Category: Worldwide

This past weekend, Sydney Sweeney hosted SNL for the first time with musical guest Kacey Musgraves. It was a perfectly fine episode. Not one of the show’s best; not one of its worst. But you wouldn’t know it from the response to the episode: people are using Sweeney — or more specifically, her breasts — as an avatar for the death of wokeness… or something.

This is a real headline on The New Republic: “Wokeness is no match for Sydney Sweeney’s undeniable beauty.” I don’t know what “And while her breasts have caused a furore, I don’t see this as the sudden death knell of wokeness” and “If [Dave] Chappelle had Sweeney’s buxom bust, we could have easily been having this same cultural conversation more than a year ago” mean, but one thing’s for sure: they are undeniably sentences that exist on the internet.

People on X are — would you believe it? — acting even weirder. Especially conservatives. “HOT TAKE: Sydney Sweeney would be much more attractive if she covered up,” @JonnyRoot_ (who has “FAITH,” “SPORTZ,” and “CULTURE” in his bio) wrote. “Men embracing her & defending her immodesty as ‘feminine’ and ‘genuine’ are just showing how they can’t control their eyes and hearts of lust. Sydney Sweeney flaunting her body like this is not a good example for young women. It’s not a net positive. It’s not something to admire.”

No wonder Sweeney barely tweets. Would you want to deal with all that?

Now more than ever: sometimes it’s good to log off.

During her time in the spotlight, 2022 Uproxx cover star Chloe Bailey has made it clear that she’s somebody who knows her worth. On that front, she’s not about to settle for less than she believes she deserves, so she has some red flags that will send her running the other way if she spots them in a man. Bailey was just asked about that and she presented her list of no-no’s.

In a recent Instagram Live broadcast, Bailey answered a fan’s question, explaining, “Oh, what are the red flags for me? Liars. Cockiness, I hate cockiness. And if someone isn’t excited about the things that I’m excited about. You don’t have to like them, but to just know that you care about what make me happy. Like, if you don’t… [buzzer noise] [laughs].”

So, there you have it: Be honest, humble, and engaged, which sounds like good advice for a relationship with anybody, not just Bailey.

Speaking of relationships: Last summer, Bailey came through for a fan who just got broken up with… at one of Bailey’s concerts, no less. The fan tweeted, “I just got dumped at @ChloeBailey concert [teary-eyed emoji] [crying emoji] she was a bad b*tch tho!! Bro just blew my night fr.” Chlöe quote-tweeted the post and added, “wtf. better off without him. onto the next!!! love you boo.”

Technicals got handed out with less than 10 seconds remaining in Wednesday night’s game between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. The Bulls were nursing a one point lead and the Jazz, unsurprisingly, were playing the free throw game, with Collin Sexton committing a personal foul on DeMar DeRozan right in front of Chicago’s bench.

It’s unclear what got said after this, but some words got exchanged between Sexton and members of Chicago’s bench, which led to a whole lot of people congregating around one another. Things really looked like they boiled over when a Bulls assistant, Chris Fleming, and John Collins engaged in some pushing and shoving with one another.

After the referees looked things over, both Fleming and Collins got technical fouls, but in a fortuitous turn for Utah, so did Chicago’s Torrey Craig, who was on the bench with an injury. This led to Utah getting a technical free throw, which Jordan Clarkson took and made. And after DeRozan shot and made both of his free throws, the Jazz got the ball with 9.3 seconds left while facing a two point deficit.

While Clarkson got a good look from three and missed, Chicago kept the door cracked open, as Coby White corralled the rebound but stepped out of bounds. But they were unable to make anything of it, because while Sexton got an open look in the corner, he was unable to connect and the Bulls got out of Utah with a 119-117 win.

Kenny Mason has been displaying Lebron James-level consistency, steadily building up toward his forthcoming 9 album for the better part of a year. Most recently the Atlanta artist dropped the three-track EP Highway 9, which followed in the footsteps of the three-track EP 3 last March and six-track EP 6 last June. The EP is due out March 14 via RCA Records.

