GoneTrending

Jack Sweeney, known for running the now-closed Instagram and Threads accounts @taylorswiftjets, isn’t backing down. Last month, Taylor Swift‘s team reportedly sent Sweeney a cease-and-desist after Sweeney shared details of Swift‘s private jet travels and flight activity. This week, Sweeney took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the letter from Swift’s team.

The letter accuses Sweeney of “stalking behavior” and demands that he close the accounts, as he was allegedly posting up-to-date information about Swift’s locations, potentially revealing such details to stalkers. Sweeney has since closed the accounts, but he maintains that he has done nothing illegal.

Sweeney shared a letter on his X account, written by his attorney to Swift’s legal team, noting that what Sweeney had done didn’t violate any sort of laws.

“Put simply, there is nothing unlawful about GRNDCTRL’s use of publicly accessible information to track private jets, including those by public figures like Taylor Swift,” wrote Sweeney’s attorney James Slater, as Swift’s flight records were already public information.

Slater continued, noting that Sweeney had done nothing more than share information that was already available to the public.

“Our clients have never made any threats against Ms. Swift and your letter does not suggest they have done so,” Slater said. “Further, your letter’s tone is unfounded.”

In 2019, Fortnite was the highest-earning video game in the world, ultimately bringing in about $1.8 billion in revenue that year. Like many entertainment crazes, though, it took a minute for some of the adults in the room to catch on: That October, Lady Gaga posted a now-classic tweet that reads, “What’s fortnight.”

Now, in 2024, Gaga very clearly knows what Fortnite is… and how to spell it.

Yesterday (February 20), she quote-tweeted her old tweet and added two things. First, the post is captioned simply, “*fortnite,” correcting her previous spelling error. Second, the post also includes a teaser image that indicates some collaboration between her and Fortnite Festival is coming on February 22.

This link-up has been a long time coming, as this isn’t the first time Gaga has been associated with Fortnite. In May 2021, a leak revealed that a Gaga skin for the game was apparently in the works. It was also reported at the time that Fortnite was previously planning on an in-game Gaga concert for December 2020, which ultimately never happened.

As for what exactly Gaga and Fortnite Festival have coming up, all we have to go on for now is Gaga’s teaser image, so it’s hard to know for sure at the moment. It looks like we’ll find out soon, though.

Donald Trump — a man who, it’s worth noting, is running for president — has debuted his new money-making scheme. He attended SneakerCon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, over the weekend, where he showed off his new “Never Surrender High-Tops” shoes, which can be yours for the low, low price of $399 (gotta pay off half a billion dollars in legal penalties somehow). Trump also announced that he’s selling “Victory47” fragrances for $99.

The cologne is “for the movers, the shakers, and the history makers,” according to the description, and features “Citrus notes, Cedar, Leather, and Amber.” That’s not how I imagine Trump smelling, but I guess it’s hard to replicate the essence of day-old Big Mac.

During Tuesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, host Jimmy Kimmel dubbed Trump “Heir Jordan” for his SneakerCon cameo and made fun of his golden shoes. “It looks like something you’d wear on a Flag Day mall walk with Mr. T,” he joked, adding, “If I wanted to buy an ugly pair of shoes from a mentally unstable racist, I’d get a pair of Yeezys. At least they look kind of cool.” Kimmel also had a few words for Trump’s cologne, specifically the bottle it comes in with Trump’s head as the cap. “It’s like a dildo on top of a dildo,” he said.

You can watch the Jimmy Kimmel Live clip above.

Machine Gun Kelly is known for, among other things, never hesitating to experiment and try new things with his appearance and how he presents himself. Well, he has just taken a major step in that department. Yesterday (February 20), MGK debuted a bold new look: a blackout tattoo that covers a good percentage of his body.

Kelly and the tattoo artist who did it shared photos of the ink on Instagram. Stark black ink now covers the area from Kelly’s shoulders down to below his chest, as well as on his arms down to his wrists. Some areas were left untouched to create line-based designs, leaving parts of his previous tattoos exposed. The two photos only show a front view of Kelly, so it’s not currently clear what his back looks like.

Sharing his photo, Kelly wrote, “for spiritual purposes only.”

For reference, check out how far Kelly has come in his tattoo journey by looking back at this 2016 video from GQ, in which Kelly shows off his ink:

He also told the publication at the time about how his tattoos impacted people’s perception of him, saying, “When I was coming out and I was wearing wifebeaters and snapbacks, and like, tattoos all out and whatever, people were like, ‘Oh, he’s trashy, he’s white trash’ — all these different kind of assumptions. Just like when I was in high school, when I said, ‘I’m gonna grow up, get a record deal, and be the biggest f*cking star in the world,’ people were like, ‘[scoffs] Yeah right, dude, no one makes it out of Cleveland, you’re a white boy trying to be somethin’ you shouldn’t.’ That same person they were calling white trash is now on the best-dressed lists.”

