Category: Worldwide

In the span of three years, Taylor Swift has managed to record four of her past albums including 2008’s Fearless, 2012’s Red 2010’s Speak Now, and lastly, 1989, which was initially released in 2014. But, why is Swift re-recording her albums in the first place? Well, she’s on a mission to own all of her music through each recording’s masters. Although she hasn’t said it explicitly, many artists work toward this goal to ensure they retain full legal rights to their catalog to maintain full creative and financial leverage over the works.

So, what has Swift said publicly about her fight to secure her master by way of re-recording her albums? After completing her second re-recording, Red (Taylor’s Version), she shared more insight during her appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

“I know everyone has busy lives. So, I feel the need to explain what I’m doing because it’s not normal. Basically, I’ve always wanted to own my music since I started making my music… There was something that happened years ago where I made it clear that I wanted to be able to buy [back the ownership rights over] my music,” said Swift.

She continued, “That opportunity was not given to me, and it was [instead] sold to someone else. So, I figured because I was the one who made this music first, I could just make it again. So, that’s what [I’m] doing. So when something in parentheses says, ‘(Taylor’s version),’ next to it, that means I own it, which is exciting.”

Swift’s discography was purchased by her former label head, Scooter Braun.

In the span of three years, Taylor Swift has managed to record four of her past albums including 2008’s Fearless, 2012’s Red 2010’s Speak Now, and lastly, 1989, which was initially released in 2014. But, why is Swift re-recording her albums in the first place? Well, she’s on a mission to own all of her music through each recording’s masters. Although she hasn’t said it explicitly, many artists work toward this goal to ensure they retain full legal rights to their catalog to maintain full creative and financial leverage over the works.

So, what has Swift said publicly about her fight to secure her master by way of re-recording her albums? After completing her second re-recording, Red (Taylor’s Version), she shared more insight during her appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

“I know everyone has busy lives. So, I feel the need to explain what I’m doing because it’s not normal. Basically, I’ve always wanted to own my music since I started making my music… There was something that happened years ago where I made it clear that I wanted to be able to buy [back the ownership rights over] my music,” said Swift.

She continued, “That opportunity was not given to me, and it was [instead] sold to someone else. So, I figured because I was the one who made this music first, I could just make it again. So, that’s what [I’m] doing. So when something in parentheses says, ‘(Taylor’s version),’ next to it, that means I own it, which is exciting.”

Swift’s discography was purchased by her former label head, Scooter Braun.

Warning: Spoilers for Gen V episode seven below.

In Gen V’s Season 1 penultimate episode, “Sick,” the Suped-up students of Godolkin University are most definitely not alright.

A plan to expose Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn) has a bloody, unexpected end that could tie into the upcoming season of Eric Kripke’s The Boys in interesting ways, but the possibility of Homeland standing trial and a supe-killing plague being weaponized by opportunistic politicians must wait because Cate Dunlap is about to wage war on campus and no human is safe.

We spoke with showrunner Michele Fazekas about Shetty’s brutal death at the hands of her former protégé, how Cate’s choice has caused a rift in the supe crew, and how what Victoria Neuman’s scheming could mean for season four of The Boys.

Cate made a choice there’s really no going back from when she killed Shetty at the end of the episode. What’s her state of mind at the moment?

Well, I think they broke her. They put her in a position and just sort of squeezed her and squeezed her. This whole season, she had all these plates spinning, “I want to protect my friends. The way I protect them is to keep them from finding out what happened, but they keep finding out. Okay, now I’m going to erase their memory.” So, the goalposts keep moving. She knows what it did to Luke. [They’ve] put Cate in a position where she’s either going to destroy or be destroyed. I don’t even blame Cate for the choices that she makes.

There seems to be a line being drawn between Cate and Same (and their hatred of humans) and the rest of the supe crew. How is that going to play out in the finale?

I think both Cate and Sam have been manipulated by humans. Sam has been tortured and abused. In the world of The Boys, there’s that sort of Supe supremacy that does pit superheroes against humans, and I think Cate and Sam are very susceptible to that mindset.

What does that mean for Sam’s relationship with Emma?

It’s going to be hard. It’s not the best setting for a great relationship. This is [Sam’s] first relationship. In some ways, superpowers or not, it’s the trials and tribulations of what it’s like to be in your first relationship. What is it like to be in love with someone at first? What is it like when they break your heart? So it’s going to happen at this age, whether you’re a superhero or not.

