Category: Worldwide

Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy has proven to be a delightful late-night talk show guest in recent years, whether he’s promoting Wilco material or his own solo work. He popped up again last night on Late Night With Seth Meyers, where he told the story of the time Diddy mistook him for an usher at the Grammys.

Tweedy told the story through laughter from himself, Meyers, and some off-camera Late Night staff. Meyers said the tale took place at the first Grammys ceremony Tweedy attended with Wilco, which would have been the 41st Annual Grammys in 1999, where Mermaid Avenue was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Tweedy was standing outside the bathroom holding a stack of programs belonging to his Wilco bandmates and their guests when Diddy approached him. Tweedy said, “P. Diddy walked up to me and he thought I was an usher handing out programs. He tapped the programs that I was holding with a cane. He’s like, ‘Give me one of those.’ I’m like, ‘No, they’re mine.’ It didn’t escalate, thank goodness.”

Speaking of the Grammys, the Recording Academy is set to announce the list of 2021 nominees this morning, so keep an eye on Uproxx to find out who is up for what awards.

Tweedy also performed “Gwendolyn” on the show, so check that out below and watch Tweedy chat with Meyers above.

On the surface, it always seems like being a rapper is a dream job. You get thousands of fans screaming for you at shows, members of the opposite sex suddenly find you very attractive, and it sure beats having a boss, right? However, over the past year, we’ve seen how much more stressful it can actually be than we think; live entertainment is shut down, flagging their income, while the complex ins-and-outs of the record business can make actually getting paid something of a nightmare. And those adoring fans can turn on you over a tweet or one bad song. It’s enough to make you hate rapping.

That’s what seems to be the case for Denzel Curry, who took his frustrations to Twitter in a vent session that found him railing against reporters whose interview questions seem more interested in XXXTentacion than Denzel, fans’ fickle attitudes toward recent rappers’ deaths, and, of course, the music industry that seems to take more than its fair share before the artist sees a dime. In fact, he outright said it: “I hate rapping. I watched my hobby that I did in my room become something I can’t even enjoy anymore because everyone has a opinion.”

He may have a solution, although it seems a little unorthodox. “I’m going make bad music so you can understand how much work it is a making good music,” he wrote (is that what Kanye’s been doing?). “This music industry is bullshit I gotta play a stupid game for me to succeed it’s not about the music anymore if it was you’ll hear a balance of conscious rap along with everything else being played today.”

Fans and friends, such as popular vlogger Anthony Fantano, chimed in to send words of encouragement, but it seems Denzel’s drained. “That spark is dimming,” he replied to one such comment. Although fans were disappointed, Denzel has previously expressed his wish to retire after a few more albums. The grass may seem greener on his side of the fence, but that may only be because we don’t know how much work it really takes to keep it that way.

Check out more of Denzel’s tweets below.

This week in the best new pop saw collaborations from some of the biggest names in pop music. Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa teamed up for a captivating tune, Shawn Mendes tapped Justin Bieber for a soulful track, and Kali Uchis called on PartyNextDoor for a slow-burning song off her sophomore album.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Miley Cyrus — “Prisoner” Feat. Dua Lipa

After Miley Cyrus’ went through an extremely public divorce with her ex-husband this year, the singer is ready to break free from her past relationship — and she’s bringing Dua Lipa with her. The two iconic pop stars teamed up for the eye-catching collaboration this week, perfectly bridging both of their recent incorporation of ’80s influences into their music.

Shawn Mendes — “Monster” Feat. Justin Bieber

Shawn Mendes also debuted a big collaboration this week and this time he tapped Justin Bieber. The song takes a detour from Mendes’ recent enamored single, fusing a jostled beat with some self-reflective lyrics. Bieber comes in to offer his own musings about growing up in the limelight where he’s honest about the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Kali Uchis — “Fue Mejor” Feat. PartyNextDoor

Kali Uchis debuted her long-awaited sophomore album Sin Miedo (Del Amor Y Otros Demonios) this week and on it arrived the singer’s lush track with PartyNextDoor. The song sets the stage for the rest of her album, infusing some hip-shaking elements along with a vibe-heavy beat and Uchis’ sultry lyrical delivery.

