note.

In the new documentary Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal, a scene spotlights Beyoncé’s kindness. The clip has been circulating Twitter, and it depicts Meghan Markle discussing her communication with the “Love On Top” singer.

“Beyoncé just texted,” she says, prompting Prince Harry to gasp. Markle says Beyoncé is “just checking in,” which bewilders Harry. “I still can’t believe she knows who I am,” she says. She explains, “She said she wants me to feel safe and protected. She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed.” After a pause of absorbing such an insightful message, Harry says, “That’s well-said.”

One reply to the video reads: “ACTUAL ROYALTY was literally shocked that Beyoncé texted, that is power.” Another read: “‘she knows who i am’ girl bye you’re a whole princess [crying emojis].” Other replies admire the eloquence with which Beyonce shared her feelings and thoughts with Markle.

After 40-plus years of hosting Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak has heard every kind of answer from contestants. It takes a special kind of response to get a reaction from him, whether it’s needing to sit down for a moment or dropping his cards in pretend-shock.

On a recent episode of the game show, contestant Kate made it to the Bonus Puzzle. The category? “What Are You Doing?” Before any guesses, the puzzle looked like ____N_ A LEA_. She guessed “HOPING A LEAP,” “MOVING A LEAF,” and “BREAKING A LEAF,” whatever that means. None were correct. After her 10 seconds was up, Sajak revealed the answer: “FIXING A LEAK.” Kate was mentally kicking herself before blurting out, “I kept thinking of doing something else with a leak and I didn’t think that was it.”

Sajak’s reaction:

He also dropped his cards, a possible Wheel of Fortune first. (Ask Kate what her favorite Beatles song is, and she’ll sing “Fixing a Hole” to the tune of “Taking a Leak.”)

Speaking of firsts, co-host Vanna White recently revealed her first memory of her long-time co-worker. “I remember sitting in the makeup chair next to Pat when we first started, when I first started. And I turned to him and I said, ‘I wonder where we’ll be in 10 years.’ It’s been 40. It’s been incredible. I’m so lucky and so happy,” she said.

You can watch the Wheel clip above.

In recent years, Trevor Noah has become pretty much as big a part of the Grammy Awards as the gramophone trophy. He first hosted the program in 2021, then he returned in 2022. Now, the Recording Academy has decided to not fix what isn’t broken: Noah will host for the third year in a row at the 2023 Grammys. The 65th Annual Grammy Awards are set to go down on February 5, 2023.

In a new Billboard interview, Noah said of how he prepares for the show:

“First of all, I listen to absolutely everything that’s going to be on the show, just to get a sense of the vibe. I want to get into the feeling of what’s going to be happening on the night. I spend a lot of time writing and preparing for what will or won’t happen. I try to think about what’s happening in music and pop culture. Then obviously I’m paying attention to what’s happening on the night. I try to craft my performance so that it is most complementary for what is happening from one performance to the next. We rehearse a lot, and we need to because it’s live and, as I said, anything can happen.”

Read the full interview here and find the full list of 2023 Grammy nominees here.

Carly Rae Jepsen is no longer lonely. Her The Loneliest Time era is a disco-infused good time. First, Jepsen manifested a collaboration with Rufus Wainwright for her sixth album’s title track, and Wednesday (December 14), she made good on last week’s promise to give fans “a little holiday gift.”

The video for “Surrender My Heart” is directed by Brantley Gutierrez, but Jane Krakowski deliciously plays the caricatured, egotistical director in the six-minute visual. It starts with scenes of classic New York City, such as the Empire State Building, before viewers are taken inside a Broadway theatre. Jepsen looks on as preparations are being made when Krakowski busts through the doors and exclaims, “Sorry I’m late! My trainer blasted my quads!”

Jepsen showers the five-time Emmy nominee with thanks for directing, but Krakowski shushes her. “I don’t do this for the thank yous,” she says. After Krakowski makes her artistic demands and gives out-of-touch instructions to the ballerinas, including Isabella Boylston, it’s finally show time. A very sparkly Jepsen takes the stage and gives a stunning rendition of “Surrender My Heart.”

“We wanted to capture a little of the chaos of show business, and the feeling that every time you put on a performance like this, it feels like a mini-miracle,” Jepsen told USA Today in an exclusive interview published alongside the video’s premiere. “This shoot was no different. We had a lot of moving parts, but it all came together in the end.”

Though Florida governor Ron DeSantis hasn’t even announced if he wants to run for president in 2024, he’s absolutely dominating Donald Trump in early polling. Between that news and the continued fallout from Donald’s dinner with a Black white supremacist and a preeminent Holocaust denier — not to mention the lawsuits and investigations — things aren’t going so well for the former POTUS. So he did what any toddler-brained human would do and attempted to cause a big distraction. And it’s definitely got people talking, including Jimmy Kimmel.

On Wednesday, Trump posted an embarrassing video to TRUTH Social in which he declared that “America needs a superhero,” accompanied by an animated video in which a muscular Super Trump reveals himself to the world outside Trump Tower. Yes, it is every bit as embarrassing as it sounds.

