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Iceland Airwaves Festival Is For Music Lovers Consumed By Wanderlust

Iceland Airwaves DADI FREYR
Photo by Sjana

For a country whose entire population is roughly half that of a midsize American city like Dayton, Ohio, there’s a surprising amount of music within Iceland’s borders. Sure, there are big names like Björk and Sigur Rós, but in recent years, the country has produced a two-time Grammy Award-winning composer (Hildur Guðnadóttir), a chart-topping folk rock band (Of Monsters And Men), and a Eurovision Song Contest finalist (Daði Freyr). While the country’s stunning, mossy pastoral landscapes and breathtaking waterfalls offer endless creative inspiration, Reykjavík’s annual music festival Iceland Airwaves gives insight into why the country has so many creatives making waves globally.

Reykjavík is a city that’s no stranger to tourism. At any given time, one-third of the people in Reykjavík are international travelers keen to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights or take a dip in one of the city’s hangover-curing geothermal pools. But for one weekend every November, the city prioritizes a different kind of tourism: Music tourism. Iceland Airwaves, which took place the weekend of November 2nd through 4th 2023, invited over 100 musicians from around the world to take over the city’s downtown venues.

Those who have visited SXSW in Austin would be familiar with Iceland Airwaves’ setup. Rather than cramming thousands of attendees into a stadium or filling up a local park with a few stages, Iceland Airwaves is sprawled across the city in a handful of different venues of all shapes and sizes. That way, attendees are able to experience the city, its culture, and its music in a unique way.

Nanna Iceland Airwaves
Photo by Florian Trykowski

All of Iceland Airwaves’ scheduled performances take place after sunset, opening attendees up to playing tourist in the daytime. Before shifting into festival mode, I was able to peruse the shops (and gawk at the price of authentic Icelandic wool sweaters) in Reykjavík’s Rainbow Street shopping district. I stopped by the picturesque church Hallgrímskirkja and climbed its tower to see stunning 360-degree views of the quaint city before picking up the best cinnamon roll of my life at Braud & Co (I promise TikTok influencers are not overhyping this one), and warmed myself up after a day of meandering with a traditional Icelandic lobster bisque.

While I made music discovery a prime objective of the weekend, catching a few of my favorite North American artists in an Icelandic setting was a highlight. Indie darlings Blondshell brought their early aughts-inspired sound to a sizeable crowd at Reykjavík’s art museum, Andy Shauf delivered a stripped-down version of his latest album Norm and some of his early fan favorites to dedicated listeners at an opera house, Ghostly Kisses performed their haunting tunes to an intimate show at a lit-up church, and Anjimile closed out a packed hostel living room with their arresting tunes.

My personal music tastes had me prioritizing sets by indie artists, but the Icelandic musicians I caught made it clear there’s not just one genre of music the country specializes in. I saw everyone from the industrial electro-house trio Ex.Girls, which had an entire crowd dancing even after a long day, alt-rock group Tilbury, which sounded like they could have headlined Shaky Knees Festival, and singer-songwriter Nanna (of Of Monsters And Men fame) who brought a crowd to tears with her moving melodies. I even got the chance to see folk songwriter Elín Hall deliver a breathtaking acoustic set inside the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel.

Elín Hall at Iceland Airwaves
Photo by Cat Gundry

Though they might not share a genre, the real throughline of Icelandic artists is how the country uplifts them. As Reykjavík mayor Dagur Bergþóruson Eggertsson put it at a welcome party, “Music gave Reykjavík the confidence to stand up and be who we are.” It’s a way for Icelanders to “find their voice, even if it’s not in the mainstream.” It’s clear the city puts an emphasis on the arts, whether it’s the countless murals you see walking throughout the city, the feature-length Icelandic films screening in their theaters, or the fact that a country with a relatively small population produces such a wide variety of musicians. Iceland has a dedicated music export office, which helps their artists earn grants and put them on the map globally. They even incentivize artists to record music in their country through a program aptly called Record In Iceland, which uses funding from the State Treasury to reimburse 25 percent of the recording costs for music incurred in Iceland.