BTS — “Life Goes On”

BTS once again proved just how prolific they are this week with Be, their third record of 2020. The album opener “Life Goes On” recognizes hardships felt by everyone across the globe over the past few months, while it also offers a hopeful outlook on the future.

Marina — “Man’s World”

With her first single of 2020, Marina has reflected on all the death and destruction she’s seen in recent years. To her, they all point back to one thing: living in a man’s world. About the thought-provoking single, Marina said: “The original idea for the song was to write a snapshot of how women and LGBTQ+ individuals have been subjugated and discriminated against throughout history going back to the Salem witch trials, where any person who was deemed abnormal or slightly alternative was singled out. Those kinds of patterns are still present in society.”

Ava Max — “My Head & My Heart”

Ava Max just released her debut studio LP back in September, but that doesn’t mean the maximalist pop star is done sharing music. Returning this week after her record’s positive reception, Ava Max shared the electronic banger “My Head & My Heart.” Over an exuberant and heavily-layered beat, Max sings of reflecting on a past relationship and feeling relieved that she made the right choice to leave.

Cautious Clay — “Dying In The Subtlety”

Cautious Clay is gearing up for the release of his debut album, which is expected to arrive in 2021. Sharing “Dying In The Subtlety” as the second single off the upcoming effort, Clay said it’s meant to “look at what it means to lose sight of the bigger picture in the context of friendship & relationship dynamics. It examines how subtle moments of emotional uncertainty or exuberance can sometimes serve as false negatives or false positives. The song ultimately calls to attention the importance of being aware of these internal signals and being more long-sighted when evaluating who you choose to give love and meaningful attention to in an age of distraction.”

VanJess — “Slow Down”

Sister duo VanJess have offered their velvety vocals on a handful of projects this year. Honing their smooth melodies this week, VanJess shared the track “Slow Down,” which boasts fluttering saxophone over an enchanting beat.

Sia — “Hey Boy”

Sia debuted the bouncy song “Hey Boy” this week, the third song she’s shared off the soundtrack to the upcoming film Music. Sia spearheaded the project as she directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the movie.

Tayla Parx — “Stare”

Tayla Parx returned this week with her hip-shaking sophomore album Coping Mechanisms. The singer flexed her earnest-yet-joyful songwriting talent throughout the record, particularly on the track “Stare,” where she sings of being unable to resist the urge to gawk at a potential crush.

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

James Woods, the conservative actor that Family Guy referred to as a “political troll and maniac on Twitter” (he’s earned that title), has led a controversial life, to say the very least. Word on the street is that he left the Democratic party when Bill Clinton got impeached, although he sure stuck with the MAGA crowd even though Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Woods, who is known for dating women decades younger than himself (one of them was truly named Ashley Madison), has claimed that his political beliefs got him blacklisted from Hollywood. No one could possibly say whether that’s the case, but nothing stopped him from playing Rudy Giuliani in a 2003 USA Network movie, Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story, particularly in one clip that’s making the Internet rounds.

Woods does not appear to be aware (at least on Twitter) that people have rediscovered a seduction scene from that movie, or he’s simply ignoring it while tweeting about fake conspiracies and such, but yes, it’s true. Woods portrayed Rudy during his “America’s Mayor” years, but more importantly for the Internet’s purposes, he took a romantically moonlit walk on a beach, and that’s (of course) the scene that people are zeroing in upon as “fucking G O L D.” It “absolutely murdered me. I am dead,” wrote another user.

An important question here: is this a scene where Rudy is romancing the cousin that he married (a union that was later annulled)? Nope, but now you can’t stop thinking about it, right?

The people are demanding a sequel (we’d probably all watch the hair-dye meltdown and My Cousin Vinny moment reenacted), and oh boy, lots of laughter going on here.

