Category: Worldwide

From the upcoming Senate hearing regarding Ticketmaster being held virtually and open to the public to seeing their beloved musician receiving praise from fellow pop star Lady Gaga, fans of Taylor Swift are having a great start to their week. Talk show host, The Voice judge, and Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Clarkson continued in the Swift love fest.

Today (January 23), during the Kellyoke segment on her show, Clarkson covered one of Swift’s deep-cut songs, “Better Man.” Dressed in football jerseys to commemorate the NFL-themed episode, Clarkson and crew are ready for the game called love.

Passionately singing the lyric, “Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I can feel you again/ But I just miss you, and I just wish you were a better man,” Clarkson injects her own experiences in love into the heartbreaking track.

Although “Better Man” was originally written by Swift for her 2012 album Red, it didn’t make the project. Instead, the song landed in the hands country group Little Big Town. The quartet recorded the track and released it as the lead single of their 2017 album The Breaker. Eventually, Swift rerecorded and made the song available for streaming after falling out with the owners of her former record label, Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun. During which Clarkson showed public support for Swift by tweeting, “Taylor Swift just a thought, you should go in & re-record all the songs that you don’t own the masters on exactly how you did them but put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions. I’d buy all of the new versions just to prove a point,” to which Swift did.

What a full-circle moment. Watch the full performance above.

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

There are two kinds of people in this world—those who Google “nightlife” when they’re exploring travel destinations and those with no desire to venture anywhere after 10:00 p.m.

Nothing against those folks who enjoy spending after-bedtime hours in crowded nightclubs, but “nightlife” just sounds like torture to me. Even during my somewhat wild college days, whenever I’d go out dancing late at night with my friends, the little voice in my head would say, “You know you’d rather be curled up on your couch in your jammies right now.” And it was right. I would have.

While some introverts may genuinely look forward to a night on the town, I’d venture to guess most of us don’t. By the end of the day, our social batteries are usually pretty tapped out, so a quiet evening with a movie or a book is almost always preferable to one that involves trying to make conversation over blaring music and strobe lights.

That’s why a parody of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is being claimed as a personal theme song by introverts everywhere.

The video from indie pop band Sub-Radio has raked in over a million views on their TikTok channel and gone similarly viral on Facebook—and for good reason. With band members clad in comfy-looking PJs, the video opens with the caption, “When someone asks me if I’m going out tonight.” Then comes an introvert anthem that is all too relatable.

Watch:

@subradioband

send this to your favorite introvert #fypp #indieband #alternativeband

First of all, has anyone ever told the lead singer he looks like Rob McElhenney? Second, “I’ve done alright up til now, but I’d kill someone not to go downtown,” is the most accurate reflection of an introvert’s internal evening monologue I’ve ever seen. Third, “My Squishmallow calls”? So accurate. 10/10. No notes.

If you’re someone who loves the nightlife, this song may not be relatable at all, but this is exactly how a good portion of the population feels. You know that person you see at the club who seems bored and aloof and maybe somewhat annoyed? There’s a very good chance they’d rather be sitting at home, listening to this song with a cup of tea and their cat. Genuinely.

“I have never felt so seen in my life,” wrote one commenter.

“I need to send this to people trying to make plans with me,” wrote another.

“This be my soundtrack on Friday nights 🥰,” shared another person.

One commenter dubbed those who relate to the video as “The ‘stay home club’ 😻🙌😻🙌😻.”

With so many pop hits about clubbing and partying, it’s refreshing to see those of us who aren’t about that life celebrated in song. We and our Squishmallows salute you, Sub-Radio.

Is Francis Ford Coppola, one of cinema’s most daring titans, in the middle of another of his famous chaos shoots? He claims he isn’t. In fact, Megalopolis, his already star-studded, self-financed dream project, appears to only be getting better. Indeed, a cast that already includes Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, and many, many more has just added yet another luminary.

