Category: Worldwide

After getting hit with a damning federal indictment for mishandling classified documents, and then going on Fox News to basically confess that, yes, he totally did mishandle said documents, Donald Trump has even more trouble coming his way. And for once, we’re not talking about the looming charges for mishandling more documents in New Jersey, election meddling in Georgia, and the January 6 attack. Nope, this is a brand new problem.

According to a new poll, Trump gets easily defeated by Joe Biden in three battleground states, which is bad enough as it is. However, the poll also shows that Trump’s primary challenger Ron DeSantis fares much better, and actually beats Biden in the key states. That’s not something you want to see when your presidential run is already being threatened by federal espionage charges.

Via Mediaite:

The surveys, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies show DeSantis prevailing by 2 points in Pennsylvania, 6 points in Arizona, and 3 points in Georgia, and Trump losing by 4 in Pennsylvania and 3 in the latter two states.

Trump lost all three states in the 2020 presidential election, becoming the first Republican presidential nominee to fall short in Arizona since Bob Dole in 1996 and the first to lose Georgia since George H.W. Bush in 1992. He alleges that those losses can be attributed to mass, unproven voter fraud.

However, despite the polling showing DeSantis faring much better against Biden, Trump still remains the Republican frontrunner for the time being. As Mediaite reports, the former president is still the heavy favorite with 51% of GOP voters backing him for president as opposed to only 21% for DeSantis. Could that change as Trump’s legal problems increase? Who the heck knows?

The guy somehow became president once just by promising to build a giant wall that he never even built. America is a wondrous place.

(Via Mediaite)

Movie fans have been clamoring for a stunt Oscar for more than a decade, and the conversation usually goes something like this:

Movie Fan 1: We should have a stunt Oscar!
Movie Fan 2: I agree!

Now, Chad Stahelski has insinuated that it might be on the way. Speaking with ComicBookMovie about John Wick 4, the stuntman/action director noted that a stunt Oscar hasn’t happened yet primarily because there haven’t been any real conversations with the Academy about it.

“In the last couple of months, we’ve been meeting with members of the Academy and actually having these conversations, and, to be honest, it’s been nothing but incredibly positive, incredibly instructional,” said Stahelski. “I think, for the first time, we’ve made real movement forward to making this happen. I think it’s something that can happen as soon as, you know, the next Oscars, or at least the one after that, at the latest, the next three or four years.”

That may feel like it’s moving in bullet time for fans, but it’s relatively quick in terms of red tape. And if his comments are too wishy-washy for you, he also said, “They want stunts at the Oscars. It’s going to happen.”

And, really, it feels like the Oscars need stunts just as much as the stunt community might need them. It’s one way to inject some energy into a broadcast that’s otherwise an endless stream of people talking intercut by stripped-down musical performances. Bring on the wire work and kick-punches.

(via ComicBookMovie)

If you’re brave enough to drink a (surprisingly delicious) milkshake named after a enormous purple taste bud, you should also try the pie endorsed by the actor who found out first hand what third base feels like.

In the weirdest (and possibly most brilliant) marketing tie-in of the year, American Pie star Jason Biggs has teamed up with EDWARDS Desserts for a limited-edition dessert. Pie Lovers Passion Fruit consists of coconut passion fruit mousse, mango crème, pineapple lemongrass cream, garnished with tropical jellies, pineapple compote, and gold leaf, all contained in a fresh-baked vanilla cookie crumb crust.

“Hi, I’m Jason Biggs, and I’m America’s biggest pie lover. Not in a weird way…” Biggs said in a promotional video for the dessert as an off-screen director yells cut (you can watch it here). Let’s try that again. “There’s nothing more American than pie, so I’ve teamed up with Edwards to start your Fourth of July off with a bang.” Nope. One more time. “I can say cream, right?” Good enough. All that’s missing is a confusing cameo from Blink-182 and their pet monkey.

You can order the Pie Lovers Passion Fruit, which comes with an autograph from Biggs, between Friday, June 30 and Monday, July 3, here.

You know things are bad when a guy nicknamed “The Mooch” thinks your public image has gone down the toilet.

Trump’s former White House Director of Communications, joined a CNN panel Tuesday night where he predicted his old boss’ imminent demise. Scaramucci, who spent a grand total of 11 days in Trump’s administration, touted his insider access to back up his claims that the former president is “unraveling” before our very eyes. First, he speculated that Trump may drop out of the 2024 presidential race if his numbers slip too low amongst Republican voters.

“I don’t think it’s a big enough dent, yet, but if those numbers really start to move, he’ll drop out of the race,” Scaramucci said. “He will not be able to handle an eviscerating defeat in Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina.”