Young Jesus is gearing up to share his new album, The Fool. Today (February 20), Young Jesus, which is the musical project of John Rossiter, announced the album, and shared the new single, “Brenda & Diane.”

The song is sung from the perspective of a narrator, who shares the story of two runaways.

“Brenda and Diane are on the run,” said Rossiter of the song in a statement. “The main character thinks he’s better than them. But sits down to talk to them, to humor them. Sees that they have a whole, complex life. Humbling for the main character and his sense of superiority and judgment. Brenda and Diane invite him into life.”

The song’s accompanying video features musician Tommy Sunshine, who is seen wearing clown make-up, as he goes through a day in his life.

Before recording The Fool, Rossiter was planning to quit music altogether after the release of the last Young Jesus album, Shepherd Head, back in 2022. But one day, he received an email from producer Shahzad Ismaily. The two then connected, and started writing songs together. They would later record these songs at Shahzad’s Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn.

These songs eventually unfolded into The Fool, which is set for release later this year.

You can watch the video for “Brenda & Diane” above and see the artwork and tracklist for The Fool below.

1. “Brenda & Diane”
2. “Two Brothers”
3. “Rabbit”
4. “Rich”
5. “Moonlight”
6. “MOTY”
7. “The Weasel”
8. “Am I The Only One?”
9. “Sunrise”
10. “Dancer”
11. “God’s Plan”

The Fool is out 5/24 via Saddle Creek. Find more information here.

Donald Trump waited a few days to say anything public about the mysterious death of Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny. It’s a surprise he said anything at all. The former U.S. president is good pals with the current Russian president and he doesn’t like to say anything untoward about him. So what did Trump say? He compared himself to who died in a Siberian penal colony, possibly because he was murdered, possibly for the reason authorities provided, namely “sudden death syndrome.” That made little sense, so he whipped out the comparison again, this time making even less sense.

Per The Hill, Trump participated in a Fox News town hall with his close friend Laura Ingraham. When asked about Navalny, Trump called him a “brave guy” for standing up to a notorious autocrat. He even seemed to suggest that Putin had him whacked.

“He went back, he could’ve stayed away,” Trump said about how Navalny sought treatment in Berlin after being mysteriously poisoned, only to return home. “And, frankly, probably would’ve been a lot better off staying away and talking from outside of the country as opposed to going back in, because people thought that could happen, and it did happen. And It’s a horrible thing.”

Trump then tried to make what happened to Navalny and what’s happening to him — which is to say being held accountable for his actions in various courts of law — are the same thing.

“But it’s happening in our country, too,” Trump said. “We are turning into a communist country in many ways. And if you look at it. I’m the leading candidate, I get indicted—I never heard of being indicted before—I get indicted four times. I have eight or nine trials… all because of the fact that I’m in politics. They indicted me on things that are so ridiculous.”

Asked about his civil fraud trial, which ended with him having to pay $354.8 million (plus interest), Trump coined a new term, calling that “a form of Navalny.”

He added, “It is a form of communism or fascism.”

Ignoring his increasingly bizarre vernacular, it’s fascinating to watch Trump — a longtime cheerleader for Putin, who even when he’s admitted he’s done wrongdoing has downplayed its severity — attempting to exploit Navalny’s death while not angering the Russian president.

Elsewhere during the town hall, Ingraham did her best to try to keep him from saying crazy things (which is to say she repeatedly failed). At one point Trump said that when you do mail-in voting, “you automatically have fraud.” Ingraham sheepishly tried to remind him that lots of mail-in votes came from old people in Florida who voted for him, but he rolled right over that point, even if it might cost him an election. Again.

(Via The Hill)

The inaugural No Values Festival boasts a promising line-up. Taking place at the Pomona Fairplex in California on June 8, No Values Festival will bring some of the biggest names in punk — including Misfits, Turnstile, Sublime, Iggy Pop, and many others.

Tickets for No Values go on sale this week, and thankfully, the festival is allowing several options for fans.

How much are tickets for the No Values Festival 2024?

General admission passes for No Values begin at $199, and will get fans entry into the venue. Another tier, called GA Some Values, will offer the same perks as regular GA, as well as a four-pack of collectible pins. GA More Values tickets offer fans a special entry land and preferred parking, as well as a limited-edition t-shirt.

VIP passes begin at $399, giving fans extra shade and seating options, special food and beverage offerings, air-conditioned restrooms, pin packs, t-shirts, and VIP entry and parking.

Fans can purchase tickets outright, or set up an installment plan beginning at $49.99.

Tickets will be available for purchase beginning Friday (February 23) via the official No Values website.

You can see the full No Values 2024 line-up below.

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

People start communicating from the moment they enter the world usually through cries, faces, grunts and squeals. Once infants move into the toddler phase the combine all of their previous communication skills with pointing and saying a few frequently used words like “milk,” “mama,” “dada” and “eat.”