As per Deadline, no less than Giancarlo Esposito is suddenly joining the cast. Who will he play? Who knows! But it will be a reunion: Back in 1984’s Harlem-set period piece The Cotton Club, the future Gus Fring had a small role as “Bumpy Hood.” It’s yet another big credit for an already busy actor, whose recent/future credits include Netflix’s non-linear heist show Kaleidoscope, playing Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in the new season of EPIX’s Godfather of Harlem, plus another round with The Mandalorian.

Details about the plot of Megalopolis are still fairly vague. Here’s how Deadline describes it: “The fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems in this epic story of political ambition, genius, and dangerous love.”

Sounds like another ambitious game-changer from someone who’s never been afraid to think outside the box and swing big. On top of the aforementioned cast, Esposito will be joining [deep breath] Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Shia LaBeouf, Chloe Fineman, Kathryn Hunter, DB Sweeney, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Bailey Ives, Grace Vanderwaal, and James Remar. Surely there’s time for Coppola to add another big name or two, or three.

(Via Deadline)

It’s been over two years since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and though justice has moved slowly, it’s moving. A lot of the more colorful characters that day have already done their time; some have even seen their political aspirations dashed. But it’s taken this long for one of the most memorable insurrectionists to get the book thrown at him: the dude who posed for a picture chilling the office belonging to Nancy Pelosi, whom he left a note calling her a “bitch.”

As per NBC News, on Monday a jury threw the book at Richard “Bigo” Barnett, finding him guilty of all eight charges he was facing. Barnett repeatedly told the court he regretted what he had done, which included not only storming the Capitol building but also allowing himself to be photographed with his feet laid out on the then-Speaker of the House’s desk, looking happy as a clam. Still, he disagreed with their verdict, saying he had ultimately done nothing illegal.

Barnett’s is scheduled to be sentenced on May 3. He’s likely to appeal.

Before he departed Pelosi’s office, his fate sealed, he reportedly left her a note reading, “Nancy, Bigo was here, you bitch.”

Shortly after being arrested and locked up, Barnett threw a temper tantrum during a virtual hearing. “I’ve been here a long time,” Barnett yelled. “Another month … It’s not fair … You’re letting everyone else out.”

(Via NBC News)

Pro magician Kevin Li has dazzled audiences, celebrities and even heavy hitters in the industry like Penn and Teller with his impressive sleight of hand displays.

However, Li would tell you that one of his “most memorable” performances wasn’t for a sold out crowd, but for a single person who might normally miss out on his gifts.

A video posted to Li’s TikTok shows Li offering up a magic trick to a man who is vision impaired. At first, the man politely declined, saying, “I’m blind, so the magic won’t work for me.”

Without missing a beat, Li replied, “I really want you to experience the magic right now. So let’s try something.”

Placing a quarter in the man’s hand, Li performed a trick that relied on touch and imagination, rather than eyesight.

“Imagine this coin is made out of rubber, and it’s getting warmer,” Li instructed. From the man’s clasped hands smoke suddenly appeared, followed by gasps from onlookers.

“Do you feel it warming up?”

“It’s warming up!” the man replied.

The man was then encouraged to feel the quarter get “softer and softer.” Grinning ear to ear, the man opened his hands to reveal that, indeed, the quarter has magically transformed into bendy rubber.

“That’s yours to keep forever,” Li told the man.

@magickevinli One of my most memorable performances. There’s always a way to experience magic ❤️ Thanks for having me @Google #magician #kevinlimagic #google ♬ original sound – Kevin Li

“There’s always a way to experience magic,” Li wrote in the video’s caption.

The heartwarming exchange quickly went viral as people applauded how Li effortlessly made a traditionally visual medium more inclusive.

“This real magic is how quickly you pivoted and figured out how to do this for him. Amazing,” one person wrote.

A fellow magician added, “I’ve been doing magic for a long time, this is hands down my favorite thing I’ve ever seen in the magic community. Beautiful.”