Scaramucci guessed that if rivals like Governor Ron DeSantis or Chris Christie start gaining popularity with his MAGA base, he’ll conjure up an excuse to exit his campaign early to avoid embarrassment. That summation tracks with what we know of Trump’s fragile ego and isn’t all too surprising, but the more embarrassing bit of insight came when Scaramucci zeroed in on his former employer’s, how do we say this … schlubby appearance in TV interviews lately.

According to Scaramucci, the writing has been aerosolized on the wall.

“He’s physically unraveling. Just look at him,” Scaramucci continued. “Go back to the Brett Baier tape. He was probably using six cans of hairspray during the campaign, he’s probably using one now and he’s got to straighten this out. He’s a very image-conscious guy. You can tell that he’s unraveling. People who really know him can tell that this thing is starting to come undone on him.”

You can get The Mooch’s full two cents below:

(Via RawStory)

If Olivia Rodrigo fans are one thing, it’s dedicated. As Rodrigo is gearing up to drop her new single “Vampire” to kickstart her sophomore era, many have suspected that she has some Easter eggs in store.

Two years ago, Rodrigo had a hotline for her first album, Sour, that fans could call into to hear parts of the record. Given the same hotline is now playing a new piano instrumental, there’s a high possibility that it’s the first glimpse of “Vampire.” That’s the prevailing theory at the moment, anyway.

Even yesterday, the pop star might have revealed some lyrics in a cryptic Instagram post that had the phrase “How do you lie?” written three times. Fans have also reportedly been receiving packages from Rodrigo’s team in the mail with merch and a rare letter card — which might spell out something, but nobody has solved it yet. One person did get a “U” though with an order from her store.

There is also a running thread with people getting letters, including G, I, L, P, and S… So far. Here’s hoping fans find out what it means, whether an album title or a lyric, before Rodrigo drops “Vampire” soon on June 30.

Until then, check out Rodrigo’s possible “Vampire” snippet above.

It’s been said countless times, but teachers really are the best and bravest of us all. Anyone who has spent time surrounded by kids, trying to help them learn while managing the countless crises that can occur when hundreds of immature humans are put together in one place, knows that teaching encompasses so much more than just academic instruction. Teachers serve as mentors, counselors, nurses, mediators and sometimes even security guards.

That’s why a middle school teacher who thought there was a fight happening in her classroom ran full speed toward it—in a dress and heels, no less.

A TikTok video shared by @lilythern shows a teacher sprinting down a school hallway with an overlay of text that reads, “This middle school teacher thought she was running to break up a fight.” As she runs into the classroom, she sees a couple of dozen students gathered in a tight circle and shouting. The teacher immediately starts pushing her way through the outside of the circle, yelling, “Hey! Break it up! Break it up!”

But there is no breaking up to be had. In fact, what she finds is the exact opposite.

As the students part to let her through, we see some of them holding up signs and smiling. Then we see a man down on one knee.

Watch:

@lilythern

#fyp #touchingmoment #middleschoolersbelike #loveit

How fast was that adrenaline switch from fight-or-flight to genuine joy? Seriously, the fearlessness with which she ran into that room is as heartening as the proposal itself.

People in the comments loved it:

“She is so strong. She was running towards the chaos to stop it with her bare hands. What a fighter. This is the best proposal ever.”

“That was the ‘Not in my school!’ run! 😂😂😂😂”

“Fearless teachers are the ones that deserve the most respect.”

“Don’t marry her, she has to join the Avengers.”

The students were clearly thrilled to be a part of the sweet proposal, and the teacher’s immediate and enthusiastic “yes” made it all that much sweeter.

Definitely a moment none of these students—or their teacher—will ever forget.

This article originally appeared on 4.12.23

We are just days away from Kim Petras’ upcoming debut album, Feed The Beast. Ahead of the project, the “Unholy” hitmaker has announced the Feed The Beast World Tour, an international tour set to kick off this fall.

Petras broke the news with a trailer, in which she walks through New York City dressed as a knight, buys snacks in a bodega, and attempts to take the subway — despite getting caught in a turnstile.

Tickets are available for purchase here.

You can check out the trailer above and the tour dates below.