“The 3 and 6 EPs are a part of an 18-track unique rollout leading up to his album 9,” a press release explained on Wednesday, March 6. “Having released EPs 3 and 6, which provided three and six tracks respectively, fans can expect a fresh batch of nine new songs on the album.”

Two of those songs are here, namely “Jumpin In” and “Us.” The singles dropped late on Tuesday, March 5, and represent Mason’s range.

“Us” is a rock-charged single showcasing Mason’s singing ability, as he aggressively and repeatedly calls someone a “b*tch,” narrates how he “grew up in a cold world,” and asks in the chorus, “Who in the f*ck, who in the f*ck / Who in the f*ck want it with us?” By contrast, “Jumpin In” is a smooth listen featuring Mason spitting bars about commitment and overcoming his formative environment: “I had to devise a plan to prove that I was divine / I demonstrate similar traits to the greats / But I’m in the space / Even thеy can’t imitate / I watch and wait.”

Watch the “Jumpin In” video above, and find more information about Mason’s Route 9 Tour below.

Kenny Mason’s Route 9 Tour Dates

03/22 — St. Paul, MN
03/23 — Chicago, IL
03/24 — Annarbor, MI
03/26 — Philadelphia, PA
03/28 — Boston, MA
03/29 — Washington, DC
03/30 — New York, NY
04/04 — Orlando, FL
04/05 — Atlanta, GA
04/11 — Dallas, TX
04/12 — Houston, TX
04/13 — Austin, TX
04/16 — Denver, CO
04/17 — Salt Lake City, UT
04/19 — Vancouver, BC
04/20 — Bellingham, WA
04/22 — Seattle, WA
04/24 — Eugene, OR
04/26 — Sacramento, CA
04/27 — San Francisco, CA
05/01 — Phoenix, AZ
05/02 — Santa Ana, CA
05/03 — Los Angeles, CA

Kenny Mason’s Route 9 Tour Poster

9 is out 3/14 via RCA Records. Find more information here.

On Thursday Joe Biden is set to deliver his third and maybe final State of the Union. You know what that means? Time for the more extremist members of the Republican Party to act like jackasses. During Biden’s first one, in 2022, Lauren Boebert infamously heckled him as he talked about his dead son Beau. Last year saw numerous interruptions, including Marjorie Taylor Greene calling him a “liar.” (She also threatened to troll him with a Pennywise joke.) What will happen this year? Maybe nothing, should they obey the Speaker of the House.

Per The Hill, in a closed door meeting, Mike Johnson reportedly begged House Republicans to not be total nuisances during Biden’s address. “Decorum is the order of the day,” one lawmaker claimed. Another echoed that, saying, “He said we should carry ourselves with good decorum.”

A lot has been said about Biden’s advanced age, but he managed to outsmart them last year. When discussing how Republicans are deadest on killing Social Security and Medicare, he earned loud booing from conservatives. So he demanded they agree, there and then, to leave the programs in-tact, lest they enrage voters.

“Let’s all agree — and we apparently are — let’s stand up for seniors,” he said, effectively offering a checkmate.

The State of the Union will be held on Thursday. Will it be as fun without watching Kevin McCarthy sitting there looking miserable for 90 minutes? You never know.

(Via The Hill)

On February 1, Universal Music Group removed its entire roster of artists’ catalogs from TikTok. In an open letter, UMG expressed that “TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than market value and not reflective of their exponential growth” during negotiations. In its own open letter, the service predictably rebutted UMG’s “false narrative and rhetoric.” It was an ugly situation, but it appears TikTok has another problem on its hands.

On Wednesday, March 6, Billboard exclusively reported that The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) license with TikTok is due to expire on April 30, and “do[es] not anticipate that there will be an option to renew or extend the current NMPA licenses or participate in a new license with TikTok through NMPA.”

See the full letter sent to NMPA members below, as obtained by Billboard.

“If you are receiving this Member Alert you are currently participating in a license with TikTok through NMPA’s 2022 model license opt-in.

NMPA is notifying all participants that these two-year licenses are set to expire on April 30, 2024.