“I’ve never considered that the blind are missing out on magic. Are there blind magicians?” asked one commenter. Li was quick to mention the legendary Richard Turner, one of the world’s most highly regarded card mechanics, who had also been legally blind since he was 9 years old. Yes, there are blind magicians. And in Turner’s case, there are extraordinary ones. No missing out necessary.

Being swept away by feelings of true wonder is arguably one of the biggest highlights of the human experience. It’s lovely that artists like Li work to provide that joy to everyone—because everyone needs it once in a while. Seeing quarters turn to rubber is undoubtedly cool, but sometimes kindness is the best kind of magic there is.

Even though companies with workplaces that make accommodations for disabled workers are happier and more profitable, there is still a huge discrepancy in workforce participation between deaf people and those who can hear. According to Deaf People and Employment in the United States, 53% of deaf people are in the workforce as compared to 75.8% of those who can hear.

One of the biggest hurdles to deaf people entering the workforce is discriminatory hiring practices, intentional or not.

“There are often layers of discriminatory hiring practices that make [workplace participation] statistics still hold true today,” the study says. “Such practices can range from the discriminatory language on the job ad itself, to the application & hiring process, and can even impact the promotion of deaf employees.”

A story out of Hope Hull, Alabama, originally reported by WSFA, shows that when companies give deaf people the opportunity to excel at their jobs, beautiful things can happen.

Pookie White, who is deaf, was a dishwasher at the Hope Hull Waffle House and wanted to get promoted to cook. But management was worried that it would be difficult for him and the staff because he wouldn’t be able to hear the orders.

However, management gave him a shot and he’s been doing a fantastic job on the grill. “I wondered how it was going to work,” Waffle House area manager Michael Clements told WSFA. To bridge the communication gap, White taught his co-workers some sign language and they enthusiastically picked it up.

“He’s half deaf and I’m wearing a mask, so I have to use sign language,” server Jessie Simmons said.

But Simmons learned sign language on the fly and now they’re a great team. “She’s slow sometimes,” White jokes, knowing the effort his fellow employees have made to make their arrangement work. “It gets on my nerves.”

Clements credits White’s co-workers for helping him succeed. “They could have just not wanted to do that and consequently, he probably would have failed at cooking,” he said.

The deaf chef has become a hit with people in the Hope Hull community. “He has regular customers who come just to see him,” Clements said. “They love the show. That’s part of the thing about Waffle House, we are right in front of everybody on center stage. He eats the center stage up.”

White likes to give customers a hard time when they’re placing orders and he breaks into the chicken dance when someone orders chicken.

“Pookie is the sweetest soul. He loves to joke with the waitresses, they give each other a hard time and it’s so funny. He knows when we walk through the door exactly what we are getting too,” Chelsea Milstead wrote on WSFA’s Facebook page. “I love him! He’s amazing and always makes sure the food is cooked to perfection!!” Jessica Beasley added.

“He is the best he knows our order when we walk through the door.” Mary Push Norman wrote.

Pookie White’s story is a great lesson for business owners and managers everywhere. People with disabilities shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to being given opportunities in the workplace. When things may seem like a challenge at first, never underestimate a group of co-workers’ ability to step up and create an environment where everyone can thrive.

The last time Donald Trump held a rally in South Carolina, almost a year ago, thousands showed up. The pre-rally reception boasted 36 co-chairs, showing the power the former president still held over the party he once made his. Now look at him. A new report by The Washington Post reveals that plans for his next rally in the state aren’t going so hot. Not only is his team eyeing a much smaller venue — from one that could hold thousands to one that maxes out about 500 — but the thus far lazy candidate is struggling to find someone, anyone to support him.