Like most festivals, getting there is the hard part. Thankfully, Icelandair teams up with the festival each year to offer packages that include flights, festival passes, and airport transportation, so the “getting there” portion of the trip is actually pretty seamless. Unlike most festivals, though, there are no lengthy security lines to get in, and you won’t find yourself queuing up to use a Porta Potty that hasn’t been cleaned in three days (In fact, there wasn’t a single Porta Potty in sight). The venues are clustered around Reykjavík’s city center, allowing for natural crowd control that results in shows actually feeling intimate. One moment, I was seated in the pews of Fríkirkjan, a 124-year-old church adorned with fading frescos that transformed the concert into a spiritual experience. Then, a short walk had me seated at a show at the ornate opera house Gamla Bíó.

The downside of the spaced-out venues is that it’s easy to find yourself on a 20-minute trek back and forth if set times put your favorite artists at opposite ends of the city center (and when it’s 30 degrees outside with icy wind that gives Chicago a run for its money, this Los Angeles resident felt like she was in an arctic spinoff of Survivor). Another tip for future Iceland Airwaves travelers: Plan your arrival several days before the music starts. I took a red-eye flight that had me touching down in Reykjavík the day the music started, which meant I was so jet lagged I had to miss a handful of performances I was really looking forward to.

One weekend and many fish and chips meals later, I boarded my flight back to the US inspired by the stunning natural surroundings I witnessed, the kind people I met, and the moving music I heard. Overall, Iceland Airwaves is the perfect festival for adventurous travelers who want to discover new music and culture in a unique way. It pulls back the curtain on how a country is able to foster such a wide variety of music and the arts and offers a chance to witness performances you’d never be able to see stateside.

Uproxx was hosted by Iceland Airwaves for this story. However, they did not review or approve this story. You can read our press trip/hosting policy here.

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How Professional Killers Became Film’s Most Thoughtful, Unsettling Protagonists

Hitman Movies The Killer
Merle Cooper

Viewers of David Fincher’s The Killer (ready to stream now on Netflix) might find themselves experiencing a sense of deja vu in the film’s opening moments, though the feeling won’t last for long. The film’s opening scenes find star Michael Fassbender, playing a character credited simply as “The Killer,” preparing for his latest job. This involves sticking to a meticulous routine, maintaining a superhuman level of discipline, assembling the correct equipment, and waiting patiently while waxing thoughtful in voiceover, sometimes via observations about his job — “Stick to your plan. Anticipate, don’t improvise.”– and sometimes via facts and stats about life on Earth. He’s a cold-blooded killer who lives by a code and possesses a probing intelligence that sets him apart from the world.

He’s a movie hitman, in other words, a now familiar type. No wonder the character doesn’t have a name. But Fincher, working from a screenplay by Seven screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker adapting a French comic by Matz and Luc Jacamon, keeps short-circuiting expectations created by the hitman movies that preceded The Killer, just like the movie keeps muffling the many songs by The Smiths on its soundtrack just as they get to the good part. The Killer is good at his job, or so he says. But the moment that sets the film’s plot in motion (after many extended scenes of watching him wait for his moment) finds him blowing his shot. Why? Did he just choke or was there some sort of subliminal impulse at work? The movie never fully answers the question. In fact, it only complicates it with its cryptic final moments. But one thing is clear from this moment on: this guy is not to be taken at face value.

Fincher’s film plays with expectations set by decades of films treating hitmen as philosophical weirdos who operate by a code with implications beyond their chosen profession, and beyond the films containing them. They’re there to take out their targets, but also to serve as brutal vehicles by which films can explore some big questions — and most often return with uncomfortable answers. Movies have featured hitmen of one kind or another for as long as they’ve told crime stories— to say nothing of the assassins found in Westerns and other genres — but if there’s a ground zero for the philosophical hired killer it’s probably the 1958 film Murder by Contract.

