Category: Worldwide

Former Fox News reporter Carl Cameron is blasting his old network, and more specifically, Tucker Carlson for “putting people’s lives at risk and potentially killing them” by casting doubt on the COVID vaccines. While appearing on CNN New Day on Monday morning, Cameron echoed calls for Carlson and the other Fox News hosts to reveal their vaccination status if they’re going to continue to tell viewers that the vaccine is unsafe.

“It is inconceivable to me that people won’t explain what they’re doing for their own health when they’re trying to inform the United States of America,” Cameron told New Day host Brianna Keilar.

When Cameron left Fox News in 2017, he was the network’s senior political correspondent and been at the network for over 20 years. However, at the time of his departure, he said the “opinion hosts in prime-time and elsewhere on Fox had become more than I could stand.” Now, he’s calling out his former place of employment for carelessly playing with public health in pursuit of ratings. Via Mediaite:

“It’s about ratings,” Cameron said. “And ratings ultimately become revenue. And that’s the name of the game. Whoever gets the most clicks on social media gets the most money, gets the most fame, gets the most attention. And that type of activity is not journalism. It’s not news. It’s gaslighting. It’s propaganda.”

Citing the increase in COVID infections from the Delta variant, which is significantly impacting the unvaccinated, Cameron said, “This is literally the metaphor of the lemmings running to their own slaughter.”

(Via Mediaite & Brianna Keilar on Twitter)

Mark Hoppus offered a positive update surrounding his cancer diagnosis, writing on Twitter, “Scans indicate that the chemo is working,” though he “still has months of treatment ahead.”

The full statement reads, “Scans indicate that the chemo is working! I still have months of treatment ahead, but it’s the best possible news. I’m so grateful and confused and also sick from last week’s chemo. But the poison the doctors pump into me and the kind thoughts and wishes of people around me are destroying this cancer. Just gonna keep fighting…”

A few days ago, the Blink-182 bassist and singer revealed what specific cancer he was battling, telling Chilean fans in a Q&A that he had been diagnosed with “diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.” He continued, “My classification is stage IV-A, which means, as I understand it, it’s entered four parts of my body. I don’t know how exactly they determine the four part of it, but it’s entered enough parts of my body that I’m stage IV, which I think is the highest that it goes. So, I’m stage IV-A. […] The cancer isn’t bone-related, it’s blood-related. My blood’s trying to kill me.”

Hoppus first shared the news that he was undergoing cancer treatment back in June. “For the past three months I’ve been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer,” he wrote on social media. “It sucks and I’m scared, and at the same time I’m blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this.” He added, “I still have months of treatment ahead of me but I’m trying to remain hopeful and positive.”

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Olympics are many things to many people, but at the heart of the games is a horniness that’s rekindled every two years as the world comes together to play. Which is why this summer’s Tokyo Games, played amid a still-raging pandemic that’s made close contact not nearly as encouraged as at other events, will certainly have some changes in store for the thousands of athletes descending on Japan.

Health and safety concerns about the Games have been a major story since they were postponed last year. As the games gear up later this week after a year pause, for example, stories have circulated about the condoms famously distributed for athletes at the Games. While some reports say no condoms have been distributed, the less-horny fact is that the 160,000 prophylactics were described as “souvenirs” by Olympic officials according to The Guardian. In other words, use them at home, not in Tokyo.

The beds athletes sleep on have also been a major news item, as they are made of cardboard. That oddity had sparked its own news cycle. In recent days a number of tweets and social media reports indicated that the beds were made to only hold 400 pounds, which was an attempt to limit sexual intercourse between athletes because they would simply break if they exceeded their, um, load capacity. Even some athletes relayed that news as fact.

Those tweets even sparked some notable publications to write about the “anti-sex” Olympic beds as fact. But that sourcing was murky at best, and the reason for the cardboard beds is apparently an environmental one. And as athletes arrive in the villages, they’re testing the beds out for themselves and finding that story to not hold up as well as the actual beds.

An Irish gymnast named Rhys McClenaghan tweeted out a video of him jumping on the beds, declaring the “anti-sex” narrative “fake news.” The official Olympics Twitter account retweeted that video as well, it’s worth noting.

