Category: Worldwide

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a viral sensation. This sounds outright absurd considering the “Can’t Fight This Feeling” singer is bona fide pop music veteran. However, newer fans only recently discovered the songwriter’s discography and that’s largely due to Saltburn.

Although the film’s one-year anniversary is quickly approaching, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is still benefiting from her music being featured in its notorious bathtub scene. According to Chart Data, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s song “Murder on the Dancefloor” is now a RIAA-certified platinum single, marking her first-ever song to reach this feat.

While, the RIAA database (viewable here) doesn’t reflect this milestone, Chart Data ensures Sophie crossed the 1,000,000 threshold in the US.

Nearly 23 years after its initial release, Sophie electrifying smash has become an international smash. Supporters took to X (formerly Twitter) with celebratory notes in case the certification is indeed true.

“I’m glad that she finally got the recognition, but I’m still offended by the fact it took this long,” wrote one user.

“It’s incredible to see ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ finally get the recognition it deserves after all these years,” penned another.

During an interview with UPROXX, Sophie discussed the moment she was approached for use of the track. “All I knew initially was that it was a film written and directed by Emerald Fennell, who I already thought was brilliant,” she said. “It was going to be all of the song and someone dancing to it naked. But to be honest, I didn’t quite get the significance. I also didn’t really know if it was going to happen, because sometimes we get asked for permission, and maybe they edit it out.”

Eminem has come a long way since his rebellious start in rap nearly thirty years ago. The “Somebody Save Me” rapper still lyrically packs a punch, but the soon-to-be grandfather also uses his sharp pen for civic engagement.

Today (October 22), Eminem made a surprise appearance at Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally. The event geared to drum up support for her presidential campaign also served as the ideal platform for Eminem to vocalize his support for Harris. In a semi-surprise speech (viewable here), Eminem officially shared his endorsement of the presidential hopeful.

“Detroit, What up doe,” he exclaimed. “So look, I wrote down a few things I wanted to say. I’m here tonight for a couple of important reasons. As most of you know, the city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me. And going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever, and I think it’s important to use your voice, so I’m encouraging everybody to get out and vote, please.”

He continued by saying: “I also think that people shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution, or what people will do if you make your opinion known. I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld. And here to tell you much more about that, President Barack Obama.”

After passing things off to Obama, the former president paid tribute to the hometown hero by rapping his song, “Lose Yourself.”

Eminem’s endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket isn’t shocking to supporters. Back in 2020, the rapper endorsed President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris. He also authorized the use of “Lose Yourself” for their campaign.

This isn’t the only musician to endorse Harris. Billie Eilish, Finneas, Taylor Swift, Quavo, and Megan Thee Stallion have also thrown their support behind the presidential hopeful.

NBA history got made on Tuesday night in L.A., as in the second quarter of the Lakers season opener against the Timberwolves, LeBron James and Bronny James made their way to the scorer’s table to check in together, becoming the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.

It was a cool moment, and the only other father-son combo to play on the same team at the same time in pro sports, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., were also on hand to mark the occasion. There was a ton of build-up over the past few months — and, honestly, years as James had talked about wanting this to happen for a while — and new Lakers coach JJ Redick made sure to avoid letting it be a story for longer than it needed to, getting the two into the game together in the opener.

While there are always nerves for a rookie making their NBA debut, Bronny doing so alongside his legendary father with the basketball world all watching had to bring out even more butterflies. LeBron could seemingly sense that on the bench, and after checking out for his rest before the planned moment where they’d both check in, he shared some final advice for Bronny to try and calm those nerves, as TNT had LeBron mic’d up.

It’s a very cool moment and you can see how LeBron can’t fully turn off dad mode on the bench, as he tries to settle the nerves for Bronny and get him ready for what’s to come, highlighting the intensity of the game and then telling him just to play carefree. It wasn’t quite the movie script version of their debut, as the Lakers led by 16 when the two checked into the game, and the Timberwolves went on a little run, going at Bronny on the defensive end and the Lakers working maybe a bit too hard to create the Bron-to-Bronny bucket and getting a bit out of rhythm offensively. Still, L.A. was able to keep the lead at double digits and push it back to 13 by halftime, making sure the discussion could be about a historic moment and not anything more.