Murder By Contract
Columbia Pictures

Vince Edwards stars as Claude, who gives up a steady day job for the life of a professional hitman, picking up a reputation as a consummate professional that makes him in great demand (even after he takes out the mobster who gives him his first big break after a rival meets his price). He brings this reputation to Los Angeles when he’s hired to take out a musician named Billie (Caprice Toriel) before she can testify against her mob boss ex-boyfriend. His handlers find his demands — like spending a day at the beach and refusing to check out the location of the hit — peculiar, but that doesn’t mean he’s not the right man for the job. Or at least it might not mean that.

A film about an outsider made by outsiders. Director Irving Lerner was blacklisted for leftist sympathies, as was uncredited co-writer Ben Maddow (The Asphalt Jungle). Claude’s success in a world where everything has its price and his inability to save enough to buy a home without becoming a killer echo their politics, but Claude’s identity issues run deeper. He begins the film waiting by the phone for the call that will offer him his big break, getting food delivered, and exercising to keep his body and mind in shape while he fights boredom. (You can bet Fincher knows this film, also a favorite of Martin Scorsese’s.) In the most literal sense, he has no life outside of work. He is his job.

Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1967 film Le Samouraï takes the philosophical implications raised by Murder by Contract and runs with them, creating a film as haunting as it is stylish. Like Claude, Paris hitman Jef Costello (Alain Delon) lives a pared-down existence defined by a strict routine. Unlike Claude (who despises women), Jef has found room for a lover (played by Delon’s wife Nathalie Delon) but even this aspect of his life is carefully controlled. Or so he believes: when a job goes wrong, the film depicts Jef’s system unraveling — and with it his sense of self. Who is he if he can’t perform his job? The final scene provides a definitive answer.

Stylish and hauntingly calm, Delon’s performance helps create a film that’s at once seductive and unsettling, romanticizing the life of the assassin as the ultimate outsider hero even as it glides toward a conclusion that depicts the cost of such a life. As such, it provided the blueprint for the protagonists of many films that followed. John Woo borrowed part of the plot of his 1989 film The Killer from Douglas Sirk’s Magnificent Obsession, but Chow Yun-fat’s Ah Jong is practically Jef reborn. Just as there would be no Ah Jong without Jef there would be no Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction, who joined the coolness of their predecessors to Quentin Tarantino’s trademark verbosity. And without Tarantino, it’s hard to imagine everything from Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges to the John Wick movies taking quite the same shape, if they existed at all.

in-bruges-focus-features.jpeg
Focus Features

It’s the flexibility suggested by the span between In Bruges and John Wick that reveals why hitmen are such popular subjects. They can serve as superhuman badasses (see also The Professional, The Long Kiss Goodnight, etc.) But they can also anchor self-aware genre deconstructions (Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai), turn professional codes into psychopathy (the Coens’ No Country for Old Men), or illustrate how easy it is to lose one’s soul in America (Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman).

The sheer number of cinematic hitmen might suggest a distressing cultural obsession, so perhaps it’s oddly comforting that most hitmen stories end in tragedy or disaffection. (Jules walks away and tries to be a “shepherd.” Vince meets a different fate.) If the life of a killer is in any way a life worth living, it’s not one that can be sustained. From Murder by Contract through The Killer (Fincher’s but also Woo’s), the most discomforting element of hitmen movies isn’t the violence or the glamorization but the sense that, without killing, these characters are nothing. That what they’ve built their lives around might be meaningless. That those lives might be a waste. That in spite of their skills they’ve focused on all the wrong things. And maybe, by extension, so have we.

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5 reasons savvy content creators are flocking to Pond5

In today’s digital age, content creators know the drill all too well. Finding the perfect stock media that’s high quality and affordable can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. But luckily, there’s Pond5, a platform where every click unveils a treasure trove of royalty-free assets tailored to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern creatives. From vibrant visuals to captivating sounds, Pond5 emerges not just as an answer but as the ultimate game-changer in the world of stock media.

Extensive Media Library

Ever felt stifled by limited choices? We’ve been there. But with Pond5, that’s ancient history. Boasting a jaw-dropping collection of over 35 million videos, it’s like walking into a filmmaker’s paradise. And in a world where originality is king, variety isn’t just the spice of life—it’s the very lifeblood of content creation. Whether you’re crafting a cinematic masterpiece or a snappy social media clip, Pond5 ensures lackluster options don’t confine your vision.