As the New York Times notes, while a scaled-down number of condoms were distributed for the games, the beds were planned well before the pandemic started in earnest. And the company that makes them says they are extremely strong, relatively speaking.

“Cardboard beds are actually stronger than the one made of wood or steel,” Airweave said in a statement on Monday according to the New York Times. That report also cited an Associated Press story from 2019, before the pandemic, that cited the beds as an environmentally friendly initiative, not an anti-sex one.

The single bed frames will be recycled into paper products after the games. The mattress components — the mattresses are not made of cardboard — will be recycled into plastic products.

The mattress is broken up into three distinct sections, and the firmness of each can be adjusted.

The idea was to use materials that could be remade after the Olympics and Paralympics. But the cardboard frames and supports should give the rooms a spartan look.

There are still a number of things that have been a mess about the Games ahead of their start, including a number of COVID positive tests that have caused havoc on the schedule and athlete pool. But if athletes want to use those souvenir condoms, well, the beds will probably hold firm.

[via NY Times, AP]

Lil Nas X continues to be one of music’s most creatively hilarious trolls as he prepares to go to trial in Nike’s copyright infringement case against him. After tweeting a string of sarcastic jokes about going to jail, he shared a “livestream” of the proceedings to social media… which actually turned out to be a clever courtroom comedy sketch in which he plays a variety of characters, including a sugar daddy judge, a talkative juror, his own forgetful defense attorney, and a ruthless prosecutor.

As Lil Nas X takes the stand against himself, the prosecutor declares that “this is about much more than shoes” before asking, “Lil Nas X, are you gay?” “What does that have to do with the shoes?” Nas shoots back. “Let me rephrase the question,” he says as the prosecutor. “Do your mama know you’re gay?” Nas has no choice but to answer, “Yes.” For this “crime,” the “judge” sentences Nas to “five years in Montero Prison.” This by itself would be a hilarious lampoon of several of the debates surrounding Nas since his arrival with “Old Town Road,” but being Lil Nas X, he uses the opportunity to flip the script one last time.

The whole sketch turns out to be the trailer for his next single, “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow and produced by Kanye West and Take A Daytrip. A snippet of the song plays over the credits, which wonders, “Damn, how many roles do this n**** got?” Considering his ability to transform from a cowboy to a demented Santa to the devil, I would say: “All of them.”

Watch Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” trailer above. Pre-save the song, dropping July 29, here.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett have announced plans to celebrate ten years of friendship with a pair of special shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York come August. Titled “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga,” the dates will take place on August 3 (Bennett’s 95th birthday) and August 5 and will be Gaga and Bennett’s only shared public concert appearances leading up to the release of their second collaborative album, coming later this year.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the iconic big band singer had been diagnosed with age-related dementia in 2016. These Radio City shows are said to be the final New York City performances of Bennett’s career and will feature covers of tracks from the Great American Songbook accompanied by the Tony Bennett Quartet and the Brian Newman Quintet. To attend, guests must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and all phones and recording devices will be collected and secured in Yondr pouches.

After performing at a Robin Hood Foundation fundraising event in 2011, Gaga and Bennett (both from New York) struck up a friendship, capped off with a series of collaborations. Shortly after meeting, they memorably teamed up to record “The Lady Is A Tramp” for Bennett’s 2011 Duets II album. Later, Gaga and Bennett released a collaborative album, 2014’s Cheek To Cheek, which won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Grammy at 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Tickets to “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga” go on sale on 7/22 at 10 a.m. local time. Get them here.

Baby Keem hasn’t put out a lot of music since rumbling the earth with his breakout single “Orange Soda” in 2019, but each of his subsequent single releases has increased the anticipation for more new music from the 20-year-old mystery man. With his latest appearance, that anticipation is reaching a fever pitch, and the song featuring that appearance isn’t even out yet.

Over the weekend, Kanye West supposedly played a bunch of new music at a listening event in Las Vegas (where Keem was raised), and when a clip of a song featuring Keem previewed hit Twitter, fans understandably went a little ballistic.