But with Supes, the fallout is a little bit more catastrophic.

Yeah, people don’t really end up dead or maimed.

What’s it been like to see the fan reaction to Marie and Jordan’s relationship, and what does their future look like at the moment?

I really am so happy because I think there may have been some trepidation about that relationship. Not on the writers’ part, but on other people’s part. Essentially, it’s a queer relationship. And even Marie’s kind of like, ‘What does this mean about me?’ And Emma’s like, ‘Who gives a fuck?’

I’m really glad that people are on board for it and invested in it because I am too, and I like how it makes those characters ask questions about themselves. I think as we’ve developed these characters, it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I understand even more why Marie and Jordan are drawn to each other.’ Even though they started out hating each other, there’s a similar [view of] the world as very black and white. There’s a good thing to do, and there’s a bad thing to do, and you know exactly what that is. They’re really similar in that way. So yeah, I’m happy that people are on board with it.

We see Neuman walk away with Shetty’s virus at the end of the episode. Is she the bridge to bringing this storyline into season four of The Boys?

I cannot answer that question. What I will say is Neuman probably suffers from the hubris that a lot of politicians suffer from, which is, ‘Well, if I have something, it’s fine. If other people have it, it’s terrible. I’m totally capable of handling this.’ I think a lot of politicians are like, ‘I’m the one who can fix everything.’ It’s like, can you really?

What’s her real interest in Marie?

Neuman knows that when there’s someone who she feels can help her, she needs to recruit them to her side. There is a reason she thinks Marie can help her, and it’s not just because they were both orphans at the same Vought-run orphanage.

Of the two, who is the more powerful?

I think Neuman has a better understanding of her powers and what she can do. I think Marie, maybe her only weakness is she doesn’t know the extent of her powers. That’s essentially what Neuman told her. ‘You don’t know what you could do.’ I think there’s even further that Marie could go.

The Boys loves its dick scenes and it seems Gen V does too. Is there a penis requirement for each season of these shows?

[Laughs] There is no penis requirement. One thing I learned coming into this universe is straight dudes love penises. They love penises. They love talking about them. They love seeing them. Eric says they’re the most hilarious thing. I don’t think I really understood that until I came onto the show. That being said, both of those scenes — the scene with Emma where she’s hanging off of a gigantic penis, the scene where Marie explodes a penis — they came out of real stories. Emma was basically coerced into having sex with that dude, which is something that I think a lot of women [can relate to]. And then Marie was basically almost sexually assaulted by Rufus and there’s no sweeter revenge on a would-be rapist than blowing his dick off.

The writer’s room is working on season two at the moment. Are there characters you want to spotlight next season?

It’s an interesting question. I’ll sort of answer it from a different way which is, what I like to do is once you’ve established a show, you look at your characters and ask, ‘Who haven’t I seen in a scene together? Who haven’t we seen interact that much? What happens when we put them in scenes?’ So I’ll give you an example. Jordan and Emma, we’re like, ‘I want to see them hang out more together. There’s something fun about that.’

So that’s kind of what we’re doing. Who do we want to put together and what would happen? We’re not fishing romantically at all. It’s just like, ‘What would their relationship be? Would they be sort of bickering with each other? Would they totally dig each other?’ That’s what we’re playing with.

Amazon’s ‘Gen V’ streams new episodes on Fridays.

Warning: Spoilers for Gen V episode seven below.

In Gen V’s Season 1 penultimate episode, “Sick,” the Suped-up students of Godolkin University are most definitely not alright.

A plan to expose Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn) has a bloody, unexpected end that could tie into the upcoming season of Eric Kripke’s The Boys in interesting ways, but the possibility of Homeland standing trial and a supe-killing plague being weaponized by opportunistic politicians must wait because Cate Dunlap is about to wage war on campus and no human is safe.

We spoke with showrunner Michele Fazekas about Shetty’s brutal death at the hands of her former protégé, how Cate’s choice has caused a rift in the supe crew, and how what Victoria Neuman’s scheming could mean for season four of The Boys.

Cate made a choice there’s really no going back from when she killed Shetty at the end of the episode. What’s her state of mind at the moment?

Well, I think they broke her. They put her in a position and just sort of squeezed her and squeezed her. This whole season, she had all these plates spinning, “I want to protect my friends. The way I protect them is to keep them from finding out what happened, but they keep finding out. Okay, now I’m going to erase their memory.” So, the goalposts keep moving. She knows what it did to Luke. [They’ve] put Cate in a position where she’s either going to destroy or be destroyed. I don’t even blame Cate for the choices that she makes.