Children who are born without the ability to hear often still go through those same stages with the exception of their frequently used words being in sign language. But not all hearing parents know sign language, which can stunt the language skills of their non-hearing child. Ronnie McKenzie is an American Sign Language advocate that uses social media to teach others how to sign so deaf and nonverbal kids don’t feel left out.

“But seriously i felt so isolated 50% of my life especially being outside of school i had NONE to sign ASL with. Imagine being restricted from your own language,” McKenzie writes in his caption.

The dad explains that he was the only deaf child on both sides of his family and no one spoke ASL to him outside of school. Because of his experience feeling isolated within his own family, he decided to build his social media platform around ASL literacy, his followers look forward to his daily lessons. Parents and teachers of deaf and nonverbal children thank him for the work he’s doing and often request certain signs to help them communicate.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ronnie McKenzie (@kingron4l)

McKenzie advocates that ASL become a language taught in elementary schools as a standard part of curriculum so students are able to effectively communicate with everyone around them. In one of his more recent videos, he teaches parents how to sign basic words children may need to know like, “pizza,” “don’t touch,” and “follow me.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ronnie McKenzie (@kingron4l)

Parents and educators jumped into the comments to ask for help learning more signs.

“I work in school, and I would like to know school materials like: paper, crayons, pencil, paint, brushes, or words like: homework, test, recess. Thanks,” someone writes.

“Can you do “gentle” or “careful”? Like for a toddler with a new baby at home,” another asks.

“I love this so much. My son is non-verbal and struggles with learning any way to communicate. I feel me trying to learn ASL is something that will help him- I appreciate you, we all do,” a commenter reveals.

Not everyone will pick up ASL quickly, but McKenzie’s approach to repeat the signs three times and give signs for different situations that people frequently incur is likely most helpful. When learning a language, even our first language, we pick up on words used the most in familiar situations so giving context to the signs can help it stick. Hopefully more people are inspired to learn from McKenzie to make the world more accessible to others.

The Rolling Loud 2024 festival line-up is already blazing. But today (February 20), the world’s biggest hip-hop festival announced a new partnership with Stiiizy, the world’s leading cannabis brand. Rolling Loud and Stiizy are teaming up to deliver a four-piece product line.

In the line are the 3.5G “Rockstar Zlushie” premium indoor cannabis, the 3.5G Rolling Loud OG premium indoor cannabis, the “Rockstar Zlushie” live resin liquid diamond pods, and five-pack 40’s “Rolling Loud OG” kief-coated, premium indoor cannabis-infused pre-rolls

“Celebrating hip-hop culture is at the heart of this collaboration and we couldn’t think of a greater brand to do it with,” said Rolling Loud Co-Founder Tariq Cherif in a statement. “The nature of our events and STIIIZY’s world are one in the same. We’re proud to showcase that through this collaboration.”

In addition to these new cannabis products, Stiiizy will unveil a 40-foot cannabis cultivation replica next to the Rolling Loud main stage. This replica is designed to immerse fans in the cultivation experience, and will offer an interactive photo booth for festival-goers.

“Imagine standing in an immersive cannabis installation while watching hip-hop legends perform your favorite songs,” said Cherif That’s the type of next-level experience STIIIZY brings and one we can be proud of.”

Rolling Loud takes place March 14-17 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. This year’s festival boasts an incredible array of performers, including Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, Future and Metro Boomin, and more. Fans can begin purchasing products from the Stiizy line beginning Friday (February 23) via Stiiizy‘s and Rolling Loud‘s websites.

You can see the full Rolling Loud performer line-up below.

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

Parasite came out a long time ago. How long ago? When it won Best Picture (and a slew of other Oscars), the pandemic had yet to fully kick in. It’s not that director Bong Joon-ho hasn’t been busy. In another timeline his follow-up, the sci-fi Mickey 17, would be set to arrive in late March, a month-and-change as of this writing. Last month Warner Bros. Discovery mysteriously yanked it from the schedule entirely. That prompted fear; was David Zaslav ready to do to Director Bong what he did to the makers of Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme. Well, now you can chill, for now.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Mickey 17 is back on the release calendar, though everyone will have to wait: It won’t hit theaters until January 31, 2025, or about 10 months from when it was originally supposed to arrive.

For his chaser to Parasite, Bong chose to adapt Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel Mickey 7. Why the addition of 10 more to the title? We’ll have to wait and find out. Not much is known about how Bong adapted the source, but Variety says star Robert Pattinson plays an “expendable,” or a “disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize an ice planet,” who “refuses to let his replacement clone take his place.” If it’s anything like Bong’s other films, it will be brainy and fun in equal measure.

So for now, at least, Bong and Pattinson heads can breathe a sigh of relief, as it appears WBD won’t Zaslav their film out of existence to save a couple bucks. Then again, a lot can change in 11 months.

(Via THR)