“Trump’s looking like such a loser right now we may have to start calling him ‘Don Jr.,’” Kimmel said of the former president’s waning popularity, then went on to explain that as a result of announcing his 2024 presidential run too early:

[H]e’s desperate to shift attention away from his waning popularity. So today, Ranta Claus took to TRUTH Social to announce — he announced that tomorrow he’ll be making an announcement. And not just any announcement, but a MAJOR announcement.

​​https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1603087072398610433

“Wow! How exciting! What could it be?,” Kimmel wanted to know. “I don’t know, from the look of the cartoon, maybe he got liposuction? Maybe that’s the announcement? Maybe Eric learned to tie his shoes? Who knows!”

“I don’t know about you, but I won’t be able to sleep tonight waiting to find out,” Kimmel added. (Something tells us he slept just fine.)

You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 3:10 mark.

Barely two months ago, Henry Cavill announced he was finally returning as Superman after years of speculation about his future as the character. Not even a week later, he dropped an equally huge bombshell that he was exiting The Witcher after Season 3. Surely, this meant the actor was about to have his hands full as the Man of Steel — or not so much.

On Wednesday evening, new DC Studios James Gunn chief confirmed swirling rumors that he’s planning to reboot some, if not all of the DC Cinematic Universe (formerly known as the DCEU) and move the franchise away from Zack Snyder’s ill-fated take on the classic characters. As part of that process, Gunn is personally writing a new Superman movie that will feature a younger version of the character who won’t be played by Cavill.

The actor also confirmed the news in an Instagram post where he voiced his frustration at the reversal following his Black Adam cameo, but he still had kind words for Gunn and DC Studios. Naturally, this information set off The Witcher fans who were also quite stunned to learn that Cavill walked away from the show only to get sacked by Warner Bros. The reactions started flying on Twitter, which you can see below:

Of course, it should be noted that there has not been a definitive reason for Cavill’s exit. While the Superman timing seemed to suggest that he left to return to the DC Comics fold, reports also started coming in that the actor had grown frustrated with the writing on the Netflix series. Cavill often spoke in interviews how he wanted the series to stay more faithful to The Witcher novels where Geralt is more of a philosopher. Instead, the Netflix series mostly featured him grunting and dropping perfectly timed f-bombs.

In other words, there’s a good chance Cavill would’ve left the show regardless of whether he was getting to slip back into his Superman tights or not.

(Via Henry Cavill on Instagram)

Xoxo, Charli XCX. The UK pop star completed an American rite of passage by appearing on newest episode of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot, streaming today (December 15), titled “One Flew Over The Cuck’s Nest.” OG Gossip Girl fans will draw a direct parallel to 2009, when a pre-globally famous Lady Gaga appeared on the Season 3 episode “The Last Days Of Disco Stick” and performed “Bad Romance.”

Charli’s appearance came as everything that could go wrong was going wrong at the “Kiss On The Lips” Valentine’s Day party. Her Crash track “Lightning” only amplified the drama. After slaying on the stage in a spicy outfit, Charli did what everyone on this show has done since 2007: Check the latest Gossip Girl blast.

Around Crash‘s release in March, Charli XCX sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and spoke on how much Lady Gaga has influenced her.

“I actually always remember when Lady Gaga first came out with ‘Just Dance.’ She’s amazing, but I always remember thinking, like, ‘This girl is playing the game. This is smart,’” she said. “I remember when ‘Just Dance’ came out, I was like, ‘This is a really cool pop song and the video is really weird,’ but I was like, ‘This is just beginning.’ Like, ‘I know this girl is trying to do something more.’ And she did! She made ‘Bad Romance.’ She made ‘Telephone,’ ‘Alejandro.’ Like, she played the game to give herself the platform to be able to whatever the f*ck she wanted on this insane, crazy level, and I always really respected that because I think it’s genius. She had the vision.”

Who could have envisioned they’d both have Gossip Girl cameos to their names, 13 years apart?

Charli XCX isn’t done bringing her music to the screen. She is set to executive produce and provide the soundtrack for the forthcoming A24 comedy Overcompensating.

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

Hong Chau has worked with some of the finest directors in Hollywood, including Paul Thomas Anderson and Darren Aronofsky. Next up for The Menu and Watchmen scene-stealer: roles in Asteroid City, the new film from Wes Anderson, and Showing Up, directed by Kelly Reichardt (First Cow, the devastating Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff).

You can watch the art world railer above.

Showing Up follows a sculptor, played by frequent Reichardt collaborator Michelle Williams, “preparing to open a new show [who] must balance her creative life with the daily dramas of family and friends,” according to the official plot synopsis from A24. Chau is a fellow artist and her landlord (she seems to be better at one than the other).

The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews. “Showing Up is an absolute, wry joy of a little comedy about making art and living life,” Alissa Wilkinson wrote for Vox. “The film feels pulled from familiar reality for anyone who’s ever tried to make creative work — and it’s quiet, clever, and a whole lot of fun.”

Showing Up, which also stars John Magaro, André “3000” Benjamin, and Judd Hirsch (fresh off his scene-stealing performance in The Fabelmans), opens spring 2023.