Recently, the press has highlighted concerns around TikTok’s licensing practices, concerns that NMPA has heard directly from many of our members.

At this time, we do not anticipate that there will be an option to renew or extend the current NMPA licenses or participate in a new license with TikTok through NMPA.

NMPA members should make their own business determination whether to engage directly with TikTok to negotiate a license beyond April 30, 2024.

It is important that all NMPA members understand that without a license in place, TikTok should not be using your musical works on its platform. Starting May 1, 2024, any members who are not licensed with TikTok and would like to discuss enforcement options can contact attorneys at NMPA. If circumstances change prior to the expiration of the current TikTok licenses, NMPA will promptly notify members. We are here to answer your questions.”

Product placement has been a staple (if not scourge) of cinema since the dawn of the medium. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s done as a satirical joke (while also serving as product placement). But no example is as out-there as what a Chilean advertising agency did when they hawked Cerveza beer back in the early aughts.

Over the weekend someone on Twitter/X dropped an example of what Chilean TV viewers saw when they watched the original Star Wars trilogy. Among the advertisers was Cristal Beer, but instead of stopping the movie for traditional commercial breaks, they had their product edited right into the film itself. For example, this is what happens early on in the first Star Wars, when Luke Skywalker first meets Obi-Wan Kenobi.

That’s right: Obi-Wan grabs a Cristal Cerveza, complete with a little jingle. Can they get Cristal at the Mos Eisley cantina? Probably not!

That wasn’t the only example. There’s the part where Obi-Wan is infiltrating the Death Star.

And the climax from Return of the Jedi, with Emperor Palpatine chilling on his throne with a cool one before he eats it (before coming back, of course).

Not only are these real, but the ads won awards. A 2004 piece by The Guardian reveals that OMD Santiago, the agency that came up with this idea, scooped up the top award at that year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival. Cristal wound up edited into a number of major films as they aired on TV, a move the judges deemed “genius.”

The posts blew up, and soon a new meme was born, with people splicing Cristal into all manner of movies and shows and whatnot. There were more Star Wars ones.

Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Lord of the Rings.

Dune.

Spider-Man 2.

Alien.

Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Se7en.

Surely Cristal is enjoying all this free advertising.

(Via Business Insider)

Kazuchika Okada is officially All Elite, siding with the Young Bucks in a completely rebranded The Elite faction.

The Young Bucks hit the ring as part of AEW Dynamite to reveal they had two special announcements. After complaining about how Sting and Darby Allin defeated them at Revolution over the weekend, the Bucks announced “Hangman” Adam Page would be suspended for his attack on numerous referees and they were firing Kenny Omega from The Elite for missing action over the last few months.

Before they could get to their second announcement, Eddie Kingston’s music hit and he came down to the ring to trash talk the Bucks. They attacked Kingston and set up for the EVP trigger before Kazuchika Okada’s familiar coin drop came across the speakers. Okada came down to the ring and aligned himself with Kingston before pulling him backwards into the Rainmaker.

While Kingston was laid out in the ring, the Bucks got back on the mic to announce Okada had joined The Elite.

Okada joins AEW at a time when business appears to be booming. After signing Will Ospreay and bringing in Okada, the promotion is reportedly on the cusp of debuting former WWE star Mercedes Moné, who is expected to be at next week’s AEW Dynamite.

Last May, Hunxho visited Uproxx Sessions to perform “True To My Religion.” Then the Atlanta-bred rapper was tapped to open on Lil Baby’s abbreviated It’s Only Us Tour. Now it’s time for Hunxho to embark on his first-ever headlining tour, The One Night Only Tour, as announced on Wednesday, March 6.

A press release revealed that the tour “capitalizes on the momentum” from Hunxho’s stand-alone, sold-out “One Night Only” concert at The Eastern in Atlanta last month, which Uproxx attended.

The press release also confirmed that a “special Spotify pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, March 6, at 12 p.m. EST, followed by promoter and venue presales on Thursday, March 7, at 12 p.m. EST. General on-sale commences on Friday, March 8, at 12 p.m. EST.” Find all ticketing information here.