Cost-Effective Solutions

Let’s talk money. Every content creator has a budget. And let’s be honest: stretching those dollars can be a tightrope walk. That’s where Pond5 shines. Not only do they offer killer competitive pricing on premium assets, but they also sprinkle in some sweet deals and promotions. With Pond5, you’re not just investing in more than just top-tier media. You’re bagging the best bang for your buck.

High-Quality and Trustworthy Content

Alright, let’s cut to the chase: quality matters. Pond5 gets that. Every piece of media? Vetted. Every video clip? Reviewed for excellence. It’s like a curated gallery where only the best make the cut. And if you’re thinking, “Sure, but can I trust them?” let that stellar 4.8 Trustpilot rating answer your question. It’s not just a number; it’s the voice of thousands who’ve been there, done that, and left mighty impressed. With Pond5, you’re not just sourcing content. You’re embracing top-notch reliability.

Streamlined Search and User Experience

Have you ever felt lost in a maze of media? Pond5’s got the antidote. Their slick, user-friendly interface feels like a breath of fresh air in a stuffy room. And with search capabilities that are second to none, finding that perfect clip feels less like a wild goose chase and more like a breeze. After all, in the fast-paced world of content creation, time is gold. Pond5 ensures every second counts so you can focus on what you do best: creating magic.

Unique and Exclusive Content

In the media world, standing out is the name of the game. Enter Pond5’s treasure trove of exclusive footage and one-of-a-kind media pieces. It’s like having a VIP pass to a world where ordinary just doesn’t cut it. These aren’t your everyday stock offerings; they’re handpicked gems that elevate your content. With Pond5, you’re not just blending in with the crowd—you’re stepping into the spotlight, ready to dazzle.

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In a nutshell, Pond5 offers wide variety, unbeatable pricing, top-tier quality, seamless navigation, and exclusive content. Content creators, it’s time. Click here to dive into Pond5 and transform your vision!

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Airbnb host wakes his guest up in the middle of the night so she wouldn’t miss the northern lights

Seeing the northern lights is a common bucket list adventure for many people. After all, it ticks a lot of boxes—being a dazzling light show, rich historical experience and scientific phenomenon all rolled into one. Plus there’s the uncertainty of it all, never quite knowing if you’ll witness a vivid streak of otherworldly colors dance across the sky…or simply see an oddly colored cloud. It’s nature’s slot machine, if you will.

Traveler and content creator Pency Lucero was willing to take that gamble. After thorough research, she stumbled upon an Airbnb in Rörbäck, Sweden with an actual picture of the northern lights shining above the cabin in the listing. With that kind of photo evidence, she felt good about her odds.

However, as soon as she landed, snow began falling so hard that the entire sky was “barely visible,” she told Upworthy. Martin, the Airbnb host, was nonetheless determined to do everything he could to ensure his guests got to see the spectacle, even offering to wake Lucero up in the middle of the night if he saw anything.

Then one night, the knock came.


In a video Lucero posted to TikTok, which now has over 12 million views, we hear Martin ushering her out to take a peek. Then we see Lucero’s face light up just before seeing the sky do the same.

“I thought it was a prank,” the onscreen text reads in the clip. “And then I see it….”

Watch:

@penslucero

I’m on the verge of crying every time I watch this video I still cannot believe it. 📍 Rörbäck, Sweden

“I was mostly in awe of what this Earth is capable of,” Lucero recalled. “I never expected it to be THAT beautiful for the naked eye.” This is a hopeful sentiment against the widely accepted notion that the northern lights are often better looking in photos than they are in real life.

As Lucero asserted in a follow-up video, “Our video doesn’t do it justice at all…I would argue it’s even better for the naked eye.”

@penslucero Replying to @PatriotFamilyHomes ♬ Golden Hour: Piano Version – Andy Morris

Others were quick to back Lucero with anecdotes of their own experience.