The report finds the state’s GOP lawmakers and political operatives unsure if they want to throw their weight behind a guy who ended 2022 as King Midas in reverse. (Although he improbably still smashes it in certain polls.) They may not have ditched him forever, but they are checking out other options:

They find themselves divided between their support for Trump, their desire for a competitive nomination fight in the state and their allegiance to two South Carolina natives, former governor Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott, who have taken steps to challenge Trump for the nomination. Both are said by people close to them to be seriously considering a bid, and Haley is expected to announce in the coming weeks, South Carolina operatives said.

At least he (probably) has Lindsey Graham, as well as the state’s governor, Henry McMaster. But many of the co-chairs at his previous South Carolina rally last spring, like state party chairman Drew McKissick, Rep. Ralph Norman, as well as Scott, aren’t planning to attend.

As for voters, Trump has run into a bit of a snag: He recently pissed off evangelicals:

Dave Wilson, president of Palmetto Family Council, an influential evangelical group, said “there is more than a little bit of softening” of Trump support in South Carolina, saying many had been turned off by some of his recent comments, including questioning the loyalty of evangelical voters. Wilson said many evangelicals in the state wanted to wait and see who got into the race.

One unnamed state lawmaker seemed cautiously semi-optimistic, predicting he would eventually re-consolidate support. It just might take a while. Or state GOP lawmakers and voters may move on to a younger model, they said: “Right now my constituency is as excited about Ron DeSantis as Donald Trump, if not more.”

In the meantime, hopefully he didn’t alienate one of his biggest cheerleaders, Rochelle “Silk” Richardson, just because he blurted out that he had no idea who she was, which he did at her own sister’s memorial service.

(Via WaPo)

The Walking Dead franchise has resurrected itself on streaming in accordance with the universe’s impending return on AMC. On May 14 (even Walkers gotta celebrate Mother’s Day), the franchise’s first spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead, will return to begin its eighth and final season. That move into the sunset follows two seasons of The Walking Dead: The World Beyond, which was meant to lead into the Rick Grimes movies. Those films did not materialize, but AMC is finally moving on a Rick Grimes/Michonne standalone series that will arrive in 2024. We’ll also see the Daryl Dixon spinoff, but before those two offshoots arrive, The Walking Dead: Dead City will be here. Here’s what we know about the show so far.

Release Date

As of now, The Walking Dead: Dead City has no firm release date, but Spring 2023 is the timeframe. We can bet that the six-episode first season will either arrive during the Fear The Walking Dead mid-season hiatus or possibly earlier in an concurrent scenario. The show will air on AMC and stream on AMC+ as well.

Cast

To begin, Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are reprising their roles as Maggie Rhees and Negan. Presumably, Daryl Dixon is off in France already or on his way, so don’t expect to see Norman Reedus anytime soon. The same goes, at least during this first season, for Andrew Lincoln’s Rick and Danai Gurira’s Michonne.

However, it’s worth noting that both Morgan and Cohan have dropped hints at how some crossover action should eventually be expected. Specifically, Morgan declared that “the door is open” for overlap between spinoffs “because we are all on the same timeline.” Fingers will be duly crossed for some Rick Grimes action (in a future season?) because he could very well be in Philadelphia (as Comic Book has mentioned), which isn’t too far away from Manhattan, although that enormously metropolitan island is now being treated as even more of an island following the apocalypse.

One thing that we will definitely see: many, many zombie extras. In fact, showrunner Eli Jorne has boldly promised that this series will contain “one of the most awesome, disgusting, terrifying walkers that I’ve seen in the history of the show.” This walker (who “possibly will make you throw up”) will appear among “a number of horrific walkers.” Given what we’ve already seen from this series, god only knows how bad this will be.

Plot

Although it previously seemed unheard of, Negan and Maggie will be the dream team in this spinoff. This New York City mission still seems potentially tense, given that Negan’s entrance into the TWD universe included him murdering Maggie’s husband. However, his redemption arc of yesteryear may still be in motion. Since Maggie will be attempting to track down her and Glenn’s son who has been kidnapped, Negan may be continuing to make things right in this universe.