There seems to be a line being drawn between Cate and Same (and their hatred of humans) and the rest of the supe crew. How is that going to play out in the finale?

I think both Cate and Sam have been manipulated by humans. Sam has been tortured and abused. In the world of The Boys, there’s that sort of Supe supremacy that does pit superheroes against humans, and I think Cate and Sam are very susceptible to that mindset.

What does that mean for Sam’s relationship with Emma?

It’s going to be hard. It’s not the best setting for a great relationship. This is [Sam’s] first relationship. In some ways, superpowers or not, it’s the trials and tribulations of what it’s like to be in your first relationship. What is it like to be in love with someone at first? What is it like when they break your heart? So it’s going to happen at this age, whether you’re a superhero or not.

But with Supes, the fallout is a little bit more catastrophic.

Yeah, people don’t really end up dead or maimed.

What’s it been like to see the fan reaction to Marie and Jordan’s relationship, and what does their future look like at the moment?

I really am so happy because I think there may have been some trepidation about that relationship. Not on the writers’ part, but on other people’s part. Essentially, it’s a queer relationship. And even Marie’s kind of like, ‘What does this mean about me?’ And Emma’s like, ‘Who gives a fuck?’

I’m really glad that people are on board for it and invested in it because I am too, and I like how it makes those characters ask questions about themselves. I think as we’ve developed these characters, it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I understand even more why Marie and Jordan are drawn to each other.’ Even though they started out hating each other, there’s a similar [view of] the world as very black and white. There’s a good thing to do, and there’s a bad thing to do, and you know exactly what that is. They’re really similar in that way. So yeah, I’m happy that people are on board with it.

We see Neuman walk away with Shetty’s virus at the end of the episode. Is she the bridge to bringing this storyline into season four of The Boys?

I cannot answer that question. What I will say is Neuman probably suffers from the hubris that a lot of politicians suffer from, which is, ‘Well, if I have something, it’s fine. If other people have it, it’s terrible. I’m totally capable of handling this.’ I think a lot of politicians are like, ‘I’m the one who can fix everything.’ It’s like, can you really?

What’s her real interest in Marie?

Neuman knows that when there’s someone who she feels can help her, she needs to recruit them to her side. There is a reason she thinks Marie can help her, and it’s not just because they were both orphans at the same Vought-run orphanage.

Of the two, who is the more powerful?

I think Neuman has a better understanding of her powers and what she can do. I think Marie, maybe her only weakness is she doesn’t know the extent of her powers. That’s essentially what Neuman told her. ‘You don’t know what you could do.’ I think there’s even further that Marie could go.

The Boys loves its dick scenes and it seems Gen V does too. Is there a penis requirement for each season of these shows?

[Laughs] There is no penis requirement. One thing I learned coming into this universe is straight dudes love penises. They love penises. They love talking about them. They love seeing them. Eric says they’re the most hilarious thing. I don’t think I really understood that until I came onto the show. That being said, both of those scenes — the scene with Emma where she’s hanging off of a gigantic penis, the scene where Marie explodes a penis — they came out of real stories. Emma was basically coerced into having sex with that dude, which is something that I think a lot of women [can relate to]. And then Marie was basically almost sexually assaulted by Rufus and there’s no sweeter revenge on a would-be rapist than blowing his dick off.

The writer’s room is working on season two at the moment. Are there characters you want to spotlight next season?

It’s an interesting question. I’ll sort of answer it from a different way which is, what I like to do is once you’ve established a show, you look at your characters and ask, ‘Who haven’t I seen in a scene together? Who haven’t we seen interact that much? What happens when we put them in scenes?’ So I’ll give you an example. Jordan and Emma, we’re like, ‘I want to see them hang out more together. There’s something fun about that.’

So that’s kind of what we’re doing. Who do we want to put together and what would happen? We’re not fishing romantically at all. It’s just like, ‘What would their relationship be? Would they be sort of bickering with each other? Would they totally dig each other?’ That’s what we’re playing with.

Amazon’s ‘Gen V’ streams new episodes on Fridays.

The second part of Jay-Z’s CBS Mornings interview with Gayle King has arrived. In the first part, he revealed what it would take for him to release a new album, addressed memes about his “awkward” dancing, and why he won’t be selling his masters anytime soon.