The Los Angeles Lakers used the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Bronny James. While Bronny is considered a player who needs some time to grow into an NBA player, he was able to get on the floor in the team’s opening game, where he made history as one half of the first father-son duo to play in the same game.

At the four mark of the second quarter while the Lakers had a 51-35 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bronny and LeBron James were on the floor at the same time. It was a move that Lakers coach JJ Redick said was going to happen, and rumors indicated he wanted to do this early. And while meeting with the media, LeBron expressed that he views the opportunity to play with his son as a “treat.”

“Whenever it happens, it will happen,” LeBron said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “If it’s tonight or if it’s down the line, whenever it happens, it will happen. But it’s been a treat, and just in preseason, the practices, just every day … just bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about and how to prepare every day as a professional.”

It is unclear if the Lakers plan to keep Bronny with them as the season goes on, or if he will spend some time in the G League to develop his game.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent rallies have been filled with celebrity cameos and musical performances. Today (October 22), the presidential hopeful’s event in Detroit, Michigan was a bit different.

Instead of centering a hometown hero’s endorsement, a special speaker paid homage to them in a rather cool way. During his time at the podium, former president Barack Obama performed a snippet of Eminem’s song “Lose Yourself” (viewable here).

“His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy / There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti / He’s nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready / To drop bombs,” rapped Obama.

The authenticity of Obama’s playlist curation has been questioned in the past. But his admiration for Eminem’s beloved track long since documented.

Albeit flattering, Eminem has reportedly sent other politicians (Vivek Ramaswamy) cease and desist letter in the past for referencing his music in the past. However, his hatred for former president Donald Trump may tilt the scales in Obama’s favor. Plus, Eminem gave a thumbs up to Obama’s dramatic reading of the song’s lyrics suggests this time wouldn’t be any different.

On the other hand, another notable Detroit musician, Trick Trick (real name Christian Anthony Mathis), endorsed Trump.

So, fans can sort of consider the Motor City to be balanced.

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered this season with major questions about their financial situation going forward. Even beyond the team’s ownership situation that remains up in the air, the Wolves did some wheeling and dealing to acquire Rob Dillingham in the NBA Draft so they could have a young player on a longer deal and traded Karl-Anthony Towns this offseason in what was, in part, considered a money saving maneuver.

Right before the start of their year, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the team extended a core piece in such a way that it provides a little financial flexibility. Rudy Gobert, the Wolves’ star center and the anchor of their stout defense, agreed to a 3-year extension that will pay him $110 million over the life of the deal. The catch is that, in order to make this happen, Gobert will decline the player option in his contract for the 2025-26 season, which would have cost the team $46.6 million, and he’ll receive both a player option on the final year of his new extension and a trade kicker.

The Wolves pulled off a blockbuster trade to bring Gobert to Minnesota ahead of the 2022-23 season, and while the team experiences some growing pains during his first season, things changed in a big way last year. Gobert anchored the league’s most ferocious defense as Minnesota won 56 games and made it to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history.

There was no championship hangover for the Boston Celtics in Tuesday’s ring night opener against the New York Knicks. After raising banner 18 to the rafters of the TD Garden, the Celtics went right to work dismantling the defense of the new-look Knicks, raining in threes at a historic clip.

It took 12 seconds for the Celtics to hit their first three of the night, as Jayson Tatum hit the first of his eight triples on the opening possession of the game.

From there, the Celtics just never stopped pouring in shots from deep, as they took advantage of a Knicks team very clearly still trying to get on the same page defensively after making some major changes this summer. New York was a step slow in rotations all night and there isn’t a worse team to face than the Celtics when that’s the case, as they will hoist threes if given a sliver of space, much less wide open looks all night.

The Celtics buried 10 threes in the first quarter, 17 in the first half, and by the early fourth quarter they had tied the NBA record for made threes in a game when Al Horford cashed in a shot from the corner for their 29th of the night with 8:54 to play.

At that point it felt inevitable that the Celtics would break the record, but then the entire team went ice cold and the pressure of making NBA history started to mount as Boston’s reserves tried to get the job done. Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Xavier Tillman, and Jordan Walsh all got up looks in fourth to break the record but went a combined 0-for-13, with the crowd growing antsier with each miss, rising to their feet in hopes of seeing a little history. Instead, they had to settle for tying the record held by the 2020 Milwaukee Bucks, a 132-109 blowout win of a chief rival, and seeing another banner go into the rafters.