Also, maybe don’t mention this movie (ever) to James Woods unless you wanna get blocked (maybe you do want that?). Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story is now streamable on Amazon Prime, if you’re feeling adventurous.

Today is a big day for The Recording Academy, as later this morning, they will announce the full list of nominees for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards. Ahead of that, though, they shared some other significant news related to the ceremony, which is set to take place on January 31, 2021. Hosting the show will be somebody who has plenty of experience with hosting: The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah.

Noah says of the hosting gig, “Despite the fact that I am extremely disappointed that the #GRAMMYs have refused to have me sing or be nominated for Best Pop Album, I am thrilled to be hosting this auspicious event.”

While Noah isn’t exactly a music figure, he’s no stranger to the Grammys: His 2018 stand-up special, Trevor Noah: Son Of Patricia, was nominated for Best Comedy Album last year. Noah didn’t take home the award, as it went to Dave Chappelle for his Sticks & Stones special. Noah was also a presenter at the 2020 Grammys, so he’s spent time on that stage before.

He does have some experience with the music industry, though, as he has had some of the biggest figures in music on The Daily Show over the past couple years. Since 2018, the program has hosted performances from people like Anderson .Paak, Jason Isbell, and Margo Price. On the show, Noah has also interviewed Lizzo, Logic, and Pusha T.

The list of Grammy nominees will be revealed soon, so keep an eye on Uproxx to stay informed about who will be up for what awards.

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

A number of famous musicians have died at before their 28th year of life, enough of them where the “27 Club” list have gained notoriety over the years. Artists on it include Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse, among others. In a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Miley Cyrus, who just turned 28 on November 23, admitted that part of the reason she decided to get sober and quit drugs and alcohol was because she feared joining that club.

Cyrus told Lowe:

“27 to me was a year that I really had to protect myself. That actually really made me want to get sober was because we’ve lost so many icons at 27. It’s a very pivotal time. You go into that next chapter or this is it for you. I just feel that some of the artists that almost couldn’t handle their own power and their own energy and their own force. It’s an energy. I, no matter what, was born with that.”

She also revealed that she hit a speed bump in her sobriety recently and was two weeks sober at the time of the conversation, saying, “Well, I, like a lot of people, being completely honest, during the pandemic, fell off and felt really a lot of… and I would never sit here and go, ‘I’ve been f*cking sober.’ I fell off and I realized that I now am back on sobriety, two weeks sober, and I feel like I really accepted that time. One of the things I’ve used is, ‘don’t get furious, get curious.’ So don’t be mad at yourself, but ask yourself, ‘What happened?’”

Watch the full interview above.

Randy Quaid, an actor best known for playing unhinged characters like Cousin Eddie in the Vacation movies and an alcoholic pilot in Independence Day, is plenty, let’s say, “eccentric” in real life, too. There was the time he released a sex tape with his wife Evi where she wears a Rupert Murdoch mask, and when they sought asylum in Canada because they feared “Hollywood star whackers” were after them. In recent years, the one-time Academy Award nominee has taken his nuttiness to Twitter, where he caught the eye of none other than — guess who! — the President of the United States.

On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump shared multiple tweets from Quaid, including a wild video where the actor rails against Fox News (“TIME TO MAKE OAN & NEWSMAX RICH. FOX IS DEAD TO ME!”). He also quote-tweeted Quaid multiple times: Trump replied “no!” to “I just don’t see Americans rolling over for this election fraud. Do you?” and asked “Are you listening Republicans?” to “We’ve lost confidence in the system that elects our leaders. 79 million Americans believe election was rigged, the results fraudulent. We need an in-person-only-paper ballot re-vote, especially in the States where flagrant irregularities have occurred. No accuracy, no democracy!” Needless to say, this bit of “election fraud” nonsense was flagged by Twitter for being “disputed.”

Trump also thanked Cousin Eddie for “working hard to clean up the stench of the 2020 Election Hoax,” because that’s where we’re at as a country.

This would be hilarious performance art, even if it wasn’t so depressing.