“It’s definitely possible to see it like in the pics. I saw it this winter in Norway, there was bright green, purple and so much movement.”

“They’re so much better in person, the way they dance and move around is insane and beautiful.”

Of course, if you ask Martin, who everyone agreed was the best host ever, seeing guest reactions of pure wonder and joy is even “better than the lights themselves.” But still, he can’t deny that there’s a breathtaking magic to it all. He shared with Upworthy that “Sometimes it feels like it will pull you up in the sky like you are in the middle of it. I wish everyone would have the chance to witness it.”

northern lights

When it comes to tips for actually seeing the northern lights, Martin admits it still mostly comes down to being in the right place at the right time. Luckily, his Airbnb listing can help with that.

Nature has a great way of reminding us that beyond the distractions and distresses of modern life, there is sublime beauty waiting for the chance to capture our hearts.

This article originally appeared on 03.27.23

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Woman uses filters to prove that social media isn’t real and people are thanking her

Social media has made it very easy to alter your appearance using filters. They may come in handy when you need to record a video but look a bit under the weather—just turn on a soft glow or a makeup filter, and boom, you’re camera-ready in less than two seconds. But there has been a lot of talk around the use of filters and teen girls’ self-esteem and unrealistic expectations seemingly placed on women.

One woman has taken it upon herself to strip away the filters to prove that, while she is beautiful, her face doesn’t actually look the way it does with the filter on. The most interesting thing about these filters is that they’re so good, you can’t tell they’re filters. Gone are the days of filters that made everyone look like a Glamour Shot from the 90s. These filters move with you and even have pores so no one can tell it isn’t actually your face.

Well, it is your face—kinda.


Mimi Webb starts off the 20-second clip using the infamous Bold Glamour filter. It’s the filter that has people questioning their perception of their own faces because the contrast is so jarring. But Webb doesn’t stop with one filter. She puts on another and makes sure she emphasizes her use of a ring light. After turning the ring light off and taking all the filters off as the video is ending, the woman removes her makeup, revealing an inflamed, irritated and blemished face.

People flocked to the comments to thank her for exposing the truth behind filters.

“You’re beautiful & this message is SO important thanks for the reminder,” one person wrote.

“You are beautiful. In real life, we all have imperfections. As a mature woman, I appreciate your honesty. Thank you,” another said.

“Thank you so much. You did not know how much this was needed,” a woman commented.

Social media can really do a number on people’s self esteem, especially when they’re comparing themselves to something that’s not real. Messages like the one Webb shared can help pull back the curtain on the reality of social media. Watch her video below.

@missmimiwebb

#greenscreenvideo

This article originally appeared on 6.9.23

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Guy takes scammer on an epic adventure that involved a priest, exorcism and a gift card

Scammers are going to scam. This seems to be something that has rung true since the dawn of time and they just get more sophisticated with technology. If you’re on social media platforms like Facebook, then you’ve inevitably seen friend’s and loved ones lose their accounts to hackers or witnessed a scammer try to pretend to be them.

Usually people just alert others and move on from the experience but wouldn’t it be fun to give them a run for their money while they try to take yours? Jeremy Roberts decided to do just that when his mom, Tami’s Facebook profile was recently cloned by scammers. He took the potential scammer on a adventure with more twists and turns than a mystery novel.

The exchange started off innocent enough with the scammer writing, “Hello How are you doing,” in messenger, not realizing that the message was being sent to Tami’s son.


Roberts immediately engages pretending that he has no idea that he’s not talking to the real Tami. By the next question, the scammer was asking for a favor from Roberts but before “Tami” can ask, Roberts asserts that he’s busy with his brother Doug who thinks he’s possessed b a demon. The brothers are supposedly on their way to meet with a priest to check out Doug’s demon possession.

You’d think hearing of a demon possession would make “Tami” pause. Instead the scammer posing as Tami continued right into their spiel about a “program” called Community Trust Foundation, but Roberts doesn’t bite, he sticks to his bit about his brother being possessed. “Tami” sees an opening after Roberts says the priest sent him to the store for a crucifix and Pepto, though priest generally come equipped with their own crucifix.