Tatum led the way with his eight threes (on 11 attempts), as he showed proof of his new and improved jump shot on his way to 37 points and 10 assists, as all five of Boston’s starters made three or more from deep — Derrick White (6-of-10), Jaylen Brown (5-of-9), Jrue Holiday (4-of-6), and Al Horford (3-of-5). The bench did not fare as well, but they certainly were aware of what was on the line and just couldn’t get one to fall. Still, it was quite the showing from the Celtics, who made an emphatic statement that they’re not just going to start the season in cruise control, and will instead be out for dominance once again.

Just like his highly anticipated Don’t Be Dumb album, Asap Rocky’s day in court has been delayed.

Today (October 22), the “Tailor Swif” rapper’s pretrial hearing for his alleged assault of former associate ASAP Relli (real name Terell Ephron) was held at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, California.

During the hearing, Judge Mark Arnold rescheduled A$AP Rocky’s trial for the supposed assault according to AllHipHop. The previous court date was set for November 12. Following the judge’s decision, Asap Rocky’s new assault trial date will now begin on January 21, 2025.

The outlet claims the reason for the shift boils down to the presiding judge taking Asap Rocky’s performance schedule into account, specifically his upcoming set at Rolling Loud Thailand on November 22. While Asap Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina reportedly argued other reasons for the judge to consider for a postponement including the “upcoming holidays” and “issues with discovery.”

Outside of the courthouse, Tacopina answered questions by the press regarding the change in trial date (viewable here). “We set the final and definitive trial date which is now January 21, 2025,” he said. “Everyone just decided it’s best to do this in January. It’s a firm date. It’s a real date. He’s really eager to get this done, to get this behind him. So, [he] was not really looking to push this off that far, but it’s standard stuff that happens when you’re doing trials.”

Love or hate it Matty Healy always has something to say (even when it is insensitive, unwanted, or crass). But sometimes, The 1975’s frontman’s commentary can lead to something amazing (hello, Oasis reunion).

Well, Matty Healy’s thoughts could live on for eternity in the form of a book. Today (October 22), Matty Healy seemingly teased that fans could expect an authored piece from him. While promoting his appearance on Doomscroll hosted by Joshua Citarella, he keep the rumor mill into motion.

“God I wish I could have an entire book about Matty and the internet,” commented one person on YouTube.

Healy’s response of the looking eye emoji served as enough confirmation for supporters.

However, after his post gained traction on X (formerly Twitter), Taylor Swift fans quickly chimed in with a theory about the supposed literary work.

One user speculated that Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” was actually about Healy. The user uploaded a screenshot (viewable here) of the lyrics that read: “Were you writing a book? / Were you a sleeper cell spy? / In 50 years will all this be declassified?”

“[Oh my f*cking God] he actually was he’s pure evil,” wrote another.

Overwhelming others disparaged the musician from continuing with the book if he hasn’t already completed it.

“Matty Healy threatens to release a book,” joked one user.

“Now who on EARTH would comment that or even WANT THAT,” asked another.

“We don’t want it,” added another.

While some asked for another type of creative work from him. “We wanted an album,” chimed one user.

Whether or not Matty Healy is actually working on a book is still speculation as is its topic. But it shouldn’t be difficult for him to crank one out.

For the final time, TNT’s Inside the NBA crew was on site for the NBA’s opening night, as Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley were in Boston for the Celtics’ ring night festivities.

In the second game of TNT’s opening night doubleheader, the Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and while seeing the new-look Wolves in action after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade is certainly interesting, the biggest thing that will happen in that game is some NBA history being made when LeBron James and Bronny James become the first father-son duo to play together in a game. On the pregame show, the crew discussed the moment, with Charles Barkley trying to make sure to temper expectations on Bronny, but unlike most situations when the show can lean on the expertise of the three former players, in this instance, it’s Ernie that could speak from experience on a father-son working relationship.

Johnson called games with his father, Ernie Johnson Sr., back in the 90s, and he wanted to offer one piece of advice to LeBron: “soak it all in.”

As he notes, there’s just nothing that can replicate this kind of moment. For all the discussion and arguments people on the outside will have about it and it being something historic for the league, it is at the same time something very personal, and Ernie’s advice for LeBron was simply not to ignore that part. I don’t think that’ll be an issue for James, as this is something he’s talked about wanting to happen for a long time.