Taylor Swift’s beloved new album Folklore was recorded during the pandemic without in-person contact between Swift and her two primary collaborators, Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. Now the trio behind the album have come together for a new concert film, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, which begins streaming on Disney+ tomorrow (November 25).

Swift shared a trailer for the film today, and in one clip, Swift, Dessner, and Antonoff note that these sessions were the first time all three of them have been in the same room together. The room, by the way, is the titular Long Pong Studio, Dessner’s building in Hudson Valley, New York where The National recorded their two most recent albums: 2017’s Sleep Well Beast (the album cover of which is a photo of the building) and 2019’s I Am Easy To Find.

Dessner and the rest of The National previously discussed the studio in a CBS This Morning interview from 2017, with Matt Berninger saying, “It’s the perfect environment. I’ve never been in a place this nice and this tranquil, honestly. Swimming in that pond and then there are like red-winged blackbirds landing in the cattails… it’s kind of ridiculous.”

Watch the Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions trailer above.

When Scott Van Pelt was given his own midnight edition of SportsCenter he retooled the format to bring new segments, including embracing gambling content that had been taboo on television but that longtime listeners of his radio show had come to expect from him. There is Winners, his weekly college football picks segment complete with a Trombone Shorty intro, but the one that has become a phenomenon is Bad Beats.

Every Monday night, SVP and Stanford Steve deliver the absolute worst in backdoor covers and totals getting busted that saw money flip at sportsbooks. It is, for my money, the best segment on sports television right now and it’s not particularly close, as it’s appointment viewing every time just to see if one of your own bets made the list or to find some obscure beats you never would’ve otherwise known about.

This Monday brought an all-timer from a game few likely even were aware happened on Saturday, as Abilene Christian was a 39.5 point underdog at Virginia. After cutting the lead to 36 with a touchdown inside two minutes to play, Abilene was covering. What transpired from there is truly awe inspiring and produced one of the finest calls I dare say in SportsCenter history from SVP and Stanford Steve. Please, enjoy.

In case things weren’t ridiculous enough, the double pass play was an accidental call from Virginia’s offensive coordinator.

The absurd joy they take in watching that awful double pass play from Virginia to make it a 34-point game is delightful, as they giggle to each other about what the hell the plan was. But nothing tops the final play pick-six as Steve screams “67, GET ON YOUR HORSE” and SVP retorts “the horse is on him!” For anyone who bet on Abilene Christian, one, salute for being a real degenerate, and two, my goodness I’m so sorry, but I hope you at least got some joy from this recounting of your horrific bad beat.

P.S. Dear Emmys, give them all of the awards.

The New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets recently came together on a massive, four-team trade headlined by Jrue Holiday making his way to the Bucks. As part of that transaction, Steven Adams moved from Oklahoma City to New Orleans, fortifying the Pelicans’ frontcourt and leaving the only team he has ever played for in the NBA. On Monday evening, things got even more interesting, as Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN report that Adams has agreed to a two-year contract extension that will guarantee him $35 million additional dollars through the 2022-23 season.

The Pelicans used a lottery-protected 2023 pick to acquire Adams, which was certainly a lofty price to land a player on a $27.5 million expiring contract. With that said, New Orleans desperately needed to fortify its interior defense from last season and, in Adams, the Pelicans are getting an established, experience center with size and defensive aptitude.

At this stage, Adams is likely overpaid for the 2021-22 season at $27.5 million but, with the extension, his salary slides back to a more manageable $17.5 million annually. Adams is an “old” 27-year-old given the amount of NBA experience he has, but his size and physicality should allow him to age with relative grace.

It will be interesting to see how Adams fits in with the Pelicans, as one of the chief criticisms of the trade is that he does not profile as the ideal frontcourt partner for Zion Williamson. Adams has many strengths, but he is not a floor-spacer on the offensive end, and while he is very potent near the rim defensively, he isn’t incredibly versatile on that end of the floor at this stage. Regardless, the Pelicans felt compelled to invest heavily in the center position for the 2020-21 season and, with this move, they can now plan to utilize Adams beyond the original timeline.