In today’s second part, Jay tells King where his daughter Blue Ivy’s name came from, and that it was originally supposed to be something else entirely.

“Her name was meant to be Brooklyn,” Jay said. “That was the name we had in theory, but when we got the sonogram, it was super small and we was calling her Blueberry. Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry!’ It was a nickname. For nine months, we were like, ‘Look at the little blueberry,’ so it was natural. We just took the ‘berry’ off and called her Blue.”

In regards to Blue Ivy joining Beyoncé onstage on her Renaissance World Tour, Jay said, “I still get goosebumps seeing her walk on stage ’cause Blue’s been born into a life she didn’t ask for. Since she was born, she’s been in scrutiny, in public eye, and having an opinion of even a little girl how she keeps her hair, so for her to be on that stage to reclaim her power and the song is called ‘My Power,’ you can’t write a better script.”

You can watch the full interview above.

The second part of Jay-Z’s CBS Mornings interview with Gayle King has arrived. In the first part, he revealed what it would take for him to release a new album, addressed memes about his “awkward” dancing, and why he won’t be selling his masters anytime soon.

In today’s second part, Jay tells King where his daughter Blue Ivy’s name came from, and that it was originally supposed to be something else entirely.

“Her name was meant to be Brooklyn,” Jay said. “That was the name we had in theory, but when we got the sonogram, it was super small and we was calling her Blueberry. Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry!’ It was a nickname. For nine months, we were like, ‘Look at the little blueberry,’ so it was natural. We just took the ‘berry’ off and called her Blue.”

In regards to Blue Ivy joining Beyoncé onstage on her Renaissance World Tour, Jay said, “I still get goosebumps seeing her walk on stage ’cause Blue’s been born into a life she didn’t ask for. Since she was born, she’s been in scrutiny, in public eye, and having an opinion of even a little girl how she keeps her hair, so for her to be on that stage to reclaim her power and the song is called ‘My Power,’ you can’t write a better script.”

You can watch the full interview above.

Lil Baby played a home game at One Musicfest 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia, but this year, artists are flying in from all over to stake their claim to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. One Musicfest 2023 is scheduled for this Saturday, October 28, and Sunday, October 29, with headliners such as Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson, Brent Faiyaz, and Megan Thee Stallion. The full lineup was revealed in July, and now, all set times have been confirmed within the One Musicfest app.

The two-day festival will feature three stages, including one dedicated to celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. Check out set times for each stage below.

Here Are The Set Times For One Musicfest 2023

One Musicfest Stage

Saturday, October 28: DJ Fudge (12 p.m. – 1 p.m. local time), Danielle Ponder (1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.), DJ Fudge (1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.), Tink (2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.), DJ Omezy (3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.), Fabolous (4 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.), Jadakiss (4 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.), DJ Omezy (4:50 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.), Kodak Black (5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.), DJ Princess Cut (6:15 p.m. – 7 p.m.), Lil’ Kim (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.), DJ Loui Vee (8 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.), Janet Jackson (9:15 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.)

Sunday, October 29: DJ New Era (12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.), Libianca (12:45 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.), DJ New Era (1:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.), El DeBarge (2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.), DJ Sean Falyon (2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.), Smino (3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.), DJ Sean Falyon (4:15 p.m. – 5 p.m.), Key Glock (5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.), DJ Stormy Monroe (5:45 p.m. – 7 p.m.), Tems (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.), DJ Skillz (8 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.), Kendrick Lamar (8:45 p.m. – 10 p.m.).

P&G Stage

Saturday, October 28: DJ Majestik (12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.), Ben Reilly (12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m.), DJ Boogie Lov (1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.), Jozzy (1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.), DJ Boogie Lov (2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.), Coco Jones (3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.), DJ Misses (4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.), Mariah The Scientist (4:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.), DJ Misses (5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.), Bryson Tiller (6:15 p.m. – 7 p.m.), DJ Mix Master David (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.), Megan Thee Stallion (8 p.m. – 9 p.m.)

Sunday, October 29: DJ Majestik (12 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.), Durand Bernarr (1:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.), DJ Suga Shae (2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.), Boosie (2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.), DJ Suga Shae (3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.), The-Dream (4:15 p.m. – 5 p.m.), DJ Era (5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.), Chief Keef (5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.), DJ Era (7 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.), Brent Faiyaz (7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.)