Don’t expect things to run smoothly, however. The reboot’s official description via AMC does hint at Negan and Maggie’s “tumultuous past” coming back into view:

Years have passed since we last saw Maggie and Negan and they must now form a tenuous alliance in order to accomplish a dangerous mission. Maggie and Negan journey to the island of Manhattan, which, having been isolated since the beginning of the walker apocalypse, has developed its own unique threats.

While in the city, Maggie and Negan encounter native New Yorkers, evade a marshal with a troubled past, and hunt down a notorious killer. But as the pair moves deeper into the gritty depths of the walker-infested city, it becomes apparent that the traumas of their tumultuous past may prove just as great a threat as the dangers of the present.

Trailer

As of now, no trailer has materialized for this spinoff. However, AMC has provided some images that don’t reveal the Walkers but do show an NYC devoid of most humans.

The Walking Dead: Dead City comes to AMC in Spring 2023.

Tipping off the start of NBA trade season as the league inches closer to the February 9th deadline, the Washington Wizards are sending Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers for three second round picks and Kendrick Nunn.

The Lakers, currently the 12th seed in the West, are 22-25 on the season, but have been chipping their way back toward .500 with a 7-4 record since the start of the new year. With Anthony Davis’ impending return and sitting just 2 games back of the sixth seed, the Lakers are gearing up for a mid-season push.

What does Hachimura bring to the Lakers? First and foremost, he’s a longterm talent play by the front office, who reportedly plan on re-signing him as a restricted free agent this summer.

The Lakers are fairly strapped for assets with an aged roster. Adding Hachimura, a former lottery pick, brings in a player who they can potentially develop into something more than he has been in Washington. Injuries, personal issues, roster construction, and positional depth in D.C. all contributed to a bumpy third and fourth season in the NBA after a promising start.

A new environment could benefit Hachimura greatly.

Part of the intrigue with Hachimura to the Lakers is his intersection of size and shooting. The Lakers have 4 regular rotation players taller than 6’6: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Thomas Bryant, and Wenyen Gabriel. Out of those 4, LeBron is the only player who typically gets guarded an outside threat.

Bryant has excelled as L.A.’s starting five-man with Davis sidelined, but the Lakers’ lack of shooting and more importantly, size with shooting ability, has been a problem dating back to last season. Carmelo Anthony was the only frontcourt player on the roster last season that shot above league average from three on high volume outside of James. The spacing woes have been even more apparent this season with Anthony gone.

That spacing issue has led to James playing more minutes at the 4 the past two seasons than he did at any point during his first three years in Los Angeles or during his second stint in Cleveland. While he played 50 percent or more of his minutes at the 4 his final two years in Miami per Cleaning the Glass, 74 percent of his total possessions played this season have been at the 4, with a negligible number coming at the 3.

While James is not as spry as he once was, much of him playing the 4 is a byproduct of not having a capable stretch player who man the 4 spot. LeBron playing the 3 this season has mostly not been feasible, as even when the Lakers play a smaller player at the 4, they don’t get respected as shooting threats — and frankly, they should not be.

At 6’8 and with improved shooting volume over the past two seasons, Hachimura might be part of the answer to L.A.’s lineup construction problems. While his shot has been cold from above the break this season, Hachimura lights up the corners, shooting 48.3% on corner threes this year, and 42.2% on catch-and-shoot corner threes since the start of the 2020-21 season, per InStat Scouting. He’s shot 37.9% from deep (107/282) on all catch-and-shoot threes in that same time frame.

He shouldn’t be expected to hit movement threes or be utilized in sets that require him to do so. That’s not a part of his game at present. However, he has improved at relocating and lifting as ball-handlers drive, something he struggled with in years prior.

This is not something we would’ve routinely seen from him a year or two ago, lifting and shifting into space as Deni Avdija cuts, taking advantage of how the defense reacts. It’s a bit trivial, but it matters. The shot is a miss, but again, the relocation off of the rebound is noteworthy as he gets another attempt up, this time a good look.