Hunxho last released For Her last October, and the project became his first career Billboard 200 entry. In December, he dropped For Her (Deluxe), and most recently, Hunxho recruited fellow Atlantan Summer Walker for a remix of “Your Friends.”

Hunxho’s The One Night Only Tour Dates

05/10 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
05/16 — Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater
05/17 — Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
05/18 — Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
05/21 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
05/22 — Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre
05/24 — Richmond, VA @ The National
05/28 — Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
05/30 — Detroit, MI @ The Majestic
05/31 — Chicago, IL @ Avondale
06/02 — Houston, TX @ HOB Houston
06/03 — Dallas, TX @ HOB Dallas
06/06 — Tampa, FL @ Jannus Live
06/08 — Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
06/09 — Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater

Hunxho’s The One Night Only Tour Poster

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

A few times in recent years, celebrities and social media influencers alike have made waves by sharing that they don’t make their kids bathe every day. For some parents, that was totally par for the course, but for others, letting a child go more than a day without bathing was seen as a travesty.

Doctors have made it clear that kids don’t need to bathe daily, with some going so far as to recommend against it when they are young to protect kids’ delicate skin.

But what about grownups? Most of us don’t take baths regularly as adults, but what’s the ideal frequency for showering?

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According to a YouGov poll of over 5,700 Americans, just over half of respondents said they shower daily and 11% said they shower twice or more per day. That means two out of three of us are showering at least once a day.

But according to doctors and dermatologists, that’s probably overkill for most people. Unless you’re doing heavy labor, exercising vigorously, working outdoors or around toxins or otherwise getting excessively dirty or sweaty, a few showers per week is enough for healthy hygiene.

In fact, Robert H. Shmerling, MD of Harvard Health says too frequent showering could actually have some negative effects on your health.

“Normal, healthy skin maintains a layer of oil and a balance of ‘good’ bacteria and other microorganisms,” Dr. Shmerling writes. “Washing and scrubbing removes these, especially if the water is hot.” He shares that removing that protective layer can make our skin dry, irritated or itchy, which can lead to damage that allows allergens and bacteria to cross the skin barrier. Additionally, our immune systems require exposure to microorganisms, dirt, and other environmental stimuli in order to create “immune memory,” and if we wash them away too frequently, we might be inhibiting the effectiveness of our immune system.

Dermatologists who spoke to Vogue had similar advice about shower frequency. Board-certified dermatologist Deanne Robinson, MD, FAAD told the magazine that you can skip showering for the day if you haven’t engaged in rigorous activity. Mamina Turegano, a triple board-certified dermatologist, internist and dermatopathologist. agreed. “I think that showering three to four times a week is plenty for most people,” she said.

Of course, everyone is different and what is good for one person’s skin isn’t good for another’s. Showering frequency and health also depend on what kinds of products you’re using, what temperature of water you’re using and how long your shower is. There’s a big difference between a quick pits-and-privates rinse-off and a long, hot shower.

While scorching yourself and steaming up the bathroom may feel luxurious and relaxing, especially if you’ve got sore muscles, dermatologists say it’s not good for your skin. Hot showers are especially problematic for people with skin issues like eczema.

“Any skin condition characterized by a defective skin barrier can be worsened by a hot shower,” board-certified New York City dermatologist Shari Marchbein told Allure. “[It] strips the skin of sebum, the healthy fats and oils necessary for skin health, and dehydrates the skin.”

In fact most dermatologists recommend keeping showers lukewarm. That sounds like torture, frankly, but who’s going to argue with the experts?

A lot of people, actually. Modern humans are pretty particular about our shower preferences, and judging from the comments on cleanliness discussions, some folks are dead set on the idea that a daily shower is simply not negotiable. Even with the experts weighing in with their knowledge and science, a lot of people will continue to do what they do, advice be damned.

But at least the folks who’ve been judged harshly by the daily shower police have some official backup. As long as you’re showering every couple of days, you’re golden. As it turns out, there really is such a thing as being too clean.