09/27/2023 — Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater
09/30/2023 — Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphiteater
10/01/2023 — Orlando, FL @ Addition Financial Arena
10/04/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
10/07/2023 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10/09/2023 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Mirage
10/12/2023 — Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
10/13/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center
10/16/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Coca-Cola Coliseum
10/18/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
10/19/2023 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
10/23/2023 — Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
10/26/2023 — Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum
10/27/2023 — Portland, OR @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum
10/29/2023 — San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/01/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
11/08/2023 — Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
11/11/2023 — Nashville, TN @ Municipal Auditorium
11/13/2023 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
11/14/2023 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
11/21/2023 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
11/22/2023 — San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
02/13/2024 — Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham
02/15/2024 — Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy Glasgow
02/16/2024 — Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
02/19/2024 — London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
02/24/2024 — Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
02/25/2024 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
02/27/2024 — Cologne, Germany @ Palladium
02/28/2024 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
03/01/2024 — Berlin, Germany @ Columbiahalle
03/02/2024 — Warsaw, Poland @ EXPO XXI
03/04/2024 — Munich, Germany @ Zenith
03/05/2024 — Milan, Italy @ Fabrique

Feed The Beast is out 6/23 via Republic. Find more information here.

Father, football team owner, and freakish superhero portrayer Ryan Reynolds has reached the ultimate goal of every performer: putting us to sleep. He’s also launched a new channel in partnership with Fubo (the way people without cable watch sports). The Maximum Effort Channel is available on Fubo as of June 20th, with Bedtime Stories with Ryan as its flagship program and more shows on the way. Maximum Effort will also be on other streaming platforms in the near future.

Like the title promises, the show features bedtime stories with Ryan, who uses his sonorous voice to tell “new and classic bedtime stories in an attempt to soothe your mind and soul (and also his own).” Fortunately, all the advertisements will be whispered.

“We’re so happy to create a program with the express goal of putting people to sleep. This show has actually been a dream of mine for a while,” Reynolds said. “Story time is a nighttime staple in our home and is a daily reminder of the power of storytelling.”

This won’t be the first storytelling series to try to get listeners to nod off. It’s basically its own podcasting subgenre at this point. Yet Reynolds’ voice is clearly up to the velvety task. Good luck making it to the end of an episode.

Sexyy Red and Tay Keith have a hit on their hands with “Pound Town,” which received further attention when Nicki Minaj hopped on the remix, dubbed “Pound Town 2.” It’s a super saucy song, so naturally, people who aren’t into that sort of explicit lyric won’t love it. In that category of reaction content, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has become the ultimate purveyor of flabbergasted music responses since going viral for his reading of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” back in 2020.

Now, he has some thoughts about both “Pound Town” versions. Minaj and Red, though, are just brushing it off: Responding to a clip of Shapiro discussing “Pound Town,” Minaj tweeted, “Roman said leave his ass out of it sir! No pun intended.” Red also retweeted a six-second video of Shapiro reciting the “My coochie pink, my booty-hole brown” line of the song.

As for Shapiro’s take on “Pound Town” and the remix, he tackled the subject in a recent video from his Daily Wire outlet, in which he sarcastically calls the song “one of the great pieces of art in the history of Western civilization.” After breaking down some of Red’s background, he declared that “Pound Town” is so explicit that “it makes ‘WAP’ look childhood-friendly.”

He then played a clip from Red’s recent UPROXX Sessions performance of “Pound Town,” in which Red raps the opening verse: “I’m out of town, thuggin’ with my rounds / My coochie pink, my booty-hole brown / Where the n****s? I’m lookin’ for the hoes / Quit playin’, n****, come suck a b*tch toe.”

Shapiro could only snicker and laugh before immediately launching into some ad reads. After that, Shapiro recited the lyrics himself and questioned Minaj’s decision to hop on the remix. Shapiro acknowledged that his reading of the “Pound Town” lyrics will probably go viral, and since Minaj and Red themselves have caught wind of it, it seems like he was right on that one.

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

Secret Invasion has only been streaming for a few hours, but already the new Marvel series has sparked a wave of controversy thanks to a foreboding creative decision for the opening credit scenes. According to Secret Invasion director and executive producer Ali Selim, the “artwork” featured in the title sequence was created using artificial intelligence. Marvel fans are not taking it well.

The use of AI art has been a contentious issue for years, but thanks to the writers’ strike, AI-generated content has become even more of a hot topic as studios have signaled their willingness to bypass human writers and/or artists. However, Selim has attempted to justify the use of AI art as a commentary on the themes present in Secret Invasion.

Via Polygon:

“When we reached out to the AI vendors, that was part of it — it just came right out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who did this? Who is this?” Selim says.

Like many people, Selim says he doesn’t “really understand” how the artificial intelligence works, but was fascinated with the ways in which the AI could translate the sense of foreboding he wanted for the series. “We would talk to them about ideas and themes and words, and then the computer would go off and do something. And then we could change it a little bit by using words, and it would change.”

Unfortunately for Selim and Marvel, fans are not buying the meta-commentary excuse for using AI art. On Twitter, the Secret Invasion hashtag has been inundated with backlash to the opening credits sequence.

You can see some of the reactions below:

New episodes of Marvel’s Secret Invasion stream Wednesday on Disney+.

(Via Polygon)