Instead of being concerned about the potentially possessed brother or why a priest preparing to do an exorcism didn’t have his own crucifix, “Tami” asked Roberts to buy Apple gift cards to upgrade their phone camera since he was in the store anyway. The scammer is persistent if nothing else. Of course Roberts agrees but continues to string the scammer along with the urgency of getting back to his possessed brother.

After so much back and forth, the scammer got comfortable enough to start answering Roberts’ random questions about the best type of medicine for an upset stomach. Eventually Roberts informed “Tami” that a demon was confirmed by the priest and he needed to get back to Doug. The entire time the persistent scammer kept asking about a $200 gift card while simultaneously answering questions about Doug’s presumed possession. Shortly after Roberts posted the interaction, it quickly went viral and commenters can’t get over the elaborate story and the scammer’s persistence.

“That is the best exchange ever. That smoooooth transition for the gift card request,” someone writes.

“Scamming someone and trying to cast out demons. Nope, Satan can’t cast out Satan,” another says.

“My 14 year old and I were screaming laughing “a picture of the demon?” Snort.,” one woman laughs.

The entire exchange is so comical that you’d have to read the entire thing to get the full effect and the ending was definitely a jump scare, not to the reader but probably for the scammer.

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Who Has The Most Nominations At The 2024 Grammys?

Grammys trophies
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On Friday morning, November 10, The Recording Academy announced the full nomination field for the 2024 Grammys, which will occur on February 4, 2024 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS. The eligibility window was set for October 1, 2022 to September 15, 2023. So, while Dua Lipa’s freshly released single “Houdini” will have to wait, Lipa is still nominated for Song Of The Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media for “Dance The Night” from the Barbie movie. But two nominations is far from the most earned by a single artist. SZA has the most nominations for the 2024 Grammys with nine.

SZA shook the world when she dropped SOS on December 9, 2022. Her sophomore album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but she shared that debuting on Billboard‘s Hot 100 Songwriters chart meant “so f*cking much to me.” SOS singles “Kill Bill” and “Snooze” peaked at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.

At the 2024 Grammys, SZA is nominated for Record Of The Year (“Kill Bill”), Album Of The Year (SOS), Song Of The Year (“Kill Bill”), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Ghost In The Machine” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers), Best R&B Performance (“Kill Bill”), Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Love Language”), Best Progressive R&B Album (SOS), Best R&B Song (“Snooze”), and Best Melodic Rap Performance (“Low”).

Behind SZA are Phoebe Bridgers, Victoria Monét, and Serban Ghenea with seven nominations apiece. (Bridgers’ seven include six nominations for Boygenius.) The artists with six nominations each are Boygenius, Billie Eilish, Brandy Clark, Jack Antonoff, Jon Batiste, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift. Also, shout out to Lana Del Rey for her five nominations.

At the 2022 Grammys, SZA won her first and only Grammy as the featured artist on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category. So, simple math: winning any of her nine nominations at the 2024 Grammys would mark her first Grammy as a solo artist.

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Who Are The First-Time Nominees For The 2024 Grammys?

Victoria Monet 2022 Made In America
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After a somewhat anxiety-inducing live broadcast, the 2024 Grammy Awards nomination list is out. Singers like Taylor Swift, SZA, and rapper Drake were sure to make the cut, given their recording-breaking run on the music charts this year. Not everyone was as clear-cut shut-ins. Just as each year brings about notable snubs (hi, PinkPantheress), it is important to acknowledge those artists who bet out the right for their respective spots, especially first-time nominees.

Who are the first-time nominees for the 2024 Grammys?

Victoria Monét and her adorable daughter Hazel earned their first nominations today as performers (November 10). Victoria previously received three nominations in her supporting role on thank u, next by Ariana Grande and “Do It” by Chloe x Halle. For the 2024 Grammy Awards, as a lead artist, Victoria is positioned seven awards including for Best New Artist, Record Of The Year (“On My Mama”), Best R&B Album (Jaguar II), Best R&B Performance (“How Does It Make You Feel”), Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Hollywood” featuring Earth, Wind, And Fire and Hazel Monét), Best R&B Song (“On My Mama”), and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (Jaguar II).