Sprite 50 Hip Hop Stage

Saturday, October 28: DJ Knotts (12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.), ATL Legends (12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.), DJ Jah Prince (1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.), Big Daddy Kane (1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.), DJ Moetown Lee (2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.), DJ Quik (3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.), DJ Moetown Lee (4 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.), DJ Rasta Root (4:20 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.), Ed Lover Set (4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.), DJ JayTek (5:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.), KRS-1 (6:15 p.m. – 7 p.m.), DJ JayTek (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.), T-Pain (8 p.m. – 9 p.m.)

Sunday, October 29: OK Surf (12:10 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.), Nola Adé (12:35 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.), Kid Capri (1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.), DJ Aasha Adore (2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.), Ladies First (2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.), DJ Knotts (3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.), Goodie Mobb (4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.), DJ Devin Steel (5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.), Greg Street Set (5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.), DJ Devin Steel (6:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.), DJ Drama & Friends (7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.)

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

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased a football (also known as soccer) team in 2021, it seemed like it was going to be a “just for fun” thing, but then they made a whole TV show about it and now it’s almost their entire personalities. And sure enough, the people love it! So they had to come back for more, we all know Reynolds isn’t one to say “no” to a sequel. Most of the time.

Welcome to Wrexham is now in its second season of these two actors with no experience whatsoever running an entire Welsh sports team. It seems to be working for them! The show follows the two celebrities as they band together with the small Welsh town to support the long-running football team.

The series airs new episodes every Tuesday on FX. After airing on FX, the episodes become available to stream the next day on Hulu. It’s similar to how The Golden Bachelor does it. Every show should be The Golden Bachelor.

As of writing, the first eleven episodes are currently available on Hulu in the U.S. (non-U.S. folks can watch on Disney+). The next two episodes will air on Tuesday and hit Hulu by Wednesday until the season ends on November 14th. There has been no announcement about the future of the show, but it seems like Reynolds and McElhenney are having a lot of fun, so we might see a third season after all.

Today (October 27) is another historic day for frequent chart-topper Taylor Swift. The “Slut!” singer has snatched back the masters of her album 1989, thanks to the rerecorded Taylor’s Version. The project features the breakout songs “Welcome To New York,” “Blank Space,” “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” “Shake It Off,” “Wildest Dreams,” and who could forget “Bad Blood?” Each of the songs has been spruced up in the Taylor Version. What about the “Bad Blood” remix featuring Kendrick Lamar?

Due to the legal loophole surrounding Swift’s ownership stake, fans wonder if she had Kendrick re-record his verse. The answer is yes. She confirmed the news in a post shared on Swift’s official X (formerly Twitter) page with a touching note. “The reality that Kendrick would go back in and re-record ‘Bad Blood’ so that I could reclaim and own this work I’m so proud of is surreal and bewildering to me,” wrote Swift.

During a 2017 interview with Howard Stern, Kendrick discussed what it was like working with Swift, saying, “We both were in Los Angeles, so I came to her studio session. She had the music up, and I started writing and jumped in the booth, and we laid it down. With this particular record, I was just vibing and catching her lyrics. I didn’t want to get into her head too crazy. I just wanted to have my own inspiration and see where it took it… Fortunately, the vibe was right, and it didn’t take too many takes, and we were really locked in on the chemistry, and we really felt what was going on when I was in the booth.”

1989 (Taylor’s Version) is out now via Republic Records. Find more information here.

It’s easy to forget how long Kristen Stewart has been starring in movies. The Crimes of the Future actress made her on-screen debut 23 years ago in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, the prequel to The Flintstones that replaced John Goodman and Rick Moranis as Fred and Barney with Mark Addy and one of the Baldwins. But her breakthrough performance two years later with David Fincher’s Panic Room. She was 12 years old. Like many child actors, she had a lot of “firsts” on screen, including her first kiss.

Stewart revealed on Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live that her first kiss was with Jamie Bell in the forgotten 2004 movie Undertow. When host Andy Cohen acted with surprise, she replied, “Yeah, but it’s not like we were literally making out. “It was a bit of a peck, but I was 13 or 14.”

Stewart was “so nervous” and “freaking out,” but Bell was a little gentleman. “And then the director [David Gordon Green],” she continued, “he could tell I was just red and f*cking non-responsive. And he was like, ‘It’s just little butterfly kisses.’ And I was like, ‘That didn’t help! Whatever that means, I don’t understand it!’” Hopefully Stewart worked out her feelings at the Blink-182 / Green Day / Jimmy Eat World show, her first concert.

You can watch the Watch What Happens Live interview above.