Hachimura has never taken more threes than midrange shots in his career, and that’s something I’d expect to change as the Lakers need him to explore and muster greater volume as a shooter, while requiring less of him creating on the ball.

Adding a player with size who can shoot should bring more offensive ability to play LeBron James as the three, which in turn can create a better spread floor and put more strain on a defense. The Lakers have mostly had to rely on James posting up to draw two defenders and hopefully create from there, and while I doubt they go away from that in full, there should have better options to make a defense think when Hachimura and James share the court.

How Hachimura finds his own offense will also be notable. He has the ability to capably face-up and drive, play out of the post, and be effective off of cuts, but I expect the latter of the three to be where he finds his greatest impact. He’s never been a great cutter or impactful offensive rebounder and I’d love to see the Lakers script duck-ins and coax aggression in the paint out of him. He’s shot 75.8% at the rim the past two seasons, and getting Hachimura downhill on the roll or on a cut is the optimal way to get the most out of his frame and touch around the basket.

The ultimate deciding factor for Hachimura’s effectiveness this season will be how he is deployed defensively, and how impactful he is within that role. To put it plainly, Hachimura is not a good defender. He struggles a great deal as a help defender, often getting backcut, losing his man off the ball, and generally with his off-ball awareness. His closeout paths tend to be rough, he takes poor angles getting around screens, and he can get outmuscled by smaller players. Simply put, there is a lot that needs to be cleaned up here and given Darvin Ham’s demands on the defensive end, Hachimura will have to make strides to be a trusted and important rotation piece.

What Hachimura does have going for him is his frame, length, and solid athleticism. I’d really like to see (and expect) the Lakers to try and empower him as a primary defender. It sounds counterintuitive, but using his size and having him focus on attacking the player on the ball, rather than letting him get picked apart off the ball where he can get caught ball-watching, would be for the better. We’ve seen wings/forwards in similar molds take up this mantle in prior years: T.J. Warren in his first season with the Pacers, Kyle Kuzma with the Lakers during their title run, Memphis with Dillon Brooks early on in his pro career. They’re different players to be sure, but the same thought process is there of finding ways to minimize damage to your defense while also finding a role where a player can grow and thrive defensively. While Rui is not yet on the same track, it’s simple enough to envision.

The Lakers gave up a minimal package in this deal, and there’s reason for optimism with an immediate return. More importantly, this is a longterm play for a team in need of some potential and a player in need of a new situation, and it’s possible there’s an even more fruitful upside for both if things break right.

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing regarding Ticketmaster and its presumed monopoly on live entertainment ticketing has been set for Tuesday, January 24, 2023, and will live stream at 10:00 am ET.

Ticketmaster has come under scrutiny within the past several months as the comeback of several marquee artists at once highlighted the ticketing platform’s frustrating policies. With Bruce Springsteen tickets reselling for upwards of $5,000 in July and Taylor Swift fans practically crashing the site in November, authorities now have plenty of questions for Ticketmaster’s leadership.

The situation with Swift’s tickets got so bad, Ticketmaster was forced to cancel the general sale of her The Eras Tour tickets, prompting the singer’s fury and sparking a general outcry against it from the likes of Springsteen, Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff, and country star Zach Bryan.

In response, Swifties filed not just one but two class action lawsuits alleging misleading business practices, arguing the company “intentionally and purposefully misled millions of fans into believing it would prevent bots and scalpers from participating in the presales,” but instead allowed “14 million unverified Ticketmaster users and a ‘staggering’ number of bots to participate in the presales.”

Meanwhile, Ticketmaster was fined in Mexico for allegedly ruining a Bad Bunny concert by overselling the venue, although Ticketmaster claimed the problem was fake tickets, not its practices.

You can watch the live stream here.