Hazel dethrones Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy, becoming the youngest Grammy nomination in the ceremony’s history.

Other first-time nominees include Ryan Gosling (Best Song Written For Visual Media), Ayra Starr (Best African Music Performance), Coco Jones (Best New Artist, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance, and Best Traditional R&B Performance), Coi Leray (Best Rap Performance and Best Pop Dance Recording), Peso Pluma (Best Música Mexicana Album), Noah Kahan (Best New Artist), The War And Treaty (Best New Artist), Ice Spice (Best New Artist, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Song Written For Visual Media), Gracie Abrams (Best New Artist), Jelly Roll (Best New Artist), and Caroline Rose (Best Recording Package, The Art Of Forgetting).

Although Summer Walker was nominated in the Album of The Year category due to her contribution to Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (“Purple Hearts”), she’s earned her first as a lead artist in Best R&B Album (Clear 2: Soft Life EP). Halle’s single “Angel” earned her a nomination in the Best R&B Song category, marking it a first for her as a solo act.

The 2024 GRAMMYs are set to go down on Sunday, February 4, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+. Find more information here.

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

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Does Apple Music Have Audiobooks?

Apple Music
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Apple has bled into basically every aspect of daily life. Who among us hasn’t fallen down the rabbit hole of the latest iOS update? By extension, Apple Music is constantly innovating — from interactive tools like collaborative playlists and SharePlay to the year-end Apple Music Replay. But do audiobooks also fall under the ever-expanding Apple Music umbrella?

Does Apple Music Have Audiobooks?

Apple Music can’t have everything, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. According to Apple Support, audiobooks are available via Apple Books. The Books app is where you can buy audiobooks, and purchased audiobooks will be placed in your library within the Apple Books app. Audiobooks are not included in the Apple Music app or under an Apple Music subscription.

in January, Screen Rant explained the potential confusion, as excerpted below:

“While this seems like a simple answer to uncover, its roots are traced back to the way iTunes was handled back in the day. All forms of content were available in the iTunes Store, from songs to audiobooks, which created a unified experience. When Apple made the decision to split iTunes’ services into multiple applications, that all changed. Now, there are separate Music, Books, and Podcast apps that each offer distinct services.”

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Reportedly Won’t Stop Using A Certain ‘High School’ Insult To Shame Lauren Boebert For Her Alleged Promiscuity

Lauren Boebert
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Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert keeps accidentally reminding people about her groping-and-vaping scandal, so it seems unlikely that this mess will go away anytime soon, if ever. Even an innocent photo or the words with “encounters” and “Southern Border” is enough to set people off into a fit of giggles. Her Democrat Bar Guy probably also isn’t enjoying his professional fallout, and of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene is having a field day.

Greene and Boebert have been at aggressive odds against each other for a few years now, and the former’s irritation kicked into full force after being booted from the Freedom Caucus. Greene has been flat-out calling her rival a vaper and groper, and she’s now reportedly added a very unsavory (and “high school”) insult to her repertoire. Actually, she might have been using the word for “a while,” which is even worse. From The Daily Beast:

…after a date at Beetlejuice The Musical turned into a national conversation about groping, Greene has resorted to a playbook familiar to any woman who survived high school: She’s telling GOP colleagues, according to lawmakers, that Boebert is a “whore.”

One Republican lawmaker, who has heard Greene use that word multiple times to describe Boebert, told The Daily Beast that Greene has been at this campaign for some time. “Calling her a whore, that’s not new,” this GOP lawmaker said. “She’s been doing that for a while.”

Another GOP lawmaker also witnessed Greene refer to Boebert as a “whore.”

That’s not all. When contacted by The Daily Beast’s Zachary Petrizzo, Greene fired back about how this Petrizzo “can’t help yourself” and “you like to write trash.” She accused him of enjoying “drama,” and “You just love it so much, you got to create it, and make it more, and bigger, and nastier.” However, the congresswoman never denied using the W-word about Boebert.

(Via The Daily Beast)