The co-sign from Kanye is unsurprising for those fans who’d been following Keem’s rise. He’s already got songwriting credits on the Black Panther soundtrack and Beyonce’s companion album for Disney’s The Lion King remake, with connections to Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free’s pgLang offering a possible explanation. In addition, he’s called Kid Cudi a major influence and featured Travis Scott on his most recent single “Durag Activity.” Both artists were mentored by West and signed to his label GOOD Music at points, and Kanye collaborated with Kid Cudi on 2019’s Kids See Ghosts. However, some fans still expressed confusion at the young rapper’s inclusion due to his apparently short time in the spotlight.

Meanwhile, Keem has slowly built up his repertoire since appearing on the 2020 XXL Freshman cover, releasing videos for “Hooligan” and “No Sense” in addition to “Durag Activity.”

I think we can all agree: Timothée Chalamet is Paul.

As if to apologize for releasing Space Jam: A New Legacy to an unprepared public, Warner Bros. has unveiled the character posters for Dune. All your favorites are here: Zendaya is Chani (extremely “Zendaya is Meechee” voice)! Oscar Isaac is Duke Leto! Rebecca Ferguson is Lady Jessica! Josh Brolin is Gurney! Jason Momoa is the hilariously named Duncan Idaho! And of course, once again, Timothée Chalamet is Paul.

Imagine walking into someone’s house and “Stellan Skarsgård is The Baron” was the only poster on the living room wall:

I want to be friends with this deeply weird person. Here’s more on Dune:

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence — a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential — only those who conquer their fear will survive.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune hits theaters and HBO Max on October 22, the busiest movie day of the year.

Gillian Anderson kicked off Monday with a fitting hashtag amid the release of the Sex Education Season 3 teaser. While sharing a photo of a provocative looking teapot and asking “Who needs a cuppa?!,” Anderson tagged the tweet with #penisoftheday, which is a helluva hashtag to start the week with.

You can see Anderson’s tweet below:

A little over an hour later, Netflix dropped the newest teaser for Sex Education Season 3, and while it didn’t involve penises of the day, it offer a glimpse at big changes to come. Namely the addition of Girls star Jemima Kirke to the cast. In the teaser, which is essentially a parody advertisement for the show’s Moordale Secondary School, Kirke is introduced as the new headmaster, Hope Haddon (OK, maybe there was a solid penis joke), and she seemingly already has the student body in line in an attempt to rehabilitate the school’s sterling image after the previous season’s scandals.

Among those scandals is the surprise revelation that Anderson’s character is pregnant, which may cause some complications as she attempts to rein in her son Otis (Asa Butterfield) for running a sex clinic at the secondary school, prompting the need for the Kirke’s new headmaster to step in and clean things up.

Sex Education Season 3 starts streaming September 17 on Netflix.

(Via Gillian Anderson on Twitter, Netflix)

Fox News might not be totally full of vaccine misinformation, but the cable news network is doing nothing to discourage Tucker Carlson’s near-nightly rants about the Covid jab while still refusing to reveal his own status and encouraging dangerous conspiracy theories. In contrast, the Fox and Friends gang — Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade — all returned to their group couch in early May while making it known that they rolled up their sleeves and did the thing.

Still, that hasn’t quelled Kilmeade’s own rants on the subject while he seemingly believes that people refusing to get the shot aren’t harming anyone but themselves. These people are, in fact, prolonging the pandemic while also acting as a pressure cooker for virus mutations, including the more transmissible Delta variant that’s causing stock mayhem on this Monday morning. Well, bright and early on Fox News, Doocy (via Mediaite) urged viewers to “get the shot,” and as he points out, 99% of Covid deaths are among the unvaccinated. However, Kilmeade insisted, “That’s their choice!” Watch below.

“You make your own decision,” Kilmeade insisted while standing firm in saying that it’s a personal choice for everyone. “It’s available to everyone. We’re not doctors. You can say, ‘We got it,’ but I’m not gonna go there and give you other medical advice.” And then there was Doocy speaking as the voice of reason: “They don’t want to die.”

On Fox News, that’s a surprise to hear, but people welcomed the bluntness.

Some video games live and die by their boss fights. A game can be really well made, fun to play, and have a great story but it needs to have boss fights that leave a lasting (positive) impression. A bad boss fight can be enough to ruin that entire experience and leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth, especially if that fight is their final memory of the game.

It’s a fine line developers must walk, because an overly challenging or unfair boss has ruined many a video game, while too easy a final battle leaves a player ultimately dissatisfied. But strike the right balance with a great fight and it will be so memorable that it leaves the player thinking even more fondly of the game they just played. Having a memorable boss fight can be incredibly important to developers because nobody wants to read reviews about their game and hear players say they can’t even recall a single boss fight from their game.

What is it that makes a boss fight memorable? Sometimes it’s the way it simply caps off a great story, or it could be one that we rammed our head against until we finally got through, or maybe it was a total twist we didn’t see coming. A memorable boss fight doesn’t necessarily have to fit into any particular category, but the common thread in the great ones is that there’s immediate recall for gamers. Here, we’ll look at the cream of the crop, the ones that will come up the most in any boss fight conversation with fellow gamers.

Bowser (Super Mario 64)

Bowser himself isn’t any more memorable than the average final boss. He’s the typical monster at the end of the game that Mario defeats to save the princess. He’s notoriously easy in some Mario games and no fight of his is particularly challenging. The reason he’s on this list though is because of his appearances in Super Mario 64. For years Bowser was just a small sprite that was only slightly larger than Mario. We knew he was big, but he didn’t feel insurmountable. Then in Super Mario 64, we witness just how much bigger this monster is and it hits us that, yes, this is a 3D game. Defeating him isn’t too challenging, but it’s the size and scope of what a 3D Bowser represented for video games that got him on to this list.

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

Feelings on Final Fantasy VII aren’t as overwhelmingly positive as they were when everyone wanted that first PlayStation, but the memories of overcoming Sephiroth at the end of the game still hold up to this day. FFVII is, like every Final Fantasy, a game about saving the world from an evil force. However, the way the game teases the player throughout the entire adventure of the eventual conflict between Cloud and Sephiroth, all coming together at the end for one final showdown, is an experience that many players hadn’t had until they played Final Fantasy VII. That might be a common occurrence in games today, but for many players, this was their first JRPG and that driving force of Sephiroth is what pushed them to the end. There’s a reason this game is considered by many as the perfect entry point into the JRPG genre.

Mike Tyson (Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!!)

There was nobody in the late ’80s more powerful than Mike Tyson and his arcade boxing game reflected that. Punch-Out!! is a simple enough game. Take the little boxer who could, Little Mac, and bring him to the title through a series of boxing matches. The trick is to figure out every fighter’s hint and counter it on the way to victory. Through a series of increasingly difficult matches and patterns, the player will eventually overcome all of them. Until they reach the end and find Mike Tyson waiting for them. The hint is well known now, look for when Tyson winks to dodge, but this was the era before internet guides. So you either had to go buy a game guide, find out the secret in Nintendo Power, or figure it out on your own. If you didn’t figure it out though you were probably going to lose because one punch from Tyson can be enough for an instant loss. This boss fight is obviously memorable because of the years of headaches he probably caused children as they tried to defeat what felt like an unstoppable force.

Dracula (Castlevania)

Do not let the video above fool you. Dracula was a brutal boss fight in the original Castlevania for the NES. Speedrunners have gotten Dracula down to a science now, but when this game first came out it was one of those titles that only the best of the best could beat. Castlevania is already a hard enough game, with plenty of tough bosses, but it made sure to tack on a super tough boss at the end to remind you that they aren’t messing around. The only saving grace is that continues are unlimited. However, the player has to start over from the beginning of the level upon the use of a continue, so if you can’t beat Dracula within your three lives then it’s back to the start!

Blue (Pokemon)

Every ’90s kid had this moment. They collected a team of six Pokémon, got all eight gym badges, and even reached the Elite Four. After powering our way through the Elite Four we finally did it. We defeated Lance and became the champion, or so we thought. Turns out we were right behind the true champion, our rival for the entire game, Blue. He was always one step ahead of us the entire way and now he’s standing in our way one final time. It’s time to shove it in his smug face and show him who the true Pokémon master is. This twist caught so many of us off guard as children, but that satisfaction of finally defeating Blue’s ultra powerful team at the end was truly special.